The question didn’t echo. It landed—heavy and certain.
A pause.
Then—
Haneul’s fingers curled slowly, digging into the grout between tiles.
And he nodded.
Once.
The smallest movement. But it cracked the silence like a plate hitting tile.
Seungho stared. His chest was tight. He wanted to say something, anything, but no words came that wouldn’t splinter further.
So he backed out of the room. No flourish. No drama. Just a quiet withdrawal—measured and deliberate.
Hewent straight to the study, shut the door, and reached for a phone number he’d long buried under layers of disuse and self-restraint.
When the line picked up, his voice was like granite.
“I want everything you have on the Jang family,” he said. “Start with Minseok.”
??????
By the time he returned, the bathroom lights were off. Steam still clung to the mirror. Haneul had changed into a loose shirt, damp hair dripping trails onto the wooden floor as he stood in front of the cabinet, rummaging through drawers.
His hands still shook. Just slightly.
He reached for something—missed. Tried again.
The third time, his fingers struck the edge of a jar and it toppled. Reflex fast, he caught it—but hissed softly, like the act cost him.
Seungho stood in the doorway.
“You’re still trembling.”
Haneul didn’t turn. “And you’re still stating the obvious.”
“I’m not trying to fight you.”
Haneul let out a sharp breath. “Then what are you doing?”
Silence.
“You don’t have to play savior,” Haneul said, voice brittle.
Seungho froze by the doorframe. “What?”
“You heard me.” Haneul didn’t turn. “You don’t get to vanish all day, look at me like I’m radioactive, and then barge in demanding answers like I belong to you.”
“I didn’t vanish.”
“No?” Haneul spun. “Then what would you call it? Ever since that gala, you’ve been… cold. Guarded. Like kissing me was a mistake. Like touching me was some kind of relapse.”
“That’s not what this is.”
“Then what is it, Seungho?” His voice cracked—sharp, desperate, furious. “Because I gave you all of me that night. I wanted you like I’ve never wanted anything—and now you won’t even look at me unless I’m bleeding?”
