Friday Afternoon

Kai smashed the door to his bedroom shut. Everything inside the room shook from the vibrations. Kyungsoo happened to be one of those things.

He opened his eyes slightly, a sharp pain jabbing up from his bum all the way up his spine. Ah, now he remembered what happened last night. But wouldn't that mean that Kai would be in a good mood? What was wrong? Kyungsoo sat up. Had he done something wrong?

Kyungsoo rubbed the back of his neck as he watched Kai kick everything around him. A chair. The desk. His table. His dresser. The doll bit his lip when Kai took his mirror off of the wall and threw it to the floor. No. Whatever was bothering Kai was definitely not the they had last night. So what was it?

Kai slumped down into a chair he hadn't overturned. His breathing was ragged, inconsistent. His eyes were ablaze with that forbidden fire everyone was afraid to ignite. He looked up at Kyungsoo for a second before turning his head and looking away. The parentless child stared out the window.

Wrapping himself in the blankets surrounding him, Kyungsoo stood up and walked over to Kai. The younger pressed his knees together so Kyungsoo could sit on top of them. They rocked back and forth gently, Kai's arms wrapping around his doll. The fabric of the blanket around Kyungsoo's body felt smooth against his skin as his head rested on the older's chest. Kyungsoo layed his head on top of Kai's.

They sat in silence. Kyungsoo was sure that if Kai wanted to talk about whatever was on his mind, he would have started talking by now. But since the boss' son had gone mute, Kyungsoo didn't pressure him. He wouldn't make Kai do anything he didn't want to. Just like Kai did with him. Last night, Kyungsoo had wanted Kai. Kai had waited since the finger incident. Kyungsoo owed him that.

Kai, on the other hand, despised how silent it was. Why wouldn't Kyungsoo ask him what was wrong? Did he even care? Kai shook his head. Of course Kyungsoo cared. That's why he wasn't saying anything. He was trying to mend Kai with the silence.

But Kai wasn't the one who needed to be mended. He was terrified for Joonmyun. Clucking his tongue, Kai gently pushed Kyungsoo to signal that he wanted him off of his lap. Adjusting the blanket to make sure it wouldn't fall off, Kyungsoo did as he was told. Kai looked up at him with his chocolate eyes.

If Kai was a good of a writer as Shakespeare, he would write a play all about Kyungsoo's fair figure. A sonnet about his eyes. A simple poem about his lips which were so soft, so inviting. And he would also write about the anger, the sadness, and the confusion he currently felt. That would take up a few number of notebooks.

Standing up, Kai walked around Kyungsoo and to the smashed mirror. He sighed and started to pick up the broken glass. He had gone overboard this time with his rage. He needed to wind down or else he could hurt someone. Like Kyungsoo. And out of all the things Kai feared, that was one of the biggest.

Kyungsoo kneeled down to help him, gathering the glass into the blanket. He held it in a way that it still covered him but also acted like a sort of basket. Kai piled the glass into Kyungsoo blanket made basket, cringing at how the shards scraped against eachother. The noise was unbearable. And by the looks of it, Kyungsoo found it to be the same way too.

The floor was soon of the glass shards. Kyungsoo angled his blanket so they all slid into the trash can in the corner, scraping along as they landed inside with loud thumps and shattered some more. Kai scratched his head and walked up to the window again. How was it such a beautiful day outside but such an awful one inside? It suddenly felt too stuffy in Kai's room. Too warm. The young man craved the outdoors.

He marched over to his closet swiftly. Finding a pair of jeans and a white tee shirt, he tossed them to Kyungsoo. The older fumbled to catch them since his hands were still grasping the blanket for dear life. He giggled nervously then shuffled towards the bathroom to change.

"You know," Kai muttered, eyes out the window again, "you can change in here. I've already seen everything there is to see. I don't understand the problem." 

Kyungsoo bit his lip. Kai was right. Again. He did as Kai had advised, feeling a little more comfortable since Kai wasn't even looking at him. His attention was completely on something else, something outside.

