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Hyeori gently caressed Sooho’s face, brushing his hair away and smiling at how long it had gotten. She sat down on the bench beside him, took his hand, and rested her forehead against the blanket covering his torso and legs, closing her eyes for a moment.
“Sieun-ah is outside… He still can’t bring himself to come in… Even though I keep asking him… he just won’t… And I don’t want to push him, but I want you to know he comes to see you a lot, even if he doesn’t come inside… He just sits there for hours…” she murmured, her fingers gently stroking his skin. “Uhm… I didn’t tell you last time, but Sieun got into a fight a few days ago… he got punished… You probably would’ve teased him for it… or maybe even gotten in trouble too for backing him up…”
She smiled, remembering the day Sooho convinced the boy to go to the restaurant after saving him from Yeongbin—how he fed him, how he patched up his hands. The moment they adopted the little one.
“Boring. Let’s mess with him.”
That’s what Sooho had said. Which, in his language, meant: let’s not leave him alone—he’s worth sticking around for.
“These days… we met a few new guys. Three of them,” she began. “Humin… but he likes to be called Baku. He’s… loud. He has that kind of energy that’s a bit annoying, but I can tell he’s a good guy. His voice reminds me of…” She paused, pressing her lips together before glancing at her boyfriend’s peaceful face. “When we’d take our babies out for walks and you’d do that high-pitched voice Jaxx hated so much.”
Hyeori grazed his cheek with her knuckles, tenderly, remembering how Nala used to ignore her owner while Jaxx barked nonstop whenever he heard that tone.
“Hyuntak… Gotak… Weird nicknames, huh?” she laughed softly, realizing their friends almost shared the same nickname, at least in structure. “He’s kinda… different. He’s really funny though. He took me out for hotteok a few nights ago… And I laughed… like, really laughed. It felt nice. Safe. And honestly, that scared me a little because… you’re the only one who’s ever made me feel like that…”
She shifted uncomfortably, her eyes watery. “Laughing like that… it felt like I was betraying you somehow. But… then I thought maybe you’d laugh with him too. You’d probably end up playing something on his phone or goofing around.”
Her voice trembled slightly, her breathing uneven. Just imagining hearing his laugh again crushed her. She wanted so badly to hear it again.
“I also… found Sieun’s brother,” she said, chuckling. “Juntae. That’s his name… He’s really sweet, totally different from Sieun. He talks so fast and soft, it makes you want to hug him. He would’ve actually laughed at your jokes, so I bet you’d make him call you hyung or something.” Hyeori caressed Sooho’s knuckles.
“I feel like Nala would’ve stared at him weird if she met him… but maybe Jaxx would’ve loved him. Just like Nala loved Sieun…”
She rested her head on the edge of the bed, near his torso, inhaling deeply. “I’m… doing the best I can, I swear… I’m trying, and I don’t know… I don’t know if that would make you proud, but… I want to keep trying because I know you… you wouldn’t stop if you were in my place…” She lifted her gaze to his face again.
“You have no idea how much I wish it was the other way around… It should’ve been me in this situation, you know? I should’ve let Wooyoung bash my head in even more that day… maybe then… Bumseok would’ve backed off and…”
She looked away, the bitterness rising in her throat. Her eyes landed on the reflection in the mirror near Sooho’s bed—it faced the door. And when she saw a figure standing there, watching, she flinched and turned around quickly. Her brows furrowed at the sight of Seongje’s smug smile as he waved at her before walking away.
She stood up instantly and rushed to the door. She saw him talking to Sieun, who also got up from his seat, visibly annoyed, eyes wide.
“Don’t you think it’s kind of selfish to interrupt your friend’s rest?”
Hyeori grabbed him by the jacket, slamming him against the wall in surprise. Sieun’s eyes widened, and he stepped in quickly, placing his hands on her waist when he saw her moving in aggressively.
“Hyeori, take it easy…”
“What did I tell you, Seongje?”
“If I’m being honest… it didn’t scare me—it turned me on. Like, a lot.”
“Get out,” she muttered, jaw clenched, fists tight, Sieun’s breath hitting her neck as he held her firmly.
“I will… but you two need to come with me,” he said, hands in his jacket pockets, staring at her with that usual playful glint. “Ah, talking to me like that… You’re totally my type.”
Hyeori glanced at Sieun, frowning. “You don’t have to come.”
“And let you go alone? This guy…”
“Yah, I don’t have all day, okay?”
The two of them exchanged one more look before Hyeori took the first step, walking stiffly behind the tall guy, followed by Sieun, who watched her posture. Her walk was firmer now, her footsteps loud, her presence heavier. Something Sieun hadn’t seen in her before.
She didn’t usually get this angry.
When the trio reached what looked like a large warehouse, Hyeori grimaced at the unsolicited catcalls from the guys around them. Instinctively, Sieun moved closer, standing by her side with a serious expression as they made their way toward a bowling alley.
The shouting, laughter, and noise tightened every muscle in her body. She had no idea what was going on, and that only made her angrier. When they stopped, Seongje gestured toward a door away from the main hall.
“After you, noona,” he said with a smirk, fully aware of how pissed she was.
