Woah. It's been forever.
Don't worry. I'm still writing. Still alive.
College is just really really hectic.
But hey, here's a chapter for the people still with it.

Wang So

"Huh."

So huffed and rubbed his chin, wondering if he was accidentally running in circles. Narrowing his eyes at the light brush with a familiar VPN while searching for the person that had hired him, he looked further into the network, pulling up a website dedicated to the conservative party run by none other than his older brother. Unsurprised, So continued forward. It was not his first time dealing with bitter enemies within political factions, and if So had to take a guess, he would assume his brother had paid for Wook to be killed… but his family? Was it to teach a lesson?

The website was a place meant for members of the party as well as all others that worked for it. So wondered if the benefactor had been idiotic enough to use a work e-mail to create an account to wire him the money. So had little memory of his older brother as an adult, but something within told him that Yo was not the sort of stupid to use a work e-mail for anything other than its intended purpose.

Was it really you? So thought, continuing to type into his computer and dig deeper into what game his brother was playing at… but instead of coming up on Wang Yo, So found the obvious trail of breadcrumbs – and shoddily thought out passwords – leading him away from the top, but towards the financial part of the party away from Yo, but still beneath his jurisdiction.

From there, So cleared through miles of script, searching for his keywords and pausing when he landed on an account owned by one Kim Won, an accountant working for the financial department.

The former hitman scoffed before pressing his head into his hands as he found the link between Kim Won's work e-mail and the e-mail used to set up the bank account that paid him.

"Did this idiot use his work e-mail as his backup for an account meant to murder someone with?" Disbelief filled So's voice as the young man's government ID popped onto the screen.

So took another hour to read through the accountant's e-mails, wondering if Kim Won was taking orders from anyone. An hour of reading through the most mind-numbing workplace blatter So had ever experienced, he concluded that Won was a regular person with a stupidly organized vendetta against Wook.

"Do I have to track him down just to give him a warning?" So mumbled his thoughts aloud, leaning back against his recently purchased computer chair. The plastic that still covered it squeaked against his shirt, and he looked around his apartment. He considered killing Won but decided that went against the set of morals Soo had instilled within his heart.

Soo… So thought about her every day, unable to blame her for the heartache he felt. If anything, their breakup was his fault and his fault only. Her words had been warranted, and though they hurt to think about, So quickly realised that in her eyes, he was a monster.

He would do everything he could to live a life that would one day change her mind. After he dealt with the final threat to Soo and her family's lives, So would dust his hands of all hitman related business for good, and he would life normally, his only regret being that he could never see Soo again.

So, instead of killing Kim Won, So decided he would go for something simpler. He would rat the little man out to his boss. There needed to be action, but it would be best to let Yo take care of that.

Much much higher up the political food chain, So located his brother and sighed when Wang Yo's government ID popped up. Yo lived in the same neighborhood as Soo's parents, in a massive estate bought with his wife's parents' money. Yo and Wook seemed to have similar rags-to-riches stories, but So wondered if his brother ever cheated on his wife.

"Yo won't believe me if I just up and tell him some accountant tried to kill Wook by proxy…" So mumbled to himself as he thumbed Yo's address into his phone. Yo's position in the government was too high for So to reach if he took the stance of a concerned citizen, which he was not.

He wondered if the only way to get his brother to believe him was to show Yo the proof of its existence. "It's not like he can rat me out to the police without taking himself down as well."

Plus, I'm not a hitman anymore.

After losing spectacularly to Wook for the grounds of a new bill, Yo was bound to be in the country, licking his wounds and hiding from the spotlight. So would find him in his home, and he would speak to his brother once more.

Typing Yo's name into a search engine, So tried to glean what he could from his brother's story. He kept up with Yo as often as he could, but So did not know nearly as much as he wanted to about his brother.

He clicked on the biography that appeared as the top result.

Wang Yo's story mirrored Hwang Bo Wook's in many aspects, yet it differed in the details. Both came from the lower class and attended the top universities in the country, but while Wook grew into a liberal, Yo became one of the fiercest conservative voices. They both married up, tying themselves to wealthy heiresses with fathers whose need for political gain led to massive donations being made to their respective parties.

So paused at the sight of a family photo of Yo and his wife leaving the hospital after the birth of their second child. Even Yo had managed to find himself in a seemingly happy and loving relationship. So knew better than to make assumptions; he'd assumed Soo and Wook were happy the first time he met them, and then he had ended up sleeping with Soo and falling in love with her.

"I'm an uncle," So muttered. He opened a GPS on his phone, looking up the nearest toy store. He may as well appear out of the blue with a peace offering.

