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Seong Junyoung pulled two ski suits from the closet, both in his taste, and handed one to Yeonho. After changing into their gear, they headed to the ski slopes together.

Looking at Junyoung in his flashy outfit, Yeonho was reminded of Seong Junhee, who had worn a similar design years ago. Though they were very different, the brothers also had similarities. Even the chill in the night air felt exactly the same as it had back then.

There was still an hour left until the night slope closed. Yeonho boarded the lift to the advanced run with Junyoung. Junyoung, seemingly clueless that Yeonho had lured Junhee to his death in the exact same way, kept talking noisily as they ascended, constantly provoking Yeonho’s murderous urges.

“Babe. My friends said if Kim Siwoo weren’t an ex-con, his socials would have blown up, with ten times more followers than mine. Can you believe that? Are they gaslighting me or what?”

“…”

“That bug of a bastard, Kim Siwoo, I’m gonna track down what town in America he ran off to and throw acid in his face. Let’s see how long he keeps showing off that smug look.”

“Acid… in the face…?”

Yeonho tilted his head and repeated the words Junyoung had just used. The man standing in front of him had been [visit our site]offering his neck to be cut this whole time, practically begging to be killed.

“Hyung. Are you just talking, or do you mean it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe both.”

Junyoung, unable to keep his mouth shut due to his inferiority complex toward Siwoo, continued rambling. Yeonho looked at him quietly and asked again.

“Did you talk about Siwoo like that in front of your friends too?”

“What?”

“Just do it in front of me. Don’t show it around other people.”

Finally, Junyoung shut his loud mouth.

They took turns snowboarding down the slope, Yeonho following Junyoung’s movements with empty eyes. He still hadn’t come to his senses. He still wanted to hurt Siwoo. Yeonho [stolen content]planned to ram into him and send him to where Seong Junhee now rested.

Maybe what he felt now was something like a parent’s instinct to protect a precious child. Siwoo was still that kind of person to him. The most vulnerable, the most delicate, someone who needed protection.

This time, there was no suicide note. He hadn’t turned off the CCTV either. Everything that happened on this slope would be recorded, replayed on the news. And without a note, whether this was a murder or an accident would become a matter of debate. Around then, the PD would likely release the interview recording.

When that happened, all eyes would turn toward him. No matter how the public chose to connect the dots between two ski accidents with no conclusive evidence, people would find great entertainment in hunting Joo Yeonho, once a grieving family member, as a murderer. Meanwhile, the one who had been slandered and torn apart, Siwoo, would inevitably be redeemed and praised.

That’s just how it works. That’s crowd psychology. How thrilling and fun it would be to post my photo, analyze my face, tear me apart. As for Siwoo, people would express sympathy and share stories about how kind he was. I’m sure of it.

My father would be relieved that the many crimes Seong Junhee and Seong Junyoung committed would never see the light of day. That meant he’d have no reason to touch Siwoo anymore, not if it meant taking on risk.

He would likely guess that the real reason I killed his two sons wasn’t inheritance. I think my mother would support him. The two of them were business partners who couldn’t function without each other. They were also a couple who loved each other.

My mother would struggle, but she was a greedy person. She’d get over it quickly. If she were the kind of person who could give things up for me, our family wouldn’t have remained intact after she read my suicide note.

She wouldn’t have dragged me to Seong Junhee’s memorial service every year and made me bow to his portrait. [stolen content]She wouldn’t have framed a photo of me in his arms and left it at his columbarium. That’s what I believed.

Only then would Siwoo finally understand why Joo Yeonho had abandoned him five years ago and chosen Seong Junhee instead. He would be shocked to learn that I seduced and killed my stepbrother because I didn’t want to lose my inheritance.

Or maybe he wouldn’t be surprised at all. He thought I was a bad person anyway. He would believe it without much doubt. He was the one who said there was no disappointment because he never had any expectations of me.

But even though I acted like garbage until the end, I would die clearing my name, in what would be labeled a mysterious accident. He would never be able to completely let go of his lingering feelings toward me. That was my final, selfish gift to the one I loved. That he would never forget Joo Yeonho. That once in a while, he might suffer because of me.

Yeonho slowed down slightly, putting some distance between them as he followed Junyoung. When they reached about two-thirds of the way down the slope, Yeonho stared at his back with murderous eyes. He was just about to gradually increase his speed, shifting his weight to accelerate, when Junyoung stopped and turned around.

“…!”

For a split second, Yeonho considered whether to crash into him anyway or to stop. He chose to stop. His heart was pounding from the shock, but he showed no reaction and spoke calmly.

“What?”

“Babe. If I keep letting that bastard get to me, does it make me look weak?”

