The Long Family and I

With the manor being so large, there was bound to be a place where Guang could hide where no one could find him. That place was the old, dingy attic of the manor. Guang had stumbled upon his haven as a kid when he was trying to get away from the servants. Back then, he often came to this room to cry and bawl - to tame that unsettling feeling of frustration within him. However, those were bygone days. Nowadays, he holed up here doing whatever he wanted until his lecturers left. As long as he was within the attic, he was untouchable. 

After changing into a shirt and shorts, he looked out the circular window that overlooked the front garden. From here, he could see just slightly beyond the manor gates. The scenery was inherently tempting, like it was showing him a little of the world outside to lure him out of the manor. He swore, if it weren’t for so many things like Bo constantly breathing down his neck and the many servants that stopped him at every twist and turn, he would have been out right now. His parents seriously meant it when they didn’t want him out of the manor. The most infuriating thing was that they never explained why. 

A black, sleek car turning into the manor caught Guang’s attention. Wait, was that-? With bated breath, he watched as a servant opened the door of the vehicle and someone stepped out. Black bob hair, glasses, a white collared shirt with strapped harness and grey trousers - that’s his brother, Jin! 

In the speed of light, Guang sprinted down the manor. Once out of the manor, he screamed at the top of his lungs, “JIN!”

Startled, Jin looked around. However, not a moment later, he was run over by a chugging train of muscles. With an ‘oomph’, he was harshly tackled onto the ground and trapped in a bone-crushing hug.

Through ugly sobs, Guang wailed, “I’ve missed you so much, Jin! It’s been so long! Why didn’t you tell your bro you were coming back today?”

Of course it was his brother. No one else can throw him off balance so easily except for his muscle hunk of a brother. Actually, it’s getting a little tight now. How much does his brother plan to torture him? The human body can only withstand so much! At this rate, he was going to become human mush! Also, why was Guang so sticky? 

Feebly, he tapped on Guang’s shoulder. Thankfully, Guang seemed to have understood and released Jin from his suffering.

“I’m just- here to run an errand,” Jin wheezed, still trying to get his breathing under control. Guang had actually squeezed out every last breath from his lungs - hero, how does he do that?

Guang gave a long ‘ohhh’. Then, regaining his energy just as quickly, he eagerly asked, “Hey, do you have some time?”

“Uh, no-”

“Great!” 

Without warning, Guang had grabbed Jin’s wrist and was pulling him away from the car much to Jin's yelping. Jin flailed around, trying to escape from Guang grip, but Guang might as well have put iron shackles on him. 

“Guang, let go of me! I have things to do!”

When his plea fell upon deaf ears, he turned towards the servants who were still around the car.

“Maria, Joseph! Help me!”

However, the servants only bowed, wishing him luck. These people! Therefore, Jin could do nothing but resign himself to his fate.

When Jin was still being helplessly pulled along, he grumbled, “Where are we going, Guang?”

“The courtyard at the back,” Guang chirped. “Bo has tried to search for me there, so I think he won’t be back for a while.”

Sourly, Jin asked, “Skipping classes again?”

Guang visibly shivered. Instantaneously, he let go of Jin’s wrist and looked away. “Y-yeah…”

Jin sighed. Even after all these years, even though Guang was twenty one years old, he still acted like a kid. But since Guang was an adult already and as his younger brother, Jin wasn’t really in a position to tell him what to do. 

 

The two of them sat down on the short stairs of the manor facing the courtyard. As part of their routine whenever Jin returned, Guang would ask Jin how his life was outside of the manor, and Jin would tell him whatever he could. In a way, it was Jin’s form of pity towards Guang, who was shackled to the manor against his own will. Despite being on a time crunch, because Jin barely came back to the manor, he decided to forgive himself this once and patiently told Guang as much as he can about his life outside in detail.

As a scholar with exceedingly good grades and talent, Jin studied in nothing less than the top academy of the nation. He mostly reminisced about his life there, his interaction with his classmates, how the classes went and the places he had been. As the academy was located in Alca’s capital, Starlight Metropolis, Jin had the opportunity to visit many of its attractions. He had taken many photos of them down just to show Guang, who openly gaped at them in awe. 

“Man, I do hope one day that I can visit all those places. Especially that street full of food! I can’t imagine how the air would smell, with so many scents gathered in one place…I’m jealous of you, Jin, that you could witness so many sights and experience so many things.”

The small smile that was on Jin’s face disappeared as reality sank in once more. Crap, he got too invested talking to Guang. How long has passed since then? 

Abruptly, Jin stood up. “I’ve dawdled too long. I have to go meet father and mother now.”

As Jin dusted himself off and started walking away, Guang squawked out indignantly. Lurching forwards, Guang had just barely managed to grab the corner of Jin’s trousers. Jin turned to stare at him, a weird look on his face.

With the most disgusting puppy eyes Jin has ever witnessed, Guang was mithering, “Can you please help me escape the manor this time? Your big brother’s begging you! Please, please, please, please-”

“No, no, no, no,” Jin contended with equal vigour. “That is the one, absolute thing I cannot help you with! You’ve asked me this thirty seven times already, Guang!”

“Hehe.” Guang smirked smugly. “You were counting.”

The audacity! 

Jin opened his mouth to protest, but Guang continued teasing, “Aaaah and you were such a cute lil bro back then too. You were so obedient, but soo clumsy and cried easily. Remember when you did everything I asked you? Won’t you do your big brother a favour this once?”

Face reddening, Jin spluttered, “Y-you-”

“Jin?”

Simultaneously, Guang and Jin turned to the source of the voice. It was mother, with father beside her. 

Standing up and bowing, Guang greeted courteously, “Father, mother-”

“There you are, Jin!” mother cooed, squeezing Jin’s cheeks adoringly despite Jin’s insistence for her to stop. “The servants said you’ve arrived, but me and your father didn’t see you at all. It’s been an hour, so we decided to look for you ourselves. Isn’t that right, dear?”

Smiling softly, father said, “Welcome home, Jin.”

“I’m back, father, mother,” Jin mumbled bashfully.

As father and mother pampered Jin, Guang silently left the scene. No one would notice his absence; it had been like that for years. After all, they looked happy enough without him. 

Who knew when, Bo had joined his aimless walk inside the manor. Grimly, Bo asked, “Are you not going to join the master, mistress and young master?”

Guang stopped. To his right was a window that overlooked the courtyard. Below, he could see his parents smiling and laughing as they coddled an embarrassed Jin. 

“No, it’s fine,” Guang said. A blatant lie.

Bo knew it was too; long he had realised the master and mistress paying lesser and lesser attention to Guang to the point that Guang was invisible to them. It all began ever since Jin’s birth. Guang must have noticed too, but never once did he complain about it. 

“Besides that,” Guang suddenly spoke up. 

Straightening his back, Bo inquired, “Yes, Master Guang?”

“Have you managed to find anything about Sui?”

Bo bowed. “Regretfully, Master Guang, my efforts have yielded unsatisfactory results.”

“...speak in layman terms?”

Bo sighed exasperatedly. “It means, Master Guang, that I haven’t managed to find anything.”

“I see.”

With Guang’s large back facing him, Bo can’t help but sometimes think of how lonely Guang was. Guang acted cheery and expressive around people like Jin, but as his valet, Bo knew that it was only his facade to hide his loneliness.

“Show me the way to the lecture, Bo.”

Guang…wanted to attend a lecture?! For the very first time? Bo was beyond surprised, but he supposed Guang wanted something to distract his mind from painful thoughts. Oh, his poor master. Unfortunately…

“Mr Edward has left already, Master Guang.”

“Oh.”