Beyond Alteration

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13 October 2018

"DAEBAK!!" a certain someone could neither close their mouth nor stop staring at Banshin while exclaiming 'daebak' over and over again with eyes so amazed that all of them could see stars in them. 

"Okay, stop now," Banshin said with a chuckle and exchanged a grin with Hansung, who chuckled along. 

"B-But...how come-...I mean, I do know doppelgangers exist, but still!! Oh my god, were you some long-lost twins or something?!" 

Banshin took offence right away. "What?! No!! Me and that sewer saekki being twins?! What a scandalous comparison!! Actually, we don't look alike. He looks like a pig that rolled in all kinds of shit while I look like-"

"A shining rabbit," Hansung's little voice cut him off. "Like a cute little bunny," he continued in sign and Junha happily translated it for their guests, making both of them chuckle amusedly. 

Banshin huffed and pouted and crossed his arms against his chest at that. "See? Uwuwu," Hansung said and made to pull Banshin's cheek, but Banshin moved right at the moment and caught his fingers in his mouth instead. 

Hansung's face showed all kinds of expressions ranging from disgust to pain and then back to joy and fondness and love. 

He kept hitting Banshin on his shoulder until he finally released his fingers with a proud grin. "A true monste'!!" Hansung mumbled and was about to let the matter go, he truly was, but then Banshin and Junha exchanged a wink and a high five together and he lost it. 

Both of them received hits on their heads for it and when Banshin let out a grunt and let his head stay hung for a while to let his dizzy spell pass, Hansung rolled his eyes and mumbled, "serves you...righ'."

He looked at Jimin's plus one - his girlfriend Jeongyeon - and subtly asked her to follow him to the kitchen where Jimin's cake was. 

"Okay, you two guys continue talking, lemme go and bond with Hannie oppa," Jeongyeon said and got up, dusting her pants for no reason before skipping to the kitchen where Hansung had disappeared a few seconds ago. 

Junha, having been completely enamoured by the fact that she was a cop, followed her like a lost puppy. 

Because while he had lived all his life without a proper dream, he formed one right after meeting her. 

He wanted to become a cop too.

He wanted to become a cop like Jeongyeon and save people like his father from monsters like Jeongguk. 

As soon as the two disappeared, two pretentious expressions fell to their original ones. One of cold anger and one of hesitant fear. 

Neither talked to the other, tension running thick as time dragged incredulously slow. It was only when Banshin received a message on his phone that Jimin managed to draw a breath in, feeling at least a little of the tension ease up at the fact that Banshin was now focused on his phone with a grin on his face. 

He didn't notice that Banshin gave Hansung a subtle nod from the living room. 

Not until the lights suddenly went out, leaving the living room washed only in natural sunlight. 

It wasn't much, but it gave them the desired effect. It made Jimin jump when Jeongyeon and Junha began to sing 'Happy Birthday' at the top of their lungs. His eyes widened first and then disappeared into thin slits because of his cheeks which pushed his eyes together in glee. 

Hansung twirled around in front of him with a gorgeous cake in his hands while Jeongyeon and Junha sang for him enthusiastically. 

Banshin did neither, sitting uninterestedly at the table and grinning and pretending to be invested in the party only when he thought Hansung was going to look at him. 

Jimin tried not to let it affect him, but it did. He burst into tears but fortunately or unfortunately, Hansung, Jeongyeon and Junha thought the tears were a reaction to their little party.

Jimin cut the cake and fed a piece to everyone, his hand trembling when he fed a piece to Banshin under the watchful eyes of Hansung. 

It went smoothly. Banshin took the piece happily and fed him one back just as happily, but then came a piece of cake that fell down and went unnoticed by everyone until Jimin slipped on it and fell straight on Banshin. 

Banshin flinched and yelled, "GET OFF OF ME!!" at him and pushed him off of himself before he could get his brain-to-mouth and brain-to-limbs filters to work. And there was so much rage on his face and voice and eyes that it made all of them flinch and stare at him in shock. 

"Bannie....baby, a'e you...alrigh'?" Hansung asked, approaching him carefully. 

Banshin, who had pulled himself together by then, gave him a smile that barely reached his eyes. "Yeah, baby, I'm sorry, I'm fine," he said, but Jimin couldn't take it anymore. 

"I'm sorry, hyung, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I don't know what you want me to do, but I'm really sorry," he cried, bursting into heavy sobs that had both Hansung and Jeongyeon rushing to him in alarm. 

Junha stood awkwardly, not knowing how to acknowledge the situation and behave, while Jeongyeon cupped Jimin's face in concern, "why are you crying, baby?" she asked at the same time Hansung asked, "why a'e...you apologizing....Jimin-ah?!"

Jimin just shook his head and looked down, waiting for the actual person to start talking. 

The actual person, however, just sat still with his arms crossed, his jaws clenched and his expression cold with a ticking vein on his forehead finishing his angry look. 

Now that Jimin was bringing things out in front of Hansung, he supposed there was no need to hide his true feelings towards Jimin anymore. 

"Hannie hyung," Jimin grabbed Hansung's hands and looked into his alarmed eyes, "I'm really sorry for hiding from you that Jeongguk hyung was alive. I told you already, I gave my word to Jihyo Komo and I couldn't betray her, please believe me. It killed me to talk to you every time knowing I was helping that monster recover, but I didn't have another optio-"

After trying all means, Hansung finally stopped him from talking by closing his lips shut with his hand, and pulled his phone out from his pocket. 

Tell me one thing first, Jimin-ah. Why are you explaining all of this?

Jimin didn't reply. He just hung his head down silently until Hansung's phone came into his line of sight again. 

Because I already know all of this. I am not mad at you for that, baby. I forgave you already.

Jimin finally looked up at Hansung and sniffled pitifully. 

"I'm explaining this to Bannie hyung, hyung. Not you," he said just as pitifully and it was then that Hansung frowned and finally turned around to look at his husband.