The Tired Child and Her Guard Dog

When Yeo Ri came to, she was in bed, wrapped under a blanket with a warm body holding her close.

Tae Yang was watching her, worry deep in his gaze.

Noticing she was awake, he ran his fingers through her hair and kissed the crown of her head. "How do you feel?"

"..."

Yeo Ri did not reply.

She felt numb.

Hollow.

She wondered how she'd gotten out of this state the first time around.

Ah, she exclaimed softly in her mind. That was right—she had Gun, then. Her brother who spared no expense to make her feel safe and loved.

Her brother no more.

Yeo Ri knew she was being unreasonable. A lifetime's worth of affection wouldn't disappear just because they turned out to be biologically unrelated. Still, it felt like a betrayal, of sorts. From whom to whom, she wasn't sure. Their whole relationship was built on a lie.

...Would Gun still love her if he found out she wasn't his real sister?

...Would Hyuk still love her? She wondered if the reason why Hyuk loved her was because of the fact that she was his sister, the sheer taboo of their relationship keeping him interested.

"Ha."

Yeo Ri let out a small chuckle. It was stupid to worry about such things. She knew Gun's love for her was unconditional, and nothing could ever change it. She knew Hyuk would be more than happy to not be labelled as her brother; he'd rather be her lover, proudly and openly.

She knew, and yet, it was so d*mn difficult for her to come to terms with it.

"Yeo Ri?" Tae Yang called her softly, his eyes begging her to respond. He could handle her tantrums, her anger, her tears... but this silence—this silence scared him. Her expressionless gaze revealed nothing. If it wasn't for their close proximity, he would have thought she was a life-like doll... or dead.

He shuddered.

The man clenched his jaw. His hand travelled down her arm, reaching for her hand. He brought her palm to his face, pressing a kiss onto it.

"Talk to me, please?" he murmured. "I'm right here. I won't go anywhere, I promise."

"..."

The girl exhaled slowly, closing her eyes. She was tired, so so so tired.

"Yeo Ri?"

"..."

The girl did not respond.

Tae Yang did not want to give up, but he worried about what she would do if he ended up annoying her.

He surrendered himself to her silence, and merely held her close, drawing circles on her back in a comforting manner. He had an inkling that she didn't mind it, considering her lack of reaction and her lax muscles. Good, he sighed inwardly, at least she wasn't keeping her guards up.

Tae Yang scrutinised every little detail of her features. His heart ached as he took notice of her red, swollen eyes, tired from crying. Her lips were as pale as her complexion, and her long eyelashes trembled ever-so-delicately.

She was a child, he noted.

A child much younger than she appeared. A child who had her innocence cruelly taken away from her. A child who deserved better.

Tae Yang stopped his rubbing motion and placed another kiss on the crown of her head.

—He will protect her.

From anything. From everything.