Chapter Text
The final O.W.L exam is finally over, a whole week after the previous exam. Ancient runes was mostly a theoretical subject about well, ancient scripts of magic. The only real practical, if you could even call it that, was just a verbal translation of a text that had been presented.
Taesan hadn't even wanted to be in that elective but his parents had made it mandatory for him to choose as many as the school would allow. Walking out of the examination hall, he feels a gust of cold air hitting his fac. He spots Sungho sitting under the courtyard tree.
"Sungho-hyung, why are you out here?" Taesan calls out to him.
"Hey! You're done already? Taesan, you better not have left the paper blank."
Taesan makes his way across the courtyard. Now that he has a closer look at Sungho, his hair messy, visible eye bags, missing glasses. Sungho wasn't usually this unprepared but Taesan decides to not push him about it.
"It was an easy paper, and it's runes, there's not really much to think about. Anyways, what are you doing here and what happened to the 'well deserved rest'."
"I had to talk to Miss Lee about something, so I got up early, but she wasn't in class. So I thought I'd wait for you here."Sungho enters the building to escape the windy weather.
Following him, Taesan passes by Miss Lee's office and lingers for a second to take a peak inside.
"Miss Lee isn't in class, how is that even possi—" Taesan gets cut off as a blaring voice attacks his ears.
He looks around to find the culprit, eyes landing on a howler.
"Han Taesan and Park Sungho are expected to be attending the dinner at the Park family's residence along with the Han family for urgent matters. Your presence is expected tomorrow at 8 P.M. The school has already been informed of your early departure, so ensure that you both are ready."
It's shriek is still echoing through the hallway when Taesan grabs onto Sungho.
"Dinner? Tomorrow? With both families? What are they planning?"
"Breathe," Sungho attempts to calm him.
"I am breathing." He's not.
Taesan's grip on Sungho doesn't weaken, this sudden invite has him overthinking. His usually relaxed posture is now slouching, eyes squeezed shut as his breathing picks up at an alarming pace. The same as when he gets an out of syllabus question and his brain is scrambling to find the answer, except this time, he can't find one.
He takes deep breaths, and soon is able to focus on the familiar scent of paper, ink and a hint of damp cold air. He opens his eyes and finds himself next to the spiral staircase leading up to the common room, while facing one of the tower windows.
He glances out the window and pauses. Inside is Mr. Jones’s beloved greenhouse, reserved for advanced classes. Yet it's occupied as a heated argument unfolds between two Hufflepuffs. He doesn't know their names, so he labels them 'the blond' and 'the other one'. He finds himself rooting for the blond, for no particular reason besides the fact that he is easier to follow.
"Taesan, we have to go and get our things ready. Let's go," Sungho reminds him.
He doesn't respond, too fixated on the outcome of the fight.
"Han Taesan, I am not packing your bags for you. Move away from the window." Sungho begins to drag Taesan away.
Taking one last glance, he just sees a plant being hurled towards 'the other one'. Nice, the blond won.
At least someone got their way today. Taesan follows Sungho up the staircase, ensuring to stand behind him in case he trips. Making their way towards the common room, he remembers why he had needed to come back here earlier than usual.
we have to get ready, and there goes the fleeting moment of peace.
The bronze eagle knocker spoke:
"Glittering points that downward thrust, sparkling spears that never rust. What are they?"
"Icicles," Taesan says too fast, and the door swung open.
He swiftly makes his way through the door and up to his room. Entering the dimly lit room, he instinctively makes his way towards his prized family photo and sets it down carefully. It's slightly dented frame, and the dusty exterior feels heavy on his fingers.
"Lumos." Taesan moves away from the frame, as Sungho's voice carries across the room.
"Okay, we have to leave tomorrow morning and it's Friday, so our parents won't let us leave before Sunday night at most. To prepare for that, we should take at least… 3 pairs of clothing. We can just wear the dinner outfit from here." Sungho starts listing of the essentials.
Taesan makes his way to his trunk, a cracked Nirvana sticker peeled at the latch, his brother’s friend had slapped it there years ago.
He sees Sungho walking around the room, searching for all the items as he lists them out. One hand tugging on the loose thread of his sweater, keeping itself busy. While the other, is throwing his belongings around and somehow landing them safely on his bed.
Taesan, almost done, stuffs his clothes and non-essentials into his bag. If he forgets anything, he'll just take his brother's.
Sungho closes his bag and drops onto the bed across him, head held in his hands.
"Hyung, you look tired. We should go to sleep early for tomorrow." Taesan suggests before getting out of his winter robes and laying on his bed
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Following him, Sungho lies down.
