Jiyong’s eyes were shut tight after hearing the loud gunshot. He was expecting to feel numb by now, maybe swimming on a pool of blood, or feeling a stinging sensation anywhere. But all he felt was the cold breeze of the midnight wind and the pavement he was kneeling on. He could also still hear the echoes of the gunshot but after that, he never heard anything anymore. Surprised, he lifted his head.

 

Teddy had his head diverted away from him. The gun was still firm on his grip.

 

“Hyung…” he called.

 

Teddy turned around. “I may not have killed you, but I haven’t forgiven you yet,” he said before walking towards the house, slamming the door shut, and locking it.

 

Jiyong stayed still on his spot, still kneeling, not believing what had happened. As he looked down, at his side was the bullet from Teddy’s gun. He exhaled, not realizing until now that he was holding his breath.

 

“I wasn’t forgiven yet, but I may be,” he thought. His eyes then lifted towards where Dara’s room was. The curtains were drawn but the lights were on. He couldn’t hear what was happening but he was worried for her. He was sure she was as well. He fixed his position, folded his legs, and decided to stay until Teddy and Kush were going to forgive him. “This is for you and me, Dara. I am not going to get out of this position until they decide to accept us.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the gun on his hand, he entered the house. He was looking down, shocked at how he reacted, at how Jiyong kept on pleading, on how persistent he was, and on how Dara looked too devastated being dragged out of the scene. One thing that was clear to him right now was that they truly loved each other, despite the label of them being siblings.

 

He went upstairs where Dara was locked in. TOP was standing outside, his eyes shut tight and a pained expression on his face. He understood him. He could also hear Dara’s shattered and agonizing screams and cries. He wondered how she was inside. He wanted to enter, to console her, to stop her from crying. But how could he, when the reason she was being like that was him.

 

“Do you have to go to that extent?” TOP asked him.

 

Teddy looked away. “I was… surprised. I can’t believe it.”

 

“Did you kill him?”

 

Teddy looked at him. “How could I? He’s a family. Besides, I can’t hurt Dara that much.”

 

“Too late,” TOP said. “You already did. She thinks you killed him.”

 

There wasn’t a sign of guilt on his face. He just clenched his fists on his sides. “I still haven’t forgiven them. I mean, how could they do this to us? We’re a family.”

 

“It’s not like we’re blood-related,” TOP said.

 

He furrowed his brows. “So what? They still kept this behind us.”

 

“Are you going to give them a chance if ever they said so earlier?”

 

Teddy looked away, realizing he didn’t have an answer for that. “Leave me alone. I need some time to think.”

 

TOP passed by him and patted him on his shoulder. “Don’t be too hard on them. They’re just two persons loving each other, just like any other couples out there.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The room finally fell silent but Teddy was still bothered. He was leaning on Dara’s bedroom door, his elbows propped on his knees. He was burying his face on his palms. He still couldn’t get the feeling of being betrayed off his chest. All these times, he had thought the relationship between them was nothing but siblings. He had suspicions before, having to witness Jiyong sleeping on her bed, him being too caring for her, too worried for her it was always to the extent that they were going to fight because of these things. He had shrugged them off, thinking they were nothing but a sibling caring and worrying for the other.

 

Thinking back, it was like he had overreacted the moment they brought the news to them. He was angry, yes. It was because he felt betrayed – betrayed by his siblings. Even though it was only an unwritten rule, it was understood that there should not be any romantic feelings towards Dara, their only sister. Maybe it was just because he was the eldest or that he grew a sense of closeness to Dara because, when she was younger and a newcomer to the family, he was the one who took care of her the most. Maybe it was just his overprotective side. Maybe these were the reasons. But this news was really unfathomable on his part. He couldn’t believe it.

 

But, like what TOP told him, would he have accepted it immediately when they told them right away? Would he have reacted the same way?

 

However, if he would really accept them, it wasn’t that bad. Despite Jiyong being a ruthless assassin, he was actually really caring and he was sure he wouldn’t let anything or anyone hurt her. And this was proven several times already.

 

But, what should he do now?

 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Kush was thinking of the same thing. However, he was torn between wanting to help the pathetic Dara who was sitting in a corner, crying her eyes out. She had her knees pulled to herself as she buried her face on her folded arms. It had been hours since the gunshot and although he was sure Teddy didn’t kill Jiyong, he was too angry to comfort the poor girl.

 

He was also bothered by the question, what should he do now?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dara’s eyes were exhausted and she didn’t notice that she was able to sleep for a while. She stood up from her spot, realizing that Kush wasn’t around. There was a sound from her comfort room and realized that he might have gone to a bathroom break. She had the opportunity to look out the window, which Kush repeatedly told her that it wasn’t allowed. She was afraid of what she was going to witness after hearing that loud gunshot. Although there was a chance that Teddy had killed him, she still couldn’t imagine that he could do anything as worse as that.

 

She was afraid of what she was going to witness, so she just stood there, staring at the curtain-covered window. She heard the flushing noise from the comfort room. Her head whipped towards the door. She was about to open the window when her bedroom door unlocked and the knob turned.

 

Her heart pounded hard, expecting an angry Teddy, but she was corrected when TOP appeared.

 

“Oppa,” she called.

