Inho doesnāt even say anythingāhe just grabs the recruiter and kicks him out and Junho is confused and angry and Gihun is just like umā¦whatās going on?
I'm in the midst of fic writing, and just had the thought that maybe part of why Gi-hun chose Jung-bae to go with him was he remembered how hurt he felt when Sang-woo chose to team up with Ali instead of him, and my heart hurts, you're welcome
You and me both! Glad I got around to this one. Everyone, round of applause for In-ho's acting skills, or let's all beat him to death with pool noodles, idk, one or the other or both. Also @cotteafeline pretty sure your post here was what inspired the ending on this one. š
...
When they arrived home, Young-il stormed off into the bedroom without another word, leaving Gi-hun to watch as he disappeared out of sight.
Taking a deep breath, Gi-hun braced himself before following after, accompanied by the sound of his crutches with every step.
"Don't do this," he warned upon entering.
Young-il's jaw clenched.
"Do what?"
"Make something out of nothing," Gi-hun huffed, shifting to try and ease the pain building in his leg. "You're acting childish."
"Oh, I am the one acting childish?" Young-il leveled him with a glare that pierced straight through him to the core. "That's rich, coming from you."
"Seriously?"
"I'm not the one sneaking out of the house like a teenager, ignoring your texts and calls," he snapped. "What if something happened to you while you were gone on your little adventure, Gi-hun? Huh? What then?"
No, no, no. Young-il didn't get to throw this back into his face as if Gi-hun was somehow in the wrong. Since when was visiting a friend such a crime?
"Well, it's such a relief you did what any sane person would do and tracked my phone to keep me 'safe,' isn't it?!"
"You are so immature, ungratefulā"
"Says the overbearing, inconsiderate asshole!" Gi-hun shouted, regretting the words the second they left his lips.
Young-il's expression darkened, his eyes sharp with a barely-contained rage.
His response cut through the tense silence with the finality of an executioner's axe.
"Get out."
Panic seized Gi-hun by the throat, and he choked out, "WāWhat?"
"Spend the night in the guest room," Young-il clarified, his lips curled into a scowl. "If you need space so bad, then go sleep in there. Get away from me and my suffocating presence."
Shit, so he did hear more of that conversation than he let on.
"Wait, that wasn't what Iā"
"Get. Out."
He really wasn't going to let Gi-hun defend himself?
Gaping, he opened and closed his mouth, likely resembling a fish out of water while shock and indignation warred inside him.
Face flushed, Gi-hun eventually snapped, "Fuck you, Young-il," grumbling under his breath as he made his less-than-graceful exit on his crutches.
He hadn't slept in the guest room since Young-il first brought him home, so being cast out of the sanctuary that Gi-hun started thinking of as theirs stung a bit, to say the least.
Once he made it into the spare bedroom, Gi-hun made a point of slamming the door behind him. Biting back a frustrated scream, he plopped down onto the bed in spite of his aching body, his crutches clattering noisily to the ground. To make matters worse, he realized a second too late that he had left his pain meds in their bathroom. Relief would have to wait until Gi-hun's pride allowed him to speak to Young-il again, it would seem, Gi-hun staring up at the ceiling with a stubborn frown.
His mind racing a mile a minute, Gi-hun didn't know how long he laid there like that, only that he started to drift in and out of sleep after the pain dulled to a more tolerable level. Never quite gone, but easier to cope with at least.
Time passed by in a blur while he continued to sulk atop his covers, fully clothed. When he awoke for the umpteenth time that night, he pulled out his phone to try and take his mind off of that stupid argument.
It wasn't until then that he was reminded of the little souvenir he took from Jung-bae.
Out fell the card from his pocket, and there again arose that accompanying sense of dread that Gi-hun felt the first time upon seeing it.
Setting his phone down onto the bed, he picked the card up to stare at the three shapes printed upon its surface. A circle, a triangle, and a square. Then on the back, there was a number to call. For a split second, Gi-hun's fingers twitched towards his phone, only to be interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.
"Gi-hun?"
Startled, he nearly jumped out of his skin, quick to yank open the drawer to the nearby nightstand.
"Just a sec!"
Apparently, Young-il took that literally because Gi-hun barely had time to toss the card inside and slam the drawer shut before he was entering the room. Brow raised, Young-il's gaze skimmed over the nightstand, but he let the matter drop.
For now, at least.
Gi-hun didn't dare look at him until he sat on the edge of the bed, scooting closer so that their legs brushed.
"Hey." Red, puffy eyes stayed trained on a spot on the bedspread between them. Young-il picked at a loose thread, his voice small. "I'm sorry about before."
"I'm sorry, too," Gi-hun sighed, shifting atop the blanket to make room for him. At the silent invitation, Young-il didn't hesitate to curl up against his side, burying his face into the crook of Gi-hun's neck. "I don't know why you put up with me." He trailed his fingers down Young-il's spine, delighting in the shiver he received in response. "Some days, I feel like you're wasting all this time and effort on a complete stranger."
"But you're not," Young-il insisted. "You're not a stranger. You're still the same guy who feeds stray cats on your way home, even when you don't have much to share. The same delightful man who prefers chocolate milk to plain." At Gi-hun's chuckle, Young-il continued with a warm smile that set his heart aflutter. "The same frustrating, stubborn ass who refuses to tell me when he's in pain or having a nightmare." Brushing Gi-hun's hair back from his face, Young-il rested his forehead against his, his expression open and tender. "No matter what, you're still my Gi-hunā¦ Yes, even after you dyed your hair that ridiculous shade of red."
