"Huh? What the hell are you saying?"

A young man who was sitting in front of the drawing board in his Art class muttered after hearing the woman's words through the mobile he was holding near his ear.

Hearing his mutter in the quiet class, all the women sitting around the class turned to look at him.

Some looked at him in annoyance, while some in disdain.

A woman who seemed to be the teacher walked to him and spoke in a stern tone "Brandon Kael, can you please be silent in class? In the first place, why are you using your mobile during my class?"

Brandon raised his blue eyes to glance at the woman and sighed in his heart "Forgive me, teacher. But I think I will take a little break."

Without waiting for her reply, he abruptly stood up and grabbed his bag before leaving the room.

As he left the classroom, the teacher's gaze narrowed, 'No respect for me? Just because his sister is an... Empyrean?'

Hurriedly stepping out of the classroom, his eyes quivered in dread as he spoke into the mobile "Yeon, what the hell are you saying?"

"Break up? Why.. what happened?"

He only got a nonchalant reply from the other side "It is what it means. I have lost my feelings for you..."

Brandon was totally confused as his 8-month-old girlfriend is spouting bullshit over the phone.

Still amidst the chaos, he took a soft breath calming his racing heart "Yeon... you are still in the apartment, right? I will come there now, let's talk."

"No."

However, he only got a curt reply as the woman continued "I have already left the apartment, and I am never coming there."

"What?"

Brandon was even more confused, because just yesterday he was cuddling and kissing her, but suddenly today she lost feelings for him?

With a scoff, the woman on the other side spoke "Well... I just started dating you because you are pretty cute and your sister is an Empyrean."

"But now I have lost interest in you..."

Huh? Brandon stood frozen in the hallway, the distant murmur of students and the soft hum of the air conditioning fading into the background.

"Yeon..."

"What do you mean by that? You… can't be serious, right?"

Her tone remained nonchalant, "Why is it so hard to understand, Brandon? It was fun while it lasted, but I'm done. Don't take it personally; people move on."

"Move on?" he uttered, his voice echoing faintly in the empty corridor.

"You don't just move on like that."

"I thought I did," Yeon replied, her voice annoyingly calm.

"But really, it was more about the excitement, you know? Dating someone connected to an Empyrean is thrilling, but I've realized I don't need you or that connection anymore."

Brandon finally realized 'It was never about me...'

He clutched the phone tighter, his eyes narrowing. "How can you say that so casually? You really didn't feel anything for me?"

There was a pause on the other end, and for a fleeting moment, Brandon thought he'd struck a chord.

But her next words shattered that hope.

"You were cute, Brandon. Sweet, even. But feelings? Not really. I don't think I ever loved you, not in the way you hoped."

His legs felt weak, and he stumbled back against the cold wall of the corridor, sliding down until he sat on the floor.

The coolness of the tiles seeped through his pants, but he barely noticed.

"Why now? Why say all this now, after everything?"

Another scoff, this one tinged with annoyance. "Why are you making this such a big deal? Look, it's over. Don't call me again, okay? Goodbye, Brandon."

The line went dead as the soft beep of the disconnected call echoed in his ears.

Brandon stared at the phone screen as Yeon's contact name glared back at him.

He still can't believe she easily broke up with him like that.

In these 8 months they have been living together; they shared their first kiss and even lost their virginities to each other.

In this world where men are treated as scum, she was different... she actually respected him and had a very good time together.

But suddenly... in one day, she became a different person.

'What the fuck happened to her?'

Her smiling face flashed in his mind, and he sat there silently with the mobile in his hand.

A soft sigh escaped his lips, and he leaned back on the wall, closing his eyes for a moment.

However, hearing footsteps, he opened his eyes lightly to look at a handsome—well, rather than handsome... quite a cute young man walking towards him.

That young man had black hair and green eyes, and he blinked his eyes in surprise to see Brandon sitting on the hall.

"Brandon? Huh? The fuck are you doing outside here, bitch?"

Brandon closed his eyes "Shut up, bastard..."

Riven shook his head helplessly and sat beside his best friend on the floor "What happened... Has your sister started bullying you over the phone too?"

As he sat, Brandon casually wrapped his arm around his shoulder and muttered "Yeon broke up with me."

What?

Riven was dumbfounded, as he knew how lovey-dovey they were.

"Huh? Brandon... did you guys fight?"

Brandon shook his head and let out a sigh "Nope. She just called me out of nowhere and ended things. No warning. Just 'I lost feelings for you' and some bullshit about how she never really loved me in the first place."

Startled to hear this, Riven was dumbfounded. "She just... called you and ended things? Just like that?"

Brandon let out a bitter chuckle, rubbing his face with his hand before running them through his tousled black hair. "Yeah..."

Riven's expression darkened "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Brandon shook his head, "Wish I was."

Hearing his words, Riven's eyes narrowed in anger. He isn't the type to get worked up over things, but this? This was messed up.

He had spent months seeing how happy Brandon was with Yeon, how much he adored her, how he went out of his way to make her feel loved and cared for.

And now, she threw it all away like it was nothing?

With a shake of his head, he muttered "You preferred an older woman; see what she has done to you... you perverted ass."

Brandon smacked his chest playfully "Mother fucker..."

Letting out a chuckle, Riven replied "Just saying, man. You got played."

Brandon let out a groan. "God, don't remind me."

"That's exactly what I'm gonna do." Riven grinned, nudging him.

"I mean, eight months? You lived together.. and then, boom!—'Thanks for the ride, buddy, I'm out'? Nah, that's fucked."

Brandon's lips twitched in frustration "Yeah, I got that part, genius."

Riven crossed his arms with a thoughtful look "So, what now? You gonna go cry in a dark room while sad music plays?"

Brandon huffed "No. I need to get my stuff from the apartment and head home."

Upon hearing this, Riven raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Need my help?"

Brandon shook his head. "Nope. I'll take care of it."

Riven smirked and teased him again "You sure? What if you walk in and she's already got some new dude in there? Just chillin' on your couch, drinking your orange juice, scratching his—"

"Stop." Brandon groaned, shoving his face into his hands. "For fuck's sake, Riven."

Riven couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm just preparing you for the worst..."

Brandon exhaled softly. "You're an asshole."

Riven grinned, standing up and offering a hand. "C'mon. At least let me get you a coffee before you go. Can't have you looking like a kicked puppy while retrieving your stuff."

Brandon stared at his outstretched hand for a moment before sighing and taking it. "Fine."

"Atta boy." Riven threw an arm around his shoulders as they walked toward the exit.

"And if you need me later, I'm just a call away. I'll even bring a baseball bat if needed."

Brandon chuckled upon hearing this "Noted."

Riven let out a sigh and spoke "That's why they say bros before hoes..."

With a shake of his head, Brandon replied "Fearing of women's abuse in this world, many men turned to gay..."

"HAHAHAHA..."

---

Closing the cab's door, Brandon stepped out onto the pavement with luggage in his hand.

"Haa..." Letting out a sigh, he raised his gaze to look at the house in front of him.

The two-story home stood just as he remembered, with its soft blue-painted exterior and white-trimmed windows.

The porch light cast a warm glow, illuminating the neatly swept front steps and the potted plants lined along the edge.

His gaze lowered 'In the end, no matter how I try to be independent and try to get away from her.. I am always coming back to her...'

With the luggage in hand, he walked to the door and gently knocked on it.

A few seconds later, the door opened and a gorgeous woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes stepped out.

She was wearing casual clothes that accenturated her alluring curves, H cup breasts and she had a mature aura around her with a black mole below her lips.

"Aunt Elize..."