《Two Brothers Taking Care of A Teenage Girl》


 Unexpected Encounter

    "Wake up San! Quickly!" Tam yelled at his brother. "You are teaching today and you are already sloppy!"


    "Ugh... Give me five min... hzzz."


    Tam stood over his brother''s bed, adjusting his tie while watching San''s sleeping face. "If in one minute I don''t see you brushing your teeth, then I will call the school saying you want to resign," he threatened.


    "WHAAAT!?" San jumped off the bed right away. "You can''t do that!"


    Tam smirked, "If you don''t hurry up, you''ll see if I can or not."


    "You... you..." San was angry but was too afraid of his older brother to yell back. He swallowed his words and stomped to the bathroom.


    Fifteen minutes later, he walked to the living room after a quick morning shower. "You going already?" he asked when seeing Tam already at the doorstep putting on his shoes.


    "An important meeting today," his brother replied shortly. "Eat your breakfast quickly and go to school. Don''t be a bad role model for your student," he reminded.


    "Yeah yeah I got it," San replied. "Be safe," he smiled and waved.


    Tam gave a slight sigh at his brother, knowing too well that San just wanted him to leave. "See you afternoon."


    When the door shut, San''s smile abruptly turned off. He yawned while chewing the sandwiches Tam made for him. "He''s always so serious."


    As he chewed, his eyes glanced at the clock. "Shoot! I''m going to be late!"


    The school that San will be teaching is called Len Mi High School.


    Usually, there would be a description of what the school is like and how the students are and if there''s any maiden and bullies and drama and bla bla bla...


    [The author is too lazy for that]


    ...


    After noon, school is over.


    ...


    ...


    [Editor: Bruh.]


    [Editor: face palm]


    ...


    San walked out of school tiredly. Being a homeroom teacher, even a person with a high spirit and energy like him got drained as soon as school ended.


    "I just want a nap before Tam returns," he yawned as he turned to the corner of his home.


    That''s when he saw someone sitting in front of their door.


    "Who are you and why are you sitting here?" San asked as he reached his house.


    That was when he saw a teenage girl, still wearing her school uniform. "That''s Len Mi''s uniform," he noticed.


    "You know. The sky is about to turn dark. You should go home quickly. It''s pretty dangero..." his word was cut short by what he saw.


    The girl''s uniform was a mess, with buttons missing and rip marks everywhere. Her arms and legs were full of bruises that had turned purple.


    "Hey Hey! Are you okay!? What happened!?" his tiredness immediately faded away.


    The girl didn''t reply.


    San looked around. "Did someone hurt you? That''s why you ran here?"


    She nodded.


    "Shit!" he curses. "Don''t worry. I''ll call the police right now," he said and took out his phone.


    The girl immediately reacted. She held his hand that was holding the phone. "No! Don''t call!"


    Her voice was shaken and cracked. It was unbearable to witness how bad she was.


    "Don''t call? Are you sure?" San''s eyes turned wide as he asked again.


    The girl put down her head and nodded. With a shaken voice, she repeated, "Don''t call."


    San doesn''t know what''s the right thing to do. Should he just call anyway? But is the girl too afraid to report? Is she threatened by someone? He was conflicted.


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    "Fine. I won''t call," he ultimately said. "But is there anyone I can reach out to you? Your parents perhaps?"


    She shook her head.


    "Even a friend works too."


    She shook her head again.


    San scratched his head. "I''m not too good at these difficult situations," he admitted. "It''s getting dark now. Are you okay with coming inside? This is my house. My brother should be coming home anytime now. He could think of something for you."


    The girl nodded.


    "Okay! Good. Come in. I will get you some cookies and soda. Having sweets helps."


    San waited for the girl to stand up but he saw that her legs were shaking. She didn''t have any strength to even stand.


    He felt terrible just seeing this. "My God. What kind of person could do this to you?" He wrapped her arm around his shoulder and supported her to get into the house.


    After helping her sit down on the sofa in the living room and giving her the cookie and soda, they waited for Tam to return.


    They waited in silence as the clock was ticking. During that time, no more word was exchanged. San changed his clothes and gave the girl his jacket to cover herself before going to the kitchen and staying there. He didn''t want his presence to make the girl uncomfortable.


    As for the girl. She took her time eating the cookies and drinking soda. Like San said, the sweets indeed helped her mood. The bruises were still aching but the pain had eased somewhat.


    Sitting on the sofa, she secretly looked around the room out of boredom. The house wasn''t big, but it was enough for a family of three to four people. All the furniture is simple and modest, nothing expensive or extravagant.


