Chapter Text

Han

“Han Seo ah,” a deep voice whispered into the right ear of a sleeping Han Seo.

Han Seo woke abruptly, fear immediately coursing through his body as the stress of hearing his name uttered by his brother triggered the same stress response as staring into the eyes of a lion might cause someone else. His body startled, indicating to the other that he was awake. Fuck , Han Seo cursed to himself, he knows I’m awake now .

“Is my little brother feeling tired this beautiful morning?” Joon Woo whispered as his fingers began to wander and gently trail down Han Seo’s chest. 

Han Seo hated when Joon Woo spoke English. He also hated whenever Joon Woo spoke so gently towards him. The morning was off to a rocky start already. Joon Woo was in a good mood, that much was clear. But Good-Mood Joon Woo stressed Han Seo out to no end because he was unpredictable. If nothing else, his twenty plus years of life with Joon Woo had taught him Joon Woo switches moods like one would a lightswitch and changes personalities like one would change clothes.

Han Seo felt as body tense as Joon Woo’s fingers lingered down towards a…. Sensitive area of his. The shock of the sudden wake up had left him hyper sensitive and he could feel Joon Woo’s breath on his neck as well as the heat from his brother’s bare chest behind him.

“Yes, Hyung-nim?” Han Seo squeezed out in such a subservient tone that he couldn’t stop himself from cringing. He didn’t want to respond. He didn’t want to be here. But Han Seo had learned from experience that ignoring his brother would never bode well for him. Not well at all…

“I have a meeting at 8:30 with the Law Firm but you can sleep in. I was a little rough with you at the Ice Rink last night but you must know that Hyung only does it for your own good. Pain seems to be the only way anything gets through that thick skull of yours,” Joon Woo began as he got up from the bed and began to sort through the closet for the day's outfit. Han Seo sat up so as to keep his eyes on Joon Woo as he spoke. Another lesson that he had learned through much pain - always keep his eyes on Joon Woo… you never know when shit will hit the fan with him around. Playful one moment and dangerous the next. “We need to strategize about what we’re going to do next but you’re of no help so no need for you to attend. You have a meeting at 10:00 with the Board to discuss next steps though. Itinerary is on the nightstand. I put ointment on the bruises after you passed out last night so they should be fine but if you think you need it, there are painkillers downstairs. I don’t need you giving us even more bad publicity. Babel is already drowning in that thanks to you.”

“Yes, Hyung-nim,” Han Seo mumbled. “Thank you.” He could feel Joon Woon’s gaze bear down on him but he couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact with his brother. He was….scared to. Instead, he stared almost at Joon Woon’s chest - a tried and true ‘safe’ space to look. Or at least relatively so. 

“Oh, and Han Seo,” Joon Woo began already half way through the door, casting Han Seo a look that would make even devils shake in fear.

“Yes, Hyung-nim?” Han Seo half whimpered, making the mistake of looking into Joon Woon’s eyes just in time to catch a glint of something so dark and evil that sent shivers down his back. Han Seo instinctively tightened his grip on the blanket as if it was a life line - a shield of some sort..

“If you speak to Lawyer Seung-Hyeok again, one-on-one, we’ll have a nice repeat of your...unfortunate… highschool ‘buddies,’” Joon Woo finished calmly and in a tone that was as casual as a morning greeting. Han Seo shook like a leaf. Death threats weren’t threats when they were uttered by Joon Woo. They were promises. Han Seo had learned that the hard way.

“ Got it? ” Joon Woo asked, tilting his head a little. If this scene was inaudible, it would look no different than two brothers having a normal chat about the weather or their day from the tone and body language displayed by Joon Woo. 

“Yes, Hyung-nim” Han Seo replied automatically.

“Good.” 

The door shut with a click and Han Seo was now left all alone in the bedroom. With a sigh that seemed to expel a cloud of anxiety, Han Seo laid back down on the soft bed and covered his eyes with his hands. Where did things go wrong , Han Seo wondered.