Jae Hyun returned home after the brutal morning at the outhouse. His jaw was tight, his knuckles bruised. The weight of his world pressed heavily on his shoulders as he walked through the large glass doors of his family mansion. The scent of lilies filled the living room, the kind his mother always kept around, too pure for a house drenched in silence and secrets.
The moment he stepped in, he saw his mother and younger sister, Ji Ah, waiting for him.
Here we go again, he muttered under his breath.
"Good afternoon, Mum," he greeted, voice low and weary.
"Welcome, son," his mother replied carefully, her tone trembling slightly as she studied the dark aura surrounding him. His eyes carried storms, the kind that could drown anything soft.
"Big brother!" Ji Ah squealed and ran into his arms. His face softened for the first time that day as he awkwardly hugged her back.
"How are you, Ji Ah?" he asked, voice gentler now.
"Fine," she pouted. "But big brother, you never come to visit us anymore!"
"I've been busy, Ji Ah," he murmured.
His mother cleared her throat, her gaze still fixed on him. "Son… about what we discussed last time..."
He exhaled sharply. "What, Mum?" He already knew where this was going.
"Your marriage," she said simply.
He clenched his jaw. "Not this again."
"You can't keep living like this," she pressed on. "Drinking late at night in clubs, hotels, bars… you need to settle down. Have children. Make me a grandmother before it's too late."
"Mom, can you please stop?" he snapped, his voice rising. "I don't want to get married, simple."
"What? No! Never!" her voice trembled but didn't break. "You're getting older, Jae Hyun. You need to get married or risk losing your public image!"
That was the spark that ignited his anger. "I don't need a wife to prove my worth!" he roared.
Ji Ah flinched, stepping closer to him timidly. "Big brother," she said softly, "I have this friend who would be perfect for you. She's elegant, classy, and very obedient. What do you think?"
"Enough!" Jae Hyun's voice thundered through the room, sharp and final.
The silence that followed was thick, suffocating.
Then, with trembling hands, he spoke again quieter but full of venom.
"Mum… if Dad's family hadn't forced him to marry you, maybe he wouldn't have cheated on you. Maybe he wouldn't have given us a childhood full of screaming, blood, and broken glass."
His mother's lips quivered, her eyes glistening.
"I won't watch you do the same thing to me," he said, voice shaking with restrained rage.
Before she could reply, he stormed out, the heavy door slamming behind him like thunder.
His mother stood frozen, eyes filled with unshed tears. "Come back here, Jae Hyun! How dare you speak to me that way?" she cried, but her voice only echoed into emptiness.
That night, the city was drenched in rain. Jae Hyun drove to the Itaewon Bar, the wipers beating in rhythm with his thoughts. He wanted silence, the kind that came with darkness and whiskey.
The bar was dimly lit, bathed in amber light, with soft jazz whispering in the background.
"Welcome, sir!" the manager greeted with a wide smile.
"Get my drink served in five minutes," Jae Hyun said coldly, walking past without another word.
"He's so cold," the manager muttered under his breath.
Jae Hyun sank into his usual corner seat. As the glass clinked before him, his mind wandered back to the past, to the night his father had hit his mother so hard she'd collapsed, her blood staining the carpet. He remembered holding Ji Ah, hiding under the table as his father spat on them both, calling them "weak."
The memory stung like an open wound that refused to heal.
Then a soft voice broke through his thoughts.
"Your drink, sir."
He looked up.
It was Seol Ah.
Their eyes locked, time stilled.
For a moment, neither spoke, only the quiet hum of the jazz band filled the space.
Jae Hyun's lips curved into a dark smirk. "So the clumsy waitress survived."
Seol Ah folded her arms, unbothered. "And the psycho still breathes."
He tilted his head, amused. "You really don't know how to respect people."
"Look who's talking," she fired back. "A rude idiot who points a gun at an innocent person."
He leaned forward, his voice dangerously calm. "You talk too much for someone who trembles easily."
"And you drink too much for a rich gigolo," she retorted without hesitation.
The air between them thickened.
In a flash, he grabbed her wrist and pinned her against the wall, his eyes dark and unreadable. "Don't push me,bitch " he said, his tone low, threatening, but not shouting.
Without fear, she slapped his hand off her. "Get off me, you silly gigolo," she spat, storming away.
He watched her, stunned. No one, no one, had ever dared to defy him like that.
Later that night, Seol Ah returned to his table to drop his bill. She hesitated, then said softly, "Thank you… for the money your assistant gave me. I used it well."
His brows furrowed. "What money?"
She shrugged lightly. "Guess your people are nicer than you."
As she turned to leave, she noticed his loosened tie. For a brief second, something shifted in her expression, pity, maybe? She leaned forward and adjusted it gently.
"I hate you with every fibre of my being," she murmured, her eyes locking on his. "You seem nicer when your mouth is closed."
She slid a hangover drink toward him. "Drink that. Don't die before your time."
Before he could respond, she patted his shoulder lightly and walked away.
He sat there, staring at the glass. The faint citrus scent reminded him of her, sharp yet strangely soothing. He scoffed, shaking his head.
"That little brat…" he muttered. "…she's bold."
But as he left the bar, the smirk that tugged at his lips wasn't one of amusement. It was confusion,mixed with a strange, dangerous curiosity.
Outside, rain poured heavily, the streets gleaming under neon lights.
Jae Hyun paused by his car, his reflection staring back at him from the glass. For the first time in years, he felt something, something that wasn't rage, or emptiness, or regret.