(no subject)
mask
(1/4)
haemin, blohyuk
pg13
romance, drama, cinderella!au
-- based from a prompt by peaches_n_kream ; the blohyuk for sujuhigh , posting this out there to force myself to write the next parts XDD
"Shut up!" Hyukjae yelled, eyes burning with fiery anger, "Just-- shut up, hyung! I don't care anymore!"
"Hyuk--,"
"I said, shut up!" Breathing heavily, Hyukjae turned away from the elder man and softly said, "We always end up like this, don't we? Are you sure you even love me anymore?"
For a moment, Tablo was stunned. How had things turned this ugly so fast? Desperate to make everything right, Table reached out to the younger boy, but the other just shrugged his hand away. Sighing, Tablo stared longingly at the others' back, "Hyuk, you have to listen to me. Donghae and I--,"
"Oh no," Hyukjae interrupted, shaking his head hysterically, "You do not talk to me about Donghae."
"I was just trying to explain that he and I are just friends! What you saw the other day, that was nothing, okay? It didn't mean anything!"
"Right," said Hyukjae, rolling his eyes as he angrily turned back to look at the other man, "Because holding hands and kissing in public are what friends normally do? Because it's nothing, right? Oh! Then what about Tukutz hyung and Mithra hyung? Since they're your best friends, do you fuck them when I'm not there too?"
"Hyuk, for one moment, please listen to me! I do not love Lee Donghae. He just asked me to be his date on his dad's birthday, okay?"
"'Okay'?! It's not okay, hyung! How can you say yes to him when you were already with me? Didn't you at least think about that? Or was Donghae too handsome for you that you lost all thought and just said yes?"
Tablo furiously shook his head, "You're getting the wrong picture, Hyuk. I didn't want to. But my father and his father--,"
Hyukjae scoffed, "Ah. I had a feeling it was this again. When are you going to stand up to your father, hyung? Will you even tell him about us before he's dead?" Turning his back against the elder man, Hyukjae moved to leave. Tablo couldn't do anything.
Because Hyukjae was right. All his life he's been judged and criticized by his father. But he loved the man who brought him up, and like the good son he was, he just wanted to make the man proud. But in that longing, somehow... Tablo lost the confidence he had in himself. He couldn't even stand up and fight for the person he loved more than anything else in the world. And now, it looked as if he was about to lose him too.
"Sometimes, I get the feeling you're ashamed of me, hyung," the younger man said, eyes sorrowful but still very, very angry. Walking out of Tablo's room, Hyukjae glanced at him one last time and whispered, "I guess... I'll see you around, hyung. Goodbye."
Tablo wanted to run after the younger boy, wanted to tell him, convince him more that he had everything wrong, that he did love him and that he's never, ever been ashamed of having Hyukjae as his boyfriend. But he knows he won't be able to make the other believe in him like this.
Deciding to fix himself first, Tablo was determined to make everything right.
Before that, however, he needed to visit a certain prince who almost ruined everything he had worked hard for.
---
He told himself to be calm as he confronted the other, but as soon as he saw his back, Tablo couldn't hold it in, "You planned it all along, didn't you?!"
Donghae turned around to look at the man who had stormed in his room. His eyes were red with anger, fists clenched so tight they were turning white.
Standing up from his chair, Donghae smiled, "Whatever do you mean Tablo hyung?"
Tablo, however, wasn't as amused. "You kissed me because you said you were happy. But you saw Hyukjae there, didn't you? That's the reason why you asked me to come meet you at the school. That's why you asked me to meet you where Hyukjae always frequented. You were hoping he'd see us, didn't you?"
"No, not really," said Donghae. Then he smiled as he winked, "I was hoping for a confrontation actually, but it was such a disappointment. Who knew Lee Hyukjae had such manners?"
"Excuse me? What?" Tablo asked, enraged, "Why would you play with us like that?"
