Taejoon's grip on YN was possessive, his eyes glinting with an unhinged excitement as he guided her to the bedroom. The room was dimly lit, shadows casting jagged shapes on the walls that seemed to move with each flicker of the lone lamp. The large mirror opposite the bed gleamed ominously, reflecting the scene with a warped clarity. He sat her down at the vanity, his hands surprisingly gentle as he tilted her face up, brushing a thumb across her cheek. YN's eyes fluttered open, still clouded with confusion and fear, but there was no strength to resist.

"Stay still, my love," Taejoon whispered, his voice low and commanding. He reached for the array of makeup products scattered across the surface, selecting a deep red lipstick and twisting it open with a practiced hand. The room filled with the faint, familiar scent of roses mixed with an undertone of something metallic and sharp.

YN's breath hitched as he leaned in, the tube gliding across her trembling lips with a delicate precision.

"There you go," he muttered, stepping back to admire his work. His eyes traveled over her features, drinking in every detail the flush in her cheeks, the way her chest rose and fell rapidly, the subtle quiver of her lashes. He nodded, satisfaction darkening his expression. "Now you look like my queen. Perfect. Mine."

His fingers traced the curve of her jaw, and YN forced herself not to flinch at his touch. Her mind screamed at her to fight, to do something, but the terror had wrapped itself around her like chains, holding her frozen in place.

Taejoon turned her face toward the mirror, their reflections side by side. The stark contrast between their expressions was unsettling-his, twisted with a possessive glee, and hers, wide-eyed and lost. He leaned over her shoulder, eyes meeting hers through the glass. "Say my name," he demanded, voice softer now but with a razor's edge.

"Namj" The name died in her throat as his grip on her shoulder tightened, fingers digging into her skin. He shook his head, a mockery of a smile playing on his lips.

"Wrong," he said, almost playfully. "Try again."

Before she could muster another word, a noise from downstairs shattered the tension in the room-a voice, deep and familiar, calling out into the silence. "YN?" The sound was urgent, laced with worry. It was Namjoon.

Taejoon's entire demeanor shifted in an instant. The playfulness evaporated, replaced by a raw, seething anger. His jaw clenched, muscles in his neck straining as he turned away from YN, eyes narrowing toward the door as though he could see through it.

Downstairs, Namjoon stood in the hallway, chest heaving as he tried to steady his breath. He had run from the car, not caring about the suitcase he'd left behind or the bewildered looks of passersby. The house felt different cold, oppressive, like a trap waiting to spring. Something was terribly wrong; he felt it in his bones.

His suit, still crisp from the flight, was wrinkled at the collar where he'd tugged at it, trying to loosen the suffocating knot in his throat. Dark circles under his eyes spoke of exhaustion, but they were lit with a fire of determination. His hands, balled into fists, were shaking-not with fear, but with rage and desperation.

He took a step forward, the polished floorboards groaning under his weight, the sound echoing like a warning. The silence that followed was suffocating, every second stretching out like an eternity.

"YN?" he called again, voice breaking slightly at the end. The house remained silent, and dread coiled tighter around his chest. He moved toward the stairs, muscles tensed as he prepared for whatever he might find at the top.

Upstairs, Taejoon's eyes darted to the vanity where YN sat, her expression shifting from fear to a glimmer of hope. He saw it and snarled, a feral sound that sent a shiver down her spine.

"Don't even think about it," he hissed, grabbing her wrist and yanking her to her feet. YN stumbled but caught herself, the brief eye contact with Taejoon sending waves of terror through her veins.

"Stay silent," he whispered, leaning in so close she could feel his breath, hot and quick against her ear. He glanced toward the bedroom door as Namjoon's footsteps grew louder, each one a drumbeat of approaching fury.

Taejoon stepped out of the room, his silhouette framed by the dim hallway light, casting an ominous shadow that stretched toward Namjoon. His smirk was twisted, a dangerous gleam in his eyes as he spread his arms mockingly.

"Well, well, Hell'O' Brother," Taejoon drawled, tilting his head with a mixture of arrogance and madness.

