บท 277: War of the Leagues (7)

Ilhoon was observing his niece who was still unconscious. Jiwoon stood next to him, worried upon seeing his impassive expression. He was always hard to read because Ilhoon had the tendency to internalize his feelings. Whether he was angry or sad, it was nearly impossible to tell.

"Are you okay?" she asked. 

"No," he admitted. "I'm not. I don't know what to do with her."

Jiwoon winced. She knew that he shared a very complicated relationship with his family. Ilhoon was her childhood friend and they grew up together. The neighborhood they lived in was poor and rundown. Ilhoon's mother was a small-time beautician who barely scraped by and Ilhoon grew up in relative poverty. His father was not around when he was growing up but one day, his dad appeared. Ilhoon was fourteen then and he refused to leave but his mother had contracted cancer. She forced him to go with his father and not to return.