Zelo’s P.O.V.

     “You called me!!” Faith in humanity restored! As before, all my feelings suddenly overwhelmed me seeing his name on the screen. The difference was just that this time, what bubbled in me wasn’t rage, no tears behind my eyes. Just that almost heartbreaking feeling of joy surrounding my heart and making it beat in an odd rhythm.

     “Yes, I did.” His voice seemed somewhat worn-out, exhausted, but I blamed the telephone and the bad connection.

     “You’re late,” I pouted, knowing that he could hear it very clearly.

     “I know…”

     “Do you know what? Both Daehyun, JongUp and I passed the math test, and JongUp and I just recently won a battle at the club – together! Isn’t that cool? We had a blast! You should’ve seen us!”

     “I bet it was amazing.” Was he tired? He couldn’t be. Not if he had called to talk to me!

     “My sister has seemed quite different lately… Did you offend her? I bet you criticised her looks!” I laughed, but he didn’t respond, so I continued in a joking manner. “And seriously. Daehyun and Himchan… Oh my, they could get married and get children anytime soon! Actually, I told Daehyun that he could get pregnant, and he believed me!!” I burst into a brutal laughter, but after realising that Bang Yong Guk didn’t laugh, it toned down. “… Hyung? Are you ok?” Silence came creeping, making the distance between us enormous. I heard him take a deep breath.

     “JunHong I…” He exhaled. “… am leaving.”

     My heart only pumped every 4^th second, leaving me panting for air. A wave of heat rushed over me, making my head dizzy and left my body fragile and in pain, my bones seeming to surrender, my stomach cramping, my vision getting blurred as if I was to fall over in a black-out.

     “I got a job in Japan. It’s a really great opportunity… But th-“

     “Forhowlong?” the words came running out in one, fast peep, the feelings still pacifying me. He waited for a moment before answering.

     “About two years… for now. I will be leaving soon.”

     “Hyung, you promised...“

     “I’m sorry, but I have to go now.”

     “You can’t just-“

     “I love you.” He hung up on me. Just like that, his voice changing to light, choking sounds as he spoke those final words.

     “I love you, too.” His phone was humiliating me with its he-just-hung-up-on-you-beeps echoing from the phone, filling the room, invading my mind as it twisted the tones into being more aggressive and loud than in reality. What was it that he said? “I… am leaving. Did he really say those words?” If he really loved me, then he would’ve kept his promise, wouldn’t he?

     As I stood in the middle of my room, the walls crumbled down, smashing everything to the floor leaving it scattered, my heart following joyfully as if it didn’t know any better. It was as if the sun disappeared with the walls, the dark clouds flew in over me in the speed of light, replaced the sun and surrounded me, my head captivated in the darkness, my body feeling the cool wind blowing in over the ruins of my room, my world.

     I stumbled across the floor, my feet moving in an unbelievably slow pace in the quicksand of my room, leading me towards the staircase. And on. Through the halls. Through the maze of my own house, the empire of my parents. One door. Another one. Leading me to my final destination, the only room that for me seemed to be the last one standing in the imagination I could no longer control, but was controlled by the things that lied deep within me, twisting and turning everything around like a hallucination.

     “Knock on the door first, please!”

     “Mom.” My mother quickly lifted her head, her expression rather startled as she watched me walk towards her with slow, heavy steps.

     “Honey what happe-“

     “What did you do, huh? Huh?! Answer me!!” She fell deeper into the chair as I stopped right in front of her, virtually throwing myself over the table. “You did it! You made him leave!” My voice was hoarse, almost screaming panicky.

     “JunHong, honey,” she laughed nervously, “you are not very well right now. Take some fresh air, go outs-“

     “You told him to leave, didn’t you?” Now, I was practically screaming at her.

     “Told who to leave when?” Oh, she knew fairly well. It was written all over her face. Her sweet and caring voice sickened me for the first time, mixing itself with that oh-so-innocent face of hers.

     “You know who,” my voice imitated her, showing disgust. “Why, mom?” She stared at me without moving. “Why?!” She flinched at first, clearly surprised by my hateful behaviour, whereupon she leaned closer to me across the table, almost spitting her words out in mutual hate.

      “I did not do anything. He left you willingly. You know that.” What if it was true? I knew it couldn’t be. He told me he loved me, and so he did. Right? Not that he had kept his promise of never leaving me again… But he couldn’t lie to me like that, no way. Her words made my inner explode, the tears running down my face from anger. She rolled her eyes and snorted at me. “Oh please, stop it! We do not show our feelings like that. It could destroy our reputation!” – She said it.

     The door barged open, my sister stamping through the door and slamming the door shut. We didn’t show our feelings in this family? Well, I guess that my sister had ‘broken the family law’ for the first time then.

     “He left me!!” She squeaked, leaving both my mother and I in confusion. Her face was dark pink and her eyes bloodshot from crying. “He left me even though you made him choose between YoungJae and that brat of a brother!” she also screamed at my mother. My mother flew to her feet, pushing the chair back forcefully.

     “I did not-“

     “You made him choose between me and YoungJae? How could you?”

     “Stop crying! Both of you!! I am sick of you! Leave, now!” She, too, was screaming, the house seeming madhouse-like. My sister ran dramatically out of the room, but I couldn’t move. They planned it, both of them. They knew that YoungJae’s family needed him to be married to someone of a… finer status. They… I was jerked back to reality by the sudden realisation. If YoungJae has already left my sister… then Bang Yong Guk didn’t have to leave!

     I flew out the door, through the labyrinth of hallways, out the door and over the property in the speed of light; my feet running madly fast by themselves. The goal was obvious: his apartment. I stumbled over a few steps running up his stairs, finally arriving and grabbing the door knob, but the door was locked.

     “Bang Yong Guk!” I hammered on the door, but no one seemed to ever move on the other side to open it. “Bang Yong Guk… please…” I was about to give up and just wait outside the door (it worked last time) when I remembered our date and him holding the shiny silver in the thread. The key. How could I forget when I was wearing it around my neck all the damn time? Moving without thinking any further, I got the door unlocked and stepped in to the dark hallway. “Gukkie?” The walls echoed my call, sending his name through all the rooms. The warm, salty drops started running down my cheeks again in a steam, hidden away in the dark for anyone to see – even though I was alone.

      Finding my way through the dark hallway, I finally found the switch. The light spread a yellowish light through the place, revealing everything from the dark. Everything had changed. Everything except where the furniture was placed. I looked around, the apartment suddenly seeming empty and lifeless. All the traces of our life and time were… gone. Vanished. No pictures left, no plushies, nothing. Only a bit of glue remaining from the removal of my stickers.

      “I can’t believe he’s already gone…”

     You know that he might still be in the airport, right? The voice in my head suddenly commented. Long time no see, dear voice. Without even caring to shut off the lights or lock the door, I ran down the stairs and ran out in the middle of the streets to flag down a taxi.

I was used to travelling with my family, flying around all the time, but the airport suddenly seemed like a strange city in an imaginary world, every inch filled out with multitudes running back and forth. It was as if I was running around cluelessly while the rest of my surroundings moved in double speed, a world spinning round and round as I tried to get a hold of where I was. 

Rather short update :3 The next chapter will be up tomorrow~
,- Donotfear