Namjoon took his steps slow and calmly, towards his parent's quarters. The morning breeze brushed his locks as he gazed at the dawn.

The sun was slipping above the horizon, its glistening rays waking the sleeping creatures in the trees of the courtyard.

He moved forward with addled thoughts and an anxious mind.

Last night, when his mother informed him to meet his father in the early morning, he came prepared with the excuse that might help with his queries related to the new guest living with them.

Upon reaching their parent's quarters, he reluctantly slid the translucent door frame and crossed the guest room, before stopping in front of his father's room.

"Father? Can I come in?"

"Yes, come on in," a raspy-pitched voice, characterised by depth and richness spoke. Sliding the door Namjoon entered the room and found his father sitting across the low wooden table in one corner.

"You called for me?"

"Hum, sit," he said while reading the monthly booklet of political affairs, sitting on his table, accompanied by a porcelain cup filled with morning tea.

Namjoon sat across the small table and gulped while looking at his features focused on the table.

"I heard you both took in a girl?"

Namjoon's hands unconsciously started becoming wetter as his mind raced anxiously.

"Without my permission?" He further asked, his eyes now focused on me.

"S-she is our friend."

"So?"

"She is going through some financial problems, so we thought... of helping her out," Namjoon answered, while his eyes revolved around the room.

"Doesn't she have a family?"

"I don't know."

"Huh?"

"Yes, she must have. But I don't know much about them."

The father arched his brows in suspicion, and the son tried his best to stick to his self-made theory.

"Then you should have just helped her as a friend, why took her in as a house helper?"

Namjoon remained silent and shifted his gaze to the table. Suddenly the cup in front of him looked like a piece of art as he noticed its design for the first time.

"I thought you both took her in as your courtesan."

"Sorry father! What?!" Namjoon grimaced at his father's words as his ears couldn't believe what they just heard. But after analysing his son's expressions for a few moments, Mr Kim cackled.

"My sons can never do something so low, right?"

Namjoon's ears twitched at his words, and instead of feeling relieved, he felt a wave of sadness rippling inside his mind and heart.
Silence halted their conversation before Mr Kim decided to start a more meaningful conversation instead.

"You thought I wouldn't notice?"

Namjoon's eyes pierced in his direction, at the start of a new subject, but he remained quiet and waited for him to continue.

"I'm aware."

"Of what Father?"

"That you know. I'm talking about the reason behind your altered behavior from the past few months."

Mr Kim's words reached Namjoon's ears, and a nervous gag got trapped inside his throat. Realising the exact reason he was talking about, his heart raced inside his chest, he anxiously rubbed his hands on the fabric around his legs.

"That you're not my real son."

Namjoon's gaze shifted towards the window behind his foster father as he silently listened to him.

"You overheard the conversation, right?"

Namjoon simply nodded and Mr Kim heaved a sigh.

FLASHBACK

The door of Minister Kim's room slid and a tall figure walked in, gaining Mr Kim's attention. He lifted his head and said, "Jin-ah, you're here!"

His deep and weathered voice reflected the effects of age and life experiences. Which contrasted with the melodic voice of the younger man standing in front of him.

"Is everything okay father?" Jin chirped.

Mr Kim nodded and signalled his son to take a seat.

"I have something to tell you," Mr. Kim eagerly spoke to his son.

Jin glanced at his father and noticed a facade of urgency written on his mature features.

Despite being perplexed Jin nodded and sat on one of the cushions lying across the low wooden table in his father's room.

"What is it, father?" The younger male asked making Mr. Kim sigh.

"There is one thing that me and your mother have been hiding from you.... it's about your younger brother."

Jin eyed his father in confusion and arched his brows in curiosity.

"Namjoon? What about him?"

"He isn't your brother by blood."

Jin's eyes widened in shock as his heart thumped inside his chest heavily, as if somebody was stepping on it, on repeat.

"What?" Jin went silent. His eyes wandered to every corner of the room in apprehension, and his thought process ceased as he sunk in the truth about his sibling whom he adored all his life.

Time seemed to stand still in the room, and there was a palpable sense of disbelief and astonishment in the air.

Mr Kim glanced at his son and noticed his blank expressions, which held a profound emotional impact as if words failed to adequately express the depth of his shock and surprise.

"Y-you're l-lying? Right?"

Mr Kim shook his head, "If things wouldn't have turned this way, I would've never revealed this to you," he said, his voice now calmed, carrying a sense of authority, depth, and a lifetime of stories to tell.

