Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She looks out of the window. Nothing impresses her - No- some things do, but life truly isn’t enjoyable when you have a pack of hyenas breathing down your neck. She scoffs a bit while seeing smiles on people’s faces and yet keeps the smile on her face staring fondly at the strangers.
How exactly does one become happy? What is happiness? Is it when your mother finally takes your side when something is going on - Or when she finally stops spewing nonsense that you don’t care for ? Is it when your family actually cares for you? OR better yet, is it when you finally move out miles away from those people you begrudgingly call family, only to go through the hassle to show up on the weekly mandatory- much displeasing- family dinners? But hey.. it’s better than suffocating in the middle of her bothers’ useless inheritance battle, a compromise she would take any day if offered to her. The mere thought of her being part of that fight would feel so repulsing to her father if she so much as jokingly said she wants a piece of their cake. He doesn’t care about his omega daughter, all she is to him is an asset to exchange for more wealth and her birth giver is no different. 

Huiju laughs out loud as she thinks of this. Checking her phone and finding a lot of missed calls from her mother, Kang Inha and her fathers secretaries she dismissively ignores them all and turns off the phone. How funny, she doesn’t really care about any of that, but they are pushing her buttons after all! The smile falls off her face.
She may be just an omega but she will make sure they swallow back their tongues before they decide to make decisions in her stead.
The innocent doll mask is about to fall off, she’s on the verge of breaking of her act. At times, when all they do is shout and each of them get louder than the other- haaaa~ she wishes she brought her Beretta from her safe and Just end the loudest one in there. The amount of acoustic pollution they bring is immeasurable.

“We’re here miss.” Her driver interrupted her train of thoughts, as a professional overthinker she is grateful to have him who as if through telepathy knows when her thoughts begin to poison her unnecessarily, as she exits she feels her hands trembling a bit.
“Thank you Mr.Seo, I am hoping be out at 10 pm”
“ I will be on standby, ready whenever you are.” She gives him a sincere smile, he leaves and huiju tiredly faces the grand entrance door of her father's house.

Her feet decide to take root in front of the gate, unmoving she stares at people who pass by… it’s going to be a long night. 

All of a sudden in front of her sight she sees her brother who is almost flying across the corridor and he looks furious. She admits, her gut is in knots now. His brows are furrowed and as he passes by people giving them curt nods and fake smiles he reached her, grabbing her by her arm and forcibly pulling her to the back door of the house. The pressure on upper arm grew and it felt like her muscle was about to burst and so with a twist she yanked her arm out of his hold. “ ouch, KANG INHA! You jerk, if this leaves a bruise I’m holding you accountable and you better-“ 

“He is coming tonight.” He spit out in anger, jaw clenching and the furrow of his brow getting even deeper.

” Who is coming ? “  she asks with a smirk, of course, their displeasure only brings her joy. 

“I am in no mood for jokes huiju” 

“ and I, like a normal confused human being am asking you to enlighten me, oh dear brother~ Do I look like I am in the mood to guess?” She looks him dead in the eye with a poker face, the silence almost unbearable as he creates suspense by waiting for the perfect moment for the revelation.

Inha sighs deeply, now relaxed, he brings huiju’s world tumbling down. A name she never thought she would hear again. 

” Han Taeoh.”

Han. Tae. Oh……there is a lump in her throat. Pathetic. She thought she was over him. While huiju can’t help but hate the part of her that allows the memories of him to still hurt her,  she can never hate him. It feels like a sin to simply think of this. She hates how her heart flutters and comes back to life just at the mention of him. ‘He doesn’t love you huiju, don’t be ridiculous, stop hoping, stopSTOP THINKING!’  She feels her guts twisting even more and yet her face doesn’t betray any emotion. If she doesn’t get an anonymous Oscar for just acting like  ,kang huiju the forgotten family member of kangoh groups aces,- She’s going to have to send a complaint over at the SK HQ of award distributions. 

“ and what does that have to do with me” she replies indifferently 

Suddenly her brother  begins to grin after having scrutinised her. Does he see through the veil of lies she put up for him to see? she feels like someone just punched her right where the knot is and it’s taking everything in her being to not fall to her knees- screw stress. Screw everyone. “Do your thing, annoy him, seduce him or whatever just.. get him away from Hyewon.” He orders. 

“…” she looks at him in disbelief, she should spend a bit more time on earth than on her daydreams. It seems she has forgotten who her brother was. All that adrenaline rush for nothing. He leaves her there after semi-aggressively repeating his sentence. She looks in a daze at his figure that disappears behind the wall. Suddenly conscious of her body, she shivers from the wind hitting her skin. That cold sweat again, ever so comforting sobers her up. 

‘It’s too early to get drunk anyway.’

” Han taeoh….you should’ve never showed up in front of me again.” She looks up at the sky with a smile. 

And from above the balcony a man observes her. Her smile, the smile he fell in love with, the smile that reaches her eyes and makes the corners of her lips curl upwards.. he could almost hear the giggle that would always follow. 

Chapter Text

Huiju didn’t always live with her family, since her birth, she was raised by her grandmother in the countryside. That was a lifetime ago, before being plucked violently against her will from the garden where she set her roots in. Pulled from her nana's warm and loving embrace she was caged in the high and lonely tower... one that wasn't made of ivory, instead what surrounded her were ash-grey walls. 

Her nana is the sweetest.

I miss her...She thinks to herself, tears welling up in her eyes maybe I'm just too overwhelmed.

Back in the village she used to run barefoot on the grass having her grandmother chase after her with one of those homemade brooms, scolding her for not putting shoes on in case she became sick later. Whenever the time to harvest came, they would pack their lunch and take it with  them for a small picnic by the riverbank, nana would say something to herself and she in turn would repeat it and make a funny remark about it, they would burst out laughing until there were tears coming out of their eyes. 

She was thankful that in spite of never having seen her parents and rarely ever heard of them, she had all she needed. Nana is the one that taught her that being an omega was no crime nor sin, and that the one who created the bad notion about omegas was simply jealous because they lacked many things, She made her confident and strong, to never just accept what others tell her, to always stand her ground. Inha would visit there every weekend,  whenever his school vocations came up he stayed with them and time to time helped huiju learn. Early mornings she would jump on him to wake him up... 'Tsk, is this how city people behave' she remembers thinking back then, if she knew back then that he only relaxed like that when he came back to their home she would have let him sleep longer, but he never yelled at her, he would grab her little hands that would pinch his cheeks and half asleep mutter a 'five more minutes juju, oppa promis-...'  its funny how he never finished his sentences. She giggles and then suddenly feeling nostalgic, she wishes she could go back to when she had her brother. If only he knew how much she hates his wife for destroying their bond, and not only theirs- Taeoh too .   

She met the person who gave birth to her on the first year of highschool, although she wished she never did. Huiju didn't know hate until she met that woman, she didn't even know what to expect from a person who was nothing more than a stranger to her. The lady steps in domineeringly in her safe abode and announces she is here to take her back. Back to where?  At first she seemed a bit nice, but  20 minutes of playing the good mother was too much for Jang Geumsuk- that day was also when she finally learned their names; its crazy. As it would turn out, she was taken back to be taught how to be an omega befitting of their standards, obedient, weak,  submissive- oh... they may dream, but dreams don't always come true. That is exactly why ever since she came of age, she has been dragged along to attend every gathering possible. That and to marry her off to the highest bidder. The gatherings were her parents way of showing her visuals and manners of course, not like anything else mattered in the eyes of chaebols, she would like to bet that if she gave them a piece of her mind they would look at her in scorn. Did she use this as a means to escape unwanted arranged marriages? Why of course, although moderately. The trauma of the first time she burst out in a debate with the mother of one of her past marriage prospects coming back to her.  Unconsciously she traces her neck with her fingertips, and before she could dwell more on her thoughts a knock came from the door. 

“Huiju are you ready?” It was Inha, Although their bond is now Strained, due to disagreements and the person whose name she avoids taking in her mouth, he has started trying to mend it, however little. But the look of guilt on his face never seems to go away especially after his outbursts. Yes he is very childish sometimes but he is her older brother, she can’t hate him. Though he doesn’t seem to know.

" Yeah." that short reply makes him conscious of his mistakes. 

he looks at her while leaning on the doorframe, she sees him gulping a few times as if trying to start a conversation but no words are said until she's struggling to put on a necklace "Let me help" 

the silence was unbearable, what has become of them. Once inseparable brats, now almost strangers with nothing but family ties, just like the others. 

"I'm sorry. that was insensitive of me"  he says as he finishes clasping the necklace. "he hurt you and I -  I am the worst for pushing you-" 

"well, it isn't fine. but you're forgiven, as for him..." she let out a sigh, already tired of what is about to occur downstairs "lets go down..please."

