#jail. prison. dumpster prison. eat trash

[santoteez]

A Manhattan Tale - Seonghwa (8)

Parts: 8 of ?

Masterlist HERE

Genre: Chef!Seonghwa, FormerDrugdealer!Seonghwa, FormerKingpin!Hongjoong, Bad boy/ Good Girl kinda??

Warnings: Love interest is a Black Female, mentions of death, Angst, Mentions of drug dealing, drive-by, mentions of sexual intercourse

Requested: yes

NOTE: This fic does NOT, in any way, shape, or form, portray the way I view any member of Ateez nor does it depict their true personalities or actions. This AU is just that. An AU. All family members are FICTIONAL.

Seonghwa walked into his apartment, shrugging his coat off. It was snowing outside, so he left his Timbs at the door, walking into the kitchen.

“I bought groceries. I got that milk you like, it was on sale.” He said to the woman that stood at the stove. Zelie had not uttered a word to him since last night. Seonghwa hated being the reason for the tension between them, but he knew it was better she know now than find out later on in their relationship. He knew better than to think he’d be able to take that to his grave. His heart ached as he thought back to the look on her face.

*flashback*

“You did what?” Zelie said, back away immediately.

“Seonghwa, think long and hard about what you’re confessing to,” Hongjoong warned.

“It was that September, right before you got arrested. That day I was late to pick up the product from your apartment.”

“The day you said you were ‘caught up’. That’s what you were caught up about?”

Seonghwa nodded.

“Hwa, what the hell?” Santana asked. “You better explain, because this isn’t like you.”

“First things first, I didn’t want to kill him. I hated killings the most in the game. I was with Lil Victor. We weren’t doing anything, just posted up on the block. A car was driving by a little too slow, we got suspicious. The window rolled down and before we could realize, a gunshot flew out, hitting Lil Victor right in the head. I freaked out and ran into a nearby alley. I was told later on that Lil Victor was dead by the time he hit the ground, but at the time I wanted so badly to turn around. Help him. But I was trying to stay alive.” Seonghwa looked up to the ceiling, blinking away tears. “I remember the car hot on my tail, even going down the alley. There was a dead end at the end, and I saw my life flash before my eyes. I thought I was going to die. I was 22, I didn’t want to die! I had barely lived. So, I saw no other option. I had a Glock in my bag, it had a silencer. Bullets flew out from the car, so I ducked behind a dumpster and fired back. I kept going until whoever was in the car stopped firing. I think I used the entire magazine. The car glass was shattered, and for the first time I saw who was in the car. It was Big Ray, he was hanging out of the passenger window, pistol in hand. There was another man in the driver’s side. He was hit too. I ran off when I realized who it was. I went home, thinking what the fuck should I do. I had just killed two men. I figured the easiest thing would be to keep going like nothing happened. That’s why I was late that day.”

“So you just ran? What if you could’ve saved him?” Zelie asked defensively.

“Never would’ve worked.” Hongjoong shook his head. “Involve the cops and EMT, you end up incriminating everyone, including yourself.”

“So you’re saying he was right in just letting my dad bleed out?”

“It was either death or jail, Zelie. Think about it. The EMT is gonna see he was shot and was holding a gun that didn’t match the bullets that killed him. That causes a police investigation. They find out Hwa shot him, they’re gonna wanna know why he hunted Hwa down in the first place. Your dad would already be going down for killing Lil Victor. Gangsters, especially the old school ones, would rather die than be in prison. That’s why they mock HJ to this day.” Santana said.

Hongjoong nodded. “There’s this stigma about drug dealers that go down without a fight. I lost respect from a lot of people for that. Your brother included.”

“So that’s it? He just gets away with killing my father?” Zelie exclaimed.

“Don’t forget that your father was the cause of this, Zelie. We shouldn’t speak ill of the deceased but let’s tell it like it is. Had your father not chased Seonghwa down, he wouldn’t have to live with this guilt. Lil Victor would be alive. And most importantly, your dad would be alive. Seonghwa would’ve never had to shoot that day. He wasn’t targeting your father, it was the other way around. Most dealers, especially Seonghwa’s age and those who aren’t kingpins, don’t carry heat on them during the day. It’s dangerous and incriminating. My best bet is that your dad attacked in broad daylight thinking he wouldn’t have a weapon, and it backfired.”

Zelie nodded. “You’re right. Dead or in jail isn’t the best ultimatum.” She turned to Seonghwa. “But, I don’t think I can forgive you that easily. At least not right now. I didn’t have a relationship with him and never spoke to him, but he was still my father. And all this time I didn’t know he was gone.”

