Knowing Brother-Chapter 33

The siren of the police car echoed through the alley. The moment Won Daeyoung looked up and locked eyes with Seolwoo in the dimming darkness, Seolwoo fell into a distant shock. That wasn’t the gaze of a winner. In those eyes still full of life, there was pain.

The pain-laden eyes of Won Daeyoung soon turned away from Seolwoo.

He wanted to speak as he kissed the tangled hair on Daeyoung’s head, wrapping his hands around it.

"I’ll protect you for the rest of my life."

He wanted to say that while holding the face, panting like an animal, with both hands, telling him:

"I’ll always be on your side, no matter what happens."

If it weren’t for the siren of the police car approaching right in front of them, he would have said it. Won Daeyoung continued to breathe harshly, his hands wiping the corner of his mouth as he abandoned the fallen man and stood up.

Won Daeyoung climbed the stairs and entered the house. A crowd of onlookers gathered. The commotion that had shaken the neighborhood left the surroundings chaotic. A police officer asked Seolwoo.

“What are you doing here?”

“I live in this house. I’m Daeyoung hyung’s friend. Daeyoung hyung didn’t start it first. That man started it by using violence first from the top.”

“...I see. You should go inside.”

One of the officers woke the man who was sprawled on the stairs. The man didn’t move, unable to tell if he was alive or dead.

The officers, who had been busily moving between the first and second floors, began getting into the cars one by one.

“Let’s all head out for now.”

A lady wearing a long padded coat and Won Daehyun followed behind the police. The body was loaded into the ambulance that arrived afterward. The body groaned, “Aigoo... huff...” Seolwoo was so relieved that he almost cried. Fortunately, the man wasn’t dead.

Soon, Won Daeyoung, who had washed the blood off, came down the stairs. As Seolwoo watched Daeyoung’s back as he got into the police car, he called out his name.

Before closing the door, Won Daeyoung hesitated, then shut the door without a word. It seemed like he didn’t want to show his face.

So, Seolwoo didn’t call him again and locked the door behind him. Choi Seolwoo was left alone in the upstairs house. Inside, it was as quiet as a mouse dying. When Seolwoo saw Mrs. Choi, who had rushed over after hearing the news, he fainted. It was a malfunction he hadn’t experienced in a long time. His head felt like it was being sucked somewhere, and sounds intermittently faded away.

“...Hey! Why does it feel like...? Answer me...!”

The next day, Choi Seolwoo opened his eyes in the hospital room. Mrs. Choi was lying next to the bed, quietly snoring.

He shook Mrs. Choi awake. He was about to ask for his phone when the doctor approached him. The doctor checked Seolwoo’s eyes and mouth, then asked a few questions.

“Have you been stressed recently?”

“There was one shocking thing yesterday. There’s a strange guy living on the second floor of our house. He comes once every few months and causes trouble...”

Mrs. Choi interrupted to explain. The doctor seemed to want to hear from Seolwoo himself. Seolwoo waited for Mrs. Choi’s words to finish before answering.

“I think I was just really nervous thinking about going to middle school. I was surprised yesterday too... but I don’t think it was just that.”

There were things he couldn’t say. The doctor clicked his pen and gently patted Seolwoo’s head.

“Things like blood pressure, photic stimulation, but stress, lack of sleep, and hyperventilation are the biggest risk factors, you know? Drinking isn’t something to worry about... With school and studying, you can’t avoid stress completely, but you need to manage it well. Get good rest every day, and exercise too. Got it?”

At that moment, the only thing on Seolwoo’s mind was the blood flowing down Won Daeyoung’s bare feet. As he imagined Daeyoung lying in a hospital or police cell, his throat went dry.

“They all got back by dawn. The second son cut his hand a little, but they treated it in the emergency room and came back. The lady has some bruises, but she’s okay.”

Seolwoo sighed in relief and adjusted his position. After hearing that, his appetite returned. The meal tray in front of him finally caught his attention.

“I think the man will get a restraining order. But do you think he’ll come back, especially with ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) how scared the second son must be? It’s embarrassing for the neighbors too. How much of a troublemaker do you have to be to get beaten by your son and taken away in an ambulance?”

The monster that had been tormenting the upstairs house was driven away, not by the obedient first son, but by the reckless second son.

Seolwoo was still troubled by the look in the man’s eyes after he knocked him out yesterday. He treated the man as if he was less than human. No excuses, no space given, no attraction to compassion. He knocked him down mercilessly.

But Won Daeyoung didn’t look pleased. He wasn’t satisfied with his sense of victory.

Mrs. Choi chattered with her red lips, peeling an orange.

