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CHAPTER 2
"Beginning" Arc
EP: TWO
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13 years ago, in the outskirts of Dongjak, a young woman volunteering as a nurse at the local orphanage stopped at an alleyway on her way home to listen carefully to the echoes of quiet sobs that would've gone unnoticed in the hustle of the streets if it were the middle of the day.
Realizing they came from a child, she checked up on the source of sound, squinting her eyes at the darkness casted by shadows of the residences and communal bins that contrasted the remnants of daylight. It didn't take much to find the expected silhouette beside one of those huge bins.
The upset little youngster seemed to be around seven, or nine at most, considering the slight figure donned in baggy schmattes.
With adequate experience in handling crying kids, the woman slowly crouched down to the level of the girl, whose face was obscured by her long, tousled hair and kept buried under her arms as if not wanting to be seen, and spoke gently.
"Hey, what are you doing here, kiddo? May I ask who you are hiding from?"
She noticed that this one was untalkative, or perhaps a bit shy. The more she pat the little girl's shoulder in wordless consolation, the quieter her sobs get. Still, she was hesitant to give an answer, wary of the stranger in front of her.
"Hey, it's going to be dark soon. You shouldn't stay here for long, you know? Where are your parents? Do you want me to find them?"
"Kicked out."
The blunt, muffled response puzzled the adult.
"Did you say something?"
The little girl released her hold on her own knees and raised her head slowly. Beneath the fine, brittle strands of hair stuck to her saddened face, rather swollen lips hedged in by half-dried blood and purple spots peeked out.
"Oh my..." The woman whispered before she hurriedly unstuck the stray strands to have a better look at it.
The heartwrenching sight of fresh bruises all over the small face immediately wetted the young nurse's sympathetic eyes.
"Poor child, who did this to you?"
The little girl pursed her lips thin and shook her head, her vacant gaze set onto some debris on the ground.
Piecing the unclear response earlier together with the only logical explanation she could come up with, the woman held back her tears to ask in the softest tone possible.
"Were you, perhaps, kicked out by your parents?"
The little girl lowered her gaze even more as she nodded gingerly, clawing at her own arms.
"And did they-" She paused to hold proper eye contact to detect any lies. "Did they do this to you?"
Another nod free of deceit was the only cue the woman needed before she helped the kid up from the cold, dirty ground.
"Come on, let's get you cleaned up first. Then we'll decide where you want to go, alright?"
At the lack of protest, the adult concluded that the girl was most likely the passive type. After a moment of contemplation, she added:
"A new home is possible too, if you wish."
A couple days later...
Ultimately, acting on the accord of the girl, the nurse brought her to the orphanage, enrolling her name - which she learned only at the end of an excruciating inquiry - on the list of 'neglected'.
Not long after she brought Hanseul to the orphanage, the fact that she was indeed a child of odd character and appearance soon dawned upon the nurse.
Hanseul was born with extraordinary eyes that set her apart from other children, and had a withdrawn nature that allows herself to answer if asked but refuses to engage in a proper conversation, let alone becoming intimate, with almost anyone. 'Almost' because at the very least, she seemed to acknowledge the person that practically gave her a refuge, and is willing to communicate with her.
Both attributes eventually became the subject of bully for some of her peers at the orphanage.
Despite being under the kind nurse's watch, they still managed to hurt her either verbally, or sometimes physically when they could get away with it. The number of times the nurse had to dress the girl's wounds cannot be counted with one hand.
Over the months, she witnessed how Hanseul became more and more withdrawn that she often stay curled up in a dark corner and wouldn't even talk to her most of the time... And her hair getting shorter and shorter to the point of unrecognisable feminity and innocence unlike the time when they first met.
Like that, three regretful years passed and finally, God had answered the nurse's silent prayers of correcting her past mistake and getting the poor kid out of her misery in the form of the 'Annual Noblesse Oblige'.
It was when a few lucky orphans would be selected for adoption by the wealthy families who were funding the orphanage since its rough times.
After the fundraising event, she never got to see Hanseul again, not just because she had to leave the orphanage behind and move to another town in pursuit of a stable career. The last news she heard was that one of the major sponsors had taken the teen under their roof.
