Incarnadine | Prequel to "Viridescence"

14

He grabs Hongjoong's arm again as they walk in, not even noticing Hongjoong's giggle as he does so.

They walk into what appears to be a cozy office, where a man sits at a desk all alone. In his hands is a large newspaper, covering his face completely.

"Hey Mr. Gang Leader!" Hongjoong greets. Seonghwa shrinks further behind Hongjoong, wanting to melt into the ground more and more every time Hongjoong opens his mouth.

The man in front of them lowers the newspaper, and raises a brow at the sight of the kids. He sets the newspaper down on the table and stays seated.

Seonghwa notices that this man looks considerably older than Hyungwon from MX, the grey hairs on his head peeking out between the dark brown. He's not old enough to have wrinkles, yet his face still displays clear ageing. His mouth is set into a straight line in an attempt to look stern, but the warmth in his eyes is apparent. He silently takes off his reading glasses and signals for Hongjoong to continue with his hands.

"Can you please take us in? We were taken into MX and barely escaped. They tried to kill us. We don't have anywhere to go now, and are terrified that they'll find and try kill us again," Hongjoong pleads with honesty, though he does make sure to sprinkle in some over-exaggeration here and there. He decides to borrow Seonghwa's technique by looking scared and frail too.

Seonghwa, on the other hand, doesn't even have to act. His wide eyes stay trained on the man in front of them and his breathing stays heavy.

The man does the unexpected next. He laughs.

"You kids are adorable, I'm disappointed that those savages would try to hurt you," he smiles while standing up. Seonghwa stays on guard and continues to glare at the man. Hongjoong grins. "You hate them too?" he asks.

The man's laughter booms throughout the room once again. "Hate? It goes way deeper than that. You clearly are new to all of this. Our gang and MX have been fighting for generations, the rivalry runs in our blood."

Again, Hongjoong's face glows. "Really? Please help us then," he requests one more time. The man walks over and ruffles his hand over Hongjoong's hair, and then he cups Seonghwa's cheek in his hand.

"I wouldn't have even considered this if you both hadn't gone through what you did. But of course, welcome to the family! You are now the newest members of 'SS', short for 'Silver Sun'," he announces. Hongjoong jumps up and down with excitement while Seonghwa feels a mixture of relief and dread.

It feels odd. Hyungwon and Hoseok seemed nice on the surface, but in reality they were condescending with ulterior motives. This man on the other hand doesn't look like he's planning on using two children to his advantage. Instead, he seems to have a genuine adoration towards them. Seonghwa wonders what the reason for his gentleness could be.

"What can we call you?" Hongjoong asks.

Then a soft smile forms on the gang leader's lips. "You can call me uncle Jaehyun," he tells them. Seonghwa feels himself easing up in the presence of Jaehyun, grateful for his peaceful way of speaking. 

Hongjoong, however, smiles on the outside but on the inside he feels indifferent. He knows he's essentially doing the same thing that Hyungwon and Hoseok did, but he sees Jaehyun as nothing but a stepping stone. He'll help the gang, and they'll help him back in return. That's all he needs.

The two boys get introduced to their room and shown around the house, similarly to the last gang they were in. Seonghwa eyes the double bed he'll have to share with Hongjoong and gets a shiver down his spine. What if Hongjoong sleep walks and accidentally kills Seonghwa in his sleep?

Or what if he does it purposely?

"Don't worry Hwa, I sleep like a log. I won't bother you," Hongjoong reassures his friend while patting him on his back. Seonghwa offers him a tight smile and shuffles to the bed. "Don't call me that," he sighs.

Hongjoong smiles when he sees that the old Seonghwa is back. "Alright Hwa, it won't happen again. Goodnight, Hwa!" he chirps while jumping into the bed too. Seonghwa rolls his eyes but finds himself smiling to himself at the other's antics.

"Hwa?"

Just as Seonghwa is trying to find a comfortable position on the bed, he hears the soft voice. He doesn't bother correcting him on the nickname this time and just hums in response.

"You won't leave me, will you?"

Seonghwa feels like his heart just got stabbed by that question as he was just thinking about escaping again. The uncertainty and pure, genuine loneliness in Hongjoong's voice catches him off guard.

"Am I really that important though? All I do is cause inconveniences for you anyway, and I'm always annoying you. Why do you even want me to stay?" he returns a question, keeping his voice quiet and soft.

"Yes you are important. You're my friend, of course you're important to me. And you saved me from that man's punch earlier today. Even though you annoy me a lot, I don't want to be alone again. Please don't make me all alone..." he begs, his voice revealing the most vulnerability that he's ever shown.

Seonghwa's heart scrunches in his chest. It's hard to miss the pain in his words, and when Seonghwa thinks back to all the things Hongjoong's been through, he realises that the pain must run deep.

He hesitates for a bit, but manages to force the words out. "I won't leave." Seonghwa knows he's going to regret those words later. He doesn't even know if he can stay true to his words, and he hopes Hongjoong can find another friend in the future to fill the gap Seonghwa is bound to leave.

A few moments of silence follow Seonghwa's declaration.

"Thank you, Hwa. Goodnight."

Seonghwa bites back his sigh of relief and closes his eyes again.

"Goodnight."

A/N
No, this Jaehyun is not NCT's Jaehyun, but you are free to imagine him as so if you'd like :)