unquenched, unquenchable

@brminwoo

what had he been thinking? it had been the question that was in the forefront of his mind tonight. it was the question that kept popping up with every misstep he made at this party. from the encounter with jinri and hwang bogum taking the fall for the young hwang heir for giving into the need to let loose and enjoy himself for once. then there was ara. oh god. his head was a mess, his thoughts racing. 

hair disheveled, as he threw the blazer haphazardly over his shoulders his mask discarded in that room where him and ara had snuck off to, the sensation lingering of her lips how they captured his, how they left a hot trail on his neck. his hands all over her body. jinho shakes his head he was so careless, he couldn’t believe he gave into his instincts like that, crossing the line of their friendship to satisfy himself and thinking so selfishly of not how this could really damage his friendship with ara. the person he trusted the most. all because he hadn’t been thinking with his head. 

jinho needed to get out of here before he made another bad decision fueled on whatever alcohol and lingering high he has trying to come down from. he pushes through the crowded warehouse, he pulls his phone from his pocket to text his driver to come meet him out front so he could go home for the night. in his haste to make an exit he walks right into someone. he is muttering an apology when he lifts his eyes, and there is no mistaking the person standing before him the last person he wanted to even wanted to run into. especially after that experience at the club recently. “oh god, not you.” he groans, running his hand through his hair expelling an exasperated sigh. “i’m not in the mood.” 

     high spirits at hyunmin’s bacchanal will die as sunrise approaches. such is the original biological cycle of vampires. centuries of interaction with humans served to modify it. according to minwoo’s watch, guests have enough hours to make the most of the event. on his part, he decides there is very little of his interest back in the warehouse. additionally, he had embarked on a journey of self-control in recent days. going home early sounds like a good idea.

on his way out, a person crashes into him. it is not something to make a fuss about in the middle of chaos. when he turns around, the stranger’s eyes flicker up and what a shocker. the bad luck omen (who is not having his best night, judging by the expression). minwoo frowns at jinho’s half-apology that he keeps to himself after discerning his identity. is he not worthy of mumbled words of regret? he wants to tear the i’m sorry out of his throat.

❝aren’t you a mind reader?❞

the solemn air is gone. only a shade of cha jinho is before him. minwoo appears to be pleased by the distress painted across his face. it fills him with childish glee, for the golden rule does not apply to enemies. what other word can he use to describe the pureblood? nothing but active opposition exists between the two — perhaps minwoo's hostility is more evident, which is why jinho’s avoidance comes as a surprise. it piques his interest for a second.

@brminwoo·!

with one last curtsy which earns her a smile from her partner, ara takes her chance to glide away before she’s pulled into another dance—she’s been here for well over an hour, and she’s been swaying ever since. the attention is flattering – she’s sure that the sheer material of her dress has something to do with it – but her feet want a small break before they continue waltzing. these heels were not made for walking, ugh, and she can’t be bothered to wear them any longer.

but before she can take them off and hop around barefeet, something else catches ara’s attention. maybe it’s because of the plainness of his suit, or the fact she’s spent enough time with him to recognize the way he carries himself, but hwang minwoo is easy to spot. her first instinct is to say hi, but it’s swallowed back after she remembers the way she’d gotten up and left last time they’d spoken. though his answer hadn’t been what she’d expected, the bitterness had come and gone, and for the first time in quite a while ara is relieved, knowing she can look at him without a pressing weight on her chest. still, she opts for another way of communication, not wanting to interrupt his night. her fingers type away on a familiar device as she finds her way outside for some fresh air.

( txt ⇝ bruce wayne 🦇 ) that outfit could’ve used a bit of color 😤

who knows when he’ll read it. the cool night air is refreshing, even as her hair whips into her face annoyingly. leaning over the balcony, she looks up instead of down, eyeing the flat roof. there has to be a stairs leading up, but she can’t be bothered to go around and find it. this time, she does kick her heels off. the jump’s not that high – at least not for her kind – and it’s one second later, with the swiftness and grace of a cat, that she’s climbed atop the ledge, her dress in one hand to make sure it’s not in her way. from up high, the view’s always better. a break from all the stuffiness inside will be nice.

