REIGN OF THE MORTALS | BTS FANFIC |

the orphan

On the night a massive sand storm hit Cairo, a woman went into labor. Along with the strong gusts of wind, a pleasant cry of a newborn was carried and shortly after the city went serene.

"Congratulations, it's a boy", said the midwife, as she carried the little one to his mother.

The mother, without even sparing a glance at her baby, asked the midwife to send him away to an orphanage. The midwife obliged to her request, as this kind of practice was not alien to people who dwell in poverty, and the baby was sent to an orphanage.

Growing up in an orphanage was not easy for the boy; two meals a day was a luxury and sleeping on a mattress was the fantasy of all kids living there. Insufficient food and poor living conditions was all that it had to offer. But this did not break him; each day he lived in the hope of his parents coming back to take him home.

Shortly after he turned five, an Australian couple visiting Egypt volunteered in their orphanage. They filled the empty stomachs of the children and gave them new clothes. But all that mattered to the little boy was that they gave him what he longed for, love. They didn't look at him with disgust, like he was just another mouth to feed, a burden. Instead, their eyes were filled with adoration and something else that he didn't understand at that time.

Then a strange thing happened, he was called into the headmaster's office, an occurrence which never happened till now. He was immediately filled with dread, 'what if they don't want me anymore?, what if they are gonna throw me out on the street?' these were the thoughts that occupied his mind as he walked into the said room.

Upon entering, he saw the couple, whom he came to like, sitting in the chairs opposite to that of the headmaster who was busy writing something, not paying any attention to him as usual.

The couple looked at him and gave him a fond smile and his heart was eased a little by this gesture.

The headmaster finally looked up to the couple, still ignoring his presence, and said, "all the formalities have been completed, you can just sign here and take him with you."

Before signing the papers, the couple came and knelt down in front of him. "From today, we are going to be your mother and father. We want to take you home with us and make you a part of our family. Do you want to come with us?" Though the woman smiled, he could see that she wore an anxious expression.

It was then the little boy had an epiphany that he was getting adopted. He couldn't believe that the thing he longed for was finally happening. His mind was already made the moment he heard the words 'home, family, mother and father', so without any hesitation he nodded his head vigorously, smiling gleefully at them.

Seeing his reaction, the nervousness they had earlier vanished and their faces beamed with joy immediately pulling the boy into the warmest hug. All three of them had tears in their eyes, only this time they were of happiness; they became a family.

Things that happened after they left the headmaster's room are ambiguous in his memory, but one thing he remembers vividly is when they were sitting in the airport waiting to board the plane, his parents held his hand and asked, "Mom and Dad decided to name you Jean, do you like it?"

He nodded shyly, it was the first time someone gave him a proper name and not addressed as number eleven. He boarded the flight to Australia hand in hand with his parents as 'Jean' and not an orphaned boy named after the date he was born.

JIN AS JEAN

Jean's parents live in Gold Coast, Australia. Being so close to the shore, he went there at any chance he would get. The smell of the sea, the breeze grazing his skin, the texture of wet sand beneath his feet, cool water caressing him; all these were new to someone who was born in Cairo, and it lured him in.

Knowing his son's fascination, his father started teaching him how to surf from the early age of six. And by the time Jean was seventeen, he had already won many surfing competitions across the country. He was awarded the title of 'BEST SURFER IN AUSTRALIA' when he was eighteen, and is regarded as the youngest recipient of such an honour. His parents couldn't be prouder of their son. They would always make time to see Jean during his competitions because they revered the way he looked while surfing, like he is the happiest person in the world, like he is in his element.

Though their son looked handsome, "his charm increases by a thousand fold when he is surfing", is what his parents always say, which never fails to make Jean turn red with embarrassment, and they adore seeing him get flustered.

Jean was loved immensely by his parents, and it was fair to say that he felt the same love for them. Maybe more so. Not a day goes by without him feeling grateful to them for bringing him out of the miserable life he was living in, and showering him with love, something which even his birth parents failed to do.

When Jean was twenty one, he was selected as one of the three judges of a surfing competition held in Athens. It is considered as one of the highest honour to even participate in the event, let alone judge it, especially at such a young age. He had to control his excitement when they called him to ask if he was willing to accept the proposition. 'Oh, I am more than willing to' is what he thought to himself before politely agreeing to it.

It was going to be a three day event and all the accommodations would be provided for by the event organizers.

A week later, after saying goodbye to his parents, Jean hailed a cab to Brisbane International Airport. He was brimming with excitement over presiding over the event, little did he know that soon his excitement will turn into misery.

A/N: Here is a picture of Jin surfing, cause his talents are extremely underrated. If you haven't seen this video, you should definitely check it out.