Chapter 29
The party thrummed with life. Glasses clinked, soft laughter threaded itself through the low bass, and chandeliers scattered fractured light across polished marble floors. Gyu In's eyes swept across the crowd like a hawk, the muscles beneath his tailored suit coiling with silent tension. Eun Wol stayed close beside him, heart hammering, each step measured yet determined.
Two pairs of eyes. Two men. Two masquerade masks.
It was nearly impossible to recognise anyone here.
He had agreed to this. Agreed to enter the lion's den as Gyu In's formal partner. He remembered calling Yoo In Hwa, telling her about the proposal, mentioning he would bring a partner, a man. Her brief surprise had flickered across her face before she recovered with practiced grace, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
"I must say you have an extraordinary taste," Yoo In Hwa had said, voice silky.
"Do you mind if I bring him along?" Gyu In replied, a faint smile steadying the question.
"Of course not. The more the merrier." Her diamond ring glinted as she lifted her hand to cover her mouth in polite delight. "Perhaps it is someone I know?"
"Oh no. The love of mine is just a regular person. He does not associate himself with this side."
"You must introduce him to me. I would like to know him."
"Definitely," Gyu In promised. "If there is a chance."
Now, in the grand warmth of the ballroom, Eun Wol felt a light brush at his back and hot breath near his ear.
"Your heartbeat is too loud," Gyu In murmured. "Relax, okay?"
"I am just not used to the crowd."
"I know. Do not worry. I am here, isn't it?"
A voice cut through their little bubble. "Good evening. I do not think I have ever seen you two around here."
Gyu In shifted his hand from Eun Wol's back to his waist as his gaze aligned with the source. A man in a sharp suit, mask fitted with precision, expression unreadable.
"First time," Gyu In said smoothly. "Came with my partner. Quite the gathering tonight, isn't it?"
The stranger's gaze lingered on Eun Wol for a heartbeat too long. "Indeed. Not often we see new faces. Even rarer to see someone coming here with their partner." The tone carried a muted edge.
Eun Wol stiffened. His pulse thudded in his ears. He glanced at Gyu In, who gave him a small nod. A message slid beneath that nod: stay calm, leave this to me.
"It will be bad to leave my loved one waiting at home," Gyu In replied.
"Definitely." The man leaned forward slightly, voice dipping. "Perhaps you may want to be more careful with your name card peeking from your pocket. We do not reveal ourselves here."
"Oh. Not a business transaction?" Gyu In lifted a brow, playing innocent.
"Didn't Yoo In Hwa tell you the purpose of this party?" The man released a soft huff, almost amused but not quite. "Though I am not sure it is wise to let you know." His eyes flicked to Eun Wol again, pointed and deliberate.
"Just mingle long enough and you will understand." He stepped back, expression cool and calculating. "Enjoy the party."
Gyu In's fingers tightened around Eun Wol's waist. "Definitely." His gaze did not leave the man until he disappeared into the tide of masks and silk.
Eun Wol let out a slow breath. "He is sizing us up, isn't he?"
A low, humorless chuckle left Gyu In. "That is the point. Maybe he is from Yoo In Hwa's circle."
A sharp shatter rang across the ballroom, slicing through the music. Glass broke somewhere near the center, and a hush fell over the hall for a single suspended breath. Heads turned. Whispers rippled. The edge of laughter thinned.
Eun Wol's gaze darted to the disturbance.
And then he froze.
A figure stood at the center of the spectacle, laughing lightly with a cluster of men as if she owned the room. Carefree. Untouched. Entirely at ease.
His stomach knotted. His throat tightened.
He could have recognised her even if she had been covered head to toes in mud.
That certainty struck him like a blow.
His sister.
Eun Wol tensed, ready to step forward, but Gyu In's hand closed firmly around his waist.
"Not now," Gyu In said quietly, the steadiness in his voice allowing no room for argument. "Too many eyes. Too many ears."
His grip eased, but his gaze stayed on Eun Wol, softer now, almost coaxing.
"Wait. Just a little. I will handle it when the time is right."
Eun Wol's breath caught, fury bubbling in his chest. His hand twitched, ready to shove past him, ready to throw himself into the open no matter the consequences. But that arm around his waist held him there, firm yet careful. He lowered his head, swallowing the surge of defiance.
"…Okay," he whispered, voice raw.
It was not surrender.
It was trust.
They both looked toward Eun Bin, and at that exact moment, her gaze swept toward them.
Eun Wol froze. Gyu In stayed pressed close at his side.
For a fleeting second, Eun Bin almost let herself believe it. That her brother was truly there. Her breath caught, and the sounds of the ballroom dulled, as if the entire world had emptied until only he remained. That expression on his face, raw and unguarded, something she had not seen in years.
But then her eyes shifted. He was not alone.
A man stood beside him, protective, hand resting on him with quiet claim. Eun Bin frowned, subtle enough to mask the slip.
Why does that man look so familiar?
Her fingers trembled against the stem of her glass. She forced herself to look away, willed the image to disappear, but her chest clenched stubbornly.
Why is he here?
She excused herself, moving toward them. Every step felt like a pull against her own fear.
Eun Wol breathed out, barely audible. "Eun Bin…"
She blinked, searching his face, the mask doing little to hide the familiar gaze she had not seen in so long. Confusion flickered across her features, layered with something harsher, something like fear.
"Oppa?" Her voice was barely there. A whisper swallowed by the hum of the party.
"Here. I am here," he said softly. His tone carried the same warmth he used when thunder frightened her as a child.
"Slow down." Gyu In swept a quick look around them, then pulled Eun Wol back into the safety of his chest. "Let her come to you."
