* * *

“If only Jingyeom hadn’t been sick, our family wouldn’t be in this state.”

Jinwoo’s face contorted as Baek Myeongjun suddenly shifted the blame to Jingyeom.

“The reason our family is like this is because you got caught up in gambling!” Jinwoo retorted.

“You think I did that for myself? I did it to cover Jingyeom’s hospital bills and our living expenses!”

What an absurd excuse.

With that same shamelessness, he dumped all his debts, along with Jingyeom’s illness, onto Jinwoo, who was only a high school student, and then left the house.

The only thing he didn’t touch was the home they were living in, perhaps due to a lingering sense of guilt.

Or maybe it was because he wanted a place to return to one day.

But even that didn’t last long—soon, loan sharks seized it.

“…Father. Can’t you just leave us alone now? Isn’t this enough?”

“What do you mean, enough? Do you think blood ties are that easily severed? If you don’t tell me where Jingyeom is, I’ll report him as missing.”

“Father!”

“Jingyeom and I share the same blood! I don’t know what you did to turn him against me, but he wasn’t like this before. His mind must have completely snapped!”

Baek Myeongjun heard from Sanho that Jingyeom had lost his memory and changed significantly, but he refused to believe it.

After speaking with him, he thought Jingyeom had indeed gone mad.

And that suspicion turned into certainty after seeing the amount deposited into his bank account.

“Since I’ll be taking Jingyeom with me, keep that in mind. Now, tell me where he is! Or should I remove you from the family register right this second? Want me to do that?”

Jinwoo’s eyes trembled at the mention of the family register.

It was the only legal tie that connected him and Jingyeom, and he couldn’t let that go.

“I’ve told you before, haven’t I? The reason you’re by Jingyeom’s side is because of me.”

“I know. I understand! That’s why I’ve been giving you everything you asked for!”

“That’s not to shut me up—that’s the price for raising you.”

Jinwoo, at a loss for words, stammered and clenched his teeth.

His jaw tightened, and veins bulged on his temple.

He felt like he would explode with pent-up resentment, but he knew that if he lost his temper here, Baek Myeongjun would use it against him.

So, he held back, clenching his fists tightly.

“I’ve told you countless times—you must repay the favor.”

Baek Myeongjun added another comment, and Jinwoo closed his eyes, as if refusing to listen.

When Jinwoo was in middle school, he found out about his birth.

And it came directly from the man he had believed to be his father all his life.

“You’re not my biological child; you’re the child of a friend. I took you in because it would’ve been a shame to leave you at an orphanage. So, you owe our family for the rest of your life.”

That’s when it all clicked—why he and Baek Jingyeom had always been treated differently.

Baek Myeongjun repeated those words over and over again, almost brainwashing the young Jinwoo.

“Repay the favor” became a mantra, and eventually, Jinwoo accepted it as truth.

That’s how his sense of duty to protect Jingyeom and repay the favor grew stronger and more unshakable.

And he lived his life trying to pay back that debt.

What started out as an obligation gradually turned into something else.

When it happened, Jinwoo couldn’t say for sure.

At some point, his world became filled with Jingyeom.

Despite Jingyeom’s constant irritability and outbursts, Jinwoo still liked him.

Even when he could’ve walked away from everything, he chose to stay by Jingyeom’s side.

Jinwoo clenched his fists and finally spoke.

“…I’ll repay that debt to Jingyeom for the rest of my life. From now on, Jingyeom and I will live as if you don’t exist.”

“Do you really think it’s going to be that easy? You’re just a stranger; I’m his blood relative. Do you know what that means? We’re bound by blood, while you’re not. And what if Jingyeom finds out? Do you think he’ll stand by and do nothing?”

The old Jingyeom would’ve severed ties immediately.

But the current Jingyeom wouldn’t abandon him.

He had been the one to suggest they cut off ties with their father and live together, just the two of them.

Jinwoo opened his eyes and stared straight at Baek Myeongjun.

His gaze no longer carried the timidity or fear it once did.

“It’s fine if he finds out. Because I’m the one by his side now.”

“Hah, so confident? Then….”

Baek Myeongjun’s lips curled into a sneer.

“What if he finds out what you really think of him?”

“…”

“He probably sees you as family, but if he knew that you’re not his real brother and have been looking at him with such filthy thoughts, how would he react? He’d be disgusted—he might even hate you.”

Baek Myeongjun’s voice, as he whispered like a devil, lingered in Jinwoo’s ears.

‘Will Jingyeom find me disgusting?’

As Jinwoo’s expression changed, Baek Myeongjun’s smile grew wider.

However, he didn’t realize that his actions had just broken the dam Jinwoo had been holding inside.

