Chapter Text
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1.
”Han Yoohyun, be more careful next time, alright?” Yoojin said sternly, albeit with no bite. His younger brother had spilled his drink all over their house’s carpet and it would stain if they didn’t clean it soon.
Well, Yoojin wouldn’t mind it if the carpet was stained a little. That was by far the least of all worries he should be having in this situation anyway…
Besides, Yoohyun was only 11, and kids could make mistakes. Being the older, more responsible 16 year old between the two, Yoojin didn’t mind.
“Hyung, wait right here, let me go get the towel!” Yoohyun chirped helpfully, before making a beeline towards the bathroom.
”Alright!” Yoojin beamed. He really did have an angel as his brother.
Yoojin didn’t mind at all, if it meant he could see his dearest younger brother grow kind and mature enough to help him clean the mess. However, it was an entirely different story for the stack of bills on the kitchen table. That was something that took a portion of, if not most of Yoojin’s headspace these days.
After their parents’ death, Yoojin had given up his education, instead choosing to resort to working at a young age so Yoohyun could graduate. So he could achieve his dream of being a doctor. Since Yoojin wasn’t of legal age, he’d take a few small, underpaying part-time jobs everyday to pull everything together.
Convenience store jobs, delivery jobs, box lifting or whatever. As long as it paid, as long as Yoojin could afford food on the table and lights in the evening, as long as he could see Yoohyun grow up to become the best, strongest and smartest adult. His efforts, his aching muscles and fucked up sleep schedule. It would all be worth it. It didn’t matter if he came home late to collapse in bed at 2am, it didn’t matter if he skipped some of his meals when Yoohyun wasn’t around, just so he could scrape enough for his field trips. It didn’t matter how much Han Yoojin had to sacrifice.
Anything for his Yoohyun.
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2.
Yoohyun didn’t come home today. It was happening quite frequently, and Yoojin didn’t know what to do.
He was confused.
Sure, he’d often let Yoohyun have sleep-overs on the rare occasion that he actually kept his friends, and he’d also let him go on school field trips for a couple of days at times too.
But it had never been like this. Never without warning, without telling him beforehand. Yoojin didn’t know why Yoohyun was coming home, coming to Yoojin, less and less.
…Actually, he did. The world had been in an uproar, total chaos and whatnot at the appearance of dimensional rifts and monsters, awakeners and those bullshit scenarios that only ever existed in webnovels.
The ”awakeners” were special individuals who gained various abilities and powers, able to fend themselves and protect other people from these “dungeon gates” that opened irregularly and released otherworldly monsters. There were rankings to this system, from F all the way to S+. Sort of like the grading system in schools.
Yoojin’s world had been flipped in one day. His brother had awakened. Pride swelled in his heart, threatening to engulf it whole. Yoohyun was a natural S-ranker, the best, strongest, most powerful rank among all.
And in a sudden, he was gone. He was encouraged to publicize himself, protect citizens, sign contracts, greet major corporations of the country, yada yada. In a sudden, Yoojin’s brother, Yoohyun, had become an important public figure, and many buzzing possibilities had opened for him.
In a sudden, Yoohyun had been grabbed into this new, uncertain world full of dangers and discoveries in every corner.
Awakener life was difficult too, Yoojin had heard that much. Many didn’t come back alive while fighting monsters in dungeon raids.
Pacing around worriedly in the empty house, Yoojin hoped that it would be just a phase. That, after Yoohyun had had his fun, enjoyed all the attention and praise, he’d come back home, to safety, to Yoojin.
He didn’t. Yoojin’s fingers lingered above the carpet stain. He missed his baby brother.
Yoohyun created his own guild.
(He missed Yoohyun so much it physically hurt. All Yoojin wanted was to see his baby brother grow up safe and happy. )
Yoojin slept alone again.
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3.
Cold, drunk and alone in the corner of his room, Yoojin thought of what had gone so wrong.
Yoojin downed another bottle of alcohol. He didn’t care what type, what brand. He just needed it burning, searing down his throat to drown out every and all his senses. He needed to forget.
He needed to forget that he was now the “estranged” older brother of Haeyeon’s guildmaster. His dearest Yoohyun-ie… was no longer his brother. When the guild had announced that there was no relationship left between the two brothers, the public had sparked a debate on why the two did not talk anymore and whether it was the cause of a simple falling out or something more serious.
