Chapter 29
Inside the bedroom, Yeonho sat busy at his computer, wearing his disguise.
The steady, fast tapping of keys was the only sound filling the quiet room.
Beside him, Gyeongjae sat comfortably in Yeonho's matching gaming chair, behaving so unusually well that Yeonho almost forgot who he was dealing with.
Not a single mention of Hana passed between them. Not a word about that night they'd slept together, either.
Gyeongjae had asked earlier why Yeonho wore a disguise, and Yeonho had simply explained.
Gyeongjae didn't seem bothered by it at all. Well, he looked skeptical, sure, but he didn't push or question Yeonho any further.
After a while, Yeonho couldn't hold it in anymore.
"You're acting weird…" Yeonho muttered, eyes glued to the screen in front of him as he leaned back slightly in his gaming chair.
Gyeongjae turned slowly in his seat, leaning back casually as he looked over at Yeonho.
"Why? I'm not doing anything."
That was exactly the problem. This quiet, well-behaved version of Gyeongjae felt so wrong, it was suspicious.
He was being way too calm, way too nice. Had that little act Yeonho pulled earlier actually affected him this much?
"That's exactly it. You're doing nothing. Are you finally sick of Hana? Or do you just find me more fun to be around now?"
Yeonho said, never looking away from his screen.
"Can't we just… stop talking about her?"
Yeonho's eyes went wide, still fixed on the monitor. He blinked, completely caught off guard.
"How can you say that? You're dating my sister, for god's sake — hahaha." He finally glanced over at Gyeongjae, smirking.
"Now that I think about it… You seemed way more relaxed around me than before..."
He turned his gaze back to the screen, focusing on what he was doing again.
"I told you already. I'm just trying to understand you."
For a long moment, neither of them moved. The room fell completely silent.
'No way…'
"Let me guess, those pictures... They bothered you, didn't they? Is that why you're suddenly trying so hard to be nice and friendly with me?"
It made perfect sense. And that little vulnerable act Yeonho had put on earlier? It only made everything work even better.
Gyeongjae didn't say a word. But Yeonho knew, without a doubt, that he was right.
The silence between them was loud.
It screamed that this was the only real reason Gyeongjae was sitting here with him right now… or maybe there was more to it, but Yeonho didn't care.
'He's so pathetically easy to manipulate. I just showed him one tiny, different side of me and now he's acting like this.'
Yeonho pushed his chair back slowly, turning it all the way around to face the man in front of him.
He looked straight at Gyeongjae, then reached up, placing both hands on either side of his face, holding him steady.
"I hate to break it to you, but you need to stop looking at me like I'm some fragile glass doll that needs protecting or pity. I don't need anyone feeling sorry for me. I don't need your sympathy." Yeonho declared.
"You…" Gyeongjae opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He held back whatever he wanted to say, his jaw tightening.
'Good. Exactly what I want. I need to drill it into his thick head that I am not weak — not like Hana, not like anyone else. Let him think about that sad, helpless act I showed him earlier. Confuse him. Make him question everything. Manipulation always works best when you give them something to hold onto… then rip it away before they can figure it out. Remind him I'm still the same Choi Yeonho he's always known.'
"I am nothing like that weak, pathetic bitch. Don't you ever forget — I made her entire life a living hell. We've been at each other's throats our whole lives, and sure, I lost that round. But this time? I'm not losing. Not ever again. And honestly… remember what I told you before?"
Yeonho pulled his hands away from Gyeongjae's face.
Then he noticed Gyeongjae's hands clench into fists at his sides, clearly furious just hearing Yeonho insult Hana like that.
'Look at him. Already so pissed off.'
"Remember what?" Gyeongjae leaned forward, waiting, staring at Yeonho.
"I take it all back. I wasn't messing around, I slept with you on purpose." Yeonho leaned in close, right beside Gyeongjae's ear, and whispered low and slow.
"And I bet that picture of us — the one where we're tangled up in bed, looking just like lovers — is still sitting in your phone somewhere. You never deleted it, did you?"
"Fucking hell… You really are still as shameless as ever."
"I know." Yeonho pulled back, grinning wide.
"You little bastard… You're so damn annoying."
"I know." Yeonho nodded, unbothered.
"Ugh… For a second there, I actually felt bad for you." Gyeongjae stared at him hard, looking almost disappointed.
"Don't. I don't need it." Yeonho nodded again, completely unfazed.
Yeonho's blunt, unbothered attitude only seemed to make Gyeongjae even more irritated the longer they sat there.
"So tell me — is that perfect little picture still saved in your phone right now?"
Yeonho yawned, looking bored as he turned back toward his computer.
"No. Why the hell would I keep something like that?"
"So you can to jerk off to it, obviously. Hahaha."
"Watch your fucking mouth, Choi Yeonho."
"I don't give a single fuck, Woo Gyeongjae. You keep calling me by my full name every time you're mad… Does that mean we're close now or something?"
Yeonho asked after mocking him.
Seriously, Gyeongjae was trying his best not to snap.
"Shut the hell up." He ran a hand roughly through his hair, completely fed up with Yeonho's nonsense.
He'd almost forgotten what Yeonho was actually like. Sure, seeing those photos, seeing that side of him… It had made Gyeongjae feel something, made him pity the guy for a moment.
But the pictures, that was in the past. Yeonho was still the exact same person. Rotten to the core, through and through.