Donghae shrugged, "Because it's fun? And Hyukjae's always fun to tease. He always gives the best reactions~"
"That's it? You were bored so you decided to play with people's feelings? You thought you'd amuse yourself watching other people's lives fall apart? Well," Tablo scoffed, looking incredulously at the younger man, "Congratulations! You've just officially screwed up my life. Thank you for making me miserable!"
"Awww, hyung~" the younger man began, cooing at the still fuming man, "It isn't like there aren't any more people in the world. You can probably find someone even better than Hyukjae. Take a look at me," he said, gesturing at himself, "I don't stay long with one person, but look how happy I am!"
Tablo did stare at the boy in front of him, wondering how he had turned out this way. Donghae was the son of the richest tycoon in the entire country. The only son. The next man on the 'throne'. Because of this, the other boy was sought out by many-- women, men, young and old, all of them looked at Donghae in awe, treated him like a prince. And sure, he was indeed a prince, for he was charming and gracious and could sweep people off their feet with a single smile. He was a star, someone who stood out everywhere he went and liked it that way. But there was one thing that people always refused to accept, one thing everyone always ignored.
Donghae was an immature brat, spoiled rotten by parents that were never there. Donghae may be a prince, but he sure isn't the kind that promised happily ever afters.
Tablo knew that getting angry would never get him anywhere with the younger boy. Giving up, Tablo sighed deeply; then he looked at Donghae, looked at him straight in the eyes and said, "One day, you're going to fall in love. Fall in love so hard and so deep you can't imagine life without this person. When that time comes, and I'm sure it'll come, as long as you don't change Hae ah. As long as all you think about is yourself, you'll screw up; screw up so bad you won't be able to see this person again, screw up so thoroughly you'll feel more hurt, more pain than the way you've made me feel today. When that happens, I'll come to you. I'll come to you and say, 'I told you so'."
Donghae, though, was unaffected. He laughed at Tablo's serious expression, "Hyung, no matter how convinced you are, it'll never happen. I'll never let it happen. So just ease up and relax. Enjoy the world like I do!"
"I do have fun, Donghae. But what you don't understand is that everything is a million times more meaningful, more enjoyable when you're with the person you love."
"That's... just too cheesy, hyung! But whatever," he replied, shrugging, "Whatever floats your boat, I guess. But right now, I'll just stick to frolicking around, thank you very much."
Tablo shook his head as he moved to leave Donghae's home, if you could call it that. "Suit yourself. You know, you've fooled quite a lot of people into thinking you're the prince of their dreams. Well, some prince you turned out to be."
Donghae just laughed, "Hey, it's not my fault that some people are too blinded by my money."
"They're not the only ones, you know." You are too was something Tablo left unsaid. "I'll see you next Saturday, I guess. Though I'm not really looking forward to it."
"I know," replied Donghae.
Watching the other man leave, Donghae scoffed. Some people just can't take a joke or two.
---
"Why are you asking me to do this again?"
Hyukjae sighed as he rolled his eyes, "Because Tablo hyung knows everyone in school and it'd be weird if I suddenly dated a classmate. But he doesn't know you. No one there knows you! It would just look like I've moved on and found another person to love."
The other boy just looked at him incredulously, "Right. Because suddenly loving a complete stranger isn't weird at all?"
For the nth time that night, Hyukjae looked up to the skies for guidance. "Why can't you just support me in this one like you always do, hyung?"
"Because I know the two of you love each other and I don't want to be used to hurt another person, Jae. Especially Tablo-sshi. I don't want the two of you to break up. You're happy with him, aren't you?"
"Well, I'm not now," Hyukjae said gloomily. "I just-- Can you just please? Just this once? I don't want to look stupid there without someone with me. And," he said, looking sideways, as if embarrassed of what he was about to say, "And... It's not like I have a lot of friends, hyung. I don't want to spend the entire night, in the most expensive hotel in the entire universe, having awkward conversations about business and being rich and spoiled. Besides, you could have fun there too! I just want Tablo hyung to... be a little jealous, okay? I just want to know. Also," he added as an afterthought, "Free food, hyung."
The other finally began to look interested.
Hyukjae scoffed, "Of course that would get your attention."
