Rescue
Min-hyeok left the house wearing Seong-min's clothes.
His own had been torn and shredded beyond wearing.
The two of them headed for the hospital. They checked in, waited, received an examination and treatment. Fortunately there was nothing wrong with the eye itself — take the medicine properly and he would be fine. When they finished and came out, Min-hyeok was wearing an eye patch over one eye.
"Hyung, how do I look?"
"How do you look what?"
"With the eye patch on like this — don't I look kinda cool?"
"Cool? You look like someone with pinkeye."
"Aww, come on. Be honest."
"I am being honest."
"I really look like I've got pinkeye?"
"Yeah."
Min-hyeok pulled out his phone and studied his own face.
"You actually think that looks cool?"
"I think it's a little stylish, yeah?"
"Are you serious…?"
"Yes."
"……"
Seong-min stared at him for a long moment.
"What?"
"Nothing. Let's go grab some coffee."
Seong-min walked over to the vending machine, pulled out his wallet, and tapped his card. He selected a milk coffee. A moment later he took the cup that dropped into the tray.
"You get one too."
Without a second's hesitation, Min-hyeok pressed cocoa.
"Figured."
"Heh heh…"
Grinning shamelessly, Min-hyeok pulled out his cocoa. They moved to a bench and sat. Seong-min leaned back comfortably and took a sip.
"There's something I've been wondering about."
"What is it?"
Min-hyeok took a sip of cocoa and looked at him.
"About Noona A-reum."
"Noona?"
"Yeah. Is it that she can't speak?"
"No."
"No?"
Seong-min had fully expected him to say yes. The answer threw him.
"You're saying she knows how to talk?"
"She did, yeah."
"'Did' — what does that mean?"
"Well…"
Min-hyeok's voice trailed off. He worked his mouth for a moment.
"Hard to talk about?"
"…No. I'll tell you."
After a pause, Min-hyeok opened his mouth.
"I told you yesterday that my dad gambled."
"You did."
"Mom tried everything to stop him. She did everything she could to get him out of it. But he wouldn't stop. And on top of that, he tore into her — yelled at her, cursed her out."
"……"
"Noona and I watched the two of them fight like that since we were little. And then it finally blew up."
"Blew up how?"
"Dad got his hands on the money Mom had been putting into savings all that time."
"What?"
"If you look at Noona, you'd understand. She's… not ordinary. Her mental age is a little… lower than most people."
Seong-min already knew. Meeting her, talking with her, spending time together — it had become clear on its own.
"So Mom was always worried about her. She put a little into savings every month for Noona's sake… and then the man who was supposed to be our father…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but Seong-min didn't need him to. The gambling had swallowed that money too.
"The shock of it… Mom made a choice she never should have made."
"……"
"She left a single suicide note saying she was sorry to Noona and me."
"……"
"That was when it started. From then on, Noona… she stopped talking. No — she couldn't talk. Losing Mom hit her that hard. She cried like a little kid. I'd never seen her cry like that before…"
"……"
"From then until now, she hasn't said a single word. Whether she truly can't speak or just won't, I don't know. She just writes things down with her hands or uses gestures… She did learn some sign language, but even that's hard for her. Still, she studied diligently, so she can do a little."
"…I'm sorry."
"Huh?"
"For making you dig up something painful."
Min-hyeok gave a bitter smile.
"It's fine. I wanted to be honest with you, Hyung."
They finished their drinks talking, then stood.
"Come on. Noona A-reum's waiting."
"The cocoa was good."
"Next time you're buying."
"Obviously~"
They went out to the road, waited, caught a bus, and headed for Min-hyeok's place.
"You go in first."
"Huh?"
"I'm stopping by the mart nearby."
"I'll come with you."
"No. Noona's been waiting — go ahead and settle her down. She's going to be shocked when she sees you."
"…Alright."
"Don't make her cry, okay?"
"Aww, I won't."
Seong-min snorted a laugh and turned away. Min-hyeok watched him go, then looked down the alley toward home.