Hyeori glanced at Sieun, giving him a look that told him not to do anything reckless, and headed toward the door. When she opened it, she found a guy sitting at the far end, focused on a notebook and some papers that looked like an exam.
“Just a sec,” he said in such a soft tone that—if she weren’t so mad and if he didn’t seem like the ringleader of this whole mess—she might have even found it sweet.
But that wasn’t the case.
“You better pay attention, because I’m only gonna say this once,” Hyeori said, locking eyes with him. His sharp gaze met hers, unreadable. “I don’t care what problems you’ve got with Humin or anyone else from that school… but leave Sieun, me, and my boyfriend out of it.” Her voice wasn’t soft or sweet—it was low and threatening. “Because if you don’t, I don’t care how many of you there are… If you hurt any of them, I’ll make sure each one of you feels it. Got it? Or do I need to scare you a little to make you believe me?”
The guy looked at her like she was something unusual. He gave a tiny, fleeting smile—half mocking, half impressed—and leaned back in his chair without breaking eye contact.
“If you need to, go ahead and ask about me. You’ll see I don’t bluff,” she added. Her eyes dropped to the paper on the table. Then, with no change in expression, he blinked.
“There are two ways to solve that problem… Focus on the variables and stop wasting time.”
With that, she turned and headed for the door, pausing with her hand on the knob to give him one last look. He was still staring at the papers like she’d just insulted him.
“Stop looking for Sieun. If I find out you are… I’ll be really mad,” she muttered before opening the door.
“Just do me one favor, and no one gets hurt,” he said suddenly, stopping her. Hyeori glanced back over her shoulder.
“You and your friend… stop hanging around Humin.”
She looked surprised for a second, then simply nodded. “Fine.”
She stepped out, shutting the door behind her, and shot a look at Seongje, who smiled at the sight of her. She ignored him and walked straight to Sieun, grabbing his hand to leave.
“Hey, pretty thing, the boss wants to talk to the kid—”
“I don’t give a shit what your boss wants,” she cut him off coldly, staring him down. “If I see you near him or the hospital again… you’ll really learn what fear feels like, dumbass.”
The door to the bowling alley closed behind them. The air outside was cooler, but to Hyeori, it still felt suffocating. Her steps were fast, rushed, her jaw tense as she stared straight ahead. Sieun walked at her pace, arms stiff at his sides.
“Why’d you go with him?” he asked, calm but not indifferent.
She didn’t answer right away. She walked a bit farther, then stopped at a corner, turning her face toward a white wall.
“What was I supposed to do?” Her voice was quiet, but with a bitter edge, like chewing something sour.
“And what did he want? Why did he go to the hospital? Just to scare us?” There was no sarcasm in his tone, but it still hit her wrong—and it made her more upset.
“I don’t know… he just asked us to stay away from Humin. That’s it.”
“And you said yes?” Sieun replied—not surprised, but clearly disappointed.
“What did you expect me to do, Sieun?” she snapped, eyes wide, anger building. “Say no? Stay quiet? Do you remember what happened the last time I did that?”
The words hit Sieun like a punch. He knew what she meant, and the pain in his chest deepened.
“Stop treating me like this.”
“What?”
“Stop treating me like I can’t handle the truth… like I’m too weak to deal with it.”
Hyeori blinked, lowering her gaze. Silence fell between them, but this time it wasn’t comfortable. This time, it felt like the kind of silence that screamed something was wrong—just no one wanted to say it.
“I don’t think you can handle it,” she admitted, voice so low it barely came out.
Sieun stepped back. “What?”
“It’s not that you’re not strong,” she added quickly, as if trying to fix it. “It’s just… have you seen yourself, Sieun? Since Sooho… you don’t sleep, you barely look at people, you’re… turning back into the guy you used to be before he and I…”
“And you’re doing great, huh?” he cut in, eyes glistening. “You’re just fine with everything…”
She stayed quiet. Not out of pride or stubbornness—just because she didn’t know how to explain something that didn’t even make sense in her own head. She just knew it hurt. That it was heavy. That she didn’t want him to carry it too.
“But I can’t blame you…” he continued. “How could you trust the person who caused all this?” Hyeori’s brows drew together as she looked at him. “I’m sorry.”
“Sieun-ah…”
“If you hadn’t gone that day, if you hadn’t fought that guy for me, if I hadn’t accepted dinner… even if I hadn’t agreed to play pool…” He clenched his jaw. “It all happened because of me, didn’t it? Everything was fine. No one was bothering you. I ruined your plans. Even your dogs… If I hadn’t let Sooho go through this… they’d still be here.”
Hyeori opened her mouth, but no words came out.
“I’m sorry, Hyeori,” he whispered, tears in his eyes. “If I could switch places with him… I would, without even thinking. I’m sorry… for ruining your dreams.”
And with that, he stepped back. Not dramatically. Not angrily. Just… defeated.
She didn’t stop him.
She just watched him walk away, feeling like each step he took made her smaller, lonelier.
When he vanished from view, she buried her face in her hands, rubbing it in frustration, feeling that ache in her chest—like something was broken and she didn’t know how to fix it. Her brain offered a thousand options, but none made sense.
Everything was becoming way too complicated.
Too much.
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