A/N: I've decided to post some other pieces I have been writing. A word of WARNING though; I don't know if I'll ever finish these - they're just story lines that pop into my head, and that I typed up. Other than that, Enjoy!
Waiting at the Finish Line
Chapter Two
Two Weeks Later…
"It's here!" Ryeowook shouted, nearly tripping as he struggled to take his shoes off.
Sticking his head out of the kitchen, Henry looked confusedly at Ryeowook. "What's here?"
"My test scores!"
Eyes widening, Henry jumped off the kitchen stool and raced over. "Open it, open it!"
"No! Not before Kangin gets home. I'll need the support if they turned out bad." Chewing on his lower lip, Ryeowook looked worriedly at the square envelope in his hand. These test results could decide his future. What if they were bad? What if he had failed miserably?
Seeing the worried look in his brother's eyes, Henry pulled him over to the couch. Pushing him down, he then kneeled in front of his brother.
"Hey." When Ryeowook looked up, his eyes took in his younger brother's face.
Henry gave his brother his widest smile, the one that Ryeowook called his favorite smile of Henry's. The one he only reserved for his middle brother who had become like a parent to him.
"I know you did great. How could you not? You're the smartest and greatest person I know."
Eyes watering, Ryeowook nodded. Pulling Henry into a hug, he sniffled lightly.
"Even better than Kangin?" Ryeowook asked teasingly.
Henry nodded vigorously, burying his head into his brother's shoulder. "Loads better."
Ryeowook chuckled, which made Henry release a sigh of relief. Sometimes, he forgot his brother wasn't always the strong person he made himself out to be. He needed reassurance too, which Henry was more than glad to give. He meant every word he said, and knew, without a doubt, that Ryeowook had aced his exams.
The sound of the door opening had them both turning towards the door.
Kangin walked in and stopped short at the sight of them hugging on the couch. Seeing the tears in Ryeowook's eyes, his heart skipped a beat.
"What happened? Is someone hurt?"
Laughing, Henry shook his head negatively. "Nothing like that. Ryeowook just got his scores back, and we were waiting until you came home to open them. Wookie just got a little overwhelmed," Henry explained.
Kangin let out a sigh of relief. For a moment, he had thought something terrible had happened. Reaching down, he took off his boots and placed them next to the door. Walking over, he gave Henry's hair a ruffle before sitting down on Ryeowook's other side.
"Well, let's see them then."
"I can't do it. You open them." Shoving the envelope at Henry, Ryeowook grabbed a pillow and hugged it too his face. He felt like he was going to throw up.
Henry and Kangin exchanged a look before turning their gaze to their middle brother. Seeing that Ryeowook was still trying to suffocate himself with the pillow, they shrugged. Ripping open the letter, Henry took out the sheaf of paper and began reading them. Not a second later, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Alarmed, Kangin sat up. "What! What does it say?"
But Henry didn't speak. Ryeowook moaned in the background but the two brothers were too engrossed in the letter to notice. Kangin snatched the paper out of Henry's hand and read it himself. Just like Henry, his eyes widened dramatically and his jaw dropped open in shock.
"Holy F-"
Ryeowook couldn't stand it. He had to know!
Dropping the pillow, he grabbed the paper from Kangin's slack hand and began reading.
Math, Chemistry, Biology, and even Physics - all of his scores were in the 95 percentile.
Ryeowook couldn't believe what he was reading. This had to be a mistake right? Scanning up, he checked the name box - Kim Ryeowook. That was his name, right? So that meant these were his scores … his scores. Oh my god.
"Oh my god!" The scream tore out of Ryeowook's throat before he could stop it and effectively snapped his brother's out of their stupors.
"You did it Ryeowook. My god, look at these scores! You can get into any damn school you want to, and you'll get full scholarship!" Kangin shouted. Grabbing his brother, he hugged him tight as happiness overwhelmed him.
"See Wookie! I knew you could do it!" Henry yelled, jumping onto both his brothers.
Ryeowook laughed loudly, happy tears falling from his eyes. Reaching back, he brought Henry into the family hug. Looking at his brothers faces, he gifted them with one of his rare smiles. "No, we did it. I couldn't have done it without you guys."
