BEHIND HAPPY FACADE.

 

It was close to midnight when Daesung went home. A frown immediately forms his forehead upon hearing a small cry as he gets closer to their house. He got nervous and quickly barge in.

 

His heart doubled its pace when he saw their things scattered all over the place. It’s as if their house was overrun by storm. The cabinets and drawers were open the things inside were in the floor. He darted his eyes around. Their home was totally wrecked.

 

"Hae Sung-ah! Jae Sung-ah!" he called his sisters.

 

"O-Oppa!" he heard Hae Sung cried inside their room.

 

He ran towards their room. Hae Sung is crying helplessly beside Jae Sung's unconscious body lying on the bed mat. His eyes widen nervously and approached his sister.

 

"What happened?" he asked Hae Sung. His gaze darted between the twins. But he frowns when he noticed how pale Jae Sung was.

 

"M-Mr. Krab… H-he came here… with those u-ugly goons... They were l-looking for you... th-they rummaged all over our house..." Hae Sung is sniffing while telling him what had happened. "T-They said... if y-you won’t pay them... they will get us. Oppa, Hae Sung doesn’t like them... they are bad people!”

 

"Shh... I won’t let it happen, okay? Oppa is here. I’ll protect you and Jae Sung," he cooed her.

 

"Jae Sung-ie!" Hae Sung exclaims upon mentioning their sister. She pulls away from their embrace and turned to the other twin.

 

"Why? Hae Sung, what happened to Jae Sung?" he asked and check his sister. He was shock upon the feel of his sister’s burning skin. She's having a fever!

 

"She is been sick after we came back from the school. I don’t know what to do," Hae Sung said.

 

"We need to get her to the hospital! She has a fever. Hae Sung, prepare your things and Jae Sung. Quick," he ordered and lifts his younger sick sister.

 

In the middle of the night while carrying his sister, Daesung searched for the nearest cheaper hospital or clinic. Hae Sung is clinging on his back. Even he is tired and breathless, he doesn’t care anymore. All he wanted is to save his siblings.

 

He'll do everything for them.

 

***

 

"She's going to be fine. The weather change causes her fever. It was natural for their age to get sick since she’s growing up. However, your sister is malnourish. She needs to eat a lot of nutritional food which is rich in Vitamin C for her immune system. Let her drink milk as well for calcium. It’s important you buy those medicines I prescribed to you. She needs to take those medicines every 4 hours, so she heals faster," the pediatrician told him as he finished checking up Jae Sung.

 

Daesung breathes in relief. It’s a good thing it wasn’t serious.

 

"Thank you, doc," he shook his hand after.

 

Precisely, Sandara and Jiyong had witness when they arrived.

 

"Daesung!"

 

They called his name while running towards his spot. The doctor excuse himself as the two approached him.

 

"You’re here?" he muttered towards the two as he heaves an exhausted sigh.

 

"Yes. I contacted Jiyong when you called me earlier. I told him what happened. How was your sister?" Sandara explained who he had called earlier and asked for help. She gazes towards the bed and smiles a bit when she saw Hae Sung clinging to her twin like a vine sleeping soundly. She dozed due to exhaustion.

 

"The doctor said she's fine. It was a fever due to changes in the weather. He prescribed some medicine for her to take," Daesung said sadly as he watched the twins sleep.

 

"I can help you with the medicine, Dae. Don’t worry about it," Jiyong said and gives him a brotherly tap.

 

"That’s not what I’m worried about," he exhales deeply. "Krab attacked the house while I'm away. They are the loan sharks that my family was in debt to. They threatened my sisters. If I don’t pay them in the right time, they will capture my sisters as the payment."

 

"How much do you owe them?" Jiyong frowns.

 

"More or less fifty thousand won. I have savings but it’s not enough," he answered and exhales exasperatedly.

 

"We could help!" Sandara squeaks.

 

"No need, Sandara noona. I already bothered you with aiding me to find a hospital. This is enough already," he smiled to her faintly.

 

"Don’t mind it. My uncle is a doctor here. He was my guardian and adopted me when my parents passed away. He was in charge in the emergency ward but he’s off-duty today. So, there's no problem really," she said.

 

"I don’t want to involve you to my problem. Don't worry guys. I can find a way just to prevent Krab’s plan," he insisted.

 

Sandara just gazed at Jiyong and sighed in defeated when the latter gave her an impassive look.

 

"If that's what you want then I respect your decision. But if you need us, you know, you always can count on us,” she said thoughtfully.

 

Daesung chuckles a bit.

