the golden boy

it was late in the evening and it was time for joshua to take quinn out for their routine walk. it was something he looked forward to at the end of the day. it was a great way to unwind, get some fresh air, and spend quality time with his dog. with quinn unable to roam the acres of land that they had back home in pennsylvania so the australian shepherd enjoyed it as much as her owner did. 

as they continued on their walk, quinn became alert. she had noticed the other dog up ahead. she let out a bark, excited to see a potential playmate. quinn began to make her way over to the other dog before joshua pulled her back. he gave seung a sheepish smile, unsure if his dog was friendly with other dogs or not. “quinn, sit. sorry about her - she gets excited when there’s other dogs around. she’s pretty social and thinks all dogs are.”

baek’s ears perked up a bit at the sound of another dog and while seung tightened his grip on the lead he made no effort to slow their pace as baek was often more or less indifferent to other dogs. he never went out of his way to play them at the park and was much happier with a game of fetch, but nor did he mind when they made an attempt to play with him. he’d watched him tolerate the most insufferable of puppies at the park without snapping which led him to believe he could tolerate almost any dog.

the small shiba continued on towards the aussie at a casual pace, his attention clearly captured but not overly eager. seung waved a hand as though he were pushing aside his worries, “he doesn’t mind. he prefers a good belly rub, but he’ll be fine with her.” he smiled a little in an attempt to reassure the other man.

Flossie was walking her daschund Bertie–she normally tried to get two walks in. Three if she was off, as she liked being out doors. She didn’t like being cooped indoors especially on her days off. She let Bertie off the lead, he wasn’t a very active dog anyway and stayed close. They had a bond. She had her sunglasses on and was looking up towards the tree, when a wet nose touched her palm. “Oh–” she turned around and stroked the dog, who wanted her attention. “Is he or she yours?” She asked the male infront of her, smiling softly. “They’re adorable.”

seung whistled softly time get his dog's attention and called him back to his side in Korean, not quite realizing just how much extra leash he’d given him. “he has to say hello to everyone,” he explained looking down at his shiba with a small smile. baek had always been incredibly friendly and he’d never had any issues—well, except for lee. seung had never quite understood it but baek had never taken to his younger brother and once even tried to nip at him. He’d always chalked it up to the dog feeding off his energy and picking up on the tension that existed between them. “I could say the same about yours,” he said as he nodded to the dachshund.

The name made Lee wince as well, but it was totally visual the way he did it. He wasn’t expecting that answer, nor that name to come up in that discussion.. Lee couldn’t remember hearing about Yeon since the day he learned about her death. And it pained him. He didn’t let it show too much, but it did pain him to remember her— one of the few people he actually felt cared for.  Ok, initially he only grew closer to her to annoy his older brother but in the end, it had been impossible not to actually like her. And fucking love her. She was probably the only person with a heart in that damned family.  Someone with a soul and that lived for it. And gave joy to others while doing so. And it must have hurt Joon badly if he hadn’t gotten back to his homeland since her passing, he just loved that place in a way Lee would never be able to understand.

His Dongsaeng, really? Lee only knew the basics of his family’s language. The very minimum to understand things around the house, but he never ever made any effort to actually learn it. He knew though what that meant… and he didn’t remember being called by something so damn soft by the other before. “What is it with you? So emotional” he was still ironizing “I was gone years ago. And physically four months ago, if you guys didn’t realize. But I don’t think you have. Especially you, you weren’t even there when I finally left” yeah, he was fucking letting the hurt he didn’t know he felt show. Had Joon even know about his overdose? Or the way he silently agreed to stay in the family house, obeying? Locked in his room? If he actually cared he would have noticed so. He would have come and would have asked. None of those happened. “A puppet is not capable of caring, neither the puppeteers because they are too busy controlling the horde, right? Honestly, Joon. You wouldn’t be here if your dad hadn’t asked so. Why did he send you here??”

seung shook his head slightly, averting his gaze for a moment down to the perfectly polished shoes he wore on his feet. he wasn’t going to beg and he’d already played a much larger hand than he’d intended to. shown lee more emotion in the last two minutes than perhaps he’d ever put on display in front of him. shouldn’t that have been enough? to show how serious he was. no, of course, it couldn’t have been. his family had failed him. their family. seung failed him. 

