A nervous feeling was in the air.
The second Taeui woke up, he could tell something was amiss. Ilay was acting like always, but there weren't many things that fazed him to begin with. However, the staff in the mansion looked on edge, and when Kyle joined them for breakfast, he seemed more tired than normal.
"Is everything okay, Kyle? Is work not going well?"
Kyle replied with a brief chuckle. "If only it was because of work." Taeui raised a brow at the statement, and Kyle explained. "You will find out sooner or later, so I might as well tell you now. Our parents are coming for a visit and staying for a few days."
Taeui's brows shot up at the news, but it was Ilay's reaction that threw him off. He looked normal, there was no anger or annoyance and for a moment, Taeui wondered if what he thought about Ilay and his parents having a bad relationship was wrong.
"And Helena's family will be here too."
This time, it was Ilay who quirked a brow at Kyle's statement. A knowing look travelled between the two brothers, but nothing more was said about it. However, even though Taeui didn't want to, the nervous atmosphere got to him. He remembered Ilay saying his parents knew he had a lover, but did they know his lover was a man? When Taeui asked him this, Ilay replied with, "What does it matter to them who I'm dating?"
Taeui couldn't say anything back and nodded. Part of him felt excited; if he was lucky, he might hear stories of Ilay as a kid, but more than that, he was anxious at how his family would receive him.
A couple of days later, Helena, her husband and their daughters arrived at the mansion. According to Kyle, they lived in the UK. Helena didn't like that her family dealt with guns and went to study abroad in the UK, and that's where she met Daniel, her husband.
Taeui stood a step behind while the family greeted each other. Ilay, looking bored with all the formality, didn't say much, but when Helena noticed Taeui, he stepped closer to introduce him.
"This is Jeong Taeui, my–"
At that moment, an all-consuming fight-or-flight response was triggered through Taeui's body, and he interrupted Ilay.
"Friend. I'm Ilay's friend."
The second he said it, Ilay glared at him, and his annoyance increased. Ilay narrowed his eyes for a moment but soon shrugged his shoulders as if to say, 'do what you want'. Taeui smiled fondly, cold sweat beading his nape, as he greeted them.
Helena paused for a split second, eyeing Taeui, and if it hadn't been for the fact he was on high alert, he wouldn't have noticed it. The next day, their parents arrived, and like before, Taeui introduced himself as Ilay's friend.
Later that day, while Taeui was reading a book by the pool, Ilay went for a swim, clearly tired of mingling with his family.
"Leave the book and come here for a bit, friend."
Taeui closed his book and hesitated, staring at Ilay floating at the edge of the pool. He got up and walked to where Ilay was and sat down with his feet in the water. Ilay brushed his fingers along Taeui's ankles, and after a silent moment, Taeui broke the silence.
"I think we should sleep in separate rooms while they are here."
Ilay's eyes narrowed, and he clicked his tongue. A moment later, he sat next to Taeui. "You always do this," he murmured. He looked directly at Taeui and asked, "If they stay for a month, do you really think I can hold that long?"
"You do when you have longer jobs," said Taeui meekly. But seeing Ilay's anger rising, he felt bad. "I'm sorry. I got nervous when meeting them."
"Why?"
"They are your family. What if they don't like me and want us to–"
Taeui couldn't complete his sentence. For one, he didn't want to say it, and second, Ilay's eyes were already dangerously cold as he understood where he was going with his explanation.
"I became a terrorist for you. Do you really think it would bother me if they disowned me?"
"It would bother me."
"Why? It has nothing to do with you, so why do you care?"
Before Taeui could argue back, Rita, Helena and her daughters joined them by the pool. Taeui pressed his lips together and looked away. He was angry at himself; after all, he was the one who said they were friends.
'Why ask me to marry you if it doesn't have anything to do with me?'
His anger also extended to Ilay. Taeui looked at his hand, his ring hot against his skin. Ilay had a matching one. Taeui stared at his ring, fiddling with it, and Ilay noticed it. His eyes became even colder, knowing what Taeui was thinking, and he looked away, clicking his tongue.
Taeui clenched the ring in his hand.
"You still walk around with those cold eyes. I thought that having a girlfriend would mellow you out," said Helena when Ilay passed by her walking towards the house.
Ilay stared at his sister but didn't reply. Even though it was summer, the aura around him was so cold it sent cold shivers to anyone around. Ilay's eyes travelled down, and he saw his niece Amber, hiding behind her mother, trembling. When their eyes met, tears pooled in her eyes, and Ilay clicked his tongue again. He turned around and walked away without a word.
"Hey, uncle. Let's play."
Scarlet dashed to Ilay and grabbed his hand. He paused, looking down at his younger niece. Ilay's expression was enough to put a grown man quivering in fear, and despite looking at Scarlet like that, even if unintentionally, the little girl looked up at him with big black eyes, waiting. Ilay was taken aback by the lack of self-preservation from his niece and looked at his sister. Helena looked away and gave a small smile, clearly uncomfortable with the situation as well.
Ilay looked back at Scarlet and turned around again, ignoring her. But she grabbed his hand again and pulled.
"Mama says it's rude if you don't reply. If you don't want to play, just say it."
Then she crossed her small arms in thought and continued, "But don't say no. I don't want it. Let's play."
Behind them, both Taeui and Helena looked away and hid their laughter from Ilay. The scene made Taeui feel better. Seeing Ilay being scolded by his niece for being rude was definitely not on Taeui's bingo card when he heard his family would be coming.
"I don't want to."
Ilay glared back at Helena and then at Taeui. "Play with him if you want."
Scarlet pouted and walked to her mom. When her eyes met Taeui's, she looked away, frustrated. While the girls played in the pool, Helena sat by the pool a bit away from Taeui, under the shade.
"I really want to meet her, the girlfriend he claims to have," said Helena. "Have you met her?"
Helena looked straight at Taeui. Her eyes were warm, like their mother's eyes, but beneath them, he could tell she was as astute as Ilay. "Yes. For a bit. He doesn't bring her here much."
"Figures. She probably doesn't even know what he does for a living. I hope she isn't staying with him for the money."
"Ilay isn't one to spend money recklessly."
Helena nodded, and then her eyes narrowed slightly, and she crossed her arms, tapping her finger on her arm. She had the same habit as Ilay when thinking. She continued to talk freely with Taeui, asking questions about how they met and telling how she met Daniel. The two got along well, and Taeui felt sad for lying to her, but part of him couldn't stop wondering if they would get along so easily if she knew the truth.