* * *

As Jinwoo answered obediently, Jingyeom hurried to ask more while he still had the chance.

“Whose idea was it to lock me up here?”

“…It was Director Sun. Too many people around you kept getting hurt, so he said you could be next. He insisted you had to be kept somewhere safe. …And this place is safe.”

“Why? Because it’s so remote?”

“That’s part of it… but there are also a lot of bodyguards. And a lot of CCTV cameras…”

“Bodyguards?”

Jingyeom tilted his head, wondering what he meant by bodyguards, since he hadn’t seen any.

Then it occurred to him—the large number of staff around.

He’d wondered why there were so many employees in such a big house, and now he realized that most of them must be security personnel.

With a scoff, Jingyeom sank into the sofa.

For being “imprisoned,” they woke him up for breakfast, served his meals on time, and even had a glass greenhouse where he could take warm walks, even in winter.

‘Wow, I’ve really been living in comfort.’

Of course, being confined to the mansion and unable to use his phone was inconvenient, but he was getting used to that too.

Jingyeom was about to ask more questions when he noticed Jinwoo’s eyes, half-lidded, blinking slowly. The alcohol had definitely hit him hard.

‘I’ll get another chance later.’

Although he wanted to keep asking, he didn’t feel like waking up a drowsy Jinwoo just to continue questioning him.

“Jinwoo, if you’re sleepy, go to bed, okay?”

“No… I’m not sleepy.”

“Your eyes are half-closed. I can barely see your pupils. You look pretty sleepy to me.”

“I’m not… I’m really not.”

Though Jinwoo kept denying it with his slightly slurred words, to Jingyeom’s eyes, he was clearly sleepy.

If he left him like this, he’d end up falling asleep on the sofa, so Jingyeom moved closer to help him to bed.

As Jinwoo’s body slackened, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

“Jinwoo, come on, focus and look at me. Grab my arm and get up, okay? Let’s go to bed.”

Jingyeom grabbed Jinwoo’s arm and pulled with some force, but all it did was lift his upper body slightly.

Jinwoo wasn’t budging.

“Wow, you’re heavy.”

Feigning wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, Jingyeom gave another strong tug, but this time, Jinwoo pulled him down, making Jingyeom stumble forward.

In an instant, his knees buckled, and his nose collided with Jinwoo’s chest.

He winced at the sharp pain and rubbed his nose vigorously.

Luckily, he managed to avoid dragging Jinwoo to the floor with him.

“Ouch…”

Jingyeom, still rubbing his sore nose, pushed against Jinwoo’s chest, trying to straighten his arms.

But Jinwoo, solidly holding him, only made him wriggle without escape.

“…Jingyeom.”

The wine Jingyeom had picked was high in alcohol, and Jinwoo had downed the entire bottle without pause.

It was like drinking two bottles of soju back to back, enough to get anyone drunk.

Besides, Jinwoo, who hadn’t been sleeping well because of Jingyeom’s presence in the bed, was more intoxicated than usual.

“Ugh, Jinwoo! Let me go!”

Jingyeom tried twisting away, but instead of loosening his grip, Jinwoo hugged him tighter, pulling him even closer.

Jinwoo, with his eyes still closed, refused to let go of the Jingyeom in his arms.

Without warning, Jinwoo buried his face in Jingyeom’s neck and inhaled deeply.

The scent of Jingyeom’s body filled his senses.

Even though they used the same body wash and shampoo, the subtle mixture of Jingyeom’s unique scent made him smell completely different from himself.

In his current state, Jinwoo couldn’t distinguish dream from reality.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Jingyeom, but sometimes there were two, sometimes three of him.

It was all chaos.

He squinted to focus, and only then did Jingyeom come into clear view.

“…Jingyeom.”

“Huh?”

“Jingyeom… I like you.”

“….”

“I like you, Jingyeom.”

Jingyeom was at a loss for words, unable to respond properly.

Faced with this sudden, awkward situation, his eyes darted nervously, unsure of what to do.

“…You mean everything to me, so why don’t I mean everything to you? We’ve always been together… Since we were kids, we’ve never been apart. Why can’t I be your everything?”

“….”

“I was content with things as they were. I tried not to be greedy…”

Jingyeom covered his ears with both hands.

He wasn’t the one who should be hearing this. These words were meant for ‘Baek Jingyeom.’

Jinwoo wanted to confess to the previous Jingyeom, not to the person currently inhabiting this body.

Jingyeom felt guilty for hearing it.

“Why do others know how beautiful my Jingyeom is? Only I should know.”

“….”

“…Jingyeom, don’t leave me.”

Even with his ears covered, Jinwoo’s voice still reached Jingyeom, and he shut his eyes tightly.

“…I like you.”

Like a broken record, Jinwoo kept repeating those words.

Jingyeom felt like he should cover Jinwoo’s mouth instead of his ears.

Opening his eyes, he moved his hands, but just then, Jinwoo lifted his head and gazed at him with affection, despite his drowsy, unfocused eyes.

Jinwoo’s hand, resting on Jingyeom’s waist, began to slowly move upward.

His trembling fingers gently caressed Jingyeom’s face, which was contorted with emotion, as if he might burst into tears at any moment.

In his dreams, Jinwoo always confessed his feelings.

It was the only way he could endure—by expressing his emotions in these fleeting moments of courage, even if only in dreams.

“Why aren’t you answering today… You always answer me, so why not now?”

