Chapter 1 — Before Father Passed Away
Rain had been falling since the afternoon.
Drops of water soaked the yard of the simple house, falling from the edges of the roof tiles and forming small puddles on the ground.
The night air felt cold, but the sound of laughter coming from inside the house made the atmosphere feel warm.
“Zaki, don't eat too much.”
A man in his early forties smiled as he looked at the boy sitting across from him.
Zaki, who was about ten years old at the time, immediately stopped his hand as he was about to take another serving of food.
“I'm still hungry, Dad.”
His father chuckled.
“If you're still hungry, go ahead. Dad was just joking.”
Zaki smiled widely.
“Then I'll take some.”
“You little rascal.”
Beside Zaki, Rendi, who was two years older, could only shake his head.
“You've been eating this whole time.”
“So what?”
“Nothing.”
Rendi took some of the food from his own plate and placed it onto his younger brother's plate.
“Here.”
Zaki stared at the food.
“For me?”
“Yeah.”
“But you like this too, Big Bro.”
“There’s still plenty.”
Zaki smiled.
“Thank you, Big Bro.”
Their father watched his two sons with a warm expression.
That simple scene alone was enough to make their small house feel like the most comfortable place in the world.
In the living room, their mother should have been part of that scene.
But Zaki had never known her.
His mother had died while giving birth to him.
All that remained were a few old photographs and stories from his father.
Sometimes, Zaki wondered what his mother's voice had sounded like.
Would his mother have scolded him if he ate too much?
Would she have patted his head before he went to sleep?
Would she have smiled when she saw him come home from school?
There was no way for Zaki to know.
But as long as his father was still there, Zaki didn't mind it too much.
Because to him, his father and his older brother were enough.
That night, after they finished eating, there was a knock at the front door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Zaki's father stood up.
“Who could it be this late at night?”
Rendi stood up as well.
“I'll open it, Dad.”
“No need. Just stay with your little brother.”
His father walked toward the door.
When he opened it, a man was standing outside together with a woman and a young man.
“Oh!”
The man immediately smiled widely.
“Sorry for coming this late at night.”
“It's no problem,” Zaki's father replied with a smile.
“I thought you were still on your way.”
The man laughed.
“We did take a while. The roads were congested.”
He was Zaki's uncle.
Together with his wife and their son, they were a family that had been considered close to Zaki's family for many years.
His uncle was even like family to them.
At least, that was what Zaki thought.
“Uncle!”
Zaki ran toward him.
His uncle opened his arms.
“Hahaha! Come here.”
Zaki hugged him.
“You haven't come over in a long time.”
“Did you miss me?”
“Yeah.”
“What a good boy.”
His uncle gently patted Zaki's head.
Behind him, his aunt smiled.
“Zaki has gotten taller.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Soon, you might even be taller than your uncle.”
Zaki laughed.
“Then I can protect Uncle someday.”
Everyone laughed.
Rendi, who was standing not far away, smiled as well.
That night, they talked for quite a long time.
Not a single person realized that several years later, memories of nights like this would become something incredibly painful for Zaki.
Because at that time, Zaki truly believed that his family were the people who would always stand by his side.
He trusted his father.
He trusted his older brother.
And he also trusted his uncle, aunt, and cousin.
That trust had not been built in just one night.
His uncle came over many times.
Sometimes he brought food.
Sometimes he helped fix things around the house.
Sometimes he talked with Zaki's father until late at night.
Whenever Zaki's father needed help, his uncle was almost always willing to lend a hand.
At least, that was what it looked like from the outside.
Even when Zaki's father was taking care of important documents, his uncle sometimes helped him look for the necessary files.
“Where do you usually keep the files?” his uncle asked one afternoon.
Zaki's father pointed toward a cabinet.
“Over there. But don't make a mess.”
“Don't worry.”
His uncle opened the cabinet.
His eyes slowly moved across its contents.
Folders.
Documents.
Letters.
Several small boxes.
Then he closed the cabinet.
