Troubled Night

Yeo Ri's knee-jerk reaction upon waking up was to swing her arm at the person towering over her. Her fight or flight instinct flared up as she pushed away her potential attacker with all the strength her sluggish body could muster.

Thwack!

"—Yeo Ri-ah, it's me! It's your brother!"

Gun guarded himself with his arms in alarm, but did not dodge as the hit landed. A throbbing pain emerged from the place she had swung at. He ignored the pain as his brows furrowed in worry.

Yeo Ri stared at him blankly for a few seconds as she registered his words. Only after she was fully conscious did she lower her guards, and offered him a smile.

"Sorry, Oppa. Did I hurt you? When did you come back?"

"...Just now. It's okay, it doesn't hurt." Gun replied quietly as he tried to pull off a nonchalant look. Yeo Ri's strange smile was somewhat eerie, and paired with her vacant eyes, it felt as if the person in front of him wasn't really Yeo Ri.

—He was scared, of whoever this Yeo Ri was.

Gun shook his thoughts away. Smiling warmly, he patted her head.

Yeo Ri's eyes flared open at his touch, her body flinching ever-so-slightly, but she continued to smile as if it didn't bother her.

Noticing how she didn't like what he did, Gun stopped. He backed away, still smiling. "What are you doing outside? You should've slept on the bed, Yeo Ri-ah."

"I wanted to greet you when you come home, but it seems like I was too exhausted, so I fell asleep," she replied.

"Oh. You didn't have to," he shook his head with a sigh, "You'll be busy tomorrow so you should've gone to bed first, Yeo Ri-ah. Wait here—I'll go get you your meds and some warm milk, okay?"

"Okay."

Gun blinked once, and finally, the innocent and lovely Yeo Ri was back. Her eyes, curving with affection, stared back at him full of gratification.

His smile, in turn, became more genuine and indulgent.

Within ten minutes, he was back to her side, carrying a mug of steaming milk and a bottle of pills.

"Did Dr. Hong prescribe you something new? I can't find the usual one. How much is the dosage?"

"Mm. Only one, but she said I can take another one if it's not enough; just two, maximum. I asked her to give me something stronger a while ago since the usual one wasn't working much anymore. I just picked up the new prescription recently since it's about time for a refill."

"Oh..." Gun's brows scrunched again worriedly. He uncapped the bottle and tipped out a single pill, passing it to the girl.

"Thank you, Oppa." Yeo Ri popped the pill in her mouth and downed it with some milk.

Soon enough, the drug manifested its effects, and the girl began to feel drowsy again. She tried to get up, intending to walk to the bedroom.

"It's okay, Yeo Ri-ah. Go to sleep. I'll carry you to bed later."

"...Will you...? Tha...nks, Oppa..." she yawned, smiling lazily. Feeling as if she was floating, the girl ended up closing her eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

Once Gun confirmed that the girl was unconscious, he placed an arm under her knees and supported her top with his other arm, lifting her up princess carry-style. He pushed open the bedroom door with his foot and carefully placed her on top of the queen-sized bed.

Afterwards, he went back to the living room. He first turned the television off, then gathered the pillows and blankets, intending to arrange it on the bed properly.

Since the two had been busy, the unpacking process was done at a snail's pace, and their bedrooms remained undecorated, and even the beds were only recently bought and delivered the day prior. Before the beds arrived, the two had slept in the living room together, as if they were having a sleepover.

Gun covered his sister with the blanket and gently lifted her head as he slipped in a pillow underneath it. Once she was fully tucked in, he washed up and changed into fresh clothes.

Instead of immediately retiring to bed like Yeo Ri, Gun chose to spend the next two hours working on his schoolwork. Only when he had felt as if he made sufficient progress in his assignments did he decide to go to bed.

Even though they had enough space to have their own rooms now, the two still kept up their habit of sleeping together. Neither was used to sleeping separately, and for the sake of his own peace of mind, Gun chose to sleep next to her.

He rested on his side, staring at his sister's sleeping figure intently.

The girl was breathing deeply, and looked as if nothing was burdening her. Without any emotions pulling at her facial muscles, the girl appeared younger—no, for once, she appeared her age.

"My pretty baby..." Gun murmured as he tucked away a stray strand of hair on her face. "I wish you didn't have to grow up so quickly." He sighed.

His eyes continued to linger on her for several more moments before he finally settled his troubled mind.

Nearing 3 a.m., the boy finally closed his eyes.