Chapter - 16
The next morning...
The mansion was strangely empty.
Nani stretched lazily after breakfast.
"Dew."
"Hm?"
"You said you bought a villa?"
Dew grinned proudly.
"Yep."
"Wanna come judge my interior design?"
Nani's eyes lit up immediately.
"Obviously."
"If the bedsheets aren't premium cotton, I'm leaving."
Dew rolled his eyes.
"You're impossible."
"I've accepted that."
Without thinking much, Nani grabbed his phone and left with Dew.
He forgot one tiny detail.
He never told Sky.
---
Meanwhile...
Sky returned from work earlier than usual.
He glanced toward the living room.
Empty.
The garden.
Empty.
The library.
Empty.
"...Where's Nani?"
One maid blinked.
"I... don't know, Boss."
Sky frowned.
"Tee."
"Yes?"
"Find him."
Within minutes, the guards had searched the entire mansion.
Nothing.
Tee returned.
"Boss..."
"Young Master Nani isn't here."
Sky's expression darkened.
"...His phone?"
"He isn't answering."
The room grew silent.
Sky remembered the last time Nani had disappeared.
The empty room.
The letter.
The days of searching.
His jaw slowly tightened.
"...Again."
---
Hours passed.
The mansion, usually filled with Nani's chatter...
Had become unnaturally quiet.
Nobody dared speak.
Even the guards stood straighter than usual.
Tee quietly sighed.
"...This feels worse than a gang war."
---
Late evening...
The front door finally clicked open.
Nani walked inside carrying shopping bags.
"I'm back!"
"...Dew bought the ugliest sofa in human history."
Silence.
Nani frowned.
"...Hello?"
No answer.
"...Why does this place look haunted?"
He stepped farther inside.
Only one lamp was on.
In the dim light...
Sky sat alone.
His broad frame almost disappeared into the shadows.
His elbows rested on his knees.
One hand covered part of his face.
The room felt heavy.
Nani blinked.
"...Excuse me?"
No answer.
"Hello?"
"...Are you possessed?"
Sky slowly looked up.
His expression wasn't loud.
It was controlled.
Too controlled.
He stood.
One slow step.
Then another.
The polished floor echoed beneath his shoes.
For the first time in a long while...
Nani instinctively took a step back.
"...Mr. Sky?"
Another step.
Nani's back gently met the wall.
Sky stopped a respectful distance away.
He braced one hand against the wall beside Nani-not trapping him, but steadying himself.
His voice was low.
"Where were you?"
Nani blinked.
"...With Dew."
"You were gone all day."
"...Yes?"
"You didn't answer your phone."
Nani looked into his pocket.
"...Oh."
He pulled it out.
The battery was dead.
"...That explains a lot."
Sky let out a slow breath.
"Do you have any idea..."
"...how worried I was?"
There was no anger in the last sentence.
Only exhaustion.
Nani looked at him quietly.
Then...
His stubborn side returned.
"Why?"
Sky frowned.
"What do you mean, why?"
Nani folded his arms.
"I thought..."
"We were strangers."
The words hung in the air.
Sky closed his eyes for a brief second.
Then-
Thud.
His fist struck the wall beside him.
Not near Nani.
Not at him.
Just a sharp, frustrated impact against the concrete.
The room fell silent.
Sky lowered his head.
"For God's sake..."
"Stop saying that."
His voice cracked with frustration.
"If you were really a stranger..."
"You would never have walked back into this house."
"I would've closed the gates."
"I would've told you to leave."
"I would've gone back to my work."
He looked directly at Nani.
"But I didn't."
"I couldn't."
His shoulders dropped slightly.
"I was angry."
"I was proud."
"I said things I wish I could take back."
"But don't use those words as if they're true."
"...Because they aren't."
Silence.
Nani's expression slowly softened.
"...You were really worried?"
Sky laughed once.
A tired, humorless laugh.
"Tee had half the city looking for you."
From behind the doorway, Tee quietly raised a hand.
"...He's not exaggerating."
"The guards checked places you don't even like."
One guard muttered,
"We searched three dessert cafés."
Another sighed.
"...Boss made us inspect every shop selling pink blankets."
Nani's eyes widened.
"...Seriously?"
Tee nodded.
"You have no idea."
The room became quiet again.
Nani scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"...I..."
"I forgot to tell you."
"And my phone died."
Sky let out a long breath.
"I know."
"I figured that out."
Another pause.
Then Nani looked up.
"...I'm still a little mad."
Sky nodded.
"...I know."
"But..."
Nani held up one finger.
"...Maybe..."
"...I'll reduce your apology debt."
Sky raised an eyebrow.
"From 99.9998%..."
"...to 99.5%."
Tee immediately whispered to the guards,
"Write it down."
"Boss just achieved a historic milestone."
Even Sky couldn't stop the tiny smile that appeared.
"...I'll take it."
Nani huffed.
"Don't get too happy."
"You still have a long way to go."
Sky gave a small nod.
"I know."
"And this time..."
"I'll earn it."
The mansion remained quiet.
But for the first time since Nani had walked back through the doors...
The silence no longer felt lonely.
-------------
The next morning...
The mansion was unusually lively.
Nani was happily eating pancakes while scrolling through cat videos.
