Pyeongchang-dong,
Seoul, South Korea
10:45

"Take a seat, and get some rest." Yeon Jin helped Jae sit on the couch facing the tall glass window. From there, Jae could see the garden in the backyard and the sun, which looked warm enough to last the rest of the morning.

"Thank you ...." Jae said with a smile.

Yeon Jin walked right into a room on the first floor after helping Jae sit down. He opened a cabinet, took a thin blanket from the bottom, and then walked back to the sofa, where Jae sat quietly.

"You don't have to do anything, so can you just sit here?" Jae hooked his fingers around Yeon Jin's as if forbidding the guy to leave. The man nodded, and Yeon Jin smiled.

"First, I'll make some tea, and then we'll just sit here throughout the day."

Yeon Jin quickly went to the kitchen to brew the cup of tea he had promised Jae. It was his first time back in Korea after so many years. Still, he routinely asked a worker to clean the house, organize all the security features, and check the facilities there.

Because of this, the big two-story house looked clean and neat, and even the fridge was fully stocked with fresh ingredients.

Yeon Jin was quite happy with the work of the person who took care of his house this time. Although not from a cleaning agency, the person was skilled at filling up the fridge in the place even though he only asked to put in some processed foods that he could eat himself.

Foodstuffs include veggies, fish, and meat, and some processed foods include sausages, spam, and nuggets. Some baked buns and snacks can be warmed up in the bottom drawer, including a box of mochi and a few packets of egg custard.

Since it was impossible to let them drink tea without filling their stomachs, Yeon Jin finally took out the mochi from the fridge and two puddings to attend their tea time. After brewing the tea, Yeon Jin returned to the living room where Jae was quietly sitting and looking blankly at the open window that showed the view of the backyard full of trees and the fish pond where Yeon Jin herself didn't know if there were still fish in the pond or not.

"Wait too long?" Yeon Jin asked, startled at Jae.

Jae shook his head and grinned. I still didn't think I'd be going back to Korea, but when I did, an IV needle was waiting for me.

"It was a lengthy trip. It's normal for you to feel uneasy; if I hadn't been more cautious, I would have felt the same way. Yeon Jin gave Jae a cup of tea that he had brewed.

"Hee~ Does that imply that I'm a careless person?" Jae objected, but eventually, a chuckle escaped his mouth. But ever since I 'got it,' I've lost more and more of my self-control. Everything needs to be more organized now, so I must bother you.

When Yeon Jin heard the query aimed at him, he was ready to drink some tea. He focused his attention on Jae's face, which, in his opinion, always had a gorgeous look. Jae always had a beautiful appearance, whether it was pale or fresh. Yeon Jin tried to smile back at the question, put the teacup in his, and then closely hugged Jae.

"Nobody needs to apologize or bother anyone here. I love you." Yeon Jin muttered, hoping Jae would change his perspective.

Jae remained silent in response. He just grinned a little while gazing into the teacup that reflected his face. After that, the two of them stopped talking. Yeon Jin was still waiting for him while Jae, who had just withdrawn his IV needle this morning, went back to sleep while enjoying the gently rising sunlight.

When noon finally arrived, the doorbell rang. As if the visitor didn't want to wait any longer, they continued to ring the bell till a noise was made, which startled Jae, who had been napping.

"Who is that ...?" He questioned in shock.

"I don't know. I'll take a look first." Yeon Jin let go of Jae's embrace. It visited the person unexpectedly, dropping by his house without calling or acting casually.

Yeon Jin was annoyed by the person outside who kept pressing the doorbell, and he wanted to reprimand them. However, when he looked through the one-way CCTV monitor he had mounted on the front fence, Yeon Jin was shocked to see Choi Ha Joon doing it with an irate expression and audible swearing.

"I know you two inside. Just open the door?"

When Yeon Jin heard that, he sneered, turned on two-way communication, and enquired what his brother desired.

"What do you want?" Yeon Jin spoke through the two-way communication device to the doorbell.
"Just open the door!" Ha Joon started to feel annoyed. However, Yeon Jin didn't care about his brother's anger.

"You better stop ringing the doorbell, or I'll contact the police to get you out of here because Jae is sleeping."

Yeon Jin warned him, but Ha Joon laughed because of his brother's warning. "A police officer? When you finally return after all these years apart, do you intend to lock me up? For that scumbag?!"

Ha Joon continued to use foul language. Yeon Jin once again snorted. But just as he was going to answer his younger brother's curse, Jae appeared behind him and patted him on the back while shaking his head.

"Until he gets what he wants, he won't leave." Ha Joon continued ringing the doorbell to get them to open it, so Jae and he spoke up.

Jae gave him a stern look that contrasted with the outside clamor. He was given a blank stare. His fragile body, which appeared even thinner since the last time he remembered, was now covered by the light blanket he had previously used to cover Seo Jae's legs.

