“…I’m sorry, DaeHyun…”

“DAEHEE! COME BACK HERE! DAEHEE!”

Without looking back, I ran as fast as I could back to the house. I couldn’t just leave my parents behind!

“APPA! UMMA!”

My heart pounded so loudly against my chest that I could hear it in my ears, drowning out any other sounds around me. I searched all of the rooms for my parents as quietly as possible in order to keep my presence scarce. As I checked my parents’ room, I ran into the closet and jumped on top of a suitcase to reach Appa’s ‘secret’ box that he kept out of DaeHyun’s and my reach. Without even flinching, I knocked it over, causing all the contents to scatter all over the floor. Inexperienced with the whole mechanism, my hands fumbled with the cartridge of bullets to load up the handgun. I cursed under my breath before finally cocking the gun, preparing the first bullet to fire.

Determination burned in my eyes as I resumed my search.

BANG.

Silence.

Cling. Clang, clang, clang.

My legs gave out as I fell on my hands, staring at the unthinkable reality before me. I couldn’t breathe as I watched my father’s body crumble lifelessly to the ground on top of my mother’s.

“You must be their child…I’m guessing from the long hair that you’re the female,” a low voice sighed in irritation. “Maybe you can be of some use to me. I don’t get paid as much for mere assassinations. Where’s your parents’ research, Little One…or should I just murder you, too?”

The heels of his shoes clicked closer and closer as my eyes stayed glued to my parents’ dead bodies. When he blocked my view, something in me snapped. I grabbed the gun and jumped back onto my feet as I finally became face to face with my parents’ killer. All I could hear were my heavy pants while he stared curiously from my gun point.

He smirked.

He knew I was scared; I couldn’t fool him.

I felt like he bore into my soul, peering through my fears, my insecurities, and my pains.

The metallic gun made small clicking noises as my hand shook.

“Put down the gun, Little Girl. You don’t have the mental capacity to shoot.”

I knew he was right, but my body was stuck.

“Just tell me what I need to know and your parents’ deaths won’t be in vain.”

My eyes flared in anger as I screamed.

BANG.

“Argh! ! You little !” he roared in fury, holding his bleeding ear, the result of my wild shot, unable to aim properly with the apparatus. I ran towards my parents, calling out to them as I shook them, praying they would wake up.

“You remind me so much of the little Munchkin…”

Thud!

I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head.

As I began to black out, I heard him whisper.

“Let’s see how far those eyes can take you.”

~

I woke up to the sound of DaeHyun’s hoarse, frantic voice after blacking out.

“DaeHee! Yah! Answer me, please!”

Slowly my eyes opened to the sight of my brother’s tearful eyes and tattered face.

“Oh, thank goodness,” he gasped out a sigh of relief as he cradled me into a desperate hug, clawing at me for purchase. “I can’t believe you’re alive…our house…exploded…but you were outside…DaeHee…you’re alive…”

Tears rolled down my eyes.

“They’re gone. He killed them…DaeHyunnie! He killed Appa and Umma! He killed them!” I screamed in anguish as I clung onto his shirt and cried into his chest. I felt his body tense. He froze solid for a few seconds just letting me cry against him.

“Come on…let’s get out of here before-”

I screamed in pain when he tried to pick me up bridal style.

“D-DaeHee…what’s wrong?!”

“My…my back…” I cried, digging my nails into DaeHyun’s arm. Rolling me towards him, he looked over my shoulder and winced at the wound he discovered. He quickly turned around and threw my arms over his shoulders, lifting me up on his back. “Hang in there, we need to go to a hospital…”

“DaeHyun…the bag, where’s the bag?!” I cried out in a panic before DaeHyun could bolt off.

“Forget the bag, DaeHee! Your ba-”

“DAEHYUN, WE NEED THE BAG OR ELSE UMMA AND APPA WOULD HAVE DIED FOR NOTHING!” I screeched, throwing my fists wildly into his back. DaeHyun bit his lip in conflict.

“…let’s go get the bag.”