“I heard their family used to live in a rich neighborhood in a high-rise apartment. You know the kind that only a few can enter, right? But the man went bankrupt, and because he was violent, he made the kids suffer, so they moved out and now live in the upstairs house. They say they bought the house with a mortgage loan because it was urgent. Rich people are different, right? Even when they run away, they buy a house and leave.”

“Hmm... mortgage loan.”

“She says she won’t divorce him in the end, and I wouldn’t either. The grandfather is about to pass, and if they divorce before the inheritance, it’s a huge loss! They’ve held on this long.”

Seolwoo didn’t quite understand what Mrs. Choi meant by her explanation. It seemed like the older generation, like Mrs. Choi or the lady from upstairs, saw this world in such terms here in Seoul. But now, Seolwoo couldn’t bear to worry about Won Daeyoung.

“Has Daeyoung hyung not called yet?”

“He’ll contact us once things settle down. He must be really busy, so don’t just call randomly. You should learn some manners. This is socializing.”

“......”

“Ugh, I’m so tired. Later, Auntie Seongja said she’d lend us some money, so let’s settle it and go home quickly.”

“No money...?”

“This week, we’re in the red, the red.”

Seolwoo, curious about what a mortgage loan was, looked it up on Mrs. Choi’s smartphone and dozed off. When he woke up, it was already late afternoon. No matter how much he pressed the home button, the smartphone wouldn’t turn on. He had to charge the battery.

Mrs. Choi was gone, probably out for some fresh air. Seolwoo opened the drawer next to the bed. While rummaging through it looking for a charger, a long diamond-shaped beam of sunlight flickered on his hand.

At first, he didn’t think much of it. But when he closed the drawer and picked up Mrs. Choi’s bag, he felt something was odd. A rectangular light form had come up the bed, and it was now on Seolwoo’s hand, moving up to his eyes.

Seolwoo shielded his eyes with his wrist, where the IV needle was inserted. Someone was shining a strong light right at his face.

Squinting, Seolwoo turned his head.

“Let’s go home.”

With his right hand wrapped in bandages, Won Daeyoung smiled with a composed face. As he twisted the smartphone in his hand, the reflected sunlight from the screen reflected on Seolwoo, and he was smiling.

Could it be... that Won Daeyoung fought with that monster for his life because of Seolwoo?

Seolwoo, wanting to do anything for him, asked:

“...Hyung. Is there anything I can help with? Anything?”

Won Daeyoung walked over to the bed. Standing next to it, he wrapped Seolwoo’s head with his bandaged hand. With a gentle pull, Seolwoo’s head went into his open jacket. His cheek was pressed against Won Daeyoung’s waist.

Won Daeyoung didn’t mind gently stroking Seolwoo’s head. Seolwoo wrapped his arms around his waist. It felt warmer inside the jacket.

“What should I do for you?”

“There are only the two of us here, so saying something dirty would be inappropriate.”

Won Daeyoung laughed carelessly at his own words. His waist vibrated with the laughter. Still, Seolwoo didn’t pull away from Won Daeyoung’s belly. He didn’t release the arms around his waist either. Since they were both wearing hospital clothes, it felt like Won Daeyoung would understand it as a little indulgence. Won Daeyoung lifted his bandaged hand. His firm fingertips grazed Seolwoo’s ear.

“......”

Every time his hand moved, Seolwoo’s breath trembled. Whether it was on purpose or by accident, the tip of his finger brushed Seolwoo’s neck. As Seolwoo flinched, Won Daeyoung moved his hand to Seolwoo’s ear as if nothing had happened. The shiver that started at his neck spread throughout his body, but he remained calm. It seemed like only Seolwoo was sensitive.

He spoke in a voice full of fatigue.

“How did your face change so much in a year?”

“Yeah. I’m surprised too when I look in the mirror. I’ve lost weight, and I look like a skeleton.”

“No. You’ve become more refined. Smooth and sleek.”

Won Daeyoung’s rough hand traced Seolwoo’s jawline. Seolwoo subtly moved the hand that had been around his waist toward his belly.

This body shook the upstairs house yesterday. This body pressed that threatening man down with strength yesterday.

“Your face is a bit strange. Seolwoo, your face... it’s weird.”

“What? But you said I look refined.”

“It bothers me when someone else looks at you. What I mean is... Your face looks like it wouldn’t get dirty easily. So, even a little dirt would make it feel really good. That’s why it can’t be messed up. But someone will definitely want to dirty you.”

“......”

Seolwoo stopped his hand that had been playing with his belly and looked up.

“Who would want to mess you up? Who?”

Seolwoo couldn’t think of anything to say, so he closed his mouth. He lowered his gaze, unable to keep eye contact. The hand on the back of his head became a little more intense. It seemed like he was either forcing him to look again or coaxing him. The sound of the bandages rustling mixed with the soft motion of his hair being gently messed with.