Seonghwa nodded. “I understand. I hope you can forgive me. For what it’s worth, I didn’t know it was him until after. I was just defending myself. And I just found out an hour ago that was your father. I hate that it had to come to the light like this. Do you want to go home?”

Zelie nodded, hugging Santana and walking out the door.

Seonghwa dapped Hongjoong up. “See you later, man. I hate that I kept this from you, too.”

“Don’t stress it, man. Worry about Zelie right now. Ironically, despite trying to get away from you, she needs you right now. No matter how much she ignores you or doesn’t want to see you, stand by her.” Hongjoong said. Seonghwa nodded, following Zelie out.

“I can’t believe you guys were dealing and running from death and I had no idea,” Minjoon said, speaking for the first time since Seonghwa returned.

Hongjoong patted his back. “You were a kid. Still are. You ain’t have to know allat. Let’s all just get some sleep.”

*End of Flashback*

That was last night. Seonghwa slept on the couch to give Zelie space, and in the morning, he got dressed and took a walk. He ran into Minseo again, who oddly enough was nice to talk to. Despite everything, he missed his sister.

And now here he was, back home and being ignored. He sighed, putting the groceries away, unaware that Zelie was watching him intently. She grabbed an extra plate from the cabinet, filling it with rice, beans, and chicken before handing it to Seonghwa. He looked down at the plate in surprise, before taking it.

“Thank you.” He said, and she nodded in response. They sat on opposite sides of the couch, eating in silence. The occasional buzz of their phones would interrupt from time to time, but no words were exchanged.

An hour past before Zelie sighed. “You know, when you first admitted it, I wanted to hate you. The first man I’ve given myself to since coming back to NYC, the one I’ve had a crush on since culinary school is the same guy that used to deal drugs and killed my father. I wanted to blame you. The whole ride here, all last night. Then I woke up this morning and you were gone and I immediately felt lonely and wanted you to come back. That’s when I realized I didn’t blame you.”

Seonghwa turned to face her. “So, what do you feel?”

“I feel sad that my dad’s gone. Regret for never reaching out to him. But I feel the saddest for you.”

“Why?”

“You were standing on a corner, minding your business. You were attacked. I went over everything you said in my head this morning and realized, you could’ve shot him right there on the street. But you didn’t. In that alley, you saw no other choice. I thought about what I would’ve done, and honestly, in a moment like that it’s fight or flight. I would’ve done anything to save my life, and you did the same. He targeted you. I can’t be mad at you for that.”

Seonghwa approached her haphazardly, caressing her cheek ever so softly. She tilted her head, melting into his touch. “I never meant to hurt you. I didn’t want to hurt anyone; that’s why I ran in the first place. Zelie, I swear if I had known that was your father, I’d have said something earlier. I don’t ever want to hurt you.”

She nodded. “I know. We’ve literally been dating for a blink of an eye and only known each other casually for a few years but I believe I know you. Not the way my brother does. I see the real you. The kind of guy that gives one-on-one lessons when I couldn’t get the recipes right. Stayed hours after closing just to make sure I understood. The kind of guy that offers an internship to anyone with potential. Took me into your home when I needed it. You may have a past, but you’re making up for it and it’s clear to see you want to be there for others so they don’t go through what you did.” She leaned forward, kissing his lips softly. “You may not be perfect, but you don’t have to be. You’re just right.”

Seonghwa smiled. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“Yeah.” She replied, causing him to roll his eyes. “So now what?” She sighed.

“We still have the Get Down to prepare for,” Seonghwa said thoughtfully.

“You’re still going to that?” Zelie asked.

“We all are. Even Soojin. It might sound dumb, but when a kingpin calls for you, you answer. Do you have any formal dresses or anything?”

Zelie shook her head. “Just the dress from Forever 21 that I graduated in.”

“So no. I can call Santana and see where she’s going to get hers and see if we can find something for you there?”

Zelie shrugged. “Sounds good. I’m on a bit of a budget though.”

Seonghwa looked up at her. “You’re fucking the guy that cuts your check. There is no limit for you.”

 Seonghwa pulled into the parking lot of the mall Santana told them to meet her in. They headed to the food court, where Santana was eating a pretzel.

“You guys took too long, so I got a snack.” She explained when they approached her.

“Tana, it’s been 15 minutes.” Seonghwa said.

She shrugged. “A girl’s gotta eat.” She grabbed her trash, placing it in a bin. “The place is upstairs, right next door to my store.”