Soon fully dressed, Kyungsoo walked up to Kai and stood beside him. The younger snuck a glance at him when their elbows brushed against eachother's, then draped an arm over the older's shoulders. Kyungsoo blushed slightly and searched for whatever Kai was staring at. There didn't seem to be anything particulary interesting outdoors. Kai was just having one of those depression moments when you stare off into space.

Kyungsoo danced out of Kai's grip. "Kai, what's wrong?"

Finally, he decides to ask! Kai cheered to himself. His feelings were bottling up inside and now he could finally just let them all out. "Just upset."

"About what?"

"Well, for starters, my father knows about us and didn't tell me."

Kyungsoo stumbled backwards from shock, a hand on his chest. "He..he knows?!"

Kai nodded. He reached out to hold Kyungsoo upright, both hands on his shoulders. "That's not the worst part though. You know how you're the replacement doll? For D.O? Well, apparently, I'm the replacement kid."

"Why?" Kyungsoo asked. "I mean, we know now that Joonmyun is actually their son but why would they do that? He's fine!"

"Mrs. Kim died from cancer, doll face." Kai lowered himself into the armchair near the window. "Figure it out from there."

Kyungsoo's eyes wandered as he tried to connect the dots in his head. He suddenly gasped, bringing his fingers to his lips. "You don't think--"

"I don't," Kai cut him off. "But you never know. Life is unfair. Whoever says it is, they need to show me some proof. Where is it written that life is fair?" He groaned and covered his face. "This is like a damn soap opera. Watch. In the next ten seconds something dramatic is going to happen."

The bedroom door suddenly burst open despite it being locked. Chanyeol barged in. Kyungsoo's eyes widened from fear when he saw the smile on Chanyeol's face. Dear Lord, it was the creepiest thing he had ever seen! He ducked behind Kai's armchair.

"Congratulate me!" Chanyeol screamed. "I'm engaged to Baekhyun!"

"Wait, what?!" Kai responded, jumping up. "You're kidding, right?!"

Chanyeol smiled. "Yes~"

"Get out!" Kai screamed, picking up one of his fallen chairs and raising it over his head. He was well aware that Chanyeol was taller than he was and the height difference would cause him to smash the chair in Chanyeol's face, but he didn't care. "Get the out, you pedo derp!"

Chanyeol ran out and Kai shut the door behind him. Mumbling profanities of all sorts under his breath, Kai rushed over to his closet again and began to search for something inside. Pulling out a basketball from the very bottom, he grabbed Kyungsoo's arm and began dragging him out of the room. Kyungsoo struggled to get out of the tight grip.

"Kai!" he cried. "What are you doing? Where are we going? I don't play basketball! Kaiiiiiii!"

"I just wanna shoot some hoops in the back," Kai told him. "I can't stay in here anymore. This house is hell to me."

They mazed their way through the house. Mr. Kim might have known about Kyungsoo, but the maids didn't. They gasped when they saw the intruder being led by their boss' son, some holding butcher knives as the two passed through the kitchen. Was Kyungsoo that scary looking? He lowered his eyes to look more vulnerable, softer. The maids were still on alert.

Opening the back door, Kai led Kyungsoo into the backyard. It was the doll's first time there, and he was shocked that he hadn't been taken here before. 

The backyard was two times larger than the front yard! The grass was mowed to perfection, the height the same all around and the color a light, lime green. There was a pool covering a quarter of the backyard, large enough for a swimmer training for the Olympics to practice in. A walkway made of marbled led to the pool as well as the basketball and tennis courts on the other side. In the middle of it all was a huge antique looking fountain, birds swimming in the bottom layer of it.

Kyungsoo blinked, soaking it all in. His first instinct was have at it with the pool, but seeing Kai walking towards the basketball court, he followed him instead. The sound of the ball dribbling as Kai walked was forming a steady rhythm and Kyungsoo hummed to it, nodding his head from side to side. He was never a huge fan of sports, but he liked the sound of the fans cheering or the sounds the sports equipment made. This basketball was no different. And yes, Kyungsoo was a very strange boy.

