THE WILD FAMILY

The Price Of Freedom

The Wild Family

Episode 6

Hana POV

The ground I sat on was as cold as ice, and I was already shivering. I wore only my panties and a sleeveless shirt. My trousers were still lying in the hall.

I hugged myself and wept.

Mom...

I still couldn't believe Master Daeshim could be so heartless. My body ached all over. How could he expect me to stand up so quickly? Was I made of iron?

So... I really wasn't going to eat.

My stomach growled loudly, and I winced. At this rate, I felt like I would die any moment. Dizziness slowly took over my body. The only thing I had eaten all day was coffee and toasted bread that morning. Now, it was already late at night.

I lay on the cold floor as my vision blurred. My eyelids grew heavier until I finally lost consciousness.

A gentle tap landed on my shoulder.

I slowly opened my eyes and smiled weakly.

"Areum..."

I reached out to hug her and was about to kiss her forehead when the face suddenly changed.

Master Daeshim.

"Huh?"

Had I gone blind?

I blinked several times.

No. It really was him.

Gosh... Hunger actually made me mistake him for Aaron.

I quickly shuffled backward as he stared into my eyes without saying a word.

He turned and walked toward the exit, then suddenly stopped. After a brief pause, he returned and squatted in front of me.

"You can leave this room on one condition."

I glared at him.

"What condition?"

"Take thirty lashes of the whip."

He spoke as if he had read my mind.

My eyes widened in horror, and I covered my mouth.

Thirty lashes?

Did he think I was an animal?

Or was this really how a twenty-two-year-old man behaved?

"If you don't like it, stay here for three days. No food. No water. No visitors."

He stood.

"So... what's your answer?"

I remained silent, staring blankly at the floor.

"I'll take your silence as a no."

He turned to leave.

"Wait!"

He stopped but didn't look back.

"I'll... take the lashes."

The words left my mouth as tears blurred my vision.

He walked away without another word.

I sat there, waiting for dawn. Once I took the punishment, maybe I could finally return to Areum.

I missed her so much.

I lay back on the cold floor and closed my eyes.

The last image in my mind before sleep claimed me was my mother's smiling face.

---

Khalid's POV

How was I supposed to tell Areum that Hannah wasn't being released?

She would be devastated, and I didn't want her doing something she'd regret.

Maybe if I begged him one more time...

I walked into Daeshim's room.

As expected, he sat quietly, smoking.

He didn't drink.

When he wasn't smoking, he buried himself in work.

Crazy brother of mine.

"Hey, can I come in?"

Silence.

"I'll take that as a yes."

I stepped inside.

"No."

I stopped immediately.

"Then I'll leave... but I'm here because of Hana."

"I gave her two choices," he replied coldly. "Thirty lashes tomorrow... or three days in isolation without food, water, or visitors."

"What?"

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Daeshim, have you lost your mind?"

"I've already reduced her punishment, Khalid."

"I know you're only doing this because of Aaron."

He turned his face away, his expression hardening.

"Get out."

His voice was calm, but it carried enough warning to make me obey.

I quietly walked out of the room.

Daeshim is my friend.

He treated me terribly most of the time...

But to me, he would always be the brother I never had.

What would happen when the sun rose - the beginning of Hana's freedom or the start of her greatest nightmare?

To Be Continued