Jeongguk had the feeling that he had been standing still for a good few hours, completely still, holding his breath almost all the time. He hadn't realized that trying on a wedding suit could take so long. If it were up to him, he would probably go to one of the most visited boutiques and just buy one of the suits from the collection that he would have liked first. Preferably black. He liked the classics. He has always believed that black is the color that goes with everything and for any occasion.
But now he was standing in front of a huge mirror on a circular platform, in a champagne colored tuxedo. He had to admit that the cut matched his athletic figure. Quite tight pants emphasized long legs, a vest exposed his narrow waist, and a suit jacket his wide shoulders. But he didn't like its pale, almost white color, which instead of accentuating his milky skin, only emphasized how devoid of radiance it was. He knew that during the ceremony, he would probably be so nervous that he would look in that champagne tuxedo as if he was about to leave this world. On top of that, he was annoyed by the floral pattern of the fabric that gleamed in the light, shimmering with gold, which only reminded him of the awful, hideous cake Lisa had chosen for their wedding.
In addition, his neck was unrestrained by the narrow tie he was used to. Instead, a red wine colored fly appeared, and a pocket square of the same shade protruded from the breast pocket. Of course, the whole thing was complemented by gold cuff links, and his feet were adorned with custom-made nude shoes that he would never have chosen himself.
Despite the fact that the tuxedo suited his silhouette perfectly and the materials used to make it belong to the high-end fabrics, he felt like in a disguise. But he didn't say a word. He stared at his reflection blankly, looking forward to someone else graciously ending his suffering. But he let the tailor do his job. Even though his body had been here for several hours, his thoughts were still in TJE's headquarters. He couldn't forget what his brother told him before he left his office.
After what his brother confessed to him, they hardly spoke at all. Jeongguk's throat was so tight that he could hardly choke out a soft "thank you", then quickly ran out of the office, fearing that his suppressed emotions would eventually spill out of him, and he would cry in front of his brother like a little boy. Besides, he knew there were no words to express what that meant to him. The fact that someone whose reaction he feared so much told him that he accepted him as he is, was indescribable.
His thoughts, however, did not go only to TJE's headquarters, but also to the third floor of the tenement house, where most likely there was now a man whom he could not forget. His brother said that Taehyung still loves him and that if he also loves him, he should be with him. Could he really do it? Could he jeopardize the welfare of his family for his happiness? In a month and a half, he was to swear to Lisa undying love and loyalty. Was there still time to pull back?
Feeling emotions grab his throat again, he swallowed hard and looked at the man who was doing something to the right leg of his pants. He almost prayed for a moment that the tailor would finally finish and said he could go. He knew it was his last fit, but he didn't care if the right leg would be any different than the left one. Such trivial matters did not matter, as there was a constant struggle in his mind and heart.
"Can... Can we take a break for a while?" He asked finally, feeling the anxiety creep up his back and spread through his body like a flock of poisonous spiders. He felt as if he could feel them climbing up his arms and legs, and for a moment he just wanted to get away from here. He clenched his bandaged hands so tightly until the piercing pain distracted him from the awful feeling. "P-please, I need to use the toilet," he lied to force the man to stop working.
The tailor raised his hand and took the pin he had clasped with his lips from his mouth, then slipped it into the cuff of his elegant trousers. As he did so, he slung a tailor's tape over his neck and finally moved away from him. Jeongguk nodded to him respectfully, then, almost running off the platform, he walked briskly towards the bathroom.
"Watch out for the needles!" The man called after him, but he didn't stop or reply.
He almost jogged the distance to the toilet, wanting to hide as quickly as possible, from the prying eyes of the tailor's assistant, who had been keeping an eye on him since he had come here nearly three hours ago. After making sure that he had locked the door properly behind him, he walked over to the sink and rested his bandaged hands on it, breathing heavily. He felt that if he didn't do something right now, he would get another attack. Since he and Tae broke up, his attacks have intensified, and they have caught him more and more often, stealing his breath for long periods of time at the most unsuitable moments. Instinctively, his fingers tightened strongly on the cold sink. He didn't care about the pain at all, as if it was the only thing that could keep him sane now.
The pressure in his chest, however, increased every time the troubled breathing left his trembling lips. His whole body began to shake involuntarily. So he raised a trembling hand and, almost desperately, began to undo the bow tie that wrapped around his neck. When he was unable to cope with one hand, however, he let go of the sink he had been leaning on and quickly grabbed the material that bound his neck with both hands. Almost hysterically, he yanked it from his neck and tossed it onto the ornate sink. He was gasping for air, so he parted his lips tighter, trying to get even a small dose of air into his lungs.
