The sounds of sloppy canoodling echoed relentlessly between the four walls of the VIP lounge room they had booked. Felean sat one seat away on the plush couch, his gaze locked in pure irritation toward the other side of the sectional. Colon was completely tangled up with a girl, her lips trailing amorous kisses along his cheeks and neck. Yet, Colon wasn't paying a single shred of attention to the woman in his lap; his eyes were pinned entirely to Felean, staring as if the girl weren't even occupying the space.
Disgusted by the heavy atmosphere, Felean crankily reached into his pocket to draw out a cigarette. But before he could click his lighter, a firm, pale hand snapped forward, locking around his wrist with absolute authority.
Felean flinched in deep irk, his head snapping sideways to glare at the annoying guy holding him hostage. Sean sat there with an unbuttoned designer shirt, a flawlessly clean hairstyle, a bulky, athletic build, and a devastatingly dashing face—the exact high-end aesthetic that made him notoriously popular among the girls both inside and outside the underground club circuit.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Sean?" Felean demanded, his tone dripping with absolute annoyance.
"I'm holding your hand while someone else is actively trying to ride me," Sean replied, his voice dropping into a heavily sarcastic register as his light brown eyes glanced down at the girl sitting on his thighs. She was aggressively kissing his neck, entirely oblivious to the factual reality that Sean was profoundly, uninterested in her existence.
Felean forcefully yanked his hand back, rolling his eyes in sharp, defensive peeve.
"Can't you two just migrate to a local motel or something?" Felean grumbled, aggressively shoving the cigarette straight back into the paper pack. "I'd highly appreciate you not trying to get laid while I am literally sitting right flush beside you."
"What, are you suddenly jealous?" Colon chimed in with a wicked smirk, his arms wrapping casually around the girls' slen-der waists. Both women were clearly inebriated and deeply amorous. "If you're lonely, I possess a massive directory of girls I can easily recommend to you. They are exceptionally good in bed, and that is a concrete fact."
"Whatever. I explicitly asked you guys to join me tonight so we could drink, not so you could fuck around. Literally," Felean snapped back. The heavy volume of alcohol had left him obviously a little bit inebriated, his coordination loosening as he reached for a fresh bottle of premium vodka to pour another heavy measure into his crystal glass.
But before the liquor could touch the rim, a hand clamped over his wrist for a second time. "What the fuck is your actual problem tonight, Sean?!" Felean roared, his temper exploding through his unfiltered mouth as he glared at his friend. "Do whatever the hell you want with your women, I don't give a single shit anymore—even if you two decide to start fucking right in front of my face! Just stop annoying me and piss completely off!"
The violent outburst shattered the romantic mood. Sean's eyes went completely dark, a chilling, dangerous stillness settling over his features. The wanton woman on his lap froze mid-breath, her expression turning thoroughly terrified as she felt the shift in the room's energy.
"Get the hell out," Sean commanded, his deep baritone voice dropping into a flat frequency.
Felean looked at him in pure, unadulterated disbelief. ' How dare he bark orders at people in a room I bankrolled? I merely stated what I wanted to say. Every single word out of my mouth was a structural fact—well, fuck it! I'll happily leave this entire dump then! '
"Fine then! The fuck is your problem anyway," Felean hissed, reaching aggressively into his tailored blazer to retrieve his leather wallet. But for the third consecutive time, Sean's hand snapped out, firmly locking around his forearm to anchor him to the sectional.
Felean glared into Sean's face with absolute, pure annoyance. "What—"
Sean didn't look at him. He cast a freezing, lethal glance sideways at the trembling girl. "Didn't you hear exactly what I just said?" he uttered coldly. The girl didn't wait for a second warning. Shaking with panic, she immediately snatched her silk scarf from the table, scrambled off the couch, and bolted out of the VIP room, slamming the heavy soundproofed door shut behind her.
Felean watched her retreat, his mind thoroughly confused by Sean's erratic behavior.
"What exactly are you standing up for anyway?" Sean asked smoothly, releasing his grip on Felean's arm as he reached down to drain his own shot glass in one aggressive gulp.
