2 August 2017
Hansung got off the floor and shot a trembling hand out to pull a chair out for Daeshin's brother to sit on. He pulled a chair out for himself as well and sat down after Daeshin's brother sat down.
He unlocked his phone and began to type what he wanted to say without further ado.
I'm very sorry for yesterday's and today's events. I'm deeply ashamed of what I have done and I request you to name anything that I can do to make up for freaking you out the way I did. None of it was your fault. You just look similar to someone that I, fortunately, don't have anymore in my life. But that's still not your fault, so I'm very sorry for freaking out on you like that.
Daeshin's brother took quite a while to finish reading what Hansung showed him on his phone, and Hansung waited for his response anxiously the entire time. After a while, the nurse looked up at him and opened his mouth, but closed it after a couple of seconds and then opened it again.
"Hyung..." he started, but then with a frown, he added, "can I call you hyung? You look older than me..."
Hansung gave him a nod. He pointed to himself and held up three fingers and then six fingers.
"You're thirty-six?"
Another nod.
"Hyung, then," Daeshin's brother said with a small grin that had Hansung taking a sharp breath. How many years had he struggled upside down just to see that very smile?
It had his eyes tearing up again. The smile shook him up and he wanted to see more. Every drop of his blood craved to see more.
Daeshin's brother ignored the tears in Hansung's eyes in favour of what he was going to say next. "You don't have to be ashamed of what happened, hyung. It just happened and I happen to have a face that brought up unpleasant memories if I understood what you said right. So as much as I wasn't at fault here, you weren't at fault either. So you don't have to do anything to make it up to me."
His eyes held a warmth that Hansung found himself getting lost in. Just how long had he searched for warmth in those same eyes?
He didn't even realize that he was staring until the man in front of him frowned slightly.
"Hyung...?" the man called out hesitantly, snapping Hansung out of his daze.
Hansung shook his head and looked down at his phone to start typing again.
Okay, then. Still, I'm sorry. And please keep in mind that even if I do freak out again, you wouldn't have done anything for that to happen.
"Okay, I'll keep that in mind," Hansung was graced with another pretty smile that had his insides turning mushy.
"Now can we do the introductions?"
A smile pulled at Hansung's lips. He nodded and looked back down at his phone.
I'm Kim Hansung. Thirty-six. Single father of a single son. You?
"I'm Seo Ban Shin, but everyone who's close to me calls me Bannie. You can call me that too. I'm thirty-four. Father of none and unmarried," Daeshin's brother said with a mischievous grin that had his nose scrunching up and his front teeth poking out like a little rabbit.
Hansung let out a soundless chuckle.
Your nickname suits you better than your real name. Doesn't Banshin mean half-god?
"It does," Banshin said with a chuckle. "It also kinda means half-new, but as I said, it's a foreign name to me. Used only for professional purposes. Literally, everyone that matters calls me Bannie."
Alright, I'll call you Bannie too, then. If I matter, that is. I think I'm going to, though. Because you are gonna move into a flat a floor below mine. We are gonna see each other more frequently, I guess.
Banshin's eyes lit up. "It's you on the floor above me?! Hyung said it's someone he cares about and that he would kill me if I was mean to them, and he said the same thing about you a while ago, but I didn't connect the dots!!"
Hansung chuckled again.
Were you going to be mean to me if your hyung hadn't threatened you?
Banshin gave a dramatic gasp and held his chest in mock offence. "What do you take me for?! I was going to be the sweetest person on the earth!!"
Lies.
"Truth!!"
Sure.
"Hehe," Banshin grinned sheepishly. "What are your shift timings, hyung?" he asked.
And just like that, Hansung found himself staring at the grin once again. His heart hurt at the memories of his early-twenties self struggling so, so hard to impress his husband and receive acceptance from him. To receive some affection from him. Some love. A grin. At least an anger-less glance.
Alas.
"Hyung!!"
Hansung jumped, startling out of his thoughts. He made a note in his mind to try and make sure he didn't let his mind enter his thought train when he was talking to Banshin. It certainly didn't help that Banshin kept doing all the little things that Hansung had always wanted his husband to do, but he still had to be careful. He didn't want to creep Banshin out again.
Ahh, sorry. What were you saying?
"I asked your shift timings."
