The roads were empty since it was already so late at night—or perhaps too early in the morning. Tae Yang had sent Yeo Ri home in record time.
"Don't worry about anything else. Just rest, okay?" Tae Yang bade her goodbye with a forehead kiss, stroking her cheek in reassurance.
"Hmph," she frowned, slapping his hand away without any real strength put into her rejection.
He didn't mind her grouchiness. Having her express her annoyance was better than seeing her react with nothing. He would do anything to get his spoiled little miss back to her usual self.
Tae Yang didn't drive away until he saw the lights of her apartment unit turn off. Once he made sure she was safe at home, he finally allowed himself to relax once more.
Back in the Lee siblings' apartment.
Yeo Ri entered the house quietly. It was so late already, and she hadn't expected Gun to still be awake.
"Yeo Ri?"
Gun was already standing by the entrance when she opened the door. He'd been busying himself in the living room while waiting for her to come back.
"Welcome home." He chuckled in spite of himself, realising that their positions had switched. In the past, he was always the one who came home late, but now he was the one waiting.
Yeo Ri stood dazedly at the entrance, her shoes still on. Her eyes reddened as her emotions clashed violently inside her heart.
'Home...'
Such a simple, yet powerful word.
Sadness, fear, then relief washed over her.
"H-ho... I'm home," her voice cracked as she shook off her shoes, going straight for a hug.
"What's wrong?" Gun brought his arms around her protectively, stroking her head. "Did you have a hard time at work today?"
"...Mm." Yeo Ri couldn't bear to tell him the truth.
"I should have a talk with Auntie Soo Yeon. How can she make you work until this late? You're a minor, and this far exceeds the statutory working hour limit for minors..." he grumbled.
As Yeo Ri's guardian, and a law student, Gun was the one who took care of all the legal paperwork for her. For a minor to work as much as she did, they not only needed to sign off their consent, but also obtain permission by the Minister of Employment and Labour. Of course, Park Soo Yeon's legal team had handled most of the heavy work; all he really had to do was read the contracts and provide his signature. Still, as her guardian, he had the power to take back his consent.
But he couldn't do that to his baby.
Yeo Ri was clearly passionate about her work, and he couldn't take that away from her. His baby deserved to be happy, to have goals and dreams, and the means to reach them.
His job was to support her, and make sure she was safe.
—Easier said than done.
He was so busy with his own things that it was impossible to keep an eye on her as frequently as he wished he could. Gun contemplated quitting his part-time job, and perhaps take a leave of absence from school just to accompany her. At least until she came of age.
"Don't, Oppa," she let out a quiet chuckle. "It's not her fault. It's not the director's or the production team's fault either. I was the one who insisted, even though they told me I didn't have to. But, you know? A lot of effort goes into every single shoot. It costs a lot of money, too, so it's better to wrap things up as soon as possible. If I could finish my scenes even one day early, it'll save tens of thousands of dollars for the team. If the production run out of money, then everybody's hard work will go down the drain," she rambled in a soft voice.
"Okay, okay. I won't nag anymore," Gun smiled helplessly.
Yeo Ri tightened her hug, then looked up at her brother. He was the sweetest, most lovable person in her world. He was the best brother one could ever ask for; selfless, protective, and always did his best to make sure she was alright. It hurt to remember that there was no blood between them—that the bonds that brought them together never existed in the first place. She felt like an impostor, undeserving of the love he poured into her. Would he feel as betrayed as she did, had he found out she wasn't his real sister? Was she worthy of all the things he had given her?
She had the question at the tip of her tongue—would he still love her if they weren't siblings?
She knew the Gun in front of her would say yes. She knew him well enough to know that he would never question his love for her. But that only applied in this instance, in this condition where he had spent the past ten-odd years taking care of her. But what if he knew beforehand that they were strangers? What if they hadn't been raised as siblings in the first place?
She knew Gun would not have cared for her had she been born into a different family. Gun's fondness for her was exclusively because she was his sister. It was easier with Hyuk, because his love was the romantic kind. That kind of love was easier to obtain; perhaps much easier had they started as strangers.
Gun's affection for her relied entirely on their familial bond, and the fact that they were not a 'real' family—in the biological sense—was the source of her insecurity.
'You've seen the way he treats outsiders. He wouldn't have been so kind to you if you weren't his sister,' the devil voiced out her deepest thoughts. She could feel his cold touch brush against her back, pressing into her like an embrace, his cackling ringing hauntingly in her ears.
She deigned herself to ignore him, tightening her hold around her sweet, ignorant brother.
"..."
She stared at Gun's handsome face contemplatively.
If... If she could warp his love for her... Like Hyuk?
It would have been much easier for her to grab onto him if he fell for her. All she had to do was use her body to earn his devotion. That way, even without familial relations, she'd have something to fall back on.
For a brief milisecond, she entertained the thought of kissing him. It had worked wonders on Hyuk; he even went to jail for her—because of her.
"...!"
Yeo Ri caught herself before she could slip.
She looked away guiltily, burying her face in his chest.
She couldn't do it—she couldn't do it to Gun. She couldn't bear to cheapen their relationship like that. He deserved much more than petty physical rewards. He didn't have such inclinations towards her to begin with, unlike Hyuk.
It was already enough that she had ensnared Hyuk. By the heavens, she loved him, but her heart ached terribly for taking advantage of his feelings and using him the way she did. He worked so hard to be a good brother to her, despite his feelings, and she went and warped him for her own benefits. Even if she devoted her entire life to him, it would not be enough to repay him for what she had done to him... to them.
Her body was not even worth that much...
After a long pause, she spoke up, "I love you, Oppa."
Gun, none-the-wiser, was more than happy to return her affections. "I love you too, Yeo Ri-ah," he replied. He didn't push for her to talk about what was troubling her and simply offered his comfort.
Yeo Ri inhaled deeply.
The scent of their laundry detergent and Gun's warmth surrounded her.
Suddenly, she was at peace.
Yeo Ri realised that it was useless to entertain all the 'what ifs'.
She was in the present, and in this present, as far as they were concerned, Gun and Yeo Ri, both surnamed Lee, was a family.
As broken as their family had been, it was all they had. They knew no other name, and Yeo Ri recognised no other names.
Not Heo, not Han.
She was Lee Yeo Ri, and her brothers were Lee Hyuk and Lee Gun.
And that was all there is to it.
Yeo Ri resolved to believe in those words, even if the truth said otherwise.
She willed her negative thoughts away.
"Oppa," Yeo Ri smiled, "Should we go on a date?"