episode_0094

After leaving behind the doodles he was planning to erase, he brought the woman who revealed herself as Eunseok’s sister and the man who accompanied her into the house.

It was a mess to bring guests into a house that was in disarray, but it was a part he hadn’t paid attention to in his madness.

It had been a long time since he had brought in guests who didn’t fit in this humble place, and he had never personally welcomed guests in the first place.

Moreover, he didn’t know that the guest would turn out to be the twin sister that Eunseok had talked about incessantly.

“Excuse me.”

As the lights in the living room came on, the two of them stood awkwardly in the entrance, looking around.

The house looked nothing like a place where people lived. It was a rather bleak scene, with broken windows hastily repaired with blue tape, and not even cleaned, so the dust and trash made it an embarrassingly unworthy place to call home.

“Please come this way.”

Despite the awkward situation, a nervous laugh escaped, but he didn’t feel particularly embarrassed. Leading the two further inside, he guided them into the room where his siblings used to share, now containing Eunseok’s urn.

“…In the end, you came.”

As he took a step forward, he began to feel a sense of fear at the muttering coming from behind.

Does this woman know that Eunseok is dead?

With an innocent expression, just like Eunseok, who said he would look for his sister when he became an adult, this woman might have come here to find her long-lost brother.

Having spent years thinking only of finding his sister, he might not be much different from a twin sister.

If she were to find out that Eunseok’s death was caused by my parents, and the fact that I am the one who kept his remains, her friendly gaze would surely turn into eyes full of life.

And then, she might even try to seek revenge for her deceased brother, losing her sanity in the process… If it were me, that’s what I would do.

“…This is the room where Eunseok and I used to stay.”

“Excuse me for the second time.”

With a nervous heart, he opened the door to the room, contrasting the bleak living room with the cozy atmosphere inside, and led the two inside, with her taking the lead before him. He noticed Jueunhye.

She entered without hesitation, as if it were her own home. For a moment, he was taken aback by her actions, until she reached Eunseok’s desk with her footsteps.

Knowing exactly where everything was, Jueunhye found Eunseok without a single mistake. Watching her gaze at Eunseok’s urn without saying a word, he couldn’t shake off the painful feeling in his heart.

“Of course, you’re still here…”

The unexpected words intensified the torment squeezing his heart. Does she already know everything? From her brother’s death to the fact that I have been keeping his remains all this time.

For a moment, the outside air seeping through the broken window enveloped him.

“Um, can I ask something very impolite on the third try?”

“…An impolite question?”

An impolite question… Is she trying to say something harsh to me after all? Or is she trying to hold me accountable for what happened to Eunseok?

Well, whether it’s the third time or not, it doesn’t matter. It will be a good reward for me as I ponder what excuses to offer to get out of this situation.

“Can you give him back to me?”

“Give him back?”

Lost in thought, he didn’t understand what she was saying. Give what back?

He had just met Jueunhye today, and he didn’t owe her anything, so what was she demanding from him?

“Give me… no, give Eunseok back to me.”

I felt as if my head was being struck with a mallet. Despite trying to calm my confused mind and understand what she had been saying since earlier, I could finally grasp the intention behind her innocent smile and words when she reached out towards Eunseok’s urn.

“…I can’t do that. Please leave now.”

“What?”

Unsure of the unexpected response, Jueunhye tilted her head in confusion.

“Eunseok is not an object. He doesn’t belong to you. This is not a matter of giving and taking.”

“But I…”

“Eunseok is my brother. Who are you to take him away? Leave before I call the police! I won’t give my brother to you. Never!”

As I tried to push my body to stop Jueunhye from reaching out to Eunseok, a strong impact sent me soaring into the air, and my gaze, which had been directed towards Jueunhye, now faced the ground.

Thud.

My body hit the ground.

Raising my head, I could see that the incident had been caused by the man who had pushed me. The man who had pushed me stood in front of Jueunhye as if to protect her, glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me.

