[CONTENTID1]FLAW[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]It felt incomplete.[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

A faint reply of “Yes, young master” was heard before closing sound of the massive door reverberated within the spacious hall. Accompanying his heavy footsteps was the shrill of laughter blended in a perfect unison, echoing down the decadently furnished hall. Palpitations were drumming against his chest wall as he peered at the fellow gentleman who sat on the chaise lounge. He surveyed the surrounding and looked past the tiny fireplace poised in front of them, then he wiped off the small sweat from his forehead as he spotted a rather stocky man, who seated at the middle.

‘He’s here...’  A frown went past Tae Young’s face. His inside trembled vigorously as their disastrous first encounter snapped back at him. It was dauntingly unforgettable, and consequently, whenever that person was around, he would get goosebumps even from afar.

He had three other companions seated beside him. Two of them were on the right side, and the one on his left was his father, Politician Song. When Tae Young opened his cell phone half an hour earlier, the first thing that struck him was the missed calls from his father, who had never called him before. It had made Tae Young's heart jumped a little, and so, without further delay, Tae Young returned the call, but whatever things that was stored in his head before the called was picked up, burst right at the moment his father said:

Come to Minister Yul’s mansion. Now. Then...beep. The called was cut off.

Minister Yul – what a great way to end his restless day with a blast. Ever since the abashed incident at their grandeur family event, where Tae Young was randomly asked to present a welcome speech, which he failed miserably, he had decided to dub the stocky man as thick-brow ajusshi, who had his brows deliberately shaped and blackened. There was a period wherein Tae Young became obsessed about him – the thick-brow ajusshi – he read up every single article that related to him, hoping to find something, any information that could make the thick-brow ajusshi changed his impression toward him, but to no avail. Anyhow, thanks to his prominent features, recognizing him was not the least hard for Tae Young. Panicking whenever his dark eyes were looking at him wasn’t new to Tae Young , in fact, it had happened so often that he began to avoid every possibility that the both of them could meet. Today was one of those days where he couldn’t escape from confronting him, and so, by spotting him earlier, he could’ve prepared mentally. With just few metres ahead, his pace slowed down. There was a nervous glint in his eyes as he exhaled deeply. He glanced up and saw the golden-red chandelier gloriously hung at the ceiling. His shoulders sagged; his breath became irregular and fast as an image flung in front of his mind’s eye.

Hana.

Two years ago, the same golden-red chandelier was hung inside the mourning room that dedicated for Hana.

‘So, in every room...they had the same chandelier.’ He lowered his head meekly, bit his lower lips hard as to shove away the relentless melancholy feelings that whirling inside him. If he was inside his room, he would’ve taken out his hip flask and drowned himself with alcohol; he would lay her smiling pictures ramblingly across his bed, and he would keep on replying Hana’s favourite song, Mirai e, until...his eyes felt weighted down only to open it on the next day with all the mixed feelings flooded into him at once, threatened to suffocate the life right out of him. Strangely, he liked the way it causing him pain, torturing every nerve endings he had in his body, because – it was better than not feeling anything. 

“Who do we have here?” One of the elders had finally noticed him.

The husky voice had managed to pull him out from his stream of thoughts. As much as he hated to step another foot in here – the thick-brow ajussi’s mansion, but still, he couldn’t risk facing the consequences of disobeying his father’s stern instructions.

“Mm, Tae Young.” Politician Young cleared his throat as the corner of his mouth twisted lopsidedly. Tae Young could feel the thunderous beat beneath his chest. It was still the same, even from before the therapy had initiated six months ago. In order to minimize his episodic panic attack, Tae Young had been attending a standard therapy called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. For Tae Young, the psychiatrist were just a bunch of magnetic people. They thought they were the problem-solver and regardless of any situation, they would always confidently said they could help him to overcome his panic disorder, as if it was so...easy. Although he didn’t convince of how it would work on him, plus, he didn’t even give a damn about it anymore, but suddenly it became a deadly serious matter when his father decided to make him the next harlequin for an arranged marriage in their family, and on top of that, with someone that every time her name was brought up, it would strike a to his chest. 

The other two guests turned their head to Tae Young. Despite it was a meeting with the ministers, Tae Young was only wearing his after-class casual clothes – dark jeans and button-down shirt combo. The fellows’ gentleman examined him carefully before exchange glanced among them. “Tae...Young? Isn’t it Tae Jun?” The man in light brown suit muttered to the person beside him, who looked as bewildered as he was. Then, he gave Tae Young a stranger stare and furrowed his brows as he looked back at the light-brown suited man beside him.

Tae Young turned his head to the side and groaned inwardly. Deep down he knew it wasn’t the first time people didn’t acknowledge him, but every time it occurred to him, the stuffiness in his chest had remained the same regardless of time, place, and person. He pursed his lips, trying to regularize his breath. Due to his special condition, Politician Song had been hindering Tae Young’s presence to be known by the public. After all, he had always regarded Tae Jun as the potential successor, so he tended to expose Tae Jun more, but things started to change after Hana’s incident two years back. The controversies that arise following the tragic incident were too much of a hassle for them to handle, so Politician Song had sent Tae Jun to resume his study at overseas.

“My name is Song Tae Young.” Tae Young’s voice skipped an octave as he greeted the elders. “Song Tae Jun is my brother.” He transfixed his eyes toward the two men who were discussing about him earlier. Every flesh inside his body became rigid when all eyes were watching attentively at him. On the next few seconds, his vision turned hazy; cold sweats started to form at his peripheries. He had had worst experience than this but at least in front of his father and also with the presence of the mighty Minister Yul, he wished to stay calmed. “Ni-Nice to-to meet you.” His voice quavered as panic overtook his body. It couldn’t be help. The advice he had learned from the therapy was useless; his mind was blank and unreachable, it was terribly hard f