“Did you find it?”
“Not yet.”
“Then I'll look for it myself.”
His uncle smiled.
“Okay.”
Zaki, who was sitting on the floor at the time, didn't think anything of it.
To him, it was just an ordinary conversation.
There was no reason to suspect someone his family had trusted for years.
Time continued to pass.
Zaki grew into a diligent and obedient boy.
He often helped his father.
Whenever his father was working, Zaki would help as much as he could.
If there were chores to do, he would do them.
Rendi was always by his side as well.
The two brothers were very close.
They often argued over small things.
Fighting over food.
Teasing each other.
Arguing about things that didn't matter.
But their arguments never lasted long.
“Don't take all of it!”
“I only took one!”
“That was the last one!”
“Fine, we'll split it in half.”
“Half and half?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.”
It was that simple.
They never imagined that one day, they would truly have only each other.
Several years passed.
Then their father began to look tired more often.
Zaki asked him several times,
“Are you sick, Dad?”
His father smiled.
“No. I'm just a little tired.”
“Then get some rest.”
“Yeah.”
Zaki stood up and brought him some water.
“Drink.”
His father accepted the glass.
“Thank you.”
Zaki smiled.
“When I grow up, I'll be the one to take care of you, Dad.”
His father fell silent for a moment.
Then he smiled and gently patted his son's head.
“I'll wait for that day.”
Zaki didn't know that he would never have the chance to fulfill that simple promise.
Two years before Zaki turned fifteen, his father died.
The house that had once been filled with laughter suddenly felt very spacious.
And very quiet.
During the first few days after the funeral, Zaki barely spoke.
He simply sat there.
Sometimes, he stared at the place where his father used to sit.
Sometimes, he stared at his father's bedroom door.
Sometimes, he hoped his father's voice would suddenly be heard.
“Zaki.”
But there was never any answer.
Nighttime was the hardest.
When Rendi had already fallen asleep, Zaki would often pull the blanket over his face.
He cried silently.
He didn't want his older brother to know.
But several times, Rendi woke up and saw his little brother's red eyes.
“Zaki?”
“...Hm?”
“Are you crying?”
“No.”
“Liar.”
Zaki turned his back to his brother.
“I'm just sleepy.”
Rendi didn't force him to talk.
He simply moved closer and hugged his little brother.
“It's okay.”
Zaki bit his lip.
“Big Bro...”
“Yeah?”
“Dad really isn't coming home?”
Rendi fell silent.
That question was too painful to answer.
In the end, he could only tighten his embrace.
“No.”
His voice trembled.
“Dad isn't coming home.”
Zaki's tears began to flow again.
Rendi himself cried silently.
They didn't know how they were supposed to live without their father.
But at that time, there was still one thing that made them feel a little safe.
Their uncle.
Their uncle came after the funeral.
He stood in front of the two brothers with a sorrowful expression.
“From now on, you two aren't alone.”
Zaki looked at him.
“Uncle will help you.”
Rendi gave a small nod.
“Thank you, Uncle.”
His uncle smiled.
“Think of Uncle as a replacement for your father.”
Those words brought a little peace to Zaki's heart.
He believed him.
Completely.
And that was precisely why what happened afterward would hurt so much more.
A few days after the funeral, his uncle began coming over more often.
He asked about the condition of the house.
About work.
About school.
About the documents left behind by Zaki's father.
At first, there was nothing strange.
When Zaki said that he didn't know much about his father's documents, his uncle simply smiled.
“It's okay. You're still young.”
But every time he came, his uncle's eyes were always observing something.
The cabinets.
The bedrooms.
The shelves.
The tables.
The storage areas.
Even doors that were rarely used.
Zaki didn't notice.
Neither did Rendi.
They were too busy trying to survive after losing their father.
They didn't know that behind that concerned expression, their uncle was beginning to put something together.
Something that would destroy their lives.
And the most terrifying part was...
At that time, Zaki still considered him family.
Someone he could trust.
Someone who would protect them.