“What do you think you’re doing! How dare you lay hands on someone?!”

“Hey, hold on! I’m fine, so stop it!!”

Jueunhye intervened to stop the man, who clenched his fist and tried to attack again. While being accustomed to being beaten by others, it was the first time someone had intervened to stop the violence against me.

But I felt no gratitude at all.

“Ugh… No. Absolutely not… Eunseok can’t be taken away. He’s my brother.”

Seizing the opportunity while the two were struggling, I grabbed Eunseok’s urn and held it close to my chest. I couldn’t let my only family be taken away by those humans.

Thinking that way, I realized that my hands holding the urn were trembling faintly.

It wasn’t because of the fear of being overpowered by the man. It was the anger and other emotions akin to rage that I felt at the thought of Eunseok being taken away from me by Jueunhye.

“Who do you think you are, trying to take Eunseok away from me? My brother? Really? Where’s the proof that you’re Eunseok’s sister?! This is my house. I won’t tolerate such audacity. If you don’t want to be arrested for trespassing, get out of my house now! Leave before I call the police!!”

Consumed by anger, I cried out, broken and devoid of reason.

Eunseok, whom I was already holding close, was my brother no matter what anyone said.

So he must not be taken away.

I must not lose him again this time.

I must protect him. Eunseok is the will of my life. That’s all.

“Excuse me, Mr. Han Junseok…”

As I tightly held onto Eunseok, I slowly raised my head, and Jueunhye, with an awkward smile as if trying to change the atmosphere and reassure me, spoke with a bright face, as if trying to ease my breathlessness caused by tension.

“I’m sorry for demanding Eunseok back without considering how you feel. You are Eunseok’s brother. It’s natural not to believe me when I claim to be Eunseok’s sister without any evidence. I wanted to express my gratitude. As a sibling who shares the same blood, I couldn’t be by his side or do anything for him, but you, who have no blood relation, have been a great support for Eunseok. Thank you for being there for him, for being like a brother to him… I’m truly grateful.”

Quietly, yet with a polite tone, her voice begins to ease the tension. The words of gratitude were something I never expected to hear.

As someone who failed to notice my parents’ abuse and only realized the truth of their death after the fact, I didn’t deserve to hear such words.

Moreover, her expression of gratitude felt strangely similar to something Eunseok would say… It was a nonsensical illusion that left me feeling uneasy.

“The request to return him was simply my way of wanting to bury Eunseok in a better place. I can’t leave him like this forever… Of course, if Joonseok doesn’t agree, then it won’t happen.”

If I were to reveal that intention, I would have nothing left to say. Despite my initial resistance to the idea of losing Eunseok, as the tension eased, even that resistance began to fade away.

In truth, deep down, I already knew. The woman before me was indeed Eunseok’s sister. Although her appearance and voice were different, there was something about her that reminded me of Eunseok’s unique aura.

Just by facing her like this, I couldn’t help but feel as if I were with Eunseok.

“…Can you give me some time to think? It’s difficult for me to make a decision right now.”

“Yes, please take your time to think.”

As my tension eased, Joo Eunhye grabbed my left hand with both of hers and helped me to my feet. She definitely had some resemblance to Eunseok. Blood truly can’t be denied.

“Oh, and… could you give me your phone? Since this is also fate, it would be good to save each other’s numbers.”

As I hesitated to hand over my phone in response to her request, my right hand, which had momentarily been tense, almost lost its strength.

“Fate…?”

As I raised my eyebrows in confusion at her incomprehensible words, Joo Eunhye kindly smiled and took my phone.

“If Joonseok is Eunseok’s brother, then to me, he’s like a brother… no, um… Oh, he’s practically an older brother, right? And… just like how we both lost Eunseok…”

Although she briefly twisted her smile, she gracefully handed my phone back to my left hand and softly spoke.

“Joonseok oppa. Just as you became Eunseok’s brother, could you also become my brother this time?”

On the phone screen she handed me, the contact was saved as [My sister Eunhye].