E U N H Y U K

With the way I filled my luggage and got on that plane, I probably set the world record for being the fastest man to pack up. I didn’t even notice that half my socks were mismatched and most of my shirts were not ironed. There was only one thing on my mind. I’ve got to find Donghae.

I’ve got to find Donghae, talk some sense into him and bring him back to Taiwan.

So after I crossed the ocean, called all the freaking hotels in this city, struggled to get a taxi, threatened the concierge to let me in, this is what I came upon. After the sacrifices that I made, the effort that I exerted, this is what I came upon:

Donghae locked in a passionate embrace with a woman I’ve never seen before.

“H-hyung…?” I choked out.

“Eunhyuk! How did you - ?” Donghae began. Then after he realized that I was gaping at him – at the way he held that lady as if he was about to…you know, he immediately let her go. “No! It’s not what you think!”

And men, did that girl looked annoyed. Her face was as red as a strawberry and her expression reminded me of Goku in Super Saiyan mode – fuming mad. She dusted her shoulders, gave me one quick glance and stomped out into the hallway. As she passed me, I could see tears well up at the corners of her eyes.

“Y-yoona-sshi!” Donghae reached out one hand to her in an attempt to hold her back. But the girl dodged his grasp and was soon running down the hallway, sobbing.

“Oh, damn,” I breathed out, in pure amazement. “What the hell was that all about? And why are you here? Hae, you have a lot of explaining to do.”

Donghae began to slip on his shoes. He didn’t even look at me. “I’ve got to go after her.”

“Wait! Who is she?” I asked angrily, taking hold of his arm. And to tell you the truth, I was probably as mad as that girl. After making all of us worry, after making me leave Taiwan in the middle of the night just to get to him, Donghae acted indifferently. He acted as if he cared more for that woman than for us – his family who’d been there for him for years. “Is she an ex-lover of yours? Did you go all the way to Dokbayo just to find comfort in women? I didn’t know you were that kind of person.”

“Shut it, Hyung. It’s not like that,” Donghae’s voice croaked. He peered down the hallway and sighed. “Let me go. I’ve got to catch up to her.”

“Who is she?” I asked for the second time. “You have to tell me everything, Hae.”

“It’s a long story,” he said and tried to jerk his arm off my grip. “Let me go, please. I need to talk to her.”

“Alright,” I said but I still didn’t let him go. “But I’m coming with you. And on the way, you better tell me everything.”

We took the elevator to the parking lot and as soon as we got into his car, that’s when Donghae told me everything - why he left Taiwan and how he met Yoona.

~~~~

Y O S E OB

A grin slowly formed on my face as I slammed that mean textbook shut.

“I’m done!” I announced to the world (although no one was in the room with me). “I’m finally done solving my problem sets! YES!”

I gave the PlayStation 3 a longing look. “Finally. Need for Speed. Here I come!”

I dashed towards the living room, sank down on the couch, pressed the “on” button on my favorite gaming console and leaned back – absorbed in euphoria. But guess who came in and decided to rain upon my bright little world?

My sister.

When Yoona reached the top of the stairs, I could see that her face was beet red (especially her nose) and her eyes were sore.

“Did you cry?” I asked immediately.  

“No,” she sniffed, rushed to her room and slammed the door shut.

“Yoong…” I was worried. As I listened to her sniff and sob, a thousand questions flooded my mind. Who did this to my sister? Was it that guy who sent her a cell phone? Is he the same guy she’s dating? And why was my sister so upset after receiving luxury items like that? Is she crazy?

I was still turning the situation over and over in my head when the doorbell rang. Immediately, I ran down the stairs and opened the door.

Right outside our apartment were two tall, muscular men. One of them had bright orange hair and the other had on a cap and a black face mask that covered his mouth. A mask.

So I gasped and stepped back in fear. Who are these guys?

“Does Yoona live here?” the masked guy asked in heavily-accented English.

And before I could answer, the orange-haired dude forced himself into the house, looking as determined as a killer for hire.