Chapter 117: The Truth That Shouldn’t Exist

Hyunwoo’s heart pounded violently.

He blinked slowly.

No way…
No.
Impossible.

He repeated the denial over and over inside his head.

“Hyung, I’ll… I’ll explain everything.”

“…Stop.”

“Hyung.”

“I said stop talking!”

He didn’t want to hear it.

Whether it was true or not—
Hyunwoo didn’t want to know.

He pushed Seunghyuk away with his hands, desperate to create distance.

But Seunghyuk didn’t step back.

He looked just as desperate.

He continued speaking, voice trembling.

“I… I went back too.
Just like you.
I’m sorry.
I should’ve told you sooner….”

“Ha….”

“I’m sorry.
I’m sorry, hyung….”

Seunghyuk kept whispering apologies,
but Hyunwoo barely heard them.

He didn’t come back alone?
Seunghyuk came back too?
How?

Hyunwoo himself had no idea how he regressed—
how could Seunghyuk possibly know?

Besides, there were strange things he had been trying to ignore.

How Seunghyuk knew foods he couldn’t eat.

How naturally he understood Hyunwoo’s reactions, habits, moods.

He’d concluded it was just sharp observation, good instincts—
nothing more.

But he had felt something was off.

“Why… didn’t you tell me?
Why…?”

“…I was scared.
Before… I ruined everything between us.
I thought you’d hate me.
So… I pretended I wasn’t that Seunghyuk….”

“Ha.
So you really….”

“Hyung!”

Hyunwoo staggered.

Alarmed, Seunghyuk reached out to catch him—
but Hyunwoo slapped his hand away coldly.

“Don’t touch me!”

“…….”

Now Hyunwoo felt nothing but betrayal.

He couldn’t understand him anymore.

Knowing the past—
knowing everything—
how was he supposed to interpret everything Seunghyuk had done to him after regression?

Hyunwoo let out a hollow laugh, his face empty.

“How could you do that?
Huh?
You hated me so much…
and yet you—
you say you like me…?”

“Hyung.”

“You should’ve pretended not to know!
All the way to the end!
And you should’ve let me go!”

“…….”

Hyunwoo had never blamed Seunghyuk for what happened before.

He knew he wasn’t blameless.

He accepted that Seunghyuk hated him—
that he must have had reasons.

After regression, Hyunwoo had tried not to resent the new Seunghyuk—
the one who “didn’t know” the past.

Even when Seunghyuk said he liked him,
Hyunwoo forced himself to believe:
This Seunghyuk doesn’t know what the old me did.
That’s why he can say that.

But now—
he had known all along?

From the beginning?

When Hyunwoo came back,
Seunghyuk came back too?

It felt like pure nightmare.

Hyunwoo’s body trembled uncontrollably.

“I’m sorry, hyung.
I’ll… I’ll tell you everything.”

“…….”

“Please listen.
Just… listen to me, okay?”

Desperation flooded Seunghyuk’s expression.

Hyunwoo stared wordlessly.

Half of him wanted to run away,
to tear himself out of this moment.

The other half—
wanted to know what Seunghyuk was about to say.

In the end, Hyunwoo didn’t walk away.

He stayed still, silent, watching as Seunghyuk slowly opened his mouth.

The first time Seunghyuk met Hyunwoo was a season when winter had ended and flowers had begun to bloom.

On a day when cherry blossoms drifted in the air,
Hyunjin—someone he often hung around with—
introduced Hyunwoo as his older brother.

“Nice to meet you, Hyunwoo hyung.
I’m Lee Seunghyuk.”

“Uh… yeah.”

“……?”

Hyunwoo looked oddly dazed, staring at him.

Seunghyuk tilted his head.

Hyunjin’s brother looked nothing like him.

Of course—
Hyunjin was an omega, while Hyunwoo was an alpha.

Different dynamics meant different faces, different auras.

Seunghyuk didn’t think too hard about it.

He’d seen plenty of siblings born with different traits.

Hyunwoo had black hair, black eyes—
a textbook alpha appearance, handsome and dignified.

But Seunghyuk wasn’t particularly impressed.

Just a friend’s older brother.

That was all.

But the way Hyunwoo kept staring at him—
that made him curious.

Sometimes he encountered people who stared, unable to hide their interest—
but usually they were omegas or betas.

