After the meeting ended and everyone finally left, Foca returned to his room and released a long sigh of relief.
Lately, his days had been filled with nonstop work and relentless intensity. He had been diligent with every responsibility placed on his shoulders, and through it all he had come to a realization.
His family were practically superhuman.
They managed multiple internationally acclaimed companies and handled them all with effortless finesse.
Meanwhile, he was struggling with just one.
Granted, it was an entertainment company—but a company nonetheless.
And finally, after what felt like ages of exhausting workdays, Foca had earned himself a well-deserved breather.
After a quick, refreshing shower, he changed into comfortable clothes: a loose cotton shirt, a baby-blue cardigan, and soft cotton sweats. Once his hair was dry, he tied it into a loose bun and slipped on his comfort glasses—thick, tortoiseshell-framed ones.
And before anyone starts criticizing our dearly beloved Foca for harming turtles just to make his glasses—no turtles were harmed.
Foca had a pet tortoise when he was younger, and he loved it dearly. Unfortunately, it passed away.
Wanting something to remember it by, he had its shell carefully preserved and remodeled into the frames of his glasses.
They were his favorite pair.
But he only wore them in the comfort of his own home.
Reaching over to the bedside table, Foca grabbed a thick genuine-leather notebook before walking over to the sofa and plopping down.
At that moment, he looked less like the CEO of a company and more like a normal twenty-five-year-old man.
Opening the notebook, he flipped through the filled pages until he found a blank one.
Then he began to write.
Now, what is this notebook, you might ask?
Well, it was Foca's treasured lyric notebook.
It was already his fifth one.
The previous four were safely stored inside a secure safe in his California home, treated with more care than diamonds themselves.
The song he was currently writing had been inspired by something his older brother Jonathan had said earlier during the meeting.
"Healthy ego."
The moment Jonathan said those words, inspiration struck like lightning.
Ideas started flooding his mind so violently that it almost felt painful—like his brain was on fire.
It had been torture sitting through the meeting while lyrics kept forming in his head.
He couldn't even write them down immediately.
And that was actually one of the reasons Foca had been more emotional than usual during the meeting.
He had been stuck there, discussing that bastard Kang Seo-yul and how to deal with him…
Instead of writing down the overflowing ideas in his mind.
To Foca, it genuinely felt like torture.
And he would be very careful not to let Hyouka find out about it.
Because if she did…
He was absolutely certain she would use it against him.
And quite mercilessly.
****
Now that nothing was standing in his way, Foca finally let the dam break and began writing.
As he wrote, he reached for his acoustic guitar and started plucking gentle notes. Melody after melody escaped his lips as he hummed softly, testing different sounds.
Sometimes he paused to scratch something out.
Other times he erased entire lines when they didn't feel right.
Then, when the pieces finally fit together, he would nod to himself in quiet satisfaction.
Foca had entered his flow state so deeply that he didn't even notice how much time had passed.
He only realized it when the song was finally finished.
Looking down at the page, Foca stared at it like it was his newborn child.
The entire song practically screamed Jonathan.
Foca chuckled to himself as he reread the lyrics, realizing that everything he had written described his older brother perfectly.
Jonathan carried a confidence that often made people seethe with jealousy.
Many mistook it for arrogance.
Others called it cockiness.
But the truth was simple.
Jonathan's confidence was backed by real ability and competence.
He never paraded it around or shoved it in people's faces. Instead, he carried it quietly—like the absolute gigachad that he was.
Despite that confidence, Jonathan was nothing but respectful.
A true gentleman among men.
To this day, he still carried the spirit of chivalry.
People liked to say chivalry was dead.
But if you looked up the word "chivalry" in a dictionary—or better yet, searched it online in this digital age—you'd probably find Jonathan's photo sitting right next to the definition.
Foca suddenly remembered a story his sister-in-law, Odette, once told them about her first date with Jonathan.
Apparently, the date had almost ended in complete disaster.
At one point, Odette had actually stood up and walked toward the door, ready to leave.
But when she glanced back, she noticed something strange.
Jonathan wasn't chasing after her.
He wasn't trying to stop her.
That alone irritated her enough to make her even more annoyed.
So she turned around, walked back to the table, and sat down again.
How did the date reach that point so quickly?
Simple.
At the very start of the date, Jonathan had laid everything out on the table.
He wanted Odette to know exactly what she was getting into.
He had said something along the lines of:
"If you add to my life, you're welcome to stay.
If not, no hard feelings—I'll simply go my own way."
Honestly, hearing something like that would probably end the date immediately for most people.
But the thing was…
Jonathan had said it with complete sincerity.
He wasn't trying to be arrogant.
He simply didn't want to waste either of their time.
Jonathan's so-called "healthy ego" had always been the reason he struggled to find a girlfriend.
