Incredibly, those words made him cry again. Stammering through his sobs, Gyeon Riok spoke.
“If… if only I’d been strong… if only I’d been there that day… I wouldn’t have let Dad go…. Noona said we should go together… I… I ignored her…!”
“Jioh has never once blamed you.”
“No— even now…!”
Both siblings were a mess. Watching the boy’s face go deathly pale, Beom clicked his tongue low.
“You’re hurting for a bit. It’ll pass. Trust your strong Noona and wait.”
‘…Seems he can’t hear.’
I should’ve wiped the blood off my hands first.
If left alone he’d clearly break, so Beom had rushed, heart tight with urgency.
He drew the boy closer until those eyes looked straight into his again. With a mind-clearing technique (術), the murkiness in the boy’s gaze peeled away, bit by bit.
“Gyeon Riok. Have you ever seen a tree with no shade?”
“People are the same. There’s no person without a shadow. Growing up, and then living on—if you’re ‘human,’ you’re bound to hurt at least once.”
The adult’s low voice flowed calm and even. Gyeon Riok stared at him, dazed.
“People who are hurting say hurtful things.”
In an instant, many things flashed through the boy’s head. His hurting Noona, his mom who said hurtful things…
“Someone has to notice. If you shout…