That drove people to begin speculating about how the older brother may have been neglectful or even going as far as to claim that he was abusive.
At first, Yoojin brushed it off. None of it was actually real, so he wouldn’t let it get into his head.
His resolve didn’t last long, because the more time passed, the harsher these reproaches were. Without reassurance from his silent brother, Yoojin felt his belief waver.
Awakener interviews were increasing by the day, and whenever Yoohyun was asked questions of his family, he didn’t answer. There were Reddot posts dissecting the smallest twitch of his eyebrows, the miniscule movements of any expression changes. People claimed that he was uncomfortable speaking about his family hence his refusal of cooperation in answering. People claimed that Yoohyun was the victim of a dysfunctional household. People claimed that Yoojin, the guildmaster’s older brother, was behind Yoohyun’s distress.
When he had read the news article and watched the interviews for himself, he had locked himself up in his room, clutching his head in wretched despair.
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”Yoohyun-ssi, do you have any close family members?”
”…”
”Are you perhaps …uncomfortable talking about it?”
Yoohyun had looked away from the interviewer.
“Ah. I see.” The interviewer scribbled something down on her clipboard. There were hushed whispers among the film crew.
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No. No. NO.
Yoojin had wanted to desperately tell them, maybe even scream his voice raw that they were wrong, that Yoojin would never dream of harming his brother. He loved his brother so much he sacrificed all he had for Yoohyun and his future.
Why hadn’t Yoohyun spoken out? Was this how Yoohyun really felt about his hyung? Was it really..?
That must be it, Yoohyun must have secretly hated him or found Yoojin unsatisfying or replaceable in a way that had led to this outcome. Yoojin didn’t know what he had done for Yoohyun to behave like they didn’t know each other, but he still couldn’t wrap his head around not having his brother anymore.
That was the reason why, when Yoojin wanted to see his baby brother’s face, he could only search it up online to be able to see those eyes and that wispy, curled hair. Yoohyun had distanced himself from Yoojin to the laughable point where he wouldn’t be able to see him if he wanted to, even if he begged pitifully on both his knees.
It sent him in a spiral, that with every passing day, their fractured relationship continued to crumble. While Yoojin’s messages were only left on read before, now it seemed like Yoohyun didn’t even bother opening his texts.
Yoojin’s shaky fingers hovered over the voice recording button. He hesitated.
Maybe it was Yoojin’s fault.
What he did wrong, he didn’t know, but it seems he wasn’t good enough for Yoohyun to stay.
Earlier today, his boss from the Italian restaurant had fired him. Said Yoojin’s plummeting reputation was somehow going to dampen the place’s reputation too. His job was delivering, for God’s sake. It’s not like Yoojin would be recognised underneath the inches thick motorcycle helmet, but he had lowered his head and accepted it. If he made a scene on that spot, the press would surely give his brother a hard time and drag his own name through the mud too.
He still had 2 other part-time jobs that could support him, it was fine.
It’s not like Yoojin needed all that money. Especially if it wasn’t going to the one person he had worked his high school years for.
He doesn’t have a baby brother to raise and take care of anyway.
Yoojin chucked his phone on the bed, and instead drowned himself in more alcohol. It was never enough, that blissful, numbing sensation. It would never be enough to let him forget all the pain for good.
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4.
”Hey! Where— where are you taking—ugh, where are you taking me?” Yoojin yelped, helplessly thrashing against strong arms that were dragging him from the chest.
Yoojin had been on his way to the convenience store to buy and stock up a few items (alcohol) for himself, when he had been grabbed off the road by a bunch of shady looking men. Exhaustion clung onto Yoojin like the peel of a fruit, and he had no energy left in him to fight as these kidnappers(?) blindfolded him and took him into a van.
Fear along with a hint of indignation sparked in his chest. What more was going to be taken from him? It was bad enough that he had to live through his days expecting harassment in one way or another but kidnapping? Why were these people kidnapping him? What was the point of kidnapping him anyway? There was no gain for them, only losses no matter what direction Yoojin looked.
An F-ranker, deemed so useless he was thrown out to the world to fend for himself without so much of a glance from his S-rank guildmaster brother.
His heart throbbed. Yoojin missed his brother. He wanted him back.