Felean let out a sharp, grumpy huff, sinking heavily back into the leather cushions. He snatched the vodka bottle, aggressively poured the dark liquid to the brim of his glass, and drank it down to numb the burning rage in his chest.
"You never call our line to arrange a heavy drinking block unless there is a major problem tearing your head apart," Sean stated flatly. He placed his elbow firmly against the back of the couch, leaning his face into his palm as he turned his body to analyze Felean, whose internal emotions were violently colliding like a severe storm with lightning.
"The fuck you mean by that?" Felean muttered, adjusting his collar.
"I've known your true character since primary school. You can't lie to my face."
Felean let out a deep, exhausted sigh through his teeth, the alcohol doing little to soothe his nerves. He was currently spinning an endless web of lies to deceive himself, entirely unable to contain the toxic envy suffocating his chest. The only operational strategy he possessed was to vent his agony through heavy drinking, desperately hoping he could force the intrusive thoughts to fade away for a short period of time.
Sean wasn't buying the detached mask for a single second. He idly spun his empty shot glass against the table. Felean's forehead knotted into a hard, defensive scowl, looking at his companion in raw irritation.
"Tell me," Sean commanded, his serious tone leaving Felean with zero room to navigate or run away from the truth.
"It's that absolute piece of damn shit again," Felean confessed bitterly, his fingers tightening around his glass until his knuckles turned white. "He just crawled right back into our lives after that accident, and all I thought was that with his amnesia, I would finally be permitted to secure the maternal attention and status I have been begging for my entire life. But day by day, he gets bolder. He acts like a completely different person, and eventually... there is absolutely zero space left for me in that house." He reached across the console, aggressively yanking a bottle out of Sean's reach.
"Ohh," Sean murmured, a slow understanding tracing his features. "So this entire crisis is explicitly about your older brother again?"
"What do you think?!" Felean roared, a sharp hiss escaping his lips. "That little shit has been aggressively getting on my last nerves all week. He acts like some almighty, untouchable prince on campus, but in reality, he is nothing but pure trash on the inside. Including those sluggish, lowlife shits that have been trailing my transit route again." Sean remained perfectly silent, his light brown eyes calmly studying the frantic, grumpy face of his childhood friend.
' Felean and Kean are not alike at all, ' Sean analyzed silently in his mind, a detached smirk curling onto his lips. ' They possess entirely different eyes, a completely opposite sense of high-fashion style, different core decisions, and most of all, completely separate, irreconcilable personalities. The single physical assets that are remotely similar between them are the shape of their nose, their lips, their hair color, and their physical height metrics. '
Felean caught the sudden, mocking smirk, his face twisting in rage as he slammed his glass onto the table. "The fuck is wrong with you? You're not even actively listening to a single word I'm—"
"I am listening," Sean interrupted cleanly, a quiet chuckle escaping his throat. "It's just that..." He cut his own sentence short midway, sharply diverting his eyes toward the neon lights of the lounge to hide his amusement.
"You're making fun of my misery!" Felean hissed.
"I'm certainly not," Sean smiled.
Felean gathered every single ounce of his remaining physical strength, rearing back to launch a hard smack against the back of Sean's head to wipe the smile off his face—but his smartphone suddenly erupted with an aggressive, loud ringtone. He checked his movements, his attention drifting straight to the flashing digital screen. In an instant, the violent rage vanished from his face, replaced by a pale, thoroughly tamed expression.
The caller ID displayed a permanent authority: The Mother is calling...
Felean's entire demeanor shifted into complete compliance. He stood up from the sofa with clumsy haste, adjusting his blazer to look respectable even though she couldn't see him.
"Where on earth do you think you're going now?" Sean asked, watching him move toward the heavy doors.
Felean didn't bother to drop an explanation. He merely lifted his middle finger backward over his shoulder as he strode out of the VIP room, navigating the loud corridor until he located a quiet, isolated balcony area near the back exit to safely answer the phone call.