Every five seconds-
"Awww..."
"So fluffy..."
Tee walked past.
"...Young Master."
"Hm?"
"You've watched thirty-seven cat videos."
"I'm conducting important research."
"For what?"
"...Happiness."
Tee nodded.
"...Understandable."
---
Just then...
The front doors burst open.
"Dew is here!"
The guards didn't even bother asking for permission anymore.
One of them sighed.
"Should we just give him a permanent access card?"
Another nodded.
"He practically lives here."
---
Dew entered wearing sunglasses.
A serious expression.
Hands behind his back.
Walking as if he were the chairman of an important company.
Nani looked at him for three seconds.
Then burst into laughter.
"PFFT-"
Dew frowned.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Your serious face looks fake."
"It does not."
"It looks like you're acting in a low-budget drama."
Tee quietly covered his mouth.
---
Dew sat down.
His expression remained "responsible."
"Nani."
"Hm?"
"I came here as your elder brother."
Nani narrowed his eyes.
"...That's already suspicious."
Dew ignored him.
"You've been staying here for a long time."
"...Okay."
"We don't know these people well enough."
Tee raised an eyebrow.
"...Excuse me?"
Dew continued.
"So..."
"I bought a villa."
Nani blinked.
"You what?"
"I bought another villa for you ."
"...Casually?"
"Yes."
"For you."
Nani gasped dramatically.
"You rich people solve everything by buying buildings."
---
Dew folded his arms.
"I've already prepared everything."
"You'll move there."
"No arguments."
Nani stayed silent.
Everyone waited.
Five seconds...
Ten seconds...
Then suddenly-
"Ohhh!"
"I'll take the pink room!"
Dew blinked.
"...That's your first concern?"
"Obviously."
"What if someone else steals the pink room?"
"The villa has six bedrooms."
"I still want the pink one."
---
Across the room...
Sky slowly lowered the coffee cup in his hand.
"...No."
The room froze.
Nani looked at him.
"...What?"
"I said..."
"No."
Nani blinked.
"Excuse me?"
Sky calmly repeated,
"You're not moving."
---
The atmosphere immediately became awkward.
Dew looked at Sky.
"And why not?"
Sky answered simply.
"Because he stays here."
Dew folded his arms.
"That's not your decision."
Sky looked back.
"No."
"It's Nani's."
"But I disagree with yours."
The guards quietly backed away.
One whispered,
"...Boss is entering dangerous territory."
The other nodded.
"...Family meeting."
---
Nani looked between them.
Then slowly picked up another pancake.
"...Continue."
---
Dew pointed at Sky.
"My brother needs a peaceful place."
Sky replied,
"He already has one."
"My villa is safer."
"My mansion is safer."
"My villa has a swimming pool."
"My mansion has three."
"My villa has a movie room."
"My mansion has two."
"My villa has pink walls."
Nani immediately raised his hand.
"Objection."
Everyone turned toward him.
"...Pink walls?"
Dew smiled proudly.
"I designed one room exactly how you'd like."
Nani's eyes sparkled.
"...Really?"
"Really."
Sky quietly looked at Tee.
"Tee."
"Yes, Boss?"
"Paint the guest room pink."
Tee blinked.
"...Today?"
"Today."
Nani slowly turned toward Sky.
"...You'd repaint an entire room?"
Sky answered without hesitation.
"If that's what you want."
Tee whispered to a guard,
"...Boss has officially lost the negotiation."
---
Dew refused to surrender.
"My villa also has a giant walk-in closet."
Sky calmly replied,
"We can build another one."
"My villa has a gaming room."
"We'll build one."
"My villa has a rooftop garden."
"We already have one."
Nani happily looked between them like someone watching a tennis match.
"...Carry on."
---
Finally...
Dew sighed.
"Nani."
"I'm serious."
"I just want you somewhere I know you're safe."
The room became quieter.
Nani's smile softened.
"I know."
Dew scratched his head awkwardly.
"...You've always been terrible with directions."
"I know."
"You trust people too easily."
"I know."
"You accidentally checked into a mafia mansion thinking it was a hotel."
"...That happened once."
The entire room stared at him.
Tee coughed.
"...Once... was enough."
Even Sky quietly nodded.
"...Agreed."
Nani puffed out his cheeks.
"Everyone keeps bringing that up."
"Because it's funny."
"It's traumatic!"
"It's both."
---
Sky finally spoke.
"I'm not stopping Nani from choosing."
He looked at Nani.
"If you want the villa..."
"I'll personally drive you there."
"If you want to stay..."
"The room is still yours."
The room fell silent.
Nani looked from Dew...
To Sky...
Then dramatically sighed.
"You two..."
"...are giving me a headache."
He stood up.
"I'll inspect the villa."
"I'll inspect this mansion."
"I'll inspect the pink room."
"And after careful scientific research..."
He pointed at both of them.
"...I'll announce my decision."
Dew laughed.
"Fair enough."
Sky gave a small nod.
"...I'll wait."
As Nani happily walked away humming, Tee looked at the two men.
Then at the untouched pancakes.
He sighed.
"I've watched mafia negotiations worth billions."
He glanced upstairs where Nani was already talking excitedly about paint colors.
"...Somehow..."
"...the pink room negotiation is the most stressful one yet."