「 cursed 」↻sunwon ✔

18. Truly Bitter

Jungwon paced slowly around the grounds nervously waiting for Jay to arrive. Earlier this morning he had asked Jungwon to meet him.

As he waited for Jay to arrive, he couldn't help but wonder the things Jay could tell him.

Minutes later, he heard a soft chuckle and turned on his heels to see the person he was least expecting right now: Choi Junyeon.

"Waiting for your little lover, are you?" He said as he stared directly at him. Jungwon let out a small groan. "Why are you here?"

He gave him a look of perplexity. "What do you mean why I'm here? This isn't your private property, Yang."

"I know," Said Jungwon. "But why do you always appear at the wost of worst times?"

Junyeon didn't answer but gave a mere chuckle. He shoved his hands in his robe pockets and stared at the sky.

Neither of them spoke to eachother to Jungwon's relief. Soon after Jay appeared in the grounds looking confused.

"Uh. . .Junyeon what the hell are you doing here?" He asked the fellow Slytherin. The boy whistled and turned to him. "Why do you both keep assuming this as your private property?"

"I'm not. Anyways, I've to talk to Jungwon without anyone around us. . .I need you to leave for a moment."

He whistled again. "And why should I bother?" Frustrated at Junyeon's response, Jay grabbed Jungwon's wrist and dragged him inside the castle again.

He pulled him into a secluded corner of the castle.

"Jungwon, I need you to brace yourself for the truth you're about to face," He said as he held Jungwon firmly by his shoulders.

Jungwon's heart hammered madly in his chest. What was the truth he was about to face?

"They're right. . . Jungwon, they are your parents."

Jungwon's mind went blank as though he was hit by a memory charm. He stared unmoved at Jay.

Few moments later, he said in a dry tone, "Did you know this ㅡ that they were alive, all this time?"

Jay looked away from the younger's accusing eyes. He cleared his throat and turned to him with an apologetic look on his face. "I did. But ㅡ but trust me Jungwon, I was forced to lie to you. . .I promised grandma that I wouldn't ever tell you the truth until ㅡ until she herself tells you."

The accusing look didn't fade from Jungwon's face as he stared at Jay intently. No words were penetrating through his mind right now. All he could now think his brother as a betrayer.

"So you knew all along, didn't you?" He said with tears pooling at the corner of his eyes. He felt like someone stabbed him from the back. . . .

He could never think of Jay betraying him like that. "Why. . .why did you always pretend as if my parents were dead?" He said, his voice now rising with his temper.

"Or did you enjoy being the little prince pampered by his parents while I. . .I was the miserable little prat away from my father and mother ㅡ you know how I always felt lonely when I saw other children playing with their fathers and eating the lunch made by their mothers?"

Jay tried to interrupt Jungwon but the boy went on and on with his assumptions that weren't right.

He finally grabbed Jungwon by his shoulders and shook him hard. Jungwon stopped rambling at that. But he fell completely silent and gazed down.

Jay opened his mouth to talk. "Jungwon, please listen to my account of the story. . .then you can hex me or even curse me bad. OK? Yeah, so. . .once I overheard grandma and mom talking about aunt Minjoo and uncle Shikwoo being alive. I was caught and they made me promise that I would never tell you the truth. I was seven and you were just five ㅡ the times you'd ask me about them, I would get nervous. . .I had never lied before, and that too, to my younger brother. But so that you don't hurt knowing that they went somewhere without taking you, I kept pretending I knew nothing."