『Schadenfreude』▷ jaesahi。

r a i s o n d ' e t r e

Jaehyuk had loved twice before.

First were the evergreen trees and the thin veil of moondrip that showed him Risette's beauty, and the language of that land that sounded much too like wild roses, falling so deeply for a nation whose people would never live to see him bequeath the very last of his breath. Once he had left Risette, he found a person to love for the first time, a young child called Micah, of feminine name with its conveyed evening and a smile that seemed to light up the stars that shone at the night of his first name.

Jaehyuk had loved land, he had loved brother. Today, however, he loved a man.

To be more specific, he loved Hamada Asahi. He loved him like a blackbird loved the sun, admiring his light and wishing that the accolades he spoke could reach even just his golden rays.  And if needed be told, mere days that he had been apart from Asahi were nothing compared to the fifty decades he spent incarcerated behind steel so strong even a mythical beast could not break apart, yet he felt otherwise.

As if it were a disease to fall in love, his breaths kept becoming shorter each time they were near each other, heart heavier for few minutes that he couldn't behold the other. He wanted to lock him up where no one but himself knew.

"I want to put you under lock and key," he whispered and Asahi hummed with nonchalant agreement. "Can't we just stay here?"

"Can't," the vampire mumbled back. "If we stay, then we'll wither away."

Any feeling of gaiety he might have brewing broke away as soon as he heard the other's reply, face uncharacteristically falling into a lour that Asahi could not see but knew was there. Wither away, he said. Jaehyuk was well aware, but he hadn't wanted to hear it from anyone at all.

"Didn't have to say that."

"Sorry," Asahi quickly apologized. "But it's true, isn't it?"

Jaehyuk's frown deepened.

"Jaehyuk?"

"Destiny sucks."

The Japanese broke into an unforseen smile, "I know. But if it weren't there, I wouldn't have been born, no?"

At the idea, the other couldn't help but sigh. Gingerly, as he had done the night before, he tugged at one of the hands that Asahi had lain on his shoulders, pulling him over to be sat on his lap instead of embracing him from behind. His frown had been relieved by a gentle quirk at the corner of his lips, a frabjous smile so rarely present there.

Asahi huddled closer to him and his eyes soften with fondness at the memory of a young Micah scrambling to him for comfort whenever he was scolded by his father. For once after he recovered his vampiric state and strength, Asahi finally looked more abated. If Jaehyuk were to be asked, he'd say that he found the other almost mimsy at the moment.

"You look tired," Asahi mentioned. "Sleep?"

"No. Have to work."

"Sleep."

"No, Sahi," Jaehyuk scolded. "I still have to finish this. Im Yunhyung broke his arm and is currently on break, so I have to do this."

Im Yunhyung.

The vampire's eyes narrowed in contemplation before he recalled, blinking in realization after. Im Yunhyung was currently the president of the Yoon family's corporation, having been ever since before Jaehyuk's grandfather died. At present, Jaehyuk was listed as the CEO, albeit he rarely ever did participate in company matters.

If Im Yunhyung was not in place to run the company, then Jaehyuk would naturally have to stand as its ancillary.

He broke into a chortle, splitting his sides as he remembered the first time he had met the middle-aged president. Im Yunhyung's repertoire of thin, feeble legs tangling each other as he stumbled down the stairs and embarrassed grins were quite unexpected of a person of such high standing, his weak, austere frame a miserable disparity to Jaehyuk's young and firm build.