The inside of the rehabilitation center seems colder than the nonstop raining outside when Minju walks in to the lobby. Her father is walking ahead of her and she lets him, knowing that he knows why Minju is staying behind.
Every step she takes is regretful.
Why did she even agree to be here..
"Your son has been better these weeks." one of the doctors assigned for her admitted older brother tells their dad - who nods in gratitude. "I'll go fetch him."
Her vision slurs and she felt dizzy when she sits on the chair, hearing the rolling of the wheelchair where her brother is seated, too weak to wall by himself. The sound stops and Minju still doesn't raise her head.
She hasn't seen him in years, doesn't know what he looks like now ㅡ but the same fear is still there.
Her brother has a violent record.
Minju can remember hugging him so tight, tears streaming down her cheeks when he said his last goodbye before he moved out in the age of 17. During highschool, he fell with the wrong crowd, committed minor crimes, did drugs and got into daily street fights.
But then one night, he found himself stumbling back into their home and Minju had been the one who opened the door for him and greeted him with a tight hug.
The vivid smell of alcohol and blood that he had reeked of that night still lingers in the back of her memories.
She shudders.
She and a maid had helped him settle down on a bar stool and gave him a glass of water ㅡ but he choked on it and slammed it on the tiled floor - breaking it to fragments.
"I want beer!!" Minju, who was appaled, had to process that and when she finally did, a plate was chucked her way ㅡ she merely avoided it and is left with another pang of shock.
Her brother started to wreck the kitchen, breaking everything, aiming some things at her while shouting incoherent sentences while Minju cowers in utter fear on the floor, ㅡ hands covering her ears and eyes shut tight as she shakes.
He was about to reach for the knives if only had their father been any later in tackling him down. The maid quickly grabbed and pulled her away from the chaos but it was too late, Minju was already traumatised.
"How are you?" Their dad asks him, eyes softening at the sight of his weakened son slouched on his seat. "Do you feel anything different?"
"..I'm fine." Minju visibly tenses at his voice. It's broken, tired and in despair - almost hopeless. "I'm on benzos.."
Minju keeps her head low while their comfortable chatter fades to a buzz. She fidgets with her own fingers, biting her lips and listening to their conversation that contains questions and her brother's 'yes', 'no' and 'a little bit's'.
It's time to say goodbye. Minju heaves a deep breath - gathering some courage to, atleast, say goodbye to her brother but as soon as she tilted her head up and their eyes meet, she freezes.
The same fear creeps in - but there's something more than just the same dread.
Pity.
"M-Min..." His breath hitches, hazy eyes pooling with tears at the sight of his sister. His shaky hands reach to hold hers and she reluctantly lets him. "M..My sister.."
Minju's heart breaks at the sight of her older brother. Once toned body now gaunt, confident eyes now sad and the lips that were used to charm ladies are now cracked and uncared for.
He breaks down to his knees and Minju follows him. His grip on her hand is weak and shaking that she had to hold him still.
"I am so sorry... f-forgive me sister.."
Yangyang finishes his third glass of pink gin and he lazily sweeps his uncaring eyes at the crowd of his mother's business partners chattering amongst one another about business whatnots.
It's, yet, one of her fancy parties.
His mother signals him to come to her from afar - probably to show off that she can actually give birth to such a fine man like him. The thought makes him roll his eyes. "Well it's not like she hasn't done it before."
Nonetheless, he reached for another glass of the pink colored drink and puts on his fake but charming smile while striding towards them.
"Son, this is Mrs. Zhou Lin, the creative director and founder of the famous chinese fashion brand, Verouge. They are here in Seoul to hold a fashion show."
One glance and there is no doubt this woman, on her late 40s - is a fashion designer. Poised and stylish.
Yangyang smiles at her, tilting his head in acknowledgement while the fashion designer smiles elegantly, opening her mouth to compliment Yangyang's floral imprinted blue velvet suit "Great choice of the engravings and color - accentuates your silhoutte." ㅡ in which Yangyang muses at considering that his mother degraded it before they stepped into the limo this afternoon.
"Your son is very handsome."
"Thank you Lin," his eyes roll at his mother's acting. "..you said you wanted to introduce your daughter?"
"Ah yes! That's right." Lin calls for her daughter and Yangyang is stunned when he sees her and realises that she is Zhou Lian - a famous model, the face of Verouge.
She's everything a model should look like, tall - standing 170cm - great physique; facial features and her short, chin length bubblegum pink hair makes her a total attention stealer.
If Yangyang was any other guy, he would be head over heels for her.
But he's not ㅡ so he just gives her a polite smile to respond to her unsurprisingly, charming one.
[ THE Zhou Lin wants you to model some of her clothes.. for her upcoming fashion show?! ] Kyungri exclaims through the phone but her face is more shocked than her voice.
Yangyang only nods, sighing loudly to tell her that he has done so much talking for today and just wants to sleep.
[ Did you say 'no'? ]
"I couldn't say 'yes' either." Yangyang rolls his eyes, remembering how his mother immediately took the offer but Zhou Lin still wanted Yangyang's answer. "But yes, I said I will."
Kyungri squels but immediately shuts up, remembering it's 11pm and her dad's girlfriend is in the house too. [ Shit, I gotta go. Sleep well my.. baby sheep. ] She grins before abruptly hanging up - not letting Yangyang correct her with a, 'I'm not a baby anymore.'
The four weeks Yangyang reigned in first place for the tests ended when Minju is back on top again, now scoring even higher than before, getting three straight A+s ㅡ shocking everyone in the class but only earning an acknowledging nod from Mr. Heinz.
Trying to distance herself from her mother and her reconciliation with her brother brought a new motivation in her ㅡ but another dread for Yangyang.
His mother's angry shouting sessions has been more constant and much louder - knowing that the term is ending soon and Yangyang isn't there where she wants him to be.
It's been so constant that Kyungri finds Yangyang outside her backyard veranda more often than usual to the point that she has a tea set ready while waiting for him now. "There's cake too."
He tells her what happened and he would play it off as if it doesn't affect him much. But Kyungri knows him all too well.
She had to do something.
It wasn't planned or anything but as soon as Kyungri sees Minju seated alone on one of the benches in the sports field, she walks to sit with her.
Minju is suddenly cautious seeing Kyungri striding towards her - carrying her resting bitch face and intimidating aura that makes Minju cower.
Eventhough she has never talked to Kyungri before, she knows that she's just as scary as she looks when calling out on people who couldn't say shit to her face. Other than that, Kyungri's a well known player, picking up and dropping boys left and right.
Gossips say, "She has a different fling every week and none of them last more than three days!" She has every boy (maybe some girls too) swooning and wrapped around her finger - but she doesn't seem to be aware of that fact. Minju admires Kyungri for being such a challenge. Alluring yet guarded.
"Hello," Kyungri smiles at her. "I'm Park Kyungri from Year 13 Class 1A."
"I'm Song Minju.. from Class 1B." Minju sends a polite smile her way.
"I just want to tell you that Yangyang is being yelled and scolded at again after you've been beating him in the German tests.. again." Kyungri's facial expression is unreadable. Minju doesn't know if the girl is threatening her or just merely telling her as-a-matter-of-fact-ly. "It's worse now. He acts like it doesn't bother him, but it really does."
That was all Kyungri had to say so she turns her heel and leave without even bothering to say 'Goodbye' to a confused Minju.
Hell, what is she even supposed to do about it?