      decadence, glamour and beautiful people in a single venue. hyun’s hands are the only ones who can craft extravaganza of such magnitude. his wicked touch is noticeable in every detail. the hwangs receive invitations as social tradition, and family obligation, dictates. each of them decide on contrasting times to leave for the party. minwoo, an early bird, is not drawn to excess and his sober outfit pick reflects it. while he loves the spotlight on him, it is different when he is required to veil his true self behind a mask. the need to put on airs emerges from his whole character, his last name. there is no point in anonymous trivialities.

the buzz inside his breast pocket is unexpected. plenty of the guests attending have his number, yet they are all drowning in chaos. the outside world is now eclipsed by raw pleasure. it is ara the one that still remembers him beyond debauchery. she possesses sufficient experience to identify him among the crowd, but her message results in surprise. he is unsure about the manner in which he should approach her, especially after their last conversation. minwoo's silver tongue failed the moment of the revelation. however, for the middle song sister to address him in a casual way, it must correspond to a good sign.

her name on his phone screen is peculiar, the outcome of an inside joke between two good friends. long ago, his knowledge about batman was average, involving movies and action figures. plus, the laughable relationship between the superhero and their own species. then, ara decided to instruct him on his alter ego. according to her deliberate research, bruce wayne and hwang minwoo shared a few traits: rich and stoic. the girl made him sit through enough works of fiction until he accepted the comparison. ara also found a complement to his newly assigned code name, which she accompanied with the cat emoji.

minwoo abandons his glass and texts back using the same tone, in hopes that the informality continues. his question is essential for the search.

( kkt — oppa 🙄❤️ ) yeah wow ok one piece of cake cancels everything out? ( kkt — oppa 🙄❤️ ) next time i need advice i’ll seek your council dr. minwoo ( kkt — oppa 🙄❤️ ) ( emoticon ) ( kkt — oppa 🙄❤️ ) anyway ( kkt — oppa 🙄❤️ ) what could possibly happen???? ( kkt — oppa 🙄❤️ ) drive there, park, drive back

the dry complaint about hyunmin’s unusual way of greeting ( at least among the vampire elite, which the two surely were a part of ) didn’t waver his smile, on the contrary. for years he figured eventually people would get behind it and realize that every rejection, every complaint and comment only fueled his behaviour, making him more determined to bring people out of their comfort zone. but people also have proven themselves countless times to be sheep and often refuse to look behind the curtain of their golden cage, which only played in hyun’s favour. the short yet diligent nature of minwoo’s response earned the younger an acknowledging nod by hyunmin. working, of course. old bogum had his collar tightly around minwoo’s neck, keeping the leash on a short walking distance without the boy realizing it. how could he? it’s all he knew since birth, follow the touted father with every snap of his whip. ultimately, hyun couldn’t blame the younger for the way he is. the purest reflection of his father. “tea again?!” hyunmin asks in disbelief as he was seating himself in his own leather chair, feeling as if he had been over for a warm beverage and some cake just yesterday. “i’ve got to tell you a secret. i think your mother wants to drown me in tea. it was her plan all along.” he leaned back, allowing his body to stretch like a cat in the warm afternoon sun. “tell you what, i’d rather have her cook up a big hearty meal. i think a big family dinner is in order. all the hwangs, yours truly, your song friends and whoever else. i can only imagine how fantastic that would be.”

      minwoo’s head tilted at his uncle’s surprise. tea was probably the most common drink at the hwang household, work of hyekyung’s palate. he assumed hyun should have been used to his sister’s taste by now. she tended to oversee the entire process, treating it as a refined social event. her collection of fine porcelain cups caused the envy of many. she made sure they were treated with the utmost care by staff and guests alike. every day, whether dedicated to work or leisure, was accompanied by some infusion of leaves. his favorite time to enjoy tea was during the long hours of baduk games.

❝you should tell mother, but a family dinner is a family dinner,❞ his emphasis on the collective noun was evident. he stressed on the meticulous way of differentiating those who belonged to their clan from those who did not. such was one of the first lessons taught by his parents: his kin was a group apart and above. extending the invitation to friends and acquaintances changed the intention of the occasion. in addition, events where to meet with others were numerous throughout the year. the social season never stopped for vampiric society, or for humans.

