The Only Delicacy

"Wait, jealous?" Kevin was now utterly shocked with his path of thoughts.

Despite Kyle being the eldest by one minute and despite their huge differences in personality, Kevin never became jealous of Kyle, because their differences served as their identity.

Yet here he was, jealous of his own brother for the first time he ever lived.

He did not know whether to cry or laugh. Complicated and mixed feelings stirred up within his mind, seeming as if it would explode at the next given second.

However, what he did know was that he absolutely hated this feeling, because he and his brother had lived their entire lives witnessing that loathsome emotion first-hand. To accurately put their whole experiences into one sentence:

They were one of the victims of it.

In a family filled with pretentious family members who would do anything just for the sake of money, Kevin would secretly hide in the background as a child with the help of his own brother in order to not be caught dead on the next second.

In their usual hiding place, the twins would witness up close the disgusting, filthy, and ugly actions those so-called 'family' members would do, polluting their innocent and pure minds as a children and forcing them to mature at a young age.

Since they who were born from that wholly corrupt and wicked environment, Kevin and his brother were almost deeply sucked within it, almost shaping their personalities for their own greed and lust even though they were just children.

However, before they could never see the light of day again, an old man, who they came by once on the street, saved them from never seeing the light of day.

Looking back in time, Kevin felt nostalgic.

"Aiya? What are you boys doing here, lying down on the streets? Where's your mother or your guardian?" The old man asked anxiously.

These boys were wearing branded and highly expensive clothes, which made the old man even more worried. Many kidnappers were on the loose these days.

The adorable, 6 year old twins simply looked up towards him in silence. They didn't want to let the old man know they ran away, all because they were fed up with the environment.

"Hm? Why aren't you brats answering anything? Where's your respect for your elders? Huh, punks?" The old man grabbed both of the twins' heads and drilled his fists above them.

However, despite feeling the pain, the twins merely squinted their eyes and looked up at him, staying silent and guarded around the old man.

The old man immediately stopped his actions, wondering as to why they seemed different from all the other children he had met from the past.

But once he looked deep into their eyes, the old man immediately understood why.

At once, the old man carried the them both high up in his arms.

Surprisingly, the twins did not voice out any complaints and obediently stayed within his arms, showing that they did not care as to whether this strange old man wanted to kidnap them or not.

This showed exactly how much they were fed up with their lives.

When the old man saw how unresponsive they were, he looked them closely in the eye and said, "You brats are still children, but you dare look me in the eye like that, ah? Are you trying to challenge me in who's older and wiser, huh?"

When he got no response except for their blank stares, the old man harrumphed, "Kids these days! Just give them a couple of hardships and they come back complaining, crying or giving up!"

"Just look at all those people walking by the streets! They seem all nice and happy, but each one of them has a story to tell! For example...." The old man scanned all the passersby until he found a person that had caught his attention.

"There! That little girl! Just look at that small girl by the street!" The old man used the direction of his eyes to pinpoint the location of the little girl, making the twins curious enough to look at that direction too.

"Look at how many bags she's bringing! It seems like she went to buy food and grocery. Don't you both see how she's all alone, without any parents or guardians by her side? Her arms also seem too weak to carry that many heavy bags, yet she never once cried, complained or gave up! She's obviously trying to survive or work her way up to a decent life. More importantly, it seems like... that little girl has the same age as the both of you!"

The old man spat out made-up facts or nonsense, which he had derived from a single glance and observation, in order to wake the twins up from their lifeless state.

Sure enough, once the twins glanced at the girl and heard the old man's speech, their lifeless eyes gradually grew brighter with life through every word he uttered.

Although the twins couldn't see the little girl, only her back view, they strangely could not keep their eyes away from her.

Moreover, they couldn't help but feel displeased and enraged at what had caused her sorry state.

If they ever encountered those culprits, they would beat them up!

That feeling in itself, made them feel very strange. But they never bothered to look deep into it, because they were still children.

