Tae-seong let out a quiet sigh as he glanced at Ha-jin trailing behind him, eyes red and watery like a rabbit’s.
He was clearly happy to hear that his younger brother had been found, but he couldn’t hide the way his gaze kept flicking toward Tae-seong’s bloodstained shirt. The worry in Ha-jin’s eyes and the gentleness of his touch warmed Tae-seong’s chest, but it also chilled him to the core. He wondered—did Ha-jin know how terrified he was that he might lose this?
If Ha-jin, out of fear, decided to cut off their relationship… would he be able to endure it?
“Don’t think it’s over this easily, you son of a bitch. Fucking dirty Cheon bastards!”
Tae-seong remembered his father’s final threat just before being dragged off to the prosecutor’s office.
Han Ki-taek had strutted into Cheon Han-jo’s mansion brimming with confidence, but the moment he saw Prosecutor Jung, his face twisted like a demon.
The knowledge that he held leverage over Tae-seong—and the assumption that the prosecutor wouldn’t dare get involved given how dirty the Cheon family’s business dealings were—had left him completely blindsided.
On top of that, he’d still believed firmly in the power of his political backers.
“You think I didn’t know what kind of son you are, Tae-seong? Fuck! This is how you repay your parents? You planning to bury your mother and father on the same damn day? After all I did to still call you my son… You ungrateful little bastard.”
Han Ki-taek had reached into his jacket with a suspicious movement, his face taut with barely restrained rage. That was when one of the security guards lunged, and the mansion erupted into chaos.
What the guard intercepted wasn’t a weapon—no gun or knife—just a cell phone. But no one had the luxury to care.
Han Ki-taek instinctively threw a punch. The moment he saw Prosecutor Jung, fury had been boiling beneath his skin, and now it exploded. He might’ve cleaned up his image and draped himself in luxury suits after marrying Cheon Soo-young, but he was still a thug at his core.
Like someone betrayed, he went into a frenzied fit.
And with his attack as the signal, the men he brought with him pulled out actual weapons. Steel glinted in the light, and in seconds, the scene turned into an all-out brawl.
Men in dark suits clashed and collided, fists flying, knives flashing.
Someone’s hot blood splattered on Tae-seong as he stood in front of Cheon Han-jo, shielding him.
Amid the mass of bloodied bodies, Tae-seong fought without thinking—pure instinct guiding him through the chaos.
The screaming, the cursing, the deafening noise—it all blended with the final, frantic moments of his past life, tangling the present and past together like a knotted skein of thread.
He wasn’t the type to patiently untangle such things. No—he would take the scissors and cut everything.
And so, he threw himself headfirst into the fight.
He was determined to expose Han Ki-taek’s crimes earlier than in his last life. To see him locked up in prison.
Even if it meant stripping Chunwoo Group of its wings and leaving it in ruins—he believed that path was the right one.
“That’s the only way I can repay Ha-jin… for the cost of his life.”
Even as he crushed someone’s cheekbone with a punch, Tae-seong’s mind was eerily calm.
***
Tae-seong took Ha-jin to a location not far from the house.
It was a large estate situated in a quiet neighborhood, just outside the dense cluster of buildings.
Despite the meticulously maintained garden and towering grey walls, the place gave off a distinctly desolate aura.
As soon as he stepped inside, Ha-jin instinctively sensed that no one had lived here for a long time.
Maybe that was why the entire space felt unnaturally cold.
Still, the house was so impeccably clean it reminded him of a model home he’d once toured with Kwak Mari.
As the two entered, the line of security personnel stationed inside bowed deeply.
Kim Dae-hong, who had arrived ahead of them, came out of the parlor to greet Tae-seong. Ha-jin exchanged a quiet nod with him—it was the first time they’d seen each other since Dae-hong had stood outside the door the previous night until Ha-jin finished dinner.
At the base of the stairs leading to the second floor, Tae-seong stopped walking.
Ha-jin, who had already set one foot on the first step, turned around. Tae-seong just shrugged, as if it were nothing.
“This is as far as I go.”
It was his way of keeping his distance so as not to overwhelm Ha-jin with his pheromones.
“There’ll be someone upstairs to guide you. Wash up first, then go see your brother. The medical staff is already with him, so don’t worry.”
“…Thank you.”
