She eyed, from the kitchen, the clock hanging in the dining room. It was 8pm and neither Sooyeon and Kyungsoo were home. Soojung grew more worried for her brother, for he was always home before 6 or 7, often home before herself. The only times the boy would be late would often be for negative reasons – he failed an exam, he fought with his friends, he missed his parents, something that would drag the boy's mood down. And, like a the close siblings they were, she acknowledged that Kyungsoo was strong of heart, but vulnerable still – seldom to tears, but once they came, they would crack him to a pulp. She hated the sight of his brother being brought to pieces by his sorrow, his weakness. He was proud boy, but not one that would boast, one that would assure others of his loyalty, his love and his strength, never allowing for his weakness to be shown – Pride, a cardinal sin that he paid for dearly.

Soojung was taken out of her ruminations by the ping of her mobile – it was a message from an unregistered number. The message read:

“Have your brother come to the shop after school tomorrow, the manager will test him.”

Soojung smiled, considering the job to be her brother's already due to his high efficiency; any task set for him would neatly accomplished.

However, she needed her brother in order to inform him of the good news. But where was he?

Hours passed and she found herself in the living room, sitting on one corner of the sofa, legs bent to one side. Her shapely eyes watched the drama with interest, but her attention was split somewhere, causing her to misunderstand where the plot of the episode was going.

When she heard the clang of keys coming from the main door, she leapt from the couch and to the entrance, hopeful that her brother had returned.

“I'm home!” exclaimed the person. It was Sooyeon, carrying with her an ample envelope and a cheery smile.

“Unnie, you're home.” Soojung stated blankly, unsure of what to express.

“Yeah,” Sooyeon eyed her sister sidedly “was I not supposed to be?”

“Of course, but it's just – Kyungsoo isn't here yet.”

“What?!” verbalised the eldest loudly, placing her envelope on the nearest surface, “Where is he? It's almost 10pm!”

“I don't know!” the younger sister matched her sister's loud tone, “I came home around 7 and there was no one home.”

“Let's go look for him!” Sooyeon her heel, ready to head back to her vehicle. She searched her coat pockets for the keys, “Who knows what could happen to him, specially if he's feeling sad – “ However, her frantic searching came to a halt when she saw a small silhouette approaching the house in the dark distance. When the silhouette passed a post-lamp, Sooyeon breathed-in in relief, Kyungsoo was home.

When the boy neared the entrance, he found both his sisters eyeing him with upset expressions.

“Kyungsoo, mind telling me where the hell you've been?” asked an irritated Sooyeon, not appreciating being stressed, then suddenly relieved.

Kyungsoo lowered his head and apologised “Sorry, Noona, I – I ” he closed his eyes tightly and pressed his lips. Both sisters looked to each other, surprised at the boy's heart-breaking expression, “I stayed behind in school today, just...for stuff.”

“Kyungsoo,” Soojung approached her brother. Calmly, she placed her hands upon his narrow shoulders and queried gently, “What's wrong, Kyungsoo, did something happen?”

The fair teenage boy shook his head, “Nothing, I - “ his breathing increased and reached exasperated levels. His chest shook and his face twisted in discomfort, “I'm sorry!” he cried loudly, before dashing away from his sisters and rushing upstairs.

“Kyungsoo!” the girls called out after him.

Kyungsoo reached the first floor swiftly and rushed to his room at the end of the corridor. There, he entered his room and slammed it closed, locking it behind him. He threw his backpack to one corner of the room, pulled his futon and duvet from the window, closed the window, placed the futon and duvet and buried himself within, blocking all senses from the outside world.

Shortly after his escape, the teenage boy's was being knocked repeatedly, “Kyungsoo, what's wrong? Talk to us, please!”

“Please, Kyungsoo, we love you, tell us what's wrong.”

“Stop!” he shouted from within his confines, “Please, just let me be!”

“Kyungsoo!” Sooyeon cried out from the other side of the desperately, “We're here for you, don't shut us out, we want to be there for you!”

“Noona, please! I'm sorry, but I just need - I need to be alone!”

“Kyungsoo, we suffer when you get like this,” Soojung begged, placing her palm against the wooden door, then curving her fingers, as if trying to grasp the impossible “please, tell us what's wrong. We won't be angry, we won't be upset, we just don't want you to feel bad.”

This time however, there was no response. Sooyeon pressed her ear against the surface of the door, and raised an index finger at her sister, beckoning her to be silent for a little bit. The eldest keen ears picked up a soul-crushing noise – the sound of her baby brother wailing and crying.

“Unnie, what do we do?” asked Soojung desperately.

“There's nothing we can do...” she admitted, dejected. Bumped her forehead against the wooden door and rested there, nails grazing against the smooth wood, “we wait until he comes out and hopefully,” she looked to her younger sister standing to her right, smiling gently, “he'll tell us how can we help him.”

Soojung exhaled through her nose; her shoulders deflated and slumped, “Why do I feel like I am so useless when it comes to him? Like I want to help him, but I can't do anything, and even if I did, it'd be nothing compared