“You own your own store?” Zelie asked incredulously.

Santana nodded. “Santana’s Threads. It started with one little boutique in The Bronx, and within two years I was able to get a contract with the mall to open another one here in Brooklyn. I’m hoping to open up in Queens after the baby is born. My goal is to be in all five boroughs.”

“If anyone can meet that goal, it’s Santana. The girl’s got determination and grit. I won’t be surprised if people start wearing Santana’s Threads in Milan.”

Santana put her hand on her chest. “Hwa, I’m touched.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

They make it up to the store, which was a small but upscale boutique with walls covered in dresses of different styles, colors, and lengths. A short, old man jumped up from behind the counter, his eyes lighting up at seeing Santana.

“Santana! Long-time! You’re about to pop!” He said, embracing her.

“Hey Pascale, how’s everything?” Santana asked, returning the gesture.

“Oh, the mall is so boring without you, dear. No one comes to visit an old man like me.” He said sadly, his Italian accent thick as ice.

“Just a little while longer, Pascale, and I’ll be back to bother you. This is my friend, Zelie, and her boyfriend, Seonghwa. We have an event to go to and we need some formalwear.”

Pascale clapped his hands. “Say no more! You’ve come to the right place.” He grabbed Zelie’s hand. “For you, my dear, I know just the dress.” He led the three to the back, where there were plush, white seats and several dressing rooms with thick white curtains.

Pascale returned with a plastic garment bag and handed it to Zelie. “Quick, dear! Try it on! In my 40 years of work, I have never suggested a wrong dress!”

Zelie rushed into the dressing room and opened the garment bag. Inside was a beautiful, gold gown with a deep v-neck plunge and spaghetti straps. The bottom flowed out into a sheer tulle material of the same color.

“This has to cost a fortune.” She mumbled as she slid into the dress. Just as Pascale said, he didn’t suggest a wrong dress. The garment fit Zelie like a glove, and the metallic color popped against her mahogany skin.

“It fits, but it might be too much.” She said uncertainly.

“Just come out! Let’s see it!” Santana shouted.

Zelie took a deep breath, walking out of the dressing room.

“There it is! I knew it’d be a perfect fit.” Pascale said excitedly.

“Zelie, that dress is perfect. You have to get it! Seonghwa, what do you think?” Santana said, and everyone turned to the raven-haired guy in the corner.

“I think you look beautiful.” He said in a small voice, quickly diverting his eyes to his phone.

Santana shook her head. “Guys are always so vague. You should get it.”

“How much is it?” Zelie said, reaching for the price tag.

“Doesn’t matter. Pascale, we’ll take it.” Seonghwa handed him his card.

“You’re just gonna pay without knowing the price?” Zelie exclaimed.

Seonghwa pulled her in close, his breath fanning her ear. “Seeing you in that dress is priceless.” He whispered, causing Zelie’s breath to hitch.

Santana, completely oblivious to the sultry exchange, made her way to the dressing room with a garment bag of her own. A few minutes later, she called out for Zelie to help her zip the dress up.

“So I’m guessing you two are okay now?” Santana asked as Zelie zipped her up.

She nodded. “We spoke about everything and I took time to process the situation this morning and…I don’t blame him. He did what he had to in order to survive.”

Santana nodded. “I’m happy for you guys. You deserve to be happy, and I think you do that for each other.” She turned around and posed playfully. “How do I look?” Her dress was similar to Zelie’s, but in silver, with a bodice heavily adorned in jewels. It didn’t hide her bump, but rather highlighted it beautifully.

“You look ready for the Get Down.” Zelie said, the two girls laughing together.

The group paid for the dresses and headed out. They stood at the mall entrance, waiting for Hongjoong to pick Santana up.

When Hongjoong finally pulled up, he was visibly surprised to see the garment bag in Santana’s hand. “You found something that fits that isn’t a potato sack. I’m impressed.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Boy, don’t make me fight you.”

He laughed. “Even if you were wearing a potato sack, you’d still be the best dressed.”

She huffed. “You saved yourself. You get to live another day.”

Seonghwa and Zelie laughed as she got into the car and drove off.

Zelie turned to Seonghwa. “Ready to go?”

He nodded. “Maybe you could put that dress back on so I can take it off you.” He said, making Zelie laugh.

Stephie Here! I should point out that this chapter is third to last in this series! Some shit is gonna go down in the next chapter so I should warn you, and apologize in advance. I also want to get into writing for other members/groups so leave any requests you may have. Thanks for reading!