*Hyung: Elder Brother

"Hyung, why are you so mean to her?"

The words had echoed in Baek Seung Jo's mind for days. He could see it in Eun Jo's eyes. The confusion and bafflement.

It was after he had told his wife that to register their marriage, she had to pass the nursing exam. Her large dark eyes had drooped down and her shoulders slumped. His heart had stopped. He regretted it instantly and was about to take back his words.

But then it happened.

It was at that point, something pushed to the surface of her eyes.

A burning fire—no, a brilliant light exploded within her. A light that he knew would never let out. It was a beacon of determination and hope that monopolized every inch of her. It churned inside of her, stretching, yawning, dancing. He was mesmerized. Her eyes flashed at him and his gut clenched at the sight. It was beautiful. She was beautiful.

He had ripped his eyes away from hers and focused instead on Eun Jo who had been standing behind her.

"Hyung, why are you so mean to her?"

Didn't Eun Jo know? How could he not? It was why he married her. It was why he was unable to restrain himself at their graduation party. It was why he went against his pragmatic conscience and vigilant behavior. And it was why he, Baek Seung Jo had fallen in love with her.

She never went half in. Never. When she fought, it was with all her effort. Quite honestly, he admired her. He hated it when people sneered and mocked her. How could they be so blind? Why was it that wasn't able to truly see her?

They said she was lucky. Lucky enough to marry him. Oh, how he wanted to sneer in their faces. It was he, who didn't deserve her. He saw her passion. His mother could too. He would never admit it, but he was grateful to his mother for insisting on her character when not many would. He used to be like the rest of the population. He thought she was a brainless idiot who had no worry for her future, so he paid her advances no mind and continued to belittle her.

He was dead wrong.

"Hyung, why are you so mean to her?"

The day was etched into his memory for eternity. She had been sulking for days pondering endlessly about her future. Every time he saw her, those sad soulful eyes turned away from him in embarrassment. Her brows were scrunched and mouth was pulled into a dreadful pout. He wanted to pull her face back to him and caress her face as he held her in her arms, but he kept his expression frozen and blank. He had to restrain himself. He didn't show it, but he saw her gaze at those around her, confident in their future and content with their choices.

Later, he blew up at her when she had suggested that she could just be a meager housewife, staying by his side for the rest of their lives.

He was livid. He thought that she was being foolish. Didn't she have a dream? A passion? He was so consumed with her absurd answer that he practically shoved her out the door with his cruel words. She was gone. And he didn't go after her.

Let her sort out her feelings, he thought at the time. She'll eventually realize her foolishness. He didn't realize at the time how much this would affect him too.

He missed her. He missed her so much. On the surface, he looked normal, unfazed, but inside, a thousand thunderbolts had pounded into his heart and twisted—painfully. He knew she was sad too, but that only made him feel worse. He didn't know he was wrong again. Well...half wrong.

It was a few days after that when she came up to him to declare her decision. It was that moment which made him realize how wrong he was. She told him she wanted to be a nurse. His nurse. His brows furrowed. Had she learned nothing?

But then, her chest puffed up and her eyes bore into his. He almost dropped the book he had been holding. If he was a pilot, she would be his flight attendant. If he was a chef, she would be his assistant. If he was a CEO, she would be his secretary. Any role he chose, she would support him and help him.

She said that all she wanted to do was be with him and that would make her happy.

His insides warmed as she told him that she spent days thinking about her decision. Her face looked at him for approval, but at the same time was so confident and sure of her path. Her light began to shine again. So fierce and determined. Seung Jo couldn't stop himself as he took her in his arms and held her against his chest tightly. Never change, he had murmured against her hair. Not even if the world depends on it.

He realized that day, that a dream didn't need to be a career. It was a passion. He remembered her words from their times in high school.

"When you find something you like, your heart races."

He smiled. He had found his and she had found hers. She wasn't foolish.

Naïve yes, but foolish. Never.

Oh Ha Ni. Her dream. How could he be so stupid? Her dream was to have a family. To be a wife. A sister. A daughter. And eventually... a mother. He should've known sooner.

"Hyung, why are you so mean to her?"

He wanted her to learn. To grow. They had gotten married so early with almost no time to prepare. At first, he was against it. Ha Ni wasn't confident about herself. She got jealous easily and was quick to put herself down. When something went wrong, she blamed herself. She was still a child.

He wanted her to grow to love herself and be confident in her own abilities too. She never saw what he saw and it bothered him. He tried to tell his mother to wait but she insisted, and Ha Ni had looked so happy.

He wanted it too. His face warmed at the thought of waking up every day to her cheery face and determined attitude. He was excited and wanted to marry her. But...would she be able to handle it? She wasn't that responsible. And for the millionth time since he met her, Seung Jo was wrong once again.

Concerning their marriage, she was definitely ready. She had displayed her perceptive and caring personality since the day they first met. But her child-like nature had the unfortunate power to fool everyone. Even him sometimes. Her childishness didn't mean she wasn't mature enough for a relationship. It was part of her personality. He couldn't change that. He wouldn't even if he could. He loved that part of her.

She was ready for marriage; he knew that for sure. She still had to grow as a person, but who said she had to do it without him. Marriage was better, he had decided.

Nobody ever stopped growing and learning. If she...if they had to learn and grow, she could do it with him right by her side.

There would be times where he would be cruel and she would be stubborn. But they could pull through together. She was the only one for him. She was the only who could marry him. Soulmates were a preposterous thing, but sometimes...just sometimes, he would lie awake at nights and fall into a reverie. And as he fell deeper and deeper, he would begin to think about her, her hair, her eyes, her voice, her soul.

And suddenly the the idea of soulmates was a myth no more.

"Hyung, why are you so mean to her?"

Baek Seung Jo squeezed the sleeping Oh Ha Ni next to him, pulling her closer. She was sleeping soundly and had one leg thrown across his body as her head rested on his arm. He smiled contentedly as she snuggled into the crook of his neck.

"Seung Jo-ah," she deliriously called out, with drool trailing off at the end of her mouth. She stretched her fingers trying to find him in her sleep. "I love you."

And her arm hit him in the face. She then proceeded to roll into his form, kicking the blankets off the bed and leaving their legs frigid to the cold air.

He sighed in annoyance, then rolled over to envelope Ha Ni in a warm embrace. He smiled affectionately. This was Ha Ni, oblivious even if sleep.

And at that moment, he couldn't help but love her more than he ever had. With the moon gleaming in the distance, the stars twinkling, and crickets chirping, his love overcame the darkness that shadowed their sleeping forms and shone in the cool autumn night.

She was his first and last love. The very reason he was the person he was today. And he loved her oh so very much.

And with those heartwarming thoughts, Baek Seung Jo drifted off to sleep.

WAKE UP! Hehe sorry. I just felt like doing it. Anyways...

I hope you all enjoyed this one-shot. I wrote it over a year ago after rewatching the series, but at the time, I was dissatisfied with it. After finding it on my drive a year later, I decided to improve upon it and post it here to bring up the fanfiction count here.

Thank you for reading. Please leave your thoughts in the reviews. And before I leave, I have one last thing to ask…

Why is Seung Jo so mean to Ha Ni? Anyone have an answer?