AAGULT Ch 90

Chapter 90

 

The sight of clouds drifting past the window felt surreal. Having only seen such a view in videos before, witnessing it in person stirred a strange emotion.

The pressure clogged his ears, so he had to swallow a few times here and there. Even though they were heading to raid the research facility for something related to the CEO, simply the fact that the two of them were flying alone on this private jet made it feel more like a vacation. For various reasons, his emotions were tangled and complicated.

“Um, Aiden-ssi. Please give me your bank account later. I’ll pay you.”

“Huh? Pay for what?”

“This…”

Jaeha tapped lightly on the seat he was sitting on as he timidly replied. Airfare was already expensive, so he couldn’t imagine how much a private jet would cost. He had mustered up the courage to bring it up, but Aiden’s expression turned subtly strange, as if he was trying to hold back laughter… Understandable. For someone this wealthy, his own concern must look ridiculous. Still, if he didn’t say anything, it would have kept weighing on his conscience—so he didn’t regret it.

[Idiot.]

“Just think of it as the company covering travel expenses. Not much different.”

“…I’m not an idiot.”

“Mm.”

He knew full well that if the company had been covering the expenses, they wouldn’t be traveling in such luxury. Aiden, who had been chuckling to himself, eventually couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter, causing Jaeha to lose the will to argue any further.

Aiden, who had been sitting across from him, came over and leaned in against him without any warning. Though caught off guard by the sudden weight, Jaeha was now used to supporting him.

“You look like you have a lot on your mind.”

“…….”

“You can talk. I think we’ll be busy once we get there.”

“How did you know?”

It was always like this. Even though he was the one who could read others’ thoughts, it was always Aiden who saw through his heart first.

“Because I love you.”

Jaeha didn’t react much to Aiden’s usual playful words. He couldn’t deny that Aiden had feelings for him, but whether that truly was love—he couldn’t be sure. Did Aiden really love him? Or was it just an act, or even just a joke—should he be grateful just to hear such words?

Jaeha stared at him quietly. Aiden smiled brightly in response. He was still so lovely.

“…….”

Jaeha felt his emotions becoming increasingly difficult to contain. At first, he had been happy just to be near him. He was thankful just for the fact that Aiden let their bodies touch. Then, simply knowing that Aiden cared for him was overwhelming. But as time went on, Jaeha began to want more and more. Maybe that was when it all started to feel like wearing clothes that didn’t quite fit.

“Fine. I’ll just say I figured it out because I’m smarter than you. So, what are you curious about?”

As time passed, Jaeha became increasingly aware of the mask Aiden wore. But that awareness was only possible because Aiden had chosen to show it. If he had kept the mask on, Jaeha might never have noticed.

Even though he knew that what Aiden had shown him was his true self, it still left Jaeha’s heart conflicted. The thought that this truth might be something shown only to him stirred his emotions, but at the same time, a certain unfamiliarity crept in—‘Was he always like this?’ Jaeha found himself lost between trust and confusion.

But right now, his feelings didn’t matter. Jaeha finally opened his mouth.

“I’m not really curious about anything, it’s just…”

“Just?”

“I was worried about you, Aiden-ssi.”

Aiden narrowed his eyes, wearing that look like he was trying to dissect Jaeha’s inner thoughts. It felt like a massive snake slowly coiling and tightening around him. Then Aiden’s eyes curved, and he smiled.

“My parents?”

“…Yes.”

“If you gain something, you always lose something else. As they say, if you plant beans, beans will grow; if you plant red beans, red beans will grow.”

They were kind, yet somehow gave off a sense of wariness. Not comfortable… Ideal, but not ideal. How should he put it—if he dared to say—like a showroom family. Of course, who was he, with no family of his own, to judge? But still…

“Are you saying… you’re like them?”

“Did my parents seem bad to you?”

“Ah, no, not at all!”

“Haha.”

That was close. He practically shouted in a panic, and Aiden, who had been leaning his head on Jaeha’s shoulder, gently kissed his cheek. A flutter of guiding energy seeped into his skin.

“My parents sure live boring lives. I wonder why they even got together.”