It was rare for another alpha,
especially a male alpha, to look at him like that.

He wondered if Hyunwoo wanted to start a fight—
but Hyunwoo’s pheromones were calm.

No hostility.

If anything… slightly excited,
but not aggressive.

Which only made Seunghyuk more confused about what Hyunwoo was thinking.

“Hyung, I’m gonna do a project with him for a bit.
Sorry you came all the way here for me.”

“Ah… no, it’s fine.
We can meet next time.
Your assignments are more important.”

Hyunwoo smiled softly and ruffled Hyunjin’s hair.

And Hyunjin, surprisingly docile, accepted it as if it were routine.

As an exceptional omega with striking looks,
Hyunjin always got attention—
but behind the appearance, he was sensitive and prickly.

Seunghyuk, who shared a similar temperament,
had noticed that long ago.

Hyunjin reacted sharply to physical contact from others,
but with his brother Hyunwoo—
he was calm.
Submissive even.

It was a side of Hyunjin Seunghyuk had never seen.

And that alone piqued Seunghyuk’s interest.

He didn’t particularly like Hyunjin—
but sometimes, as an alpha, curiosity flickered.

Watching a normally feral stray cat turn into a tame house cat around someone
was hard to ignore.

“…You two seem close.”

Maybe that’s why.

After Hyunwoo left, Seunghyuk found himself commenting without thinking.

Hyunjin smiled shyly.

“Mm, yeah.
Pretty close.”

“…….”

Maybe he couldn’t understand because he grew up an only child.

Seunghyuk just stared at Hyunjin,
watching him make an expression he’d never seen before.

Having a hyung…
is that really that great?
It sounded annoying.

Throughout the group project, Seunghyuk kept puzzling over it.

He had always been alone, independent—
the idea of someone close intruding on his life seemed exhausting.

Alright, see you next time.

“…….”

But the soft smile Hyunwoo had shown Hyunjin
stayed strangely vivid in his mind.

If he had a brother like that…
maybe they could have gotten along.

Maybe he, too, would have looked at someone like that.

Maybe—
just maybe—
a small flicker of envy existed.

To be honest,
that first meeting had left a surprisingly pleasant impression on Seunghyuk.

But it didn’t take long
for that impression to rot completely.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

“What?”

“…….”

Spring passed.
Summer came, thick and humid.

And Seunghyuk glared at Hyunwoo with frustration and exhaustion.

That pleasant first impression—
a brief encounter with a friend’s brother—
had long since faded.

He didn’t know how Hyunwoo got his number.
He didn’t know how Hyunwoo kept finding him.

At least Hyunwoo never caused a scene inside the school—
but even without that, his persistence was suffocating.

Everywhere Seunghyuk went,
Hyunwoo followed.

“I told you before.

I’m not interested in dating another alpha.
So stop following me.”

“…….”

Seunghyuk had drawn the line early,
based on experience.

People like Hyunwoo only listened when boundaries were carved deep.

But Hyunwoo’s stubbornness exceeded expectations.

“So?”

“…What?”

“You said that before.

I know what you think.
But so what?”

“…….”

That was the moment Seunghyuk realized—
he would never be able to reason with Joo Hyunwoo.

In his short life,
he had never met someone so immovably stubborn.

And that wasn’t the only issue.

Everything surrounding Hyunwoo was overwhelming.

He was the heir of Munseong Group—
not a title that meant nothing.

He realized how heavy it was when every escape attempt failed,
and their marriage arrangements began to solidify.

Every bit of his will and emotion was erased from the equation.

“Let’s get married.”

“No.”

Hyunwoo, dressed sharply, said it in a matter-of-fact tone.

Seunghyuk made one last attempt at resistance.

It failed, of course.

Hyunwoo’s lips curved upward.

“You know already.
We’re going to get married no matter what.”

“…….”

“Because that’s what I want.”

Seunghyuk bit his lip.

Trying to persuade this man was impossible.

Realizing that made everything go dark—
as if he were being dragged into a swamp.

“…Is that enough for you?”

“Of course.”

“…….”

Watching Hyunwoo smile like he was genuinely happy,
Seunghyuk made a decision.

He would never—
never—
give this man a single piece of his heart.

One day,
he would make him regret everything.

Clenching his teeth,
Seunghyuk vowed that to himself.