The longer the silence stretched, the heavier the air became.
“Hyung, we’re family.”
At Ian’s words, squeezed out with difficulty, Choi Jaeheon’s lips twisted. It was a self-deprecating laugh.
“Family.”
He pressed his lips to Ian’s ear and whispered softly.
“Right. Family, without a single drop of shared blood.”
Those words sounded like a death sentence to Ian. Choi Jaeheon had forcibly dragged out the truth that Ian had been desperately avoiding and burying all this time.
“We don’t share blood, yet you say I can’t confess my feelings because we’re family.”
Choi Jaeheon’s expression twisted miserably.
“Because you’re my younger brother?”
“…Hyung.”
“Yeah. I thought of you as my younger brother and cherished you. But that’s not all of my feelings. I… like you.”
Choi Jaeheon’s hand wrapped around Ian’s waist and pulled him close. Their solid bodies pressed together without any gaps. Ian could have pushed him away and fled. Because Jaeheon wasn’t using force against him. But he couldn’t. He simply remained frozen in place, crushed under the overwhelming weight of emotion like a preserved specimen.
“Vermouth kissed you, didn’t he? But you said you hated that bastard.”
Choi Jaeheon’s gaze touched Ian’s lips.
“Then what about with me?”
“……!”
“Want to find out? Whether I’m better than that bastard.”
Choi Jaeheon lowered his head. As their lips drew closer, Ian could feel his breath. And at that moment.
Ding-dong—
The doorbell shattered the silence.
As if they’d been waiting for it, the timing was perfect. Both their bodies froze simultaneously. Neither Ian nor Choi Jaeheon answered the bell. However, it seemed the visitor had no intention of leaving. The doorbell rang again.
Ding-dong—
Choi Jaeheon let out a low sigh. And only then could Ian come to his senses. He escaped from Choi Jaeheon and quickly approached the intercom, picking up the receiver.
“Who is it?”
As he said this and looked at the screen, the visitor raised their head to stare at the camera. A man with dazzling golden hair, possessing such unrealistic beauty that he looked like he’d walked out of a holy painting, was shining brilliantly.
[Are you at peace?]
The voice coming through the intercom was chillingly gentle and polite.
[It is a night blessed by the goddess’s grace. I apologize for the discourtesy of visiting at such a late hour.]
It was Vermouth.
He was smiling elegantly, like a nobleman who’d come to visit the neighbors.
[Ian-nim, are you perhaps in a difficult situation?]
Ian couldn’t know what kind of difficult situation Vermouth was referring to. Was he talking about the reporters crowding around and causing a disturbance, or was he talking about an older brother harboring feelings for his younger brother and making advances?
‘No, it can’t be the latter.’
No matter how much Vermouth he was, how could he know what was happening inside the house? Right now, the goddess Regnasia wasn’t here.
[Would you open the door?]
Nevertheless, once raised, the doubt didn’t disappear. Ian exhaled briefly and said.
“Fuck off.”
As he said this and tried to put down the receiver, Choi Jaeheon grabbed him.
“Why the hell is he here again?”
[Ah, so it’s hyung-nim. I came to apologize to Ian-nim for the incidents caused by me.]
At those words, Choi Jaeheon’s rationality snapped clean off. An apology after deliberately causing this situation in the first place? Wasn’t the truth that this was just a ploy to meet Ian again?
“This son of a bitch!”
Choi Jaeheon slammed down the receiver and breathed roughly. His hand stretched out toward empty air, and the intercom attached to the living room wall was grotesquely crushed by an invisible force.
Only then did Vermouth’s detestable voice cut off.
“…Finally.”
Still, Choi Jaeheon seemed unable to calm down as he continued breathing roughly.
“Hyung.”
This was the first time Ian had seen Choi Jaeheon so unable to control his emotions. Ian hesitantly approached him. But Jaeheon didn’t meet Ian’s eyes.
“Go to your room. Don’t come out.”
“Hyung?”
“Listen to me. I’m going to kill that bastard.”
Choi Jaeheon strode toward the entrance without even grabbing an outer garment. With each step he took, the wooden floor screamed as if it would crack.
Crash.
As Choi Jaeheon went out to the yard, Ian tried to follow, but the door closed right in front of him.
“Hyung! Hyung!”
Ian called for Choi Jaeheon while pounding on the door. He tried to open it, but the door wouldn’t budge.
“Haa.”
He could clearly see what was going to happen, and he couldn’t just hide here alone. Ian went to the dining table and brought back a chair. When he struck the door with it, it creaked open.
‘Because he only thinks of me as weak.’
