She opened the cupboard in her room, trying to find something her brother’s.  Some clue.  Clue to where he stashed his diary.

“Aissh...even he is alone in the house, he still hid it?  I’ve checked the living room and the drawers in my room, but why is it not here?  I’m spending too much time searching alone,” she grunted, unhappy with the situation. 

She glanced to the alarm clock on her bedside.  It was 10.22 am when she first put on the necklace and now it is already 10.54 am.  32 minutes has passed by.  She gave it one last try; just enough to make it near 40 minutes so that it would be easier for her to remember how many days has been deducted in her life line.

The black travel bag inside her cupboard was the last thing she had not ransacked yet.  Taking it out and laid it down on the floor, she went through each compartment in the bag.  Mostly her brother’s clothes were all she found until the last pocket on the side.  It was not the diary but it was something wrapped in a brown handkerchief inside a box.  She carefully untied the knot of the handkerchief and retrieved what was inside.  There were a few things inside.  It was nothing big but it froze her.  She just stared at the things.

A bracelet.

A bookmark.

A piece of paper.

Those things brought back memories.  The memories she had with her brother.  Before she cut her ties from him.  Before he left her.  Before her parents left her all alone in this world after the accident.  Before she became the timid person she was.

The bracelet.  She gave him this in her first year during middle school.  It was a fad going on during that time.  A friendship bracelet.  But she made him a sibling bracelet instead.  That was how important he was in her life.  He’s the only sibling she had.  The only brother.  Her best friend.  But a year after that she realized it was only on her part.

She looked away from the bracelet and turned towards the bookmark.  On the bookmark was a picture of them together.  She made this one for him when she was 11 years old.  It was his birthday and she didn’t have money to buy him a gift due to the game console she bought a week earlier with her savings.  The game that her parents actually forbid her to have.  She had to share it with him after he blackmailed her on telling their parents about it. 

And the last item.  The paper.  She slowly opened it.  Deep in her heart she knew what it was.  It was her last note to him.  Before he left the house.  After he did what he did to her.  The note was full of anger and frustration.  And her eyes went to the last line, ‘I wish I never had a brother like you.’  What she didn’t expect was the scribble beside it.  It was not her writings.  It was something new to her.  ‘I’m sorry for what I did.  It was for your own good, my little sis.’

“What?  What is for my own good?  What do you mean by this?”  She screamed aloud.  She put everything back to it its place, including the box that kept the things she gave to him. 

“Why do you still keep them?  What is going on?”

She sat on the bed.  A lot more questions rose from the encounter.  And none received any answer.  Turning her sight back to the watch, she had exceeded the time frame she wanted.  It took her more than she expected.  She had lost 5 days of her life without getting anything useful for her back.  She sighed. 

Taking the necklace off from her neck, she went back to the photo studio.  Where the boys were, their photo shoot.  She appeared back inside their changing and makeup room but it was deserted.

‘The boys must still be in their photo shooting session.  That’s a relief.  I don’t want Jung Min to see me like this.  He would be worried and, I not being uncomfortable to be by his side just yet would upset him more,’ she thought as she looked straight into the mirror in front of her.

There was no reflection.  There was no indication she was actually there.  This frustrated her more.  She took out the necklace again and put it on.  Still, no reflection.

‘Even in the physical solid form, the mirror still told no lie.  I’m not real.  I’m not supposed to be here.  Will other people even see me?’

“Who are you?  Are you one of the crew?  You are not supposed to be in here.”

The sudden statement startled her.  She turned her gaze to the door where the owner of the voice came from.  Kim Kyu Jong.

“You can see me?” she asked, confused.

Kyu Jong’s expression changed.  He stared at her and at the mirror.  He went back and forth between her and the mirror.

“Soo Min-sshi?”

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SS501 chatroom

Kyu:  Hello everyone...i'm greeting on behalf of mecheko noona and the others.  They are not here right now...busy with sleeping and eating.  So, what do you think of the fic so far?  I hope it will get good review...noona works hard on it.

Mecheko:  Kyu, the boys are calling for you...hey, what are you doing?  Are you talking to the readers?  I told you not to do that...don't influence them.

Kyu:  I'm not, noona...i just want them to give support to your fic.

Mecheko:  Oww... that is so sweet of you, kyu ah.  *pinching Kyu Jong's cheek*  But still, i don't think the readers wants you to interrupt their mood with the chapter.  So, say you are sorry and let's go.  I think they'll eat everything up if we do not hurry...

Kyu:  Arasso...Mianhe, dear readers.  I won't do this again, *looking at mecheko as she leaves the room* but still, please give your support okay!  Maybe after this she'll write one about me...*smiles cheekily and bows*.  Annyong...