Chapter 27
Yeonho didn't expect Woo Gyeongjae himself to show up, standing right outside his door.
"Can we talk?" Gyeongjae asked, his tone calm and even.
"No. I'm busy today, and every day after that."
Yeonho glanced to his right. The delivery guy stood a short distance away, stiff and awkward, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
He looked at the large boxes stacked on the floor, then pointed toward them.
"Get all of that inside."
"Y-yes, ma'am— I-I mean, Sir… I'm sorry."
The guy was clearly nervous, and had obviously mistaken Yeonho's soft features and long hair for a woman. Still, he got straight to work, carrying the heavy boxes inside one by one.
"And you?" Yeonho turned his gaze back to Gyeongjae. "Why are you still here? Don't you have something better to do?"
"Let's talk." Gyeongjae stepped forward.
"Nope. Stay right there, big guy. I told you I'm busy today. Why don't you go bother Hana instead?"
It was a good sign that Gyeongjae had come looking for him, but this really wasn't the right time. He needed to get everything ready for his live stream.
Yeonho turned to shut the door, but Gyeongjae stopped him — his fingers wrapped firmly around Yeonho's wrist, pulling him to face him again.
"It's serious. Let me speak, and I'll leave right after."
The shift in his manner felt unusual. He was far more serious and calm than usual.
Even though Yeonho wanted to start setting up his things, he let out a soft sigh and gave in.
"Fine. Come in then." He stepped aside to let Gyeongjae pass.
He left the door half-open, since the delivery guy was still moving boxes into the house.
They walked together to the living room.
"So. What's this about?" Yeonho sank onto the sofa, and Gyeongjae sat down right next to him.
"How's your back?" Gyeongjae asked, his voice laced with concern.
"Great. I've felt terrible these past few days, actually. Why? Do you want to sleep with me again already?"
Yeonho teased playfully as he reached up to tie his hair back loosely.
"I told you — what happened between us was just a mistake. Don't put meaning into it."
There it was again — the denial. Yeonho just rolled his eyes.
"Sure. Say whatever you want. But we both know you loved every second of it. You got to sleep with me — that's a privilege. You should be proud, even grateful."
He spoke with absolute confidence, certain of every word.
"You're so full of yourself. Do you really think every man alive would want to sleep with you?" Gyeongjae shook his head, in disbelief.
Yeonho narrowed his eyes, challenging him straight back.
"Of course they would. Men would line up just to watch me fall apart beneath them. Wanna test it? See if I'm right?"
He smirked, a spark of mischief in his eyes.
Gyeongjae studied him closely, and the sight only stirred his irritation further. That look. It was inviting, teasing, daring him and impossible to ignore.
"Sure. Go ahead." Gyeongjae forced a tight smile and crossed his arms, waiting to see what he would do.
Yeonho let out a low, soft giggle, then turned his head toward the delivery guy still arranging boxes by the wall.
"Hey. You wanna sleep with me? I'm extremely good in bed, you know." He rested his chin on one hand, putting on a playful, innocent act.
The guy's eyes went wide, blinking rapidly in confusion.
"W-Who…?" He stammered, glancing around nervously. There was no one else nearby — he was the only other person in the room.
"A-Are you… talking to me?"
Yeonho chuckled, smiling sweetly right at him. Gyeongjae watched the whole scene intently as Yeonho shamelessly teased the poor worker right in front of him.
"So? Do you want to sleep with me or not? I'm giving you a once-in-a-lifetime chance here, Mr. Delivery Guy."
"I-I… yes. I want to." The delivery guy nodded so fast it looked comical, like an eager child agreeing to anything.
Yeonho turned back to Gyeongjae immediately, flipping his long hair back over his shoulder in a sharp, sassy motion, glowing with victory.
"See? Told you. Men crave beauty like mine."
Gyeongjae just rubbed his temples, exhaling sharply.
"Hey — do you even know who you're talking to? This is Choi Yeonho. The trash son of the Choi family. You still want to sleep with him now you know that?"
He asked loud enough for the guy to hear, but the delivery man nodded again without breaking his stride.
"I know h-him… Doesn't change anything. So... Yeah, I still want to sleep with him."
Then he kept working, moving and stacking boxes as if the conversation meant nothing at all.
Yeonho suddenly burst out laughing. His cheeks flushed bright red as he leaned back, shifting dramatically across the sofa and gripping the edge of the cushion to steady himself.
"This is so funny! Did you seriously think that just because I'm called the trash son of the Choi family, no one would want me? My very existence is perfect enough to draw anything, Ants, butterflies, men, women… everyone, Gyeongjae. Hahaha!"
It was true. Wherever he went, eyes always turned toward him. That was a fact no one could deny. Gyeongjae sat back, looking thoroughly defeated.
"Alright, enough. I get your point. Now can we talk about something serious?"
"Sure..." Yeonho finally calmed down, smoothing his hair back and settling into a composed state again.
"You said you want to take everything away from Hana. Why?"
Yeonho froze mid-action. A few loose strands of hair fell forward, brushing softly against his cheek.
"And why should I tell?" He raised an eyebrow, fingers moving up to gathered his loose hair, tucking it behind his ear.
