Leansei couldn't bring himself to eat a single bite from his plate, suffocated by the intense feeling that he was being closely watched. He subtly glanced toward the head of the long dining room. His throat tightened as he met the intimidating stare of Mr. Xin, who sat directly in the middle of the head table like an absolute monarch. The hierarchy of the room was clear from the seating: Mr. and Mrs. Closhe sat on Mr. Xin's left side along with Mr. Roshie; opposite them, Mr. and Mrs. Ferech claimed the right side next to Mr. Devon. Beside Mr. Devon sat Mr. and Mrs. Rinea, faced by Mr. and Mrs. Colazs, with Mr. and Mrs. Corshe rounding out the upper echelon.
"Have you heard?" Corshe suddenly whispered, leaning in to gossip in hushed tones. Leansei shifted his weight, listening attentively. "One of the main agendas today is a massive announcement by Mr. Xin Vcheroi." Corshe said, idly picking up a heavy silver fork.
"Do you know what it's about?" Leansei asked. Corshe glanced at him, clearly hesitating to disclose the raw information. Lean offered a small, quiet nod, reassuring him that it was perfectly fine to speak freely.
"Honestly, it's not the best thing for anyone's ears to hear," Corshe murmured, scratching his temple. "To your ear exactly," he murmured.
"Come on, don't leave me hanging here," Leansei pressed softly.
"Okay, okay... just get your ears... or your chest... ready." Leansei shot him a confused look, but he leaned in closer anyway, straining to catch the words over the tumultuous noise of the surrounding elite men and women discussing business.
"I heard that it's the official confirmation of the Vcheroi brothers' engagements," Corshe whispered, his eyes darting to Leansei with immediate worry. "Are you okay?"
Leansei stared blankly down at his plate. In reality, he had already known about Xerchin's fiancée and had spent days trying to avoid him at all costs, but hearing the confirmation dropped out loud—clear as crystal from a mine—sent a sudden, sharp ache through his ribs.
"Why wouldn't I be okay? Let's just eat," Leansei forced out, keeping his eyes pinned to the table.
The seating arrangement stretched down the hall, with the younger generation clustered at the lower half of the table. At the far end, Seleigh sat elegantly beside Mr. Vcheroi's sons and Revinah. Directly in front of them sat Tyvan, facing Seleigh, with Leansei and Corshe flanking his sides among the other elite heirs.
Leansei felt an uncomfortable prickle on his skin as several pairs of eyes continued to dart in his direction. He looked down at the masterpiece of an Italian dish resting on his majestic ceramic plate—a luxurious layout of tagliolini pasta topped with two pounds of fresh lobster and shaved black truffles, flanked by portions of fried calamari, tender veal, and a rich chocolate mousse. But his anxiety only worsened; he couldn't figure out the complex arrangement of the multiple specialty spoons and forks laid out before him, unable to distinguish which utensil belonged to which course.
"-__-
Leansei vigorously shook his head, desperate to signal that he was perfectly fine. He couldn't exactly confess that he didn't know basic high-society table etiquette; it would be far too embarrassing to admit aloud in a room full of vultures.
"Do you not feel good? Sh-should I call for my personal doctor? Do you need immediate medication?" Corshe asked in a rapid, consecutive flurry.
"I am really alright, Corshe. I'm completely fine," Leansei assured him, forcing his expression to remain neutral.
"Hey, are you actually okay?" a low voice cut in from his other side. Leansei closed his eyes in pure annoyance. Out of all the vacant chairs in the grand hall, he never could have imagined he would end up seated directly next to Tyvan.
"I'm fine," Leansei snapped flatly.
"Do you need health supplements? I can easily—"
"I told you, I am perfectly fine."
Directly across the wide table, the Vcheroi brothers sat in absolute contrast alongside Seleigh and Revinah. They ate their food sophisticatedly and in total silence. Xerchin stared dead ahead, his handsome features frozen in an ice-cold, detached look that radiated a dangerous tension.
' How much longer is this agonizing event going to last? ' Leansei wailed in the back of his mind.
He was drowning deep in his own thoughts when a sudden, warm palm was placed firmly against his forehead. Leansei flinched, glancing at Tyvan in pure surprise as the boy checked his temperature.
