Author :
freedomthiswayRating : Various, up to NC-17, still PG13 for now
Character/Pairing : Siwon, Hankyung, Kangin, Hyukjae, Heechul, other made up characters/SiHan, KangHyuk, very minor SiChul.
Word Count : 2400-ish words overall for two chapters
Genre : AU and angst like whoa!
Warning: Underage, rape/non-con, younger!Hankyung, a lot of swearing.
Summary : When Hankyung was 7, his mother was remarried to Choi Min Woo, the head of the rich and famous Choi family. The marriage brings Hankyung to the position of Siwon's younger stepbrother.
Their closeness as child changed after they grew older and Siwon found out his feelings toward Hankyung. Not wanting to ruin the family, Siwon chose to keep his love for Hankyung inside and avoid him like crazy instead.
While Hankyung was struggling to bear his own misery, he too realized his feelings for Siwon, but didn't act on it because he assumed Siwon hated him.
After 3 years of escaping from the family, hearing Choi Min Woo's death, Hankyung decided to come back, only to face Siwon's hatred towards him.
All Hankyung wants is a happiness and love with Siwon by his side. Can he reach it eventually?
Author’s note:
Here's chapter 6 and 7 in one post. Just because I love how passionate the comments coming on my fic. xDDD
And I know, posting 2 chapters at once isn't that great because it's not even that long. But my muse is one evil bitch. She keeps escaping my grip. LOL
Thanks for the supports and comments, really love them~!
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 & 4 Chapter 5 Beeps in his phone line shake Siwon out of his thoughts. Taken back for a moment by the feeling of despair that catches him off guard, it takes another minute before he finally pushes the connector button on his phone.
“What is it, Ji Sook?”
“I am sorry, Mr. Choi. I know that you are not expecting anyone again today, but there is someone here who wants to see you.”
Siwon grunts. He so does not need another guest today who is most probably just another far relative of his father, coming to offer their condolences. He feels tired and intends to take a nap before going back to his office.
“I don’t feel like entertaining an unexpected guest right now, Ji Sook. Just tell them to come back another day.”
A pause, and then, “I am very sorry, Sir. But he told me that he is your stepbrother. His name is Sung Hankyung…?”
Siwon froze. And only God knows how much time passes before Ji Sook’s worried voice brings him back into reality. Ignoring the nausea building in the pit of his stomach, he forces himself to talk.
Hoarsely, Siwon said, “Let him in. I’ll be waiting in the common room.”
---00o00---
It still hasn’t changed much, has it?
Hankyung observes every hall, furniture, and every room he passes on his way to the common room where Siwon is waiting, through the corner of his eyes.
Tagging along behind this stern-faced butler (also a new one, apparently) who leads the way, Hankyung tries hard to not notice how most things are still the same as before he left; how memories, mostly bad ones, assault his senses and his hard-earned confidence and leave him feeling weak and afraid. Those are feelings that he has decided he wouldn’t allow himself to feel, for it’s in the past and Hankyung won’t let anything intimidate him now.
He has control over his life now. He can do what he wants, when he wants. And no one can force him to do anything against his will, ever again.
Finally the butler stops in front of a big oak door, a door Hankyung recognized clearly as the one leading to the common room. More memories assault him and he has to squeeze his eye lids down hard to shut his eyes and will them away. He opens his eyes again and grips the hem of his shirt nervously.
Behind this door, Siwon-hyung is waiting for me. After all this time I can finally see him again.
If anything, Hankyung knows that he deserves to be this nervous and hesitant. He had left this house and what’s left of his family three years ago. Left nothing behind but some half-assed parting words scribbled on a note.
He doesn’t regret his leaving, God no. He still thinks that it was the right thing to do.
That’s the only thing he could do in order to protect himself and his sanity because, sadly, no one else was left for him to turn to except himself. So no, he does not regret it.
What he does regret is how things were left between Siwon and him. Min Woo was an asshole and he deserved nothing from Hankyung, but Siwon is a different story. Siwon deserves a proper goodbye.
Although Siwon had never been there for him ever since he started his first year in senior high school and Hankyung was in his second year of junior high, when he was slowly extricating himself from Hankyung through constant avoidance.
But before then, when Hankyung had still been a new addition to the family and then for the good six years that followed, Siwon was always there for Hankyung. It was like Siwon was his second skin.