He said nothing after that and waited to accompany her.  

━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

Gleaming chandeliers and an enormous Hall with a high dome ceiling, the clinks of glasses echoing from every corner of the venue, in the background the orchestra giving this gathering a more joyous atmosphere than intended. This is the Kangoh Group's house, okay! its how they like to show off  their wealth and power, a family of alphas -Only, she was their thorn, happily so. She looks down at the crowd, the unbearable sound of hearing people talk simultaneously is already making her feel sick. Feeling the confidence she had prior to this moment succumbing to her anxiety, she carefully goes down the stairs and tries controlling her beating heart by gently patting her chest, before attracting attention  to herself.

you are fine huiju, could there be a finer person than you in here tonight? nah.. Now let's shine~

her attempts at calming herself down make her a bit giddy.  

As she makes her way down, passing through numerous guests whose scents make her nauseous, she finally finds herself in a clearing in the middle of the hall, geumsuk noticed her presence-  Huiju had made sure she would.  

"my jewel~” she heard her mothers sickening fake voice” here you are and What. Are you . Wearing?” She said with anger hidden between her teeth as she still kept the act of lovingness for other to see while holding Huiju's  forearm as though in gentleness...that hold was everything but gentle- ‘ honestly what is up with these people today, I AM NOT A STRESSBALL FOR THEM TO SQUEEZE- all that’s doing is raise my blood pressure’  she had a lot more to say, however she keeps it all to herself, her complaints go unheard. 

“ what do you mean mother?”

“ I put a dress on your bed for you to wear for tonight-“ 

“ that thing?  That was a dress? It looked like a ripped rag…no offense but it’s so not my style and I suddenly remembered I have a picnic dress I never got to wear before so- here I am, the sunshine in this bleak room”

“ purple- could’ve chosen a better color at least” What Geumsuk really wants to say is elegant, there is something wired in her head that makes everything she doesn't approve non-elegant but she admits defeat . She learned the hard way that Huiju was never going to obey, saying to her that the dress didn't fit the dress code and the occasion would've made huiju more rebellious so she shuts up, tonight, no mistakes can be afforded to be made.    

“ No can do, This, is my style. And it's Lilac, mother." ...purple...huiju scoffs internally, she looking down on me, acting like I am too inferior to understand anything but easy terms. I can't with this woman. 

The feeling of detachment only grows bigger, the already wide gap only becoming wider, Jang Geumsuk though, does nothing to prevent this from happening, Why does this woman feel no remorse? she often wondered. Her eyes boring into her mothers with a gleam of hurt, which she hopes isn't seen - and deep down she hopes the opposite, hoping her pain would move this stone-hearted woman in front of her . 

Inha pulled her out of there and lead her to the balcony and reminded her in a quiet voice " you need air.."  

great, the night hasn't started yet and here i am, like this-  her heart is palpitating.  

from the corner of her eye she could see Hyewon moving about, keeping watch of the entrance door where guests kept coming, suddenly angered by the sight of her she gets out of her brothers hold and turns around and goes to hyewon " you really have some nerve to show up in front of me" she says in a whisper. 

"I don't get what you are talking about"  what a reply.. huiju wasn't taught how to argue with the likes of Hyewon,  any other day she would scoff and laugh in her face but she needs to say  her part tonight, otherwise her mind will eat her up when she tries to close her eyes.   

"I thought I told you how much the sight of you disgusts me and that if I saw you again I would pull every strand of your hair out by force, attention seeker, " its a good thing her brother cant hear any of this because of the music growing louder " gold digger.. first steal my brother and now  when a richer alpha is in the limelight you think you can throw yourself at them without any consequences you-" 

knowing she might regret being that mean even if its to hyewon, Huiju swallows the next words that were about to get out of her mouth.

"Its people like you that give us omegas  a bad name." her voice almost breaks at the end. 

She is on edge. she needs to be alone.  Kang Inha's brotherly senses seem to be tingling more than they did in the past 4 years because he takes hyewon with him and disappears somewhere after asking whether she will be fine alone. Huiju nods having no energy to reply and is left behind to take care of another meltdown on her own. she wants to cry her heart out but no tears come out, she wants to scream her lungs out and yet not even a quiet whimper escapes her lips. 

Kang Huiju.  You have finally become worthy of your cursed name, you can't even cry.

She recalls a long forgotten memory, Taeoh used to say her name a lot. What would he think of her if he saw her now.

"Huiju-ya" she freezes, it wasn't for nothing that she was on edge tonight, this sinister voice.. she still hears it in her nightmares. 

" were you avoiding me?" tremors of her hands now uncontrollable. She wants to scream for help, in her mind she already escaped from his grasp in ten different ways and yes she cant seem to make her feet move, as though vines had wrapped around her feet and are only pulling her down. 

"i thought we were good now babydoll!" his voice keeps making her sick, how could anyone forget almost dying. 

She feels chills running down her spine when he touches her shoulder, and that's when she makes a run for it.  Every person that gets on her way  has his face and his wicked smile.  

Her fears slowly crawling out, she was once a people's person, no crowd would make her lose her mind just like that but not after that beast  cut her open with his claws. 

Her nausea is only getting worse, she wants to puke her guts out as she almost stumbles onto waiters and strangers on her way to wherever her subconscious had decided on, a few times she almost came close  to hurting herself by coming face to face with pillars that seemed to come out of nowhere and block her escape. Barely making it outside, she ends up in the backyard, hardly anyone stays there but she runs without looking back. 

She was stuck in a labyrinth; her world was spinning. 

Helpless and ready to resign to her fate she stops in the heart of the Garden staring at a figure that is walking towards her.

there is a taste of salt in the wind, the cold gusts of it reminding her of an ocean. 

She just threw a glance and made a wish. 

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

In his eyes, she is perfect.

It was her innocence, kindness and her love which she  unconditionally gave that moved his heart like no hurricane ever will ever able to, that, he knows for sure.

The people flock to him in this theatrical stage they call a gathering ..but all he can think of is that contagious smile of hers. His expression never changing, emotionless and cold, and yet his chest  swarms with warmth,  Taeoh can't even count how many times he has caught himself thinking of her by now, or just looking over at the crowd to catch a glimpse  of the omega, her shining eyes always cause Dopamine to rush in his bloodstream, a reaction he can't control, I don't deserve her,  but he hides it well. 

For Han Taeoh, there is only Huiju.  Even if for the longest of times he tried to deny it, his Alpha  pride and ego getting in the way of letting his heart and soul be owned by a person who doesn't have a clue of said possession. He would rather keep it this way. The amount of pain he is sure to have caused her.. she can't possibly continue to love him like a fool

'Taeoh-oppa you're being mean, you don't even mean the word you're saying, I can see it in your eyes', the girl would say confidently and without fear, pouring her heart to him, until he had no heart to hurt her further, so he left.

He was always taken aback whenever she would guess his  thoughts correctly or even be able to read him as if he were an open book 'you're just imagining things kang huiju, now focus or I am not coming back again.'  although he wanted to be a bit more harsh  as a means to make her dislike him, something formed a clear border of just how far he could ever go with her in all aspects. He wanted to beat himself up every time he crossed the lines he set, but didn't react. 4 Years, that's how long he hasn't spoken to her.  When his goal was to get revenge for the blood the Kangs owed him, he ended up torturing himself instead. That must be why his parents always warned him to never get any evil thoughts, one ends up paying a higher price.  

He notices someone cause a bit of a commotion, huiju?, She's running...   

"If you will excuse me, I-" 

" You don't need permission president Han, give my greetings to your family in case we don't see each other anymore"   with a polite nod he agrees and bids them goodbye. 

His heart is throbbing in pain as he chases her outside, halfway  there he realizes its her heart that is hurting, he calls out to her but she doesn't stop. Her blue eyes clouded in a haze. 

he watches as she comes to a stop, abruptly falling down on the grass, her body trembling like a puppy in the rain. Taeoh stares at the familiar face, but doesn't recognize the woman in front of him.  Looking at her in concern, he carefully goes near her not wanting to startle her more than she already is  .

"huiju?" he calls out. She is physically here, mentally not so much. She looks at him but isn't seeing him, she doesn't recognize him.  Taeoh takes a better look at her face as he gently crouches  in front of her, lowering himself so she doesn't get scared. Huiju's shiny eyes are gone, their light dimmed, they are now filled  with tears that mercilessly  spill out of her eyes and run down her soft cheeks, which have sunken in a bit more since the last time he saw  her. Her figure now even smaller than he remembered from years ago.  He hesitates a bit before calling her out of her daze. 