When he started to feel dizzy, and he felt that he was about to fall to the ground, he slipped his hand into his pants pocket, into which he put his cell phone. His fingers tightened on it as if it were his last resort, and he quickly unlocked the phone. After searching the files for the message he was hiding, like one of the most precious treasures, he clicked the play button. He was so shaken that it took a moment for that beautiful, low and smooth as velvet voice he missed so much to reach his ears.
"I just wanted to hear your voice... I know you have a hard day at work today. You left the house before I even woke up, so I just wanted to tell you I miss you already. I can't wait to fall asleep again holding you in my arms."
He didn't even know how many times he had listened to this tape before his breathing slowly began to return to normal. When he was on the brink of the edge, only his voice would keep him from falling. He listened to its low, soothing sound and only thanks to it, he could breathe again. It was only when the pressure in his chest eased that he lifted his dark eyes again and looked at his own reflection. He was pale. So damn pale, his skin seemed almost translucent and paper thin. He had distinct shadows under his eyes that had become an almost inseparable part of his appearance in recent days. He closed his heavy eyelids for a moment and sucked air through his nose, then let it out through his trembling lips, thus trying to even his breathing. The soothing sound of Tae's voice still crept into his ears, slowly calming the raging pulse.
What was he actually doing?
He was wearing an expensive tuxedo, which in a few weeks' time he would wear while getting married to a woman with whom he had been in a relationship for more than three years and to whom he would promise eternal love and loyalty. A woman he will never be able to love. In the meantime, he listened to the voice of the man he had so damn missed that his whole body felt like an open wound, the only man thanks to whom he could breathe.
For several weeks now, he had been telling himself that marrying Lisa was the only right thing to do, that he could not disappoint his family and risk his decisions endangering the people he loved. He was convinced that his family would not be able to accept his relationship with another man. Especially after Seokjin's first reaction upon hearing of his affair. He could have lied and denied it, but the truth was, his words had hurt him very much. Seokjin looked at him contemptuously, making it clear that what he was doing was disgusting and unworthy of any Jeon. He repeated his words in his head so many times that he knew each one by heart, and each time what his older brother said to him hurt more and more.
He hadn't expected Jin to change his mind and say something like that...
"Jeongguk, your happiness is more important to me than the good name of our family. If you really love this boy, break off your engagement with Lisa. Whatever happens, I'll be by your side."
If Seokjin said he would support him, should he take the risk? Should he get out of here, find his father, and tell him he doesn't want to work for TJE? He could resign as the future CEO and let his brother take his father's place. If he moves away from the family business, the media will no longer be as interested in his person and he will not hurt his family so much when his relationship with Tae is revealed. Should he break off the engagement? Tell Lisa that he doesn't love her and that he will never be able to give her what she wants? He loved her in a way, but now he knew it wasn't the love you should feel for your life partner. He became attached to her and, even though her personality had changed over the years, he still remembered that cute, shy girl he had met over three years ago. Lisa was important to him, and he knew her life was not easy for her, but she too deserved to find happiness. Could she find it with a man who would never be able to return her feelings?
His hand tightened on the phone and lifted it up, so he could see the display. He paused the recording he had been listening to and carefully entered the contact list to find his name. He stared at it for a long time, wondering if he should call him. He wanted so badly to hear his voice. Not the one recorded on a soulless machine, but the real one, warm and full of emotions. He wanted to hear those beautiful lips pronounce his name again, caressing every vowel in a way only he could.
Maybe he should call him? Ask him to meet and tell him how much he lied to him with his silence? Maybe he should call and say that he can't stop thinking about him and that he wants nothing more than to be in his arms again? To tell him that he loves him more and more every day, despite trying so hard to stop? That he would like to retreat of it all, quit the company, break off his engagement and run off somewhere where he can be happy ― with him.
He moved his finger towards Taehyung's name, but still didn't dare to call him. What would he say to him? Tae was talking to his brother. Apparently, he had told him something that convinced his brother that the tattoo artist had a strong and sincere feeling for him and that he still loved him... Was there still hope for them? Was there any other way out of this sick situation? Now he had the support of his brother, maybe thanks to this he will be able to face his father?
He was so confused now that he thought he was going to go crazy. He looked again at the phone he was clutching in his bandaged hands. For the first time since their breakup, he was so close to call him. Recently, when he saw him in the park, he wanted to approach him, lock him tightly in his arms and never let him go, but he was afraid that Taehyung might not want to do the same anymore. He looked so happy looking at his little son, but maybe that was a play too? Perhaps the tattoo artist did not want Jae to see his sadness, and that is why he was bending his perfect lips into that beautiful smile? Maybe he was just as good an actor as he was? Maybe he was also thinking about him and missing him so much that his whole body ached?
