RB 130

Eunho lectured him. He looked at Yeorok with a piercing gaze, asking if the man took him for someone so devoid of common sense.

Yeorok eventually relented and gave a small nod. He moved closer and slid his legs under the covers. The blanket was still warm from Eunho’s body heat. The heat slowly seeped into Yeorok’s tense muscles.

“……”

The two sat side by side. They wasted time in a heavy silence. Neither could fall asleep immediately just because the bedding was ready. The atmosphere was also far too stiff for casual conversation.

Eunho kept his mouth shut. He had no intention of speaking first. He sat with his knees pulled to his chest and stared down at his own toes.

Yeorok slowly rubbed his jaw. He sighed and finally broke the silence.

“…First, let’s talk about Seo Taehwa.”

When that unexpected name was mentioned, Eunho looked up. A flicker of betrayal lit up in his eyes. Yeorok watched him and spoke calmly.

“He’s in a poor condition right now. His cognitive abilities have vanished. He cannot handle basic daily tasks without help from others.”

As he listened, Eunho’s expression changed to one of shock. The news came as a complete surprise.

“…How did that happen?”

“I made him that way,” Yeorok confessed plainly.

He straightened his back. His attitude was far too casual for someone who had just admitted to destroying another person’s life. His calm voice was devoid of any hint of guilt.

“I wanted him to feel the exact pain you suffered, Sim Eunho-ssi. I locked him away in an abandoned hospital. When I checked on him later, he was barely human.”

Seo Taehwa had been a miserable sight when Yeorok visited. The bed was a mess of filth. Insects swarmed the area amid a terrible stench.

Furthermore, the man’s hair had turned white in a short span of time. His eyes were bloodshot from ruptured vessels. His pupils looked vacant as if he had entirely lost his soul. He had even lost the ability to speak. He didn’t even beg Namyeong for mercy. He only let out senseless, babbling sounds.

“……”

Eunho rested his chin on his knees. He looked down at his feet and slowly closed his eyes.

He had once followed Taehwa-hyung like a real brother. He had trusted and relied on the man with all his heart. The shock of the betrayal had been beyond words. Eunho had no way to get revenge himself, but he had wished for Taehwa’s eternal misery.

He had prayed for Taehwa to suffer nightmares every night. He wanted him to be betrayed by someone he trusted and abandoned by someone he loved. He had hoped the man would lose everything and meet a pathetic end.

It seemed karma had finally arrived. Seo Taehwa was broken even more thoroughly than Eunho himself had been. Yet, the news did not bring the expected relief.

The reason was evident, Eunho sighed.

“In the end, I never even got to hear an apology from Taehwa-hyung.”

“……”

“…Chairman, you are always so selfish. Nothing you do ever goes the way I want.”

Eunho turned his blame toward Yeorok. He felt a surge of resentment toward the man who had taken revenge on his own terms. Yeorok had rendered Taehwa beyond recovery and robbed Eunho of any true closure.

“Did you think I would thank you for doing that? Did you think you could earn a pardon for your own actions by taking revenge for me?”

“I never thought that. My own faults are a separate matter. I did this for my own sake.”

Yeorok rubbed his forehead. He looked troubled. A man who never showed weakness before others now seemed lost under Eunho’s criticism.

“To be honest, I was venting my rage under the guise of revenge. I cannot always make rational decisions either.”

“That is surprising. I thought Chairman was a perfectionist.”

“I told you. Every day was agonizing. I wasn’t in my right mind back then. I couldn’t see anything else.”

Yeorok wore a bitter smile. His dark eyes were fixed on Eunho.

“If you had vanished to a place where I could never reach you, I might have broken down too.”

Eunho met his gaze in silence. He searched for the truth behind the man’s face. He wondered if this was a mask or his true self. Deep lines etched into Eunho’s brow. He couldn’t wrap his head around the layers of this man’s complicated heart.

“You don’t believe me.”

“…How could I?”

Eunho’s face twisted. This feeling didn’t come from a lack of trust in Yeorok. He felt miserable because he couldn’t cut ties with the man even after everything.

“I know it will take a long time to restore your trust. I won’t ask for anything else. Just give me a chance.”

“……”

Eunho clenched his jaw. His breath came in ragged gasps through the palms covering his face. Yeorok remained calm, while Eunho was the only one shaking.

“Eunho-ya.”

