YONG GUK

Jiyeon. Kairi. Kairi. Jiyeon. 

Brown eyes. Green eyes. Green eyes. Brown eyes.

Brown hair. Black hair. Black hair. Brown hair.

Girlfriend. Stranger. Stranger. Girlfriend.

I widened my eyes and fervently shook my head. Watching the two stand together was like being hypnotized. I looked around and sighed when I realized that I wasn't the only one. Zelo was shamelessly staring at them with his mouth wide open, L.Joe bumped into Kairi while walking and did a sharp double take while Baekhyun kept opening and closing his mouth, not sure of whether he wanted to approach them, as if he would break an intimate moment. 

That was the aura around them. The two were so identical, despite a few superficial differences, that standing between them or trying to talk to them created a fear of starting a hurricane. When she first entered, Kairi was toppled over by an ecstatic Dayoung who later had a massive breakdown when Lauren's body was shown. While one half of the room was busy preparing a small funeral for the dead teenager, the other half was busy trying to gather from the shock of this new intervention. 

A huge hole in my heart had been ripped again when I saw Hyosung. I wanted to go to her with a smile but she looked miffed and instantly switched to talking to Chunji, a member of Baekho's military gang. She flashed her signature gummy smile and though I warmed a bit at it's sight, I was also distracted by the phenomena occuring besides me. 

Kairi and Jiyeon had simply decided to stand next to each other, like store mannequins. They didn't even look awkward but they also didn't initiate conversation. From time to time, one would glance at the other and the funny part was they looked like they knew what the other was thinking. Maybe it was the twin effect, but they weren't even related. Those two were just confounding. 

"This is freaky."

I turned to find Woohyun and gave a stretched grin. After a curt one-arm hug, we both sighed and looked at our respective girlfriends. Though Baekho had informed me of a short tiff between the two, the situation had been resolved once Ricky was caught playing with a shocked Kairi's hair, mistaking her for Jiyeon. I could understand now why they called Woohyun an animal.

"They've grown well," I said, nodding at Krystal, Luna and Sungjong. The latter gave me a wide grin and I waved at him. Maybe Hyosung was the only one who still pissed about being kept in the dark about our staged death.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

Maybe not.

Woohyun didn't look angry but he had certainly asked the question with a stern voice. I my lips and tilted my head to one side. "There was no way of communicating with you all. We weren't killed, we were taken down to prison. I was pulled out of the group and was on my way to meet the General when..."

I knew I was smiling and I knew I looked weird to Mr. Angry Man. But the memory of my first meeting with Jiyeon stood out as fresh as a snow flower, a beauty surviving in a place where it didn't belong.

"I'm thirsty."

The prison guard ignored me and I rolled my eyes. It was high time I gave up on trying to shrug off the panic. I had to look strong and think of a way to get out but inside, everything was tumbling down. I had just met my fellow B.A.P friends, who I had thought were dead. Looks like the General wanted the dominoes to fall together. 

Before I could think of one last witty comment, a commotion was heard. I quirked an eyebrow and smirked at the guard who looked at me with suspicion. 

"It isn't me," I snorted. "I'm here with you. Right?"

The guard bit his lip and turned to look at me, lifting his taser out of his belt. Suddenly, he wavered and collapsed to the ground. Standing in his place was the world's most beautiful girl.

"We need to get your friends out," she hissed. "Now."

I ran back and she followed, helping us to open the locks. Her phone vibrated and after one ring, she answered it with a raspy, "Yeah I got them." She looked at us and winced when she saw Daehyun's skinned back. He glared at her to look away and I gave him a signal, telling him to ease off. 

"Follow me, alright?"

"Who are you?" Jongup asked, though we were already on the move. The girl gave a sharp glance and said, "Han Jiyeon. Han Si Wan's second daughter."

Our insides froze and our legs were now walking on water. Han Si Wan...

"That means you're Seungyeon noona's dongsaeng," Zelo muttered, his sandpaper voice a remnant of the cries he had let out from his thin body for three years. Jiyeon pursed her lips and nodded. 

