HRDH 07

Chapter 07

“…?”

I stared at Seo Jinhyung in disgust as he threw out that trashy line.

What the hell is he saying all of a sudden? Is he crazy?

I carefully searched my mind for the most hurtful insult I could think of—something powerful enough to make him lock himself in the bathroom, turn on the faucet, and sob alone.

No, wait.

Something flashed through my head, cutting through the storm of vicious words. It was the same sensation I felt whenever I came up with a genius idea.

Does Seo Jinhyung have affection deprivation?

Last time, I had defined his hug as “a sociopath’s version of showing affection.”

For some reason, I had assumed it was a kind of intimacy he only showed to me.

Specifically, right here on this very sofa…

And today again. It sounded like a joke on the surface, but maybe it was an unconscious signal. Maybe he just wanted someone to hold him.

He lost his parents when he was young and never received proper affection. His adoptive parents were busy and even divorced… So is that why he’s trying to fill that void in such a weird way?

There were probably many reasons he became a sociopathic killer, but lack of parental affection might have played a big part.

My brain spun quickly.

And the answer that came out was simple.

“Okay. Then hug me.”

Seo Jinhyung looked at me quietly.

Clap, clap. I laughed boldly, clapped twice, and spread my arms.

“Here.”

But he only stared at me without moving.

…Is this not it?

It was starting to get embarrassing.

“What? You wanna die? You said you’d hug me.”

“…Seyeon.”

“What?”

“Do you really think of me as your actual older brother?”

His smile was dry. His voice was cold.

My expression stiffened, and I slowly lowered my arms. Seo Jinhyung slightly lowered his head and let out a faint, hollow laugh.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll hug you.”

He stood up and grabbed my wrist, pulling me to my feet.

“Hey—!”

His grip was a bit rough. Ignoring my protest, he turned me around so my back faced him and hugged me from behind.

His arms wrapped tightly around my waist and shoulders. Our bodies were pressed together so closely it was almost embarrassing.

“Not… this close…”

“How is it? Do you like being a baby kangaroo?”

What kind of crazy kangaroo hugs its baby like this?

I bit the inside of my cheek, trying not to think about the heat rising to the back of my neck.

“I-it’s fine.”

Of course, that was a lie.

He wasn’t my real brother. Not even a stepbrother. We were just two unrelated people living in the same house. There was no way this was “fine.”

Across both my past and current lives, I had very little immunity to men. I felt like I was dying.

But this is part of therapy…

He must be feeling some sense of stability right now. Even though something about this felt a little strange.

“But, Seyeon.”

“Hic—!”

He lifted the arm that was around my shoulder and brushed my hair to one side.

His cold fingertips grazed the back of my heated neck. Goosebumps ran down my spine, and my body flinched on its own.

“Don’t suggest playing kangaroo with just anyone.”

“D-do you think I’m crazy? Like I’d do this with anyone?”

“Right? It’s fine because we’re close…”

His words had sharp edges.

“It’s too dangerous.”

I slowly nodded. Only then did he release my waist. I awkwardly sat back down on the sofa.

“Still, it was nice. Kangaroo play. Let’s do it again next time.”

“!”

I snapped my head up.

“You liked it?”

“Yeah.”

Inside, I cheered.

The atmosphere had been a little strange, but my attempt to treat his affection deprivation had clearly worked.

It even had a name now. Kangaroo Play! A therapy method that didn’t look like therapy.

I remembered a parenting show I once watched. They said to call therapy “play” so the child wouldn’t feel like they were being treated.

I nodded enthusiastically.

“Yeah! Let’s do it again. If you want to, just tell me. Kangaroo play.”

He looked at me quietly for a moment, then nodded.

“I’ll go upstairs first. I think my head’s cooled down enough.”

“O-okay.”

After he went back to his room, an insurance commercial played on the TV, replacing the animal show.

After zoning out for a bit, I snapped back to my senses and decided to record today’s results in Seo Jinhyung’s psychological treatment notes.

Maybe… this could actually work?

I seriously began to wonder if I should pursue a future career in psychological therapy. I might have talent.

Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.

“…Ha.”

Hearing the alarm sound from my nightmares in real life was pure hell. Resisting the urge to flop down and cry, I used superhuman strength to drag myself out of bed.

The new semester started today.

Seo Jinhyung’s psychological treatment hadn’t made much progress.

