“Daeho-shi… Jang Daeho-shi was a friend of a friend,” Cheondoong’s mother said, again staring off into the distance, “We met by chance when I was out for dinner with a friend.  He found out about Joonie by chance too… I hadn’t told anyone about the boy.”

“How did he find out?” Cheondoong asked, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. 

His mother paused again before she shook her head and sighed heavily.  “I… I was so lonely, Doong-ah,” she said, not looking at him, “Daeho-shi… I knew he was married but…”  She shook her head and sighed again as she brushed her hair behind her ears with shaky hands.  “He had a wife and kid… so we came to my house instead.  On the days when he would visit, I would lock Joon in the basement.  But… I guess it was inevitable,” she murmured, clasping her hands together, “Eventually, Daeho-shi ventured into the basement and discovered Joon.”

Cheondoong gripped the table so hard his knuckles turned white.  His mother… had an intimate relationship with the man that had almost killed his sister?  He reeled from the idea and it made him sick to his stomach.  Still, he kept silent and waited for her to continue.

“As time went by, Daeho-shi seemed to become more and more interested in the boy,” his mother lamented, “He began spending less time with me and more with the boy.  I thought it was strange at first but I didn’t think too much of it.  It wasn’t until I caught him touching the boy did I finally figure out what he really wanted…”  She sighed again and shook her head in disgust.  “I confronted him about it and he threatened me with going to the police… so instead of going to jail, I struck a deal with the devil,” she murmured, suddenly hugging herself as if she were cold, “In exchange for money… he could do what he wanted with the boy.”  She shivered and shook her head again as if she denied the reality of what she’d done herself. 

Cheondoong let out a breath as he listened.  He noticed that… as she progressed, Joon slowly became ‘the boy’.  It was as if she dehumanized him and made him into an ‘it’ rather than a ‘him’.  Did she do that subconsciously to justify her actions?  Surely she knew that what she had done was morally wrong not to mention incredibly illegal.

“I tried to make it so that I wasn’t home when he came,” she said softly, “I didn’t want to listen to the screams…”

Cheondoong let out a shaky breath.  He felt dirty from just listening to her story.  It made his skin crawl to think of what Joon had suffered through at such a young age.  Did his sister know all of this too?  Was that why she never told him the details?  Because she had felt the same urge to throw up as he did?

He closed his eyes and tried to rid himself of the stifling feeling in his chest.  He had to remind himself that this was all in the past… that the Joon now was safe and happy at KTA.  Speaking of KTA…

“The man from before,” Cheondoong said, suddenly remembering Kim Dongmin, “What did he want?”

His mother gave him a puzzled look.  “Man from…?” she repeated, clearly confused. 

Again, Cheondoong wasn’t sure if she was pretending to not know or if she really didn’t know.  Did she really develop mental problems?  Or was it all an act to gain sympathy?

“The man that left shortly before I arrived,” Cheondoong said slowly, “He wore a black suit-”

“Oh him!” she said suddenly, snapping her fingers.  In an instant, her posture changed from being fearful to being completely relaxed.  “No idea who that was,” she said, dismissing him with a wave of her hand, “Wanted to know about some kid named Lee Joon.”  She shook and rolled her eyes before saying, “I told him I only have one son and his name is Park Cheondoong!”  She nodded in satisfaction and leaned back in her chair.

Cheondoong gaped at her.  Was she having another lapse in memory?  Did she just say ‘some kid named Lee Joon’?  As if she had no idea who Lee Joon was?  Hadn’t she just been talking about Joon only minutes before?  What was going on here?  “What else did he ask you?” he asked cautiously.

“Don’t know, wasn’t really paying attention,” she said, picking up her bowl and finishing off her dinner, “He kept asking questions and I didn’t know the answer to a single one.”

Cheondoong fell silent as he watched her eat.  Kim Dongmin had visited to find out about Joon?  Why?  As far as he knew, the company didn’t know about Joon’s history at the Park residence.  But what, exactly, did they know?  And why would Kim Dongmin, the top executive at the Lee-Song group, personally pay a visit just to find out about one of their talents?  What was the connection? 

He couldn’t deny that he was curious about Joon’s past himself.  After all, how does a ten year old just go missing without any police alerts about a missing child?  Cheondoong paused suddenly and shifted in his chair.  Alerts… had there been any?  At the time of Joon’s disappearance, were there any news articles about missing children?  Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t something he had ever really considered.  So maybe…

“I got to go,” he said suddenly, standing, “I… I have some things to take care of.”

His mother looked up startled, her eyes wide with shock.  “But… you haven’t eaten-” she began but was interrupted.

