Chapter 15
The van was silent except for the hum of the engine.
Jaeyel’s hands were clenched into fists, trying to stop the shivers running through him. His throat was dry, but he forced himself to speak.
He swallowed hard, trying to calm his voice. “Yin… You and Yang are brothers… Is there any way we can fix this… without you both hurting each other?”
Silence.
Yin’s laughter cut through the tension, a sound that sent a jolt of discomfort through Jaeyel.
“Don’t even dream about it, Jaeyel.” He spoke with a cold, unsettling calm.
“Only one of us can have you. So one of us… needs to be gone.”
Jaeyel’s heart dropped.
His vision blurred.
He wasn’t even sure if he was breathing right.
He felt lost, confused. What could he even say? He looked at the floor, tears threatening to spill as the weight of the situation hit him hard.
Yin’s gaze flicked at him through the rearview mirror. “Don’t cry,” he said softly, as if it was some kind of comfort. “It’ll be over soon.”
Jaeyel lifted his head, still trembling, and tried to figure out what Yin meant.
But Yin didn’t give him time to process. He was looking straight ahead again, a smile tugging at his lips as he continued.
“I’m sure Yang will come to save you,” Yin said, his voice almost playful.
“No matter what. He’ll use every resource he has. He has more power, more resources than I do, so I can’t stop him. But you know what?” He paused, his smile widening.
“What I have now is you. I’ll use this opportunity to lure him… and end him once and for all.”
…
Silence. Thick. Suffocating.
Jaeyel felt his blood run cold.
“…What?”
Jaeyel muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
Yin was going to use him as bait.
To kill Yang.
…
Yang gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. The car sped through the dark roads, headlights slicing through the night.
His jaw was clenched, his mind racing as fast as the car. His usual composed self was nowhere to be found.
“Jaeyel…” he muttered under his breath, over and over, like a desperate prayer.
The last look on Jaeyel’s face.
The last time he kissed him.
Yang wasn’t the kind of person who let emotions get the best of him. He never had been.
But right now? Right now, none of that mattered.
Yin.
That name didn’t mean much to him – not in the way it should. They shared blood, but that was it.
Just a fact.
A technicality.
But there was a time, once, when things were different.
A long time ago…
Yin was crying again.
It was always like this. He cried too easily, over things that didn’t even make sense.
Yang, who had been sitting across from him, sighed in exhaustion.
He had always been the quiet one, the distant one, never knowing how to deal with all of Yin’s emotions. The constant sniffles, the tears that never seemed to end.
Without a word, Yang reached into his bag and pulled out a small toy, a wooden figurine, something his piano teacher had given him as a gift. He didn’t care much for it, but he had kept it anyway.
He held it out to Yin.
Yin’s cries slowed, hiccups replacing the loud sobs. He looked up, wide-eyed, before carefully taking the toy from Yang’s hands. A tiny smile formed on his tear-streaked face.
“Brother,” he whispered.
Yang just gave a small, indifferent nod.
It was the first time Yin had called him that.
Back to the present.
Yang pressed his foot harder against the gas pedal, speeding through the empty road.
That memory… whatever warmth it once held – was gone now.
He didn’t see Yin as his brother anymore.
And if getting rid of him was the only way to make sure Jaeyel was safe, then so be it.
…
The air inside the van was suffocating.
The weight of Yin’s words still pressed down on Jaeyel’s chest like an unbearable force.
His stomach twisted, his heart pounded, this wasn’t just some delusion.
Yin was really going to do it.
He was going to use Jaeyel to lure Yang in and kill him.
Jaeyel’s fingers curled into fists on his lap as Yin, completely unfazed, hummed a familiar tune.
One of the songs from Jaeyel’s group.
A shiver ran down Jaeyel’s spine.
Yin smiled, eyes locked on the road. “We’re almost there.”
Jaeyel didn’t respond.
He stared down at his lap, his shoulders trembling.
…
Yin’s humming faltered. He glanced at Jaeyel through the mirror. “Jaeyel?”
Jaeyel muttered, “I’m tired…”
Yin tilted his head. “What?”
Jaeyel’s grip tightened.
And then, suddenly-
“I SAID I’M TIRED OF THIS!” Jaeyel erupted, lunging forward and grabbing the steering wheel.
The van screeched violently, tires skidding against the road as the vehicle swayed uncontrollably.
“Jaeyel, stop! That’s dangerous!” Yin shouted, panic lacing his voice as he fought for control.
“You’re the one who’s dangerous!” Jaeyel yelled back, his voice raw, filled with rage, fear, and exhaustion.
“You think you’re the only one who can be crazy?! If you want me to stop, then STOP THIS DAMN CAR AND LET ME OUT!”
The van swerved dangerously to the side. Yin’s hands trembled on the wheel as he tried to steady it, but Jaeyel refused to let go. The road blurred past them, headlights flashing as the van veered into the opposite lane.
Yin gritted his teeth. “Jaeyel! Listen to me-”
“NO! I’M DONE!” Jaeyel screamed, his voice cracking.
His entire body shook as his grip on the wheel remained firm. “I’M DONE WITH YOU, WITH YOUR DELUSION, WITH THIS NIGHTMARE-”
His voice broke completely as sobs tore from his throat. Tears streamed down his face, but he didn’t let go.
Yin’s eyes widened. His expression shifted – like something inside him twisted at the sight of Jaeyel breaking down right in front of him.
“Jaeyel…” he whispered, almost like he was in pain too.
And then-
A deafening horn.
Both their heads snapped forward.
A massive truck was heading straight for them.
Jaeyel didn’t move.
His tear-streaked face was blank now, staring at the incoming vehicle with empty eyes.
“Jaeyel!” Yin yelled, his hands jerking the wheel, trying to swerve-
The tires screeched. The van spun out of control.
The guardrail was right there-
CRASH!
The impact sent the van hurtling through the railing.
…
For a split second, there was only silence, before gravity took hold.
The van plunged off the cliff, the darkness below swallowing them whole.
“JAEYEL!” Yin shouted.
He reached out, yanking Jaeyel into his arms, shielding him just as the van made impact.
And then – darkness.
