Chapter 20

Chapter 20

It was as if he had found a new source of amusement.

From then on, every time we met, he would observe me for a few seconds.

Then he would say, “In a good mood today?”

Or, “Who upset you?”

I felt both helpless and amused.

I couldn’t help but ask, “How on earth can you tell?”

He rested his head back on his hands.

“I have a younger brother. In some ways… the two of you are quite similar. You both like to keep your emotions bottled up inside.”

At the mention of family, I fell silent.

“Don’t your family members worry about you being here?”

He shook his head indifferently.

“We’ve cut ties.”

“Why?” I asked, somewhat shocked.

“Because I refused to do what they told me.

“Their need for control is terrifying. Since I was a child, they forced me to do this and that. If I dared to talk back even once, it resulted in a severe beating.

“I followed their wishes by studying medicine and joining a hospital, but they still weren’t satisfied. They pushed me to keep climbing the ladder, to distinguish myself and make a name for them.

“I didn’t want to live like that anymore. I just wanted to do something pure.

“Doctors Without Borders returns to the essence of being a doctor-saving lives and helping the injured. I like it very much.”

He let out a sigh.

“Sigh, speaking of which, I feel a bit sorry for my brother.

“When I was young and refused to be controlled, they had him just in case I turned out to be a failure-a ‘smurf account’ they could start over with.

“After I ran away, he was forced onto the same path I had been on.

“Even though he’s very obedient, I know he’s also very repressed.

“I heard that he later fell in love with a very lively girl, but they broke them up too…”

It was the first time I had heard him mention his family, and I hadn’t expected it to be such a somber story.

We sat in silence for a while.

Then he asked, “What about you? How did you end up coming here as a war correspondent?

“Doesn’t your family worry?”