The Liar, the Beast, and the Wallflower

The kiss was slow at first. Hesitant; as if he was testing the waters. But once he had a taste, he couldn't stop.

It was only after Yeo Ri started responding to his kiss than he gained confidence and became more passionate. His hand shifted as he pulled her closer to him, deepening the kiss.

"Opp—" Yeo Ri tried to pry herself away. The kiss was making her dizzy and she was running out of breath. "Oppa, wa—"

But it seems like the man was too absorbed with the kiss to care about paltry things such as breathing.

"Oppa."

Yeo Ri resolutely placed her hands on his chest, creating a gap.

She inhaled deeply, catching her breath. Her cheeks were bright red and her lips were swollen. She looked so delectable that Hyuk had a hard time paying attention to what she was saying.

"Oppa, please calm down," Yeo Ri says sternly.

"Sorry," Hyuk lowered his head apologetically. He had a face like a kid who had been scolded. Did he misunderstand something? Did she not like him? Did she even like him the same way he liked her? Was the kiss before just his illusion? Did she feel disgusted because he was similar to that man? Countless thoughts of doubt plagued his mind.

"I don't have lungs as big as Oppa's," she bashfully said before looking away. "I need to breathe sometimes too," she mumbled under her breath.

"..."

"So can we take it slow?"

Hyuk widened his eyes, but Yeo Ri didn't give him a chance to reply before shyly smacking her lips square on his mouth.

"Sorry." Hyuk smiled ruefully. What should he do? Yeo Ri was too cute. He knew he f*cked up—that he was f*cked up—but he could no longer hold himself back.

"Sorry..." Hyuk mumbled another apology before kissing her again. This time, he took his time, savouring the feeling and taste of her lips against his. 'Sorry,' he apologised in his mind, again and again. 'Sorry for not being able to stop my feelings for you,' he thought. 'Sorry for overstepping my boundaries...'

As they kissed, a silent tear dropped from Hyuk's eye. He knew that this was a relationship that shouldn't have started, but he longed for her too much to stop. At least, in that moment, he allowed himself to indulge in the feelings he had been bottling up until now.

Unbeknownst to them, a spectator was watching from the sidelines.

Jin Goo had only wanted to check up on Yeo Ri who had not rested since Hyuk came out of surgery, but unexpectedly, he was met with this scene. A series of emotions flashed in his eyes before he masked them away.

Jin Goo glanced at the shameless pair who were publicly displaying their affections, then turned away. If anybody else were to see this, it would not bode well. He silently closed the door to the ICU room Hyuk was assigned to and leaned on the door with crossed arms.

He sighed inwardly. While he felt pity for the star-crossed lovers, he felt bad towards his friend In Guk. Although the man had been trying to hide it, it was obvious he had a crush on Yeo Ri. If he found out that Hyuk loved Yeo Ri as more than a sister, who knew how the poor man would feel. Would the two get into another fight, he wondered.

Jin Goo smiled wryly. The second time Hyuk and In Guk fought had also been because of Yeo Ri. The memory of the fight was quite amusing and he was rather fond of it. He remembered the way Hyuk became flustered after seeing Yeo Ri cry. He had gotten angry at In Guk, thinking the boy made his sister cry, and initiated another fight. It had also been that moment that Jin Goo realised that Hyuk wasn't as bad as he thought, and after clearing up the misunderstanding, they became friends.

Jin Goo paused.

Now that he found out about Hyuk's true feelings, some of the things he did in the past now made sense. He used to think that Hyuk was just too overprotective of his sister, but now... he understood. Things that Hyuk did before that was thought of as him having a sister complex now seemed more like the actions of a man in love. How could he not realise it before? The way Hyuk treated Yeo Ri was more like how a man would treat their girlfriends or crushes rather than a sister.

Briefly, he wondered about Gun. Did he know about this? Was that why the two brothers never seemed to get along?

No, that wasn't right.

Although Gun was slightly cold towards Hyuk, there was no sense of disgust or enmity between them. It was more like they were simply not close with each other. Gun hadn't shown any hostility towards Hyuk and didn't try to keep him away from Yeo Ri, which meant that he was also unaware of their feelings.

Jin Goo sighed audibly.

Things were getting too complicated with the Lees. He was conflicted. On one hand, he wanted to support their mutual feelings, but on the other hand, he seriously wanted to punch Hyuk in the face several times. Of all the women available in the world, why did he have to go and fall for his own sister?

"Whatever," he defeatedly sighed. This wasn't something he could meddle in.

"Hey! Why are you just standing there?" In Guk called out as he approached his friend. He sported an easygoing smile as he waved around the black plastic bag in his hand.

Jin Goo restored his poker face and said, "Quiet down, idiot. This is a hospital."

He walked over to In Guk, grabbing his shoulders and turning him away from Hyuk's ward.

"Wait, aren't we going to go see how Hyuk's doing?"

"Don't bother. I went to check up on them earlier and both him and Yeo Ri were sleeping. Let's not disturb them and let them rest." Jin Goo kept up his poker face, lying effortlessly.

"Oh, okay." In Guk trusted his words easily. "I bought them some hot food from the convenience store, but I guess I'll have to eat them myself."

The two headed to the waiting area together as In Guk chatted about random things that he saw on his way.

Had Jin Goo stayed and watched the Lees a while longer, he would have noticed the emptiness in the young girl's eyes as she embraced the broken man on the hospital bed.