"Hey, huiju…… kang huiju" she looks around feeling lost. 

he gently cups her face and tries again " Seonah.. " 

She blinks… eyes widen a bit, no voice escapes her lips. 

'Yah kid, don't you know this is trespassing? what's your name?'

'what do you need my name for. I wont tell you.'  the Guy looks at her unimpressed 

' I'm calling police-' 

'NO wait... c'mon, you can't do that- '

'3....2...' 

'JEon...Seon- Seonah?"

"what was that stutter for. why are you looking at me- was that a question? are you lying to me- Don't run!!!" 

He looks at her tenderly  and his lips slightly curve up to a smile.  

"care for a dance princess?" 

She doesn’t say anything but takes his hand nonetheless. Grabbing her small and soft hand in his he swiftly pulls her up to her feet and holds her waist steady so she wont fall, he feels her still trembling in his hold. 

As if by some wonder of the universe the melody from the hall turned slow. So they dance, with her head leaning on his chest listening to his heartbeat, and they sway, gently like the tidal currents of the sea. Up above the silver Crescent Illuminates, his eyes now hers.  

Chapter Text

On this cold autumn evening, he is back in his home's embrace, safe and sound with an undeserving happiness blooming in  his chest.    

'She is warm.' He thinks, holding her in his arms, both of which support her while he hugs her tight enough so it doesn’t get uncomfortable. 

As they go tilting left to right as if lulling a child to sleep he feels her hold around him loosen " tired?" he asks softly,  she grips his jacket with her right hand in response. He bends down to pull her up in his arms, she puts her arms around his neck hugging him, an action that only further encourages Taeoh's heart to beat even stronger. Taeoh stands there for a few seconds contemplating where to go and  then finally makes up his mind. The exit route, being the only way out, stays unchanging, through the hall and the entrance doors,  under those strangers' watchful eyes. Had it been someone else holding her, they would spread all kinds of rumors but now they see the alpha heir of the Han family, they are speechless. It feels out of character for them. Someone who detests people is holding Kang Huiju in his arms, and is she detestable in peoples eyes, defying all norms with her over glowing aura, arguments and actions, all the while grinning ear to ear as though mocking them. There had once been one other omega from the Kangs that was as reckless as Huiju is.   

Leaving the hall he meets Kang Inha face to face at the door.  He looks at Taeoh with a slightly annoyed glare but lets out a long sigh after that. 

"I thought I told you to not show up in here." 

"It wasn't exactly because i wanted to-"

"You could've said goodbye to all the plans we made if they caught a whiff of whatever we have going on, just from your actions." Inha says between his teeth in a hushed voice as he came near Taeoh. 

"I came here with my  father, I think I was enough diplomatic to not get on your nerves. Ah, there's been a change of our plans however." he says looking at huiju. 

Inha looks like he has a lot to say to him but chooses not to. 

"Clearly, now take my sister away before someone sees where you're headed to." Taeoh hums in response. 

Taeoh Closes the car door after settling Huiju inside and covering her with a blanket, Kang Inha stops him again before he can enter the car.

"Han Taeoh! " he stops on his tracks and waits what Inha has to say, tension between them still there. 

"be careful and brace yourself." he lets out a fake smile and leaves away. 

'..was that supposed to intimidate me?'  He thinks before driving away. 

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

The gates open as he drives his car inside the manors front yard, his younger brother is already waiting for him arms crossed with a blaming glare that shoots daggers at him. 

He exits the drivers seat and throws the car keys to him which he catches out of reflex. 

"Park the car in the garage." Taeoh opens the backseat door where Huiju is and takes her out 

"What am I! your slave? Do you think I am your Butler, tending to your every whim- oh... why is huiju noona here. Did you kidnap her? Tsk tsk tsk and here I thought you were a gentleman, my brother." Taeoh stops in his tracks and Yihyun almost collides with his back.  

"Han. Yi. Hyun. was I talking to a wall earlier?"  he asks in a whisper. 

"ermm lemme think about it real quick "

"what are you still doing here?" 

"thinking duh."

"3-"

" aight I'm gone, oh respectable alpha Han. You may stop counting!" Yihyun dramatically bows and goes away 

Taeoh shakes his head with a chuckle and enters their home. His mother catches the sight of him, she stares at him with wide eyes. 

"Stop." he freezes in his stride. 

" Eomma, I can explain-" he says panicked, his mother already on her way to him. 

"Just who" She silently shrieks when she sees the girl "Huiju?" still shocked she hides her mouth behind her palm, looking between her son and Huiju. 

"Eomma can I put her to bed first, please" and then leaves with his mother following close behind. he puts Huiju down on the mattress and removed her heels while his mother covers her. 

they quietly exit the room and close the door behind. Just as they sit down on the living room  on opposite sides his younger brother also enters with a cup of tea and a bag of popcorn in his hands and takes a seat between them. 

"Eo-" he begins but is cut off by her holding up her palm signaling him to stop. 

"now, tell me. Do I need to bribe someone to keep quiet?"

"Its because- WHAT? why would you?"

"didn't you kidnap her?" 

"exactly what I thought mamma " his brother added.

"Ha Ha- what gives you the impression that your son is now a criminal ?" he asks bewildered not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"you held on for too long, I was scared you would go crazy one day and do really unthinkable things" 

"Eomma!"

"Shhhhhhhh, hush child. So you didn't kidnap her" 

"No. I didn't." 

"why are you stressing that you didn't do that, it makes you suspicious" 

Taeoh rolls his eyes groaning and falls back on the sofa " I don't have enough brain cells right now to deal with you two- Its because you like jumping to conclusions" 

" so what if I do, I'm your mother I have to think of the worse before everything else." she shrugs nonchalantly. 

"Can we go back to the topic? " Yihyun interrupts with a grin as he sips his tea.

"Right," he clears his throat before continuing " I don't know why I brought her here. I just felt like I shouldn't leave her there" taeoh says, not looking at the two pairs of eyes that are scrutinizing him   

Yihyun begins clapping as he looks at him in disappointment "whoa, my brother. This by the book alpha male behavior is kinda - I'm speechless. "

"Your brother is right, there must be a reason. You cant just act like a macho in front of us." 

"Of course I am right. what are you acting so shy for, you can say it! That you missed her and since you were an Asshole you want to apologize- Tsk, if i were Huiju noona I would've given up on you years ago" Yihyun adds.  

"You two better chill,  what is this joint interrogation! "  Taeoh exclaims.

"Okay.  I'm going to ignore that you told your mother to chill,"  she lets out a fake sobs " in turn, spill the tea! what happened at the party? why is your Father not back."

as though heaven sent, they hear the door being opened. Han Hyeonwoo enters and sees his family having a somewhat heated conversation. His wife is sitting cross-legged and cross-armed while looking at their elder son who was lifelessly laying down and staring into space and their youngest abruptly changes stance by acting like he has no fault in whatever is going on. Hyeonwoo decides he doesn't want to know. 

" President Han~ Did you forget your father tagged along? I had to listen to Mr. Shin's nonsense for another hour. But then again you can pay my medical bills if my hearing gets impaired."  he sings out, then pats Taeoh's shoulder, gives a kiss to his wife while smiling at her and walks to the kitchen. 

"Not you too, i want out- Taeoh logging out. Error 404, server unreachable. ill be back in service never. " he says and then springs up to rush upstairs to his room. 

" Yah, come back here" they hear as his door closes with a  light bang " He was being shy." 

"Yep. ah my hyung. I will tell Huiju noona all about it-" yihyun is interrupted by a pillow that flies to him. "Ouch Ma!"

Han Hyeonwoo comes back with an empty glass and a carafe full of water. 

"did you two gang up on him?" 

they keep mum while avoiding looking at him and the father simply nods knowingly.  Tonight, something is a bit different. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Back in his room, after taking a shower he lies on his bed. Sleep doesn't come to him yet, instead she enters his thoughts again, like always. 

People say  regrets and tears go hand in hand. They are right, Han Taeoh regrets it deeply and he wants to cry.  He knows exactly what made him bring her here. it was his heart that always goes against him. 

You are undeserving! The voice in his head hisses. do you take back a friend that stabbed you in  your heart knowing fully well you would die?  it asks, the answer to such an obvious question is likewise obvious. Yet outcomes are never for sure and hope always dies last.  

All those years that he painstakingly threw down the drain instead of spending them all holding her in his embrace, just what right does he have to hold her in his arms now. He wasn’t blind, he has seen her tears, he has heard her talk about how she loved him even after he hurt her but in return she wounded him by loving him, trusting him, trusting his actions to have been made rationally. He wasn’t rational at all when he shouted at her that he doesn’t love her, his eyes had betrayed him it seems, restless, they refused to make contact with hers in fear of his façade crumbling down, is this why she had not believed his words?

