Wretches & Kings

For the last decade, Asia had been completely reconstructed. Other continents shared their advanced technology to help clean the air, land, and water supply. The rebuilding of cities was progressive. Schools were started. A government was decided upon. The land became fertile again; grass and trees existed. The sky was blue, clear. There was still much building and planning to be done until Asia was caught up with its neighbors, but the wonders of what had progressed from the last decade were shocking to those that had lived in its desolate state their entire lives.

“Appa! Eomma! Turn on the TV!”

Hyun Ae started awake and pried an eye open. The sun was shining through the large window of the master bedroom, sending squares of warmth upon the floor. She stretched before sitting up as two children came rushing in. They flung themselves onto the bed, bouts of charming giggles leaving their lips as they attacked the blonde head sticking out from underneath the covers.

“Appa, wake up! They're talking about today on the TV!” the girl squealed.

Daesung groaned something before flipping the sheets over and sitting up. He grabbed the boy, who began laughing even louder, wiggling around to try and escape his father's clutches.

“I wish I had you two's energy,” Daesung sighed, releasing the boy who crawled to the safety of his mother.

“You're not that old, Appa,” the girl smiled, her eyes almost closing to a squint.

Hyun Ae smirked. “He's older than you think, Jin Ji” she said, finding the TV remote.

Daesung's eyes narrowed before his eyes fell on the large, nearly transparent screen that nearly filled up most of the wall opposite their bed. It zapped to life, an anchor woman's face filling their wall.

“—a decade since the the Dakeu Jeon-won fell alongside their tyrant leader, Doh-Chang. Today the nation, and world, celebrate this occasion. President Kwon JiYong...” the picture cut to a clip of G-Dragon exiting a black SUV. His hair was normal compared to the half-shaven head he used to do justice. He lifted a hand to the cameras, the classic smirk that hid a devilish persona playing across his face. Beside him, on the edge of the screen and almost out of the camera's sight was GD's head of security, T.O.P, “will be opening the festive ceremonies with a speech addressing Asia's future. As will Secretary of Defense, Lee Seunghyun.” Another clip, this time of Seungri, shot across the screen as he stood amongst a large crowd.

“Uncle GD and Seungri look so important,” Sang Joon, the always blunt son, murmured. “Why aren't you two being mentioned?” he demanded, turning back to look at his parents.

“Because your Appa's Head of Health and Medicine and I'm the one raising you two. That's doing enough duty for this country—keeping you two out of trouble.”

“But you're the one who killed Doh-Chang!” Sang Joon exclaimed.

“So did Uncle Taeyang,” Jin Ji cut in.

“You should like...have a giant statue in the center of the city or something.” Sang Joon's eyes were wide with the thought. “You at least deserve to mentioned on the news...”

Hyun Ae ruffled his hair and smiled. “Well, if it makes you feel better, I prefer having less attention on me.”

“But you're a hero,” Sang Joon went on. “You deserve something.”

“All I need is you two,” Hyun Ae said, pinching his cheek to which he was quick to free and rub at. “Now, go get ready. We have a lot to do before the dinner tonight.” The children scurried from the bed, Jin Ji shoving her brother into the wall to hurry past him to their room.

“You and me can go back to sleep,” Daesung mumbled, pulling Hyun Ae down with him as he collapsed onto the mattress.

Hyun Ae huffed and tried to pry his arm off of her, but he held fast. “What time did you get back this morning?”

“Three,” came the nearly incoherent reply. “I know,” he went on, as if he could sense her disapproving look with closed eyes. “Patients don't heal themselves.”

“You shouldn't have agreed to work as Head along with working at the hospital,” chided Hyun Ae. “You're worn out and the kids miss you.”

“I'm just getting used to the change of schedule and I have a lot to do as the new Head. Don't worry. It'll calm down soon. Imagine how GD was when he finally took seat as President.”

Five years ago, G-Dragon(or Kwon JiYong as the public now knew him) was elected as President of the revived and prospering Asian sanction of the world. Though he was now the political leader, he had ran things and made most of the decisions for Asia for the last decade, with or without an official title. He was charismatic and brave, the only one to run for the slot. No one knew how things worked like GD did, no one knew the people like he did either. Everyone knew his name and respected him. Kwon JiYong was the perfect fit for Asia's first official leader since the destruction of wars so long ago.

As soon as GD had been placed on his duty, Seungri was chosen as Secretary of Defense. It was easy to say, he enjoyed his appointed title very much. Taeyang was head of trade that happened throughout the country with the rest of the world. Daesung had never went to medical school; there was no need, his ability was natural and self-taught. Only a few classes to quicken his knowledge on the modern stances of medicine and he was one of the leading doctors at the hospitals in the capital. GD was quick to bring him into the circle of politics, someone he could trust more than anyone else.

