Chapter 26: Chapter 26

~Si woo~

I stormed out of the conference room. My jaw was so tight I thought my teeth might break. The door closed behind me with a loud click. In that moment, all my anger turned into something else. It became this dark, twisted happiness. Yes, I had done it. I had shown Ye-jun who I really was.

I was not the soft guy I was beginning to look like. I wasn’t gonna lose the title “Ice cold devil” in one second because of him. I used to be the mean one at work. The one who made new employees cry in the copy room. I was sharp, cold, and scary.

People feared me. That was the real me. But lately, things changed. I let Ye-jun get close. Really close. We shared a bed. His leg would be thrown over mine in the morning. I woke up smiling instead of pushing him away. I started speaking softly to him. I said nice things. I whispered sweet words like in those cheesy romance movies. It made me sick. Every time I held back my sharp tongue, every time I did not destroy his work in front of others, I felt like I was losing parts of myself. I hated it. I was not gentle. I did not say things like “you got this, baby.” That was not me.

In the past, I hooked up with guys. I was rough. I fucked them so hard they could barely walk the next day. They limped out of my place. They never texted again. They knew I would not give more. No feelings. No calls. Just sex and goodbye. That was my style.

But with Ye-jun, I had become weak. Soft. Today, I fixed it. I went back to being the old me. In the meeting, I tore his presentation apart. I called it amateur. I said it in front of everyone. His face turned red. His voice cracked a little when he tried to answer. It felt good. Really good.

Now Ye-jun was angry. He walked around the office ignoring me. He skipped our usual coffee run. He acted like I did not exist. Fine. I told myself it did not matter. But my body said something else. Every time he passed my desk without looking, my dick twitched. His shoulders were stiff. He walked like he was challenging me. Like he was saying, “break first, I dare you.” It turned me on. I hated that it did.

The rest of the workday was slow. Painfully slow. I sat at my computer pretending to work on designs. My eyes kept going back to the meeting in my head. I remembered his voice breaking. The red on his cheeks. It was not just anger. There was hurt too. Shame maybe. It made me hard under the desk. By five o’clock, I was aching. My pants felt too tight.

I grabbed my keys. I did not look at him. I walked out fast. In the car, I turned on loud angry music. The bass shook the seats. It matched the tight knot in my stomach. I drove home thinking about him the whole way.

When I opened the door, Mom was in the kitchen. She shouted, “Dinner in ten minutes!” Dad sat at the table with his newspaper, same as every night. And there was Ye-jun. Already home. He sat in his usual chair. He looked down at his phone. He scrolled like nobody else was in the room. Like we were all ghosts.

I dropped my bag on the floor. I kicked off my shoes. I walked to the table and sat right across from him. I smirked. I could see his jaw tighten. He felt my stare. He knew I was watching.

“Long day, huh?” I said. My voice was calm. Too calm. I made sure everyone heard. I reached for the water pitcher. I poured slowly. The ice cubes clinked loud against the glass. “Some presentations just don’t land, right?”

Ye-jun did not look up. His thumb moved faster on the screen. He was angry. Mom came over with the big pot of stew. She put it down hard. “Si-woo, stop it. Eat first. Ye-jun, you too. You look tired. Did you sleep at all?”

Dad put his newspaper down. He let out a long sigh. The kind only dads do. “Speaking of long days, I saw Minister Park at the golf club today. You remember his daughter? She started that fashion business last year. Now she moved into it fully. She owns the whole company. No help from her dad. She built it herself. Hard worker. Independent. Park said she’s single. Looking for someone stable. Si-woo, you should think about her. A girl like that could be good. It would help the family business too. Open some doors.”

I leaned back in my chair. My smirk got bigger. This was perfect. The best way to push Ye-jun’s buttons. I looked straight at him. His fingers turned white. He gripped his phone so hard. His nose flared a little. He was holding back a storm of words.

“Yeah?” I said. “Sounds good. A girl who built her own company? That’s sexy. Bet she meets deadlines. Bet she takes feedback without crying in the bathroom.”

