Jihoon walked back into the office, his steps hesitant. The cool air of the rooftop still clung to his skin, and his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts he couldn't quite control. He had expected to walk into something awkward, but what he found was even more unexpected.
The door to Minjae's office was slightly ajar, and as Jihoon stepped inside, he saw that the pink-haired guy was just leaving. His expression was unreadable, and Jihoon couldn't help but notice the way the man brushed past him without a word, his gaze lingering for a brief second before disappearing down the hallway.
As the door shut softly behind him, Jihoon stood frozen in the doorway. Minjae was sitting at his desk, casually flipping through some paperwork, seemingly unaffected by the tension that had been in the air only moments before. His usual confidence remained, though Jihoon couldn't help but notice the small flicker of something else in his eyes—something that felt like... guilt?
Minjae looked up, his gaze meeting Jihoon's. "You're back" he said simply, not sounding angry or upset. He then gestured to the chair across from him. "Sit down, Jihoon. We need to talk."
Jihoon hesitated for a moment, his mind still racing from the sight of the pink-haired guy leaving, but he followed Minjae's instruction, sitting down at the edge of the chair. His heart was pounding in his chest, unsure of what to expect next.
Minjae leaned back in his chair, his expression calm as always. "I'm not mad at you, Jihoon," he began, his voice soft. "You didn't interrupt anything that shouldn't have been interrupted."
Jihoon frowned, the words not quite making sense. "What do you mean? That guy—who was he?" His voice was shaky, almost nervous, though he tried to hide it.
Minjae's lips twitched in a knowing smile, but his eyes remained serious. "That's the son of one of the government officials," he said, matter-of-factly. "He's someone I've been seeing on and off for the last five months."
Jihoon blinked, his mind trying to process the new information. "Wait... what? He's the government's son?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. The idea seemed almost too surreal to grasp.
Minjae nodded, his demeanor relaxed as he shifted in his seat. "Yes, he is. And he's been in my life for the last few months... But it's nothing serious, Jihoon." He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "It's just a friends-with-benefits situation. Nothing more."
Jihoon stared at him, stunned. He hadn't expected this. Minjae, his stepbrother, the man he had thought he knew, was involved in a casual fling with someone so powerful, yet so detached. The idea that it was just "nothing serious" didn't sit right with Jihoon. The way Minjae spoke about it—so casually, so matter-of-factly—it made Jihoon feel like he was the one overreacting.
"You're telling me... that it's just about sex? And nothing else?" Jihoon finally managed to ask, his voice quiet but filled with disbelief. He could feel his stomach twist, unease gnawing at him as he tried to make sense of the situation.
Minjae's eyes softened, and he gave a small sigh. "It's more complicated than that. But yes, that's pretty much the gist of it." He leaned forward, his hands steepled in front of him. "I never wanted you to be involved in this kind of stuff, Jihoon. It's not something I'd usually talk about. But if you're going to be working here, I felt like I should at least be honest with you about it."
Jihoon's head was spinning. The idea that Minjae—someone he had known his whole life—could be so involved in something like this shook him to the core. But it wasn't just that. It was the way Minjae's tone had softened when he'd spoken about it. As if he had expected Jihoon to understand, or at the very least, accept it.
Jihoon felt a strange mix of anger, confusion, and—dare he admit it—jealousy.
"So that's it?" Jihoon said, his voice thick with emotion. "You just... you're okay with it? With him? The government's son? With all of this?"
Minjae's face remained calm, though there was a hint of something in his eyes—something Jihoon couldn't quite place. "I've learned to live with it," Minjae said softly. "But I never expected to have to explain this to you." His gaze softened as he looked at Jihoon, an odd kind of sadness flickering there. "I know it's not easy to understand, Jihoon. I know this isn't what you expected from me... but sometimes life isn't as simple as we want it to be."
Jihoon was silent for a long time, the weight of Minjae's words pressing heavily on his chest. He had so many questions, so many things he wanted to say. But he couldn't find the words. All he could do was sit there, staring at the man who had once been his stepbrother—someone who now seemed like a stranger in some ways.
Finally, Jihoon spoke, his voice softer this time, almost vulnerable. "And what about me, Minjae? What about us? What about everything that's been between us since I came back?"
