Xerchin cast a sharp glance downward, his eyes locking onto the exact spot where Leansei's gaze was pinned. The reality of his own actions hit him like a physical blow; he immediately let go of Leansei's wrist, drawing his hand back as if he had been burned. They stood frozen in the quiet corridor, an awkward, heavy tension settling over them like a thick winter fog.
"Why were you avoiding me?" Xerchin asked suddenly.
The question drifted through the massive glass windows, where the remaining light of the golden sunset—hovering on the precarious edge of early evening—painted the hall in amber tones. Leansei utterly couldn't bring himself to speak. A violent conflict was tearing through his chest, crashing repeatedly against the massive, unyielding defensive walls he had spent years building around his fragile soul.
Xerchin stepped closer, his piercing, mercurial blue eyes catching the dimming light. As he looked down, he noticed that Leansei's eyes were glistening, sparkling brilliantly from the reflection of the glass—a raw, beautiful sight that made Xerchin's heart twist painfully behind his ribs. He knew that fragile sparkle wasn't born of joy; it was the physical reaction of mucin and lipid glands fighting back an overwhelming wave of tears.
Leansei clenched his hands into tight fists, his knuckles turning stark white as he fought to maintain his composure. Standing trapped in the quiet hallway, the reality of the past few days crystallized in his mind. He couldn't decipher his own emotions anymore; his brain was an absolute mess, completely unable to process why his heart beat a million times faster the exact second this man entered his space, spoke his name, or let his skin brush against his own.
But beneath the confusion lay a much heavier truth—a permanent, unyielding boundary that he needed to enforce before he lost himself entirely.
"Hey..." Xerchin murmured softly, slowly raising his broad hand to reach toward the boy's face.
"Were you... were you ever actually planning to tell me?" Leansei interrupted sharply. His tone was dead-serious, yet it vibrated on the precarious edge of a trembling, broken voice. Xerchin's hand froze mid-air. He slowly lowered his arm, his eyes dropping to the floor as his posture stiffened.
Leansei managed to lock his gaze onto the athlete, his hands shaking inside his pockets. "I... so you genuinely knew all along?" Leansei let out an unbelievable, mocking chuckle, sharply tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling to forcibly halt the watering of his lipid glands. He couldn't comprehend why a profound sense of devastation was suddenly crushing his entire chest.
"Look, please, I can explain everything—" Xerchin started, taking a desperate step forward.
Leansei cut him off for a second time, his voice raising a dangerous pitch. "You were honestly never going to tell me a single word about her, were you?!"
"No—that's not true! I was fully intending to tell you myself—"
"When?!" Leansei demanded, a bitter tear finally slipping down his cheek. "When I eventually figured it all out on my own? When the brutal truth lay bare beneath me? When I was forced to witness the reality with my own two eyes?!" Xerchin shook his head frantically in the quiet hall, extending his hand again to break the distance, but Leansei immediately scrambled backward. He glared at the athlete, his forehead knotting into a hard, defensive scowl.
Xerchin closed his eyes, a sharp breath escaping his lips as he tried to reign in his roaring emotions. "Look... just let me construe the situation—" Leansei let out a dry, hollow laugh, turning his head away to stare out at the expansive glass wall. Outside, the last remnants of the burning orange sunset were plunging below the city skyline, casting the world into darkness.
Leansei stared blankly at the fading light, trying his absolute best to compress the raw, physical affliction tearing his heart apart. It was pure torture; the agonizing pain was made ten times worse as a specific, beautiful memory suddenly forced its way into his mind.
________
They walked in comfortable silence, leaving the restaurant behind and entering a nearby public park. The area was exceptionally wide and large, beautifully designed with winding pathways, wooden benches, a vibrant garden, a playground, and outdoor exercise equipment. A massive, serene lake bordered the edge of the property.
Since evening was fast approaching, the sunset bleeding across the horizon was simply too gorgeous to ignore. The fresh, cold evening breeze gently brushed against their skin, swirling rustic autumn leaves across the pavement. The soothing sound of dancing tree branches and the quiet chirps of birds settling into the leaves made the entire atmosphere feel incredibly enchanting.
