DUAL

//29

Often, dinners would have everyone on the table. Only once in a blue moon would the table have less than four people filling empty stomachs quietly. Though, none of those rare days involved Chaeyoung as the missing person.

Jimin's empty gaze on his food shifted toward the empty seat beside him, toward the empty plate and untouched utensils on the table. He lifted his head and watched his parents eating quietly, acting very normal, like Chaeyoung's absence was a common occurrence.

"Where is Chaeyoung?" he asked.

Her mother's brows furrowed, stopping momentarily. The distraught in her face evident. Her eyes rested to Chaeyoung's place across her. "I haven't seen her all day."

Jimin put his spoon down, turned his attention to his father who was unbothered at all as he continued to eat. As each day passed, Jimin could feel his respect to his old man grew thinner.

He could not understand any reason his father had for his mistreatment toward Chaeyoung. Whether she was incapable or not to live up to the expectation, she would still be his daughter. Nothing could change that. Pushing and forcing Chaeyoung to be united to a man to be dutiful to the village, like Taehyung said, was totally an absurd decision.

With narrowed eyes, Jimin questioned, "Are you not worried, Father? Chaeyoung hasn't been back even at this hour. And Mother hasn't seen her all day."

His father did not lose his composed posture as he calmly looked into Jimin's eyes. "Perhaps, she is spending her time with her soon-to-be betrothed. What do I have to worry if she is with him, who will soon become my own family member?"

Jimin wanted to fling his plate toward his father. "And what if she is not with him?" he seethed.

"She is an adult," the older man said, his eyes falling onto Jimin's fist on the table.

Jimin slammed the table with his fist and his father's fingers curled tight around his spoon, fury began to appear in his eyes. "Being an adult does not eliminate the odds of her being in danger."

"Do not," the man said after a moment of his jaw tightening, "raise your voice at me."

He scoffed in return and shook his head as he leaned back. "She could be in danger out there. She could be screaming for her life to be spared," Jimin muttered, her voice earlier came haunting him.

His father scoffed mockingly, causing Jimin to snap his head toward his father. The man had a small smile on his lips, causing Jimin's eyes to widen as his gaze fell heavily on his father. He was in disbelief over the response he received.

With unblinking eyes, Jimin's eyes locked on his father as he said, "You are unbelievable, Father. I will not be surprised to see you smiling if my sister is on the verge of death."

"Stop exaggerating," the old man said.

Jimin only scoffed aloud, screaming in his head for his father to piss off. Day by day, it was only getting worse. At this point, Jimin was not even sure if his father would change his mind if it happened that Chaeyoung could finally be a competent Healer.

He got up from his seat and threw his mother a glance, closing his eyes in annoyance at how quiet his mother was, how powerless she made herself be every time things like this happened. Jimin walked away from the table, feeling a surge of pain at the indifference of his parents. Being Chaeyoung's brother who had witnessed all these horrible treatments she received from their own father was already a painful feeling and each day, it became almost unbearable. He could never imagine if he were in his sister's place.

When he went out the house, he slammed the door. He heard his mother trying to calm his father. He rolled his eyes. With deep sigh, he walked away quickly out of there, not bothered to bow to the guards as he tried to think of where he should head to. He couldn't think, though.