She was struck with panic and anxiety when she saw me crying. She set the soup bowl down on the bed and asked me with innocent concern:
**"What's wrong, Ji-hoon? Why are you crying?"**
**"Did you have a nightmare while you were asleep?"**
I suppressed my emotions and wiped my tears with the back of my hand, then took a small step back and said:
**"It was just a scary dream... Don't worry about it."**
She looked at me strangely when she noticed me putting distance between us, but she ignored it and encouraged me:
**"Don't be afraid, little brother. Dreams aren't real!"**
Then she pointed to the warm bowl of soup:
**"Come, let's eat before it gets cold."**
I forced a smile as I replied:
**"Yeah..."**
But my heart was pounding violently. How could I explain to her that this wasn't just a nightmare? That my memories of my past life were as real as the pulse beneath my skin? Ji-min watched me as I ate, her wide eyes hiding a thousand unspoken questions.
Suddenly, we heard the door slam violently downstairs.
**"Where are you two?!"**—My father's rough voice thundered against the walls like a storm.
I froze in place, while Ji-min gripped my hand tightly and whispered urgently:
**"Don't tell him you were crying... And don't say anything about the dreams!"**
Her eyes shimmered with fear, but she tried to appear brave for me. In that moment, I remembered her words from my past life:
**"I'll always protect you."**
But the question echoing in my mind was:
**Could I protect her this time, too?**
I told her, *"Stay here. I'll see what he wants and come back quickly."*
She replied fearfully, *"I'll go with you. He'll hit you if you go alone."*
I shook my head, trying to project a confidence I didn't feel:
*"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Just stay here."*
I quietly slipped down the wooden stairs, each step making my heartbeat faster, until I stood before the door where my father was waiting—his back hunched, his bloodshot eyes reeking of alcohol. He glared at me with a look that mixed rage and contempt, then snarled in a hoarse voice:
**"Where were you hiding, you cowardly rat?!"**
I tried to steady my trembling voice as I answered:
**"I was in the room... I didn't hear you knocking."**
But my words only fueled his anger. He staggered toward me, his face twisted with hatred, so close I could feel his breath.
**"You dare lie to me too?!"** he roared, grabbing my arm with a crushing grip as if he wanted to shatter bone.
From upstairs, I heard Ji-min shout:
**"Dad, stop! He didn't do anything!"**
But her screaming only made things worse. My father struck me hard across the face, sending me crashing to the floor as warm blood trickled from my lip.
**"You two are the cause of all my misery! If you weren't here, my life would be better!"**
I looked up at him, and in his eyes, I saw something beyond fleeting anger—I saw deep-rooted hatred. At that moment, I remembered every beating I had endured in my past life, all the pain I had swallowed. But this time, something inside me ignited. Slowly, I stood up and met his gaze directly for the first time:
**"Enough."**
A sudden silence filled the room. Even his breath halted for a second. Then he burst into mocking laughter:
**"What did you say?!"**
But I was no longer that frightened child.
**"I said: Enough. I won't let you hit us again."**
He shook his head, staring at me as if I were insane, then raised his hand once more... but this time, I caught his wrist mid-air.
**"I won't back down anymore."**
In his eyes, I saw something new: **fear**. Fear that the victim he had always known was gone. He yanked his arm back violently, staggering backward before unleashing a stream of curses and storming out of the room.
When I heard the door slam shut, I realized something had changed forever. Ji-min rushed down and clung to me, trembling:
**"Why did you do that?! He could've killed you!"**
But I held her small hand and replied calmly:
**"Because it's time we stopped running."**
Deep down, I knew this wasn't the end of the battle... but the true beginning of a long-awaited reckoning.
My sister wiped the blood from my mouth with a piece of cloth, then tossed it aside. She helped me back to the room and made me lie down on the bed. She touched my swollen cheek as tears streamed down her small face, her voice shaking:
**"We need to see a doctor... We can't leave the wound like this."**
I shook my head slowly, trying to hide the pain burning through me.
**"Don't worry, it'll be fine."**
But she insisted with rare stubbornness:
**"You were brave today... but that doesn't mean you have to endure everything alone!"**
I felt the heat of tears gathering in my eyes—not from physical pain, but from the pure, unwavering love of a child. I squeezed her small hand gently:
**"I promise... I'll be more careful."**
But we both knew the storm wasn't over yet.
Exhausted from everything that had happened, I dozed off—or so I thought—but when I opened my eyes, I found myself in an unfamiliar place, like a white room with a black sphere floating motionless at its center.
I tried to get up, but my body wouldn't move, as if an invisible force held me in place.
**"Where am I?!"**—My voice came out muffled in the white void.
Suddenly, the black sphere began to tremble, then split open like a giant eye, emitting a strange purple light that pooled into a dark, terrifying lake—as if absorbing all light around it. Then, a **hand** emerged from the lake, followed by another, then a head, torso, and legs, until a **"person"**—if it could be called that—stood before me: completely naked, with a slender, hairless body and a smooth, featureless face resembling a flesh mask—no eyes, no mouth.