UNEXPECTED ROMANCE 🔞

ALIBI

"YOU'RE HIS BROTHER..."

The room fell deathly silent as Heeseung's words hung in the air, a bombshell detonating in the confined space. Jake's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing with a mix of disbelief and anger. Heeseung's accusation struck a nerve, dredging up memories and emotions he had long buried.

And then, Jake began to laugh. It started as a low chuckle, barely audible, but quickly escalated into a full-blown maniacal cackle that echoed off the walls. The sound was unsettling, a chilling contrast to the tension that had gripped the room moments before. Heeseung exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of how to react to Jake's sudden outburst.

"What did you say...??"

"BROTHER...??"

His laughter continued, wild and unhinged, as if Heeseung's revelation was the punchline of some cosmic joke only he understood. He finally doubled over, clutching his sides, gasping for breath between bouts of hysterical laughter.

"There is only one heir in the Sim mansion, Mr. Lee Heeseung."

"And that is Sim Jaeyun. Which is me."

"You can't hide the fact with your stupid accusation, can you?" He laughed again.

Heeseung's expression darkened, the amusement draining from his face. "I'm dead serious, Jake. This isn't a joke. You've been pretending to be someone you're not, and it's time to face the truth."

But Jake couldn't seem to stop laughing, his hysterics bordering on hysteria. He glanced up at Heeseung, tears streaming down his face, a manic glint in his eyes.

"What makes you so sure about me that I'm not Jaeyun, huh?" he choked out between fits of laughter. "Do you have any proof?"

Heeseung took a step back, the force of Jake's laughter pushing him off balance. "I'm not wrong, Jak—"

"Stop fucking calling me by that name... you don't have any right to call me whatever you want... understood, Mr. Lee Heeseung?" Jake raged with all his will. But Heeseung didn't stop; he still fought with all his might, trying to uncover the truth and also about his best friend Jaeyun.

"You can't hide from the truth forever, Mr. Sim."

"So what if I don't have proof right now... I know my best friend very well... I know him the best... the real Jaeyun never calls me by my surname..."

Jake's laughter ceased abruptly, the room descending into a tense silence. The manic energy in his eyes flickered, replaced by a cold, calculating glare. Heeseung's words hung in the air, heavy with implications and unspoken truths.

Heeseung took a deep breath, his voice steady but laced with emotion. "Jaeyun was more than just a friend to me. He was like a brother. I know his mannerisms, his quirks. And I know, deep down, that something is off with you."

Jake's facade cracked for a brief moment, a flash of vulnerability crossing his face before he quickly masked it with anger. "You think you know everything, don't you? You think you can just waltz in here and expose me with your amateur detective work?"

Heeseung stepped closer, his gaze unwavering. "This isn't about playing detective. It's about finding the truth. And I won't stop.. until... I get to the bottom of this."

Jake's eyes burned with defiance, but there was an undercurrent of fear that Heeseung couldn't ignore. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into," Jake hissed, his voice low and dangerous. "If you dig too deep, you might fall in your own fucking pit."

Heeseung's resolve only strengthened, his determination evident in his voice. "I'll take that risk. For Jaeyun."

The room seemed to close in around them, the weight of unspoken truths pressing down, suffocating. The confrontation had only just begun, and both men knew that the journey ahead would be fraught with danger and revelations that would change everything.