113.
#The Reason We Must Be Family
“What were you imagining to be like that?”
“…Use warm water even though it’s summer. You’ll catch a cold.”
At Hayun’s words, Dawoon glanced up at him but obediently went under the shower and turned it to hot water. Hayun, who had followed him in, only let out a low sigh after personally confirming that warm water was pouring down.
“Are you going to watch?”
Dawoon turned and asked when Hayun showed no signs of leaving. Hayun sat on the edge of the bathtub instead of answering.
“Why? Want to shower together?”
Hayun sensed Dawoon’s tone was harsher than usual but understood it could be like that just for today. He felt uneasy about leaving Dawoon alone, but he had no intention of showering together, so he just silently watched without answering.
“Or do you want to do it here?”
Dawoon turned his body and walked towards Hayun. His soaking wet nude body stopped right in front of him.
“It must have built up since we haven’t done it for a few days.”
Dawoon’s hands came up to Hayun’s shoulders. Hayun took that hand and kissed Dawoon’s wrist.
“Don’t be cheeky, Jeong Dawoon.”
He looked up at him and warned, causing Dawoon’s facial muscles to contort slightly before returning to normal.
“I don’t mind if you throw yourself at me like you don’t care anymore because you’ve given up. But don’t provoke carelessly if you can’t handle the consequences.”
Hayun wrapped his arms around Dawoon’s waist and pulled him to sit on his thighs. Despite initiating the provocation, Dawoon’s body stiffened slightly when the distance closed. Even though he should be used to being in Hayun’s arms after several years, this didn’t change easily.
“I didn’t think you’d act out like this…”
Dawoon frowned at the quiet voice.
“Do it only to me. I’ll take it all. If you do this to anyone else…”
He put his hand on the back of Dawoon’s head and gently pulled him closer. He attacked Dawoon’s lips, which came without resistance, then bit them lightly, causing Dawoon to make an “Ah” sound and push Hayun’s shoulders away.
“I’ll kill them. Anyone who touches you, no matter who they are.”
Dawoon let out a hollow breath at the sincere warning. Hayun tangled his fingers in Dawoon’s hair and pulled him closer. Their lips overlapped again. The sound of water pouring from the shower mixed with the wet sounds of their lips meeting and parting.
Dawoon’s arms wrapped around Hayun’s neck. The hands caressing Dawoon’s wet body gradually became impatient. Hayun’s shirt was getting wet too. Their heavy breaths and heat dissolved into the humid air of the bathroom.
***
Hayun’s gaze, sitting on the edge of the bed, moved to Dawoon’s back as he lay face down asleep. There wasn’t a single small blemish on his smooth, white skin. This made the kiss marks Hayun had left even more visible. He traced his finger from the nape of Dawoon’s neck down his spine. If he were awake, he would have flinched even slightly, but he didn’t move at all, as if completely unconscious.
Hayun leaned down and brought his lips to the back of Dawoon’s shoulder where he had already left a kiss mark. He repeatedly pressed his lips lightly, then bit the tender flesh and sucked hard. That spot turned red, almost as if capillaries had burst.
He straightened up and looked down at the red mark he had left. He rubbed that spot with his finger, then gently grasped Dawoon’s entire shoulder with his palm. His skin was cold, perhaps due to the air conditioning. If someone who didn’t know the situation saw him not moving and being cold, they might misunderstand and think he was dead.
Hayun turned Dawoon’s body to lie on his back and pulled up the blanket to cover him to his shoulders. Then he stared at his face for a long time. No emotion showed on Hayun’s face. His expressionless, almost cold face that looked like a sculpture flickered in the faint light coming through the window.
He reached out and carefully caressed Dawoon’s cheek. Since he didn’t react even to this touch, Hayun wondered if he had really fainted rather than just fallen asleep. He had embraced him intensely several times to that extent. Since Dawoon had provoked him first, Hayun had no reservations and no intention of restraining himself.
If he embraced that body tens, hundreds of times repeatedly, would only Jeong Hayun be engraved in it, making it unable to accept anyone else? If that were possible, he would keep him locked up somewhere and embrace him endlessly day and night.
He laughed bitterly at his own thoughts. He knew it was a crime, and that Dawoon would really hate it if he did that. Separate from rational judgment, there were times when his emotions went wild. Inexplicable desires would suddenly surge up. So far, he had been suppressing them well. It was because Jeong Dawoon was still within his boundaries.
“Why didn’t I tell you, you ask?”
