“Taemin?!” she screamt in a half whispering manner, displeased at the tall man dressed casually in a white shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Taemin was supressing his chuckle, trying to not burst into laughter at the mad angel before him. “I’m not fine with that, you know. Stop laughing,”

He held up both of his hand calming her down. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you…” he smiled softly. His playful expression then turned into a serious one in a split second, he was now staring at her intensely, his eyebrows furrowing at her. “I told you to wait,” he sighed.

She looked down, not daring to look at him in the eyes. He tilted her chin up slowly, letting his golden eyes dive into her brown ones. “Tell me, why did you come up here?”

“I was worried…” she said softly, but her voice remained calm. “You were taking too much time, you were never this late.”

“I’m sorry I worried you. But the job is done. You don’t have to worry anymore okay?” he assured her, his large arms wrapping the latter’s torso. He loosened it a bit when he remembered how thin she was getting lately. She seemed so fragile to touch, so easy to break like one of the porcelain dolls sold at that one antique shop down that 31st street, a few kilometres away from their home.

The job was not that bad actually, he concluded. It was far easier that he had originally thought and it involved no gun fights, just a little ‘fun times’ in the huge VIP room. He had a small bruise on the corner of his lips but otherwise he was perfectly fine. The job had long finished before the agreed time and he had successfully obtained the documents their organization was looking for.

It was something else, no, it was someone that held him back from walking away.

He gathered his thoughts for a moment, and when he finally recited the words he wanted to say in his head, he held both of her arms, tight enough to tell her that she needed to pay her full attention towards the new information he was about to give her.

“I saw him,” he said as he smiled weakly, trying to hold back his tears. He was both happy and sad for his lover, he knew she had longed to see him. “Your brother. He’s working here…”

…

March, 2010.

“Come on, sister. We’re going to be late!” a soft voice called out for Jinri, it sounded adorably small but stern. Jinri was putting her hair in a ponytail and when she heard the loud footsteps coming from outside of her room, she glanced towards the door. Her eyes met with the little boy brown ones, he had his eyebrows furrowed together.

“I’m going to miss my first period! Hurry up,” he huffed, emphasizing that they really needed to go. She just smiled genuinely, not even a single bit annoyed of him. He had his dark and lustrous hair framing his face and it had a sheen like fine hardwood. But that comparison was not entirely fair, as hardwood could not swish gently like his hair did. He was wearing his favorite vest and a pair of short khaki pants with a small bowtie tied around the collar of his white shirt.

When her eyes shifted on his arms he had on his waist, looking so impatient, she immediately took her backpack and the age-thinned and frayed straps dug into her shoulders. She never really cared to buy a new one, in fact, she could not. They were never rich to begin with, but they were not poor either.

They chose to not live under the their father’s money and fame. That was it. She was never proud of him, what he was doing for a living just did not settle with her.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry, Nana. I won’t be late anymore, I promise,” she stuck her pinky out and they both locked their little fingers together.

“Just make sure you mean it,” he chuckled slowly and warmly, reminding her of honey. His wide smile that always show his teeth had always been her favorite, it was far more beautiful that her own.

Nana was her step-brother, he came into her life when her father remarried after her mother’s death. He was the son of Mr. Na, who had long died of cancer when he was still in his mother’s womb. He was called Nana by almost everyone, it was a nickname given by his mother because it reminded him of who he was. His actual name was Na Jaemin, his mother had insisted to keep the surname although her father, Mr. Choi strongly disagreed.

Jaemin was in his 5^th grade that year and he was that kind of boy who always seemed so excited for school. Eventhough their was large, it was in fact six years of difference, but they were really, really close. He had practically grew up with her, and she loved him so much she would not mind bringing him to her school parties. Although other people thought it was uncool of her, she never minded it.

As long as her little brother was happy.

They made their way to their school, thankfully, there were still over five minutes left before the bell rings. She stopped by the gate of Jaemin’s school, sending him off. She took her time staring at his small back as her school was only opposite of his, at the other side of the road. It would only take her less than a minute to reach there.

Jaemin suddenly stopped and turned himself around to take a good look of her and waved his hand in the air. He flashed his wide smile before walking back towards the main door and disappeared into the sea of people.

When Jinri glanced at her watch and noticed the time, she quickly made her way towards her school, unlocked her locker in the main hall, changed her shoes and took her books for the Math class. She was never good at Math, she was terrible at it and the thought of having to survive the whole day alone (like every other days) suffocated her.

Jinri was beautiful and kind, but everyone was afraid to get close to her when someone spreaded a ‘rumor’ that her father was a murderer, and that he killed his wife. Although Jinri wanted to admit to it, it was not entirely true. He loved her.

She had a few close friends for a few years, but when one of them transferred school all of them just happened to end the bond they had. She did not blame them though, the rumor was partly a truth.

She wished her dad would stop. And he did.

…

“Nana! The dinner’s ready, come down now. Enough playing with toys,” she exclaimed through the almost empty house, no one but them both. Their mother, Jaemin’s mother, was out to town to find another job. The salary of a florist was not enough to pay for their bills, let alone Jaemin’s books for school. Luckily, for Jinri, she managed to get herself a scholarship after years of hardwork.

She wished the school had given her money instead of free tuition and books, for she so badly wanted to buy Jaemin his books that he needed so much. He always said he never really minded it, he said sharing was not so bad. His teacher always let him borrow hers and that was good enough for him.

But she knew Jaemin would be happy having his own.

