Chapter Text
“I make no distinction between men and women, I treat them the same way” - Kang Yo Han
One day, Elijah proposed a new "family" activity. After watching some movies with her friends, Elijah decided to establish a new tradition in the house: Friday pizza/movie night. It was a classic in the Western side of the world, and she wanted to try it out. Most of her arguments played on Yo Han's guilt for preventing her from living like most teenagers of her age. She had argued that she wanted to "finally make up for her lost youth."
That Friday night marked a month since they had started this tradition. It had also been a week since Ga On began working part-time at a law firm in the city, assisting the lawyers. Since his degree was only partially recognized in Switzerland, he couldn’t take up the same position he held before. But it was enough for him; he no longer felt dependent on his former chief’s wealth.
When he returned home from work, the smell of pizza told him he was likely fall under Elijah's wrath, who had reminded him far too many times not to be late. Finally, it wasn’t enough. He grimaced, feeling so tired that he wasn’t sure he could handle Elijah’s attacks.
"Kim Ga On! This isn’t Korea; no one’s going to hit you if you don’t work overtime!"
Yes, he was definitely late. The fatigue weighed heavily on his shoulders as he walked into the house with dragging steps.
"Mianhae, Elijah," he called out, taking off his shoes.
A thought brought some comfort to him. Thankfully, they weren’t in Korea, or instead of being home with his family, he would have had to go out for drinks with his colleagues. His family—it came naturally to him now, they were part of his world, and in truth, they had been for a long time.
He found them in the living room, each at opposite ends of the couch. He still remembered the one time they sat side by side—it almost ended in disaster. Ga On had stepped in, declaring he would be Switzerland, with his designated seat in the middle.
He noticed three pizzas waiting on the coffee table, still hot from the strong smell wafting in the air.
"Hurry up and take a shower, I’m starving," the young girl whined.
Her tired features tugged at the young man's heart. Her rehabilitation session that day must have been exhausting, making her even grumpier than usual. She had been alone in a big house for most of her life, hating the only family member she had; now that she had a real family, she relied on them and no longer bore everything on her own. Ga On had noticed that his return to her life was just what she needed to consider him as part of her family; it seemed that she had erased what had happened in Korea from her memory. They were together, and that’s all that mattered now. So that night, he realized that it wasn’t just about pizza and the movie or even resting; what she needed was their presence, both of them, by her side. They couldn’t take away the pain she must have felt in her back or legs, but they could give her the peace and comfort she needed to endure it.
And that’s why, less than four minutes later, Ga On reappeared in the living room, refreshed, changed, and with a towel on his head to dry his still-damp hair from the shower.
"You took your time; you’re worse than a girl," Elijah grumbled.
He didn’t respond, just stuck his tongue out at her as he settled between the two, not without groaning from fatigue. He leaned forward to open the pizza boxes, signaling the official start of their evening.
"What are we watching tonight?"
Next to him, Yo Han leaned over the coffee table to cut his pizza into three slices.
"The first ‘Lord of the Rings’ movie," the young girl announced.
"Mwo? You haven’t seen it?!"
Both Kangs shook their heads, still focused on their pizzas.
"Camille told me it’s a must-watch classic in fantasy," she shrugged in response. "She lent me her DVDs."
She set her pizza aside for a few seconds to start the DVD player. The opening credits rolled, and the music filled the walls of the living room. Under his eyes, thirds of pizzas were swapped between boxes in a perfectly coordinated dance that had developed over the weeks. They had finally found some culinary harmony, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to pick from each other’s plates when ordering food.
With his slice in hand, he leaned back against the couch and enjoyed the lush greenery of the Shire, waiting for Frodo and Gandalf to appear on screen. Unlike his two companions, he had already seen this movie. But that wasn’t the most important thing; what mattered was being there with them, listening to their commentary on every scene. On the very first night, he had realized that every viewing would be noisy—they couldn’t stay silent in front of the screen. In the end, it was probably just as well they had never been to a cinema; they would’ve been banned for sure. Especially when the arguments began because they disagreed. And he always found himself in the middle, wondering whether to flee or make some popcorn...
Frodo and Sam had just arrived in Bree when he noticed the empty pizza boxes. Feeling the fatigue creeping in, he decided it was time to stretch his legs. He grabbed the boxes and got up from the couch, some groans got out from Elijah for disturbing her. He also took the opportunity to splash water on his face in a vain attempt to shake off the exhaustion. The cold water felt good, but he knew it was only temporary. He splashed himself one last time, hoping to stay awake for the remaining two hours of the film. As he was leaving the room, a sudden urge made him stop and turn back. He opened the freezer and took out three small pots of ice cream. Eating—one of the keys to staying awake.