    At the corner of the house, she saw some instruments: a piano, guitar, violin, and a drum set.


    From the kitchen, San peeked out to check how the girl was doing. When he saw her kept staring at their instruments. He walked out.


    "Do you play any of them?" he opened a bag of chips and gave it to her.


    The girl looked down shyly and shook her head. "No," she whispered.


    "You can relax," San smiled. He then walked over to the instruments and came back with a guitar. "Since we are waiting anyway. I''ll play something for you."


    The girl hesitantly looked up and nodded.


    "Now what should I play?" San thought. That was when an idea came to him. "We can try that," he smirked.


    The girl didn''t understand what he was thinking, but before she could wonder, San''s fingers already started strumming.


    "~La la la. The sun is setting, and the moon is rising.


    ~Brightness dimming, letting darkness take over.


    ~It is a dark, dark world. A cold, cold world.


    ~But even so, a strong heart smile that day.


    ~The path is dark, but the strong heart is clear as day


    ~The strong heart stood there, laughing at darkness


    ~Because a strong heart knows, a strong heart''s strong


    ~Because strong heart knows, the sun will rise again."


    Just when San finished, both he and the girl heard the door moving.


    "Is that your new song? How cheesy," Tam commented as he came in.


    Upon seeing a strange guest, his eyes sharpen. "Who is this?" he asked.


    San spent time retelling what happened while the girl sat there in silence.


    ...


    "That''s all I know. I''m not sure what to do. That''s why we are waiting for you," San ended.


    Tam wasn''t happy. He just had a very tiring day attending to troublesome clients. The last thing he wanted was a strange girl he had to think about.


    He took off his tie and untucked his shirt. Tam then went to the kitchen and grabbed a cold cup of water for himself before sitting down with the other two.


    "Getting the police was the correct call. Why did you not want that?" Tam asked, but it was more like an interrogation.


    San could feel the immense pressure from his brother, so he tried to alleviate some of it. "You know. Her bullies could be threatening her or something."


    Tam gave his younger brother a sharp look. "I can''t decide if she doesn''t tell us anything." He then turned to the girl again. "If you want our help, then you have to tell us why you don''t want the police."


    The girl was tense. She was too scared looking at Tam in the eye. She tried looking at San for some help but he just shook his head hopelessly.


    San knew that in a serious situation, Tam would not tolerate his bullsh*t.


    The two brothers waited quietly. One minute passed, five minutes passed, then ten minutes. The girl still wouldn''t say anything.


    But the entire time, Tam didn''t leave his eyes on her for a second. He noticed that there were instances when her lips would slightly open, but she would bite them back.


    "How about this? I would ask questions, and all you need to do is nod or shake your head," he proposed.


    The girl nodded.


    "Good. Are you being bullied?"


    Nod.


    "How long has this been? More than a year?"


    Nod.


    "Two years?"


    Nod.


    "Five years?"


    Nod.


    ...


    "Ten years?"


    Nod.


    San couldn''t believe it. This girl was in high school and her bullying was more than ten years. That meant more than half her life she had been in pain.


    Tam nodded. The case he feared worst is becoming more likely.


    "Do the teachers and other students see these bruises?"


    Nod.


    "Did the teacher try to help you?"


    Nod.


    "Did the students try to help you?"


    Nod.


    San was confused. If the teachers and students both tried to help her, then who was the bully?"


    Tam closed his eyes and asked, "Was it domestic abuse?"


    The girl shook her head violently. "No!" she yelled weakly.


    Seeing how the girl reacted. Tam looked at his younger brother. San now knows why she didn''t want him to call the police.


    Tam looked at the girl again. This time less intimidating and more persuating, "This is an issue that we can not handle. We could only call the police."


    The girl shook her head. "Don''t call," she told them.


    "Ok. If you say so," Tam agreed immediately, so quickly that San was shocked. "Then we have nothing else to help you. Keeping you at our house could risk us being accused of kidnapping. Please leave immediately."


    San wanted to say something, but Tam gave him a menacing look.


    The room fell into silence. Slowly, the girl would fold neatly the jacket that San had given her and put it aside. She shakily tried to stand up and bowed to the two brothers, "Thank... thank you for... having me."


    Tam nodded. "I''ll help you to the door," he said softly.


    He gently supported the girl''s arm while guiding her to the doorstep. Meanwhile, San was thinking, "Ah! Tam is trying to scare her so that she can speak up. I see!"


    As the other two walked past the kitchen, he became worried, "He''s not really going to let the poor girl go right? She couldn''t even walk on her own."