He held his breath and slowly began to point his finger towards the green button next to the tattoo artist's name. His heart was beating so hard that it seemed as if it was going to literally pop out of his chest. He was about to press the dial button when suddenly the phone in his hands began to vibrate. He looked at the display, hoping that he might see the name he wanted on it, but his older brother's name appeared in front of his eyes. He let out a shuddering breath and answered the call without hesitation. He parted his lips to ask why Seokjin was calling, but before he could say anything, he heard his brother's nervous voice on the receiver.
"Gguk, you have to go back to the office right now," the older man said quickly, not trying to be polite.
"Why? Something happened?" The brunet asked, drawing his eyebrows together. "I'm on a suit fitting..."
"We have serious problems. Come here as soon as possible," Jin replied, and before Jeongguk could ask any more questions, he heard a hollow ending tone in the receiver.
***
As Jeongguk took the elevator to the sixty-ninth floor of TJE, he felt as if he were going to pass out. He couldn't breathe, and his heart was beating so loudly that he could hear its rumbling in his ears. The sound almost exploded his eardrums. After a call from his brother, he immediately began taking off his wedding suit and after a while, despite the fact that they had not finished fitting, he ran out of the salon, despite the protests of the tailor, who lamented that he had not finished his work. It didn't matter now. Even though Seokjin had told him little, or actually said virtually nothing to him, he could hear the distinct panic in his voice. It was enough for him to know he had to get back to the office as soon as possible.
He couldn't explain it, but he had a bloody bad feeling, and his brain was starting to create nothing but black scenarios. As soon as he jumped behind the wheel of a black Mercedes, he tried to call his brother, but Seokjin did not answer. He was almost convinced that his brother was deliberately disregarding his calls. Was anyone with him and that's why he was unable to talk to him?
When he was disturbed by the sound announcing that the elevator had finally reached the selected floor, he raised his head and stared at the door, which began to slide apart after a few seconds. He held his breath and cautiously moved forward. But it was enough for him to get out of the elevator, and he saw several men standing outside his father's office. He quickly scanned their faces. He didn't know any of them, but what made all the contents of his stomach up his throat was not what they looked like, but what they were dressed in ― police uniforms.
It seemed to him that the world suddenly began to spin, and the walls to shrink around him. He didn't know what to do. His breathing quickened, and his lungs began to sting painfully. Instinctively, he took a step back to prop himself up against the wall, fearing that he would have another attack, when suddenly he felt a strong grip on his forearm. When he looked up, he saw a hand tightening on it. The man tightened his fingers around his arm and began to pull him quickly towards his office. Everything happened so quickly and so chaotically that he couldn't even register who the unknown attacker was. Only when someone pushed him inside his office, and the wooden door slammed behind him, did he manage to look up and meet the eager gaze of the dark eyes so familiar to him.
"Good that you're here," Seokjin said quickly. "I did not know what to do..."
"I-Is that... the police? What are they doing here?" He choked out with difficulty.
Seokjin took his hand again and pulled him deeper into the office, dragging him almost like a rag puppet with him. The man looked very nervous. He approached the desk on which his cell phone lay and grasped it with his left hand. Only then did he release Jeongguk's hand and, shifting the phone to his right hand, unlocked it. He typed something on the keyboard for a moment, but then he held out his phone towards his brother. The brunet looked at his hand, then found his dark eyes again, not understanding what actually happened here and why his brother is so shaky. But when the elder motioned for him to take the device from him, he reached out his hand and took his brother's cell phone with his fingers.
The phone was uncomfortably hot, as if the man had just been using it so intensely that the device was overheating. Jeongguk ignored it, however, and shifted his gaze to the illuminated display. He saw an article that apparently appeared today on one of the websites devoted to technological novelties. He knew the site very well. The Jeon Electronics, as one of the leading companies of this type, very often appeared in the industry press, including on this portal. However, the article that his brother chose did not concern TJE, and one of their biggest competitors after the Park's company ― Oh Electronics.
"The beginning of a new era of smartwatches. Oh Electronics presents its new, revolutionary product ".
