Hyun Ji was lost in her own world as she drew on the pages of her sketchbook. Her back was against the brick wall while her legs were stretched out, her feet nearly coming into contact with the railing of the rooftop balcony of her school. Hyun Ji drew each and every one of the constellations Howon had pointed out to her the night before. As she did so, she recalled the stories behind the names of every constellation. Howon's voice resonated in her mind, making her smile. She remembered the twinkle in his eyes along with the sheepish grin he gave upon realizing that he was getting a little carried away, saying he'd tone down slightly.

Hyun Ji flipped to the previous page of her sketchbook. On it was a sketching of Howon, which she had done earlier on during Mathematics. Her eyes lingered on every one of his facial features. His long bangs, his cheerful eyes, his elongated nose, his high cheekbones, his plump lips and his defined jawline. It was unbelievable how even in a sketching, he looked lively. A smile made its way on her lips as she thought about the previous night. For years, she avoided speaking to anyone. She kept to herself and never bothered to make friends. She was alone, and lonely. But talking to Howon filled that void of hers. Talking to him made her feel normal, as though she had nothing to worry about. Even so, somewhere in the back of her mind laid a question she had yet to answer.

Am I making the right choice or is this something I'd regret doing?

The creaking of the balcony door, followed by the sound of footsteps, pulled her out of her thoughts. Closing her sketchbook, she took a peak from behind the brick wall to see who was on the balcony with her, only to find out that it was Jin. Her eyes widened and her heart dropped for the slightest second. Just as she was about to make her escape, she noticed something different about Jin. His aura. She recognized that aura. It was the exact same one she had every time she was at her lowest. Her eyes followed him as he headed towards the corner of the balcony with his head down. 

Upon reaching the corner, he leaned against the railing and slowly slid down after a couple of seconds. Curling himself into a ball, he tugged his head in and hugged his knees tight. His body began trembling and Hyun Ji knew he was crying. He looked so fragile, so broken, words she'd use to describe herself. Such a sight tugged at her heartstrings as she contemplated on whether to approach him or to leave him be. A part of her wanted to make sure he was okay while the other wanted to avoid all interactions with him. 

However, before Hyun Ji was given the chance to make her decision, she saw the door of the balcony open once more to reveal Namjoon. Her heart thumped against her chest as she realized she had nowhere to go. Escaping wasn't an option and neither was approaching the both of them. Hyun Ji could only stay where she was. All she wanted was to not get discovered. Little did she know that she'd get more than what she wanted.

Namjoon stepped out onto the balcony and scanned the area in search of Jin. Upon seeing a familiar figure, he walked towards that direction. Namjoon didn't bother to quieten his footsteps. He knew that Jin probably wouldn't notice him coming. Namjoon was right. His presence was unknown to Jin up to the point Namjoon sat down next to him. Namjoon's legs were stretched out in front of him, with one leg crossing the other while his back leaned against the railing. Looking up, Jin's eyes widened slightly at Namjoon's sudden appearance.

"Namjoon, what are you doing here?" Jin asked. His knees were still tugged into his chest and his arms remained encircled around them. Namjoon observed the elder as his mind wandered off to Jimin's words minutes before.

"You should've seen him earlier this morning. His aura was different. His behavior was different. His eyes were just, blank. I tried talking to him but he just mumbled his replies to me and didn't care whether I understood him or not. I swear I've never seen him like that before. He looked so...lifeless." 

"Well, I came up here to get some inspiration for the song I'm working on but then I saw you," the younger lied. 

"Oh," the elder answered with a bitter smile on his face. 

"So what's wrong?" Namjoon asked, receiving a questioning look from Jin. "Those are clearly tear stains on your cheeks. Don't tell me you were crying for fun."

Upon hearing that, Jin remained silent with his gaze focused on the ground. On the inside, he was debating with himself on whether he should tell Namjoon everything or lie his way through once more. He wanted to opt for the second one but Jin was starting to get tired of lying. He was dying to tell at least one person the truth but the fear within him kept holding him back. 

