ALWAYS You: Swan's Shadow [YOONGI] (Book 3)

Chapter 27 [Hoseok's Story]

A teenage Hoseok sat in the children's foster home. He slouched back, eyeing the mountain of gift boxes reaching higher and higher to the ceiling.

"I got you a new XBox." His dad said excitedly, hoping Hoseok would have the same reaction.

"And a new iPhone - "

"Dad."

"- a new laptop -"

"Dad."

"You just got your motorbike licence, right? Here's the keys to your new bike -"

"Dad!"

"Oh and I got you a new TV - "

"DAD!"

At Hoseok's outburst, his father finally stopped piling gift upon gift on top of each other. By this point, the gift boxes were already taller than him.

"You already bought me a new TV last month." Hoseok deadpanned, seeing how the giftbox at the top of the stack was wobbling over.

"I have?" His father scratched the back of his head. "Oh, well, bin that one and use this one then."

Hoseok rubbed a tiring hand over his face. His father was always like this.

As the bastard son of a rich father and his mistress, Hoseok was never a child who received much love from his parents. His real mother was long gone, dumped him with the father when he was born and decided that she could barely take care of herself, let alone a baby. His wimp of a father wasn't much use either, deciding that hiding Hoseok in a foster home was better than letting his wife and children know.

Hoseok spent his entire childhood and teenage years in a foster home. Once in a while, his father came by to visit him and would shower him with expensive gifts. His father undoubtedly felt bad, but it only irritated Hoseok even more.

In a place where a child would come and go, it was a home that couldn't be called home. It felt more like a hostel, where youngsters would check in and out. Hoseok never had a sense of belonging, not in this dull place where every child was abandoned and not in his family where his father refused to acknowledge him.

"Your birthday is coming up soon," his father sat down with a contented sigh, proud of himself for managing to deliver all the gifts to his son. "What present would you like? As long as you want it, you know dad can get it."

Hoseok clamped his mouth shut. It was tantalisingly tempting to reach his arm forward and give his father one satisfying punch. His dad sounded so proud then, as if he could impress his son that he could afford whatever materialistic gift Hoseok wanted. That ticked Hoseok off; after many years, his dad just never understood what he really wanted. It was useless to explain to a brick wall so instead, Hoseok folded his arms across his chest to stop himself from acting out.

"Ahhh..." his father tutted at him in a teasing way, "there's something my Hoseokie really wants, but he's afraid to say it. Come on, tell appa what is it you're after? Let me guess! VIP tickets to the rugby world cup finals!"

"How about dinner together?" Hoseok interrupted his blubbering father.

His dad, enthusiastic and full of heated passion a second ago, slowly piped down into a man of few words.

"Hoseok ah... it's not that I don't want to. It's just that... it's difficult, you know? As much as I would love to, you know we can't be seen toget -"

"Can't be seen together, can't talk to each other. Even if we see each other in public, we need to pretend we don't know each other. Yeah. I get it."

Hoseok rolled his eyes, pursed his lips together to end the conversation right there.

His father, sensing that the atmosphere turned icy cold, retreated himself a little.