Angel Smile 11 Scene 11

"Ah, could you go and get a glass of water while you're at it?" Gun murmured a word of thanks for the medicine and glanced at him offhandedly.

"This little... do you think I'm your errand boy?" Hyuk clicked his tongue in annoyance, but still complied. He went to the kitchen and poured a glass of water, then went back to the room. He carefully placed the glass on Yeo Ri's desk while Gun coaxed Yeo Ri to get up and take some medications.

However, no matter how much he coaxed, she refused to get up. "Mm. I'll take some in the morning," Yeo Ri told him.

'What's wrong with her?' Hyuk thought. He could subtly feel that something was not right.

Hyuk sat down at his usual spot, his back leaning on the door. He contemplated his words for a while before finally asking her. He scratched his neck awkwardly and cleared his throat, "Oi, did something happen?"

"..." Yeo Ri shifted, but did not reply.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Receiving no response, he grabbed her shoulders, making her look at him.

"Hyung, stop i—" Before Gun could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Hyuk.

"Hey?! Have you been crying?!" Hyuk exclaimed in surprise. "Hey, what's wrong with you?!" He raised his voice angrily, but anyone with ears could tell he was worried.

"I-it's nothing, I—" Yeo Ri, now exposed, bacame tongue-tied.

"The hell it is! You, what the hell happened?!"

Yeo Ri shrank at his loud voice. "I—I—"

"Hyung, seriously, stop it!" Gun intervened.  He pushed himself between the two and held Yeo Ri protectively, "you're scaring her!"

"F*ck you, sh*thead! Move!" Hyuk tried to push him away, but Gun held his sister tightly, unwilling to let go. "Sh*t!" Hyuk growled in frustration.

"Just what happened, Yeo Ri-ah?" Gun dismissed his older brother's reaction and instead turned to pay attention to the girl. Now that he was able to get a good look of her face, it was clear that her eyes were red and puffy, as if she had been crying. There was a cut on her lips and her cheeks seemed unnaturally red. "Yeo Ri-ah!" He gasped in terror.

"Yeo Ri-ah, are you alright?!"

Yeo Ri offered him a pathetic smile and looked away, hiding her face with her bangs. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it. I'm fine, really."

"Don't f*ckin' lie when it's so obvious, you little—!" Hyuk ruffled his hair angrily, huffing and puffing as he tried to rein his anger. Just what was so sad that it made her cry? His chest felt stuffy as he thought back to her teary face, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. He was dying to punch something—someone, right now. Whoever it was that made her cry, he was going to pay them back; he swore revenge.

"I-it's nothing," Yeo Ri stammered.

"Just spill it out!"

Yeo Ri flinched and lowered her head guiltily.

Gun shot a dirty glare at the loud idiot, then he rubbed Yeo Ri's arm gently, "Yeo Ri-ah, what's the matter? Just tell Oppa, please?" He pleaded softly. She was scared and it was obvious, though he was not sure whether it was because of Hyuk's demeanour or because of what she was hiding. Perhaps it was both.

"No, I—" Yeo Ri gulped down her words after seeing Hyuk's glare. Her body trembled. She couldn't tell them about earlier. Hyuk was busy earning money and Gun needed all his focus for his studies. She couldn't make them worry. But seeing their attitude, she knew she couldn't get out of the predicament without telling them the truth.

Scared, she drew her legs to her chest, hugging them tightly. "That, I—I—"

Then, she noticed it.

Her knee that was covered with a bandage. The scraped knee from the incident at school.

Her mind lighted up with an idea. Though it made her feel guilty for unnecessarily putting the blame on Park Jin Ae, she'd much rather have them worry about petty things like bullies as compared to... that.

Both Hyuk and Gun noticed her line of sight, and also turned to look at where she was looking at.

"What is this?" Gun's voice was strained. He had not noticed the wound before. Seeing it caused his heart to he seized with concern.

"Oi." Hyuk silently drew closer to her, grabbing her knee and examining the injured area. "Speak."

As her mind spun, Yeo Ri pulled down her skirt to hide the wound and began her bluff. "That... I-I fell." However, the moment she pulled down her skirt, her sleeves rode up slightly. The reddish hue from the burn still had yet to fade completely.

Hyuk grabbed her arm and unceremoniously raised the sleeves higher, revealing her arm. Aside from the slight red patch, a few bruises marked her arm.

"Who did this?" Hyuk lowered his voice. His face was dark and it looked as if he was about to spit fire.

The bruises had been a byproduct of her resistance earlier. She had to keep it a secret no matter what. She continued lying, "this is... this..." she hesitantly bit her lips. "T-there was an accident... at school..."

Gun's eyes zeroed in on the bruises that seemed to stand out on her pale skin. His heart skipped a beat and his body felt as if it had taken a dive in cold water. "Is someone... bullying you?" He finally squeezed out.

"..." Yeo Ri looked away, not daring to meet either of their eyes. She laughed nervously, removing Hyuk's grip on her arm. "It was nothing..."

Hyuk and Gun clearly noticed her reaction. It seemed like tacit agreement. However, they could see how frightened she was.

"Yeo Ri-ah. Take the day off tomorrow. Get some rest." Gun patted her head reassuringly. "I'll call the school. Everything will be fine."

"Oppa..." Yeo Ri trembled. Her conscience bit guiltily in her mind. If they dug deeper into the incident, then they would find out about Park Jin Ae's involvement. She felt guilty for framing the girl, but silently comforted herself. 'It wasn't like Park Jin Ae was completely innocent either,' she told herself.

Hyuk narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Yeo Ri didn't dare to say anything else, but that was fine. He'd get to the bottom of this, by hook or by crook.

And whoever it was that hurt her, he will definitely not let them off.

Chapter end