This Day | Gyuhao (Threequel to Youth & The Aged)

- 3

| Chapter Three — Won in a billion |

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

It's the first thing Jungwon hears, the sound of his bedroom door harshly being slammed shut following soon after.

Jungwon feels chills run down his spine at the force.

"Why did my kid come crying to me that you're scary?"

Jungwon's heart crumbles, "What?"

"You scared Chaein. I wanna know why." Minghao crosses his arms, leaning against the doorframe. When Jungwon doesn't answer, he shrugs his shoulders, "Well?"

"I didn't even do anything." And he didn't. Jungwon's completely innocent. He thinks that maybe he has this resting bitch face that's frightening enough to scare kids, "I didn't hurt them, if that's what your—"

"Stay away from our children," Minghao sighs, "For now. Just for a little. We just got Chae to calm down, Jungwon."

Jungwon rises to his feet, tossing his book aside, "Hyung, I didn't do anything." He tells him, voice on the verge of cracking, "You know I wouldn't touch a single hair on their head. You've been with me for years— You know me."

"What I know is that you scared the shit out of my kids." Minghao clenches his jaw, poking Jungwon's shoulder so hard it sends him toppling to hit his bed again, "Pull yourself together and get over it."

Get over it.

Jungwon immediately knows what he means.

"Hyung." Jungwon can't form any words, immediate tears pooling in his eyes. And it's only then when Minghao understands what he had just said.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"But you did." Jungwon stares at the floor, his tears salty as they land on his tongue mid laugh. He shakes his head, taking a deep breath, "You all don't give a shit about what happened to him, just like you didn't care when we didn't find his body either."

That's right.

As soon as Jungwon and Eunchae had heard the ruckus with Minghao that fateful night, they had finally left Riki's lifeless body alone. It's only when they returned after the fight, did they find absolutely nothing.... only a dark blood stain where he once rested.

They buried nothing but lies.

An empty coffin.

"We're still trying to figure that out." Minghao tells him, "You know that."

"He loved you, you know that?" Jungwon is so mad he's crying, "He looked up to you, and look at you now... You're talking about him as if he were nothing but a piece of trash floating around in the fog. Did he mean that little to you? He saw you as a parent!"

"And I know that!" Minghao says, "We're in search of his body, I told you!"

"It's been over 2 years!" Jungwon slams a foot down, angry.

"Exactly!" Minghao responds, "But as you know, all the gangs are finally at peace! And to accuse another team of stealing a body from us is similar to begging to die. Do you have a death wish, Jungwon? Why are you so frustrating all of a sudden?"

"Frustrating?" Jungwon laughs. Laughs, "I wasn't aware that mourning the loss of my best friend was frustrating to you."

"You know what I mean."

"No! I don't!" Jungwon wipes at his tears. He's done crying, "Nobody gives a shit about him anymore! Just because he's dead doesn't mean we should forget about him! What happened to you, Minghao? You were supposed to lead us and now you've dumped us off to live here with you like sheep—"

Jungwon feels his face fly to the side before he comprehends it actually happening.

The shock hurts more than the slap.

When Jungwon finally turns his head back, cheek a stinging pink, he meets Minghao's eyes, the older's as wide as dinner plates as if he himself couldn't believe what he'd just done.

"I hope your family falls apart," Jungwon grits his teeth, fire in his eyes, "Just like back then." And then he's leaving, purposely hitting Minghao's shoulder on the way out.

It's so hard, it's surprising when it doesn't dislocate.

As soon as the door slams shut, Minghao drops to his knees, blinking.

He hit him.

Minghao stares at his hand, watching it tremble back and forth.

He hit him.

Minghao's chest tightens up, and his own emotions pool at his waterlines. He feels sick, his heart feels sore.

Was he already turning into his parents?