Going Home, Accompanied By a Guard Dog

A hand latched itself onto Yeo Ri's shoulder, startling her.

She reflexively threw the hand off, whipping her head backwards and taking several steps away from the person.

She glared menacingly at the person, her pupils dilating due to both fright and caution.

"Miss Yeo Ri," the man said.

"...Secretary Kwon," Yeo Ri pursed her lips as she acknowledged the man. Knowing that he posed no threat to her, she relaxed slightly. "How did you know I'm here? Didn't I tell you to stop following me?" She asked, her eyes narrowing.

He dodged her question, "Miss, allow me to send you home." He paused for a moment, his eyes scanning the area discreetly. He returned his gaze to her, looking grim with his downturned lips and hardened gaze. "Please," he insisted.

Yeo Ri studied the man. He seemed off. His clothes were slightly dishevelled, and there were obvious bruisings on his knuckles.

She'd recognise that type of bruising anywhere; Hyuk used to get them often back in the days when he fancied himself as a delinquent. It was obvious that Secretary Kwon had done a little bit of 'exercising' before he came to her.

Yeo Ri narrowed her eyes at him. "Why?"

"Please allow me to send you home," he repeated. He stepped closer to her ear and lowered his voice, "There are some thugs that have been following you for a while. I tried to scare them off, but they just came back with more people."

"I don't know why they're targeting you," he added. "Apologies, miss. I've been too complacent. I'll have this taken care of as soon as possible." He lowered his head, looking guilty for his self-perceived incompetence.

Yeo Ri tilted her head, thinking.

Thugs? Targeting her?

For some reason, she felt a sense of deja vu creeping in the back of her mind. Coldness seeped into her blood. Yeo Ri frowned. Just what is it? She thought. She felt as if the answer was at the tip of her tongue, but she just could not recall it. What was she forgetting?

Yeo Ri tried to focus on her surroundings, observing the passers-by.

"..."

As Secretary Kwon had pointed out, there were several people who were eyeing them, slinking around the area conspicuously. From the way they looked, it was clear that they did not have any friendly or good intentions. They seemed ready to nab someone if the chance arises.

"If you insist," she finally relented. In any case, there was no harm in using Secretary Kwon. The man himself had voluntarily presented himself as a tool for her. Since he wanted to be used so much, she figured it would be alright to do so.

Secretary Kwon's facial expression did not change, but the atmosphere around him soothed considerably. He was relieved that the young girl did not bother to quarrel with him and simply agreed to his request.

"This way, miss," he led her to a nearby parking lot where he had parked his car. Like a faithful chauffeur, he opened the backseat's door for her and closed it after she got in.

Neither of them talked during the drive. Yeo Ri had nothing nice to say to him and he was too absorbed in planning his next steps to chat with anyone.

Yeo Ri took advantage of the silence and took out her phone to text Ha Jun, telling him that she was on her way back.

Merely seconds later, he replied, 'Hurry home.'

Yeo Ri could feel that something was wrong. There was a serious connotation to his text. Ha Jun had not used his usual wave of funny stickers and unnecessary punctuation, keeping his message short and concise, which was out of the ordinary for him to do. She wondered if something happened to her brother. Did his fever take a turn for the worse? She could only hope that Ha Jun could keep whatever situation they were in under control until she gets back.

She texted him back with a quick 'OK', her face scrunched in worry.

Luckily, traffic was not as bad as it usually was, so she arrived home in no time at all.

Secretary Kwon bade her farewell politely, his gaze resolute. He looked as if he had made his mind about something, but Yeo Ri did not care enough to find out. He was probably going to tell Heo Woo Seung about what happened earlier, she thought, or perhaps he already did. There was no use in asking; these people were just going to do whatever they liked anyways, and she was powerless to stop them.

Yeo Ri nodded to Secretary Kwon in thanks before exiting the car herself without waiting for him to open the door for her. Worried for her brother, she rushed into the apartment building with quick steps, going up the stairs to their home as fast as she physically could manage.

"I'm home," Yeo Ri breathlessly announced after she unlocked the door and stepped inside the comfort of her own home.