“Aren’t you upset?”

“Well, I learned something from them. Like, if you live like that, life’s no fun. I just want to laze around like this forever, carefree. With you, Jaeha.”

He really didn’t seem bothered. Just like how people rarely grow attached to rocks, it felt like Aiden viewed his parents like mere stones. His answer, slightly off from the point Jaeha was making, left Jaeha speechless.

Then he noticed Aiden staring at him intently. Meeting his gaze, Jaeha asked curiously.

“…What?”

“Nothing. It’s just…”

Aiden turned his gaze to the window beside Jaeha. The light streaming through the airplane window reflected in Aiden’s eyes. His long lashes cast shadows, and the light etched deep contrast in his shimmering eyes. But even with the light, the color of his eyes didn’t shine brown like most East Asians—they remained jet black, making them mesmerizing to look at.

“Your concern makes me want to puke.”

[It tickles.]

“…….”

Had he heard this before, he might’ve felt hurt or shocked by the word choice. But surprisingly, Jaeha didn’t mind. The unpolished, bare words lacked charm—but they weren’t unpleasant.

“I’ll keep doing it until you’re used to it.”

“Haha.”

Aiden laughed. And it wasn’t a bad laugh at all.

The villa they arrived at was grand, like a palace. They had informed them in advance, so the usual caretakers had vacated the premises. However, a small number of staff were on standby at a nearby house in case of need.

“My brother will probably arrive in a day or two at the earliest. If there’s something shady going on, he’ll rush over.”

“Then we need to find it before he gets here.”

To avoid suspicion from Halla, the two of them had come alone. But they had agreed with the Association to make contact once a path was found. Apparently, Eunyul, who was considered a witness, had agreed to cooperate in exchange for a reduced sentence.

They set their luggage down in the bedroom. Through the window, they could see the coastline. A wide, calm ocean spread out, waves breaking gently and prettily. That had been Jaeha’s impression when they had flown over the island too—small and beautiful. On the island, there were only two buildings: the villa and the adjacent staff residence. There didn’t seem to be any obvious place for a research lab.

Which meant…

“It must be underground, right?”

If there was a lab, it would surely be beneath them, below ground.

“…Is there a suspicious entrance?”

“This is my first time here too. I’ll need to take a look.”

Aiden began humming lightly as he looked around the area.

Jaeha suddenly thought of Aiden’s parents. They seemed to know something but had no intention of telling. Given that they hadn’t informed the eldest son or tried to stop Aiden and Jaeha from coming here, it didn’t seem like they were directly involved. More like they were turning a blind eye to whatever misconduct or crime the eldest son was up to.

Jaeha and Aiden put down their things and began to thoroughly investigate the villa.

It was larger than it had looked from outside, but since they only needed to search the first floor where an entrance to a basement might be, they thought it wouldn’t take long. However, once they started, the villa turned out to be more complex than expected, with many divided spaces that needed to be checked.

Living room, study, kitchen, bathrooms, a small bar, even unused storage rooms. They searched everything, but there was no sign of a secret door leading to the basement. Just to be safe, they went over everything again, slowly and carefully, but no clear clues surfaced.

Before they knew it, five hours had passed. Looking out the window, the sun was setting, and dusk was falling.

“It has to be here…”

Jaeha sighed and looked around again. The antique fireplace, the books lining the shelves in the study, the aged marble floor—all things he had overlooked at first were now starting to nag at him. Somewhere in this house, there had to be a door that led to the lab. The problem was finding where.

Standing in the center of the study, Jaeha looked up at the ceiling. As he reviewed the structure of the villa he had memorized from the blueprint Aiden had given him, he still couldn’t find a definite clue. Where were basements usually located? Inside a closet? Beneath a rug? Everything they had checked so far seemed perfectly normal…

Like in a movie, he tried pushing some books on the shelves and even pulled out a few. Just in case, he also lifted up some photo frames that appeared to show Ye Kanghyun and his family. He checked the back, shook them a little, but found nothing—no hidden mechanisms. It was just a hopeful stab in the dark.

Watching him, Aiden giggled mischievously.

“You look so cute searching that hard.”