"Knox." And the lights extinguish.
In the silence, an owl hoots.
The moment those first rays of light greet them, neither speaks of the dreamless night.
Neither of them has ever loathed their mundane routine as much as they do now, the burden of what is to come, weighing heavily on them.
After a forgettable breakfast, they are handed over their already signed permission slips, and Ms. Miller walks them to the gate.
They reach the station with the remnants of Floo powder still evident on them, Sungho hands over a cloth to remove the residue dust, both careful not to mess up the attire for the upcoming dinner.
Taesan adjusts his white shirt, till it matches his ironed dress pants, yet his tie stays slightly loose due to the ruckus of using the Floo network. His jacket hangs of his elbow, decidedly to be worn only when he was in front of his parents. Standing beside him is Sungho, with matching slacks, he'd opted for a black shirt which complements his broad shoulder. He's forgone a tie, since he always finds it so tedious to wear one.
To the unassuming Muggles at the station, they were nothing more than two young interns, weary from a day’s work and waiting to go home. Only they knew it was the journey to home which tormented, carving sullen looks across their faces.
“Mr. Park,” a voice called from behind, surprising the two
Sungho turned at once. “Ah, Ji. You’re here. Have you come to drive us?”
"Yes, if you could follow me." He guides them to the car.
The car was a sleek black and polished to the point of reflection, undoubtedly belonged to Taesan's dad. Sungho's father is more into vintage and vibrant cars. The seats were brown and the smell of sweet green apples lingered in the car, his dad's favorite scent and his mom's regular perfume.
Taesan leans back in the familiar space, arms loose instead of crossed. "Maybe, it's nothing."
Meeting Sungho's confused stare, he continues. "I'm talking about the dinner, we just did the O.W.Ls. Maybe this is a congratulatory dinner for it. My brother had one, remember?"
"Yes, I know about it, but I wasn't there. Why are they doing ours together? Your dad is very reserved, it would take a lot for him to share such an important thing." Sungho retorts and he isn't wrong.
When it came to achievements, his dad always kept the congrats minimal. He later found the reason was that his dad didn't want the attention from a large celebration to get into his head and make him loose focus.
The car stops for a moment, pulling him out of his train of thought, the reason being a gate a custom-made white gate with intricate patterns. He looks to his left and sees Sungho fidgeting with his outfit, they are right outside his house.
The gate opens and they continue inside, greeted with lush greenery which surrounds the vast entryway. As they approach Sungho's massive house, the bright flowers along the edge became even more evident and the figures of their standing parents.
The car stops and Sungho and Taesan make their way out, Taesan's arms around his mother before she's even finished smiling. The comforting green apple allows his shoulder to relax, stepping back only to shake his father's hand. He spots his brother at last, trading a nod, as though he were a distant cousin.
Sungho trades a polite hug with his mom, before taking a look at her outfit.
"Mom! You look so beautiful, is this dress new? It suits you perfectly." Sungho compliments her.
"No, it's not new, and you know that. But thank you for your kind words, dear. Let's all go inside and get settled in."
His father turns to him and gives Sungho a pat on the back as acknowledgement before walking away after his mother. Taesan is back next to Sungho, as they both trail behind their families. As they enter the house, a familiar chill runs through his body, it could be the weather or a premonition of what's to come. Between the friendly exchange and lack of acknowledgement, he seemingly forgot the unusually weird circumstance of this dinner.
Walking down the hall, which was adorned by hundreds upon hundreds of trophies, medals, certificates and photo frames of all of Mr. Park's work. The usually bright house was purposefully made dim around this part. The lights under all the displays were the only source of light in this hallway, drawing your attention to them without fail. Usually, Mr. Park would go over each and every accomplishment on the wall. He always did that, Taesan has visited a countless amount of times and every time he'd get the same introduction except today.
Quite, not even a peep. Glancing at Sungho, he could see the same realization dawning on him. Eyes widening, then searching for Taesan. This was in fact not a normal dinner
The scent of mahogany gets more prominent in the house but as they reach closer to the dining hall, a smoky aroma took over.
The dining room was large enough to fit their entire year five for a feast. The silverware gleams under the bright chandelier. The entire length of the table was covered in a spread of cuisines, ranging from seafood platters to roasted meats along with a drink of each person's choice.
Taesan sits with his salmon and Sungho takes the seat next to him, reaching for the meat dishes. Sitting a chair over from him on the other side sits Sunghoon, his brother, who has steak and a side of stir-fried veggies.