 

"Arasso! It’s late already. We still have class tomorrow. I may be late. I have to settle my sisters first. You can go home, guys. I’m alright here. Thanks for your help," he gratefully said.

 

"Are you sure? We can stay here with you," Sandara offered.

 

"No need. I'll be fine really."

 

Sandara still hesitated but Jiyong signaled her not to protest anymore. So she nodded reluctantly and gave the latter a small smile.

 

"Let me have the doctor's prescription, Dae. We’ll go to pharmacy first and buy those medicines for your sister then we'll leave. Don’t worry about the payment. I got it," Jiyong turned to his friend.

 

"Here. Thanks, man. I owe you this." He gave him the prescription.

 

"Okay. We'll be back. Come on." Then Jiyong pulled Sandara out.

 

Daesung chuckled watching the two leave while watching his friends walk away, arguing. Or more like his Sandara noona nagging at his Jiyong hyung while the latter snubbed her as always.

 

***

 

Jiyong and Sandara are now walking back home. It was two `o clock in the morning. Its wee hours and only few people are still in the streets. They are silently relishing the cold breeze and the serenity of the surrounding. Jiyong is walking ahead with hands in his pocket while Sandara follows him behind.

 

Both of them are in deep thought and seemingly riveted with it.

 

Who would have thought that the funniest member of Peace Minus One Kang Daesung has so much burden he carried every day in his shoulders?

 

His smile is always equipped for anyone. He was easy-going and very nice. He is willing to lend his hand without asking for anything in return. But when it comes to his own problems, he prefers to suffer alone. He doesn't want to bother anybody and chose to resolve it on his own.

 

"Jiyong?" Sandara called the lad ahead of her inaudibly but her eyes stared at the path walk they were walking.

 

"Hmm?" Jiyong hummed his answer without taking off his eyes ahead.

 

"I want to help, Daesung," she stated.

 

"You can’t," he stilled for a moment and gave her a brief glance then he responded right after.

 

Sandara looked up and stares at his back. Anger is slowly consuming her entire body.

 

"Is that how you are? Heartless? Jerk? He is your friend, for Pete's sake! He's in trouble and you're not doing anything?!"

 

Jiyong ignored her rant and continues to walk away.

 

She snaps. He's getting on her nerves already. His I-don’t-care behavior is really annoying to the point it’s beyond comprehension. She understands that he doesn’t want to get in to someone’s business. She understands that he doesn't want to help her with Minzy. He doesn't want to get involve, let's face it, he isn't friends with her. She truly understands that. But the fact that he doesn’t want to help Daesung as well who she may add is his friend and one of his gang mates, it’s really a hard limit.

 

She run after him and stops him. She grabs his arm and makes him face her.

 

"What?" he spats annoyed.

 

"You are the worst man I ever met, Kwon Jiyong! You are one selfish jerk! I don't want to talk with someone who has a heart made of stone, just like you!" she barked and walked out without waiting for his response. But before she fully left, she gave him a disgusted glare.

 

Sandara was too consumed with anger that she failed to see the pain and hurt that passed by at Jiyong's eyes which is immediately replaced by another blank emotion to hide it.

 

***

 

Gakuen High is buzzing with the latest news posted in the bulletin.

 

Sandara walked through the gate absent-mindedly. She was still bothered by what happened between her and Jail that morning. She and Jiyong fought and she had told him things that out of the line. She can't help it though. She's really mad at him.

 

She doesn’t know what happened to the guy after she walked out. She doesn’t have any tenacity in speaking with Jiyong, even if she slacks off from her duty as his muse. Besides, he doesn’t even care.

 

"Unnie!” her reverie cuts off when she heard Minzy called her attention. She stopped from walking and waits for the latter to come by.

 

"Minzy-ah! Why? Do you need anything?"

 

"Have you seen Daesung oppa?" she asked.

 

She furrowed her brows together in confusion.

 

"He’ll be late for school today, from what I know. His sister was brought in the hospital yesterday. Why?"

 

"Here." Minzy gave her a flier instead. "It was spread in the entire school."

 

Sandara skimmed through the contents of the paper and her eyes widens in shudder. It's impossible.

 

"This is a hoax! Daesung is incapable of doing such crime! They must have mistaken it. He is not a stealer!" she exclaims.

 

According to the flier Minzy gave to her, Daesung had been accused of robbing off Mr. Go's students fund for the school trip next month. Someone had seen Daesung entering the faculty room. It was a huge amount of money that was missing and the faculty is determined to punish the culprit.