Corshe's face immediately dropped, his expression turning into a serious, protective glare. Across the table, Xerchin's fingers tightened violently around his silver spoon, the metal straining under his grip, while Beidhen watched the display with an amusing, wicked smirk playing on his lips. Revinah glanced between them in total confusion, and Seleigh's eyes darted rapidly between Xerchin and Leansei.
"What do you think you're—" Leansei started to bark.
CLANG!
Leansei was cut violently short as a loud, heavy slump of utensils echoed sharply off the four walls. The abrupt, aggressive sound shattered the room's noise, plunging the entire atmosphere into dead silence as the grown-ups paused their conversations to glance down the table.
Panicking, Leansei immediately shoved Tyvan's hand away from his face, sitting bolt upright with his head down. He couldn't comprehend the sudden weight in the air, but he could feel a suffocatingly cold stare piercing deep within his very soul. Squeezing his eyes shut, he bit his lower lip hard.
' Why on earth do I feel like I've just committed a terrible crime? In reality, it was just... '
Leansei thought frantically. He slowly risked lifting his gaze to look across at Xerchin, but he sharply averted his eyes the exact microsecond he saw that Xerchin had already turned his head to engage in a quiet, private conversation with Seleigh.
Seeking to salvage the evening, Mr. Xin Vcheroi raised his crystal wine glass, aggressively tapping his steel spoon against it to lock everyone's attention onto the head of the table. The billionaire businessmen and women instantly sealed their lips, shifting their complete focus toward the patriarch, their sons and daughters following suit.
Mr. Xin rose to his full height, casually buttoning his navy blue blazer. A firmly intimidating, dominant aura rolled off his shoulders as he looked over the guests with absolute authority.
"I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone representing our wealthy clans tonight," Mr. Xin announced, his deep baritone carrying across the silent hall. "Thank you forbye for continuing to honor the grand tradition we hold together every single year." The guests elegantly clapped their hands in unison, murmuring polite praises to thank Mr. Xin for bankrolling and arranging the lavish evening.
"You certainly don't have to thank us for our presence, Xin; this is the very foundation of the tradition we built together. Truancy from these meetings would make a family look entirely hubristic and avaricious," Mr. Rinea stated firmly, raising his glass in a toast.
"Well, as you are all well aware, tonight's gathering carries an even weightier significance, because I—we—have a massive partnership announcement to deliver today," Mr. Xin said, a calculated smile touching his lips as he gestured broadly to the left side of the table.
Leansei kept his head down, his heart dropping into his stomach as his mind braced for the impact.
' This is it,' he thought, his chest tightening. ' The formal announcement of Xerchin's engagement. '
He secretly risked a glance across the table, watching as Seleigh offered Xerchin a sweet, devastatingly lovely smile that could make any man fall to his knees.
"As you all probably know, the families sitting before you are the sole owners of the Retorishi Company and the Closher Company," Mr. Xin proclaimed proudly. "Starting from this very hour, Mr. and Mrs. Closhe, alongside their daughter, Revinah, and Mr. Roshie, alongside his daughter, Seleigh, are officially stepping onto the bridge of my conglomerate's ultimate corporate partnership."
Hearing the declaration, Mr. and Mrs. Closhe alongside Mr. Roshie stood up briefly, nodding and exchanging deep bows of gratitude with the surrounding guests.
The dining hall erupted into elegant applause. "So, does this mean we should officially be expecting the grand wedding engagements to follow closely behind this merger?" Mr. Colazs remarked with a jovial, knowing laugh.
"It is entirely expected and set in stone," Mr. Devon added with a firm nod.
Mr. Xin smiled broadly, reaching across to shake hands firmly with Mr. Roshie and Mr. Closhe to seal the contract. The superficial, joyful mask on Mr. Roshie's face withered slightly as he took his seat, while Mr. Closhe offered a stoic nod of absolute agreement.
"Now, please, my dear friends—dine in and enjoy today's premium cuisine as you please," Mr. Xin concluded, unbuttoning his blazer as he sank back into his high-backed chair, his sharp eyes instantly sliding down the table to track his two sons.
.
On the quiet perimeter of the 77th floor, far from the suffocating chatter of the ballroom, Revin stood alone at the balcony railing. Below him, the sprawling capital city was a web of brilliant, shimmering lights, but his focus was entirely internal. He reached into his pocket, retrieved a sleek stainless-steel cigarette case, and pulled out a single cigarette, letting it rest unlit between his lips.
