Chapter Text
It was a miserable damp day and a sad meal prepared for a rather pathetic man, that man being me. Not to diss myself too badly but life for me had been going… steady you could say.
I hear heavy boot approach my doorstep. There is only one person i'd be glad to see right now and i know for a fact that those footsteps aren't his. My leg is already bothering me because of the rain and now a guest.
There's a knock so i abandon my meal and walk over to the door, reluctantly i open it. A man stands before me, immaculate, the rain seeming to only have lightly brushed him. He's in uniform as gray as the rain, boots as shinny as the silver badge pinned to his chest. A military officer and…my uncle.
I silently curse, hes family so I cant turn him away and this man especially is never good news.
He smiles his handsome features managing to shine in the dim light,
“Taeui, long time no see!”
I give him nothing to work with but he's a crafty man. Stepping forward so as to push inside he declares:
“How have you been?”
I want to close the door so as to keep out the bitter chill but i step back and allow him inside.
“…if you’re hear then i'm sure there's nothing you aren't aware of already.”
I close the door behind him and lead him further into my house.
“when did you come back to Korea?” the last time i'd met my uncle Chang-in was years ago.
“Two hours ago. I came straight from the airport.”
“you should have called first. Jaeui isn’t hear.” he pauses for a second his eyes squinting slightly, wringing some of the shine out of them, as his smile tightens.
“He isn’t? when is he coming?” he knows dam well Jaeui isn’t coming back any time soon, my annoyance aggravates my leg further so I sit down.
Already tired with this conversation i reply
“Hes not. I haven’t heard from him since he left four days ago.”
“Isn’t there any way to reach him?” I'm further annoyed when uncle takes my sitting down as an invitation to join me at the table
“He wouldn't be 'Jeong Jaeiu' if he was that easy to get a hold of. You know that.”
“…hmm. Oh! You would't mind if I joined you would you? I’m hungry!” I sigh, but quietly
“Please, help yourself.” I hand him a set of chopsticks from where i keep them in a pot on the table and get up to fetch him his own bowl.
I hear him exclaim behind me.
“What is with this sad meal?”
“What do you expect? I'm a poor man who lives alone. They must spoil you in the military, its skewed your standards.”
“The food has to be good, if it weren't we’d have a riot on our hands. Also, i don’t work for the military.”
“From what iv'e heard it may as well be. From what iv'e heard though the name itself is viewed with even more respected its actually more cutthroat military. What is the UN doing with a military anyway?” I walk back to the table and place the bowl in front of him.
“Its called The United Nations Human Resources Development Organisation. And no its not a military force.” The notion is ridiculous but its what he dose for a living i cant push it any further.
“There's no way i could remember a name that long.” he shakes his head slightly in mock dismay.
I sit down and we begin to eat. My eyes linger on his hands, the way he holds the chopsticks so nicely, moves them so elegantly, it resembles Jaeui so strongly. For a moment i'm glad hes hear, the hole Jaeui has left is filled somewhat.
“Having a simple meal like this after so long isn’t so bad” the feeling is quickly broken. My uncle is eagerly eating the food so I suppose it was meant as a compliment. But what he really mean by that, I cant tell.
Honestly its quite bold of him to show up here. The last time I saw uncle Chang-in was at my fathers funeral over 6 years ago. He never stopped by after that. I also don’t think it was a coincidence that he showed up only 4 days after Jaeui walked out. He's a very busy man after all.
“Dads memorial is next month.” I probe him
“Yes the 20th according to the lunar calender.” he continues eating without pause
“Are you coming?”
“…no I don’t think I can.” as expected
“I'm not sure when he'll be back but do you want me to ask Jaeui to call you when he gets here?” honestly i'm not that bitter about it. To me hes just an inconvenient, bothersome house guest. Anywhere else in the world however I think he’d be welcomed with open arms.
He suddenly sets down his chopsticks, his gaze becoming direct and serious
“Jeong Taeui, unfortunately i don’t think any of us will be able to make it.” wow, the feeling of foreboding is so strong it sends shiver down my spine. What the hell is he hear for?
“Uncle Chang-in i'm not sure why your'e hear but if your'e looking for Jaeui hes not hear and I don’t know where he went nor where he will be.”
He says nothing for a moment just considers me, back straight, still and cold as a statue. Then he leans forward a sugar sweet smile spreading across his lips.
“You know that between you and Jaeui, one of you is my son, don’t you?” what a strange lie to tell, genetically speaking both of us are our uncles sons.
“uncle where twins if one of us is your son both of us are.” a memory surfaces of something our farther once told us when we where very young
‘Since me and mum couldn't make a baby on our own, we made you with your uncles help. And since hes a bit like your second farther, later on if he asks you for something give him the benefit of the doubt and so as he says. Even if it’s a bit strange.’
A strange request? I'd always taken issue with what dad had said...
“No, not both of you. Just one. We knew you where twins before you where born, and your dad said he'd give one of you to me. Originally you where meant to grow up as cousins. But since you two got along so well, wriggling around and clinging to each other, I didn’t have the heart to rip one of you away so I gave up on the idea.”
...you see dad your brother Chang-in is always saying strange things.
Is this why hes hear then, to collect? There's no way of knowing if my farther agreed to this but i'm not going to argue against it. Jaeui would likely do the same if he were hear.
“Alright uncle, i'm sorry hes not home right now but i'll be sure to tell my cousin to get in touch when I next see him.”
He bursts out laughing, it’s a laugh that’s much louder and deeper than his appearance would lead you to expect, his eyes however stay keen.
“I have no time to run after someone whose disappeared. Jeong Taeui from today forth you are my son!”
I don’t buy it for one second his gole must be my brother, his suspicious timing aside Jeaui is brilliant and accomplished he's known as a genius by everyone in his field. I'm…sitting in this house, alone, left behind.
“Taeui! Come with me!” He's grinning ecstatically at me, i don’t even now how to respond.