Eunbi headed up to her bedroom as soon as she returned home. That anyone could be home was of no concern to the said girl as she slammed the door close and slumped down on her bed. She was still upset at Sehun. She was angry with him and the way he’d acted at the bar. He’d done nothing when the group of guys bothered her and Ahbin.

There was a knock on the door, soon followed by her mother’s voice.

“Are everything okay, honey?”

“Yeah mom. Everything is fine.” she couldn’t explain the issues she had with Sehun. Not with her mother. Not with anyone actually. No one could possibly understand what she was going through. How everything felt so ed up and how troubled she was by what was happening. One thing was for sure. It would’ve been so much easier if Sehun hadn’t kissed her that day. If only he could’ve restrained himself.

“Okay then. You know where to find me if you want to talk.” for once, Eunbi felt relieved that her mother wasn’t overprotective or needed to know every little detail of what was going on. Then again, the older woman was rather impassive sometimes.

“Okay.” Eunbi replied with a sigh before she moved about in her bed. The action reminded her of the file that was hidden underneath the pillow right in front of her. The file that hopefully could reveal something about Luhan and Sehun’s mother. Eunbi got up and locked the door. A precaution since she didn’t want anyone to enter whilst she was going through the papers. It was even more important now that Luhan was home again.

She became hesitant though, when she sat back down on her bed and retrieved the file from its place. Eunbi had no idea what it contained and what was written on those papers, and she knew there was no turning back once she’d read it. Eunbi decided after a short while and a lot of thinking to flip open the file. A feat that would change everything, for the first thing that greeted her was the death certificate of Oh Jihye. Luhan and Sehun’s mother. Her heart raced and she felt a bit sick to her stomach by the surreality of it all.

A death certificate was about as personal as it could get, and Eunbi found herself struck by how young their mother had been when she died. Thirtysix years of age. It was too young, far too young and she couldn’t help but to compare her own mother with theirs. How would she herself react if her mother passed away? It was such an overwhelming thought that she felt uneasy just thinking about it. Really. The pain of losing a parent had to be indescribable and hard. Another part that saddened her was the cause of death. cancer.

Eunbi sighed once again for she remembered just how angry and upset both Luhan and Sehun had been about the marriage between their father and her mother. It wasn’t just her mother that’d suffered though. She, too, had faced quite some difficulties due to the two males and their behaviour. The death of their mother had obviously changed them, something that became even more apparent as she flipped through the pages and saw pictures of the two together with their mother. They were smiling in every photo, which was a stark contrast to how they expressed themselves now. Why couldn’t they show one of those smiles once in awhile?

A sudden knock on the door sent panic rushing through her system and she hid the file under her pillow again. That she’d locked her door was something she completely forgot about because she freaked out. Eunbi was terrified of being caught with the forbidden papers. More so since she was certain it would cause chaos if anyone were to find out she’d read them.

“What?” she was rather defensive and wanted whoever stood on the other side to make their ordeal quick so she could return to the file and the papers that were left.  

“Open the door.” Eunbi tensed at the sound of Luhan’s voice. But it also surprised her for she hadn’t expect him to be home.

“Why? What do you want?” there was not a chance that she would unlock and let him in. For various reasons at that. It wasn’t just due to the object lying underneath her pillow, but also because of what’d happened earlier the same morning. Eunbi shuddered at the mental images of his actions. How close it’d been that he kissed her.

“Can’t a brother give his sister a Christmas gift?” Eunbi scoffed, not the slightest convinced by his words. He’d never given her anything before so why would he suddenly start now. No way. It didn’t make sense, and she was not late to point that out as she told him to get lost. Luhan was not one to give up though, and he continued with his irritating act by constantly knocking on the door until it reached a breaking point for Eunbi, who stomped over, unlocked, and opened.

She should’ve known better than to open the door because the first thing he did was to push his way inside. She stood no chance against him and all she could do was to watch as he closed and locked the door. Eunbi didn’t want to attract attention either, not when the file was in her room, and therefore remained quiet.

“Awh. Don’t look so sad. I’m not going to do anything.” Luhan stated as he advanced forward. But his try to put her off balance was unsuccessful for in comparison to any other time, Eunbi refused to let him push her around. Moreover, she refused to let him anywhere near her bed. She couldn’t let herself be caught. And because of that, she stood her ground even after he came to a stop a mere meter from her. Eunbi did her best to seem unfazed, like his actions didn’t bother her. The reality was a tad different though, because she couldn’t hide the fact that a part of her was still scared.

“I’m busy, so could you get to the point.” she folded her arms over her chest in an attempt to look uninterested. And to add on with the attitude, Eunbi rolled her eyes. A feat that were bound to spark a reaction from his side. It did. Luhan scoffed. His response baffled her and she stared at him, irritated and surprised for it wasn’t what she’d expected.

“Always so rude.” it was Eunbi’s turn to scoff. She found it quite ironic how Luhan tried to pinpoint her as the bad person when he was the one who acted like a total all the time.

