Chapter - 5
The neighborhood was unusually peaceful.
The morning air was cool.
Birds chirped.
The streets were almost empty.
Inside the house next door...
Sky sat in complete silence, reading through a stack of documents.
Weapons shipments.
Business reports.
Financial records.
His attention should have been on work.
Instead...
His eyes drifted toward the window.
Again.
His right-hand man quietly noticed.
"...Boss."
No response.
"The papers are on the table."
"I know."
"...You've been staring outside for five minutes."
Sky calmly picked up a file.
"I was thinking."
"About the documents?"
"...Yes."
The right-hand man looked out the window.
At that exact moment...
The front door of Nani's house opened.
Nani stepped outside wearing a light gray hoodie, black jogging pants, and white sneakers.
His headphones rested around his neck.
He stretched his arms above his head and yawned.
"So sleepy..."
Then he started jogging down the quiet street.
Sky's eyes followed him automatically.
"..."
Without saying a word...
Sky closed the file.
Stood up.
Picked up his car keys.
His right-hand man blinked.
"...Boss?"
"I'm going outside."
"For work?"
Sky paused.
"...Exercise."
The room fell silent.
The guards looked at each other.
Exercise?
Their boss?
The man who considered walking to another room unnecessary if someone else could do it?
---
Outside...
Nani jogged at a comfortable pace.
He wasn't particularly athletic.
In fact...
He complained after every few minutes.
"Why did I decide to do this..."
"So much suffering..."
"But skincare influencers said exercise is good..."
He sighed dramatically.
"Fine."
"I'll suffer beautifully."
He kept jogging.
---
Several meters behind him...
Another pair of footsteps appeared.
Steady.
Calm.
Heavy.
Sky.
Dressed entirely in black.
Running with perfect posture.
No sign of fatigue.
No change in expression.
As if he had been jogging every morning his entire life.
Nani glanced over his shoulder.
"...Huh?"
He slowed slightly.
The tall figure looked familiar.
Very familiar.
His eyes widened.
"Cold Ice Cream?"
Sky kept running.
"I prefer Sky."
Nani looked genuinely surprised.
"Oh."
"So you do know your own name."
Sky looked straight ahead.
"..."
Nani shrugged.
"What are you doing?"
"Running."
"I can see that."
"I meant..."
"Why?"
Sky answered without hesitation.
"Exercise."
Nani nodded thoughtfully.
"Makes sense."
Then he grinned.
"I inspired you, didn't I?"
Sky's expression remained completely blank.
"No."
"Really?"
"Really."
"So it's a coincidence?"
"Yes."
Nani hummed.
"What a suspicious coincidence."
They continued jogging.
One looked relaxed.
The other looked like he was leading a military operation.
---
Behind them...
Sky's guards watched from a discreet distance.
One guard whispered,
"Boss suddenly enjoys jogging."
The other folded his arms.
"What amazing timing."
"The exact moment the neighbor starts jogging."
Another nodded.
"Pure coincidence."
"Absolutely."
The first guard sighed.
"Our boss has changed."
Before they could continue...
Sky glanced back only once.
That single look was enough.
The three guards immediately pretended to admire a tree.
"...Beautiful weather."
"Very educational tree."
"I've never seen leaves before."
---
After another few minutes...
Nani slowed to a stop near a small park.
He bent over slightly, trying to catch his breath.
"I'm..."
"So..."
"Unfit..."
Sky wasn't even breathing heavily.
Nani looked up at him with narrowed eyes.
"You're showing off."
"I'm breathing."
"Barely."
"I hate naturally athletic people."
Sky looked at him for a moment.
"You should drink water."
Nani blinked.
"...That sounded almost nice."
"It was practical."
"Mm-hm."
Nani smiled to himself.
"Cold Ice Cream is becoming room-temperature ice cream."
Sky's eyebrow twitched.
"I am not."
Nani laughed softly and started walking home.
Sky watched him go.
His right-hand man, who had finally caught up, quietly cleared his throat.
"...Boss."
"What."
"You accidentally went on a morning jog with the neighbor."
Sky looked at him.
"It wasn't accidental."
The man blinked.
"...Oh?"
