Chapter Text
The first time Min Yoongi met Kim Seokjin, he felt an intense need to bully him. To make him cry until he turned red. To make him grovel and sob and regret the day he agreed to being adopted by his biological parents. Which, in hindsight, was stupid. Especially considering that Yoongi’s family had asked for his consent much before the idea of adoption ever became set in stone. Before they even knew of Seokjin’s existence. Heck, he’d even been the one to suggest they adopt someone his age so he’d have a friend AND a sibling.
The second thing Min Yoongi felt was deja vu. But not just that he knew Seokjin – also that he somehow knew the entirety of Seokjin’s life; past, present and future. Information so clearly divided into chapters (chapters?) immediately rammed into his ten year old brain, telling him that Kim Seokjin was the main character and he, Min Yoongi, was destined to be his first nemesis. The true heir of the Min family who despises Kim Seokjin – the adopted child – because of how pretty he is. He had vague recollections of someone telling him it was subtext for internalised homophobia and how desire and hatred were separated by a very thin line. He remembered telling this person that the characters (characters?) at that point were only ten years old. The person had tutted and reminded him that homosexuality was not just sexual, and was more nuanced than that.
Ten year old Yoongi did not know what ‘nuanced’ meant. Even his understanding of ‘homosexuality’, for that matter, was pretty surface level. But he knew that he should not act according to his instincts and put pins under Kim Seokjin’s pillow on his first night at the Min household. But his mind was supplying him with information on where the sharpest pins were, was already contemplating how exactly he could keep the boy distracted until he could smuggle them into his room. Various images of Seokjin’s face, bleeding, blood mixed with tears as he stuffed his small fist into his mouth and cried soundlessly, because he feared that complaining on the first night would make the Mins throw him out.
And then he started hearing voices.
<Yoongi-ssi. Or should I call him Yoongi-ah? Would that be too informal? My little brother..>
He immediately realised that it was Kim Seokjin’s voice. But the boy wasn't speaking – he was still staring at him from behind his mother’s soothing presence, eyeing Yoongi as if he were something dangerous. Seokjin was three months older than him, but he still looked at Yoongi with some amount of fear.
<He’s adorable. He’s so plump and cute. I hope he likes me…I hope he calls me hyung…>
Yoongi blinked rapidly, his cheeks red. “...Hi. Hyung.” He offered, voice weak from embarrassment.
Seokjin’s doe eyes widened in disbelief for a moment before he teared up, offering Yoongi the sweetest smile. His mother let out a gasp of joy before falling to her knees and pulling both children close to her in a warm hug. “I knew you would get along.” She whispered, all choked up. “I just knew it. My Yoongi-ah is a sweetheart, right Seokjinnie?”
The new kid – his new brother, Yoongi corrected – still looked near tears. But his cheeks were bunched up in joy, and Yoongi found himself smiling back. “Yoongi-ah.” He called, and Yoongi’s smile stretched wider.
At ten, Min Yoongi met an angel. And realised he could hear his thoughts.
<Yoongichi would be so surprised when he walks into his birthday party!!!>
At 24, Min Yoongi wished the sweet angel crashing at his house and eating all his food would stop broadcasting all his thoughts so early in the morning. He had been genuinely happy when Kim Seokjin asked to stay with him for a while during his birthday month – apparently he’d landed a job quite near Yoongi’s university – but he’d forgotten how loud his hyung’s thoughts got. He’d even stopped setting up his alarm – Seokjin woke him up everyday thinking too loud about something or another. His shy brother was an extremely passionate man inside his own head.
Sometimes it gave him glimpses into things Seokjin had hidden from him, and Yoongi had to hold himself back from commenting on it. Like the day they went out for shopping and he found Seokjin staring wistfully at a form-fitting turtle neck – he’d planned on asking his hyung if he wanted to try it on, only to be interrupted by an intense monologue about his experiences at school.
<I’m too lanky and ugly for it anyway> Seokjin had thought, absentmindedly feeling the material with his fingers. <What use is a man who can’t build muscles? It’ll just be a shame for something like this to be wasted on me. Ha-joon was right.>
Yoongi wasn’t sure who this Ha-joon person was, but he was willing to bet three kidneys on him being yet another blind asshole with shit for brains. But then he realised he did know him, at least, he could ‘remember’ him. And with that recollection came a myriad of instances he logically should not know because Seokjin and he had gone to different schools.
A younger Kim Seokjin opening his bag to see rotting food inside it. School aged Kim Seokjin eating alone in the courtyard because nobody talked to him in class. Kim Seokjin falling down on the basketball court and spraining his ankle while four others look at him with undisguised malice on their faces. One of them, Yoongi realises, is Ha-joon.