Minjae's eyes flickered, and for a moment, Jihoon could see the guard drop—just a little. "That's something we need to figure out too, Jihoon," he said quietly, his voice low but filled with an intensity that Jihoon hadn't heard before. "But I'm not going to lie, I miss the way things used to be. I miss you."
Jihoon swallowed hard, his heart skipping a beat at Minjae's words.
Minjae studied Jihoon closely, his sharp eyes catching the subtle flicker of emotions that passed across Jihoon's face. The tension in the room was thick, yet there was an air of curiosity in Minjae's gaze, as though he were finally piecing things together.
"Why are you so concerned, Jihoon?" Minjae asked, his voice quiet but pointed. He leaned back in his chair, a playful smirk tugging at his lips as he watched Jihoon shift uncomfortably in his seat.
Jihoon froze, the words catching him off guard. He had thought he'd been doing a good job of hiding his feelings, but the way Minjae was looking at him made it clear he wasn't fooling anyone. His heart raced, and for a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
"I—I'm not concerned" Jihoon muttered, his eyes diverting to the floor, a small heat creeping up his neck. He had to find a way to brush it off. "It's none of my business, right?"
But Minjae wasn't buying it. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze piercing, and the smirk on his face only deepened. "Oh, really?" he teased, his voice dripping with amusement. "So, you're not concerned at all about me being with someone else? You don't care that I'm with the government's son? Or was that look of yours something else?"
Jihoon's chest tightened. He could feel his face growing warmer by the second. "It's not like that," Jihoon snapped, but it was weak—he knew it, and Minjae knew it too.
Minjae let out a small, satisfied chuckle. He seemed to enjoy this—watching Jihoon squirm under the weight of his own feelings. "I think I get it now," Minjae said softly, his tone teasing. "You're jealous, aren't you?"
Jihoon's eyes shot up to meet Minjae's, his heart pounding in his chest. "No," Jihoon said, but it came out more like a question than a denial.
Minjae smirked even wider, a knowing glint in his eyes. "It's cute, Jihoon. You're cute when you're jealous."
Jihoon's face flushed a deep shade of red, and he quickly turned away, unable to meet Minjae's gaze. His mind was racing—he couldn't deny it anymore. The idea that Minjae was with someone else, even in a casual way, was more than he could handle. He didn't know when it had happened, but somewhere along the way, his feelings had shifted. It wasn't just the anger or confusion anymore. It was something deeper.
Something… different.
"I'm not jealous," Jihoon muttered, trying to regain some control over himself. "It's just... weird, okay? I didn't expect that."
Minjae leaned back in his chair, still watching Jihoon with that amused expression. "It's okay, Jihoon. You don't have to hide it. I think it's pretty cute that you care."
Jihoon groaned inwardly, feeling more flustered by the second. "You're really enjoying this, huh?"
Minjae didn't answer immediately. Instead, he let the silence stretch between them, the playful smirk still lingering on his lips. "You know," Minjae said after a moment, his voice turning softer, "I've missed you, Jihoon. I didn't mean for things to get this complicated between us."
Jihoon felt a pang in his chest at the sincerity in Minjae's voice, the words soft but heavy with meaning. He looked up at Minjae, meeting his gaze, and for a moment, the teasing atmosphere in the room seemed to fade, replaced by something else—a quiet understanding.
Minjae's smirk faded into something more genuine. "But if you're jealous, Jihoon... maybe that means you still care about me too. And that means something, doesn't it?"
Jihoon's heart skipped a beat, the weight of Minjae's words hitting him harder than he expected. Could it be? Was that really what Minjae meant? Did he… actually feel the same way?
Jihoon didn't know how to answer. His emotions were a whirlwind, conflicting and tangled. Part of him wanted to run from this—he wasn't sure he could handle the complexity of it all. But another part of him… part of him wanted to stay and see where this would go.
Minjae's eyes softened, and he reached across the desk, gently brushing a stray lock of hair out of Jihoon's face. "I know things haven't been easy," he said quietly. "But I'm here now. And I'm not going anywhere."
Jihoon's breath caught in his throat, the words sinking in. The room felt suddenly too small, and the silence between them seemed heavy with unspoken things.
For the first time in years, Jihoon didn't know what to do. His feelings were all over the place—confusion, longing, jealousy, fear. He didn't know where any of this would lead, or if he even had the courage to take the next step.
But as he looked at Minjae, sitting there with that softened expression, Jihoon couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, this complicated, messy situation was something worth exploring after all.