Unbeknownst to the nurse, or perhaps it was more serious than she had speculated, the inability to accept any given warmth with open arms had long been etched into an unhealing scar in the girl's broken soul.
However new the home may be, the truth can't be changed.
❥•°❀°•༢
Yongsan District, Seoul,
At present; 9:43 a.m.
"Seriously... what was he even thinking?" was all Taehyun could mumble as the brunet squinted his eyes to look at the tall edifice across the road that was glaring down at him. His one hand was supporting his waist like a pregnant lady, while the other nervously stroked the strap of his backpack.
His plans were flipped upside down the moment he submitted to Yeonjun's idea and his feet betrayed him by bringing him in front of the Yongsan Trade Center instead of some construction site in Hongdae - to inquire about a job. A job inside that building, of all places.
It's not like Taehyun was afraid to go out of his way and take some challenges - more like, he was born to take risks. But for this matter, probably not. Because both he and Yeonjun knew that an office position in HYBE Group, the HYBE Group, was way too out of Taehyun's league.
Yet, here he was, standing at the very front of it, in utter confusion upon what was that ducklip was up to when he sugges- never mind, forced Taehyun to give it a shot just because he heard the company is currently in an urgent need of workforce.
As much as Taehyun hated to admit he was hopeless, the lack of internship was most likely the culprit that got him stuck in a never-ending loop of job hunting, just like Yeosang had pointed out.
"Study hard and graduate, they said. Life will be easy once you have a job, they said." Quoting the two telltale lines that brainwashed almost all Asian adolescents out there, he rolled his eyes at the irony they carried.
Still, his life was bound to go south ever since he gave up a whole semester of college, not to mention suspending his military enlistment, to support Yeosang in saving their family from falling into the poverty pit.
After graduation, Taehyun was constantly haunted by student loans he had to file for to finish college while he managed the household on his brother's behalf. It's a miracle that he didn't have to pay a visit to his parents up in the sky while surviving years of stress. Their family was scraping by, and many things that were mentally draining happened in a row - the serial vishing around their neighbourhood as for most recent proof - before everything finally went back to normal.
All of which led to the reason why he remained unemployed. He hadn't the time for an internship before graduation, heck, he even had to drop one of his double majors in freshman year for his part-time shifts overlapping with at least two classes.
~Twenty-four, it seems that I've become an adult faster than anyone else...♪
Being drawn out from the thoughts of his doom years, Taehyun flinched a little when the phone inside his pocket vibrated. He took a glance at the ID before answering.
"Yes, hyung?"
"Yo, bro! You in there?" Taehyun looked at the busy crosswalk before him and replied.
"Nope. Haven't even crossed the road yet..."
"...and I still don't know whether I should even do this because this whole thing doesn't feel right to me."
The nasally voice on the other hand vocalized its disappointment in Taehyun's zero confidence.
"C'mon, don't be a wimp! You'll be hakuna matata."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because my guts say so. Now, while you move your ass, listen to what I'm gonna tell you."
"Go on," he prompted the older male to continue while heading toward the crosswalk.
On cue, Yeonjun filled Taehyun's ear with the full story of how he got a connection with one of his acquaintances working at HYBE's HR, and conveniently found out that they were accepting a few interns to extend the workforce. So he sent a physical copy of Taehyun's CV to the said fellow, and that dude magically made it reach their hiring manager's handpicks, therefore the brunet had to wait to hear back from them.
"Just don't sound impatient or needy, and make yourself look as presentable as you could when you do your part. Changbin said if you perform well during the internship, there are high chances you could be a permanent. It's a real deal so play nicely from the outset..." Yeonjun paused in-between to take a breath.
"...I spent a lot of my energy just by pleading that dorrito into sneaking your resume on top of the candidates' pile unnoticed. I went through all of this because my kind heart couldn't stand seeing your hopeless ass."
As always, the elder implied how big of a help he was just to squeeze out a thank-you from the younger as if the latter had never bothered to show his gratitude to him.
"Yea, yea. I get it. You are my saviour. I'll ace the interview, if it ever happens, and treat you samgyeopsal* later this weekend whether I get hired or not."