Sungmin just smiled. Then he shook his head and turned to leave, "You two have been doing this for forever. Seriously Hyuk, you know Tablo-sshi loves you. You love him too! Why don't you two just quit with this weird game of yours and just get to the point where the two of you make up again?"
"It's not that easy, hyung!" Hyukjae reasoned. And then, in a wild attempt at getting the older boy to agree, Hyukjae widened his eyes and jut his bottom lip out in a poor attempt at being cute, "Please, Sungmin hyung. I am begging you! I will beg you on my knees if I have to-- no, wait. Here I'll do it," kneeling in front of the elder boy, Hyukjae grabbed Sungmin's hands and cried out, "Oh, please, hyung! Please save me from another awkward party! Please, please, please, please!"
Chuckling loudly, Sungmin took his hands away from Hyukjae and patted the other on the head, "I'll think about it, but if ever I say yes and Tablo-sshi confronts us, you're gonna have to tell him everything, okay? No excuses."
"...fine."
"Also," Sungmin asked, grinning cheekily at Hyukjae, "What's in it for me?"
"I'll pay you!" Hyukjae immediately shouted, standing up, "I'll pay you so you could buy that guitar you've always wanted."
Surprised, Sungmin raised a brow as he asked, "How'd you know--,"
"You're not the only one who has mutant observation skills, hyung. I've seen the way you look at that guitar in the shop we always pass by on the way home. What? Do you think I listen to Mina talk all the way back home? No way. I would go insane!"
Sungmin laughed, "She's your little sister! You aren't supposed to talk about her like that!"
Hyukjae just shook his head and shrugged, "Whatever. So?" he asked, smiling widely at Sungmin, "Is that a yes? Or a yes?"
Looking drearily at his younger, step brother, Sungmin relented. "Fine. When is this? You have to pay for my clothes though! It's not like I go to these kinds of things!"
Walking back to their rooms, Hyukjae skipped as he followed Sungmin, "Sure, sure! I'll pay for everything! And it's a Saturday night, next week. Do you think you could leave your work on that day?"
As the two talked about the party, they hadn't noticed that someone had been listening in on them.
"Hyung, could you at least be serious about this! Don't make fun of me!"
"I need to have my amusement too, Hyukkie~"
"Well don't! This is serious business! This a test to make sure that Tablo hyung does love me and only me!"
"Right. Because this ridiculous game between the two of you is serious business. Ha! I can't wait till this blows up in your face."
"Hyuuuung!"
---
Lee Sungmin was born in an average family consisting of a doting father and a sickly but loving mother.
When asked what he remembers about his mother and father, Sungmin would immediately tell how beautiful his mother was, how pretty her eyes shone as she smiled, how loving and gentle her touches were as she waited for him to sleep. He would get excited as he described his father, that he would play with him whenever he wanted and how strong he was as he was able to carry Sungmin on top of his shoulders for long, long time.
They weren't rich and they usually had to save what little money they had for Sungmin's mother, but despite the difficulties, they were very, very happy.
All that changed when his mother died. Suddenly, from the kind father that Sungmin knew, he became different. He poured himself over work to the point that Sungmin barely saw his father anymore.
And then, one day his father announced that he was getting married.
When Sungmin met his new family, he was ten years old.
His father immediately left for work the moment he dropped him at his new home, leaving Sungmin alone as he was introduced to his new life.
He hated it, if he were being honest with himself.
As he stood on the doorstep, he was met by a woman staring coldly down at him. Sungmin, however small he was, stood his ground.
"You're Sungmin," she said, the dislike evident in her voice.
Sungmin noticed so he kept silent and nodded instead.
"You should speak when you're spoken to, Sungmin ah."
What had he done to make her so angry at him?
She didn't wait for him to answer though. Instead, she bent down, took Sungmin's jaw and made him look up at her. He winced as she held on too tight. With dislike clearly seen in her eyes, she sneered, "You look exactly like your mother. No wonder he can't bare to see you."
"What?" he asked, confused.