"Jiyong's waiting for us."

"Wait who?" I stopped her and she shook me off.

"We don't have time!" she hissed, her eyes widening in caution and restlessness. Himchan pushed me ahead and muttered, "You don't want to go back do you?" I staggered forward and after a long run through dark alleys and corridors....

"..... we found Jiyong at the door," I said, my eyes gleaming with nostalgia, "his arms open and welcoming. The first thing he told us was, 'Wash up. You smell like dead rats.' "

I chuckled at the memory and gave a once-over glance to my old comrade. Woohyun narrowed his eyes at me then shifted to look at the two girls. Suddenly, he said, "Seungyeon didn't have a sister."

"You're right."

I turned around and found a delicate looking boy smiling at us. Hoya was behind him and looking utterly confused at the crowd. Still awkward with new people, I thought. 

"This is Luhan," Woohyun said. Luhan nodded at us, then faced Woohyun.

"Jiyeon and Seungyeon were never blood-related," he informed us. Hoya, finally finding something to focus his attention on, joined us. "But that didn't prevent Han Si Wan from treating her like a daughter. Adoption is still a problem in Paragon so it was kept a secret. Jiyeon was mostly home-schooled. When Seungyeon left with you all for the hideout, Jiyeon was around ten. She was a little too lost to realize what was going on but she still had an idea."

I furrowed my eyebrows and jerked a thumb at Deer Boy. "Wait, how the hell do you---"

Luhan tapped his head and I let out a sound of comprehension. EXO. Of course. 

"Where does Jiyeon come from?" Woohyun said, this time asking both me and Luhan. The latter looked at me and I shrugged. Hoya, who had observed us all along, scoffed, "Fancy all of us going after girls with suspicious backgrounds."

"Not me," Luhan murmured and ran away. Hoya blinked at him then backed away too. I shook my head and chuckled, opening my mouth to comment on his new acquaintances, just to realize that Woohyun was no longer by my side. 

I saw him headed towards Jiyeon and I knew why. 

He still had questions. And she had answers.

                                                                                  WOOHYUN

Yah Han Seungyeon. Are you playing with me right now?

These were the words going through my head as I walked towards the last person who saw Seungyeon before she no longer existed. Kairi and Jiyeon were still not talking to each other and I reminded myself to later ask her what she was thinking.

Luhan was right. Jiyeon looked nothing like Seungyeon and everything like Kairi. The only glitch however was that their hair and eye colour (along with their complexion; Kairi's face looked like gold dust while Jiyeon's looked like competition for a made-up geisha) and it was simply one of those cases where one found their look-alike without any blood relations.

Nonetheless, I had questions. I had officially shut myself off and let go of Seungyeon's memories, but that didn't mean that there wasn't any more cleaning to do. The cobwebs still hung in the darkest corners of my mind and my imagination was still running wild as to what had happened to my late fiancee. When I finally stood infront of the two, I gave a sharp nod. Jiyeon narrowed her eyes and Kairi, after seeing her reaction, shook her head.

"That's just how he is," she said, sounding sheepish. "Please don't mind."

Looking at Jiyeon's expression, it was obvious that that was the first form of conversation the two had had. She began blinking rapidly then recollected herself and gave a small smile.

"I guess....so....."

Silence.

Kairi looked at me and found someone else to talk to. "Xiumin!" she hollered and wearing a plastic smile, ran away from me. I tilted my head to one side and closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down. Seungyeon, questions, I reminded myself and opened my eyes. Jiyeon was staring at me in confusion.

"I'm Woohyun," I started.

"Jiyeon," she said.

"I don't think Seungyeon ever mentioned me but.... we.... we used to be together. We were engaged."

Jiyeon's mouth fell open and I revelled a bit at her reaction. It was exactly what I was hoping for. I chided the kid inside me and cleared my throat. "I know. Awkward."

Jiyeon shook her head, then with a very flummoxed look on her face, murmured, "You want to know, don't you?"

At least she could read my face well.