Chapter 1

When I opened the door, the Lieberts were gathered around the dining table, which had a three-tiered cake on top of it.

And the words 'Congratulations on your admission' were written on the cake.

Naturally, it was bought for Yohan.

Even if he didn't reach the minimum score for undergraduate admissions, my parents, Anna and Joshua, would always celebrate the completion of any exam for him.

He was tearing up, hanging his head, with Joshua smiling understandingly as he patted his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Anna was handing him tissues, assuring him, "It's alright even if you got low scores, Yohan—you just couldn't perform well this time. I'll get you that watch you like, okay?"

Joshua nodded, his tone mild. "That's right. We'll be there for you for the rest of your life even if you don't make it to college."

I stood in the shadows, watching their blissful moment, when my starving stomach growled loudly.

Hearing that, Joshua turned.

All affection faded from his face as he frowned, though he hid his disdain. "Are you a cat, moving without a sound? You'll give Yohan a heart attack!"

Anna finally glanced at me as well, asking in an utterly flat tone, "Results are out today, no? How did you do?"

There was silence, and I could see Yohan looking up at me nervously.

Still, I lowered my gaze, keeping my hands in my pockets as I squeezed my perfect report.

"I didn't do well," I replied calmly. "Barely qualified for community college standards."

I clearly saw Anna and Joshua sigh in relief then, with Joshua turning to grin at Yohan. "See? Your dear brother is now a dimwit after wandering out there for ten years, and he didn't score highly in even a single section.

"You didn't do well either, but you're still in a much better position than him. There's no reason to feel inferior when you're a qualified jockey and pianist."

Yohan stopped crying and grinned too, quickly slicing into his cake. "Thanks! I knew you guys were the best!"

I gulped when the sweet buttery smell filled the living room, but Joshua called out to me before I could head to my room.

He pointed at the cold leftovers sitting at the edge of the table. "You can't eat sweet food with your weak stomach. Heat those up for dinner—don't waste any of it."

Leftovers again.

And when things didn't go well for Yohan, they would have countless righteous excuses on standby.

As he ate his cake, he tugged on Anna's arm while pouting. "I looked through some colleges. There are a few that look good to me, and we'll be graduating abroad… But the tuition fees are expensive, costing over six figures…"

"So what?" Anna shrugged, patting Yohan's head. "I'll spend a million as long as it pleases you!"

Joshua looked on and suddenly came up to me as if he finally remembered me.

His hand was huge and warm, but it didn't warm the coldness of my fingers.

And he certainly didn't care.

"Look, Cal—you've been back with us for six months, and we've spent a lot to help you recover. But Yohan has a congenital heart defect and can't afford to repeat a year, while that's not the case for you. I mean, you were out there wandering for ten years, and you've been through everything."

With that, he made the call as if it was only natural. "It'll amount to nothing even if you go to college, so don't bother.

"Tomorrow, your mom will ask someone to get you a job at an electronics factory, so do your best and don't hesitate to work overtime. You'll quickly make enough to foot Yohan's tuition fees."