What? The last time he remembered dyeing his hair at all, he was in his twenties.
"Now I know you're lying," he teased in a huff, unable to keep his smile at bay.
Especially at being called his.
"I'm not!" Young-il said, nudging his nose against his. "It was cute, though. I even have pictures to prove it if you'd like to see."
Gi-hun made a point of tightening his arm around him, pulling him in closer against his side. "Maybe tomorrow."
As far as Gi-hun was concerned, the worst of their disagreement was far from over. There was a lot that they still needed to discuss, boundaries that needed to be set, but it could wait until later. Tonightā¦
Tonight, all he wanted was to fall asleep in Young-il's arms without a care in the world.
Then again, he couldn't help but push his luck a little.
"Tell me," Gi-hun hummed, sparing a quick glance towards his lips, "would it be too much to say that seeing you angry like that earlier really did it for me?"
Mouth agape, Young-il blinked owlishly at him.
"Seriously?"
"Is it really that surprising?" Heat rushed to fill his cheeks. "For a second, I thought you were going to bend me over your knee and spank me."
Young-il let out a dark laugh.
"Tempting." He stole a quick peck, smiling when Gi-hun chased after his lips for another. "If we're careful with your leg, then maybe that could still be arranged."
"You're terrible."
"You're the one that suggested it!" They shared a bright laugh, Young-il searching his expression before meeting Gi-hun's eyes again, his voice soft, gentle. "I don't want you to feel imprisoned here. This is your home."
Gi-hun's heart skipped a beat.
How did he always manage to do that? One look, a single touch, and Gi-hun was like putty in his hands.
Once he managed to catch his breath again, Gi-hun told him, "You know, there are ways to remedy that. You could just take me out of the house more often before I go crazy."
It shouldn't have been so adorable, how quick Young-il perked up like a puppy given a treat.
"You mean, like on dates?"
"Well, those are your words, not mine." It wasn't quite what he intended, but it sure couldn't hurt.
"You're not denying it, though," Young-il said, then nodded to himself. "I'll keep it in mind."
"You do that." Briefly, Gi-hun considered falling asleep, but another thought struck him, one that demanded his attention. "Young-il."
"Yes?"
Gi-hun took a deep breath, although it did little to calm his nerves.
"When we were talking in the car earlier, I think it might have brought up a memory of us," he confessed, quick to clarify, "from before the accident."
There was a slight pause as Young-il processed that, his hand frozen where his fingers had started tracing patterns along his waist. "Is that so?"
"Mm-hmmā¦" Gi-hun nodded, studying him closely. "It wasn't much, but I remembered your voice. You said something about horses. You mentioned betting." Brow furrowed, he cocked his head to the side, pouting at all the muddled details. "Did we ever go to the races together?"
His response was immediate. "Yes."
Were Gi-hun not blinded by affection back then, maybe he would have spotted it at the time. That sudden glint of awareness shining within those shrewd, dark eyes.
"I rememberā¦" He squinted as he tried to fit the pieces together. "You pouring us drinks?" That's what he assumed at least, but he didn't recall drinking himself. Ah, well. Shaking off the disappointment of running into yet another wall, he let the memory slip away for the moment, beaming at Young-il instead. "Did we at least win big that day?"
Weāre always talking about how In-ho would stuff Gi-hun full of food. But GUYS, Gi-hun would do that three times as much.
Did you guys see how much that man ate?? Heās used to huge portions. Whenever she saw In-hoās small (normal) portion, sheād fill her husbandās plate. And his food is so goodāIn-ho always devours everything. Gi-hun always invites him to try some, and In-ho happily does
Before long, In-ho is going to have to replace all his clothes
He tries to talk to Gi-hun, to explain thatās not what he meant, but lookāhis pants barely fit over his thighs! He needs to cut back on his portions and.....
And now Gi-hun makes lunch just for himself. He packs all the extra food into lunchboxes and gives it to Jung-bae, Jun-ho, Woo-seok, Dae-ho, Jun-heeāeveryone! They always thank him and enjoy the food!
Meanwhile, In-ho eats wilted lettuce and unripe tomatoes
Eventually, Inho goes up to Gihun pouting saying he misses his food and heāll just have to go to the gym more and can Gihun just make him his favorite dish please š„ŗ
I feel like he would make a slightly smarter wish than Bear.
Maybe he finds it in the belongings of the shaman when sheās taken into the games. Heās curious, reads the packaging and keeps hold of it. After the confrontation with Gihun he takes it and decides to give it a go. Heās not sold on the idea, but at this point he has nothing to lose.
His wish is simple - āHave Gihun always choose and love meā
He instantly sees the other manās demeanor shift in the cameras. He actually goes through with killing the other players. Thenā¦ heās grasping the baby to his chest, begging the guards to take him back to the Frontman.
When heās taken back to Inho, heās quickly in his arms - telling Inho how much he loves him, that they can raise the baby together.
At first, itās heavenly for Inho. But soon he notices how Gihuns eyes lack the fire they once had. That all he cares about is the baby and Inho. Especially Inho. Heās not righteous or driven to help people. Heās anxious if heās separated from Inho, often crying if theyāre apart for too long.
Of course, Inho still loves Gihun. Butā¦ he knows this isnāt the true Gihun - heās willing to pretend though, happy to have him at all.
Inho pretending Gihun chose him of his own accord and not because of the wish and willing himself to believe it because if he doesnāt, heāll go crazy!
One of my WIPs is the Hwang couple x Gihun with a sprinkle of Il-nam and every so often, I add more to it. I forget just how intense I plan on making it until I start re reading to add more
