warning; typos

The air suddenly became too thick, that Jinyoung could no longer inhale a generous amount of it. Out of all the people that he knew, why does it have to be Ken’s mother? He recalled the way this lady looked at him; across the conference room, inside the company building and even at the Tuan residence. Those were the times when he felt like he’s currently burning inside someone’s brain. He felt really scared back then. Same with his son, Ken’s mother, Mrs. Yewon, gets her work done all by herself. And of course, as a mother, this lady will go everything to help his son reach his goals. Supportive in a particularly awful way.

Jinyoung gulped hard. He widens the opening of the door and moved aside. “Please come in.” he muttered and the woman did. She didn’t bother to remove her stilettos and it created a loud knocking sound against the floor. Looking around, she looked back at Jinyoung who was closing the door. “I wonder how Mark survived in this place.” she commented, still judging the house. There were no chairs or bench, the only option is the cold ground. “To tell you honestly, this place looks like an old stock room. So plain, so…nevermind.” she added, disgustingly. The boy tried to be calm.

"What brought you here, Ma’am?" Jinyoung intrigued with a normal voice fit for a formal conversation. The woman rolled his eyes and walked closer to Jinyoung. The boy felt a certain tension. He can sense something that’s not good. "You’re too mediocre. I mean, how can someone like you? Wait, let me rephrase that. How can a Tuan fall for a boy like you?" she mockingly asked.

Jinyoung remained silent. He chose to be silent as long as he can. He can’t answer the question anyway. He’s not Mark. The tension between them intensified. “We expected a lot from Mark, you know?” she fired back, crossing her arms. Her words were very inconclusive and Jinyoung can’t clearly see her point. “He’s the favorite grandson; he’s smart, hardworking and dedicated. Everything that he does is great and perfect in the eyes of everybody.” she added and Jinyoung just made a weak nod. “But because of you, Mark disappointed a lot of people.”

The boy was caught off guard. Those words pounded him like a small piece of stone. His heart beat became irregular. It feels so bad to know that he caused some problems. “What do you mean? ” Jinyoung nervously replied for the first time. He can’t fully accept all of them without hearing a proper and acceptable explanation.

"Mark disappointed us in many ways. But mainly it’s because he’s in a relationship with a guy that he once hired to pretend as his lost brother. That’s insane! Everything looked like an under the table job." she stated without tripping on her words. She’s still keeping that arrogant aura within her. "And you, you’re so stupid. He used you before, and now you’re completely submitting yourself to him? Are you that desperate to get money from us?"

"Excuse me?!" Jinyoung felt so attacked. He was pulled down to the deepest depths and he needs to gather himself up. He faced the woman and took a deep breath. "If you see me as that kind of person, then fine! If you hate every particle of me, I don’t care! But please, being judgmental won’t make your life a lot better." he defended in the most proper way that he could. He was halting himself from spitting bullets. After all, ladies should be treated with respect.

The lady raised his brows and made a cocky laugh alongside with clapping his hands slowly. “Look who’s talking! How can you say those words to me? You’re just a small piece of trash, raised and fed in this trashy environment! You’re worthless! Sooner or later, Mark will get bored of you! He will leave you alone, miserable!”

At that point, Jinyoung lost it. His heart was close to exploding and the emotions inside him were clashing like strong troops. Calming down seemed to be hard that moment. “I may be some sort of trash, but I’m still classier than you.” he responded, formally.

"W-what?!"

Jinyoung felt so brave that time and he got this urge of speaking up for himself without caring about the opponent. “Whatever happened, happens and will happen between me and Mark is totally none of your business. Why don’t you look after your son?! Is it because you’re also hungry for the company’s money? Come on, Mrs. Yewon! Let’s stop beating around the bush. I know your real intentions.”

The woman got angry, her expressions were too blunt and Jinyoung can say that his words hit the woman hardly. She’ll remain calm if its all lies but no, she was fuelled with fury. “As a Tuan, we all want to protect our company! If you keep on running behind Mark, he’ll surely not get the spot! So if I were you, break up with him! You’re dragging our family’s reputation down!”

Jinyoung stopped for a second. The last words sunk deep. Did this lady just asked him to break up with Mark for their company’s sake? “I know you and your son have plans. Just to inform you, Mark is a lot better than Ken.” and after that, he felt a strong slap on his right cheek. It was painful but not as wrecking as her words. He faced the woman with a blank expression. He will never hurt the woman, he promised himself. “How dare you say that in front of me?!” she shouted. “You’re going to regret this, Jinyoung!”

Jinyoung shook his head. “I’m not that type of person who takes their words back.”

"I’m warning you!" she spoke. "You want money, right? I’ll give you a million or two! Just stay away from the Tuans! We don’t need a trash like you!"

