Treacherous | Lee Seokmin

20.

"Unnie, where are you going?" Sophia, the girl who mustered up her brother to take Aeri home with them, followed Aeri along as she woke up.

The house wasn't that big but it was difficult to find the exit as there were many turns and doors across the hallway. Sophia kept on following her until they reached the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?" She asked.

Aeri ignored her and went back to the hallway searching the front door.

"Unnie, would you please just tell me where do you want to go?"

She was irritated by Sophia's questions and stopped to turn to her, staring with anger.

"I want to get out of this crap!" She scowled at her, making her to almost cry.

She took a deep sigh, remorseful of how she acted towards the innocent girl.

"I-I'm sorry."

Slowly, she kneeled down as the same height as Sophia and looked at her in the eyes, asking forgiveness. The frown gradually disappeared to a warm smile.

"Look, I really need to go and find someone,"

"Is that person in danger?"

The question paused her for a while. She rolled her eyes down and back to Sophia.

"I-I'm not... Sure," she mumbled.

Sophia gently placed her hands on Aeri's shoulder and gave her an innocent smile, like every kid would have.

"Don't worry unnie, I think Hansol oppa can help you. He's a nice person."

"Hansol what?" Aeri's eyebrows arched and turned her head towards a door, seeing a figure standing. He rested the side if his body onto the doorframe while folding his arms.

"Sophia. Why don't you get her something to eat. She must be starving," he lifted his filled eyebrows giving a sign to excuse herself.

She nodded and ambled along the hallway into the kitchen.

"Hansol?" Aeri stood back up from her knees.

"Hmm?"

"Where am I?"

"My house"

She hated simple answers. Aeri didn't had time for fun and games. She had to find her brother. She was in war. There's not even a single second to waste.

"I need to go, if you excuse me," she walked away heading back to the kitchen area.

"The front door is there," He voiced out from behind glaring his eyes to the left, directing the exit.

Slightly humiliated, Aeri continued to walk back to his direction, aiming the front door. As she passed him, he stopped her.

"Who are you?"

"Is that necessary?" Aeri grinned.

"I can't just let a stranger sleep in my sister's bedroom and just walk out like that without saying thank you. It's just like taking a dump without flushing,"

"Excuse me?" She was taken aback by his statement.

"What do you want?" He toned his voice in a way as if she owed him something.

"What do I want? What do I WANT? I want to find my fucking brother but I end up waking up in some shit place and seeing someone as if I trespass in?" Her voice was volumed up, surely Sophia could heard the hectic.

"I was just asking, I don't even know a single thing abot you even your name! You could be a fraud-"

"A fraud?" She snapped and faked a laugh, showing disbelief.

"Let's keep this simple, you take care of your business, and I'll take care of mine. You have no idea what people have been through,"

"-then tell me!" He yelled, controlling anger for being cut off.

"You want to listen my story? YOU SURE? OKAY THEN. Once upon a time I turned eighteen and on that day my parents died in a bomb attack. Then I got stranded with the only brother I had who was a psychopath in a fucking island. He left me and I almost ended up with being raped by a prick who chased me to Seoul. Now I'm stuck with a guy who thinks i'm a fucking fraud!" She stifled, eyes wide open.

Bomb attack

It hit him.

"Wh-what? Was it.. the train accident?" His mouth was half opened and screwed up his eyes.

"YES!" She snarled at him.

Of course everyone knew about the accident. It was all over the news, plus a report on the death of Aeri's family.

"Lee... Lee.." He tried to remembered the name of the daughter of the family who managed to survive as he read in the news.

"Aeri," a voice from behind filled the empty space between them. It was Sophia who was eavesdropping at the kitchen door.

"So it's really.. you?" He scrutinised her face but in reality he never even saw her.

Aeri bit her bottom lip, thinking that she probably had been overreacting towards them. They did nothing wrong, and knew nothing. But trust wasn't in her vocabulary anymore.

"I-I'm so sorry. I should've asked," his voice filled with apology.

"You did. You're forgiven," she replied in a stern way.

To her, she would rather prefer to say whether that person is forgiven or not. Saying 'it's okay' would just make one to think everything is alright and would do it again. By then, she would be hurt by the same thing in repeat.

He rested back his arms and their eyes meet for a second right before Aeri turned away to look somewhere else.

"I want to help,"

Help.

Definitely she wasn't sure. Her heart was broken, trust was stolen and she couldn't even dare to reach for another hand. It was her problem and her matter. Why would anyone care? Yet she was a daughter of a millionaire, everyone knew.

"Maybe you're absolutely unassertive about this but I'm also a brother. I love Sophia more than anything. And I hope he loves you too. He wants to protect you, and I'm really sure that you're always in his mind."

Her ears listened carefully to every word he said. But still, she was looking away and crossed her arms, telling it wasn't enough to convince her.

"It's a big city, uh, Aeri. If you're still afraid of my offer, I won't force you to. But Maybe I could help you to where to start. Think of a place where he would sure to go, everyday or whenever. A place that not because he wants but needs to be there,"

The tension eventually slow down as he spoke softly. He almost startled as Aeri turned her head quickly with a very solemn look.

"I know where," taking a random key which she believed it was for the car hanging on the wall and threw it to Hansol.

"I don't have my license-" he resisted but Aeri drew closer to him again with a threatening expression.

"Doesn't mean you're not good at driving," she smirked as heading the front door.