Noona's gonna freak when she sees me like this.
Worse — he'd gone dark without a word. She had to be climbing the walls with worry.
Better come up with a good story.
With that resolve, Min-hyeok headed home.
"Noona."
He had no key, so he knocked. The door opened and A-reum appeared.
"I was just—"
She lunged.
Min-hyeok froze as her arms locked around his neck, then wrapped his own around her back and held her.
"I'm back, Noona… You worried a lot because of me, huh?"
A-reum lifted her head from his shoulder.
"Are you crying?"
She shook her head.
But tears stood in her eyes.
Min-hyeok gently wiped them away with his fingers.
"See? I came back safe. It's okay. Don't worry, Noona… Let's go inside. We'll talk inside."
He led his sniffling sister into the house.
When they sat facing each other in the room, A-reum studied his face — and her eyes welled up again.
"I'm fine… Just got into a little scrap and got a little hurt. The eye patch looks bad, but they said it'll heal quick. So don't worry, okay…?"
A-reum nodded through her tears.
"Have you eaten, Noona…?"
She shook her head.
"Perfect. I didn't come alone — Seong-min Hyung came with me. He's at the mart right now. Looks like he's gonna buy groceries and come back. So don't cry, Noona… Hyung told me not to make you cry. If he sees you like this, I'm gonna get an earful. You want that?"
A-reum shook her head.
"Good… So no more sniffling… I came back safe, see…? You understand what I'm saying, right?"
With damp eyes, A-reum nodded.
"That's my good Noona… You know you're the one I care about most, right?"
She nodded slowly.
"Then no more crying, okay? When Seong-min Hyung gets here… let's both thank him together. Can you do that for me?"
A-reum nodded again.
"See~ Noona's got such a big heart~!"
Min-hyeok's bright, boyish grin pulled a smile onto A-reum's face too.
"Yeah~ Smile like that, Noona. I think our Noona's prettiest when she smiles."
Just then, a knock sounded beyond the door.
"Oh? Noona, that must be Hyung. I'll get it."
Leaving his nodding sister behind, Min-hyeok got up and went out to the entryway.
"Coming, coming~!"
He stepped down, unlocked the door, and opened it.
"That was faster than I—"
The words died in his throat.
"Han Min-hyeok… You really thought you could slip away and I'd just give up?"
A powerfully built man with pomade-slicked hair and a thick gold chain lifted one corner of his mouth in a sneer.
A fist flew.
Min-hyeok hit the floor hard.
"Hey — drag this bastard out."
The man who'd punched him stepped back. A red-haired guy with matching red eyebrows and a brown-haired guy with piercings came in, grabbed the fallen Min-hyeok roughly, and hauled him outside.
"Yun Tae-su…"
Dragged out hard, Min-hyeok glared at the man who'd hit him with pure murder in his eyes.
"Don't look at me like that… you little shit…!"
A fist drove into his gut.
"Guh—!"
The impact folded him forward. The two thugs caught his shoulders so he couldn't drop.
"Where is he? That son of a bitch who got you out."
"Ptooey!"
Min-hyeok spat in his face.
"Eat shit… asshole…"
Then he grinned, teeth bared.
"You know what? I've had it with you."
The man called Tae-su wiped the spit off his face, glared at the still-grinning Min-hyeok, and drove another fist into his stomach.
"Gaaah—!"
"Drag this bastard."
Tae-su had figured Min-hyeok would come home eventually and had posted Woo-jin on watch. The moment Woo-jin saw Min-hyeok enter the house, he'd called, and they'd come running.
They were hauling the writhing Min-hyeok away when someone burst out of the house and grabbed him, refusing to let them take him.
"The hell?!"
"N-Noona?"
The person clinging to him, stopping them from leaving, was none other than Min-hyeok's sister — A-reum.
"Get that bitch off him."
"Let go already… you crazy bitch!"
At Tae-su's order, Woo-jin nodded, grabbed A-reum roughly, and shoved her away.
