Twisted Games(Ryeji ver)

RYUJIN[CHAPTER 42]

IT WAS FUNNY HOW ONE MOMENT COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE. One moment, my mother was alive, then she wasn't. One moment, my squad mates were alive, and the next everything got blown to hell. Literally. One moment, I knew my place in the world, only for it to get turned upside down with the simple unfolding of a paper.

Last night had been a mind fuck in every way, and I was still debating the soundness of my decision to pay my brother a visit as I stared at the townhouse in front of me.

There wasn't as much security as I'd expected, though the townhouse was in one of the safest neighborhoods in northern Athenberg. Until now, the only brothers I had were the ones in my SEAL unit. The idea of having a real brother? It kind of fucked me up, to be honest.

I walked to the front door and knocked, my skin crawling with anticipation. Yunjin had left that morning. Her had been the quickest trip in the history of international trips, but she had a mess on her hands in the U.S. so I couldn't blame her. It was just like her to drop a bombshell then leave, though.

My brother answered on the second knock. If he was surprised to see me standing on his doorstep unannounced on a Thursday afternoon, he didn't show it.

"Hello, Ms. Shin."

"Hello, brother." I didn't bother beating around the bush. Hyunjin's smile disappeared. He regarded me for a long
moment before he opened the door wider and stepped aside. I walked in, my shoes squeaking on the shiny marble floor. Other than a few touches of white, everything in the house was gray. Light gray walls, gray furniture, gray rugs. It was like stepping into an expensive rain cloud.

Hyunjin led me to the kitchen, where he poured two cups of tea and handed me one. I didn't take it. I hadn't come for tea.

"You knew." I got straight to the point. He appeared put out by my refusal and placed the extra mug on the counter with a frown.

"Yes."

"Why the fuck didn't you say anything?"

"Why do you think, Ms. Shin? The world thinks I'm a prince. I am a prince. Do you really think I'd jeopardize that to claim kinship with an Korean bodyguard who, I might mention, has been quite rude to me in every interaction we've had?" I stared Hyunjin down.

"How did you find out?" When Yunjin handed me the paper with my father's and brother's names, I'd almost thrown it out. I knew in my gut opening it would lead to trouble. But in the end, I couldn't resist.

Two names. Hwang Hyunjin, my half-brother. Choi Yeonjun, my father. Our father.

I was related to the two people I despised most in Eldorra. Go figure. Hyunjin was silent for a long while.

"When I found out Sakura was abdicating, I was...worried. About Yeji. She'd never cared much for the throne, and I didn't think she even liked Eldorra that much. She certainly spent enough time away from it to give that impression. I thought she wasn't suited for the role of queen." Barbed wire dug into my heart at the sound of Yeji's name. Brunette hair. Sparkling eyes. A smile that could light up
even my cold, dead soul.

It'd only been three days, and I already missed her so goddamned much I would've cut off my right arm for the chance to glimpse her in person, but she'd been locked up tight at the palace since she left the hospital. Probably busy
planning her engagement to Rei seeped into my veins, and I forced myself to focus on what Hyunjin was saying instead of spiraling again.

"I realize you don't have a high opinion of me, but I do want what's best for the country. Eldorra is my home, and it
deserves a good ruler." I bristled at the implied insult.