crimson and code(bl)

Caesar barely reacted, though a single brow lifted in silent inquiry.

Eun-jae smirked. "So I never got to see…" He tilted his head, eyes dragging over him with a mix of curiosity and playfulness. "Do you have scars?" His gaze flickered downward for half a second before he brought it back up. "Do you have abs?"

That got a reaction.

Caesar shifted, finally looking at him properly, though his expression remained unreadable. "Why do you ask?"

Eun-jae shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Just curious."

Caesar let out a quiet hum, still watching him, waiting.

But Eun-jae wasn't done.

No—he was just getting started.

His smirk widened slightly, his voice dropping just a little lower, taking on an almost mocking sweetness.

"I mean…" He let his words stretch, savoring the way Caesar was watching him now. "I'm planning on shooting my load all over your chest and face…"

Silence.

A thick, heavy, loaded silence.

Caesar stilled.

For a fraction of a second, there was no reaction—just the faint flicker of something dangerous in his dark eyes.

Eun-jae didn't stop.

"Like the same way you did to me last night."

Boom.

Just like that, he dropped the bomb.

The air in the room shifted, turning thicker, heavier, charged with something unspoken.

Caesar blinked once. Twice.

Then—

He threw his head back and laughed.

Not a chuckle. Not a smirk.

A full-bodied, unapologetic, wicked laugh that sent a sharp thrill down Eun-jae's spine.

"Oh, you're bold today," Caesar mused, voice still tinged with amusement as he leaned in slightly, his face now mere inches from Eun-jae's.

The grin never left his lips as his eyes darkened with something predatory.

"I look forward to it."

His voice was low, smooth, dripping with something almost taunting.

And Eun-jae—

Eun-jae suddenly felt very warm.

Damn it.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The tracker ticked steadily, the small red light blinking in sync with each ominous sound. It was the only noise in the car besides the faint hum of the engine, filling the heavy silence between them. They had finally arrived.

Caesar pulled the car to a smooth stop, his fingers drumming once against the steering wheel before he cut the engine. The mansion loomed ahead, bathed in soft golden light, casting long, eerie shadows across the driveway. It was massive—too massive for a single person to live in, unless that person had a god complex and a serious need to overcompensate. The sleek black gates stood tall, lined with razor wire, and just beyond them, security cameras blinked like watchful, unblinking eyes.

Eun-jae exhaled sharply. "Welp," he muttered, tapping a finger against the dashboard. "There are a lot of cameras around. We can't just barge in."

Caesar, as expected, didn't seem the least bit concerned. "Why not?" he asked lazily, like they weren't about to commit potential breaking and entering.

Eun-jae's head snapped toward him, his expression frozen for a second in pure, unfiltered disbelief. Is he seriously asking me that question?

"Did he actually lose brain cells on the way here?" Eun-jae wondered, staring at him like he was the dumbest creature to ever exist.

He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, then exhaled through his nose. "Did you not understand the French I just spoke?" he deadpanned, eyes still closed.

Caesar blinked. "You spoke French?"

Eun-jae's left eye twitched. "Yes," he said through clenched teeth. "And in case you need a translation, it meant: THERE. ARE. CAMERAS. AROUND." He gestured sharply toward the blinking security feeds. "We can't just waltz in and scream 'FUCK' at the top of our lungs while making a grand entrance. It's not like you have nine lives or something!"

Caesar, instead of looking remotely concerned, simply grinned—one of those slow, smug, self-satisfied grins that made Eun-jae want to grab him by the collar and shake some damn sense into him.

"Hehe."

Hehehe?

Eun-jae stared at him, completely unimpressed. The bastard actually looked proud. Like he had just accomplished something. Like he was expecting a round of applause.

Eun-jae folded his arms. Does he think he's some kind of action hero? Is this a movie? Is there a dramatic soundtrack playing in his head right now? Because there sure as hell isn't one playing in mine.

"Stupid," Eun-jae muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "That wasn't a compliment."

But Caesar, oblivious as ever, only leaned back in his seat, stretching like he had all the time in the world.