As an adult, Yoongi thinks that it feels almost ludicrous that such intense bullying could have been faced by someone without the authorities being alerted – especially someone like Kim Seokjin, who was notoriously difficult to dislike. But Yoongi also realises, with absolute horror, that another of those four faces in his strange memories is too familiar to be mistaken. In this strange memory, Min Yoongi stands with the bullies, smirking down at his adopted brother.
But in reality, he’d gone to a different school. His parents had been shocked when he was adamant that he wanted to join a less prestigious institution, but he’d somehow play-acted a sudden interest in history and decided to prioritise a study plan that would lead to an affiliated university. Seokjin had been near inconsolable, even offering to shift his schools, but Yoongi had insisted he stay enrolled where he was because he’d been crushing all his classes, and because Kim Seokjin deserved to be where he was. His memories had placed him as a bully at school, especially the main tormentor of his beloved brother. With him gone, Seokjin would have a wonderful school life.
If he’d known earlier that Seokjin would be bullied irrespective of his presence at school…
“Hyung, you wanna get that?” He had asked then, snapping the older out of his reverie. Seokjin shook his head. “Ah, I don’t think it’ll suit me that well, honestly.”
Yoongi had bought it anyway.
The day he turned 25, Min Yoongi was ‘surprised’ by a gathering of his closest friends and family, all secretly shepherded in by a beaming Kim Seokjin. He’d reached behind him and pulled out the sweater, making the elder blush and babble in shocked delight, and it had become a sort of party for both of them.
At 26, Min Yoongi had graduated his masters programme and was ready to start work. And he’d been employed by the same company as Kim Seokjin.
It was by design this time, as Yoongi had aggressively campaigned for it. Twenty six year old Yoongi in his recollections had never left his hometown. He’d always remained Kim Seokjin’s childhood tormentor, and somewhere around chapter 153 his stepbrother had returned to the family to confront him for it. The Yoongi in his memories had freaked out seeing how much better Seokjin was doing, and that had been his punishment.
In real life, Yoongi followed Seokjin as the older took him to his assigned department, beaming as he did so.
<My Yoongi-boongi has grown up so well! So smart! So accomplished! I can’t wait to brag about it!>
Yoongi’s face was aflame.
Kim Seokjin in school was bullied, but Kim Seokjin in his workplace was a sort of mini celebrity. Yoongi was introduced to more people than he could remember, all of them looking at him with a warm smile that broadcasted their motivation – Kim Seokjin’s younger brother, of course he should be treated well. One of Seokjin’s teammates, Jung Hoseok, had leaned in during lunch one day and whispered, “We all knew about you before you joined. He’d been talking our ears off, bragging about his sweet younger brother.”
Yoongi had blushed in response, digging into his mediocre cafeteria food to avoid responding. Seokjin had also quietened down almost immediately, looking strangely guilty.
<I wonder if I’m embarrassing him. I’m always so loud and annoying… I didn’t even ask if he wanted people to know that we’re family…>
And because Yoongi was a sap for his brother, he’d immediately cleared his throat. “H-he’s the sweet one.” He’d mumbled, just clear enough that the table could hear. “I’m happy I’m here with my hyungie.”
The resulting coos from the group were embarrassingly deafening, but Seokjin’s smile had been so brilliant that Yoongi hadn’t cared that much after all.
His new manager, Min Yoongi realised, was the half brother of the CEO. And incredibly chatty.
“Can you believe it? He took over at twenty two! Isn’t that insane?” Taehyung whisper-shouted. “He snatched that position away in front of people who’ve spent like… thirty years for this company. I mean, I know he’s my brother and I adore him but I’m also a little scared because what do you think he had to do for that old fossil we call father to turn over and give him the CEO position–”
“Taehyung-ssi, I asked if you were done with reviewing the draft of chapter three.”
“I’m getting to it! You have to understand, it’s so hard checking eeeeverything and designing immaculate chapters regarding history in like, Egypt or Cambodia when actual history is being made in front of my eyes because my little brother is supposedly a business prodigy and–” Tahyung immediately stopped, slack jawed. Yoongi could feel another headache coming because oh he knew what was happening.
<OH! Yoongichi is talking to a booooooooy….>
“Taehyung, this is my elder brother. Seokjin.” Yoongi pointed at Taehyung dismissively as he swirled around to face his smiling brother. “Seokjin-hyung, you might know my manager, Kim Taehyung.”
“Hi! I’m younger than Yoongi here because I got in through nepotism!”, Taehyung finally moved, eyes still wide and disbelieving. “But I promise I won’t be one of those lazy managers and pin every mistake on your brother.”
“It’s so nice to meet you!” Seokjin giggled, looking in between them with a twinkle in his eyes. “You were very… honest. I hope Yoongichi here hasn’t been roughing you up too bad.”
“No sir!” Taehyung grinned. “Uh, your brother is a joy to work with! The best!”
And Yoongi grimaced, because Seokjin was almost comically ignorant of the effect he had on people, and hence he knew what was coming.