Both sets of parents sat across from them, unnervingly quiet. The clink of cutlery against plates and the repeated clicking of a clock were the only sounds that echoed through the room. Every so often, their mothers exchanged brief glances, as if waiting for the right moment to speak.
"… you've both been close since you were children." Sungho's mother breaks the silence.
Taesan blinks. "What does that—"
"We've decided," his father cuts in.
"You are both to be married."
Silence.
The clock ticks loudly, each second dragging on longer than the one before, filling the silence until someone dares to break it.
"What?" Sungho says exasperatedly.
"The Park's and the Han's have always been close and this marriage will only further solidify our bond." Mr. Park explains but Taesan can't help but feel wronged.
"You've made such a big decision without even consulting us, this is our future you're talking about." Taesan argues.
His brother finally opens his mouth, "What future Taesan? You haven't dated a soul since you knew what the word meant and Sungho has absolutely given up on love since that incident."
Sungho freezes at the mention.
“What your brother is trying to say is that we are certain neither of you are in a relationship, and that it would be best to marry someone you so clearly care for.” His mom tries to smooth things over.
Sungho watches on as Taesan gets more upset at her words.
"We will think about it." Sungho says, and ends the conversation is over just like that.
The dinner ends shortly after and with a quiet goodbye, and it's time for Taesan to go home.
"Taesan." His moms voice halts him in his attempt to get to his room.
Turning to look at his family, he sees his dad and his brother looking at everything but him. His mother's expression make's it clear that she isn't happy with the way the news had been delivered and how it had made the trip back very uncomfortable for them. He'd sat in the front with the divider rolled up, despite his father's disapproval.
"Just think about it, okay? We made this choice with your best interests at heart." She says it so lovingly, that Taesan almost forgets he's supposed to have a grudge. Almost.
"Okay." Making his way up the stairs and into his room. The bright red curtains greet him as always, they're the first thing someone notices about his room. His brother used to joke saying—
"You should have been in Gryffindor with all this red. Maybe then, you could've actually won the inter-house cup." This annoying voice isn't in his head but in person, standing right in front of him.
"What do you want? Did you not say enough today? Also if it wasn't for Myung Jaehyun and his tricks, we would've been the winners."
"Taesan, I know I came off harsh earlier and I am sorry for that." His brother stops to hold a laugh. "But I cannot imagine you asking anyone out at all. And don't try to justify the loss by blaming someone else, it makes you look like a coward."
"I'm not mad that I lost, It's a given in sports. I am mad that I lost to Myung Jaehyun, he's the most—" A tapping sound from his window stops him from continuing. Looking out the window he sees Saoirse, Sungho's owl.
"Cute, he can't wait to talk to you." And that's enough bonding for Taesan, shoving Sunghoon towards the door, he can't help but slam the door on his smug face.
"Tell Sungho that I'm sorry for what I said." He speaks through the door, in a tone softer than before.
"You'll see him tomorrow, tell him yourself."
Moving toward the window, Saoirse flies inside and lands on his desk. He removes the scrap of parchment tied to her.
'We need to talk' is all that was written. He knows that neither of them have any feelings for the other. They need to come up with a way to drive their parent's wishes away, he needs to think of something and quickly.
'We are certain neither of you is in a relationship,'
'I cannot imagine you asking anyone out at all.'
The words hit him like a bludger. Taesan's mouth moves before his brain catches up.
"Hyung, I'm telling them I have a boyfriend," he scrawls, ink smudging at his quick pace.
"You should too."
Tying the parchment back, he sends Saoirse out the window and runs out the room to his parents before the rational part of his mind decides to wake up.
Walking towards his dad's study, on the opposite end of the house. He passes by the huge family portrait they had taken years ago, the smaller copy of which he keeps next to his bed back at Hogwarts. Feeling a slight tug of regret about lying to them, it goes away just as quickly as it came. They decided on a whole marriage without asking his opinion, he can lie about a boyfriend.
Walking away from the picture and straight past his brother's room and through the house too big for four people, he now stands in front of the office. He can hear the muffled voices of his parents, while taking a deep breath in, his hand raises to knock.
"Taesan, come in." Of course his father notices him, no way his office didn't have a charm in place.
Swinging the door open, he's met with his parents and his brother.
"What are you doing here?" Taesan questions.
"I could ask the same thing, weren't you sharing notes with your soon-to-be husband?"
"Taesan, why haven't you changed you clothes? The suit is not appropriate to sleep in." His mother chimes in. Choosing to not engage with his brother any longer.
Turning to look at his parents, his mind is made up.
"Mom, Dad," he says.
"Me and Sungho already have boyfriends."