Shadows of desire : SVT

(118) The House Boss

Jun took a deep breath, the memories still fresh and painful. "I was just a kid, Hoshi just like you. I came back from school early that day and you were late, and when I got home… I saw our father trying to kill your mother. I hid behind the door, terrified, not knowing what to do.”

He paused, his voice trembling slightly. “Your mom was defending herself, but… she used my mother as a shield. When our dad got close, your mother… she stabbed my mother in the stomach to protect herself. She was injured and taking the chance father slashed the knife in your mother throat, and… when dad went to call an ambulance, your mother was already dead. You came in right then when my mother held the knife, and all you saw was… well, it must have looked horrible.”

Hoshi’s face was a mix of shock and confusion, but Jun continued. "They rushed my mother to the hospital but it was too late. She didn't make it. My mother she was two months pregnant Hoshi. I lost both my mother and a sibling i would have had."

Hoshi swallowed, the weight of Jun’s words settling over him like a storm. His voice came out as a whisper. “I… I didn’t know. I only saw… I thought…” He looked down, shame and guilt flooding his expression. “After that day, I blamed you for everything. I ran away because I couldn’t stand to see you loved by father, to think about any of it. I just couldn't bear losing my mother.”

Jun nodded, his voice softer now. “I tried to tell you everything, Hoshi but you never listened. After then when you left us dad… he became a different person. He started drinking. And before I knew it, one day Scoups’ mom came to bring me in, saying that dad had… passed. I thought… maybe things would be different with you there. But all you did was hate me.”

Hoshi kept his gaze on the ground, unable to meet Jun’s eyes. “I… I was so angry, Jun. My mom used to cry every night because dad would never come to her, never showed her any love. But when you and your mom came, he treated you like… like family, like something special. I hated you because my mother was hurting. And I blamed you for that, too. I never got loved by father and i thought you were the reason.”

Behind them, Yuri and Wonwoo had been listening quietly. Yuri gently placed a hand on Wonwoo’s arm, whispering, “Let’s give them some space.” He nodded, and the two of them stepped back, leaving Jun and Hoshi alone to finally confront years of unspoken pain and resentment.

The silence between them was heavy, but different now—less about anger and more about the shared grief they had carried in silence. For the first time, they both understood the depth of each other’s pain, a bridge forming between them after years of division.

Hoshi’s voice cracked, “I-I’m so sorry, Jun. You can hate me all you want… it was you who lost everything and had to see your mother died in front of your eyes, and I blamed you.”

Jun looked down at him for a long moment, his expression softening. Then, he stood up, extending his hand toward Hoshi. “I lost my mother, and a sibling I never got to meet. But… I don’t want to lose you, too. I never hated you because for me you were the only family who was left.”

Hoshi stared at Jun’s outstretched hand, his own eyes filling with tears. Slowly, he took it, and Jun helped him to his feet. Jun reached out, gently wiping away the tears from Hoshi’s face. “I can’t bring my mother back… but I can have my brother back, right?”

Hoshi choked back a sob, nodding as he pulled Jun into a tight embrace. “I’m so sorry… I was wrong. All these years…”

Jun hugged him back, patting his shoulder. “It’s okay. Let’s move forward, as real brothers. I think our moms would be happy to see us like this.”