(On Saturday morning)
Around nine o'clock.
Jihyun stood in front of the mirror, fixing his hair carefully.
He grabbed his phone and stepped out.
At the kitchen table,
Taewon sat in his glasses, eyes locked on the laptop screen. Without looking up, he said flatly,
"I put your luggage in the car."
Jihyun walked closer, voice soft.
"Taewon."
No reply.
He frowned, then climbed onto Taewon's lap, wrapping his arms around his neck.
"Taewon, look at me."
Finally, Taewon removed his glasses slowly. His gaze lifted, hand sliding naturally to Jihyun's back, steady and possessive.
"Yes."
Jihyun shifted forward a little, kissed him softly on the lips, and whispered,
"I'll be back once I talk to Minjoon hyung. You know he'll be worried if I don't get home before night."
Taewon studied him quietly.
"Okay."
But Jihyun didn't stop, because the shadow on Taewon's face unsettled him.
"Since last night, you've been making that face. Why?"
Taewon exhaled, his voice low.
"Because I'm scared you won't come back."
Jihyun froze, then let out a breathless laugh.
"I won't come back only if I die"
He didn't even finish when Taewon's sharp glance cut him.
A strong wave of pheromones rolled off Taewon, striking his chest like a warning.
Jihyun gasped, instantly folding.
"Okay... okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."
His tone softened quickly, almost pleading. "I'll be back next week. We can talk on call in between."
Taewon's hand pressed firmer against his back.
"Good. You can go now."
Jihyun pouted, slipping off his lap.
"Not like this. You have to drop me off."
"I told Jin. He'll do it."
Jihyun glared, lips forming a sulky pout.
"Fine. Don't. I'm leaving then."
Before he could move away,
Taewon stood, wrapped his arms tightly around Jihyun from behind, his head resting against Jihyun's shoulder, hands locked on his waist.
"Come back soon. Reply to my messages every second."
Jihyun turned his head a little, smiling despite himself.
"Okay, I will."
Then, softer, he said,
"Lean down a bit."
Taewon obeyed, bending forward.
Jihyun kissed him firmly first on the forehead, then on the eyes, and finally on the lips.
"Keep these only for me. Don't look at anyone with this face. It's mine."
Taewon nodded solemnly, like a child making a promise.
Jihyun laughed at the sight and finally let go.
(At Han Villa)
Jihyun pulled out his suitcase. Taewon still sat inside the car, hands folded, gaze fixed on him like he owned the scene.
Jihyun leaned into the open door, staring straight into his eyes. His voice came light but warning.
"Don't dare go around anyone, or you're dead."
Taewon's pupils flickered, as he smirked,
"Jihyun-ah," his voice followed as Jihyun adjusted his suitcase,
"Bora messaged. She might come to Seoul next week. You better come back soon."
And left
Jihyun froze, caught off guard,walking away speechless,
(Around six in the evening)
The villa gates opened.
Jihyun shot up from the lounge chair the moment he saw Minjoon.
He ran out and hugged him with all his strength.
"Welcome back, hyung!"
Minjoon stiffened, stunned. His eyes traced Jihyun's bright face the kind of smile he hadn't seen in so long.
Carefully, he touched Jihyun's cheek, almost checking if it was real.
"You look better."
Jihyun laughed, holding his hand.
"Much better. You're finally here."
They walked inside together.
For a while, everything felt lighter.
(Later at dinner)
Minjoon set his fork down, gaze locked on his younger brother.
"Jihyun."
Jihyun looked up, spoon still in hand.
"Yes?"
"You said you had something to tell me. Also, where have you been staying?
You didn't come back to the villa."
Jihyun hesitated. His fingers tightened around the spoon before he slowly set it on the plate. He drew in a breath, forced a smile, and spoke.
"Taewon."
Minjoon blinked.
"Sorry? Who?"
Jihyun's voice steadied.
"Taewon. Hyung, I stayed with him."
Shock rippled across Minjoon's face like thunder.
"Are you...are you okay, Jihyun?"
"I'm more than okay,"
Jihyun answered firmly.
"Hyung, I'm telling you the truth. Taewon and I... we got back together."
The words snapped Minjoon's calm in half. He leaned back, disbelief twisting his features.
"What do you mean, 'got back together'? Stop joking around."
"I'm not joking,"
Jihyun said. His voice was steady, but his hands trembled in his lap.
"I took this decision honestly, with my heart. I can't live without him. I chose him for myself, hyung. Since I left him, everything turned bad. I found no peace anywhere."
Minjoon slammed his chair back, standing with his face red.
"Have you lost your mind?! Getting together with someone like Taewon do you even know what you're doing?
Where is your common sense?
Jihyun, you always act reckless, doing whatever your heart wants. Life isn't some game!"
Jihyun rose too, eyes calm but heavy with hurt.
"Hyung, I love him. I'm not using him."
"Love?" Minjoon's voice cracked.
"You don't understand love. You're acting foolish again. Move on, find something new don't play with his feelings and your own!"
Tears finally slipped down Jihyun's cheeks. He jabbed his finger hard against Minjoon's chest, words cutting.
"Do you even know how much I endured all this time?
Do you have any idea how much pain I lived in?
Do you know how many times I thought of killing myself?"
Minjoon froze, breath caught.
"All day, I stayed locked in a room, planning ways to disappear,"
Jihyun's voice broke, trembling with the weight of truth.
"I lost everything. Parents, love, patience, independence gone in a second. And as an Omega, do you know how hard it was?
Abroad, I was harassed, treated like nothing. Do you know how useless and unwanted I felt?"
Minjoon's throat closed. His eyes dropped as guilt slammed into him.
"You should've told me Jihyun...why didn't you tell me"
"Because you never listened hyung "
Without another word, Minjoon turned away, voice low.
"I'm going to my room."
The sound of his door shutting echoed through the villa.
Jihyun sank back into his chair, sobs tearing silently from his chest.
Inside his room,
Minjoon sat on his bed, covering his face with his hands. His shoulders shook as the words replayed in his mind.
"Was I really this blind?
My brother all this pain, and I never saw it."
Tears broke free, falling past the walls he had built.
Down the hall,
Jihyun curled into himself on the couch, clutching the decision that fractured everything.
He had chosen Taewon. Honestly, painfully. And that choice had splintered his brother, too.
But it was his.