"I promised you, didn't I? That I would make your victory feel miserable."
Life sucks when you've got a lot of demons in your head to deal with. Add fucked law system and constant crimes all over the world to the list. And there's nothing you can do...
A sardonic smile twisted Jaesoo's lips as he swirled the ruby-red wine in his glass, the crystal glinting ominously in the dimly lit study. The frustration simmering within him since the gala had morphed into a cold, calculating rage. His carefully constructed world, where Taehyung was a puppet dancing to his strings, had fractured in a single, defiant act.
"Betrayal," he spat the word into the silence, the sound echoing off the mahogany walls. "From my own flesh and blood."
He pictured Taehyung's face, the usually stoic mask replaced by a flicker of defiance, a spark of something alien in his eyes. The memory sent a fresh wave of fury crashing through him. Taehyung, the perfect, obedient son he'd molded, the one who bore the brunt of his crimes while keeping his hands impeccably clean⏤ Taehyung had finally rebelled. The audacity of it!
Jaesoo slammed the glass down on the desk, the crystal shattering with a sharp crack. Wine spilled like blood onto the polished surface, a crimson stain mirroring the turmoil within him. He wouldn't tolerate this defiance. Taehyung was a pawn, a tool, and Jaesoo would not hesitate to eliminate any pawn that dared to challenge the king.
But a sliver of unease wormed its way through his anger. Taehyung wasn't a mindless pawn anymore. He'd tasted freedom, a forbidden fruit offered by that damned detective, Jimin. The very thought of Jimin sent another surge of irritation through him. That tenacious detective, a thorn in his side, meddling in his affairs and turning his own brother against him.
"Jaesoo," Jaesoo looked up to find his father standing at the door, "I think you shouldn't take taehyung's threats seriously. He's probably rebelling again. You know him. He'll realize soon," His father started and Jaesoo gritted his teeth in anger. Jaesoo's blood ran cold at the sight of his father. The man who had orchestrated their lives like a twisted puppeteer, the one who had thrown them both into the hellfire of Project Chimera, now stood preaching about family loyalty. A bitter laugh escaped his lips.
"Shouldn't take it seriously?" he spat, his voice laced with venom. "He threatened you, Father! The very same man you cast aside, the one you deemed expendable in your precious experiments!" His father flinched at the accusation, his usually composed demeanor cracking under Jaesoo's rage. "He's just. . . angry, Jaesoo. He'll come around. He's your brother."
"Brotherhood is a two-way street, Father," Jaesoo snarled, taking a menacing step forward. "A fact you conveniently ignored when you shoved us both into Chimera like lab rats!" He gestured around the opulent study, a stark contrast to the sterile, nightmare halls of the project. "This life, this power, it's all built on the backs of our suffering, isn't it? And now, when Taehyung finally breaks free, when he sees the monster you created, you want to play the concerned father?"
