"Do you even know how dangerous that was?" Mom's voice trembled, tears streaking down her cheeks.
"What if something had happened to you? How would we live without you?"
I shouted back, the pain still stinging my cheek.
"And have you ever thought about how we'd live if something happened to you?"
I turned to Dad, my voice shaking.
"I heard what that man said in the alley. He said Mom could die, Dad. He said this work is dangerous."
Mom stepped forward, her voice softer but firm.
"It's my duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Your father would have done the same."
I didn't say anything. I couldn't.
I know. I know.
I ran to my room, shut the door, and cried. I didn't know what happened after that. When I opened my eyes again, the sky outside had turned deep orange. Evening had arrived. The twins were curled up beside me.
They stirred.
"Sister?" Dae-Yoon rubbed his eyes. "Why are your eyes red? Did you cry?"
I pulled him into a hug. "It's nothing."
Dae-Hyun yawned and blinked. "Who's that boy in our living room? Why is he so tall and so thin?"
Ah, yes. The boy.
I had saved him — and now, he was in our house. I needed to talk to him. Maybe he held answers. Maybe he was the beginning of something I didn't yet understand.
I stepped into the living room. He was sitting on the sofa, freshly bathed, dressed in one of Dad's black t-shirts and loose trousers.
He didn't speak. Just sat there. His eyes… empty. Like someone who had seen too much too young.
I didn't have the heart to ask him anything deep. Not yet.
"What's your name?" I asked.
He didn't reply.
Awkward silence.
"Did you eat anything? Are you hungry?"
He gave a small nod. Just one.
That nod — it reminded me of the twins when they were teenagers
"Did you do the laundry?" — Nod.
"Did you flush the toilet?" — Nod.
"Did you wash the dishes?" — Nod.
Aha… I really sounded like an old Soull nagging the younger ones.
But with him… it didn't feel annoying. It felt heartbreaking.