Jeongguk frowned, not understanding what the new smartwatch from Oh Electronics might have to do with the police showing up at their office building. Nevertheless, he read on. The article praised the raving new product that the Oh family company was about to launch. It was a smartwatch with some new features, and he had to admit the idea was really great. It used several innovative solutions, and in addition, the design was really pleasing to the eye. It was hard to deny that it was an impressive achievement, especially considering that in recent years the company's products have not been so good, which left Oh Electronics a lot behind TJE or the Park's company. With this smartwatch, however, they could mess a bit on the market.
When he finished reading the article, he pulled the phone away from his eyes and looked at his brother, raising his right eyebrow questioningly.
"It's a really great product, but what does it have to do with the fact that we have the police here?" He asked. At the same moment as the last word rolled off his tongue, a thought flashed through his mind that made all the contents of his stomach almost down his throat again. He shifted nervously and found his brother's gaze again. "Is this our father's project?" He asked, even though it didn't sound like a question at all. "Jesus, is this the project that was on this flash drive?"
"It looks like someone stole this flash drive and sold the project to our competitor. Our father is furious and said he would not let it go, and since my private investigation did not help..."
"Oh, God, the police..." the younger of Jeon's brothers, choked out with difficulty, then sat down on the edge of the desk, as if his legs would soon fail to obey him, but after a while he sprang to his feet again. He slipped his bandaged hand through his jet black hair and ran his fingers nervously over it. "Jin, they'll find him..."
"This video from the office... I deleted it. Nobody will see it," Seokjin reassured quickly. "But those hallway tapes... If the police start checking tapes... They will see you and Taehyung entering our father's office. I don't know if they'll be able to figure out who he is, but they'll definitely ask you about him. You walked into TJE in the middle of the night, and the video shows that you are also walking into our father's office... M-maybe you should call him? Warn him or... I don't know. Before I could do anything, our father had already notified the police. Now he is talking to them in his office. I don't know what he will say to them or what they will want to do."
"No. The more I can't contact him now. If anyone watches me, or they check on all the phone bills... Jin, they can't find out about him. If Tae loses his son because of me..." Jeongguk gasped with difficulty.
He wrapped his arms around his shoulders, his fingers tightly gripping his black suit jacket as if to keep his body from shaking excessively. Even so, Jin saw his brother's hands tremble, and he involuntarily tense himself up even more. He was concerned that the younger one might have a seizure. Nervously, he began to search through his memories to somehow find a way out of this situation. He couldn't let the police find out about Tae.
He promised him he would be safe.
"Listen, Gguk. Maybe... Maybe I'll talk to that computer scientist who did my research... I'll ask him... to get rid of this recording," he said finally, looking his brother straight in the eye.
He knew that perhaps removing the evidence was not the best move, and it certainly wasn't working well in TJE's interests, but he couldn't think of anything better. If his father or the police see these tapes, no one will ask if Tae is guilty. They will accuse him before the boy has time to open his mouth.
"Do you trust him?" Jeongguk asked.
"I'll pay him. He won't tell anyone... Besides, I doubt the police would even want to question him. They will pull information from security, not from IT. I'll talk to him today."
"If anyone finds out that Tae was here, all suspicion will fall on him. They'll think exactly what you think of him, and I won't be able to protect him," Gguk said, his voice clearly trembling.
"A-are you sure he had nothing to do with this?" The elder asked cautiously, cursing himself for once again questioning the truthfulness of the tattooed man.
"Sure, he had nothing to do with it. He doesn't care about my money," the younger one quickly protested.
"And that SUV?"
"You're right to think I bought him the car, but Tae never asked for it. When we met, he was driving an old estate that kept breaking down. On one occasion, the car broke again, and the mechanic said the repair would exceed the value of that scrap. Taehyung is making good money, but not good enough to be able to support himself, Jae, and save something. He didn't have that money. He couldn't afford to buy a new car, and the repair was only a little cheaper, but also... I was afraid that something might happen to him. Him and Jae. I got stressed every time I knew he was getting behind the wheel. I wanted to lend him money to buy a new car, but he insisted on taking overtime to get it repaired or to buy another piece of shit that would break down again, so I... I bought him that car. I needed to know that the boy I..." He trailed off, as if realizing he'd said too much.
He had never told his brother before that he had fallen in love with Tae, and now the words hung on the tip of his tongue, almost asking for you to say them aloud. Even though he didn't finish the sentence, Seokjin looked at him in such a way that he had no doubts that his brother knew exactly what he was about to say.
"I needed to know he was safe," he finished finally.
"Gguk..." he began hesitantly. "Why does Taehyung think you don't love him back?"
Jeongguk looked up to meet his eyes. But he was silent for a long time, wondering if he should tell his brother the truth. He was so damn tired of pretending all the time. When his brother told him that he would support him, for a moment he really believed that he could change something, but now his hope died again when the world once again decided to prove to him that only being far away could protect him...