“i might have been a puppet once, but i’m not any longer.” while seung might still be willing to do some things for the sake of their family, he was no longer willing to jump just because his father commanded it. he swore frustratedly in korean before taking a small step toward his brother. “you think nobody cared, but how can anyone care when you hide things? hide everything? you don’t tell us how you feel so how can mother know how to help you? and you if you say she doesn’t care or want to help than you were never the son she always believed.” seung spat back having heard enough. his mother loved him best, there was no question. he only wished lee had looked long enough to see it as well. 

Finally! The brunette smiled to herself. For months they have been trying to Facetime with one another–or at least, she was–but it seemed like Lee Hwan Seung-ssi was always busy, which, of course, she could understand, but that did not mean that Sara liked it. In a way, it made her somewhat envious of him for not having that much of free time in his time. Sure, Jaemin demanded a lot and she was grateful for that, but on days where she just wanted to feel normal again, having the honesty of his words or the warmth of his hidden smile made things a little less unbearable.

There was–something extremely off about him, but Sara did her best to push her thoughts to the side. She knew she was not stable enough to make these assumptions freely. She knew Hwan Seung owed her no explanations, much less, any phone calls. Even if she considered him a friend. Chances were, he merely saw her as the wife of a former employee and a fan of her work. And today of all days, should not be used to raise more self-doubt than before. Darting her tongue out to wet her lips, the petite brunette pressed them together into a thin line, then curved them up in a small smile as she listened to him explain about hi brother.

It is none of his business that he didn’t let you know he was in town. But then again, given the bark in the background, she dared to say that Baek was with him. He wouldn’t have brought his dog if he weren’t thinking of staying for a while, right? “Is that Baek I hear?” She asked instead, actually missing the somewhat weekly updates on the little shiba inu. Truth was, it felt like they were growing apart… and no matter how lonely Sara was, if that was his choice, she would let Hwan Seung. She was probably more invested in this friendship than him. “Are you in Springhill?” Sara thought that he would be in his house right outside New York, but hearing that they were, once again, in the same town actually brought a genuine smile to her lips. “As in… the same Springhill I’ve been living for six months now?” And you didn’t say anything? She though, but Hwan Seung didn’t owe her anything, she needed to remind herself of that. “How about I treat you for a birthday dinner, then? Pork belly and soju?”

he couldn’t stop himself from admiring the subtle beauty that was yoo sara. from the way her eyes always seemed to sparkle to the way her smile had such an infectious power over him—and countless others he was sure. he wanted to say those things aloud to her, but there was always a nagging feeling somewhere in his mind and it sounded a lot like jake.

seung smiled widely at the mention of his four-legged friend and quickly flipped the camera around for her to see. the tan shiba stood there staring at the camera, waiting patiently to continue on with their walk. “say hi, baek,” he commanded in korean, raising his hand to his mouth to signal the dog to speak. he barked in reply before sitting down expectantly for the coming treat. “ 착한 소년,” he said leaning forward to scratch behind his ears before reaching into his pocket for a biscuit and tossing it to him.

he flipped the screen around once more so she could see his face while he spoke and attempted to explain himself. “i had no idea how long or if i was even staying—i didn’t want to get your hopes up that I was here if i wasn’t really going to be here.” he tried to defend, but it was no excuse. “i’m sorry, i should have called sooner.” seung admitted with a weak smile. “i will never turn down soju, but I want my pork belly done right,” he moaned, thinking of how hard it was to find places he liked. “i’m trusting you on this,” he said dramatically with a wink as he resumed walking once more.

