The front door slammed hard enough to make Seo-hyeon startle in her bouncer. Seung Hyun stormed inside, his tie loose, his jaw tight enough to crack.

"I swear—" His voice was already sharp, low, dangerous. "I swear, if I have to deal with one more idiot at work, I’m going to lose my mind." He threw his suit jacket onto the couch without looking where it landed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

You barely had time to look up from where you were kneeling with Min-joon before Ji Yong appeared from the kitchen with a smirk. “Rough day, hyung?”

Seung Hyun turned his head slowly, his glare like a blade. "Don’t start with me right now." His voice rose as he spoke. "I had a staff member nearly ruin the entire event. Hours of work—gone—because someone couldn’t follow simple instructions. I had to clean up their mess, deal with screaming calls from sponsors, and smile like everything was perfect. And now—"

He stopped mid-sentence when his eyes swept the room—Seo-hyeon fussing in her seat, Min-joon crawling dangerously close to the coffee table edge, toys scattered everywhere, Ji Yong leaning casually in the doorway eating a banana.

"What is this?" His voice cracked like thunder. "This house looks like a war zone! Seo-hyeon’s about to fall out of that thing, Min-joon’s two seconds from smashing his head, and neither of you is doing anything!"

Ji Yong scoffed. “Calm down, hyung. You’re making a big deal—”

"A big deal? A BIG DEAL?!" Seung Hyun’s voice roared. He stepped forward, pointing a finger at Ji Yong. "You’re her brother, aren’t you? And you’re just standing there stuffing your face while she’s running herself ragged?! God, no wonder your parents didn’t think either of you could handle anything without screwing it up."

The words landed heavy, cutting the air clean in half.

Your chest tightened instantly, the familiar sting in your throat, but he didn’t stop—he was too far into his fury. "I walk into chaos here after surviving chaos at work, and instead of help, I get this?!”