# Chapter 15
Moon Bin set two cans of cold drinks on the coffee table with a soft clink. Across from him, Rocky sat back, his assessing gaze taking in every corner of Moon Bin's new home. Bin dropped onto the sofa opposite him, facing Rocky directly.
For a while, a heavy silence enveloped the room. They exchanged sharp looks before both finally forming thin, cold smirks. Unwilling to stare at the man in front of him any longer, Moon Bin rose and turned his back on Rocky.
"Is she the reason you came back to Korea?" Rocky asked, breaking the silence after taking a drink from his first can.
Moon Bin glanced over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes at Rocky. "If I say yes, then what?"
"Have you confessed your feelings to her?" Rocky asked again, his voice flat.
"Not yet," Moon Bin replied shortly, turning his gaze toward the window.
A thin, mocking smile crossed Rocky's lips. "Coward. I've given you plenty of chances. So you really still haven't done it?"
"What do you take me for?" Moon Bin cut in, turning around and giving Rocky a sarcastic smile. "Some bastard who'd steal his own friend's girlfriend? After seeing your attitude today, I guess you really don't care. You threw her away—worse than trash!"
"Watch your mouth! I'm not that bad!" Rocky shot to his feet, offended by Bin's words.
"Aish, damn it, you bastard!" Moon Bin moved quickly, charging forward and shoving Rocky until he fell back onto the sofa. He couldn't stand the sudden rise in Rocky's voice.
"Not that bad, you say? You're insane! You enjoyed it, used her, and then just abandoned her. You call that not bad? Is your brain even working anymore, huh?" Moon Bin continued heatedly.
Thud!
A hard punch landed squarely on Rocky's right jaw. The man's head snapped to the side, but Moon Bin showed no mercy. He grabbed Rocky by the collar, breathing heavily.
"Listen, Minhyuk!" Moon Bin snapped, using Rocky's real name with barely contained fury. "I don't even know whether you're still worth keeping alive after what happened! You have no right to show your face in front of Hae-Li ever again! If I weren't thinking about our friendship, I would've hunted you down and killed you!"
Moon Bin unleashed all the emotions he had buried for years. But he suddenly stopped throwing punches when he realized Rocky wasn't fighting back or resisting at all. The man simply remained silent, accepting every blow.
"Why are you just standing there?!" Rocky shouted between ragged breaths, staring at Bin with bloodshot eyes. "Come on, hit me again!"
The door to Moon Bin's anger swung open again. He raised his clenched fist high into the air, ready to smash Rocky's face. Rocky squeezed his eyes shut, prepared to face the consequences.
Crash! Shatter!
Bin's fist didn't hit Rocky's face. Instead, it struck the flower vase on the end table beside the sofa. The ceramic shattered into pieces, spilling water and flowers onto the floor. Moon Bin turned away, his face flushed, then walked off while shaking his bruised hand.
Rocky slowly tried to get up. His fingers touched his numb jaw, which was trembling violently from Bin's blows. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Bin... I didn't leave without a reason," Rocky said hoarsely. "You've known me better than anyone for a long time. I would never do something that despicable. All those rumors were lies!"
"Then why did you run away that day, huh?" Moon Bin shouted, turning around with his chest heaving. "Did you ever think, even for a second, about the consequences of what you did? Do you know what Hae-Li had to endure after you left?"
"I didn't run away!" Rocky insisted, his voice rising an octave. "Hae-Li knew I had to go to Korea that day! I was shocked myself that those trashy reports and rumors spread on the exact day I was leaving. I'm sure someone deliberately set us up back then!" Rocky stepped toward Moon Bin, demanding his old friend's trust.
"Bullshit!" Moon Bin closed the distance between them, his face burning red. A mixture of surging anger and pain twisted his features. "You were in the wrong, and you're still blaming the circumstances!"
"Neither you nor Hae-Li ever gave me even the slightest chance to explain everything!" Rocky cut in, his voice suddenly trembling. He lowered his head deeply. "I thought you would listen to me, Bin. But it turned out you swallowed those baseless rumors too. Back then, you were the only friend I could rely on."
Hearing that honest confession made Moon Bin's chest feel even tighter. He clenched his hands hard. "Then what about the videos and photos that spread everywhere back then? Wasn't all of that enough proof? You even confirmed that you were in a relationship with her. You made the gossip spiral even further!"
"I told you, I never did it!" Rocky insisted, lifting his head and meeting Moon Bin's eyes without hesitation. "I was forced to acknowledge her as my girlfriend in front of the media and our friends because I wanted to protect her, Bin!"
"Protect her, you say?!" Moon Bin screamed, his voice echoing through every corner of the room. "By destroying her reputation and letting people think you'd slept with her?!"