Work Text:
Pretty Flower: Will you go to the outing?
Dongsik huffs at his phone in the privacy of his basement. Calling an all-expenses-paid trip to a private beach a mere ‘outing’ is something only Han Juwon would do.
You: will my handsome prince be there?
Dongsik watches the typing bubble appear and disappear several times with a smirk. Juwon still remains incredibly easy to fluster.
Pretty Flower: I will go if you are there.
Akgh. Now who’s easy to fluster? Dongsik sighs, but can’t stop himself from smiling at his phone like some young fool.
You: let’s do it then, maybe we can go skinny dipping ;)
Pretty Flower: Absolutely not.
You: :(
Pretty Flower: Everyone you know will be there, Dongsik-ssi.
You: eh, nothing they haven’t seen before
That earns him a good three minutes of silence,
You: could it be that juwon-ah is jealous??
Pretty Flower: Just be there.
===
Right when Dongsik is pulling into the parking area (after having to show his ID to the gatekeeper at the entrance to the private beach, yeesh) he feels his phone buzz in his pocket.
Snap-Crackle-Pop: Hey, before you show up I wanna tell you something so you don’t accidentally say something offensive or rude out of surprise
Dongsik scoffs.
You: so little faith in me? you wound me, jihwa-ya
Snap-Crackle-Pop: It’s not like that. It’s about Juwon
You: …Oh?
Snap-Crackle-Pop: Chill out. I don’t really know how to say it in a delicate way, but he’s got a lot of scars. The parallel kind.
Dongsik’s heart sinks.
You: how much is a lot?
Snap-Crackle-Pop: ‘Really fucking sad’ a lot
You: shit. okay
You: thanks for the head’s up
Snap-Crackle-Pop: I’ve got your back, Dongsik-ah
The travel-bag that Dongsik carries with him is heavy, but he hardly feels its weight as he thinks on this new information. Sand gets into his sandals as soon as he crosses the threshold of the beach, and he wonders how Juwon is feeling about that.
That tends to take up a large portion of his thoughts these days. Oh, Juwon would hate that experience. I wonder what Juwon would think of this? I bet Juwon would admire that receptionist’s desk organization, if he were here.
It was only a month or so ago that he returned from his year-long stint doing community service through his probation to find Han Juwon sitting listlessly in the middle of Dongsik’s now sparkling-clean family home.
He’d been angry, certainly, to find that his former partner had gone through all of his family’s things, put his hands on possessions of Yuyeon that hadn’t been touched in decades… but he couldn’t hold onto that anger at the sight of Juwon’s guilty, fearful expression.
It was a complicated thing, and in true Juwon-fashion, he’d thrown caution to the wind and done what he thought was best for Dongsik without consulting him first. It was both so heartfelt and so invasive that Dongsik couldn’t help but think back on all of those conversations they’d had in the basement prior to solving the murder, where Juwon had been basically trying to crack Dongsik’s ribs open and peek inside.
Arriving at the beach, Dongsik finds that everyone else is there already. Colorful beach umbrellas are grounded in the sand to provide shade for equally colorful fluffy towels, where Yu Jaeyi is reading a paperback with the spine cracked in half so she can hold it in one hand and flip the pages with her thumb.
Oh Jihun sits in the sand next to her cross-legged, happily smearing sunscreen all over his body. He’s the first to notice Dongsik’s arrival and gives him a cheerful wave, his smile brighter than the damn summer sun.
Everyone is in fairly classy swimsuits, so far as Dongsik can see. It’s apparent that most of them have bought new accessories to try and fit into this fancy environment instead of just wearing the same old stuff that they’ve all seen a hundred times.
Dongsik himself didn’t change a thing. His swim shorts are too short and have a couple small holes where the thread is fraying, but they’re still more than good enough to use, in his humble opinion. It’s clear that Jaeyi appreciates him holding his moral ground when she gives him a once-over and grins before turning back to her book.
He drops his bag down next to one of the empty chairs and scans the beach to see where everyone else is.
Oh Jihwa is standing ankle-deep in the ocean water alongside Im Sunnyeo, holding out a seashell for the other woman to inspect with a smile. Kang Dosu has little Huimang strapped to his back in a water-safe carrier and appears to be walking along the shore to find more shells for his wife.
