“How are you doing, Taemin-ah?” She asks him after five minutes of awkward silence. They sit at the living room. From the distance that exists between them and their gestures, anyone can tell that they aren’t comfortable with each other.

“Fine.” Taemin replies short. “Minho hyung isn’t here anymore. I guess you already know about that.” Taemin adds. He can’t hide his uneasiness around her. “Key hyung went out just a moment ago. If you were here just a little earlier, you would be able to meet him.” Taemin informs her.

“I’m not here for Key. I’m here for you.” she says, leaving Taemin confused.

“Me? Why?”

Eunsoo takes out a blue envelope from her backpack and gives it to Taemin, who hesitantly accepts it. He throws a questioning look to her but Eunsoo only gives him a supporting smile. Taemin slowly opens the envelope to check out what's inside, what's the thing that makes her come all the way here to see him.

Scholarship application.

“What’s this?”

“Minho always tells me that you’re incredibly smart. I’m sure you’ll pass and get the scholarship.”

“I don’t think I understand what you're talking about.”

“Minho, he's in Vancouver now. Go to Vancouver, Taemin, go there with this. This is the only way I can help him. I promise him I’ll find a way to help him, Taemin. I thought his dad wouldn’t go this far to separate you two. I thought I just need to convince him to send Minho back to Seoul once he graduates but I was wrong. They cut all the ties Minho has with you. His phone is taken away. He is homeschooled. He has limited access to the internet. He is completely isolated.” Eunsoo doesn’t dare to look at Taemin’s face when she spills out the truth about Minho’s situation. She doesn’t think she can handle what she’s going to see. “Right now, he can’t run back to you, Taemin-ah. So it’s you, who have to go after him.”

It takes a few seconds for Taemin to proceed what Eunsoo says before coming into a conclusion, “So it’s not for family business? He moves to Canada because his dad wants to set us apart? He lied to me?”

Eunsoo instantly looks up at Taemin. She’s surprised to learn that Taemin doesn’t know the truth, yet.

“He lied to me, huh?”

“What did he tell you?” She asks carefully.

“Family business, it’s family business that makes him have to move to Canada.”

Eunsoo, who doesn't expect this, swears that she would not hesitate to slap Minho on the face if she gets to meet him again. She couldn’t believe that Minho lied his boyfriend. “No, that’s a lie.”

“Do you know about this since the beginning?”

Eunsoo gives him a nod.

“Do the hyungs know about this too?”

Eunsoo gives him another nod.

“I see. So you’re all teamed up with him to fool me.”

“What? Taemin, it’s not like that –“

“Then like what?” Taemin cuts her off. Anger gets the best of him. He just couldn’t believe that his own boyfriend lied to him. He couldn’t believe Minho tell everyone the truth but him. After all these months of blaming himself, after all these months waiting for a call from Minho, it’s not even about him. It’s not because he hasn't been a good boyfriend to Minho. Minho hasn't called him because he can't, he doesn't have a phone with him.

“Your parent, both of them are working for Minho’s dad.”

“What –“

“His father did a background check on you, Taemin.” Eunsoo continues. “They know everything about you. Knowing that Minho’s dating a boy is already unacceptable, let alone the one he’s dating is you.”

Minho has never told Taemin about his family. Taemin never knows who they are so he never know that his parents are actually working for Minho’s family. Even so, what’s wrong with that? Why is it become more of a problem if he is the one Minho date?

“What’s wrong with my family? I know I’m not as rich as they are but I’m not coming from a poor and disreputable family” Then it just clicks on Taemin’s mind, “Ah, I see. If he knows everything about me like you say, then he must know about the bad things I did in the past” he adds.

Eunsoo can’t say anything about Taemin’s past. How could she? Telling Taemin that his tendency to cause bad thing to persons around him is the main reason why Minho has to go away, there is no way could she say that.

“If that’s the case, then there is nothing we can do, right?” Taemin speaks up. Eunsoo can sense the desperation in each of his words. “It’s true, that I make people around me get into accidents.”

“You don’t.”

“I do.”

“Taemin, please,” Eunsoo pleads.

Taemin doesn’t response.

Eunsoo lets out an audible breath and says, “I’ll be watching for your next step. I’m counting on you, Taemin-ah.” Eunsoo stands up and heads to the door. “But if you’re not willing to go, then I have to find another way to help him.” She adds, voice stern. “I’ll just have to think harder and find a way for him to go back to you. I won’t disappoint my beloved brother, not when I’m his only hope.”

With that, Eunsoo makes her way out.

I'll try to update with longer chapter like I usually do when I have time.

For now, please bear with short chapters.

I hope you enjoy the story.

Thanks ^^

-Ai-