Hyejin leaned back in the plush leather chair across from Secretary Park, her arms crossed and a twisted smile playing on her lips. The meeting was already over the damage already done.
"I trust the Chairman found my little recording... enlightening?" she said, her voice dripping with mock innocence.
Secretary Park's jaw tightened, but he remained silent.
Hyejin's smirk widened.
"You know, while everyone was so focused on watching that live stream, I had the foresight to record it with my phone," she continued, tilting her head. "Isn't it funny how Soobin Oppa thought deleting the original broadcast would make everything disappear? But I kept the real evidence safe."
Secretary Park finally met her gaze, his expression carefully controlled. "The Chairman has seen what you wanted him to see, Miss Hyejin."
She laughed—a cold, triumphant sound. "Good. Because Hyunwoo's reckless behavior during that live stream... forcing himself on that poor boy while being broadcast? That's not something that should stay hidden, don't you think?"
As she stood to leave, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number, her smile growing wider as the line connected.
---
Meanwhile, at Soobin's apartment, Hyunwoo was in the bathroom. The sound of running water echoed faintly through the door while Soobin curled up on the couch, a blanket draped over his legs. When Hyunwoo's phone buzzed on the coffee table, Soobin reached for it without checking the caller ID.
"Hello?"
A sickeningly sweet voice poured through the speaker. "Ohhh... Soobin oppa?"
He froze.
That voice.
Shin Hyejin.
"Still working so hard to clean up after your precious lover?" she taunted. "But guess what? I just told the truth."
Soobin's stomach dropped. "What did you do?"
"Chairman Jang knows everything now. That live stream where Hyunwoo forced himself on Jiho?The one Soobin Oppa thought he completely erased? Well, I was recording it with my phone the whole time. Smart move on my part, don't you think? I delivered my footage to his secretary "
"You... you actually gave it to him?"
"Mmhmm." Hyejin's giggle had a manic edge. "You should've seen Secretary Park's face. He looked like I'd slapped him with a scandal."
Soobin's heart hammered against his ribs.
"Why would you do that? What are you trying to gain from this?"
"Oh, don't act so shocked.You covered up the dirt by scrubbing the live stream, but you never knew I had my own copy. Fair play, right?" Her laugh turned sharp and unhinged. "I always win in the end, oppa."
The line went dead.
Soobin slowly lowered the phone, his hands trembling. His chest felt like someone had dropped a stone inside it.
The bathroom door creaked open and Hyunwoo stepped out, toweling his damp hair.
"Who was that?" he asked, noticing the phone in Soobin's hand.
Soobin blinked, then forced a casual smile as he set the phone back on the couch.
"Just spam. Nothing important."
But his mind was already racing with dread. Hyejin had played her trump card, and it was only a matter of time before everything crumbled.
---
Chairman Jang's Office – Late Evening
"That fool..." Chairman jang muttered through clenched teeth. "He didn't just embarrass me. He spat on everything I've built."
Secretary Park remained silent, knowing better than to speak when the Chairman was seething.
"I warned Soobin," Chairman Jang continued, rising slowly. His voice dropped into something darker, more calculated. "He thought scrubbing that live stream would protect that brat. But he underestimated how deep the damage could go."
He straightened his blazer with a sharp tug, then turned to face his secretary.
"Bring me the boy."
Secretary Park blinked. "Sir? You mean Jiho?"
Chairman Jang nodded. "Yes. And Minjae too."
A flicker of surprise crossed the secretary's face. "Minjae... from the Kang family?"
The Chairman's lips curved into a calculated smile.
"Exactly. Kang Minjae. I know very well who his grandfather is. A connection like that tied to my son's scandal?" He scoffed. "We'll spin it. Frame it as a misunderstanding young emotions getting out of hand. A poor kid caught in the middle. I'll show the public how I stepped in to make it right."
He walked to the window, hands clasped behind his back, gazing out over Seoul's skyline like he already owned the next chapter.
"And as for Soobin..." His voice hardened again. "He thinks he's untouchable because of his clean image. But now I know exactly how to control that brat. I just had to wait for him to wrap himself in enough lies to choke."
Secretary Park nodded. "Shall I contact the Kang family directly?"
"No," Chairman Jang said, turning around. "Bring them both here discreetly. Jiho and Minjae. No press, no leaks. Not yet."
He picked up his phone, scrolling idly.
"Once I meet them… everything will change. And Soobin? He'll finally understand that love isn't without consequences."
---
Late Night – Soobin's Apartment
The apartment was dark except for that one bedside lamp they never bothered to replace. It cast this weird amber glow that made everything look older, sadder somehow. Soobin stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame like he'd been there for a while, just watching.
Hyunwoo was already in bed, curled up tight with his back to the door. He looked small under the blanket, smaller than Soobin remembered.
"Let me sleep with you tonight."
"No."