Hwang Gwang Young is floating flat on his back atop the waves further out at sea, somewhat impressively. He has expensive sunglasses strapped to his face and seemingly not a care in the world.
Last (but certainly not least) is Han Juwon and his brother a few meters away from each other with shockingly extravagant sandcastles in front of them, manned by little green army men.
Even from here, Dongsik can already see what Jihwa had the foresight to warn him about. Though the scars appear to be old, thank goodness, it's clear that a younger Juwon had taken a knife to whatever part of himself he could reach within the limit of his arm’s extension.
Before now, Dongsik had never seen someone who reached over their own shoulder to cut lines into their back. He approaches carefully, with as much casual energy as he can muster, and pretends like there’s nothing particularly strange about Juwon’s appearance.
“You look very focused,” he says, startling Juwon into looking up at him. Juwon is silent for a second, lips parted like he wants to say something. Then he turns pink and looks back down at his sandcastle.
“If I beat hyeong at this game, I get to pick which room I’m staying in,” he mumbles awkwardly, voice deep and raspy like he hasn’t had any water for a while.
Dongsik glances over to the man of the hour, half-hidden behind his own sand-masterpiece: the prosecutor Kwon Hyeok staring smugly at Juwon’s embarrassed fidgeting.
He’d been the one to invite them all over to this summer trip that he and Han Juwon apparently used to do annually in their early twenties, before they became too busy to continue the tradition.
His tone as he'd bragged that he could pay for everything had made it clear that this wealthy lifestyle is new to him. People like Han Juwon, who have always had access to an exorbitant amount of money, don’t even seem to think about cost until someone else brings it up.
“Hmm…” Dongsik hums conspiratorily, earning the return of Juwon’s black-eyed stare. He smiles down at him. “If you tell me how to play, maybe I can help you win.”
“Oh.” Juwon seems a little surprised, flashing a half-smile that shows a hint of white teeth. His legs and forearms are covered in sand, scars peeking out from underneath, but he doesn’t seem as bothered by its presence as Dongsik had assumed he would be. “Okay. Can you help me make a tower for my archers? And maybe a moat with a bridge?”
“Ambitious.” Dongsik plops down next to him in the sand and grins. “I like it! So it’s an army game?”
“It’s not that exciting,” Juwon backtracks, ducking his head. “When we’re both finished, I just have to explain to him why I would win.”
Dongsik pauses. “The game is won by debating? And our opponent is a lawyer?”
At the use of the word ‘our’, Juwon smiles again and pats the side of the main castle. “If we can make our fortress good enough, it shouldn’t matter what he says. If we lose, though, we get the last pick for the rooms.”
“That won’t happen,” Dongsik dismisses, ruffling sand into his hair. That makes him scowl and try fruitlessly to get it out with his own sand-covered hands.
“Dongsik-ssi!”
“Ah, music to my ears,” Dongsik crows happily. “It’s been too long since we’ve spent any real time together, Juwon-ah.”
“Maybe that’s because of things like this,” Juwon grumbles, but there’s no real heat behind it. “Are you actually going to help me, or just distract me?”
Dongsik bumps their shoulders together and grins. “Don’t worry, kid. I used to be the king of sandcastles in my heyday.”
He does Juwon the courtesy of ferrying sea-water over in a little red bucket whenever needed, and helps sculpt several new additions to their fortifications.
By the time they’re finished, there’s a decently tall archer’s tower (any taller and Dongsik’s not sure they’ll be able to keep it from crumbling), a moat with a bridge fastened from sticks, an additional barracks structure, and a tense spiderweb of interpersonal drama between all of the plastic soldiers.
“Sergeant Su would not do such a thing!” Juwon complains when Dongsik sticks the little green guy into the bedroom of the Lieutenant. “He loves his wife, Dongsik-ssi.”
“Does he?” Dongsik crosses his arms. “Or did he just marry her because his family expected him to? He hasn’t seen her in over a year, and Lieutenant Kim has been with him through every struggle, every battle! I think I know him better than you, Juwon-ah.”
Juwon is visibly trying not to pout, which might be the cutest thing Dongsik has ever witnessed. “When you’re in love, a year apart isn’t supposed to ruin it. And he could have married any Lady, but he picked her.”