Sky answered in the same calm tone.
"I chose this route."
The right-hand man froze.
Then immediately looked away before his expression betrayed him.
"...Understood, Boss."
In his mind, however, he thought only one thing.
Boss has no idea he's making this painfully obvious.
-----------
The afternoon was over.
North City couldn't wait forever.
There were meetings.
Shipments.
Rival gangs.
Problems only Sky could solve.
His right-hand man stood beside the black SUV.
"Boss."
"It's time."
Sky didn't answer immediately.
His eyes wandered toward the neighboring house one last time.
The curtains were closed.
No sign of Nani.
"..."
He opened the car door and got inside.
---
The drive back was unusually quiet.
Normally...
Silence suited Sky.
Today...
It irritated him.
Every passing kilometer felt unnecessarily long.
His jaw remained clenched.
His fingers tapped once against the leather armrest before becoming still again.
His right-hand man noticed.
"...Boss."
"What."
"Are you uncomfortable?"
"No."
"You've sighed three times."
"I did not."
"...Twice?"
Sky's cold stare landed on him.
The man wisely chose silence.
---
Hours later...
The familiar black gates of North City opened.
The guards immediately bowed.
"Welcome back, Boss."
Sky walked inside without acknowledging them.
The mansion was exactly as he had left it.
Cold.
Perfect.
Silent.
Nothing had changed.
Yet...
Something felt missing.
He stopped in the middle of the grand hallway.
His eyes slowly swept across the room.
The expensive furniture.
The marble floors.
The quiet atmosphere.
Everything was exactly where it belonged.
So why...
Did the mansion suddenly feel...
Empty?
---
That evening...
Dinner was served.
An extravagant table filled with expensive food.
Sky sat alone.
He looked at the dishes.
For some reason...
He remembered another dining table.
A young man sitting across from him.
Pushing vegetables aside.
Complaining about spicy food.
Eating only half a plate.
Calling him...
Cold Ice Cream.
"..."
Sky put his fork down.
His appetite disappeared.
The chef standing nearby looked worried.
"Boss..."
"Is something wrong with dinner?"
"It's fine."
"Should I prepare something else?"
"No."
Sky stood up.
"I'm done."
The untouched food remained on the table.
---
Later that night...
He entered his office.
Stacks of reports waited.
Usually...
He finished everything in a single sitting.
Tonight...
He read the same page four times.
Without understanding a word.
He closed the file.
Annoyed.
"This is ridiculous."
He had never been distracted before.
Never.
His focus had built an empire.
His coldness had kept him alive.
Feelings were weaknesses.
Weaknesses got people killed.
He knew that.
He had lived by that rule for years.
Then why...
Why did his thoughts keep returning to one loud, stubborn runaway?
The one who mistook a mafia mansion for a hotel.
The one who argued with imaginary people.
The one who thought he was a ghost.
The one who insisted on premium cotton bedsheets.
Sky leaned back in his chair.
His eyes closed for only a moment.
"..."
His chest felt strangely restless.
Not painful.
Not pleasant.
Just...
Unfamiliar.
His cold heart, which had ignored the world for years...
Seemed to be searching for something.
Or...
Someone.
The realization irritated him.
He opened his eyes immediately.
"No."
He said the word aloud.
"This changes nothing."
He wasn't a romantic.
He didn't believe in love.
He wasn't lonely.
He wasn't kind.
He was still the same ruthless man who ruled North City through fear.
Whatever this feeling was...
He would bury it.
Like everything else.
---
Outside the office...
His right-hand man quietly spoke to another guard.
"...Boss hasn't smiled."
"He never smiles."
"I know."
"But now..."
"He keeps staring into space."
The other guard nodded.
"I miss when his biggest concern was eliminating rival gangs."
The first sighed dramatically.
"Now his biggest enemy..."
He looked toward the closed office door.
"...is a twenty-two-year-old who calls him 'Cold Ice Cream.'"
Both men fell silent.
Because somehow...
That sounded far more dangerous than any gang war.
------------
The next few days passed...
Like a nightmare.
Not because of monsters.
Not because of danger.
But because no one listened to Nani.
The decision had already been made.