"Then who are his real parents?" Jin asked as curiosity took over the feeling of disbelief revolving in his mind.

"That's not important right now."

"What is happening, father? You're worrying me!" The son said as his voice vibrated with anxiousness.

"I've made a decision."

Jin gulped, thinking about the possible consequences relating to his sibling.

"Since His Majesty chose you as Prince Taehyung's escort and the head of the defence department, I requested him to give the position to Namjoon instead."

Confusion clouded Jin's mind even more as he asked, "What?! But why?!"

"I cannot risk your life, Jin. You're responsible for continuing our future bloodline," Mr Kim announced. The enunciation of his words was slower, with a measured pace that conveyed wisdom and maturity.

Mr Kim, the King's right-hand man, known for his righteous decisions inside the court, concluded his dilemma, not completely aware of the righteousness of his decision this time.

He, who spent years serving the royal court, knew by experience. How threatening it was to be a life savior for someone from royal ancestry. He witnessed many of them taking the targets for their Kings and their Queens.

The fear of losing his son by blood dominated his mind and made him decide to risk a different piece of his heart.

However, neither SeokJin nor Mr Kim was aware of the trance standing silently in the guest hall of their mansion.

He came with excitement to wish his brother to receive a high-grade position but unfortunately heard the hidden truth behind his existence.

Namjoon's eyes were brimming with tears as he silently made his way back to his room.

While still sitting in the room, Jin abruptly banged his hands on the table.

"How can you do this, Dad?"

"Then do you have any suggestions!? No, right? Accept it Jin-ah! It's the only way to keep our family's future generations pure, with only our blood in their veins, and to date, we still don't know who his mother was, how she ended up in front of our house and what she kind of work she was involved in."

"But-"

"Things will always be in your favor. Doesn't matter if he's your sibling or not. Do you get... what I mean."

Jin glanced at his father before his eyes looked around the room as his mind visualized the future... wrapped around his hands.

Namjoon, on the other hand, was shedding tears. His room, in which he spent his wholesome childhood, suddenly felt suffocating. Fear of abandonment was controlling his unsure mind and torn heart as he clutched his hair tightly.

To him, it was as if the life he had known now seemed like an intricately crafted facade, concealing a truth that had been carefully kept from him. He felt a profound sense of sadness and devastation that mingled with betrayal as he questioned his parents inside his mind.

"I-If that's what t-they want... I'll a-accept," he said between his quiet sobs as he tried to calm the hammering heart inside his chest.

Sweat beads mixed with fallen tears adorned his features as he continued wiping his face in anxiety. His mind blew with all the information that he never knew he needed.

The memories he cherished for years with his family were fading away within a matter of time. The sense of belonging he had always taken for granted now slipped through his fingers like grains of sand as the darkness of reality slowly trapped him in its whirlwind.

What do I do now? Someone tell me? Where should I go? Is this even my house anymore? Is there someone whom I can call mine? Did they not love me enough to be honest?

Voices screamed inside his head as he covered his ears with his hands, and with his solitary shaking form he closed his eyes to get completely engulfed in the labyrinth of his mind.

END OF THE FLASHBACK

"And when you accepted the job without any questions in return, I realised that you either overheard our conversation or Jin told you himself."

Namjoon instantly shrugged before adding, "He didn't! Cause then we wouldn't have ended up cursing at each other."

Mr Kim sighed and hummed, "Your brother-"

"Is he even my brother!?"

"I understand your anger Namjoon-ah, but don't let it ruin your relationship with your sibling."

Namjoon scoffed.

"Sibling? He isn't my sibling! And I'm no one to either him or you! Why do you care so much now!?" He blurted in a raised voice. All his emotions that built from the past few months reached their utmost layers of patience.

Mr Kim exhaled a long breath and looked directly into his son's eyes, "Even if... you were not my blood, I still loved you both equally. When the two of you were just toddlers, you both used to jump in my arms together, every day when I returned home from work. Only I knew how much content and warm I felt embracing you both."

Namjoon turned his gaze away from him as his eyes welled with tears, and his mind reminisced the sweet memories of his family, who suddenly wasn't.

"But my fondness for you cannot justify the decision I made that day," he said and Namjoon's gaze pierced into his eyes. A storm of emotions swirled within their depths and a flicker of regret danced across his features.

"Only if I knew things would go downhill I-"

"Your regret now left me with so many regrets, Father," Namjoon hesitantly spoke and a tear rolled down his cheek.

"I know, my son... I know."

Sighing, Mr Kim took out a small wooden case and slid it in Namjoon's direction.

