UNTAMED DESIRES | SVT | JEONGCHEOL

8 - Moral of the Story

<Choi Mansion>

"So that's all you know?" Joshua asked as Seokmin sat in front of him, across the table as both of them were sitting in Seokmin's room.

"What else is there to know?" Seokmin sighed heavily, "I hate that night. I hate him. My head spins and heart aches each time I think of it. It was all so beautiful when we were a family.

I had been living so carefree under his shade. I loved my brother, Mr. Hong, a lot. I loved how he was never arrogant about anything. I loved his personality; he was my role model. I don't know what changed in that one night that he had to take such a horrible step.

Being such a great brother, always the caring one, always the one who used to sacrifice everything for my happiness, how could he do this? You know I was adopted, right? But he never made me feel like that.

Now that I think over all of it, was that all just some drama?"

"I understand, Mr. Lee." Joshua looked down, not being able to figure out over how to proceed.

"Excuse me for a while." Seokmin stood up as he went to his drawer. He took a few medicines and swallowed them with water.

Joshu frowned, "Are these the same pills which you took on that day?"

Seokmin nodded, "Yeah. Anti-anxiety pills."

Joshua wasn't really convinced. Especially after knowing how weird the mansion was, he couldn't help but get suspicious of each and every thing. But he also had to be cautious and not come under the radar of anyone.

"I get it." Joshua nodded, "How about instead of talking like a lawyer and client, we talk like friends? It will loosen up our conversations and make things easier for us."

Seokmin chuckled lightly as he sat back again, "Is that so, Mr. Hong?"

Joshua nodded with a small smile, "You can call me Joshua."

Seokmin grinned slightly in return, some of the tension in his body beginning to ease up. The air between them shifted from strictly professional to something more casual.

"Alright, Joshua," he said, crossing his arms in a more relaxed manner. "You can also call me Seokmin if you'd like."

"Sure." Joshua agreed, "Seokmin. Sounds much better and comfortable."

As they settled into a more comfortable atmosphere, Seokmin leaned back against the headboard of his bed, a small smile still playing at the corners of his mouth.

"So, now that we're 'friends', what do you really want to know?" he asked, his tone slightly teasing.

Joshua retorted the smile, "Enough about all these things Seokmin, now, I also want to know about you. All I know is that you're the current CEO of Rose Quartz and you're handling it well even after it's downfall in the middle, when Mr. Choi had the case going on."

Seokmin chuckled softly at the switch of topic, a hint of pride in his tone.

"Well, running the company has been a challenge, but I'm managing," he confessed, a modest smile playing on his lips. "It's certainly not an easy task, but I'm doing my best. And for all the chaos that the case has caused, I'm determined to bring Rose Quartz back to its former glory."

And that was when Joshua decided to test his instincts by hitting a nerve, "Seokmin, do you think it would have been easier if Mr. Choi was still the CEO?"

The question hit its mark. Seokmin's smile wavered for a fraction of a second, his expression betraying a flash of vulnerability before it was quickly replaced with a stoic mask.