As often as he  unintentionally ended up eavesdropping on her, that’s how much she almost bumped into him. Yet they never exchanged words until now. It felt like the calm before the storm but the storm was long gone leaving behind only the havoc it caused.  Huiju is so strong, She boldly continued to look in his eyes as though telling him she is unaffected. He knows his words stung a lot, its an unfortunate curse he cannot get rid of. 

He remembers the day when she last spoke to him. 

He had known fully well that Kang Huiju was related to the kang Oh group owners. Yet seeing them all , even from afar , who were laughing with no care, made the fire of wrath in his heart burn brighter.  

He remembers his brothers cold and lifeless body, his bloody shirt and the many stab wounds on his stomach and chest. Once again he cant breathe, "Hyung, Im here hyung! Open your eyes!" 

As his shouts had gone unheard, Taeoh was pulled away and his hyung was covered with a white sheet.

He couldn't  help but feel nauseous. His Hyung lay six feet under the ground and these people have the nerve to laugh, he felt crushed, barely keeping himself away from doing something.  

Huiju was the one to keep the few threads holding him together from breaking. He became afraid of his own anger, the fury of his fire could end up swallowing her together with everything else that gets on his way .   

"Taeoh-oppa, i-... I love you"

It was time to bid farewell to his love, who he barely had time to love as she should be loved. Turning his own heart to stone he had replied with "well I don't "  

'what am I doing'  he had asked himself confused, from the corner of his eye he saw his brother looking at him.

"Look at me in the eye Han Taeoh, and tell me you don't love me  If you don't say anything to me i'll take  it as confirmation  that you don't mean it." 

"now why would I stare in the eyes of my brother's killer"  was his retaliation. 

"How. how could you say that, You know that has nothing to do with us-"

"BUT YOU HAVE THEIR BLOOD RUNNING THROUGH YOUR VEINS! is that false?"

"Is that how you see me?" she asked sadly. 

'I don't' he had answered in his heart.  

"is that so? then, can you handle this han taeoh? me leaving? "

'I don't think I have a choice but to.' he thinks in the back of his mind 'I don't want you to get hurt' but says nothing, knowing that his thoughts and actions weren't aligning, He thought he hid the pain and regret in his eyes well but she had seen his pained look and mistaken it for something else. 

Unable to accept her conclusion she had waited  expectantly for him to say something for another full minute,  after that she had looked  down and he had seen a few tears drooping on the ground. 

He cant remember whether he said something else to her, Huiju had left hurriedly after that. 

In his memory , through his peripheral vision he sees his brother looking at him sadly, a lump forms in his throat and he screams his lungs out as it rains. Taeoh begins throwing fists against the concrete floor, he feels no pain, cant even feel his own hand anymore. There are now tears in his hyung's eyes as he walks towards taeoh, for a split second what could've been his brother's embrace,  turns into Kang Inha's punches, Taeoh had already resigned himself to fate. Numb as he is, all he is able to feel is the stone weighting on his heart. 'What did i do ? '

Regrets and Tears go hand in hand, he had cried and sobbed. His tears alone couldn't have brought Huiju back, just as his revenge couldn't have brought his brother back. 

The Period after they had their 'falling-out' was the darkest for him. He thought they would never see each other again, however, it seemed all roads of his life lead to her, was it a message from beyond the grave? telling him that revenge would do him no good and only take from him or was it the goddess who his Huiju prays to? telling him her child was wrongfully put in agony and despair. As a last resort to be able appease his own bloodlust he -in the end- chose to cross the line he set. He almost destroyed her, almost shattered her, his heart and soul, his breath and life, his omega. 

'I was stupid and naïve'

Sleep, doesn't come to him easily. Instead she comes first to his mind. 

Her loving smile and heartful laugh, a warmth spreads in his chest and abruptly there is pain again. 

He gets up to wash his face with cold water and ends up seeing his own refection. 

'what you did… do you think you deserve forgiveness? Do you think you could ever forgive yourself if you were in her place, after rubbing salt on her wounds?'

 
he looks in his eyes, loathing the traitor tears that fall from his eyes, his heart feels like it's being cut in two. 

That night Sleep doesn't come for him at all. Instead thoughts of losing her haunt him into daylight.
 

Chapter Text

The hushed sounds behind the closed door make huiju stir in her sleep. Her eyes open and she  finds herself in a familiar room, one which she had frequently occupied in the past, an image of Taeoh's family immediately comes to her mind. The last time she had  been here they were all so happy, her heart would always almost overflow from the immense Joy they brought her. So why did the things that happened happen? 

She slowly sits up for a while on the side of the bed trying to wake up from her sleepy state, through a blurred vision she notices some clothes on top of the dressing table. She heaves up to drag herself to the bathroom to freshen up. After quite a while she comes out wearing the clothes that were left for her, she sits by the dressing table in front of the mirror combing and drying her wet hair. The events of yesterday suddenly flooding in her head. The party, the Anger, that demon and.... Taeoh.  'Why is it happening again, just when I thought I was already past that phase.'  She lets out a sigh in the end choosing not to let bad memories ruin her new morning. Her thoughts go to Taeoh. She had imagined their meeting differently, between them she thought she would be the one to go after him and do the chasing, and so this-his action- changes everything. She admits, never in her wildest dreams did she dare to even think that he would be acting like that with her after they  had drifted away, its why she never dared think to go and see him for herself in the last 4 years. Even the simple act of stealing a glance of him felt wrong, burdened by a feeling of guilt that wasn't even her own. Feeling a bit resentful and reluctant whether to make a move or not, she now stands in a dilemma of how to proceed. 

He confuses Huiju, just as he always has. Does he love her or not?  maybe love is too strong of a word to use for him, a slight liking would suffice her, however, if continuously giving herself hope is akin to consuming poison then she gladly does and will do so, trying to change the course of the emotions that fiercely grow through the misery and joy alike, no longer works, Weariness knocks at her door so often nowadays and she is tempted to open that door and let the different faces she puts on for everyone to see, fall off.  But she can not be too hasty, the price to be able to withstand the storm, was Taeoh. Him cutting her off was for the best. 

On the other hand, to love him or not was never a question but a choice, at times instead of it being a choice, she felt like it was something meant to be, predestined, a plan set in motion by universe itself. How could she not fall for him when in a room full of other potential mates he only had eyes for her, he would take her hand and pull her for one dance after another whenever she got dragged along by Jang Geumsuk stealing away the time they had to stay there infuriating the woman until she almost went crazy, tie her shoelaces whenever they became loose after a run on the schools running track, bring her her favorite blueberry juice at lunch everyday without fail in between his own busy schedule,  whether he had done it simply because of the friendship between him and her older brother, their friendship itself or out of his own selfish grounds it doesn't matter, Huiju has already drowned in the sea of his love. Maybe this had always been the reason why his words only stung so briefly. His good outweighed his bad.

Her alpha who is always trying to be mean, he doesn't know, his kindness is more lethal, a love potion even for the most unfeeling of hearts. 

She tries to convince herself in vain that he feels nothing for her, but that is only another show she puts on for her own self, so that the distance between him and her that stretched so far and wide becomes something meaningless- wishfully  non-existent. Humble as she is, acting like an obsessive person with a one-sided love suited her even less than it did any other, and so to save a handful of pride left, she repeats to herself like a mantra 'he doesn't love you'  each time she thinks of him,  it became a routine, she was only able to do this much to not give hopes to herself. Her heart is a betrayer though, Taeoh did nothing to help the cause either, each year on her birthday she would wake up only to find her favorite flowers on her doorstep. Always guised as a gift from his mother, who loved her like the daughter she always longed to have. However Taeoh is oblivious if he really thinks she wouldn't have known they were from him. His mother doesn't know what her favorite flowers are to begin with.

How could she ever stop loving him when he does things like that? moments like those live and and thrive at the back of her mind, at this point the mantra  feels like its being directed to some entity that has no ties to Huiju, a persona she created solely for pouring all the hurt and whatnot on. 

From her goddess she seeks answers, the person she loves, does he feel not a thing for her romantically? If he truly felt nothing for her, he should have put a stop to everything when he cut her off and yet, here he goes again Perplexing her, making her walls crumble down, making her hopeful- Huiju doesn't dare be too hopeful though, she already did that mistake, a reenactment would only make her suffer all over again. 

Her contemplations stop. What is the point of overthinking things, she now has a chance to ask. 

'Ah... he is still enchanting.'  she thinks to herself with a smile as she remembers how he stared at her, his looks even more matured since last time she saw him, she can't help but giggle at her thoughts, she stops smiling a bit, trying to pull herself back from the daydream. 