"I never knew you smoked," a voice noted from the shadows.
Xeilin stepped up to the edge of the balcony, resting his forearms on the cold stone railing as his gaze swept across the horizon. Revin caught his breath, immediately sliding the cigarette back into its case and snapping it shut. He couldn't bring himself to smoke with someone standing in his personal space; tobacco was a vice he strictly reserved for solitude.
"I only really do this when I'm..." Revin trailed off, the words losing their momentum.
"Bothered? Troubled?" Xeilin supplied gently, not breaking his gaze from the glittering city view.
Revin slipped the stainless-steel case back into the internal pocket of his structured blazer. "I actually managed to stop entirely... right around the time Kean came back to school."
"He is completely different now, isn't he?" Xeilin said softly.
"Yes," Revin murmured, a rare, genuine softness entering his tone. "But honestly... I really like who he is now."
"Kean has been my closest friend since the very beginning," Xeilin stated firmly, turning his head to study the boy beside him. "Whether he changes or not, he remains my friend." Revin let out a small, self-deprecating laugh, idly flipping the metal cap of the lighter in his palm.
Click. Click.
"We've known each other for years, you know. But back then, I never had the slightest intention of actually becoming his friend. Everything just... completely shifted after the incident."
"You don't exactly treat him like an ordinary friend even now, Evin." The lighter went dead still in Revin's hand. He froze, a cold jolt of sheer panic striking his chest as his eyes snapped to the Student Council President.
' W-what on earth does he mean by that? Don't tell me he figured it out...'
Seeing the sheer terror on his face, Xeilin let out a bright, melodic laugh, playfully patting Revin on the shoulder. "You are entirely too easy to read, Evin," he joked, shaking his head. Revin sharply averted his eyes, a deep, breathless crimson flush creeping up his neck in pure embarrassment.
"If you're wondering how I managed to piece it together," Xeilin continued, his tone turning warm and perceptive, "it goes back to when I first observed you in the cafeteria. For terms of semesters, I've known you as the resident naughty boy who constantly sleeps through lectures—the guy whose behavior consistently earns him detention slips. But the exact microsecond Kean returned to campus? I haven't seen your name on a single detention registry for days." Revin's throat locked up completely. He couldn't form a single defensive argument, utterly stunned by how painfully obvious his behavior had been to the people around him.
"But unfortunately for you," Xeilin's voice dropped, his eyes clouding over with genuine, worried sympathy, "it seems like he is entirely too numb and naive to ever notice what you truly feel. You... you already know you don't stand a single chance with him, right?"
Revin stared at the balcony for a long, quiet beat. Then, a peaceful smile touched his lips. He slipped the lighter back into his trousers and firmly gripped the iron railing, letting the cool wind wash over his face. "I never once expected him to reciprocate my feelings, Xei. Honestly, I consider myself incredibly lucky just to be permitted to stand right beside him. I don't expect a single thing more... or less... than that."
Xeilin's lips curved into a wicked, knowing smirk. He nudged Revin's shoulder with his elbow, his tone turning heavy with mischief. "Well, if that's the case... maybe the guy currently sitting directly above our heads on the 78th floor—"
Before the sentence could even finish, Revin sharply elbowed him back, shaking his head in absolute disbelief. "Are you out of your mind? He is infinitely worse than anything I could have ever anticipated."
Revin looked away, his expression turning entirely complicated. Beidhen Vcheroi was, by all societal standards, an exceptionally attractive man who possessed a half-kind heart hidden behind a uniquely annoying personality. But the idle thought was crushed the exact second he remembered the rigid hierarchy of the upper floor: Beidhen already had a stunning, high-society fiancée locked in place.
"Oh? So you were actually expecting something from him?" Xeilin teased mercilessly, bursting into a hysterical laugh, thoroughly pleased with his own ability to mock the boy.
A dangerous idea sparked in Revin's mind. Striking back, he lunged forward, aggressively wrapping his arm around Xeilin's neck and trapping him in a headlock, a triumphant smirk cutting across his face. "Oh, speaking of sudden revelations... mind telling me exactly what is going on between you and Rell lately?" The mock revenge executed its purpose perfectly. Xeilin's triumphant laughter vanished in a microsecond, his entire face turning the color of a smashed tomato as a violent blush exploded across his cheeks. He frantically shoved Revin's arm away, spinning around to hide his face.