Sad movies, animal programs, spicy food, comedy shows… the results were minimal.

The only thing that had any consistent effect was Kangaroo Play.

For the record, we even did it the day before yesterday. It definitely helped build intimacy between us, but it didn’t seem to reduce his sociopathic tendencies.

Still, having someone precious might help him. It’s not a bad approach…

The real problem was me. Every time we did Kangaroo Play, my energy drained like crazy.

After hugging him once, I felt completely exhausted.

Maybe it was because I was so tense. It might be time for me to build some resistance to men.

I’ll get a boyfriend in high school.

I had long since forgotten my bold declaration that I would turn Seo Jinhyung into a normal person before school started.

At this point, I even began to think that if he discovered a corpse, he might spare me out of goodwill.

What if I’m the only one who’s grown attached to him?

That would be legendary.

After washing up quickly, I squeezed into my uncomfortable school uniform: white shirt, red tie, black blazer, and skirt. A typical set.

Actually, besides reforming Seo Jinhyung, there was one other way to save my life.

Get close to the overpowered protagonist.

The protagonist, a hidden S-class White Killer, transfers to our school around May for certain reasons—the same school as Seo Jinhyung.

He’s ridiculously strong. If things go wrong, he could protect me. If I completely fail at reforming Seo Jinhyung… I’ll side with the protagonist and actively report him as the culprit.

But that carried risks. Without solid evidence, accusing someone could make me look suspicious instead.

Still, later in the story, the protagonist almost pins Seo Jinhyung as a killer-hunter and starts suspecting him heavily. If I play it right, I could become his helper. My survival rate would go up.

If I earned his trust, the Association could guarantee my safety.

The problem was timing.

In the original story, Mom and I were killed right when the protagonist began suspecting Seo Jinhyung. We were basically the trigger for his suspicion.

That was why I couldn’t just rely on him.

So I have to continue Seo Jinhyung’s therapy regardless. And when I meet the protagonist, I’ll think about it again.

Priority number one: solve everything as peacefully as possible.

And I shouldn’t rely on others too much… it hurts my pride.

When I went downstairs, Mom—now fully the elegant rich lady—was sipping coffee gracefully.

“Kim Seyeon! Are you really not eating breakfast?”

“No. I’ll be late if I do.”

“Okay. Jinhyung is waiting outside, so hurry.”

Then why even ask?

Ignoring the question in my head, I shoved on my sneakers.

Outside, a black sedan was waiting. When I got in, Seo Jinhyung was already seated.

“Hi.”

“Did you sleep well?”

“No.”

I had only slept three hours after flipping my day and night schedule. When I yawned, he smiled silently.

“Why’d you get in the car first? You could’ve waited at the door and left together.”

“If you were late, I was going to leave without you.”

“……”

For a second, I almost cursed. It didn’t sound like a joke at all.

“You… that’s not something a person should say. I play with you every day.”

By “play,” I meant Kangaroo Play. He leaned back casually and looked at me.

“So you were playing with me? I didn’t know.”

“If you know now, treat me better.”

“Then play with me now.”

This crazy—

I glanced at the driver. Thankfully, he was focused on driving and didn’t seem to notice anything.

In the awkward silence, we soon arrived at school.

Through the window, I saw Jung Sumin standing alone, waiting for me. Students walking by couldn’t help but glance at her.

She really did stand out.

“Thank you,” I said quickly to the driver and stepped out, waving.

“Hey! Jung Su—ugh!”

Maybe I was walking too fast. My foot caught on a crooked paving block.

Ah, damn. Jung Sumin is going to tease me about this forever…

I shut my eyes tightly as I fell forward.

“…?”

The pain I expected never came. Instead, I felt an arm around my waist.

“Be careful.”

It was Seo Jinhyung.

“Ah, thank—”

I never thought I’d genuinely feel grateful to him in my life.

I guess you really do have to live long enough to see everything.

He straightened my wrinkled shirt and tie, then whispered near my ear.

“Have a good day.”

“Y-yeah…”

Because of Kangaroo Play, the touch wasn’t new—but doing it outside, in public, felt strangely embarrassing.

I awkwardly pulled away and hurried toward Jung Sumin.

“H-hey, Jung Sumin, hi…”

She looked down at me silently.

Rude enough to ignore my greeting completely.