"He won't be someone who will remain silent with simply a threat, so please open the door," Jae repeated his statement as he turned around and returned to the house.

Jae gave him a stern look, his expressionless eyes standing out against the commotion outside. His weak body, which had gotten thinner since the last time he remembered, was now covered by the small blanket that he had used in the past to cover Seo Jae's legs.

"He won't be someone who will remain silent with simply a threat, so please just open the door," Jae repeated his statement as he turned around and returned to the house.

Jae was correct, though it made him uncomfortable and irritated. Ha Joon is not the type to give up before achieving his goals, so what would his brother want if he was to visit him at home and cause a fuss? Who knows?

Yeon Jin obeyed Jae's instructions and opened the gate to greet his brother. He assumed the greeting was pleasant, but he responded with a scowl and a disapproving look.

"How did you find me here, exactly?" Yeon Jin asked.

"Where else than this house would you go? Other than the main residence, the house that will serve as your dowry with that blasted omega." Ha Joon said with a smile. His words sounded like an insult, making Yeon Jin feel uneasy.

Yeon Jin's eyes grew droopy. He was about to be entirely overcome by anger, which would then explode and obliterate everything in his path. He nevertheless made an effort to suppress his rage and maintain his composure.

"When I heard you had returned to Korea, I expected you to come to the main house and apologize to me, but you chose to come here instead," Ha Joon replied to his brother's words.

"I already told Grandma I'd be here the day after tomorrow when I called. Didn't you know?

"Why did Grandma tell me that? What does your phone do after that?" Ha Joon cursed once more. Yeon Jin, who was hoping to avoid responding to all of Ha Joon's unpleasant words, could only sigh.

"Why didn't you ask me?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Just let me know what you need. I hope there isn't a disagreement here, but if you want me to visit the Core house, I'll do it the day after tomorrow, exactly like I instructed Grandma." Yeon Jin wanted to have this talk finished right away.

Ha Joon showed signs of anger by displaying a flat face, a cold glance, and a hissing voice. I'm not too fond of it when you disregard me.

"When did I start ignoring you? You talk too quickly and without fully knowing what you are saying."

"Whoa, what do you mean? You do."

Ha Joon's eyes were bulging with what appeared to be crimson veins as he peered at Yeon Jin, who was remaining calm. Ha Joon's gaze seemed to want to eat his brother.

"You should leave if you have no business being here. There are numerous methods to discuss something, so let's end today because I need to prepare lunch for us. If it's business-related, we can talk about it via email." Yeon Jin murmured as he attempted to close the door, oblivious to his brother's.

However, Ha Joon held the door and continued to give his brother a commanding look before Yeon Jin shut the gate.

"That nasty Omega has brainwashed you." Ha Joon hisses. He looked so disgusted with what his brother was doing only when Ha Joon wished for something else for him to hear. Yeon Jin said the opposite.

"I've remained the same. Everything, including the kind of love you'll never experience in your entire life, was taught to me by Jae."

Yeon Jin quickly turned around after saying that and shutting the gate, oblivious to Ha Joon, who was still complaining and occasionally kicking the door.

From outside, Ha Joon repeatedly shouted that Yeon Jin would regret choosing Kim Seo Jae for his life. Still, Yeon Jin realized that right now, the other person who had taken care of him wasn't anyone, including Ha Joon, but Seo Jae.

***

"Shit!" Joon Ha stated.

He had no idea Yeon Jin's words would incite him to such a level of rage. After more than two years of his brother and Seo Jae staying away from Korea and treating him like a fool, they finally returned and continued treating him like that. Like trash.

He drove a long way to get there just to be treated like an idiot who should be expelled. They are not brothers. Shouldn't they treat each other well if the brothers want to maintain their relationship and be decent? But why did his brother treat him that way and put all the pressure on him? He found it wholly intolerable.

Ha Joon got into his car. I was slamming the door so hard that his voice probably sounded firm in the wholly deserted housing complex.

He looked towards the second floor of Yeon Jin's house, visible from his position. From the second floor's balcony, he saw a figure standing sideways, wearing a thin blanket on his shoulder, and the figure's gaze looked empty, as if it had no spirit of life or emotion.

And Ha Joon was sure that it was Seo Jae. Realizing that Seo Jae was living comfortably in that house, he was upset about Ha Joon.

Jae turned around and faced the window, but their gazes didn't meet. Seo Jae immediately turned around when his brother, Yeon Jin, approached Jae, embraced the man, and walked away from the window.

Ha Joon could only grumble while hitting the steering wheel. However, venting all his anger just because of that scene was unpleasant for him. Not wanting to get too wrapped up in such uncomfortable feelings, Ha Joon left Yeon Jin's house after his brother said they would come to the main house the day after tomorrow. Maybe he could hear for himself the reason why his brother chose to spend the rest of his life with an omega like Kim Seo Jae.