Seeing that the boys are finally becoming more normal, the old man finally became satisfied, stopped spouting nonsense, and looked back at them once more in a very serious manner.

The twins also reluctantly part their eyes away from that unknown little girl and stared back at the old man.

"See? After understanding this, do you both realize..." The old man eyed them seriously.

When the twins saw just how serious the old man was, unlike his jolly and carefree state, they both became serious in return, greatly anticipating his next words.

"Just how stupid you are? Now, tell me! Who is the wiser one out of the three of us, punks? HAHAHAHA!" The old man laughed out loud to his heart's content, tears almost falling down from his face.

At once, the twins' faces darkened to the point that their aura emanated a trace of killing intent in them.

'Hm?' The old man became inwardly shocked.

'This killing intent... seems deadly! And, they're still kids! Just thinking about it, who knows what will happen once they grow up! It seems like these brats aren't what they seem, huh? They have great potential!' As the old man laughed without a care in the world, he was actually observing the twins' every move and reaction in reality.

"I'm just kidding! Look at the both of you, so serious! You brats might actually be older than me, huh? Ah, wait! You really are! But, I'm still wiser than the both of you! Now, I'm younger even! HAHAHAHAHA!" The old man laughed out loud for a second time.

The twins felt like they were riding a rollercoaster. A shaky one! They really wanted to shut the old man up or bury him alive!

Once he felt the twins growing more impatient, the old man of course stopped laughing and teasing them, "Okay, I'll stop! I'll stop! Stop looking at me like that as if you want to kill me! Sheesh, you kids are even more serious than old men like me!"

"Let's change topic. Quit telling me I'm old! Age is absolutely a no-no!" The old man harrumphed in annoyance at how insensitive these brats were.

"...." The twins just blankly stared at him.

Ever since the beginning, the twins never once spoke to him or anything. The old man was only talking to himself all this while, so why were they the ones insensitive?

He was obviously the one who first brought the topic about age!

As if he never saw the twins' accusing stares directed towards him, the old man continued, "Since you both seem like young lords, I'm guessing the problem would be living with your scheming and corrupt relatives, am I right?"

The twins nodded their heads in agreement, curiosity flooding out of their eyes for the old man's next words.

"See how wise I am? HAHA-" Under the dead stares of the twins, the old man was wise enough to keep his mouth shut from laughing for a third time.

"Fine, no jokes then! At this point, I'm not sure if the both of you will understand, so it's okay if you would treat it like nonsense for now. But bear my words to heart, alright?" The old man looked them seriously in the eye, not a trace of his jolly and carefree aura could be found.

The twins nodded in approval.

They wanted everything to be direct to the point.

"Usually, scheming ninjas like your relatives, fights within and out of the family, and the downfall of other noble families are caused from jealousy."

The old man stated.

"?" The twins blinked their eyes a couple of times, showing that they did not get what he mean at all.

The old man simply smiled when he saw their adorable reaction.

Indeed, they were still kids.

Despite that fact, the old man still continued.

"Jealousy is more than wanting another's belongings. It is the fear that you do not have value. It is a viscous beast that would scan for every kind of evidence just to prove the point – the point that they are better than you; the point that they are valued, and that you... are nothing."

The old man spoke out with power and emphasis.

"..." The twins stared at him.

At that point, the twins simply stored that information inside their heads, mindlessly listening and nodding to his profound speech every now and then.

Since he was so into his speech, the old man never once noticed the twins yawning time and time again.

"If you could not believe you have value, how would you be able to love yourself? And if you could not love yourself, how would you believe that you were loved by others? Or that you love someone else? Or even believe in the thought of… 'Love'?"

"..." Kevin and Kyle rolled their eyes.

Back then, those were the only words that the twins did not take seriously.

They did not believe in such childish dreams like, 'falling in love,' or even 'loving someone else,' not even their own family, classmates, teachers, or that old nurse.

Well, why would they when they never experienced such feelings in the first place?