    When the door opened and the girl stepped out, San panicked, "He''s going to call her back at the last second right? Surely my brother is not a heartless demon... right?"


    And the door shut.


    "YOU ARE A FUCKING DEMON!!!" San shouted.

 Following

    San ran to Tam, yelling, "Why did you make the girl leave? Especially after knowing she was domestically abused. Where could she go now?"


    Tam calmly said, "Get your jacket."


    San was confused, "Why?"


    "We are following her," his older brother said plainly.


    That was when something clicked in San''s head, "Ohhh!" He realized as he ran back to the living room and took the jacket the girl folded.


    Shortly after, the two brothers left the house. The sky had turned dark. The yellow street lights and the light from houses nearby were the only things that helped the streets from looking like total darkness.


    Even after that time passed, they could still see the girl not far away from them.


    She could only walk, no, slide her legs so slowly to keep her from falling.


    Tam and San started following her, keeping a reasonable distance to keep their eyes on her. While Tam was stoic, San on the other hand, constantly worried that she would fall at any second.


    "How do you know for sure that she is going back to her family?" San asked as they still following her.


    Tam simply explained, "You could see she is very worried about her family getting in trouble from her not wanting us to call the cops despite how many times we asked. From that, I think she still loved those blood-related people of her very much. So there is a high chance she would just go home when there is nowhere to go."


    They stopped walking as the girl had to hold the light pole on the sidewalk to breathe. She was completely alone on her walk back home. The entire time, no one stopped and offered help to her.


    San couldn''t bear seeing her so weak, "But don''t you think it''s cruel to let her walk like this the entire way home? You could have called a cab for her or something."


    Tam looked at San, then pulled out his phone.


    "What are you doing now?" San asked.


    "Calling the cab," Tam answered.


    "Why didn''t you do that back at our house?"


    ...


    "I didn''t think of that," Tam admitted.


    ...


    Ten minutes later, two cabs came, one for the girl, and the other for the brothers.


    "Young lady. I''m here for you," the driver called her.


    The girl was confused, she looked around to see if he was talking to someone else.


    "I''m talking to you, young lady. I got a call to pick you up and get you home. Get in."


    The girl hesitated. Is this a new kidnapping trick she doesn''t know about?


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    The driver said again, "You know. I already got paid. So if you don''t get in, I''ll just go pick up someone else then."


    The girl looked at her legs which had been at their limit. She bit her lips. It was a scary thought to go in this suspicious car, but she couldn''t bear the pain in her legs anymore.


    "Wait... I''ll get in," she said.


    The driver could hear the shakiness in her voice, he looked at her closely, "Are you in pain? Do you need help getting in?"


    She reluctantly nodded.


    Shortly later, the two brothers saw the cab driver help the girl get in the cab and started driving away.


    "Follow them please," San told their driver.


    The cabs drove for about thirty minutes until they stopped.


    When Tam and San got out and saw what house the girl went inside, Tam commented, "I expected she would live in a shabby place, but this house is pretty normal."


    As the first brother said. The house of the girl was not small or big. It was what others would consider for a middle-class family.


    "Yeah, but the people in it aren''t so normal," San added. "So... what now? We know where she lives. What do we do next?"


    "We wait," Tam said shortly.


    "Wait for what?" San asked.


    Right at that moment he spoke, the brothers heard shouting and the sound of things crashing from the house.


    "WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GO? ARE YOU HIDING FROM ME?"


    "What the..." San was shocked. He turned to his older brother, terrified. "We could even hear that woman''s voice from here. Is that the girl''s mother?"


    "Seems like it," Tam said. His expression was unchanged.


    *CRASH!


    "I... Is she hurting the girl right now!? We have to do something!" San said.


    Tam didn''t say anything. Instead, he quietly went up and observed around the house.


    "What are you doing right now?" San asked and ran to Tam. "We don''t have time! The girl could be in danger! Whatever idea you have, do it quick!"


    Tam, still staying silent, raised his hand, telling San to be quiet. He then pointed at a window that he had found after observing the house.


    San looked at where the finger was pointing. In that window, the two brothers could see the living room of the house. And in that living room, was the mother that was hitting the girl in plain sight.


    "WHAT KIND OF MOT..." San was about to jump in the house but was held back by Tam.


    San looked over and saw that Tam had been recording everything inside that living room. "Since when...?" he uttered.


    *CRASH!


    As he was questioning when did Tam started recording, a huge crashing sound pierced his ears. He turned to the living room and was speechless.


    The girl''s forehead was spilling blood, and on the floor was a broken glass cup.