"Wanna know something funny?" Yeonho stopped, turning his chair back to look at Gyeongjae again.
"Don't. Just stop talking."
But Yeonho just laughed, ignoring him completely. The situation was pretty funny.
Because honestly? This conversation was going way better than he expected. They're bickering back and forth like normal people
Even Gyeongjae himself thought of it, if only for a split second.
"This is the first time we've ever actually talked like this. We get along pretty good, as long as we don't talk about Hana, don't we? But shouldn't you be mad, though? Shouldn't you be disgusted or hate me right now? We're alone in this room… Who says I won't do something to you?"
'Not that I will. I have zero plans to do anything like that. Not right now, anyway.'
"You wouldn't dare. We both know you're too weak to do anything to me. Fuck… I should've just left the second I got here. Why the hell did I even stay?"
'Perfect. Time to turn this around and mess with his head even more.'
"First off — I am NOT weak. My body handled yours perfectly fine in bed, remember? Second? You stayed because you're confused, Gyeongjae. That's the real reason. All those pictures messed with your head, made you question everything… So you stayed. Just admit it — hahaha." He let out a giggle right after.
Gyeongjae stared right back at him. Yeonho wore that cocky, sure-of-himself look on his face, completely confident in every word he said.
"That's absolute bullshit." Gyeongjae scoffed, looking away.
Gyeongjae's reaction was fine, but Yeonho knew he needed to push harder.
He moved fast, grabbing the front of Gyeongjae's collar and yanking him forward until he had no choice but to look right at him, very closely.
Then Yeonho lowered his voice, his blue eyes stared hard onto Gyeongjae's.
"You're definitely confusing your feelings right now. 'Cause really — why are you even staying here knowing I'm Hana's mortal enemy? Knowing full well your girlfriend's twin brother is right in front of you? Did you forget we slept together behind her back?"
"What are you trying to say here?"
Gyeongjae didn't like what Yeonho implied.
And even though he wanted to argue, he bit his tongue and let Yeonho speak instead.
"Simple. If you're staying just because you feel pity for me, leave right now. If you still like Hana and wanna talk about her? You can leave too. But if you're actually interested in me for none of those reasons… I'll gladly give you all the attention you want."
Slowly, Yeonho, pulled Gyeongjae closer to his face, their nose almost touching then continued.
"I'll let you use my body, sleep with me because I know men like you always come back for more once they get a taste. But there's one thing you need to know. You can never control me."
He let go of his grip, watching quietly as Gyeongjae smoothed his collar back into place.
"I'm not confused. I still like Hana and that's a fact. Don't misunderstand me. I have no plans to sleep with you again, and I would never choose you over her."
"Sure... What you say..." Yeonho just grinned, amused.
Without hesitation, Gyeongjae pushed himself up from his seat. His resolve was finally solid, his mind clear once more.
Yeonho had shown his true attitude and colors just like before — and that was all Gyeongjae needed. Yeonho was still the same person he'd always known, and Gyeongjae was still completely set on Hana.
"Are you leaving already? Didn't you say you wanted to stay and watch me work?"
Yeonho asked, tilting his head as he looked at Gyeongjae standing right by the door.
"You keep running your mouth every two seconds. If I stay any longer, I'm gonna lose my temper."
"Hmm, sounds reasonable enough. Now go on then — shoo, shoo, Mr. Woo."
Once Gyeongjae stepped out of the master bedroom, he felt oddly satisfied with how things had turned out. He wasn't confused anymore. He didn't care if the photos were real or fake, or anything else involving Yeonho.
To him, Hana was still the only one in his heart, and that one small mistake had been forgiven easily, just like that.
The second the door clicked shut and Gyeongjae's figure disappeared completely, Yeonho slumped heavily back against his chair, letting out a long, deep exhale.
"Fuck… This is stressing me out so bad."
He looked calm and unbothered on the surface, but his mind wouldn't rest for even a second.
Every passing moment, those photos kept flashing through his head, pulling his thoughts right back to them.
"This is such a problem…" Yeonho groaned, dragging both hands down his face, visibly drained and stressed.
A heavy, invisible exhaustion weighed on his entire body, all because he'd been pushing himself way too hard to keep everything together.
But he shoved the thought aside for now. He couldn't afford to let himself get distracted right now.
"Haaa… Let's just set this whole issue aside for the time being." He stared blankly up at the ceiling, then slowly straightened up and sat upright properly.
"I need to focus on my next move."
Yeonho rested for only five minutes before starting his live stream that night.
It went smoothly at first, sitting at just a hundred viewers — but he ran a paid promotional ad to push his stream onto more people's feeds, and the numbers skyrocketed straight to five thousand views in no time.
All thanks to his black card; throwing money at things really did make everything work out perfectly.
He spent the whole stream showing off his fashion sense and styling skills, completely unrecognizable behind his disguise.
No one watching had any clue who he really was, and the comment section was full of nonstop praise for his makeup techniques and his sharp, wide eye for fashion and styling.
It was a total success. Viewers absolutely loved the mix of confidence and soft, shy energy he showed on camera.
Though of course, every bit of that sweet, timid demeanor was nothing but an act.
He only ended the stream once the clock hit 10 PM, then fell straight into bed feeling thoroughly satisfied.
Tomorrow would be a big day. The day Hana meets Kang Min-Hyuk and the day he would insert himself right between them, before their perfect little romance could even begin.