The ride home was silent.
Secretary Kwon and Yeo Ri both had already said their piece earlier in the meeting room, and Gun was too busy thinking and was in no mood for empty chatter.
Soon enough, they arrived at the Lees' apartment complex. Kwon Tae Yang parked by the roadside and looked at the girl in the rearview mirror. "Miss, I will be in charge of picking you up to and fro work from now on. Please refrain from going out by yourself," he said, gazing pointedly at Yeo Ri's reflection. God knows what the spiteful young lady was always up to when no one was looking.
Yeo Ri fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Mm," she replied offhandedly as she reached for the door handle.
Once the two passengers left the car, the driver nodded at them through the car window then drove away.
The two quietly made their way to their apartment. However, the moment they entered the comfort of their house, Gun held Yeo Ri's wrist firmly.
"Lee Yeo Ri, who was that man?!" He growled, trying to keep his anger, frustration and confusion down. "How did you know him?! Did something happen? Are you hiding something from me?"
Yeo Ri bit her lips before sighing inaudibly. Old habits die hard, and now she was forced to confront its consequences.
Of course, she had already anticipated this to happen. It was impossible to keep everything a secret from her brother, after all. He was always the first to notice if something was wrong with her, and it was only because he had an unfathomably high degree of trust in her that she managed to keep many things hidden for so long.
Yeo Ri opened her mouth to defend herself, "Some suspicious people have been snooping around lately. Sec—Manager Kwon works for Heo Woo Seung, and he was sent to keep an eye on me."
"How come you didn't say anything about this to me? Am I not your brother? Am I really that untrustworthy?!" Gun asked, frustration and hurt colouring his face.
"I-it's not like that..." Seeing the pain in his heart so visibly on his face, Yeo Ri's shoulders shrunk. "I wasn't getting hurt, so I didn't tell you because I didn't want to worry you. I'm sorry, Oppa."
'Are you stupid? Why do you keep repeating the same mistakes?' The devil laughed as he caressed her hair. Yeo Ri trembled before looking downwards. 'Shut up...! Go away...!'
"Oppa, I really didn't mean to hide this from you, really," Yeo Ri insisted feebly.
Looking at Yeo Ri's guilty visage, Gun's heart softened against his wishes. No matter what, it was just impossible for him to continue being angry at her. His hold on her wrist slackened.
He raised both his hands to grasp her arms, "Please don't keep something so important to yourself anymore. Tell me next time, okay? Oppa won't get angry at you, so please... tell me, okay? No more secrets." He pulled her into a tight hug for a long while before pulling away.
"And what's this about suspicious people following you around?"
"..." Yeo Ri pursed her lips, debating whether she should tell him or not.
"Yeo Ri..." Gun frowned and stared at her critically, "no more secrets."
Yeo Ri sighed defeatedly before burying her face in Gun's arms. Begrudgingly, she replied, "There's someone who wants to hurt me for revenge or something. Manager Kwon said they're working for someone who has a personal vendetta against Hyuk-oppa."
Hearing her words, Gun's frown deepened. "That idiot again..." he muttered, inwardly cursing Hyuk in his mind. Even after going to jail, he still caused trouble for them. Even if he was thankful to Hyuk for taking the fall back then, being the reason why Yeo Ri was in danger was enough to make him hate him again.
Gun sighed. Caressing Yeo Ri's head, he murmured, "Good thing Mr. Heo sent that man." Or else he wouldn't know what to do if his precious baby sister got hurt. He made a mental note to thank the older man later for his forethought.
"...Oppa," Yeo Ri called out quietly as she tightened her grip around her brother. "Heo Woo Seung—don't trust him too much... he scares me."
"...What?"
Gun froze at her words. Another secret! Another thing she kept from him!
"What do you mean, Yeo R—"
"—That's right, Oppa! Isn't it about time for you to get ready for class? Hurry, or you'll be late."
After dropping those ominous words, Yeo Ri pushed herself out of Gun's hold and turned around, pretending to busy herself with cleaning up.
"Lee Yeo Ri, you look at me right this instant! Tell me what's going on!" Gun roared, his heart beating wildly. There was no way Yeo Ri can get away after planting those seeds of doubt in his mind.
Yeo Ri paused, but did not turn to face her brother. "It's alright, Oppa. I dealt with it already. In any case, I can assure you he won't hurt me yet, since he seems intent on being nice to me. But, be careful, Oppa. Don't trust him too much."
Gun clenched his fists tightly, an unknown feeling of alarm rising in his heart. Thinking back, it was indeed very strange for a person such as Heo Woo Seung to be so generous to them. Not only was he willing to pay for Yeo Ri's hospital fees, he even went as far as to sponsor his studies. As it turns out, that b*stard was hiding impure intentions towards his sister?
"...You can't do anything about it, Oppa, so don't feel too burdened. Just... don't do anything. The money, too... just use it well, okay?" Since that seemed to be what he owed me anyways, Yeo Ri added silently in her mind.
"Yeo Ri, that's—!" Gun gritted his teeth. 'If only I wasn't so powerless...!' He could only watch as his sweet and innocent baby sister get taken advantage of. Compared to a behemoth like Heo Woo Seung, who had money, status, and power, he was nothing but an ant.
"Yeo Ri... I promise that someday I'll be stronger than that man. Then, you won't have to live with fear anymore," Gun said softly as he gazed forlornly at his sister's small, slender back. A sense of urgency rose within him, feeling that his growth was too slow.
Unbeknownst to him, a strange smile graced Yeo Ri's lips.