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Hyeori was hugging Sieun’s body, her cheek resting against his chest as he chatted with Juntae. Her mind kept drifting back to Humin—he had seemed so different that it left her feeling guilty.
He tries to protect us, but at the cost of his own life.
“Hyeori, you’re gonna get stuck to me…”
“Uhm.” She nodded, moving her head a little, which made him chuckle softly from the ticklish sensation.
He didn’t mind. Actually, he liked it. Feeling her so close reminded him of her words: “It’s not your fault. I never blamed you for what happened.” She had been clinging to him since lunchtime. She came running up with Juntae and hugged him tight—and never let go.
Suddenly, Gotak appeared in the room, grinning as he ran toward Sieun. “Is it true? You’re not leaving?”
Sieun gave a small nod, and Gotak smiled even wider, grabbing Juntae’s hands and bouncing excitedly. Hyeori smiled at the scene—Gotak may not show it much, but he clearly cared about the shorter boy.
“I heard Humin’s part of the Union now.”
That wiped the smile right off Gotak’s face. Hyeori glanced at him with a frown as she pulled away from Sieun, letting out a soft sigh.
“For us, right? He thought we’d suffer because of him.” Hyeori shared a look with Juntae, who looked sad over Humin’s decision. “But even so… we have to make him come back.”
“What?”
“He tried to protect us by doing something he avoided for so long.” Hyeori said, locking eyes with Gotak—those orange eyes he found so striking. “I think it’s only fair that we each deal with our own problems… Humin-i doesn’t have to carry everything.”
* * *
Hyeori walked up the steep street, visibly tired. They’d been walking for nearly half an hour, and she was about ready to give up.
Why do these kinds of streets even exist?
She almost decided to sit and wait, but when she saw Gotak crossing toward a house, she felt relieved to know the walking part was done—at least for now.
The boy in the blue hoodie knocked several times, trying to get a response from the guy they were looking for, but when none came, Hyeori’s hope dimmed. Even though she’d gotten his number that night, he never answered.
“Hey, brats.”
Hyeori looked past Sieun’s shoulder and spotted a man standing at the gate, watching them with suspicion. After a quick greeting, he invited them inside. She didn’t want to go in, but Sieun dragged her with him and sat her down next to him as they watched the man pour himself a shot of soju.
Great. A drunk.
Hyeori glanced left at the two boys. Juntae looked absolutely terrified, while Gotak seemed ready to bolt—super uncomfortable. “Sir.” Hyeori was the first to speak, catching the man’s attention. He stared into her eyes, visibly thrown off by their unique color. “How long has it been since Humin came home?”
“Ah, that idiot.” She frowned, glancing at Sieun, who looked equally irritated. “Should’ve hit him more when he was a kid. He’s just like his mom—never know what the hell he’s thinking.” Her jaw clenched, glaring at the man, who was quickly becoming very unlikeable. “If you see him, tell him to die or come back and learn to fry chicken. That useless piece of shit…”
Sieun tried to stop Hyeori—he saw the tension rising in her shoulders. “Mr. Park,” she began, “has Humin ever done anything to you?”
“Hyeori…” Sieun muttered. He wanted to stop her, but honestly, he wanted to say something too.
“Not caring that your son’s been missing for days is… shocking. Considering that at school—and for a lot of people—Humin is far from an idiot, let alone a useless piece of shit.” Her eyes were wide and angry, locked on him.
For a second, she heard echoes of her own father cursing Sooho like that. It filled her with rage.
“If that were really true, none of us would be here, talking to someone so heartless…” Hyeori stood up, meeting the man’s annoyed glare head-on. “Children aren’t responsible for their parents’ mistakes. If you made one… I think you’re the problem.”
“Yah!”
“It was a pleasure, Mr. Park. We’re leaving now.”
She gave a short bow before turning, grabbing her bag and shoes, and stepping out of the house after slipping them on. She didn’t even wait for the boys—she started walking downhill, taking deep, heavy breaths to calm her fury.
She hated hearing her father’s voice in her head—calling Sooho “worthless,” “a beggar,” “a delinquent.” Sooho wasn’t any of that.
The way that man spoke about his own son—it was disgusting. And it made her think of her father, who cheated on her mother with his secretary while Sooho, not even his own child, was the one who had protected her.
“Nonna!”
“I’m going home…” she said with a tired smile, stopping to look at the boys running after her. “I’ve got homework to do… Don’t stay out too late, okay?”
She waved them off and turned around, walking faster. The boys watched her leave, each with a different expression. But Sieun knew—she needed space. She was mad, but he was glad to see she was learning to control it.
The last time she got this mad, she lost a scholarship and almost hurt someone. He never wanted to see that happen again.
* * *
Hyeori wasn’t lying about having homework. She spent almost three hours doing math exercises, reading, and answering questions from other subjects. Eventually, she stood up for a break—only for her phone to ring.
She didn’t even check the caller ID—just answered it and collapsed on the bed, staring at the ceiling, too tired to move. “Hello?”
“Nonna.”
She closed her eyes at the sound of Seungje’s smug little laugh. Damn it, why did she even answer? “I thought I made it clear, Seungje.”
“I just wanted to ask when I could return your shirt. Not really my style, if I’m being honest.” He chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. “Actually, I wanted to ask you something.”
“Uhm?”
“I heard Baku joined the Union.”
“That’s what they say… Aren’t you part of it? How would you not know?”
Seungje sighed, and Hyeori let her eyes close—she was exhausted. “I left a few days ago… the day I showed up at your place.”
Her eyes snapped open, staring at the ceiling. Hearing that made her heart twist—maybe that was why he’d been so beaten up. “You’re such an idiot.”
