All Chapters of COLLATERAL DESIRE : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Lance was sprawled across his bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. His phone buzzed loudly on the nightstand, snapping him out of his daze. He picked it up, Ylva calling.“Hey, Lance!” Her voice was bright, cheerful, like sunlight through clouds.“Ylva… hey,” he said, forcing a small smile, sitting up. “How’s the trip?”“It’s… actually really nice!” she said, a hint of excitement in her tone. “The campus is huge, the library is insane, and I met so many people. You’d love some of the labs, they’re insane!”Lance chuckled softly. “Sounds like you’re having a blast. Wish I could see it.”“Yeah, I wish you were here too,” she admitted, laughing softly. “Even though I’m probably going to eat way too much campus cafeteria food and complain about it nonstop.”Lance grinned a little. “Sounds… just like you.”They talked for a few more minutes, about classes, her roommates, some silly thing that had happened on the trip. For a while, it felt normal, warm, like old times.Then Ylva’s

Lance felt heat rise in his chest before he even realized what he was saying. “You… you have nice lips,” he blurted out, words tumbling out faster than his brain could catch them.Immediately, his hand shot to cover his mouth. Shit, shit, shit, he thought. Why did I just say that?Ragnar looked up from his papers, one brow raised in perfect, composed surprise. His red eyes met Lance’s, sharp and piercing, and for a moment, Lance felt like he’d been stripped bare, not physically, but every part of him exposed.“I—I didn’t mean… I mean…” Lance stammered, face heating to the point he thought it might burn through his skin. He tried to laugh it off, tried to sound casual, but all that came out was a strained, awkward chuckle.Ragnar didn’t answer immediately. He set the folder down and let his gaze linger on Lance. Unblinking. Calm. Dangerous. Just as Lance began to panic, imagining the worst, Ragnar’s eyes flicked down to his papers. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, subtle

Jungwoo stopped pacing and laughed suddenly, but there was nothing funny about the sound.“Of course,” he muttered. “Of course you had to fall for him.”He grabbed the chair near his desk and shoved it aside roughly. It scraped loudly across the floor. He started pacing again, faster now, hands running through his hair, then dropping to his sides, then clenching again.He looked like he had too much energy in his body and nowhere to put it.“Tall, loyal, stupid Lance,” he muttered. “Of course Ragnar would look at you like that.”His fist slammed into the wall before he even fully decided to do it.The sound was loud. Pain shot through his hand immediately, but he didn’t react at first. He just stood there, breathing heavily, forehead almost touching the wall.Then he hit the wall again.This time harder.He hissed quietly when skin split across his knuckles, a thin line of blood appearing almost immediately. He pulled his hand back and stared at it, breathing slowly, watching the bloo

Ping didn’t leave.He had moved toward the door, but instead of opening it, he paused… then turned back and returned to the chair like he had more to say.Jungwoo noticed immediately. “You’re still here,” he said, slightly annoyed but also curious.Ping sat down again, folding his hands calmly. “Because you are not finished talking,” he said. “And neither am I.”Jungwoo rolled his eyes but didn’t argue.There was a brief silence before Ping spoke again, quieter this time.“I know Ragnar,” he said.That made Jungwoo look at him properly.“…You do?”Ping nodded once. “Longer than you have been alive.”Jungwoo sat up slightly now, interest replacing some of his irritation. “Then you already know what I’m talking about.”“Yes,” Ping said. “And that is why I am telling you this clearly.”He leaned back slightly, his gaze steady.“I do not think Ragnar likes men.”Jungwoo didn’t react immediately. He just stared at his father, processing.“…Yeah,” he said after a moment. “I thought about th

Ping didn’t speak again in the present.The memory didn’t let go.It dragged Jungwoo deeper.The garden was gone.No sunlight. No flowers. No laughter.Only stone.A wide training ground stretched under a gray sky, cold and unforgiving. The air itself felt sharp, biting against the skin.Ragnar stood in the center.He was still small, still a child but something about him had changed. The brightness in his eyes was gone, replaced by something quieter. Something watchful.His hands were wrapped in rough cloth, already stained. His breathing was uneven, but he didn’t move.“Again.”Magnus’s voice cut through the air like steel.Ragnar stepped forward instantly. No hesitation. No question.He lunged.Too slow.Magnus moved before Ragnar could even reach him, sidestepping effortlessly and striking him down. Ragnar hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the air from his lungs.He gasped but no sound came out.“Again.”Ragnar pushed himself up immediately. His arms trembled, his body prot