All were surprised when Onew unexpectedly released his fork; the loud clang caused all heads to lift and all eyes to focus on him. His face was slightly flushed as he pursed his lips in dissatisfaction and clenched his fists to hold in the rage that was starting to sizzle in him. They watched on as he strode to Eunmi, seized the handles of the wheelchair, and hurled her in an awkward and slightly rough 180 degree spin. He then pushed her forcefully into her room, smashing the door closed behind them.

‘Onew oppa! It’s him! I swear, it’s him! Oppa –’

‘Eunmi! What did you promise me before?’ Onew leaned down with his two hands placed tightly against both sides of Eunmi’s wheelchair so that he confronted her full in the face, towering over slightly. He was pushing so hard on the handles that his knuckles drove against the skin on his hands, turning them into an unpleasant, pallid shade.

‘But that was because I thought he was gone… but he isn’t! Onew oppa, that Jonghyun guy out there, he’s my Mr. Oppa!’

‘Eunmi –’

‘I knew it was him as soon as I saw him!’

‘That is not your oppa!’

‘He is. I saw… I saw…’ Eunmi’s chest was rising and falling as her eyes darted around frantically, as though she were losing her mind. She raised her head and looked into Onew’s stern face. ‘I saw the crystal necklace… the one I gave him on the day he – no, he isn’t dead! He’s right here, in this house!’

‘Your Mr. Oppa is dead. I just don’t get it. Why are you constantly thinking about him? It’s not like that random little kid is going to come back and fulfill this helpless and depressing glimmer of so-called hope that you cling onto! I try to pull you out of this mess, and each and every single time, all you do is let me down. If this continues, I may as well give up on any hopes of bringing reason back into your life and just leave you to suffer in the misery that you built for yourself!’ Onew bellowed and slammed his fist hard on the wheelchair handle. This startled Eunmi, who flinched and drew back meekly as she bent her head in fear. It was the most intimidating state she had ever seen Onew in.

‘Onew oppa… you’ve never yelled at me or spoken to me like this…’

But, this time, Onew wasn’t prepared to succumb to his refusal of being angry at Eunmi. He drew himself upright to his full height, and raised a trembling arm to point his index finger at the closed door. His voice trembled unstably as he tried, in vain, to suppress his outrage.

‘That guy out there… is not your Oppa…’

‘But –’

‘He’s dead. DEAD!’ Onew emphasized the word as his glare pierced into Eunmi’s teary eyes.

‘He isn’t.’

‘Eunmi, what did you promise me before? What did you tell me you would do earlier in the evening when we were outside?’ Onew tried to remain stern and hold his tone steady; however, it felt as though his voice was surrendering to the slight quiver which surfaced each time he saw his hopes diminish to nil.

Eunmi paused slightly, causing the tension to linger ever so uncomfortably in the room. ‘I said I would try and forget about Mr. Oppa… I said I would try to move on with my life… and I said… I said…’

‘… you said you would give me a chance.’ Onew concluded the sentence for her, in a slightly more gentle tone. He knew that the wrath he was experiencing was not for the sake of his own unrequited love, but for his genuine want for Eunmi to be able to find her way out of such miseries that have seemingly robbed her of her chances of pure happiness.

‘I did… I’m so sorry, Onew oppa…’ Eunmi bowed her head and looked down at her fidgety fingers in her lap, ‘I know you only want the best for me and are trying to help me, but now I feel like I’ll never be able to stop thinking about him after seeing Jonghyun. And I’m willing to spend the rest of my life waiting for him if I have to. Even if I know he’s not going to come back, I’m still going to wait and hope for it –’

It was at that moment when the door burst open, almost slamming into Onew’s back. He swerved around in rage and met the faces of the two newly accommodated lodgers. One had the most apologetic expression plastered on his face, his arm reached out to obstruct the latter, who held his mouth slightly agape at the scene before him, of which, clearly, he had eavesdropped on and caught quite an amount.

Onew was possibly too taken aback to respond, to piece together any form of complaint or accusation at the rudeness of the intruder. He did not know what brought his instincts to propel his body forward and place himself as a physical barrier in front of Eunmi, as Jonghyun strode through the door frame, quite heedlessly, and approached the pair. Jonghyun looked past Onew’s shoulder, allowing his piercing gaze to lock in with Eunmi’s frightened and confused face.

‘Never in my life, both down here and up there, have I heard such a sad and helplessly miserable speech. You, girl, are being absolutely ludicrous. For everything that Onew does for you, even if you don’t have the heart to accept his love, I would deem it appropriate and respectful, even if it’s just as a friend, to show some compassion!’ Jonghyun now raised a hand, and Onew jolted abruptly with the instinct of a man who lived to protect the one he loved from any form of physical violence, only to find that the mere intention of the outsider was to point an accusing finger at the trembling girl.

‘How selfish of you; to string along this guy, who has been there for you for so long, getting his hopes up and then letting them plunge back down as you, again and again, break the promises you make to him! Be a decent person and learn your morals – don’t promise things that you know you can’t achieve.’

‘Alright, that’s enough!’ Onew had finally come back to his senses and now stepped forward, so that the arm he held out parallel to the floor pushed against Jonghyun’s body.

But Jonghyun remained strong on his feet and did not recede an inch as he continued. ‘And definitely don’t spend your life musing over someone who, as fate deems to be reality, is long gone and dead! All that stuff you rambled on about this… this… so-called “Oppa” of yours, from outside at me to in here now at Onew, gives me the impression that you’re just a despondent girl who dwells yet in the midst of her past: a coward who cannot muster the strength or courage to simply step out of the fog and accept the reality that fate throws upon you! You cry… you think it’s distressing? Well, pick up your feet, deal with it and get over it!’