Jinyoung smirked a little. He tried his best to irritate the lady. It’s the best defence mechanism according to his friend back in college. “I don’t need your money, Ma’am. Just keep it to yourself. You might run out of wealth someday. Consider my refusal of accepting your money as an advanced help or donation.” Jinyoung said with a sly grin on his lips. He needs to stay positive for now.

The woman felt humiliated. She was shaking in anger and she was close to throwing things randomly. “You have launched a war with the wrong person, Park Jinyoung.” she stated as she took a step backwards. Her bag still hanging from his arms. She walked towards the door, opened it and looked back at Jinyoung for the last time. “Your brother studies in Seoul National University, right? His grades are good.”

Jinyoung widens his eyes. “Don’t you dare hurt my brother! He’s not involved in this issue!”

"We’ll see about that." and Mrs. Yewon finally stepped out of the house and left Jinyoung inside.

Once Jinyoung was all alone, he allowed himself to fall down on the cold ground. He stayed like that for minutes, rethinking all the words that the woman said. Is he really dragging Mark down? Is he really a burden to the family? Is their relationship the root of all the troubles, if there are any, in the company? Jinyoung let a tear fall down his left eye. Do I really have to let you go, Mark? he whispered with his tears gushing down.

Another month passed and Jinyoung was still living normally in Jinhae. Mrs. Yewon didn’t come back. All her words still float around Jinyoung’s brain but he never paid tremendous attention into in. Jinyoung asked Yugyeom to always look after Youngjae. While Mark would sometimes visit Youngjae and Yugyeom at school and take them somewhere to eat. Mark would call his Jinyoung every morning, vacant hours at work and every evening. They’re the okay with this set-up. Mark rarely opens up about work, he’s too consumed with stress for the past days and he wanted to talk about different stuff with his boyfriend. The resort renovation already started and Mark became busier. Also, the city library received more books and Jinyoung had to record them all. Both of them were completely busy but they never forget to call each other after a tired day from their respective works.

It was a Saturday morning when Mark travelled from Seoul to Jinhae. He wore a t-shirt and jeans. He also used his favorite sneaks. He was holding a box of cake, some groceries, books, newly bought clothes and more foods that Jinyoung misses. He stood in front of the door. “Nyoung…” he called. He waited for a while but there was no response. He called again, a little louder this time. But still no one answered. He glanced at his wrist watch. 7:28AM. Maybe Jinyoung is still sleeping. He placed the bags aside and opened the door. He realized that Jinyoung forgot to lock it. As he entered the house, Mark saw that nothing much changed. Jinyoung only bought a coffee table and some appliances like toaster and electric fan. It’s been a month since his last visit and he must admit, he’s looking forward to spending his weekend here.

Mark placed all the groceries on the shelves. The cake was popped in the fridge and all the remaining food was on the kitchen table. He walked towards Jinyoung’s room and saw his boyfriend, curled on the mattress and sleeping peacefully. His eyes gloriously shut, his lashes were long and his lips were slightly pursed. He was perfect. Mark blushed just by seeing this. The blue blanket was wrapped around his body while hugging a large white pillow that he bought in a shopping center near the city library. Mark smiled to himself and carefully walked towards his lover. He lied on a small empty space, facing Jinyoung. He admired his lover for a while. He missed this guy so much but he doesn’t have the heart to wake him up from his deep slumber. He must be really tired. Mark wrapped his arm around Jinyoung’s waist and pulled him closer. The elder pressed his lips against Jinyoung’s. It was light and soft. He kissed him again, again and again.

All of a sudden, Jinyoung slowly opened his eyes. Mark smiled widely at him. It took more seconds for Jinyoung to finally get his thoughts together. Am I dreaming? He asked himself. He rubbed his eyes furiously. “Hey! Stop doing that!” Mark said, reaching for Jinyoung’s hand and pulling it away from his eyes. Jinyoung pouted then snuggled closer to Mark. “Good morning!” Mark whispered and kissed his forehead.

Jinyoung mumbled something incoherent and Mark just laughed. “Go back to sleep.” Mark ordered. Jinyoung shook his head. “…it’s our first month.” Jinyoung murmured against Mark’s chest. The other nodded. “I know. That’s why I’m here.” he explained. Jinyoung moved out of Mark’s hold. He sat up and stared at Mark. “How’d you come—”

"You left the door unlocked, Mr. Park."

"Oh. " he said with his eyes wide open. Mark sat beside him and gave him a tight embrace. "I miss you!" he said. Jinyoung hugged him back and buried his face on Mark’s neck. "I miss you too."

"Come on! Let’s eat! I bought some pancakes.”