Namjoon's heart pounded against his ribs like a war drum. Every fiber of his being was coiled with fury, muscles taut as he launched forward without hesitation.

The hallway seemed to shrink around them, the walls closing in as Namjoon’s fist connected with Taejoon’s jaw in a sickening thud. Taejoon staggered back, the smirk wiped from his face, replaced with a feral snarl.

“Where is she? Where is YN?” Namjoon’s voice was a roar, raw and desperate. He took a step forward, his eyes burning with a mix of fear and rage.

Taejoon wiped the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, the crimson stark against his pale skin. He chuckled, a hollow, chilling sound. “She’s mine, Namjoon. Not yours. Never yours.”

“Stop this, Taejoon!” Namjoon’s voice cracked, desperation seeping into the rage. “Enough of your psycho behavior. This ends now. Where is she?”

Taejoon’s eyes flickered with something dark, a storm of emotions too twisted to untangle. “You always took everything from me,” he spat, venom dripping from each word. “The attention, the praise, the life I wanted... but you won’t take her. I won’t let you.”

Namjoon’s eyes narrowed, catching a faint, muffled sound from the room behind Taejoon. His heart clenched. YN. He was about to push past when Taejoon lunged, catching him off-guard with a brutal elbow to the ribs. Namjoon grunted, the sharp pain radiating through his torso, but he refused to back down.

“You don’t love her,” Namjoon bit out, regaining his footing and meeting Taejoon’s crazed gaze. “You’re a monster who doesn’t know how to love. You only know how to destroy.”

Taejoon’s eyes flashed with fury, and he swung again, this time a wide arc that Namjoon ducked under. The hallway echoed with the clash of their bodies, the thud of fists meeting flesh, and the labored grunts of two brothers locked in a battle driven by years of unresolved pain.

Namjoon seized the moment, grabbing Taejoon by the collar and slamming him against the wall. The drywall cracked under the force, a jagged line snaking out like a spiderweb. Taejoon winced but quickly recovered, bringing his knee up into Namjoon’s stomach. The air rushed out of Namjoon’s lungs, but he didn’t let go.

“Tell me where she is!” Namjoon’s voice was hoarse, eyes boring into Taejoon’s with an intensity that bordered on feral.

Taejoon’s lip curled into a sneer, even as a bead of sweat trickled down his temple. “Even if I did, do you think she’d want you after today? After what she’s seen?” He laughed, a sound so chilling it sent a shiver down Namjoon’s spine.

“You twisted—” Namjoon’s words dissolved into a growl as he slammed his brother again, this time with enough force to knock the breath out of him. Taejoon gasped, eyes wide for a brief moment before rage clouded them once more.

The fight devolved into a frenzy, each punch and kick fueled by a lifetime of rivalry and unspoken words. Namjoon ducked and sidestepped, his mind racing with images of YN—her smile, her laugh, the way she called his name. The thought of her in danger sharpened his resolve.

Taejoon, though slighter in build, moved with a manic energy that made him unpredictable. He landed a glancing blow to Namjoon’s temple, and the room spun for a heartbeat.

Taking advantage, Taejoon pushed him back, sending Namjoon stumbling over a side table that crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces.

“YN!” Namjoon’s voice cracked as he struggled to right himself, eyes darting to the room where he’d heard her. His vision blurred momentarily, but the sound of footsteps and Taejoon’s erratic breathing pulled him back into focus.

“Why can’t you see?” Taejoon’s voice trembled, a mix of desperation and bitterness. “She makes everything worth it. She’s the only thing that matters.”

Namjoon clenched his jaw, chest heaving. “Not like this. Never like this.”

Taejoon lunged again, but this time Namjoon was ready. He sidestepped, catching Taejoon’s arm and twisting it behind his back with a force that made his brother cry out. The sound was sharp, slicing through the heavy tension in the air.

“Where. Is. She.” Namjoon punctuated each word with a twist, eyes cold as steel.