That seemed to be why. Beyond Choi Jaeheon, who stood in front of the open gate, Ian could see Vermouth. He was standing elegantly with his back to the moonlight, holding a bouquet of flowers.
“You’ve come out? By the way, you seem agitated—did something bad happen?”
Bang!
Choi Jaeheon’s psychokinesis struck the wall beside Vermouth. A large hole was punched through the concrete wall. However, Vermouth didn’t bat an eye and simply wore a painted-on smile.
“Something bad is going to happen from now on. To you.”
Choi Jaeheon’s eyes blazed a vivid blue.
“Stop targeting someone else’s younger brother and fuck off. You bastard worse than a dog.”
In the meantime, Vermouth’s rank had fallen from son of a bitch to something even lower.
“Ah, still a younger brother? That’s fortunate.”
Vermouth smiled deeply. He gazed at Choi Jaeheon and slowly opened his mouth.
“If possible, I’d appreciate it if you remained absorbed in playing family for the rest of your life.”
How could he pick out only words that would infuriate someone like that?
Blue psychokinetic energy rose from Choi Jaeheon’s entire body like a heat haze. He looked ready to twist Vermouth’s neck at any moment.
“Go back. You’ll never be able to see Ian again.”
“I’ve heard that family permission is important for marriage. This is troublesome.”
It was a blatant provocation. A ploy to flaunt his relationship with Ian and snap Choi Jaeheon’s rationality.
“Don’t make me say it twice. Stop the bullshit and fuck off.”
Vermouth sighed with a troubled expression, slightly lowering his eyebrows.
“This is truly troublesome.”
“If it’s troublesome, fuck off.”
“I wish to see Ian-nim, but hyung-nim is being so obstinate.”
Vermouth reached into his breast. Choi Jaeheon immediately took a defensive stance. He thought Vermouth was pulling out a weapon. But what Vermouth held in his hand wasn’t an ordinary weapon.
It was a ceremonial silver dagger issued to Holy Knights. A sharp and beautiful dagger studded with ornate jewels.
“What the hell are you doing?”
It was the moment Choi Jaeheon furrowed his brow.
Squelch—!
There was no hesitation, no preparatory motion.
Vermouth plunged the dagger he was holding straight into his own left chest, right above his heart.
“……!”
Choi Jaeheon’s eyes widened.
Dark red blood instantly soaked his white clothes. Drip, drip—fresh red blood ran down and stained the concrete floor.
“Cough.”
Vermouth coughed up blood. Even with red blood flowing from the corners of his mouth, his expression was chillingly peaceful. No, it even looked sacred. Without staggering, with the blade still embedded in his chest, he widened his eyes roundly.
“Saint-nim. I’ve been injured.”
Vermouth adjusted his grip on the red bouquet with his blood-stained hand. His blood flowed down and soaked the bouquet. But because the flowers were red, it was impossible to distinguish what was flower and what was blood.
Crazy bastard.
Ian looked at Vermouth with a pale expression. For a moment, it seemed their eyes met.
“At this rate, I’ll die soon.”
As much as he wanted to leave him alone, that would be too uncomfortable. Ian suppressed the urge to click his tongue and placed his hand on his hyung’s back.
“Hyung, just a moment.”
This was blackmail. The dirtiest and most despicable blackmail, using his own life as collateral. But at the same time, it was also the most effective method. Because Ian was a healer. Having constantly worked to save people’s lives, he couldn’t stand by and watch someone get hurt. Even if that person was Vermouth.
Choi Jaeheon gritted his teeth but had no choice but to step aside.
“This human side of you is pleasing to see.”
Even while coughing and spitting up blood, he still had plenty to say.
“You’re really a fucking innovative bastard.”
Ian spat out the curse and grabbed Vermouth’s clothes with trembling hands. As he applied force in that state, Vermouth naturally leaned his body against him.
Then a pale hand touched the area near his chest and brilliant light burst forth.
“Hahaha.”
Vermouth raised his blood-stained hand and cupped Ian’s cheek. Blood smeared on his cheek, but neither he nor Ian paid it any mind.
“I feel somewhat happy right now.”
He looked at Ian with the most ecstatic expression in the world, as if he couldn’t feel pain at all.
“…Ha. Blood is splattering, so shut your mouth! You pervert.”
Even when Ian scolded him, Vermouth only grinned foolishly. That set fire to Choi Jaeheon’s heart. He watched the two’s familiar appearance and clenched his fist tightly. His nails dug into his flesh, but he couldn’t even feel the pain.
At this moment, Ian’s attention was directed at Vermouth, not Choi Jaeheon.
It was a perfect defeat.