The day went on. Their first month as a couple wasn’t that hard as it seems. They can say that it was a long distance relationship even though they stay in the same country. That day, Mark and Jinyoung released all the stress inside their bodies. They had fun. Jinyoung dragged Mark into a nearby sea and they hired a boat. Since the sun was brilliantly above them, they’ve decided to go fishing. After that, they borrowed bikes and toured themselves around the area. They also watched the sunset while sitting in a wide grassland. It felt so perfect that no one wanted to end that day.

They got home before dinner. “I’ll take a shower first.” Jinyoung announced, reaching for his towel. Mark followed the other to the bathroom. “Can I join you?” he asked, standing behind the closed door. Jinyoung panicked. It’s going to be the first time that someone will shower with him. Well, aside from his brother. “O-okay.” he shyly responded. There was a small tub at the corner of the area. Jinyoung headed there and filled it with warm water. He went back at Mark. “You can g-go first.”

Mark stripped off. He removed his garments, including his underwear. Jinyoung covered his eyes. Mark chuckled and stepped in the tub. “Your turn, princess.” he joked and anticipated Jinyoung’s actions. The younger stood there, puzzled. He slowly removed his shirt, then his pants. Mark was eyeing him differently. There was a smirk on his lips. “C-cover your eyes!” Jinyoung ordered as his fingers started playing with his boxers’ waistband.

Mark laughed. “Nyoung, I’ve seen that before! There’s no need to be shy.” and Jinyoung completely pulled it down. He’s beautiful. Mark swore in his mind. Jinyoung jumped in the tub and sat across Mark. The tub was too small for two people. It’s uncomfortable. Abruptly, Mark pulled Jinyoung by his waist and placed him between his legs. Jinyoung’s back was firmly pressed against Mark’s chest. They remained like that for minutes. No one talked but their fingers were interlocked.

"Mark…" Jinyoung said. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"                                                                                                                                                         

"Your parents…are they on our side?"

Mark smiled and nodded. “Dad is still on the process of accepting it. He asked for more time but he promised that he’ll support us. Mom and grandpa, well, they’re very supportive. They even asked me about wedding and stuff.”

Jinyoung beamed a little. He remembered what Ken’s mom said. He’s afraid that those were true. At least now, he confirmed that the woman blabbed nonsense. His parents were really supportive and he’s more than happy to know that. “Mark, am I a burden?”

Mark was taken aback. He kissed Jinyoung’s shoulder and pulled him closer. “What’s the matter, Nyoung?”

Jinyoung bit his lips. Mark didn’t know that Ken’s mother made a scene in his house several weeks ago. Jinyoung chose to keep it to himself to prevent any chaos within the Tuans. He relaxed his body against Mark. “I’m just scared. I don’t want to drag you down. I know that you have a lot of plans for the company. I just don’t want to be a blockage in reaching your goals.”

Mark turned Jinyoung to face him. His hands were cupping Jinyoung’s cheeks. “Did Ken called you to say such ty things?” Jinyoung shook his head. “Jinyoung, listen to me. You’re not doing anything wrong. I can never win this if you’re not with me. I want us to be together in reaching our dreams, not just for ourselves but for the both of us. You’re my inspiration and as long as you’re there for me, I will not fall.”

Jinyoung was close to crying. He hugged Mark and sobbed softly. “I love you, Mark.” he whispered. His hold was too tight and Mark could feel that his boyfriend was really troubled. Maybe he’s overthinking. Mark thought as he hugged Jinyoung back. He can’t endure to listen at the sound of Jinyoung’s cries. It’s heart-breaking. “I love you too, Jinyoung.”

That night, Mark had to leave due to some problem at the construction site. He hated to go but Jinyoung urged him leave. Mark left after having his dinner with Jinyoung. Before sleeping, Jinyoung received a call from Youngjae. It was strange for someone like him to call at this time of the night. “Youngjae!” he answered while arranging the sheets.

"Hyung… I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened —" Youngjae’s voice was weary. He was sniffing and trembling. He was so nervous. Jinyoung’s calm state got bugged in an instant. He can’t understand why Youngjae was apologizing.

"Huh? Why!? What happened?" the elder asked.

Youngjae took a deep breath. “I got kicked out of the university.”

Jinyoung’s heartbeat almost stopped. “What?! ”

an: hiiiiiii guysssssss!!! hahaha so i guess the '''rough''' chapters official starts here! (._____.)/ this chapter is kinda short tho, but i hope y'all like it. :)) hehehehe please do leave your comments, suggestions, questions and other concerns belowwww~~ feel free to talk to me! hahahahha i dont bite :3 AND, Y'ALL CAN STILL GUESS THE TRUE IDENTITY OF THE MISSING SON. HAHAHAHAHA. Again, thank you for the positive feedbacks! ☺♥ Stay safe! Love y'all!!!! ♥☺