He aggressively rubbed his jaw line, forcing his facial muscles to rearrange themselves into a bright, perfectly manufactured jolly and cheerful mask—the exact fake persona he always executed whenever he stood in front of his parents.
He slid the screen, pitching his voice into a bright, loving frequency. "Mom! I am incredibly sorry for the delay, I was currently right in the middle of finishing up a major project task. Why did you call me out of the blue, Mom?"
[ Felean, ] Mrs. Ferech's voice called through the line, her sweet tone laced with immediate concern. [ Are you currently staying over at your older brother's private condo again tonight? ]
Felean's breath caught, his posture turning rigid. "W-what? Did you seriously call my phone tonight... just to ask me a query because of my brother?" he asked, a sharp layer of displeasure bleeding through his fake warmth.
' I genuinely thought Mom had dialed my number... explicitly for me, ' he thought, a bitter knot tightening inside his chest. A few quiet, agonizingly long seconds ticked by before Mrs. Ferech finally found her voice on the other end.
[ Of course I didn't, sweetheart! I originally dialed your brother's personal line because the clock was getting late and you hadn't returned home to the main estate yet. He explicitly told me that you had traveled down to his condo to spend the night, so I'm not worried about your safety anymore. ]
Felean clenched his hand into a tight fist, the blood rushing to his ears as his manufactured smile withered into a cold scowl. He stared blankly down at the concrete floorboards.
' So... that little bastard is actively trying to play the protective, heroic older brother role to me now? How absolutely ridiculous and insulting, ' Felean wailed silently behind his teeth.
[ Felean? Are you still there on the line, son? ]
"Ah... yes, Mom," Felean stammered out, forcing his voice back into a compliant tone. "I... I merely stayed at his condo for a little while to discuss some things, but I am already preparing to commute straight back home to the estate right now."
[ You ought to be, dear. You know all too well the exact reason why your father and I purchased that luxury condo for Kean—it was explicitly to grant him his own complete freedom and total privacy. ] Felean's fingers dug into the aluminum frame of his phone in pure, unbridled anger, taking one long, ragged breath to contain his roaring emotions from exploding right through the microphone.
' And I don't deserve a single ounce of freedom or privacy in your eyes? ' his mind screamed.
"Mom," Felean pushed past the pain, a desperate, jovial tone lighting up his face as he forced a smile. "Can we...can we go watch a movie together tomorrow night, or maybe set up a private dinner date? I—I mean, it has been an absolute eternity since the last time you and I spent personal time together. I—I will personally book the premier suite at your favorite theater and—"
"Oh, I am so incredibly sorry, Felean," Mrs. Ferech interrupted softly, her voice dropping into a tight, stressed register. [ My executive schedule for tomorrow is completely packed with board meetings. Can we please push our date to next time? Or perhaps right after our family vacation finishes at your grandmother's main estate? ]
The final rejection hit him like a physical blow. The manufactured smile evaporated from Felean's face for good, his light brown eyes turning entirely dead, hollow, and ice-cold as he stared down at the concrete.
"That's... that's perfectly alright, Mom... I... I completely understand. I gotta go now."
[ Alright, make sure you take proper care of yourself on the road, sweetheart. Goodnight! ] The line went completely dead. Felean slowly lowered his arm, his phone slipping loosely between his fingers as a dangerous, volatile collision of pure, explosive anger and crushing, suffocating despair slammed straight over his soul.
Felean whirled around toward the heavy mahogany trunk of a large ornamental tree in the courtyard, driving his closed fist straight into the bark with a sickening thud. He vented all his raw wrath onto the poor, green living things within his immediate reach, his knuckles turning instantly white as he struck the wood a second time.
"You're going to completely ruin mother earth if you keep aggressively venting your rage at these wonderful creatures," Sean said, his deep baritone cutting through the quiet evening air as he abruptly appeared from the shadows of the stone walkway.
Felean snapped his head around, glaring at him with absolute venom, while his hands trembled violently from a combination of physical soreness and pure, unbridled annoyance.
"Not right now, you bastard, or I swear I will punch your face without a single shred of hesitation," Felean spat out, his voice shaking.