 

Sandara cannot believe that Daesung could do it. Even though she knew how much the latter needed money, she strongly supposed that he is not the one who stole the money. He even refused her help, right?

 

"But someone saw him, unnie," Minzy countered.

 

"No! He didn't do it! This is impossible. What will happen to Daesung? His sister was in the hospital and sick. Rebisco and Febisco will surely get affected if he gets involved. He won’t just get into detention! They might expel him from school. It will ruin him."

 

Sandara quickly left the latter in full panic. She needs to warn Daesung. And as well as Peace Minus One.

 

***

 

Far from Sandara’s knowing, Daesung came to school early. It looks like he is still oblivious of the situation since he’s been smiling and goofing around with the gang. She was breathless when she approached the latter.

 

"Daesung-ah! My God!" she yells as soon as she spotted him.

 

"Sandara noona?! What happened to you? Why are you gasping?" Daesung regards her and wonders.

 

The rest of the gang stop from goofing around and turned towards her. Jiyong is also there staring at her but she deliberately paid no attention at him. She didn’t even give him a simple glance.

 

"You need to see this!” She handed him the flier she got from Minzy before she came running in. Daesung gave her a puzzled look as he accepts the paper.

 

The moment he read the write up about him, his eyes widens in shocked. He shakes his head in disbelief as his body gone rigid.

 

"No! This is not true! I didn’t do it!" he exclaims.

 

"Why? What’s in the paper?" Youngbae asked while frowning.

 

"What you did not do, Daesung?" Top asked as well, his face marred the same perplexed look.

 

Seungri picks up the paper that fell from Daesung's hand. He read too. He had the same reaction as Daesung.

 

"You stole Mr. Go's money?!" the lad exclaims.

 

Pandemonium erupted. The flier was passed down and read by the others while Daesung settled on his chair frailly. He is in daze. He looks lost and confused.

 

"Daesung-ah... I believed in you. You didn’t do it, right?" Sandara said and moved closer to her friend. She reached for his hand in an attempt to comfort him. She gives his hand a reassuring squeeze.

 

Daesung looks at her.

 

"I...I didn't do it, noona. I can’t rob anyone. I am a gangster but I’m not a criminal. No matter how much I need money. I don’t know how it happened but I am telling the truth. I don’t have any idea about Mr. Go’s money," he said with sincerity and apprehension.

 

Sandara nodded at him in understanding. She moves closer and envelops him into a friendly hug.

 

"I understand. Don't worry, neh? Everything will be fine," she consoles him.

 

"I can’t get into prison. How about my sisters? Oh God!" he said anxiously.

 

"You won't! Just say the truth. You're not guilty!"

 

Daesung was about to say something but he was stop because Mr. Go along with head teacher Park entered the room.

 

"Mr. Kang Daesung! Come to the office now!" Mr. Park orders indignantly.

 

Daesung stands up as Dara released him from her embrace.

 

"I didn't do anything!"

 

"I don't want to hear your explanation now, Mr. Kang! Come with us right this instance!"

 

"But—" Daesunf tried to protest nonetheless followed.

 

"Bro?!"

 

"Dae? "

 

"Hyung? "

 

Peace Minus One called him worriedly. But the guy puts up a brave face and flashes his signature smile at them before going after Mr. Park and Mr. Go.

 

Sandara was about to follow but stopped by Jiyong. He grips her hand while giving her an impassive look. However, Sandara just yanks off her hand from his captured.

 

"Let me go," she hissed.

 

"Don't be stupid, Sandara," Jiyong hollered.

 

She narrows her eyes and fully faces him. The others step back sensing the tension between them.

 

"Stupid? Great! I’m the stupid one here? I just wanted to help. How about you? What are you doing? Nothing, right?" she snarls at him. "Between the two of us who looks more stupid? At least, I tried to do something. I'm sorry; I'm not as numb as you! I can't just stand here and do nothing!"

 

"You can't help him!" Jiyong growled back.

 

"How can you say that? Huh?" Sandara taunts him stepping forward. "Why are you always telling me not to help? Not to care?"

 

Jiyong didn't answer and just looked at her with unreadable eyes.

 

"You're a first rate jerk, Kwon Jiyong!" she muttered and walked out fuming in anger.

 

She's really mad without realizing tears are already falling down her cheeks. This is the first time after a long time that she cried. The last time was when her parents died. She had promised in their grave that she won’t ever cry again. But she had breaks it now. To think, it’s Jiyong who made her cry.

 

"Jerk! You're a jerk, Jiyong…"

 

+

UPDATED!

- CAMILLE.