“where’s jaemin? napping already?” he presumed, unable to conceal his disappointment entirely. the only thing he loved to see more than the smiling face of that sweet child, was the smiling face of his mother. though if he were being honest, she could have a scowl on her face and be angry at him and he’d still be happy to see her face. because she was there.

baek stopped once again, pressing his small black nose firmly to the ground as he sniffed deeply, taking in all the different scents that were still so new to him. seung always enjoyed his leisurely walks with his four-legged companion more than any other outing they had together. he’d always been the most curious of puppies and it was a trait he’d never grown out of.  “ 그게 뭐야 ? ” he asked the canine as though he was expecting a response. but instead, the shiba snorted in reply, lifting his nose from the ground and starting on their way again. 

the man followed behind him, having no issue with allowing him to take the lead. it was all apart of the routine for the duo. though as beak found his curious nose often got the better of him he led them to the most unexpected places—and the most unexpected people. // @shstarters​

      ( @hwanscung· )

      ——Sara checked her phone for any appointments she would possibly have for the following week and just like that, she was reminded of Hwan Seung’s birthday. Despite the older man’s distance lately, which, she deemed it to be because he was busy, she still considered him a close friend. One of the few that she actually felt happy around instead of being reminded of the past, which, was had for her because everything made her think of Moonbin… and everything hurt. Except for Hwan Seung.

So, she picked up her phone as soon as she has laid Jaemin down for a morning nap, strategically choosing the time that would not be too late in the night to call him in Korea, then, she searched for Hwan Seung’s name and clicked on it. It rang for a few times before he picked up, which plastered a smile on her lips.

“Hwan Seung-ssi! 생일 축하해요!” She then noticed it was bright where he was, which meant he was probably in New York, maybe? “Oh? Are you not in Korea?”

seung has found himself with more free time on his hands than he’d had in years and no idea how exactly to spend that time. and to make matters worse, he found himself with no one to spend the time with—well, nobody aside from baek, who proved ill-equipped to handle the stimulatingly intellectual conversation he was after. the small tan shiba inu did, however, make a wonderful jogging companion.

the sudden move to springhill upset canines regular schedule in a big way, something he liked even less than seung, but it was something that could not be helped. and baek seemed to enjoy all the extra time he’d been spending in the park and with his master. 

he felt his phone begin to vibrate in his pocket and silently hoped it wasn't a business call as he reached for it. but the name that appeared on the screen brought a whole other sensation to the pit of his stomach. excitement mostly, but it was always accompanied by some sort of anxiousness. he’d been meaning to give sara space, but he couldn’t help but wonder if it was in fact too much space. he knew it was the case for him but he couldn’t possibly expect her to feel the same.

seung managed to answer the call before the third ring and the sight of her warm, lovely face made him feel good in ways he hadn’t in months. it came as no surprise to him that she was the first to say happy birthday and it wouldn’t surprise him if she were the only one. he’d hardly had the chance to reply before she picked up on his drastic change in scenery. the man laughed softly, looking around him for just a moment before finally replying, “many thanks, yoo sara-ssi! ah, yes. good eye.” 

he’d been meaning to tell her since he’d found out lee was living in springhill that’d he’d be around. and seung had certainly meant to tell her before he’d arrived, but he’d put it off for so long that he missed his chance. he cleared his throat almost uncomfortably before continuing. “i’ve been looking for my brother,” he began simply wishing he could leave it at that. but the town was small and they’d cross path sooner or later. or so he hoped anyway. “he’s in springhill, actually, so my parents sent me to check in on him.” but in truth they wanted him to do more than just check in on him. that, however, was a story for a different day.

Daemin was still trying to figure his life out. Granted, the job aspect of it he had it all pinned down, everything else though? He would need a map or for someone to sit him down and have a serious conversation about. Meanwhile, he forced himself to find mundane distractions—casual drinks at the bar, watching sports during game nights, an hour or two at Ceux Qui Sont Tombes, a few FaceTime calls with his fiancee… Maybe he was spiraling down. Maybe he needed a break—the solid sound of the basketball dunking through the hoop cut off his thoughts and made him focus on the now. 

Following the request coming from the man sitting beside him, Daemin downed the content of his glass and ordered two scotch on the rocks while casually checking his watch for the time. “Daemin. Moon Daemin, and you are?”

seung lifted the glass he’d been nursing for the last twenty minutes up to his lips and took a large swig nearly finishing off what was left. he rarely, if ever, drank to get drunk like so many enjoyed to do. no, it was the taste itself of the alcohol that he enjoyed so much. most in the states seemed to down shot after shot of all sorts of things and the thought alone left him reeling. he wasn’t sure how some could make it home in one piece after sending themselves into such a deep intoxication so quickly. 