"Noona!"
Seeing his sister stumble and fall, Min-hyeok tore free with everything he had.
His fist smashed into Woo-jin — then he was at his sister's side, helping her up.
"Are you okay, Noona?!"
A-reum held onto him and smiled.
"Stomp that bastard."
At Tae-su's twisted snarl, the pierced guy lunged and kicked Min-hyeok in the side.
"Aaagh…!"
They piled onto the sprawled Min-hyeok and started kicking him without mercy.
"You little shit…!"
"You thought you could run?!"
Even without Tae-su's order, the two of them were boiling. Yesterday they'd been thoroughly humiliated. So they stomped the fallen Min-hyeok without holding back.
Then A-reum threw herself over him, covering his body with her own.
The two thugs froze and looked at Tae-su.
"Drag that bitch off."
One of them nodded, grabbed A-reum where she lay draped over Min-hyeok, and yanked hard.
"Get off, you bitch…!"
But the moment she was shoved away, A-reum crawled right back and covered him again.
"No… Noona… don't…"
Face twisted with pain from the stomping, Min-hyeok tried to push her off — tried to stop her from shielding him.
But A-reum would not let go of her brother.
"This bitch…!"
"Won't you get off?!"
Brutal hands tried to tear her free. She clung on with everything she had.
Watching, Tae-su's brow furrowed.
"Stomp her."
"What?"
The two of them stared at him, startled.
"S-stomp her?"
"I don't say things twice."
At Tae-su's cold voice, they glanced at each other and swallowed hard.
"Screw it!"
The pierced guy stomped on A-reum's back.
"N-Noona…?!"
Horrified, Min-hyeok tried desperately to help her — but A-reum only held on tighter, still trying to shield her little brother.
They kept stomping her back, over and over.
"Stop it, you sons of bitches…!!!"
Watching his sister take the beating meant for him, Min-hyeok surged up in a rage, grabbed the pierced guy mid-kick, shoved him down, and climbed on top of him.
"Don't you touch my Noona…!!"
He rained punches without mercy — until the other one yanked him off from behind and shoved him down. Then they beat Min-hyeok all over again.
Seeing it, A-reum crawled toward him once more to cover him. Tae-su's eyebrows shot up.
"Drag that bitch along too."
"Y-yeah."
The brown-haired one — Woo-jin — nodded and reached for A-reum as she tried to shield Min-hyeok again.
"What a bunch of worthless trash."
The voice came from behind. Tae-su turned.
A young man stood there, face ice-cold.
"T-Tae-su! That's him! That's the bastard…!"
Woo-jin pointed and shouted.
Tae-su looked the man — Seong-min — up and down, then smiled.
"So you're the one. The guy who let this little shit go free."
Seong-min set the grocery bags down to one side.
Then he started walking toward them, slow and steady.
"Woo-jin."
"Y-yeah…?"
"Pay him back for what he did to you."
"M-me?"
Woo-jin tensed, watching Seong-min approach.
"Or would you rather take a beating from me?"
"I-I'm going!"
Gritting his teeth, Woo-jin charged straight at the advancing Seong-min.
"You son of a bitch…!"
He spat a curse and threw a punch.
Seong-min didn't dodge. He simply caught the incoming fist in his hand.
"Wh-what the fuck…?"
Then he drove a straight punch home.
"Ghk—!"
Woo-jin clutched his gut, staggered back — and then doubled over, retching, wracked with pain. A clean, solid hit.
Leaving the suffering Woo-jin behind, Seong-min kept walking forward.
"Hy-Hyung…?"
He could see Min-hyeok on the ground and A-reum still covering him.
"Take him down."
The two thugs flinched.
"I said take him down!"
At Tae-su's shout, they finally charged Seong-min together.
He casually blocked both of their simultaneous attacks — then put a fist into each of them, one in the side, one in the solar plexus.
"Ghk—!"
"Urgh—!"
They went down.
"Not bad."
