it's him, it's him

"Oh, put the new silks over there. Thank you sir!" Jeongguk said, gesturing to the corner of the room. He watched as a few maidens scurried in, all dressed in the uniform's modest white dresses. "No, no, no," he said quickly, "you don't need to dress me. An heir should learn how to dress himself!" He grinned so it reached his eyes, and suddenly he looked like a normal 20-year old, not someone who's had to deal with the stress he faced. The maidens gave him meek smiles, as they always did, and hurried off to do their duties.

When he heard the loud, familiar sound of a door slamming open, he was forced out of his reverie and quickly picked up a washcloth, which he had thrown in the corner of the room. He got back down on his knees and scrubbed hastily as heels brutally clacked against the floor.

His stepmother, along with his two stepbrothers, walked into the kitchen in their too-good-for-you manner. Behind them trailed Hoseok, holding an amount of cloth sacks that could have easily been dispersed between the four people. Hoseok gave him a smile and a wink as he heaved the baggage into the parlor, where the others had gathered.

He was about the only one who ever acknowledged Jeongguk when he wasn't doing something wrong. His stepmother and stepbrothers only ever complained about the things he did. He was given no praise or compliments by them. Hoseok, he only ever brought Jeongguk up. That was his job as his real brother.

Jeongguk and Hoseok were too young to remember a lot about their mother before she died. Hoseok remembered more because he was older, and when he escaped from his room to visit Jeongguk's attic room in the night, he would sometimes tell him stories of their mother. After Hoseok would finish his story, he would rest his hand on Jeongguk's cheek and tell him how similar the two were. Hoseok made Jeongguk feel so happy.

When their father remarried and then died, the boys made a pact to never leave each other's side. Hoseok would hang on to Jeongguk and Jeongguk would hang on to Hoseok.

Their stepmother (or step-monster, as Hoseok liked to call her in the dead of night) decided that Jeongguk was worthless in her eyes. He was to clean, cook, and scrub the floors. Jeongguk was too kind to object. Hoseok always told him to stand up for himself.

The stepbrothers had a strange, friend-like attachment to Hoseok. Neither Jeongguk nor Hoseok knew why, but because of this Hoseok could do things Jeongguk couldn't. He could speak to them as an equal, he had a room that wasn't terrible, and he didn't have to do any dirty work, simply help the family in view of the public eye. Hoseok would always apologize to him about it. Jeongguk would always say he didn't have to.

"Guk! There is no food on this table!" his stepmother shrieked.

Jeongguk winced at the nickname that had become more of a insult. Jeongguk stood up and rushed into the kitchen, expecting to see the meal he prepared on the table. Instead he saw a mess of plates and silverware. Looking around, he spotted his stepbrothers with sly smirks on their face. Jeongguk connected the dots easily when he saw the trash bin hastily shoved in a corner.

He couldn't come to stand up for himself and it cost him his dinner for the night.

He was thankful. It could have been much worse.

----------------------------------------------

"Life is unfair, hyung."

"Taehyung. Your parents literally want you to have a ball. They aren't saying you have to get married on the spot."

"Yoongi-hyung, they are saying he has to marry someone at the ball."

"Thank you, Jiminie! See, hyung? Life is so unfair."

Yoongi sighed and massaged his temples. Taehyung always found it funny seeing his large, bony hands next to his delicate face and features. "Tae, if worst comes to worst, you can just marry Jimin or something."