1 After Midnight, Waiting (1/2)

Yeo Ri glanced at the clock on the wall.

It was getting increasingly late yet not even the shadows of either of her brothers could be seen.

She sighed, hugging her knees tightly. Resting her head on her knees, she lamented her fate. Why are those two always making her worry so much, she thought angrily.

Another ten minutes have passed.

It was now exactly 1 o'clock in the morning.

She yawned and rubbed her tired eyes, hoping to ease her sleepiness, but it only made her sleepier.

Finally, after she was almost lulled to sleep in her awkward position, the sliding door to the room she shared with her brothers finally opened.

”You're home?” Yeo Ri flashed a tired smile at the boy who had just came in.

Gun paused, then returned her smile, ”Yeo Ri-ah, why are you still awake? You have school tomorrow.” He knelt beside the younger girl as he coaxed her to lie down.

The beddings were already laid out; it was obvious that the girl had prepared for bed hours ago, but she was too stubborn and had wanted to wait for her brothers to come home before going to sleep.

Yeo Ri didn't fight against his light tugging and followed him obediently. Now that she was tucked in, she turned to look at Gun who was sitting at his study desk, ”Oppa, you're not going to sleep?”

Gun shook his head. ”Not yet. I still have to do some revisions before I go to sleep.”

”Mm.” Yeo Ri's eyes wandered to the rows of awards and certificates that occupied almost half of her brother's desk. As expected of the top student in the district; he would even sacrifice hours of sleep just to study. ”Don't work too hard. Sleep if you get drowsy.”

”Okay.” Gun smiled at her concern, and rewarded her with a pat on the head. ”Sleep,” he told her.

Yeo Ri's eyes could not help but drift towards the door. Her eldest brother was still not home and she wondered if he got into trouble again. The last time he came home, it had been with a few bruises marring his face.

Seeing her uneasiness, Gun sighed. He decided to postpone his revisions and instead climbed into bed. ”Don't worry about Hyung. He'll be fine.” He comforted his little sister, patting her back rhythmically to lull her to sleep.

Yeo Ri could not fight against her sleepiness, and combined with the boy's warmth and patting, she immediately fell asleep.

Evidently, Gun also could not help but slowly drift to sleep. The accumulation of the stress and tiredness during the day finally caught up to him and soon he found himself dozing off. He tried to stay awake, but the temptation was too strong. His patting slowed down as his eyelids grew heavy.

”The f*ck you doing, you doggone b*stard.”