UPBRINGING

TRIGGER WARNING: Explicit/Disturbing content.

***

"DUSK, how old are you again?"

"Thirteen," Dusk, who was helping his father in the kitchen prepare snacks for his mother, said cheerfully. He was washing the apples that his father would slice into tiny pieces after. "I just turned thirteen last month, Dad. Have you forgotten?"

"It's not like that, son," his father said while peeling off the apple in his hands. "I just wanted to confirm it."

"Confirmed what?"

"You brought a girl at home, didn't you?" his father asked awkwardly. "I saw some used condoms in the trash bin when I cleaned your room this morning."

His cheeks flushed. "Ah. Are you mad?"

"No," his father said while chuckling. "It's a little too early for you to be sexually active, though. Son, I don't want to be a grandfather yet, so please use protection all the time."

"I'm always being careful, Dad," he assured his father. "But it's a relief that you're not scolding me for having sex at my age."

"You're a teenager, you can be as reckless as much as you want," his father said casually. "Just make sure you won't come home crying to me. I'll just kick your ass."

"I don't know if I should be happy or worried, Dad."

"Well, if you want fatherly advice, then let me ask you one thing: if you're going to fall crazy in love with a girl, then that girl better be a member of a big shot mafia family."

"Mafia?" he asked curiously. "Is there even a mafia in our country, Dad?"

"There's no authentic mafia in our country. It would be more appropriate to call them syndicates," his father explained. "But in the underworld in this country, people who belong to organized crime groups are called 'mafia.' For a small-time loan shark like me, they serve as an inspiration. I want my money-lending business to be big enough to be noticed by the mafia someday."

"But why do you want to be recognized by the mafia, Dad?"

He didn't understand his father's obsession with the mafia.

His father just chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Dusk, when I'm gone, I want you to continue our family business. Make it grow bigger until it piques the attention of a mafia family enough for them to absorb the company. If that happens, find a person you can marry to enter their family, okay?"

"Okay, Dad," he said, even though he didn't really get it. "Are the girls in the mafia pretty? Have you seen a mafia lady?"

His father grinned. "Promise you won't tell your Mommy?"

He nodded and raised his hand as if he was taking an oath. "Promise."

"Before I met your mommy, I had an affair with a woman from a mafia family," his father said cheerfully while playing with the knife in his hand. "Well, it wasn't really a mafia per se. But it was an infamous crime syndicate. Do you know what's the best part is? She was the boss."

"A girl can be a boss?"

"Of course," his father said proudly. "This woman I'm talking about… she was beautiful, smart, and very cruel." His father squatted down to meet his eye level. "Dusk, fall in love with a girl like that, okay? I won't accept a daughter-in-law who isn't beautiful, smart, and cruel. You can't have fun with an obedient girl."

He laughed softly at his father's strange advice. "But Mom doesn't mean your strict requirements, Dad. She's beautiful and smart, but she's not cruel."

"Oh, it's only because I have already tamed your mother," his father said proudly. "Son, the best women to conquer are the strong and stubborn type. If you're going to fall madly in love with someone, then fall for the crazy type."

"Won't I get hurt if I fall in love with that kind of girl, Dad?"

"You won't understand this yet because you're still young. But son, there's pleasure in pain– and that kind of pain is addicting."

He tilted his head at one side. "I don't understand, Dad."

"Someday you will," his father said, then he stood up straight. "Let's bring these snacks to your mother. She must be starving."

He nodded, then he picked up the paper plate with sliced apples on it.

His father, on the other hand, brought two liters of bottled water.

Then, they went to the basement. It was dark but he knew the way by heart. It didn't take a while before they reached his mother's room.

"Mom, we brought snacks for you. You like apples, right?" he asked his mother cheerfully, then he placed the paper plate on the floor.

His mother, whose ankle was chained to the wall, was sleeping on the floor peacefully. Her hands were also tied behind her back, and her mouth was gagged.

He was relieved to see that his mother didn't try to escape this time.

They almost lost his mother when she tried to run away the other day.

"Dad, Mom is sleeping," he said worriedly. "Should I wake her?"

"I'll do it," his father said, then he turned to him with a smile. "Go to your room, son. I'll take care of your mom."

"Okay, Dad," he said, then he smiled and nodded. "Have fun."

Their family was complete again, so he headed back to his room with a happy heart.

