「 you'll come back
each time you leave
'cause darling i'm a nightmare
dressed like a daydream 」

♫ taylor swift; blank space

✩ s a n ✩

"What? You called him?" San hissed through his gritted teeth, trying to keep his voice down, as they approached the conference room, where Jongho had arranged a meeting with their worst nightmare.

The threat had become reality, and with every step, San prayed it was all an illusion - something that would vanish, just like his interest after a one-night stand. Or that was how it usually went, of course things had changed lately, but it was all part of a bigger plan anyway.

"I told you, I would give you one week to get your shit together," Jongho said with a careless shrug, "And you didn't, so..."

"I can't believe you brought him into our lives again. Why did he even agree to come?"

The younger was walking with just as fast a pace, as San's heart was beating while he followed his brother down the hallway.

"To watch us crash and burn," Jongho mumbled, putting a forced smile on his face, as he opened the tinted glass door.

San felt his stomach turn, when he followed his younger brother inside, and his eyes fell upon the man he hadn't seen for years. Their oldest brother.

His back was turned towards them, as they walked in, while he stood by the window and watched the world outside. The black suit hugged his body, as was it made just for him, and when he slowly turned around to look at his brothers, it was as if it happened in slow-motion. The dark hair was pushed back in one side, and the look in his eyes was as cold as ever - the resentment for his brothers were not to be forgotten, even years after their last meeting.

"San. Lovely seeing you again," he said, but the tone in his voice contradicted his own words right away. San swore he had never seen a smile on that face before, not even once.

Shivers were running in an endless stream down his back, as he stepped forward, but he held his posture, and an equally cold look on his own face, when he forced himself to greet his older brother back.

"Likewise. Seonghwa."

Seonghwa let go of a short mocking chuckle as he stepped towards his two younger brothers. The sound was so brief, but in San's ears it echoed like the heaviest sound in the entire universe - crashed down over him, like a vicious wave of the reminder that Seonghwa would always be superiorly looking down on him, from his unreachable God-like level.

"So," Seonghwa said, walking to the other side of the table, "I hear you two idiots can't handle this on your own? Not that it surprises me though."

While Jongho tried his best to convince the older that he in fact was trying his very best, San remained silent. He knew that if there was one thing that would infuriate Seonghwa like nothing else, it was the mere sound of his voice.

"You know," Seonghwa said, ignoring all of the otherwise excellent points Jongho was laying out in front of him, "I was so angry with dad for sending me to the West coast, to take care of our business over there. But getting away from you morons was the best thing that ever happened to me." 

Jongho might have been the favorite of him and San, but out of the three of them - Seonghwa had always been the number one, and San had just been... There. To say he had been suffering from middle-child syndrome, would be a harsh understatement.

"I'll make you a deal..." The dark eyes rested heavily on the disgrace that was his two younger brothers, as Seonghwa crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Let me take over this company, as the CEO, and I will make sure you will both get your fair share as well."

The promise he spoke was followed by a brief moment of silence. San hesitantly looked at Jongho, whose face frowned together while he tasted the offer on his tongue. While the deal sounded promising enough, San knew better than to believe even a single word that came out of that venomous mouth.

Seonghwa was the most cold hearted person in the world, San was sure his brother had even gotten a man killed at one point. It took a lot to scare Choi San, but his older brother did more than just that. It was like Seonghwa could see straight through the walls San had build up around himself, find the smallest sign of weakness and rip his soul out with his devilish claws.

He loved to see San squirm in front of him, like the worthless worm he had judged him to be.

If people thought of San as being The Devil, Seonghwa was The Darkness itself.

✩

San tapped his fingers against the armrest of the couch, while his eyes stared blankly out the window in his apartment - a glass of wine resting against his dry lips.

Hours had passed by, since he had been standing face to face with the man he despised the most in the entire world, something he would never forgive Jongho for setting up. But deep down, he knew it had been the right move - although he would never, ever, admit that to anyone. They needed Seonghwa. Jongho might be a smart and hardworking guy, but even he would never reach the level Seonghwa was at.

It had taken forever, for his two brothers to come to an agreement, while San was sitting quietly - and uncomfortably - on a chair next to them. Thank God Jongho wasn't easy to fool, although it did mean that the discussion had been dragging out.

While the stressed out meeting was still storming in his mind, like a wild hurricane, San ran his fingers across the soft material of the couch - the same spot he had fucked Hongjong two nights before.

And third time's the charm, right? And Hongjoong had seemed different from the moment he got into San's car. Something was off, like his cold facade was finally cracking, and San had loved it.

Whatever had happened prior to the text San had received that night, it had shaken Hongjoong up real good. And San had to figure out what had caused it.

