TTDOTO 2.4

Feeling persistent vibrations, Jae-an opened his eyes. A rustling, ticklish sensation creased his brow. It was as if someone were brushing a feather across his face.

“Ticklish?”

A low laugh echoed beyond his ear. The voice sparked dizziness, and Jae-an shook his head, burying his face deeper into what he lay on. Something firm yet soft, oddly warm, pressed against his cheek.

Opening his eyes, the world was sideways. He realized it wasn’t the world but himself, lying on his side. The vibrations came from the shaking car. In the backseat, his head rested on Jae-rim’s thigh. The heavy thing against his cheek was likely…

Jae-an’s brow furrowed sharply. Unlike the unsettling presence against his cheek, cold fingers gently touched his forehead, brushing hair that tickled his eyebrows with each movement.

“Was it ticklish?”

Jae-an silently tried to sit up, avoiding Jae-rim, but dizziness tilted him, and he fell back onto Jae-rim’s leg. Forcing himself upright, he struggled against the vertigo. Seeing Jae-an’s refusal to lean on him, Jae-rim’s eyes narrowed.

Finally sitting, Jae-an pressed his forehead against the window. The car retraced the path he’d fled with all his strength. His eyes darkened with profound despair.

Jae-rim had found him on that unknown rooftop with uncanny precision. How? Jae-an had zigzagged through alleys, checking repeatedly for followers…

Lost in confusion, the car stopped before the house he’d escaped. The driver opened the door, and Jae-rim stepped out first. Holding the door, he jerked his chin at Jae-an. Get out.

A reset.

With a hollow expression, Jae-an followed. Each heavy step sent sharp pain through the thigh Jae-rim had stomped.

The house, as if nothing had happened, was as silent and serene as before his escape. Multiple CCTVs captured Jae-an trailing Jae-rim.

Jae-rim entered a rarely used room, known to Jae-an as storage. It was barren, devoid of furniture. Shedding his jacket, Jae-rim spoke to the frozen Jae-an.

“Take it all off.”

“Huh…?”

“Make me say it twice, and I’ll hit you. Strip everything.”

At the cold command, Jae-an’s trembling hands removed his clothes one by one. Naked, he rubbed one arm with his hand, curling into himself.

Jae-rim nodded toward the attached bathroom.

“Wash and come out.”

Under the CCTV’s black gaze, Jae-an awkwardly covered himself and washed. Dust and dirt from his day-long escape swirled down the drain with clean water.

Drying off, he searched for clothes, but no robe was available. He wrapped the towel loosely around his waist and stepped out. Jae-rim stood in the room’s center. Hesitating, Jae-an approached.

Jae-rim scanned his awkward stance and snorted softly.

“Why so shy now? You used to strip carelessly in front of me.”

Mocking with a childhood jab, Jae-rim picked something up from the floor.

“Put this on.”

Jae-an’s brow creased at the object. It was a chain like the ones used on his limbs, but the band was larger, sized for an adult’s neck.

It resembled a dog collar, screwed to the wall with a crude bolt, jarringly out of place. It was newly installed to bind him.

Naked, wearing a collar—being tied to the bed was better. Terrified, Jae-an froze, unable to refuse or accept the horrific thing.

Jae-rim didn’t rush him. Yet his silent, imposing presence filled Jae-an with near-despairing fear.

Jae-rim was determined to make him wear it. Like the meal defiance, the destination was set; resistance only led to harsher paths.

Half-resigned, Jae-an took the collar. Opening the band, he fumbled it onto his neck, trembling hands struggling to find the clasp.

Securing the band through the leather strap’s loop, he dropped his hands, exhaling shakily. His expression teetered on breaking, yet he complied without a word. Jae-rim’s lip curled into a slanted smirk.

Approaching, Jae-rim grabbed the chain near the band, tightening the slack. As it pressed his throat, Jae-an looked up anxiously.

In that moment of dread, Jae-rim raised his arm, yanking the collar tight against Jae-an’s jaw. Taller than Jae-an, he forced him onto tiptoes to avoid choking.

“Ugh, uh.”

Panicking, Jae-an flailed as Jae-rim lifted higher, hooking the chain to a high loop. His toes left the floor, the collar strangling him.

“Kh, hck!”

His body lifted, eyes nearly level with Jae-rim’s. Breath caught, pressure built behind his eyes. Clawing at the band, he struggled to touch the floor, twisting from the effort. Jae-rim’s free hand turned Jae-an’s flushed face toward him.

“Dying at the slightest hardship, running when that fails. Pathetic Lee Jae-an, always escaping when things go wrong.”

“Ugh, kh…”

“We need to fix that weak mind of yours.”

Shaking the choking chain, Jae-rim spat venomous criticism. Jae-an squeezed his eyes shut, scratching desperately at the collar.

“Thought I’d take time to catch you, even with cameras. Get as far as possible before I do, right?”

“…Ugh.”

“Did you think that stupid plan would work on me? I’ve watched you for years.”

Jae-rim’s voice, reciting Jae-an’s thoughts, dripped with sharp mockery. With each sentence, he shook the chain, then flung it down.

“Kgh!”

As the chain unhooked, Jae-an collapsed, clawing his throat, coughing. Air rushed into his constricted throat, mingled with retching and sobs.

“Your scheming’s dog-level. Suits you.”

“Kgh, …ugh.”

“It’s your punishment for running, so wear it quietly.”

Turning to leave, Jae-rim paused, looking back. Jae-an, gripping his throat, stared up in terror.

“Oh, don’t worry.”

Tapping his neck, Jae-rim smiled.

“It reaches the bathroom.”

His bright grin feigned mercy.

