Several days slipped by in a blur. Jaewon stayed at Seo-young's flat, barely stepping outside, the curtains half drawn as if the dim light could quiet his thoughts. He spent the hours trying to piece together the mess his life had become, sorting through old contacts, making pointless calls, staring at the ceiling longer than he slept. Nothing really changed. The silence only made everything louder.
What unsettled him most was not the damage itself, but Taesan. The memory of that night refused to fade. Taesan standing across the apartment, eyes steady, voice calm, saying things Jaewon had never expected to hear. No anger, no shouting. Just certainty. And Joshua beside him, silent but firm. The image replayed again and again, each time scraping something raw inside his chest. Betrayal should have made him furious. Instead, it left him hollow.
On the fourth evening, a knock sounded at the door. Sharp. Precise.
A courier handed him a slim envelope and left without a word.
Inside, a single card.
"Wooara Gwanghamun Branch. 8 PM. Do not be late."
Jaewon read it twice.
Wooara was not the kind of place people visited casually. It was the sort of restaurant politicians booked months in advance, where businessmen signed contracts worth millions over quiet dinners. Private rooms. No witnesses. No mistakes.
His grip tightened around the card.
It had to be Taesan.
For a long moment, he considered ignoring it. Walking away would have been smarter. Safer. But something heavier than caution pulled at him. Questions that refused to settle. Words left unsaid. A need to face Taesan just once more, even if it meant stepping straight into a trap.
By the time the clock struck seven, he was already reaching for his coat..
***
The restaurant is exquisite.
Crystal chandeliers cast golden light over polished tables adorned with fresh orchids and silver cutlery. The hum of soft classical music blends with murmured conversations. Jaewon steps inside in his best suit, suddenly aware of how small he feels.
Near the back, at a secluded table by the window, Taesan sits with Joshua. Taesan looks immaculate in a tailored black suit, his every movement radiating effortless confidence. Joshua, seated beside him, is calm and collected, an unreadable expression on his face.
Jaewon approaches, feeling out of place and outmaneuvered.
"You came," Taesan says smoothly as Jaewon takes his seat.
Jaewon's eyes dart between them. "What is this, Taesan? Another power play?"
Taesan gestures for a waiter, who pours them all glasses of wine. "Think of it as... a farewell dinner."
Jaewon freezes, his stomach sinking. "Farewell?"
Taesan leans back in his chair, studying Jaewon with a cool detachment. "Our paths end here, Jaewon. This is the last time we'll meet."
"What are you talking about?" Jaewon's voice cracks. "You're leaving?"
"Yes." Taesan glances at Joshua, who gives him a small nod. "Joshua and I are moving to Seoul. There's nothing left for us here."
Jaewon's fists clench under the table. "You can't just walk away after everything. After what you've done!"
Taesan's expression remains calm, but there's an edge to his voice now. "What I've done? You made me into this, Jaewon. You pushed me away, used me, and broke me. Everything I've done since then has been to ensure I'd never feel that powerless again."
Jaewon's voice softens, his anger giving way to desperation. "Hyung... I didn't mean for things to end up like this. We were brothers once."
Taesan flinches at the word hyung, but his resolve doesn't falter. "Friends, especially close friends, don't betray each other. They don't take and take without giving back. You called me hyung, but you treated me like a tool."
Jaewon shakes his head, his eyes glistening. "I didn't realize... I didn't know how much I hurt you."
"It's too late for apologies," Taesan says coldly. "I've already made my choice."
Joshua finally speaks, his tone calm but firm. "You need to let him go, Jaewon. This chapter is over."
Jaewon turned toward him sharply, his composure cracking for the first time. His voice shook despite his effort to steady it. "And what about you? WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU TO HYUNG!?"
Joshua held his gaze without the slightest hesitation. His expression stayed calm, almost indifferent, as if the question meant nothing to him. "Someone he trusts," he said quietly. "And someone he chose. I'm with him now. I stand on his side. That's all you need to understand."
For a second, the hallway fell silent.
Jaewon stared at him, stunned. The words did not seem real, like they had missed him entirely. Then they sank in, slow and heavy. His jaw tightened, fists clenching at his sides. "You," he muttered, voice breaking into something bitter. "You're the one who filled his head. You're the one who turned him against me." His eyes burned with anger. "You changed my hyung to take revenge on me. You bastard."
Taesan stands, smoothing the front of his jacket. "This isn't just about revenge, Jaewon. It's about freedom. From you, from the past, from everything that held me back."
Jaewon rises to his feet, his voice breaking. "Hyung, please. Don't do this. Don't leave me with nothing."
Taesan hesitates for the briefest moment, his eyes flickering with an emotion Jaewon can't place. But then he shakes his head, his expression hardening. "You'll survive. You always do."
He steps away, Joshua following close behind. At the door, Taesan pauses, glancing back one last time.
"Goodbye, Jaewon."
Taesan paused and turned back to face him, voice steady but distant.
"The apartment we used to share has already been sold," he said quietly. "There's nothing left for you to go back to anymore."
And with that, he's gone, leaving Jaewon standing alone in the lavish restaurant, surrounded by wealth and luxury but feeling emptier than ever.
Jaewon sinks back into his chair, staring at the untouched glass of wine before him. The weight of the loss crashes down on him, and for the first time, he realizes just how much Taesan meant to him—not as a rival, but as a friend. As one his heart likes.
"Hyung," he whispers to the empty seat across from him, the word laced with regret and longing. But there's no answer, only the distant echo of footsteps fading into the night.
Jaewon sits in stunned silence, the murmurs of other diners around him fading into a dull hum. He stares at the seat where Taesan had been just moments ago, his heart feeling as though it's been hollowed out. His mind races with memories of their childhood—Taesan teaching him how to ride a bike, sneaking into arcades together, the way they used to laugh until their sides hurt.
How did it all come to this?
He walks out of the restaurant.
The cold night air hits him like a slap. Jaewon leans against a lamppost, struggling to steady his breathing. In his pocket, his phone buzzes with notifications, but he ignores them. Nothing matters right now—nothing but the ache in his chest.
As he looks up at the starless sky, a bitter laugh escapes his lips. "Hyung," he murmurs again, the word catching in his throat. His voice falters, swallowed by the noise of the bustling city, as he realizes that for the first time in his life, he is truly, utterly alone.
"You said I'll survive... but what if I don't know how to without you?"
——————— TO BE CONTINUED