{ Our Sister }

“Kris don’t be a brat and come pick her up. Right. Now.”

His father sent him a cold, deadly glare that Kris swore he could taste blood in the air. He stopped midway to the stairs and spun around his heels to look at his father. If there’s anything he doesn’t want to do now, that is to upset his father that will surely trigger for them to argue. Not that he’s afraid of him but he just got tired of all the fights and the s and troubles he had to go through.

Since his mother’s death two years ago, everything changed between the two of them. Although he’s a home-grown mama’s boy, the lad also loved his father so much given the good provider and a great man that he is. Kris even looked up to him, like any son would do to their father. He and Chanyeol, his younger brother, were raised in a household filled with love. Their mother Lina, who is from a Chinese descent, is a lovely woman who abandoned her love for singing in China and retired in Korea with his Korean husband to take care of her family. To him, his family is perfect.

Until that fateful day when Kris returned home from school hoping to find her mother to take her to a surprise dinner because it was her birthday. Chanyeol already went ahead to the restaurant to prepare their reservation. The brothers planned it to be just a ma and boys dinner. Kris went to his parent’s room only to find water all over the floor. He followed to where the water is originating and it led him to the bathroom. It was not the scenario Kris had in mind. Heck, he would never think something like that happening in their household. At least until he saw her mother’s body floating headfirst in her bathtub. He learned later on that she committed suicide by overdosing herself with sleeping pills and probably submerged herself into the water before the pills took toll on her.

Kris went through a lot of pain. But being the older brother that he is, he tried to be strong for Chanyeol because his father was obviously out of it. He has never seen his father in such emotionally dishevelled state yet he still appears calm on the outside. He knows something is off about his father—and not just because of the fact that his wife took her own life. There’s just something unsettling about his father and his calm façade even after her mother’s burial.

Until one night, his father spilled everything about his mother’s death over 4 bottles of soju. Kris thought that maybe it was his father’s conscience beating the out of him from the inside that made him spill it all up. Kris was just glad that Chanyeol was already sleeping in his room when the volcano erupted because he’s sure that if Chanyeol was present that night, he’d be visiting a deranged brother in an institution by now. Specially that Chanyeol’s naïve and very sensitive, he might not able to handle the blow.

He learned that his father, Park Insung, had an affair when he and Chanyeol’s still four and two years old respectively. It was between him and his secretary when the two of them have to spend a month in L.A. for his business’s U.S. expansion. He had it well hidden from his wife and kids back in Korea until two years ago. He received a call from the U.S. and learned that his secretary from a long time ago, whom he also shared a past flare with, is dying. Her last request is for him to take responsibility of their lovechild. It happened a long time ago so he thought he could already tell his wife about it. When he told his wife, she seemed calm and collected about it. She even asked him who his mistress had been—but the answer proved deadly for her which pushed Lina’s emotional stability to the brim and caused her her life.

After his mother’s death, he thought nothing could already be as twisted as his life. But his father’s confession proved him wrong. There’s just more lies and betrayals that came hunting him. From then on, he became to be a cold, stern person. Strikingly opposite to the loveable boy he was once. He learned to protect himself by not trusting anyone anymore—except for Chanyeol. His own father has betrayed him which led for him to build up a strong wall around him.

“The plane already landed an hour ago, Kris. You sure know that if I’m not bedridden, I would never trouble you for this.” His father asked him again, this time with a softened gaze.

Insung had been pinned on the bed for almost a week now. His health has been disintegrating for the past two years.

“I’d just change my clothes then I’ll fetch her.” His voice is cold. Cold enough for his father to feel it and flinch from the emotionless kid Kris has become. Kris climbed up to his room to change only to be blocked by a tall guy on his way.

“Who’s her, hyung. Who are you fetching? Are you fetching that wretched woman? Is she going to live with us now? Huh ing unbelievable.” Chanyeol’s hand is clenched on his sides. His voice is filled with anger and disgust at the same time. Kris felt sorry for letting his brother know about everything. He doesn’t have to be hurt like him but he can’t be blind from his family’s secret for life.

“No, Yeol. Relax.” He patted the younger one’s shoulder and walked past behind him to his own room. Chanyeol followed him nonetheless and leaned on his brother’s door.

“Then who are you fetching then?” Chanyeol is clearly clueless.

“Our sister.”