The Eighteenth Chapter

The snow blurred the scenery outside as Kris’ car drove through the roads of the city of Seoul. Sehun heard there was going to be a blizzard that night and he hoped that they would reach their destination before it could start. He couldn’t wait for a day longer. Heck, he didn’t even want to waste another second. If he could just teleport himself to wherever Daesom was, he would. He just wanted to see her right now.

His right hand gripped the edge of his seat tightly, not just because of the growing impatience inside him, but also due to his anxiety and fear. Kris didn’t say anything ever since they got inside the car. The fear inside Sehun was gnawing at him again. He could ask Kris right now what really was going on with Daesom but Sehun was afraid of what he might hear.

He would learn about it soon, anyway, so it wasn’t bad to stall for some more time, right?

Sehun mentally scoffed at himself. He wanted to see Daesom but he didn’t want to know what happened to her just yet. He must have gone crazy. But then again, everything in his life was messed up already right from the start.

Even his love for Daesom was a crazy thing. He never fathomed that he would fall for someone so hard like this. His past should have prevented him from dedicating his whole heart and soul again for someone but no, he was going all out for her.

How long have they been on the road already? Thirty minutes? An hour? Sehun wasn’t sure but it already felt like a lifetime to him. Kris remained calm and collected on the driver’s seat beside him and it somehow ticked Sehun off.

Sehun breathed out in annoyance and clucked his tongue impatiently. He wanted Kris to say something, even just a small heads up of what was waiting for Sehun in wherever they were going right now. Kris eyes’ were still glued at the road ahead of him, unfazed by Sehun’s fidgeting.

“Can you tell what’s going on?” Sehun finally blurted out in an irritated tone. He didn’t know why it was hard for him to ask or talk to Kris in the first place. Perhaps, it was because Daesom trusted him her secret more than Sehun. Yes, he was pissed big time because of that.

An amused smirk played on Kris’ lips when Sehun exploded. Sehun glared at older guy, finally dawning on him that Kris had known his impatience and was probably making fun of him. Kris just continued driving though.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Sehun snapped at the driver again.

“What do you want me to say?”

Sehun’s scowl deepened at Kris’ who was playing dumb. “Don’t tell me you’re not going to say anything until we get there.”

“I want you to see it for yourself.” There was a pause before Kris continued. “And, it’s hard for me to talk about it, too.”

Sehun noticed how Kris’ grip on the steering wheel tightened as he said those words. He couldn’t blame the older guy. Kris cared for Daesom a longer time than Sehun did and whatever was going on with the girl was probably killing Kris inside, too.

Sehun already had a couple of ideas on what it was, but he didn’t dare voice it out. He even refused to let himself to think about those things because every theory he had was not good. Daesom wouldn’t hide herself like this if she was doing well.

“Does she know I’m coming?” He asked instead.

“She probably doesn’t even know that I’m gone. She was sleeping when I left.” Kris halted the car when the stoplight turned red. He turned to look at the younger one. “She mentioned you quite a few times and I knew that she missed you, though she won’t admit it.”

“What.. does she say about me?” Sehun couldn’t help but ask. A tiny joy sparked inside him, knowing that Daesom also thought about him.

“How incredibly boring life was because you weren’t there for her to annoy.” Kris replied before moving the car again when the stoplight turned green.

Sehun snorted; it was typical of her. At least, that part of her didn’t change. “She should’ve thought of that before she suddenly left.”

He heard Kris sigh. “You were one of the reasons why she left though.”

“So I’ve heard.” Sehun grunted. “And you just have to come with her, huh? Did you know that Huang Zi Tao is worried sick for you, too? Have you told him what’s happening?”

“Tao’s too attached to Daesom. He’s a sensitive kid and it will surely affect him if he found out that’s why we never told him. But I’m going to see him after I drop you off. I need to check on the kid, too.” Sehun could judge from Kris’ reply that the older one deeply cared for Tao, too. It made Sehun curious on how the three of them met, since Kris and Daesom were originally from Canada.

“Are you really concerned for Tao because we abandoned him or are you just mad because Daesom decided to bring me along and not you?” Kris sneered.

Sehun glowered at him; well, the answer was the latter one. “I think you just forced her to bring you along.”

“Someone had to take care of her. I can’t just leave her alone. I’ve been watching over Daesom my whole life.” Sehun took a glance at Kris. There was a reminiscent look on the older one’s face and even if his eyes were on the road, Sehun could tell that Kris was seeing all the years he had spent with Jung Daesom.

“Daesom was adopted by her parents when she was four.” Kris started to say. “I don’t really know the reason why she was adopted, just that her parents found her at an orphanage, took fancy on her and they took her as their own. I was six at that time, and I was bestfriends with her older brother, Jung Daehyun.”

Sehun grew more interested of the story when Jung Daehyun’s name was mentioned. He hadn’t met the guy yet and he was curious of the man that played a great role on Daesom’s life.

“At first, Daehyun didn’t like the idea of having an adopted sister; you know how kids are, they easily get jealous for their parents’ attention. They would usually fight and as a dutiful bestfriend, I helped Daehyun in teasing Daesom.” Kris chuckled curtly. “But as we grew up, we slowly matured and things changed. We became an inseparable group of three and that’s how some feelings developed.”

“The Jung parents started to have some problems when Daesom was thirteen. Up until now, I don’t know what happened but the way that they treated Daesom changed. Daesom being adopted was never an issue before, but then they suddenly treated her like she was ungrateful that they took her to their home. Daesom could only turn to us, especially to Daehyun, and I think that’s how she fell in love with him more.”

“Don’t you think it’s something related to Daesom’s true lineage? Maybe Daehyun’s parents knew Daesom’s real family.” Sehun suggested. Somehow, he felt for Daesom. They were the same; they didn’t know where they truly came from.

“I thought of something along those lines, too, but the siblings refused to tell me. Even until now.” Kris let out a sigh. “Going back to the story, Daesom confessed to me the forbidden feelings she had for her brother. She wanted to get over it, because at that time, Daehyun was dating someone else.”

“But Daehyun was neither stupid nor naïve; he knew about Daesom’s feelings for him. He knew it would just complicate things so he suddenly proposed to his girlfriend. It hurt Daesom so much that it was hard for me to see her crying everytime Daehyun brings his fiancée around.” Kris paused for a moment. “When Daesom is hurting, it hurts me twice as more, because I, too, have developed feelings for her.”

“I wanted to take her away from that place and save her from the pain, so when the university offered an art scholarship for me, I brought Daesom along. It was