0r3.

June, 2009

“Yixing, wait!”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Nicole.”

“You shouldn’t have done that,” she carried on as though she hadn’t heard him, and quickened her pace to catch up with his long steps. “He could’ve been seriously injured and – “

Yixing halted in his tracks and whirled around so suddenly, that it almost sent Nicole stumbling backwards. “Are you seriously worried about his well-being now?” he demanded, eyes glaring with such utter disgust. “Really, Nicole? After everything he’s done, after all the things he did to you!”

“That’s not what I meant!” she retaliated, close to tears now. “I couldn’t care less about what happens to him but it’s you I’m worried about! He might lodge a complaint and you could be sent away, Yixing! I can’t lose you!”

A moment of silence passed between them. Except for the sound of their low, heavy breathings, the air around them was eerily quiet and tensed.

The older of the twins was the first to break the silence, “Nicole, I’m sorry – “

“I don’t have anyone else left in this world,” she managed through quiet sobs. “We only have each other...and if anything were to happen to you – I don’t know how...or will I even be able to survive –“

“Shh,” without asking, Yixing pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her figure protectively. “It’s going to be okay...everything will be alright. Don’t worry okay?”

“Can you promise me something?”

“Anything.”

There was a slight pause. “Let’s not lose each other – ever.”

“...I promise.”

; ;

“There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.”

Doo Joon handed him a glass of water, which Yixing took with a small smile. “Thanks.”

“I’m sorry.”

A soft sigh escaped his lips. “To be honest, I really wanted to hit you just now – so badly and just...” he chuckled and shook his head. “But then I realised, what good would it do? Not like we’d know where Nicole is right now.”

Doo Joon hung his head dejectedly. “You entrusted your sister to me, and this is what happens. I kind of wish you’d have stopped me from seeing her back then.”

Yixing cast a sideway glance at him. “Nothing changes the fact that you’re still the only guy I trust her with. Stop beating yourself up over it. We don’t know yet what caused her to run away.”

“When was the last time you talked to her?”

“Hmm...I think it was about two weeks ago. She called me up and reminded me, for the nth time, to make time from my busy schedule and come down for the wedding. Told her I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Doo Joon smiled to himself. “She was really worried you wouldn’t be able to make it. She kept saying how she would never forgive you – even if you bribed her with her favourite Hershey’s.”

“Ah, I can imagine that.”

The two men laughed.

“Did you...were you aware...that her depression came back?”

The smile faltered on Doo Joon’s face. “...no,” he said slowly. “What do you mean?”

“I’m not too sure myself,” Yixing admitted. “But before our last conversation, she did call me too – about a couple weeks before that. She was crying, pretty badly I remember, but I couldn’t really make out her words.”

“She never said anything to me...”

“I told her, she could always go back to her psychiatrist whenever she feels the need to; but she told me she was fine and that it was just a random mood-swing. She said not to worry and not to tell you,” Yixing said wistfully. “I really wanted to come back then, but I was held up by a major project and there were a lot of things on my mind.”

“So when she called me again two weeks ago and sounded completely fine, I figured it was just a one-time thing or she had talked to you about it.”

“She didn’t...” Doo Joon said quietly, taking a small sip of his drink. “I didn’t even notice anything different.”

Yixing turned around and propped up both elbows on the railing. “You know...Nicole has gotten really good at covering up her emotions. It frustrates me at times.”

“Yeah,” Doo Joon replied distractedly. “I feel the same way too.”

; ;

“I’ll take you home.”

Jiyoung, who had just taken her coat off the hook, was startled by sudden presence from behind her.

Turning around, she found Yoseob looking back at her with car keys in his hands.

“What are you doing?” she whispered, even though Dong Woon was about twenty feet away from them. He seemed pretty engaged in a conversation with Bomi, but she couldn’t really be too sure about things.

“He’s not even aware you’re leaving,” Yoseob answered impatiently. “Aside from that ‘I’ve missed you’ and that little kiss he pulled off – did you guys even talk to each other at all tonight?”

The slight distaste in his voice was hard to miss, and Jiyoung was very much aware of on-going rivalry between the two of them, but she wasn’t ready to approach the situation yet even though her heart knows which brother actually cares more about her.

“This isn’t the time,” was all she said as she put on her coat and pulled open the door. “And it’s okay - I’ll just take a cab.”

But Yoseob wasn’t going to just let her walk out and head home by herself. Without another word, he grabbed her hand (not caring if Dong Woon was even watching them – which will be better if he did) and pulled her out into the night’s chilly air.

; ;

Yoseob’s black Lexus pulled up in front of Jiyoung’s residential area about twenty minutes later. Awkward silence engulfed the young pair throughout the journey home – even though various questions were playing in each of their minds.

“We’re here,” Yoseob began lightly as he pulled back the handbrake, in hopes of easing the tension in the car.

Jiyoung opened to say something, but shut it close almost immediately. Instead, she cracked a small smile and uttered a soft thank you, before pushing open the passenger’s door.

Yoseob sighed inwardly and hurriedly took off his seatbelt. “I’ll walk you to the door.”

She wasn’t in the mood to argue. After closing the car’s door behind her, she walked up ahead with him following closely behind her. As she fumbled around in her purse for her house keys, she suddenly felt the vibration of her phone.

Taking it out, she stopped in her tracks to read the new incoming text.

It was from Nicole.

Jiyoung-ah, I’m sorry. I know my absence have brought up a lot of unanswered questions and caused a lot of people to worry about me. Don’t worry, I’m okay. Please send my apologies to Doo Joon too. Tell him how terribly sorry I am. Tell him...not to look for me. I’ll be fine.

I love you, Jiyoung-ah.

Without wasting a second, Jiyoung hastily punched in Nicole’s number and pressed the phone against her ear. Yoseob could only watch her in confusion.

It made to the third ring, before the call was ended from the other end and when she tried to call again, the line wouldn’t even go through.

“Jiyoung, what’s wrong?”

“S-she...N-nicole...” she stammered, shoving the phone towards Yoseob. Tears were already b in her eyes. “She...s-she texted me this. A-and when I-I tried to c-call her back...she disconnected the line a-and switched off her phone.”

Yoseob’s eyes scanned the entire message quickly, widening when he reached the last few parts. “What does she mean? She isn’t coming back?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“We have to tell Doo Joon,” he realised, and instantly took out his own phone. “I’m going to call him and – “

“Yoseob...” Jiyoung’s voice trailed off when she noticed something else.

“What is it?” he asked back distractedly as he waited for Doo Joon to pick up.

Jiyoung’s hand froze on her doorknob, her naturally fair face turning ghastly pale under the night’s dim moonlit.

“It’s unlocked.”