By Zephyria 
“I want to manifest as a dominant Alpha too.”
Juhan grit his teeth, swallowing the surge of emotion rising within him. He clung to In-ho with trembling eyes, as if asking him would provide the answer. That was how desperate he was.
There was nothing he hadn’t tried. He exercised every day until his nose bled and visited every kind of clinic, even getting pheromone injections. He had to endure various side effects, but his own greed drove him to keep seeking medical help.
Years of desperate effort had borne no fruit. His body didn’t move an inch closer to becoming an Alpha. If anything, he only grew more gaunt.
“You said you were similar to me… Mom and my other brothers told me.”
In-ho, who had been rubbing his eyes hard, finally looked at Juhan. Contrary to the smile playing on his lips, his eyes were coldly distant.
“Do you really think there’s such a thing as a ‘method’?”
In-ho asked, lightly pressing his fist against the desk, sounding genuinely curious.
“You aren’t that ignorant. Why are you acting like a child?”
There was no way there was a method to manifest as a dominant Alpha. Juhan was old enough to know that.
Did he really come here just to ask such a question? Leaning his head back against the chair, In-ho stared intently at Juhan, who remained with his head bowed. The scratches and dried scabs on his bloodless face were grating. So much so that it was hard to look at for long.
“Seo Juhan.”
At the sound of his brother calling his name, Juhan flinched and slowly lifted his head.
“Just leave. Don’t hang around.”
His voice was as cold as ever. At this, Juhan’s gaze began to drop back toward his knees. However, the words that calmly followed caught his falling gaze.
“I heard you’ve never missed the top rank at school. Go abroad anywhere and just study quietly.”
In-ho warned him to live apart from Jang Eun-young. He told him that if he said he would go overseas, he wouldn’t stop him, so he should go, attend university, and find his own way to survive. In the past, In-ho hadn’t been able to do that. He hadn’t even had the will to make such an effort.
“Otherwise, things will only get harder for you.”
The light of the evening sunset seeped through the window. Perhaps because the red glow permeated the room, In-ho’s chilly voice sounded a bit warmer. At least, it did to Juhan.
“Did you know… my grades were good?”
Juhan, his stiff lips parting slightly, asked a question that didn’t fit the flow of the conversation.
“Who told you? Did you… ask?”
In-ho shifted his gaze and answered with a sigh. However, Juhan interpreted the answer on his own: My brother is interested in me.
That was enough.
In truth, asking how to become a dominant Alpha was merely an excuse. He had simply come because he missed his brother. Even if In-ho wasn’t on his side, he desperately needed a conversation with someone who wasn’t his enemy.
A single thick tear fell, and Juhan quickly rubbed his eyes. He rubbed them for a long time until the corners turned bright red, then straightened his slumped shoulders.
Despite hearing absolutely no way to break through the wall of reality, a spark of life returned to his dead eyes. In-ho watched Juhan in silence. He had no idea in what context of the conversation the boy had found strength.
“Brother.”
Juhan let out a long, wet breath and stood up.
“I will definitely inherit Father’s company.”
Clenching his still-small hands tightly, he looked In-ho straight in the eye. The red sunset glow made his bloodless face look bright.
“I won’t let the other brothers take it from me.”
Juhan’s eyes sparkled sharply. He confessed his heart with utmost seriousness.
“I want to have it all. I will definitely have it.”
He was completely different from In-ho, who always hid his heart behind a light smile. Every time In-ho encountered Juhan, he felt a similar impression.
You’ll be different, he thought.
“Don’t worry about me. Father will be healthy for another 20 years. I can do it. I’ll definitely manifest.”
As if that were something that happened by will. Instead of sneering, In-ho swallowed the thought out of habit and stood up.
“Eat dinner before you go.”
In-ho strode toward the door and turned the handle. At the same time the door opened, Haon, who had been pressing his ear against it, hurriedly tried to turn and run away, carrying a tray with glasses.
“Weren’t you going to give this to him?”
Stopping abruptly after only a few steps, Haon gave an awkward smile. He had just mixed plum syrup with ice water to give to In-ho’s brother.
“Please talk while drinking this….”
Belatedly uttering the words he had prepared, he slid the tray toward In-ho. Judging by Haon’s expression, it seemed he had heard the entire conversation.
“Thank you.”
In-ho gave a small smile, took the tray, and handed a pale green iced glass to Juhan. Juhan was just walking toward the door.
“What is this?”
