[Sera]

“Here you go.”

I threw bottles of water at them, not in the least worried that the bottles would miss their intended recipients because six seconds later, twelve empty bottles lay at my feet. A fond sigh slipped out of my mouth, legs folding beneath me as I sat down on the grass, and I made out bottles in varying degrees of destruction, from badly crumpled ones to perfectly pristine plastic. I knew the perpetrators for the poor, beat up plastics; Baekhyun-oppa, Chanyeol-oppa, Zitao-oppa–

“I can’t believe we actually rebuilt our home.”

Kris-oppa’s deep, low voice cut my thoughts short and the sight of twelve exhausted, yet proud, countenances sharpened into view. I let my eyes flit from (handsome) face to face, and they rested fondly on a particular one. As though we were telepathically linked, his eyes strayed from his hands to meet with mine. Surprised, my eyes blew wide and gah, I actually looked away, heat creeping up to my face.

I didn’t realise that I had been holding my breath, until I felt his eyes leaving me and I unconsciously let out a soft sigh that was immediately replicated by someone who sat next to me. A side glance and a female’s sixth sense informed me of Jongdae-oppa’s apparent morose mood. I gently nudged into his shoulder with mine, head turning towards him and his eyes darted upwards, meeting with mine almost immediately.

“Penny for your thoughts?” I tried to start off light, tone laced with concern as though I didn’t know of the reason for his week-long condition of depression and mopeyness. As his sister-not-in-blood and best friend of girlfriend (hopefully?), I knew what was up the moment I chanced upon him in a secluded corner of the construction site, blinking back tears. I didn’t mean to bump into him but seeing the usually happy-go-lucky Kim Jongdae crying into the sleeve of his shirt shattered me on the inside; we may not be blood related but hey, he’s still my brother. And honestly, it wasn’t easy for me too. It was hard to accept the fact that your best friend is going away.

“Hey.”

I glanced up from the door knob that I’ve been trying to screw for the past five minutes (ugh screw it; pun intended), and found my best friend looking down at me. She was smiling but the look in her still-crimson orbs seem to suggest otherwise, and it was because of that did I put down the screwdriver and motioned for her to squat down next to me. “Is something wrong?”

Jieun shook her head, tendrils of hair slipping out of her loose ponytail and my fingers twitched, an urge to tuck those strands behind her ears seeping into them. But I kept them to myself as I watched, half-curious, half-confused while she her lips and parted . I waited for words but seconds later, none made their appearance. Worry began to wash over me, and the look in her eyes started to flicker and I could feel the confidence in her waver. “Jieun…?”

“I’m going away,” She finally spoke, but her words weren’t the words that I’d wanted to hear. “I’m leaving, Sera.”

“Why?” should have been what I ought to have said, instead I dumbly blurted out a “Huh?” and earned myself a soft snicker that my ears haven’t heard in almost forever.

“I’m… thinking of going away. For awhile.”

I forgoed “Why?” again for yet another question that wasn’t asked for my benefit, a soft “Does Jongdae-oppa know?” filling the silence of the place that I’ve been working at. The boys were busy with their own, designated jobs and hardly come over to see how I was faring. Though, once every few hours, both Yixing-oppa and Sehun-oppa would traipse over and ask about me.

My eyes forced hers to look at me, their gaze steeled and trained on her face until her eyes flitted up to mine. I searched the depths of her orbs for an answer and I didn’t have to look long, heck I didn’t even needed to dive in — the answer is right there.

“He doesn’t.”

Jieun offered me a small, seemingly apologetic smile. “And he won’t know until he realises that I’m gone.”

“You’re not going to say goodbye to him?” My eyes widened in shock when she shook her head. “Ji–”

“Don’t.” Her tone was stern, and her expression was too, until it faltered and gave way to the gentleness of the Jieun I knew and love. “Please don’t tell him.”

“But he’ll know! And he’ll come to me and ask–”

“That’s why I’m not telling you where I’m headed to.” My eyes detached themselves from her orbs only, and gradually took in the whole of her face. I realised, in belated horror, how utterly tired Jieun looked. It had been two days since the War ended, since we all watched Oh Jaehyun’s body fade into ashes that blew away into the skies with the natural breeze brought about by the forest that enveloped our home.

Since my ears heard the bloodcurdling wails of a girl who had just killed her father with her own hands.

“In fact, I’m not sure where I’ll be going.”

“Sure, I’d like a penny.”

Jongdae-oppa nudged back, one eye sending me a playful wink and I tried hard to not smile at that because despite the mischievous gesture, I knew better. Kim Jongdae wasn't there.

"Well, I was kidding about giving you a penny." I stuck out my tongue instead of gracing him with a smile, knowing deep down that Jongdae-oppa would rather receive sarcasm than sympathy. He'd already receive loads of sympathy; the boys and their families had all but smothered him in tender loving care the moment he realized that his girlfriend (are they even together?) had disappeared. The older boys, including a young Kai-oppa, practically dragged a sullen Jongdae-oppa to a street filled with bars and attempted to get him drunk. The only person that wasn't drunk is the one that they went to the bars for in the first place. Losers.

