warning; unedited // typos

“Based on the last findings, this month’s earnings of our resort in Gangnam increased by 40% compared to last month. It was a huge leap for us and with that; I want to congratulate each and every one of us. It was a job well done.” Mark confidently declared as all the board members, including the company chairmen, clapped their hands and beamed at each other. The boy, still quite nervous, cleared his throat and managed to make a smile. He clicked a button and the slideshow continued. The noise subsided as a new graph and future plans begun to show. “So, I’m thinking that we should put more attractions to our Daegu branch. Just like what we did to our other branches. I’m certain that it would raise the income.” He advised and most of the people nodded.

Suddenly, a boy from the left side named Ken, who happens to be his cousin, interrupted. “But that would cost too much, Mark. Have you ever thought about that? Huh?” He said as he toyed with his expensive pen before looking at the president of the company; their grandfather. Again, most of the men nodded; seemed that they also agreed with Ken. Mark got tensed as he shot a worried look at his father, sitting beside the other board members. His dad just smiled and it gave Mark a huge relief before speaking again.

“I consider you suggestion, Ken. But if the Daegu branch will not do any good in the future, it will be closed and that’s way too worse than spending a fair amount of money. And besides, we’ll do all the renovations gradually.” The brunette spoke with a raging heartbeat. And as the boy punctuated the statement, they all glanced at the president again. All of a sudden, the old man carefully stood up and slowly clapped his hands; making Mark feel weird yet overwhelmed. 

“A great idea. Indeed. We should study about this. Thank you, Mark.” His grandfather, Mr. Hunseok Tuan, cheered. “And this is the end of this meeting. Thank you. We’ll see each other by next week.” He added and all the staff and board members begun running onto Mark just to shake his hands and congratulate him over and over again. It was really awesome. He could now burst into tears because he knew that all his hard work paid off. Ken, on the other side left the area harshly and his mother, a board member, followed as well.

When all the people were gone except from Mark, his assistant and his grandfather; the president called. “You did well, grandson. You did well.” He happily said, comfortably resting on his soft chair while pilling some documents. Mark smiled. “Thank you, grandpa! I’m doing this for the company, for all of us.” He said gathering the unused hand-outs that they gave to the board members for the said meeting. After a few seconds, Mark was about to leave when suddenly…”Mark, can we talk?”

The brunette nodded. “Bam, bring these papers back in my office. Thank you.” He ordered and his cute little assistant obeyed with a bright smile. Mark trudged towards his grandfather and occupied a seat in front of him. “Any improvement or updates about the search for your brother?” the old man asked gently with a very sullen expression.

Mark bit his lips. “None, grandpa. I’m sorry. But we’re still finding him! Don’t worry!” and tried to give all the hope that he can give, but his grandfather was just too sad about it. “Mark, I’m not getting any younger. I’m getting weaker every day. I want to see your brother before I leave this world.” And the younger started to burst into tears. He’s just too emotional when it comes to his grandfather. He wiped his own tears and faced the elder. “I will find him. I promise.”

“Park Jinyoung!!! I swear I’m going to chop you into pieces! Come back here!!!”

Jinyoung run for his life as if the old grumpy lady with a long blue umbrella could catch him.  His legs were just too strong compared to the other and he’s sure that he will not be caught. He began to slow down a bit. With his heart pumping too fast, we managed to breathe calmly before turning around. There are two men; their bodies are big and they look really awful and scary. They smirked as the old lady stood between them and pointed at Jinyoung. “Get him.” She commanded and the men run after clenching their fists.

The boy took a very deep breath as fear crept in his heart. One…two…three…RUN FOR YOUR LIFE JINYOUNG!!! The boy turned around and run as fast as he could. Surely, the market isn’t a very good place to initiate this kind of chaos. He bumped against people; very busy and clueless and not to mention, innocent people. It’s just saddening that all he could do was to bow in a very fast manner and say sorry before bumping against another person. It’s just some kind of a weird cycle.

The streets are narrow and wet. He was torn between looking back and just going further. Yet, he still turned his head and saw that the men were just few blocks away from him. “HEEEEEELP MEEEEE!!!” he shouted and closed his eyes as he went inside a small, dark street. He kept on running. That’s how rough his life is. Escaping away from everything is the only option that he gladly took.

Mark turned the knob of his office and removed his coat. He instantly sat on the chair and called for Bambam. In few seconds, the boy came. “Hi, Sir!” he greeted and Mark faked a smile. “Bam, have you called the investigators? Are there any updates about my brother?” he nervously asked as the assistant looked down and shook his head. Mark just felt a huge pang in his heart realizing that there’s a very small chance of seeing their lost family member. And what hurts the most is seeing his grandfather mourn about that.

They hired the best investigators in town and yet, not even a single detail was found. Bam stared at his boss’ face. “If only Conan exist in real life.” He blurted out, making Mark laugh for a short while. The younger loves to see Mark’s smile. After all the years that they’ve been together, Bam treats Mark as an elder brother. “Don’t lose hope. Everything’s gonna be fine.” He advised before seeing Mark’s smile for the second time.