"Everything wouldn't be the same anymore." Jin thought to himself.

"Is this about 'it'?" Namjoon asked bluntly, cutting Jin off his thoughts. Jin's eyes widened for a second but he quickly hid his surprise with a confused expression.

"What do you mean?" the elder asked, stuttering slightly.

"Don't bother trying to hide it, Hyung. I've known for quite a while now. It didn't take much for me to figure out that you have split personality," the younger answered truthfully. Namjoon couldn't hide the fact that he knew about the elder's condition any longer, especially not after he had seen how fragile and vulnerable Jin had looked earlier on.

Jin remained quiet as he looked at the younger. Breaking the silence, Jin asked the younger how he had known about it.

The younger shrugged and answered, "I just do."

"Do the others know?" Jin asked as Namjoon shook his head. Jin detached his arms from his legs and ran his fingers through his hair. A sigh escaped the elder's lips.

"I can't take this anymore, Namjoon-ah," Jin said. Jin would only call someone by their real name when he was serious or in this case, feeling helpless.

"Last night, I dreamt that it won. I was the one in the mirror and it was living my life. That was the second time I'd ever had that dream and it scared the living life out of me. What if one day it actually happens? What if one day, it actually wins? What if one day, I end up like him? I'm scared, Namjoon. I'm scared of myself. I don't know what it is capable of. I don't know what I'd end up doing. I just want all of this to end. I want to give up," Jin said, the frustration evident in his tone as he buried his face in his hands.

The air was filled with silence as both were in their own field of thoughts but the silence didn't last for long. 

"Don't," Namjoon paused and turned to look at the elder. "Don't give up." 

"You're stronger than this, Hyung. You know you are. Keep fighting. Just hold on and keep fighting. One day, I can't say when, you'll be at the winning end. Don't give up, Hyung. It won't do you any good. Just because he lost the battle, doesn't mean you should," Namjoon said, meaning every word. Another moment of silence filled the air as Jin let Namjoon's words sink in. Meanwhile, Namjoon's gaze made its way towards the brick wall. Somehow, he knew they weren't the only ones on the balcony.

≈♦♦♦≈

The door that led to the room opened and in came a figure. Closing the door behind him, the figure approached another figure who laid peacefully on the bed. Taking a seat on the chair placed next to the bed, the figure took a look at the girl's face. She looked so pale, so lifeless but the machine that connected itself to her contradicted that. 

"Hi Ji Hae. Oppa is here," the figure said as he tried his best to fake a smile.

"Did you miss me while I was gone?" the figure said. His attempt at teasing the girl was a failed one as his voice croaked.

"Can you even hear me?" the figure said as his heart clenched. The tears in his eyes threatened to fall but he tried really hard to hold them back.

"Ji Hae-ah, when are you going to wake up?" the figure asked. The tears in his eyes began to fall, his attempt at holding them back proved to be a failure.

"I just want you to come back," the figure sobbed as he buried his face in his palms. 

Park Jimin missed his sister. He missed her terribly. 

It's all my fault. I allowed this to happen. If only I had stopped you. If only I had made you listen.

≈♦♦♦≈

Jimin let out a yawn as he flipped through the channels lazily. Unable to find a show worthy of his attention, Jimin decided to click on a random channel and watch whatever was being shown on screen. Throwing the remote control aside, Jimin stretched out his legs in front of him. He then rested his head on the headboard of his bed as he placed both hands on the back of his head. With a poker face, he directed his gaze towards the screen and focused - or at least tried to - on the show.

That was until the door of his room was slammed open, revealing a familiar figure. Shifting his gaze from the television screen to the figure, he raised his brow.

"Um, not that I don't like your presence Ji Hae-ah but I don't remember saying that you could come in. Neither do I even remember you knocking," Jimin said. Jimin tilted his head slightly and observed his younger sister. That was when he noticed. Her brows were knitted together. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her lips were pulled into a straight line. Her breathing was uneven and her hands were clenched into tight fists. Ji Hae was fuming mad.