Yeorok gently took hold of Eunho’s wrist. He slowly pulled Eunho’s hands away. The face hidden behind the fingers was now visible. Eunho looked like he was about to cry.

Yeorok’s calm expression changed to match his sorrow.

“Give me just one more chance.”

“……”

“Vent your anger as much as you want. You can hate me for the rest of your life if you wish. Just stay by my side. Please, look at me.”

Yeorok clung to him in a way that did not suit his stature. He begged for affection. He pleaded for Eunho to pity him and view him with compassion.

Eunho felt the surge of sorrow rise to his throat while Yeorok held both of his wrists. Tears and mucus already stained his cheeks in a mess. He lacked the power to repress his physical response.

He wondered how a person could feel such intense ambivalence toward a single soul.

Looking at the man brought pain and exhaustion, but he longed for him just as much. He felt like he might go mad without Yeorok, yet he felt suffocated when the man was near. His mind spun because he could not distinguish between love and resentment.

He glared at Choi Yeorok. Then he shook off the man’s hands and stood up on his knees.

Eunho grabbed Yeorok by the collar.

“I don’t trust you. Perhaps I never will.”

“……”

“Even now, I am barely holding back the urge to strangle you. One day, I might lose my mind again. I might ruin your life, Chairman, and then kill myself right there.”

Yeorok frowned, he looked horrified by the mere thought of such a thing.

“Do not talk about dying.”

He faced Eunho directly despite being held by the collar. Yeorok trapped Eunho with a gaze that felt like a tightening noose, even without using his hands.

“……”

Eunho eventually surrendered to that look.

Choi Yeorok brought agony regardless of his presence. Furthermore, Eunho realized he lacked the courage to definitively leave him. He decided to admit the truth. He still loved this man, even if that love had taken a twisted shape.

“Write a contract. That thing you are so good at.”

“……”

“Take responsibility for me until the day I die. Fix what you broke in me.”

The positions had changed this time. Yeorok would not be the one rolling Eunho around in his palm. Sim Eunho would hold the leash on Choi Yeorok’s neck instead. The tight grip on the collar made it obvious who held the initiative now.

“This is the last time.”

“……”

“If you betray me again, it is over. I won’t let you get away with it.”

Eunho let go of the collar and collapsed against the man’s shoulder. He surrendered his weight, and gave up everything in exhaustion.

“I will do that.”

Yeorok caught him willingly. He wrapped his arms around Eunho’s waist. He drew him into a tight embrace, vowing that he would never let go.

“I will write it. I will do whatever you want.”

Yeorok intended to grant every request, no matter the content. He was ready to give up his organs if it meant Eunho would stay.

Yeorok tightened his hold. Eunho’s neck was right beside him. He buried his nose against the warm skin and took a deep breath. The scent of his skin filled his empty chest.

“I really… hate you so much.”

Eunho put his head against Yeorok’s shoulder. His hands trembled with rage. He scratched the man’s neck and hit his shoulders.

Yeorok only held him tighter in response. He took every blow and accepted Eunho’s resentment without a word of complaint.

“I cannot exist without you.”

Yeorok’s first love was a grueling ordeal. Sim Eunho had taken control of him. He had lost his way under the young man’s influence. Even though he hated the constant chaos, he could not give up. He felt he would remain an incomplete person forever without Sim Eunho.

“I love you, Sim Eunho-ssi.”

Eunho did not reply to the sincere confession. He clutched the hospital gown in silence.

Yeorok stroked his thin back to soothe him. He felt no need to rush. The fact that Eunho had accepted him again was enough for now. He had to take his time to slowly rebuild the shattered trust, one step at a time.

“I will be better.”

“…Yes.”

He finally answered. The voice was so small it was hard to hear, but Yeorok held Eunho’s waist as if he had gained a fortune.

He felt the rapid heartbeat against his own chest. Yeorok sighed over Eunho’s shoulder.

Eunho felt the reaction from the man and a thought occurred to him.

…You really do love me.

It felt more genuine than any spoken confession.

Eunho reached out and stroked the back of Yeorok’s head. A thick layer of gauze covered the wound, and the hair was a tangled mess. The once-perfect Choi Yeorok now looked no different from the disheveled Sim Eunho.

Eunho slowly raised his head and touched the injured area.

“Does it… hurt here?”

“A little.”

“People will laugh if they hear the Chairman fell and cracked his head.”

Yeorok offered a smile. He was grateful just to have a normal conversation with Eunho. He could breathe easily for the first time in a long while.