They only took the elder's thought as being able to love themselves, nothing more and nothing less. Because, that was what they were meant to be – alone, for the rest of their lives.

Hence, they placed those wise but also idiotic words into a small wooden box, locking it and hiding it within the deepest parts of their minds.

Never realizing that it would creep out and explode someday, slowly but surely.

After he said that, the old man turned serious and looked them in the eye, as if he was not talking to children, but grown-up men.

Thinking back in time, Kevin thought that the old man looked funny when he displayed such a huge change in attitude, yet what absolutely gave him a deep impression of that old man were his next words.

"Take your eyes off others and turn the beast-like scanner within. Scan and find the seeds of jealousy hiding within; use the beast to clear out all the old voices and experiences hindering and crushing your other seed – the seed of growth. Then, put all your energy into that small seed by growing it fully into a tree of your own personal and emotional security, instead of seeking trouble with others or stealing something that could never be yours."

"...." The twins just kept blinking and nodding like they understood.

But in reality, they didn't understand, not one bit.

Their minds just drifted away as they thought, "Where's that little girl?"

They looked left and right.

After sometime, their eyes became downcast.

Sadly, they could not find her, so they had no choice but to mindlessly listen and nod to the old man's long and complicated speech again.

"It is only through that small seed that you could destroy the beast, the fear, and the jealousy deeply hidden within." The old man finally concluded his long, boring speech, making the twins inwardly sigh in relief.

However, even if the speech was boring and long, from the twins' perspectives, the old man looked like a superhero, spouting deep words of wisdom here and there.

Except, the old man was too old to be one.

Meanwhile, in reality, the old man was just wasting his time playing around with words to sound cool in front of these two brats.

He said anything that came out of his mind, thinking that such young children couldn't understand him anyway.

Despite that, his words were kept like a treasure inside the twins' hearts, just like what the old man had instructed them to do.

What Kevin had learned from the past explained why he never bothered to take the inheritance or acquire the tempting position from his elder brother.

Ever since he met the old man, he discovered he had always been a free individual since the beginning, unconfined by these so-called rules while making a legacy for himself.

On the other hand, his brother had to face his destiny and act as the ideal inheritor and successor of the company, because it was his responsibility and destiny as the first-born son.

This also explained why the brothers were like the sun and the moon, completely like yin and yang.

Never envious of the other, because there was no need to.

Moreover, Kevin thought he had to thank that old man for bringing out the 'perfect gentleman' within him.

It was ironic how these twins had learned an important lesson from an old man, who was nothing more but a stranger.

They had not even learned the old man's name!

So how could they even thank him?

That old man's carefree but wise words would simply be a debt they could never repay.

Another ironic thing was that Kevin had never expected that those wise but idiotic words to actually become a reality.

The small wooden box he had locked up and hidden within the deepest parts of his mind was actually wide open!

He had actually fallen in love.

Moreover, it was with the same girl his brother liked all this while!

Ever since his brother banged the door open, Kevin had realized his brother's feelings and had also immediately seen his upright manhood, standing exactly like his.

Going back to the present.

While looking at the two culprits hugging and staring at each other as if they had just landed on planet Venus, Kevin felt a raging beast within him, ready to prowl towards anyone and anything that comes on its way.

Kevin mentally sighed, "What a dilemma."

Even though he was currently a man blinded by love, his morals and pride were not one bit blinded.

While he thought back to the past, Kevin strengthened his inner resolve.

He absolutely did not want to end up succumbing to jealousy. He had way more ambitions, hopes, and dreams in store for the future to even have the time to succumb to such weakness.

While clenching his fists that were holding on to the medical instrument as hard as he could, Kevin finally controlled the surging, rotten, and intense feelings hidden deep within him and came back to his usual self:

The perfect gentleman.

Right now, Kevin's main priorities would be to separate these two oblivious love birds who seemed to be in their own little world and to steal his beloved sweetheart back to his arms.