Dawn arrived quietly over Seoul.
The first pale light of morning stretched slowly across the distant mountains, sliding over the glass towers and silent streets that had not yet filled with traffic. The city always looked peaceful at this hour — calm in a way that never lasted once the day truly began.
Kang Daehyun drove through those quiet streets without noticing any of it.
His eyes burned from lack of sleep.
His head throbbed faintly from the alcohol he had consumed hours earlier.
But the ache inside his chest had nothing to do with the whiskey.
The conversation with the parents still echoed relentlessly in his mind.
What happens when Minjun grows older?
He had tried to find an answer.
All night.
Alone in that empty mansion.
But the harder he searched for a solution, the more impossible the problem seemed.
Because every path forward demanded the same thing.
Choosing.
Choosing between the two people who made his life worth living.
And that was something he still refused to do.
The House
The gates of the house opened as his car approached.
Everything looked quiet.
Normal.
For a brief moment, a fragile hope flickered inside him.
Maybe today would be calm.
Maybe Sooah had woken peacefully.
Maybe Minjun was already eating breakfast.
But the moment he stepped through the front door, he knew something was wrong.
The house was too silent.
Not peaceful.
Tense.
The kind of silence that settled after shouting had already happened.
Then he noticed the caretaker standing in the hallway.
Her expression was pale.
Relieved the moment she saw him.
"Mr. Kang."
Daehyun's chest tightened.
"What happened?"
"She woke up earlier than usual."
He didn't need more explanation.
His gaze moved automatically toward the hallway.
Toward Minjun's room.
The door was locked.
He exhaled slowly.
"You locked it?"
The caretaker nodded.
"Yes."
"Thank you."
Her voice dropped slightly.
"She's… not calm today."
Daehyun closed his eyes briefly.
Then nodded.
"I'll handle it."
The Episode
He stepped into the living room.
Sooah stood near the kitchen counter.
Her hair hung loosely around her face, slightly tangled as if she had been running her hands through it repeatedly.
Her breathing was uneven.
And her eyes —
Her eyes were not the ones he knew.
They were sharp.
Alert.
Filled with fear.
For a moment she stared at him.
Confusion flickered across her face.
Then the fear exploded instantly.
"You!"
Before he could speak, her hand reached for the nearest object.
A heavy ceramic container from the counter.
And she threw it.
Hard.
The impact struck his shoulder before he had time to react.
The weight of it forced him back a step.
Pain shot through his arm.
The container shattered across the floor.
But he barely felt it.
Because this time—
He didn't even try to explain.
No More Words
"Sooah."
His voice was quiet.
But different.
Not pleading.
Not trying to reason.
Just steady.
She backed away immediately.
"Don't come closer!"
"You kidnapped me!"
Her voice cracked with raw panic.
"Where am I?!"
Daehyun moved forward slowly.
"This is your home."
"No!"
She grabbed a chair.
Her hands shaking violently.
"You're lying!"
Normally he would keep his distance longer.
Normally he would try calming her first.
But today something inside him had already reached its limit.
Because the echoes of last night still lingered.
What happens when Minjun grows older?
And he could hear Minjun's muffled voice behind the locked bedroom door now.
Calling softly.
"Daddy…?"
That sound changed everything.
The Restraint
The moment Sooah lifted the chair to throw it—
Daehyun moved.
Fast.
His arms wrapped around her wrists before the chair left her hands.
The object clattered uselessly to the floor.
Sooah struggled instantly.
"Let go!"
Her nails scratched across his arms.
Her elbow struck his ribs.
But this time he didn't loosen his grip.
Didn't apologize.
Didn't try to soften the restraint.
He simply held her firmly.
Completely.
"Sooah."
She twisted violently.
"You're hurting me!"
"Stop moving."
The firmness in his voice surprised even himself.
She tried to bite him again.
Kick him.
Twist free.
But he was stronger now.
Years of punishing workouts had turned his body into something built exactly for moments like this.
So he tightened his hold.
Carefully.
But decisively.
Until her arms were pinned against her sides.
Her movement completely controlled.
The Sedative
Her breathing became frantic.
"You can't keep me here!"
"I don't know you!"
"I want to go home!"
Daehyun guided her slowly toward the couch.
Ignoring the way her nails dug into his skin.
Ignoring the fresh pain spreading through his shoulder from the earlier hit.
He reached for the small bottle sitting on the nearby table.
The medication.
The sedative.
Normally he coaxed her gently.
Explained things slowly.
But today—
He couldn't.
He held the pill near her lips.
"Sooah."
She shook her head violently.
"No!"
His hand tightened slightly.
"Drink it."
"I said no!"
She tried to spit it away.
But this time he didn't let her.
His fingers pressed firmly against her jaw until her mouth opened just enough.
The pill slipped inside.
He lifted the glass of water and held it to her lips.
"Swallow."
Her eyes filled with furious tears.
"You're crazy!"
But he didn't respond.
He simply held her there.
Immovable.
Until she finally swallowed.
Only then did he release the pressure on her jaw.
The Stillness
The sedative worked quickly.
It always did.
Within minutes her struggling weakened.
Her breathing slowed.
The panic drained slowly from her expression.
Confusion replaced it.
"…What happened?"
Daehyun didn't answer.
He simply guided her gently down onto the couch.
Her eyes fluttered weakly.
"…Daehyun?"
Her voice sounded softer now.
Fragile.
Then the medication pulled her under.
Her body relaxed completely.
And she fell asleep.
The Man Who Is Breaking
The room became silent.
Daehyun remained sitting beside her.
His arms still around her shoulders.
Holding her even though she no longer struggled.
For a long moment he didn't move.
His breathing heavy.
His chest rising and falling slowly.
Because the truth he had been fighting all night had just returned again.
This life.
This endless cycle.
Episodes.
Violence.
Sedatives.
Restraint.
It would continue.
Every day.
Every year.
Maybe for decades.
And now he had to think about Minjun too.
The boy behind the locked door.
The boy who had heard everything.
Daehyun's head lowered slowly.
His arms tightened around Sooah's sleeping body.
Not out of restraint anymore.
Just… holding her.
Because for the first time in two years—
Kang Daehyun felt something dangerously close to losing control.
He was tired.
Completely exhausted.
And he no longer knew how to keep saving everyone.
Not when the person he was trying to protect kept slipping further away from him every day.