Life used to be peaceful, so simple but that was before he changed. Before the person I thought I knew would become someone I thought he’d never be.

One night, my brother and I came home from a concert. As we entered the living room, we saw our father ending a call.

 “Boys, you’re here…” my father said in a worried tone.

He sat us down, Youngmin being closer to him and began to speak about a Mafia case he was working on. We can see our mother with her anxious face across the living room.

“There’s only one more court meeting left to decide who’ll win the case. Now, if I win there’s a possibility that they would go after me or probably you and your mother. If ever that will happen I want you to stay strong and take care of your mother.” He said to us sounding worried and Youngmin reacted violently.

“WHAT!? HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT? I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WOULD THINK OF SUCH THINGS!!” my brother said as he stood up and burst out.

“Youngmin! The only reason I am telling you this is that a Mafia case usually leads to a lawyer being killed. I just wanted to warn you guys!”

 Youngmin stomped out the room and went upstairs.

Three days later, my dad won his case and as he predicted, we lost him that night. I can remember my mom crying in front of the phone after receiving that dreadful call from the police. Sadly enough, they found our father in his car with a gunshot through his head. Youngmin was looking outside the window with a troubled face. I tried to comfort him but he just pushed me down and went outside to leave us in the middle of the night. That was 6 months ago.

                Now, my brother and I barely talk to each other. After a week of that painful night, he came back, packed his things and stayed with his friend, Donghyun. Within those six months, my mother found another man and left me with our relatives who lived just inside our neighborhood. After Youngmin left, I’ve only got one person to talk to now. He’s name is Minwoo and he’s been my best friend since this whole thing began. He was always wearing a cap to school and he always cheered me on and makes me laugh. As for my studies, my father left us a fortune. That’s how Youngmin and I were still able to attend school. Every time I see my brother, there’s something always different about him week by week. Before, he always had the sweetest eye-smile that every girl adored. But now, he always has this intense gaze in his eyes. Something I have never seen before. And whenever classes would end, I always see him with Donghyun going into an alley way near the school.

                When our birthday came, I heard the news that the leader of the Mafia gang that killed my father was murdered. I went to Donghyun’s house to tell my brother.

“Youngmin! Have you heard the news?” I asked as I breathed heavily. Youngmin just stared at me with an intense look that was cold and lifeless.

“Do you think I still care, Kwangmin?” my brother asked me still cold and lifeless. I couldn’t help but feel disappointed of what my brother has become.

“Kwangminnie, how’s your birthday?” Youngmin’s friend, Donghyun suddenly teased as he placed his hand over Youngmin’s shoulder.

“What do you think?” was all I could reply. I too asked the same question to myself thinking about how it feels when your father’s killer has been killed as I left my brother with his red-headed friend. It started to rain and I rushed to my relative’s house.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!”

My relatives greeted me as I entered the house. I saw Minwoo carrying my birthday cake with a Pikachu design on top. Silly as it may sound, my eyes started to sparkle with glee but I could still feel something empty inside. It was Youngmin’s first birthday, as well as mine without each other.

As the days passed, the killings grew in number. A convenience store owner near the outskirts of the area near our school who was known for being abusive to his wife died in the middle of the night while he was locking the doors of his store. Then after a week, I saw my mom rushing through the door, anxious.

“Mom, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” I asked her as I tried to sit her up on the sofa.

 My mom looked at me with sadness in her eyes. She told us that her other man was killed on his way home from work. I wanted to tell Youngmin right away but then I remembered what happened the last time I was there. So, I just told Minwoo about it.

The next day in class, Minwoo told me something that struck my mind. “Finally school is over!” Minwoo said as he stretched his arms. “Kwangmin, I have something to tell you. Last night, while I was walking to my house, I passed that alley way….” when I heard ‘that alley way I felt something in my chest that it was going to be something horrible. “…I heard someone scream. Then I saw your brother coming out. At first I thought Youngmin was the one screaming for agony but then I noticed that he was completely fine”.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. Minwoo’s words were haunting me. My mind’s telling me that everything was just fine but at the back of it, something didn’t feel right. My mind started to give me visions of Youngmin capable of doing such a terrible deed.