The tension in the hallway crackled like electricity, heavy and suffocating. Namjoon’s grip on Taejoon’s arm tightened as he shoved him away, sending his brother stumbling against the cracked wall. Taejoon’s eyes glistened with a mix of hatred and despair, his chest heaving as he struggled to regain balance. The once-mocking glint in his eyes was gone, replaced by something more primal—raw desperation.

Namjoon stood tall, shoulders squared and muscles coiled, ready for whatever his brother might throw at him next. His breath came in heavy puffs, and a bead of sweat traced its way down his temple. The air between them felt like a live wire, sparking with the weight of years of resentment and rivalry.

Taejoon lunged, a guttural roar tearing from his throat as he swung wildly at Namjoon. The punch glanced off Namjoon’s jaw, sending a sharp jolt of pain through him, but he didn’t back down. He retaliated with a quick jab to Taejoon’s ribs, the impact resounding through the narrow corridor.

“You’ve always been like this,” Namjoon spat, his voice laced with anguish. “Taking what you want without thinking of the consequences.”

Taejoon’s laughter was ragged, almost a sob. “And you’ve always been the golden boy, haven’t you? Perfect Namjoon who could do no wrong.” His eyes were wild, flicking between Namjoon’s face and the closed door behind him, where YN was still unconscious.

“This isn’t about me being perfect. This is about you, Taejoon. You chose this path.” Namjoon’s voice trembled as the memories surfaced—childhood arguments that turned violent, the day their parents sent Taejoon away, and the shame that followed him like a shadow.

Taejoon’s expression twisted, pain flashing in his eyes as he surged forward again. Namjoon blocked the blow and pushed him back, but this time he didn’t relent.

He followed up with a hook that sent Taejoon crumpling to the floor, gasping for breath. The house seemed to shudder with the impact, a silent witness to the storm that had broken between the brothers.

“Why do you always take everything from me?” Taejoon’s voice cracked as he tried to push himself up, only to collapse back against the floor. Blood smeared his lip, and the look he gave Namjoon was one of a man defeated, but not broken.

Namjoon’s eyes softened for a split second, seeing the brother he had once known buried beneath the layers of rage and bitterness. “I never took anything from you,” he said quietly, the edge in his voice giving way to a deep, unyielding sorrow. “You chose violence, Taejoon. You pushed everyone away, not me.”

Taejoon’s body shuddered as he laughed, a broken sound that echoed through the hallway. “You think I wanted this? To be the outcast, the shadow lurking behind your perfect image?” He spat blood onto the floor and glared up at Namjoon. “You have no idea what it’s like to be me.”

Namjoon’s fists clenched at his sides, the anger in him slowly morphing into something more painful. “You think I didn’t suffer?” His voice wavered, eyes narrowing as he recalled the whispers, the glares, the shame. “Do you think it was just you who bore the weight? I had to stand tall and bear the criticism—‘Your brother’s a killer,’ they said. ‘The family of a monster.’”

Taejoon’s eyes flickered, a brief crack in the armor of his resentment. Namjoon saw it, the small, fragile remnant of the brother he had grown up with, the one who used to laugh with him under the summer sun before life twisted them both into the men they were now.

“They sent you away because they thought it was the only way to save you,” Namjoon continued, his voice thick with emotion. “Mom and Dad suffered, too. They blamed themselves, but they tried to protect you. And what did you do? You killed a man, Taejoon. You escaped that center covered in blood, and do you know what that did to us? To me?”

Taejoon’s breath hitched, the rage in his eyes softening to something broken. He turned his head away, as if refusing to acknowledge the truth.

“I cared for you, Taejoon,” Namjoon said, a tear tracing down his cheek, unnoticed. “You were my brother. But you let the darkness take over. And now, here we are.”

Silence fell between them, heavy and suffocating. Taejoon’s shoulders sagged, the fight in him ebbing away as the weight of Namjoon’s words settled in. For the first time in years, Namjoon saw the child that had once been his brother, lost and afraid.

Taejoon’s lips trembled as he whispered, “She’s upstairs... in your room.”

To be continued