"You father," she said, letting go of his face as she straightened up, "Had been hurt too much by your mother's death. She was sickly even before and he knew that. She should've just let me have him in the first place. He should've just let her go. Now look at what happened. Thankfully, however," said his soon-to-be mother, "I still like Seunghwan. And that I'm kind enough to let his son stay with us. For a price."
Sungmin knew then that whatever dreams he had of happy times with his new family were never going to come true.
---
"You look like shit."
"Why, thank you," Sungmin said, rolling his eyes. "I just cleaned the fucking furnace. You should be grateful, you know. We could all die from hypothermia when the winter comes if I hadn't cleaned it out."
"Wow, because that is so going to happen." Brushing off the elder boy's whining, Hyukjae beckoned the other to shut the door. "Come on, hyung. We don't have all day. Umma's going to go nuts if I'm not out of here by 6."
Taking the clothes from Hyukjae, Sungmin couldn't help but stare at them for a while. He knew he was never going to wear anything better than this after the party. It was a once in a lifetime experience, and Sungmin felt compelled to milk the night for what it's worth. He was still a little worried, however.
Stripping his work clothes for it didn't matter if Hyukjae was in the room as they had grown up together, he asked, "What if I mess up, Hyuk? It's not like I know a lot about what you people do."
Hyukjae laughed, "Now you're panicking, hyung? It's fine though. You're good with people."
"I'm good with people because I'm quiet and let them talk."
"Exactly! Most of these people come to these parties to boast of their achievements anyway. You'll fit right in!"
Sungmin stopped pulling his pants as he stared blandly at the younger boy, "Thank you, I feel so much better now."
Laughing as he put on his own costume for the extravagant party, Hyukjae answered, "It'll be fine, honest. It's a masquerade, hyung. No one will know who they'll be talking to, at least, that's the idea. So don't fret, just have fun!"
"Oh. I was wondering why we had to wear Victorian styled clothes. I thought it was an early Halloween party or something, seeing as how it's nearing November. But then," Sungmin asked, "If it's a masquerade ball, how would Tablo-sshi find you?"
Hyukjae answered by holding up a beautifully crafted mask. "He bought this for me before Donghae," Hyukjae said that name in contempt, "invited him. He would know it's me."
Sungmin shook his head as he laughed. No matter how mature Hyukjae had grown (Sungmin would know because he's been taking care of the siblings since the day he got here), when it came to Tablo, the younger man just seemed to ignore all rationality and logic. It was endearing. Sometimes.
Putting on his own mask, he looked at himself in the mirror. Playing with the magnificent blue-colored feathers decorating the mask, Sungmin frowned, "I look weird."
Standing at his back, Hyukjae shook his head. "You look amazing, hyung." Catching Sungmin's eyes in the mirror, Hyukjae smiled gratefully at him, "Thank you, for putting up with me. Honestly speaking, you're too good for us. You're always patient with the diva of a sister I have, my mother who is-- well, she's seriously deluded herself into hating you, I know, but you still put up with her. You do know that if you need money, I can give you what you need to leave, right? Right?"
Turning back to face Hyukjae, Sungmin smiled sadly at him, "I know, Hyuk. I know. And thank you, really. But you know I can't leave."
"Why?"
Sungmin couldn't answer. How could he tell Hyukjae that he was afraid of change? It was irrational and stupid, but change had been really cruel to him. First, it was his mother, then his family, and then that marriage.
"I'm not ready yet," was his answer instead. Thankfully, Hyukjae had let it go.
"Are you at least ready to go to the party?"
Sungmin laughed, "Yeah. Let's go."
---
Sungmin nearly ruined his expensive clothes as he tried to stealthily sneak out to the garage.
He could fit in between the bushes without touching them a few weeks ago! Pouting, he refused to accept he was getting fat.
As he slid into the car, Hyukjae noticed the scowl on his face. "What? Was it a tight squeeze for you, hyung?"
Hyukjae then proceeded to laugh. Sungmin had to stop himself from strangling the other man.
