oo2

Half-Sister

Jinqiong hadn’t been inside a house for a month.

Then again, the last time she had been in the house, it had been burned down and the owner of it had either been killed in the fire or crushed under the rubble, so she was more than happy to avoid another incident. She cast one more glance behind her, the rain still beating down relentlessly, and reluctantly stepped through the door frame.

Hei was watching both her and Jongdae, eyes wide, gaze flickering between him and her. The surprise on her face would’ve been funny if it weren’t for the fact that she and Jongdae were in a much worse position and if anyone were the joke, it was still her, not Hei. Behind her sister, Byun Baekhyun stood, arms crossed and eyes narrowed warily, obviously distrusting.

He didn’t look like all that much up close. Jinqiong had seen him on quite a lot on posters, back in Hua, and even when she’d left the family. Heard stories, too—the only time she had ever seen him was at Hong Chul’s gala, but she hadn’t recognized who he was then and was too drunk to remember whatever she had managed to see. The man with his shirt inside out, scowling but still looking exhausted definitely didn’t elicit any fear, nor did he really connect with what was supposed to be Baekhyun.

Then again, it wasn’t exactly surprising. If he actually had decided to settle down and marry a girl, then the stories about him were already pretty inaccurate.

“I’ll see if I can find towels first,” Hei started, still sounding slightly shell-shocked. She scanned both of them, then her eyes travelled down to the puddles of water beneath them. “Stay here. Try to take off your shoes and I’ll find you a change of clothing. Then we can talk.” She squinted at Jongdae hopefully. “It’s not extremely urgent, is it?”

Jinqiong glanced behind her again, though it was pointless because the blinds were closed and she couldn’t see outside the door. Still, she was positive that it was almost light outside, which meant that she didn’t have to worry about any attacks during the day. Maybe she could spare three before he caught up.

“Not too urgent,” Jinqiong corrected, then grinned at Hei. “But you can decide for yourself whether or not it’s urgent.”

She exchanged a glance with Baekhyun. There seemed to be a bit more she wanted to say, especially judging from the way she constantly looked at Jongdae, but she was either determined to get them out of wet clothing before saying anything or Jinqiong being there was intrusive. There was an inkling that it was the latter, but she swallowed the feeling as soon as it bubbled up. It didn’t matter what Hei felt as long as she agreed.

“Okay,” Hei finally said, wrapped an arm around Baekhyun’s, tugging him down the hallway. She heard him say something in protest but let her lead him away anyway without much of a struggle. “Find clothes,” she started to instruct him. “I’ll get everything else.”

A couple of seconds later both of them disappeared from view into another room, and she was left standing with Kim Jongdae, both of them still soaked through from the rainwater. She tried to fight the shivers, but the house was almost as cool as it was outside, and standing still didn’t help. They stood in silence for a while before he turned to look at her, raising his eyebrow. “You think she’s going to help?”

Jinqiong shrugged. “Me? Probably not. You? Certainly.”

His expression soured at her reply. “Hei might, even knowing that this was your doing, but the moment Byun Baekhyun finds out—and he has already—he’s going to be less than willing. Especially if it means her being in danger.”

“Then we’ll see, right?”

He scanned her, a hint of mocking slipping into his tone. “You’re scared.”

Jinqiong had to push away the uncomfortableness knowing full well that he was reading her. It always felt like an invasion of privacy, stripping away the ability of being able to lie to defend herself because he could see right through it.

She steeled herself. “Of what?”

He gestured around the house. “Not just scared,” he continued. “You’re uncomfortable here, aren’t you?”

Jinqiong scoffed at Jongdae. He knew very well which buttons he was pushing, and knowing him, he would most likely continue if she didn’t snap back. “Uncomfortable?” she echoed. “Honestly, wouldn’t that be you? How long has it been since you last saw them?” She glanced towards the hall where Hei and Baekhyun had disappeared into. There was no sign of movement, so she went on speaking. “Two and a half months? The first meeting after all that time and you need their help and are asking both of them to put their life in danger. I don’t think I’m necessarily in the worst position.”