“Are you just as rude to your little boyfriend?” he smirked and Eunbi understood right away what he was trying to do. He wanted her to give him a satisfying reaction that could fuel his confidence. It was so typical him and Eunbi, despite wanting to lash out at him, did her very best to stay calm. She couldn’t let herself get worked up as that meant victory for Luhan.

“What we do are none of your concern.” Eunbi stated before she stepped around him. Well. More like tried because he latched onto her arm and thus stopped the girl from getting anywhere. Her frustration must’ve showed though, for he flashed her a knowing smile, like he knew she was on the brink of losing it.

“Did I say you could leave? I don’t think so.” he was really starting to get on her nerves, and Eunbi was not late to display her dissatisfaction as she punched him straight in the stomach. Luhan let go of her arm in an instant, to which she took the opportunity to slip past him, unlock the door, and leave. The file laying underneath her pillow was temporarily forgotten during her attempt to run from Luhan, who, once he’d pulled himself together, headed after her. Eunbi’s mother was making her way up the staircase at the same time and thereby became involved when Eunbi came running down. The older woman wanted to know what was going on and if something had happened. Questions she did her best to avoid since it would only create problems further on.

“It’s nothing. I just wanted to get a glass of water.” a believable lie if it hadn’t been for the fact that Luhan came rushing out of her bedroom a second or two later. The latter came to an immediate stop before he sent Eunbi a hard stare, as if daring her to say a word.

“Mind telling me what’s going on between you two?” both teenagers remained silent. Eunbi for one simple reason, to not anger the older male. Luhan on the other hand, had another reason for keeping quiet. He wanted Eunbi’s mother to stay out of it.

“Fine. I’ll leave it to the two of you to resolve it since you both refuse to answer.” Eunbi knew there was no time to spare as her mother walked up the last flight of steps and disappeared down the hallway. Luhan was close behind her though. But he was taking it quite easy and wasn’t hurrying like Eunbi, who felt panic rise in her chest when she got down and realized there was nowhere to hide. She didn’t want to take refuge in her stepfather’s study either. Not when the male was home, which meant she would have to come up with another plan.

Bathroom. It was the only room with a lock.

Eunbi was in for quite a surprise though, because the bathroom door flew open at the same time she reached for the door handle. Everything happened so fast after that for she pushed Sehun, who was equally shocked to see her there, back inside the bathroom. The lock was quickly taken care of even thought it was pitch black, and it wasn’t until she’d breathed a sigh of relief that she finally realized who she stood pressed against. The space was rather cramped and definitely not suited for more than one person at a time. Something that became even more apparent when Eunbi felt his breath ghost across her nose and cheek. Emotions made a turmoil within and she remained completely still, terrified that a single move could cause a situation she’d regret.

What Sehun did or said was nothing she could control though, so she panicked when he moved. But it was impossible for the girl to see what he was doing because of the darkness. A feat that didn’t make it easier on Eunbi, who, after a quick consideration, decided to get the hell out of there. It didn’t matter that Luhan was lurking just outside the door, because to her, he was the least of her problem. In fact, the one that caused Eunbi fear was Sehun for she dreaded what his actions could do to her. And with that in mind, she escaped the bathroom. The relief was short-lived however, because she stepped out to another battlefield.

“So you’ve finally realized that you can’t run from me.” Eunbi was not even surprised by Luhan’s appearance as she’d been rather certain he would be waiting for her. Luhan on the other hand, became quite taken aback when he saw Sehun exiting the bathroom right after Eunbi. It wasn’t what he’d expected, and the mental images that flashed in his head of what could have happened between the other two irritated him to no end.

“Really? You’re hooking up with him now?” what. Eunbi glanced over her shoulder at Sehun before she looked back at Luhan, her mind racing with thousand thoughts. She couldn’t believe him, how he could think that? Sure. There was that kiss, one he had no clue about. But it was just an accident and she’d already brushed it off.

“What makes you think I’d want to hook up with her.” Sehun retorted, to which Eunbi deadpanned. But it wasn’t just shock that she felt. She was also hurt by his words. With every right at that considering how he’d treated her the past couple of days. He was nice one day, playing video games and making sure she had a decent Christmas Eve, only to turn into a complete the next. Then to further confuse her, he kissed her.

“Screw you.” the words slipped from her lips. But Eunbi made no attempt to apologize. They were true after all and she didn’t care if he was hurt by them.

“Yeah. Go Eunbi.” Luhan cheered as he clapped his hands in that sarcastic manner only he could manage. Eunbi rolled her eyes at him, uninterested by his acts, before she glanced back at Sehun. Their eyes met and she frowned at the lack of reaction. He didn’t even look upset by her words, and that if anything irritated Eunbi, who felt uneasy because of what he’d said.

“I thought you were better than this.” Sehun broke the eye contact as she said that. He refused to look at her and Eunbi began to question what the hell was going on with him when he walked right past them and headed upstairs. She stared after him as he went, disappointed and angry and not to mention hurt.