Ga On opened his eyes with difficulty, as a light was glaring far too brightly at him. The pillow under his head was comfortable but different from usual. His blurred vision gradually cleared: it was the brightness of the television that was assaulting his eyes. Had he fallen asleep during the movie? But then... His first instinct was to move, but he managed to resist and stayed frozen in place. His head was resting on something that wasn’t a pillow... It was Kang Yo Han. And the weight he felt on his ribs was not nothing—it was his arm wrapped around him.
"Don’t move, Ga On," Elijah whispered, "he’s asleep too."
Using his imagination, the young man assessed the position he was in: his head was resting on Yo Han's chest, who was holding him against himself.
"How?" he asked in the same whisper as the young girl.
"You fell asleep on his shoulder. And you were groaning in your sleep because it wasn’t comfortable."
"Jinjja?"
She nodded before motioning for him to be quiet so she could focus on the movie as the Uruk-Hai attacked the Fellowship of the Ring. Ga On tried to get up, but as soon as he moved a few centimeters, Yo Han's arm tightened around him, and its owner murmured, "Don’t go." The young man heard a giggle from the other side of the couch. He closed his eyes, trying to suppress the embarrassment he felt. In the end, it wasn’t so bad that his head was against Yo Han’s chest; Elijah couldn’t see his face, which was becoming far too warm for his liking—it must have turned red by now. She didn’t need any more ammunition for her already sharp tongue. So, he stayed in that position and followed the rest of the movie, preferring to focus on it rather than the reactions of various parts of his body.
The end credits darkened the room, and Elijah quickly turned off the DVD player.
"Camille was right, that was a good movie," she said, getting up with difficulty.
Even though she was walking more often without crutches, it took so much energy that he noticed by the end of the day, it was much harder for her to move around like that.
"I’m going to bed, Ga On. Goodnight!"
"Wait!"
He tried to stop her, but she ignored his plea with a wave of her hand. The living room door closed, leaving him alone with a sleeping Kang Yo Han beneath him. He tried to move again but to no avail—his former boss held him too tightly. He sighed, considering his options.
"Kang Yo Han," he murmured, gently tapping his stomach.
No reaction. Ga On tapped harder and repeated his name. Still no reaction. He tried to get up again, but Yo Han's arm was like a prison—the more he pushed, the tighter it closed, holding him even closer.
"Ga On-ah, stop moving, just sleep."
The sleepy voice broke the silence, freezing the young man. Against him, Yo Han's body tensed. Ga On closed his eyes, waiting for a reaction, even dreading it. Should he pretend to be asleep? No, that wasn’t possible—it was his fidgeting that had woken him. So he waited, hoping the embrace would loosen quickly so he could escape just as fast. But the seconds ticked by without anything happening.
"Kang Yo Han?"
Had he fallen back asleep? Ga On doubted it—his body wasn’t as relaxed, and his breathing was less deep. No, he was definitely awake, but he wasn’t letting go.
"Yes?"
"The movie is over."
"And?"
"We should go to bed."
Ga On stifled a yawn, slightly forced. Yo Han sighed but finally lifted his arm. Ga On took the opportunity to get up and put some distance between them, feeling both relieved and empty without the contact.
"Seriously?" Yo Han asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don’t like invading other people's personal space," Ga On defended himself.
During his futile attempts to wake him, Ga On had wondered how he ended up in that position. Yo Han wouldn’t have held him without a reason—he wasn’t that tactile, at least not without a reason. Ga On must have somehow pushed him into it. And even then, he couldn’t understand why the former judge hadn’t simply woken him up. This mystery kept invading his thoughts, unsettling him.
"Alright. Next time, I’ll wake you up instead of letting you drool on me."
"Kang Yo Han!" Ga On exclaimed, offended.
"Kim Ga On," the older man echoed in the same tone but with a smile.
Ga On shook his head as fatigue took over his body again, despite the brief nap he had taken. He stifled another yawn.
"Go upstairs and get some sleep," Yo Han advised.
The young man nodded; he didn’t have the mental energy to handle the conversation the other man wanted to have. He got up and left the room with a weak "goodnight."
--
"Do you think he's dead?"
"No, he's still warm."
"Maybe it's too soon for his body to have cooled down."
“ImNotDeadButIWantToSleep”
Their voices had woken him up from a deep sleep. He was still struggling to open his eyes, the bright light attacking them every time his eyelids began to lift. To ease the discomfort and gradually adjust, he covered them with his arm.
