S Chapter 65

Chapter 65

He clenched his fists tightly, trembling. The sound of his pride shattering echoed even here.

“Uh-huh! That’s right! ( `-´ ) Jukyeong worked really hard to dress up! He spent two whole hours on it!”

Eve chimed in, matching his rhythm. Somehow, the more she did that, the more miserable he felt, but anyway…

‘Damn it, I tried my best.’

Shin Jukyeong couldn’t believe it. Today was a day where he had chosen his own outfit. He usually just wore whatever Kang Seo-oh picked for him, but for this special occasion, he had uncharacteristically taken the initiative to carefully select each item himself. …But what?

‘Eve.’

Shin Jukyeong called Eve, biting his lip tightly. His jaw trembled from how hard he bit down.

“Jukyeong! No! Don’t ask. If you do, you lose…!”

‘Am I really…’

“(8□8)… Jukyeong!”

‘Is my outfit weird…?’

“…”

‘Eve?’

“( ◑◑)… It’s not weird, exactly.”

‘…?’

“It just makes you look older…”

‘Why are you telling me this now?’

“You didn’t ask.”

‘…!’

Lightning struck above Shin Jukyeong’s head. Unfortunately, his fashion sense seemed not to have regressed in age with him.

“Shin Jukyeong. Don’t let your guard down. You know everyone here loves to gossip. Don’t give them anything to criticize. You’ll only lose out.”

He hadn’t let his guard down. In fact, he’d come here hyped up.

‘He just tore me down with his words, and now he’s worried? Ha, what a malicious character.’

“You know you stand out more when you’re alone. So, I’ll, uh, stay with you…”

However, Shin Jukyeong didn’t hear the rest of Won Go-yu’s sentence. He was too deeply engrossed in wondering if his fashion sense was truly that bad.

‘What’s the problem? Was the plaid tie a bad choice? Should I have gone with polka dots instead?’

“(((( ;°Д°)))) Don’t mind it! You look great!”

‘I’m not minding it.’

“That’s a lie. Jukyeong is more conscious of it than anyone.”

Eve retorted firmly. That guy, he’s only sharp when it comes to things like this.

‘…Ahem, poor Won Go-yu, not knowing the greatness of a plaid tie.’

Shin Jukyeong cleared his throat unnecessarily and made an effort to criticize the other person’s fashion sense. Well, it was a way to save his pride. As he grumbled and silently convinced himself, it happened.

“What are you two doing?”

A familiar voice, accompanied by a subtle musk scent, reached them. Shin Jukyeong’s annoyed face was instantly ironed smooth. It was a truly astonishing effect.

“U-dam!”

Shin Jukyeong brightened, calling out to the newcomer. It was then that U-dam and Won Go-yu’s gazes collided.

“…Nice to meet-”

“Hyung, who is he?”

U-dam casually cut off Won Go-yu’s greeting and asked.

‘Huh, I think he was just about to introduce himself…?’

Shin Jukyeong glanced at Won Go-yu. He wondered if his brother hadn’t heard, and his gaze was an unspoken request for another introduction. As if the guy was thinking the same thing, he shrugged once and began to speak.

“Nice to meet you. I’m-”

“Aren’t you going to introduce him?”

But again, he was neatly cut off. This was too blatant, wasn’t it? Even Shin Jukyeong felt awkward. Won Go-yu’s expression turned sour. Was it natural, having been ignored twice?

Shin Jukyeong looked back and forth between the two. His brother was smiling brightly, while Won Go-yu was utterly cold. The air flowing between them was so cold it felt frozen. Thanks to this, Shin Jukyeong was like a shrimp caught in a whale fight.

This is frustrating. Shin Jukyeong sighed. He didn’t know why his brother was being so disrespectful, but he had to mediate between them first. There were too many eyes around to leave them like this.

However, scolding him with, ‘Won Go-yu is older, so that attitude is bad, U-dam!’ was difficult given his brother’s current position. He was, strictly speaking, the guest of honor at this party. Criticizing and reprimanding someone everyone was paying attention to wouldn’t look good.

More than anything, Shin Jukyeong didn’t want to ruin U-dam’s party. It was a celebration. Today, of all days, needed to end on a good note.

…What should I do? After a brief moment of deliberation, Shin Jukyeong decided to side with his brother. He felt sorry for Won Go-yu, but he couldn’t scold his brother in front of so many people.

Having made his decision, Shin Jukyeong reluctantly decided to de-escalate the situation.

“Just greet each other.”

But the atmosphere was already so shattered it couldn’t be salvaged.

