Viridescence | Yunho

༻ 33 ༺

"Is it the world or me that's sick?"
- Dis-ease by Bts

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Trigger warning: Blood, Gore, Death

Hongjoong's Time Pt. 1

20 Years ago

Hongjoong sits crouched at the side of the road in the thick snow over something near his house. He shivers slightly at the strong gusts of wind that threaten to topple him over, and quickly readjusts his scarf before continuing.

He proceeds to work on what he found, growing more and more proud of his work by the second. A tiny smile forms on his lips as he starts to stand up, lifting his work of art with him. He brushes some snow off his knees before setting off.

He can't wait to show his parents. If his two year old sister, Jangmi, is awake then he'll make sure she can take a peek too. His mother and father have always looked down on him for as long as he can remember and his only dream is to impress them. Maybe today they'll finally say the words, "I'm proud of you Hongjoong, well done."

He pretends he doesn't notice it, but both of his parents clearly like his sister more. The only person who shows a smile to him is his sister, too young to understand anything in the world. He can't even blame the innocent baby. His parents have been cold to him way before she was born. Seven years later, and he's still determined to change their minds.

As he gets closer to the house, he realises his mittens have gotten stained. He knows from experience how his mother will react to dirty clothes, so he carelessly discards them by tossing them to the side. If she asks where his mittens are gone, he can always say he lost them.

He might get into less trouble that way if he's lucky.

Despite both of his parents never paying much attention to him, he still loves them very much. Maybe the other kids his age are too young to understand this yet, but he knows his parents only say what they say and do what they do because they love him and care about him.

Maybe.

Either way, his little heart starts beating faster as he's about to open the door. He starts to imagine what face his mother might make. The worst she could do is keep a straight face and tell him to throw his creation out, right? It can't be too bad.

He tries opening the door only to find it locked. He lets out a sigh and knocks on the door several times.

After a few minutes of knocking and no answer, he shuffles to the window and stands on the tips of his toes to peek in. In the living room there are white roses decorated in every corner and Hongjoong's gaze lingers on them. They smell so good, the boy can't wait to go inside and observe them up close. There's a fire flickering in the fireplace and both parents sit beside it, happily playing with their beloved daughter. 

The sight crushes Hongjoong a little on the inside, but he tells himself that it's only natural for them to be playing with their daughter, she's only a baby after all. She's much cuter and more obedient than the boy, he knows that's the reason she's the better child to them.

He reaches his hand up and knocks on the window instead. The mother lifts her head quickly and when she sees Hongjoong's eyes peeping up from the bottom of the window, her smile instantly drops. She rolls her eyes while standing up.