"How on earth is that even remotely connected—?!" Xeilin stammered defensively.
"Serves you completely right," Revin gloated, his deep laugh echoing over the balcony.
"I am status-confirmed not answering that question!"
"Oh, really? Then how about what happened to you two in—"
"Either that!!" Xeilin yelled, his hands flying up to cover his ears.
"Then... what about that incident in the bathroom?"
"I am not going to answer that! Just shut your mouth, Evin!!"
"So... you actually like him?"
"Either th—" Xeilin sharply cut himself off, realizing he had almost walked right into the trap. He spun around, glaring daggers at Revin, who merely raised his hands in a mock gesture of surrender, a massive, victorious smile stretching across his lips.
Clink, clink.
The sharp sound of a spoon striking a wine glass cut through the cool night air, emanating from the open French doors behind them. Mr. Torse stood at the head of the inner room, his face masked in a jovial, authoritative expression. "Please, everyone, let us reclaim our seats. We must officially wrap up our upper-middle-class dining meeting before 9:00 PM sharp."
Xeilin and Revin immediately corrected their postures, stepping back over the threshold to follow the strict directives issued by the most powerful leaders of the 77th floor.
As Revin slid back onto his assigned leather chair, he let out a deep, heavy sigh, his eyes tracking the white ceiling tiles above.
' I just hope he's doing okay up there, ' Revin thought, his chest tightening with quiet worry for Leansei.
.
Meanwhile, on the 78th floor, the atmosphere had grown entirely suffocating. Unable to endure the heavy weight of the corporate table for a single second longer, Leansei quietly excused himself to visit the restroom. Corshe immediately moved to stand up, his eyes filled with anxiety as he offered to accompany him to ensure he was alright, but Leansei insisted firmly that he just needed a moment alone. Sensing the rigid wall in his friend's tone, Corshe hesitated before sinking back into his seat, letting him go.
Leansei stepped into the lavish, marble-tiled restroom. He stood before a massive, gold-framed mirror, staring intently at his reflection as he adjusted the frames of his eyeglasses. Turning on the faucet, he thoroughly washed his hands after using the facilities, the cold water splashing against his skin. Even after weeks of living this reality, he still couldn't bring himself to feel entirely connected to Kean's beautiful face.
He shut the tap, a heavy sense of guilt settling deep within his ribs as an intrusive thought entered his mind: ' I'm getting entirely too comfortable being someone I'm not. '
Letting out a long, trembling breath, Leansei turned and pushed open the heavy wooden door to exit the room. But his foot froze mid-stride. Standing directly in the center of the dimly lit corridor, effectively blocking his only path back to the ballroom, was Tyvan.
Leansei's instincts flared, and he immediately took a sharp step backward into the doorway as Tyvan began to advance on him, his physical presence heavy and demanding.
"What's wrong?" Tyvan asked, his baritone voice dripping with a serious, cutting intensity. "Were you... desperately expecting someone else to step out of that door?"
Leansei forced his features into a cold, perfectly expressionless mask. "I have to return to the dining hall." He shifted his weight, preparing to brush past the boy's shoulder, but Tyvan's hand shot out like a whip. His fingers clamped violently around Leansei's arm, forcefully pushing him back against the wooden frame of the door.
"Kean," Tyvan hissed, his jaw clenching as he stepped into his personal space. "Did you genuinely manage to just forget absolutely everything we've been through together?"
Leansei aggressively tried to wrench his arm free, but Tyvan's grip remained unyielding, pinning him down against the structure. "What on earth do you think you're doing? Have you completely forgotten the fact that I lost my memory in the accident?"
Tyvan let out a sudden, hysterical laugh, his eyes closing briefly as he forced a sharp breath into his lungs to calm his rising temper. When he opened them, a profound, agonizing layer of pain was written clear across his features—a raw, desperate look that struck a devastating chord in Leansei's chest. It was the exact same look Leansei had worn years ago, on the night he had begged Tyvan not to turn his back and abandon him on that freezing pavement.
"Ever since the exact hour you woke up from that coma, you started changing completely from the person I knew," Tyvan whispered, his voice cracking with intense emotion. "You completely altered the way you look at me, the way you treat me... the way you care for me."