“Thank you for telling me… about everything,” Cheondoong said, “I came like I promised.  I hope that you can also keep your promise to turn yourself in…”

His mother shook her head as she stood as well and took a step towards him.  “Please don’t leave,” she murmured, begging him with her eyes, “Don’t leave… don’t leave me, Minjun-ah!”  

Cheondoong staggered backwards as she suddenly closed the distance and embraced him in a hug.  He blinked in shock as she began sobbing into his chest.  Had… had she just called him Minjun?  It was impossible… wasn’t it?  

Park Minjun... she had just called her son by her late ex-husband’s name.  Cheondoong  stood in a shocked daze.  How long had it been since he heard the name Park Minjun?  He remembered when his mother used to call his father from the kitchen.  It would be ‘Minjun-ah… dinner’s ready’ or something like ‘Yah, Park Minjun!  How many times have I told you not to spoil the kids?!’  It had to have been well over a decade since she last uttered the name of her late ex-husband.  And yet… here she was, crying out her ex-husband’s name as she wept her heart out in the arms of her son.

Taking a shaky breath, Cheondoong took her shoulders and pushed her away.  “You… you need help,” he said softly, his own chest filling with grief, “You need mental help.”

“Don’t take my kids,” she sobbed, unable to hear a single word, “Don’t take my kids, Minjun-ah…”  She collapsed into a heap on the kitchen floor as she covered her face with her hands and wept.

Cheondoong knelt beside her and watched her small shoulders shake with each sob.  For the first time since entering the house that night, he felt his heart ache for her.  She was so lost in her anguish that she could no longer distinguish the difference between the past and the future.  Her longing for her husband and children had driven her to madness and left her in a state of soullessness.  This woman that had once given birth to him and his sister… his mother had now become nothing but an empty shell trapped within her own personal darkness.

Gently, Cheondoong pulled her into a hug and tried to soothe her.  Slowly, her sobs faded and her body stopped shaking.  Taking her arm, he led her up the stairs and into the bedroom where he tucked her inside the bed.  

“Please don’t leave,” she murmured, looking at him through tear-filled eyes, “Please don’t leave me, Cheondoong-ah.  I love you so much… I love you and your sister so much.”  Her chest shook with her uneven breathing as she continued, “I just… I just want us to be a family again.  I want to hear you call me Umma again… please, Doong-ah.”  She reached out and gripped his hand tightly.

Cheondoong sat at the edge of the bed and let his hand be held.  He nodded and squeezed her hand back.  “You should sleep,” he said softly, “Sleep… things will get better.”

She nodded and closed her eyes.  She looked exhausted; within only minutes, her breathing slowed and she fell asleep.  Her grip on his hand relaxed as her chest rose and fell with each breath.

Gingerly, Cheondoong pulled his hand from hers and stood.  With a sigh, he gave her one last look before heading downstairs.  Making as little noise as possible, he cleaned up the dining table and placed the food in the fridge.  Once the dishes were done, he made his way to the foyer.  Looking up the stairs with a heavy sigh, he pulled on his shoes.  As quietly as he could, he opened the front door and stepped outside.  And as he made his way to the bus stop, he couldn’t help but wonder if things really will get better for his mother.

Seungho was late.

Joon wandered restlessly around the dorm as he waited, unsure of what to do with the time.  According to the schedule, Seungho’s class should have ended over two hours ago.  And factoring in the half an hour bus ride… he was late.

Sighing, sat down on the bed and glanced at the clock.  It was nearly 10:00 PM.  Grabbing his phone, Joon sifted through his messages; nothing from Seungho.  Tossing it onto the bed, Joon laid down and stared at the ceiling.  Should he go ask Hyunsik?  But… it was stupid to bother him over something so trivial.  Besides, was Hyunsik even still in the office at this time?

Joon jumped and sat up when he heard the sound of a key in the lock.  He stood as Seungho walked inside and closed the door.  Dressed in a white suit, Seungho looked tired.  But of course, the first thing out of his mouth was…

“I’m starving,” Seungho said as he spotted Joon, “Hey…”  He kicked off his shoes and walked towards Joon.  He gently tugged Joon into his arms and snugged his face into Joon’s neck.  “Hmm,” he sighed, placing a soft kiss on Joon’s collarbone, “I could skip dinner though…”  He trailed off as he began tugging Joon’s shirt to the side so he could gain more access to skin.

“Hyung,” Joon sighed, feeling the tension and restlessness leave him, “Where have you been?  And why are you dressed like that?” 

