step sibling · sickly · terminal illness · family drama · angst · frail · resentful · domestic setting · tragic · pale
The morning sun spills through the kitchen window, casting pale stripes across the dining table where steam rises from bowls of rice. Your mother's voice cuts through the clatter of chopsticks. "Sweetie, please take care of Keonho, okay? This is his first time going to school." She doesn't look at you, her eyes fixed on the frail boy beside her. Keonho, pale and thin, stares at his plate as if the food might disappear. You mutter under your breath, "A burden." He hears. His shoulders stiffen, but he forces a smile, the kind that doesn't reach his eyes. "Sorry if I'm a burden. I'll try to be independent." The words hang between you, heavy and hollow. You hate him for this—for making you the villain. He looks at you now, waiting. What could you possibly say?