"Got rejected by your own family yet again?" Sean asked flatly, crossing his arms.
Felean opened his mouth to bark a defensive insult, but he immediately froze, sharply diverting his gaze toward the concrete when he realized his companion was entirely right at some point. Sean was, in terms of reality, his only true friend who was able to stay permanently by his side through the years. He was the only person capable of taming and accepting his completely unfiltered and shitty personality without running away.
"The fuck do you care anyway, and what the hell are you doing out here in the first place? Did you literally follow my transit route?" Felean grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Am I currently following a ghost? Of course I followed you, you idiot," Sean said with a quiet chuckle, idly flicking the metal wheel of a lighter in his hand. "Who on earth knows what kind of reckless stunt you would pull without me keeping a constant eye on you?"
"The fuck do you think I am? A completely subservient child who requires a mandatory maid to keep an eye on his movements?"
"Exactly."
"You—"
"Why do you constantly feel the need to stay with people who don't appreciate your presence for a single minute?" Sean interrupted, his tone shifting into a dead-serious register as he stepped closer to look directly into Felean's face. "Why do you have to keep them entertained? When the cold fact is, they simply don't see you as a valuable person—at least, not nearly as much as the value I see in you."
Felean aggressively ignored the straightforward questions, his chest tightening. "Why the hell do I have to answer your shitty queries?"
"Because you're acting like complete shit," Sean said without a single filter. Before Felean could launch a physical counter-strike, Sean grabbed his shoulder, applying a firm weight. "Just come stay with me at my house for a while. You can do absolutely anything you want, and you are permitted to stay for as long as you need."
"And what? I'll be completely unable to sleep a single hour from the constant wails and creaks of the bed frame while you're arousing your women and going to climax each day? No fucking way. I'd honestly rather sleep inside a local transit cart than sleep at your house," Felean hissed, pulling his phone out to look detached.
Sean took a slow step forward, looming over Felean's frame, forcing him to glance up since Sean was distinctly broader and taller than him.
"Sleep at my house," Sean commanded, his voice perfectly consistent and persistent. Felean sharply glanced away, his defenses crumbling under the alcohol and exhaustion.
' Well... at least I won't be spending a single cent of my own money anyway, and his private estate is infinitely more comfortable than this dump. '
"Then don't you dare whine when you end up spending a massive amount of money because of my presence. Because remember, your words, I am a 'needy child,'" Felean mocked, deeply emphasizing the phrase as a petty revenge for the teasing he had endured earlier in the lounge.
Sean's lips curved into a sharp smirk. He fell into step beside him as they ambled through the quiet courtyard toward the secured parking lot where Sean's luxury car was waiting.
.
Entering the structure, Felean glanced around the luxurious interior of Sean's estate. Every single room was meticulously neat and clean, the physical arrangement reflecting Sean's high-end, contemporary taste. This was the brand-new house Sean had purchased with his own assets; he had accumulated a massive fortune since he was now successfully handling a major company and multiple branches of a prominent bar at an incredibly young age.
"This is your official new house, correct?" Felean asked, looking at the high ceilings.
"Yeah. Let's go up to your room," Sean said smoothly, guiding him up the sweeping grand staircase until they reached the second floor, where four spacious bedrooms faced each other down the carpeted hallway.
Sean reached out, opening the heavy gray door on the left side of the corridor. The exact microsecond they stepped inside, Felean stood completely speechless at the structural design of the room. The entire space was built around a sophisticated gray and blue color theme, extending from the plush mattress and pillows to the study table and every single piece of furniture inside the perimeter. It felt exactly as if the room had been meticulously custom-made just for him.
"This... this is the actual room I'll be using?" Felean asked, his voice dropping as he walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. He bounced gently on the cushions, testing how incredibly soft and bouncy the mattress was. A genuine wave of happiness washed over his features, his mind completely forgetting the toxic family drama for a brief second.
"Yup. It's all yours," Sean said, leaning his broad back casually against the wall panels.