"Shower, shave, get dressed, buy kids toys, and then go to him." So repeated the words under his breath as he prepared for his day.

"Buy the kids toys." So had a good idea of what he would get his young nephew, whose age matched Mi's, and his newborn niece. Months of playing with dolls, building blocks, magnets, and stuffed animals had educated So in the realm of childcare to an extent he had not imagined possible.

His thoughts trailed to Mi and Yoon, and So paused his daily routine to stare out the massive windows of his home and wonder how the princess and the dinosaur were doing. If there was anyone he missed more than Soo, it was her daughters. The two loud, rambunctious, but also sweet and playful children that had wrapped their little hands around his heart stayed on his mind, and So remembered how he had once thought himself worthy enough to be their father if he and Soo should actually get together.

"Bullshit. She won't divorce Wook, and if she did… he's their father. He'd get full custody." So would never see the girls if he married Soo. He did not even know why he fantasized the impossible. Soo hated him with good reason and their relationship was over. She had her husband and daughters to return to, and So would wallow in guilt and sadness at the prospect of losing the love of his life until the day he died.

Wang So stood just outside the gate of a large, single-story home. Long tendrils of ivy and flowers crept over the tall walls that So craned to peek over. He doubted his brother would greet him with open arms, but So hoped his peace offering would perhaps start their conversation on a relatively high note.

The night air was crisp and the slightest hint of humidity made So wish he had opted for shorts instead of the jeans he currently wore. If his conversation with Yo ended quickly, So planned on heading to Itaewon for dinner. If he tried hard enough, perhaps he might drink just enough to forget about Soo while also remaining sober enough to get home safely.

He jabbed his fingertip against the doorbell and waited until a child's shout came through.

"Who is it?!" So chuckled at the thought of his brother's son answering the doorbell, something Mi and Yoon were forbidden from doing. Looking into the camera, So tried to answer before stopping when another voice joined the little boy's.

"Wang Gyung, what did I say about answering the door? Do you know who that man is?"

"But nanny–"

"May I help you?" asked who So assumed was Gyung's nanny. It felt strange being at the end of a doorbell connected to another vastly affluent house, and reminded him of when he had first applied to work at Soo's home. Chae Ryung had been the one to answer the door.

"My name is Wang So and I have urgent business with my brother. It's about a leak in his political sphere."

"I will pass the message on."

So waited outside the locked gate, knowing full well that the security cameras all around were trained on him. He picked up two on his left and one on his right. He would not be surprised if there was also one in the tree on the other side of the street.

He wondered if Yo would even open the door to him. So doubted his brother would want to see him after all these years, but Yo had shown a tiny bit of recognition when they had met on the new year.

The intercom crackled back to life and So glanced at it from the corner of his eye.

"You interrupted our dinner," a familiar, condescending voice called to him. Yo sounded tired and cranky, a usual for the sour brother So had grown up with.

"Hello to you too." So ground out his greeting, wondering if it was even worth is time to come and somehow try to explain to his brother that some kid in way over his head might bring Wang Yo's political career crashing to the ground.

"What do you need to say?"

"I'd rather not say it out loud in public… could jeopardize your entire party if it gets out. Mind letting me in?"

A slew of whispered curses floated out of the obviously broken speaker and So crossed his arms before uncrossing them when the metal gate ground and shifted, moving aside to let him through.

He took a step forward and rubbed a hand against his newly smooth chin, immediately charting points of exit and where he could jump the non-electric walls if need be.

Having had his share of opulent houses, So almost scoffed at how messy this house's lawn was. From memory, So could recall the maids always picking up after the girls and making sure no mess was left behind on the perfect lawn. However, his brother's home seemed to have no such rule. Toys littered the grass and So glimpsed a dented soccer goal as well as a child's set of golf clubs. The grass was flat from being trampled on, informing So that somehow, his OCD diagnosed brother had managed to let go. So felt a sudden surge of pride for his older brother before realizing Yo had no need for his affection.

Quashing any emotions, So prepared to deliver his message and leave, unwilling to face any more heartbreak at the hands of others. For all he knew, he and Yo were strangers.

The gray front doors opened from the inside, and So looked up as his brother, dressed in a white t-shirt and gray shorts, sauntered out of his home. Yo's gray-streaked hair was shorter than So remembered, his narrow eyes more tired. By his estimate, So assumed his brother was in his early forties. He had lost track of their age gap over the years.

They stared at each other, and then Yo's eyes flickered to the large plastic bags So held out to him. "A peace offering. From an estranged uncle to… well, you know… they're for your kids."