<OH OH OH THEY LOOK SO CUTE TOGETHER!!!!>
Kim Seokjin was a romantic, and for some reason, a firm believer of the idea that every person Min Yoongi spoke to was halfway in love with him. Yoongi had tried to reason it out, but Seokjin’s internal justification had just been a monologue of how wonderful Yoongi was, and how stupid anyone would be to not see that, and well, it was nice to hear. Especially coming from Seokjin, who was too shy to actually verbalise it.
“Please continue to treat my brother well, Taehyung-ssi!”
“Yes sir!”
“Why’re you here, hyung?” Yoongi raised an eyebrow. The marketing people seldom came down to speak to the Subject Matter Experts, preferring to send emails instead, so he had an inkling that his hyung had had ulterior motives.
“I came to remind you about dinner tonight. You’re my plus one, okay?” Seokjin mumbled, shy. “It’s my first time being invited, and I don’t want to be alone.”
<And I was worried that someone would be bullying my Yoongichi. Like the nepotism hire. But he seems nice.>
Despite himself, Yoongi felt his lips quirk up. “Yeah, hyung. You’ve been reminding me since last week. I’d sooner forget my own name.”
“Are you talking about the company dinner at Mauve?” Taehyung piped in. “Oooh you’re lucky your hyung has a good position, Yoongichi. You’d never get an invite otherwise–”
Yoongi heard Seokjin huff in annoyance at the perceived slight (and correct observation, honestly, he was a relatively new hire still), and immediately changed the subject. “Why’re you acting all envious? I bet you got an invite too. Nepotism.”
“I had to cry and beg and threaten to run away. Jungkookie thinks I might embarrass him!” Taehyung leaned back, turning his pout towards Seokjin. “He’s such a meanie, Seokjin-ssi. I hope you don’t have to work with him.”
“Jungkookie?” Seokjin blinked, understandably confused. “Do you by chance mean CEO Jeon Jungkook?”
Yoongi cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. This one here–” Taehyung fluttered his eyelashes at him bashfully, “ –is the CEO’s half brother. Which is why he’s just blatantly slacking off.”
Seokjin visibly stiffened. <I knew he was related but HALF BROTHER? If he starts being mean to Yoongichi my position can’t help at all then! I have to work harder for promotions–>
“Did you already meet little Jungkookie, Seokjin-ssi?” Taehyung prodded. “I’m sorry if he was standoff-ish or something. He’s a bit of a stick in the mud when it's business related but I promise he’s really nice deep, deeeeeeep down.”
“Oh–” Seokjin said, suspiciously blushy. “I met him a few days ago since my team directly reports to him now. He… Well, he seems really hardworking.”
<I don’t think he likes me very much, though. He glares at me a lot.>
“Oh! We should go together then! He brought his car so we can just carpool–” Taehyung was on his phone in seconds, immune to the looks of horror both brothers were sending him. “And sent. Saves gas AND gives us all a chance to get to know each other, yeah?”
The last thing Min Yoongi expected when Jeon Jungkook came to pick Taehyung up was to hear another voice in his head.
<Who the fuck is this guy? Why is he standing next to Jin-hyung?> The esteemed CEO was glaring at him. <He kinda looks like a cat.>
Wow. Rude.
“Jungkookie! These are my new friends–” Taehyung pulled them towards his stoic brother. “You might already know Seokjin-ssi–”
“We’ve met. Yes.”
Min Yoongi wondered how the company would react if they knew that their amazing boy-wonder CEO was screaming inside his head the second Seokjin offered him a nervous smile. Or that the only legible word he was muttering over and over again was lips, until it changed to a more elaborate HE’S IN MY CAR the second Seokjin let himself in. He hadn’t even registered Yoongi’s presence after the first instance of jealous displeasure.
“Yoongi-ssi here is Seokjin-ssi’s brother–” Taehyung was explaining as he got into the seat next to the CEO, oblivious to his displeasure about the arrangement. He definitely wanted Seokjin in front with him. “Since we’re headed to the same place anyway, I figured why not–”
“You don’t need to explain so much.” Jungkook rolled his eyes.
<You’re my lucky star, Taehyungie-hyung!!!!! I’d shower you in gold if I could– I can’t believe my angel is in my car!!!! Ah fuck I hope it smells like him after. He always smells so sweet…>
Yoongi was glad he was the last person anyone would pay attention to at the party, especially with Kim Seokjin’s face blinding everyone near him. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep from not reacting to his big bad CEO being an actual loser inside his head.
He hoped the dinner wouldn’t be eventful (derogatory) because all he’d agreed to was a few boring hours and good food. But once glance at his pretty hyung and the ceo he had apparently unknowingly wrapped around his pinky finger, Min Yoongi thought it would be wiser to not set that hope in stone.
Well, worst comes to worst, he’d just look for work somewhere else.