          HOWEVER LITTLE SIGNIFICANCE SHE WANTED to delegate their friendship when compared to strictly political motives, ahyoung could never escape the fact that she cared for the hwang. from a political point of view it could prove to be inconvenient ( only time could truly tell ), but the oldest song allowed herself to be selfish, for once — that was the reason minwoo was here after all, was it not ? she enjoyed his presence, and a small part of her longed for the attention, specifically from him. he was steady, certain, intelligent, warm. ahyoung had coated her heart with ice, but she caught herself thinking that maybe, just maybe, he might find a way to melt it.

she got up from her seat at his words, gentle smile directed at him. «then maybe you would like to help me prepare some ?» she suggested, though there was the slightest hint of a hidden command underneath it — not of an ill nature though. if anything, the song sister was attempting to lure him into staying just a bit longer. «if you’re lucky i’ll even let you have a taste,» added ahyoung jokingly, flashing him a grin.

    her invitation took him by surprise, for the activity was the complete opposite of her previous request. nevertheless, it solved his dilemma in regards to the hour: he would be staying longer than planned. he did not find himself aggravated by the petition, to the point that he even considered it unique. impossible to reject song ahyoung, especially when he had just offered his services, like a knight to his lady. the promise of dinner was not the priority, as long as they got to spend more time together.

his phone starts ringing and jinho’s eyebrows raise in question, he nudges minnie’s furry butt with his sock clad foot and she whines being jostled once more she sits up and pounces off the couch to go sleep in her dog bed. jinho grabs his phone and notices ansook is calling him. even when he was out he managed to still want the company of his older brother around. next time he would be sure to remind him this the next time he whines about his lame older brother tagging along.

“hello?” he answers the phone and here’s a variety of sound from ansook’s end, the sound of voices calling to each other shouting over the obnoxious beat of whatever music is pumping through the club.  “ansook!” jinho speaks loudly into the phone trying to get his brothers attention, but it seems like he might have called him by mistake. given the state of his texts that was a more than likely scenario. he had been on the receiving end of many of his drunk calls.

jinho is about to hang up when he hears a clatter of noise, it startles him as he withdraws the phone from his ear, the sounds of glass shattering pierces his ears and he hears a bit of distress through the line, jinho straightens up becoming alert. “ansook? ansook are you okay! ansook!” he is yelling into the phone trying to get his brothers attention, his voice is a bit muffled and jinho stands up. he tries to remain calm he’s sure his brother is okay, but at the same time he’s cursing himself for not remembering where his own sibling told him where he was going for the night. he lowers his phone from his ear and opens his messages and types out.

(-ansookie: Ansook, where are you? I’ll come get you.)

He hits send hoping in ansook’s inebriated state he will at least message him his location.

      ansook's voice fades with the musical background and indistinct chatter. however, his last words resound in minwoo’s head, resembling a trapped echo. even in his absence, the elder cha behaves like a ghost. an incorporeal manifestation he cannot get rid of. his nonattendance does not guarantee peace for the rest of the night. he follows with dead certainty after the incident at the council’s archive. it is what he has to endure for opening pandora’s box — admitting to the possibility of a miscalculation is never an option.

on the other hand, ansook seems keen on trailing him as well. he almost chuckles at his inebriated words to stop him from leaving. why should minwoo wait for him? why should they go home together? while he endures the childish antics of the younger (maybe for his affable personality), his tolerance reached its limit since he woke up. the instant he opened his eyes, a realization of disgrace washed over him. such gloomy feeling is still lingering in his heart. he is in need of a moment alone, at least in the middle of the street. better to put an end to the useless chase.

jinho watches as jinri points a shaking finger at him, and all he could gather was perhaps she was in agreement with his statement that someone had tampered with her drinks inside of the bar. he just hoped for his sake minwoo wasn’t taking her indication to mean that he was the one to commit such a heinous act. he grew more concerned with jinri still vomiting the contents of her stomach out into this alley. he throws a glance at minwoo. “from what i can gather and judging by your sisters state, i believe that is what happened. if that’s the case all we can do is let whatever the symptoms she’s experience ride out, and well.. i half a mind to go in there and find whoever did this.” jinho says lowly.

although his interactions with jinri had always been more on the casual side it didn’t change that she was an innocent person just trying to have fun, and no one should have ever had even attempted to take advantage of her. however he knew how minwoo could be, surely he wasn’t thrilled that jinho was even here at all, let alone having him tag along to probably deliver a far worse punishment to this person for even trying to lay a finger on jinri. 

      minwoo stood there, in silent and troubled contemplation, wondering when would jinri’s superior body functions metabolize the suspected drug. although, he assumed that she would end up forcefully expelling it from her stomach. it was difficult to predict the duration of the symptoms without knowing what substance his sister had been exposed to. not to mention that vampires and humans experienced different physiological effects. at this point, maybe it would be impossible to hide the issue from their parents, but he decided to advocate for his sibling given the possible identity of the offender, on which the trio seemed to (surprisingly) agree — judging by jinri’s gesture, jinho’s words and his own prejudice.

