Chapter 142: The Game Begins

“No, it’s fine.
But how long are we staying here?
Poppi must be bored at home.”

I asked carefully, beating around the bush.

When are you going to say what you wanted to say?

After finishing our meal, sitting around doing nothing but staring blankly at the night sky was harder than I’d expected.

The mood was more than set.

It felt like it was time to start already.

“Hmm… I don’t know.
Probably not much longer.
I need to organize my thoughts too.”

So he’s steadying himself one last time?

In that case, I’ll wait a little longer.

If he still doesn’t say it in the end, I’ll have no choice but to use another method.

“Alright.
I’m fine, so take your time.”

After I gave him more time, Jaeyul sat down on the window ledge beside me.

The wide glass that should’ve been there was completely gone, letting the cool night breeze wash over us.

It was perfect.

“How do you see me, hyung?”

“Huh?
All of a sudden…?”

“I’m just curious.
I really want to know what you truly think.”

I don’t know why he’s asking this now.

We already know how each other feels.

Ah.

I guess I’ve never really laid my heart bare to Jaeyul.

It makes sense that he’d be curious.

“Well… honestly, it’s complicated.
I’ve raised you since you were really young, so you’re a precious little brother to me.
We’re family who’ve shared both good and bad times together.
And… beyond that kind of relationship, I like you.”

“Have you ever regretted raising me like that?”

“Regret?
Of course not.
You were the only pillar in my life.
If anything, I was the one leaning on you more.”

“…You really think that…?”

I gathered a lot of courage.

I poured out every feeling I had toward Jaeyul.

I didn’t say it directly, but it was practically a confession.

I reached out and took Jaeyul’s hand.

No, this won’t do.

My heart is too impatient to wait for the words I want to hear from his mouth.

I’ll have to step forward myself.

“Of course.
Taking you in was the best decision of my life.
Why would I regret it?”

Yeah.

I don’t know why I was just waiting for a confession.

I could’ve gone first all along.

I already know how Jaeyul feels anyway.

There’s no way I’d be rejected.

“Ah… I see.”

But something about Jaeyul feels unfamiliar.

The way he looks at me.

The way he speaks.

I can’t explain it clearly, but it bothers me.

No.

It must just be the atmosphere.

I steadied myself and brought up what I’d originally planned to say.

“So… about that.
Let’s stop being just family or brothers and become something else.”

Even after making up my mind, the words didn’t come easily.

My heart slammed against my chest like it was about to burst, and my throat went completely dry.

I even forgot exactly what I’d just said.

“Something else?
Like what?”

Ah… this bastard.

He definitely understood what I meant, yet he’s asking anyway.

Honestly, this part is my fault too.

Since it’s a once-in-a-lifetime confession, I should’ve been clearer instead of circling around it.

Still, Jaeyul is being annoyingly sly.

“Well, maybe we could… s-start by dating…?”

What is that reaction?

I worked up all that courage, and he doesn’t react at all.

Not even a change in expression.

That’s strange.

Jaeyul isn’t usually that blank or indifferent.

Come to think of it, ever since the accident, I haven’t seen him smile properly even once.

Once the doubt took root, more oddities surfaced.

His tone when responding to me.

The words he chose.

The emotions he showed.

He’s definitely Jaeyul, but he also feels unfamiliar.

Like… someone I’ve never met before.

“I guess I’m greedier than I thought.
This wasn’t part of the plan.”

Every time Jaeyul opens his mouth now, I feel uncomfortable.

What is this?

Why does it suddenly feel like this?

While I was lost in thought, Jaeyul stood up first and held out his hand.

As I took it and stood up, the discomfort only deepened.

The feel of his hand is undeniably Jaeyul’s too.

“Too bad, time’s up.
But I’ll think positively about your confession.”

My heart dropped.

There’s no way, yet the Jaeyul in front of me feels like a completely different person.

It’s absolutely not because he didn’t accept my confession right away.

That’s not the important part right now.

I need to resolve this discomfort first.

Carefully, I took a few steps back, putting distance between us.

“W-what are you talking about?
I don’t understand a single thing.”

I can’t explain it, but I want to get away from him.

From Jaeyul, who’s looking at me with that strange smile.

“What’s wrong, hyung?
You look scared.
That doesn’t suit the great Jin Sehyun.”

