3: "he's a stalker alright!"
Alt. Title: Ahn Ho-Jun is the brother of a stalker but refuses to admit it.
Ahn Junho glanced at his nephew who absentmindedly wiped the store's windows.
For a while now, his nephew seemed colder than usual.
He was like a walking air conditioner.
"Ho-Jun," he called. "Why don't you take a break today? Go out and get some fresh air."
Pausing, the brunet put down the rag he was holding and turned to look at his uncle.
"You sure? Your windows look like they haven't been cleaned for years, uncle."
"Aish go, go! I had the cleaners clean them last month!"
"They did a shitty job."
"Go, just go, Ho-Jun!"
Junho shoo-ed his nephew out, handing the brunet some extra allowance and a new medical mask. "Treat yourself to something for once."
After shutting the store's door on Ho-Jun's face, Ho-Jun blinked and scowled behind his mask.
What the hell is up with uncle? Does he know going outside is dirtier than me staying inside my room?! Huffing, Ho-Jun turned around and started walking to who knows where.
He had just arrived in Korea a month and a half ago but he hadn't been exploring at all. The last time he stayed in Korea was when he was six years old. More than a decade already passed and Ho-Jun forgot the places he used to go to.
With his head high up in the clouds, Ho-Jun didn't realize that he had accidentally entered Haedam High School — the school that he would be attending a few days from now.
A surge of energy in the air snapped him out of his thoughts.
... odd. Why the fuck would Awakened Ones squabble in public? Ho-Jun followed the source of the energy. The brunet stopped at the corner, only taking a small peek beyond the wall.
Four Awakeners stood out in the open; the two adults staring at one another with looks of displeasure and the pair of teens readying themselves for a brawl. Ho-Jun snorted in silence at the sight of them.
Do they want the public to know about the existence of Awakeners or something?
Challenging each other and utilizing their powers out in the open.
If that wasn't dumb, Ho-Jun wouldn't know what being dumb would be.
Come to think of it... that guy's energy is similar to the one Little Fatty's owner — er, Kayden's charge had gone up against. The hell is he doing here?
Curious, Ho-Jun stepped out of his hiding place, catching the attention of the other Awakeners in the vicinity.
The alarmed adults eyed him with wary looks while the pair of teens who had been using their powers stopped in an instant. "You know," Ho-Jun started, eyebrows meeting. "It isn't good if you show your dumb powers in this kind of place, right? Someone's bound to see you guys."
"Excuse me," the one in a suit stepped forward, displaying an amiable smile. "May we know who you are? What group do you belong to?" I didn't hear about anyone else trespassing to Shinwa's territory again. Inhyuk had enough.
The Union refused to inform them of their arrival.
And now some random kid trespassed, too?
"Ah," Ho-Jun let out a sound of surprise. Group... I can't say I belong to Cai Shen Clan, can I? They'll arrest the shit outta me the second they know. "What group? I'm not sure what you're talking about, uncle."
Inhyuk's eye twitched. Uncle? But he calmed himself down. It wasn't appropriate of him to lose his cool towards someone younger than him. Besides, they still weren't certain about the kid's identity.
"It'd be best if you come with us. We would just like to ask you a few questions; is that alright with you?"
Ho-Jun hummed. Uncle did tell me to get some fresh air. Fuck it, it's not like I'm going to die if I follow these guys.
"Sure, whatever. I have free time."
.
.
Inside the training room, everyone watched as Ho-Jun grabbed a spray bottle inside his drawstring bag, spray some on his hands, and put it back inside his bag. Then, he fished out another mask, replaced the one he was wearing after turning around so that no one could see his face.
A few seconds later, Ho-Jun looked at them with uninterested eyes. "The heck are you guys staring at me for? You can go to the fucking zoo if you want to see something exotic."
Inhyuk faked a cough.
"That's... may we ask your name?"
"Ahn Ho-Jun but just call me Ho-Jun."
"Ho-Jun... right. Please wait until the both of them finish their match. Our chairwoman would like to talk to you later."
Chairwoman... the brunet's eyes trailed towards the only female in the room. Once he took a good look at her face, Ho-Jun choked on air. Oh, shit. That's the woman that asshole brother of mine provoked before!