Yo said nothing as he walked, and So moved as his brother did, meeting the older man in the middle of the driveway and staring him down.

"You have a lot of nerve coming to my home…" Yo hissed, glaring at him. "What do you want? What is so important that you– how the fuck did you find out where I live?"

Yo crossed his arms and So set the packages down, sighing. "That's the least of your problems. Do you know a man named Kim Won? Works in your party, an accountant."

His older brother's expression remained neutral, but So caught the barest of tics in his jaw. Yo nodded his head. "I've heard his name once or twice. I don't bother myself with the trivialities of lesser–"

"You should, because he hired a hitman to take Hwang Bo Wook down… most likely in your name."

Silence reigned and Yo bore the brunt of Yo's exasperated stare. The older man's eyebrows pressed close and his mouth opened into a bored sneer.

He doesn't believe me.

"And why the fuck would I believe anything you say? Aren't you Wook's bodyguard?"

"Soo's," So replied instantly. "I was Soo's bodyguard… and I was recently fired."

Yo gave him a dry look, his arms crossing as he shifted his weight to his right foot. So could tell his brother waited for further proof, already intrigued. The older man waved a hand for So to speed up in his explanation.

"Do you want the whole truth or do you just want what's necessary?" asked So. Yo remained silent for a moment, leaving So to look out at the setting sun that left darkness enshrouding them. The sky became dark and lights around the house flickered on, illuminating the two men that stood around.

"Which one will make it easier for me to not perjure myself?" Yo finally asked.

So shrugged his shoulders at that, not wanting to accidentally throw his brother in jail if the news were to leak. Yo seemed displeased with his answer.

"And which one tells me how you found out where I live?"

"The whole truth."

The older brother snorted, giving a childish roll of his eyes. His actions brought a sudden influx of childhood memories to So's mind. Little habits like the way Yo rubbed his thumb and index finger together showed that the older man's nervous tics still seemed to remain decades after they had first appeared.

"Give it all to me straight. And then I'll decide if I'm going to call the police or not." Yo's tone remained even, but So sensed nervousness in his brother, as if So had come to blackmail him.

Then again, he just lost a big fight against Wook and is probably still licking his wounds… he must think I'm a further threat.

"Kim Won hired a hitman to take out Hwang Bo Wook. I was that hitman. I haven't killed anyone in that house, but the money came from your party. I thought you should know… since you're probably planning a presidential run when you turn fifty. And I'm sure you don't want to go to prison." The entire story hurt too much to tell, so So minced his words, giving Yo only what was necessary, plus a few extra bits. He did not mind telling Yo that he was a hitman; there was no way for Yo to have him taken down without receiving a fatal blow to his career as the brother of a criminal.

In return, his brother ogled him, his mouth opening in silence and his eyes blinking rapidly. Compared to the always cold and poised Wook, So found Yo's reaction refreshing.

Yo got over his initial shock more quickly than So would have imagined, and he commended his brother on putting a mask on once more. The older man uncrossed his arms, his thumb and index furiously rubbing against each other.

Then, the tic stopped, and So lifted his arm to block Yo's hand as it approached. But the movement was slow, and Yo evaded So's defensive position to drape an arm over his brother's shoulder.

"Relax, 007, I'm not going to hit you. I see I wasn't the only one that got myself into an unsavory job. How's the pay? Better than mine, I suppose. I live off my wife's salary, really."

So stared at his brother, completely confused. He had known for awhile that Yo did not think like other people might, but So had expected more shouting.

"What are you doing? I thought you didn't trust me," So muttered, confused at the sudden change in subject. His brother gave a boisterous laugh and patted So's arm before crouching to look into the plastic bags of toys So had brought. He sifted through them and nodded his head approvingly at the remote controlled truck So had bought for his son.

"When I saw you at that New Year's party, I had my team investigate you and your connection to Wook," explained Yo, as he smiled at the stuffed giraffe So had also brought. "My daughter will love this. Anyways, I saw all the fake credentials and wondered what the fuck you were telling him about me… Pissed me the fuck off, but since you were there to kill him, I guess you're not messing with my campaigns. Hey, why didn't you kill him? Didn't you do any damage while you were there?"

I slept with his wife and fell in love with her. She fell in love with me. And then I revealed myself to her. I did plenty of damage… and hurt myself in the process.

"I quit," So replied bluntly. Still internally scratching his head at Yo's sudden behavior, So remained still, wondering if over the course of the twenty years they have not seen each other, Wang Yo had become a decently civil person.

"Oh? I thought you said you were fired."