They immediately snapped their faces away from each other, a thick wave of agonizing awkwardness instantly flooding the space between them.
The only sounds remaining in the vast park were the crisp rustle of falling rustic leaves and the gentle swaying of the trees in the wind. Desperate to break the suffocating tension, Leansei quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket and raised the camera, focusing on the breathtaking view of the horizon instead.
"What exactly are you doing?" Xerchin inquired quietly.
"The view is just too beautiful," Leansei replied, his voice slightly tight as he continuously tapped the screen to snap photos. "I couldn't help but capture it."
Xerchin stared at him in silence for a few seconds. Then, surprisingly, he pulled his own phone from his pocket, raised it, and snapped two quick photos of his own.
Leansei glanced over just as Xerchin hurriedly lowered his hand. "Wait, you're taking photos too?" An amused chuckle cracked through Leansei's throat. He had never imagined the cold heir doing something so ordinary; he always assumed Xerchin only knew how to be serious and deeply mysterious.
_________
' This feels like an absolute piece of deja vu, ' Leansei thought bitterly, the memory fading away to reveal the dark hallway of the high-society gala. ' We watched the sunset together for the very first time on that glorious day... and who knows if this is the final time I will ever be permitted to look at it beside him. '
"This feels exactly like deja vu, doesn't it?" Leansei asked aloud, his eyes fixed on the dark glass. Xerchin glanced toward the window, instantly recognizing what he was referring to, before locking his light blue eyes back onto Leansei's profile, mirroring the exact posture from that afternoon in the park.
"I recalled," Xerchin whispered softly, his hand moving toward his front pocket where his phone rested. "Look, I am actively planning to—"
"And tonight... this may officially be the last time we ever stand together," Leansei interrupted, his voice dropping into a flat, devastatingly gloomy register. Xerchin flinched violently, his features fracturing as he stood entirely unable to utter a single syllable, his brain desperately trying to process the finality of the statement.
"Let's just go back to being complete strangers again," Leansei commanded quietly, his gray eyes dead. "Let's just pretend that whatever existed between you and me never actually happened."
He turned on his heel to walk past him, but Xerchin reacted on pure instinct, throwing his large frame directly into Leansei's path with a serious, dominant look that brooked zero argument.
"What exactly did you just say?" Xerchin hissed, his chest rising and falling violently. "Can't you at least let me construe the truth first?!"
Driven by pure, explosive frustration, Leansei clenched his hand into a tight fist, reaching up to aggressively grab the front of Xerchin's crisp formal collar. He yanked the fabric down, forcing the taller boy to look him dead in the eye.
"I told you... I don't ever want to see your face again. So do exactly as I say," Leansei threatened, his voice trembling violently with unshed tears. "Everything is perfectly pellucid to me now. Get completely out of my way right this second, or I will personally punch you square in the face."
Xerchin stared down at him, a profound, overwhelming wave of sadness darkling his eyes. He slowly reached up, his large, warm hand gently wrapping around Leansei's shaking fingers on his collar. He took one long, ragged breath. "Just listen to my words for a single minute, and after that, I promise I will let you make the final decision. I won't block your path anymore, and I won't ever try to stop you from walking away from me again."
Leansei stared at the desperation in his face before slowly releasing his grip on the fabric, taking a step back as he desperately tried to stabilize his breathing. "There is absolutely no need for an explanation further," he whispered coldly. "We were never even ordinary friends to begin with."
He turned to finally march away, but Xerchin's fingers snapped out, gently yet firmly locking around his wrist to halt his retreat one last time. "I can explain everything—"Both boys stopped dead in their tracks, their heads snapping toward the heavy wooden door at the end of the corridor as it let out a sharp, echoing creak.
Standing right behind the threshold, her hands frozen on the frame as she stepped out into the hallway, it was Seleigh. She came to a complete halt, her eyes widening in pure shock as she took in the raw, incredibly tense, and intimate standoff playing out between the two.