As the older of the two, Siwon was always protective and loving towards Hankyung, almost possessive in a way like no one ever had been or ever was again.
To Hankyung, Siwon always was his protector, his mentor, his best friend, and a very solid shoulder to cry on. So Hankyung became attached deeply to Siwon, even more than he did towards his mother.
So even though Siwon’s withdrawal hurt him bad, Hankyung never resented him for it.
Siwon never said why he did what he did, and Hankyung never had a chance to ask. The only conclusion left for Hankyung was that he is not good enough for Siwon.
Siwon is Choi’s first born. He has plans and futures ahead of him, served on a golden platter. And maybe to Siwon, Hankyung is simply not a part of it.
Even though technically Hankyung is also a Choi, but deep inside, Hankyung never thinks of himself as one. He never dreamt of the day he’ll run Choi’s empire together with Siwon.
Instead, he bust himself out in studying, eager to be the best so that after he graduates, he can count on himself to earn a living.
So he never really made it his concern when Siwon talked to him about Choi’s lines of businesses. He only nodded and responded properly because it was Siwon who’s talking. Because it is Siwon, whom in the end, Hankyung always knew he loves. So much that sometimes his heart feels so hollow on one hand, but strangely full in the other, just by thinking about him.
If anything, Hankyung always know that Siwon will ace this business thing. He has a passion for economy and always seemed to enjoy it when he talked about it. And even though he was still a teenager at the time, Siwon already knew a lot about business because Min Woo expected and trained him to be that way.
So when finally Siwon set out for his future, maybe he realized that Hankyung won’t and can’t be his partner. Maybe even after all the façade Hankyung had put on to pretend that he was interested in business as much as Siwon was, Siwon could see right through it and found out that Hankyung was everything but. And maybe even after all the things he and Siwon had shared together, this one important thing won’t be one of them. And that could be the reason why Siwon decided to pursue his dream alone.
Avoiding Hankyung is only one of his ways to focus on his goal. And Hankyung can’t blame him for that. He is only his step brother after all. Hankyung is only a sad tag along after his mother that is bound to Siwon’s family only by a piece of paper, namely the marriage contract.
As poor as they were, Hankyung and his mother joined Choi’s household bringing nothing but only a few possessions with them. It was a very stark contrast compared to Siwon’s family. Their wealth could barely keep Hankyung from gaping like an idiot when he visited Choi’s residence for the very first time.
Simply put, though Hankyung and Siwon are brothers, their worlds are too different.
But Hankyung is foolish. He is a fool who dares to fall in love with his own stepbrother. So it wasn’t Siwon’s fault if Hankyung’s feelings were hurt by his own foolishness, right?
Siwon just wanted to reach his dream and be the person everyone expected him to be, and one of the ways to achieve that is avoiding Hankyung because God knows how much an annoying distraction Hankyung can be.
So really, there’s no reason to fuss about it. And there’s no reason for Hankyung to be mad at Siwon for avoiding him. He owes Siwon and Siwon’s family too much for that. And Siwon is too good for accepting Hankyung’s love anyway.
That’s why he kept his pain and hurt due to Siwon’s abandonment buried deep inside his heart, repressing his bad memories and hiding his love for him.
Even during his avoidance, not even once did Siwon hurt Hankyung intentionally. He treated Hankyung and his mother respectively. Every decision that he made for himself and the family, Siwon would always first talk to Min Woo and them. Just like when Siwon decided to move to a boarding house in his university in order to be more focused on his studies and make his time spent more efficiently, he then told his decision to the rest of the family over dinner and asked for their opinion.
Despite the feeling of dread and terrible sadness Hankyung felt at that time, knowing that the distance between Siwon and him will increase even more with this plan, Hankyung had just smiled and supported Siwon’s decision because it’s very kind of him to ask for Hankyung’s and Eun Hwa’s opinion. Hankyung felt included and close to Siwon because even when Hankyung is no good to Siwon, Siwon still thinks of him as family.
He hadn’t felt that way in a very long time. And to Hankyung, it proved that Siwon was kind. So, Hankyung has no reason whatsoever to treat Siwon the way he does.
But his leaving must have left Siwon very confused as to the reasons. He probably thinks of Hankyung as an ungrateful brat.