( kkt — oppa 🙄❤️ ) ( emoticon ) ( kkt — oppa 🙄❤️ ) could’ve told me earlier!!!! guess i’ll have cake later ( kkt — oppa 🙄❤️ ) like…… ( kkt — oppa 🙄❤️ ) in an hour? or two?

      events at keuroseu were occasions to remember without exceptions. they celebrated graduation ceremonies just as lavishly. the end of congratulatory speeches was the signal for all the bachelors left to reunite with family and friends. camera shutters went off, flower bouquets were delivered, and embraces turned into the most common gesture.

on the way out of the venue, the generation’s valedictorian was quickly approached by one of the night class professors. she offered her respective words of praise for his achievement, which minwoo accepted with enthusiasm. however, the rest of the conversation did not exactly go in the way the instructor expected.

guilty of delusion or innocence, she questioned him in regards to sending his application to law school. for the bar exam, after another three years of studies, would result in a piece of cake to him. minwoo replied with a simple no, i don’t think so, to soften the jab, to stop an attempt at convincing. once, he did consider that option too.

while many great minds stepped on the grounds of the sky universities, his obligation was to assume the role as heir apparent. it was the position assigned at birth and it usually involved sacrifice. some kind of self-promised greatness expected him in the darkness of the vampire council. he assured her that he had already contacted a member from snu’s moot court team just in case. he excused himself after spotting someone important in the crowd.

❝dad, finally! where are mom and jinri? did you lose them?❞ minwoo asked when he noticed bogum was there by himself.

( kkt — oppa 🙄❤️ ) i literally could have eaten the entire strawberry pie yesterday ( kkt — oppa 🙄❤️ ) but i DIDN’T ( kkt — oppa 🙄❤️ ) i left you a piece ( kkt — oppa 🙄❤️ ) because ( kkt — oppa 🙄❤️ ) my consideration for you knows no limits ( kkt — oppa 🙄❤️ ) ( emoticon )

mockery: a language invented for her and her son. “the hwangs are known for their company. who knows? maybe that is what they wish to see today.” she replies. its an attack on the council women. both obvious to the intentions of bringing the hwang heir into such an informal setting; politics could-would devour anything.

she holds back a chuckle at her son’s final comment. his tone of sarcasm something she actually prefers ( over jinri’s especially ) before her expression molds into something neutral. as the doors open, hyekyung steps inside and accepts the stares and cheerful ‘welcomes’. “apologies for being late.” the woman begins. but oh, the lies. being late meant more eyes on her son. hwang minwoo deserves spotlights and to be frank, so did she. dressing up was more than just to feel good. you needed to leave an impact. “sweetie,” she calls, glancing over her shoulders to her son. “please introduce yourself to the lovely ladies.”

though minwoo needed no introductions, ( the circle well aware of him and she made sure of that ), hyekyung always pretended to be modest. the more minwoo and her play nice, the more favors ( or blackmails ) they would be able to do.

       minwoo raised his shoulders to express indifference. although he was trained by hyekyung on the art of entertaining guests, council members could represent a big effort. sometimes they had to be lured with sweet promises, sometimes they had to be lashed back on the road. for all he knew, his mother was keen on the first option, which had won her the following waiting for them at the moment. it would be a lie to deny that they liked the eyes on them. being the center of attention was a priority.

❝i am hwang minwoo. i hope that you will take care of me today,❞ in front of said ladies, his introduction was all grace and poise. the woman had probably fed them with the concept of his perfect being. for his part, he was meant to represent an extension of the ever charming hyekyung, always offering apologies. as soon as everyone sat at the table, minwoo right next to the head occupied by the matriarch, the entourage excused themselves for ordering without them.