“No need for thanks.”
With that short reply, Tae-seong turned and walked away toward the interior of the first floor, without a trace of hesitation.
He rotated his neck stiffly, like the fatigue was catching up to him—and yet, somehow, the blood on his collar stood out vividly in Ha-jin’s eyes.
He stared after him until Tae-seong disappeared from view, then turned and climbed the stairs.
Just as Tae-seong had said, a group of staff was waiting for Ha-jin at the top.
Among them, he recognized a few who had previously cared for Yushin.
When Ha-jin acknowledged them, they smiled warmly and guided him to the bathroom.
There were even more people on the second floor than on the first, and yet he didn’t detect any Alpha pheromones. From the familiar faces to the unfamiliar ones, they were all either Betas or Omegas.
It was another clear sign of Tae-seong’s thoughtful attention.
Ha-jin took a quick shower and rushed out, hair still dripping, to the room where Yushin was.
The lighting had been dimmed, and the room was quiet.
Yushin lay on the large bed, looking like a corpse.
“We administered a sedative to help him sleep. Please don’t worry too much.”
Ha-jin’s face had gone pale at the sight of his unconscious brother, and the nurse standing beside the bed quickly stepped forward to explain.
Medical staff had been with him the entire time during transport, and though he’d had a mild seizure, they’d stabilized him—there was no need for concern.
Ha-jin sank down beside the bed like his legs had given out. He examined Yushin’s face closely—his heart crumbled at the sight of bruises and the jaggedly chopped hair.
When he looked up with trembling eyes, the nurse seemed to understand without a word. She assured him there were no major injuries on Yushin’s body.
“Mr. Ha-jin.”
Someone gently laid a hand on his shoulder.
Ha-jin jumped in alarm, only to see it was Professor Joo Yoon-seo.
“Ah, Professor…”
“Why? Surprised to see me here?”
When Ha-jin stood up and stepped away from the bed, Joo Yoon-seo moved in close to examine Yushin.
She rubbed sanitizer between her hands, then lifted the blanket to check the monitoring equipment attached to his body. She watched the monitor carefully, brows slightly furrowed.
After checking the IV drip rate and vitals, she turned back to Ha-jin.
“You don’t know what it means… me being here, do you?”
She lifted her glasses and rubbed at her tired eyes.
“I left Vice Chairwoman Cheon Soo-young to come here, you know. Tae-seong dragged me out. That estate in Gangwon-do is in total chaos—as you probably know—and I ditched all that and came here instead. The chairman is absolutely livid, and it’s been a madhouse over there. Seriously…”
“Ah… Is Vice Chairwoman okay?”
When he had asked Tae-seong earlier, he’d simply smiled and said his mother was fine.
Ha-jin hadn’t really believed it—but seeing Joo Yoon-seo’s worn face gave him a bad feeling.
She quietly shook her head.
“Tell Tae-seong he owes me big time. After this, I’m totally screwed with the chairman.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
Ha-jin gave a deep bow.
Hearing all this brought to mind the “Cheon Han-jo assassination incident.”
It was a relief to see Joo Yoon-seo unharmed and away from it, but given the situation as a whole, he couldn’t let himself be fully reassured.
While his mind raced ahead, she had already left the room.
Startled, Ha-jin hurried to the door and followed her.
“Professor!”
“Yes?”
He’d stopped her impulsively, but now didn’t know what to say.
“I just… I hope you’ll be careful. Don’t go anywhere dangerous, try not to go around alone… With everything that’s happened, and the chairman’s estate being what it is, I know it’s not my place, but I was worried…”
“Ahh.”
Unable to come up with anything eloquent, he’d gone with brutal honesty instead. But somehow, Joo Yoon-seo seemed to understand right away. She smiled gently and nodded a few times.
“I get what you’re saying. Thank you for the concern. I’ll be careful.”
“Thank you.”
“You be careful too. And…”
She gave him a once-over with a quick glance.
“You haven’t been to the hospital yet, have you? Well, I guess it hasn’t even crossed your mind, given the chaos.”
Ha-jin hadn’t meant to react, but his eyes dropped instinctively to his lower belly. His hand followed without thinking, pressing gently.
Ah… I forgot.
When he looked up again, Joo Yoon-seo was already frowning slightly, like she knew exactly what he’d just realized.
