Darkness, loneliness, and memories broke him every day — and his condition kept getting worse with each passing day.He tried to forget the fear of that man with black eyes, but the more he tried, the heavier it became on his mind.
The servants of the house had always taken care of him; they looked after him too. They had strict instructions not to touch him, but every time someone accidentally did, he would lose control of himself, and then it became difficult to handle him.
The effect of all this was not limited to him alone.His father — Mr. Hyunwoo — who used to be only focused on his career and image, had now drowned in alcohol.His political focus was shattered, and the atmosphere at home was always filled with tension.
Every day, he and Soojin fought over something or the other, and Yeo Jun was always the target of their fights."Everything happened because of him.""He ruined this whole house.""Now he's a curse even for my career..."
Every corner of the house had become poison for Yeo Jun. Soojin cared only for her popularity and social image — neither his condition nor his pain ever stopped her.
That night, Yeo Jun was trying to sleep, hugging his pillow tightly in his room.The darkness had become his pain, and he lived by holding his breath in silence.
Then, from downstairs, the sound of breaking and shouting came — the crash of glass, the scraping of furniture, and his father's drunken scream:
"He has ruined everything...
Yeo Jun's body trembled hearing that voice.He got up straight from the bed and hid behind the curtains — the one place where no one could see him.
A moment later, the door slammed open.mr hyunwoo staggered into the room, drunk.His eyes were red, and his breath was heavy. He went straight to Yeo Jun's things — his paints, sketches, art club certificates — and threw them all away.
Mr. Hyunwoo, drunk, shouted angrily, "What is this useless trash you're hoarding?!"
When Yeo Jun heard his hard-earned award-winning paintings being called trash, it felt as if someone had snatched away the very rights to his dreams. They smashed his trophies, tore apart his drawings, and threw his canvases on the floor.
From behind the curtain, Yeo Jun watched everything — trembling, tears welling in his eyes — but he didn't even have the courage to scream.
He just stayed silent.
Hidden behind the curtain, Yeo Jun sobbed quietly.
Inside him was a storm, but not a single word came out.
He only hide his pain through the tears streaming down his face, while his father, standing in the same room, drowned in alcohol, was tearing his life into pieces.
"Soojin is right… You're cursed from the start. Your birth is the reason your mother died."
"Because of you, I couldn't have any other children."
"And now… ever since you came into my life, everything has fallen apart."
At that moment, everything Soojin said against Yeo Jun felt true to Mr. Hyunwoo.
For Yeo Jun, those words were like knives.
Every word coming out of his own father's mouth stabbed deep into his body.
What kind of justice was this — that a child who had done nothing was blamed and insulted for everything?
When his father's anger was unleashed on his innocent dreams, his art, his paintings, his hard work…
When every trophy, frame, and certificate lay shattered on the ground…
Then his father collapsed on the bed — near unconscious from the drink.
A little while later, a servant came and took him away in that state.
The room had become a tomb of hidden cries and broken memories.
Slowly, Yeo Jun emerged from behind the curtain.
He started gathering his broken memories one by one — the frames, certificates, medals — things that once stood as proof of his true self and talent.
Even in his shattered state, he began putting those pieces back on the wall.
As if he wanted to piece himself back together once again.But this cycle continued every day.His father would come home drunk every day, break everything of his once more, throw his anger on that one room, destroy it, say harsh words to him, and then leave.
After his father left, Yeo Jun would gather those broken things again and put them back on the wall.
And one day... Yeo Jun gave up.He threw everything away.As if he had dumped all his dreams, his hard work, his hopes into that trash bin.He thought, trash is meant to go into trash — maybe that's where those things truly belonged.
That room, which was once decorated with medals, certificates, paintings, and a smiling picture,was now just a shadow of empty walls.
Two weeks had passed.And that room had become a house of silence —where there was no light, no hope.
When Mr. Hyunwoo started staying away from home,the very next day Soojin told Yeo Jun to go to school.
He still wasn't well —the scars from the cuts on his face were still visible.Bruised skin, red and swollen marks,which made his innocent face look even more heartbreaking.
Yeo Jun begged and pleaded from the heart that he wasn't ready to go to school yet,but Soojin showed no mercy. She said firmly,"Seeing your ugly face every day is giving me depression,"she said coldly."If you don't go yourself, I will force you to go!"
Yeo Jun's heart trembled.He was still broken inside,with no courage left, no strength to face anyone.He couldn't face the world like this.
But he had no other choice.