Than's office was too clean.
All steel, glass, and edges. The kind of place that didn't allow for softness. It smelled like sharp cologne and old silence—like no one ever lived in here, just ruled from it.
Rin stood by the door, arms crossed, refusing to sit.
"You're late," Than said, not looking up from his desk. He was already in a tailored shirt, sleeves rolled, fingers dancing across the edge of a manila file.
"You sent a car, not a leash," Rin muttered.
Than looked up. "Next time, I'll send both."
Rin blinked. "Excuse me?"
Than smiled faintly. "Relax. That was a joke."
"No, it wasn't."
He walked further into the office, every step echoing on polished floors. He hated how Than looked at him—like he was studying a weakness, not a person.
"What do you want?" Rin asked, stopping in front of the desk.
"I want you to listen," Than said. "And stop pretending you're in control of anything."
"I'm not pretending."
"Really?" Than opened the folder and slid it toward him. "Then explain why you were trying to contact Jun's old advisor behind my back."
Rin's blood went cold. "How do you know about that?"
"I make it my job to know," Than said flatly. "Especially when you start digging around people I pay."
Rin narrowed his eyes. "You're tracking me now?"
"I'm protecting you," Than said smoothly. "There's a difference."
"Protecting me?" Rin laughed bitterly. "From what? The truth?"
"From people who will use Jun's story to destroy you."
"I don't need your protection—"
"You need someone," Than cut in, his voice suddenly hard. "And right now, I'm the only one who gives a damn what happens to you."
Silence fell.
A sick, twisted silence.
Than stood and walked around the desk, standing just in front of Rin. Not touching him. Just… there.
"You look like him sometimes," Than said, his voice quieter. "But you're not him. You're something worse."
Rin's chest clenched. "And you're still obsessed with both of us."
"No," Than said softly. "I'm obsessed with the pieces he left behind. And you're the sharpest one."
Rin stepped back. "You're insane."
"And yet you came."
He hated that Than was right. Hated that something in him wanted this—wanted him—even if he couldn't admit it.
"Let me show you something," Than said suddenly.
He walked toward a side drawer, pulled out an old flash drive, and inserted it into the projector system. The lights dimmed.
On the wall, a grainy clip played.
Jun.
Leaning against a stairwell railing. Smiling at the camera. "If anyone's watching this after I'm gone, just remember… I didn't trust easily. But I trusted you."
Rin froze.
Than didn't look at the screen. "He recorded it after a meeting with my father. Two days before he died."
"What happened in that meeting?" Rin asked, voice cracking.
"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me."
Rin turned to him. "But you were supposed to protect him."
Than's jaw tensed. "And I didn't. That's why I'm not letting the same thing happen to you."
"You don't get to control me to make up for your guilt."
"No," Than said. "I get to control you because you let me in."
Rin felt something twist in his chest—fear and heat and shame tangled together.
"I'm not yours," he whispered.
Than leaned closer, voice just above a whisper. "Then why are you still here?"
---
End of Chapter 4