He muttered while stroking Dawoon’s cheek.
“Because we have to be brothers.”
Whether their blood was mixed or not wasn’t that important. Being legally brothers was more important. As long as they were bound by the relationship of brothers, Hayun could always be Dawoon’s guardian, and Dawoon could never become a stranger to Hayun.
Lovers can become strangers the moment they turn away, but family is not like that. Being “brothers” was the easiest way to never lose Jeong Dawoon forever. So he had no intention of easily giving up that relationship.
Moreover, Jeong Dawoon was particularly obsessed with family relationships. The wound from the accident of their parents had turned into an compulsion to protect “family”. The reason Hayun and Haram were special to Jeong Dawoon was because they were “family”.
It was Hayun who had brainwashed him that because they were family, for that reason alone, he could always be on Dawoon’s side without changing. He had imprinted on him that regardless of whether there was fault or not, even if their parents had died because of Dawoon, he would always protect him because he was his brother.
Dawoon wasn’t aware of it, but most of his actions towards Haram were things Hayun used to do for Dawoon when they were young. Reading books all night when he couldn’t sleep, always smiling gently and patting his head, explaining problems over and over when he brought them, even naturally finding a hair dryer to dry his hair when he came out after washing it – these were all things he had learned from Hayun.
Over a long time, he had engraved the existence of family, brother, and Jeong Hayun into Jeong Dawoon. So that no one but Jeong Hayun could stay by his side.
“After doing all that, you’re trying to slip through my fingers?”
Hayun’s voice lowered. His gaze towards Dawoon also turned cold.
Separate from cherishing him and wanting to protect him, he couldn’t forgive Dawoon trying to leave his side on his own. For any reason, no matter who intervened, it was the same.
Dawoon, who he thought would be angrier right after learning they weren’t brothers, suddenly changed his attitude 180 degrees. Even at the Han River, he had looked confused, but now he had hidden all that confusion and stared at Hayun with eyes that seemed empty.
“What are you plotting?”
Hayun’s fingers, which had been caressing Dawoon’s cheek, brushed his lower lip.
He must have had other thoughts to yield so obediently. Perhaps he was quietly following along to lower Hayun’s guard.
Grandfather was now in a situation where he could no longer interfere with Dawoon. He had regained consciousness and his life wasn’t in danger, but due to his age, they said other problems had burst out all at once and he wouldn’t be able to leave the hospital for a while.
Choi Seon-gyeom? He had been suspecting for a while that he might be Dawoon’s biological father. Nevertheless, he had left it alone for a while. Choi Seon-gyeom had rarely come to Korea for about 20 years. So he thought there would be no problem if he left the country without noticing, and he decided to watch for now rather than cause unnecessary trouble. However, thinking that meeting frequently might naturally lead to some clues somewhere, he had warned Dawoon not to meet him. He had also hinted to Dawoon that he didn’t want him to meet Choi Seon-gyeom.
It was unexpected that Dawoon disobeyed him and secretly met with Choi Seon-gyeom. Even with Choi Yu-na, although he had initially rebelled, Dawoon had soon accepted his words and distanced himself from her.
Is this what they mean by blood being thicker than water?
Despite pressure close to threats, Choi Seon-gyeom had looked straight at him and argued, reminding Hayun of Dawoon. Although they didn’t look alike, they had a strangely similar stubborn side.
Hmph. The corner of Hayun’s mouth curled up. Even if Choi Seon-gyeom was the biological father, he had no intention of handing Dawoon over to him. Choi Seon-gyeom’s Jeju Island video filming had all been stopped, and his filming team was already preparing to leave the country. Only Choi Seon-gyeom hadn’t booked his flight ticket yet, but according to Hayun’s research, he had schedules in Europe next month. Whether he liked it or not, he would have to leave Korea soon.
If he didn’t leave, Hayun would just take Dawoon and leave before that. If they canceled all the phones they were using, there would be no way for Choi Seon-gyeom to contact them anymore.
He had many scenarios in mind, but it couldn’t hurt to be careful until the end. Hayun lightly kissed Dawoon’s forehead and got up from his seat. As he left the room, he called Director Park.
“I want to increase the security personnel at the mansion. Please find and send people by tomorrow morning.”
Despite the sudden request, Director Park replied that he understood.
“Has something happened?”
The butler, who had heard Hayun talking on the phone while passing through the corridor, asked. Hayun turned to him and smiled neatly as if nothing had happened.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