"Do you think he has lost his mental faculties?" asked the female voice.
"We'll put him in a specialized institute."
"I can hear you," he grumbled.
"Oh no! He finally understands us! Great!"
"Elijah…"
He didn’t know what time it was yet, but his body was screaming that it was still far too early to deal with two Kang before even getting out of bed. One of them moved, and mechanical sounds echoed in the room—it was Elijah getting up.
"Well, it's no fun if he's not dead. Breakfast is ready," she added before the sound of the door closing reached his ears.
Ga On sighed in relief. He still needed a few minutes to himself, alone. The bed shifted again. Why? He remembered—there was a second voice. A weight settled on his thigh, round and hard. Was it Yo Han’s head?
"What does it feel like to sleep in?" Yo Han suddenly asked.
"Why?"
"I’ve never done it."
"But why are you asking me that now?"
Ga On felt his thigh twitch from the small laugh of the other man.
"It's 11:30. Well, it was 11:30 when we came upstairs."
"Mwo?"
11:30? He shot up in bed, but an elbow pushed him back against the mattress.
"A few more minutes won't change anything."
"But I have to prepa… Elijah said breakfast is ready?"
The surprise was evident in Ga On's voice. He felt Yo Han nod against his thigh.
"When she saw you weren’t coming down, she decided to make it herself."
Ga On tried to imagine what that might look like. To his knowledge, the young girl had never been near the stove in her life.
"I don’t know if it’ll be edible," Yo Han continued, "but it didn’t smell burnt. Don’t ruin her efforts," he warned.
"Like with Mme Ji?"
"Hum hum," he dodged.
Ga On smiled but quickly hid it with his arm. Even though Yo Han couldn’t see him, he didn’t want to risk him catching the blush on his cheeks. Yo Han had many sides that few people were fortunate enough to encounter. Taking care of his loved ones was one of them.
They stayed in silence for a few more minutes until Ga On's arm went numb. He tried to move it along his body, but his hand met Yo Han’s chest.
"Jeosonghabnida," he squeaked, quickly pulling his arm away.
But a hand caught his wrist midair and put it back in its original position, his palm on the former judge’s heart. It took him a moment to find the heartbeat pulsing under his fingers because his own pulse was pounding in his temples. It was as chaotic as what was happening in his own body. He had always reacted strangely to this man’s touch, ever since the first time. He had been shocked, maybe even frightened by the violence when he was pinned against the bookshelf, but he was also unsettled by those intimate gestures. Every time Yo Han touched him, his body responded, his heartbeat raced. Recently, since arriving in Switzerland, a slow-burning heat had been setting his body on fire and flushing his cheeks. How many times had he had to lower his head to hide it? The months of solitude had made him starve for contact, for affection, and he projected it all onto Kang Yo Han. Embarrassment overwhelmed him, as it did every time he let himself enjoy these moments. And shame always followed when Yo Han responded to his need for affection, which was not typical of the man. Ga On had concluded that Yo Han had adopted him into his family like a nephew, someone to protect as he did with Elijah, someone to show affection to, like with Elijah. Elijah.
"We need to go eat," he grumbled, tapping Yo Han’s chest.
The man sighed but didn’t resist this time, getting up to free Ga On. He sat on the edge of the bed, probably where he had been before the younger one woke up. Ga On turned his head toward him, raising an eyebrow.
"What?" Yo Han asked.
"I need to get up."
"And?"
Was he doing this on purpose? This reminded Ga On of a memory—this had been happening more and more lately—when Yo Han dressed him for the gala.
"I’m not wearing pajama pants," he admitted softly.
"And?" Yo Han repeated.
Ga On laughed because Yo Han was trying to pretend he didn’t see the problem, but his eyes sparkled with mischief, and he wore a teasing smile. He wasn’t naive anymore; Yo Han wanted to play with him, to tease him. The former judge knew it made him uncomfortable.
"Do you need me to help you get dressed?" Yo Han finally asked.
Ga On groaned in embarrassment while Yo Han laughed more openly as he got off the bed.
"You always react like this when I act this way. Hurry downstairs, we won’t wait much longer."
The young man threw his pillow across the room, but the door closed just before it could hit its target. The Kangs would be the death of him one day.
When he finally came down to the kitchen, he confirmed what his former boss had said—there was no smell of burning. He pushed open the door and saw Elijah and her uncle already seated at the table with their plates served. He patted the young girl on the shoulder in greeting and walked around to sit next to Yo Han in his usual spot. She pushed a bowl of hot rice toward him.