Part Two
(1/4)
haemin, blohyuk
pg13
romance, drama, cinderella!au
-- based from a prompt by peaches_n_kream ; the blohyuk for sujuhigh , posting this out there to force myself to write the next parts XDD
"Shut up!" Hyukjae yelled, eyes burning with fiery anger, "Just-- shut up, hyung! I don't care anymore!"
"Hyuk--,"
"I said, shut up!" Breathing heavily, Hyukjae turned away from the elder man and softly said, "We always end up like this, don't we? Are you sure you even love me anymore?"
For a moment, Tablo was stunned. How had things turned this ugly so fast? Desperate to make everything right, Table reached out to the younger boy, but the other just shrugged his hand away. Sighing, Tablo stared longingly at the others' back, "Hyuk, you have to listen to me. Donghae and I--,"
"Oh no," Hyukjae interrupted, shaking his head hysterically, "You do not talk to me about Donghae."
"I was just trying to explain that he and I are just friends! What you saw the other day, that was nothing, okay? It didn't mean anything!"
"Right," said Hyukjae, rolling his eyes as he angrily turned back to look at the other man, "Because holding hands and kissing in public are what friends normally do? Because it's nothing, right? Oh! Then what about Tukutz hyung and Mithra hyung? Since they're your best friends, do you fuck them when I'm not there too?"
"Hyuk, for one moment, please listen to me! I do not love Lee Donghae. He just asked me to be his date on his dad's birthday, okay?"
"'Okay'?! It's not okay, hyung! How can you say yes to him when you were already with me? Didn't you at least think about that? Or was Donghae too handsome for you that you lost all thought and just said yes?"
Tablo furiously shook his head, "You're getting the wrong picture, Hyuk. I didn't want to. But my father and his father--,"
Hyukjae scoffed, "Ah. I had a feeling it was this again. When are you going to stand up to your father, hyung? Will you even tell him about us before he's dead?" Turning his back against the elder man, Hyukjae moved to leave. Tablo couldn't do anything.
Because Hyukjae was right. All his life he's been judged and criticized by his father. But he loved the man who brought him up, and like the good son he was, he just wanted to make the man proud. But in that longing, somehow... Tablo lost the confidence he had in himself. He couldn't even stand up and fight for the person he loved more than anything else in the world. And now, it looked as if he was about to lose him too.
"Sometimes, I get the feeling you're ashamed of me, hyung," the younger man said, eyes sorrowful but still very, very angry. Walking out of Tablo's room, Hyukjae glanced at him one last time and whispered, "I guess... I'll see you around, hyung. Goodbye."
Tablo wanted to run after the younger boy, wanted to tell him, convince him more that he had everything wrong, that he did love him and that he's never, ever been ashamed of having Hyukjae as his boyfriend. But he knows he won't be able to make the other believe in him like this.
Deciding to fix himself first, Tablo was determined to make everything right.
Before that, however, he needed to visit a certain prince who almost ruined everything he had worked hard for.
---
He told himself to be calm as he confronted the other, but as soon as he saw his back, Tablo couldn't hold it in, "You planned it all along, didn't you?!"
Donghae turned around to look at the man who had stormed in his room. His eyes were red with anger, fists clenched so tight they were turning white.
Standing up from his chair, Donghae smiled, "Whatever do you mean Tablo hyung?"
Tablo, however, wasn't as amused. "You kissed me because you said you were happy. But you saw Hyukjae there, didn't you? That's the reason why you asked me to come meet you at the school. That's why you asked me to meet you where Hyukjae always frequented. You were hoping he'd see us, didn't you?"
"No, not really," said Donghae. Then he smiled as he winked, "I was hoping for a confrontation actually, but it was such a disappointment. Who knew Lee Hyukjae had such manners?"
"Excuse me? What?" Tablo asked, enraged, "Why would you play with us like that?"
