In the early morning hours, exactly as the leader had predicted, the house exploded with yelling.
The noise tore through the quiet hallway like a blade, snapping both the girl and the leader out of their sleep at the same moment.
Taeyong groaned under his breath, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His hair was a mess, sticking in every direction, and his shoulders felt heavy from the lack of rest.
The girl stayed curled in the warm bed for a few seconds longer, blinking at the doorway as the shouting grew louder and violently shook the quiet that had filled the house minutes earlier.
Taeyong slipped into his house slippers, still half-asleep, and staggered out of the room. His body felt like concrete; every muscle was sluggish, unprepared for chaos so early.
“What is that yelling for again? It’s too early for this shit…” he muttered, his voice deep and rough with sleep, echoing slightly down the hall.
He had barely reached the last step of the staircase when a force slammed him backward, hard. His back hit the wall with a thud so sharp the picture frames rattled and one tilted sideways.
“What the—?!” he coughed, breath knocked out of him.
Jaehyun was gripping him by the collar, knuckles white, chest heaving. His eyes weren’t just angry — they were wild. Unhinged.
It was a kind of rage Taeyong had seen before, but never directed at him. And never this early. Never this raw.
“I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER!” Jaehyun screamed directly into his face, voice cracking from the force behind it.
“Hyung!”
The others in the living room jumped up, startled by the sudden violence. Mark froze mid-step. Jungwoo nearly dropped the blanket he was carrying. Even Haechan fell silent, wide-eyed for once.
Doyoung sprinted out of the kitchen at the sound of the impact.
“Jaehyun, what the—”
“I SAW IT!” Jaehyun shrieked, spit flying. “I SAW YOU! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?! HUH?! TELL ME! THEN I MIGHT DECIDE WHETHER I KILL YOU FAST OR SLOW!” His voice cracked with something painful— simply pure rage.
Nobody moved. The aggression rolling off him was overwhelming.
“Uhm… Jaehyun?” Doyoung said carefully.
Jaehyun jerked his head toward him, ready to explode again—
But Doyoung wasn’t looking at him.
He looked past him.
At the stairs.
The room froze.
Everyone turned.
She was standing there.
Soul.
Hair messy from sleep, eyes wide, gripping the railing with trembling fingers. Her shoulders were hunched up defensively, like she was expecting to be yelled at or grabbed. Fear was written across every detail of her face. Her breath hitched audibly in the silence that followed.
“Soul…” Jaehyun breathed out, the rage in his expression instantly flickering into guilt the second his eyes landed on her.
Doyoung softened instantly. “Do you need something, dear?”
She nodded slowly, her throat bobbing as she swallowed. She never blinked, never looked away from her brother — the person she should have trusted the most, yet feared the most right now.
“I’m coming,” Doyoung said gently, tossing the dish towel aside before walking up the stairs to her, placing himself between her and the chaos like a shield. He whispered a quiet reassurance no one else could hear before he placed a steadying hand on her back, guiding her away from the sight of her brother losing control.
