Chapter 8

MIDNIGHT

Aaron couldn't sleep at all; something was constantly bothering him. Perhaps he had been too harsh on the kid earlier. With hesitation, he approached Ederic's room and finally turned the doorknob, causing the door to click open. There he found the boy curled up, whimpering even in his sleep. The room was cold, and Ederic was shivering.

"Hey, wake up," Aaron gently touched him, but the younger boy almost lost balance in his sleep. Without thinking, Aaron pulled Ederic into his embrace to prevent him from falling.

"What the hell am I doing?" Aaron asked himself as he lifted the younger one in his arms, carrying him like a bride, and walked out of the room. The whole floor was eerily silent, illuminated only by dim lights trying to brighten the mansion.

He brought Ederic to his own room. Opening the door was a struggle with someone in his arms, but he managed it. Aaron switched on the light, annoyed by the difficulty while holding someone close to him. His thoughts were momentarily clouded by the thought that at least the boy had a unique taste in decorating his room with paintings.

Putting Ederic down on the bed, he covered him with a warm blanket. Before leaving, Aaron glanced around the room once more and dimmed the light. He shut the door and walked back to his own room.

NEXT MORNING

Aaron was already at the entrance, getting ready for his classes. Ederic hadn't come for breakfast, and his mother was preoccupied with outside work and failed to notice.

Mrs Alit, busy in the kitchen since morning, also didn't notice Ederic's absence.

"Wait, Aaron," Mrs Alit called out to her son.

"What do you want, Eomma?" Aaron was somewhat irritated.

"Where is Ederic? He didn't come for breakfast yesterday night, nor did he come for dinner," Mrs Alit asked, worried.

"Why are you asking me? Go and ask him. I'm late for my classes. Don't bother me for him." Aaron clicked his tongue showing his rage.

"He is your little brother, Aaron." Mrs Alit tried to knock some sense on Aaron's brain.

"I don't have any little brother, and I don't want one. I feel sick whenever you mention him as my little brother." Aaron's disrespectful words prompted a hard slap on his cheeks, which he had expected for speaking so rudely.

"You've become more and more mannerless, Aaron. When did you become like this? I thought you were sensible and would understand everything," Mrs Alit's words were broken pieces to her, unsure why her son had changed so suddenly. She was worried about the strain in their relationship.

"Sensible? Your husband already broke me, Eomma. There was nothing for me to understand. Don't ever bring up anything related to him in front of me. Yeah, I'm clumsy, but it's not like I don't get angry too." Aaron grabbed his bag and headed towards the garage. Mrs Alit couldn't understand the sudden change in her son's behaviour.

"Where are you going, Aaron? The car is waiting for you," Mrs Alit shouted, but Aaron paid her no attention. Worried about his behaviour, she had no idea someone was listening from behind the wall—none other than Ederic's mom, who was deeply affected by Aaron's words.

She detested them even more now. Feeling guilty for bringing Ederic here, she wished he could be happy in the village with his friends. Her grip loosened on the clothes she was holding, and they fell to the floor.

"Aaron Alit... answer me!" Mrs. Alit shouted as Aaron pulled his bicycle out of the garage.

"Just give your young master a ride. I don't need one." He pedaled his cycle and left the mansion, his cheeks already purple from the slap. He didn't blame his mom for that, but he was somewhat irritated by Ederic's presence. When Ederic's mom went to check on her son, he was already deeply asleep, dreaming of his Hyung lifting him in bridal style and bringing him to his room. Little did he know that it was a real memory, not just a dream.

"Ed, wake up, honey. It's already 8:30 AM," Ederic's mom woke him gently.

"Mom, a little more sleep," he nuzzled his blanket before suddenly waking up and looking around. He was in his room; he couldn't understand how he had ended up here. He had been in the storeroom last night; how was he now in his own room?

"Baby, are you okay?" Ederic's mom asked sweetly.

"Yeah, Eomma. Don't worry. I'm fine, but... Eomma, I don't want to go to school today." Ederic pouted visibly.

"What happened?" Ederic's mom frowned upon her son's answer.

"Nothing, Eomma. I'm not feeling well," he replied, a little hesitantly.

"My whole body is aching like hell, and my eyes... I can't open them properly because of last night." He dozed off, lost in his thoughts, but his mother quickly checked his temperature, and thanks to his words, they discovered he had a fever.

"Baby, you have a fever. Why didn't you tell me before?" Ederic was shocked; he hadn't meant to have a fever, but he didn't feel like going to school, so he mentioned it offhandedly.

"I'm sorry, Eomma. I didn't want to bother you," he forced a smile.

"I'm so weak, Eomma. I'm sorry." Deep down, his thoughts were hurting him. His mother hugged him tightly, her tears falling silently, unseen by her son.

"I'm fine, Eomma. I'll be okay if I take the medicine. Sorry for making you worry, Eomma."

"No... baby... you didn't... I'm just too weak to protect you," she let her feelings out.

"Eomma." Ederic whined not liking the fact that His mom looked down on herself. After all it wasnt her fault to be weak. The fate was cruel to some people. Ederic's mom was one of them.

"Okay... I'll make you something to eat. Take some rest." She changed the topic and got up from the bed, wiping her tears. She didn't want to show her weakness to her son.