At Junyoung’s words, Yeonho let out a faint laugh.

“Of course. I bet your friends think you feel inferior to Kim Siwoo. From what I can tell, they’re already teasing you about it, using his face and his education to provoke you. No one thinks you’re mad because of your older brother. They probably believe your brother is just an excuse to justify your jealousy.”

“Ah, fuck.”

Seong Junyoung grimaced and muttered in frustration.

“God, that’s annoying. Is that really what everyone thinks? Hey! It’s not because you slept with him that I’m acting like this!”

“I didn’t know how you felt. But in the end, I chose you. If I’m the reason you can’t get it up anymore, I’ll do whatever I can to make up for it.”

Simple as he was, those words made Junyoung twitch his lips upward.

“Yeah? Okay. I guess I deserved to get hit, too. Since Kim Siwoo shut up and ran off to the States, I should just forget about him. As long as I don’t see his face, I’m good. I still have to protect my pride.”

Turning away, Junyoung resumed boarding down the remaining slope. Yeonho stood there, quietly watching the back of the man who had just barely escaped death.

At least he wouldn’t have to commit a second murder. As long as Junyoung didn’t threaten Siwoo again, he could let him live.

Seong Junhee had committed countless sins against him, but the final reason Yeonho had killed him was because he held the key to hurting Siwoo at any moment.

He had blackmail material, not just their sex video, but also documents about the apartment Siwoo had secretly rented on his own for two years without his parents’ knowledge. The man himself was a ticking time bomb. That was why he had to be eliminated.

Junyoung, on the other hand, survived because he was dumber and more clueless than Junhee. He had spent his life being told he was the lesser brother, and ironically, that was what saved him.

Yeonho declined Junyoung’s offer to stay the night and returned home. He stood under the hot water pouring from the showerhead, eyes closed. After he finished, he wiped the foggy mirror with his palm and looked at the face reflected back at him. He spoke gently to himself.

“Yeonho.”

He smiled as he called his own name. It felt ​visit our site​like Joo Yeonho had been too cruel to himself lately, so for once, he wanted to speak to him kindly.

“Let’s go snowboarding tomorrow morning.”

He wouldn’t write a suicide note. He wouldn’t bother putting his affairs in order. He would leave the apartment looking lived-in, head to work in a perfectly normal state, and say “See you tomorrow” to his coworkers.

When the news reported that the son of the resort CEO had died in yet another skiing accident, the PD he had recently interviewed would remember him. He had left behind a cryptic comment about the recording eventually needing to be released, so the PD would likely suspect it wasn’t a simple accident and go public with the audio.

Whether people believed he had died from guilt after killing his brother on the slope, or simply labeled it suicide, it didn’t matter how they replayed the video and came to their conclusions. He just hoped they’d have their fun with him and let Siwoo go.

His life should have ended long ago, but because of someone who had loved him like a guardian spirit, it had stretched a little longer. Just for a while, he had been able to see Siwoo again, to touch his face and body. That alone made him happy.

But everything must end, and only after ending can someone finally rest. Even if the whole world spat on his name afterward, calling him a greedy murderer who killed a good man like Seong Junhee over inheritance, it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t be around to hear it.

He hadn’t slept a single minute since Siwoo left. He wouldn’t sleep tonight either. But it was fine. He only needed to endure one more night of this miserable routine with open eyes.

“Joo Yeonho, you’ve done well. Starting tomorrow, you’ll visit our site be able to sleep peacefully, even without Kim Yeonho. Make up for all the nights you missed.”

***

Siwoo hadn’t slept in three days. At best, he dozed off for ten minutes now and then. His desk was stacked high with takeout coffee cups and empty energy drink cans.

Even in that state, he kept going back to Seong Junyoung’s social media, desperate to see Yeonho. Even he thought he was acting like a madman.

“Come on. Just post a new photo. Why aren’t you posting?”

He kept refreshing the feed nonstop. Then, finally, Junyoung posted something new. It was an old photo of himself and Yeonho at an amusement park when they were children. Siwoo quietly took a screenshot without any change in expression, then cropped Junyoung out of the picture so only Yeonho remained.

With tired eyes and a hand pressed to his temple, he zoomed in on the photo until baby Yeonho’s angelic face filled the screen. He stared at it with a grave expression, as if something serious had happened, and thought:

If only I had met you back then. I would walk right up and say hello. I’d hold your hand and walk through the park, and we’d share an ice cream.

Just then, someone called his name. Siwoo snapped his head up and looked at the monitor connected ​unauthorized copy​to Yeonho’s phone and the hacking device. On the screen were the words he had been waiting for so desperately.

Found Passcode: 232135