“What, how old?”

Applying medicine to his face in one corner of the reception room, Soo-hyun couldn’t help but be shocked by Woo-jin’s words. Every time he moved his facial muscles, the beaten areas throbbed with pain. When he let out a groan, Woo-jin, who sat in front of him applying ointment, frowned in sympathy.

“So you’re saying, this person who’s your brother…”

“Twenty-four.”

Good heavens. It remained hard to believe even after hearing it. He had mockingly called him a kid, but didn’t realize he actually was one. And four years younger than himself, at that. Hah. Outside the reception room, everything remained quiet. The man had gone inside with the old man quite a while ago but showed no sign of coming out.

I wonder if they’ve checked the contents of the USB by now. What on earth is it that everyone’s so desperate to find? Suddenly, Kim Chang-nam came to mind. The butcher shop owner who first commissioned him looked quite formidable, and Soo-hyun wondered if he still lived. It would be better if he just died.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have done that.”

Woo-jin, organizing the medicine box, commented that what Soo-hyun had done was wrong. Soo-hyun pulled over a nearby mirror to check his injuries. One eye appeared so swollen he could barely open it, dried blood clung to his nose and mouth, and overall, he looked terrible.

He beat me thoroughly. That bastard.

“What else could I do? Your brother was trying to kill me. Even if I had handed it over, I probably would have been beaten to death.”

Woo-jin sighed as he pushed the organized box aside. Then he grabbed Soo-hyun’s hand as he tried to touch his wounds and placed it on the table. Soo-hyun stared at their overlapped hands before quickly pulling away and leaning back in his chair.

“What’s with that look? Are you thinking I’m pathetic?”

“Can I call you hyung?”

“Whatever you want.”

“Grandfather can’t stand up to Ho-beom hyung. No matter what wrong he does, even if he killed someone right in front of Grandfather, he would cover for him. It’s been that way since he was young, and that hasn’t changed with time.”

“……”

“So you shouldn’t think, ‘I’m saved now,’ but rather, ‘I’m dead.’ Unfortunately.”

With a truly regretful expression, he stood up with the first aid kit. Soo-hyun quickly grabbed him. He had thought Woo-jin was just skinny, but the young man’s arm felt surprisingly firm. Woo-jin’s gaze moved from the hand to Soo-hyun’s face.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving before sparks fly.”

Soo-hyun bit his lower lip as he stared at the back of the room. What Woo-jin had just said deeply unsettled him.

“Stay here. If something happens later, at least you can take my side.”

He pulled on his arm coaxingly, but Woo-jin wouldn’t budge.

“I refuse. I don’t want to die.”

When he tried to leave again, Soo-hyun grabbed him with both hands, almost clinging to him.

“Come on, don’t be like that. I’m asking you a favor.”

Woo-jin looked alternately at Soo-hyun’s hands and face, then fell into deep thought. Finally, he put down the first aid kit and sat back down. Soo-hyun let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure how useful this young kid would be, but if his life faced danger, maybe he could at least buy some time.

“What will you give me if I help you?”

Soo-hyun raised an eyebrow at the unexpected question. Huh?

“If I help you… what will you give me?”

Soo-hyun made a troubled face. Having left his wallet and everything else behind, he had nothing to offer.

“Well… what would you like?”

As he evaded the question, Woo-jin pressed his lips together and subtly averted his gaze. What’s with this kid? Somehow, his ears seemed to turn slightly red.

“I’ll… tell you later. That is, if I help you.”

“Uh… sure.”

Just as Soo-hyun felt the conversation taking a strange turn, he heard movement from inside. He tensed up, straightening his back. The door slid open with a creak, and Yang Ho-beom and the old man emerged. Soo-hyun checked to see if Ho-beom had any injuries, but his face looked perfectly fine.

Soo-hyun felt despair. What? Why is he unharmed? After trying so hard to hide it, is he just going to let it go?

“It seems there was a misunderstanding between my grandson and you. Since you also injured this fellow’s face, let’s consider it even. And Beom, you should apologize for being rude to our guest.”

Soo-hyun wore an incredulous expression. Did I misjudge? Before he could think further, Yang Ho-beom strode over and looked down at him.

“I’m sorry for hitting you.”

A hand reached out to touch his cheek. Soo-hyun panicked and slapped it away. God, that gives me the creeps. When he glared up, Ho-beom curled his lips into a shameless smile. With his back to the old man, his expression wouldn’t be visible, but his eyes held the same look as when he was choking Soo-hyun.

The old man watched contentedly and added a comment.

“Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, get along well from now on.”

Get along? With whom? Stunned, Soo-hyun looked back at the old man, but Yang Ho-beom was already walking past him. “I’ll be going now.” Without looking back, he disappeared, leaving Soo-hyun staring bewilderedly at the closed door.

“Woo-jin, go to bed now. Mr. Baek, return to your room as well. If you’re uncomfortable, I can have your room changed.”