'is the wait coming to an end ?'  a happy shriek from outside interrupts  her train of thoughts. She moves over to the window only to see the view of the big garden, Yihyun is chasing a little boy who is running away from him while screaming and laughing. And her Taeoh, he has his back turned to her as he sits on a chair under the gazebo drinking from a big mug and typing something on his PC, even from far away she can tell he is tired, what she knows for sure  are his little habits  from how he slightly crouches and leans forwards near his computer to see better when he is in fact dying for sleep,  to looking away when he lies, the latter only making her heart throb- how she wishes she is right though. Her stubborn Taeoh,  he is always disregarding his health isn't he? Just like when he would get drenched in the rain at the mention of his brother's untimely death. 

'I can't feel anything huiju...leave me alone until it starts to hurt...please'  he had told her with bloodshot eyes. She had wailed loudly at home startling her grandmother who then stayed with her all night long, singing her to sleep.  

'how many sleepless nights have you had my night sky?'  her question cannot be answered and her heart breaks a bit more for him. Huiju does her best to understand him, he was once her only friend, her best friend. His pain is something she can only imagine, one thing for sure though, she would not be as strong  as he is. She imagines, if  her agony was as new as his was she would most likely set the world on fire, leave destruction on her wake and then get engulfed in the flames of her rage. It didn't matter what happened to her, she just did not want to see him destroy himself like that. Both of them are tolerant individuals yet their tempers at the last thread.. well, for others..  

'My silly alpha.' her smile is back as she sighs and makes her way downstairs.  'I am allowed to love you. You don't need to return my affections.'  hope...is an illness.

At the bottom of the stairs she comes face to face with Yeon eomma , both their eyes fill with tears as they hug each other " my little butterfly, What took you so long huh?" 

Huiju doesn't know what to say, responding with 'you should inquire your son about it' would sound rude and most definitely hurt her only mother figure whom she loved dearly, so instead she sobs and only hugs her more, It seems she had been hurting more than she knew. 

"okay, let me go redo my make up- You made me cry so much, I have to send a complaint to that eyeliner brand for fraud, how dare they label it as water and tearproof." 

huiju giggles, they break the hug and are interrupted by incoming people. 

She notices yihyun and the little kid are pulling at Taeoh's feet barely letting him walk away while loudly discussing who he belongs to making him scowl playfully.

" NO! Uncle is mine!" the little one shouts Irritated. 

"nuuh, he is mine! He is my brother!-oh Noona!" yihyun shouts dramatically letting go of his brother's leg and hugs huiju pulling her up startling her but making her laugh nonetheless "Han Yihyun let me down, is it just me or did you get even cheekier than last time we saw each other"  

"Oho, You can not possibly blame me for missing you , if only SOMEBODY didn't do what they did i would have been a more outstanding person through your guidance, Flowers bloom  wherever you step on, my noonim" he indirectly jabs at Taeoh who keeps silent while looking at huiju as if she were a dream.   

with a light heart she laughs and hits his shoulder with her palm "whoa, did you take lessons from your brother or something? he was very good in school plays " 

"are you sure we are thinking of the same person? which brother are you talking about, because I only know tree trunk Han Taeoh-" he replies sassily feeling the unamused glares Taeoh shoots at him at the back of his head. An unexpected hand rests on his shoulder and his breath hitches, although the palm is warm he feels like the arctic is freezing inside of him, warning shivers running down his spine. His father turns to him smiling with an eye smile as if saying 'don't say any other nonsense making us embarrassed'.

"Welcome back huiju" he also takes her in a hug which she returns just as tightly, she feels tears threatening to spill out again, she smiles instead. 

"I am back..hyun appa-" 

"who are you?" a voice calls out from bellow, she looks down to see a pair of black marble eyes staring at her dead in the eye as he pouts and puts his  hands on his hips like he has seen his grandmother do when she demands answers " why are you hugging my grandpa?" a knowing look suddenly passes though her eyes. Han Jaeha's son. She is at loss for words, A knot has tied itself in her throat now. Only now did it occur to her, the child in front of her is an orphan, one created by the evil and greed of her relatives. He is exactly like her. The grieving left behind, their grievance being not having been able to know the people they should have a bit more, for a while longer. 

Noticing how she is fidgeting a bit and only smiling sweetly with a pained look at the little one, Taeoh moves forward grabbing little Seoha in his arms and before he can say something Yihyun cuts in between. 

"little squirrel, that's who your uncle tae fancies!"  Huiju blinks confused- secretly enjoying their conversation.  

Taeoh wants to kill him, with his bare hands. Why are younger siblings only made for making older ones suffer, he wonders, Or is it just his younger sibling who is like this. 'annoying little shit'

He sends daggers flying to him, silently saying 'shut your mouth, before I make you eat the grass in the front lawn.' Han yihyun loves pushing his brother's buttons and smugly looks at him, side eyeing Taeoh with an unsaid 'make me... ha ha, you can't i have my noona here now.' and to test his temper further he adds another sentence while wiggling his eyebrows at him.

"You know how uncle Tae was muttering in his sleep some days ago?" 

" the Juju girl he likes?" The little one asks confused "exactly " yihyun winks at him.

'Oh Luna, Huiju's goddess... Make me vanish. Take my breath, right now'  Now, what he actually means to say is, erase this whole exchange from existence. Not only do they make sure to annoy him daily, now they have resorted to embarrassing him in front of Huiju, his complexion now ashen. 

His expression is a mess.. She looks at him coldly with a bit of amusement  and amicably asks " you dream of me Han Taeoh?"  her question catches him off guard, before she receives the answer she makes a motion to leave with an airy scoffing laugh.  What Yihyun failed to mention, is that he wasn't just muttering in his sleep. He was covered in sweat, moaning in pain and only woke up with a startle because Seoha's bouncing on top oh him had made him feel like he had let her hand slip from his grasp on a precipice. 

"aren't you staying for breakfast noona?" The brat has to put his nose in everyone's business, 

" Are you staying here juju aunty?" she smiles brightly at seoha's words " maybe next time darling! What do you like most? I will bring it for you when I come back" 

"umm," he gestures for her to get nearer and whispers something in her ears.

Huiju giggles.

Being in close proximity to him, he inhales her scent of lilacs.     

" Yah, Han Seoha. Even I don't get Banana Cheesecake for free like that! don't be a brat  we are both grounded this month, You're going to be punished with me!" 

The little one gasps loudly and his eyes comically widen with a look of betrayal. He glares at yihyun " hyunie! You Dummy, I was going to share, now uncle Tae knows and he is going to tell Granny and Grandpa." now all three are looking at Taeoh, Yihyun and Seoha pouting sadly and Huiju is observing how things unfold. 

"Since when was I a snitch!"  He replies a bit offended. 

"oh, I forgot. Hyunie is the snitch-" 

" WHAT!! You brat- WHO Do you think FEEDS YOU?!" seoha pulls out his tongue at him and hugs Taeoh's neck. 

Huiju can't help but laugh. 

Taeoh is left breathless. 

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

The driver brings the car at the front door of the house. Taeoh leans at the frame of the front door watching the interactions between his mother and huiju.

"my butterfly..come see us again" his mothers hugs huiju a last time and then puts a lunchbox in huiju's hand  making her protest "you didnt have your breakfast yet and you want to leave, you can at least eat something on the way. its a long way to Daegu. Give my greetings to your grandmother- ah, and this is for her"

" will do, what is in there yeon eomma?" 

" Just something she left behind last she was here, I'm sure she would want to have it back." Huiju nods, as she is about to go to the car, Taeoh swiftly moves and grabs the things from her hand and puts them  on the backseat, takes the car keys from the driver excusing him. 

He then turns to her looking determined " if you will allow me?"

"hn." she hums in approval.

The road to Daegu sure is long. Taeoh seemed to have some other purpose, deliberately choosing the longest routes to drive there.  

He tries striking a conversation but no words come out, a gulp visible on his throat. Huiju observes him from the sides, making it not seem obvious as she keeps her head looking at the road Infront of her. his hand fidgets on the driving wheel. it feels like she is looking at someone who is walking back and forth in front of her, she is frustrated so she makes the first move. 

She turns her head to him " Send us somewhere." he understands what she means, Remembering Inha's last words to him, is this what he was warning him about. He lets out a soft sigh 'brace yourself, alpha Han.' he encourages himself. 

He ends up driving at their  mountain cottage near the hiking trails '..come to think of it, that cliff is nearby too. '  he shakes the ominous feeling away, although he is not a superstitious person, staying with huiju for so long a part of hers now lives in him. He blames his brother for reminding him of the nightmare. 

