Chapter 17: CH 17

“Oh, you see… I was simply curious about what was going on in my mute brother’s head,” Jaeho said with a smile, noticing Muyeol’s gaze on the wrench. He stood up, dusting off his clothes before continuing, “Would I have needed to go this far if you didn’t act so awfully? We might live separately, but I’m still your older brother, yet you don’t treat me as one. I’m worried about you, that’s all.”

At Muyeol’s lack of response, Jaeho smiled cunningly. “Why are you refusing to speak all of a sudden? Are you that desperate for your father’s attention?”

To think Jaeho was the one saying that… He was talking about Muyeol being desperate for their father’s attention when it was actually he who craved it.

Jaeho perched himself on top of a desk. “Oh no! Unfortunately, Father has no interest in you whatsoever. My grades are too fabulous for him to give you any attention. He told me to learn the business under him once I start going to high school. You know what that means, right?”

Muyeol continued to listen to him silently.

“I’m sorry that I’m the one receiving all of Father’s love, but you refusing to speak like this is so extreme, you know? You’ll be considered a burden, but anyway…” Jaeho jumped down from the desk and stood in front of the mirror, observing his face with a smile. “Oh no! There’s a mark on my face. And this is the second time, too. Soon, it’ll be three strikes, and you’ll be out. Isn’t our father so scary? Though, I’ll obviously defend you. You already know how Father is.”

Muyeol’s lips curled up into a sneer as he scoffed. No one knew Mr. Cha’s nature better than Muyeol; they were so similar, after all.

Now that he had hurt Jaeho, Muyeol knew what would come next. Even though he was living with Madam Choi now, Muyeol wasn’t free from Mr. Cha’s clutches. Whenever he was summoned by Mr. Cha, Muyeol had to show up at his house. If he didn’t, then Madam Choi would have to suffer instead. Going to that house meant being subjected to physical and verbal abuse, but Muyeol was not afraid of Mr. Cha. Because he never saw him as a human, only a monster. The monster was just being a monster, was what he would think.

Jaeho stood in front of Muyeol, looking right into his eyes as he tried to provoke him. “Was that her? The nosy psycho? She’s exactly like they said, someone who slogs her guts out for someone else’s sake.”

There was only one reason Muyeol still hadn’t left the classroom and stood there listening to Jaeho spout his nonsense. It was because of Yoon Yiyoung.

A nervous shiver went down Muyeol’s spine. Yoon Yiyoung was such an idiot. She should have just ignored Jaeho. Now she’d gone and dug her own grave by being so meddlesome.

At that moment, Muyeol realized why Jaeho had acted so recklessly with Yiyoung. He looked down on her so much that he didn’t even mind revealing the true nature that he had hidden so desperately from the others.

Muyeol suppressed his rage. He knew he shouldn’t react to Jaeho’s words, especially now. If he did, then Yiyoung would get into trouble.

A blazing inferno burned his heart, his eyes turning red with fury. Muyeol clenched his teeth as he looked at Jaeho. ‘Don’t you dare touch Yiyoung, or you’ll find out who’s really going to be in trouble.’

Jaeho grinned at him. “You feel grateful, right?”

He walked past Muyeol and left the room, and as soon as the sound of his footsteps disappeared into the distance, Muyeol ran a hand through his hair in frustration. That Shitty Yoon’s meddlesome nature would land her into trouble.

Muyeol shoved the diary in his bag and walked away. He needed to go to the staff room and find out where Shitty Yoon lived. Even though it was annoying… he felt the need to do it.

‘Shitty Yoon. What an idiot you are,’ thought Muyeol.

***

The plastic wrapper crinkled under her fingers as Yiyoung opened a packet of ramen noodles to eat for dinner. She carefully emptied the packet of soup base into the pot, shaking it to ensure that not a speck of powder was left behind.

‘We have to go see Mom in three days. He’ll be back by then, right?’ she thought.

The ramen would only last her for three more days. A sigh escaped from her lips, and Yiyoung promptly shut her mouth. She still had the money she earned from the part-time job, so she could just buy more.

But it had been a while since she last saw her father. He was working in the suburbs at every waking moment so he could pay for her mother’s medical bills.

Yiyoung’s mother was battling cancer. They were hopeful at first. Since the tumor had been discovered in its beginning stages, the doctors were positive she would bounce back quickly. Everyone believed in her recovery.

But the tumors turned malignant and spread quickly. If one was removed, another took its place just as easily. The process had been repeated so many times that it caused her immune system to break down, to the point that she could not return home. But Joongo did not give up; he worked hard to be able to provide the best medical treatments for her mother.

“Darn it, it hurts,” Yiyoung muttered as she rubbed her face, her thoughts suddenly shifting to what happened at school earlier today.