"I don't need your penny anyway," Said sober person remarked, his head falling onto my shoulder and the hairs on the crown of his head tickled the side of my neck. "I'm plenty rich, no need for pennies garnered from thoughts."

"Show-off." My fingers reached up to his face and faked a mock flick. Jongdae-oppa scarpered, but a soft giggle came from him. I turned to face him, all playfulness vanishing for a bout of seriousness to surface. "Are you okay, though?"

My question seemed to have him taken aback, but he recovered quickly and shook his head in response. "It's been a week but I still find myself as I had been on the first day of..." He trailed off, words left unspoken but we both knew what he was referring to – Jieun's departure.

"I'm no better, though." I confessed, my words coming out much shakier than I had expected and Jongdae-oppa's surprised gaze on me seconded it. "I catch myself thinking about her when I least expect myself to. I catch myself tearing even though my mind thinks about other things, only to realize that I've been thinking about her subconsciously. I just," A hand raked through my hair, bringing them away from my forehead. "I just miss her."

"So do I, Sera." Jongdae-oppa's glistening eyes met with mine and the shatter in my heart crackled more.

"So do I."

[Jongdae]

"Jongdae."

A familiar, yet hardly heard, voice came from behind me. Its superiority commanded my attention and as I whirled around, I wasn’t surprised to find a mixture of subtle fear, and overwhelming respect washing over me. My body folded itself immediately, lips parting to form the words, "Your Majesty."

The King chuckled, a rare sound made by someone of his status yet on the contrary, Aunt Lia is– was not like her husband. She seemed to emanate rays of sunshine, happiness bubbling in that heart-wrenchingly thin body whenever I see her. Her laughter was what brightened the place we called home. “Uncle Jaehoon, if you would please, Jongdae.”

I smiled weakly, lips parting once more to let the affectionate call of his name slip out and I was rewarded with a satisfied smile. Oh how honoured I was to hear a chuckle, and see a smile from the man for the King no longer grinned, or smiled, unless needed to. It had been a week, a few days shy of a second, since everything ended. Aunt Lia disintegrated into ashes several moments after Oh Jaehyun passed, his remains drifting off into nature when a breeze blew through and I watched Jieun let out the most bloodcurdling, heart wrenching scream I’ve ever heard.

That scream haunted my nightmares every night.

The Queen’s ashes remained on the destroyed flooring, no gale blowing through to take her away and I swore I heard her family sigh softly in relief before her daughter gently but quickly scooped them into her hands.

And as Uncle Jaehoon walked towards me, my eyes darted to the urn he held in his hands and I understood. Aunt Lia is in his hands. He brushed past me, superiority in his blood creating static with my inferior one and I resisted a wince, facial expression still kept passive until I heard my name in that same familiar, yet barely heard voice and I lifted my head, the expression breaking to reveal the turmoil within. If he had noticed, he didn’t say anything but a gentle “Walk with me?”

“Yes, Uncle Jaehoon.”

“You’re very admirable, appa.”

All of us looked up from our hands at the warmth of Sera’s voice and the girl slightly bowed her head in embarrassment upon feeling our eyes on her. But her head soon rose when her father spoke and immediately commanded our attention instead.

“I’m actually not as admirable you’re making me out to be, dear daughter.” The King raked a hand through his hair, a strained expression forming on his face as his wet eyes continue to be fixated upon one of the two newly erected tombstones in the Ancestral Room. Fortunately, our ancestors probably figured that anything built above ground carries the possibility of being destroyed one day so they constructed the Room in the earth where it would take minutes of walking downwards to arrive at. And the (eerie) portraits of our clan’s past rulers lined along the hallway leading to the Room didn’t help in alleviating my sullen mood.

“But you are, Uncle Jaehoon,” A figure appeared in the corners of my eyes and I didn’t even need to look, but I knew, heard who it was. Yixing-hyung stepped forward, a hand clenched at his side while the other held onto another, and once again I didn’t need to look, Sera’s lean frame swimming into my head. I let my eyes flit to Yixing-hyung, pride stirring as I took in the amount of respect he has for the King. I could practically see it overflowing from within him. Yixing-hyung is, and always will be, Uncle Jaehoon’s number one supporter.

(If he marries Sera, there is no doubt of who Uncle Jaehoon would choose to take over his legacy. That is of course if he marries Sera.)

“Both of you–”

“I, too, think that you’re admirable.”

My heart thumped.

“Your Majesty.”

I exhaled, inhaled, and her scent invaded my nose. I closed my eyes, opened my eyes, and she appeared in the Room. Her figure seemed so small within the large doorway. A pang shot through my chest as my eyes fixated themselves on her, discovering how thin she seemed to have become, how vulnerable she looked in her shirt and jeans. The haversack she carried looked so large upon her back, like a turtle whose home’s too big to live in. But she’s no turtle,