Oh, that neat posture of the other was so damn irritating. Lee wished he could rip that out of him. “Get the sequence wrong as many times as you want, it won’t change my ID” he spat. He’d always make sure to emphasize how different he was from the rest of the family… now more than ever, as he had spent so long away from them, living independently, he just knew he didn’t need them anymore. And wouldn’t need ever again. He pierced his lower lips, though, at the other’s answer. Indeed, he wasn’t being asked to leave town or to do anything— yet. But it didn’t take a genius to know that Joon only was there because of either he or their father was in need of something from Lee, and of course, Lee would figure that out just to smash against their faces how fake the family concept was in that stupid group of people that carried similar DNA.

“Sure, you left Korea just to check on me” he ironized, crossing his arms “You left your comfy chair and highly paid job, got in a plane, came here in the middle of nowhere just to see how your little brother is doing after disappearing for almost four months. C’mon, I wasn’t born yesterday” he rolled his eyes. Honestly, he was now boiling inside. Because he couldn’t believe the audacity. And he also couldn’t believe how hurt he actually felt inside… why was he so sad? He was supposed to feel indifference or just the anger, not a whole pack of useless emotions. “What are you doing here, then?”

he knew that lee was right about that, no matter what he called him—or anyone else in their family called him, it wouldn’t change who he was. who he knew he was. and though he’d never be able to admit it aloud, for the simple fact his brother would never believe him, he was proud of lee and how he’d stood up to their father, to everyone who’d ever tried to control him. he stood up to their father in a way he should have six years ago. 

joon winced at his brother’s words but it was done so quietly one couldn’t be sure it even really happen. the thought of korea and spending any time there at all if he didn’t have to pained him still. he stood their silently for a moment, doing his best to compose himself in a way he hadn’t needed to in quite some time. “i haven’t lived in korea since seo-yeon passed,” the man said dully, as he struggled to even allow her name to pass his lips. seo-yeon had always loved lee so dearly, treated him better than even their sweet sister had, yet even now after her death he could do nothing but show disrespect and it upset him more than anything else he could have said or done. 

Wasn’t it easy to take Mr Perfect out of his senses? Lee could see it in the other’s eyes, even though it had been long since they saw each other. He wasn’t a frequent presence in Lee’s life but he had always been an annoying one. Idiot. Easy to provoke. Always the same buttons that Lee always made sure he was pressing, even though it didn’t end up good frequently. “It’s Lee Hyun, idiot” he corrected, narrowing his eyes. Honestly the other was actually believing that Lee would buy that bullshit? No way Joon was there merely because of their mother. Or her so-called concern. It was clearly a direct order from the big boss. And what was he so afraid of, then? Lee wasn’t causing any trouble. No scandals. So why couldn’t they forget that he existed and move on with their lives as he was trying to do?

“Oh, sure, I’m the one that doesn’t act like a family, because, you know, I walk and talk like a tidy up robot all day to everyone,” he said in a sarcastic way “and I see everyone else as products or pawns. Like the whole rest of the Hwans. Honestly, dude, I don’t even know why I’m talking to you.. just get back to your fancy car and drive back to whatever fancy hole you came from because I ain’t goin’ anywhere”

joon clicked his tongue against his teeth softly a few times, shaking his head just a little. “you’ll always be hyun lee to me.” he spoke quietly and truthfully. he’d always found such amusement in the way his brother enjoyed mocking his intelligence when it was what truly helped him excel to the place he now held within the company. a place he knew his brother could have been at with him if he’d only listened instead of rebelled at every turn. but that wasn’t lee. they all knew that by now. 

Having a backache after his shift was something Lee was already used to. This was funny because, a few weeks ago, he was working at the Spring Fest and complaining about how honest job suck for being so tiring— an irony. He didn’t know what was different now that he woke up every day and was ok with what he’d have to face nowadays; even though he had to work with Kipley, an annoying brat, he didn’t mind it all that much. Especially now that he had been so open and honest with Nessa, his boss and landlady, and he had a lot to look forward too. He only hoped he wouldn’t lose her trust as he seemed to lose everyone’s.

