Joffrey, I Will Protect You

"No, she didn't," he replied, but his mind drifted back to the moment he carried her back to the rented room. As he was about to place her on the bed, she suddenly, with drunken eyes, pushed him down onto it.

In that instant, he was caught off guard by his own carelessness. If she had meant him harm, she could've easily taken his life right then and there. He was always vigilant, never letting his guard down like this.

Before he could get up, her hands were already on his face, brushing aside his thick bangs and touching his eyes with her fingertips.

"Your eyes are so beautiful... I really like them... like..." she murmured.

"Like?" The word wasn't unfamiliar to him. Women often said they liked him, especially his eyes. His eyes were probably the only feature he inherited from his mother.

When he was younger, his father would often stare at his eyes and mutter, "Eyes like these look affectionate, but they're actually the most heartless. I wonder, Jeffrey, will you be affectionate or heartless?"

"Yeah, because... hic... they're so pure..." she said, hiccuping from the alcohol.

Pure? He scoffed. It was the first time anyone had ever described his eyes as pure.

"It's like... they've never been touched by any evil... so pure..." she slurred, her face almost touching his. "Jeffrey, don't be afraid... I'll... protect you..."

After saying that, she collapsed onto his chest and fell asleep.

Protect him? This woman couldn't even protect herself, yet she claimed she would protect him? How laughable.

"She didn't do anything, just fell asleep," Jeffrey said, looking at her.

Hearing this, she let out a sigh of relief.

His gaze fell on the swollen part of her cheek. "Does it hurt?"

She was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "Not really." It was the truth. After all, she had endured worse pain in prison.

"What happened yesterday? Why were you hurt and drunk?" he asked, staring at her intently.

"Nothing much, just ran into a drunk and had a bit of a scuffle," she said lightly, not wanting to burden him with the dark events of the previous night.

She always felt he was pure and clean, like an innocent child, even though he wandered the streets. If possible, she hoped he could stay that way.

"Really?" His eyelashes fluttered slightly, hiding the light in his eyes. "If only I had arrived earlier, then you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

In truth, he could have resolved the matter sooner. But to him, it was all just a game, adding some excitement to his otherwise dull life. He had even anticipated what might happen when she entered the private room.

But when he saw the actual outcome, he realized he wasn't happy at all.

"You came to pick me up at the club entrance, and that's already great. Otherwise, I might have had to sleep on the street all night," Rachel said, pulling his hand. "Jeffrey, thank you. It's really good to have you. And I'm fine, really. It's just a slap on the face. It's nothing to me."

Her smile was so light and breezy, but why did it feel so piercing to him?

-----

"What? Danielle tricked you into drinking with clients? That's so shameless! I'm going to find her!" Josephine exclaimed. She had come to visit her friend and was shocked to see the faint swelling on Rachel's face. After asking, she learned what had happened.

"What good would it do?" Rachel held her back. "I was too careless. I thought she just wanted to get some money out of me, but I didn't expect... Anyway, it's fine. I was drunk and confused when I left, but Jeffrey came to pick me up."

"Jeffrey?"

"He's the guy I'm living with now. I kind of see him as my little brother, and he calls me 'sis'," Rachel said, a smile naturally appearing on her face as she mentioned Jeffrey.

"Brother? How old is he?" Josephine asked.

"He's 27, just a few months younger than me."

Josephine nearly choked on her own spit, finding it hard to believe that her friend was living with a grown man.

"What were you thinking? What if he has bad intentions? Have you thought about the risks? You study law, don't you know how many cases there are of co-ed roommates getting into trouble? This is even riskier than that!"

"I understand your concern, but Josephine, having someone to live with makes me feel less lonely. And Jeffrey is a really good person."

"Lonely? You still have me!" Josephine exclaimed. "How about I move out and live with you?"

"No way! If you move out of your parents' house, they'll hate me even more," Rachel quickly replied.

When Rachel had her accident, she hadn't been drinking, but all the evidence pointed to her being drunk.

No one believed her, except Josephine.

During the three years Rachel was in prison, Josephine tirelessly worked on her case and even gave up her chance to study abroad. This made Josephine's parents resent Rachel, thinking she had ruined their daughter's future.

And they weren't entirely wrong. If it weren't for Rachel, Josephine would probably have a better life now, instead of just being a junior designer at an architecture firm.

"Besides, Jeffrey is like a little brother to me. You know I've always wanted a brother, and now I finally have one," Rachel said.

Josephine realized she couldn't change her friend's mind, so she compromised. "Alright, when can I meet him? I need to see him to feel at ease."

"Sure," Rachel agreed.

"Here, this is a copy of the case files from back then, along with some information I've gathered over the years," Josephine said, handing a stack of documents to Rachel. "Now that you're out, are you planning to appeal?"

"I don't know. The witnesses from back then have disappeared, and all the evidence pointed to me. These past three years, I haven't been able to overturn the case. In the future..."

"In the future, you might still have a chance to appeal. You're Rachel—the Rachel I know wouldn't give up so easily," Josephine said.

Rachel gave a bitter smile. Maybe three years ago, she would've fought hard to clear her name. But after three years in prison, her spirit and sharp edges had been worn down by the pain.

Rachel took the stack of documents back to her rented room and found it empty. Jeffrey wasn't there.

He must still be out handing out flyers. These days, he spent his time doing that.

Rachel cooked two ears of corn, made a simple stir-fry, and prepared a bowl of soup, waiting for Jeffrey to come back.