“If you don’t want me to spread it around, bring Jingyeom here and contact me. I’ll give you two days. If I don’t hear from you by then, I’ll go straight to the police.”

With that, Baek Myeongjun finished speaking and walked out of the alley. Left alone, Jinwoo leaned against the wall and slowly slid down to the ground.

‘…Gyeom-ah.’

Jinwoo stayed rooted to the spot for a long time, as if nailed in place.

---

“Gyeom-ah.”

After finishing breakfast and nibbling on some fruit, Jingyeom turned his head sharply at the familiar voice from behind.

“Jinwoo!”

Standing there was Jinwoo.

Seeing him, a smile bloomed on Jingyeom’s face, growing so wide that it lit up his entire expression.

He hadn’t been told that Jinwoo was coming, so the joy doubled, and he immediately hopped over to embrace him.

Jinwoo looked down warmly at Jingyeom, who was wrapped up in his arms.

“What? Did you just arrive?”

Jinwoo gently wiped away the red stain on Jingyeom’s lips and nodded lightly.

“Yeah, I just got here. What were you eating?”

“Strawberries!”

“You’re not a kid. How did you get yourself so messy while eating strawberries?”

“They’re huge! But anyway, how did you get here? It’s not the weekend. How long are you staying? When you go back, can I go with you?”

Jingyeom bombarded Jinwoo with questions.

Jinwoo brushed his hand softly through Jingyeom’s hair, calming him down.

“I’m going to be here for a while. I got some time off.”

“Time off? Then when are you leaving?”

“I got a long break, so I’ll be here for quite some time. Have you been doing okay? You look like you’ve lost weight.”

Jinwoo furrowed his brows, rubbing Jingyeom’s cheek as if to express concern, but Jingyeom just chuckled.

Ever since he saw Jinwoo, the smile hadn’t left his face.

“I actually gained 3kg here. I’m turning into a pig!”

“Just 3kg? That won’t make you a pig. No health issues? Nothing happened?”

“Yeah, no problem! I’m fine!”

When Jingyeom started using English, which he rarely did, Jinwoo laughed and asked,

“Have you been studying English?”

“No, I’ve just been watching way too many foreign movies.”

Jingyeom wrinkled his nose playfully and realized they’d been standing while talking the whole time, so he led Jinwoo to the sofa.

As Jingyeom naturally slipped out of Jinwoo’s embrace, Jinwoo felt a pang of disappointment.

But when Jingyeom took his hand, his smile returned softly.

He had been worried the whole way here after hearing that Jingyeom had collapsed, but seeing him healthier than expected put his mind somewhat at ease.

Even though Baek Myeongjun’s words still weighed on his heart, he tried to let it go for now.

After all, as long as they were here, there was no way their father could approach Jingyeom.

“When is your break over? I can go back with you then, right?”

“About a month? We’ll go back together this time. Do you really want to go home that much?”

Jingyeom nodded eagerly, but then tilted his head in confusion.

“A month-long break? You didn’t get fired, did you?”

“Of course not. I’ve been working so much that they just told me to take a break. When I asked for a month off, they approved it.”

“Wonbeom hyung did?”

That was the same person who had come to the hospital, insisting he return to work after just one day off when he took two days of leave.

So hearing he got approval for a month off made Jingyeom a bit suspicious.

‘If Jinwoo’s on leave for a month, does that mean I’ll be stuck here for that long too? …What could be going on?’

He couldn’t think of anything big enough that would require three people to keep him here.

But if Jinwoo was staying with him, then maybe he didn’t need to worry too much about it.

Putting aside his concerns, Jingyeom began sharing all the stories he’d been holding in.

He had planned to confront Jinwoo about why he was being kept here, but none of those words came out.

He was just happy to see him.

Even as he noticed that he was the only one talking, he couldn’t stop.

Eventually, he asked a question that had been on his mind.

“Grandfather?”

“Yeah. You’ve never mentioned anything about grandparents or other relatives before.”

“…”

“I don’t have any memories, so I have to believe what you tell me. You know that, right?”

Jinwoo’s eyes twitched slightly.

It didn’t feel like a casual question. A chill ran down his spine. But he opened his mouth slowly to answer.

“I’ve never heard of a grandfather or any other relatives. I don’t know if our parents cut ties with the rest of the family or if there never was one to begin with, but as far as I know, our family is just us.”

“Really? So, we really are the only family we have?”

Jingyeom had expected it, but hearing it confirmed from Jinwoo’s mouth felt like a finality.

Still, having clarity over the past helped to untangle some of the knots in his mind.

Jinwoo’s eyes twitched again as he looked at Jingyeom’s innocent expression.

‘…Real family.’

* * *