Leansei's breath caught in his throat as he realized Seleigh was staring directly at them—or rather, staring directly at the way Xerchin's hand was tightly clamped around his wrist. A suffocating wave of intense embarrassment and deep, unyielding guilt crashed straight over his chest. Yanking his arm back with an aggressive surge of strength, he forcefully shoved Xerchin's hand away and turned a perfectly calm, detached mask toward the girl.
"We were just having a brief conversation," Leansei announced, his voice smooth, professional, and entirely hollow. "I better head back inside the room now."
Without casting a single backward glance at Xerchin's fractured expression, Leansei brushed past Seleigh and stepped back across the threshold into the main gala hall. The moment the doors shut behind him, the tumultuous roar of high-society voices flooded his senses. Leansei took several short, desperate gasps of air, his chest heaving as he tried to anchor his racing pulse amidst the noise.
Across the room near the grand buffet table, Corshe was busy piling miniature macarons onto a silver tray when he spotted Leansei navigating the crowd. Noticing the boy's rigid movements, Corshe immediately abandoned the desserts and hurried over, a small plate balanced in his hand.
"What on earth took you so long out there?" Corshe asked, falling into step beside him. He cut his own sentence short the exact microsecond he caught a clear view of Leansei's profile. The boy's face was a dangerous combination of pure, pissed-off rage and absolute, devastating heartbreak.
"Something unexpected came up," Leansei muttered through gritted teeth, not slowing his pace as he marched toward the main tables. "Just try your best to cover for me if anyone asks."
Corshe nodded anxiously as they approached the Ferech family station, where Mrs. Ferech was currently locked in a joyous, elegant conversation with Mrs. Colazs, Mrs. Rinea, and Mrs. Corshe, their extravagant designer gowns glittering brilliantly under the massive chandeliers.
Mrs. Ferech glanced back at her son, excusing herself from the conversation as she approached him with a worried yet incredibly happy smile on her face. To the three madames watching from the side, they looked like the portrait of a flawless, perfect family—at least, that was the grand illusion they chose to believe.
"What's the matter, son?" Mrs. Ferech asked softly, her hand gently hovering near his arm.
Corshe glanced anxiously between Leansei and his aunt, dropping his shoulders. "Are you not enjoying the gala?"
"I'm... I'm kinda not feeling well, can I—" Leansei started, his voice dropping.
"What?!" Mrs. Ferech gasped, her maternal panic flaring instantly. "Should we just pack up and—"
"No, I feel perfectly fine, M-m-mom," Leansei interrupted quickly, forcing the word past his lips. He utterly couldn't look her directly in the eyes; he still wasn't fully and comfortably settled with the factual reality that this protective woman was the mother of the body he had transmigrated into.
Leansei subtly glanced toward the grand double doors just as Xerchin and Seleigh stepped back inside the room. The sudden reminder of the hallway confrontation made his chest tighten. Sensing the dangerous shift in the atmosphere, Corshe immediately stepped flush to his side to shield him.
"Aunty, I think Gawin-Kean just really needs a quiet pace right now," Corshe intervened smoothly, offering his mother's sister an easy excuse.
Mrs. Ferech looked at Leansei's pale face, then at Corshe, and slowly nodded her head in absolute understanding of the situation. Mrs. Corshe stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on Mrs. Ferech's shoulder.
"Let them slip away, sis. Besides, it is officially time for the private meeting among the parents anyway," Mrs. Corshe said with a kind, elegant smile, her eyes darting between her son and Leansei.
"I completely agree. They should head up to the rooftop garden first, and we will follow right behind them shortly," Mrs. Rinea added, slowly swaying her fancy, branded vintage fan to cool herself.
Mrs. Ferech glanced behind her toward her husband, who was actively tracking their movement alongside a thoroughly displeased Felean. Sensing a disturbance, the two men excused themselves from their business circle and walked directly over.
Mr. Ferech came forward with a perfectly manufactured, loving expression, wrapping his arms smoothly around his wife's waist and pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "What's wrong, hon?"
"Our son desperately needs a quiet time, hon. Remember, he literally just got discharged out of the hospital," Mrs. Ferech pleaded, looking worriedly into her husband's face. Leansei instinctively put his head down, acutely feeling the sharp, physical dagger look radiating from both Mr. Ferech and his lovely, incredibly annoying brother.