It’s not a mistake.

Once I recognized the difference, the gap between me and Jaeyul only grew wider.

Like he’s a fake wearing Jaeyul’s shell.

A voice and behavior with no warmth at all.

How did I not notice until now?

More than anything else, an alarm blared in my head, telling me I needed to get out of here immediately.

Escaping through the narrow doorway and down the emergency stairs to safety would be nearly impossible.

Until then, whatever that thing is wouldn’t just let me go.

I don’t know its purpose, but it clearly wants to keep me here.

One side of the building was completely open, but jumping off would leave me a broken mess.

The height alone made escape impossible.

How troublesome.

There are two exits, yet neither is usable.

Then should I stall for time and wait for an opening?

“You seem a bit strange today…
You look tired, so we should go home now, right?”

The warmth that had filled my chest was replaced by anxiety.

I’m confused.

I’m scared.

I don’t understand a single thing about what’s happening.

I hid my tension and prepared to sprint toward the exit.

Trying to run is better than standing still and letting something happen to me.

That is, if my legs actually cooperate.

“What’s strange about me?
I’ve always been like this.
You just didn’t know.”

That’s not Jaeyul.

I can say that with certainty.

Our Jaeyul would never make that expression at me.

Before I could even respond, the other suddenly burst into loud laughter.

“Ah, you caught me.”

The something in front of me wore a grotesque expression.

A face brimming with regret, joy, and excitement all at once.

It looked nothing like the Jaeyul I know, yet another face flashed through my mind.

Someone who should never be remembered.

“And it looks like the person I was waiting for arrived right on time too.
Perfect timing!”

I followed the fake Jaeyul’s gaze, and my heart plunged into the abyss.

“Hyung…?”

“Jaeyul.”

Jaeyul was standing there.

The Seon Jaeyul I know.

The one who always looks at me with warm concern in his eyes.

The moment our gazes met, I knew.

The one who just arrived was the real Jaeyul.

But I couldn’t believe this situation.

I alternated my gaze between Jaeyul and the one who brought me here.

How could they be this identical?

They were both wearing black combat suits, making it impossible to tell them apart by appearance alone.

Not just similar.

Exactly the same.

Like doppelgängers.

“Hyung, come here.
Now.”

Jaeyul formed a light bomb with one hand and rushed toward me.

But before I could even take a single step, something went wrong.

“Using your abilities right away.
Just like me.
Still, shouldn’t you rush in after reading the situation first?”

At some point, the fake Seon Jaeyul had slipped behind me and wrapped an arm around my neck.

A bright sphere floated beside my head.

There’s no doubt—it was a light bomb he’d created.

I was caught before I could react.

“Let go of him.
Take your hand off before I kill you.”

“Why are your eyes so sharp?
Don’t tell me you want to blow off Jin Sehyun’s head because you like him?”

Whoosh.

A sound like rushing wind slipped into my ear.

The light bomb must’ve drawn even closer.

Because of that, Jaeyul jumped away, widening the distance instead of charging in.

“Alright, fine.
Let go of him.
I won’t move from here.”

He even dissipated the light bomb he’d been forming.

Only then did the one right beside my face retreat to a safer distance.

“Now then.
Since all the main characters are here, how about we play a fun little question game?
You have no idea how much thought I put into this game just for you two.
Excited?”

There’s no way I could answer yes, even out of politeness.

A game, at a time like this?

Is this guy insane?

“We’ll take turns asking one question and answering it.
If anyone lies, something very sad will happen.
So don’t do that.”

The fake Jaeyul proposed this in the brightest voice I’d heard from him yet.

In the meantime, I sent Jaeyul a look.

I’ll look for a chance and break free from this arm, then run.

But Jaeyul subtly shook his gaze, telling me not to.

Why?

Could it be… Poppi came with him?

If that’s the case, there might be one chance to escape this crisis.

“I’ll go first!”

The strange game began without anyone’s consent.

If lives are on the line, it can’t really be called a game.

I have no idea what kind of question he’ll ask.

Jaeyul looked just as tense as I felt.

“So.
Who do you think I am?”

Right from the start, an extremely difficult question was thrown at us.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

You Need to Start Streaming Now!

Age GapBLBoys Love

Read Now →
Not interested