Chapter 209: [SPARKLY]

Eli slid into the passenger seat and—

…froze.

Caelen’s car was very something.

The interior was ridiculous.

Not the sports-car flashy chaos of Kairo’s roaring monstrosity, but sleek and understated—the kind of luxury that didn’t need to scream its price tag because it knew exactly what it was worth.

Soft leather seats cradled him the moment he sat down. Thin strips of ambient light traced the edges of the cabin like subtle constellations.

The dashboard was minimalist and polished, more like a control panel than something meant for mundane driving.

A five-seater luxury model.

The kind driven by movie CEOs, billionaire heirs, or emotionally distant drama characters with generational wealth issues.

Eli recognized the brand instantly.

’…Of course. If he doesn’t drive a sports car, he drives this.’

Figures.

The door shut with a heavy, satisfying thunk.

The sound of money.

Caelen slid into the driver’s seat effortlessly and started the engine.

No roar.

Just a smooth, confident purr—quiet power, like it didn’t need to prove anything to anyone.

And then—

Silence.

Not comfortable silence.

Not casual silence.

The thick, awkward, wrong kind.

Caelen kept his eyes on the road, one hand resting loosely against the steering wheel.

No teasing comment.

No smirk.

No “sweetheart” remark to make Eli combust.

Nothing.

Eli sat stiffly in his seat, hands folded uselessly in his lap.

He blinked.

’…This is weird.’

Caelen being quiet was not something he had emotionally prepared for.

Eli himself defaulted to silence whenever he felt awkward—let the thoughts scream internally while waiting for someone else to fill the gap.

But Caelen?

Caelen was the type to devour empty space with charm, provocation, or ridiculous flirting.

Silence didn’t suit him.

Which made this—

Unsettling.

The gentle hum of the engine filled the cabin.

Streetlights blurred past the windows in golden streaks.

Wormy shifted restlessly beneath Eli’s sleeve, responding to the tension curling tight beneath his skin.

’Okay. Just… talk.’

Eli swallowed hard, heart thudding as though it were gearing up for battle rather than conversation.

’It’s literally your mission.’

Now was the moment.

Eli already knew his opening.

He knew what he had to ask.

Caelen and Kairo… brothers.

What happened between them?

Why did their relationship burn with so much hostility?

And most importantly—

Did Caelen remember anything about Orion that he hadn’t been able to say earlier?

Eli’s heart thudded harder as he searched for enough nerve to begin.

How did you even start a conversation like that without sounding completely unhinged?

Abrupt honesty might work—it was something anyone would be curious about, after all. Especially since the truth about their connection wasn’t common knowledge at all.

And it wasn’t even something he’d learned from them—

It was Kairie, their mother, who’d let it slip.

’I could just say… “Hey, so I found out you and Kairo are brothers—care to unpack your unresolved emotional trauma with me?”’

Yeah.

Completely normal.

Absolutely not unhinged behavior.

Eli shifted in his seat and took a quiet breath.

’Okay. Softer approach.’

Casual.

Normal human behavior.

Another inhale.

Still—nothing from Caelen.

The silence stretched thin.

Eli clenched his hands together and turned slightly toward him, mouth parting as he prepared to force the words out even if they sounded awkward, tangled, or downright stupid—

And right then—

Caelen spoke first.

“So,” he said, eyes fixed on the road.

Eli flinched as if he’d been caught doing something illegal.

“Y–Yeah?”

There was a pause—a short one, but deliberate. The kind that meant Caelen was actually thinking before he spoke.

Which was, somehow, terrifying.

“I didn’t want to ask right away,” Caelen continued, his gaze flicking briefly toward Eli before his familiar smirk returned, “but since you’re being so quiet…”

His eyes dipped to Eli’s outfit.

“Did they not give you a chance to change when they took you?”

“Huh?” Eli blinked, thrown completely off course.

Caelen glanced over at him again, lips twitching before a soft chuckle escaped.

“So you haven’t noticed?” he said. “Oh, how adorable. Even for a smart boy like you, you still miss things like this.”

“Miss what?” Eli snapped, irritation slipping into his voice. “Can you be more direct, please?”

He hated how Caelen kept dancing around the point.

The teasing.

The deliberate avoidance.

And the laughing—

That laughing was not helping.

Caelen only chuckled harder.

“Your clothes,” he said at last. “Do you not realize you walked into the Hunter Association wearing a sparkly pink sweater?” He gave Eli a once-over. “…And don’t get me started on the pants. How many pairs do you own with your name sewn into the side like a brand tag?”

Oh.

Oh no.

His stomach dropped straight to the floor.