"Well, I think he looks perfectly fine now, but if that's truly what you want, let's just go along with it," Mr. Ferech stated smoothly, flashing a flawless, compliant smile at his wife.
"What an absolutely lovely family," Mrs. Rinea cooed, as Mrs. Corshe nodded in warm response.
"Felean, go upstairs with your brother. If absolutely anything happens, you call us immediately, okay?" Mrs. Ferech instructed.
Felean's jaw clenched, leaving him with zero choice but to stiffly nod his head in response. "Understood, Mom."
"I can easily go up there alone, there is absolutely no need to bother them," Leansei muttered, desperately trying to reject the arrangement.
Mrs. Corshe shook her head, reaching over to hold Leansei's shoulder with a chuckle. "It's perfectly fine, dear. I know my own son is also thoroughly bored to death with all these mature adults crowded around him."
"And since it is time for our executive closed-door session, you children should go straight up to the rooftop," Mrs. Rinea added with a kind, dismissive look.
The circle suddenly froze as an exceptionally heavy, intimidating voice approached their position. Leansei's breath caught, and he tightly clenched his fists within his pockets the exact microsecond he heard that familiar, booming authority. He stepped back into the shadows as Mr. Xin Vcheroi and the core board members came forward.
"What exactly is going on over here?" Mr. Xin demanded, his presence instantly suffocating the small space.
"We were just discussing that we should let our sons and daughters head up to the rooftop garden before us, Xin," Mr. Ferech explained with deep, exaggerated respect.
Mr. Xin nodded his head slowly as Xerchin, Beidhen, Seleigh, and Revinah converged on the group. His sharp, light blue eyes flashed down, landing directly on Leansei, who remained entirely still, staring blankly at the floorboards.
"Indeed, all our sons and daughters should dismiss themselves to the rooftop," Mr. Xin commanded flatly, and Leansei felt a physical dagger look slice through his defenses from the patriarch. "Xerchin, guide them upstairs with your brother."
Leansei and Corshe immediately turned on their heels, walking quickly toward the VIP elevator bank. Corshe regarded Leansei with intense, deep-seated concern. "You know, we can totally ditch this entire event right now. I mean, if you're truly not comfortable standing up there, I will personally cover for you," Corshe whispered frantically.
Leansei slowly shook his head, letting out a long, trembling breath through his teeth. "If I run away now, I'll only bring massive public humiliation to my family's image. Let's just go along with it and get it over with."
Leansei flinched violently as a sudden, heavy arm casually slung itself around his neck, dragging his shoulder down. He glanced sideways, his eyes narrowing as he locked onto Beidhen's annoying, wicked smirk.
"What do you think you're doing? Let go," Leansei grumbled, his forehead knotting. Beidhen's smirk widened even more, looking down at the smaller boy with absolute mischief.
"What, you didn't miss me at all today? Aren't you and I technically... more than ordinary friends?" Beidhen teased, his tone dripping with provocative amusement. Leansei let out a sharp grouse, frowning deeply as he aggressively tried to shove the heavy, athletic arm away from his neck, but Beidhen's grip remained locked. Beside them, Corshe's jaw dropped, a look of pure, unadulterated surprise breaking across his features.
"M-more than friends?!" he asked, his voice raising a shocked pitch. Beidhen checked his movements, halting his stride to look down at the curly-haired boy.
"New friend?" Beidhen asked, a smirk playing on his lips.
"That is none of your business—-"
"We're here," a freezing, ice-cold voice cut through the bickering. Xerchin stepped past them, his unbothered poker face entirely rigid as he firmly pressed the gold elevator call button. Taking advantage of the distraction, Leansei forcefully shoved Beidhen's arm away once and for all, smoothing down the wrinkled lapels of his navy blue blazer just as the heavy metallic doors slid open with a soft hiss.
The exact microsecond Leansei looked inside the elevator cabin, his face instantly lit up. Standing in the hall, clad in their upper-middle-class formal wear, were Xeilin and Revin.