Jingyeom usually responded with a simple “me too,” but today he remained silent, causing Jinwoo’s face to fall.

The pain of being rejected, even in a dream, stung his heart, so he kept confessing in hopes of receiving a reply.

He kept saying he liked him.

But the answer he longed for never came.

“….”

Jinwoo’s emotions, which had been like gentle waves, began to rise like a powerful tide, crashing down on Jingyeom.

In the end, Jingyeom lowered his head. Jinwoo, drunk and mistaking this for a dream, only felt comfortable confessing his feelings now.

Jingyeom could feel the weight of his emotions—Jinwoo couldn’t express them in reality, only when he believed it was a dream.

Watching him like this made Jingyeom’s eyes fill with tears.

How hard must it have been for him to carry this burden alone?

Jingyeom had already felt his eyes sting and tears well up when he first heard about Jinwoo’s difficult childhood under Baek Myungjun, but he had held back.

If he started crying, Jinwoo wouldn’t be able to finish his story, so he had to hold it in.

But now, he couldn’t hold back any longer.

Watching Jinwoo repeat his confession over and over made Jingyeom’s heart ache even more. Yet, he still couldn’t respond.

Because he wasn’t the real Baek Jingyeom.

The person Jinwoo had always liked was the “Baek Jingyeom” of ‘Gray’, not the one standing here now.

That made him feel so sorry.

Even though it wasn’t his fault he had ended up in this body, he still felt deeply sorry toward Jinwoo.

It felt like he had stolen Baek Jingyeom’s place, and the guilt weighed heavily on him.

If he could return things to the way they were, he would do it in a heartbeat.

‘Would that make Jinwoo happy? Would that be best for him?’

But, having no idea why or how he had been transported into this world, Jingyeom had no way of returning.

Jingyeom started sobbing like a child.

Yet Jinwoo wasn’t flustered.

Normally, if Jinwoo saw Jingyeom crying, he would have panicked right away, but this time, because he thought it was a dream, his emotions were laid bare.

Even so, Jinwoo gently pulled Jingyeom closer and sat him by his side, carefully wiping away the tears that streamed down his cheeks.

“Why are you crying… Is it because I said I like you?”

“…No.”

“Then why are you crying like this?”

“Because… you and I… we’re both so pitiful.”

Though his throat was tight, choked up from the constant flow of tears, Jingyeom still managed to speak through his sobs.

He felt pity for Jinwoo, and for himself being caught in this situation.

‘I shouldn’t have come.’

It was Jingyeom who had suggested taking a moment to sort out their thoughts.

But he’d been worried about Jinwoo and didn’t want things to remain awkward between them, so he had mustered up his courage, never expecting things to turn out like this.

‘Did I think too lightly of it?’

Jingyeom had always assumed Jinwoo would keep his feelings hidden forever.

Jinwoo had always prioritized Jingyeom over himself, so it seemed reasonable to believe that.

Besides, Jingyeom knew now that Jinwoo had been locked up and that they weren’t really brothers.

He had foolishly concluded that Jinwoo wouldn’t burden him with any more problems in such a situation.

But then, Jinwoo confessed while drunk.

The real issue was that there was no guarantee something like this wouldn’t happen again in the future.

‘…Do I have to distance myself from Jinwoo too?’

Why did he have to keep distancing himself from others?

Couldn’t they just stay like this?

‘This isn’t what I wanted. I just wanted to enjoy this happiness a little longer until Baek Jingyeom came back… Was that too much to ask?’

Jinwoo continued to wipe away Jingyeom’s never-ending tears.

“Why do you feel sorry for yourself? If anyone’s pathetic, it should just be me.”

Jinwoo’s words were meant to comfort, but they only triggered another flood of tears from Jingyeom.

‘Maybe if I wasn’t around…’

Wouldn’t it be easier for Jinwoo to sort out his feelings if they were apart?

But would distance really help Jinwoo come to terms with his emotions?

Moreover, if someone asked whether Jingyeom could live without Jinwoo from now on, he wouldn’t be able to say yes.

Jinwoo was the one he trusted and relied on the most.

He didn’t want to be apart from him.

His mind was a tangled mess, with no solutions in sight.

‘My head hurts.’

There were still so many unresolved issues, and now Jinwoo’s drunken confession had added to the burden.

The headache that had briefly subsided was now pounding again.

He had already heard about what had happened at the company and knew he couldn’t leave this place.

He couldn’t ask to be taken to Seoul, nor could he send Jinwoo away, knowing it would be dangerous for him.

In this dead-end situation, Jingyeom had no idea what to do.

‘…Damn it, Baek Jinwoo.’

If only Jinwoo hadn’t done anything, Jingyeom could have taken some time to clear his head…

As Jinwoo watched Jingyeom, who still couldn’t stop crying, he blinked slowly.

His face was flushed from all the tears.

The thumb that had been wiping Jingyeom’s cheek now brushed against his parted lips.

Jinwoo’s mind was foggy. Jingyeom’s figure kept blurring and then coming back into focus.

Still, he could feel the dampness of Jingyeom’s tear-soaked hands.

“…Gyeom-ah.”

Jinwoo’s face drew closer. Jingyeom, lost in his thoughts and tears, only realized when Jinwoo was right in front of him.

He had assumed Jinwoo was leaning forward because he was sleepy, as his eyes kept closing.

But then the thumb on his lips disappeared, replaced by Jinwoo’s own lips.

* * *