It was now Henry and Kangin who had to fight back tears.
Coughing, Kangin reached up to wipe his eyes with his forearms. "Right. We have to celebrate! Let's call the crew together and have a party. You up for that, Ryeowook?"
Smiling, Ryeowook nodded. "Yes, let's get the family together. I want to share my good news."
000
The park was filled with loud cheers and whistles as Ryeowook shared his news with the rest of the crew. With his brothers standing next to him, Ryeowook didn't think life could get anymore perfect.
"Congratulations, Ryeowook. I knew you could do it." Ryeowook smiled, leaning into his best friend, Lee Sungmin.
"Thank you, Minnie."
Not a second later, he was being whirled around into another hug, this time, with Kim Leeteuk, his brother's boyfriend.
"Congratulations, Wookie-baby. I had every faith in you. I can't wait to buy you you're first stethoscope." Giggling, Ryeowook clung to Leeteuk, the man who had become like a mother to him. When he had first met Leeteuk, he had been dazed by the other's handsomeness. What was more interesting, however, was the look on Kangin's face. It was love at first sight for his brother, and it was the most amusing thing Ryeowook had ever seen. His normally macho brother was tripping over himself to win the stranger's affection.
Ryeowook had been wary at first, realizing that they knew absolutely nothing about this Leeteuk person, only that he drove a suped up GTR and was apparently unbeatable in downhill races. But as far as first impressions go, Leeteuk had passed with flying colors.
The most anticipated race that night was between his brother and Leeteuk. Of course, all the locals were putting their bets on Kangin and all of the visitors were banking on Leeteuk. At the end of the race, Leeteuk had been declared the winner until shouts of foul play had surfaced.
However, the foul play turned out to be his brother's misguided attempt at winning Leeteuk's affection rather than actual sabotage. In other words, Kangin had thrown the race.
Ryeowook didn't know how Leeteuk would react, but punching Kangin had never crossed his mind. But that was exactly what Leeteuk did. Hell, it was a K.O. Ryeowook could only stare in complete shock that a man half his brother's size just knocked his brother unconscious with one punch.
His brother came to within a few minutes. Ryeowook thought he was the only one to notice the relieved expression that crossed Leeteuk's face.
Reaching down, Leeteuk grabbed Kangin's shirt and pulled him into a sitting position. He waited until Kangin's eyes focused on him before speaking.
"I don't know what the hell you were doing, but I think it's the worse insult to be given to have a race thrown in your favor. Are you trying to insult me? Are you saying I'm not good enough to beat you?" Leeteuk shouted, face barely inches from my brother's.
Ryeowook saw his brother shake his head mutely, still slightly dazed.
"Alright, then. We're going to race again tomorrow and this time, you're going to give me everything you got. No holding back got it! If you do, I'll never forgive you."
Again, Kangin nodded his dumbly.
"Good." And then suddenly, Leeteuk was kissing my brother like they were past lovers who hadn't seen each other for ages.
Till this day, the memory of that kiss made Ryeowook blush to his toes. The fact that it involved his brother was part of it, but it was more the intimacy the kiss showed that made Ryeowook flush. He didn't know how they had managed it after having only met each other, but they kissed each other just as his parents kissed each other - with full love.
The next night, they did race and Kangin won. Leeteuk had pouted for a second, before laughing. "I knew you were better a driver. But don't forget, I hold the power in this relationship." His brother had nodded like a well trained dog. Ryeowook had admired Leeteuk ever since.
Eventually, Leeteuk became an important part of their family. Where before Ryeowook had no one to turn to concerning problems that he just didn't feel comfortable talking to his brothers about (like boys), he could now turn to Leeteuk. A bond formed quickly, because with Leeteuk, Ryeowook found a kindred soul and a role model.
It was soon after that he met Sungmin, Leeteuk's younger brother. Like two magnets, Ryeowook and Sungmin were attracted to each other. It seemed fated, because Sungmin was also studying to become a doctor. With Sungmin, Ryeowook found a person to speak with about his worries and hopes about his future career. Over this, a lasting friendship was built.
Remembering all this, Ryeowook hugged Leeteuk harder.
Eventually, every person got a chance to accost Ryeowook and give him warm wishes. The night air was cool as the family talked and laughed.