"Because... I let him believe I didn't love him," he confessed before realizing the words were coming out of his mouth.
"Why?"
"Someone once said that we accept only the love we think we deserve, maybe there is some truth to it... Because I will never deserve his love..."
"Gguk, don't say that. You are..."
"Jin, we both know I'm not... normal. You saw him. He deserves the best. He and his son. And I... What can I give him? Accusations of theft? Attacks by my family and the press? Perhaps hiding forever? I want him to be happy, and I can only bring him suffering and disappointment."
"So what are you gonna do? Marry Lisa and pretend you're happy?"
"I-I don't know," he said honestly. "I don't know what to do anymore. You don't even know how much I would like to be what everyone expects. I would like to enjoy the position of the future CEO, be a worthy successor to my father and make him proud of me in the end. I would like to love Lisa and create such a perfect relationship with her as everyone thinks we create. I would like to start a family with her and be as happy as you and Yerim are. I fucking envy you this. But I'll never be like that," Saying that, Jeongguk paused for a moment and looked at his hands, wrapped in bandages. "When you told me he still... I wanted to call him..." he finally confessed, not having the courage to look up. He was still staring at his own hands, which were beginning to tremble again. "I don't even know what to say to him..."
"If you love him, he should know about it."
"We are from two different worlds, Jin..."
"It's funny because Taehyung told me exactly the same thing, but still, you met and fell in love with each other. If you are happy together, why don't you want to fight for it? Why are you letting him go? Why are you letting him think that you don't love him enough to choose him?"
"O-our father will never accept it..."" he gasped, struggling to force the words through his clenched throat.
"I don't know how our father will react, but... You have me and Yerim. Think about it, Gguk."
"What if... What if I told my father I didn't want to work at TJE anymore? If I left the company... Would you agree to become the future CEO?" He asked with clear hope in his voice. "Maybe if I stepped away from the company, I might..."
"Gguk, you know I love this job. Since I was a child, I dreamed of being a part of this company, but it doesn't mean that it has to be your dream as well. There is more than a month until the wedding, you are not supposed to take over the position of CEO in a few months, you still have time to quit all of this," Seokjin explained, trying to cheer him up, then picked up his phone and looked for the name of an IT specialist on the list, who helped him get the recordings earlier. "We don't have to do everything at once. First, let's make Taehyung safe and find who stole this flash drive," he added, pressing the green button.
He felt his brother's eyes on him as he waited for the connection. Perhaps he had screwed up earlier, but this time he was going to do what was right.
"Yes, hello, Mr. Kang. This is Seokjin. I need your help," he said in a confident voice as the familiar voice of one of TJE's top computer scientists spoke on the other end of the phone.
***
Jeongguk picked up the invitation from the desk in front of him and twisted it in his fingers. He opened it carefully and looked at the beautifully calligraphed names of the future spouses. As he looked at his name written next to Lisa's, he felt a strange tightness in his chest. All the invitations had been distributed, his suit was ready, and so was Lisa's dress. Virtually everything was buttoned up to the last button, now all he had to do was wait for that doomsday, and he was still so confused and didn't know what to do.
The flash drive case was still unsolved, but so far the police hadn't asked him anything except a few standard questions about whether he had noticed or heard anything suspicious. After a few days, however, the matter subsided a bit. Yesterday he decided to talk to his father and tell him that he would like to leave the company for a while to focus on himself and his health, but when he wanted to meet him, his father was so busy that he got rid of him quickly, but promised that today he would find a moment for him to talk.
Jeongguk was still not quite sure what to tell him, but he felt he should quit the company so that he could finally do what was right for him. His attacks had intensified more and more in recent days, he no longer knew how to deal with them. Fortunately, Lisa was so engrossed in the wedding preparations that she did not seem to notice his problems and dilemmas. Or that his thoughts wandered more and more often to a completely different corner of the city.
At first, he thought the longer it passed since their break-up, the easier it would be, that the pain in his chest would lessen and his thoughts would not return so urgently to his onyx irises. But he couldn't forget him. The closer he got to the wedding, the more he thought about it and the more he missed it. He wouldn't have even counted the number of times he'd come close to calling him, or the time he came home, he was only seconds away from making the decision to turn the other way and drive to him.
What would he say to him?
He and Lisa were still a couple and still engaged. They were to get married in a month. And even though he knew he didn't love her, he still didn't know what to do, to do the right thing.