Hyun Ae and Daesung had married four years prior. The two children they called their own were adopted. So many had been left orphaned during Doh-Chang's rule. Due to Hyun Ae's trauma from the monster himself, she could not bear children. It was the most logical thing for them to do. Jin Ji and Sang Joon were biological siblings. Jin Ji was thirteen and her brother, a year younger. People were surprised that Daesung and Hyun Ae were not their birth parents. Perhaps, it was Jin Ji's eye smile that matched her father's or Sang Joon's already long and wiry build that resembled Hyun Ae's. One could not say that they were not the couple's “real” children. They were something that had filled the empty void in Hyun Ae's and Daesung's hearts.

--

“Thank God GD's not a talker,” Seungri sighed heavily and loosened his tie. “Meeting with all these ambassadors and shit is exhausting.”

“Uncle Seungri!” Jin Ji and Sang Joon came sprinting over.

“Hey, there's my two favorite rug rats!” Seungri welcomed them both with a hug. “So whose speech was better? Mine or GD's?”

“They were both boring.”

“Sang Joon!” Hyun Ae snipped, coming up behind the children with Daesung.

“The kid's got a point,” Seungri chuckled, ruffling Sang Joon's hair. “I was bored up there talking.”

“We could tell.” They turned to the burring voice that cascaded from behind. T.O.P strode along, Yeon Hee on his arm.

Seungri sneered at him. “Aren't you supposed to keep GD from getting shot?”

“Yes, which is why I'm coming!” A shout rang from the staircase before G-Dragon appeared, limping down the last few. “Aish, Daesung! I thought you said this leg worked just like my old one.”

“I never said that,” quipped Daesung. “I said it would do the uses of your old one. I didn't say it was fool proof.”

“Yeah, well, you'd think in 2089 they would have better artificial legs being made...”

“We're Asian. We're still piss poor compared to everyone else,” said Seungri.

A chuckle resonated through the small group of people that had gathered in the lower lobby of the large event center. Almost all of the enormous crowd had filed out, leaving the group of friends to gather before more events kept them away from the company of each other.

“The party got started without me,” said Taeyang, coming from one of the side doors.

“We were going to wait for you,” Hyun Ae replied with a smile.

Taeyang returned it before turning his attention to T.O.P and Yeon Hee. “I hear congratulations are in order.”

The smallest of smirks on T.O.P's face erupted into a smile as he looked upon his wife. “Thank you.”

“You'll make great parents,” Hyun Ae commented with a smile, making Yeon Hee beam.

“Well, in order to congratulate the expecting parents, I say dinner somewhere of their choice,” GD offered. “Strange to think we'd actually have choices of restaurants in our lifetime...”

“Ha, I know, right?” Seungri laughed as they began to exit into the night air. “Who knew you'd ever see me in a suit and tie?”

“Well, you look really handsome, Uncle Seungri,” Jin Ji spoke up.

Seungri spun around and bowed. “A true compliment from such a beautiful, young lady.” Jin Ji giggled, took his offered arm, and the two went skipping away down the sidewalk.

“Hard to believe he's our Secretary of Defense...” Taeyang sighed.

“Makes you feel real safe,” T.O.P added dryly, earning a few cackles and smiles.

Seungri came waltzing back in Jin Ji's tow. “Where are we eating again?” he asked.

Yeon Hee pointed to the two children and T.O.P was quick to translate. “Let them pick.”

The siblings' faces lit up and they pointed down to the end of the street. “How about that seafood place that Yeon Hee likes?” Sang Joon asked. The woman's smile grew as he recollected such a fact.

“Go see if there's a line, then,” Daesung said and the two ran off towards the lit entrance of the brick building. Their giggling radiated off the quiet street.

“Did anyone else expect to be here in ten years?” Seungri asked once the children were out of earshot. He watched their humbling innocence, something none of them were ever able to have.

“No,” GD answered. “I expected to be six feet under a long time ago.”

“I think we all did,” T.O.P said, the grip Yeon Hee had on his arm tightening.

“We don't need to think about that,” Hyun Ae interjected. “We survived when no one expected us to—when we didn't even expect to. We need to celebrate this instead of dwelling on the past.”

G-Dragon smiled slightly and simply agreed, “you're right. We shouldn't be worrying anymore.”

And the seven of them, a couple wretches that overthrew a king, walked side by side down the street. Down a street, in a city that would not have existed without them. Without the courage they brought and the fight they won.

끝