Hyuk woke up from his rest and sneaked back home at around 3 a.m. in the morning.
"Oppa...?" Yeo Ri mumbled, still half-asleep. She had bags under her eyes which showed just how long she had stayed up to wait for her brother.
"..." Hyuk stifled his voice after he realised that it was Yeo Ri. He hadn't expect her to still be awake at this hour. "What are you doing? Go back to sleep," he harshly scolded her with a low voice.
"What about you, Oppa? Why were you so la—" Yeo Ri's eyes widened as her eyes finally adjusted to the dark. She could somewhat make out his battered body.
Hyuk stood with slackened shoulders, one hand supporting his pained torso. Careful so as to not stumble around, he held himself up by leaning against the wall with one arm.
Yeo Ri hurriedly came to his side to help him. But just as she touched his arm, he pushed her away.
"Don't touch me!" He hissed.
Hurt flashed in Yeo Ri's large eyes. She bit her lips, looking as if she was about to cry.
The sight made something in Hyuk twist painfully, but he bore with the pain. His fingers twitched as he summoned all the strength in his body to stop himself from impulsively embracing the fragile girl with his arms. 'Stop it. You can't. You have to stop this,' he whispered to himself in his mind.
"S-sorry," Yeo Ri stuttered. She lowered her head guiltily, thinking that she might have touched an injury. "Do you need help, Oppa? I-I can go find the first aid kit—"
"Don't bother. I want to rest. Just go back to sleep. I don't need your help," he coldly said. Every word he spoke felt like a stab to himself, but he had to do this. He couldn't get any closer to her. He had to put a stop to his confusing emotions before he did something unforgivable.
"O...okay," Yeo Ri reluctantly agreed. She was worried about him, but Hyuk was firmly refusing her help. She could only nod and accept his choice. She wanted to approach him but Hyuk was closing himself off. The wall between them was so thick and strong; she didn't know how to bypass it anymore.
As she slowly followed Hyuk back to their room, she wondered what had changed. Although Hyuk was brusque before, he was even colder to her lately. Not only that, he started to come home late and most of the time, he'd be hurt. The wounds were sometimes even worse than when their father had beat him, and it scared her. The thought of Hyuk getting hurt or dying made her heart hurt so much that she wanted to burst into tears. She was so, so worried. Hyuk was slowly descending to his destruction and she had no idea how to stop it.
"Hic—"
Yeo Ri muffled her sobs under the cover of her blanket. However, Hyuk could hear her clearly. He was right beside her, after all.
Hyuk squeezed his eyes shut.
'Ignore it,' he silently chanted. 'Don't turn around. Don't look at her.'
He was dying to turn around and wipe away her tears, but he couldn't. He wouldn't. This was too painful, but it had to be done. The feelings he had for her shouldn't have existed and he must suppress it at all cost. These feelings have to be killed, he told himself.
He had made her cry. Those tears were his fault. He didn't have any rights to console her. If it wasn't for his d*mnable incestuous heart, she would not have to suffer so much. These thoughts swirled in his mind, making it even more unbearable for him. At that moment, Hyuk felt that the pain in his heart was even more painful than his physical pain.
After a while, Yeo Ri's sobs died down. She fell asleep with tears still running down her cheeks.
Hyuk finally turned around to face her.
Her cheeks were flushed and stained with tear marks. Her eyes were puffy and red. The aftereffects of crying would probably last for a while, and people would definitely question why she would look so terrible in the morning. He was sure that Gun would fuss over the girl after seeing her gloominess later.
Although she looked so terrible, Hyuk couldn't help but think about how much he wanted to kiss her. He carefully tucked away the stray strands of hair on her face. He leaned in, close enough for him to feel her breath.
Realising his actions, Hyuk jerked away from the girl, eyes wide and heart pounding. Just what was he doing?
—D*mn him and his twisted, lustful mind.