Chapter 4
Seo hee pov
The car hummed softly as Laurel drove, her hands steady on the wheel, her expression unreadable. I sat in the passenger seat right beside her, clutching my bags in my hand, wondering how someone could look so calm after everything that had happened today and also praying for my dear life.
"Do you always drive like you're on a mission?" I asked lightly, trying to break the silence.
She didn't answer immediately. Only a faint shrug. "Only when I need to."
I smiled, deciding to leave it at that.
Some things about her were better left unexplored.
We pulled into the driveway, and for the first time since I met her, I noticed how beautiful appeasing her home was. Not flashy, just… refined. Comfortable. Warm.
And yet, it somehow felt like Laurel herself, practical, strong, untouched.
As we stepped inside with the groceries, the sound of voices carried from the living room. Laurel's steps slowed.
Kang Dae. Nicholas. My brother.
All of them were there. And just like that, the house so big, warm suddenly felt smaller, louder, fuller.
"Hey," Kang Dae said, looking up from the couch where he had been sprawled comfortably.
A faint grin appeared on his face when he saw me. "So this is the famous Lee Seo-hee."
A feeling brushed over me, being in a house full of people older than me, including Laurel. She is two years older than me.
I blushed slightly, but Laurel just shot him a glance, sharp enough to make him straighten.
Nicholas got up, his usual teasing smile softening when he saw me.
"You made it here in one piece," he said.
"Good job surviving Laurel's driving."
I laughed, shaking my head. "Barely."
Then Lee Joon, my older brother, appeared from the kitchen, a small, amused smile on his face. "So Laurel can do groceries with other people. She must like you a lot," he teased lightly.
She didn't say anything.
She just set the bags down, moving efficiently, her movements calm but deliberate.
I followed her cues, unpacking items as she instructed.
It was only a few minutes of conversation, and then, just as suddenly as she had come down, Laurel excused herself.
"I'm tired. Going to sleep," she said firmly, brushing past us.
Kang Dae and Nicholas exchanged a glance.
Lee Joon looked concerned.
I felt my stomach tighten slightly, realizing how tense the atmosphere had become every time Laurel withdrew like this.
Lee Joon knocked lightly on her door a few minutes later. "Laurel? You okay?" he asked gently.
Her voice came faintly from inside. "I'm fine. Just resting."
He lingered for a moment, then spoke softly, to me about her:
"She's… a lot, huh?"
I nodded. "Yeah. But I noticed everyone cares about her.
She's… fierce, but she's worth it."
He chuckled softly. "You're not wrong. What happened?" I asked softly. "Sometimes her personality changes."
My brother replied softly with seriousness, "She died and came back and actually stays."
All we could do is appreciate the fact that she is strong again to live, he added, and he gently tapped my head while he walked away.
I smiled faintly, understanding what he meant. Laurel's strength could be overwhelming, but there was something comforting about the way she carried herself, like she was the anchor we didn't know we needed.
We all stayed in the living room a little longer, talking quietly, sharing small laughs.
I noticed Nicholas leaning back, watching Laurel's door carefully, as if waiting for her to return.
Kang Dae stretched, grinning, always the mood-lightener. And Lee Joon… he just observed, protective and steady.
Eventually, the quiet rhythm of the house settled in. I realized, maybe for the first time, how lucky I was to be here, seeing them all together, seeing the side of Laurel that only came out with those she trusted.
And even though she hadn't said much, I felt like I was beginning to understand her… a little.
Sunday morning arrived quietly, the soft light filtering through the curtains. I was already awake, and trying to be careful not to wake Laurel and others.
I walked as carefully as I could, trying to get to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, but only to see her there, standing with her hair rolled up for the first time.
She poured coffee into a cup, her movements smooth, practiced. For a brief moment, a small smile touched her lips as she glanced out the window.
I almost forgot she could smile like that, so fleeting, so brief, yet so genuine.
"I guessed spying on people while they are having their coffee is not a hobby that you are good at". She said
"Good morning, i wasn't spying, I was just shocked to see awake this early on a Sunday morning". I said
" That because i had plans to go to church this particular Sunday, but it fucking cold outside" she said.
" I didn't know you go to church" i said smiling.
But she ignore me, like she didn't know am trying to bring up a conversation.
the calm didn't last long.