His father moved through the house with determination.
Phone calls.
Meetings.
Guest lists.
Venue bookings.
Tailors.
Jewelry appointments.
Everything was happening so quickly that Nani barely had time to process it.
Every time he tried to say no...
His father answered with the same sentence.
"It's for this family's future."
Nani hated those words.
Because somehow...
His future had become everyone else's decision.
Except his own.
---
One morning...
A garment shop.
The staff greeted the family warmly.
"Welcome."
"We've prepared several outfits."
Expensive fabrics were displayed one after another.
The tailor held up elegant suits.
"This color would suit him."
"What about this one?"
"Oh, this design is perfect for a wedding."
Nani sat silently on the sofa.
His expression was blank.
He wasn't looking at the clothes.
He wasn't listening.
He simply stared at the floor.
A mannequin looked more alive than he did.
---
His father noticed.
"Nani."
"Try this."
"No."
"It's only for fitting."
"No."
"Don't embarrass us."
"I already said no."
The tailor awkwardly smiled.
"I... I'll come back later."
He quietly escaped.
---
Next stop...
A jewelry boutique.
Bright lights reflected off rows of watches, rings, bracelets, and necklaces.
The staff enthusiastically brought out expensive pieces.
"This collection is our newest."
"What about this bracelet?"
"It matches the wedding theme."
Nani looked at them for exactly two seconds.
"...Heavy."
Another one.
"...Too shiny."
Another.
"...I don't want any."
He leaned back into the chair.
"I don't even want the wedding."
Silence.
His father pinched the bridge of his nose.
Dew looked everywhere except at their father.
---
Niran arrived not long after.
Perfectly dressed.
Calm.
Composed.
As though this were another business meeting.
He smiled politely.
"I hope the preparations are going smoothly."
Nani looked at him.
Then immediately looked away.
Just hearing his voice made him uncomfortable.
He didn't hate Niran because he was a widower.
He hated that his answer had never mattered.
Every conversation felt like someone had already decided his life for him.
Niran approached him.
"If there's anything you need..."
Nani stood up before he could finish.
"I'm going outside."
He walked away without another word.
---
Outside the boutique...
A bench overlooked the busy street.
Nani sat there quietly.
People walked past laughing.
Couples shopped together.
Children ran around with ice cream.
Life continued as if nothing was wrong.
Meanwhile...
His own felt like it was slipping out of his hands.
---
A few minutes later...
Dew sat beside him.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
Finally...
Dew nudged his shoulder.
"Smile."
No response.
"Come on."
"At least pretend."
Nani let out a tired sigh.
"I don't feel like smiling."
Dew stood up and began pacing back and forth.
Hands in his pockets.
Clearly restless.
"I don't like seeing you like this."
Nani looked at his brother.
"I know."
Dew stopped walking.
"If you stay this quiet..."
"I'm going to start worrying."
Nani gave a weak smile.
"There."
"I smiled."
Dew crossed his arms.
"That was the saddest smile I've ever seen."
"It counts."
"No."
"It doesn't."
For the first time that day...
A tiny laugh escaped Nani.
Only for a second.
But Dew noticed.
"There."
"That's better."
The smile disappeared just as quickly.
Nani looked down at his hands.
"I don't want this."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"I don't want the clothes."
"The jewelry."
"The venue."
"...Any of it."
He swallowed.
"I especially don't want to marry Niran."
Dew's playful expression faded.
"I know."
Nani rested his elbows on his knees.
"I feel..."
He searched for the right word.
"...Trapped."
No one argued with him.
No one tried to convince him.
Dew simply sat beside him.
Quietly.
Like an older brother who wished he could fix everything but didn't know how.
Across the busy street...
A sleek black car slowed at a red light.
Inside...
A familiar pair of cold eyes happened to glance toward the sidewalk.
And for the briefest moment...
Sky saw Nani.
Not arguing.
Not complaining.
Not calling him "Cold Ice Cream."
Just sitting alone...
Looking smaller than usual.
The traffic light turned green.
The car rolled forward.
But Sky's gaze lingered a moment longer.
Something about the sight...
Left a cold heaviness in his chest that even he couldn't explain.