Seokmin paused for a moment before replying. "Actually, I never really tried. When I was born, my father took me and gave me to Seungmin's mom. She was a very nice lady. I don't really remember everything, but from what I do remember—she really loved me a lot. She took care of me like I was her own. But Dad treated her really badly. He always insulted her and beat her. You know, she was a commander in the army. Dad told her to leave her duty and kept her home like a prisoner. Living like that was hard for her. So… she ran away. Some people say Dad killed her. That's why I never went looking for her. I thought, if Dad treated his wife like that, how would he treat his mistress? My mother might already be dead."
Chaewon sat frozen, traumatized by the story. Words wouldn't come. "That's… sad. I can understand."
Seeing his expression, Seokmin quickly spoke again. "I'm sorry about your mother. I saw it on the news. People were really mean. They didn't even spare you when your mother died."
Hearing that made Chaewon even sadder. His tears were on the verge of falling. "I'm sorry. I don't want to talk about this."
"Oh, it's fine. She must've been a very good mother," Seokmin said gently.
"Yes, she was," Chaewon whispered. "She worked her whole life just for me—so I could have a comfortable life she never had. But when it was time for me to take care of her, I couldn't. I couldn't save her. She died because of me."
Seokmin held his hand. "Chaewon, I don't know what really happened, and it's fine if you don't want to tell me. But don't blame yourself. If she's watching you, she would never want you to live in regret. She'd want to see you happy."
Chaewon sighed and looked at Seokmin with sad eyes. "She must be hating me. Because I don't think I can live the kind of life she wanted for me. I remember when I was joining the company, she told me not to. We had a really big fight. I went against her and joined anyway. I should've listened to her. Now… it's all doomed."
Suddenly, a boy popped out from behind a barrier and shot Chaewon. He got eliminated. Seokmin calmly raised his gun and shot the boy back.
He turned to Chaewon. "See? We won."
They went out.
Chaewon scrolled through his phone and showed Seokmin his mother's photos. Seokmin looked at them quietly, then smiled. "You look just like her."
Chaewon smiled faintly too. Seokmin continued, trying to lighten the mood. "You know, people can't tell me I look like my mom… because I don't even know my mom." He started laughing—loudly, almost too loudly.
Chaewon didn't get the joke. He just stared at him in shock, wondering how someone could joke about something like that.
Seokmin felt embarrassed and looked away, pretending to scroll through his phone. Chaewon noticed something and hesitated. "Seokmin… you really look like Seungmin's mother. Look—her nose, her face cut—it's just like yours."
Seokmin stared at the screen. He couldn't ignore it. Shock crossed his face. "I really do look like her. You're right. Then maybe we are real brothers. But why would they tell me some fake story…?"
"Who told you that?" Chaewon asked, confused.
"Seungmin! I don't know who else. Maybe Ms. Hong."
Chaewon leaned back. "I think Seungmin did this so he could take over the entire business—so all the money would belong to him."
Seokmin laughed softly. "You really hate my brother a lot, don't you?"
Chaewon rolled his eyes, annoyed. "No, I don't."
Seokmin kept laughing. "Look at yourself—you really do. But don't. I think he did it because he wanted to keep me away from home, so I'd stay safe. Chaewon, don't hate him. He's not that bad. He's actually really kind from the inside."