Bruises Don't Lie

Jinwoo who had been standing behind their mother, was looking pale. His usual teasing attitude was nowhere to be found. 

"Big bro?"

Their father, Sanghoon was the next to step into view, his sharp gaze analyzing every bruise, every painful detail of Daewon's state. His expression darkened, but his voice remained dangerously controlled.

"Inside... Now."

Seojun didn't need to be told twice. He carried Daewon through the door, his steps were careful but quick. Daewon barely recognized the warmth of his own home as Seojun gently lowered him onto the living room couch. The second his body made contact with the cushions, a sharp pain tore through his ribs, stealing his breath and make him gasp.

Seojun stepped back, his hands gripping his jeans tightly, almost as if he was trying to hold himself steady. His eyes shifted toward Daewon, then to his parents, uncertain of what to say next.

Sanghoon closed the door behind them with a quiet click. The silence in the room was suffocating.

"Someone better start explaining." he said, his voice was as cold as ice.

Seojun cleared his throat, his usual confidence was now gone. "I found him in an alley. He was... barely able to move."

Haejin gasped, dropping to her knees beside Daewon. Her trembling hands brushed the dried blood that was clung to his cheek. The soft touch made his throat tighten.

"Who did this to you dear?" she asked, her voice trembled, filled with a silent desperation. "Who in the world would do such a cruel thing..."

Daewon swallowed hard. His throat was dry, his lips were cracked. Speaking felt like too much effort, but he didn't want to worry them any more.

"It doesn't matter, mom..."

Jinwoo's hands curled into fists at his sides, his nails digging into his palms. His face expression changed, it wasn't just anger, but something deeper. Something that had been building up for a long time. His voice came out quieter than usual, but it was filled with something more emotional.

"Again... You're keeping everything to yourself again. Why are you doing this, to avoid worrying us? Well guess what, you're actually worrying me more by doing this."

Those sentences hit harder than Daewon expected.

Sanghoon then exhaled through his nose, his arms crossing over his chest. His expression was unreadable, but there was a weight behind his silence.

Haejin's fingers trembled against Daewon's cheek. "Daewon, my dear... how many times has this happened?"

Daewon hesitated, the silence was speaking for him.

Sanghoon ran a hand down his face. "I knew it," he mumbled, his voice was serious but also worried. "I knew something wasn't right."

Jinwoo let out a sharp breath, his fists started shaking. "You always come home covered in dirt," he said, his voice almost unsteady. "Always brushing it off like it's nothing. 'Training,' 'just tired,' 'rough day.' I should've realized it wasn't just that..."

Haejin's eyes glowed with tears. "I noticed too... the bruises, the scratches. I told myself it was from training. That it was normal for you to push yourself that hard." She swallowed, her voice slowly cracking. "But deep down, I knew that wasn't all of it, didn't I? I didn't know the reason why you were training so hard..."

Sanghoon let out a slow breath, his face still unreadable. "How long has this been going on son?"

Daewon tried to open his mouth and talk, but in the end, no words came out.

Jinwoo clicked his tongue, turning away. "Damn it... damn it all." he mumbled under his breath.

Seojun ran a hand through his hair. "From what I got out of him, Joon and his friend group jumped him. Daewon obviously fought back to defend himself, but..." He looked at Daewon for a brief moment. "They made sure he wouldn't walk away easily."

Haejin squeezed her eyes shut for a second before looking at Daewon again, this time, her voice was softer but firm. "Why didn't you tell us, Daewon?"

"Because it wouldn't have changed anything." His voice was barely close to a whisper.

Jinwoo let out a bitter scoff. "Bullshit. You should've told me, big bro. I would've done something!"

Daewon let out a dry, tired chuckle. "And gotten yourself hurt too?"

Jinwoo's fists clenched tighter. "I don't care about getting hurt! You think I'd just stand by and do nothing?!"

Daewon then turned his head away, unable to make eye contact with his younger brother. Maybe Jinwoo was right, maybe he had to tell them.

Haejin sniffed, quickly wiping her tears. "You're my son, Daewon. You are supposed to come to us when something like this happens, not just... handle it by yourself."

Daewon bit the inside of his cheek. He didn't know how to respond to that.

Sanghoon exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We'll talk about this later." His voice was tense, controlled, but there was also frustration in his voice. That frustration settled a heavy feeling in Daewon's stomach. "Right now, you need to rest."

Haejin nodded quickly, as if she was willing to focus on anything other than her own emotions. "I'll go get the first aid kit."

She rushed toward the bathroom, her footsteps were hurried and unbalanced.

Jinwoo still stood frozen in place by the couch, his jaw clenched. He didn't say anything, but Daewon could feel his anger.

Seojun let out a breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "Daewon has always acted like this, on his own. I knew I should've stuck with him today." He said, looking down.

Haejin reappeared with the first aid kit, kneeling beside Daewon as she opened it. "Seojun."

She looked at him, her expression unreadable for a moment before it softened. "Thank you."

Seojun hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. No problem."

Daewon sat still as his mother carefully rubbed the wounds with a warm cloth. He barely felt the sting, his mind was too full.

Jinwoo finally let out a breath, shaking his head. "I can't believe you've been dealing with this alone."

"I'm fine, Jinwoo." Daewon muttered.

Jinwoo scoffed. "You're not fine, idiot. You're anything but that."

Daewon didn't respond.

Haejin then finished cleaning his wounds, her movements were gentle. "You should get some sleep dear."

Daewon hesitated, then nodded. He knew there was no winning against his family right now.

He slowly stood up, ignoring the way his body was in complete pain. Jinwoo stretched his hands forward for a second. As if he was ready to catch him, but Daewon gave him a tired look.

"I can walk." Daewon mumbled.

Jinwoo rolled his eyes. "Barely."

Daewon didn't argue back.

He made his way to his room, the exhaustion finally setting into his bones. As he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the weight of everything finally sank in.

They knew, and now they know everything.

They had always noticed his bruises, his exhaustion, his constant excuses. They just never knew how bad it was.

And now they did.

His stomach twisted. It wasn't relief he felt. It wasn't comfort.

It was shame...

His fists clenched at his sides as his chest tightened with something unexplainable. He wasn't alone. So why did he feel worse?