More than once he persuaded himself that it was supposed to be so, that if he had already decided to marry Lisa, he should finish it. He explained to himself that Taehyung would be better off without him, and after a while he stared at his photo, dreaming of being in his arms again.
Did he have the right to mess with his life like this?
With a loud sigh, he put the invitation back on the desk. He reached out for his cell phone and began flipping through the news to see if there was any mention of Oh Electronics and their new project in the press. All the latest articles he found, however, were dated a few days ago, when the owner of the company, Mr. Oh Jisok, called a conference event where he proudly presented their new smartwatch, praising the hard work of the entire team of technicians and designers who allegedly had been creating this project for many months.
Jeongguk made an involuntary huff of contempt as he read the articles that quoted him. He was convinced that Mr. Oh knew exactly where the project was coming from. Summoning this pompous conference, he laughed his father in the face. He clenched his fists tightly, only after a while to turn off the article and start browsing the news. When he was done with tech news, he began flipping through the rest of the ads, deliberately omitting the romance and gossip sections.
He was about to close the page when something caught his attention. He shifted the page down again and, intrigued, clicked on the article, then delved into the reading. As he read the following sentences, his chest felt a strange tightness.
"The first stage of the renowned Seoul Academy of Fine Arts competition has been completed. Out of thousands of submitted works, a selected jury will choose only three lucky ones who will have a chance to win".
Jeongguk stared at the fragment until the letters began to blur before his eyes. He wanted so much to try to take part in this competition. At first, it seemed to be only a distant, unattainable dream, but with Tae's faith and support, he began to think that maybe he had a chance after all. However, he had never been able to complete the necessary amount of drawings, and since his break-up with Tae he had not even taken charcoal in his hand.
All his works and painting supplies were still in the little studio on the other side of town, unless the tattoo artist had decided to throw them away. He wouldn't be surprised if, after what he had done and what he had told him, Taehyung wanted to get rid of every little thing that reminded him of him. Perhaps he should have done the same, but he still couldn't get rid of the tattoo artist's worn hoodie that sat at the bottom of his black sports bag, like the greatest treasure he owned.
He didn't even wash it, fearing that if he did, he would lose the last bit of Tae. Sometimes, when he was alone, he would pull out that hoodie and put it on his naked body to smell his perfume again. He wanted the scent to cling to his milky skin again, sticking into it like a tattoo, but after a while the scent faded away, as did the image of the onyx irises that appeared under his heavy eyelids whenever he closed his eyes.
Feeling a strange nostalgia and regret for something that would never be his life, he quickly shut down this article. He didn't like to think what if. The fact was, he was sitting in his office at TJE headquarters, leading a life many envied him, and he dreamed of being just an anonymous boy sitting in a small art studio, with his hands dirty with charcoal.
He dimmed the phone and put it on the desk. On some strange impulse, he grabbed one of the pencils that was in a small container next to his computer screen, and began to mindlessly line up something on a small piece of paper on which he had previously jotted down some data, while preparing one of the documents for a new project.
He did not think about what he wanted to create. He let his hands move freely across the sheet of paper, creating something that dictated his heart. After a short while, however, the lines drawn on the sheet of paper began to form a familiar image. He knew he should stop, but he couldn't, as if that was the only way he could see the face he missed so much again. He traced the shape of his soft lips with precision, making sure he hadn't forgotten the tiny mole on his lower lip as well. Then he moved his hand a little higher and began to draw those beautiful eyes in which his whole world was hiding.
He was so engrossed in creating that he didn't even realize that he hadn't been alone in a while. Seokjin greeted him, but when he realized his brother hadn't heard him, he pinched his eyebrows together and just walked in without being invited, closing the door behind him. He walked over to the desk, watching his brother with fascination as he was tracing something with a pencil on a sheet of paper. At first, he thought that the young businessman was working on some important document, only when he got close enough to see what was on the sheet did he realize that his younger brother was not sketching words, but drawing something.
He hasn't seen him draw since their mother's accident. Fascinated, he took one more step to be able to see what his brother was drawing. A man's face appeared to his eyes. Even though Jeongguk wasn't finished yet, he knew exactly who those eyes belonged to. He stared at them for a long time while they were talking in the park. He moved his gaze to his brother's still bandaged hand, then to his face. Jeongguk stared at the drawing with such longing that he felt a squeeze in his chest. His hand moved automatically, as if he had memorized every little detail of his face. He drew it with such tenderness that Seokjin felt almost like a voyeur.
"Err," he finally cleared his throat to get his brother's attention.