As the door slammed shut, Jae-an, face drained, crawled on all fours.

Naked, he huddled in the barren room’s corner. Scanning for cover, he saw only stacked boxes. The chain clinked jarringly with each move.

As tension faded, pain surfaced. He touched the bruised thigh, stamped with Jae-rim’s sole, and tested his aching jaw.

Is this the end of the punishment?

The violence was milder than expected. Given Jae-rim’s history of slamming his head on a table for defiance, Jae-an had braced for worse.

Fingering the collar, he noted its simple loop design—no lock, easily removable with effort. The heavy, sticky loop felt loose enough to slip off…

Teetering, he stopped short of removing it, hands falling limply.

The easily undone collar felt like an extension of Jae-rim’s punishment. Was he testing him with this flimsy restraint?

‘Punishment…’

Chewing on the word, a sense of unease stirred. Jae-an slowly opened his eyes.

Since when had Jae-rim become someone who could punish him? That a few violent acts had ingrained such deep fear was unthinkable.

Unequivocally, in 18 years, Jae-rim had never scared him. Violence and Jae-rim were incompatible.

“…Except once.”

Recalling a forgotten past, Jae-an muttered aloud. In high school, Jae-rim had shown chilling violence once.

It was shortly after Jae-rim entered high school. During a university lecture, Jae-an got a call and rushed out. Jae-rim’s teacher demanded he come quickly—Jae-rim had beaten a friend.

Thinking it a minor scuffle, Jae-an paled hearing the victim was hospitalized. Jae-rim had continued punching even after the boy passed out.

At nearly 190 cm, Jae-rim’s size intimidated his peers, who couldn’t stop him. Only several male teachers pulled him off.

Hearing this, Jae-an lost his temper. In the staff room, he shouted at Jae-rim, standing with clasped hands.

“Are you crazy?”

Jae-rim, glaring at the floor, face still furious, inflamed Jae-an further.

“Apologize to the teacher, now!”

Shoving his summer-uniformed shoulder, Jae-rim bowed to the teacher. But he needed to apologize to the victim too.

“Where’s the hospital? I should apologize in person.”

“Not going.”

Jae-rim finally spoke. The teacher, unsurprised, scratched his head with a pen, sighing. Jae-an, scowling, snapped.

“What?”

“I’m not apologizing to that bastard.”

“This little…!”

Raising his hand again, Jae-an was stopped by the teacher.

“Guardian, calm down. Not defending him, but Jae-rim had reason to be mad.”

Puzzled, Jae-an stared. The teacher, voice strained, explained.

“That kid… insulted you.”

“Insulted me? He beat someone like that over words?”

Incredulous, Jae-an frowned. The teacher, lowering his voice, elaborated.

“Yeah, it’s wrong, but he said harassing things about your photo.”

Handing over an A4 sheet with witness accounts, Jae-an’s expression cooled as he read. During a break, the boy took Jae-rim’s phone, accessed his photos, and saw Jae-an’s picture.

Thinking Jae-an was his real brother, the boy mocked their dissimilar looks, Jae-an’s smaller build, and made lewd comments about his “pretty” face. Then, Jae-rim beat him unconscious.

“I’ll talk to Jae-rim. Sorry.”

Jae-an took Jae-rim home early. A heavy silence filled the house.

Not his parent, Jae-an couldn’t punish him physically or cut his allowance, already meager. He refused to speak until Jae-rim admitted fault—his only leverage.

Jae-rim, lips scabbed as if he’d taken a hit, holed up in his room, wrestling with his emotions. As Jae-an ate alone and headed to his room, Jae-rim emerged, calling to his cold back.

“I was wrong.”

His mechanical tone made Jae-an bite his lip, turning.

“For what?”

“I was wrong.”

“What did you do wrong?”

This wasn’t something to gloss over. Before dinner, Jae-an had called the victim’s father, arranging hospital and admission fees, planning to dip into emergency savings. Even if Jae-rim was provoked, this violence crossed a line.

But Jae-rim, lips sealed, finally spoke.

“For letting you hear those words.”

Jae-an’s brow furrowed. The answer was off.

“What?”

“That bastard’s words about you. You ended up knowing.”

Jae-rim’s voice was calm, cold. Beating the boy unconscious wasn’t the issue—he felt guilty only for Jae-an learning of the insults.

Feeling an indescribable pang, Jae-an put a hand on his hip.

“Sounds like you don’t even know what you did wrong.”

Jae-rim stayed silent, his unrebellious expression an answer. As if pondering what else he’d done wrong, Jae-an felt his chest tighten.

Anger mixed with pity. That Jae-rim’s rage stemmed from him, a man not bound by blood, in his narrow world, felt hollow and sad.

As a child, Jae-an had fought fiercely over parental insults, though never as brutally as Jae-rim. If he could’ve, he might’ve.

Attacks on one’s vulnerabilities cut deep. Knowing this, Jae-an brushed back his hair, sighing softly.

“No matter the reason, solving problems with violence is wrong.”

His voice softened for the first time. Jae-rim looked up, meeting his eyes, and nodded, understanding.

For the incident, Jae-rim got community service. Witnesses confirmed the victim’s harassing remarks, and the boy’s poor reputation softened the punishment, letting it pass quietly.

Jae-rim, usually docile, shocking Jae-an by beating someone unconscious, was pitiable, so he rationalized the violence.

After that, Jae-rim was never scared or used force on him. The incident faded as a mere anecdote.

‘…He was so kind.’

That made the present harder to face. Realizing the one who beat him blue, stripped him, and collared him was once the kindest person in his world, Jae-an’s chest caved, breath stifled, pain crushing him.

Burying his forehead in his knees, he swallowed a sob.