They met eyes and Yo rubbed his chin as he held the giraffe up and gave it an animated shake. "You look like you've gone through a bad breakup. Was it a maid? The nanny?"

Of course. Wook and Soo are so perfect that even my own brother thinks she'd never be with me.

"I mishandled some delicate information and was subsequently fired. This isn't a fucking congressional hearing, stop asking me questions!" So huffed as his brother pressed one of the buttons on the remote control car, chuckling at both So and the toy. This time, So glared at his older brother, suddenly recalling with faint sadness how Yo had teased him when they were young.

"Still have that stick up your ass?"

"Speak for yourself," the younger brother grumbled back. They stood in the front yard in a peculiar but comfortable silence as Yo messed with the toys So had bought for the children.

So kept his eyes on Yo's home, letting the older man mull over his own thoughts. It was old fashioned in a way, painted light green with a black roof, a vast contrast from the chrome windows on Soo's hanok house.

"How large is your house?" So asked out of the blue. He kept his eyes on the structure before him, his ears trained to Yo's rummaging through plastic bags. His brother had always been of the peculiar sort, making So wonder how, even after two decades, he still enjoyed looking over toys and examining their parts.

"I'll give you a tour. Stay for dinner." So inhaled the wrong way when he heard his brother's offer. Coughing to clear his throat, the younger man gave his brother a quizzical stare as Yo stood and brushed his pants off.

"What?!"

"Gods you're dense," muttered Yo, his voice reflecting his annoyance. "Stay… For… Din-ner…" He enunciated each syllable as if So was the stupid one. "I cannot believe you're a hitman. Be truthful, how many people have you actually killed?"

"Was," So immediately corrected, not even bothering to answer Yo's last question. His frown deepened as he remembered that through their chumminess, it still had been twenty years since they had seen each other. "Why are you being so chummy with me? I just told you that I murdered people and you're inviting me in for dinner. You literally have no reason to trust me."

Yo stood and So quirked an eyebrow as his brother reached into his pocket and withdrew a pack of cigarettes. "I don't condone you becoming a glorified serial killer, but I suppose we both made our way into unsavory jobs. I may have a family of my own now, but outside of them, you're all I have. No one else really matters to me… and frankly you don't either, but since you're here, I may as well be a good big brother now since I never was thirty years ago."

An unexpected warmth filled So's chest, and in that moment, he unintentionally let his guard down. Standing by his brother, on a cluttered lawn, Wang So was back with his family, and this time, he felt no fear and no pain. There was still some awkwardness between them, but as if an invisible wall had come crashing down, So began to understand his brother. The silent teenager that he had idolized as a child was still his brother to this day, and So held no resentment for Yo.

Yo bit a cigarette between his teeth and offered the open carton to So, who declined with a shake of his head. "I quit."

The older man retracted his offer with a single raised eyebrow.

"Oh? Congrats."

As his brother lit up, So crossed his arms and moved to Yo's other side to avoid inhaling the fumes that would no doubt ignite his craving to smoke. He had quit for Soo and he would honor his promise to her that he would not smoke again.

Yo sucked in a long breath before exhaling a cloud of white smoke into the dark night.

"We saw each other on the new year, but it's been over twenty years. Do you still visit our parents?" Yo tapped So's shoulder and led him towards the house, leading him to a raised front step where an ashtray sat behind a column. They sat on the step as Yo tapped some ashes into the container beside him.

"Not anymore," So replied.

"Good. They don't deserve it. I'm glad my advice finally got through that stubbornness of yours."

Not yours, you narcissist prick, So thought with amusement. Soo made me stop going. She told me how to become better at caring for myself.

"Why didn't you ever go back?" So glanced at his brother when Yo turned to look at him. Then, the younger brother glared and bounced backwards when Yo blew a stream of smoke straight for his face.

"Wimp."

"Asshole."

So returned to his spot once the air cleared, suddenly grinning as faint memories of sitting with Yo on the sidewalk and munching on small snacks appeared in his mind. This time, he sat closer to his brother and dared to do something he would never have imagined doing any other time they were in the same vicinity. It was something he had seen Soo doing to Baek Ah.

Tipping his head to the side, So slowly leaned his forehead against Yo's shoulder. His hair pressed into the older man's shirt and his eyes remained open, his breathing halting as he prepared to bounce backward if Yo retaliated.

But Yo merely blew his smoke away from So's face and reached over to pat his head. So exhaled and closed his eyes as his brother's hand touched his head in the same way Soo had once done. It was a gesture that sent a cool wave of relaxation throughout So's tense muscles, and he leaned just a bit closer to his brother.