At the sight of the newcomers, Beidhen's wicked smirk faded away in a fraction of a second, his posture going completely quiet and rigid. Xerchin subtly glanced at his younger brother's sudden behavioral shift, a rare, mocking smirk cutting across his own lips as the upper-middle-class heirs walked into the elevator.
"Hey!" Xeilin greeted enthusiastically, stepping forward to welcome Corshe and Leansei.
Revin looked directly at Leansei, a bright, genuine smile painting his face. But the warmth vanished from his eyes the exact microsecond his gaze shifted to Beidhen, who was currently leaning heavily against the steel handrail with a stoic Revinah standing flush beside him.
Xeilin's smile also withered in an instant, his throat locking up as he noticed Seleigh staring directly at him from the corner of the elevator. He sharply averted his gaze, focusing his entire attention on the floor indicators above the door. The heavy doors slid shut, and the absolute, suffocating silence that followed turned the atmosphere inside the elevator completely quiet and awkward.
.
The indicator chimed as the elevator opened onto the restricted 82nd floor. The group silently exited the cabin, navigating a short flight of concrete back stairs until they finally reached the expansive rooftop garden.
The moment they stepped out into the open air, a collective gasp escaped their lips. The brilliant night sky stretched endlessly above them, and a fresh, exceptionally cold breeze whirled across the roof, brushing sharply against their skin.
Leansei's gray eyes sparkled brilliantly under the moonlight. He immediately walked toward the ornate perimeter railings, leaning over to look down at the massive city skyline below. From this terrifying height, the soaring skyscrapers and flashing streetlights looked like a collection of beautiful, miniature furniture. A genuine smile broke across his face.
"Wow... it is just so incredibly beautiful up here," Corshe whispered, a bright smile lighting up his lips as he joined him at the railing.
"I completely agree. The view is entirely indescribable," Xeilin added, stepping up to lean against the metal bar beside them.
Revin glanced sideways at Leansei's profile, his expression softening into a gentle smile. "I honestly never knew you liked these kinds of dramatic views, Kean." Hearing the name, Leansei's smile faltered. He scoffed quietly, letting out a big, heavy sigh as the memory of his brutal words to Xerchin came rushing back to haunt him.
"Is there something wrong?" Revin asked immediately, his tone laced with deep concern. Hearing the question, Xeilin and Corshe sharply turned their heads to look at him as well.
"You've looked uniquely gloomy all day today, Kean," Xeilin noted softly, checking his posture.
"Honestly, he has been trapped in that exact mood since last week," Corshe supplied, shaking his head in a sigh. Leansei didn't bother to respond to his friends. He kept his mouth tightly sealed, training his eyes up on the dark night sky to avoid their probing looks.
"Kean." Corshe, Xeilin, and Revin turned their heads behind their backs and glared at Tyvan, who was bothering Leansei again multiple times.
Leansei's entire body went dead rigid at the sound. It was the one voice he never wanted to hear again for the rest of his life—yet in this high-society trap, it was completely unavoidable.
Corshe, Xeilin, and Revin whirled around on their heels, their faces dropping into synchronized, defensive glares as they locked onto Tyvan. The boy was marching across the rooftop garden, deliberately coming to bother Leansei for the third time today.
"Can't you just give him some actual personal space for a little while?" Corshe barked, his face twisting into an annoyed, aggressive scowl. Xeilin shook his head in disapproval, subtly shifting his position to shield Leansei, while Revin stepped forward, his eyes narrowing into a dangerous glare directed straight at Tyvan's chest.
"I absolutely have to talk to you right now, Kean," Tyvan insisted fiercely, completely disregarding the hostile circle of friends surrounding his target. Leansei let out one more long, ragged breath through his nose. He slowly turned his head away from the city skyline, forcing a cold, detached expression onto his features as he faced the boy.
"You and I don't have a single thing left to talk about," Leansei stated flatly. "But Kean, please, just listen to me—" Tyvan pleaded, taking a desperate step forward.
The argument came to a grinding, absolute halt as a familiar, heavy voice suddenly approached their position from the shadows of the walkway.