Seungho sighed and laid his head on Joon’s shoulder.  “You won’t believe the day I had,” he said, closing his eyes, “I spent the whole day playing the piano.  The whole day…”

Joon blinked in surprise as he looked at Seungho’s face.  “Piano?” he asked, “Where?”

“The Lee-Song estate,” Seungho said, pulling away and tugging on his tie uncomfortably, “The hwajangnim called me over so I could play some piano for her.  I didn’t think it’d be the whole day.”  He sighed and loosened the tie.  Shrugging out of his blazer, he tossed it onto a chair and threw the tie on top.  

Joon felt his blood run cold as he stared at Seungho in shock.  The hwajangnim?  As in… Song Bangna?  He spent the day with her at her home?  The thought of Seungho getting within a twenty feet radius of her somehow terrified him.

“Why would she do that?” Joon wondered aloud, alarmed that his supposed step-mother had anything to do with his lover, “There are tons of people who can play the piano.  Why would she want you?”

Seungho shrugged and replied, “Who knows?  Honestly, I think that woman’s a little whack.  Apparently, I remind her of her dead husband.  Don’t know if I should be happy about that…”

Joon fell silent as he suddenly felt a new rush of unease.  Seungho reminded her of her dead husband?  What were her intentions?  Surely it couldn’t have been because she suspected Joon could it?  Impossible… and it was just a one-time thing… right?

“Anything in the fridge?” Seungho asked as he shrugged out of his clothes and walked over to the fridge in his underwear, “What did you have for dinner?”

Joon followed him, lost in his thoughts.  Should he tell Seungho about his past?  It made sense to now that Song Bangna had her eye on Seungho.  But… what was the point?  There was nothing Seungho could do about it and it would only make him worry.  Was it better left unsaid?

“Hey,” Seungho said, turning to look at Joon with a piece of bread in his mouth, “What’s wrong?  You’re a bit pale.”  Shutting the door to the fridge, he walked over and cupped Joon’s with his hands.  “You okay?” he mumbled, the bread flopping up and down in his mouth.

Joon looked back at him, his mind torn between whether or not he should reveal his past.  Deciding against it for now, he responded by taking a bite out of Seungho’s bread.  “Mmn,” he replied, nodding, “I’m fine.  Just worried…”

“About the hwajangnim?” Seungho asked, taking the bread in his hand, “Don’t worry, she’s really nice.  I thought she’d be really aloof and cold but, she’s just like any other normal woman.”  He shrugged and took a bite of the bread.

Joon took the bread from Seungho’s hand subconsciously and took another bite.  Song Bangna was a normal woman?  It seemed to contradict the image he had painted of her in his head.  But then again, she had displayed quite the motherly nature at the hospital… maybe what Jin had told him wasn’t all right?  All the more reason to not tell Seungho; Joon needed to get the facts straight before he unloaded his worries on an already stretched-too-thin Seungho.

Sighing, Joon closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around Seungho.  He nuzzled his face into Seungho’s neck and sighed.  He prayed that this whole going-to-the-estate thing was a one-time thing.  It didn’t matter whether or not Song Bangna was a normal woman or not; Joon just wanted Seungho to be safely distanced from all of his troubles.

“Hmm,” Seungho replied, slipping a hand underneath Joon’s shirt, “Is this an invitation?”

“I love you,” Joon murmured, lifting his head and placing a kiss on Seungho’s jaw, “I just…”  He paused as Seungho looked at him with warm eyes.  “I love you so much,” Joon whispered, leaning his forehead against Seungho’s, “Please… please be safe.”

“I’ll be safe,” Seungho said, placing a soft kiss on Joon’s lips, “So you be safe too.”  

Joon nodded, feeling heat rush through him as Seungho placed a deeper kiss on him.  He sighed softly and gave Seungho entrance to his mouth.  As their tongues danced, Joon could feel a familiar stirring in his groin followed by the speeding of his heart.  

“Mmm, hyung,” Joon murmured softly, pulling Seungho back towards the bed, “Do you…?”

“Yes, please,” Seungho replied, placing kisses all over Joon’s face, “I’ll eat later…”  He sighed in contentment as he tugged Joon’s shirt from him and tossed it to the floor.

As the two fell back onto Joon’s bed in a tangle of limbs, Joon tried to keep his worries at bay and focus on the sizzling passion radiating between them.  But even as their lovemaking reached its peak, Joon could help but feel the sense of dread creep up on him like an old friend.

Author's notes:

That's right, no for you!  Kekeke!  I gave you a little teaser but no real haha.  Anyways, I'm EXHAUSTED so I'm hittin the sack.  I'll hopefully have something up again soon so stay tuned!