They now stand  face to face inside the small vocation house.  

Taeoh still doesn't know where to begin, she scrutinizes him with arms crossed.

" Yah Why is it that you were brave enough to at least smile at me yesterday and now you're back to being the indifferent Han Taeoh, you look at me in disdain-" 

"i am not-" 

"yes you are, have you looked at yourself in the mirror ? You better get your mimics right then, if you want to show what you really feel. Stop confusing me." she snaps at him. The outburst had been expected. Taeoh had prepared himself for this. He keeps silent,  she stares at him waiting for him to retaliate and when nothing comes she lets out a long sigh. 

"you're an insufferable idiot, you know?" 

"I-"

"don't ask for forgiveness," She starts " I have nothing left to forgive." 

Taeoh  looks at her puzzled. 

"you might not remember, but you apologized to me right after saying more hurtful shit. thinking back that was absolute gibberish, a mess of an argument, I was simply hurt by the fact that you were pushing me away for reasons unknown using my only weakness. It makes sense, I would do so too if I were you. I understand where you were coming from- look at me Han Taeoh!" she demands. 

he looks down. 

"Taeoh!" 

"How exactly do you expect me to look you in the eye, when I hurt you of my own accord. Apologizing doesn't  make it okay, it doesn't matter if it was just in a  spur of the moment I hurt you, or that it had a reason why. I am ashamed of myself, for even thinking that that was the right way, that that was the only way to make sure you are safe from my own craziness-" a choke in his throat cuts his words before he continues  Tears well in his eyes  and a few drops escape " So I am sorry, it was my cowardice that caused you pain, the anger, I was afraid of it. I couldn't believe it was my mind weaving all those evil thoughts, putting together plans that not even demons would dare to. I couldn't take the risk of hurting you any other way Kang Huiju. As for yesterday.. it was the bravery of the fool that took over me, You were not okay and I was out of my mind for a  bit, after coming to my senses, how exactly do you expect me to act normal with you kang huiju?, like I never hurt you, like I never spewed all that nonsense out of my mouth, I curse myself every night for even wanting to take revenge....The cycle would never end."

Huiju nods in understanding "but what is it to you if I get hurt or not.. alpha"  She provokes him with a spiteful voice demanding to know what his deal is. 

Taeoh looks in  her  eyes sincerely, a serene look surrounds him, his eyes have a slightly red sheen. 

" I love you, Kang Huiju." His confession feels like a dream, unlike the ones she had dared to dream before. They had felt fictitious, this one, although it feels unreal, she knows its true from how fast her heart pounds against the cavity of her chest, she can feel it thumping on  her throat and pulsating all over her body. So she wasn't wrong, he did love her back then. He is the meanest liar. 

"and I love you..Taeoh oppa...." ',You liar'  His chest now throbs, the memories of her assertively confessing to him making him cry in pain and joy.  Another sigh escapes her soft lips she moves towards him in a slow pace "initially.. I was going to ignore you for a while" she confessed looking up at him who now stands up to stand face to face with her "many contemplations later I came to the conclusion that its not worth it. Life is so short. Years go by with the flutter of the birds wings, before you even know it, you have lived many springs as you have many winters, you have survived storms of many kinds faced challenges that life has thrown in your way and... If my life came to an end in the next few moments I know for sure I  would regret it if I didn't spend all my time that I have left with you."  She steals his breath and takes its place, the oxygen in his lungs was huiju it seems.  

She finally smiles at him. " can we stop being mad at each other already? I have hurt you as much as you have hurt me, so let us call it even?" in between tears he agrees with a nod and moves to take her inside his embrace, before they take notice hours have passed. 

"I am sorry, I regret it a lot. it feels like a lifetime was ripped away from us just because of my stupid actions and uncontrollable emotions"

she wipes his tears with a smile " its alright, maybe it was fate's design,  you were mourning, and  you needed to do so away from me."

"I always thought as long as I never broke any rule nothing would happen, if I kept myself composed and still polite although distant, no force in the universe could shake my family, however-" 

he laughs humorlessly  " when i lost my brother back then, it felt like a really bad nightmare, I couldn't wake up form, My first thought wasn't 'ah..i dont have an older brother anymore'  that one hit me last. I placed myself in my nephew's shoes imagining what my life would have been without my dad in my life, having never met him, the misery made me want to rip my heart out of my chest. I imagined how my brother could have felt in his last moments knowing he will never be able to see Seoha, never be able to feel the soft little hands holding tight on his finger, leaving that little creature who still needs guidance and care in a world dim and grey without a father. a protector. Foolishly, my heart aches for others and when it finally did for me, my insides were burning in rage and sorrow, my brother's life had come to an end and mine continued, it felt so wrong yet time still apathetically moved whether I wanted it to or not. My wrath scared me. I didn't know who to be angry with."

she caresses his hair, sliding her hand from up downwards from the top of his head, and then puts her arms around his neck breathing in his scent,

"it's alright now, he is in a better place. You know sometimes, when my own anger scared me I also left home, I didn't want to hurt my nana. No matter how ridiculous this sounds I know I remind her of her of my mother, she stares at me as though she wants to burst in tears at times.  I just don't feel comfortable knowing its my anger that reminds her of my mom. although that might only be because of a regret she has."

Taeoh looks at her surprised " you know?"

" hmm I know, Yang Jian and Kang Seonghoon my real beloved parents, all I can remember from them is through pictures. Thanks to Kang Joongmo and his family. " her smile is pained. She is tired. It turned out weariness was too impatient and knocked down all the walls and hinges that were holding her door. 

"I only found out after your brother punched some sense into me back then," Taeoh hesitates before speaking up, " about your brother-" 

" Let him destroy his own damn life, I Warned him not to involved himself with Na Hyewon. Little big guy thinks he is being slick, well in my eyes he isn't !"   

"He thought if he took the fall for the both of you, you would be spared-"

"he is an idiot. Does he genuinely think the Kangs care who gets hurt? They don't keep promises, if they did my dad would have been alive today! As long as they get what they want, they wouldn't hesitate to murder their own  flesh and blood"

"how long have you known huiju?"

"kang Joongmo slipped and Jang Geumsuk had the audacity to slap me -for the last time in her life. That kind of triggered my memory, they still think i know nothing - calling that snake mother makes me vomit out my guts I have to end this fast. The thing is I can't remember how I got the temporary amnesia that has to be solved too.. anyway... Han Taeoh"

" yes?"

"Don't ever leave me!" she replies after a pregnant pause. 

"I cant ever leave you, I have never left you once  ever since I met you" he confesses lovingly.  

"...Wait a minute, does this mean you made me feel like a fool all this time, You allowed yourself to look at me  and I was left there impatiently waiting for blurry paparazzi pics of yours- Wow-you owe me big time." she fusses cutely making him chuckle.

"alright, alright,  if you allow me I shall spend my whole life making it up to you." 

"was that a proposal?"  she asks making him laugh- " isnt this going a bit too fast?" he replies. 

the weights on their hearts evaporate into nothing.

'this is who you are Taeoh, Happiness suits you way better" she looks at him with soft starry eyes and a big happy grin. Her Taeoh...Her alpha.

"Give me a chance first Kang Huiju, you can make use of me but I can never take advantage of your love for me. I am giving you time to see my worth, only then can you decide what to do with me, whether you still want me by your side or not" he smiles at her. 

How could she not fall in love- He doesn't need to steal her heart, she willingly surrenders it in his palms. 

Chapter Text

They sit in the garden on the swings, openly staring at each other.  

"so... I am sorry too," Huiju says breaking the silence, Taeoh is confused he didn't know he deserved an apology from her.  

she grins at him and then composes herself before continuing " that was a very bad time to pester you with my confession, but I didn't know how to distract you otherwise. Oh my Luna, I was so stupid, if I had the chance to go back in time and slap myself awake-I would. That is so embarrassing! SEE! I get goosebumps whenever I think of that to this day, THE CRINGE!" she explains showing taeoh her arm, the hairs sticking outwards, making him laugh a bit. 

"what's there to be embarrassed about, at least you were being honest, like you always are. Unlike me " his eyes gleaming with admiration. " You can bother me all you want but I don't think I will ever take it as a negative thing. If we have to measure who was stupider that is always going to be me. I did need space, but not 4 years of no contact. That is too much space. I also cannot believe the first thing I thought to do was leave you for your sake without even clarifying stuff, even though that would've only made you more confused."

"true, you did pull a telenovela move out of nowhere, and you've always hated them. " she giggles.