Caelen was—

Unfortunately—

Right.

Eli hadn’t even noticed.

He’d been too busy being dragged back to the Association, too busy standing in front of Midas Ryu and two dozen S-Class hunters, too busy drowning in anomalies and horrifying revelations to spare a single thought for his wardrobe.

But now—

He looked down.

Bright.

Sparkly.

Aggressively pink.

“Oh,” Eli breathed weakly.

And then everything clicked.

“I—I spoke in front of all those S-Class hunters,” he stammered. “In front of Midas Ryu. I stood behind the podium and talked about monster mutations and secret labs…”

His voice trailed off as the color steadily drained from his face.

“…while wearing this.”

’Oh. My. God.’

Caelen pulled up at a red light and took the opportunity to fully turn toward him, golden eyes gleaming with restrained delight.

“That’s exactly why it’s funny.”

“It’s not funny!” Eli burst out. “I—I—oh my God. Why didn’t they say anything? Why didn’t anyone say anything?!”

“About what you were wearing,” Caelen replied smoothly, clearly enjoying this far too much, “which you really should’ve noticed yourself?”

Eli’s face was still blazing when he snapped back toward Caelen.

“Stop teasing me,” he said, voice tight with mortified frustration. “It’s not funny.”

Caelen glanced over, the corner of his mouth still curved upward—but this time, something in his expression softened just a fraction.

“If it makes you feel any better,” he said lightly, “you look wonderful in pink.”

Eli’s brain shut off.

Completely.

Before thinking caught up to impulse, he swung his hand and smacked Caelen’s arm.

Not hard.

Not painful.

Just a sharp little slap fueled by pure embarrassment and flustered indignation.

“Don’t—!”

The car drifted a hair to the side before Caelen corrected the wheel, laughter spilling under his breath like he’d found the entire situation delightful.

“Easy, sweetheart,” he teased, utterly unbothered. “Trying to assassinate your chauffeur already?”

Eli recoiled as if his hand had taken the hit.

“I—I didn’t mean to—! S-Sorry!”

But Caelen only looked more amused.

No irritation.

No tension.

Just full, unapologetic delight.

Which somehow made it worse.

Eli let out a helpless groan and sank back into his seat, covering his face with one hand.

’I hate him…’

Meanwhile, Caelen hummed to himself like he’d just witnessed peak comedy.

“I swear,” he said cheerfully, “every reaction you have just makes you cuter—”

“Don’t finish that sentence.”

Caelen, of course, ignored him completely and finished with a smug sideways glance.

“…than the last.”

Eli made a strangled, half-defeated sound and turned toward the window, staring hard at the blur of passing streetlights.

This was spiraling far away from the mission.

Being flustered was exactly what Caelen thrived on.

And every response Eli gave only seemed to feed that energy.

So he forced himself to breathe.

In for four.

Hold for four.

Out for four.

’Focus.’

This isn’t about flirting.

This is about answers.

Eli straightened slowly, dropping his hand from his face and squaring his shoulders.

“I—I actually have something to admit,” he said suddenly.

His voice came out steadier than he felt—

But the seriousness landed anyway.

Caelen’s brows lifted with instant, playful interest.

“Oh?” he drawled. “Don’t tell me you’re finally ready to confess.”

“Absolutely not!” Eli blurted, face flooding red. “I would do no such thing!”

Caelen laughed under his breath. “Shame. I was almost looking forward to it.”

Eli clenched his jaw.

“Can you be serious for five seconds?”

Caelen glanced over—really looked this time—and whatever teasing response he’d lined up seemed to stall when he caught the tension in Eli’s eyes.

“…Fine,” he said, tone easing. “What’s up?”

Eli swallowed.

The words backed up in his throat like traffic.

“There’s something important,” he said quietly. “Something I… learned. About you.”

Caelen’s eyebrow twitched, subtle but sharp. Still, he tilted his head, inviting it forward.

“Oh?”

Eli’s nerves detonated all at once.

’How do I say this?’

’What if I screw this up?’

’What if this changes everything?’

His mouth was already moving before courage could falter.

“I know you and Kairo are brothers!”

The shift in the car was immediate.

Not gradual.

Instant.

Caelen’s teasing smile—

Stopped.

Didn’t fade.

Didn’t soften.

Just froze.

Like someone had pressed pause on his entire expression.

The gentle hum of the engine suddenly felt too loud.

Streetlights blurred into red and gold streaks through the windshield.

Caelen kept his eyes on the road, hands steady on the wheel—but the air around him had gone taut.

Stiff.

“…You what?” he asked quietly.

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