"Well you look...mad," Jimin stated as he sat up straight. 

Ji Hae scoffed. "I look mad? No brother, that's where you're wrong. I am mad."

"What's wrong?" Jimin asked with a genuine look of concern in his eyes.

"What's wrong? You're asking me that question? You should know what's wrong since you're the one who's behind all of this," Ji Hae said, the anger evident in her tone. Upon seeing the look of confusion on her brother's face, Ji Hae asked, "What did you say to Mark?"

Upon hearing that, Jimin's confused face settled into a straight face as he said, "Oh. So this is what it's all about."

Getting out of his bed, he walked towards her and stopped right in front of her. "Look, I only told him that if he knows better, he should break up with you before my fist personally makes him do it."

"Why on earth would you say something like that? You know I love him!" Ji Hae snapped as her eyes began to tear up. 

"Well, he's not the right guy to love, Ji Hae-ah," Jimin said with a gentle tone.

"Why are you always doing this? Why are you always controlling my life? This is the first time I've ever had a boyfriend and now, because of you, he's gone! You are so cruel, Jimin!" the younger lashed out. Jimin was stunned. Never had Ji Hae ever call him with such informality. Just like that, he snapped.

"I'm controlling your life? I'm cruel? Ji Hae, if anything, I'm saving you from a heartbreak, damn it! That boy is a devil in disguise and just like how he easily had your heart, he would easily crush it. Do you want to go through such pain? You're falling for the wrong guy, Ji Hae!"

Jimin heaved a sigh and calmed himself down before he could get any angrier. "He isn't and never will be worthy of being with you. It's a reality that he has to learn to face. He doesn't deserve you. You deserve better, Ji Hae-ah," Jimin said as he placed both hands on her shoulders. 

Pulling herself away from her, she said, "Mark is worthy of being with me and that's a reality you have to face. He deserves me, Oppa. He deserves me better than any other guy, even you."

With that, she stomped down the stairs without even looking back. Recovering from the mild state of shock, Jimin ran after her but before he could say anything else, he heard the door slam. Ji Hae was already gone.

"He's a cheater, Ji Hae-ah. I saw it with my own eyes. He's cheating on you," Jimin muttered to himself, his gaze directed at the door.

Jimin woke up screaming his sister's name as he sat upright in bed. Cold sweat trickled down from his forehead as he panted heavily. His heartbeat had yet to slow down and his body was trembling. Jimin ran his shaky hands through his hair as he thought of the dream he had. The guilt had been -and still was- eating at him. If only he had told her beforehand, things would have been different. If only he was fast enough to stop her from leaving, he wouldn't be living with such guilt. If only he had made her listen, Ji Hae wouldn't be in a coma.

Jimin was glad he had awaken from the dream before it got to the rest of the incident. He didn't want to see the rest of it because he knew fairly well what had happened. And there was no one else to blame except for himself. Jimin held himself responsible for his sister's current state even though he had been told countless times that it wasn't his fault.

Getting out of bed, Jimin dragged himself towards the toilet and prepared for school even though school was the last place he wanted to go in the current state he was in. Jimin felt exhausted, hurt and most of all, guilty. Once he was done, he headed downstairs and was enveloped by the gloomy silence in the air. It had always been that way ever since his sister fell into coma. 

On his way out of his house, Jimin plastered a smile onto his face. No matter what mood he was in, he made it a point to always appear cheerful. That way, people would want to talk to him. People wouldn't let him keep to himself. He wouldn't be ignored. 

It was hard because behind all that facade was a boy with athazagoraphobia, the fear of being ignored or forgotten.

Well, there you go. The update you've been waiting for. I'm so sorry for taking a long time T.T Anyway, how was this chapter? Looks like new things have been revealed ;)

Let me know what you think of this chapter or even this story in general! :)

-RedGuitarist