CHAPTER 93: CHAPTER 93:I WANT YOU TO CHOOSE ME

Min-jae led the way along the narrower stone paths, the lanterns casting long, trembling shadows that flickered across the walls of the estate.

The air was cool now, the faint scent of damp earth and late-blooming flowers filling the quiet spaces between their steps.

"This part..." Min-jae began, glancing around at the shadowed hedges and the small, winding paths. "I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before."

"It’s one of the oldest sections.." Meical said, voice low, steady. "I kept it mostly private. Few come here. The hedges are older than I am, the stones... older than anyone who walks the estate now."

Min-jae slowed, stepping lightly over a cobblestone. "Why... why did you come to Aldoria in the first place? You weren’t from here, right?"

Meical’s gaze drifted to the ground for a moment before he met Min-jae’s eyes. "Long story cut short, I ran away from home. Remember when I said my family and I weren’t on good terms? I left home because of them, I’ve been living a much more peaceful life without them by my side, it’s so stifling, being under constant pressure when your best is never enough and you’re forced to your breaking point. A mother that won’t check on you when you’re sick, a father that scolds you for being weak and siblings who use that as an opportunity to walk over you. So I left and came to Aldoria."

He was 20 at the time and Kaizar was barely 16.

Min-jae’s steps slowed further, and he glanced at Meical, eyebrows drawn together. "That... sounds harsh."

Meical let out a soft, almost humorless chuckle. "Harsh doesn’t begin to cover it. Every day was... a performance. I learned how to smile when I wanted to scream, how to be silent when I wanted to fight back. How to hide pieces of myself so that no one could use them against me. I grew strong because I had to, but I also grew careful, distrustful..silent."

Min-jae looked down at the path for a moment, chewing on the words, the quiet crunch of their footsteps was the only sound besides the occasional call of a night bird. "And coming here... to Aldoria... you just... started over?"

"Yes.." Meical said simply, his voice low but steady. "No strings, no expectations, no one dictating how I should live or who I should be. I came here because I could. And then... opportunities came. A few small posts, some responsibilities... and I proved myself." He paused, letting the weight of the words sink in. "And eventually, I became governor of the south. But that isn’t the full story. I did it because I wanted to make sure the people under me didn’t have to live like I did."

Min-jae nodded slowly, his gaze flicking to the shadowed hedges, and then back to Meical. "It... it makes sense. That’s why you’re so strict. So meticulous. Because you’ve seen what neglect looks like."

Meical gave a faint smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Exactly. I don’t just enforce rules because they’re rules. I enforce them because I know what happens when no one does. Chaos. Suffering. Fear. I want people to live well, to feel safe. That’s why I do what I do."

Min-jae was quiet for a moment, and Meical slowed his pace to match him, feeling the subtle shift in his posture, the faint tension still lingering in his shoulders. "And... before all this?" Min-jae asked cautiously. "Before Aldoria, before governing... were you... happy?"

Meical’s gaze turned distant, almost as if he were staring through the hedges and back in time. "I was... free in the sense that I could make my own decisions. But happy? No. Happiness wasn’t allowed. It wasn’t something I could afford when everything around me felt like a trap. But now, I have you and you bring me happiness.."

Min-jae’s lips curved faintly, a softness in his gaze that made Meical’s chest tighten. "I didn’t know... I never imagined it was like that for you."

He couldn’t relate to Meical, because he grew up in a loving family and everyone cared for each other.

But Kaizar, Kaizar could definitely see things from his point of view.

After all being part of the Amagi was a constant call for survival. Where the strong preyed on the weak.

"It’s okay, all that made me the man I am today, I turned out alright didn’t I?"

Min‑jae stopped walking. Something about Meical’s questions tugged his heartstrings.

The lantern light caught the side of Meical’s face, the faint gold outlining the sharp lines of his jaw, the tired strength in his eyes, the vulnerability he rarely showed.

Min‑jae didn’t realize when his hands had moved on their own.

He reached out and held Meical’s face gently between both hands.

Meical froze, breath caught waiting for whatever Min-jae had to say.

Min‑jae looked at him, really looked at him, the weight of everything Meical had endured sitting heavy in his chest.

Turned out alright? He had turned out more than alright.

He was an amazing and capable man, who had built a life from nothing.

Who cared for his people with a sincerity he had never seen in any politician before.

Min-jae had never seen a man with power actually want to make his people’s lives better.

Not like this.

Not with this kind of heart.

"You turned out more than alright.." Min‑jae said quietly, his thumbs brushing Meical’s cheeks. "You’re an outstanding man. These people don’t deserve you as a leader. You’re too good for them."

Meical let out a breath, something warm breaking across his expression before he laughed softly, holding Min‑jae’s hands where they cupped his face.

"When are you going to tell me you love me too?" he murmured. "How long do I have to wait?" He leaned in just a little, his eyes half lidded. "I crave your love, Kaizar. I want your heart. I want everything about you..."

Min‑jae’s heartbeat stumbled.

His hands remained on Meical’s face but the warmth inside him twisted, tight and uneasy.

If he confessed right now...

If he said those words that had been sitting at the tip of his tongue for days...

What if he disappears?

What if he woke up back in his original world?

What would happen to Meical?

The thought sliced through him, sending a cold shiver down his spine.

Would the original Kaizar love Meical the same way he did?

Could he?

Would Meical be left behind with someone who didn’t look at him the same way, didn’t reach for him the same, didn’t understand his heart the same?

Min‑jae swallowed hard, his hands still warm against Meical’s cheeks but his eyes were clouded with fear.

If he said "I love you" and then vanished...

Meical would be devastated.

And the worst part...

He wouldn’t even understand why.

Meical noticed the shift instantly. His brows drew together, concern flickering in his eyes. "Kaizar? What’s wrong?"

Min‑jae shook his head lightly, trying to steady his breathing. "Nothing. I just... I didn’t expect you to ask me that so suddenly."

Meical smiled faintly, brushing a thumb over the back of Min‑jae’s hand. "Of course I asked. I’ve been waiting and I can still wait, but I don’t know how long, I fear Kaizar...I fear that you will leave me, if you don’t love me then there’s nothing stopping you if you ever want to leave.."

Min‑jae’s breath hitched.

Leave him?

The idea twisted something deep inside his chest, sharp and painful. If only Meical knew... if only Meical understood that he feared the exact same thing but in a way far crueler, far more inevitable.

Min‑jae lowered his hands slowly from Meical’s face, only to take one of Meical’s hands in both of his, squeezing gently. "Meical..." he whispered, his voice softer than the night breeze, "I’m not going anywhere."

Meical searched his face, eyes dark under the lantern light, uncertainty flickering like a wavering flame. "But you say that without saying the one thing I want to hear.." he replied quietly. "Maybe I’m selfish, but I want to be sure. I want you to choose me... not just stay because you feel you owe me something."

Min‑jae’s chest tightened.

I do choose you, he wanted to say.

I choose you every day.

But what if the world doesn’t let me stay?

He swallowed, his throat dry.

"I’m not with you because I owe you.." Min‑jae said softly. "I’m here because I want to be. Because I..." His voice caught, the words trembling on the edge of his tongue. "Because you matter to me."

Meical’s fingers curled around his, steady but trembling at the same time. "That isn’t enough for my heart.." he murmured. "I need to know I’m not just someone you admire. I want to be loved by you, Kaizar. I want you to look at me the way I look at you."