Chapter 37: The Unwanted Dawn

That wasn’t the end of it. Yoon Heesung seized Yeon Hoyoung’s head from behind.

“Hoyoung, you can’t lose consciousness now.”

It was horrifying to witness Yoon Heesung’s hand engulf Yeon Hoyoung’s head, especially considering Yeon Hoyoung was not a small man. Yoon Heesung gripped his head as if it were a basketball, then swung his arm wide, poised to dunk it into a hoop.

Yeon Hoyoung’s face drew perilously close to the wall, threatening to be slammed against it.

“…I’m not unconscious, you bastard. How could I pass out, knowing what you’re capable of…”

Yeon Hoyoung’s one intact arm trembled violently. Sinews bulged menacingly from his forearm as he pressed hard against the wall.

“Hmph!”

He forcefully pushed his body backward. Yoon Heesung’s hand slipped, and Yeon Hoyoung’s back of the head struck his jaw. Yeon Hoyoung didn’t miss the chance when Yoon Heesung stumbled back a few steps.

He kicked him squarely in the solar plexus. Yoon Heesung let out a low groan, a crease forming between his finely sculpted brows.

Yeon Hoyoung refused to be easily subdued by Yoon Heesung’s counterattack. Even as his face took a hit, he kicked Yoon Heesung’s knee.

“Stop it already!”

Seizing the opportunity of the larger man falling, he pressed his foot onto Yoon Heesung’s shoulder, pinning him down.

Yeon Hoyoung spat out a mouthful of blood-laced saliva.

“Damn it… this must be broken.”

He grimaced, staring at his dangling arm. Despite his casual words, cold sweat beaded on his forehead. I held my breath, watching Yoon Heesung sprawled on the floor.

Just moments ago, Yeon Hoyoung had been beaten within an inch of his life. I had seen it, I knew it… but when his eyes, now turned to the side, met mine, I was utterly paralyzed.

“Now Auntie’s going to have to beg me again, all because of you. You’re truly, completely insane.”

Yeon Hoyoung glared at Yoon Heesung.

“You bastard, stop making such a fuss.”

“…”

“What are you thinking now? What’s bothering you?”

At that, Yoon Heesung, who had been silent, finally spoke. His dark, lifeless eyes looked upward.

“It’s because of you.”

“What?”

“You’re the problem, Hoyoung. Because of you, everything…”

Yoon Heesung’s Adam’s apple bobbed as if he were swallowing unspoken words. Perhaps he was merely swallowing the blood pooled in his mouth. Then he glanced at me before turning his gaze away.

It was only natural that my breath hitched in that fleeting moment. I clutched at my chest.

Yoon Heesung, his attention now back on Yeon Hoyoung, spoke quietly.

“I’ll apologize instead of your aunt.”

“What are you even talking about?”

Yeon Hoyoung picked at his ear. Yoon Heesung’s hand was now drenched in blood, his skin appearing even paler through the crimson mess.

“I’m saying I’m sorry.”

His hand was so white it almost seemed to glow.

“But I’ll send you to the hospital right away.”

The blood-soaked white hand wrapped around Yeon Hoyoung’s ankle.

“So… Hoyoung. Just take one more hit.”

As if he had been holding back until now, Yoon Heesung effortlessly rose to his feet. Yeon Hoyoung’s expression contorted. He fell backward, slamming the back of his head against the wall.

“…!”

Within the narrow entryway, Yeon Hoyoung collapsed in a crumpled heap. Yoon Heesung’s appearance was equally disheveled: his lip was split, his cheek swollen, and his hands were covered in blood. Yet, even in that state, he smiled.

Then, as if to finish what he had started earlier, he lightly grasped the back of Yeon Hoyoung’s head once more. Perhaps due to the repeated severe blows to his head, Yeon Hoyoung didn’t struggle.

His limbs hung limply, an ominous sign.

“…Yoon Heesung! Hey! Stop it!”

*Thwack!*

But Yoon Heesung mercilessly slammed Yeon Hoyoung’s face against the wall. There was the sound of something hard breaking. He didn’t stop there. Yoon Heesung put more force into his arm once more.

*Thud!*

Blood streamed down the wall. My jaw trembled, and my teeth clattered together. My palms felt slick as I clenched my fists; I couldn’t tell if it was blood or sweat. Watching the large body shake so terribly, I shuffled forward on my knees toward Yoon Heesung.

The summer heat was now completely gone. Yeon Hoyoung hung limply, unmoving, swaying in Yoon Heesung’s grip.

“Hey, hey. Stop. Stop it… You’ll really kill him, please…”

I stammered, trying to restrain him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly as if soothing a wild beast. Yet, I held no expectation that he would stop.

Even as I instinctively threw myself forward, I felt like I was drowning in fear. My breath hitched, and my head swam. Everything before my eyes was a blur of red.

“…”

Then Yoon Heesung stopped moving. The muscles beneath my touch were still and unmoving. Had it not been for the muffled groan that cut through the silence between us, we might have remained frozen like that.