"Because I want to know. Do you want everything from Hana because you can't have it for yourself?"
"If you want to think that way, go ahead."
Yeonho's expression didn't shift at all. Let him believe whatever he wanted — he couldn't care less.
But Gyeongjae's face changed slowly. The defensive edge he always carried whenever Hana was mentioned faded away, replaced by something far quieter, far calmer.
"Did you sleep with me because you wanted revenge? Because you were jealous of her?"
He leaned forward, gaze locking straight onto Yeonho's, intense and unbreaking.
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Why are you interrogating me like this? What's your problem anyway?"
'He's acting weird.'
The shift was sudden and so out of character, Yeonho couldn't help but feel uneasy. Gyeongjae had never asked questions like this before.
"You're asking questions out of nowhere. What's your issue?"
"Answer me first. Are you planning to come after Hana just because your own life fell apart? You spent almost a year in Russia, working as a prostitute, and suddenly you're back here in Korea like nothing happened."
Yeonho's jaw tightened. He didn't like the tone of that, or where this conversation was heading at all.
Curious, he stayed quiet, letting Gyeongjae keep talking.
"You see, everything was fine. I was fine — until that night, when Hana and I went out for dinner."
Gyeongjae leaned back against the sofa, putting distance between them, his voice flat and cold.
"Hana has built a perfect life since you left. Everyone praises her, her skills, her personality… but you? You left nothing behind but failure, and disgrace to your family."
It was a direct insult. The sudden change in his whole vibe made Yeonho scoff, his good mood vanishing instantly.
"I'm going to stop you right there. About that night? Like you said yourself, it was nothing.
I helped you only because you were drugged. It had absolutely nothing to do with whatever nonsense you're spouting about revenge, or getting back at her, or any of that. And honestly? I don't even care if Hana drugged you that day, i feel bad for you."
Yeonho leaned forward as he spoke, ready to shut every word coming his way right down.
"And about 'stealing everything from Hana'? I was just messing with you when I said it. Your reaction was way too funny. But since you're so determined to paint me as the villain? Fine. I might as well actually do it. After all, I'm just the trash everyone says I am, right?"
Gyeongjae didn't let up. He pressed on, relentless.
"I still don't get it. Why did you bother saving me? Why help me get the drugs out of my system? You could have just called the staff, or left me alone there with Hana. So why? Just tell me — why?"
'Because I wanted to get in between you two, that's why.'
Of course he wouldn't say that out loud. If he did, Gyeongjae might just snap and grab him by the throat again, just like before.
Yeonho went quiet for a moment as
Gyeongjae's expression softened then, started shifting again.
Yeonho's unease grew.
'What is with him today? Why does he keep changing moods like this? '
All these questions, all this attention — it felt wrong, off balance.
"Tell me why? It's a simple question. Answer me."
"Because you're hot, that's why." Yeonho shrugged his shoulders, completely shameless, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"You… I'm trying to understand you, out of nothing but pity, Choi Yeonho." Gyeongjae ground his teeth together, clearly fighting to keep his temper.
"I don't need your pity. Actually — I don't need anyone's pity, or sympathy, or anything else from anyone."
Yeonho rested his arms along the back of the sofa, head tilted high, radiating pure arrogance.
Gyeongjae reached into his pocket then, pulled out a thick envelope, and tossed it straight to him. Yeonho caught it easily, one hand closing around the paper.
"What's this? Money?" He turned it over, curious.
"There are pictures inside. Of you and Hana, when you were still kids. It's an accident, on your birthday."
Yeonho froze. He sat up straight, fingers tearing the envelope open fast before he even thought about it.
As he pulled the stack of photos out, his pulse began to race, thudding hard in his ears.
The air in the room suddenly felt heavy, suffocating as emotion surged up fast and inside him.
"I got them when I ran a background check on you." Gyeongjae lied. He couldn't say they came from Han Jiseok.
"This is me…" Yeonho stared down at the photos, one by one.
He saw Hana stepping behind him, pushing him hard over the edge of the stairs. Then another frame of him lying on the floor, blood trickling down his forehead. Then Hana standing over him, tears running down her face, looking like the one who was hurt.
'This can't be...'
Yeonho was losing focus but Gyeongjae called out, getting back at his senses.
"Do you recognise this? Is it real? Do you remember it happening?" Gyeongjae's voice dropped, serious and cold, his face completely unreadable.
Nerves swirled tight in Yeonho's chest. His skin tingled, every hair standing on end, a cold, uncomfortable feeling spreads through his whole body.
'Where the hell did he get these? Shit.'
This wasn't in the novel. There was never any mention of Hana pushing him down the stairs when they were small.
From what he remembered, Hana had still been close to Yeonho back then.
The original Choi Yeonho, the one from the story, had still been on good terms with her all through their childhood.
So these photos didn't fit anything he knew. And worse — Gyeongjae had them, and was asking if he remembered.
'Of course I don't remember. This never happened in the damn book.'
That was what he wanted to say.
But if he said he didn't know, Gyeongjae would only ask more questions, dig deeper, and he'd get caught lying before he even realised it.
'I need to calm down. Don't let it show. Don't look surprised, or suspicious, Choi Yeonho. Keep it together.'