His body turned stiff, eyes shifting away from the woman. If she ever recognized his eyes, Ho-Jun might have to say goodbye to his cleaning products earlier than he imagined.
Why was his brother so fucking stupid?!
Settling his own emotions down, Ho-Jun watched the battle between the pair of teens around his age. They weren't the most powerful but they were definitely the best ong their age. Their battle senses were topnotch and their control over their powers had great stability.
Wind and Telekinesis... it's kinda fun watching them beat each other the fuck up. Ho-Jun had been staying away from fights ever since he came back to Korea. After all, his mother might find out and would probably send him back to his brother.
Which was not something Ho-Jun wanted.
"Wooin!"
Electric blue and amber met.
Seo Jiwoo was stunned the moment he saw Ahn Ho-Jun standing beside Goo Inhyuk. The last he saw of him was a few days ago when he stocked up on cat food.
"I called you a while ago. How come it took so long?" Yoo Jisuk called out with an irritated tone. His call brought Jiwoo's attention back to Wooin who looked just as beat up as Jisuk at the moment.
"Wooin, what's going on?!"
Ho-Jun, who was watching at the side, planned to make a sarcastic remark when he was interrupted by Wooin crying out Jisuk's name in rage.
The energy around Wooin intensified, bringing about a sense of danger. This piqued Ho-Jun's interest, his lips behind the mask slowly curling into an excited grin. Strong winds blew passed his figure, this fierce fight between Wooin and Jisuk igniting Ho-Jun's own lust for blood.
After all, it wasn't everyday he could get to meet an Awakened One around his age and about this strong.
However, the fight came to a stop as Park Seongha and Goo Inhyuk stopped the two teens.
"Yoo Jisuk, that's enough."
"What do you mean, enough? I've only started!"
"That's enough, Jisuk."
Ho-Jun snapped out of his stupor upon hearing the chairwoman speak, sending shivers down his spine as he tried to make his presence weak.
"Sis!"
"But if you want to keep going... you can go against me."
Jisuk clamped his mouth shut faster than one could blink. It was obvious how strong Yoo Jiyoung was if a brat like him would surrender.
After the misunderstanding was cleared up, the first thing Ho-Jun had to do was go to Yoo Jiyoung's office to explain about his appearance.
Each group was strict with letting other Awakeners enter their territories and Ho-Jun's appearance was unannounced. In fact, if he just stayed away, he wouldn't be in this mess right from the start.
But who told Ho-Jun's ass to be curious?
So, here he was now, standing before Yoo Jiyoung, Goo Inhyuk, and even Park Seongha from the Union.
"Your name's Ahn Ho-Jun, correct?" Yoo Jiyoung asked, causing said teen to silently nod. Ho-Jun had his head down, afraid that the chairwoman would recognize his relationship with his brother from his own eyes.
"Are you affiliated with any groups as of now?" Although it was quite obvious that he did, since he knew a lot about Awakeners, Jiyoung still asked him as per protocol.
Once again, Ho-Jun silently nodded but it took him quite a bit of time to confirm her curiosity.
"What group do you belong to?"
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Is she going to kill me if she finds out I belong to Cai Shen Clan? What if she tortures me when she finds out that I'm the Clan Head's younger brother?!
"Um," Ho-Jun fiddled with his fingers before faking a cough behind his mask. "... the Cai Shen Clan?"
"...!" Goo Inhyuk choked on his own saliva the moment that group's name left Ahn Ho-Jun's mouth.
Park seongha even stumbled on even ground.
Meanwhile, Yoo Jiyoung's expression turned dark as she recalled some not so pleasant memories in the past.
"Cai Shen Clan..?"
"... yes?"
"Then," Jiyoung stared right at him with a heated gaze, laced with killing intent that made Ho-Jun's knees shake. "Are you close to Tian Longwei?"
OF COURSE I FUCKING AM. THAT'S MY BROTHER. THAT DUMBASS BROTHER. "No."
His brother, Tian Longwei — who also goes by Ahn Yeon-Jin — had once stalked Yoo Jiyoung because he wanted to have a match with her. They did end up fighting when Jiyoung had enough and Tian Longwei barely won in the end.