as much as hyunmin would love to declare his lengthened stay in seoul as an opportunity to kick back and relax, in reality the extended visit also meant a larger amount of work. it had been a handful of days since his return and hyun could not recall a time he had been more swamped with paperwork, requests and contracts to sign. his assistant cleared out his e-mail inbox around three times a day, alone that task was bringing her on the edge of tears and hyun was pondering about giving her a pay raise while skipping through some documents when said assistant opened the door to let in an even more familiar face. it was undeniable hyun had his favourites among close family and anyone who wasn’t entirely disconnected from reality could see that his unmatched favourite was jinri. his niece reminded him of his own younger self, somewhat different from the rest, always up for trouble and with tons of raw, unpolished potential that yet had to be discovered. while she was on one side of the spectrum, minwoo was on the other. that didn’t mean hyunmin disliked him, on the contrary. more than once he boasted with his young, handsome, studious nephew in front of business partners when they started whipping out family pictures out of their wallets. his success as the hwang heir was unmatched and hyun found his work ethic unmatched if only he wasn’t so damn stiff. he screamed bogum through and through, the hwang genes overpowering the im in this one. but maybe, just maybe, those hwang genes were going to work in hyun’s favour today, leading the young hwang on the proper path of power and all its perks. “minwoo! so good to see you! get here, little whippersnapper!” hyun rose from his seat and took a small journey around his massive desk, his assistant taking this as a sign to dismiss herself. without any warning or indication, hyun wrapped one arm around minwoo’s neck, putting him in a light headlock. the other hand was suppose to ruffle his nephew’s hair but he was met with indestructible hair spray holding the immaculate hair style in place. “loosen up, my boy! no need to be all formal. take a seat”, he said after he finally released minwoo out of his pitiful misery. “tell me, how have you been?”

       his gaze encountered the assistant’s. she looked troubled and in a hurry to leave the office. he knew that feeling well. back-to-back meetings and workload just piling up. however, minwoo personally decided on his current occupation, therefore he did not have any major complaints. he was against using his name to get a higher position. the logic behind his mindset resided on the possibility that starting from the bottom would give him a wiser perspective on the organization. the whole picture, and then maybe one day...

when he noticed that the older man was approaching, he remained still, waiting for the sweet embrace of death. for the entire moment, his neck locked between the crook of hyunmin's elbow, minwoo wished he had stayed home. perhaps it would have been better if jinri was sent instead of him. his younger sister appeared to be on the same wavelength as their uncle. whatever spatial period that involved, he did not know. he felt an eternity pass until he was released.

❝that was completely unnecessary,❞ he complained about the unorthodox greeting. when would he stop doing it? (when would he grow up?) minwoo proceeded to adjust the now ruffled collar of his shirt. the rest of his outfit came out unscathed from the hold. even though he was prone to scowling, this time his lips formed a childish pout. a gesture that he allowed himself in front of hyunmin. owing to the fact that if someone outside his family circle had tried the same, he would have struck them down. once pristine, minwoo sat down after the invitation to occupy a seat.

❝working, just like you,❞ he was not quite sure about the last part. while he respected his uncle for running one of the most important companies in south korea, hyunmin was also notorious for less serious matters. in addition to the ceo title, he was the equivalent of bacchus in the vampire underworld. minwoo assumed that a person like him could enjoy the privilege of indulging in such activities. in that sense, he was very different from hyekyung, which reminded him of his original mission.

the defensive act, carefully crafted and cultivated over the years, adjusted whenever necessary. jihyun could only imagine what kind of pride the youngest hwang was bringing to the noble house. according to carelessly uttered reports by siwon and ansook, the matriarch couldn’t claim the young hwang spawn was an utter failure in study matters, even proved herself to be quite studious at times. maybe the only character trait thing that didn’t make hyekyung and bogum’s blood boil. seeing her long lost childhood friend fail in parental matters brought her more glee than jihyun could ever possibly admit. it made her feel victorious, especially when having not raised one, not two but three exceptional sons who could outclass minwoo and jinri at any given occasion and time. “oh, i am sure she is. no doubt about that”, jihyun agreed while she probably actually couldn’t disagree more. “i’ve heard she’s spending a lot of time with song ahin lately. oh well, birds of a feather, right?” the obvious hint at the young song’s infamous promiscuous behaviour was a low blow, even jihyun admitted that to herself. but when facing a hwang there were no rules, everyone always brought every available weapon to the battle of the families. she carefully let the liquid in her long glass swirl, bubbles hitting the surface. she had no intention to spend her precious evening in the presence of minwoo but somehow riling him up proved to be more fun than she had previously imagined. maybe it was time to give him a taste of his own medicine after his countless condescending encounters with jinho. she knew her boy was miles above the other, never lowering himself to minwoo’s tasteless level. jihyun, however, didn’t mind getting her hands dirty. “quite the entrance the three of you had”, jihyun referred to their ostentatious arrival earlier. “aren’t you getting tired of being late all the time?”

     jihyun got in return the sound of laughter coming from minwoo. guests probably wondered how entertaining was the conversation going on between the hwang and the bae. her comment had been the result of selective ears. perhaps the woman was not aware, but students of keuroseu recognized everyone’s favorite campus couple, both of them school idols: cha ansook and song ahin.

