After a while, Jihan and Afraan arrived at the Navraan Headquarters.

  The building had only two floors, but it was strikingly beautiful — polished glass, soft white stone, and a quiet luxury that didn't need to boast.

  As the two stepped out of the car, a boy around their age hurried over.

  "Boss, I'll park the car," the boy said respectfully.

  "Oh, Sifan… I can do that myself, though," Jihan replied with a faint smile.

  "Come on, boss. At least let me do this for you," Sifan insisted, almost desperate.

  "Ok… ok… here, take the key."—tap—Jihan tossed the keys toward him.

  Sifan caught them neatly… then finally noticed the unfamiliar face beside Jihan.

  "Ah, boss… is this the new guy?" he asked, eyes narrowing with curiosity.

  "Yep," Jihan said. "Is everyone here?"

  "Yeah… everyone's inside."

  Jihan nodded and turned to Afraan."Let's go then."

  They started walking together toward the building.

  A soft wind swept through the courtyard — fwshhhh — brushing against their clothes, carrying with it the scent of polished wood and clean stone.

  The headquarters waited quietly ahead.

  As Jihan and Afraan were about to enter the building, Jihan leaned slightly toward him, his tone playful.

  "So, how does it look? I mean… our headquarters?"

  Afraan had known Jihan was rich.

  He had known the Navraan family had money.

  But the building before him—luxurious, polished, and far grander than anything he expected from a "two-floor" structure—had left him stunned from the moment they arrived.

  "…It's good," Afraan said quietly.

  "Huh? Just good?" Jihan widened his eyes, acting deeply offended.

  Afraan ignored his reaction and shifted the topic

  "So, what is my work here? You know I'm just a student. What can I even do in a company?"

  "That's not something you need to worry about," Jihan replied instantly, waving a hand as if brushing the concern out of the air.

  "Leave it to me. I can use you in many ways."

  He gave a smile — the kind that looked suspiciously like he was plotting something.

  Afraan stared at him, deadpan.

  I really took the wrong decision.

  The automatic glass doors slid open with a soft shhhk—,and the two of them stepped inside the building.

  As soon as the two of them stepped inside—

  A hand shot forward and grabbed Jihan's ear.

  SQUELCH—TUG!

  "A—AA—AAA—AAAA—!"Jihan's scream cracked through the room as his body folded like a collapsing chair, his head lowering inch by inch toward Soraya.

  "H-Hey—w-wait—Soraya—!"

  Soraya Navraan, fourteen years old, stood there with a calm face and a smile sharp enough to cut metal.

  "You didn't see my messages," she said sweetly, stretching his ear even harder."Didn't answer my calls. For two whole days. Can you explain?"

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  Her voice was soft.Her smile was polite.Her aura could have killed a tiger.

  Behind her, four boys tried—and spectacularly failed—to hold back their laughter.

  Shahin bit his lip.Rihan covered his mouth.Alok looked away, shoulders shaking.Ishan let out a quiet snort.

  Even Afraan, who barely understood the situation, found the sight oddly entertaining.

  "You really shouldn't ignore her, boss," Rihan said in a mocking tone.

  "Shut up!!" Jihan snapped back, still bent over with Soraya pulling his ear like she was turning a radio dial.He looked at her again, suddenly polite, suddenly nervous.

  "S-Soraya… I'll explain. I swear. Just—can you release me first?"

  Soraya's expression didn't change.

  But she let go.

  POP.

  Jihan immediately clutched his ear, rubbing it like he was soothing a newborn puppy.

  "Okay—okay, I'll explain. First, let me introduce someone new."

  He straightened his posture, raised both hands dramatically, and presented Afraan like a magician unveiling a rare treasure.

  "He," Jihan announced, his tone grand and theatrical,

  "is going to join our family from today."

  Everyone stared at Jihan with the same expressionless faces.

  Blank.Unimpressed.Utterly bored.

  Not a single eyelid even twitched.

  "Come on!" Jihan threw his arms up. "Show some energy! We have a new member here!"

  Silence.

  Alok exaggerated a yawn—Haaah…—and leaned sideways as if he might fall asleep standing.

  Soraya crossed her arms. "What's new about this? You already told us about him before."

  "But I'm showing him to you for the first time!" Jihan protested, waving dramatically toward Afraan again."At least pretend to react!"

  Soraya sighed long and deep, rubbing her forehead."Ahh, seriously… you can't do anything properly, can you?"

  "Yep," the other four chimed in instantly."We agree."