 

TOP motioned her to be silent. She did and they both stared at the comfort room where there was a splashing noise. Maybe he was now washing his hands and would now go out.

 

TOP immediately grabbed her by her wrist and they ran outside. Teddy also wasn’t around. Dara kept silent, not knowing where he was going to take her. She didn’t ask though. After a while, they were downstairs.

 

They stopped in front of the closed door. TOP faced her, gulping for a while before saying, “Remember, I may have appeared as someone against you two, although I would have wanted it better if you were away from each other…” he trailed off and then continued. “I am doing this for you,” he said before opening the door.

 

Dara was slightly pushed before the door closed again. Her eyes never left the door, where TOP might still be. She didn’t understand a single word he said. What did he say those words for? Why? After a while, she turned around, seeing Jiyong, kneeling on the ground, his head bowed and was slightly trembling.

 

“Jiyong!” Dara cried, running towards him, as she bent towards him and hugged him tight to herself.

 

“Must…be…forgiven…hyung…”

 

Dara leaned away and looked at him on the face. “Jiyong, Jiyong… please, stop doing this,” she said, tears falling from her eyes. “Jiyong, please…”

 

Jiyong locked eyes with hers and he shook his head. “I need to…”

 

Dara once again wrapped him in a tight hug as he rubbed his back. He was trembling and she knew he was cold. It was already dawn and the wind kept on blowing. It didn’t help at all.

 

Jiyong still kept on muttering the same things over and over again.

 

“Jiyong, let’s stop this, okay? Let’s go back inside, okay?” she whispered, sharing her warmth with him. She leaned away for a while, she took off the cardigan she was wearing and wrapped it around his body, not caring that she was wearing light clothes and was already feeling cold herself. Once he was clothed with her cardigan, she cupped his face and let him look at her in the eyes. “Please? Stop this, okay? Stop hurting yourself, okay? Hmm? Jiyong? Please…”

 

Jiyong didn’t seem swayed. Even though Dara struggled to let him up, he was persistent to stay kneeling on his spot.

 

“Jiyong…” she pleaded, already trembling from the cold. “Please…”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile…

 

“TOP! This nonsense is enough. Get out of the way!” Teddy ordered.

 

“And what, you’re going to beat him up again? Don’t you see how much pain you’re causing not only to Jiyong but also to Dara?! Especially to Dara!”

 

“TOP! Open the goddamn door,” Kush ordered, his voice not as loud as Teddy’s.

 

“If not, what? I am tired of this, seeing Dara in pain. Stop causing pain to both of them. Can’t you just accept who they love?”

 

Teddy sighed and locked eyes with him. “I understand where the concern comes from, TOP. Before I could even do anything to harm you, will you step out of the way?”

 

“No,” he said stubbornly. “I am not getting out of your way even if it would kill me.”

 

Kush sighed tiredly too. “Come on, TOP. Teddy and I had talked about this already. Open the door and we’ll promise that we are not going to hurt you, Jiyong, and especially Dara.”

 

There was something by the way Kush spoke that TOP finally thought it over. Why would Kush promise something as grave as that now that this had come to this? Besides, looking at both of the hyungs, they seemed serious.

 

“What should I do to both of you if you don’t keep your word?” he asked, just to make sure.

 

Both Kush and Teddy pulled out their guns and gave them to him.

 

“You can aim it at our heads while we open the door. They’re loaded,” Kush said.

 

TOP looked down at the guns on his palm, not believing what they just said. They were serious. Dead serious.

 

He opened the door, not aiming the guns on their heads like they said so, believing they would really keep their words because of the extent they went just to prove they were going to keep their words.

 

The turmoil that TOP initially expected didn’t come. Teddy and Kush were calm as they saw the scene in front of them.

 

The two lovers were pathetically trying to insist the other on what the other wanted. Both crying, both pleading the other.

 

“Dara…” Teddy interrupted.

 

Jiyong looked up and, seeing the hyungs, repeatedly bowed, continually muttering the same apologies and pleadings.  Dara flinched and then turned, shielding Jiyong with her arms.

 

“No, oppa. You can’t do this to us,” she said. “I love him. And you can’t dictate us on what to feel.”

 

There was silence in the air as the two locked eyes. Jiyong, on the other hand, kept on muttering under his breath, his back and knees already aching from kneeling and bowing for hours. TOP was staring back and forth from Dara and Teddy, wondering if he had to do what Kush said a while ago if ever they would break their promise. Would he? Would he hurt her again? Did he have to pull out the guns?

 

Teddy deeply sighed as Kush walked towards the two. Seeing this, Dara flinched, afraid what Kush was going to do. She tried covering Jiyong from him. However, Kush only bent down to help Jiyong up.

 

Shocked, Dara’s head whipped to Teddy who was already helping her up. She just looked at him, blinking rapidly as confusion clouded her mind. What was going on? She couldn’t even open to ask that simple question.

 

When Teddy and Kush already settled Jiyong and Dara in the living room, Dara found her voice to speak. “What’s going on?”

 

Jiyong was already weak on the couch, his eyes failing as he was struggling to stay awake. He was still muttering the same things over and over again. Dara pulled him as he let his head lie on her lap, but her eyes never left the older brothers who were in front of them – at first stiff on their places, the next they were bowing low in front of them.

 

Dara couldn’t believe her eyes.