Ye-jun’s head shot up. His eyes burned into mine. They were dark and furious. “Oh please. You? With a girl like that? Don’t make me laugh, Si-woo. You can’t even run a simple campaign without putting people down to feel strong. What makes you think she would want you? Or anyone would, really.”

Mom gasped. Her spoon stopped halfway to her mouth. “Ye-jun! Stop talking about your brother like that. He’s family. Say sorry right now.”

Ye-jun shrugged. He shoved a big bite of rice in his mouth. He chewed hard like he wanted to break something. “Why? It’s the truth. Si-woo talks big but does nothing. All bark. No bite. He probably couldn’t keep a nice girl happy for even five minutes. He’d just turn into a controlling jerk.”

Dad laughed a little. He tried to calm things down. “Boys, relax. It’s just words. Si-woo, don’t listen. That Park girl sounds nice. Stable. Not like some short flings that lead nowhere.”

Heat climbed up my neck. But it was not anger. It was excitement. A sick kind of thrill. I watched Ye-jun across the table. He tried to look calm. But his leg bounced under the table. Fast. Like he wanted to kick me. Or jump me. His jealousy was so clear. It tasted sweet. My cock was rock hard now. It pressed painfully against my zipper. His sharp words only made it worse. He tried to act cool. But he kept throwing insults. He could not stop.

I smiled wider. “Nah, Dad. You’re right. A strong woman like her? She would keep me in check. No more staying late with whiny juniors who think they’re experts.”

Ye-jun’s fork hit his plate loud. His eyes narrowed. Mom sighed and started serving more stew to everyone. She tried to change the topic. “The stew is good today. I added more garlic. Eat up, both of you.”

But the air was thick. Heavy. Nobody spoke for a minute. Just spoons against bowls. Chewing. I kept my eyes on Ye-jun. He kept his on his plate now. But I saw his ears turn red. His leg still bounced.

I took a slow sip of water. The ice clinked again. “You know, Dad, maybe I’ll call that girl. MINISTER Park can set it up. A date. Dinner. See if we click. She sounds like she has her shit together. Unlike some people who fall apart over a little criticism.”

Ye-jun finally looked up again. His voice was low. Dangerous. “You think you can just switch? Play the good son? The stable guy? Please. She’ll see through you in five seconds. You’re fake. Always have been.”

Mom slammed her spoon down. “Enough! Both of you! This is dinner, not a fight club. Eat or go to your rooms.”

Dad cleared his throat. “She’s right. Let’s talk nice. Or not talk at all.”

I leaned forward a little. My voice dropped so only Ye-jun could hear clearly. “Jealous much?”

His eyes flashed. He did not answer. But his foot hit mine under the table.

I smirked and pulled my foot back slowly. My heart raced. My body felt hot. This fight at the table was better than any hookup. His anger fed me. His jealousy made me want to push harder. To see how far he would go before he snapped.

Dinner went on like that. Tense. Quiet bursts of talk from Mom and Dad about work, weather, neighbors. Ye-jun and I said nothing more. But every time our eyes met, it was like fire. Sparks. We both knew this was not over. Not even close.

After plates were cleared, Mom told us to help wash up. Ye-jun stood first. He grabbed his plate and mine without asking. His arm brushed mine on purpose. Hard. I felt the heat of his skin. My dick jumped again.

In the kitchen, Mom hummed while putting food away. Dad went to watch TV. Ye-jun stood at the sink. Water ran. He scrubbed hard. I leaned on the counter next to him.

“Still mad?” I whispered.

He did not look at me. “Fuck off, Si-woo.”

I laughed low. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

He turned the water off. His hands dripped. He faced me. Close. Too close. His breath was fast. “You think this is a game? Pushing me. Talking about some GIRL AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO ME AT WORK?.”

My pulse hammered in my ears. I wanted to grab him. Pin him against the counter. Kiss him hard. Or fight him. Anything to release this tension.

But Mom walked in. “Boys, go rest. You both look dead.”

Ye-jun stepped back. He dried his hands. He walked out without another word.

I stood there. Breathing hard. My body was on fire. And deep down, part of me loved it.

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