“It’s plum syrup,” Haon answered for him, staring at Juhan’s face again. Juhan didn’t take the glass immediately, but scratched his chin with an “Ah…”. It seemed he didn’t like plum syrup.
“Drink it.”
In-ho spoke firmly before Juhan could refuse. Nodding, Juhan immediately emptied the glass.
“Thank you for the drink.”
Juhan looked at Haon and smiled brightly. For a moment, Haon was slightly surprised by the smile that overlapped with In-ho’s. I guess brothers are brothers. The corners of their mouths when they smiled were very similar. Their voices were, too.
“You’re staying for dinner, right?”
Looking back and forth between In-ho and Juhan, who exuded a strangely similar atmosphere, Haon asked them. He had overheard In-ho tell him to eat dinner first and was asking to confirm.
“No. I’m going now. Brother, I’m fine because I already ate.”
Juhan tried to head straight for the entrance. In-ho did not insist again. After glancing at the two, Haon hesitated and then called out to Juhan.
“Wait a moment, please.”
Saying so, he hurried back to his room. He had said it would only be a moment, but it took quite a while. In-ho waited for Haon as usual, while Juhan stood awkwardly in the hallway, mindful of his brother’s presence.
“Um, Brother.”
Juhan spoke. He was the type who couldn’t stand silence. And there was something he had wanted to say for a long time.
“When I was young, I endured because of the words you told me.”
In-ho looked indifferently only at the door Haon had entered. It was exactly the reaction Juhan had expected.
“You probably don’t remember, though.”
Just then, Haon came out of the room. Perhaps he was late because he was looking for the first-aid kit, as he held ointment and bandages in both hands.
“Put this medicine on. And use a bandage too.”
Juhan wondered inwardly if it had really taken that long just to prepare these. Still, he didn’t forget to say thank you.
“And… this.”
Haon glanced at In-ho once and pressed a small piece of paper into Juhan’s hand. In-ho watched this closely. He wondered if Haon had folded something out of colored paper again, but that wasn’t it.
“Look at it on your way home. Get home safely.”
It seemed to be a note with writing on it. Watching this, In-ho raised one eyebrow slightly. Before In-ho could snatch it away, Juhan quickly shoved the note into his pocket and headed for the entrance.
“Brother, see you next time. Thank you.”
He left his greetings to In-ho and Haon in turn and walked away. He was shorter and smaller than Haon, but for some reason, he exuded a dependable aura. It seemed to be because he resembled In-ho.
“What did you give him?”
In-ho took the hand of Haon, who was staring blankly at the entrance hallway. Even after Juhan had left the house, Haon continued to look at the empty hallway.
“My number.”
“You gave him your number?”
Haon nodded lightly. He had no intention of hiding it from In-ho.
“I left a note saying to contact me when things are hard.”
Though it might not be of much help. Adding the words slowly, he gripped In-ho’s hand tightly.
“He looked like he was struggling a lot.”
It weighed on his mind that he had done it without asking In-ho, but he didn’t regret it. He only felt that giving the number was the right thing to do.
Haon knew because he had struggled a lot too. He knew what the eyes of someone who had reached their limit looked like. That was why he had given his number without much hesitation.
“What will you do if he calls every day?”
Fortunately, In-ho didn’t show any signs of displeasure.
“I’ll just listen. And I’ll ask him to text if possible.”
Anyway, he didn’t have the knowledge or experience to give great advice. He had written that on the note too—that he didn’t know how to do anything but listen, but to contact him if that was okay.
Gently stroking Haon’s cheek, In-ho looked at the empty entrance hallway for a moment.
“He probably won’t contact you. He has a strong pride.”
After placing the tray on a nearby cabinet, he wrapped both arms around Haon’s waist.
“Still, it must have been a great strength.”
His languid voice echoed slowly. It was a completely different tone from when he was with Juhan. Listening to his voice, which exuded a tenderness reserved only for him, Haon leaned into the broad chest.
“Don’t give your number to other people carelessly.”
In-ho whispered, his lips brushing against Haon’s ear. Instead of answering, Haon only looked up at In-ho intently.
“Does it… bother you a lot that I contact other people?”
In-ho’s lips twitched, and he avoided the answer by slightly turning his head. As expected, it seemed to bother him a lot.
Haon already knew. He had noticed that much.
“Then you can keep looking through my phone.”
Standing on tiptoe, Haon brushed his lips against In-ho’s ear, imitating him. Then he whispered softly.
“Just don’t delete the texts.”