Stressed about all the worries, Mark decided to drive heading to a nearby park. The sun was about to disappear in few minutes and there’s nothing more relaxing than seeing the vibrant scheme of colors right in front of you. Still troubled, he expected that all his problems would fade in the coming hours.

Jinyoung was too damn tired and he made the worst decision of the day; to walk. He can no longer see the ugly, muscle men and it was a very good thing. With a relieved sigh, he continued walking without any clear destination. But with all his surprise, the men appeared right in front of him, not giving him any chance to run or regain his wasted strength. Holy cheese. He made his signature puppy eyes and beamed before making a step back. It was too late to run, since one of the men pulled him by his shirt. “Where are you going, poor thing?” the bald one asked.

The boy trembled and with all his courage his balled his fist and hit the crotch of the man hardly before running. The man winced in pain, making the grip unsecured.  “Grow your hair first then I’ll tell you where I will go!” he sarcastically yelled as the other man with a thick pair of lips followed him. Another running session was done. The younger was just too worn out to run but he has to do it. Due to intense fear, Jinyoung reached the main roads without even looking if there were cars doing to his direction.

The next events are pure history. Jinyoung was running for his life as a silver car from his right almost hit him. The younger fell but there are no injuries. The car stopped and the driver went out, panicking and scared. He sat beside Jinyoung and helped him stood up. “Are you okay? I’ll bring you to the hospital!” the man, who looked like a upper class one according to how Jinyoung saw his clothing, offered a hand to pull him up.

“No! No need! I’m fine!” Jinyoung said, there was an aching feeling in his lower back and he’s pretty sure that he can no longer run. Maybe he should accept the reality that sooner or later, those men are going beat him up. He turned his back and sees the ugly males still running to catch him. “Park Jinyoung!! Come back here, you brat!” they called in a very angry and scary manner. Jinyoung stood in terror. He immediately held the other boy’s hand and dragged him back to the side of his car. “Oh my god! Let’s  go! Come on! Take me to the hospital! Please!” and they exited from the scene, leaving both of the villains dumbfounded.

Jinyoung was sitting on the passenger seat as he absent-mindedly stared at the window. “I’m so sorry.” The driver of the car apologized and Jinyoung snapped back to reality.  His thoughts were getting deeper day by day and he’ll not be surprised if one day his mind will be fully occupied by those. He beamed despite of the fatigue and bit his lips, looking away. “It’s okay. By the way, just drop me there.” He replied pointing onto corner of a familiar street. The other man wondered but he didn’t stop the car. “But the hospital --”

“Just…just do it.” Jinyoung mumbled while unbuckling the seatbelt. The man stopped on a sidewalk and glanced at his gold wrist watch before looking at a very worn out Jinyoung beside him. It’s almost dinner and the sunset was done. “Let me treat you for dinner. Please.” He offered.

Jinyoung just beamed and stared at the other. He admired how alluring and kind the man was. “Who am I to decline?” and they smiled at each other.

“I’m Mark. Mark Tuan. You can call me Yi-en, but I prefer Mark.” Mark said as he passed a slice of pepperoni pizza to Jinyoung. Mark loves pizza more than his laptops and skateboards so he decided to bring his new found friend in a park with 3 boxes of large pizza. The other man almost chocked upon hearing the name. “Tuan? You’re a Tuan? Oh my god! You own 7 resorts and 3 malls in the whole country!” He said, purely amazed. Mark just nodded as he took a bite on his slice. “My family owns it. Not just me.” he corrected. The Tuans are very famous not only in Korea but in the entire Asia. Their family is one of the richest clans.

Jinyoung reached for his soda and smiled. “Ohhh. I’m Jinyoung.” He introduced himself in a very formal way that somehow brought a subtle smile on Mark’s lips. And before they knew, the 1^st pizza box was now finished. The view and the ambiance is just perfect for people who needs to talk about various things. Mark grabbed the next box and lifted the cover. “I hope you don’t mind but what was happening earlier? I mean, why are they chasing you?” he questioned, looking at the other boy with all his curiosity. He’s just worried about the whole situation. Although he’s not telling that he helped a law abider or someone that made a huge crime, Mark just wants to know the exact details about him for safety purposes.

Jinyoung stopped chewing and bit his lips. He adjusted his position as the grass brushed on the back of his knees. He took a deep breath. “Those horrible looking men are Mrs. Jang’s workers. My family has a huge debt to pay. We used the money for my father’s hospital and medical needs since he was diagnosed with pneumonia.” He refrained and sniffed. Mark realized that Jinyoung was at the verge of crying. “It’s been a year since my dad died. After his burial rights, Mrs. Jang asked me for the payment but sadly I can’t even produce a single cent. He forced my younger brother to work in her coconut farm to partially fill up the needed money.” He added and took his soda.

Mark was shocked. He never thought that Jinyoung’s story could be that tragic considering how the boy smiled like he’s not even worried about anything. “Where’s your mother? And… How much is that debt?” he asked. Jinyoung wiped his formed tears and made a huge bite on his pizza. He’d rather eat instead of crying.

