* * *
“…….”
Taeryu stood frozen in the middle of the room, his expression blank.
Meow.
A sleek black cat with stark white paws stretched luxuriously before walking past him with effortless grace.
His gaze swept the empty room in a flash before he turned sharply.
And there—that bastard was standing right there.
“Been well, little brother?”
“Ki… Taeseong. Fuck. How the hell did you find this place?”
A dark shadow passed over Taeryu’s black eyes before he lunged at Taeseong in an instant.
“You fucking bastard.”
With a loud crash, the two of them tumbled to the floor.
“Whoa, whoa. I get that you’re happy to see me, but isn’t this a bit much for a reunion, little brother?”
Pinned beneath him, Taeseong simply grinned, unfazed.
Taeryu clenched his jaw and gripped his collar tight.
“Fucking answer me. Why the hell are you here?”
“Why do you think?”
Smack!
Taeseong’s head snapped to the side from the heavy punch.
Blood welled up from his split lip.
“Ouch.”
He winced dramatically, as if putting on a show.
“Fuck, answer me properly. You spent all that time hiding like a rat, and now you just show up in front of me? What’s your game?”
“Alright, alright… I messed up, Taeryu.”
Taeryu’s fist, raised at a sharp angle, came crashing down again.
This time, it slammed into the floor instead of Taeseong’s face.
“Fuck…”
Thud, thud, thud.
His fists struck the ground again and again.
Taeseong simply lay there, watching his younger brother with a bitter smile.
“Just hit me, Taeryu.”
“Shut up. If I hit you right now, I might actually kill you.”
Taeryu’s expression was deadly as he pounded the floor once more before finally releasing Taeseong’s collar.
Drained of all strength, he collapsed onto his back, covering his eyes with the back of his hand.
Blood was already seeping from the split skin on his knuckles.
The two brothers lay side by side, staring up at the ceiling, catching their ragged breaths.
Taeseong let out a quiet chuckle, twisting his swollen lips.
“Your temper’s mellowed out, huh, Taeryu? Guess my little brother’s finally becoming human.”
“Cut the crap. Ki Taeseong, you hid Yoo Junhee, didn’t you?”
Taeryu growled, his breath still heavy.
“I didn’t hide him. And for the record, I wasn’t the one who made him run away—it was you, Taeryu.”
“…….”
“And what are you planning to do once you find him?”
“I’ll handle that.”
“He’s just going to run again. What, are you going to chase him forever?”
“Fuck, of course I won’t let him—”
“Lock him up?”
“…….”
Taeryu’s words cut off as Taeseong stared him down, reading him like an open book.
“Like a bird in a cage, a rat in a trap, a rabbit caught in a snare—do you really think keeping him locked up will make him stay? No, the moment he sees a chance, he’ll bolt without looking back.”
“What the fuck do you care? Whether I keep Yoo Junhee or—”
Taeseong turned his head and looked at his younger brother.
The bloodied fingertips trembling at his side told him everything.
Whether beast or man, those who have never been loved do not know how to love.
‘My younger brother was an idiot who didn’t know how to do anything except hold on so tightly that it hurt—afraid that the things he treasured would slip away like grains of sand.’
“Taeryu, you’re mistaken about something. Do you know what happens when you push someone to the edge of a cliff? You think they’ll be trapped there, unable to move? Not a chance. That’s arrogance.”
“Fuck… You crawl back after five years, and now you’re preaching to me?”
“Then let me tell you, Yoo Junhee will fly away. He’ll spread the wings he’s been hiding and disappear forever. So don’t corner the person you love like that.”
The hand covering Taeryu’s eyes slowly slid down.
Beneath it, his bloodshot eyes swirled with confusion.
“Shut up, Ki Taeseong. What the hell do you know… Love? Cut the bullshit. You’re telling me this suffocating pain is love? Not being able to sleep, not being able to eat, turning into a complete wreck—this is love?”
His twisted lips curled in self-mockery.
Taeseong met his eyes and murmured steadily, without wavering.
“Yeah. That’s love. Why do people always think love is supposed to be beautiful, joyful, and happy? That’s not love—that’s a fairy tale. Real love is painful. It’s suffering. It’s misery. But even then, the thought of being without them feels unbearable, like you might die. That’s love.”
Unlike Taeseong’s calm gaze, Taeryu’s eyes trembled violently.
And as if to drive the final nail into his crumbling world, Taeseong added one last sentence.
“So yes, Taeryu. That’s love.”
The private rooftop lounge was already filled with the clinking of glasses from the drunken crowd.
“Come on, hurry up and toast.”
“Baby, don’t you think you’re overdoing it tonight?”
“Overdoing it? I haven’t even finished a single bottle yet.”
The man laughing with a flushed face was Kang Haesung, while the one trying to stop him was Baek Seunggyo.