Umm...it finished fifteen minutes ago, actually. It's from 8 to 4. Junha comes here straight from school and waits for me to finish and then we both walk back home together. Both school and home are within walking distance from here. Sometimes he goes back home with Daeyoung and then I walk back home alone....wait, nevermind, I'm oversharing. I'll shut up.
Banshin laughed out loud. He had been reading Hansung's words as he typed, so Hansung didn't even have the chance to erase everything.
"It's okay, hyung, I don't mind. Do you wanna go home with me today?"
No, it's okay, I can walk home alone. I don't want to be a bur-
"Okay, stop right there. I came on a motorbike, hyung," Banshin said amused, "my bike's the one that's going to take your burden. Certainly not me. Now rethink your decision."
Hansung couldn't help but smile at that. And that smile right there sent a weird rush of some feeling through Banshin's spine. 'Protect, protect, protect!!' it flashed red. He wanted to protect. He wanted to protect that smile. He wanted to protect that man.
It was weird. It was very, very weird. It had literally been their second meeting and both had not been pleasant if the latest few minutes were excluded. So it was weird that he felt that way out of the blue. But he didn't question the feeling. He just embraced it.
Okay, I'll come with you.
Banshin broke into a grin again. "Good," he said.
When are you moving into your new flat?
"Tomorrow."
Oh, I can help you if you want.
"And skip work?" Banshin asked with a mischievous smirk but Hansung's smile fell.
Right. Sorry, never mind. I'll help in the evening after work.
"I was just kidding, hyung. You don't need to help at all. I already assigned my nephews for that work. They are gonna come over after school and help me unbox everything. And the movers are gonna move everything in the morning, so I'm not really doing anything much."
Oh. I'll send Junha over after school too, then. He'll help Daeyoung with your unpacking. They are good friends.
"And you won't come?"
There was a pout on Banshin's lips that had Hansung staring again. He hadn't known those lips were capable of forming such a contortion.
Right. I'll come too. Or I'll cook dinner for you. You choose.
"Certainly the first one. Hyeonsunim already called dibs on the dinner and I think she would be delighted to add you to the guest list as well."
(Hyeongsunim - Older brother's wife)
Oh, no, no, I'm not gonna have dinner at Daeshin hyung's house. Noonim already sends me a lot of side dishes. I can't expect more from her. You carry on. I'll just come and help you.
"Okay, your wish," Banshin said with a shrug. "Let's go now, though. It's been a while since your shift ended."
Hansung nodded and got up. He pointed to his clothes and then to the bathroom. Banshin understood that he needed to change his clothes. He nodded and walked out while Hansung rushed to grab his bag.
There was a weird feeling in his stomach that he was quick to step down on. The last time he felt that way, he had ended up getting beaten up for the very first time in his life by his husband. He did not want to risk it again even if he knew it wasn't the same person.
When he walked over to the front of the cafe with his bag over his shoulder, he didn't have his gloves on and he noticed Banshin throwing a worried glance at his hand before looking away. He didn't pay attention to it, however. It was only natural for someone to look at something as disturbing as his burnt hand.
"Don't let my brother fool you, Hannie. Be careful, okay? He's a total brat," Daeshin warned him before he left. Hansung rolled his eyes with a grin at that.
I noticed already.
"Hey!!" Banshin exclaimed, sounding more dramatic than offended. "I'm an absolute saint, who are you calling a brat?!"
Hansung tapped his own chest with a grin. 'Me, he's calling me a brat,' he tried to say and it got rightly delivered. He then gave Banshin's bicep a light hit and ushered him out of the cafe.
"Oh, Hannie!!" Daeshin called out right when Hansung was at the door.
Hansung turned around, this time with a little grin on his lips and his eyes containing a slight shine.
"I'm glad you are alright now. Crying doesn't suit your pretty face."
A silent little laugh escaped Hansung's throat. He outstretched his index and thumb fingers under his mouth and grinned wide.
"Good. Just keep smiling like that and everything will be alright."
A nod.
Right.
Everything will be alright.
******************
I did a lot, lot, looootttt of research to come up with Bannie's name. I needed a name with 'ban' in it so that he could be called 'bannie', but I couldn't decide on the other part of the name. Later, when I decided to make him Daeshin's brother, I thought 'why not put shin in his name cos shin means 'new' in a way and it suits the character so well 'cause he's a new-Jeongguk in a way', and fell in love with the name right away. So yeah, that's the story behind the name.