"Can I stay here tonight?"
Sungwoo's voice was low, almost hesitant, his expression gloomy as he looked down at the boy resting across his lap. Jinho was sprawled lazily on the couch, eyes glued to the game on his phone, his thumb moving in quick bursts across the screen. Sungwoo wore a plain T-shirt and shorts, his hands drifting in slow, absent strokes along Jinho's arm as the boy leaned against his thigh.
"Sounds good to me", Jinho replied without looking up. The curve of a smile touched his lips, but his focus never left the game.
Sungwoo's gaze lingered on him, troubled and restless.
"But what if your mom turns up crying again?" Jinho asked.
"I told you not to talk about it". Sungwoo muttered irritably.
Jinho glanced up, startled by the sharpness of his tone, then looked back down at his phone as if brushing it off.
"It was quite shocking though". He murmured to himself.
The weight in Sunwoo's chest thickened. He stared up at the ceiling, the dark corners of the room pressing in on him. His hand stilled. His voice dropped, heavy with a sadness he didn't want to show.
"She won't be like that anymore". He said quietly.
"Really? Ah, what the–!" Jinho's frustration burst out as his character lost the round.
Sungwoo blanked, the corner of his mouth twitching as if caught between a laugh and a sigh.
His chest felt heavy, though, and his eyes drifted upward, staring into the empty air.
"Somebody came home". He said flatly, the words tired, uninterested–as if he already hated everything that came with them.
"Who?" Jinho asked, his eyes glued to his phone.
That morning came rushing back.
Sungwoo had been standing stiffly at the front door, blocking the entrance as though his body alone could keep the house safe. His school uniform clung awkwardly to his frame, his hands buried deep in his pockets.
On the other side of the threshold stood a stranger. No–He wasn't a stranger. Not really.
The guy had a suitcase in his grip.
He looked about twenty one–Tall, Broad shoulders that filleda doorway, Dark hair falling messily over his forehead, a black t-shirt stretched ross his chest, the hem of his sweatpants slouched over white sneakers.
His features were sharp, striking–the
kind of face that could stop you in your tracks.
But it wasn't his looks that froze him. It was the way the guy stared at him, rigid, stunned. As if seeing Sungwoo had pulled something out of him, he wasn't ready to face.
The air between them was suffocating.
The memory faded, pulled away by the sound of rapid tapping.
"Damn it"! Jinho hissed, aggressively tapping his phone to win the round.
Sungwoo snatched it out of his hands with a grin, trying to shake himself free from the memory.
"Its over anyway". He teased, watching Jinho's stunned expression.
"Hey–"
"What?" Sungwoo giggled, flashing him a boyish smile.
Jinho suddenly sat upright, playful fire in his eyes. Sungwoo tried to hold back his laughter, but it spilled out anyway.
"Come here, baby", Jinho murmured, pushing him down onto the couch. He buried his face against Sung Woo's neck, kissing his skin between laughter and playful growls.
For a moment, the weight pressing on Sungwoo's chest loosened.
But only for a moment.
Back at the porch.
"Who are you?" Sunwoo had asked that morning, his tone calm but dripping with disdain.
He knew the answer–he just didn't want to admit it.
The man's lips parted, then closed again. His silence pressed heavier than words.
Sungwoo's expression hardened, disgust curling his mouth.
"Who the fuck are you?"
Finally, he spoke, voice low, trembling just enough to betray him.
"I am…Hyun Woo, AN…HyunWoo".
The name stung.
Sung Woo let out a short, humourless laugh, his smirk sharp enough to sting.
"AN… Hyun Woo", he repeated, dragging the surname with mockery. His eyes flicker over him like he was something pathetic.
"So that's what you're going with?" he said lazily, though his chest tightened.
"Think you can fool me just by using his name?"
Hyunwoo shifted, gripping his suitcase tighter. The silence between them dragged heavily.
Sungwoo stepped aside, opening a path towards the door, jerking his chin towards it, signalling him to go in.
Hyunwoo climbed the steps, suitcase in hand. Just as he reached the top, Sungwoo's foot lashed out, kicking the bag from his grip. It tumbled back with a dull thud.
Hyun Woo turned to him, stunned, his eyes flickering with pain, restraint and something
Sungwoo didn't want to name.
Sungwoo tilted his head as though daring him, hands in pockets, his expression cold.
Hyunwoo exhaled slowly, crouching to retrieve the suitcase. His fingers trembled slightly against the handle, but his face–his stupidly perfect face remained calm. He carried it and passed Sungwoo again, calm but stiff.
"Don't lie to me", Sungwoo muttered, his voice low and deliberate. "Lie to my mom instead".
Hyunwoo paused at the threshold. For a moment, his lips parted, but he swallowed whatever words had risen and stepped inside without a sound.
It didn't take long before he heard it–the sudden sound of his mother's voice breaking, calling Hyunwoo's name as if she had been waiting for him all along, her sobs filled the hallway, echoing out the door. Her cries clung to the air, desperate, like a piece of her had finally been returned.
And Hyunwoo… he would just stand there and take it, wouldn't he? Silent. Accepting it. As if he belonged here.
Sunwoo's jaw clenched. His chest ached.
Another one, he thought. Another Hyun Woo,
dragging in like a replacement toy. As if changing the face would change the truth.
It had happened before. Different names, different smiles, but always the same role–another stranger shoved into the hole lest behind when the real Hyunwoo disappeared. His father called it 'protecting' his mother. Sungwoo called it…
"Pathetic", he whispered, though he wasn't sure if he meant Hyunwoo, his mother, father or himself.
He lingered there a moment longer, and the morning sun burned against his uniform. Then, with a sharp exhale, he turned away. His bag strap slid higher on his shoulder as he dragged his feet towards the gate, then down the street to school.
He won't last here, Sungwoo thought bitterly. Not in this family. Not with me around. He's no different from the others–they all ran, and so will he.