“Get out.” The rough voice and a harsh shove to his shoulder jolted Yoojin out of his train of thoughts and also out of the vehicle. He felt himself topple forward, but one of the kidnappers held him by his hood to prevent him from falling.
The blindfold was ripped off his head with a sudden yank, and when Yoojin blinked his eyes open, he found himself in some dim, deserted alleyway. He turned around to assess his situation, but was met with a resounding slap on his face. Yoojin jerked backward, only to bump into one of his kidnappers.
“You. You’re the older brother of Haeyeon’s guildmaster, aren’t you?” The man snickered, looking at his accomplices. “Search him. Bet he has a bunch of filthy rich gear or some shit.”
Yoojin shuddered as hands started grabbing at his limbs and torso. What the hell did they think Yoojin had in his possession to go through such lengths? As the men emptied out his pockets, all Yoojin could do was stay still, non resistant. This really was such a ridiculous sight to behold. Didn’t they do their research before snatching the older brother of Haeyeon’s guildmaster?
Didn’t they know that the guildmaster didn’t give a single shit about his older brother? Why on fucking Earth would he ever give Yoojin gear or literally anything?
Yoohyun had made it clear that he didn’t want anything to do with Yoojin.
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”If you tell me why, maybe I can fix it…!”
Yoohyun had stared at Yoojin as if he was nothing more than a nuisance.
”Don’t you know the answer already? You hovering around me like that… Your very existence is getting in my way.”
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When the kidnappers started ripping the jacket off of Yoojin with a new level of roughness, he realised that they seemed to understand the situation. He would have barked out a laugh if not for the absurd position he was in.
“Found anything yet?” Yoojin questioned, a hint of mockery in it.
He was met with a strong kick to the stomach that sent him crashing into the brick wall behind him.
”Shut up. I even double checked that you’re Han Yoojin, so why…” The kidnapper gangster piece of shit’s face contorted in confused rage. “I thought all those articles about your stupid brother dumping you were all fake bullshit speculations, who knew it was fucking real?!” The man laughed, almost manically. Yoojin didn’t have the strength in him to do anything, but the mention of his brother stirred him.
“You can’t even do your own research properly? What kind of a pathetic excuse is that to beat up a civilian? I bet the gas you paid to drive the van here was for nothi—“
Yoojin doubled down gasping, hands clutching his stomach as the man kicked him again. So much for running his mouth. He looked up through his dark, messy strands of hair to see a boot swinging his way. Brute strength hit the side of his head, followed by a firework of exploding pain.
“Who told you to open your mouth?” The man grabbed Yoojin’s chin, nails digging, breaking into his skin. “You’re so insignificant that your own brother kicked you out like trash. Isn’t that more pathetic?” The kidnapper’s sneers fuelled the trembling anger that Yoojin was barely able to quell. He bit his tongue, and tasted a familiar iron.
“Since you’ve proven to me that you’re useless, we’ll just have fun with you before leaving. Don’t even try to call the police, no one’s coming to help a piece of trash.”
The kidnappers took turns throwing blow after blow at Yoojin, tossing him around like he was a worn-out ragdoll. Every single hit, every single kick, every single bruise that Yoojin felt convinced himself more to just keep quiet, however hard he may have had to clamp his teeth to stop any sounds of pain.
Why should he care? Nobody would even bat an eye to whatever injury he’d sustained. There was no one who would take care of him now.
When the gang of kidnapper bastards finally left him alone,
Strewn on the hard concrete floor, he cracked a small laugh. It wasn’t funny, really. Nothing was funny about the situation.
Maybe Yoojin laughed because he wanted to sound happy, to be happy.
Being with his brother would make him happy, yes.
Was that possible? No, because their relationship was estranged. It was messed up, ruined because of Yoojin. Yoohyun was right. All he did was drag the guildmaster down.
Even now, he couldn’t defend himself from a few people while his brother was out there fighting terrifying monsters.
Even now, he was thinking about his brother when it was clear Yoohyun had wanted nothing to do with him.
He blinked up to register some dark figure standing on the rooftop of a surrounding building, staring down at him. Like they were assessing the situation. A scout, or a poor passerby who happened to witness street violence?
Yoojin sighed and let his head rest on the cold, dusty concrete.