"That trip honestly just made me even more confused," I slumped onto my bed, letting my body sink into my comforter. "Like what the heck am I suppose to do with that key? That old man didn't even give me a hint or a note or anything."
Mark hand found its way to the top of my head, patting it gently, "I mean...I don't think it's really his fault that he couldn't say anything more."
"I guess...but did he really have to throw in that last part?" I sat up before letting myself fall onto Mark's lap, my head resting on it. "Cause now I feel like you really shouldn't be doing this with me....or even living with me."
"What the heck are you talking about? If I wasn't here, where else would I be?"
"With the other guys. At their apartment. Where it's probably safer for you."
"You think I really care if I'm the one who's safe?"
"I care, Mark!" I sat up again, this time letting my eyes linger over his, "I care if you're safe! And that obviously isn't with me! You heard the guy...if that key gets into the wrong hands, people could die!"

"Which means you could die too!" Mark yelled and stood up from my bed. "If I'm with you, I could at least try to protect you! It's better than if I wasn't here at all! Stop trying to handle everything by yourself!"

I couldn't take my eyes off of his. For the first time in my life, I saw tears in his eyes. I mean granted I haven't seen him in years and I was a bit on the delusional side when I passed out, but ever since we started living with each other, this was the first time I saw him come this close to losing it. Only a couple of seconds went by but it felt like forever before I finally snapped out of it and reached for his hand. It felt cold under my fingers.

"Sorry," I tugged on his hand a bit, pulling him downwards so that he was sitting beside me on the bed again, "I didn't know it actually bothered you this much. Bad habit I guess. It's just that....I'm so-"
"Frustrated? Confused?" He looked at me with his melting brown eyes, "I would assume you are. I don't blame you for wanting to protect me though since I would probably do the same. But handling all of this alone is not okay, especially since I feel like whatever's at the end of all this might actually live up to all the trouble you're being put through."
"So what do you think we should do then?" I pulled on the chain around my neck, fishing the heart pendant out from underneath my shirt. Now that I knew what was in there and how dangerous and important it really was, the pendant seemed to weigh 100 pounds heavier. "I mean, since my mom didn't leave us another note and that old man didn't really say anything, we're completely stuck."
"Not necessarily," Mark took the pendant into his hand and opened it. "Technically, you're mom didn't say anything about the heart locket in her will, but you still figured it out."
"You figured that out."
He took the small key out while trying to supress a smile creeping on his lips, "Either way, the clue was disguised. Maybe it's the same this time. We just have to think outside the box."

Easier said than done.
I'm the kind of person who can only think inside the box.
Like actually, if there's not a textbook, notes, or detailed instructions for me to study off of or follow, I'm a lost cause.
Thinking outside the box was almost an impossible feat for me...unless the answer was blatantly obvious and right in front of my face.

"Wait...I think you're onto something," I took the key from his hand and looked at it closely, trying to think back to the interior of my mom's room. "Key's don't just open doors. They can open boxes too! What if we're suppose to be looking for a box?"
"This key is too small for a door. But even if it does belong to a box, how're we even suppose to find it? Pretty sure there's like a million boxes out there."
"We don't have to find it. I think I know where it is."

Author's Note
chapter title: What Can I Do?-Seungri [x]
short chapter for you guys! xD sorry about the length...i just really wanted to update as much as i can before school starts x)