Ruby(Red 2) JC [Revised]

17: The Deal

Jeonghan knelt on the ground in front of Aerin, his eyes red and puffy from excessive crying.

"But why me? Why did you do all that to ME??!!" he demanded, his voice cracking.

"You seriously don't know, Yoon Jeonghan?" Aerin responded, bending down to his level. She moved closer, her lips brushing his ear as she whispered, "Remember your stepsister?"

Jeonghan's eyes widened. The dark truth of his childhood, long buried under the weight of years and the distance of continents, resurfaced in an instant. His mother had confided in him before her death, revealing secrets he had struggled to understand.

Jeonghan's mother, Eunae, had been happily married to Yoon Minjun, a prominent businessman. Their life seemed perfect until Eunae met Joowon, Aerin's father. Despite both being married, they fell in love, and Eunae soon became pregnant with Jeonghan. Joowon doted on Jeonghan more than he ever did on Aerin, leaving her starved for her father's affection. Minjun, oblivious to the affair, raised Jeonghan as his own and showered him with luxuries.

Jeonghan was everyone's favorite, unlike Aerin, who languished in the shadows of neglect. When Jeonghan was seven, Joowon died under mysterious circumstances, and Jeonghan's family moved to Korea. Jeonghan vaguely remembered meeting his stepsister twice—once on his fifth birthday and again at Joowon's funeral. Back then, he didn't understand the significance of those encounters. He recalled baby Aerin: tall and thin, with long dark brown hair and intense, hooded eyes. She wasn't conventionally attractive, certainly not compared to Jeonghan, who was accustomed to constant praise. Yet, her eyes held a spark, a fire capable of burning the world.

Years passed, and Jeonghan forgot about Aerin as he built a new life in Korea. But on her deathbed, his mother revealed the truth about his parentage. Legally, he was Yoon Minjun's son, and that was all that mattered to him. He dismissed the revelation, thinking it had no bearing on his life. But now, that long-forgotten conversation replayed in his mind.

"What's your favorite thing, Jeonghan?"

"I love expensive gems, like rubies."

"Then I promise, one day I'll take your most precious thing. I'll take your precious Ruby when I get older."

Jeonghan remembered those words. She had done it. She had taken his most beloved person, his precious Ruby, and he was powerless to stop her.

"I promised I'd take your precious Ruby. Now you see how it feels when someone takes your favorite thing?"

"But why? I stole nothing from you! We barely even met," Jeonghan protested.

"My family, my father... you and your mother are the reason my mother was tortured every night. She cried herself to sleep. My own father never looked at me because of you, Yoon Jeonghan."

"But I never told him to ignore you and love me! I didn't even know about any of this at the time!" Jeonghan cried out, desperate.

"But you have to be punished. And I guess you did. Now, enjoy the rest of your life with Aerum and watch me marry Seungcheol, get fucked by him every night, and have his babies—"

"You bitch!" Jeonghan yelled, his voice cracking with desperation and anger.

Aerin chuckled, a cold and victorious sound. "This bitch has your man now, so you'd better show some respect."

"Aerin, please don't do this. You know Seungcheol and I love each other. He still loves me, I know it. Please, Aerin," Jeonghan pleaded, his voice trembling.