"Oh ya better do, Kang Taehyun. Else I'm so gonna rip all that mop of hair off ya scalp!" Like hell, Taehyun was threatened by the same dialogue since college, as he silenced himself to let Yeonjun proceed with his nagging.
"On that note, y'know, you should've listened to your brother in the first place. He was right about changing our method if we wanna get out of this loop of eternity." Taehyun grimaced at the offending truth Yeonjun highlighted.
"Yeah. Hate to say it, but you're darn right. I'm at my wit's end right now."
"Hang in there, my hoobae*. This sunbae* had been there. You'll live. Even if it's just barely." Yeonjun said in a tone like he was giving a virtual pat on the brunet's back through the line.
"Honestly, I doubt I'd live till now if you weren't helping me."
"I know. I'm the most resourceful and reliable bro you could ever ask for, not to mention being the flyest fashionista in town." Taehyun cringed as he pictured Yeonjun flipping his extensions proudly on the other end of the line.
"Never mind, I take that back."
"Tch! You're just being a little bitch that your brother doesn't let you go to the gym with me anymore." Yeonjun said with a mocking 'bleh'. "I'm hanging up! Don't forget, samgyeopsal and soju this weekend, or I will end your existence. Don't think I wouldn't dare."
"You'll be doing me a favour then. And as for the gym, wait till I get a job. King Taehyun will maintain his mighty bar of chocolate." Yeonjun snorted, far from convinced by the younger's declaration.
"Anyway, I should pull a Chungha though it's not 12. Gotta go! See ya!" Taehyun pulled his phone away from his ear. Just when his fingertip landed on top of the red button the moment he got to the other side of the road-
"Hey!"
"Ow! What the fuck!!"
-he hissed at the sensation of something w̶a̶r̶m̶ boiling hot being splashed onto his upper body and the said substance sliding its way down to his torso as dark brown particles immediately spread through his white shirt. The strong, bitter scent of espresso invaded his nostrils by the time his skin began to burn.
Oh great. Absolutely just great.
As if the sudden mishap wasn't much of a surprise for Taehyun, the upcoming words from the culprit who stained his shirt took him aback.
"Are you blind?"
Taehyun jolted his head up and his eyes blinked furiously to process what just happened amidst the scorching sensation on his skin.
"Who? Me?" he pointed to himself in disbelief, only to receive a scoff in return.
The guy in front of Taehyun looked like he jumped straight out of a romance webtoon, most likely the main love interest. An off-white shirt with two front buttons open was tucked in charcoal slim-fit pants, a sombre suit folded over his arm while a pair of quality suede brogues enveloped his feet. A silver chain and Rolex embellished his left wrist. Only just clothing and the guy screamed downright 'expensive'. Though Taehyun must admit he wasn't expecting that sort of shaggy, jet-black wolfcut to go well with this fashion style.
And to talk about his face, Taehyun thought nobody could ever surpass his family's genes in terms of beauty. Boy was he wrong, this guy was practically out of this world, with mesmerizing and dollish features that could be mistaken with a woman if it weren't for his great stature - man was tall as heck.
And judging from the flawless milky skin with hints of bluish veins around the exposed area of his neck and collarbone, (nope, Taehyun's eyes definitely didn't stay there for a second, or maybe two) the man must be living a very comfortable life without spending most of his time in the sun.
Maybe, just maybe, if he had used a more polite tone when speaking to someone for the first time, Taehyun would gladly apologize for the spill, and perhaps even pay for the Americano-
"And dimwitted, I see. For someone who didn't even see a person coming, I doubt you even know how to walk properly."
-but no, not happening with this kind of attitude. That was not something that could slip past Taehyun whether or not it came from godlike visuals.
"Excuse you, I was tapping my phone. Why didn't you see me coming? You even spilt your americano over my shirt and I got almost freaking burnt. Instead of apologizing, you even called me dumb? Wow~ You don't seem like the ignorant type with your looks and style but here we are."
The pretty stranger sucked his teeth and scanned Taehyun from head to heels.
"Look, bambi. I don't have time for this. Anyone can see that it's your fault to use your phone in the middle of the road. Besides, did I pour my coffee on you? No. You bumped into me and spilt it yourself. So it's only logical for me to question your conscience, short stack."