Felean glanced around the rest of his surroundings, his eyes locking onto a specific painting mounted on the far wall. His pupils sparkled with an intense wave of recognition as he rushed over to inspect the canvas. It was a relatively small piece, yet it carried an incredible amount of emotional meaning, the brushstrokes remarkably passionate.
"Is this... is this the exact painting we saw the very first day we met?" Felean asked, a rare, amused smile lighting up his lips.
Sean walked over to stand behind him, offering a slow nod of agreement. "Yeah, it is. I remembered you liked it back then, so I bought it."
Felean whirled around to face him, his face written with pure surprise. "That tiny piece cost an absolute fortune for its size! When on earth did you buy it?"
"I come from a silver-spoon family dynasty, and that is a permanent secret," Sean teased, a quiet chuckle escaping his throat.
Felean let out a sharp huff, a mock frown touching his lips, but the sight of the beautiful creation enlivened his spirits even more. "Arrogant prick."
"Just stating a simple fact."
Felean's eyes drifted to a second portrait mounted nearby—a piece he had seen only once, two years ago. Frowning in confusion, he realized Sean must have purchased this one alone.
"How about this one?" he asked, pointing his index finger at the portrait.
Sean glanced at the canvas, his lips curling into a sharp, knowing smirk. "I just happened to buy that one accidentally."
Felean wasn't buying the detached explanation for a single second. "Liar."
"I'm not," Sean laughed loudly, thoroughly enjoying his friend's irritation.
"As*hole."
.
Despite the comfort of Sean's estate, Felean eventually returned home to the Ferech mansion; his deep-seated pride simply wouldn't permit him to comfortably stay at someone else's house for an extended period of time.
When he stepped across the grand threshold of the family mansion, not a single family member was there to greet him. The entrance was empty, save for the low-wage maids who merely offered him a series of disciplined bows before returning to their daily tasks.
"Where exactly are Mom and Dad right now? Did she even know I was coming home tonight?" Felean demanded sharply, turning to question the head servant of the family.
"They are currently occupying the lounge on the second floor, sir," the head servant answered respectfully, bowing lower. "Yes, sir. Madam explicitly advised the kitchen staff to prepare a massive family meal for the sons today. Master Kean was also slated to come home to the estate today."
Felean offered a cold, stiff nod of agreement. "Don't follow me. I will go straight to my private room alone," he commanded flatly.
He marched up the grand main staircase, his footsteps heavy as it took him a few minutes to navigate the wide corridors to reach the second floor. As he approached the central lobby area, his steps slowed down. The double doors to the private sunroom were cracked open a few inches, a warm sliver of light spilling onto the carpet. Curiosity getting the better of him, Felean leaned in to peer through the gap.
Mrs. Ferech was standing near the interior garden, idly spraying water onto her prized plants while holding her smartphone firmly against her ear. She wore a beautiful blue designer dress, her hair perfectly styled, and a thoroughly sweet, genuinely kind smile was painted across her face. She looked exceptionally happy, her voice filled with pure joy as she conversed with the caller—a sight that made Felean's chest tighten with a sudden question.
' Is Mom talking to Dad? Did he actually make her look that radiant? ' He didn't want to invade her private conversation, turning his body to walk away down the hall, but her next words cut through the quiet air, freezing the blood in his veins.
"My dear son! I am pretty much completely available all night today," Mrs. Ferech crooned beautifully into the receiver, her voice dripping with pure, unyielding affection. "Do you want us to go catch a premium movie together tonight, or perhaps set up a private dinner date?"
Felean clenched his hand into a tight fist, his knuckles turning white as an intense, agonizing wave of feeling aggrieved crushed his ribs. The suffocating envy was entirely too much to bear, a powerful compulsion driving straight through his chest, making him feel as if his very heart were being torn apart into a million pieces.
It was the exact same movie date invitation he had begged her for just hours ago—the identical schedule she had claimed was completely packed with board meetings.
' What an absolutely unfortunate timing, ' Felean thought, his light brown eyes turning entirely dead and hollow as he realized she was actively calling Kean.