the kingpin, his wife, and the man that would give his life to protect them.
only youthful upstarts and arrogant fools tried to challenge the captain or his wife these days, not only in fear of their prowess but their legendary guard dog's as well. no one could quite pin down what made the quiet protector so fiercely loyal, though there were always rumors in rotation.
the current roster: they'd helped him in some way and he felt indebted to them, they conditionally kept some terrible secret of his, he was a gift from another sect, or yeosang was simply an overachiever collecting a paycheck.
he found each one more insulting than the last.
the reality was something much more mundane but also far from the imagination for anyone in their outer circles.
he loved them fiercely.
he found the very idea of either of them getting hurt unacceptable and he would eliminate any chance of it no matter the cost to himself.
hongjoong and seonghwa were a bonded pair, a partnership people only dreamed of (with some caveats for occupational hazards). if something happened to one, yeosang knew it would destroy the other. he made sure nothing ever would, disposing of anyone that tried or throwing his body in the way.
seonghwa and hongjoong hated when he chose the latter, despite it sometimes being the only option available in the moment. they worried incessantly about his disregard for his own life but yeosang found the logistics of it quite simple - no lives would be significantly impacted by his death.
hongjoong and seonghwa may mourn him, of that he was sure. he knew they cared for him in their own way but it wouldn't be a drawn out affair. their lives would continue, another body would take his place - that is where he regained some of that regard. yeosang knew no one would ever be as unfailingly loyal as him. no one would devote themselves so wholly to seeing the two of them happy, healthy, and safe.
so he did his best to stay in one piece, sometimes two for the occasions where his heart fell to his feet. at least he had always been able to crush it beneath his heel or kick it to the darkest corners beneath the nearest furniture.
he'd always known it wasn't a sustainable plan. his bound and gagged feelings were harder and harder to quash these days, sitting in his stomach like lead.