"Hah, don't remind me,  remember how I commented on that one you made me watch-what did I say again; This is the dumbest show ever, trash, my head hurts, why are they so dumb just talk don't abandon each other, AH THE IRONY! Maybe I was truly more out of my mind than I thought. Juhui Beat me!"  He turns to her dramatically. 

"mwahahahah. that might have been it's revenge, it heard you and thought 'I will make this man regret ever offending me'  And that is how you ended up like this. Wise words to keep in mind, never speak ill of my precious dramas, Ohtae! " with a fake serious look on her face, she tries pinching both his cheeks, failing to do so because said man doesn't have any fat at all, Alpha genes. Her eyes travel to his exposed arms and her hands itch to feel his biceps- she obviously resists the temptation.  

Taeoh scoffs playfully at that "  we will see about that" in truth he had gone back and watched the same drama thrice- not that he is ever going to tell her-, his heart hurt while watching that ridiculous show but it gave him the comfort he needed, that maybe he too, just like the main characters -who get separated and go through what seems like a worse fate than theirs- get the chance to forgive, move on together.  He is supposed to be the realist, the pessimist out of both of them and yet huiju molded him into a versatile creature who could accept change. She came to him like a light in the dark.

"i have many other questions though- like... a lot, do you mind a Speedy Q & A?"

"a what now?"

" I need answers fast, my patience is running out." 

"okay, shoot. "

"You dream of me Han Taeoh?" 

"Every night."  he says without any hesitance. 

" and what do you dream of?" she asked teasingly. Guess who isn't getting any extra pocket money from him.

He can't lie to her but being completely honest is also out of the question, in each way he tries twisting the truth it only gets worse and worser, so leaving out the detail where he dreamt of kissing her is what its going to be. After his brothers death he never saw good dreams again, his sleep was plagued by night terrors most of the time, which is why he mentions a dream before that time. 

" it was G rated if that is what you wanted to know. I don't dare cross any lines without your consent." first part is true.. second one. not so much, what one dreams of is completely involuntary, he can't possibly defy the sleeping fairy's will- Huiju once told him about the sleeping fairy and although he thinks it is absolutely cap, he finds it endearing. Or who knows maybe his huiju is a fairy herself. He would not put it past her to sprinkle magical dust on him, chasing his nightmares away whenever she is near. 

"pfff, goody two-shoes, then again I don't know what I was expecting. Am I disappointed or  not, I am having mixed feelings here. "

He closes his lips in a line. " if my opinion is appreciated, you should take that as a good sign." 

"yea, you're Taeoh. The gentleman." 

He widens his eyes as he sucks in a breath, he can't comment on that. 

He remembers one of the dreams he had of her, it happened when he was still oblivious to his feelings. 

Huiju was climbing a snowy mountain during a snowstorm that together with a strong gale managed to pluck away everything that wasn't deeply rooted in the mountain. Her feet were steady though, never falling, never staggering. Huiju's resolute did something to his heart. It turned out she was there for him, she stretched her arm, offering her gloved hand to him but before he could grab on to it. He had woken up and could not stop thinking about it. The dream had been heavily influenced by daytime events, it just so happened that in that very day Huiju and her former classmates had a meetup at the baseball court, and he was there for a business meeting with fellow youngsters from some other chaebol families. He could have almost said goodbye to his face that day thanks to the velocity  of the object, if it weren't for her who came to the rescue in a flash.  

"YOU THERE WATCH OUT!!!!!" a few  voices shout from afar, a cup of coffee on his right hand as he writes something on his notebook with his left, he ignores the voices until he can hear the whistling of the wind awfully directed his way. And then a shadow covers his vision, the sun that was blinding a few seconds ago disappears. The person swings the bat throwing the object that almost hit him miles away 'Is this the real life wonder woman?'  

"are you alright?" she asks, It was Huiju.

He badly wants to answer 'no I am not. Take responsibility for my heart that wants to jump out of my chest'  whether it does so because of her or because he was almost hit by a fricking baseball on the face, it's debatable.  

Okay he now knows that it was because of her. He is in love with Huiju! a lot! too deep!  

"since we are exposing our secrets I guess Its time to tell you that we haven't met for the first time in your grandparents backyard." 

" there is no way I would forget ever seeing you-" 

" oh but you did, not like I blame you, you don't just randomly remember a strangers face who you saw only once in the train."

Taeoh smiles  " so we met in a train? Now you're making me feel conscious, did I do anything foolish?"

"nothing of the sort ,you just- unknowingly- committed theft."  she teases. This makes him  gape at her " I have, literally, no recollection of this-" In his defense, he truly remembers nothing. If and whenever he used the train he would put his earbuds in and goodbye world. It would be just him in the bubble, it surprises him that he would have done such acts of kindness while he wasn't even paying true attention. Only the goddess watching over them will ever know that he only did this for Huiju. 

"you stole my heart." she looks smugly at him and  he closes his eyes, grabs his chest in pain and then opening one of his eyes slightly he asks " how?"

"you must have noticed me from far away, I was running for my life to catch that train and- you held the door for me." 

he is shocked " uh, is love that simple?" 

She frowns at his words, looks at him unamused and then slaps his back playfully" It was simply attraction at first sight not to be mistaken Mr. Han"

" You were a kid!" 

"your point is ?" 

"okay, I rest my case, I have no point to make." 

"oh no, please, do tell me when and why you fell for me. feed my curiosity now Mr. Han." she retorts. 

" Well,  I don't know when I fell for you but I do know when I realized I love you" 

" Tell me tell me!" she excitedly looks at him. 

He just looks at her with a face that says it all.

She squints her eyes at him " don't tell me. When we were at the masquerade?" 

"You asked me a million times whether my cold was fine, even took medicine with you just in case- You expect me not to be moved to tears? You looked like a goddess! As you do now, just the aura was a bit different- The audacity of  the people that were trying to take you from me." he shakes his head making a noise of frustration. 

"you were blushing just like now." She says while beaming ear to ear.  

he chokes on air feeling his neck getting warm, fuck. "you're so blunt. That might have been the fever." 

"I can differentiate a blush from a flush Han. Tae.Oh , 'cause I am Kang Huiju !"  He doesn't say anything at that only giggles with her.  

They once again fall back in silence Taeoh opens a bottle of blueberry juice for her and grabs her hand putting the bottle between her palms.  She drinks it quietly and looks down at her shoes. 

"are you going to tell your brother what you know?"  

"Does he deserve to know? I wont tell him yet- you too!" she points at him with her index finger and makes a motion of zipping her lips closed. 

"as you wish."  a question still gnaws at him, however seeing as she doesn't seem to want to mention it he doesn't bug her about it. He wishes to be worthy of her, for her to put her trust on him without worrying. 

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

They are on the car again, Huiju is driving since she insisted.  

"I am fine Huiju, I can still drive-" 

"and get us into an accident because of your....not so rested self. Nu-Uh forget it. Go to sleep. I will tell you when you can take over again-" 

he sighs and then smirks fixing the seat to get comfortable to slightly lie back on  " Okay. I put my life in your hands Johnson." 

Huiju gasps out loud "THAT'S FOUL PLAY" turning her sight away from the road making him panic and grab a hold of the steering wheel so that she doesn't throw them in the sea. 

"KANG HUIJU, look out- I shouldn't have let you get on that seat." 

" and I shouldn't have reminded you of your grandparents backyard." she pouts mad at him.

he closes his eyes 'cute.' he thinks with a smile which he tries to bite back.  

"I almost forgot. Taeoh~" she calls him. 

"yes?" 

"Thank you." 

As he lies back on the seat he tilts his head and raises his brow.  " For verifying that my senses are indeed correct. "  She doesn't look at him but she smiles with an unknown glint in  her eyes. He gazes at her intently. 

She briefly casts a sidelong glance at him and then starts humming a song. 

Han Taeoh is out like light. 

Chapter Text

[ let us take a moment-]

[ the elections are to be held-]

Huiju sighs switching the channels while driving. 

[ Early this morning Alpha Tae Ryung emerged victorious from the hand-to-hand combat in the Colossal amphitheater. This now concludes him as the official heir to the Tae Clan. We have here in the studio and all the way to fair Flower Mountains of Gyeoulcheon our esteemed guests who were part of the live audience, Please tell us your opinions on what went on. 

- I have to say Sung I am an alpha myself but I don't think I would have lasted half a minute in there, there were experienced fighters from all over our country and a lot of foreign ones too but the Tae clan people are... different from the rest of us, their strength is not to be messed with, for the lack of better words. I respect them wholeheartedly!

- I agree with you, and seeing as Alpha Tae Gisoo put his son in this sort of ordeal, it shows that he is fulfilling his promise of being a fair leader, it is however brutal from a parental point of view. The statistics of anyone surviving this are always on the rock bottom low. I did see a lot of people being knocked down but there have not been any words of confirmation on casualties yet. The sight was at times too much to be able to look at. 