"So Ryeowook, have you made a decision on what school you want to attend?" Turning, Ryeowook connected the voice with a face. It was Hankyung, the other mechanic who worked with Kangin.
"Yes, I think I have. Coming here tonight helped to cement my decision."
Conversation lulled as everyone's focus turned to Ryeowook.
Smiling, Ryeowook stood up. "I decided to attend Seoul University." Seoul University was a good school, just not one of the most prestigious ones. Ryeowook's main reason for picking it was because it was only a twenty minute drive from home.
Immediately, he heard protests rise, especially from his brothers.
Holding up a hand, he begged them to stay silent.
"I know that with my scores, I could potentially get into a more prestigious school." Vaguely, he heard Kangin's whisper - "potentially? More like guaranteed entrance!" - but ignored it.
"The reason is simple - I don't want to leave home. Now before Kangin opens his mouth let me finish." My brother closed his mouth with a click, which got a few chuckles.
"After my parents' death, my brothers and I were in a bad way. But after discovering street racing, and more importantly, you guys, we were able to pull ourselves back up. Frankly, I don't want to leave this behind. I know I could go to a more prestigious school, but that's not what I'm concerned with. I want to be a doctor, and I can do that here at home." Smiling, Ryeowook cast his gaze over the people who had become so important to him. Behind them, a row of beautiful cars were parked. It was a sight Ryeowook would remember forever.
"I think if I were to go away, I'd miss you guys too much. Eventually, that might fade but I don't want to be so disconnected from you guys for that to happen. I want to be here to witness all the silly fights Leeteuk and my brother have. I want to be here to help Henry through his next heartbreak with the current love of his life. I want to be here when Hankyung finally gets up the nerve to ask his next door neighbor out on a date. I want to be here for when Minho finally gathers up enough courage to ask Taemin to marry him. I want to be here for when Onew realizes Jonghyun stares at him just as much as he stares at Jonghyun. Don't you understand? I can achieve my dreams here just as well as I can in some famous school. But here, I have all you guys to help and support and watch me achieve my goal. This is home. I've made up my mind, and I'm not changing it. Plus, who else will keep my brothers out of trouble?"
With tears in his eyes, Ryeowook finished his speech.
He saw Kangin detach himself from Leeteuk's side and walk towards him.
He was pulled into a tight hug. "Okay Ryeowook, I got it loud in clear. I love you too."
Smiling, Ryeowook nodded.
"Hey! Don't forget about me!" Henry separated his two older brothers until he could fit between them. "I was really worried about you leaving, but if that was what you wanted then I was all for it. But since you're staying, I guess I won't need that calling card I bought. I was all geared up to call you every day while you were away at college."
Chuckling, Ryeowook tightened his arms around his little brother. "I guess you can save it for when you have a long distance relationship with some girl."
Blinking, Henry stared at Ryeowook in disbelief. "I didn't even think of that. Good Idea!"
Snorting, Kangin reached up to ruffle Henry's hair, while Ryeowook shook his head in amusement.
A shout of "Group hug!" was all the warning the brother's got before they were surrounded on all sides by their closest friends.
Ryeowook, in the middle of it all, felt like he was on top of the world.
A minute passed but no one moved away. Ryeowook felt Kangin shift next to him.
And then another minute passed.
"What the hell! Get away already! Geeze, are you trying to suffocate us or something?" Kangin shouted, roughly shoving his way out of the tight hug.
Laughter broke out in gales and all was right with the world.
000
Leaning against the hood of the car, Ryeowook silently observed Kangin's latest opponent. He was attractive; Ryeowook had to give him that. He had the air of a suave, debonair gentleman. A clean cut hairstyle, classic features, and loaded with money if the car was anything to go by - the perfect male.
Surprisingly, he felt only mild attraction. Ryeowook wondered why. He wasn't as naïve as his brothers liked to believe he was, but he still considered himself - well, innocent. He'd had a few admirers over the years but nothing serious. There had been kisses and romantic dates, but nothing that made him swoon like the female characters in his favorite romance dramas (his secret guilty pleasure).
