Singularity | Vrene

4

"Ow," She winced. "Can't you do it slowly?"

"I already do it as slow as I could." He said, eyes focusing on the wounds.

She hissed once again when the alcohol made a contact with her bruised skin. "God, this is hell."

"Hell is way more bad than this, bae." He replied.

"Stop calling me bae." She complained, before scrunching her face at the pain.

"Finish." He muttered, closing the small bottle of liquid and throwing the cotton in the rubbish can beside the bed.

"How about your legs?" He asked worriedly.

"There is no way I will show my bare legs to you directly." She said, cheeks flushed pink at the thought.

"Fine then, but make sure you treat them yourself at home." He reminded.

She forced a smile. "Well, there is no need actually."

Because the bruises will be added.

She stared on the white wall in front of her blankly. The silence fill the medical room, before he broke it.

"Don't you want to tell me?" He asked, making her look at him instantly. "It is not that I force you, but we need to let out of it sometimes you know."

"It is nothing." She said, acting casually.

"What nothing? You get beaten almost everyday. It is not that I've known you for a long time, but seeing you in the same condition or even worse for two days, it is enough to let me know that something is happening in your life." He said.

The sincerity hinted in his eyes, and she shivered at the feels.

"It is no use for you to know." She responded, looking away.

"At least, you should at least do something to stop it, this is unhealthy life." He continued, convincing her. "Is it your father? He abuses you? Or—"

"It is my brother." She cut him off. "Don't make false assumption to my parents. They don't even know anything about this."

"Sorry." He murmured, knowing that she is slightly offended by that.

"Don't feel sorry. You're not making any fault. I'm just being sensitive, that's all." She said, cursing mentally for creating the awkward wall.

She glanced at him. He is curious, she knows that.

She wants to trust him.

"My parents have a company. A big one. They always go outstation, and rarely come home to be exact. My brother, Bae Jinyoung. He used to be a good brother of mine. We shared a good memories of childhood together." She stopped for a while, smiling slightly.

"But when he turned adult, be somehow become greedy, especially after eavesdropping my parents' conversation that I'm going to take 3/4 from the company inheritance." She pursed her lips, looking down at her thighs.

"That's when he turned to a real beast. He is abusive to me, and he started to act wild outside. It is an advantage for him that our parents are home thrice a year. But actually, I never really want to take the company. I want to be a counselor." She blinked her eyes twice, holding back the tears.

"Why don't you tell this to your parents? Maybe they can do something about it?" He asked, but automatically regret it when he saw a droplet of tears fall on her hand.

"My parents are strict, especially when it comes to attitude, and something that can affect their career. I'm just afraid if they report it to the police directly, or maybe throw him away from our family. There is a possibility. He is my brother after all. I still love him." She said.

His heart clenching, especially after hearing her voice cracked at the end.

He slowly shifted closer to her, before wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He brings her close, and she settled her head on his chest comfortably, as if this is not their first time hugging.

She sobbed quietly, and he feels like someone squeezed his heart everytime her tears drop.

Gosh, it sounds cringy, but it is exactly what he feels at the moment.

-

"Sorry for bringing you into this. You don't really have to ditch class just because of me." She said, before licking her ice cream deliciously.

"I want to. Accompany you is much better than studying." He said, not realizing that his words affect her so much.

"Study is my jam, you know. It is the only way to keep me from thinking about what happened in my life." She said, munching the last piece of her cone.

They enjoyed the scenery in front of them, even though it is just the children playing hide-and-seek in the playground.

"By the way, thank you Kim Taehyung." She muttered.

He looked at her, eyes gazing softly at her sparkling eyes, which are also looking at his with mixed feelings.

"I don't know why I feel comfortable with you even though we just met and talked yesterday. I feel relieved after letting out all of my problem to you." She smiled, and it just makes his heart pound louder.

"Actually, I thought you're a heartthrob jerk who seek for the attentions, since you're pretty popular in this college. But yeah, don't judge a book by its cover." She said.

As soon as she finished talking, her phone let out a sound, signalling that there is a notification. She took it out from her pocket.

Jinyoung oppa:
So you know about this all along? That's why you let me hit you all the times? Because it worths it? How could you Bae Joohyun. I bet that you convince appa and eomma.

Her smile faded, as she examined the image that her brother sent. It is a contract, business contract. Her name is right beside the word president, and her father's signature at the end of the contract.

-