The son peered through his teary gaze, at the case before glancing back at his father.

"Your mother left this behind... for you."

With his shaking form, Namjoon slowly grasped the box in his hand. Thoughts lingered in his mind, about the person he desperately wanted to meet.

"A brooch?"

Mr Kim nodded.

"W-where is she r-right n-now?"

A hush fell over the room, and the air became heavy with anticipation. Every sound became muted, and every distraction faded into insignificance. Mr Kim heaved a long sigh as if collecting his long-lost will to speak again.

"Your mother was a very nice lady. One night she knocked on our door with you in her tummy. It was the time when a political emergency was announced in our kingdom. Your mom's heart clenched seeing her in that situation. She was wounded from head to toe, dehydrated and looked like she hadn't eaten anything in days."

As the words spilt from his lips, Namjoon's ears strained to catch every syllable, his heart was pounding in anticipation of the truth that was about to be unveiled. The truth is he was chasing behind.

"Your mom pleaded with me to take her in and to take care of her until the baby was born and the emergency was lifted. I agreed and soon she was shifted to a vacant room."

"Silence was the only answer she used to give us, but soon she started letting her guard down. Her name was Namseon."

"Namseon."

"We provided her with the best treatment that we could afford and she started becoming healthier. Our house was filled with peals of laughter and joy, she used to happily help your mom in her work."

"One day, your mom asked her about your father, which made her look terrified as if she was forbidden to answer. I still remember the look of terror on her features. Even though we were concerned that something wrong might have happened to her in the past, we decided to remain silent until she was ready to open up."

Namjoon listened to him with an unwavering focus, trying to subdue the raw emotions that lingered beneath the surface, as if his very existence depended on unraveling the tapestry of emotions woven within each syllable.

"She once revealed her desire to name a girl as Nam-Ra and a boy as Namjoon."

Namjoon lowered his gaze again and bit his lower lip in an attempt to stop the fallen tears.

"Five months went by, and the emergency was lifted. Everything was becoming normal and peaceful until one night."

His voice, once steady, now trembled with the weight of the revelation, as Namjoon heard the unspoken pain in the quiver, the raw vulnerability in the hesitation.

"Her water broke, and your mom along with the other helpers in our house, helped her in delivering you. Her fragile body had already lost a lot of blood. We urgently called for the physician and waited for his arrival but she called for me and handed me this brooch which used to hang on her neck all the time," Mr Kim said while pointing towards the piece of jewellery in front of him.

"She told me that- "

Please give this to my son if he ever decides to find out about his father.

"Your mom comforted her, but as if she already knew it was her last breaths, she glanced at you one more time in her embrace,"

I am leaving him on your behalf, please treat him like your own son.

"She gave us her last faint smile, her features were painted with exhaustion and regrets. She pecked your head one last time,"

Thank you for everything you did for me and my child.

"With her now dropped eyelids, we knew that she was far gone."

And as the final words hung in the air, a profound silence descended upon them. Namjoon's heart became heavy with the weight of this newfound knowledge.

"You were still lying on her chest when suddenly we were pulled out of our shocked trances on hearing your weepings. Your mom took you in her embrace and cried along with you."

Namjoon couldn't hold back his tears and wept in front of his father with his head in his hands.

"I k-killed h-her."

"No, Namjoon-ah! She sacrificed her life for you and that's what motherhood is," Mr Kim said while coming across the table towards Namjoon, taking him in his embrace.

"Calm down my son, it's going to be fine. We're here for you."

Namjoon continued to sob on his shoulder, releasing the hidden emotions lingering deep inside his soul.

"Now stop crying, or else your elder brother will tease you if he finds out, " Mr Kim teasingly added while patting his back softly and calming him down.

"I am sorry for making a harsh decision in a hurry and putting you in this position."

Namjoon wiped his tears and glanced at his father in his eyes, feeling the weight of his raw honesty echoing through the space between them. A glimmer of understanding flickered within his heart, as he realized that they embraced him, not by birth but by love.

"Dad, please! Don't say something like this."

Heaved with the guilt of his behavior towards his parent, Namjoon felt a newfound strength coursing through his veins, that he'll honor the sacrifice of his biological mother, that had brought him into this world, and embrace the bond he shared with his family, while still considering the roots of his unknown existence.

With glassy eyes and a faint smile, Mr Kim sniffled, making Namjoon realize how much his reckless behavior must've affected both him and his mom.

"Now go, have breakfast. Our morning is already ruined... but it was important after all."

✧