People constantly misunderstood his confidence as arrogance.
But Odette?
Odette was different.
Being the strong, independent woman that she was, she took Jonathan's words as a challenge.
And she had absolutely no intention of backing down.
So the date continued.
And Jonathan was genuinely surprised when Odette returned to the table instead of walking out.
From that moment on, as she got to know him more and more, Odette finally began to understand Jonathan for who he truly was.
Before she even realized it…
She had already fallen for him.
Jonathan always treated her with respect.
He loved deeply.
But he also made sure to love himself just as much.
****
And that was exactly what Odette had always struggled with when it came to her previous suitors.
They loved and loved.
They gave and gave.
But in the end, they gave away everything they had—leaving nothing for themselves.
To Odette, loving oneself was a sign of great self-respect.
How could someone love deeply if they didn't even love themselves first?
How could someone respect others if they didn't respect themselves?
And that was what made Jonathan different from all the men she had dated before.
Jonathan made sure to love himself.
He made sure to respect himself.
And because of that, he was able to genuinely love and respect others as well.
Some people saw Jonathan's self-love as narcissism.
But in Foca's opinion, those people were simply insecure—projecting their own insecurities onto him.
The truth was, Jonathan had never been affected by what others thought of him.
As he always liked to say:
"I respect those who respect me,
and I love those who love me.
I do unto others
what I wish others would do unto me."
And so, in the end, Jonathan and Odette got married.
Now they had two kids together.
Foca found himself chuckling at the thought that the lyrics he had just written were basically everything his big brother used to say—only this time, in song form.
Picking up his guitar again, Foca began playing the chorus he had just finished writing.
🎶
I respect those who respect me,
And love those who love me
I do unto others
What I want others do to me
So if that's you, babe,
Please hear when I say…
I got that healthy, healthy, healthy ego,
I got that healthy, healthy, healthy ego…
🎶
After finishing the chorus, Foca couldn't help but chuckle again.
It amused him that he had somehow managed to write an entire song inspired by his very audacious big brother—
And his legendary "Healthy Ego."
****
"Is that a new song?"
The sudden voice made Foca lift his head from his notebook.
Standing casually by the doorframe was Luca, arms crossed and wearing a soft smile.
He had on a very loose, oversized plaid button-up. The shirt was only buttoned from the middle down, leaving the upper part open and giving a teasing glimpse of his strong, chiseled chest and upper abs. Paired with it were simple cotton sweatpants, making him look both relaxed and annoyingly attractive.
"Yeah," Foca replied. "I got inspired earlier."
"That is so like you," Luca said with a quiet chuckle as he walked over.
Stopping behind the sofa, Luca leaned down slightly over Foca, hovering close enough that his body nearly cocooned him.
"Why does this song sound like Jonathan though?" Luca asked, chuckling as he skimmed through the lyrics.
"That's because it's inspired by him," Foca answered.
He turned his head slightly—
Only to realize that Luca's face was now just inches away from his.
Luca turned his head too, still wearing that soft smile.
"I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that his baby brother wrote a song about him."
"Oh please," Foca scoffed, rolling his eyes. "The moment he hears about this, he'll start bragging to everyone."
He sighed dramatically.
"It'll become his entire personality for the next few months, and I'm not ready to deal with that yet."
Despite saying that, Foca didn't move away.
Not even an inch.
For a moment, the room fell quiet.
It was just the two of them.
Foca and Luca.
Staring at each other.
And after several long seconds of silently staring into each other's souls—or whatever this moment was supposed to be—Foca finally broke the silence.
"Uhhh… why are you staring at me like that?"
"Didn't your heart skip a beat?" Luca asked.
"Uhhh… no?" Foca blinked. "Was it supposed to?"
"Dammit!" Luca whisper-shouted in frustration.
"Huh? Why 'dammit'?" Foca asked, even more confused.
"I was trying to flirt," Luca admitted with a sigh. "But I guess it's not working."
Before Foca could respond, Luca leaned down and gently pressed a kiss to his forehead.
Then he straightened up and casually walked toward the suite's kitchen.
"What was that for?" Foca called after him, now thoroughly confused.
Well… not entirely confused.
Foca knew what Luca was trying to do.
It was Luca's way of helping him feel romantic love again.
It was a valiant effort.
Unfortunately, Foca still had a long way to go before his heart was ready for that.
Still…
A quiet warmth spread through his chest.
He appreciated Luca's unwavering commitment more than he could properly express.
Even if he couldn't return those feelings yet.
They might not be obvious on the surface, but those small attempts were slowly helping mend the wounds that had scarred Foca's heart.
It would take time.
But eventually…
He would heal.
So Luca—
Don't give up.
Because in Hyouka's very wise words:
"BE AGGRESSIVE! BE-BE AGGRESSIVE!"