    Tam knew his brother well. While still holding his phone stable to record everything clearly in one hand, his other hand was squeezing San''s thighs, demanding his younger brother to hold his urge to burst into the house.


    The two brothers then saw the girl''s mother say something that they couldn''t hear from outside the house. Then she followed by giving the girl some more slaps to the already beaten face. The entire time, the girl didn''t move a bit or yell out of pain. From the outside looking in, it was like Tam and San was looking at a corpse.


    That was when Tam hit the [Stop Recording] button and immediately called the police.


    "Hi officer. I want to report a case of domestic abuse. The victim is a minor and I have a recording as evidence. Ok... Ok..."


    He then ran to the front of the house and read the address plate.


    "The address is *** *** ********. Please come immediately, with an ambulance if possible. I could see the girl has bruises all over her body and I''m afraid she is in immediate danger.


    Right... Ok... Yes, I didn''t step into the house at all, just recording from the outside through the window. Ok... I will be waiting outside. Please come immediately."


    San ran up to him after the call. "How long did they say they will be here?" he asked.


    "About ten minutes," Tam said.


    "That''s too long! I have to do something! I..."


    "San!" Tam slammed his hand on San''s shoulder. It was the first time San saw an emotion from his brother''s eyes.


    "We can''t break the law! If you go in, the mother could accuse us of intruding. That will only complicate the call I just made to the police. Any legal complication could be a risk for that mother to point the fault back to us for intruding, not her abusing the girl.


    If truly want the girl to escape that hell hole, then stay put and wait for the police!"


    San was stunned listening to Tam explaining the circumstances. He stood there, biting his lips and clenched his firsts. "But I can''t just stay here and listen to those shouting."


    His feet started moving.


    "Where do you think you are going!?" Tam threatened.

 Relatives

    San let his feet take over his body.


    Ran, ran, ran. He ran as far away from that house as possible. Because he knew for sure, that if he had to stay put and wait, he wouldn''t be able to stop himself from bursting the door open before the police arrived.


    San stopped after his legs were yelling in pain. The immediate halt made him feel like his heart was about to rip through his chest to jump out.


    San started to walk slowly to ease his heart. He just then noticed that he had run all the way to the city center, about ten miles away from the house.


    He stopped when his eyes came across a pharmacy. After buying some first aid that he thought would be helpful to the girl, he called a cab to go back to the house.


    It had been twenty minutes since Tam called the police. When the cab arrived at the house, San already saw police cars and ambulance lights in front of the house. He quickly got off and went to his brother.


    "Please follow us to the hospital. We can take your testimony there," Tam was speaking with an office.


    "Ok," Tam replied.


    The officer walked off as San came. Still breathing heavily, he urgently asked, "How is it? How is the girl?"


    Tam observed his younger for a bit before saying, "Unconcious but no life-threatening injury from the first inspection so far. We need a thorough check at the hospital to make sure." Then he added. "Did you cool down your head?"


    "Yes," San replied.


    Tam looked at little brother and some images from the past suddenly popped up. He quickly shook his head to make them disappear. "Let''s go. To the hospital."


    ...


    "How is she, doctor?" San asked after the doctor put down the telescope.


    "Positive news, these injuries shouldn''t lead to further complications in the future. The patient''s body could be healed after about two months of rest. The bruises should be gone by then," the doctor said.


    "And the negatives?" Tam asked.


    The doctor sighed and shook their head. "Although the physical injuries could be healed over time. I''m afraid the patient will have a hard time dealing with emotional trauma. Looking at some of these wounds, they are quite old. I could see that the patient had been suffering continuous physical abuse for a prolonged amount of time."


    San came by the girl''s bed and kneeled beside her. She was twitching from pain even unconsciously.


    "All is fine. All is fine. You are safe now. Everything will be okay," he softly whispered to her ears.


    "Gentlemen," a police officer who had been in the room with them the entire time called. "It''s time to get your testimony."


    "Let''s go," Tam came and gently pulled San up.


    After the police took notes on their stories: how they first encountered the girl and how they found where she was living, the two brothers went to the convenience machine and bought some coffee. They began walking back to the girl''s room.


    "What do you think will happen to her?" San asked as they were walking. His eyes looked to the other side of the hospital, not focusing on anything particular.


    "I don''t know," Tam replied. They could call in some of her relatives and see if any of them could take her, or they could help her find a foster home.


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    "I just hope that she would end up somewhere nice."


    "Me too... me too," Tam murmured.


    Just when the brothers were in melancholy, a middle-aged woman bumped into Tam.


