Morning came without a sound.
The house was quiet. Rio was watching TV, the sound from it the only thing accompanying him as he leaned back in his chair. Today was his day off, but Rani seemed in a hurry from the moment she woke up.
The way she arranged her bag, her footsteps, even her breathing — everything felt like someone rushing. And that made Rio a little worried.
"Where are you going?"
Rio asked without taking his eyes off the screen. He tried to sound relaxed, but his eyes caught the small change in his sister's expression.
"I'm going out with my friend.."
Rani answered, then opened the door. But her face was flat, not even a hint of the excitement that usually appeared when she mentioned the word friend.
There was something restrained in her eyes, and whatever it was made her sentence feel light in her mouth but heavy in the air. Then Rani left the house.
As soon as the door closed, silence filled the space again. Rio sat for a few seconds, but his mind couldn't stay still. The suspicion from yesterday rose again, slowly creeping like the sound of wood scraping. He took a breath, then stood up. There was a limit to how long an older brother could stay quiet.
He showered and wore neat clothes, a blue shirt and black pants.
Then he fixed his hair, which usually fell softly downward. This time he lifted it slightly, making his face look more mature and firm. He didn't know why, but that appearance made him feel more ready to face something.
When he stepped out of the house, he turned on his phone and called Kris. Kris's voice sounded like he had just woken up, heavy and lazy.
"What is it? It's a day off."
"Nothing much. I just want to make sure…" Then he ended the call, and Rio paused for a moment, weighing his words.
He walked toward the small park in the middle of the intersection.
The place was simple, old benches surrounding a circle of grass, as if waiting for someone to share secrets. Rio sat, watching people pass by without truly seeing them. He tried to read the direction of his sister's steps without any clues, relying only on instinct.
A few minutes passed, then he called Kris again. Kris answered with a more annoyed voice, but still picked up.
"Rio… you really called twice?"
"Sorry," Rio said softly. "Kris… can you track someone's phone?"
"Of course. That's easy."
The answer was short, but enough to let Rio breathe a little easier. He looked at the quiet park, and for some reason, the world began to feel like it was moving toward a direction he didn't know.
"Alright. I need your help."
Rio sent Rani's number to Kris. His voice sounded calm, but his fingers gripped the phone too tightly.
"This is my sister's number. Can you track it?"
Kris nodded from his room, the sound of fast typing heard. "When it's done, I'll send a map link. You just follow the dot." The call ended, but the anxiety stayed attached to Rio's chest.
He leaned back on the park bench while waiting. People passed, some greeted politely, and Rio replied briefly. In his mind, Rani's face rose and fell like ripples that refused to calm.
"I hope she's okay," he muttered, more like a prayer than hope.
An old man in a brown uniform, maybe a park cleaner, came and sat beside him. His movements were slow, his eyes gentle.
"Lots on your mind, young man?" he asked, his voice soft like the evening wind.
Rio gave a small smile and looked at the rising sun. "A little… What should I do if the only family I have gets into trouble?"
The old man smiled.
"You can start by going to her," the old man said without hesitation.
"Sometimes the reason we keep enduring is someone we are thinking about."
Rio held back a small laugh.
Damn… he guessed right.
A simple guess, but accurate like an arrow that already knew its target.
"But my sister is strong," Rio tried to convince himself, though his voice trembled. "All this time she worries about me, but I rarely ask about her life at school. Sometimes I feel… I'm a bad brother."
The old man smiled, eyes closed as if feeling his own words. "You're not bad. The fact that you are sitting here proves you care about her."
Rio nodded, accepting the sentence like someone taking bitter but necessary medicine.
"And remember, even if she looks strong in front of you… it doesn't mean she's strong out there."
Rio let out a long breath.
"And no matter how weak she is," the old man continued, "she still has you."
The words were simple, but heavy and calming like a blanket on a rainy night. Rio was about to respond, but a notification sound cut the conversation. Kris had sent Rani's location.
"Finally," he muttered.
Rio stood and stretched, his spirit returning like a newly lit flame. "
Thank you, sir. I gained enlightenment today." The old man smiled and nodded slowly. "Go. A good brother always arrives on time."
Rio didn't reply. He just jogged away, following the dot on the screen.
Rio ran with quick steps, his breathing steady but his mind not. The red dot on his phone showed he was getting closer. The trail ended in a narrow alley leading to a gloomy karaoke building with purple lights that seemed to hide the smell of trouble.
"So this is the place."
Inside, the lobby was filled with drunk people, glasses, hoarse laughter, and unfriendly stares.
"What business do you have here?" the bartender asked coldly.
"I have an appointment with my friend."
Rio threw a relaxed smile and a simple excuse. He was allowed to pass.
The tracker stopped in front of one room. Rani's shoes were there. Rio took a breath and reached for the handle, but his phone rang.
Kris sounded panicked, his voice forced out. "I hacked a camera near Rani's phone… she's being bullied."
Rio didn't wait for the next sentence.
His expression changed the moment he heard his sister was being bullied.
"Rio!?" Kris was still calling him, but Rio didn't respond at all, his thoughts in chaos.
"A good brother always arrives on time." That was the only thing in Rio's mind as he opened the door without hesitation.
The room was filled with thin smoke and the smell of alcohol. Three big men sat on separate sofas, while several female students hid behind them. Rani, her cheek bruised, was being pulled by the hair by one of the thugs.
"Who's this kid?!" said the thug in the middle, clearly the strongest.
Rio didn't answer who he was.
His gaze locked directly onto his sister's condition. Rio truly drowned in a sea of emotion that drowned his thoughts.
When one thug attacked him from the right, Rio reflexively ducked quickly without even looking and responded with a hard jab to the chest.
The opponent's body flew, crashing into a table as bottles fell. The thug passed out.
But Rio's emotions began pressing his own body.
That punch sent someone flying like that? the middle thug thought. And that look in his eyes?? Then he looked at Rani. "Ahh, so that's how it is." A cruel smile appeared on his face.
Rio's emotions overflowed, his killing intent spreading in the room. Even Rani was afraid, unable to imagine that was her brother who usually seemed weak and friendly, now looking terrifying.
Another thug used the moment and punched Rio's face hard until he fell into the corner of the room, still getting hit in the face.
What is this?.. why is my body not responding??
Rio felt his entire body trembling uncontrollably. He wanted to stand, wanted to tear apart the hands hurting his sister, but his body refused orders.
Did King's Sense… disappear?
Rio realized that all this time he didn't feel fear and had strong mentality because of King's Sense, and it wasn't from himself.
King's Sense protected his mind and strengthened his mentality. And when King's Sense disappeared, Rio returned to being a coward.
Ahh this is my old feeling… this is the coward me. So… I don't want to move because I'm afraid, huh?
Rani saw her brother getting beaten and couldn't stay still, but she was held back by the leader.
"Big brother…!"
But Rio still couldn't respond.
Kris, monitoring from hacked cameras, could only grit his teeth. The situation in the room had become something far darker than just bullying.
"This is dangerous… hurry, Riko…"
BRAKKK!!
The sound of the door being smashed open.
Suddenly the room door was destroyed, forced open from outside. Riko entered, breathing heavily from running, and what he saw made his body stiff for a moment.
"Sorry I'm late, something blocked me earlier…"
Rio was covered in wounds, collapsed, his gaze like it had been pulled away from the light. Riko looked at the three thugs — a gaze that made the air stop for a second.
"What are you doing…," he said low, but sharp like the tip of a blade. His body lowered slightly, shoulders ready, tendons tense.
The thugs finally realized.
They had just attracted the attention of the wrong person.