❝of course you would know about it. isn’t your youngest very fond of ahin as well?❞ minwoo’s voice was tinted with wry. it was in his nature (and his mother's) to keep his poisonous thoughts hidden under a veil of innocent disposition. bending the neck to appear helpless, fluttering the eyelashes to seem alluring. this unabridged act with the purpose of gaining and keeping connections.

❝as you can see, the people never gets tired of us,❞ ten years of the council were an argument to prove his statement. living in the past would not get her anywhere. she could only dream of her adopted family occupying their place. jihyun never noticed the crack on the crown even after years of dusting the headpiece. in her following question, he saw a chance to prove that he was just as piercing as her sword.

― they have made themselves comfortable. it was something whispered to her throughout many years, growing up with the idea that anything could strike them at any moment, and they would not see where that had came from. she had waited to see it, and when she did, she realized that she was right. 

they were way too comfortable. 

she had been raised to be a weapon first, a predator second. first she would strike on command, second she would reassure of her position – but in the world she lived in, being a predator was frowned upon, and weapons had to be concealed. was her presence plausible at all?

( her words echoed in her mind, the right moment was yet to come )

haneul stared at minwoo in disbelief, “ prepare for what? this is not a soirée. ” she clicked her tongue, touching the blades strapped against her thigh, counting them, “ can’t you make it more obvious that you’ve never done this? ”

    despite the uncertainty she could inspire in people, he had learned to feel calm around her. where others found fear, he encountered safety. minwoo was quite the skilled fighter, but represented no threat against haneul (did anyone, really?) you only use a fraction of your potential, he recollected her words.

while minwoo acted as the first horseman, haneul rode the pale horse of death. the girl from hwacheon was bogum’s lethal messenger. she turned the original warning into a reality. it was part of the council lobbying that not many saw. this time, they were both sent to do their respective jobs as a unit.

barf. the only way to summarize minwoo’s carefully crafted answer. jinri heard it a thousand times and every time it grossed her out how easily he could lie. at times she felt like maybe the distance between them wasn’t all that broad. that maybe through their deeply rooted differences they oddly enough somehow connected, conquered the gap between them. once again, like so many times tonight, it was wishful thinking. she despised him right now, this fake pride he was talking about made her stomach turn. his words were heavy, coated with credibility believable enough for any of those fools to eat him up tonight. the perfect son, the promised prince. “yeah, they couldn’t really be bothered to meddle with the inferior tonight”, she said, more or less agreeing with minwoo’s excuse while her words dripped with picture perfect crafted condolences. she earned confused expressions, the couple thanking them for their kind words and excusing themselves. jinri nearly literally patted herself on the back for her accomplishment of single-handedly scaring them away. only a hwang could, a truly messed up one on top of that. the key was in making people just the right amount of uncomfortable to leave but not to dwell on it for too long. “pride?” she echoed his earlier statement and turned to him, spitting the word out with spite. “that one was hilarious. i didn’t know you are such a comedy legend. don’t hide your talent from the world.” she assumed her usual stance, arms crossed and a gloomy expression on her face until the next money hungry, greedy for power bastards were going to approach her and extend her suffering.

        his mood plummeted as jinri’s words reached his ears. minwoo closed his eyes for an instant, before giving his sister a sidelong glance of evident dislike. there she was. the insolent hwang pictured in the rumors of the elders. they were prone to whispering quiet desires for her attitude to change. an impossible wish. while he usually did not like her name being passed around, he could not help but agree this time. when the couple retired, bewildered by the previous conversation, he turned to his sibling.

❝why are you like this, jinri?❞ he questioned her through gritted teeth. why can’t you be like us? was probably the nearest translation to his words. your father, your mother, your brother. all picture-perfect. minwoo took a sharp intake of breath, in an attempt to calm his insides. he could not afford to say something he would regret later. anger, hot or cold, did not work with his sister. she was a rock that resisted through lava and deluge. all for the purpose of going against the ideals that were constantly imposed on her.