Soo-hyun couldn’t ask anything. As Woo-jin had said, the old man would probably forgive Yang Ho-beom even if he killed someone. Is that what family is like? Having never experienced it himself, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy for Yang Ho-beom, who had someone who would believe in and support him unconditionally.

“What? Do you have something else to say to me?”

Soo-hyun shook his head. No, sir. Good night. After bowing politely, he went out and put on his shoes, scanning his surroundings. He felt anxious, wondering if someone might be waiting for him somewhere. Like a threatened herbivore, he looked around nervously as he walked to his quarters. From behind, someone called out, “Hyung.” When he turned around, it was Woo-jin.

He held out a small medicine box.

“It’s painkillers. Take them before you go to sleep.”

His kindness was appreciated, though his childishness didn’t endear him to Soo-hyun. As he smiled and thanked him, Woo-jin seemed to have something more to say, his lips moving hesitantly.

“Do you have something to tell me?”

“Um… tomorrow…”

“Yes?”

“Never mind. Good night. I’ll go now.” He bowed quickly and turned away. What the hell? Making me curious. Tomorrow what? Before he could grab him to ask, Woo-jin had already scurried away. Watching him run off, Soo-hyun had a thought. Could this kid be interested in me? Even when he was applying medicine earlier, something seemed off…

Since childhood, Soo-hyun had an uncanny ability to detect when someone, man or woman, was attracted to him. Sometimes he exploited it, and other times he got burned badly.

Ah, I’m so curious. Why did he stop mid-sentence? I won’t be able to sleep now.

When he returned to his room, someone had already cleaned it thoroughly. He lay down to sleep, but his aching body kept him awake. Eventually, he had to get up to take the painkillers before lying down again. Unlike the rooftop room where he’d been cold even with a jumper and blanket, this place felt warm enough for comfortable sleep. Whether from the medicine’s effectiveness or not, the pain gradually subsided, and as he tossed and turned, he eventually drifted off to sleep.

***

Damn it. Soo-hyun was forced to wake up early because someone knocked on his door. Eating breakfast at 7 AM? Normally, this would be when he’d just be falling asleep after finishing work. His mouth felt dry and rough, and when he said he didn’t want to eat, the employee he had hit yesterday insisted.

Feeling guilty for hitting him on the head, Soo-hyun reluctantly went to the bathroom, quickly washed his face, and removed the sleep from his eyes. Every movement made his joints scream in protest. His reflection in the mirror was hard to look at. The swelling had worsened, and the bruises had turned purple—anyone could tell he’d been beaten.

When he came out, the employee urged him to hurry, saying he was late. Though the sun hadn’t fully risen, people appeared visible here and there. Features that weren’t visible in the darkness began to appear one by one. Following the employee’s guidance, they arrived near where he had met and talked with the old man yesterday.

A sign with Chinese characters hung above the door, but he couldn’t recognize any of them. After taking off his shoes and entering, he found Woo-jin waiting. A large vase in the middle of the long dining table caught his eye. The flowers in it matched those the old man had been tending to outside.

“You’re here?”

“Yeah, hello…”

Soo-hyun looked around the interior. The old man hadn’t arrived yet, it seemed.

“Do you always eat breakfast at dawn?”

“Dawn? It’s morning now.”

“For me, anything before noon is dawn…”

“You’ll get used to it, hyung.”

Soo-hyun couldn’t help but laugh. It’s not like he was going to live here forever, so what was there to get used to? Just then, the sliding door at the back opened. Thinking it might be the old man, he half rose from his seat, but a completely unexpected figure appeared. Woo-jin stood up before Soo-hyun and greeted the person respectfully.

“Hyung-nim. You’re here.”

With the sound of a chair being pulled back, Yang Ho-beom took a seat beside him. Soo-hyun, who had been awkwardly standing, sat back down. Breaking the heavy silence, Yang Ho-beom spoke first.

“Did you sleep well?”

Not even funny. To beat someone like that and then casually greet them as if nothing happened. Seeing no need to be swayed, Soo-hyun picked up the water glass in front of him instead of responding. But he could feel a piercing gaze from beside him. He didn’t want to pay attention to it, but it felt so irritating and uncomfortable that he couldn’t bear it.

“I heard you’re twenty-eight.”

“……”

“You look so young I thought you were younger than me. You should have said so earlier.”

Unable to contain himself any longer, Soo-hyun snapped back.

“If I had told you.”

The man chuckled.

“I would have beaten you with more respect.”

Laughing in disbelief, Soo-hyun watched as Ho-beom extended his hand.

“I’m Yang Ho-beom. Twenty-four.”

F*ck, it’s still a surprising age even hearing it again. Instead of taking his hand, Soo-hyun turned his head away sharply. Every time he faced the man, he kept recalling how he had choked him like a murderer last night, making him shrink back. To make matters worse, the man now turned completely in his seat to stare at Soo-hyun. Under that gaze, Soo-hyun felt his neck being bitten by an invisible force.