‘I can’t…’ Eunmi’s voice cracked as she struggled against her will to avert her gaze from the painfully familiar eyes, ‘I can’t pick up my feet at all…’

‘I meant that as a metaphorical statement, you sad, useless wimp!’

‘ALRIGHT. Shut up, both of you!’ Onew dropped his arm and stepped forward, until he was inches away from the glowering face of Jonghyun. ‘Those words you said just then… I demand you to take them back.’

‘What words? Everything I said was the truth!’ argued Jonghyun defensively.

‘You do not know about anything. You do not know the situation. You hardly know her, or me, well enough to place your reckless judgements and useless advice on us. And you are definitely in no just position to speak to Eunmi with the tone and attitude you just did!’ Onew did not realize when his voice had risen once more to the volume of a shout as he glared into the guest’s eyes. He remembered looking into them by the lake earlier that night; they had been a glowing, translucent shade of silver, quite like the moon. But now, the very same pair of eyes stared right back at him… deceptively tinted with a dark, black hue.

The owner of the mystical eyes spoke calmly, as though he expected obedience and worship from all; the kind he had been accustomed to. ‘I speak with whatever tone and attitude I wish, and you have no right or control over how I choose to act. I will say and do as I please, and what I speak of is for her own good!’

‘You are not doing anything beneficial, only causing trouble, adding oil to the flames and rubbing in on her grief!’

‘I think I am speaking quite reasonably and sensibly.’

‘Well, you are doing quite the opposite!’

‘I’m trying to talk some sense into her!’

‘And you’re not doing a very good job of it!’

‘How dare you accuse me and condemn my acts?’

‘This is my home, and if you can’t respect that and the people who live in it, get out!’

‘STOP IT!’ In the midst of the silence that followed, save for the hostile ringing of raised voices from a few moments ago, Eunmi had clasped her hands over her ears as she shook her head violently and squeezed her eyes shut. ‘Both of you… stop it… please…’

The servant, forgotten and excluded from the commotion, finally spoke up. His voice seemed oddly soft and low compared to the row from before as he made a useless attempt at friendly talk. Minho’s apology on his and his master’s behalf was dismissed as Onew turned away to face the window, and he thought the distressed-looking boy would remain in such a position for quite a while if it weren’t for the sudden creaking sound of the floorboards.

Eunmi had moved, her frail arms pushing against the wheels of her chair, as she attempted to make her way through the gap wedged between the two silent boys who faced away from each other.

It was Onew who turned his head and asked, ‘Eunmi, where are you going?’ His tone had softened, as though some form of contemplation and remorse had sunk into his mind during these brief moments of silence.

‘I need some fresh air,’ was her reply. She had not even turned around to look at him, and her voice was made distant as it rebounded off the wall in front of her before reaching Onew’s ears.

‘Eunmi… I’m sorry… just then, I –’

‘I don’t want to hear it, Onew oppa.’ Her voice was unstable, as though she was constricting it to prevent any further sob from escaping. ‘You really hurt me with your words tonight.’

Onew looked possibly incredulous as he flailed his arms in the air a few times. ‘My words hurt you? And his didn’t?’

‘Hey, leave me out of this thing,’ interrupted Jonghyun indignantly.

‘You were the one who brought yourself into it in the first place!’

‘Hey, I –’

‘Will you two just stop it?’ Eunmi had sighed heavily and loudly, exasperated. ‘I’m going out, and Onew oppa, please don’t come after me. I’ll come back myself.’

‘Eunmi, it’s pitch dark outside, I’m not going to let you out there on your own.’

But the girl disregarded his words and continued out the door. She stopped momentarily in front of Minho, who was torn between whether to stop her for the sake of his landlord or let her go for the sake of her distraught state of mind. He resorted to stepping to the side and allowing things to flow according to nature; after all, he had never been in a position where he was given a free choice for anything.

Eunmi did not make eye contact with anyone as she made her way out of the door, past Taemin who was trying, very unsuccessfully, to appear as though he were intrigued by a television show and hadn’t heard any of what had occurred behind the wall.

‘Eunmi…’ Onew ambled hesitantly out of the room. ‘Eunmi!’

‘Don’t follow. Please…just give me some space… away from you.’ The door closed with a soft thud behind her.

‘Eunmi!’ Onew called after her and made to launch himself at the door and chase the girl, but was pulled back in his step. He turned his head and met the blazing eyes of the golden-haired boy. Onew didn’t mean to glare, but his eyes disobeyed his brain’s order.

‘Hey, didn’t she just say not to follow her?’

Onew overlooked the statement and yanked Jonghyun’s hand off his shoulder by rolling it backwards in one jolting movement. It was more out of shame at losing his temper than the anger itself that justified such an action.

He retreated to the couch and dropped onto it beside his anxious brother. Placing his head into his hands, he reflected, quite remorsefully, over the words that had unconsciously escaped his mouth tonight out of his sheer anger and frustration – both to Eunmi and to Jonghyun. He was never a man of hurtful words; he had always been the type who listened to the voices of others and only made criticism and pronounced disapproval when it seemed as the only rational thing to do.

His reverie was disrupted by the sound of the front door clicking opening. Raising and tilting his head to peer over the flower vase, he called out, ‘What are you doing?’

Jonghyun’s reply was curt. ‘I’m out of here. Minho!’ The servant hastened to join his master. ‘We’re leaving. Thank you for your “hospitality”!’ Jonghyun’s fingers traced imaginary quotation marks in the air as he called out the last words to Onew and flung the door fully open.

‘First Heir! First – Jonghyun! Where do you think you’re going? Come back!’

The alarmed voice was cut off as the door slammed shut behind them.