Dongsik sighs and pretends to seriously consider it. The truth is, he’ll do anything Juwon asks while making that face. “Fine, fine.” He moves the Sergeant back to his own room and watches Juwon’s shoulders drop in relief. “I bet that brother of yours isn’t recruiting soldiers with so much honor.”
“Well, maybe that’s why he’ll lose,” Juwon says with another little half-smile. His face and shoulders are starting to get red under the direct sun. “I’ve never won one of these before, you know.”
“Let me do the talking,” Dongsik reassures him with a wink. Juwon ducks his head and pretends to adjust the archers, cheeks and ears very pink. “I think you might need to reapply your sunscreen.”
“Maybe,” Juwon mumbles.
In the end, they win because Dongsik makes Kwon Hyeok so incredibly frustrated by their debate that he forfeits just so he can go nurse his headache. Beaming, Juwon grabs Dongsik’s arm and sways from sheer delight.
“We won! I can’t believe you managed to out-talk hyeong…” Juwon presses his happy face into Dongsik’s shoulder, hard. Dongsik laughs and pats him on the head, reeling a little from the unexpected physical affection. “I don’t really even care about picking the room these days. I’ve just always wanted to win.”
“Glad to be of service.” For just a moment, Dongsik lets his arm wrap around Juwon’s waist, just to know what it feels like, before he steps back to try and regain some normalcy. He realizes that Juwon is still swaying in place, looking stunned. Oops. “Want to head to the water to try and get most of this sand off?”
“Oh. Yeah, that sounds good.” Juwon shakes his head for a moment like a dog, then turns around to head to the ocean.
Dongsik follows, but at a reasonable distance.
===
“Juwon-ah, can I ask you something?” Dongsik prompts later, when everyone has settled down in the cooling sand to watch the sun slowly dip below the horizon in shades of red, orange, and gold.
“...If you have to.” Juwon is back to his regular stoic self, which is a shame. Even still, he sits next to Dongsik when he could have chosen any other spot.
Dongsik slowly and carefully reaches over to brush his knuckles over a row of scars on Juwon’s shoulder. He lingers for less than a second, but Juwon immediately looks shaken.
“Are you able to talk about these?” Dongsik asks him quietly. He doesn't want to ruin the mood, but he also can't imagine a world where he continues acting like he doesn't care about it.
Juwon stares at him in silence for a long moment, looking for something in Dongsik’s expression. Then he closes his eyes and sets his jaw.
“They’re… corrective,” he finally says, opening his eyes. They’re as black as a starless sky. “When I was younger and living on my own, I struggled badly with self control. I was constantly letting my emotions get the better of me and guide my actions. In the end, this is something I ended up doing to myself to try and discourage the behaviors that I wanted to stop. It's not really more complicated than that.”
Dongsik tries to school his expression into something more curious than horrified. He has no idea if he succeeds. “Did it work?”
Juwon shrugs. “Somewhat.” Bitterness creeps into his words. “You’ve seen me lose control of my emotions on multiple occasions, so you can probably understand why I felt the need to do something about it. It’s neither pleasant nor practical.”
“What, like… getting angry and shouting? Crying?” Dongsik watches him cringe at just the mention of it. “You know those are normal human things, right?”
“Of course I do.” Juwon is frowning now, avoiding eye contact. The sun is almost gone. “That doesn't mean I want to be doing them.”
“...What made you stop?”
“Kwon Hyeok. My brother,” he amends, glancing in the prosecutor’s direction. “He started interfering in my life and restructuring everything. He called my methods ‘barbaric’ and insisted he had classier ways to reinforce behavior.”
Dongsik is startled into a laugh. “That’s… one way of handling it, I guess.”
Juwon nods and picks at the sand. “I understand, though, if seeing me like this makes you uncomfortable. There’s a reason I always wear long sleeves.”
“It’s fine, Juwon-ah.” Dongsik cracks a smile, and Juwon seems relieved to see it. “I was just worried about you, that’s all. And you know— they say that the ladies think scars are attractive, these days.”
Juwon scoffs and turns away to hide his own smile. “I'm pretty sure they’re not talking about this kind, Dongsik-ssi.”
"Don't sell yourself short, little prince."
Dongsik shuffles closer, close enough that their shoulders are almost touching. Together, they watch the final rays of sunlight fade away over the ocean.