‘With these big guys acting like this, the atmosphere is quite chilling.’

They hadn’t exchanged insults, yet a strange tension hung in the air.

‘Quick separation is needed.’

Shin Jukyeong quickly opened his mouth. He intended to separate them after a brief introduction.

“This is Won Go-yu, as you know, the Hunter Association Chairman’s grandson. And this is Yang U-dam, my brother.”

At Shin Jukyeong’s introduction, both of them furrowed their brows. It was a blatant display of displeasure. Thanks to that, only Shin Jukyeong felt awkward. It was a perfectly appropriate introduction, so why? Before he could find an answer to his question, Won Go-yu demanded a correction.

“Shin Jukyeong. The introduction is wrong. You left out the part about ‘close friend’.”

Naturally, Shin Jukyeong was bewildered.

‘We’re not close.’

What was wrong with the introduction? Just as Shin Jukyeong was about to raise his doubts, someone else refuted it instead.

“I’ve never heard Hyung say he has a close friend.”

It was U-dam. He curled the corners of his lips, sneering. His words were even strangely short.

“He’s just deluding himself…”

The already uncomfortable atmosphere intensified. Won Go-yu, the young stickler for hierarchy, instantly stiffened. Everywhere else was bustling and joyful, but only here was like the middle of the Siberian plains. A chilling wind swept past the three of them.

‘This is messed up.’

Shin Jukyeong solemnly bowed his head. However, the real culprit who ruined the atmosphere, Yang U-dam, didn’t bat an eye. Instead, he treated Won Go-yu as if he wasn’t there, fixing his gaze on Shin Jukyeong.

“Hyung. My introduction was wrong too.”

U-dam voiced his complaint with his characteristic handsome smile.

“Am I just some kid from the neighborhood to you, Hyung? I’m ‘your’ brother. How could you forget ‘your’?”

“Uh… huh?”

Was that really such an important detail? Shin Jukyeong couldn’t bring himself to argue, just rolling his eyes foolishly.

“You said you’d cherish me for life. Isn’t that right?”

“R-right?”

“Then explain it again.”

“Huh?”

“Explain it again to him.”

U-dam gestured towards Won Go-yu with his chin. He had made it clear who “him” was.

Shin Jukyeong, stunned, mumbled, “My brother, U-dam…” as he was told. Only then did U-dam nod, seemingly satisfied. The only one displeased was Won Go-yu.

“No manners, no upbringing.”

When Won Go-yu spoke in a chilling voice, U-dam immediately retorted.

“Yeah. And I’m loved.”

“…”

Won Go-yu’s expression grew even fiercer. He clenched his jaw so hard that the area around it visibly trembled. Would he hit him? A momentary worry flickered through Shin Jukyeong, but fortunately, he seemed to have no such intention, only turning his head away.

Soon after, his thick chest began to heave, swelling and deflating dramatically. He was openly expressing his displeasure. How did it come to this? Shin Jukyeong watched them nervously. Anyone would think they were mortal enemies. Or perhaps lions and tigers fighting for territory.

‘To utterly ruin things in a matter of minutes, that’s a talent, I suppose.’

If he left them any longer, they might actually come to blows. That wouldn’t do. Just as Shin Jukyeong was about to step in and mediate, Won Go-yu, who had been silent, finally signaled the start of a real fight. Apparently, his anger hadn’t subsided, and he unleashed sharp words at his brother.

“Now I understand why you’ve hidden your existence all this time. It’s not just because you’re a supported child. It’s because you lack the education to carry the title of Shin Jukyeong’s brother. Honestly… It’s a relief if you don’t bring shame to the UA Group’s name.”

‘What?’

Shin Jukyeong’s eyes widened slightly, then quickly turned cold.

‘His words are too harsh.’

No matter how rude his brother had been first, it didn’t warrant going that far. At the line-crossing remark, Shin Jukyeong also began to feel uncomfortable. His good mood had long since evaporated.

Was there really a need for them to upset each other like this? He rubbed his eyes with fatigue, choosing appropriate parting words. He intended to send Won Go-yu away at this point.

But the fight, it seemed, was far from over.

“You talk like a real asshole.”

U-dam slowly tilted his head. A chilling smile played on his handsome face. His words were utterly vulgar, but his voice was soft. It was his habit of hiding his emotions the more they surged. In other words, he was enraged.

“…”

“…”

Their gazes crossed sharply. It was as if they had knives on their tongues, stabbing and causing a ruckus. How many times had they struck each other with invisible fists?

“Hey, both of you, stop…”

It was no use even when Shin Jukyeong tried to stop them.