* * *

Soohyuk, having already heard a rough outline of Wonbeom’s plan, turned his head away, pretending not to care, and stared at the ceiling.

“Do whatever you want. I’ll leave when the time seems right.”

“……”

“What, no response? You’re not going to let me go?”

“To be honest… I’d like you to stay.”

Soohyuk, who had been smirking and daydreaming about Jingyeom on the ceiling, shot up, wide-eyed.

He replayed the words in his head to make sure he’d heard correctly.

They were alone in the room, and it was definitely Wonbeom’s voice.

He hadn’t imagined it.

“…Is this some kind of aftereffect from your accident?”

“No. You told me to be honest.”

“I did say that, but… this is so sudden. It’s a bit… awkward?”

Wonbeom had always brushed off Soohyuk’s words, so this sudden shift was making him feel oddly self-conscious.

“Maybe becoming the company’s chairman is changing you.”

“……”

“There you go again, ignoring me. By the way, did Cheongoh contact you? Director Gwak should’ve started the investigation by now, so Baek and Jeong must be left unattended.”

“Not yet. They’re probably still watching.”

He had people keeping an eye on Baek Myeongjun and Jeong Sanho to figure out their next move before taking them out.

No significant actions had been detected yet, but he remained vigilant, knowing they could make a move at any time.

“Can’t we just deal with them already? Secretary Baek has been coming and going, and ever since then, the guy seems dazed. If Jingyeom finds out they’re poking around while he’s already collapsing at the slightest stress, it’s going to be bad.”

“……”

“Seriously, stop only answering when it’s convenient for you.”

Soohyuk grumbled.

“Ah… by the way, there was a power outage today. Jingyeom should be okay, right?”

“It was brief.”

As soon as the blackout occurred, it was reported to both of them.

What bothered Soohyuk most was that the signal jammer had been disabled.

In the past, Jingyeom never carried a phone with him, but one day, reports started coming in that he had begun keeping it in his pocket.

That only heightened Soohyuk’s concern.

Additionally, there had been reports of strange tension between Jingyeom and Jinwoo after the blackout, which left Soohyuk even more unsettled.

He had also learned that Jinwoo had met Baek Myeongjun before leaving, so he instructed Mrs. Jeong to keep an even closer eye on the situation.

Other than always being together and sleeping in the same room, nothing seemed out of the ordinary according to the daily reports.

But what could have happened during the blackout to cause such a sudden shift in their dynamic?

What troubled Soohyuk even more was the report that, for the first time, Jinwoo and Jingyeom, who always slept in the same room, were sleeping separately tonight.

‘…No way, could it be?’

Did Jinwoo confess his feelings?

Did they reveal the truth of their relationship?

And if that’s why they were sleeping separately now?

The reality that he couldn’t directly ask them gnawed at Soohyuk, adding to his irritation.

As if dealing with people trying to cozy up to him, hoping for some crumbs once Wonbeom became chairman, wasn’t headache enough, this latest development left Soohyuk’s mind even more tangled.

Realizing that thinking about it while exhausted wouldn’t lead to any good conclusions, Soohyuk decided to take a nap and approach the problem with a clearer head.

“I’m done. I’m going to sleep. You should wrap up and get some rest too. We’ve got a meeting in the morning.”

Soohyuk rubbed his stiff neck and headed into his room. Wonbeom finally set the documents down.

‘Handling it…’

Even though he knew now wasn’t the time, he couldn’t help but think about Jingyeom.

Jinwoo was by his side, and Baek Myeongjun and Jeong Sanho were being watched by Cheongoh, so if anything happened, they would contact him immediately.

Still, his eyes kept drifting to his silent phone.

The prosecution was already watching Wonbeom due to the current situation.

While he had thrown President Kim under the bus, Daejeong had too many skeletons in its closet for the authorities to not expect more trouble.

It was best to keep a low profile during times like these.

‘…I’ll have to find the right moment to quietly deal with this.’

There was no need to give the prosecution any more leverage.

It would be best to bide his time before taking action.

---

Around two in the morning, Jingyeom, who had no trace of sleep in his sharp eyes, fiddled with a stuffed arctic fox.

Ever since Jinwoo arrived, he hadn’t slept alone in this room, and it had been a long time since he stayed awake this late.

‘…What am I supposed to do?’

He was aware of everything happening around him. The only thing he could do now was control his emotions.

Soohyuk was far away, so he could set that aside for now, but Jinwoo was right next to him, and they’d continue to live together.

For the sake of the future, it was best to sort things out clearly.

The only unusual thing during dinner earlier was the lack of conversation.

Jingyeom usually talked a lot, but today, he chose silence.

