The Present (Ahn Hyoseop x Kim Sejeong)

Eleven

Hyoseop could feel himself start to sweat profusely. His father had been staring intently at the photo in his hand for over a minute now in complete silence. He wondered what was going through his mind, and secretly hoped the ball would never drop, and that he wouldn't realise who it was.

"Is this who I think it is?"

"Dad,"

"Ahn Hyoseop," he looked up, staring his son straight in the eyes, "tell me this is not who I think it is,"

"I meant to tell you and Mom,"

"When exactly? Because by the looks of this photo, I would assume this has been going on for a while,"

Hyosoep inched forward, wanting nothing more than to disappear into thin air, "When the time was right, I knew this would be a bit hard to swallow,"

"Hard to swallow?" his father scoffed, "Son, what were you thinking? No, were you even thinking at all before deciding to stab us in the back?"

"That wasn't my intention at all and you know it,"

Ahn Heejun threw the photo violently at his son, "Not your intention? Her family ruined our lives, were you not there when it happened?"

"You don't know that for su-"

"Yes I do," he stepped closer, holding Hyoseop by his shoulders, "perhaps you were too much of a child to understand the betrayal. Hyoseop-ah, they cost us so much business and ruined our reputation, we almost had to start all over again."

Hyoseop shoved his father's hands off him, "If you would give me a chance to explain, I can tell you what happened. Sejeong and I spoke about it,"

"Don't you dare say her name or any of their names under my roof,"

The comment bruised him, "Dad, Sejeong is special to me,"

"Do you hear yourself?" his father yelled, "you are sleeping with the enemy! You, my son of all people should know better. You are all we have, and this is how you repay us?"

Hyoseop was flushed with anger, "How I repay you? You're not willing to even listen to what I have to say right now and you're talking about betrayal? Dad, I would never do anything to hurt this family or the godforsaken company."

"Yet you are."

Hyoseop's mother had just come home from running her errands and was taken aback by all the yelling when she opened the door. She had been silently listening from the corner of the living room, her heart aching with every second.

"Boys," she attempted to interrupt.

"You're not willing to open your mind up at all," Hyoseop pushed a finger towards his father's chest, "You trusted Sunho samchon back then with your life, and look at you now. You live this sad life, your only true love being your job. You barely take the time to even speak about anything else other than work with us anymore and you've lost the only friend who would've done anything to help you out. If you would get off your high horse for one second and have a bit of empathy, give people a second chance, you wouldn't be so goddamn pathetic,"

A slap rang through the air as the entire house fell silent. Hyoseop held his cheek in disbelief. He had angered his father before, but this was the first time he had ever laid a hand on his son.

"Get out," Heejun told his son coldly.

"No," his mother stepped in, "enough is enough, both of you. Hyoseop-ah, go to your room."

"I'm not five,"

"I said, go."

He knew that she didn't want to repeat herself, so he swiped the discarded photograph from the floor and walked as fast as he could up the stairs. He could feel his heart beating out of his eardrums. Slumping against the door when he got to his room, Hyoseop slid down and closed his eyes. He didn't know what overcame him, but tears started streaming down his face. When he started going out with Sejeong, he found hope, hope that it would all work out and that his father would be willing to listen.