Eun-jae groaned, dragging a hand down his face. This is my life now. Stuck with an absolute menace who thinks security systems are just minor inconveniences instead of literal walls of surveillance meant to catch idiots like us.

He was going to need a drink after this. Or several.

Caesar kept driving, his hands steady on the wheel, his expression unreadable as always. The man didn't say much when he drove—just stayed focused, his mind working in that cold, calculating way of his.

Eun-jae, on the other hand, wasn't the type to sit in silence and brood. He exhaled sharply, rubbing his hands together for warmth before leaning back against the seat, eyes flicking toward Caesar.

"Since we know where Hyunji is, we should just keep an eye on him from the shadows," he suggested, stretching out his legs.

Caesar barely reacted, his gaze still locked on the road. "Sure."

That was it? Just sure? No snarky comment? No overcomplicated strategy?

Eun-jae narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously.

The car hummed along the snowy road, the city lights behind them fading as they ventured deeper into unfamiliar territory. There was something almost unnerving about how effortlessly Caesar navigated the landscape—no GPS, no map, just pure instinct.

"How the hell is he able to drive around like this without GPS?" Eun-jae wondered, eyes darting to the dashboard. Not even a single navigation app open. Was this man part bloodhound or something?

But before he could voice his complaint—

The car jerked violently to a stop.

The tires screeched against the icy road, and Eun-jae lurched forward, his hands flying up to brace against the dashboard.

"What the—?!" he sputtered, heart hammering. "Are you insane?!"

Caesar, as calm as ever, unbuckled his seatbelt and reached for his pristine white fur winter coat. He adjusted it with the grace of a goddamn runway model, then—without a single word of explanation—he opened the door and stepped out into the freezing night air.

Eun-jae blinked.

Then blinked again.

"The fuck?" he muttered under his breath before reluctantly unbuckling his seatbelt and opening his own door. The moment he stepped outside, the winter air slapped him in the face like a scorned ex-lover.

"F-FUCK, it's freezing!" he gasped, his whole body shivering on impact. The wind cut through his clothes like a knife, making him instantly regret stepping out. He glanced over at Caesar, who stood there, completely unbothered, his fur coat shielding him from the brutal cold.

Oh, how nice it must be to be an arrogant bastard with an expensive coat.

Eun-jae huffed, crossing his arms tightly around himself, willing his body to generate heat. "It would be real nice if this asshole would share his coat with me…" he grumbled internally, his teeth clattering together.

But Caesar?

Not a single ounce of concern. Not even a glance in his direction. Just a casual, unhurried pace as he started walking into the snow-covered darkness.

Eun-jae shivered violently, clenching his jaw. "Hey!!" he called out, his voice shaky from the cold. "Do you even know where we're going?!"

Caesar tilted his head slightly, as if considering the question. Then, with the same infuriating ease, he said—

"Uhhh… nope."

Eun-jae stared.

Was this man for real?

"Is this guy serious right now?" he thought, his whole body trembling as he hugged himself tighter. Every step forward felt like torture, his boots crunching against the thick snow as he forced himself to follow. "I swear to God, I'm going to strangle him with that damn fur coat if I die out here."

Then—

His eyes caught something.

A thin, wispy trail of smoke rising into the night sky.

Eun-jae's breath hitched. His sluggish, freezing brain took a second to catch up before it clicked.

S-SMOKE.

His heart jumped.

"SMOKE—!!"

His voice shot up an octave as adrenaline kicked in, shoving aside the cold.

"IT'S SMOKE—FIRE!!!"

Without thinking, he took off running, boots sliding slightly on the icy ground as he bolted toward the source. His body screamed at him for moving so suddenly in the freezing temperature, but he didn't care.

If there was fire, that meant warmth. That meant salvation.

He barged into what looked like a receptionist's place, practically slamming into the front desk.

"H-Holy—" the receptionist flinched at the sudden entrance, eyes wide.

"ROOM," Eun-jae panted, still trembling from the cold. "T-TWO ROOMS. NOW."

Behind him, Caesar casually strolled in—completely composed, not a single damn shiver in sight.

The audacity.

