chapter twelve

Only our quiet footsteps were heard as we made our way down the stairs. Yifan’s hand was pressed and entwined tightly with mine.

“There you are,” said a voice from behind. The familiarity sent me shivers and I dared not to turn – but I lost control of myself and ended up facing the man.

He smiled and stared back with dark, cruel eyes.

“Junmyeon,” Yifan whispered. He rested an arm on my wounded shoulder and pulled me behind him, closing the distance between me and the older man. His touch on my wound sent me shivers and for a moment, I was completely numb. I glanced at Junmyeon from behind Yifan’s broad shoulders but he was no longer staring back at me; he now shifted his gaze to Yifan.

Yifan clenched his jaw and balled his knuckles into fists, holding the knives in his right hand tightly. Junmyeon, on the other hand, was calm and steady. His hands were properly kept behind his back as he lifted his chin up and revealed a familiar smirk.

“Where have you been hiding all this time?” Junmyeon questioned. Yifan didn’t respond. Instead, he twirled a knife in his hand and lifted it up. “Are you that impatient, duizhang? Go on, kill me then.”

“Not yet,” I stood on my toes and whispered against Yifan’s ear. He paused, then slowly lowered his the threatening weapon.

Junmyeon cleared his throat and took a step forward. “EXO is dead, but those were not my intentions. I never meant to kill any of you. I envied EXO M. I envied your glory, your fame, and everything in between. I watched my members suffer, longing and wishing to have been a member of EXO M instead. I then resented EXO M. I wanted to prove them wrong. I wanted to show them that I, too, can bring them just as much glory. I wanted to be a perfect leader like you were – like you are.

“But I was foolish. I didn’t know what to do, so I decided to keep you prisoner until I found a plan. I was completely clueless on what I really wanted. Kyungsoo tried to talk me out of this foolish idea but I was too stubborn and proud to acknowledge him. I made each member keep an eye on you – because if any of you escaped and reported about EXO K’s doing, everything will come crashing down and my ‘supposed’ plan would have been all pointless.

“But, this is pointless. This is nonsense. Nothing good will come out of this, I know, but it’s too late to say that now. The people I wanted to prove my worthiness are dead. They will acknowledge me from above as a failure – a murderer. But I’m not a murderer. I never layed a hand on any of you. I –“ Junmyeon choked out, biting his lips and straining himself from saying any more. He slowly fell to his knees and kneeled in front of Yifan, his hands pressed on the floor and his head bent down. “I deserve it all. I deserve to feel