Kai shot his first hoop as soon as he set foot onto the court. He just barely missed, mostly because of how far away he was. But he kept trying. His goal by the end of the year was to make one perfect shot from this distance. He ran to get the basketball as Kyungsoo sat down on the bench on the side. His eye twitched when he saw the maids staring at him through the window since the bench faced the house. He lowered his head again, covering the bottom of his face with his hands. Why couldn't they leave him alone?

Kai positioned himself again and fired. The ball went in and he high fived himself, doing a mini moonwalk. Kyungsoo smiled slightly. Kai and his maturity level. Simply incorrigible. 

Maybe that was another reason Joonmyun was replaced as the Kims' child. He was serious. Not many people like serious attitudes. Joonmyun was way too mature, not even capable of flirting with anyone but Jongdae. Kai, on the other hand, still flirted like crazy in front of the cameras. He was flirting with every Korean female when the spotlight was on him! And that's why the public loved him. Not to mention his impeccable good looks.

Kyungsoo sighed. Joonmyun would have a lot of catching up to do if he wanted to run the business on the same level as Kai. He'd have to give up the father-like aura projecting from him. Stop being so earnest and taking everything as if it were a matter of life or death. He had to give a about everything like Kai. For example, Kai didn't seem to care that he just got the basketball caught in the branches of the trees. Woops.

Kai's eyebrows furrowed as he stared up at the basketball in between the branches of the evergreen tree. He kicked the trunk to see if he could shake it. No such luck. The evergreen was way too large and the trunk too strong. He considered climbing it, but that was too risky. He'd prefer to keep his bones unfractured.

Sighing, Kai made his way to the tennis courts to see if the racquets and balls were out to be used. But alas, his trainer had taken the racquets with him to restring them, and the balls were pretty useless without the racquets. Kai blew his bangs out of his face, huffing. This day .

To Kyungsoo, this was finally an opportunity to check out the pool. He skipped over to it, standing on the edge. The water was crystal clear, not one impurity visible to the eye. He cocked his head as he looked at the bottom of the pool. The water was so clean that one could see it. He stood there for a few moments, the ripples giving him the illusion that he was moving. That he was flowing with the water. But in reality, it was a trick of the mind.

Kyungsoo was so focused on observing the tranquil water that he didn't notice Kai coming up behind him. A smirk was plastered on the younger's face as he stood right behind Kyungsoo, making absolutely no sound. Just as Kyungsoo felt a hot breath hit his neck and realized Kai was behind him, the boss' son pushed Kyungsoo inside the pool, he himself standing on the bank to laugh his head off.

"Kai!" Kyungsoo screamed. "You moron! I--" he went under for a second then resurfaced, thrashing, "I can't swim!"

Kai barely heard him through his histerical laughter. "What? What did you say?"

"I can't sw--" Kyungsoo went completely under.

Kai blinked at the water. He was kidding, right? Kyungsoo? Not being able to swim? Nah, that was preposterous! Everyone knew how to swim! He was joking...unless he seriously had just gone under and was drowning. Kai's eyes widened. 

"Holy !" Kai dove right in. The maids watched as the boss' son disappeared underwater to save his friend or whoever the heck that was. There was a few moments of silence when nothing happened. They all held their breaths.

And then Kai broke through the surface, holding Kyungsoo around the waist. The doll was coughing, water spurting out from his mouth. Apologies were spilling from Kai's mouth, more than Kyungsoo could count on his fingers, as he laid Kyungsoo down onto the grass. He gently pushed on the boy's chest to quicken the removal of the water from his lungs, clearing up his air passageways. Mental note: ask if person can swim before pushing them into water as a joke.

Kyungsoo closed his eyes. He was dizzy and nauseous. His lungs burned from the presence of the water and the absence of air. He breathed in the oxygen surrounding him, the oh so sweet oxygen. He would never take it for granted it again. Time to start recycling.