He couldn't really pinpoint what he was attracted to or looked for in a partner. But looking at Siwon, he could say that good looks and wealth were at the bottom of his criteria list. No, most important had to be the other person's heart. That's what attracted Ryeowook to people. He'd choose a compassionate heart over good looks any day.
Sometimes, Ryeowook felt like he was waiting. Waiting for what? Or maybe, waiting for whom? Ryeowook didn't know. He'd never felt that instant connection that began Kangin's and Leeteuk's relationship. On the other hand, he could never freely give his affections like Henry did with his countless girlfriends.
Ryeowook closed his eyes, enjoying the cool touch of the night breeze on his face. Looking up, he could just make out stars in the night sky. It was shaping up to be a beautiful night, perfect for a race. Why worry about the future, Ryeowook thought. Fate had its own plan so there was no use wondering. His time would be better spent enjoying the here and now.
"Ryeowook!"
Turning, he caught sight of an excited Sungmin running towards him.
"Sungmin!"
"There you are! I've been looking for you all night. Did you hear the news?"
Frowning, Ryeowook shook his head. "No. What's up?"
"Do you remember my brother talking about a race crew called the Hurricanes?" Sungmin asked, eyes shining with excitement. Vaguely, Ryeowook recalled the conversation between him, Leeteuk and Sungmin about race crews that had been popping up around the country. He remembered that the Hurricanes were from somewhere up north. In Seoul, the undisputed top crew was his brother's.
Not two years ago, they had officially established themselves as the Blue Devils. Ryeowook had rolled his eyes when he had heard the name, but it was well taken by the rest of the group. Ironically, Ryeowook became known as the White Angel. Why? Ryeowook had no clue. He'd just shown up one night, and bam, he was the White Angel of the Blue Devils.
Ryeowook had a suspicion that Kangin had had something to do with it, but he couldn't prove it. Well, he thought, it could be worse.
"Yeah, what about them?" Ryeowook asked still confused as to why Sungmin was bringing it up.
"They're coming here! Tonight!"
"What? Why?"
"Well, to race of course. It seems that Kangin's reputation has spread farther than we could have ever imagined. The Hurricanes are the top group in the North. It seems that they want to test their skills against the best team in the South, us." Sungmin answered.
"But I thought my brother was racing that guy in the roadster."
"Oh, you mean Siwon? Your brother raced him a week ago. Actually, it was a pretty close race, but Kangin eeked out a win in the end. I think Siwon is here, because he is interested in joining the crew."
Ryeowook felt his eyebrows rise. Though Ryeowook lived at home, school prevented him from coming to the race park every night. That meant he sometimes missed out on significant events. Like now. He hadn't even realized Kangin was considering expanding the group.
"And Kangin is considering it?" Ryeowook asked.
"I think he is. Kangin was pretty impressed with the other's skills. It's not every day that Kangin is pushed so hard on his own turf." Sungmin explained,
Ryeowook nodded in agreement. That was certainly true. Kangin knew their home course like the back of his hand. He knew every bump, ditch, and maybe even cracks down the winding road and used every one to his advantage.
"Maybe I should introduce myself? I'm guessing you guys have been getting to know him?"
Sungmin nodded amicably. "Yep. He's actually a pretty nice guy. You've probably already guessed that he's loaded, but the guy is surprisingly humble. Plus, he's on the easy on the eyes."
Ryeowook let out a surprised laugh. Trust Sungmin to be frank about such things. Sungmin was known as a big flirt, and with good reason. Ryeowook couldn't remember a time when Sungmin didn't have a boy at his beck and call. The ease with which Sungmin attracted men astounded Ryeowook. They were like flies attracted to a honey pot. But surprisingly, none of these admirers ever became a boyfriend.
One day, Ryeowook had asked why. Sungmin had paused in his studying, seemingly stumped by the question. Then he let out a loud laugh. Ryeowook would never forget what Sungmin said that day - "Why, you ask? Simple, they are not the one. You know - my soul mate." Then like nothing happened, Sungmin turned back to his studying. And that was that.
"Yes, I can see that. But does he have to be so tall? I will feel like a midget standing next to him!" Ryeowook commented, frowning in displeasure.
Sungmin snorted. "Wookie, you feel like a midget next to anyone."
000
A/N: Thanks for reading.
