Ye-eun’s face contorted as if she was about to cry, leaving the Seocho Police Station. It was her brother, Seo In-tae, who had been involved in such a dire situation.
How could In-tae, of all people, end up homeless and in a confrontation with a vagrant on the street? How could this have happened?
As Ye-eun finished descending the stairs, she looked back, causing In-tae, who was following her, to halt abruptly.
“Brother, you…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence. In-tae hadn’t always been trouble. Up until three years ago, he had been responsible and managed his affairs well.
Why had he ended up like this? Knowing the reasons all too well, Ye-eun had to suppress the words she wanted to say.
After a deep sigh, Ye-eun handed In-tae some tofu.
“Forget it. Just eat this.”
In-tae, noticing her gaze, hesitantly accepted the tofu.
“Ye-eun, I just…”
“Don’t say anything. If I get angrier here, I might end up throwing this tofu at your face.”
Ye-eun’s stern words made In-tae shrink back, paining her. Yet, she also felt a sense of pity for him.
“Hurry up and eat. Let’s go quickly. We should see mom.”
In-tae sniffled and opened the plastic bag to take a bite of tofu.
It was early October, and the night air was bitterly cold, adding to the melancholy.
Having finished the tofu, In-tae got into a taxi Ye-eun had previously hailed.
“To Yeonhee University Hospital.”
As the taxi began its journey, In-tae exuded a smell typical of homelessness.
‘It seems he really has been living on the streets.’
Ye-eun noticed In-tae’s fists clenched on his knees, covered in wounds. It was unclear if these were from rough experiences or actual fights.
Her eyes teary, Ye-eun turned away to look out of the window, but her hand quietly covered her brother’s fist, which he firmly held onto.
Her heart ached.
“Why did we end up like this?”
Although she posed the question, no answer was needed. They both understood too well.
“I’m sorry.”
Instead of answering, In-tae apologized, clutching Ye-eun’s hand even tighter. He knew his aimlessness was a heavy blow to Ye-eun.
Ye-eun, too, was aware that her feelings of guilt caused In-tae to wander more.
Yet, In-tae’s wandering was a heavy burden for Ye-eun.
It had been four years.
It all started when their father died, leaving debts behind. At that time, there was talk of In-tae getting married, but when it became known that their father had left a large debt and led a double life, the marriage fell through.
Already in a difficult personal situation and now burdened with being the eldest son, In-tae struggled to cope. He couldn’t sleep well and hardly ate.
Eventually, he made a big mistake at work, leading to his resignation.
Fortunately, In-tae managed to reemploy under lesser conditions and seemed to have regained his composure. But it was not so.
His drinking increased, and he slept even less. Meanwhile, their mother fell ill, and their circumstances worsened. The debts grew, and In-tae floundered in a feeling of powerlessness.
To make matters worse, he discovered that the CEO of his new company was his ex-girlfriend’s father-in-law.
And about six months ago, In-tae assaulted the CEO’s son. The exact reasons were unclear, but this led to his dismissal from the company. After that, he ran away from home, got entangled with loan sharks, and now even got into disputes with homeless people.
Leaving the Seocho Police Station, Ye-eun’s face was on the verge of tears. It was her brother, Seo In-tae, involved in such a plight.
How could In-tae, of all people, end up in a scuffle with a vagrant while being homeless?
Having descended the stairs, Ye-eun turned back, causing In-tae, who was following her, to stop abruptly.
“Brother, you…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence. In-tae wasn’t always a troublemaker. Until three years ago, he had been taking good care of himself.
Why had he ended up like this? Ye-eun knew the reasons too well and had to swallow the words she wanted to say.
After a deep sigh, Ye-eun handed In-tae some tofu.
“Enough. Just eat this.”
In-tae hesitantly accepted the tofu, looking at her.
“Ye-eun, I just…”
“Don’t say anything. If I get any angrier, I might throw this tofu at your face.”
Seeing In-tae’s shoulders slump at her words pained her, yet she also felt pity for him.
“Eat quickly. Let’s go. Go see Mom.”
Sniffling, In-tae bit into the tofu.
It was early October, and the night air was cruelly cold, adding to the sadness.
Having finished the tofu, In-tae boarded a taxi Ye-eun had called earlier.
“To Yeonhee University Hospital.”
As the taxi started, a smell typical of homelessness emanated from In-tae.
‘It seems he really was living on the streets.’
Looking at him, Ye-eun saw his clenched fists, full of wounds, whether from rough experiences or actual fights.
Her nose tingled with tears, so she turned to look out the window, but her hand gently covered her brother’s fist, which he tightly gripped.
Her heart ached.
“Why did we end up like this?”
Though she asked, no answer was needed. They both understood too well.
“I’m sorry.”
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