Just like that. No hesitation, no looking back.
"Why not?"
"Because I said no, hyung." Hyunwoo's voice was flat, tired in a way that had nothing to do with the late hour. "Go sleep in your room."
Soobin made this sound half sigh, half laugh—and sat down on the far edge of the bed anyway. He was careful not to touch, didn't even let his weight shift the mattress too much.
"I don't want to be alone tonight."
Hyunwoo tensed up but didn't say anything.
The silence stretched out between them. Outside, some car was playing music too loud, and someone was laughing in the street. Normal sounds. Happy sounds that felt weird in here.
"You used to let me," Soobin said quietly.
"That was different."
"Was it? Or are you just scared to look at me now?"
Nothing. Hyunwoo just pressed his face deeper into the pillow.
Soobin gave up. "Fine. I won't touch you. Just... don't make me sleep alone tonight, okay?"
The pause went on forever.
Then
"...Okay."
It was so quiet Soobin almost missed it. But there it was, this tiny crack in Hyunwoo's wall.
He slid under the covers, keeping to his side like there was an invisible line down the middle of the bed. No touching. No pushing. Just breathing in the dark.
Hyunwoo stayed turned away, staring at that same stupid wall he'd been staring at for minutes now.
Soobin watched his shoulders. They were tense, like he was waiting for something bad to happen.
"Did Hyejin tell you to bully Jiho?"
Hyunwoo went completely still.
The question just hung there in the air.
"How did you know?"
His voice was small. Guilty.
Soobin didn't answer. He didn't need to.
"...Yeah. She did."
There it was. The truth they'd been dancing around.
"And you listened to her."
No anger in Soobin's voice. Just this tired sadness that made Hyunwoo's chest hurt.
The silence came back, heavier this time.
"Do you hate me?"
The question came out before Soobin could stop it. The one he'd been afraid to ask, the one that kept him up at night.
Hyunwoo curled up tighter, like he could disappear into the mattress.
"It's late," he mumbled. "I want to sleep."
His voice cracked a little on the last word.
Soobin's hand moved without thinking—reaching out to touch Hyunwoo's hair like he used to when they were kids, when Hyunwoo had nightmares and would crawl into his bed.
But he stopped himself halfway there. His hand just hovered in the space between them, shaking slightly, before he let it fall back down.
"Goodnight, brat," he whispered, trying to sound normal.
But his voice broke too.
He rolled over to face the ceiling, close enough to feel Hyunwoo's warmth but feeling like they were on different planets.
---
Late Night-Minjae's Apartment
The room was soft and warm, lit by just the bedside lamp and whatever moonlight managed to get through the curtains. It felt safe here, tucked away from everything else.
Jiho was pressed up against Minjae's chest, wrapped up in his arms like he belonged there. They'd been lying like this for a while now, just breathing together, The silence between them wasn't awkward anymore it was comfortable, like a melody that needed no words.
Minjae's hand was moving slowly along Jiho's waist, pulling him closer.
"Thank you for not telling my mom about today," Jiho whispered.
"Jiho." Minjae's voice was rough, sleepy. "Did you notice something?"
"Mm?"
"It's been four weeks."
Jiho shifted a little. "Since what?"
He could feel Minjae smiling against his hair. "Since our fake dating started. Remember? You said it would only be two weeks."
Oh. Right. That.
"Oh... I—I forgot."
"Did you?" Minjae was definitely grinning now. "Really?"
"I mean... I didn't mean to—things just got" Jiho was stumbling over his words, and he could feel his ears getting hot.
Minjae laughed, soft and low. He was enjoying this way too much.
"You don't have to explain," he said, his voice dropping to that tone that made Jiho's stomach flip. "It doesn't matter anymore, does it?"
He pulled Jiho closer, burying his face in the back of his neck.
"Because I already like you for real."
Jiho's heart just stopped. Actually stopped. Then started again way too fast.
"Y-Yeah... me too," he managed to whisper. "I like you too..."
Minjae made this happy sound against his skin, and Jiho could feel him smiling.
"You know what?" Minjae whispered, his breath tickling Jiho's ear. "You smell really good."
"W-What?"
"It's addictive. Like... I could just stay here forever and be happy."
Then he started kissing Jiho's neck. Soft, slow kisses that made Jiho's brain short-circuit.
"Minjae-ya..."
"Hmm?"
"Stop saying stuff like that... I'm gonna melt."
Minjae chuckled and kissed that spot right under his ear. "Go ahead and melt. I'll catch you."
Jiho turned around just enough to see his face. Minjae looked sleepy and happy and so stupidly in love that it made Jiho's chest ache in the best way.
They didn't need to say anything else. They just looked at each other in the lamplight, and everything felt perfect.
Outside, the city kept going, but in here, wrapped up in each other, nothing else mattered. Just them, just this moment, just the quiet promise of whatever came next.
---