ᯓ★ yang jungwon

you never thought your mother would get married again, not after the incredibly turbulent relationship between her and your father. you could vividly remember the nights you heard your mother crying in the next room, and how she swore she’d never trust another man after all that heartache. and, honestly, life just the two of you hadn't been all that bad.

but then came "mr. yang." you never quite understood what your mother saw in him back then. whenever you saw him, he was so serious... anyway, he worked in finance, made good money, wore impeccable suits, and smelled of expensive cologne. too perfect to be true.

when your mother announced on a random tuesday that he had a son, you rolled your eyes so hard it hurt. great. a little brother as a bonus, you thought. you weren't exactly happy about your mom's new boyfriend, and now you’d have to put up with a brat, too? she barely know the guy, and she’s already trying to play stepmom to his kid. what an idiot.

---

the first time you met the man's son was also the first time you stepped foot in the yang mansion.

it was far too big for just two people. the furniture was new, and there wasn't a single photo on the walls – not even pictures of his ex-wife, the boy's mother. it was hard to tell if it was grief or if he was just one of those men who preferred to pretend the past never existed. nothing there seemed to have any life to it; it was all very strange. still, like it or not, it was the typical home of a rich man who had it made.

the man greeted the two of you with his usual friendly smile. that was when you saw the boy for the first time. he was standing at the top of the stairs, half-hidden behind the banister, as if he didn't even want to be there. and, in fact, he didn't. his father had called him over in a clipped, almost impatient voice to greet you and your mom.

the boy came down slowly, one step at a time, and when he finally got close, he gave a quick bow without looking anyone in the eye.

"hi."

arrogant little brat, huh?

---

the following weeks were the most hardest! with a marriage proposal – which, in your opinion, was way too hasty and pointless –, your mother decided you would all move in with her new fiancé. it was ridiculous, you didn't want to accept it. you even threatened to go live with your father – who, by the way, hadn't even called back when you messaged him asking if you could. your mother didn't even need to say anything. you knew you had nowhere else to go, you’d have to accept it eventually. so, despite being furious, you swallowed your pride, packed your bags, and moved into the yangs' house. well, at least the guy was rich, right? maybe he’d be a decent stepfather.

but that stepbrother of yours...

he was completely weird. he avoid any room you were in, didn't answer when you spoke, and lock himself in his room whenever you tried to strike up a conversation. it was as if he were trying to pretend you didn't exist, pretending your presence changed nothing in his life. and damn, that irritated you in a way you couldn't even explain.

but there was one thing: you were spoiled.

your mother had never said no. she never set boundaries. instead, she’d sigh, lower her head, and let you do whatever you wanted as long as it didn't disrupt her life too much. and, of course, the result was predictable. you grew up believing the world revolved around you, "i want it, i got it.". that’s how the "games" to get jungwon’s attention came about.

at first, it was just stupid stuff siblings usually do. Sometimes you hide jungwon’s charger just to see how long it took for him to ask for help. or sometimes you startle him in the hallway, shouting right in his ear out of nowhere when he least expected it. Or even tell lies to their father just to watch the older man deliver the kind of curt scolding that made the boy hang his head and mumble apologies for things he hadn’t even done – and yet, at the end of the day, he’d just pretend nothing had happened.

holy shit... react! do something. fight back. curse at me. anything, damn it.

but jungwon just... took it. and as the days in the house went by, you couldn't help but notice that his relationship with his father wasn't exactly great. whenever the boy tried to speak to his father, the man would just answer curtly, seemingly for no reason. so, if the problem was a lack of attention, then you would give him yours. not the paternal attention he wanted, but a very specific kind of attention.

---

when you decided you wanted that boy, it started with pinching. sometimes, as you walked past him, you’d pinch the inside of his arm without warning, just to hear him let out that muffled little sound, somewhere between a whimper and a grumble.

then came the biting. when he was distracted beside you, you’d lean in and bite his arm or shoulder and he’d groan much louder than he did with the pinching, calling you crazy. you’d bite hard enough to leave a mark because you loved watching jungwon’s father question him about those bruises while his face burned with the shame of not being able to admit they were the handiwork of his new sister. and the best part? he always let you do it. he’d scowl, but he never pulled away.

you tried to win him over even with rather unsubtle comments: "wow, those pants really show off you... don't they?" or "you've never dated anyone? seriously? with that cute face?" jungwon wouldn't say a word, but he’d blush. he always blushed. his cheeks would turn pink, his dimples would show even when he wasn't smiling, and he’d change the subject in a voice so shaky it was almost pathetic. and somehow, that just made you want him more. sometimes you’d even casually walk into the bathroom while he was showering; afterwards, he wouldn't be able to look you in the eye for at least two days.

---

then came the day when you finally decided to make your move. you wanted to see how much longer the boy would continue playing innocent and pretending not to notice the way you were indirectly flirting with him.

it was one day when your parents left early. when you woke up, you immediately saw a message from your mother on your phone saying they needed to sort out wedding paperwork, contracts, catering, florist, and everything else – things you didn't care about at all, to be honest. seeing those messages, you immediately knew it was the perfect opportunity. you chose your pajamas on purpose: black satin shorts that barely covered your butt and a thin, white t-shirt that left your breasts almost exposed through the morning's transparency. nothing underneath. then you went downstairs barefoot, a smile already forming on your face before you even reached the living room.

jungwon was exactly where you expected him: sitting on the large sofa with a video game controller in his hand, his big, sleep-puffy eyes glued to the television. his hair was messy, like he'd just woken up, he was wearing a baggy shirt and sleep shorts. his face was squashed from the pillow, so freaking cute in a way that made you drool.

"good morning, wonie~"

jungwon jumped at the sound of your voice, the remote almost fell from his hand, his head turned too quickly. his eyes met yours and immediately went down, then up again. and then down again, as if his brain didn't know where to look. his ears turned red in seconds. "...good morning, {{user}}." jungwon swallowed hard, his eyes returned to the television, but his body was too tense. his fingers gripped the remote tightly.

and, well, maybe it was the exhaustion of pretending, maybe it was just the fact that you smelled like sweet shampoo and smiled in that way that made him feel small... but jungwon didn't move. he didn't run away like a scared bunny like all the other times he'd been teased.

"...our parents went out, right?" he murmured as if trying to lighten the mood, resuming his finger movements on the remote as if he wasn't internally freaking out. "d-do you... do you know what time they'll be back?"