𝕭𝖎𝖙𝖊 𝕭𝖆𝖈𝖐 ꒐꒐ ⱽᴵᴺᶜᴱᴺᶻᴼ ᶠᶠ

ℂ𝕒𝕡𝕚𝕥𝕠𝕝𝕠 𝕋𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕔𝕚

When Hanseo was in his final year of high school, his father delivered some shocking news: Hanseok was going abroad for a while. At first, he couldn't believe it. After years of oppression and countless nights of feeling rough hands roaming his skin, he was finally going to be free. What was the last straw that forced his father into making such a decision? Was it the string of murders Hanseok committed? Was it the unlabeled poison in the pantry? Was it the unfiltered moans at night? Whatever it was, Hanseo was beyond pleased to escape his bondage, even for just a little while.

His happiness quickly turned into tolerance for his monster of a brother. "Where are you going to live, hyung-nim?" he remembered asking a week before the monster's departure.

"New York," Hanseok replied. His answer was terse and simple, and his eyes were fixated on a Roman painting hanging on their living room wall.

"I hear New York is famous for their pizza and hotdogs. You like American food, right, hyung-nim? Aren't you excited to go?"

"I suppose."

If Hanseo didn't know better, he'd think his brother sounded defeated. However, Hanseok was not one to submit to his punishments or listen to authority. There was nothing and no one who could break his violent spirit.

"I won't be gone for long," the monster finally said with full confidence. "I'll be back before you start college."

"B-but Father said—"

"It doesn't matter what Dad says. I can't possibly leave my little brother by himself, can I?"

Sure enough, Hanseok kept his promise. Before Hanseo could even enjoy his newfound freedom, his father was murdered and he became a puppet chairman. Once again, it was a mistake to have thought he could ever escape his brother's grasp.

---

Hanseo groaned as he opened his eyes. The last thing he remembered was collapsing on a glass table, but now he was lying on a concrete floor. His back ached. The room, at least from his perspective, was tall, wide, and frigid. A warehouse? It sure seemed like an abandoned warehouse. Where Hanseok finds such things, he'll never know. Was his brother really about to murder him in the middle of nowhere? He supposed Hanseok wasn't above that.

"You're finally awake, little brother," a threatening voice uttered from the shadows.

A cold chill ran down Hanseo's spine as he attempted to sit up. His body was telling him to run away, but he quickly realized that his wrists were tied together behind his back. His ankles were also bound together but by a legcuff that was attached to a longer chain, which was fixed to the wall.

"Trying to run away again?" Hanseok asked though he already knew the answer. "Too bad it's going to be impossible this time."

In the back of Hanseo's mind, he knew that in order to reduce his punishment, he'd have to shamelessly beg for his life. However, the tip of his tongue could not forge such words. This routine had become too tiring. He was sick of uttering pleas that would inevitably fall on deaf ears.

"You're awfully quiet," the monster began to taunt.

"I don't have anything to say to you," Hanseo responded, surprised at his own nonchalant tone. This was possibly the first time he had ever talked back to the older man. It felt strange but oddly gratifying.

Hanseok snickered. "What're you playing at, little brother? Do you think I'll spare you this time after you—"

"I don't care."