“I was not playing with toys!” he protested and rolled his eyes. “I was studying, okay?” he claimed, and Jinri just nodded. They both sat down and silently ate their ‘simple’ dinner, rice with fried chicken and a soup that tasted nothing – almost flavorless, just a bit salty. It tasted like tears, Jaemin thought, but he quickly removed the idea from his mind.

When they both had done eating, Jaemin motioned Jinri to put her plates in the sink. It was his turn to do the dishes this time – he was learning to be independent, he said he might needed it someday. Jinri sipped on her orange juice slowly, while her eyes stared at the back of her baby brother who was diligently drying the plates.

He was only 10 years old, but he had already knew how to do most of things, the required skills to help him survive in this cruel world. He never complained about how he wear the same five outfits every week to school, he never cried about not having his own birthday party each year.

He was strong, stronger than she was.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of doors closing outside, and when she peeked through the blinds she saw exactly three cars with over six men dressed in full suits. She exchanged looks with Jaemin who was also witnessing the incident, his eyes were finding answers in Jinri’s.

Jaemin looked so nervous, he was so scared tears started to build up in his rich brown eyes. She was shaking herself but when she realized Jaemin’s safety was far more important she hugged him for seconds before ordering him to go up to his room.

The bell soon rang, and Jinri pulled out the hairband that was holding her hair up to let her long black hair falls on her shoulders before walking towards the door. She took a deep breath and bit her lips as she pulled the door open, revealing two men, one had a wavy hair and another with a crew cut.

The man with the crew cut smiled at her meaningfully, the left side of his red tinted lips (he must have had a glass of wine before coming) tugged upwards creating a sinister smirk on his hideous face as he lifted his left eyebrow. “You must be Jinri, the girl Choi’s so proud of.”

“My dad’s not home.” The two men gave no respond and just stared at her. “He’s not here,” she repeated. Her voice came out shaky as she fiddled with the hem of her blouse.

“Well, little lady. We already know that. We came here because of your father’s little ‘disappearance’. Good news for you I’m sure, he’s very well… dead.” He said so proudly, perhaps he was never fond of him and laughed afterwards. “Looks like he’s not that superior after all.”

“What?” Jinri murmured in disbelief, her feelings were all jumbled up, she was feeling shock, sad and mad at the same time. Though that being said, there were no tears coming out from her brown eyes, it was as if she had given up crying over him.

The information so new to her, it was so much to take in. She had never thought her father, their father, would actually fall in someone else’s hand. She lifted her head again, but too slowly to be normal. Sadness started to conquer her eyes, the brown too glossy. She did not forget though that she was there to protect her little brother, so she spoke again, demanding answers.

“What do you want?” She gathered all the courage she had left with and looked at the man in the eyes.

“Let’s make it simple. We want your brother. I believe his name is Na Jaemin.” He leaned closer towards her and his lips. “Little lady, please make it easy for you and me. Bring him to us.”

“I am the only child.”

“We can see him, you know. We’re not blind.” Jinri immediately looked up to the stairs, and there Jaemin was hugging himself as he sobbed silently. She felt sorry and when she wanted to run towards him and pull him into a hug, she felt a strong grip on her wrist, it was of the man. “Let me go,” she yelled.

“I might need to keep you still while my friend him down. We don’t want anymore troubles.” He signalled his friend and just when the man with the curly hair landed his left feet on the first stair, Jinri screamed again it tore through the man’s ears like great shard of glass. Jinri felt her eyes widen and pulse quicken when the man took another step closer towards Jaemin.

“Please, stop! Take me instead. Please…” Her voice was breaking with emotion as she pleaded for him not to touch her brother. She was kneeling on the floor, with both of her hands now gripping tightly on the man’s wrists. “I would do anything.”

The man nodded and smiled. “Take her.”

…

December, 2017.

The two walked down the stairs, Taemin had told her it would be safer as the men of today’s ‘target’ were still around, somehow oblivious to what happened upstairs. He had told her he saw Jaemin, her brother at the restaurant. He was a cook there, and he was managing one of the food station. Jinri smiled at what the latter had told her, Jaemin had always loved cooking ever since he was only 8 years old.

Jinri had chosen to watch him from afar, and when she did see him her heart broke. Jaemin was taller now, in fact he looked taller than Taemin was and he had his hair dyed honey blonde. Jinri remember that he hated his brown hair. To him it was the colour of dull mud, lacking in any richer or warmer tones. He looked handsome and his eyes were the usual dark, framed with thick eyelashes Jinri used to envy.

He was having a smile on his face, except it was not the one she used to witness. It was less brighter, she bet all that was left inside his heart was pain and hurt that has gone before. She turned to look at Taemin, smiling faintly and he returned it with a worried look.

“Hey…are you okay? I guess telling you was a bad idea after all,” he muttered softly and scratched his head so hard, his hair turned into a rumpled mess. “Shh… I’m fine,” she assured him. “I’m so happy to see him,” her voice came out hoarse and dry, she was close to break down. “Thank you, Taemin.”

Taemin pulled her gently towards him and wrapped his arms around her, giving her a small squeeze. He edged his hand towards hers ever so slightly, until she felt his fingertips brush her hand. She unfurled her fingers and let his slip around hers until she could feel the heat of his palm pressed against her own.

They began walking away from the restaurant, and when they were close to the main entrance, Jinri could hear light footsteps approaching from behind and she immediately knew whom it belongs to. She knew it by heart. It sounded so familiar and it belonged to only one person. Though a part of her wished she was wrong, she also wanted it to be true.

And she was right.