Work Text:
Jang Han-seo groaned as he attempted to pace in his spacious bedroom.
His head hurt, not because he’d been thinking hard for the past hour, but because of the blunt object Han-seok threw at him.
The strike wasn't too bad; he’d take physical abuse any day over the mental turmoil of living in his Hyung's shadow. Wounds always healed and eventually faded to scars, but every night his dreams resurrected memories of Han-seok’s psychological torture, replaying in living color as if they were really happening.
He really should start taking the sleeping pills his psychiatrist prescribed but was too afraid. In a moment of weakness, he’d happily down the whole bottle to just slip into blessed never-ending sleep.
If only Vincenzo Cassano was his older brother, maybe things could be different?
Han-seo smiled at the thought.
He would probably still be a little stupid, but would that even matter? He'd still be handsome, and a whole lot safer than he was now.
“What should I do?” He fell onto his bed, snuggling with his body pillow on his 1000 thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets.
He’d already visited Jipuragi to inform them of how he’d tipped the Fire Department off to the gas leak, but Mr. Cassano wasn’t impressed.
How could he make himself useful?
His eyes widened as an inspired thought whizzed through his brain.
“Twice in one day?” Mr. Nam said by way of greeting as Han-seo entered Jipuragi Law Firm, hands full of gift bags. “You might as well get on our payroll.”
“You can’t afford me," Han-seo joked, then grimaced because it came out more obnoxious than he anticipated. He strode over to Cha-young's desk, and laid the bags down.
"Woah!" Cha-young's face brightened. "What's this? Mr. Cassano!" She turned around and waved Vincenzo over. "Come see this." Vincenzo was at his desk, diligently reading case files.
Han-seo preened under the attention as Vincenzo, Mr. Nam, and Cha-young all crowded around him.
"Ready for another quiz?" Vincenzo raised an eyebrow.
Han-seo paled. He'd already forgotten about Vincenzo's promise about another test. "No, I came with gifts. To show my appreciation."
"Let's see what he has," Cha-young nudged Vincenzo, her hand brushing with his. "You know I love gifts."
"Yes, I do." Vincenzo softened, smiling at her.
Mr. Nam began rifling through the bags, and Cha-young followed him.
"Is this a coffee maker?" Cha-young gasped. "Look, Mr. Cassano. We can grind coffee beans and make fresh coffee!" She beamed at him. "Now you can get your espresso right here."
"Hmm," Vincenzo said noncommittally, though internally he was excited at the prospect. He'd been getting too accustomed to drinking instant coffee. In fact, just that day he'd complimented the aroma of it when he damned well knew that nothing compared to freshly ground coffee beans.
"Is this jewelry? For me?" she continued, opening a velvet-lined box that contained a pair of pearl earrings. "How beautiful!"
"Hey!" Vincenzo snatched it away. 'We can't accept such an expensive gift. Are those diamonds with the pearls?" He quickly held the box out of Cha-young's reach who was not trying heartily to grab it from him.
"Why would you buy jewelry for her?" Mr. Nam whispered, pulling Han-seo aside. "Don't you want to get into Mr. Cassano's good graces?"
"What's wrong with something pretty for Ms. Hong?" Han-seo frowned. "Don't women like jewelry?"
Mr. Nam rolled his eyes. "Do you think their boyfriend would like that?"
"Ms. Hong has a boyfriend?" Han-seo thought quickly. "Should I buy him something too?"
Mr. Nam couldn't hide the exasperation on his face. "You're hopeless. "
Han-seo dipped his head in acknowledgment. "I hope you like your present."
Mr. Nam looked over at the remaining bag, with a logo from a luxury brand. "For me?" he frowned. He was used to being excluded since he wasn't a lawyer but a mere paralegal. "It's okay. You didn't have to-"
Han-seo smiled. "I know what it's like to be the last person people think about in the room."
Mr. Nam's eyes narrowed, not knowing if he'd been insulted or not.
"Open it!" Han-seo bounced on his heels, excited.
Mr. Nam acquiesced, gasping when he saw the contents. Inside was a purple silk pajama set with a matching robe. It didn't just look expensive, it was regal, completely out of his range.
"I can't accept this," he murmured, stroking the fabric.
"Nonsense," Han-seo smiled. "You look good in purple. It suits you."
"Why a pajama set?" Mr. Nam cleared his throat. He could remember the last time he'd received a present just because.
"You could get a lot of use out of it. And it might help you sleep if you've been having insomnia."
Mr. Nam laughed. "You have been experiencing it too? All the events lately-"
"-makes it so hard to sleep, right?" Han-seo laughed. "Sometimes I feel like I was born tired. I swear my brother thinks we're on a movie set."
"Those two think they're on their own Mafia show," Mr. Nam said, looking in Vincenzo and Cha-young's direction. They were in their own world. Mr. Cassano was currently helping her put on her new earrings while she blushed. As expected, Vincenzo would do whatever Ms. Hong wanted.
"Poor Mr. Cassano," Han-seo spoke up. "Does he know there's someone Ms. Hong likes?"
Mr. Nam laughed softly at the absurdity of it all, and that was the moment he decided he could welcome Jang Han-seo as a comrade. "Thanks for the coffee machine, Mr. Jang." He turned to Han-seo and whispered theatrically. "They'd rather buy expensive instant coffee than a coffee maker."
"No," Han-seo looked shocked. "But you need the aroma of freshly ground coffee to start the day."
"Mr. Cassano's been saying that the instant coffee smells as good as freshly ground." Mr. Nam shook his head in disgust. "And he's from Italy. The land of cafes and espressos."
"I'll set up a monthly coffee delivery for him." Han-seo wasn't trying to show off, he just wanted to prove his worth.
"That's not necessary," Mr. Nam smiled. "Want to go with me for a grocery run? We can get coffee beans, creamer, and sugar."
Han-seo nodded immediately, happy to be included. "Sure. Everything has to be organic though-"
"That organic nonsense is a scam," Mr. Nam grumbled, and so he and Han-seok bickered as they went to the corner store to get coffee supplies.
This was nice, Han-seo thought. To have someone who he could disagree with and not worry about being slapped around and choked till he couldn't breathe.
Maybe he had a shot of being a normal person after all.
"What do you say to Jang Han-seo joining us?" Cha-young asked as Vincenzo started hooking up the coffee maker. "I think he can fit in here."
"He belongs with his family," Vincenzo said, adamant that they wouldn't intervene in the Jang brothers' problems. "We wouldn't be able to trust him."
"Family isn't just blood. It's who you decide to be with," Cha-young replied, avoiding Vincenzo's eyes. "I mean...we trust each other."
Vincenzo's demeanor softened at the vulnerability in her face. "Does that mean I'm like your family?"
She shrugged her cheeks heating. "Among other things."
Vincenzo inhaled as awareness prickled over his body. Was he getting confirmation that she liked him? He knew she did, as he was sure she knew that he liked her, but they'd never talked about it openly.
But she was more than a crush, more than someone he liked.
"You're like family to me too," he admitted. He reached out and squeezed Cha-young's shoulder. "Thank you for welcoming me."
She smiled, meeting his gaze.
Maybe they weren't ready for the next step, but for right now, what they had was enough.