There was only the faint hum of machines in the room—the soft clicking of keyboard keys, the occasional rustle of paper.Everything was perfect on the surface—but beneath that silence, something heavy lingered.
Min Jae approached with a stack of files in his hand. The two had just wrapped up a routine meeting—discussing hotel security concerns.
"We've taken control of the situation," Min Jae said calmly, adjusting his cuff.
"But still… I want you to keep an eye on things," Joon Hyunk replied, his tone quiet yet firm. "I don't want anything like that happening again."
Min Jae gave a faint smile—half joking, half exhausted."Alright, Chief. Any other orders?"
Joon Hyunk didn't react the usual way—no change in expression, no smile. Just that same unreadable face.As always—cold, serious, and almost unreachable.
In the entire world, only two people were even slightly close to Joon Hyunk: Kian and Min Jae. Everyone else remained outside his personal boundary.
But this time, Joon Hyunk's response to Min Jae's casual tone came a little differently.He suddenly turned to him, a strange, knowing smile forming on his face.
"How's your brother doing these days?"
His words were simple—but Min Jae instantly understood the intention behind them.He knew exactly what Joon Hyunk meant.
The beast had come for him now too.
And just like that, a memory flickered in Min Jae's mind—his brother's quiet, broken face the day Yeo Jun had rejected him, the day their friendship ended without a word.
He remembered how his brother had come to him, tears in his eyes, falling apart.
"He left me, hyung… He really left me."
He was trying to explain through shattered pieces of a dream he couldn't hold onto anymore.
His brother had sat right there in front of him—eyes full of confusion, his whole expression heavy with exhaustion.His words came out haltingly, but the emotion behind them was impossible to miss.
"Hyung… I want him back," he had said in a soft, cracked voice. "I can't live without him."
Min Jae had stayed silent. He had nothing to say.He just listened—every word making him feel more helpless than the last.He didn't know what to say or what to do.
"Stop it…" he had said quietly, barely audible. "Look at what you've done to yourself."
His brother had looked up at him—but all Min Jae saw in those eyes was guilt and restlessness.He stared at that face, and for a moment, closed his eyes and took a long breath.
"Min Jae…"
Joon Hyunk's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He still spoke in that same calm tone—always composed, always steady.
"He'll be fine," Min Jae replied directly.
"And honestly, that's for the best," Joon Hyunk added, glancing toward the table as he closed the file in front of him. "I don't want him to distract you."
Then, almost casually, he said,"For this next project, I need your full focus—no room for distractions."
There was a pause.
"Because the path to reach those people… only you can find it, Min Jae."
Min Jae looked up. "What people?"
"Dark web," Joon Hyunk replied without missing a beat. "Torture house."
Min Jae didn't flinch. He was one of the best hackers in the game—sharp, efficient, and deeply familiar with the digital shadows most people didn't even know existed. If anyone could find them, it was him.
"Alright," he said. "I'll start tonight."
"Good." Joon Hyunk gave a small nod. "joon hyunk said —head home. It's getting late."
Min Jae stood, gathering his things. He gave Joon Hyunk a brief nod before turning to leave.
Just as he exited, there was a soft knock at the office door.
Joon Hyunk didn't need to check—at this hour, he already knew who it would be.
He opened the door himself. Standing there was a woman, probably around forty. Calm, composed, and respectful.
"Sir, we've finished our work. We're leaving now."
"Alright. Call me as soon as you reach home."
"Yes, sir. Good night."
She had been working for Joon Hyunk for years—faithful, discreet.In fact, Sun-Hee had been the very first woman Joon Hyunk had ever saved—when joon hyunk was only fifteen.
But what still haunted him to this day… was that his rescue had come too late for the others. Because of how young and inexperienced he had been back then—he couldn't save the rest.
Once Sun-Hee left, silence fell over the massive house.Not the peaceful kind—just cold, echoing quiet.
Joon Hyunk finished the last of his work and headed toward one of the nearby rooms to rest.He had only a few hours before he'd be back up again
Dark, hollow eyes.Burning hands.
He could feel it again—something brushing against his senses, closing in, clawing at him. His skin burned, and the phantom hands dug into his face, slashing through it with blades.
He jolted upright, gasping.
His breath was ragged, chest heaving, sweat dripping from his forehead.But the room around him was still and quiet.
He was alone.
He sat there for a while, trying to steady himself—but the fear clung to him. It didn't fade.
Eventually, when he gathered himself just enough, he remembered—he was supposed to be in Italy.And now... he was in an unfamiliar room.
The atmosphere felt strange—dim lighting, a tension in the air he couldn't explain.It felt like even the walls were holding their breath.
On one side of the room, some plants were hanging down the wall—probably near a small window. But even from there, the light that filtered in felt dim and incomplete.
Yeo Jun jolted off the bed and ran straight toward the door.
Locked.
He stood there, breath heavy and unsteady. Every inhale felt forced, like something was pushing against his chest—or worse, like he had somehow returned to that place he had once barely escaped.
Then suddenly, his eyes fell on the curtain hanging near the window.
He dashed toward it.
In one swift motion, Yeo Jun yanked the curtain aside.
And what he saw on the other side made his heart slam violently against his chest.It was beating faster… and faster… until he could barely think.Sweat broke out across his body, and his breathing turned ragged, as if he had been running for miles.His mind screamed at him—whatever it is, just run. Get out. Now.
"How do you like the room?"
The voice made him freeze.
He spun around instantly.
He hadn't even realized when Joon Hyunk had entered the room.
Yeo Jun instinctively turned back to glance out the window again—down at the garden below, and the small gazebo nestled at the edge.He had been there just two weeks ago.At that party.
And now… he turned to face the man standing behind him.
Why was he here?Just the sight of him sent a chill down Yeo Jun's spine, the kind that made your blood feel like ice.
Joon Hyunk, calm as ever, walked over and set the dish in his hand down on the side table.
Then, like he owned the space, he took a seat on the nearby chair, crossing one leg over the other in his usual poised, intimidating manner.
He watched as Yeo Jun nervously licked his dry lips.Joon Hyunk noticed it immediately—he remembered it, in fact.That night they first met.The night he had touched Yeo Jun's lips while he slept.
Now, without hiding it, Joon Hyunk's eyes traveled from Yeo Jun's lips down the length of his body—measuring him, assessing him, remembering things.
Then he saw it.
Yeo Jun was digging his nails into his palm again.
And Joon Hyunk hated that.
He hated when Yeo Jun hurt himself like that.
Minutes passed.
Neither of them spoke.
Joon Hyunk sat there, silent, observing—calm and controlled.
While Yeo Jun stood by the window, still struggling to catch his breath.
He wasn't saying anything to him.
He didn't need to.
He just sat across the room, letting those deep brown eyes do the work—calm, sharp, unblinking—like a silent predator, watching him squirm.
silently intimidating him with those deep brown eyes.