"I literally cannot remember a single trace of our past, Tyvan. So let me through," Leansei demanded, his tone cold and flat.
He made another desperate attempt to walk away, but the resistance only fueled Tyvan's panic. This time, he used his full strength, his fingers locking around Leansei's arms with bruising force as he violently slammed him back against the wall.
"But you...you started acting exactly like someone else I used to know back then," Tyvan breathed out, his eyes locking onto Leansei's gray pupils with terrifying intensity. Leansei's breath caught in his throat, his mind short-circuiting into absolute chaos. He stood entirely paralyzed, unable to utter a single syllable as a horrifying realization crashed over him.
' He isn't recognizing me as Kean anymore... he's recognizing me as Leansei. '
Fear surged through his veins. He realized he hadn't been careful enough; his natural habits, his speech patterns, and his expressions had bled through his mask. But beneath the panic, a profound confusion twisted his thoughts.
' How is he able to trace my identity through an entirely different face? It has been years since the last time we ever spoke to each other. '
Sensing the boy's sudden stillness, Tyvan's posture softened. He slid his hands down to tightly grasp Leansei's fingers, his voice dropping into a desperate plea. "Please... just come back to me, Kean."
Leansei stared at him, utterly stunned by the display. In all his memory of their past life, he had never once witnessed Tyvan drop his pride and plead to another human being—Leansei had certainly never been granted that kind of vulnerability back then. Standing trapped in the quiet hallway, the painful truth finally settled over him: Kean and Tyvan had possessed a deep, profoundly special relationship, and he was entirely unprepared to uncover the ghosts of this body's past.
"Let's just be exactly like we used to be before the—" Tyvan started to beg.
WHAM!
Tyvan was cut violently short as a massive, overwhelming force collided with his shoulder. Before he could even register the intrusion, he was forcefully hustled and shoved away, his grip breaking instantly as he stumbled back across the marble floor.
Leansei gasped, his vision blurring for a fraction of a second before he locked onto a familiar, commanding presence. Standing protectively in front of him were those striking, mercurial blue-tinted eyes, accompanied by a suffocating, possessive aura and a distinct, high-end fragrance.
Xerchin had intervened. He stood like an iron wall between the two boys, his jaw clenched in pure fury. Without breaking his focus from Tyvan, Xerchin reached back, his large hand gently yet securely locking around Leansei's trembling wrist.
"You are going to stay the hell away from him," Xerchin commanded, his baritone voice vibrating with absolute, lethal authority. Without waiting for Tyvan's response, Xerchin turned on his heel and gently pulled Leansei down the corridor, dragging him away from the isolated restroom area toward the exit of the hall.
Leansei couldn't process the sudden velocity of the situation. His heart was pumping erratically, an unstable and highly unusual rhythm hammering violently against his ribs. He looked down, his eyes locking onto Xerchin's large fingers wrapped securely around his skin. The touch was incredibly gentle, a stark contrast to the bruising grip Tyvan had unleashed. It felt as though he hadn't experienced this level of grounding safety for decades.
' If I stay close to him for a single minute longer, my heart is going to burst right out of my chest, '
Leansei thought in pure panic, his breathing turning ragged. Desperate to regain control over his own spiraling emotions, he lifted his free hand, firmly pressing his palm flat against his chest to force his heartbeat into submission.
But as his hand hit his sternum, a sudden, cold wave of reality snapped him straight back to earth. He froze, his feet anchoring against the carpet. The abrupt resistance made Xerchin halt instantly. The athlete turned around, his forehead knotting into a hard, frustrated line as he glared down at the boy.
Leansei stared back, his expression turning bitter and defensive as a dark thought crossed his mind: What on earth is he so pissed off about? And why does he still feel entitled to constantly bother with my life like this? He has an official fiancée waiting for him right inside that door.
Xerchin's eyes tracked the trajectory of Leansei's gaze, looking down at his own hand still clamped around the boy's wrist. Realizing the boundary he had crossed, he immediately let go of Leansei's arm, snapping his hand back into his pocket as he sharply looked away toward the wall.
An incredibly heavy, awkward tension settled over the empty hallway, suffocating them both.
Xerchin took a slow, deep breath, his broad shoulders rising before he finally broke the silence, his voice dropping into a quiet, pained whisper. "Why exactly were you avoiding me all week?"