Jeongguk raised his head quickly and looked at him with frightened eyes, as if Seokjin had just caught him doing something he shouldn't have seen. Embarrassed, he put the pencil down on the desk and tore the page from his notebook, intending to crush it into a ball, but before he could do so, Jin grabbed his hand, stopping him.
"Do not do this. It's a really beautiful drawing," he said quickly, taking the paper from his brother's hand. "I almost forgot how bloody talented you are," he added, looking again at what his brother had created.
"It's just a silly sketch. My fingers are not as efficient as they used to be..."
"You didn't say you were drawing again..." Jin said.
"I thought that I would never be able to draw again. After this accident, every time I tried to draw something, I got a panic attack, and finally I just stopped trying..." he finally confessed. "But when I saw Tae paint... I don't know. Something has revived in me. Additionally, he looked so beautiful that I knew it was him that I wanted to draw..."
"Is this what you would like to do when you quit your job at TJE?"
Jeongguk nodded, then let his lips curl into a soft smile.
"Yes. I would like to come back to it..." he confessed.
Seokjin parted his lips to ask something, when suddenly the door of Jeongguk's office opened without knocking, and Lisa appeared on the threshold. The older brother immediately folded the drawing that Jeongguk had drawn and, tucking it into his suit jacket pocket, turned to the girl, folding his full lips in an impeccable smile.
"Oh, honey, here you are!" The girl exclaimed. "I'm looking for you everywhere."
"Something happened?" Jeongguk asked, leaping up from his seat almost automatically.
"Your father is calling everyone to the conference room," she explained. "Now," she added, before any of the men could reply.
"Is this a meeting? Father said nothing..." Seokjin began, being as confused as his younger brother.
"I do not know. Nobody knows anything. He just told us all to come to the conference room as soon as possible," the girl replied, and she retreated into the corridor again. "Hurry up. Your father doesn't like to wait," she added, and without saying anything else, she left the office and closed the door behind her.
Jeongguk and Seokjin exchanged surprised looks as they asked each other a million questions. The younger brother shifted nervously from foot to foot, then smoothed his tie with his hand and straightened his suit, then returned his gaze to his brother again.
"Y-you think it has something to do with Tae?" He asked uncertainly.
"Mr. Kang deleted all tapes. Also, any traces of your use of the code to open the door. It's as if you were never here that night..." he began carefully. "I don't know what that might be, but I doubt it has anything to do with it. Unless they found a thief, but our father wanted to keep it low, so..."
"O-okay," Jeongguk agreed, feeling a little better after being reassured by his brother.
Seokjin had previously told him that the IT guy had removed all traces of his presence in the office from the system on the day he had brought Taehyung here, but nonetheless he was still afraid that someone might find out about him. He had to be sure Tae and his son were safe.
"We'd better go. Lisa is right, father doesn't like when someone is late," he added.
He smoothed his suit jacket again and, making sure the cufflinks were securely fastened, walked slowly towards the door. Seokjin opened the door, and they walked out into the corridor together. They were surprised, however, that there was quite a stir in the hall. A group of unfamiliar people stood in front of the conference room next to their father's office. This time, however, it was definitely not any uniformed services. Most of them were dressed quite elegantly, in suit jackets or shirts. Everyone's necks had special passes issued by their security guards when their authorized guests entered the office building.
Jeongguk paused for a moment and looked closely at the group of several men who were exchanging comments, talking in a rather lively manner. He watched them closely for a moment, as if he wanted to read from their gestures or posture who they might be. However, it was only when a small woman with a microphone in her hand and a man a head taller than her, leaning the camera on his shoulder, approached them that he realized who he was looking at — the journalists.
Surprised, he quickly shifted his gaze to his brother, raising his right eyebrow, then took a step toward him, reducing the distance between them to a minimum.
"Jin, what's the press doing here?" He asked, lowering his voice almost to a whisper.
"I have no idea. Looks like our father held a press conference," Seokjin replied equally quietly.
"But what for?" Jeongguk asked again, even though he knew his older brother didn't know the answer either.
Jin shook his head, confirming his suspicions, then grabbed his arm gently and led him deeper into the conference room. It was enough for them to cross the threshold and the eyes of everyone in the crowd were turned towards them, making Jeongguk feel the entire contents of his stomach literally rise to his throat. He silently thanked that he could still feel his brother's strong grip on his shoulder, when for a few seconds his eyes grew dim. He wanted to raise his hands and loosen his tie, which seemed to be suffocating him, but he stopped himself, merely clenching his fists tightly. They swiftly passed through groups of journalists and some TJE employees, heading towards a small platform at the back of the room where their father, their stepmother and Lisa were.