Jiyoung held a grudge against him ever since that day.
It would have been fine if Tian Longwei left after his victory but that dumbass brother of his had to rub it in Jiyoung's face.
Thus, their unending rivalry was born.
He and his brother had the same pair of eyes that no one else in the world possessed. If Jiyoung looks at him directly in the eyes, Ho-Jun's little lie would be found out in an instant.
"Alright," the killing intent behind her stare disappeared in an instant. "You can go and visit your friends now, Ahn Ho-Jun."
"What friends?!" He yelled on instinct and marched towards the door. "I don't have friends because all of them are fucking germs right to the bones!" And then, he left.
Silence rang in the office before Park Seongha excused himself as well, leaving only Yoo Jiyoung and Goo Inhyuk.
"So," Inhyuk started with a curious look. "Why did you let him leave? He's obviously Tian Longwei's brother." The both of them had seen Ho-Jun's eyes — that kid was just too stubborn to realize this.
Jiyoung sighed and leaned against the back of the seat. "From the rumors, Ahn Ho-Jun's relationship with Tian Longwei has been described as awful. Besides, he's not his brother; he doesn't need to be pulled into my grudge against that person."
Goo Inhyuk hummed and thought, the rumors described Tian Longwei's brother as the strongest Awakener in China. I wonder how he would fare against Jisuk though.
.
.
The door to a certain hospital room slammed open, revealing Ahn Ho-Jun's apathetic gaze.
Seo Jiwoo blinked in surprise. "Ho-Jun, why are you here?"
"Who're you calling so closely?! It's Ahn Ho-Jun for you, germ." A drop of sweat slid down Jiwoo's cheek. If it weren't for Kayden telling him that Ho-Jun wasn't a bad person, Jiwoo would still be frightened of him.
"Hey," Jisuk spoke up, putting down the cards in his hand. "Bastard, who are you to barge into Shinwa's hospital like you own the place? Don't piss me off!"
"Ha," Ho-Jun snorted as he pulled out a chair from the side. He set it down at the foot of Jiwoo's bed. Ho-Jun proceeded to pull out a bottle of alcohol from his pocket, sprayed it on the chair, wiped it with a tissue he got from his back pocket, and then sat down.
Everyone in the room stared at him with varying expressions.
"Says the guy who got fucked up by someone unaffiliated."
He then turned his attention to Jiwoo, a scowl marring his lips. "And you, I warned you to be careful before but did you just ignore my advice?"
"I—"
"We may not know each other personally but you could have at least kept what I said in mind, dumbass."
"... sorry." The moment Ho-Jun noticed Jiwoo's teary eyes, he froze. Oh shit—
"A, Anyway, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends or something?" In an instant, Jiwoo's expression brightened up.
"That's right! Jisuk, Wooin, this is Ahn Ho-Jun; my acquaintance!"
"Who're your friends?!" Jisuk exclaimed with a suspicious blush spread across his cheeks.
On the other hand, Wooin had an incredibly docile expression, but his eyes were definitely sparkling in joy.
Kayden, who saw everything, internally snorted.
Meanwhile, Ho-Jun found this group of trio kind of interesting with this diverse set of personalities.
.
.
From: WeiWei
To: Xiao YuYu
Xiao Yuyu~ why don't you answer brother's calls anymore? Brother misses you so pick up the call!
Tian Longwei closed his phone shut as soon as he sent the message to his brother. Currently, Longwei stood at the highest point of the building in a random city in china, looking over the streets and searching for his target.
"My Xiao Yuyu is so cold," he whispered to himself. "He never answers my calls anymore." Stretching his arms, a grin split across his cheeks as soon as he saw the target moving east.
"Well, I'll just go visit him when I have some spare time. I can't let that woman Yoo Jiyoung meet Xiao Yuyu. What if she falls for him? My brother isn't allowed to marry such an incorrigible woman!"
Tian Longwei loved his brother very much.
To the point that he wanted Tian Longyu — otherwise known as Ahn Ho-Jun — to be pampered solely by him.
In short, Tian Longwei is an ultimate brocon.
.
.
Woo—
I updated this at last 😭
I don't have a cat but this is hilarious af