If words could pierce a thousand daggers, Tiffany would have liked to think that she would have already died.

His words were a resonating rhythm constantly playing itself in her head over and over again. It was honestly a mixture of being trapped in surrealism; falling over yourself and not being able to pick your bits and pieces of shattered hopes alone.

She decided once and for all that the man before her was simply just as lost as she was. He needed comfort.

“Look.” She tried to piece her words together. “I know that Yuri died and that you were close to her but-”

“Oh no, you won’t.” The man growled. “Not again with this .”

“You didn’t even let me finish my sentence.”

“And that’s my purpose. I don’t want to hear this whole thing of how I’m being crazy and that Yuri wasn’t murdered.”

“I wasn’t going to say that.” Tiffany retorted. At least not on the part of him being a little crazy.

“Let me guess. You wanted me to know that I am still a young man and that I have to move on even though Yuri died. Oh, and maybe you would have like to take pity on me as well.”

“No.” The girl lied.

“Stop deceiving yourself.”

Myungsoo heaved a heavy sigh and he cupped his forehead depressingly.

“Look.” He continued. “I can understand that this theory is as mental as it gets. But I just need someone, anyone, to believe me for a moment.”

“And you want that person to be me.” Tiffany uttered reluctantly.

“Yes. You’re the only person that Yuri ever trusted.” Myungsoo probed her on. “Aside from me, of course.”

“Why should I believe you?” Her voice came off as a whisper.

“Because no one else does.”

“That doesn’t even make any sense.” The girl groaned.

Tiffany continued to stare at the young man before her; her head now in a turmoil. She felt the beat of her heart in sync with the ticks of the antique wall clock behind her. Seconds felt like forever before the girl finally came to a decision yet again.

“Let’s just say that for a moment.” She suggested. “That I was crazy enough to believe you. What happens then?”

She saw how he raised his head in enthusiasm, his eyes hinting with a sparkle.

“Then we investigate!”

“That sounds like hard work.” Tiffany grumbled.

“You can stay here in this house.” Myungsoo tried to persuade her. “For free.”

“Everything will be paid for. Just… Just help me on this one. I know I’m asking a lot but at the end, you’ll be one with the most advantage.” He continued.

Now, it wasn’t that the girl was too particular on agreeing, but her head rummaged with uncertainty. Was this even legal? And even if it wasn’t, what was she to lose? The man was practically begging her to stay. For free.

Yes, Tiffany liked free things. They’re always… a form of successful persuasion.

The man waited patiently, his hands twitching nervously for her answer. If she agreed, he’ll finally be able to have a companion he can talk to.

“Fine. I have to agree if you insist.”

Myungsoo gave a sigh of relief. Looks like he’ll finally have his companion.

“Come on. I’ll show you to your room.”

The girl followed the man diligently; up into the intricate staircase and right into the room. At sight, she finally realised how large the house actually was.

“This used to be Yuri’s room.” The man uttered hesitantly.

“Y-You want me to stay in her room?!” Tiffany exclaimed shockingly.

“No one really wanted to enter her room after she died. Not even me.” He mumbled. “It’s far too painful.”

“But it pricks on my conscience.” She protested. “I’d be staying in my dead friend’s room.”

“You’ve got no choice. This is the only available room.” Tiffany saw how the man fidgeted with nervousness.

“You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?” Yes, finally she was going to turn speculative. “I mean there’s plenty of empty rooms. I saw them with my own eyes!”

“N-No!”

“You are hiding something! Now spill it out! Or I’m leaving!”

“D-Don’t leave!” Myungsoo rushed to the door immediately, blocking the path so as to not let Tiffany leave.

“The truth is that I don’t live alone.” The man began softly. “I have an older brother.”

“The man in the picture?” Tiffany asked.

“Yeah. Kim Won Bin.”

“I don’t get it. Why keep it a secret?”

“To be honest, my brother has always been on the strict side which might explain why I’m closer to Yuri. He’s much older than the two of us, so we always end up being scolded if we misbehaved.”

“And I tried telling him of my murder theory once but he shouted at me saying that I need to move on. I admit it. I grew bitter.” He continued. “But that doesn’t give him a reason to continue to be strict with me. I’ve grown old for god’s sake.”

“But that just means that he’s protective of you. Isn’t that good?” The girl could actually understand where the man was coming from. She would never let anything happen to her brother, Chanyeol.

“You don’t understand. He wouldn’t even allow me to socialise. I don’t even have friends now.”

“ to be you.” Tiffany quickly cupped upon realising her honest reaction; only to see the man agreeing with her.

“But I still don’t get it.” She continued. “Why is your brother extra protective of you?”

“Well, for the most part, I actually think he agrees with me that Yuri was murdered.”

“That doesn’t make sense. He dismissed you off, didn’t he?”

“Yeah, but that’s because he doesn’t want to accept that Yuri died because of him.”

“Wait a minute.” Tiffany interrupted the boy. “You’re telling me that Yuri died because of your brother? Why? Did he kill her?”

“N-no! Nothing of that sort.”

“Then what?”

“Won Bin… Won Bin works for a top notch organisation as an…. investigator. He has his enemies so I guess one of them finally got to know that he has a family back home.”

“So you’re telling me that your brother is a spy? Seeing how you said he has enemies and they finally knew that he has a family. Now, if he was a normal investigator, they would have already known of his identity. But they don’t so…”

“Wow. You’re pretty smart than I imagined you to be.” Myungsoo looked on incredulously before nearing the girl again.

Tiffany made a mental note to re-affirm that the man had thought of her as an idiot before. What arrogance.

“So? He’s a spy?”

“Y-Yeah. One of the top ones too.”

“Then we should ask your brother!”

“No!” The man protested. “Haven’t you heard a single word I said? He’ll kill me if he knew that you know of his work.”

“And I might even kill the girl too.”

Both Myungsoo and Tiffany turned around to find themselves faced with a man at the door. Tiffany immediately recognised him as the good looking man from the picture. Little did they realised that the man had actually came home for a few good minutes; seeing how engrossed they were in their conversation.

“Hello Myungsoo. I’m finally home.”

The man gave a small smirk and for a moment, Tiffany had never felt so afraid in her life. She found herself standing behind Myungsoo, his body quavering at the sight of his elder brother. The girl saw how the man eyed the both of them, his eyes mocking his younger sibling before finally coming upon Tiffany’s.

“Hello.” The man greeted her. “And Goodbye.”

In a swift moment, the girl realised she was being hugged by the man she found annoying a moment ago, Myungsoo. His back was facing his brother and he was pulling the girl closer to him, as if he was protecting her from a familiar dangerous sensation. She tried peeping through his shoulders to see what in the world was happening and when she did, she regretted immediately.

For in the man’s hands was a gun, its’ sole and only purpose to kill.

And kill it might.