Lee left the clinic, thinking about how he’d spend the rest of the evening, and that’s when he saw someone he didn’t imagine he’d see any time soon. He let out a scoff as he crossed the street, barely looking to see if there was a car coming, which led to a truck honking right behind him. “Look who is here, tidy up as always,” he said, calmer than he actually felt when he stepped on the sidewalk “daddy’s orders, Joon? after all, you wouldn’t put yourself in such a situation if it weren’t” another scoff “what the hell are you doing here, bro?” yeah, he loved to use very american words against his brother and father.

joon looked down instinctively, almost as if to admire his fine designer suit, and couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes at his brother's comment. just because he took pride in his own appearance didn’t mean he had to listen to disparaging remarks about it from people who didn’t appear to have similar concerns. you little shit, he mumbled under his breath in korean not particularly caring whether lee heard him or not. “have a little respect, for once in your life hyun lee.” he replied tightening his fist to resist the urge to clip him on the back of the head as he used to do when they were young and his tongue got sharp. which felt very often.

“i’m here because you’re family, even though you don’t always like to behave as so,” he quipped snidely, for once wishing he had the patience their sister had possessed. “you ought to know by now it’s mother who’s concerned about your well being,” joon pointed out flatly. of course, it had been their father’s command that sent him here, but it was only because their mother wished it so. 

joon stood on the opposite side of the street of the animal clinic that he knew lee was working in thanks to the notes from the private investigator he’d hired to track him down. there were only a few places he believed his brother could be today and he’d checked them all except the clinic thus far. he waited patiently outside with the knowledge they’d soon be closed for the day and joon would see him exit. despite spending the past few weeks thinking about it, he still wasn’t sure of exactly what he ought to say when he came face to face with lee. emotionally geared conversations had never been his forte.

he watched as the front door opened and a few people seemed to file out of the building, but none were who he was looking for. joon spun the ring he still wore on his left finger a little anxiously as he kept his eyes glued on the door.

LOCATION: Cloak & Stagger DATE: Saturday, Evening. STATUS: open ( @shstarters​ )

      —— Sports night. Lately, Daemin had been looking for reasons to stay connected to this town other than cheap rent and his family, but he was struggling. They came from Seoul, he could’ve sworn he had lived in bigger cities for longer time than he had been living here, so, despite the fact that he had been living in Springhill permanently for the last six months, it still didn’t feel completely like home to him. So that’s why he was there, sitting at Cloak & Stagger, watching some night basketball game and rooting for a team he had never rooted for before.

“Alright, Jimmy…” He said to the bartender. “If we score another two-points, I’ll buy a drink my friend here.” Daemin smiled, motioning his head to the person next to him. “Make it a double if it’s a three-point.” As he was almost done saying this, the team he was rooting for scored a three-point, making him close his fist in celebration, before turning to the person beside him. “Alright, I always keep my promises, so… what’s your drink of choice?”

while joon knew he was only in springhill at the command of his parents to track down lee, he couldn’t help but feel as though they had an even deeper reason for sending him away as he knew there was a much better chance of lee coming home with—or at the very least speak to, their sister. he couldn’t even clearly recall the last time he’d had a full conversation with his younger brother but he did know that whatever they said wasn’t pleasant. it almost never was. granted, joon also knew he didn’t need to be so hard on him as their father did an excellent job with it all on his own, but he’d never been taught to handle things differently either.

his dark gaze flickered to the television and then back to the man sitting beside him not even entirely sure what any of it meant. basketball had never been a sport that held any great interest for him, very few did, in fact. joon sat silently, watching the screen mounted above them, wondering what a ‘three-point’ meant exactly. though by his reaction, he felt it was safe to assume they’d achieved the goal. joon’s lips pulled back into a tight smile before nodding slightly to the other man and speaking, “scotch on the rocks, please.”

“and who am i to be thanking for my drink?” joon asked, turning his attention back to the other man.

hellooo, it’s me li with my second bby. joon is the elder brother of lee and i’m apologizing for him now because watch out, he can be an asshole. not that he doesn’t have his reasons. this is also my first Korean bby i’m actually really nervous about it and i’m sorry if i messed anything up!!

[ triggers: high-risk pregnancy tw & death tw ]