Tae-su, who'd been watching, sneered.
"Drop the act and come at me."
"You little…"
Face twisted ugly, Tae-su stepped in on the approaching Seong-min, bouncing on his feet, and threw a punch in one clean motion.
Tae-su had the skill to compete in amateur boxing tournaments.
Seong-min shifted his body just slightly to the side and slipped the punch — and Tae-su immediately drove the other fist in. The first punch had been a feint, thrown knowing it would be dodged.
Got him!
That was what Tae-su thought.
"?!"
But his fist cut nothing but air.
Startled, Tae-su turned his head — and a punch snapped it the other way.
Then the flurry came.
Blow after blow. Tae-su, unable to get a proper guard up, was driven backward — until a kick to the gut sent him tumbling across the ground.
"T-Tae-su…!"
The others cried out in shock.
Seong-min walked over to him.
"Y-you little—"
Seong-min kicked him in the head.
Then he stomped and kicked the fallen Tae-su without a shred of mercy. No holding back. He beat the man so savagely that the other three watched with genuine fear in their eyes.
"Nnngh…"
Seong-min crouched beside the barely conscious Tae-su, grabbed a fistful of his ruined pomade hair, and yanked his head up.
"You gonna come looking for Min-hyeok again…?"
Blood streaming from his nose and mouth, Tae-su shook his head.
"Tae-su… let's try living a little cleaner, yeah? I've been working hard even after getting betrayed by a friend. I can't break that promise here because of you, can I…?"
"Ugh…"
"You'll do that for me… right?"
Tae-su managed a weak nod.
Seong-min stood. He looked at the three watching thugs and jerked his chin.
"Take him."
They exchanged glances, then staggered up, hauled the fallen Tae-su between them, and fled.
Once they were gone, Seong-min walked over to Min-hyeok and A-reum, who were staring at him.
"You okay?"
"I… I'm fine… More than that…"
Min-hyeok turned to look at A-reum.
"Noona… are you okay…?"
All he could think about was the sister who'd been beaten because of him.
"Because of me, Noona…"
A-reum shook her head.
Then she reached out and touched Min-hyeok's split, bleeding lip with her fingers.
"You're… worrying about me right now…?"
Something surged up in Min-hyeok's chest.
She'd taken that beating shielding him — and even now, she was worrying about him.
"I should be… the one… taking care of things… but I… always…"
The words wouldn't come. His throat locked up.
"Noona A-reum. First, you and Min-hyeok should—"
Seong-min started forward to help them — then stopped dead, stunned.
"I'm… sorry…"
A-reum had opened her mouth.
"Noona… is… sorry…"
"Why… are you sorry…? Noona… why… are you sorry…! …Because of me… you got hit… so why…"
Min-hyeok shook his head hard. Don't apologize. Don't say that to me. He shook his head again and again.
"Noona's… sorry… for being… stupid…"
Tears spilled from A-reum's eyes.
From the eyes of the girl speaking in that thin, fragile voice — tears ran down.
"For making… Min-hyeok's life… so hard… I'm sorry…"
Tears that had been welling in Min-hyeok's eyes spilled over too.
"Why… are you saying… you're sorry…! …No… no… Noona…! Don't say… you're sorry… I'm fine… Noona… I've… made it this far… because of you… I made it because of you… so don't… say you're sorry… don't say… you make things hard…"
She didn't need to apologize. There was no reason to.
It was because of her.
Because of her, he'd worked so hard. Because of her, he hadn't fallen apart — he'd paid off the debt.
"Min-hyeok is… a good little brother… A good little brother… who takes care of… his stupid… Noona…"
"You're not stupid! …Noona… you're not stupid…! …Don't listen… to what people say… don't say… things like that… Noona… why… would you say that…? I've never… once… thought you were stupid…! I've never… thought of you… that way…"
A-reum smiled.
Through her tears, she smiled at the brother insisting she wasn't stupid.
Looking at that little brother of hers…
A-reum smiled… warmly…