“This is the kind of night you’re supposed to get drunk. That’s what our livers are for.”
“God, you’re really having the time of your life.”
“Anyway, tonight’s on you, Taebeom, right? The new pillar of Taesan! How does it feel to crush the competition and become the heir? Say a few words for us, future chairman of Taesan.”
“Shit, you were the one saying we should drink all night, and now you’re already wasted. Chairman, my ass. That’s still my father’s title.”
Ki Taebeom, the one being teased, twitched the corner of his mouth.
“That’s exactly my point. Do you really think your father would pass the succession to anyone but you? Even if Ki Taeseong came back from the dead, do you think it would go to him?”
“Ki Taeseong? That bastard never even had a chance to begin with.”
“Yeah, true. A mere beta trying to compete? Laughable.”
They clinked their glasses together like victorious soldiers returning home from war.
Just as the atmosphere hit its peak, the entrance door swung open with a loud bang.
All three of them snapped their heads in unison.
“Sorry, I’m late.”
“What the hell, acting like the main character now?”
“Come on, at least let Yoonjae be the co-lead. Right?”
Cha Yoonjae strolled over and sat next to Baek Seunggyo.
“Need a light?”
“Yeah.”
As Yoonjae put a cigarette between his lips, Seunggyo lit it for him without hesitation.
Yoonjae took a deep drag, exhaled a long stream of smoke, and glanced at his phone screen before shaking his head.
“God, what a leech.”
“What? What is it?”
Seunggyo leaned over to peek at the screen, and Yoonjae simply handed him the phone while blowing smoke into the air.
“Oh, that doctor? You’re still in contact with him?”
Seunggyo scrolled up through the chat history, snickering.
[Kim Daeheon: Let me know when you’re ready to talk. I’ll wait.]
[Me: I need a favor, babe.]
[Kim Daeheon: I’ve been waiting for your message. Is everything okay? I’ll do anything to help. Can I call you?]
[Me: No calls. I need a heat cycle inducer.]
[Kim Daeheon: An inducer…? Why?]
[Me: Forget it if you can’t get it.]
[Kim Daeheon: No, no. I’ll get it for you. Do you want to meet?]
“Wow, having a doctor boyfriend really pays off. You can get prescription meds just like that.”
“Pays off, huh? You want him instead?”
“Hey, don’t joke like that. You know our dear one gets jealous.”
Seunggyo looped an arm through Kang Haesung’s, laughing.
Haesung, however, downed his drink in one go and snickered.
“Ki Taeryu, that pathetic bastard. Thought he was so high and mighty—look at him now. Serves him right.”
The empty bottles on the table kept piling up.
Knock, knock.
A server hesitantly entered the room, only for Taebeom to smack the back of his head.
“Fuck, I told you not to come in unless I called for you.”
“I-I’m sorry! But this is urgent…!”
“This better be important.”
The server, trembling as Taebeom grabbed his hair, stammered out his message.
Hearing the words, Taebeom looked startled for a moment—then smirked.
“Guys, looks like we’ve got an unexpected guest.”
Knowledge is power.
And at this moment, Junhee chose to believe in that.
The old phone Taeseong had given him contained power.
The kind that could either destroy someone—or save them.
Now, he finally understood what Taeseong meant by “having a choice.”
“They’ve allowed you inside.”
Junhee followed the server down a dark hallway, stopping in front of a door.
He took a deep breath. The door opened.
An open rooftop greeted him, the sky stretching wide above.
Familiar faces sat gathered around a table, gesturing for him to come closer.
“Well, well. If it isn’t Taeryu’s little pet.”
Kang Haesung wiggled his pinky finger, laughing.
“Junhee, did you come to see your big brothers?”
They grinned as if welcoming an old friend.
“Yoo Junhee.”
Cha Yoonjae interrupted with a bright smile.
Surprisingly, he didn’t seem out of place among them.
Maybe even less so than when he stood beside Daeheon.
“Are you enjoying yourselves?”
Junhee walked up to the table and locked eyes with Yoonjae.
For a brief moment, silence fell.
Then laughter erupted.
“Did our Junhee have a little drink before coming here? Aww, are you upset?”
Baek Seunggyo twirled an empty glass, laughing the loudest.
That set off Haesung and Taebeom, who burst into laughter as well.
“You once told me, Yoonjae. That if you ignore something too rotten to handle, it’ll only fester and spread.”
Cutting someone off was simply a matter of choosing which branch to sever.
Junhee hadn’t expected to return the favor like this.
“But you? You’re already so rotten that there’s nothing left to cut.”
“Hah, you think that’s gonna shake me?”
Yoonjae stubbed out his cigarette in a glass of ice.
A wisp of smoke curled up, dissolving into the air.
He met Junhee’s gaze and smirked.
“So what? You’re saying I’m rotten while you’re noble and pure? Is that it?”
* * *