Even worse? He was releasing his pheromones again.

The air shifted instantly. The receptionist, who had just been startled a second ago, now looked at Caesar like he had descended from the heavens, his expression dazed, eyes clouding over.

Eun-jae felt the shift. Knew what Caesar was doing.

And hated every second of it.

"Are you—" Eun-jae turned to glare at him, exasperated. "Are you seriously trying to seduce our way into getting a damn room?!"

Caesar didn't answer.

Because the receptionist, still under whatever spell Caesar had put him in, suddenly shook his head, looking deeply apologetic.

"I'm sorry, sir," the man said, voice unusually soft. "We only have one room left."

Eun-jae froze.

His body, already exhausted and frozen to hell, shut down for a second.

Then his brain caught up.

Then the words truly sank in.

Then—

"WHAT???!!!"

The sound of his outrage practically rattled the entire building.

S I L E N C E.

The kind of silence that wasn't peaceful.

Not the warm, gentle kind of quiet that came with lying in bed on a lazy morning, wrapped in soft blankets, listening to the distant hum of the city outside. Not the comfortable hush that settled between two people who understood each other so well that words weren't necessary.

No.

This was the kind of silence that made Eun-jae's skin itch.

The kind that stretched too long, too thin, pressing down on his chest like a heavy weight. It clung to the air like a storm waiting to break, thick with something unspoken, something wrong. It wasn't soothing. It wasn't calm. It was tense. Suffocating. The kind that made his nerves buzz with unease, that made his fingers twitch as if bracing for something, anything to shatter the stillness.

And yet, the only sound in the room was the rhythmic ticking of the old wall clock. Tick. Tick. Tick. Each second dragging, stretching, taunting him.

Eun-jae let out a slow, frustrated groan, rolling onto his back and dragging a hand down his face. His head lolled to the side, and there—

Caesar.

Standing by the window, tall, composed, unbothered.

The bastard.

Eun-jae felt irritation crawl up his spine at the sight of him. Because, of course, Caesar looked completely at ease, like he was standing in some high-rise penthouse, sipping on expensive whiskey, admiring the city view—not stuck in a run-down hotel in the middle of a freezing night after nearly getting themselves killed.

And yet, there he was. His arms folded, his stupid white fur-lined winter coat looking absurdly luxurious in this dingy little room, his blonde hair falling effortlessly into place like he hadn't just spent the last twenty-four hours getting into fights, dodging bullets, and throwing people off rooftops.

Meanwhile, Eun-jae was suffering.

He scowled, kicking the thin blanket off his legs. Of course he looks all cool and mysterious. Like some brooding mafia prince in a shitty action drama. Meanwhile, I'm over here freezing my ass off, exhausted, and stuck sharing a goddamn room with him.

Because, of course, there had only been one room left.

Because the universe fucking hates me.

Eun-jae sighed, rubbing his temples. "Ugh. I thought when I got off that damn train, I'd finally get my own space," he groaned internally. "I thought—finally, freedom. Peace. No more dealing with this absolute menace of a man. But nope. Here I am. Once again. Trapped. Forced to share a room with him. AGAIN."

He turned his head slightly, glaring at Caesar's back.

"How the hell am I supposed to sleep peacefully knowing I'm stuck with someone like him?"

Because here's the thing—Eun-jae could deal with reckless people. He could deal with arrogant bastards. Hell, he could even deal with cold-blooded killers.

But Caesar?

Caesar was something else entirely.

Unpredictable. Impossible to read. Too smooth, too calm, like nothing ever fazed him. And that? That made him dangerous.

Because a man like Caesar didn't hesitate. Didn't flinch. Didn't second-guess.

And the worst part?

He enjoyed it.

Eun-jae squeezed his eyes shut, his mind racing back over everything that had happened so far.

It was all just a game to Caesar.

Every risk. Every confrontation. Every kill.

He treated this entire mission like some personal playground, like none of it actually mattered. Like they weren't walking a tightrope between life and death.

All he cared about was getting his hands on the damn blueprints.

Not survival. Not strategy. Not consequences.

Just. The. Blueprints.