[1]

Seeing himself through the bathroom mirror, Jongin froze, knuckles turning to the shade of porcelain as he clenched the edge of the ceramic sink tightly.

He stared at his reflection, more specifically, his chest. A small jagged scar s down the right side. He found his hand going there automatically, recalling the exact day as his fingers ran over its ridges and edges.

He recalled how his body jarred with the blow, how the pain seared through his skin. And as the sudden guilt flashed before his eyes, it took him down a familiar old path. 

It's true what they say.

"Those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

And he couldn't bear that. 

So he continued to study his expression, mind in tune to creating a positive future; because really, isn't that what everyone requires?

He would take responsibility and carry this scar with him for the rest of his life. After all, it was all he had left.

[2]

In less than five minutes, Jongin was outside in the humid and bright weather. With just a towel thrown over his bare shoulder, he moved through the field, swatting at the overgrown grass. 

Upon entering the barn, the two siblings glanced his way, as if they were immune to seeing a shirtless human being hanging around on their private property.

Flopping his lean figure onto a large pile of haystack, Jongin lazily called out. "Soyeon, I'm ready." Exhaling sharply, he rubbed the back of his nape, trying to self-massage the soreness away.

"I'll be there in a second!" Soyeon exclaimed.

Fervently, she turned back to her older brother, a cutesy expression enveloping her youthful face - one that naturally appeared when she desperately didn't want the word no to escape from the other's lips.

"If you don't mind, can you finish feeding-"

Sehun who happened to be immersed in brushing a stallion's mane stopped at his little sister's request. Exaggerating a sigh, he took the bucket full of freshly picked apples out of her hold. Soyeon frowned a little in response, wondering if he knew what she meant, despite cutting her off so quickly. 

"Yes," Sehun assured, confirming that he had indeed read her mind. "I'll finish feeding the rest of the horses."

Turning his head enough to catch a small glimpse of Jongin, a moment's worth of softness coated his dark brown eyes. "Let me know if he's doing any better." He said, mind helplessly drifting away. 

Soyeon reluctantly nodded in response. Taking the palm-sized ceramic bowl of organic mixed oils prepared earlier, she hurried to Jongin's side.

"Let's take a look." Soyeon hummed, lifting the cotton material that happened to be obstructing her view. A split silence passed as Jongin felt his back muscles being poked and prodded. "Your scars and marks are fading away... this ointment seems to be working well on your skin." And then she seemed to have noticed something a little strange, "Wait, what's this?"

"Aah!" Jongin tried extra hard not to wince, but the stinging sensation came so suddenly he found his shoulder jerking away.

Soyeon jumped back, startled by his reaction. Her eyes blinked rapidly, unsure if she should completely stop aiding Jongin or take a closer look. Maybe she shouldn't have carelessly pressed so hard around that area in the first place, considering Sehun was listening to their conversation like a hawk. 

"Oh for goodness' sake!" Came an annoyed voice from the other end, the kind everyone in the room feared.

Clamping his mouth shut to suppress his discomfort, Jongin's jaw clenched knowing well he had caught Sehun's full attention. Especially, now that he could hear a pair of boots marching in his direction, Jogin knew that an uneasy interrogation was around the corner. 

"What's the fuss all about?" Sehun demanded to know. With neither of them answering, he budged Soyeon out of the way, edging close enough to investigate what was being made a big deal out of.

"It's nothing." Jongin forced a tittering laugh. 
Attempting to cover his shoulder with his free hand, he felt a force slapping his limb away, a familiar touch which he never managed to escape the wrath of.

"Don't you dare try me," Sehun warned, showing him a tight fist. Jongin rolled his eyes, ultimately giving up at this point because their last physical fight didn't end so well.

"What the , Jongin." And to Sehun's dismay, there was a surface wound engraved in his skin, shades of purple and yellow blotches surrounding the deep and deadly cut. "How and when did this happen?!"

"Well, funny story-" 

Sehun didn't think twice before cutting him off. His ears weren't in the mood to listen to his friend's pathetic excuses that never made any sense, even if he sounded believing.

"Our main goal is to get rid of these nasty scars and marks scattered across the entirety of your body and here you're," Irritated, Sehun abruptly elbowed Jongin's shoulder blade, causing the injured one to scowl. "Do you think this is a game? To see how many you can add to your collection? Dickhead, I'm asking you a ing question. Why aren't you answering?" 

That's because Sehun wasn't giving any chances for him to answer.

