Bloody Reunion

Chapter 1: Bloody reunion.

Ryan’s Brother’s Apartment – Night]

Ryan: Where are you, Hyung? I ordered your favorite food. (Did he go back to the office? What is he working on? I don't even get to meet him once a week. This guy is really busy.)

(Ryan enters his brother's apartment, his usual cheerful energy dimmed by the eerie silence that greets him. He notices the faint smell of metal in the air. A sense of dread washes over him as he steps into the dimly lit living room, only to freeze when he sees his brother’s lifeless body sprawled on the floor. The world tilts, and his voice catches in his throat.)

Ryan: (whispering) Hyung...?

(He rushes to his brother’s side, kneeling and shaking him, but the cold, unyielding body tells him everything he needs to know. Panic grips him as he pulls out his phone to call the police, but before he can dial, the door creaks open behind him.)

Joshua: (calm and cold) I wouldn’t do that if I were you.

(Ryan spins around, his heart skipping a beat. Standing in the doorway is Joshua Seo, dressed in a sharp black suit, his green eyes as cold as the winter night.)

Ryan: (stunned) Joshua? What the hell are you doing here?

Joshua: (stepping inside, unbothered) I could ask you the same thing. But judging by the look on your face, you’re not responsible for this. At least not directly.

Ryan: (angrily) Not responsible?! That’s my brother lying dead on the floor, and you waltz in here like you own the place? Who even let you in?

Joshua: (smirking faintly) The door was unlocked. Sloppy, considering the neighborhood.

(Ryan’s fists clench, but his lawyer’s instincts kick in. He takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself.)

Ryan: (sharply) What’s your connection to this? You show up at a crime scene like you belong here. Don’t tell me you’re involved in... in this.

Joshua: (ignoring the accusation) I’m here because your brother and I had business. Or rather, unfinished business.

Ryan: (suspiciously) Business? My brother was a journalist, not a corporate lapdog. What kind of “business” could he possibly have with someone like you?

Joshua: (meeting Ryan’s gaze with a chilling calm) The kind that gets people killed.

(Ryan’s eyes narrow, his earlier grief now simmering with anger and confusion.)

Ryan: (sarcastic) Oh, great. That’s comforting. You’re still as cryptic as ever, aren’t you? Why don’t you try something new and actually explain yourself for once?

Joshua: (with a slight smirk) And ruin the suspense? Not my style.

Ryan: (snapping) Damn it, Joshua, this isn’t a game! My brother is dead! Do you have any idea how it feels to lose a person dear to you? He was my only family. (screaming)

(Joshua’s smirk fades, replaced by a flicker of something unrecognizable—remorse? No, it’s gone too quickly.)

Joshua: (softly, but firmly) I do. More than you think.

Ryan: (bitterly) Spare me the riddles. You disappeared from my life five years ago, and now you show up like a ghost tied to another tragedy. Do you have any idea what that looks like?

Joshua: (voice hardening) If I’m here, it’s not by coincidence. Your brother stumbled onto something dangerous. Something that put him in the crosshairs of people you don’t want to mess with.

Ryan: (skeptical) And let me guess. You just happened to be in the neighborhood to… what? Protect me? Clean up the mess? Or maybe you’re the one who pulled the trigger?

Joshua: (coldly) Careful, Ryan. I’ve tolerated your accusations so far because I know you’re upset. But don’t push me.

(Ryan takes a step back, his mind racing. The Joshua he remembers—the man he loved—was cold but never heartless. Could he really have changed this much?)

Ryan: (softly) What happened to you, Joshua? You weren’t like this before...

Joshua: (averting his eyes) People change. Circumstances change. You, of all people, should know that.

(A heavy silence fills the room as the two men stand on opposite sides of the same tragedy, their shared history hanging between them like a ghost.)

[Sound: Doorbell rings.]

Joshua: (glancing at the door) Looks like we’re out of time. The police will be here soon.

Ryan: (sarcastic) What, you’re leaving? Afraid of getting your hands dirty?

Joshua: (serious) I’m not afraid of anything, Ryan. But if you want answers, you’ll have to find me. That is if you still have the stomach for the truth. Come with me now. There is no time.

(Joshua turns to leave, but Ryan grabs his arm, stopping him in his tracks.)

Ryan: (fiercely) Don’t you dare walk away again. If you know something—anything—about this, I deserve to hear it. Not later. Now.

Joshua: (pausing, then quietly) Then come along with me, and I will let you know everything you want to hear.

(With that, Joshua slips out to the balcony.)

Joshua: This is the first floor. It won't be a problem. Don’t be afraid; I’ll hold you. Jump. There are my people outside. They will make sure we are safe.

Ryan: Are you fucking kidding me? I’m going nowhere.

(Sound: Doorbell rings again.)

Joshua: You left me with no choice, baby. Your brother was right.

(Joshua jumps back into the room and takes out his phone.)

Joshua: (On phone) Now.

Ryan: What do you mean? What did my brother told you? (Joshua holds Ryan.) Bastard, let go of me! Who is your baby?

(They jump together.)

(Ryan couldn’t believe what he saw outside. He was both shocked and scared.)

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