That hit a mark. His expression hardened, eyes flashing. Jinqiong almost felt sorry for bringing it up—she wouldn’t of, really, but he had started it and she wasn’t going to back down. “That would’ve hurt,” Jongdae replied, the clean-cut sharpness in her tone telling her that he still was affected by it. She could see a hint of anger in his eyes, carefully concealed, but not well enough. “But I can still tell that you’re lying. You’re jealous of her too, aren’t you?”

Jinqiong froze. “What do you mean?”

“Song Hei,” he replied. “That’s what I’m sensing. I’m going to assume it’s not because Byun Baekhyun—it’s all this, isn’t it?” He gestured at the house. “Never thought you’d be envious of something like that.”

She scowled at him again, but there was nothing more she could say. She couldn’t even argue back and pretend it wasn’t true because Jongdae would see right through it and it would just make her side seem more pathetic. Glancing at her surroundings again, Jinqiong tried to swallow the bitter taste at the back of , though it lingered, refusing to leave. Jongdae was often right about things she hadn’t even figured out herself, and it irritated her to no end. Jealous? She wanted to scoff at him and tell him that he had read it wrong, but he hadn’t actually. Watching Song Hei and Baekhyun—she had heard stories about them from Jongdae (however reluctant he was giving up information about his crew members). She’d seen the two around each other at the gala even if all she remembered was blurry. That’s stupid, she could hear herself snapping. Settling down? Starting a family? Marrying? What a joke. She didn't want any of this. Didn't care about how it looked like home, didn't care that it felt like home, and didn't care that the fact that it was home, just not hers, tasted bitter.

Hei appeared in the doorway again, saving her from a response that she wasn’t able to give. Jinqiong didn’t know if her being there was a good thing or a bad thing as she headed towards the two of them, a towel in hand as she approached. She had changed from the shirt she’d been wearing when she first opened the door to a dress, hair tied in a messy bun. “You’re taller than me,” she said to Jinqiong, completely oblivious to the tension in the room. “But I think my dresses will fit you too. It’ll just be a bit shorter.”

“Yeah, whatever.” She nodded at Hei as the other girl handed her and Jongdae the towels, eyes still not leaving her. Shifting uncomfortably under her gaze, Jinqiong managed, “Thank you?”

Hei nodded. “No worries,” she started, and at that moment, Baekhyun stuck his head out of the door.

“Sweetheart,” he called. “Which dress was it again?”

Hei turned her attention to Jongdae instead, giving him a half-apologetic wince. “We can catch up later,” she promised. “I still don’t think he can handle going through my side of the closet.”

She was off without another word, no other glance spared towards her, and Jinqiong swallowed thickly as she wrapped the towel around herself. She must’ve stared a bit too long after their figures because Jongdae turned towards her, eyebrow raised.

“Whatever,” she snapped at him again. “Go get changed.”

***

“I don’t trust her,” Baekhyun said.

Hei turned to look up at him. He’d washed his face, changed out of the loose pants (and turned his shirt so it wasn’t inside out anymore), but Hei could tell that he was still weary. The grey smudges were still visible under his eyes, and it really wasn’t surprising, given the fact that he’d probably slept very little when he was finishing Yoona’s last assignment up.

“Jinqiong?” she asked, glancing at the room where she was supposedly changing. Jongdae was in the spare bedroom, and Hei had given Jinqiong a spare dress before letting her use the washroom attached to the bedroom. She sat next to Baekhyun on the living room couch, watching both doors for either of them to come out so they could get the long-due explanation. “I don’t think she’s going to harm us,” Hei finally concluded. “Jongdae seems to trust her.”

“Trust is a strong word,” Baekhyun replied. “I don’t know what’s going on between the two of them, but I can be pretty sure that this didn’t stem from Jongdae nor does he necessarily want to be here. At least not the way he's here right now.”

Hei hesitated, shifting. It was still slightly shocking that Jongdae was there because she hadn’t seen him in so long, but it was Jinqiong’s presence that she couldn’t quite shake off. And it wasn’t just because it was so unexpected—there was something else there, almost a tug of longing. Baekhyun didn’t trust Jinqiong, and that was obvious, but as much as Hei always felt uneasy around her, some other prevalent part was glad she was there. Maybe it was ridiculous. She had countless other half-siblings, so that aspect in particular didn’t make Jinqiong any closer than all the rest of them, but she still hoped that maybe, just maybe, she could have a sibling in her life. It was all wishful thinking before, but the fact that Jinqiong was there opened a much wider possibility.