"Yeo Ri-ah, welcome back," Ha Jun poked his head out from the kitchen, waving his hand. He was at the stove, stirring some sort of watery concoction. Judging from his face, it seemed like nothing was wrong. Was her intuition wrong?

She looked around, discovering that there was no one else in the room except for Ha Jun and Gun who was still lying in bed.

"Yeo Ri," Gun immediately opened his eyes as soon as he heard her voice. He pushed himself up, looking at the girl in a daze. There was a slight frown on his face, looking as if he was discontented.

"Oppa," Yeo Ri felt the tension leave her body once she saw him. He seemed fine, albeit a little pale and sweaty.

Her lips curled up into a relieved smile, making her eyes curve into crescents. Her face that was already enhanced with makeup that she forgot to take off earlier seemed to become even more gorgeous.

Ha Jun squinted his eyes as he stared at her, thinking that the young girl was truly too pretty. Although he had already forfeited his heart to someone else, he still could not help but be dazzled by her blinding beauty. It almost felt like blasphemy to stare at her for too long. He looked away, going back to stirring his pot.

Gun pouted as he observed her unapologetic gait. He had been so worried about her the whole time but she stood there unaffected. It was a good thing that she was alright, but it still made him upset and wronged after experiencing the emotional torture that he had placed himself in earlier.

Gun childishly raised his arms, beckoning for a hug. Imitating her spoiled behaviour, he said, "Hug me."

Ha Jun almost dropped the wooden spoon he was holding.

Was that really Gun?

That whiny voice, paired with a pout—if any of his admirers saw the scene, they would probably scream. And offer themselves up to take care of him forever.

His heart thumped wildly from the shock. It was such a change in Gun's image that Ha Jun felt as if he was dreaming. He could feel the goosebumps rising on his arms. "My god," he muttered to himself. "Such destructive power...!" In just that one day alone, he felt as if he had experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, leaving him feeling somewhat drained.

Ignoring Ha Jun's antics, the pair of siblings were stuck in their own world.

"Oppa..." Yeo Ri's eyes reddened. "Sorry, I didn't mean to leave you by yourself when you're so ill," she apologised. She ran to his side with her arms open, hugging him tightly. She really felt sorry for leaving him alone, especially since he would always diligently take care of her whenever she was the one who was sick.

"It's okay," Gun replied, though his tone was full of grievances. "It's good too, since there's less of a chance for you to catch my cold."

"How do you feel right now, Oppa?"

"Better, now that you're here, Yeo Ri-ah," Gun closed his eyes, a soft smile playing on his lips. He truly felt better knowing that Yeo Ri was by his side, safe and sound.

"Um... guys? I'm still here..." Ha Jun feebly said. He felt like a third wheel watching the overly-sweet pair. "Should I go home?"

"Oh," Yeo Ri raised her head, as if she was startled. She almost forgot that Ha Jun was still there. "Thank you for today, Oppa. You've been a huge help," Yeo Ri bowed her head deeply in thanks.

"No, no, it was my pleasure," Ha Jun shook his head with a shrug. "I made some soup with the leftover ingredients in the fridge. There's fresh rice too," he said.

"You didn't have to bother," Yeo Ri got up, feeling apologetic that Ha Jun had to do so much.

"No, it wasn't a bother at all. Take it as payback for finishing your side dishes," he chuckled sheepishly. Who knew Yeo Ri was such a good cook? He had only wanted to have a taste out of curiosity but before he realised it, all four side dishes that Yeo Ri had stored in the fridge had been devoured cleanly by him and his friends.

"Your cooking is so good, Yeo Ri-ah. Have you considered opening a restaurant?" He complimented.

"Thank you, Oppa. I'll save some for you when I make more in the future, if you'd like," she offered with a smile.

"Really?" Ha Jun brightened. He was living independently in the dorms, far from his parents, so he almost never have homemade food anymore, except when his mom would send him some side dishes on the weekends. Yeo Ri's offer was really too enticing. "That's nice of you, Yeo Ri-ah. Thanks!"

"Don't forget to ask him for the money for ingredients," Gun's cold voice sounded.

"..."

Ha Jun's eye twitched, 'You party pooper!'