Tae Yang didn't know when he fell asleep, but when he came to, he was met with the girl's dead-fish eyes. Nothing has changed, he observed in disappointment.
"What time is it?" he mumbled tiredly. His arm that was being used as her pillow was numb, but he didn't have the heart to pull it away.
The girl roused from the bed, sitting up and staring into nothingness. He mirrored her, pulling her slouched, feeble body into his embrace.
"It's late," he remarked as he noted the time. Yeo Ri was no stranger to late nights, but she would usually try to make it home as quickly as possible so she could spend time with Gun. The fact that she had stayed out for so long was worrisome even for Tae Yang who had accompanied her.
"Let me take you home, okay?" he coaxed.
Since she didn't want to go to the hospital nor any of her two houses, Tae Yang had taken the liberty to bring her to his place instead. It had been a hard decision to make, as he needed to ensure to take her to a place that was both secure and safe from prying eyes. He couldn't bring her to a hotel, so the next best option was his bachelor pad.
That being said, the girl needed her rest, and he wasn't sure if his bed was the right place for it. His apartment wasn't equipped for her to stay over, and he was worried that she would have nightmares again without her sleeping pills.
"..."
Yeo Ri stared mutely at the wall. Her head rested on the man's chest. The constant, stable thumping of his heart felt rather cathartic. She closed her eyes, focusing on his heartbeat.
Tae Yang let her relax, loosely wrapping his arms around her figure. She felt so small, so precious, in his arms.
Unlike those days back in the hospital, Yeo Ri allowed the man to touch her. She wasn't sure if she was comfortable with him because he was there when she needed someone, or because she had given up on rejecting others.
Yeo Ri was almost frightened by how easily she accepted his touch; she had no idea when and how she had become so attached to him. Perhaps it was the way she was afforded control over him; how he would go along with her moods, yet never seemed to fall for it.
She slowly drew herself out of her aloof state, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her lips on his neck. He flinched from the sudden intimacy, but figured she desired the physical validation. He smiled to himself as the girl left a ticklish, warm trail on the nook of his neck.
Her lifeless eyes met his affectionate gaze. It seemed as though he held boundless adoration for her, so ready to uplift and fill her with all the love she needed.
—Kwon Tae Yang truly confused her.
He was satisfied with where he was, and was all the more happy to be used by her. He seemed to like it when she teased and flirted with him, but he drew the line when things escalated. He'd reject her intimate advances, but liked her vaguely seductive acts. She could kiss him anywhere but his mouth and touch him anywhere but his nether regions. And he would touch her back, too, but would respectfully keep his hands away from her privates. She could sit on his lap and sleep on his bed, but he would never disrespect her with a sexual gaze, as though the mere thought of it was blasphemous.
She could not understand just how he could be so selflessly in love with her without expecting anything in return. Even Hyuk wanted her to love him back, but Kwon Tae Yang, this alien, did not.
What a strange man, she thought.
"I want to take a bath," she whispered softly. "And then, I want to go," she stuttered, "h-home." Her tone was soft, almost hesitant.
Yeo Ri loved her brothers, she really did, and home was wherever they were. But after seeing the report, she wondered if it was still okay to call that place—the place she lived with Gun—her home.
"Okay," Tae Yang smiled reassuringly. "I'll start the bath for you, and then I'll take you home." He stroked her back comfortingly.
Yeo Ri released the breath she didn't realise she was holding.
Tae Yang extracted himself from the bed and got to his duties.
Once he was done with the setup, he ushered the girl to the bathroom, confining her to a surprisingly relaxing bubbly bath. He'd even thrown in a pink-coloured bath bomb that smelled of flowers and sweetness for her, making her wonder why he had such a thing to begin with. He didn't seem like the type of person who'd enjoy bubble baths, though she supposed there was not a lot she knew about him in the first place.
The girl stared at the bright ceiling.
"...Home," she mumbled to herself.
As the girl soaked, she suddenly realised that all her fears and doubts were irrational. It didn't matter if they were unrelated by blood; the bonds they had fostered over the years made them closer than the average siblings. They loved and cared for each other fiercely, and she shouldn't have been so bothered by that stupid report.
—They were a family, and that was an undeniable fact.