Donghae shrugged, "Because it's fun? And Hyukjae's always fun to tease. He always gives the best reactions~"
"That's it? You were bored so you decided to play with people's feelings? You thought you'd amuse yourself watching other people's lives fall apart? Well," Tablo scoffed, looking incredulously at the younger man, "Congratulations! You've just officially screwed up my life. Thank you for making me miserable!"
"Awww, hyung~" the younger man began, cooing at the still fuming man, "It isn't like there aren't any more people in the world. You can probably find someone even better than Hyukjae. Take a look at me," he said, gesturing at himself, "I don't stay long with one person, but look how happy I am!"
Tablo did stare at the boy in front of him, wondering how he had turned out this way. Donghae was the son of the richest tycoon in the entire country. The only son. The next man on the 'throne'. Because of this, the other boy was sought out by many-- women, men, young and old, all of them looked at Donghae in awe, treated him like a prince. And sure, he was indeed a prince, for he was charming and gracious and could sweep people off their feet with a single smile. He was a star, someone who stood out everywhere he went and liked it that way. But there was one thing that people always refused to accept, one thing everyone always ignored.
Donghae was an immature brat, spoiled rotten by parents that were never there. Donghae may be a prince, but he sure isn't the kind that promised happily ever afters.
Tablo knew that getting angry would never get him anywhere with the younger boy. Giving up, Tablo sighed deeply; then he looked at Donghae, looked at him straight in the eyes and said, "One day, you're going to fall in love. Fall in love so hard and so deep you can't imagine life without this person. When that time comes, and I'm sure it'll come, as long as you don't change Hae ah. As long as all you think about is yourself, you'll screw up; screw up so bad you won't be able to see this person again, screw up so thoroughly you'll feel more hurt, more pain than the way you've made me feel today. When that happens, I'll come to you. I'll come to you and say, 'I told you so'."
Donghae, though, was unaffected. He laughed at Tablo's serious expression, "Hyung, no matter how convinced you are, it'll never happen. I'll never let it happen. So just ease up and relax. Enjoy the world like I do!"
"I do have fun, Donghae. But what you don't understand is that everything is a million times more meaningful, more enjoyable when you're with the person you love."
"That's... just too cheesy, hyung! But whatever," he replied, shrugging, "Whatever floats your boat, I guess. But right now, I'll just stick to frolicking around, thank you very much."
Tablo shook his head as he moved to leave Donghae's home, if you could call it that. "Suit yourself. You know, you've fooled quite a lot of people into thinking you're the prince of their dreams. Well, some prince you turned out to be."
Donghae just laughed, "Hey, it's not my fault that some people are too blinded by my money."
"They're not the only ones, you know." You are too was something Tablo left unsaid. "I'll see you next Saturday, I guess. Though I'm not really looking forward to it."
"I know," replied Donghae.
Watching the other man leave, Donghae scoffed. Some people just can't take a joke or two.
---
"Why are you asking me to do this again?"
Hyukjae sighed as he rolled his eyes, "Because Tablo hyung knows everyone in school and it'd be weird if I suddenly dated a classmate. But he doesn't know you. No one there knows you! It would just look like I've moved on and found another person to love."
The other boy just looked at him incredulously, "Right. Because suddenly loving a complete stranger isn't weird at all?"
For the nth time that night, Hyukjae looked up to the skies for guidance. "Why can't you just support me in this one like you always do, hyung?"
"Because I know the two of you love each other and I don't want to be used to hurt another person, Jae. Especially Tablo-sshi. I don't want the two of you to break up. You're happy with him, aren't you?"
"Well, I'm not now," Hyukjae said gloomily. "I just-- Can you just please? Just this once? I don't want to look stupid there without someone with me. And," he said, looking sideways, as if embarrassed of what he was about to say, "And... It's not like I have a lot of friends, hyung. I don't want to spend the entire night, in the most expensive hotel in the entire universe, having awkward conversations about business and being rich and spoiled. Besides, you could have fun there too! I just want Tablo hyung to... be a little jealous, okay? I just want to know. Also," he added as an afterthought, "Free food, hyung."
The other finally began to look interested.
Hyukjae scoffed, "Of course that would get your attention."
