Oddinary// Hyunlix & Minsung FF// Editing

Chapter Nineteen: Defending Leeknow

(A/N just gonna promote it here because I love it. Enemy by YourHyunlixHoe is amazing. And you should all read it.)

We had all been working our asses off. Selling at every opportunity we got. Skipping meals, and saving every penny we could.

Hyunjin and Lix had even robbed a store. We had gathered nearly twenty thousand dollars in under a week and luckily Leeknow had been spared from any further incursions with his father.

I hated seeing his body so broken and knowing it was Mr Lee who had done it made me hate him more.

Although I couldn't help feeling my brothers were hiding something more from me.

"I just sold another brick. That's a thousand dollars." Lix set the money down and we all eyed it. I had never seen so much money in one place.

"Thank you all. So much." Leeknow's voice was barely a whisper. I reached my arm around him and carefully hugged him into my side. He hadn't been himself the past week and I was so worried for him. To make it worse we had switched up the sleeping arrangements. I had to listen to Felix scream almost every night about our father, until Mom came in to soothe him.

Listening to it was taking its toll on Hyunjin. He looked more sleep deprived than anyone, but I was glad he was protecting his brother.

"Ji, Jin. Is it OK if I talk with Lix for five minutes?" Leeknow asked quietly. "Alone." We both stood and slowly exited the room. We stood outside awkwardly and Hyunjin was practically falling asleep where he stood.

"Yah, Jinnie. Why don't we go to your room?" I asked with a small smile on my face. He nodded and draped his arm over my shoulders as we headed down the hall together. We closed the door and I pointed at his messy bed where Lix had been sleeping. He sat down and then flopped backwards.

"Are you ok hyung?" I asked as I seated myself on Lix's barely used bed.

"I'm just tired Jisung-ah." He murmured. I smiled as he added the endearing term to the end of my name. We rarely hung out these days but I liked Hyunjin.

"I know, all of this will be over soon. Why is your dad like this?" I asked with a deep frown settling on my face.

"He's always been like it. Believe it or not, he used to beat me worse than Leeknow. But I stood up to him once and now he's too afraid to do much." I sighed loudly and rubbed my eyes.

"Why doesn't Leeknow stand up to him?" I asked.

"He's afraid. Mom was driven to drinking by that man, and it killed her. Leeknow found her body and Dad blamed him for not saving her. He was six." Hyunjin let out a loud yawn.

"But Leeknow could easily take him on." I murmured.

"He could. You're right. But that one beating he received, was enough for Dad to command total subservience from him. Every time it happens, it's like he's a kid again. He doesn't know what to do or say. That's why he's so grateful you're here. Dad gets less of a chance to corner him these days." I nodded and smiled sadly.

Was our relationship for convenience rather than love? No. Leeknow wouldn't do that to me. I had to push that thought out of my mind.

"Yah, Hyung. Wanna know where I got the scars on my body?" I asked. He lifted his head slightly with a frown on his face.

"Scars?" He asked. He clearly had no idea. But as he was being so honest, it had compelled me to do the same.

"Yeah... I-I never show them to anyone. Not even Lix has seen them." I said quietly. He sat up and leaned forward. I had clearly piqued his interest.