Chapter 26
The silence was razor thin, threatening to snap at any second.
Jaeyel, sensing the weight pressing down on them, forced himself to speak first. His tone was deliberately casual, though his pulse was racing.
“Uh…” he started, glancing toward Ric, then back at Yang. “This is… Ric. He’s the grandson of the couple who… took me in.”
Ric gave a polite nod, though his posture stayed guarded.
The air between them didn’t ease; if anything, it grew tighter – something unsaid hanging heavy in the space.
Jaeyel swallowed hard, forcing a breath before blurting, trying to break the tension…
“Shouldn’t I be asking you what you’re doing outside at this hour?”
Ric blinked, caught off guard, then quickly looked down at the bag in his hand.
“I just… bought something I wanted to eat. I was about to head home.”
Yang’s gaze lingered briefly on the bag and on the bottles inside.
Jaeyel gave a small nod, “The way home’s the other direction, though- ”
But he cut himself short, glancing between the two of them, then muttered, “…Never mind.”
The tension grew heavier.
Jaeyel hesitated, struggling for the right words, before finally blurting,
“This is Yang…
We’re… acquaintances.”
A pause.
Yang’s eyes flicked toward him at the word, unreadable.
Jaeyel avoided the gaze, his shoulders tightening.
Ric looked between them, suspicion clouding his face. “…Let’s just go home,” he said flatly, turning to walk ahead.
Jaeyel followed, Yang at his side.
The three of them moved in silence until Ric’s voice cut through, sharper than before.
“Your house is this way too?” His eyes narrowed, deliberately flicking over Yang’s clearly expensive clothing.
“Funny. I’ve never seen you around here.”
Yang didn’t answer.
His silence was pointed.
To ease the prickling air, Jaeyel quickly interjected.
“He’s just walking me home. That’s all.”
Ric’s jaw tightened.
“He doesn’t have to. I’m already here. I can walk you home. He can just-” his tone edged toward boasting.
“Besides, Jaeyel lives with me, every day, so- ”
“Ric!”
Jaeyel’s voice cracked louder than he intended, the sharpness startling even himself.
The word hung there.
Ric froze, mid-sentence.
Yang, who had seemed almost indulgently calm up until now, finally stopped walking.
He turned his head, gaze cutting straight to Ric.
His stare was cool, collected, yet there was a glint beneath it, something lethal, as though a single step too far would cross a line Ric couldn’t come back from.
Ric’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, suddenly stiff.
Jaeyel, heart hammering, moved quickly.
“That’s enough.”
His hand shot out, grabbing Yang’s arm almost too eagerly. He tugged him forward. “Let’s just go.”
Yang allowed himself to be pulled, his composure unbroken. But as they walked, his attention dropped to the hand clutching his arm.
Behind them, Ric’s voice rang out in the night, his shout carrying after them.
“Jaeyel!”
But Jaeyel didn’t look back.
His hand was still on Yang’s arm, dragging him away from Ric.
Each hurried step filled with the kind of silence that said everything words couldn’t.
…
The house was silent, the kind of silence only midnight in the countryside carried.
Soft and heavy, broken only by the faint hum of crickets.
Jaeyel slipped quietly from his room, his steps cautious on the wooden floorboards.
He hadn’t slept a wink.
Every time he closed his eyes, he felt it again.
The press of Yang’s embrace, the way his name had been spoken like a prayer, and that overwhelming rush of emotions he still couldn’t sort out.
The verandah door gave a faint creak as he slid it open. The cool night air met him like a balm, and for a moment he just let himself breathe.
But then, he saw him.
Ric stood by the railing, arms crossed, as if he’d been rooted there for a while. His posture was casual, but the way he glanced over quickly betrayed him.
“What are you doing here?” Jaeyel asked quietly, narrowing his eyes.
Ric shifted, scratching the back of his neck. “I was just-”
He stopped himself, exhaled, then muttered, “Fine. I was waiting for you.”
Jaeyel studied him, the usual lightness absent from his gaze.
After a beat, he asked, “Do you… want to talk?”
Ric looked at Jaeyel first, then gave a small nod. “Yeah.”
They moved to the outdoor platform that stretched along the house, a wide wooden space.
Jaeyel sat first, his hands clasped between his knees, and Ric sat beside him, careful to keep some space.
Neither spoke. The night stretched out around them.
From time to time, Ric’s eyes slid toward Jaeyel, waiting, but he didn’t push, didn’t prod.
He just let him sit, let him breathe.
Finally, Jaeyel broke the silence. His voice was soft, unsteady.
“I’m… not who you think I am.”
Ric tilted his head, frowning.
“I already figured you’re not just some random guy from Seoul. You… famous or something?”
Jaeyel gave him a faint smile but no answer. The silence that followed said enough.
Ric’s mouth opened like he was about to push further, but he stopped himself, swallowing the question.
Jaeyel’s gaze turned down, to his hands.
“I’m grateful. That you, grandma and grandpa, let me stay here. Even when I gave you nothing, not even the truth about myself.”
His voice wavered, the words dragging out of him.
“The truth is… I’ve been avoiding something… someone. And I was scared… scared that if I went back, I’d lose myself completely.”
He drew in a shaky breath.
“But… I can’t run forever. Whether I’m ready or not, I think… I have to face it. I have to go back.”
The quiet that followed pressed heavy on them both.
Ric finally spoke, his voice lower than usual. “The one you need to face…”
His eyes flickered, hardening. “…It’s that guy from earlier, isn’t it?”
Silence.
Jaeyel’s shoulders tensed.
He looked down, almost ashamed, and whispered,
“He’s… part of it.”
Ric clenched his fists slightly.
…
The image of earlier clawed back into his mind – the sight of Jaeyel standing with that man, the man leaning close, kissing Jaeyel’s forehead.
He hadn’t meant to follow them – they just happened to be going the same way… or so he said.
And the way Jaeyel froze – not in anger, not in disgust, but in something that looked frighteningly close to acceptance… it burned in Ric’s chest.
His lips parted, a question on the edge, but he bit it back.
What right did he have?
Instead, he forced a grin, his tone lighter.
“Well… fine. Go, then. Just don’t forget us. And if you’re really from Seoul, you better send us some snacks or something as payment. Those fancy ones.”
Jaeyel blinked, then let out a small laugh. “You’re so silly, Ric.”
“Better than sulking,” Ric shot back, nudging him lightly.
They fell into their usual banter, but underneath, Ric’s chest felt unbearably tight.
He laughed when he was supposed to, teased when he needed to, but deep inside, he knew.
The feelings blooming for Jaeyel, whatever they were, they had to stop.
Before they destroyed him.