Jinwoo, even while gauging the situation, still made small gestures like placing side dishes closer to him or bringing him water.

After the meal, Jinwoo also brought him his medication, but that was it.

On any other day, Jingyeom would have watched a movie with Jinwoo or taken a slow walk through the greenhouse to digest their meal.

But tonight, he went straight to his room, lay on the bed, and remained in that position, lost in thought.

“What do I do…”

The words were directed at himself, not Jinwoo.

Jinwoo had told him they weren’t biologically related.

That was true.

But of all the things Jeong Sanho had said, the part about Jinwoo liking Baek Jingyeom remained unconfirmed.

Jingyeom hadn’t pushed the issue, thinking it wasn’t something that needed to be clarified.

Jinwoo would likely struggle to confess such feelings.

He might even keep them hidden forever. Jingyeom had no intention of forcing him to say it.

Had Jinwoo admitted his feelings on the spot, Jingyeom would have been so flustered that he wouldn’t have known how to respond.

“…Maybe I should just leave things as they are.”

When I entered the room earlier, I checked if my phone worked, but it had gone dead again, as if the signal was cut off in the meantime.

It felt like a warning, telling me not to try to leave.

If I were to go outside and get kidnapped by that man, President Kim, or something like that…

“That would mean things have gone horribly wrong.”

That must be why they’ve locked me up here.

Honestly, staying here wasn’t uncomfortable, so I didn’t mind if they kept me longer.

There are still a lot of movies I haven’t seen, and plenty of games I haven’t played.

I was just bored because I was alone.

If Jinwoo stayed with me until everything was over, I could endure it.

But with this kind of atmosphere, it’d only be hard on both of us.

We couldn’t just pretend nothing happened and move on.

“…Should I just act like I don’t know?”

‘Even though we’re not blood-related, we’re legally brothers, and we’ve lived like that our whole lives.’

Jinwoo probably hadn’t said anything until now because he didn’t want to break this bond.

So maybe it’s best to respect his wishes.

Suddenly, a good idea came to Jingyeom, and he sprang to his feet.

“There’s always ‘truth in wine,’ isn’t there?”

He couldn’t drink, but Jinwoo could. The only time they had drunk together was when they went to a pub and had beer.

Even then, only Jinwoo and Secretary Yang drank—he hadn’t had any himself.

He couldn’t drink because of his condition, but maybe he could use that now to achieve a better outcome?

Determined, Jingyeom went downstairs and started searching the kitchen.

“It should be here… but I can’t see it.”

He figured there’d probably be a separate wine bar for Soohyuk, but he hadn’t discovered one so far.

Still, he didn’t give up and kept looking, believing there had to be wine or liquor somewhere. Eventually, he found a small wine rack.

He had no clue about alcohol, so he took his time deciding which bottle to grab. In the end, he chose a wine with a red cap.

The label had a bunch of English written on it, but only the year stood out to him.

“Made in 2016, huh? They say the older the wine, the more expensive it is… so this should be good enough, right?”

He knew that wine prices varied greatly, so he didn’t want to just grab anything. Besides, the wines here probably cost a fortune.

Jingyeom took out a tray, placed the wine on it, and rummaged through the fridge.

He searched for snacks but couldn’t find much, so he settled for putting two slices of square cheese on a plate.

It was Jingyeom’s small effort to create an atmosphere where they could have an honest conversation.

With an opener in hand, he stood outside Jinwoo’s door.

As he had come down, he’d noticed the dim lights in the hallway and the light seeping from Jinwoo’s room, which gave him the courage to prepare the drinks.

He hesitated at the door for a moment, swallowing hard, then knocked with one hand, holding the tray with the other.

Knock, knock.

He wondered if Jinwoo had fallen asleep with the light on, but the door soon opened.

Jinwoo paused for a moment when he saw Jingyeom standing there.

Jingyeom lifted the tray and asked, “Can I come in?”

“…Yeah, come in.”

Once Jinwoo gave permission, Jingyeom entered the room and set the tray down on the table.

“Earlier… we were both shocked and confused. It was a pretty intense conversation, so I don’t think we really talked things through.”

“…”

“I thought we might be able to talk more comfortably over a drink, so I brought some.”

Seeing Jingyeom reach out first, Jinwoo smiled faintly and sat down across from him.

“But… why are there two glasses?”

“One for me, one for you.”

“You can’t drink.”

“I won’t. It’s just for the atmosphere. What? You were just calling me by my name, and now it’s ‘hyung’ again?”

It hadn’t been long since they’d switched to using names, but hearing ‘hyung’ again felt strangely off.

* * *