Yeongjae's POV
"Yuri, dear… tell us why you're crying?"
Grandma's voice was soft, warm, the kind that always made things feel safer than they actually were. Her hand moved gently over Yuri's back, slow and steady, like she was trying to piece her back together with every touch.
But Yuri didn't pull away from me.
If anything, she held on tighter.
"I-I'm just… happy to see my brother," she managed between sobs, her face still buried against my chest.
Happy… That was the word she chose.
And maybe everyone else believed it. Everyone except me.
Grandpa chuckled lightly. "She really is her brother's little girl."
Aunt Agnes smiled. Grandma joined in. The room filled with soft laughter, the kind that tried to smooth over what didn't quite make sense.
But I felt it.
The way Yuri trembled.
The way her fingers curled into my shirt like she was afraid I'd disappear if she let go.
That wasn't just happiness.
That was fear.
