The Next Morning,
Ethan sat leaning back in his desk chair, staring at the darkened ceiling of his bedroom.
There's someone else who can tell me about my brother, Ethan thought. A face flashed through his mind. He pulled out his phone and dialed.
The line rang twice before a smooth, professional voice answered.
"Hello?"
"It's me, Ethan."
"Ah, Ethan," Henry replied, sounding surprised. "It must be something important if you're calling this late."
"Mr. Henry, I need to meet Mr. Beast."
A sharp silence followed.
"What? You want to meet Beast?" Henry asked, clearly caught off guard.
"Yes."
Henry let out an exhausted sigh. "Well, he's sitting right in front of me, inhaling food like he's never seen a meal in his life."
Across the booth, Beast slowly raised his eyes from a half-eaten chicken leg, glaring at Henry.
"Can you pass him the phone?" Ethan asked.
"Sure," Henry muttered.
"Hellloooo!" Beast boomed into the receiver.
Ethan winced, pulling the phone away from his ear.
Damn... my ears.
"How can I assist you, big guy?" Beast said.
"You're the big one here," Henry interjected dryly in the background.
"Mr. Beast," Ethan said, steadying his tone. "There's something I need to ask you. In person."
Beast let out a deep, boisterous laugh.
"Hahaha! Why not, kiddo? Meet me at Jugo Hall. And what's with the 'Mister'? Call me Uncle."
"Where's that, Uncle?"
"Henry will send you the location," Beast said, glancing at his companion.
Henry shook his head firmly.
"Are you refusing?" Beast demanded, narrowing his eyes.
Henry gave a flat nod.
Beast smirked. "As you wish." Turning back to the phone, he added, "So, kid, what time are you dropping by?"
"Whenever works for you. Just let me know." Ethan replied.
"Okay. Just text me before you head over."
The line went dead.
Beast set the phone down, his eyes drifting toward the empty crispy chicken tray on the table. He slowly looked up at Henry.
Henry gave him a pleasant, innocent smile.
"Henry, my man," Beast said, his voice dropping an octave. "Did you just eat my last piece of chicken?"
Henry nodded politely.
Beast abruptly stood up.
Henry matched him instantly, snatching the wooden chair he had been sitting on.
Beast grabbed his own chair, and both men lunged forward, raising the heavy furniture to smash it over each other's heads—
Click.
The restaurant door swung open, and the manager stepped into the dining area just in time to see two grown men about to struck each other with dining chairs.
A second later, both Henry and Beast were standing outside.
"I can't believe they kicked us out," Henry grumbled, dusting off his suit jacket.
"Yeah," Beast sighed, shaking his head. "That was one of my favorite spots."
With their arms thrown around each other's shoulders, the two walked down the street as if nothing had happened.
The following evening, Ethan met Beast in a private dining room inside a modest office building.
"Hahaha!" Beast roared, setting down a massive platter of food between them. "Kid, why don't we start eating first?"
As Ethan pulled a plate toward himself, Beast watched him closely with sharp, calculating eyes.
I can see massive potential in this kid, Beast thought. It would be a tragedy to let talent like this go to waste.
Ethan nodded, filled his plate, and took a bite.
Before he could even finish his first serving, Beast piled several more pieces of roasted chicken onto Ethan's plate.
"Thanks, Uncle," Ethan said, pleasantly surprised.
A genuine, rare warmth flickered across Beast's face.
The simple gesture brought back a memory from years ago—Ethan's father placing extra food onto his plate in exactly the same way.
Within minutes, Ethan polished off the entire plate. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, his expression turning serious as he leaned across the table.
"Uncle Beast... I want to ask you about my older brother."
Beast stopped, a piece of meat halfway to his mouth.
"Huh? Where did that come from?"
Recovering instantly, Beast took a bite, chewed slowly, and grinned.
"You know, kid... information like that doesn't come cheap. Pay up, and I'll talk."
Ethan stared at him, speechless.
"Don't look at me like that," Beast scoffed. "You have the same dumbfounded expression your father used to make."
"How much money are we talking about?" Ethan asked cautiously.
"1.2 million dollars."
Ethan slammed both palms onto the table and shot to his feet.
"What?! I'm a student! Where the hell am I supposed to get 1.2 million dollars?!"
Beast smirked, casually leaning back in his chair.
"Not my problem."
"I don't have that kind of money! That's insane!" Ethan argued. "I need a discount."
"Kid, I already gave you an eighty-percent discount."
"WHAT?!"
"Yeah, kid." Beast's tone hardened, the joking air vanishing. "You don't understand the gravity of what you're asking. Other people would pay billions just for a whisper of that information."
Ethan stared at him in utter disbelief.
Beast simply stared back while taking another massive bite of chicken.
They locked eyes in a silent standoff.
Finally, Ethan let out a defeated sigh and slumped back into his chair.
"I really don't have that kind of money."
"Alright, then," Beast said, raising an eyebrow. "How much do you have on you?"
Ethan reached into his pocket, pulled out a few crumpled bills, and placed it on the table.
"Twenty-two dollars."
Beast immediately stood up and buttoned his jacket.
"This meeting is officially over."
"Wait! Hold on!" Ethan shouted, waving both hands.
"Nah. I'm a busy man, kid—"
"Another entire tray of crispy chicken is on its way to the table!" Ethan blurted out.
Beast instantly dropped back into his seat, folded his arms, and nodded.
"So... where were we?"
He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes playfully.
"Look, kid. If you don't have the cash, earn it. Join my company. I'll give you a monthly paycheck, and once you've earned the full amount, the information is yours."
Ethan blinked.
"What the hell? It would be way easier to just ask my mother!"
Beast let out a sharp laugh.
"Your mother? Ha! I doubt she knows anything about him beyond his name."
Ethan froze, his chest tightening.
"What? My mother doesn't know anything about him?"
"I didn't mean it literally," Beast clarified, his voice dropping into a serious, guarded tone. "I mean she only knows a tiny fraction of who he really is—the small piece of his past from when they actually lived under the same roof."
Ethan narrowed his eyes as the weight of Beast's words settled over the room like ice.