Warning: Swearing. Suggestion of domestic violence. This chapter contains angst and self-doubt that may be triggering. 

“You are ing impressive.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You walked all the way to mine with a broken rib? In the rain?!”

“I just thought it was more painful then usual.”

“What are you? Do you not cry even when you are lonely or sad? Do you think I will send you back to that bastard?”

“Anyone who hears this will think hyung is a parent who refuses to send his kid back to the husband’s home.”

“Who is the one who keeps running to mine after fights like a married woman running back to her parents’ home huh?” (*see bottom for note 1)

“…Yup, definitely talking like a parent.”

When he saw Seungyoon’s casual straight face that appeared completely unaffected by his cracked rib, Jinwoo could no longer hold back his anger. How hard does one have to be hit for a rib to give in and break? Worse, it wasn’t just anyone’s rib, but a grown man’s, smashed into pieces; it was as if the attacker was purposely beating him to test how much he could take. Jinwoo’s blood boiled when he saw Seungyoon’s composed face again. It was driving him crazy.
 
‘How often does this happen? How is he so used to it that he is able to smile with such a serene expression on his face?’

Jinwoo found not knowing about Seungyoon stifling. He could almost taste bile on the tip of his tongue when he realised that this whole time, Seungyoon had been coming to his home broken. When he finally noticed, Jinwoo couldn’t help but swear at himself.

‘How painful must it be for him to be beaten like that and not receive a single warm word from me when he came to seek shelter…’

“It started last year.”

“… What?"

“I don’t know why or how it happened. I think it’s just a poor way of handling problems. He acts that way because he doesn’t know how to express himself properly. I guess I can understand why this is happening to me if I think about the situation like that.”

“Are you out of your mind?!”

“I definitely feel more at ease when I think about it that way.” 

“Understand? Why the hell would you need to understand someone who hits you for no apparent reason?!”

“Because it only happens when he drinks. Drinking habits. We are all capable of doing the same.”

“If someone beats the out of another out of drunkenness, then he should be thrown into a hospital. You have a weird way of helping an alcohol addict.” 

“Even so, he is usually nice. That’s why I’ve been living with him for three years. Hyung you know this as well, how honest and considerate he is. He is always nice when he is not drinking. I think he is probably frustrated about it as well, not being able to control himself… It’s a very difficult thing to do.”

“How Mother Teresa of you.”

“Maybe this is also my fate. Got to live and accept it eh?”

To top it off, Seungyoon’s perception of how the world and our lives operate is really quite something (Jinwoo would say, it’s ’messed up, more like.' ). Jinwoo breathed in deeply to control the anger bubbling inside him.

“… fate?”

What Jinwoo wanted to ask was, how can you say such a thing in a situation like this. Did you really utter those words? Jinwoo felt as though he was going out of his