"Kim Hongjoong..." he mumbled to himself, the wine washing down over his tongue. "What is your weakness?"

✩

The following days were a drag to get through, being forced to be around Seonghwa again. Jongho had agreed to the deal, if both he and San would get a position at the company as well, and being too scared to lose everything, San hadn't complained even once. But having to look at Seonghwa's demeaning face every day, was slowly sucking the will to live out of San's body.

Weekend had finally arrived, and San had been walking around in his home, restlessly. Hours of debating with himself had turned into him suddenly sitting in his car, outside of Hongjoong's workplace. The neon signs from all the buildings around him, were throwing their sinful light through the car window, while San stared at the entrance to the strip club Hongjoong worked at.

They hadn't agreed to meet up, but San was about to show the pink haired beauty that he wasn't a man to just sit around and wait for anyone. And if he had to find the perfect way to destroy the stripper, San would have to be more persistent.

But just as he was about to step out of the car, to cross the road and go through the black doors, his eyes caught onto something so intriguing he almost held his breath.

Hongjoong came walking out, and next to him was a younger, dark haired guy - with the most beautiful face. Hadn't San been too occupied with his plan of destruction, that guy would surely be spreading his divine legs on the sheets of San's bed. Or maybe that was exactly what needed to happen...

San watched them, his eyes focused like never before. Something about the way Hongjoong behaved, even when watched through a tinted car window, was beyond interesting. The way he moved seemed softer, more cautious, and his smile was brighter, sincere. His hand stroked along the younger's cheek, but the smile faded the second the dark haired beauty turned away, and went back inside.

A dark smirk pulled San's lip up, as he watched the scenario, and a rush was shaking up his entire body. It seemed like he had found Hongjoong's weakness, and came just at the right time, with Seonghwa being back in town, pestering his life.

Now, he only had to figure out how to use this the right way. The most fatal way.

✩

The next few days, San put his private investigator on the haunt for anything he could find on the dark haired boy. His past, his present life, relationships. Everything. And as always, Yunho did just as he was expected to. He handed a stack of papers over on San's desk, and San spent the rest of the day, reading every line closely.

"Kang Yeosang?" San called out from the darkness, as Yeosang passed him by on the street the following night, the younger being on his way home from work.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" he skeptically asked, taking a step away from where San's voice had come from.

"Consider me a friend," San smiled, stepping into the lights of the street lamps. "I have an offer for you."

He reached his hand out, gesturing towards his car that was parked on the side of the road. San ignored how sketchy the situation he had dragged Yeosang into seemed, already knowing that he could easily play it off with his charm.

"I'm not getting into a car with a stranger," Yeosang scoffed, but his eyes did slowly scan San from top to toe, and the way he bit his lower lip as their eyes met showed that he in fact was intrigued by the situation.

"Well, I'm Choi San. There, I'm not a stranger anymore." With slow steps, San walked towards Yeosang, eyes locked onto each other's.

"That's not how it works..." the younger snorted, but he didn't step away, not even when San was perhaps starting to get a bit too close.

San's eyes traced every elegant feature of the face in front of him, thinking how it wouldn't be too bad to take this beauty home and make a mess out of him, just for one night. Or maybe more, if that would be the thing to make Hongjoong fall apart. This boy was special to him, it had been clear as day - and just as clear, that those feelings weren't mutual.

"Why don't we go to my place to begin with, I'll make sure you won't regret it," San whispered, tangling his fingers into Yeosang's soft hair. "And then afterwards... I have a deal for you, one I'm sure you can't decline."

"As I said..." Yeosang mumbled, but his eyes did flicker around a bit. "I'm not getting into a car with a stranger..."

San took the sign of uncertainty in Yeosang's behavior, as a chance to get even closer and soon he had him pressed against the side of the car. San knew everything about him, and how to use it against him. Yeosang didn't care about anything or anyone but himself, although money was a close contender. And of course, there was one person the younger's heart was apparently still breaking for. But San was saving that particular name for later.

"I'll give you $5000 for one night?" The offer was generous, perhaps a bit too much, but San didn't care. It was a small price to pay, if it would make Yeosang agree to go with him.

"Oh really? Then what is the other offer you have for me?" Yeosang whispered, a small gasp leaving his lips as well, as San pressed his body against him.

"I'll tell you that later. But... I can promise, if you do as I tell you to, I will give you whatever you want. And I'm sure there is something you want more than anything else, in the entire world," his words were breathy, teasing and filled with dangerous promises, as he whispered them into Yeosang's ear.

San's fingers stroked down Yeosang's neck, feeling the wonderfully soft skin and a smirk broke free when he heard how Yeosang softly hummed from his touch.

"You really think you can give me anything?" the younger asked, the warmth from his lips brushing against San's cheek.

"Anything."