Eun Wol exhaled, his muscles loosening under Gyu In's calm. The tension that had lived inside him for so long began to unravel, replaced by something he had not dared feel in years.
Hope.
"Who…?" Eun Bin's eyes darted to the man beside him. Recognition sparked, sharp and immediate. Her jaw tightened.
"Partner," Gyu In said smoothly, his tone neutral but his gaze gentle enough not to provoke any unnecessary strain. "And perhaps you know somewhere we can speak privately."
Eun Bin hesitated, torn between dragging her brother away and pretending none of this was happening. She nodded slightly; her eyes locked on Gyu In with a wariness sharpened by instinct.
"Follow me."
They followed her through several turns and narrow corners before she led them into a room far from the crowd.
Once the door closed, the tension thickened. Eun Bin turned to face them, eyes sharp. She slowly removed her mask.
"There is no camera here." She paused; breath unsteady. "But… to be safe, you should not remove your mask, oppa."
She hurried forward before he could respond and crashed into his embrace.
"You… you are here. You came." Her voice shook with disbelief. "But why… you should not be here."
"I promised." Eun Wol pressed a hand over her head, his touch gentle, aching with longing. "I told you I would never leave you alone."
Eun Bin clung to him, her hands gripping his back tightly. "It is too dangerous. I do not even know what will happen if they find you."
"They will not. Gyu In will make sure of that."
The mention of Gyu In made her shift. She blinked as she looked at him properly, noticing the closeness between the two, the subtle intimacy. Her chest squeezed with a tangle of emotions she could not name, relief, jealousy, protectiveness, and something softer.
She saw the way Gyu In stood nearby, close enough to shield them, yet giving them the space they needed.
"Are you the man from last time?" she asked quietly.
Gyu In nodded with a small smile. "Yes. I am Kim Gyu In."
"I see…" Eun Bin swallowed hard, her mind racing. But the instinct to protect flared sharper.
"But why would you help us? Are you sure you have no other motive? Oppa, I don't think—"
"Eun Bin."
Eun Wol's sigh was weary, but steady.
"He's always been here. You're safe with him."
"But Oppa -"
"I trust him."
Eun Bin exhaled, shaky and small. Her grip loosened around Eun Wol's sleeves.
Eun Wol stepped back a little, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. The tenderness in his gaze faded into urgency.
"We don't have much time," Gyu In said quietly as he stepped closer. His eyes swept the room, sharp and calculating. "We have to leave sooner than expected."
"Wait."
Eun Wol turned back, the question bursting out of him.
"Why haven't you been replying? What are you doing? Answer me first."
Eun Bin froze.
"My phone is monitored. Everything I send out and everything I receive — all recorded by them. I couldn't…" Her voice cracked. "…I couldn't contact you."
"I wanted to. I swear I wanted to." Her breath trembled. "But I can't. And I couldn't wait anymore. I need to escape. I want to expose all of them."
"Don't you think of your own safety?" Eun Wol's voice wavered, panic threading through every word. His fists shook at his sides — a man ready to fight but terrified of losing what he's trying to protect.
"I'm not safe, Oppa. I've never been safe."
Bitterness edged Eun Bin's tone.
"They only care about money. They touched Kari too. They won't stop."
She inhaled shakily.
"They said it was just drinking and chatting. Just networking. Just 'helping the company.' All lies. The moment we refused, they threatened us. Forced us. They're handling drugs too."
Her voice dropped.
"Those people outside… they're monsters."
"What about the man you dragged last time? Was he also—"
"No." Eun Bin cut in quickly. "I slipped a sleeping pill into his drink. I'm… trying to collect evidence. In my own way."
"But if they catch you, you'll be ruined! I wouldn't even know!" Eun Wol's voice spiked with fear, desperation, anger all tangled into one.
"I know. But I'm not alone."
She swallowed.
"I have someone with me."
"The man in the cap? The one who punched me?" Gyu In asked.
"He was protecting me! He didn't mean to hit you!"
Gyu In's expression softened.
"And I'm grateful he's watching out for you. Alert is good."
"Who is he?"
Eun Wol looked at her, saw her eyes shift, the tension in her jaw, her fingers curling into tight fists.
He exhaled, voice trembling.
"Is it Ji Hun?"
"…He knows now," she admitted. "He wants to help."
"Does he know what he's getting into? This isn't—"
"He knows!" Eun Bin's breath stuttered. "He knows there's no going back."
Eun Wol's chest tightened.
Why now?
Why only now, after years of silence, after abandonment, after he shattered everything?
His voice came out raw.
"People don't change overnight. Not after everything he did. Not after what he chose."
"I know."
Eun Bin's hands tightened around his. "I hate him for it too. But—" Her eyes steadied, determined. "He came back. He came back because of you. Because losing you was the biggest mistake he's ever made."
Silence folded around them. Heavy, suffocating.
Eun Wol opened his mouth, then closed it. Forgiveness couldn't be forced out of an old wound.
He searched her face instead saw the fire, the stubbornness, the girl who once believed the world could be kind if they held onto each other tight enough.
"…Why should I trust him now?"
His voice tore at the edges.
"Because you still want to."
Her tone was soft, but unshakeable.
"And because you trust me. Oppa, trust us."
The emotion hung thick between them. Fragile, painful, and real.
Before either could speak again, Gyu In stepped forward. His voice cut through the room like a steady hand on a shaking shoulder.
"We don't have time to gamble on maybes."
The siblings turned to him.
Gyu In reached into his blazer and placed a sleek phone gently on the table.
"I prepared this," he said. The calm in his voice didn't match the weight of what he was offering.
"Untraceable. Safe. Use it only for us to reach each other."
Eun Bin stared, eyes widening. She looked at the phone then at Gyu In.
A realization settling in a deep, heavy way.