SHADOWLESS |seongjoong|

#6#

Hongjoong:

When my brother saw me, he was surprised. Yunho gave me a questionable look before leading Seonghwa to his brother. I went straight to the kitchen. Over there, I saw Mingi. My brother-in-law gave me a hug I tried to avoid. Every single time I met Mingi, he found a new way, to prove to me how annoying mortals could be just like Yunho liked them.

"Do I need to ask, or you'll tell me on your own?" Yuyu asked me.

"Tell you about what?" I asked him.

"You came here with Park Seonghwa. And you are currently wearing his clothes. Not to mention the strong smell of his all over you," Yunho pointed out. "I expected it from Wooyoung, but you, Hongjoong."

"Wait, wait, wait. I'm not slut like our little brother. It's a misunderstanding," I said, rolling my eyes.

I had to explain everything to Yunho and Mingi. Otherwise, they wouldn't believe me. It wasn't as exciting as they wanted. I could see their wish for hot gossip in their eyes. Ugh, mortals. They always needed some gossip. I could never understand that.

"Where is Wooyoung?" I asked.

"Probably fooling around," Yuyu giggled. "Forgot to tell you, Yeosang is here. He used a lot of energy to help Jongho."

That statement was surprising to me. It was unusual for Yeosang to mess with mortals, let alone help them. My head was starting to hurt. And my sense of duty told me to check on my younger brother. I asked Yuyu where our kid was. Of course, he had put him in the same room as Jongho. I had to spend more time with those damn mortals. I had to ignore my irritation, and I went there.

Yeosang was peacefully sleeping next to that mortal. I leaned over my sibling. His breathing was normal. But his energy was low. Nothing too serious. Yeo could recover after some sleep. While I observed Yeosang, I noticed how that filthy human, was glaring at me. Then, I took a closer look at them both. That human held Yeosang's in a tight grip. That was weird, yet I stayed silent. Kids, nowadays, couldn't help but play with humans. Both sides were playing with fire. I had no intention of joining that game.

"Hyung, why are you here?" I heard Wooyoung's annoying voice.

I took his hand and pulled him away from that room. I brought him to the kitchen, where Yunho and Mingi gave us, the look. I rolled my eyes again. There was no point in talking about humans.

"You stink of human," I stated.

"Same with you," I returned the insult.

Seonghwa:

I felt a deep relief after seeing my younger brother awake. Jongho appeared to be better. He wasn't so pale, nor did he look tired. A stone fell from my shoulders. But one thing bothered me. It was that grim reaper sleeping beside him. They could put him in a different room, at least. And I had no idea why he was here. I could talk with Doctor Jung if he wasn't so busy.

"Why is he here?" I heard San walking behind me.

"Who? Yeosang hyung?" Jongho asked, looking at both of us.

"I guess. If that's his name," I clarified.

"Doctor Jung said that Yeosang hyung gave me some of his energy to help me survive the night," Jongho explained.

I and San, looked at each other. Did we hear him correctly? We knew he was the one who found Jongho, but help him after? Since when did reapers help people? They were meant to take the souls of dying people, not to give them life.

"He did what?!" San raised his voice.

Yeosang, the grim reaper, moved some after hearing my brother. San's loud voice disrupted his sleep. Even I could see so much.

"Hyung, let us rest. It was a tough night for both of us," Jongho said. We left him.

After leaving Jongho to rest, we went to the kitchen. We could hear voices coming from there. And there they were. Both, doctors and the grim reapers. I went straight to Doctor Jung. He weirdly looked at me before getting professional. The doctor explained Jongho's condition to me. I couldn't hold back and asked him about that guy, sleeping beside my brother. Doctor Jung explained that Jongho's condition was a lot worse last night, and Yeosang's energy helped him to survive the night. He also explained that the reaper's energy boosted Ho's recovery. It appeared that he had recovered from the gumiho's poisonous blood. That was good. It meant that we could get Jongho back home sooner.

I thanked Doctor Jung and Doctor Song for their care for my younger brother. They offered us to stay for a coffee. I wanted to leave, yet San accepted. He pressured me to stay with him. I agreed, only because they were taking care of Jongho. I could barely stand around those grim reapers.

I quickly drank my cup of coffee and proceeded to leave San with his new boyfriend. I said my goodbyes to the doctors, and made my way to the door. San tried to stop me, but I'd made up my mind. So I stepped out of the door, ready to leave. Then I saw that grumpy reaper. He looked at me with that cold gaze, like a predator looking at its prey. I ignored him.

"I found the last location of your shadow," Hongjoong spoke.

"I don't care," I responded.

"It's near the place, you were found, as a child," Hongjoong continued.

I left without paying attention to him once again. I didn't need a shadow. It didn't matter why I lost it. However, something he said piqued my interest. He mentioned the place where I was found. I didn't know the exact location because my father, who had adopted me, had never told me. The only thing I knew, was that Mr. Choi had found me in the forest when I was no more than two years old. This was why I had no memories of before my adoption. The Choi family raised me as their own child, teaching me how to hunt and find meaning in my life. They were my parents and brothers.