Red String of Fate (Taekook AU)

Chapter 9: Samhain

October 2062

'I don't think it's a good idea...' Min Jaehyun said, looking at his brother, from his place beside his desk in Min's company.

'Why not? We have our traditions. Why shouldn't we celebrate them openly?' Min Kyung answered, raising his eyebrow.

'We can celebrate them in peace as always...'

'Samhain is the sacred holiday for Interdependents. Equality we want is not just half-assed permission to exist.'

Jaehyun rolled his eyes.

'Samhain is a sacred holiday that is always celebrated quietly with nature around. And you want to make some kind of shitshow out of it...'

Kyung sighed.

'I'm tired of hiding. Aren't you, Jae? We are not doing anything wrong!'

'I agree, but we don't need to shove our traditions into everyone's face! How anybody is dealing with their religions, culture and beliefs is their individual thing!'

'Yet Halloween is all over the world even if most of the people don't even know how it started!' Kyung said mockingly. 'We closed our children in a school, but they will graduate one day, you know? And what next? We will force them to hide? How will you explain to them that they can't be who they are after years, when your school was constantly teaching them that they should be proud of who they are!?'

Jaehyun sighed, looking through the window.

'But the press? Why do you want them? It's not a freaking 4th of July!'

'To show the world what we are doing openly! We will selectively choose who will attend, so we can control what and how they will show us... They can see how happy we are when we are celebrating and cherishing the souls of ancestors... It's a way to show our respect...' Kyung persuaded his older brother.

Jaehyun was playing with his pen, tapping it on the desk.

'Our children deserve this... Even the society can be so cruel to twist our Sacred Holiday seeing children around...'

Jaehyun sighed, looking thoughtfully at Kyung.

'I have condition...' he gave up in the end. He looked sternly at his brother. 'Keep Yoongi out of this. I don't want to have another argument with him. Taeil can take his place...'

'Fine. But I don't understand how you can let your son not support you... Our people see this. And they will start talking...'

'I don't care. How I deal with my children is my own business. Yoongi is my son and he can think whatever he wants just like you and me. 3EO is an organization not an army... We are having discussions, not orders...'

Kyung shrugged.

'Taeil will gladly fulfill his duties then. Gahyeon will be there?'

'If she will want...'

'You are unbelievable...' Kyung shook his head. 

'Kyunie... I started 3EO to make them safe. Not unhappy.'

'Ok. As you wish. I will take care of the preparations with Handong...'

Min Kyung walked out. The room was silent for a moment.

'You can come out...'

Yoongi slipped from behind the furniture slowly with a dark expression.

'Thanks, dad...' he said, sitting in front of his father's desk.

'No need. I don't like this as much as you do... I wish things could be simpler...' Jaehyun pressed his head to the backrest of his armchair tiredly. '50 years ago you would be just a kid with a birthmark on your palm and nobody would be bothered by it. Nobody would know what this mark means. We all could live normal lives... in the shadows. Being just ourselves... Exposing Interdependants was the worst decision our ancestors could make and now we need to somehow clean their mess...'