Kai lifted Kyungsoo's head and placed it onto his knees as he sat he beside him. The younger the older's wet hair, still not finished with his apologies. It was getting annoying now, and with each apology, Kyungsoo felt like a wimp. If he knew how to swim, this wouldn't have happened. He was such a loser.

Kai's fingers laced into Kyungsoo's hair. "I'm so sorry, doll face! I didn't know! I didn't mean to hurt you that way! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Tears poured down his face. If he had been a second too late, Kyungsoo would have drowned in his pool. And it would have been all his fault.

Kyungsoo reached out and cupped Kai's cheek. With a swipe of his thumb, he flicked away some of the tears running down his skin. "It's alright. You saved me, at least. I owe you that."

Kai sniffled. "You should really learn how to swim, though."

"I know."

"It's a very important skill to have."

"I'm well aware."

"Can I teach you?" Kai asked, running his hands across Kyungsoo's chest. The older's shirt was soaked, and since it was white it had turned transparent. Kyungsoo chuckled.

"Will you try to kill me again?"

"No!" Kai cried. "Never, Kyungsoo!" He grabbed the boy's hand and kissed the back as if he was scared Kyungsoo would die on him. The doll sat up, laughing.

"Alright, alright! You can teach me. And Kai?" With a swift movement, he forced the boy on his knees into the pool, laughing himself as Kai stared back at him, floating. "Now we're even~"

For the next three hours, Kai taught Kyungsoo how to swim. He helped the older float then kick his way around in a doggie paddle motion. The maids smiled at that and giggled. The boy with the doe like eyes was simply adorable! Not to mention, he had a striking resemblance to D.O upstairs. What a coincidence!

The maids cheered inside when Kyungsoo was finally able to swim around using the butterfly technique as well as the back . He was an extremely fast and efficient learner. And despite it being his first true swimming experience, Kyungsoo had beaten Kai three out of the four times they raced against eachother. Kai had been giving it his all in the race, too.

Mr. Kim watched it all from his office's window too. He cringed when Kai planted a large kiss on Kyungsoo's lips after the older beat him the final time. He never expected his adopted son to be gay. The same went for his real son. He was horrified. Some of the maids had informed him that his assistant had some sort of relationship with that butler Jongdae. How on earth had this happened? Was this his punishment for replacing his son to keep the business alive? Gay children?

He spun back around to his desk in his spinny chair, trying hard to ignore the laughs of Kai and Kyungsoo outside. He'd close the window except it was too hot and the air conditioner wasn't doing a good enough job. So, he was forced to listen. The middle aged man clamped hands over to his ears, trying to block out the sound. He wasn't a pesimist or a hater of homouals. He just couldn't believe he'd have to go through knowing any.

Standing up, Mr. Kim closed his window. He'd rather fry in his room. The sounds were distracting him from his work. Laughter, though usually deemed as medicine, was Mr. Kim's poison. The last thing Mrs. Kim had done before she died was laughed. Laughed at what they'd done with the boys.

He had never really gotten over the guilt. Everytime Joonmyun walked into his office to do something for him, his heart ached. Just a few hours ago, everyone but him was clueless on the matter. And now his real son knew the truth, and he had no idea how to face him anymore. He had to though; he didn't have much time to reform the bond lost so long ago.

Because Joonmyun would die. He didn't know when. But Mr. Kim knew for a fact that he would. The cancer had already been spotted when Joonmyun was a mere child, and after the treatment he went through, the doctors had said it had went away. Gone. Not a bother anymore.

But Joonmyun's fatigue and inability to come to work made Mr. Kim think otherwise. Either the cancer had never gone away or it had just come back. He didn't know, and he didn't care. He cared of the outcome of it all, not anything else. And he was scared to find out. He didn't want his wife's fate replaying as his son's.

Yet, they said that the son usually bonded better with the mother while the daughter bonded better with the fath