I love your Hwang brothers fics, I sobbed so hard reading funeral pyre and I was wondering if you have any headcanons about the Hwang brothers growing up 𫶠(I want them to be happy so much)
*Apologize if itâs not all fluff and happy. I could not help myself. There might be more from me in the future where they got to truly be happy together.
When his step mom was pregnant, In-ho was a little unsure about having a baby brother. Maybe, very deep down, a part of him was worried his dad would replace him with the new kid and heâd be âleft behindâ.
He, of course, kept his worries to himself.
However, the first time he met and held baby Jun-ho, all wrapped up burrito style in a blanket, baby Jun-ho wrapped his tiny, tiny hand around In-hoâs finger, and In-ho knew from that moment that this was his baby brother, his blood, he loved him and he would do anything to protect him.
After their fatherâs untimely demise, In-ho became both a brother and a father figure to Jun-ho.
He loved Jun-ho unconditionally, that was a fact, but he was only a young man who was forced to become the man of the house when he was nowhere near ready, after his father left. The âtaking care of his step momâ and âbeing a father figure to his baby brotherâ could very understandably be overwhelming, even for In-ho. And Jun-ho just⌠would not stop following him around when In-ho needed some alone time.
In-ho didnât mean to snap and raise his voice at Jun-ho.
He was only aware of what heâd done after Jun-ho ran away from him, crying.
Guilt was fast to swallow him whole.
He tried approaching Jun-ho, who was hiding under the bed, tried softly coaxing him to come out in a gentle voice and saying that he was sorry and that he didnât mean to raise his voice.
It took a while, but in the end Jun-ho crawled out from under the bed and into In-hoâs arms.
In-ho knew, from that moment, he hated seeing Jun-ho cry. Hated seeing Jun-ho upset and in pain. It pained him to see his brother in pain.
Thatâs why In-ho didnât hesitate to say heâd give Jun-ho his kidney when Jun-ho got sick.
The doctors and his own step mother explained to him the risk of the surgery and what a âbig dealâ donating an organ to someone was. They asked if In-ho was absolutely sure. But In-ho knew the risk. And he knew that he didnât care about his own life or health. As long as Jun-ho was okay. Jun-ho had to be okay.
The surgeries went well, both for himself and for Jun-ho.
A part of him got to be with his brother forever, and a part of In-ho could not help feeling that glimpse of pride somewhere in his chest.
Also he got to use the âI gave you my kidneyâ card to make Jun-ho listen to him every time he was teaching Jun-ho Jun-hoâs homework (that Jun-ho did not want to do) or trying to make Jun-ho study for his upcoming exam.
Jun-hoâs first heartbreak? It was In-hoâs shoulder he cried on.
Jun-hoâs first screwup? It was In-ho who got him out of the trouble.
And when Jun-ho came up to him one day and said âIâm gonna be a police â a good police â just like you, hyung,â In-ho had never been more proud.
When In-ho lost his wife and child, he thought he lost everything. But then Jun-ho was there, and In-ho realized: no, he hadnât lost everything.
If there was the one thing that made In-ho doubt his own decision to return to the game as the Front Man, it was Jun-ho.
In the end, In-ho did what he thought was right for him. Abandoning Jun-ho hurt as much as losing his wife and child, but In-ho did what he had to do.
When he knew it was his own brother infiltrating the island, that fear he felt when his wife was dying came back, because now Jun-ho â the idiot, In-hoâs idiot â might get himself killed. Why couldnât Jun-ho just accept that In-ho was gone?
But deep down, In-ho knew his brother was never a quitter.
The mission was more about finding, saving Jun-ho and getting him as far away from the island as possible (for Jun-hoâs own safety) than it was about finding the intruder and defending the game.
In-ho knew, when he held out his hand for Jun-ho on the cliff, Jun-ho would not take it. Jun-ho was too noble for that. Still something in In-hoâs chest ached when Jun-ho refused his hand. That sentimental part inside In-ho still wished Jun-ho would take his hand. Itâs me, your brother, Iâm still me.
It was either In-ho pulling the trigger or the Soldiers killing Jun-ho. So In-ho did the one thing he could do that could still save Jun-hoâs life. A bullet to the shoulder was nonfatal. He called Captain Park and orchestrated a rescue mission as soon as he could.
Once Jun-ho was rescued and sent to a hospital, In-ho had his men keep tabs on Jun-ho and report directly to him daily ever since.
So far, Jun-ho had been staying away from the island (In-ho had made sure of that). Good. This was for Jun-hoâs own safety.
Jun-ho could think that In-ho betrayed him (in a way, In-ho did), Jun-ho could hate him now, and that was⌠that was fine.
In-ho would rather Jun-ho hate him if it meant he got to protect and keep Jun-ho safe. Even from afar.
For those of you who are new here, you can find my fic about In-ho and Jun-ho here
Funeral Pyre (A Hwang Bros fic) on Archive of Our Own