“But Jongdae made the judgement to bring her here,” Hei finally replied. “I think we can trust that.”

She could feel Baekhyun scanning her, taking apart her expression. Finally, he laced his fingers with hers. “I really would like to give her the benefit of the doubt,” he murmured. “But I’m still not sure and I don’t want to risk anything. Especially not now.”

“Yeah.” She leaned against him and closed her eyes, swallowing thickly as she tried to make focus on his words. “You’re right. It’s just… she’s my sister, you know? The first person in my family I’ve met that… well, that I haven't related immediately to my family. Maybe that’s why it feels different compared to everything else. Besides, I’ve never met many of them when I was in Hua and the only ones were trying to kill me. This is a nice change for once.”

“I know,” Baekhyun replied. “Just be careful.”

She hummed in agreement. It was nice closing her eyes just for a little while, relaxing as she waited, and Hei didn’t even hear the door swing open until Jongdae spoke up.

“Five minutes, guys,” she heard him say, and Hei opened her eyes again, straightening. “No physical contact for five minutes. Is that doable?”

“I was literally away for six days—” Baekhyun started.

The other door opened and Jinqiong stepped out. Her eyes—narrowed, cat-like—scanned the living room once. Maybe it was the shape of her eyes that made it look scrutinizing, or maybe it was her expression. Whatever it was, a tiny frown settled on her face as he eyes finally landed over her and Baekhyun, guard down for a second before it was back up.

The dress Hei had given her fit relatively well, though her guess was right that it was a bit shorter on Jinqiong than it was on her. She had her arms folded in front of her chest as if she were uncomfortable in it, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she stood at the doorway, obviously unsure of where to go. On the other hand, Jongdae made a beeline towards the couches, sat down like he was at home, and didn’t spare Jinqiong another glance.

Hei watched the two of them, curiosity budding. She was going to have to ask Jongdae why there was so much animosity between the two of them.

“Hey,” she called to Jinqiong. “Sit down. I made a warm drink. I just need to get it.”

Jinqiong nodded, then made her way stiffly across the living room like she was treading upon glass. Hei watched her from her peripheral for a little while longer before heading towards the kitchen, unsure what to do to alleviate the tension when she didn’t even know where it came from in the first place.

She heard Baekhyun talking to Jongdae about something in a quiet voice as Jinqiong took a seat on the couch furthest from them. His voice, too low to hear for much longer, went out of earshot as she entered the kitchen to get the drinks.

Three minutes later, they were all back in the living room again as Hei handed out the mugs. Jongdae took his with a quiet, slightly uncharacteristic thank you, apparently grateful for the warmth as he cupped the glass with both hands. Baekhyun’s clothing was slightly large on him, and he had sunk into the couch like he was cold. Unsurprising, really, especially with that weather and how soaked both he and Jinqiong were when they had shown up.

On the other hand, though, Jinqiong seemed perfectly fine. The obvious discomfort—Hei still couldn’t place a finger on why exactly she felt that way—had made her stiff as she sat furthest away from them with her back straight, hands in her lap as she held the untouched drink. Hei watched her curiously as she sat back next to Baekhyun. She couldn’t bring herself to even picture what the full story was because they were the most unlikely duo to show up, and that in itself was only the beginning of the questions. The last time she had seen Jinqiong she was still part of the Song family—obviously that wasn’t the case anymore, but the dejected girl talking about how she could never leave as she downed yet another cup of alcohol—they didn’t seem all that similar.

Hei took a sip from her cup. “So,” she started, glancing towards Jongdae. “What exactly happened?”

He shrugged. “You’ve probably figured out that I’m not just here for visiting.”

“Hurtful, but yes,” Baekhyun interrupted. “You said you needed our help. What happened?”

At that, Jongdae exchanged a look with Jinqiong. Hei glanced towards her too, though her face was well guarded, nothing in her expression betraying nothing. For a long second, they seemed to have a silent debate until both looked away, unclear as to