Rin didn't sleep.
The documents sat open on his laptop like an autopsy-cold, clinical, irreversible. Every signature confirmed a truth he wasn't ready for.
Than didn't just know. He orchestrated.
And still, Rin showed up at work the next morning like his hands weren't shaking.
HanCorp gleamed in the early light, the building polished and silent like nothing could ever be wrong inside it. But Rin knew better. The rot didn't always show. Sometimes it smiled. Sometimes it kissed you like a secret and left bruises where no one could see.
He walked straight past his floor and took the elevator to the top.
To Than.
The secretary tried to stop him. "Mr. Han is-"
"Busy?" Rin said flatly. "He'll make time."
The office door was unlocked.
Than stood at the window, phone to his ear, back to the door.
He didn't turn when Rin entered. "Handle it quietly. I don't want his name in the reports."
Then he ended the call and spoke without facing him.
"You weren't invited."
"I'm not here for an invitation," Rin said.
Than turned slowly.
There were new shadows under his eyes. His tie was off, sleeves rolled to the elbows. Tired, maybe. But still dangerous.
"I know you sent it," Rin said, stepping forward. "The photos. The reports."
"I did."
Rin narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
"Because if I don't choose what to give you," Than said quietly, "you'll take everything anyway."
Rin laughed once -sharp, bitter. "That's rich, coming from you."
Than walked toward him, each step deliberate. "I'm not the villain you want me to be."
"You signed the memos, Than."
"And you think that makes it simple?" Than's voice rose. "I built this place from blood and threat and sacrifice. Not just for me. For him. For you."
"You don't get to justify murder with legacy," Rin snapped. "You don't get to say this was all for love."
"I never said it was for love," Than said. "I said it was the only way to keep something that mattered."
Rin's voice broke. "You think I still matter to you?"
Silence.
Than's jaw flexed. "You mattered the second you walked in here looking like him but angrier. Louder. Like you wanted to destroy me instead of save me."
Rin swallowed hard. "I didn't come here to be saved."
"No," Than murmured. "You came here to bleed me out."
He was close now.
Too close.
And Rin hated that it still did something to him-this gravitational pull of fury and want and history they didn't talk about. He hated how Than always looked at him like they were in the middle of something that never ended.
Than's voice dropped. "So do it, then. Ruin me. Drag me down."
"Don't tempt me."
"I'm not tempting you," Than said. "I'm begging you."
And then he kissed him.
Hard.
Fierce.
Like confession.
Rin didn't pull away.
Didn't slap him. Didn't scream.
He kissed back- just as hard, teeth clashing, fingers curled in Than's shirt. He hated him. Wanted him. Needed to know if any of it was real- or just a punishment they both kept asking for.
They crashed against the edge of the desk.
Papers scattered.
Than gripped his jaw, breathing uneven. "You hate me."
Rin nodded, chest heaving. "I do."
"Then use me."
Rin yanked his tie from his pocket, shoved Than back in the chair, and climbed over him - mouths colliding again. It wasn't sex. Not yet. It was ruin. It was the only language they shared.
But when Than's hand slid under Rin's shirt -just skin, just warmth-something in Rin snapped.
He pulled away like he'd been burned.
Than froze, lips parted.
Rin stumbled back, hair a mess, chest rising and falling like a war had just ended inside him.
"I'm not doing this with you," he rasped.
"You already are."
"No." Rin's eyes burned. "You don't get to hurt me and then fuck me like it'll erase the damage."
Than stood, slower now. Voice quieter. "It won't erase anything."
Rin's voice cracked. "Then why do you want it?"
Than didn't answer right away.
He stepped forward, slowly, like he was approaching a wounded animal.
Then, softly: "Because I want to remember what it felt like before we lost."
Rin turned away.
He left without another word.
Back in his apartment, Rin punched the shower wall hard enough to bruise.
He sat on the floor in soaked clothes, shaking, heart refusing to calm.
It wasn't just the kiss.
It was the fact that he wanted it too.
And he didn't know what that made him anymore.
Two days passed.
Than didn't call.
Didn't text.
Didn't send new documents.
It was like he'd vanished.
Rin didn't go into work. He started organizing files. Printing evidence. Sending pieces to Kieran. Quietly forming the shape of an exposé he hadn't yet committed to releasing.
But the silence burned.
And then a message arrived.
No sender name.
Just a voice memo.
Than's voice. Cold. Calm. Controlled.
> "If you publish anything before we talk again, I'll destroy everything you touch. Not just your name. Your friends. Your family. Kieran. All of it. That's not a threat, Rin. It's a promise."
Rin stared at the message, jaw locked.
Then typed a reply and deleted it.
And another.
Finally, he sent one line.
"Come to me. One last time."
To be continued...