Sungmin just smiled. Then he shook his head and turned to leave, "You two have been doing this for forever. Seriously Hyuk, you know Tablo-sshi loves you. You love him too! Why don't you two just quit with this weird game of yours and just get to the point where the two of you make up again?"
"It's not that easy, hyung!" Hyukjae reasoned. And then, in a wild attempt at getting the older boy to agree, Hyukjae widened his eyes and jut his bottom lip out in a poor attempt at being cute, "Please, Sungmin hyung. I am begging you! I will beg you on my knees if I have to-- no, wait. Here I'll do it," kneeling in front of the elder boy, Hyukjae grabbed Sungmin's hands and cried out, "Oh, please, hyung! Please save me from another awkward party! Please, please, please, please!"
Chuckling loudly, Sungmin took his hands away from Hyukjae and patted the other on the head, "I'll think about it, but if ever I say yes and Tablo-sshi confronts us, you're gonna have to tell him everything, okay? No excuses."
"...fine."
"Also," Sungmin asked, grinning cheekily at Hyukjae, "What's in it for me?"
"I'll pay you!" Hyukjae immediately shouted, standing up, "I'll pay you so you could buy that guitar you've always wanted."
Surprised, Sungmin raised a brow as he asked, "How'd you know--,"
"You're not the only one who has mutant observation skills, hyung. I've seen the way you look at that guitar in the shop we always pass by on the way home. What? Do you think I listen to Mina talk all the way back home? No way. I would go insane!"
Sungmin laughed, "She's your little sister! You aren't supposed to talk about her like that!"
Hyukjae just shook his head and shrugged, "Whatever. So?" he asked, smiling widely at Sungmin, "Is that a yes? Or a yes?"
Looking drearily at his younger, step brother, Sungmin relented. "Fine. When is this? You have to pay for my clothes though! It's not like I go to these kinds of things!"
Walking back to their rooms, Hyukjae skipped as he followed Sungmin, "Sure, sure! I'll pay for everything! And it's a Saturday night, next week. Do you think you could leave your work on that day?"
As the two talked about the party, they hadn't noticed that someone had been listening in on them.
"Hyung, could you at least be serious about this! Don't make fun of me!"
"I need to have my amusement too, Hyukkie~"
"Well don't! This is serious business! This a test to make sure that Tablo hyung does love me and only me!"
"Right. Because this ridiculous game between the two of you is serious business. Ha! I can't wait till this blows up in your face."
"Hyuuuung!"
---
Lee Sungmin was born in an average family consisting of a doting father and a sickly but loving mother.
When asked what he remembers about his mother and father, Sungmin would immediately tell how beautiful his mother was, how pretty her eyes shone as she smiled, how loving and gentle her touches were as she waited for him to sleep. He would get excited as he described his father, that he would play with him whenever he wanted and how strong he was as he was able to carry Sungmin on top of his shoulders for long, long time.
They weren't rich and they usually had to save what little money they had for Sungmin's mother, but despite the difficulties, they were very, very happy.
All that changed when his mother died. Suddenly, from the kind father that Sungmin knew, he became different. He poured himself over work to the point that Sungmin barely saw his father anymore.
And then, one day his father announced that he was getting married.
When Sungmin met his new family, he was ten years old.
His father immediately left for work the moment he dropped him at his new home, leaving Sungmin alone as he was introduced to his new life.
He hated it, if he were being honest with himself.
As he stood on the doorstep, he was met by a woman staring coldly down at him. Sungmin, however small he was, stood his ground.
"You're Sungmin," she said, the dislike evident in her voice.
Sungmin noticed so he kept silent and nodded instead.
"You should speak when you're spoken to, Sungmin ah."
What had he done to make her so angry at him?
She didn't wait for him to answer though. Instead, she bent down, took Sungmin's jaw and made him look up at her. He winced as she held on too tight. With dislike clearly seen in her eyes, she sneered, "You look exactly like your mother. No wonder he can't bare to see you."
"What?" he asked, confused.