And though Hankyung had a good reason to leave, the way Hankyung left things between him and Siwon is unforgiveable. And only God knows how Siwon feels about him now.
So Hankyung braced himself. He is prepared to take responsibility of his own actions. Even if it means that he’ll instantly be kicked out of the house only second after Siwon meets him.
But if Siwon, for whatever reason, allows him to stay, Hankyung will make the very best to make it up to him. And while he’s at it, he will try to mend his relationship with Siwon too. He will try to make Siwon love him the way Hankyung does. He’ll do anything it takes to do just that.
Then maybe, for once, he can reach his own happiness. A kind of happiness that he always thought will never grace him in any way.
TBC
Siwon was expecting to be surprised when Ji Sook opens the door to the common room where he stands waiting restlessly.
Three years, after all, is a long time. He expected to see Hankyung in an edgier form.
But the person who has followed Ji Sook inside, dragging his foot and locking his gaze to the floor is definitely not what Siwon had in mind.
Oh, Hankyung indeed has an edgy look alright. Life definitely has not been kind to Hankyung for these past three years. Hankyung’s used to be slim body has grown a few muscles here and there, though it doesn’t make him lose his boyish and slender appearance. He has this bright aura on his face. It’s the kind of aura that you’ll see in someone who has enjoyed his life.
Siwon remembers back then, when he would come home occasionally in his holidays from his boarding school, Hankyung always has a sense of hollowness and exhaustion that lingered in his eyes. It made his face looked grim and it only lit up when Hankyung saw him. And knowing that he could make that sorrowful look go away just by holding his hands out to Hankyung like he used to, didn’t make Siwon feel any better because no matter what he couldn’t break through his resolution.
Not after all of his efforts to build this distance between them.
Siwon kept reminding himself that what he did back then was for Hankyung’s and their family’s sake. But that sight of Hankyung was so pitiful that he can’t help but remember it even after so much time had passed.
Right now, standing in front of Hankyung, a bit part of Siwon feels glad that now Hankyung seems happy. But he crushed that feeling right away.
Hankyung’s clothes are pretty decent, but something tells Siwon that those clothes Hankyung’s wearing are the best pair he has. Looks like Hankyung has had a rough life and is not doing so well in money, judging from the rest of the articles he has on. His hair ‘s color has changed somehow. It looks a bit red now than it is black, though it still looks really soft.
There is no more baby fat left in his cheeks. Instead of chubby cheeks Hankyung used to have, now it is replaced with a cheekbone so high and define that it almost makes him incorporeally beautiful. Those soft eyes, one of Hankyung’s features that never ceased to amaze Siwon in the past, have become impossibly more captivating, or so it seems.
All of those combined forces Siwon to admit that if he thought Hankyung was beautiful then, his beauty definitely paled in comparison to how he looks now.
Siwon suddenly wants to kick himself in the head when a surge of lust runs through him. The lust he feels is so strong that Siwon has to grip the side of table nearby to control himself.
He is 23 years old for fuck sake! And though no one but Hankyung has the ability to get him this worked up only by a mere sight, he won’t lose control over his dick over someone that is entirely responsible for all of the misery that happened to his family.
All this time, the only thing Siwon wished to do if he ever saw Hankyung again, was to make him pay for all of the pain he caused him and his father. Now that Hankyung has delivered himself into Siwon’s clutches, he won’t ruin his revenge over some stupid repressed love and lust.
So Siwon just stands there, says nothing. Only waits for Hankyung to show some reaction.
Hankyung’s eyes, when he finally looks up to meet Siwon’s gaze, bear more wisdom than the last time Siwon saw them. Those eyes instantly rounded when he finally sees Siwon.
Looks like I’m not the only one who is surprised.
Flickers of emotion are shown clearly in those eyes, but none of those does Siwon want to identify. Seeing Hankyung has fucked him up enough as it is. It’s no longer his time to be confused over troublesome feelings. Hankyung is a traitor, and a traitor will never, ever, gain favor in the Choi family.
After giving Ji Sook a signal to leave, Siwon gestures lightly to Hankyung towards the sofa and tries to put all anger, coldness, and hate he can muster in his voice when he finally says, “Please, Hankyung-sshi. Have a seat.”
With a satisfying feeling, Siwon watches that nervous face turn pale at the tone of his voice.
TBC
PS: A comment if you like will be very appreciated. :D