[Mom is a lucky woman. Dad locks her up because he loves her so much. The girls in my class often say that they like possessive men– just like the male characters they read in some online novels. They always fuss over rich, possessive, and obsessive men. My father is exactly like that, so mom must be living the dream.]

When he got to his room, he went straight to his computer and watched the sex tape he recorded with his girlfriend.

[Aia…]

He liked Aia because she was pretty and had a nice body. Plus, she was really good in bed. He was lucky that it was Aia who took his virginity.

Aia was seven years older than him, but he didn't mind because sex with her was always good. But because of what his father said earlier, he was starting to change his mind about his girlfriend.

[The girl is hot, but when not in bed, she's boring as hell.]

He plopped to his bed after getting bored with watching his own sex tape.

While lying down, he stared at the wall of his room that was under renovation.

[Dad told me this renovation is for me.]

Now his wall had a small secret door that would lead to a secret room. The room had enough space to hide a 5'5 petite girl. Girls with that kind of frame were his type, after all.

He was preparing that secret room for the girl of his dreams.

[According to Dad, a man should be possessive and obsessive to capture a woman– literally and figuratively.]

"A mafia girl who's beautiful, smart, and cruel…" Dusk whispered to himself. "Will I ever meet a girl like that?"

***

SOL was probably the only thirteen-year-old girl in the world to be locked up by her own brother inside a big indoor aquarium.

She sat on the sand while hugging her knees tight. She was surrounded by different decoration rocks, from the expensive ohko dragon stone rocks to the turtle ramp rocks made of resin. There were also driftwood, artificial plants, and coral ornaments.

If it wasn't for the fiberglass, it would have been easy for her to imagine that she was just in a playground.

[Ah. I have to mention that the water inside this goddamn aquarium is now at ankle level. And it's so f*cking cold in here.]

She would probably drown if she didn't move from her spot.

That was how big and deep the aquarium was.

"Sol, don't make me angrier," Yue, who was sitting on the sofa in front of the aquarium, warned her. His elbow was on the armrest, and his temple was pressed against his knuckles. "You don't know how to swim. Which is pathetic, by the way."

[My whole life has been pathetic thanks to having a psycho brother like you.]

"But you know what?" her brother said while giving her an amused look. "You look prettier, just like a doll carefully placed in a glass cabinet." He tilted his head to one side while looking at her with calculating eyes. "A glass cabinet might be better than an aquarium, though."

[Oh, god. Now he wants to lock me up in a glass cabinet. If he gets angrier than this, he might really do it.]

She let out a deep sigh, then she stood up.

Her standing up indicated her giving up and giving in to what her psycho brother wanted from her.

Yue knew it well.

Thus, the stupid smile on his face.

Her brother called some of his men to help her get out of the aquarium.

After that, she found herself being carried by Yue. She had her arms around his neck, and her legs were wrapped around his waist.

And to secure her, he had his arms crossed under her booty.

[Argh, I hate this position.]

"Have you learned your lesson, Sol?" Yue asked while they were on the way to his bedroom. "I want to hear your reflection."

"I won't ask our parents to give me my own bedroom anymore," Sol said monotonously. She was just saying what Yue wanted to hear to keep herself from trouble. "I'll stay in the same room as you until you say so."

"Very good," he said, satisfied. "This is for your own good, Sol. We still have stupid relatives who hire assassins to get rid of us. I'll only be at ease if we sleep in the same bed."

She rolled her eyes. [Excuses.]

"Until you're strong and skilled enough to protect yourself, you'll stay in the same bedroom as me," her brother said firmly. "And the next time you try to get away from me, it won't be the aquarium. I'll lock you up in the dog cage. Is that clear?"

She didn't want to admit this, but her brother's gentle tone while threatening her was scarier than when he was yelling. But come to think of it, Yue rarely raised his voice at her. He was always stupidly calm and collected.

"Kuya," she said, calling her brother affectionately. "If I'm going to get married someday, I'll definitely choose a normal guy and run away from our crazy family."

"A normal guy can never take you away from me," Yue said nonchalantly. He would often use a flat tone on her whenever he thought she was being stupid. "Sol, if you want to be free, you should find a guy crazier than I am, then ask him to kill me. That's the only way you can ever run away from me, you know?"

"Why don't you just say that you have no intention of letting me go?" Sol complained. "Kuya, I don't think I'll ever meet a guy who's more psychotic than you are." She let out a frustrated sigh, then she put her chin on his shoulder. "But if there's really a guy out there who can beat the crap out of you, I'll force him to marry me."

***

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