- that was a first for me, the stench of blood was too unbearable. 

- The clan still has not abolished legal killing, and blood feuds are still paid with blood in the northeastern borders. Tae Gisoo was unable to rid of this, but he made sure nobody misused it.  Admittedly even if this sounds a bit dark I must say Tae Gisoo in his role as the Judge on those cases, has been an outstanding justice leader. And It was only this morning the fight ended, it is too early for any conclusion on how many have passed, so keeping it lowkey is normal.   

-  I would like to go back to the point Lee made, I think it was a fitting and diplomatic decision, in our history we often find it reoccurring that whenever a new leader is chosen solely through nepotism and decides unfavorably in the public's eye,  civil unrest at those times is highest, this might put their minds to ease.

- Well said! for the clan there is an important trait their leader must have, that is resilience!  The champion represents the embodiment of it. 

What are your thoughts about the foreigners who sent their own in this fight, since the territory of the Tae Clan is not truly a property of the country, was it a means to be able to seize it legally? ]

'now that is some kind of BS even I can't comprehend. How exactly do you go out unscathed, if it's real...I need that man's secret. - and the foreigners are only allowed to participate as some sort of experience gathering crap. These people should read the Constitution again!' 

" I didn't know you liked politics" a groggy voice interrupts her.

" I don't, I was bored! Although It is a necessity to keep myself updated on things because of my occupation, hence this."

Taeoh sits up with a groan, fixing his seat. 

"Did I wake you up?" 

"no, I was just too relaxed to open my eyes."  

[- 'KS & Co.'  a subsidiary of 'KangOh Group' seem to be on the move, they have a meeting scheduled at the end of the month with the successor.

- it seems even Kang Sangdo isn't all that special in their eyes, but at the very least he has an appointment with them!

-  With all honesty Mr.Pyo ! Tae Ryung is still a man, not an immortal, a month-long battle is not to be downplayed, all who participated must be exhausted and heavily injured. Tae Ryung who was there from beginning to the end must have had no time to catch a breath, they were all out for his blood. So it makes sense-  ]

" do you want to accompany me and Dad in two weeks ?" he speaks up. 

" to where?" 

"Gyeoulcheon." 

"my darling, now that you're asking me, I won't refuse!" They were invited there before they could send a request, but that is useless information to tell her and he feels shy suddenly. 'hers- Why am I suddenly remembering that one goblin guy', he shakes his head making a mental note to make rearrangements. 

"The what?" 'did I say that second part out loud?' 

"huh?" he looks away from her. 

"I heard goblin, what is that about?"

'Munchkin, your hearing is impeccable, It needs to be redacted, you can't know about my most embarrassing days which I wish to erase from existence.'

" no comment...I am kind of drowsy, spluttering nonsense here and there." she hears him hiss in pain afterward. 

Huiju takes a short look at him as he rubs his eyes trying to get the sleepiness out of him and then nods to herself, making a stop at the gas station which was conveniently only 500 meters away. 

"does it need fuel? I thought I filled it last night-" the car comes to a stop. 

"Go and wash your face that might help you think clearly and you look like you need to relieve yourself. Speaking of relieving oneself, I need to go too-"

she hurriedly unfastens her seatbelt throwing the car keys to him and then runs to the bathroom inside the store, leaving behind an amused Taeoh " This is my love". 

Exiting the car he stretches his limbs. The wind hits his face as breathes in the fresh morning air by the mountains, in the solace of that moment he realizes; that the nightmares that chased his every sleeping hour were gone, because she was with him.  

。·:*:·ﾟ★,。·:*:·ﾟ☆。·:*:·ﾟ★,。·:*:·ﾟ☆

This ride lasted longer than Huiju thought it would. They were silent again, but it wasn't uncomfortable, you know that feeling of being content on only breathing next to someone you love. that's exactly what they both feel. It was silent, until...

"where is my phone?" her question comes out a bit panicked 

"in my pocket, why?" 

"I bet my brother is out of his mind now." 

" Take mine until we arrive. Password is 20121800" 

'heheheheh, the day you realized you were in love, Why are you so damn adorable!'   

"how come you're one of the 8-digit password psychos?" 

"Can't I be a psycho for you?" 

"stop~"

"stop what Johnson? " 

"ugh, adorable card revoked!"  she says pressing the call button and turning the speaker on.  

"I have an adorable card which I had no knowledge of?" 

"you did, not anymore!"

he laughs and the call connects just as he tells her "You know I love you-" 

" OH HELL YEAH, YOU DO! I WILL CRUSH YOU  TO PIECES HAN TAEOH. WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER? "  Taeoh's heart trembles, the man was startled, he was only confessing to his one true love and now her brother interrupts violently as if he is opposing their marriage on the isle- not like Taeoh is going to let him ruin their wedding when that day with hope and prayer comes.

" Go get some bro, before y-" Huiju puts her palm on his mouth before he completes his sentence- although the whole message has been conveyed.   

" you. drive. AND YOU! Have some decency, you blew off our fucking eardrums. How dare you threaten my alpha like that?" 

Our. my alpha. what the fuck? on the other side of the phone, kang Inha is confused, did he unknowingly travel into some other dimension?   Based on his observations taeoh should have been most likely in a hospital or something. Or even more miserable than he was- which was a sad thing, naturally, but he deserved it for acting as he did.  Kang Huiju was giving some sort of vibes that only suggested she would commit a crime the next time she saw Taeoh so how did it come down to this? 

"What is the mean-" Huiju hangs up. 

Taeoh is impressed, he bites back a smile.  

" at the very least he now knows I am still breathing," she says with a huff. 

Taeoh breathes in turning up the volume of the radio. This mood calls for a song.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

At the top floor of the tower that is Kangoh, that is where the king resides. Kang Joongmo worked all his life trying to live up to his own father's expectations; but at what cost? 

At first, it had been his career. Joongmo gave up his well-planned future as someone who was to bring light into someone else's life through truth and honesty, thus exchanging contentment for his father's wealth. 

And then it was his mate. Only looked at her from afar while her shadow disappeared from the world, as his heart withered from the cold of winter like a dying tree. Exchanging love for his father's empire, he married Jang Geumsuk, whose white dress reminded him of the pale and cold skin of the woman he loved.

It was his fault, that he could not look her the way she wanted. What she desired from him, she would never be able to get. Very soon, Jealousy clouded her judgement and Envy unveiled her greed. She was ambitious. If she could not get what she wanted, she would get something greater in return, that was the wealth his father left him.    

Remorselessly, like a viper she sunk her teeth into his youngest brother's flesh, her venomous words turned him into a puppet whose strings could be pulled whenever Geumsuk wished.  'Kang Seonghoon is going to take everything from us, he isn't even your real brother, don't you see how your father adores him?!'  Joongmo couldn't care less, he adored him too, he was his younger brother, the one who followed him everywhere he went.  Seonghoon was generous, kindhearted and mature, without an ounce of hesitance he gave up what he inherited to Joongmo after he met Jian. 'I want to do it myself Hyung, just like father did."

'Hyung!' he used to call him ' will you take me with you when you go fishing? I want to go on a boat trip with Hyung and Sang only.' 

Without his father in the picture she grew bolder, somehow achieved to manipulate his brother so that he does something that cannot be undone; they both cut a piece of his flesh and served it to the devil on a platter.  But he did this to them. He cannot blame anyone else but himself, because as his rotten fate would have it, at the very end, he became a king finally sat on his father's chair. the price of this victory was his brother's demise.  

'hyu-ng' Seonghoon calls choking on his blood 'j-jian' with tears in his eyes he calls for his mate as he bleeds uncontrollably, The shadow of death looms over his brother and Kang Joongmo cannot do anything to reverse time, the reaper had set sail already. So he stays with him patting his head like he did when they were children, he stares helplessly as the light goes out from his eyes, just like with his mate, the tears blur his own sight.. and he wails, screams. in silence. the goddess made him mute. his wails and screams claw at him from the inside, burn him with an inextinguishable fire.

did he even deserve to cry? 

The pain he brought to Seonghoon's children, to what does it amount?

'hyung!'  he hears a whisper. 

'hyung' another one.

'hyung' his brother us calling.

"HYUNG!" His eyes open wide. He is in his office. 

He ignores Sangdo  as he looks at the old family picture on his desk with a smile, his brother visited  his dreams again.  

"State your business."

"Tell one of your sons to prepare investing proposals for the Tae Clan"

"Why don't you ask your own-"

"No." He says determined. " He is too much like me."