Nicholas and Kang Dae came out of the room and sat in the living room, having already begun their usual banter.
I should have known it would escalate.
"Seriously, you always think you know everything," Nicholas's voice cut sharply across the room.
"And you think you're any better?"
Kang Dae shot back immediately, his voice rising.
"At least I try to handle things instead of overthinking every damn detail!"
"She is a bitch who stayed for your money and until she found an opportunity from you to elevate herself, you need to stay away from those poor bitches like her and stop thinking you are the one at fault for not always been available for her".kang dae said
"You don't know her, why talk about her in such manner" Nicholas fired back at him.
You are a man blinded by love, open yourself and see the truth for yourself, the only reason you are getting angry right now is because you know am right, by you aren't accepting the truth ". Kang dae said.
I winced.
Laurel froze for a second. Just a second. Then her eyes narrowed as she stepped between them.
"Stop it. Both of you," she said firmly, her voice low but commanding.
"You're acting like children."
That should have ended it.
But It never did.
"You don't understand!" Kang Dae snapped.
"Not everyone can be like you laurel, you know how to buckle up when people who you love leaves your life so that it won't kill you, but this guy doesn't and it might ruin him especially with him overthinking that it was his fault."
Then all of sudden his face dropped like he said something that was like an abomination around here.
My chest tightened, seeing faces that usually play and smile tensed like they did something bad.
"Don't you dare" Nicholas's voice cracked, stepping forward,
"Don't you dare talk to Laurel like that."
Silence fell.
Laurel didn't move immediately. She just stood there… staring straight into Kang Dae's eyes.
Something in her expression shifted.
Not anger.
Something worse.
"Laurel…" Nicholas called softly.
But she turned away.
"I'm going to order pizza" she said calmly. "That'll be breakfast for everyone."
And just like that
She walked away.
The room fell completely silent.
The weight of it… pressed down on all of us.
"She… she looks hurt," I whispered to myself before moving quickly after her.
I found her on the balcony.
Standing there.
Staring into nothing.
The air felt colder around her.
She leaned against the wall,
breathing slowly, too slowly. Like she was forcing herself to stay steady.
"Laurel…" I called softly, stepping closer.
"Are you okay?"
She turned to look at me.
And for the first time, i saw it.
The pain.
Hidden. Controlled. But there.
I reached out, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.
"You look hurt… what Kang Dae said, he didn't mean it. Are you okay?"
She cut me off almost immediately.
"Why shouldn't I be okay, Seo-hee?"
Her voice was calm. Too calm.
She looked away, already taking out her phone.
"A little advice for you," she added, scrolling like nothing happened,
"No matter what people say to you or about you … it shouldn't matter."
But it did.
I could see it.
Even if she refused to admit it.
Behind us, Lee Joon's voice exploded from the living room.
"What the fuck is going on, Nicholas?"
"And Kang Dae, you too! Do you have any idea what you just said?"
Nicholas ran a hand through his hair, frustration turning into guilt.
"I didn't mean it like that"
Kang Dae groaned, dragging his hands over his face.
"We messed up… badly."
When Laurel walked back into the living room, it was like nothing had happened.
No anger.
No pain.
She sat down calmly on the couch like she always did.
Like she always would.
"Let's not make it a big deal," she said before anyone could speak.
"We talk about each other's families and past all the time."
Lee Joon looked at her, clearly not convinced.
But she didn't give him the chance to argue.
And somehow…
Everything went quiet again.
And for the first time that morning
I realized something.
Laurel didn't avoid conflict.
She controlled it.
Even when it hurt her the most.
And just like that… everything moved on.
Too easily.
Too quietly.
They started talking again, softer this time.
Careful.
Like stepping around broken glass. Kang Dae avoided Laurel's eyes.
Nicholas tried to act normal, but his voice wasn't as steady as before.
Even my brother stayed unusually quiet.
But Laurel…
She was the calmest of all.
Sitting there like nothing had happened.
Like nothing had touched her.
Like nothing ever could.
I watched her from across the room, something heavy settling in my chest.
Because now I understood something I hadn't before.
It wasn't that Laurel didn't feel things.
It was that…
She refused to let anyone see it.
And somehow
That felt lonelier than anything else.