"You're a good kid," Yo replied softly. "But you're also blindly loyal… almost to the point of being a complete idiot. But I'm not." He pressed his burnt out cigarette into his ashtray and So blinked rapidly as Yo gave his cheek a light, but still stinging, pat. "I started smoking in high school. Back when we still lived in the same place. I made money doing odd jobs and instead of forking it over and maybe giving us more to eat or maybe something better to wear, I decided to smoke as a way to give myself some semblance of control.

"I decided that if I was going to die, it wasn't going to be because our parents hit me until I bled out onto the bathroom floor, but because I chose to die… preferably from lung cancer."

So winced at the morbid description and his brother noticed. Immediately, Yo's hand returned to his head, giving it a gentle pat. "You're an adult hitman and yet I baby you more than my son. There there, little hitman, your big brother is here."

Ignoring the snide teasing, So shook his head against Yo's shoulder.

"You're smoking to die."

"No, it's more of an addiction now. I'm too happy to die. My wife is amazing, my kid is great, my baby is annoying but too cute to hate, and my job is amusing even though your old boss is a pain in my ass."

Jealousy and sadness overcame So as he listened to Yo speak. Suddenly, So recalled his fantasies of being Hae Soo's husband and raising her girls with her. Being a father and having two daughters and a wife that he adored seemed so far out of reach that So could not help but laugh at his own depravity.

"Hey, So?"

"Hm?" So glanced upwards.

"How much does it cost for you to kill Kim Won for me? How much for Wook?"

Narrowing his eyes, So laid his head back onto his brother's shoulder, fatigue setting in even as Yo's question hung in the air, loaded and dangerous. "I'm retired."

The older man chuckled and So felt himself smiling as well. "How much to give him a really good scare, then?"

So shrugged his shoulders and pondered the second question for a bit longer. He had already planned on doing something that would keep Won from buying another hitman, and scaring him did align with So's plans.

"Pro bono if I decide to go through with it."

Yo gave and approving nod. His shoe shifted against the plastic toy bags and So noticed that they wore the same shoe size.

"Did you happen to pick up any dirt on Hwang Bo Wook while you worked there? A few months is enough to pick up on the servants' gossip, right?"

So's breathing slowed and his palms itched. The weight of Yo's question hit him all at once, leaving him confused as to if he should divulge anything to Yo.

He cheated on his wife for six years and his mistress is in Seoul. He hates his unborn son. He's an atheist, and thinks that those who do believe in gods are stupid… His wife cheated on him with me. She said she loved me. And I love her… and if I tell you any of this, the blowback on her will be exponential compared to what hits Wook.

"Nothing," So said deftly. "He's clean as a whistle." The lie rolled off his tongue with ease, and it pained So to know that in keeping information from Wook's enemy, Wook would only continue to have everything. But what else could he do but protect Soo by proxy?

Before either So or Yo could speak again, the front door opened and So looked to the door as his sister-in-law stepped out, marching on bare feet towards them, a foul glare on her face. From what So recalled from seeing her at the New Year's party earlier she had obviously had her baby and lost weight.

"You said you'd be three minutes and it's been thirty!" Park Mun Seong, So recalled her name. The daughter of a real estate tycoon. She wore a long sweater that reached her knees, and when Yo held his wife's ankle, So noticed green leggings. "Hello, how are you?"

So blinked in silence at the daunting woman that leaned over him and Yo, not realizing that the question was meant for him.

"Mun Seong, this is my little brother," Yo said, becoming the bridge between them. So nodded his head. "Wang So, this is my lovely wife. Park Mun Seong."

So stood to shake his sister-in-law's hand and she immediately smiled, only reserving her glare for her husband. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you! I was wondering when Yo was going to bring you around. Our son will be so happy to meet you. He always asks why there are so many girls in the family."

The sudden influx of chatter made So's head spin, and the warm smile Mun Seong offered only barely confused him now.

"I invited him to stay for dinner," Yo stated, standing and leaning close to press a kiss to his wife's forehead. She ducked away from his gesture and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Then you should have brought him inside and talked with him over dinner - which is cold now, thanks to you. Little brother, please come in…."

"Wang So," So finally said, introducing himself. "I um… I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner. I did bring a few things for the children."

"So spent twenty years working abroad and just came back last year or so," Yo said smoothly. So frowned at his brother's lie but said nothing, knowing that Yo would keep his secret.

Mun Seong's eyebrows rose and So nodded his head as he found himself being ushered into the warm and brightly lit house by his brother and sister-in-law.

"Well, he can tell us all about it over cold pot roast. I'm so sorry my husband is an idiot, So. He has no concept of time, really."