Oh, this is where you've crossed the line, pretty boy, Taehyun mumbled under his breath before mustering an evil simper as he leaned in closer. A cool, crispy scent of some type of wood Taehyun couldn't figure, along with some lavender undertones, wafted its way to his nose.
"What a way to shift your blame on the other person just because you couldn't admit your fault, ey, smart guy? In that case, I deeply apologize for making your coffee gone for good. I'm so sorry." Accentuating the 'sorry', he stepped on one of the man's fancy dress shoes with all his might.
"Jesus- Ow!" The 'pretty boy' painfully hissed before his mouth gaped to an 'O' as Taehyun twisted his ankle back and forth to add a crushing effect on the other's foot.
"There. Hope this serves you right for insulting a random stranger whom you spilt hot ass coffee on. Consider it a 'thank you' for being an asshole and making my day ten times better. I really hope this is the last time meeting you, fuckface."
Taehyun straightened the hem of his shirt before deliberately shoving the other man's shoulder with his to make an exit, leaving the loud curses behind that were sent to his way.
ꔛ♡
"Hey! Where do you think you're going!? Get back here you!"
Did that peasant just step on my foot!? And what was it- F..fuckface???
The pretty boy was on the verge of vocalizing an intense keyboard smash, definitely not putting up with the wage of the conflict he just had with a higher-up last week, which is being demoted from the branch director of Tokyo subsidiary to the team manager of one of the teams of the most fucked-up department in the headquarters. Nor did he remember flying all the way from Japan just to let this disaster happen as soon as his feet touch the ground of his homeland.
Holding onto his almost crushed limb that was going numb, he wished he could have more than one mouth to curse that motherducker generously as he knew that under the layer of suede, an ugly bruise was about to form.
♪Sorry, I'm an Anti Rom-
"Fuck- Speak it." He growled into his phone as he experienced the moment of agony when he tried moving toward his not-too-far-away destination.
"You okay, my dude? You sound pissed."
"What if I am!?" A bulging vein made an appearance on his neck as he yelled.
"Holy shit, chill out! I can even feel your flames of wrath from here."
Trying his best not to lash out his rage to the other person on the line, the limping man stayed silent and just focused on the cursing session in his head dedicated to a particular person. With a great attempt, he succeeded as it came out nothing more than a distressed sigh.
"I'm at the company entrance. Come out and pick me up."
"Can't. HR told me at the very last minute that you're transferring to my team. So I'm in a rush getting everything rea-"
"It wasn't a request, Choi Chajang*. Get down here this instant! My foot is hurting like a bitch. Do you want me to get on fours and crawl up to the 11th floor like a fucking quadruped?"
He pursed his lips. As expected, all his patience went straight down the gutter in five seconds. It can't be helped when one had to deal with a lot of things he didn't ask for AND had just been physically attacked by some round-eyed peasant.
"Geez, okay. I'll be there in a minute. Take a deep breath and wait for me down there."
"Just hurry the hell up." He cut the line and wiped the sweat that trickled down from his temple as he waited for his coworker not-so-patiently.
-To be continued-
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K so... who's the mad pretty boy?? ಠ﹏ಠ
End-notes:
*ssamgyeopsal (삼겹살) - grilled pork belly, a very popular dish that all Koreans enjoy with Soju (the green bottle drink in every kdrama) or other beverages
*hoobae (후배) - junior;
the exact opposite of 'sunbae'
*Chajang (차장) - a position/title in a corporate team that is one rank below the Senior Manager/ Team Leader (Team-jang/ Boojang) As far as I know, hierarchy is still a thing in some (cliché) Korean office environments.
*vishing or voice phishing - Phishing is a type of financial fraud where criminals defraud, dupe or mislead people by email. 'Vishing' is over-the-phone phishing where scammers will try to persuade people to share information by posing as bank staff or other financial service employees. The criminal may work as an organization and target one or several victims at once. [Also, a typical crime element included in mystery/suspense kdramas]
if you know someone who is in need of jongsang fanfics (as I believe they're quite underappreciated here than other otps) please kindly spread the word (◠‿・)-☆ i'm trying my best to do justice to my first ateez and txt crossover book to shut the fan wars up and to entertain fellow shippers