Runaway

The next morning came faster than Haeun expected. His thoughts kept him up most of the night, he could barely sleep, his mind filled with the weight of everything he was trying to push away. He got dressed slowly, trying to calm his nerves. Today, he was going to meet Taeun, and he wasn't sure how that would go.

He stared at his packed suitcase and smiled, he just needed a month and he'd be okay.

When he arrived at the office, it was quiet, almost too quiet. He had purposely arrived early to avoid running into anyone, hoping he could gather his thoughts before seeing his brother.

As he sat at his desk, the familiar buzz of his phone snapped him back to the present. It was a text from Eunja.

Eunja:

[Taeun just landed. He should be here within the hour.]

Haeun's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't seen Taeun in a long time, not since he lost his omega. His brother had been through so much, and now he was asking him to come back and help with the company. He wasn't sure if it was fair, but he needed this break.

The minutes ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity. Haeun couldn't concentrate, even with the reports in front of him. He just kept glancing at the door, waiting for Taeun to walk in.

Finally, there was a knock.

"Come in," Haeun called, trying to sound composed.

The door opened, and Taeun stepped inside. He looked tired, his expression hollow, but when his eyes landed on Haeun, there was a flicker of warmth. "Hyung," Taeun said, his voice soft but strained.

Haeun stood up and walked over to him, pulling him into a tight hug. "Taeun, it's good to see you. You're thinner each time I see you, you really have to each more."

Taeun let out a small, almost bitter laugh as they pulled apart. "Good to see me? You dragged me back here, hyung. You know I wasn't planning on coming back."

"Aiyah, don't say it like that…i know," Haeun said quietly, feeling the weight of his brother's sadness. "But I need you, my dear little brother."

Taeun stared at him for a moment, as if trying to gauge how serious Haeun was. He sighed and sat down on one of the chairs in front of Haeun's desk. "I didn't want to come back, but… for you, I'll do it. Just temporarily."

Haeun sat back down as well, the tension in his chest easing slightly. "Thank you, Taeun. I wouldn't have asked if it wasn't important."

Taeun looked at him with a tired expression. "I get it. But you should have called me sooner. I could tell something was wrong the last time we talked."

"I didn't want to burden you," Haeun admitted.

"Hyung, you're not a burden. You never have been," Taeun said, shaking his head. "But… how long do you need me here?"

Haeun hesitated. "I don't know yet, maybe a month or less. I know its a stretch but it won't be more than a month. I just need to step away for a bit. Things… things have gotten complicated."

Taeun's brow furrowed in concern. "Complicated how?"

Haeun opened his mouth, but the words didn't come out immediately. He wasn't sure how much he wanted to tell Taeun about everything that had happened with Yeongsoo. It was too fresh, too confusing. "Just… some personal stuff," he finally said. "But I'll be okay. I just need you to hold things down for a while."

Taeun studied his brother's face for a long moment before nodding. "….Alright. But promise me you'll take care of yourself."

"I will," Haeun said, though he wasn't sure if he fully believed it.

They spent the next hour discussing the company's affairs, going over what needed to be handled in Haeun's absence. Taeun took notes, asking questions here and there, but Haeun could tell his heart wasn't fully in it. The loss of his omega still weighed heavily on him, and it showed in the way he carried himself.

As they wrapped up their discussion, Taeun stood up and stretched. "I'll take care of things, hyung. You focus on… whatever it is you need to focus on."

Haeun nodded, grateful as he sighed and leaned against the desk. "Thank you, Taeun."

Taeun gave him a faint smile. "Don't mention it. Just… don't disappear on me, okay?"

"I won't," Haeun promised, though deep down, he wasn't sure if he could keep that promise.

"Hey hyung…how long are you going to keep him hidden?"

"…"

"Who?" Haeun flinched, Taeun couldn't had possibly known about Yeongsoo.

"Hyung, you got marked? Who's your alpha? You don't have to hide it from me…"

"…"

Haeun hand flew to his neck as he sighed. "Its honestly a long story. It happened so fast, I don't know if I should call it a long story.."

".."

"Did you get marked when you were drunk? Do you know who your alpha is??"

Haeun chuckled it was nice to see Taeun get worked up after a long time.

"Of course I know who he is, and I wasn't drunk…i was in heat.."

Taeun's eyes widened, his brother actually got his heat cycle, he always thought the information from the hospital was a lie and believed his brother was a beta. Because he had never seen him go through heat cycle.

"Well on the bright side, you don't have to worry about heat cycle again.."

".."

Haeun frowned as his eyes followed, his heat cycle wasn't the problem, it was Yeongsoo.

"Hyung, is he the one you're running away from?"

"…!"

"Haha Hyung you're so funny, you tend to run away from things you can't handle.."

Taeun chuckled as he took off his glasses and wiped the tears off his eyes. Now he understood why he dragged him back home.

"Taeun!"

"Alright Hyung, I understand ill let you run away for a month. I'll use this time to visit Jiho's and jellyfish's grave, I haven't given him and the baby flowers in 2 years.."

"Taeun.." Haeun called out softly as Taeun smiled and turned to face the city.

"I'm okay now Hyung, I just don't know how to deal with it yet."