  Jihan's face froze in disbelief."Seriously…? All five of you together?"

  Soraya ignored him. "Instead of introducing him to us, you should introduce us to him."

  "All right, I'll do that—"

  "No need," Soraya cut in sharply. "How long are you planning to keep him standing? He hasn't even fully recovered."

  Jihan blinked, then turned toward Afraan with an apologetic smile.

  "Oh—right. My bad."He cleared his throat, posture stiffening."I'm sorry, Afraan. Let's go to a room so you can at least sit."

  Afraan nodded quietly, though his eyes flicked between all the siblings—a little overwhelmed,a little confused,but undeniably warmed by the chaotic scene.

  Jihan gestured toward the hallway.

  "Come on. This way."

  The others casually followed behind, still wearing their bored expressions—though every one of them was clearly, silently amused.

  Jihan led Afraan through a quiet hallway until they reached a medium-sized room—cozy, furnished with a long sofa, a low table, and soft yellow lights that made the place feel strangely warm.

  "Sit wherever you want," Jihan said, waving casually.

  Afraan sat stiffly at the edge of the sofa.

  The others entered behind them one by one, dropping onto the couches like they lived there—which they did.

  Jihan clapped his hands.

  "Okay! Time for introductions."

  He pointed dramatically.

  "That serious-looking one trying to look cool is Shahin."

  Shahin didn't even look up. "I am cool."

  "That one," Jihan continued, pointing at Alok, "is Alok. Don't lend him money. You'll never get it back."

  Alok clicked his tongue. "Defamation."

  "And the one with the lazy face over there is Rihan. He looks like he doesn't care about anything, but he actually—"

  "I really don't care," Rihan corrected immediately.

  Jihan sighed and waved him off.

  "And that guy," he said, pointing at Ishan, "is the only sane one here."

  Ishan nodded politely. "Hello."

  Lastly, Jihan's expression softened as he looked toward Soraya.

  "And she," he said gently, "is Soraya Navraan. My girlfriend."

  Soraya pretended not to react, but everyone saw the very slight pink on her cheeks.

  Afraan offered a polite nod.

  For a moment, everything was calm.

  Then—

  Jihan suddenly smirked at the three culprits sitting on the couch.

  "You three really went too far yesterday, didn't you?" he said, arms crossed like a teacher scolding bad students.

  Shahin looked away.

  Alok scratched his cheek.

  Rihan shrugged.

  "What?" Shahin muttered. "They hit him first."

  "Yeah," Alok added. "Cause and effect."

  "We barely touched them," Rihan lied confidently.

  Afraan blinked.

  Barely… touched?

  The memory of the loan office—destroyed furniture, unconscious people, cracked walls—flashed in front of him.

  Jihan pointed at them again.

  "No 'barely'! You guys turned that office into a construction site!"

  Soraya lifted her hand.

  "Well… you're the one who said you'd 'handle it,' right?"

  Jihan choked.

  "T-That's not what I meant—!!"

  The boys burst out laughing.

  Even Afraan cracked a smile.

  ***

  After a few minutes, everyone fell into casual chatter. The room felt… alive. Loud. Chaotic. Warm.

  Soraya eventually walked over and sat beside Afraan.

  She spoke softly.

  "He's like a child, isn't he?"

  Afraan blinked, caught off guard.

  "Huh? Yeah… it looks like that."Then he paused.

  "But… at the time of the incident…"

  Soraya nodded slowly.

  "He was totally different. Wasn't he?"

  "…Yeah."Afraan looked at Jihan—laughing with Shahin and poking Alok's forehead.

  "Totally different. It was like I was watching a new person."

  Soraya's gaze softened—deep, warm, and a little sad.

  "Don't misunderstand him," she said quietly. "He's not a bad guy. He just can't watch anyone suffer the way we did."

  Afraan stared at her.

  Suffer?

  Soraya continued, her voice gentle.

  "After all… he took all the burden on his shoulders."She gestured subtly at the others.

  "If you notice, we all share the same family name. Aren't you wondering if we're actually from the same family?"

  Afraan hesitated."…Yeah, you could say that."

  Soraya exhaled softly—a faint, sad smile tugging at her lips.

  "Everyone here is an orphan," she said.

  Afraan froze.

  "And he," she looked at Jihan once more, "is the person who created this family with all of us."

  The room suddenly felt heavier.

  Warmer.

  Real.

  And Afraan finally understood—

  why Jihan fought the way he did.

  Why he protected so fiercely.

  And why everyone followed him without question.

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