“You sent the letters all at once?” Areum sat cross-legged on the table as she asked the question. Taehyung had prohibited her from sitting on the table because he claimed the ratty table might give way, but she assured him that she doesn’t weigh much. “I’ve never sent a letter but I don’t think that’s a proper way to do it. Aren’t you supposed to do it one by one? Like, you actually wait for the reply, and then only you start writing back. Then it goes on and on.”

Taehyung opened the can of carbonated drink and gulped it down. He wiped his lips with his sleeve before saying, “That’s how it’s supposed to be back then. But I don’t think I have much time.” He meant to say it sarcastically, but it only came out wistful. It’s been more than two weeks since he last saw her, and she wasn’t even awake when he last saw his sister. Even when before all of this happened, he didn’t spend much time with her because he was busy at the lab. At the thought of the lab and the one who betrayed him -his very own partner- made his blood boil. He ignored the feeling before continuing, “People don’t even send letters these days, but that’s the only way I can reach out to my sister. The only reason I send those letters was that I want to tell how sorry I am, or how much I miss her. I didn’t get to spend much time with her before.” He smiled sadly.

“Your sister… was the one in the news, right? Her name was… Kim something?”

“Kim Taehee,” he nodded.

“And you saved her when the mishap occurred,” she had started to twist her hair around her finger.

“You believe me? I could be lying to you right now,” he put a hand over his chest. “You could be walking straight into a trap.”

“I might be clumsy, but I don’t trust people easily. Something in my head tells me that you’re innocent. The whole incident and the way they covered the news seemed suspicious anyway. The news of the mishap was only displayed for one day, and then it died down, as if it never happened. The next thing I knew was your face keeps appearing on the screen. I was curious about the news, but at that time I was too worried about my own well-being. All I could think at that time was how I was going to run away from those trashy people.”

“I sent those letters a few days ago, so I don’t know when it will reach her. Some say that they only collect letters once a month, some say it’s twice a month. So I thought, why not just send them all at once? It doesn’t matter when it reaches her, as long as I get to say that I’m sorry and I love her.”

“Wouldn’t that just give away where you’re hiding? Since it’s the Void here, where technology doesn’t advance. It’s easy to tell those letters were sent from here!”

“You’re right, I’m probably digging my own grave. But as long as they don’t find out about my sister, and she doesn’t reveal those letters, I guess I’m fine. Though I don’t know how long I can keep on living like this. If nothing changes, then I might as well turn myself in. If that means that can put an end to all of this.”

“But you’re innocent!”

“I’m tired of seeing my handsome face on the television everyday,” he smirked, trying to make light of the situation. But right after his face turned serious, “I thought that maybe during this period, my name would be cleared and everything can return to normal. Though I know that’s just wishful thinking.”

“The news reported that four people died in the fire. One of them is your sister?”

“Supposedly. But I ran in and saved her.”

“The other three are…”

“Our parents and a maid,” Taehyung looked away, unable to contain his tears. One tear escaped and he wiped it away roughly. He was mad at himself for crying; he could at least remain strong about this after all he went through.

“The one that started the fire was your own partner?”

“Yes, Yoo Youngjae. It was a long story, but he made it look like it was an accident. I wasn’t at home because I was at the lab. I went back home and found him standing in front of my own house, smiling as if he just achieved victory. There wasn’t even an ounce of regret on his face. The only thing I wanted to do was save my family, so I dashed into the burning house. I only managed to save my sister; I almost fainted because the smoke was too thick. My sister already fainted, and her legs- her legs were in bad shape,” he wiped the tears again. This time he didn’t hide it. “So while carrying her, I ran away, and my mind was a mess. I knew that she wouldn’t be able to use her legs again, so without even thinking I brought her to the lab our parents had used previously. I don’t even remember about my journey there, all I remember was carrying her while crying and then laying her down on the operating table.”

“That’s horrible. What kind of person would do that?” She untangled her legs and let it hand at the edge of the table.

“Let’s just say my family’s love for science caused us to pay a huge price.” He noticed Areum’s forehead creasing, but he continued explaining. “At first they only said a leaky gas pipe was the cause of the accident, but when it was revealed that foul play might be involved, somehow I found the blame shifted on me. So that’s when I started becoming a runaway.”

“Where’s your sister now?”

“I trusted her with my friend. If everything went well, she should be awake by now. The procedure I conducted caused her to be in a deep sleep, and she might even lose her memories when she woke up. Although I don’t know whether that’s a good or a bad thing.”

Areum was fidgeting now, and he noticed that her eyes were losing focus.

“Go Areum, are you okay?”

“Huh?