“I’m an idiot if I’m in that shit, and I’m an idiot if I’m not… What do you want from me, nonna?”
“I don’t want anything… But I thought you were smarter than that,” she mumbled. “Like, smart enough not to get into it in the first place.”
“Like Baku?” he said with a snicker. “Ah, that bastard… Baekjin must be thrilled. That guy prayed every day for Baku to join that mess.”
She blinked, confused and curious. “Why? What’s the obsession?”
“I couldn’t tell you… Nobody ever really got his reasons. I guess he just wanted his friend close.” Seungje replied. Hyeori’s eyes opened—she didn’t remember hearing about Baekjin and Baku being close. “But… you need to be careful, Hyeori. Baekjin… he’s not someone you want to mess with.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I heard you tried to get Humin to leave the Union.” Her brows furrowed—how the hell did he know that? “You should think about your friends’ safety… Because that’s how Baekjin operates. I thought you knew that.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Baekjin won’t go after you… but if you keep messing with Humin, the people around you will get hurt…” Seungje said, grunting like he was shifting in bed. “If you want my advice, tell your friends to stop being idiots… and stop looking for trouble.”
She got the strange feeling he was trying to tell her something, but honestly, she had no idea what he meant.
“I gotta go… Be careful, nonna.” He hung up without even saying goodbye. She didn’t care. Her fingers flew over her phone, dialing Sieun. He didn’t answer. Neither did Gotak or Juntae. The only one she really expected to answer… didn’t.
And that scared her.
“Shit, I can’t leave you guys alone for one second…” She jumped out of bed, running for her shoes and slipping them on halfway as she rushed out of the house. She didn’t call a cab this time. She just ran—ran while her brain screamed one thought:
“Anyone around you will get hurt.”
The bowling alley. She told herself, speeding up. It was far from her apartment, but she needed to run—burn the anxiety out of her chest before it burst from the stress.
She’d run five blocks and felt like chucking her phone into the street when still no one picked up. It was infuriating.
Just as she was slipping it back into her pocket, it rang. An incoming call. Not from any of the boys—but when she saw the name of the hospital on the screen, she answered immediately.
“Yes?”
“Is this Kang Hyeori’s number?”
She nodded, breathless, running across the street before the light turned red.
“This is Sungang Hospital. We’re calling to inform you that the patient Ahn Sooho is in critical condition.”
Hyeori froze. Right there in the middle of the road. The words hit her like a sledgehammer. Her legs trembled, hands shaking, eyes glued to the ground, unable to respond. But what she felt the most… was her heartbeat.
It wasn’t pounding from running—it was pounding from fear.
“What?”
She didn’t hear the response before a loud honk blared next to her. She barely saw the headlights before her body was hit—hard. Her phone flew from her hand, her body rolled several feet, and the last thing she heard before losing consciousness was people screaming.
And that nurse’s voice.
“Ahn Sooho is in critical condition.”
* * *
Sieun was the first to arrive at the hospital. His steps carried him to the emergency room, nearly stumbling when he saw Hyeori’s body on the stretcher—a mask over her mouth and nose, her eyes closed, small cuts on her skin. He stopped at the room entrance, his eyes stinging, unable to take another step.
Then he saw a familiar woman and instinctively stepped back. He’d never spoken to Hyeori’s mother, but it shocked him that she was even there. After all, she’d let her husband throw her daughter out.
“Is she okay?” Gotak asked, running up with Juntae. Behind them was a limping Baku, who stopped in his tracks when he saw the small room. “Oh, is that her mom? Should we ask how she’s doing?”
Sieun held him back, shaking his head and pulling him aside. “Let’s wait until she leaves… Don’t interrupt now,” he said. But the truth was—he didn’t want to see her. He wanted her gone, so he could ask the doctors himself.
Sieun’s knees were weak, tears burning at the corners of his eyes, and his mind screamed her name. He couldn’t lose her. Not now. Not ever.
He had been on his way to meet the others when the hospital called. The receptionist said he was listed as her emergency contact. He didn’t ask questions—just ran. Called Juntae. Told them what happened. His heart was racing. His mind created a million scenarios. But seeing her there, unconscious and masked… that wasn’t one he’d expected.
She looked just like Sooho.
“Excuse me… are you Yeon Sieun?” He looked up at the nurse, who seemed a little older than his mom, hair pulled back, white uniform, a warm smile.
“Yeah… is this about Hyeori? Is she okay?”
The nurse glanced at the room and gave a sympathetic frown. “She’s going to be fine… she just needs a lot of rest. Don’t worry too much about her.”
“What happened?” Gotak asked, jumping up from his seat as the nurse started talking to Sieun. The other boys rushed over too, watching her anxiously.
“She was in an accident. Hit by a car… but don’t worry…” she said gently, trying to reassure them.
“How can we not worry? Why is she on oxygen? Why isn’t she moving?” Baku demanded. His eyes were wide—not with anger, but with fear.
“Her body couldn’t handle the shock of the impact. But that doesn’t mean she won’t wake up,” the nurse explained. “It looks like she hadn’t been eating or sleeping well for a while. Her body is just too weak. She needs time to recover.”
Sieun felt a little more at ease, but he couldn’t shake the burning in his chest. The thought of her sleeping for who-knows-how-long, just like Sooho, terrified him.
“But actually… I came to talk about someone else.”
“What?”
“Yes,” the nurse said with a sigh. “We called Hyeori before her accident. It was about the patient Ahn Sooho. His guardian didn’t answer, so she was listed as the emergency contact.”
Sieun’s heart started pounding again. He didn’t want bad news. But everything lately had been so unpredictable. “What about him?”
“Ahn Sooho woke up.”
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