Jeongguk immediately noticed that his fiancée looked like a fish in the water. She was relaxed, her beautiful face adorned with a broad smile. Looking at her, he wondered for a moment if he had ever acted so freely in the presence of his father. When he spoke to him, he almost always felt like a little boy and felt that something was lingering on his stomach. She laughed freely, every now and then tossing her head back or covering her gently painted lips with her slender, well-groomed hand.
Upon reaching them, Jeongguk bowed to his stepmother and father, then curled his lips in a forced smile, trying not to show how nervous he felt.
"Keiko. Father..." he said softly.
When Seokjin, who was following him the last few steps, joined them, he noticed that his older brother patted his father on the back, smiling sincerely at him, then kissed Keiko gently on the cheek. Jeongguk felt his stomach tighten again at the sight of it. He would never be so carefree with his father. He couldn't even remember if he had ever called his father "dad". Which his older brother did almost regularly, whenever they were out of the office or chatting privately and didn't have to maintain a formal tone.
Jeongguk stood to one side and looked down at his hands. Bandages still adorned them, although in two days he was due to go to remove the stitches. Embarrassed that any of the gathered journalists might be interested in this, he folded his hands behind his back, hiding them from the sight of those appraising stares. He would have liked to slip them into his pants pocket, but he knew how uncultured it was, and he didn't want anyone accusing his family of not knowing the basic rules of etiquette. Only when he heard his father's voice filling the conference room, coming from the surrounding loudspeakers, did he raise his head and turn his face towards the stage, where his father was now.
His father was still a very well-groomed man. His hair, though flecked with gray, was still thick. Jeon Jiseok wore a perfectly cut suit that emphasized his strengths, and his hairstyle was impeccable, his hair, as always, smoothly combed back, with a small parting on the left side. His dark eyes looked exactly like Seokjin's, as did his full lips.
"First of all, I would like to warmly welcome all the gathered guests, and thank you sincerely for the fact that you came numerously, despite the information so little in advance," he began to explain. His voice was calm and balanced.
Jeongguk always admired his father for the way he spoke to people. He was a great speaker. He always knew what and when to say, when to emphasize harder and when to pause so that his words would get where they needed to be. There was never even the slightest nervousness in his voice. It was one of those skills that definitely his brother inherited, not him.
He was a terrible speaker. He hated public speaking and hated the spotlights. Even in school, during his speeches, he felt so nervous that his words stuck in his throat. Not much has changed since then, except that perhaps he grew and developed muscle mass. In public appearances, however, he felt exactly like that awkward, shy boy who was being mocked by his peers and began to stutter when the spotlight was directed at him during the school play.
"The Jeon Electronics was founded when I was a young man, but from the very beginning I wanted it to be a family business. I was able to make this dream come true thanks to my talented sons. Jeon Seokjin, my firstborn, has been by my side for several years and is an excellent CFO of our company, but also supports me as my right hand. My younger son, Jeongguk, has also been associated with this company for almost four years. Despite his young age, he is very solid, and his contribution to the development of our family business is admirable."
After these words, Mr. Jeon paused briefly and turned his face towards his sons, who were standing next to him to the right of the man. Jeongguk, a bit more withdrawn, as if he wanted to hide behind his brother's broad shoulders. But when the man was silent for a long moment, Jeongguk, feeling uncomfortable, looked up. As he met his father's gaze, he realized Mr. Jeon was staring at him. His pulse sped up involuntarily, and the tie that wrapped his neck seemed to choke him even more than it had been a moment ago. He swallowed hard. He wanted to look away, but couldn't move, as if his father's gaze paralyzed him like spider's venom.
"It is about my younger son that I wanted to tell you," his father continued, his eyes returning to the gathered guests. "Jeongguk is young, intelligent and very hardworking. He is different from most of his peers, who do not care about family values and care only about their own well-being. Soon he will enter a truly adult life and will walk along it with his future wife, Lisa. It is mostly thanks to her support that Jeongguk is such a wonderful young man. But I have not gathered you here only to glorify my sons. As I am turning sixty tomorrow, I have decided to take serious steps that will have an impact on the further development of The Jeon Electronics. I would like to announce to you first that tomorrow, I, Jeon Jiseok, will be stepping down as President of TJE. So I am proud to announce that from now on my younger son, Jeon Jeongguk, will be the new CEO of The Jeon Electronics! Big applause for him!"
***
Ayashee:
And what is our new CEO going to do now?
Things get even more complicated, but at the same time the closer to the wedding, the more often Jeongguk thinks back to the rebellious tattoo artist...
What will win?
Heart or mind?
xoxo