I Dreamed a Dream || BTS

~ 3 ~

Hoseok's brother had not always been so cruel. Prior to their father's declining health, he cared for Hoseok as any elder brother should. His duties were not so stringent then, and one of their favorite pastimes involved sneaking out from their home under the cover of night.

"H-hyung..." Hoseok bit down on his lip to suppress a fit of giggles. His brother's glare instantly sobered his amusement – there was something inherently terrifying about the sienna flames raging in his irises.

They moved cautiously around their father's bed to the hidden chamber. Another pig-like snore had Hoseok slapping his hand over his mouth to conceal a wide smile, and he rushed through the door his brother held open. They had used this passage many times before, and previous failed attempts at traversing it had taught them that the walls were far from soundproof. One wrongly-placed footstep, a creaking floorboard, and they would be ushered back to bed. Hoseok had memorized the non-creaky floorboards by now, but he followed his older brother's footsteps just in case.

Just when his brother turned back to make sure that Hoseok was following, he misplaced his foot, and a loud creak echoed through the chamber.

"Hyung!" Hoseok gasped, and then smacked his hand over his mouth.

His brother grabbed Hoseok's wrist and ran at full speed down the corridor. Between the sound of their heavy breathing, loud footsteps, and creaking floorboards, it was no wonder when Hoseok saw a shadow pass over the wall and realized they were being pursued.

"Come on!" his brother snarled, picking up the pace.

Looking back, the guards could have easily caught them. He was grateful to them for allowing the thrill of escaping their cage.

Young Hoseok burst into gleeful laughter once they had scaled the gate and dropped to the streets below. "We did it, hyung!"

"And that is only half of the fun." His brother grinned and reached down to clasp his hand. "Let us see if we can find the namsadang." Hoseok let out another jovial giggle and hurried forward, their entwined hands making his brother gasp and stumble forward.

They found the namsadang with little trouble – indeed, it would have been difficult to miss the blazing torchlight, exaggerated voices, and loud laughter. The clowns were popular that evening, and the brothers weren't willing to elbow their way through the crowd. To remedy their obscured view, Hoseok's brother lifted him onto his shoulders so that the youngest could watch the performance. He had the time of his life, laughing and clapping so hard that he almost fell off of his brother's shoulders and tumbled into the man in front of them.

"Hey, watch it–" The man's anger dissipated the moment he saw their predicament, and he ushered the boys to the front of the crowd. That moment of kindness greatly enhanced their experience, making the night unforgettable. Hoseok was even dragged into the performance at one point, dancing with the masked clowns. He became so delirious with joviality that he barely noticed when his brother stopped laughing, when his attention became fixated on a woman.

She sat with the family that the clowns were hired to entertain, and she was dressed in a silky blue hanbok. Her cheeks were flushed, likely from the empty bottles of liquor, but she retained a graceful composure, laughing and clapping politely. Hoseok now understood why his brother had become entranced by her – her aura was like that of a goddess, meek and docile yet full of enigma and temptation.

"Excuse me, sir." Hoseok's brother bent to speak to the ahjussi beside them. "Who is that woman?"

The man smiled. "That is Chun Baram, the daughter of a Jwarang on the Court of Air's Ministry of Justice. That is him, there." He gestured to a severe-looking man on the same porch, but Hoseok's brother was uninterested.