“Our mom died after giving birth to my younger brother.” He answered with a very gloomy expression. “….I have to pay until tomorrow afternoon or else she will get the land that my family owns. It’s half a million, Mark. I can never produce half a million in a single night.”

Mark felt so guilty about bringing up that topic. He saw how the cheerful and lively face of Jinyoung turned into a sad and troubled one. It was too much and he hated himself that because of his curiosity, he made someone feel bad. “Oh. By the way, I’ll send you home, it’s getting late. Where do you leave?” he asked, standing up and helping the other to stand up as well. He carried the untouched pizza box as they headed back in the car. “I’m sure Mrs. Jang’s workers are there. I’ll just sleep at the sauna.” Jinyoung answered while slowly walking with a hand on his back that’s still in pain. Mark suddenly helped Jinyoung and assisted him as he walked.  

Once the car started moving, Mark kept on thinking for a nice and simple treat for Jinyoung. After all, you just can’t leave the person that you almost killed. “Spend your night at our hotel in Incheon.” He offered as they got fixed on a heavy evening traffic. Jinyoung sat straight in surprise and his eyes widen. “I don’t have money, Mark!” he protested and Mark just laughed at him, admiring how cute the boy was with his small eyes stretched wide.

“I’ll take care of that. It’s our hotel anyway.” And the grin of Jinyoung’s face couldn’t get any bigger.

They reached the hotel parking lot. Mark unbuckled his seatbelt and turned the engine off. “Jinyoung, we’re here.” He softly spoke. No answer was made. He tried again, but still the other stayed silent. He slowly moved and saw that the raven-haired was deeply sleeping due to intense stress and fatigue. He breathes smoothly with his lips slightly jutted. With his head rested on the tinted glass window, Jinyoung seemed to be unaware of all the happenings. With an exhale, Mark reached for Jinyoung’s seatbelt and unbuckled it. He reached for his cellphone and dialled some digits.

“Hello Bam, meet me at the secret entrance of the hotel. Thank you.”

Mark ended the call and went out of the car as he carried Jinyoung out in his arms. He’s too scared to wake the other. Jinyoung’s lighter than he expected. He smells good despite of all the running that he did. They reached the back door and saw Bambam. “I’ll take him at room 845. Tell the receptionist that it’s me. Thank you.” Mark ordered with his softest tone before passing his company card to Bambam. His assistant nodded. “Who is he?” the young man asked.

Mark went inside as the cool air of the hotel met their skin. “A new friend.”

The next day, Jinyoung woke up on the softest sheets that his body ever felt. The room was so cold and huge. He can see the city from the window. He looked around before slapping himself to see if he’s dreaming or not. He rose from the bed and saw a whole re-heated pizza and a cup of juice in the table. He took small steps while gradually rubbing the drowsiness away. There was a note beside the glass.

I’m expecting to see you at the hotel bar  at 10AM. :)

-Mark Tuan

 Jinyoung smiled as he recalled all that happened last night. The last thing that his brain could reach was when he fell asleep on the car with the striking colors of headlights. Mark really is a good person. His body was in pain but it’s too little to care about. He’ll meet Mark and thank him for all his help.

He arrived at the hotel bar after an hour. He immediately spotted Mark sitting on a far corner as he stared at the refreshing sight outside. He trudged to the table. “Good Morning, Mark.” Jinyoung said and bowed. Mark smiled and stood up. They sat facing each other.  “Why are we here?” Jinyoung asked.

“Jinyoung, I have a missing brother.  We’ve been looking for him for years and up until now, there are no updates and finding. My whole family is desperate to see him, especially my grandfather. He disappeared 3 days after my mom gave birth to him. He’s a year younger than me. My grandfather needs to be with him as soon as possible.”

The other sat there, clueless. Mark begun talking about his missing brother and maybe that was the thing that kept on bugging him when Jinyoung saw him few minutes before. Surely, he wasn’t the lost kid because he’s more than sure of his origins. He shoots a gaze a Mark, who was nervously looking at him. His heart raced badly. “O-Oh. T-That’s sad.” He stated with a shaky voice.

Mark went straight to his real intention. “Work for me, Jinyoung.”

The other was so shocked and his heart beat seemed to stop. It’s just a work but why was he feeling that way. There’s a tension between them. “W-W-What kind of…--”

And before Jinyoung could finish his sentence, Mark pulled out a cheque from his coat and placed it on the table, right in front of Jinyoung. His eyes widen when he saw the amount. Almost a million. Mark met Jinyoung’s confused eyes.

“Pretend to be my brother.”

Jinyoung was in the fault of declining and agreeing. But when he remembered their remaining land and his brother that’s currently working to pay for the debts, he came up with a decision without thinking twice.

“Deal.”

a/n: yay! first chap~~ hahahahaha. i will try to update next week since ill be having my exams this coming sunday and we have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days bcs my 4 y.o. nephew was hospitalized due to high fever :((  Anyway, keep the love comin'~ Its whole heartedly appreciated. again. thank you! stay safe! Love y'all! ♥☺ 

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