𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐀 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥 ♡ MinSung

Ch. 151

Did Minho like spending time in his fathers house? His childhood home? The place he grew up? The place he formed so many core memories?

No. He absolutely didn't.

Most of those core memories were terrible anyway. Sure he remembered some of the good times growing up with Chan, but he also remembered the neglect that his father loved to show.

This being said, he wasn't having a great time right now. He was invited over, well, actually, he didn't have much of a choice – but he was told to come over in order to meet some of his colleagues.

It was one of those weird formal yet not formal meetings between him and his business partners and everytime Minho had to he there. He was kind of like a show dog.

First he shook their hands and introduced himself.

Then his father suggested he play a peice on the piano.

They talk about his youth for a hot minute.

Then, finally the conversation shifts and Minho can just sit there in silence and agony as the evening finishes.

This time though the old men acted differently. Probably because Minho was no longer Minho, but Mr. Lee's gay son. He expected this though; it did kind of hurt how they treated him now.

He wasn't perfect anymore, he was a misguided boy who needed to be punished for his sins and judged profusely for falling in love with another man.

"So, Minho, how's all of the legal stuff going?" Mr. Hwang took a seat in one of the chairs—Hyunjin's father. Sometimes Hyunjin would tag along and keep Minho company, but today Minho was on his own.

"It's going." Minho nodded, smiling politely, "It sure is a lot of work."

"Yeah I bet." Mr. Pung was sitting in another chair across the room, next to Mr. Nam and Minho's father, "I bet the media must be screwing some of this information up quite a bit, huh?"

Minho glanced at his father, "Yeah I guess you could say that."

Mr. Nam now stepped in, "It's hard to imagine you're actually homosexual. Those news anchors will do anything to gain attention, right?"

Minho looked back at his father who was giving him a look, as if to warn him. Sure, he wasn't abandoning Minho for being gay, but that didn't mean he wanted all his colleagues to know the truth.

"No sir, I'm not even sure how they came up with that idea. I'd never, uh, I'd never have the nerve to do something like that." Minho swallowed hard, he didn't mind denying it. It meant there were three less people who he had to deal with.

Well... Mr. Hwang gave him a subtle look, as if to be confused. Obviously he had heard the opposite from Hyunjin—Mr. Hwang wasn't one to discriminate though.

"Good to hear. Your father is probably happy about that one, I know I wouldn't want a homosexual son." Mr. Pung laughed deeply, as if he truly found this funny.

Minho forced himself to let out a weak laugh as well.

"Donghae, I certainly am thirsty. Do you have any wine?" Mr. Hwang changed the subject, purposely saving Minho's ass.

"Ah, definitely. I have some very nice fine wine in the cellar—Minho would you mind going to grab that?" He asked, motioning at the door.

"In the cellar?" Minho couldn't hide the slight fear in his voice.

He hated the cellar.

Mr. Lee sighed a moment, "I know you're not a fan of the dark, but would you still go grab it?"

Minho reluctantly stood up, "Yes, yes of course." He couldn't really say no either way.

It wasn't the dark that he was scared of really, it was the cellar. He really didn't like the cellar. As he got closer his heart beat sped up and his palm got sweaty.

When it came time that he needed to open the old wooden door and go down the stairs with only a dim light in the center of the room to guide the way he felt like puking.

There was no other choice though...

He creeked the door open and stared down the stairs into the darkness, reaching out for the light switch. When the lights were on it was a little better.. but still not good.

He looked down at the corner at the base of the stairs, getting flashbacks of all the times he hid there, desperate to see someone open the door to let him out.

Whether it be his dad to set him free from his punishment, or Chan trying to check on him and give him some food. Most of the time bread or water, maybe even both.

He hated when Appa put Chan down there and he always went to go peek in to see if he was okay, but Chan was more brave. Chan always told him to go away so Minho didn't get in trouble as well.

He always felt terrible for all the times he was too much of a coward to help Chan, but he couldn't help it.

He was scared of the dark..

Once Minho got his hand on the old wine his father was talking about, he made a sprint for the stairs, as if something was going to latch onto his ankles and drag him back. Minho was always scared of that.

He was glad he was too old for those types of punishments though. He lived on his own and besides, he was mature enough to know how to not piss of his father now.

People always thought his dad was amazing, raising his children well, but the truth was; he wasn't even the one raising them. It was always a nanny he had hired, or his wife – within the time periods that he had one.

Chan said that his biological mother was great, but Minho's mom was like a shitty replacement. He wished that he had been born by the same mother as Chan..

Minho gave one last look down the stairs, carefully watching as the lights flickered out. He felt like he could see himself, as a small child, curled up in the corner crying for his daddy to save him..

Even though his daddy was the one that put him there.