Hyunbin lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling as he listened to the muffled sounds of conversation from the living room.
He could hear Aunt Nayoung's voice rising and falling, lecturing Haeun about something. Probably about working too hard again. His sister's voice was quieter, more defensive.
He sighed and rolled onto his side, pulling his pillow over his head to block out the noise. But blocking out the sounds couldn't block out the guilt that had been eating at him for weeks now.
Guilt of being a burden.
His phone buzzed on the nightstand, and he reluctantly reached for it. The screen lit up with a notification from his banking app, showing his account balance. His stomach dropped as he saw the number staring back at him.
₩5,000,000.
Five million won that he wasn't supposed to have. Five million won that came with strings attached, dangerous, terrifying strings that made his hands shake just thinking about them.