"It's not a big deal, okay?" Jongin suddenly burst, a defensive tone striking his voice. "A few days ago, I went for a little wander around the woods with Romeo when I caught myself onto a sharp branch that pierced through my shirt-"

Sehun scoffed rather notoriously. "You expect me to believe that?" 

"And that too my absolute favourite shirt."

"Oh!" Soyeon's face lit like a candle. "That's the story behind the torn up shirt you wanted me to stitch back up! That makes a lot more sense." 

"Well," Sehun folded his arms, muttering the next sentence. "I call bull." 

Frustrated, Jongin's head turned around to judge the people hiding behind him. Giving Sehun the dirtiest look possible he confidently gave a fair warning. "Bastard, interrupt me one more time. I dare you."

Soyeon undoubtedly noticed the tension rising in the atmosphere between her blood and non-blood related brother. With Jongin and Sehun holding a staring contest, she had no choice but to interfere, knowing well there was potential for a fistfight. 

"Seriously, both of you get a grip!" Soyeon pushed Sehun to the side, eyeing him as if this was his fault. "Sometimes you're a little too much, don't you think?" 

And Sehun looked at her with wide eyes, unable to give a response.

Turning to Jongin, Soyeon sweetly encouraged him to sit straight. "C'mon let's apply some healing balm." 

Soyeon's attempt to distract the boys failed miserably when Jongin ignored her request. Standing up from his seat, he faced Sehun. 

"What are you trying to suggest? That I got into a ruffle or something?" 

"Yes!" Sehun responded in an instant, causing the colour of Jongin's face to drain. "If that was the case, then why didn't you get your wound treated straight away? Why try and hide it?"

" you, Sehun."

"Oof I'll pass on that one."

"It looks like an infection..." Soyeon chimed in, her nerves growing the more she thought about the cut. The whole reason why they were having this conversation in the first place. "Shouldn't we at least get the wound shown to a doctor?" 

Sehun conscious managed to remind himself that his suppressed anger was only with Jongin, not his baby sister. "Soyeon, you know we can't do that." He said, trying his best to remain calm. 

"But Sehun," Soyeon whined, tugging at his arm. "In high school, I learnt that some infections could turn unpleasant if not treated properly or by a professional. If the bacteria continues to grow, it could cause a severe infection where symptoms like nausea, chills or fever can occur."

"I said no, Soyeon!" Sehun shouted instantaneously, blowing up like a ticking time bomb. 

His sudden outburst stumped Soyeon to the core. With her face colouring red and tears threatening to leave the surface of her eyes, somewhere Sehun realised he had perhaps gone too far.

"What did I say about raising your voice at her?" Jongin reminded, not expecting an answer nor explanation.

Concerned, he approached Soyeon, throwing a comforting arm over her small shoulder. If Sehun was the brother with temper sitting at the bridge of his nose, Jongin was the complete opposite, a shield. 

He passed Sehun a pair of eyes in the shape of daggers, visibly unimpressed by his lack of patience and empathy. "At least don't do it in front of me, ."

"She should know, Jongin!" Hearing this was enough for Soyeon to look down at her own two feet in shame. "She isn't a seven-year-old child that I have to keep telling her again and again and again." 

Just as Jongin opened his mouth with a plan to bicker till no ends meet, his opponent ignorantly his back. Exiting out of the barn in the blink of an eye, that was enough of an indication that he was done with this conversation—typical Oh Sehun. 

"Why does your brother have to be so complex sometimes..." Jongin wondered out loud, and Soyeon as per usual was unable to answer that specific question. Feeling defeated, he squeezed the bridge of his nose.

A single tear rolled down Soyeon's cheek. She opened to let in a small breath, bouncing sadness through the atmosphere. It was during times like this she missed her father's gentleness and mother's softness. Yet, the saddest part about all these feelings rising to the surface remained with the fact that she missed her playful and childish brother that seemed to have gone missing three years ago.

"My precious Soyeon," Jongin whispered, taking her hands in his. "I love and appreciate that you're concerned about my health and wellbeing, but we've had this conversation previously, it isn't safe for me to see a doctor." Ruffling her hair, he smiled brighter than the sun that day. "Let's try and treat this wound at home, okay? You've done it once before, haven't you? You're a pro at this!"

With her nose that had grown very red at the tip, Soyeon sniffled. "Okay." She agreed.

"Don't stress. He'll be over it by tomorrow." 

A small part of Jongin couldn't help but feel guilty. If his assumption was correct, it was because of his injury Sehun was behaving extremely vexed. After all, this wasn't the first and wouldn't be the