You Don't Care About You And I
мσяє тнαи єνєя
Your heart is empty,
And you’re so cold,
You don’t care about you and I.
Your heart is empty, you won’t let go
But I’m walkin' out this life.
-Empty, JYJ
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Ten years ago.
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There is a street that is lined with broken buildings, wandering homeless, and lost causes. Garbage is strewn across the ground, but the children there constantly pick at it, looking for scraps of food or crushed pop cans. Tourists have never heard of this small neighborhood-after all, it is the black sheep of Daegu. Only the poorest of the poor would chose to live here; the wealthy don't even bother to turn a head to this area.
On this such street sits an orphanage, with its grey stucco walls cracked and covered in mildew, and its children on the brink of starvation. However, for many of these street children, the orphanage is a safe haven-the monthly donations are often just enough to support the twenty kids and three workers, and it's better than stealing away in the night. It is usually quiet and peaceful at this hour, but for two such teenagers, "peace and quiet" just isn't possible.
"Lee Donghae! Amber Liu! Both of you, come into the office, now!"
The headmistress' door gently creaks open, and two children enter, one boy and one girl.
The boy is tall and lanky, with dark, messy hair, and a handsome face. His brown eyes are hard and cold, and have seen things that a fifteen-year-old should never have witnessed. Beside him is a girl with short hair, clad in dark, ripped jeans and a striped polo shirt. Her athletic body excels in sports, and she seems to have a dislike for girlish things. A couple years younger than the boy, these two could never be more different-and yet, they are best friends. Being the oldest children in the building, and constantly trying to cause mischief and mayhem in the orphanage, they are looked at as role models to the younger ones.
"You two. Sit down."
The headmistress glares at them accusingly, but the girl and the boy know that she's not angry with them. She had never raised her voice towards them, and had always given them constant advice. Today, however, looked like a different day-her eyes were rimmed slightly with red, and she looked extremely tired and fatigued. She stared at them, and suddenly, the teens felt that she was so much older.
"Curfew is at 9 PM for the younger children, but because we feel that you two can handle more responsibility, we let you off until 11:30. How can you still be so noisy when you come in, laughing and shouting, when all the children are sleeping? You are just riling them and waking them from their beds, just as they've fallen asleep. Do you feel no shame upon your actions?"
The boy leans back in his chair and smirks. "Headmistress, is this what you really wanted to talk to us about?"
The headmistress smiles at them sadly. She's been seen through.
"You know me better than I know myself. I can always rely on you two to handle everything, right? You two have always been there, standing in the corner, ready to clean up any spills, take care of any crying children, and even help save the orphanage. You two have always just been there together. You even showed up on my doorstep on the same day-there has never been Donghae without Amber, and Amber without Donghae. But, have you ever wondered what it would be like-to be alone? To be without the other? "
For once, the headmistress sees something other than Donghae's calm, cool demeanor, and Amber's icy exterior.
"We haven't experienced that yet, headmistress."
They still answer confidently, but the headmistress knows that she's touched at a soft spot. Perhaps Amber and Donghae were near gifted, and always solved problems surrounding the orphanage, but she was worried that they couldn't heal themselves. She felt sorry for having to do this to them-after years of watching them grow up, she now had to throw them into the real world. She couldn't protect them anymore-and she felt bad for that.
"Now you will."
They look at her with a puzzled expression.
"Someone has asked to adopt Donghae. They are an elderly Korean couple, with children of their own. Their oldest son passed away in a mining incident, and their daughter has left the country to work in Seoul as the owner of a makeup business conglomerate. As both their children don't spend much time with them, I asked if they would also take Amber-after all, you two are inseparable-but they would not agree to it.
Thus, Donghae, you will be sent to Canada in two week's time.
Amber will stay here, until she is adopted out. "
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"Promise me you'll never forget me."
He loved her. He was in love with her. He'd do anything for her.
His one wish was that while they were gone, she wouldn't fall for someone else. If she did, what would he do?
"I won't." She grabs his pinky finger and twists it gently, grinning at him. "I'll never forget you, Hae-how could I? You're my best friend."
Best friend?
That word unsettled him even more. "Is that it? Are we just best friends, Amber?" She breaks her eyes away from his, but smiles one more time. "Of course not, silly-we're even closer than best friends. We've known each other for half our lives-we're closer than siblings." She now looks up, and hugs him tightly. "I'll miss you, Hae." Her hug gave him warmth and made him shiver slightly, but he couldn't help but feel disappointed. Closer than siblings? That was a first from a hardcore introvert like Amber, but he wanted more. He didn't just want to be siblings-he wanted her to want him. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to be with her forever. Making up his mind, he pushed her gently away from him.
"Would siblings do this?"
He then grabbed her and kissed her.
It was amazing. He'd wanted to do this forever. He always watched her-the way she gave a small smile when she was happy, and the way she never showed it when she was upset or angry. She was so beautiful, he'd wanted her ever since she set foot into the orphanage. When he saw her, he knew, right away, that she had to be his. He smiled and hugged her closer-this was it. This was the day he finally got to confess-the day that they would finally be together. The day of his dreams was unfolding, right now, right here.
The best thing, however, was that unlike his dreams, she didn't pull away.
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The days had passed by so quickly.
Her shoes crunched on the gravel in front of the orphanage, and the winter wind crept under her thick sweater, making her shiver. However, nothing felt as cold as knowing that her best friend was going to be taken from her. Shaking her head, Amber silently watched her best friend grab his luggage and stuff it into the back of the taxi. He brushed his hands on his jeans, and then said something to the driver. Once he'd gotten permission from him, Donghae ran over to Amber, holding his beloved camera in front of her.
"Don't look so down. Smile!"
She grinned, and the camera flashed, capturing her face.
He walked closer to her, and took her hand. They locked fingers together, and suddenly everything was crashing down on her. How could he leave her? How was she going to live without him? Without Donghae, there was never an Amber. It had been like that for years, and yet, even change had stolen her most important thing. "You know, I'm going to become famous one day, as a photographer-and I'll take many pictures of you, Amber."
"What?"
"I'm going to break it in the photography industry. I'm going to become a worldwide sensation. I'm going to see you again. Will you, too, attempt to make it into the entertainment industry?"
"But I'm not good at anything-"
"You're an amazing dancer and rapper, Amber."
"I-"
"I'll meet you at the top."
And he smiles at her and takes another picture, and then kisses her again. This time, it's sad, but it's also hopeful. He holds her tighter than last time, and when the driver starts to yell at him, he tears away, holding hands until the last possible moment. He then waves away at her, and climbs into the car. However, Amber doesn't feel sad anymore-she knows that she'll see him. She fell in love with Donghae because he was brave and straightforward, but also because he always kept his promises. He was comfortable and reliable.
I'll meet you at the top.
Her next life goal was to become famous.
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