"Finally! We were about to die of starvation!"
"You could’ve eaten without me," he retorted, glancing at the rest of the table.
Each plate had small rolled omelets and a little bowl of porridge. It was simple but easy enough to make for a first attempt.
"Wow, Elijah, you outdid yourself!"
He gulped under the girl’s dark glare.
"I mean, for a first time, it smells good."
He closed his eyes when he heard the chuckle coming from his neighbor.
"At least it’s better than reheating ramen."
"Shall we start?" the older man declared, ignoring the young man’s jab.
Elijah and Ga On exchanged a look before laughing together. Yo Han wouldn’t change, and Ga On wasn’t sure he wanted him to. He really liked this Kang Yo Han, with all his facets and contradictions.
Ga On picked up his chopsticks and grabbed his first omelet. He bit into it and waited for the flavor to fill his mouth. He nearly choked when someone kicked him under the table. He shot a glare at Yo Han, who wasn’t looking at him but at Elijah with a smile.
"So, is it good?" she asked.
She had her elbows on the table, chin in her hands, her torso leaning toward them, waiting for their verdict.
"Very good," her uncle confirmed.
"Excellent," Ga On agreed.
He swallowed his bite, trying to keep a neutral expression. The omelet was too salty, way too salty to be pleasant. Without that, it could have been good because it melted in his mouth. He set down his chopsticks and picked up the spoon to taste the porridge. He had to gulp it down quickly and drink water because it was also oversalted.
"What? It’s not good?" she asked eagerly.
He took another sip of water to avoid coughing and gave her a thumbs up to reassure her. She smiled, visibly pleased with herself. But then a thought crossed his mind... How did she actually find the dishes he made for her? He usually went easy on the salt, but if she liked her food this way, his dishes must have seemed too bland to her. So why did she keep eating them as if they were the best?
He watched as she looked back and forth between them, smiling, then picked up her chopsticks to start eating. She spat out the entire mouthful just seconds after taking a bite of her omelet.
"Jinjja!" she exclaimed. "This is disgusting! How can you eat this?"
She glared at them and frantically rubbed her fingers over her tongue, probably trying to get rid of the salty taste. He had been tempted to do the same if he hadn’t already promised to behave.
"Yo Han! You lied!" she accused her uncle.
"No," he denied, shaking his head, his face the picture of innocence.
"Then eat it."
Elijah transformed, her chin lifted, eyes narrowed, and she looked very much like her uncle when he was threatening someone. She was challenging him. And her uncle didn’t flinch, taking another piece of omelet between his chopsticks and, without breaking eye contact with his niece, slowly bit into it. Ga On barely held back a smile when he saw an eye twitch and his jaw clench. Elijah didn’t notice since she was facing him. He finally swallowed and gave a big smile to the girl, who refocused on her plate. Then, Yo Han turned to Ga On and winked as he licked his lips to clear away the last invisible crumbs of omelet. Ga On choked on the water he had just sipped, drawing a surprised look from Elijah and a teasing smile from his neighbor.
"You okay?" the young girl asked.
"Hum, hum."
She choked again a few seconds later when she tasted her porridge. She groaned about her incompetence and her uncle’s lies, who continued eating his breakfast as if it were perfectly edible. Unlike Ga On, who pitied the girl and started making a quick snack.
"Ga On, you’re banned from sleeping in from today," Elijah decreed.
"Or you could learn how to cook," her uncle retorted.
"I don’t mind," Ga On said. "Anyway, it was rare for me to sleep this late."
Yo Han grumbled something incomprehensible to the other two, but neither of them tried to understand; his slumped shoulders advised them to leave him alone.
--
Elijah was chatting animatedly behind him as Ga On chopped vegetables on the countertop. She had joined him a few minutes earlier, after finishing her homework upstairs. Yo Han was probably still in his office. He had been working a lot these past few days. Despite his wealth, he liked to keep being busy and often only reappeared for dinner and the evening. Luckily, Ga On had his own work to occupy him, or he might have struggled with the loneliness he would have found himself in.
"Ga On?"
"Yes?"
He didn’t turn around but paid more attention as Elijah's voice suddenly grew more serious.
"Don’t you miss Korea?"
He put down the knife, wiped his hands, and turned to face the young girl, leaning against the edge of the counter.
"No, why?"
She folded her hands on the table, a sign that she was unsure of herself.
"You’re not going to leave, are you?"
"What would make me want to go back, according to you?"
"You were born the
--
Ga On trying to find his place in the family... is he too innocent ?