“…Let go, what are you doing?”

As if belatedly regaining his senses, Yoon Heesung snapped, shaking me off. I gasped and embraced him again, but he merely hesitated before pushing me away once more. Then, perhaps thinking I was in the way, he grabbed Yeon Hoyoung by the nape of his neck.

He dragged the large man like a sack of garbage, then exited the house. The door slammed shut with a resounding bang.

*CRASH!*

‘That door really needs fixing,’ I recalled my mother tutting. ‘Why do things always turn out like this, leaving regrets?’

The sound of footsteps descending the stairs mixed with a chaotic clatter.

Soon after, the surroundings fell into an eerie silence.

“…”

It was hard to breathe, as if a wet cloth had been placed over my face. A heavy weight pressed on my shoulders. My head ached. Too many things had happened in too short a time. I wanted to leave everything behind and just fall asleep. Perhaps if I slept and woke up, something might be different…

I wished it were all a dream.

But the blood staining the floor was undeniably real.

Then a cold, chilling thought surfaced.

Why did Yoon Heesung drag Yeon Hoyoung away? Why did he take him outside after beating him like a madman? What more did he intend to do, what was his plan…? Perhaps, could it be…

‘…to kill him right there…?’

“No, no!”

I stumbled a couple of times before finally managing to stand. Even then, my legs kept giving out, so I leaned against the wall, only to recoil in horror at the bloody handprint I’d left.

“Get a grip… Get a grip.”

I muttered, slapping my cheek. With hands slick with blood, I gripped the doorknob and barely managed to open the door. I scrambled down the stairs.

The dark red blood transparently marked the path they had taken. Following it, I noticed my socks were now stained crimson. As I frantically reached the first floor, a black car stood before me.

“Yoon Heesung!”

Yoon Heesung, who was carelessly shoving Yeon Hoyoung into the car, turned his head.

“…”

Yoon Heesung fixed his gaze on me as he slammed the back passenger door shut. Then he strode purposefully towards me. With each long stride, the distance between us dramatically closed.

I instinctively flinched, backing away.

“…”

At that, Yoon Heesung froze in his tracks. He didn’t approach me any closer, but I could clearly see his lips slowly parting.

What words would emerge? Looking at Yoon Heesung, I felt terrified. I trembled as if bracing for a beating.

“You…”

“…”

“You don’t come to see me, yet you meet Yeon Hoyoung.”

It was a statement that felt absurd for a moment. I blinked at his petulant words, so out of place in this situation. The ground beneath my feet swayed as if I were floating in the air.

“You never even told me to come home.”

He merely continued, glaring at me.

“You think Yeon Hoyoung is…”

His lips, normally a pleasant color, suddenly pressed together. He seemed to want to spew out more words, his lips twitching, but then he turned his back without a trace of hesitation.

*Click.*

Yoon Heesung got into the passenger seat, and the car immediately sped away. I belatedly snapped back to reality, flustered and disoriented.

“What, what do I do…?”

My thoughts fragmented, scattering everywhere as if a part of my mind had been blown away and turned blank.

I fumbled in my pocket for my phone, not even knowing who to call.

112, no. Was it 119?

The moment my fingers hesitated uncertainly over the keypad, a voice echoed in my mind.

‘This is my number. Call me if anything happens.’

Why did that memory surface now?

‘Whether it’s Yunwoo or Heesung. Understood?’

The Madam’s earnest words played back vividly. Only now did I realize that the ‘anything’ she spoke of referred to a situation just like this.

Did the Madam know something like this would happen?

But there was no time to ponder. I dialed the number I had never expected to use.

After about two rings, the Madam answered immediately.

– Is that Yunwoo?

“Auntie, Heesung, Heesung…”

Yoon Heesung, Yeon Hoyoung… My vision spun. I wanted to faint right then and there.

Unlike me, the other person remained calm. She soothed me, asking a few questions. I babbled incoherently, sobbing.

Yet, I felt as though I would go crazy, unable to let go of a single thread of hope.

My room remains dim even when the sun rises.

The world was slowly brightening, a deep blue hue seeping in, yet it was far from enough to rouse me from sleep. I floundered in that state for a long time. The boundary between reality and dream was thin, and I wanted to simply sink into it. But I washed up as usual, changed into my school uniform, and slung on my bag. I bent down at the entrance to put on my shoes.

And then I froze.

A disturbing stain caught my eye.

“…”

My fingertips trembled. My heart thumped unpleasantly. A headache pulsed, like the aftermath of sweating and then cooling down.

Yesterday, after everything that happened, people had swarmed into the house. My mind refused to think further, and I opened the door without resistance. The people promptly began cleaning.

Assuming they were sent by the Madam, I had retreated to my room. I lay there, waiting for them to clean up and disappear, and then I must have dozed off. When I opened my eyes, it was morning. That’s how today began.

This unwanted today.