Angel Smile 23 Scene 23

She had heeded that man's warning; the white dress was the warmest one that she owned, but it was not enough to block out the cold autumn wind. She squatted down, hugging herself as she s.h.i.+vered. Her eyes drooped, looking as if she was about to pa.s.s out at any given moment.

That was how Gun found Yeo Ri.

"Yeo Ri-ah!" He rushed to her side, immediately taking her cold hands into his warmer ones. He rubbed her hands, creating some heat from the friction. Then, he placed the back of his hand on her face.

"You're freezing!" He exclaimed in alarm. Her cheeks felt so cold. "Come on, let's go inside."

Once they were inside, he began scolding her. "What were you thinking?! Have you been standing outside for a long time? Why didn't you put on something thicker?!"

Yeo Ri looked up at him, pale-faced. She cracked a smile at the angry man, softly saying, "I was waiting for Gun-oppa and Hyuk-oppa. You promised to come home sooner, so I waited outside so I can greet you..."

Seeing the sad smile, Gun's anger extinguished. "Sorry. Yeo Ri-ah, Oppa is sorry..." He enveloped the girl in a warm hug.

"Mm..." Feeling his warmth, Yeo Ri wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. She relaxed in his arms.

Yeo Ri seemed to have caught the chills after standing outside for too long, so he forewent his dinner and helped her to bed. "Stop getting sick, you idiotic girl," he chided. He gave her some medicine just in case.

"Sorry, oppa."

Gun tucked her in, and she fell asleep immediately thanks to the effective medicine. After that, he ate his dinner and began his usual studying routine.

When Yeo Ri woke up again, Hyuk was lying next to her, one arm covering his forehead. His brows were creased as if he was troubled.

"Oppa, you're home?" She softly whispered. Gun was studying and she didn't want to disturb him. She inched closer to Hyuk, "Oppa? Are you asleep?"

"I'm asleep," Hyuk replied. His eyes were closed but clearly he was awake.

"Oppa, hug me." Yeo Ri tugged his s.h.i.+rt in a spoilt manner.

Hyuk's fingers twitched slightly and his Adam's apple bobbed as he turned his head away from the girl. "No."

"Aaa, Oppa, please? I don't feel well," she continued to bug him, acting cute.

Hyuk s.h.i.+fted his head uneasily. "No means no."

Yeo Ri pouted, "fine." Since he didn't want to, she'll leave him alone.

Yeo Ri crawled out of bed, dragging her blanket with her. She plopped her head on Gun's lap.

"Yeo Ri-ah, were you cold?" Noticing her action, Gun softly patted her arm. He adjusted his sitting position so that she could be more comfortable.

Yeo Ri replied with a noncommittal sound as she buried her head in his lap. His body temperature was higher than hers and it felt nice. Combined with the rhythmic tapping of his hand on her arm, she was soon lulled back to sleep.

Hyuk cracked open an eye when he noticed that the girl was now quiet. When he saw the sight, he almost burned with jealousy. His insides hurt from regret. He forcefully shut his eyes, suppressing his intense longing.

"Hey, Hyung." After a moment of silence, Gun opened his mouth.

"The f*ck you want, sh*thead?"

"Have you been noticing that Yeo Ri is acting weird lately?" Gun's mechanical pencil continued to scratch the paper in front of him as he spoke. Even as he was talking, his mind still spun to solve the equation in the textbook in front of him.

"..." Hyuk opened his eyes at the question. He sat up, contemplating seriously. "...Yeah."

"There's something else she's not telling us," Gun concluded just as he finished solving the question. "Maybe it's related to why she seems more scared of the old man than usual."

"Maybe it's 'cause that b*stard actually wanted to hit her the other day?" Hyuk stared at the wall. "But why would he suddenly..." Hyuk narrowed his eyes. This place was too dangerous. Even Yeo Ri is no longer safe by herself.

"..." Gun nodded absentmindedly. He pulled out another question and his mind whirred non-stop. "Something must've happened." Gun paused his writing. Did she find out about...?

There was a chance that she may have found out about that. He gripped the pencil so tightly that cracks began to appear. His eyes darkened. If so, then...

"If something happens to Yeo Ri, I'll kill him myself." Gun resolutely says.

Hyuk sneered, "What the f*ck can you do with those twig hands of yours? Just stick to your d*mned books, sh*thead." Killing or whatever, if it comes down to it, then let him dirty his hands. As much as he hated to admit it, Gun had a bright future in front of him. At the very least, as a brother, he couldn't let the idiot jeopardise his own future.

Gun glared at the man from the corner of his eyes. If not because Yeo Ri was sleeping on his lap, he probably would've gotten into another fistfight with the dumb*ss.

The two stopped their conversation there. Since both of their att.i.tudes towards each other was terrible, they ignored each other until morning, not bothering to clear the air.