~

“Seoul?” DaeHyun questioned as he pulled the address out of the bag. He handed it over to me as he looked through the rest of the bag for travel money. “There’s some money in here for the train, I think…”

“Let’s go.”

DaeHyun stared at me, who was spacing out at the address.

“…we can’t trust anyone, DaeHyun…who knows what people are after…”

“DaeHee…we need to go to a hospital…”

I chewed on my lower lip in thought, completely ignoring DaeHyun’s words. He lifted my chin up to meet his eyes.

“Don’t think about this now…”

“DaeHyun, we lost our parents, have no home left or relatives to turn to and there might be an assassin after us. I’m not going to a hospital with how much money we have!” I looked down at the paper in her hands. “…wherever this is…whoever this is…our parents left this to us…this is all we can do…”

“DaeHee! Your well-being is more important than these…stupid papers!”

“DAEHYUN, STOP!”

Just as DaeHyun was about to throw them away, I lunged forward and hugged the bag tightly to her chest.

“…you can’t throw Appa and Umma away…”

Helplessly, he could only watch as I cried.

“…let’s go to Seoul…”

~

“How many times are you going to read those?”

I twitched in surprise and pain when DaeHyun wrapped a towel around me.

“…where did you get this…”

“Just shut up and accept it,” DaeHyun commanded, sitting behind me and wrapping his arms around my shoulders. His voice was muffled by my back. “…you’re freezing…”

I flinched before mumbling, “I’m…okay…it’s not too bad…”

“…I’m sorry…I’ll protect you from now on…I promise…”

I looked back at him as he rested against my back.

“…DaeHyunnie…have you eaten?”

“Of course!” he laughed. “Yah, you think I would starve myself?”

I stared back in remorse at the paper in front of me. He was lying. His stomach was rumbling against my back. I shouldn’t have eaten the stick of jerky so quickly by myself. I turned around (hugging the papers to my chest) and lied in DaeHyun’s lap.

“DaeHyunnie…I’m hungry…let’s eat together next time.”

He smiled, brushing the hair out of my face as I fell asleep from exhaustion.

“Mmm…”

~

“DaeHee? DaeHee…hey…answer me…”

I panted heavily, feeling extremely feverish, as I opened my eyes to DaeHyun’s voice.

“We need to get you to a hospital…please…I’m…I’m going to get help…”

“No, please…DaeHyun! …you can’t leave me…” I whimpered, clinging onto his sleeve weakly. One look into my desperate eyes was all it took for him to concede. He placed his arm against my waist and linked my arm behind his neck so I could use him for support.

“We’re gonna find someone to help us…”

~

We lived like that for a week, surviving on little food, homing ourselves in less than substantial environments, exposed to the storms that just happen to be passing through that particular time.

Until he found us and gave us a home…a family…

It took us awhile, but we found a new family…

Slowly, we became a part of them…and they became a part of us…

…for a mutual purpose.

~

“YoungJae-hyung?”

“Hm?”

“What are you thinking of?”

“Nothing, JunHongie,” he smiled, brushing the hair out of DaeHee’s hair as she lied in his lap. He wondered what she was dreaming about. This girl really can’t deal with emotional stress very well… Whenever DaeHee contorted in discomfort in her sleep, YoungJae would hug her tighter until she calmed back down.

DaeHyun watched the two from across the room before shooting a look at HoWon.

“What are you going to do?”

HoWon’s eyes never left DaeHee’s sleeping form.

“What exactly happened to you two…?” HoWon muttered to himself before sighing, “These memories that I have been hiding…why do you need them?”

DaeHyun’s eyes glazed over, remembering all the pain and suffering they went through.

“For someone who has everything…you wouldn’t know what it’s like to be willing to give up anything for just one thing…” he chuckled bitterly, smiling at HoWon, before making his way over to take DaeHee from YoungJae’s custody.

HoWon observed the twins as DaeHyun carefully cradled DaeHee in his arms.

Would it be okay?

To let them know who he really was?

Would they hate him forever?

Just like everyone else?

=====================================================================

SURPRISE!

/runs off/

/still not off hiatus/

I apologize for the bad chapter…

~Kira :3