Two days later, I received a phone call from Minwoo’s mother sounding frightened.

 “Did you know what happened to my son last night?” his mother asked.

 I didn’t know what to say. I felt like Youngmin had something to do with it. Maybe he found out about Minwoo seeing him that night. Minwoo’s mother continued and said that Minwoo almost died last night. She told me that he was stabbed at the back but luckily, he was able to escape from his attacker. After hearing those words, I immediately got the guts to confront my brother and went to where my brother was staying and started to knock on the door when I saw him and Donghyun arrive on the front yard.

“HEY!!! WHY DON’T YOU TELL YOUR FRIEND TO STOP STALKING US!” Donghyun screamed and sounded as if he was ordering me to do so while Youngmin was right beside him not caring at all.

I rushed to my brother and grabbed him by the collar. “What did you do to him?!” I said angrily.

Youngmin then gave Donghyun a get-the-hell-out-of-here look. Then I heard the front door slam behind us. Youngmin dragged me to the backyard and we started to have a conversation that I’ve been longing to have with him.

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO MINWOO?”

 “I did nothing to him.” he said so calmly. That made me mad.

“THEN WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM LAST NIGHT?!” My voice grew louder.

“I don’t know.” he answered plainly. “Why don’t you ask him?” Youngmin said as he turned his back away from me. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some business to attend to.” I watched him leave as little rain drops started to pour.

Three murders happened after my conversation with my brother. And all the murders involved people who had caused pain and sorrow to others or their very own family members. Also within that month, I constantly see Youngmin and Donghyun skipping classes. Then as I was walking home that night passing through that street where Youngmin and Donghyun constantly go to, I saw Youngmin’s blonde hair tainted with a red substance at an alley way. Then I saw his hand with a knife dripping with blood. And the worst part of it is, I saw Minwoo’s cap on the ground. I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to believe that my brother was a murderer but the thing I just saw was the reality I never expected. I didn’t know what came to my mind but I found myself confronting Youngmin and apparently Donghyun. I couldn’t believe my eyes seeing my best friend on the ground, dead. Multiple stab wounds on his bare chest and one huge cut on his stomach. I looked up at Youngmin who was staring coldly at the lifeless body in front of him. I wanted this to be a dream. I want to forget everything I saw. I felt lifeless, my body paralyzed but suddenly, I felt a hand grabbing my left arm and placed a knife near my neck. I heard Youngmin’s voice.

 “ Donghyun! What are you trying to do?”

“We can’t let him live! He knows too much! He might rat us out!” Donghyun replied.

 “NO!” I heard Youngmin’s voice finally having an emotion “Out of all the people we’ve killed, you know I can’t put myself in the position of killing my own twin!”

“I know you can’t but I can. So, just close your eyes and let me finish him!” Donghyun’s voice shook as he tried to force Youngmin. I knew then that my life was about to end and I was preparing for the moment when Donghyun would cut my throat. Then I heard those words that made me feel at peace.

 “I WON’T LET YOU DO THAT, DONGHYUN. YOU KOW I LOVE HIM.” With that, I saw my brother’s face soften and warm up. I felt the knife run through my neck but I didn’t feel pain nor sorrow but peace because of the last words I heard from my brother.

YOUNGMIN’SPOV

I saw his body fall to the ground, blood dripping from his neck. Regret suddenly kicked in as I remember Kwangmin trying to keep us together even when I was so cold to him, showing him no emotion. There was never a day that passed after I left them that I didn’t think of returning to my one and only family left. But just because of me being a coward and not being able to face the reality of what happened to our parents, I pushed him away and now I can’t be with him anymore. I can’t bear the pain any longer and tears suddenly fell from my eyes. The next thing I knew, I saw three dead bodies on the ground: Minwoo’s, Kwangmin’s and Donghyun’s. I fell on my knees as the rain started to get stronger. I don’t know what to live for anymore. As I grabbed my brother’s cold, lifeless hand and asked for forgiveness, I grabbed the knife on the ground and as the same way as my brother died, I killed myself.

Thank you for reading ~ This was actually for my computer assignment... My friend and I wrote it... :D I don't know what grade I got !