    "I''m sorry!" she quickly apologized.


    "No. I wasn''t too focused while walking either," Tam replied. He saw the woman had her eyes turning here and there, looking for something. "Do you need some help?" he asked.


    "Yes! Do you happen to know where room *** is?" she asked.


    Tam and San looked at each other. *** was the girl''s room. "We know the general area for that room number. We can walk you there," Tam replied.


    "Great! I''ve been trying to find it. Thank you so much."


    "You''re welcome," Tam smiled.


    "Mai! Where are you!?" A man, also in his middle age, suddenly appears. He was clearly in a hurry. When he saw the woman that was standing with the two brothers, he went to them.


    "Why the hell are you running?" he nagged. "Have you found the damn room yet?" the man didn''t look happy.


    "Don''t be upset, Dao," she tried to ease him. "These two young men know where *** room is. They said they could walk us to it."


    "You know?" the man looked at Tam and San suspiciously.


    "Why would we lie?" San snapped back subtly. He didn''t like that man''s attitude.


    "Then walk us to the room," the man ordered and turned away.


    "Ha ha... Please forgive him," the woman apologized.


    Before San could talk, Tam spoke first. "No worries. We don''t mind," he smiled. He grabbed San''s arm and started leading the old couple.


    "This way," he said to them.


    After leading them to the girl''s room and having them talk with the police and nurses, the brothers let the couple go in to see her, while they wait outside.


    "Are they her relatives?" San asked.


    "How would I know? But judging the woman, it seems like it," Tam said.


    They looked inside the small window of the door and saw the woman was very emotional and sobbing. Meanwhile, the old man looked more annoyed than anything.


    "Doesn''t look good," Tam murmured.


    A while later, the couple asked to be excused for a moment and went out of the room.


    "Follow them," Tam said to San and started going.


    "I didn''t know you have a hobby of being a stalker," his brother lightly joked to somewhat ease the heavy atmosphere.


    Tam smirked, "There is a lot you still don''t know about me, little brother."


    "Likewise," San cheekily said back.


    The two smiled. It was truly a long night for them. These little moments help to keep them sane.


    After some time passed, the man stopped at a hall that was somewhat empty. The two brothers quickly stopped their foot and hid themselves.


    "What is it that you took me all the way here?" the wife asked.


    "We can''t take her," the husband stated.


    Mai was shocked. "What!? Why!? We''re the only relative she has left."


    Dao looked around to make sure he could see nobody else. He whispered, "We can''t be associated with her, with that family. Do you know how much my career would be affected if we are found to be related to such an abusive mother?"


    "But... But she''s my niece. I can''t ignore her?"


    Dao became agitated, but still tried to keep his voice low. "But she''s not my niece! Besides, think about our daughter. Would she want to live with someone with bruises all over their body? She would get depressed. Her grade could be affected significantly."


    "You are... thinking too far," Mai was shy and slightly afraid to talk back to her husband. "The bruises will be gone after two months anyway... Didn''t you hear the doctor?"


    "I DON''T CARE..." he held back. "I don''t care what that damn doctor said. No is no. I am not allowing that girl to be in our home. It would stain our family."


    "How could you say that!?" Mai was horrified and tearing up. "We are her only family left. Who will take care of her if we don''t?"


    Dao looked at his wife, irritating. He walked around for a bit and calmed down after some deep breaths. "How about this? I can ask a friend I know that have connections with the foster program. I''ll ask him to make sure to find her a good family. How does that sound? Hm?"


    "That..." Mai wanted to disagree, but she knew her husband wouldn''t change his mind. "Make sure to find her a loving and caring family."


    "Alright alright. No need to cry," Dao smiled to his wife and wiped her tears. The first time he showed a positive face since coming to the hospital. "I''ll make the call right now. You go back to the room first. Okay?"


    "Okay..." Mai said and left soon after.


    After she was gone, the husband''s smile dropped immediately. He took out his phone and dialed a number.


    "Secretary Von, contact the foster program for me immediately.


    ...


    It''s for my niece.


    ...


    Specification? Somewhere far, ideally rural. A place where there aren''t many people around and where she can live in quiet for the rest of her life. Do you understand what I mean?


    ...


    Good."


    After hanging up, he relaxingly walked back to *** room.


    When Dao was gone, Tam and San walked out from their hiding spots. Their faces were darkened, and both their fists were clenched so much that they almost bled themselves.


    "Unacceptable!" San growled. His eyes were hungry for violence.


    Besides him, Tam looked at Dao who was walking away with no care in the world.


    "Truly. Unacceptable."