"You father," she said, letting go of his face as she straightened up, "Had been hurt too much by your mother's death. She was sickly even before and he knew that. She should've just let me have him in the first place. He should've just let her go. Now look at what happened. Thankfully, however," said his soon-to-be mother, "I still like Seunghwan. And that I'm kind enough to let his son stay with us. For a price."
Sungmin knew then that whatever dreams he had of happy times with his new family were never going to come true.
---
"You look like shit."
"Why, thank you," Sungmin said, rolling his eyes. "I just cleaned the fucking furnace. You should be grateful, you know. We could all die from hypothermia when the winter comes if I hadn't cleaned it out."
"Wow, because that is so going to happen." Brushing off the elder boy's whining, Hyukjae beckoned the other to shut the door. "Come on, hyung. We don't have all day. Umma's going to go nuts if I'm not out of here by 6."
Taking the clothes from Hyukjae, Sungmin couldn't help but stare at them for a while. He knew he was never going to wear anything better than this after the party. It was a once in a lifetime experience, and Sungmin felt compelled to milk the night for what it's worth. He was still a little worried, however.
Stripping his work clothes for it didn't matter if Hyukjae was in the room as they had grown up together, he asked, "What if I mess up, Hyuk? It's not like I know a lot about what you people do."
Hyukjae laughed, "Now you're panicking, hyung? It's fine though. You're good with people."
"I'm good with people because I'm quiet and let them talk."
"Exactly! Most of these people come to these parties to boast of their achievements anyway. You'll fit right in!"
Sungmin stopped pulling his pants as he stared blandly at the younger boy, "Thank you, I feel so much better now."
Laughing as he put on his own costume for the extravagant party, Hyukjae answered, "It'll be fine, honest. It's a masquerade, hyung. No one will know who they'll be talking to, at least, that's the idea. So don't fret, just have fun!"
"Oh. I was wondering why we had to wear Victorian styled clothes. I thought it was an early Halloween party or something, seeing as how it's nearing November. But then," Sungmin asked, "If it's a masquerade ball, how would Tablo-sshi find you?"
Hyukjae answered by holding up a beautifully crafted mask. "He bought this for me before Donghae," Hyukjae said that name in contempt, "invited him. He would know it's me."
Sungmin shook his head as he laughed. No matter how mature Hyukjae had grown (Sungmin would know because he's been taking care of the siblings since the day he got here), when it came to Tablo, the younger man just seemed to ignore all rationality and logic. It was endearing. Sometimes.
Putting on his own mask, he looked at himself in the mirror. Playing with the magnificent blue-colored feathers decorating the mask, Sungmin frowned, "I look weird."
Standing at his back, Hyukjae shook his head. "You look amazing, hyung." Catching Sungmin's eyes in the mirror, Hyukjae smiled gratefully at him, "Thank you, for putting up with me. Honestly speaking, you're too good for us. You're always patient with the diva of a sister I have, my mother who is-- well, she's seriously deluded herself into hating you, I know, but you still put up with her. You do know that if you need money, I can give you what you need to leave, right? Right?"
Turning back to face Hyukjae, Sungmin smiled sadly at him, "I know, Hyuk. I know. And thank you, really. But you know I can't leave."
"Why?"
Sungmin couldn't answer. How could he tell Hyukjae that he was afraid of change? It was irrational and stupid, but change had been really cruel to him. First, it was his mother, then his family, and then that marriage.
"I'm not ready yet," was his answer instead. Thankfully, Hyukjae had let it go.
"Are you at least ready to go to the party?"
Sungmin laughed, "Yeah. Let's go."
---
Sungmin nearly ruined his expensive clothes as he tried to stealthily sneak out to the garage.
He could fit in between the bushes without touching them a few weeks ago! Pouting, he refused to accept he was getting fat.
As he slid into the car, Hyukjae noticed the scowl on his face. "What? Was it a tight squeeze for you, hyung?"
Hyukjae then proceeded to laugh. Sungmin had to stop himself from strangling the other man.
Part Two