Jinah POV

Bzzz,Bzzzz,Bzzz

I cracked open one eye trying to find the noise that dared to disturb my relaxing bubble bath, spotting my phone on the vanity that was vibrating and flashing like crazy.

“Sunah!!” I called out, silence answered back.

Hmmm, maybe she is helping Maria with the ironing in the granny flat at the back of the house. I stared at my phone in annoyance , I didn’t want to leave the comfort of my warm bath that smelled like honey and vanilla.

The phone vibrated again, and I shot up out of the bathtub, water spilled over the sides, I stepped out and grabbed my phone, recognising the number that sent the messages as Daehyun’s. Why I still have this idiots number is a mystery to me.

Opening and reading the messages, it was clear that he really, really wanted to meet up and talk, I could sense the desperation in all these messages. I’m quite tempted to go and meet him, I haven’t left the house in a week and the guys have been randomly coming over in groups to check up on us since Soo Man is in China on business and he practically threatened them to check up on us and report back to him.

With my mind made up, I reply to Daehyun’s most recent message, saying I’ll meet him in half an hour. I leave my phone on the vanity and walk to my closet to pick an outfit. 15 minutes later, I’m satisfied with my choice, quickly putting on my boots and leaving my room, heading to the front door when I see a stick it note stuck to a photo frame of Sunah and myself, I notice it’s Sunah’s handwriting and read it.

“ MARIA AND I HAVE GONE TO BUY GROCERIES FOR DINNER TONIGHT. ALL THE GUYS WILL BE JOINING US, BE BACK IN AN HOUR OR TWO. SEE YOU THEN. XOXO SUNAH”

The guys are coming over for dinner? I swear they are doing it to piss me off, Sunah isn’t helping by inviting them over all the time. I take a pen out of my bag and write on the other side of the note.

“GONE OUT, LAST MINUTE THING, DON’T KNOW WHAT TIME I’LL BE BACK. LEAVE THE FRONT DOOR UNLOCKED FOR ME. SEE YOU LATER, XOXO JINAH.”

Hmm, reading my message again, it sounds very vague and mysterious. Oh well, I stick it back on the photograph and leave the house, hailing down a tax. I make it to the place that Daehyun asked me to meet him at. It’s a small café, a couple of blocks away from SME, we used to come here when we were dating, it was the only place our companies agreed on that we could spend time with one another without interruptions.

I spot him sitting in the corner booth, as I inched closer I saw that his choice of outfit consisted of clothing I’d bought for him when we were together. Daehyun stood up when he saw me approach the booth, his eyes giving me a once over before setting on my face. He pulls out a chair for me, this action surprised me, even when we were dating he never did anything of the sort, so it made me suspicious, I pushed that feeling to the back of my mind as we sat down.

“I’m glad you agreed to meet with me, you have no idea how happy it made me.” He says with a small smile after ordering a coffee and cake for us.

“I was sceptical at first and then I remembered we used to be friends before we were lovers.” I confessed, clasping my hands together to stop them from fidgeting. Why was my body so antsy right now?

“Ah yes, friends. You should come over some time, Yongguk and the guys would love to see you.”

I couldn’t help but hear a hint of sarcasm in his voice, he had that smirk on his face that could pass for a friendly smile if you didn’t know him like I did. The suspicious feeling kept nagging me from the back of my mind. The waitress came over with our drinks and cake, instead of responding to him, I busied myself with eating my cake and chugging down my coffee, the faster I finish, the faster I can leave. It was a mistake to come here, no matter how bad I wanted to get out of the house, this shouldn’t have been the excuse to do so.

Daehyun stayed uncharacteristically silent, his coffee and cake untouched before him. He starts typing on his phone and looking at me every now and then. I just don’t get his behaviour right now, he wanted to meet me. I’m positive that I wasn’t getting an apology and I’m sure he never intended to apologize to me. He would have done it by now, despite his faults and his ness.

I bring the mug to my lips and pretend to drink so I can watch him, who is on the receiving end of his texts? He’s paying more attention to his phone than to me, speaking of phones, I feel my pockets and my heart sinks when I realise I’ve left the bloody thing at home. ! Why of all days did I forget it?!

“Ummm, I need to use the bathroom. Be back in a sec.” I said quickly to Daehyun before getting up and speed walking to the bathroom. I paced around the tiny room, I need to leave right now. I knew coming here was a stupid decision and I have no way of calling anyone. Nobody knows where I am coz I was so fricken vague with my message! Good job me!

I suddenly remember seeing a pay phone across the street, I look in my back for any loose change and sigh in relief when I find my silver saviour. All I needed now was an excuse, I looked at myself in the mirror, thinking and coming up with nothing.

“AH! I know, I’ll say there is an emergency at home.” I nodded in approval and gave myself thumbs up, heading back out there and finding the booth empty. I looked around the café, where the frack did he go? I stopped the waitress that was clearing our table.

“Excuse me, do you know what happened to the guy I was here with?” I asked her, she pondered for a moment before answering.

“The handsome guy in the black jacket? He paid the bill and left in a hurry.” She explained and left, taking the tray of mugs and plates with her.

I sat down at the table, what a joke. I should feel relieved that he left first but it all of this seems fishy to me. He paid the bill? In my experience, if you are in a hurry you forget to do that so obviously he wasn’t in that much of a hurry. Now that I look around the café, there is hardly anyone in here, maybe this is a slow day for them. At least I can go home now and forget this meeting ever happened.

I turned around to the exit only to collide with someone, I looked up to see who it was when they spoke with an all too familiar voice, sending chills down my spine.

“Hello Jinah.”

Stepping back proved difficult as my legs remained frozen on the spot, I breathed out calmly as his lips formed a predatory smile at me. No, I will not let this bastard make me feel weak again, I mentally told myself .

“Didn’t you get the memo? Leeteuk told you what he would do if you came near me again.” I said trying to look composed and unaffected by his presence.

“He is not here, and I know you left your phone at home so now you are stuck with me until I decide to let you go.” Yoon Jae says taking a hold of my elbow, his finger digging into my skin.

! My gut knew this was a fricken set up, Daehyun was way too unnatural and gentlemanly. It’s not his style or nature to act like that, I should have seen through that façade and left, now I’m stuck with my molester and no way to call for help.

“What do you want?” I asked him, keeping my expression neutral as he leads me to sit down , amusement clear on his face, this bastard is enjoying every minute.

“Your parents send their regards, they miss you and your sister terribly.” Yoon Jae gives me a smirk.

“You are working with my parents?”

It’s all my worst nightmares rolled into one, if they are working together then all the incidents that have happened to Sunah and me were all his fault. He still works at SME, no one would look twice at a manager, that sneaky has been making us miserable for weeks, probably at the behest of my mother. She would get an unnatural thrill of seeing Sunah and I suffering.

“We came to an agreement of sorts, they help me become CEO of SM and in exchange I help them get you back.”

“Good luck with that, there is no way Soo Man will let that happen.” I dish out sarcastically, leaning back against my chair.

“Laugh now but I will become CEO and you are going to help me achieve that lest something happened to Sunah on her way to a schedule.” He said in a threatening tone and I realised he was dead serious about that threat.

Sunah POV

I knew it as soon as I stepped into the house that something was off, my gut feeling had bothered me the entire time I was shopping and on the way home, it has only magnified as I walked into the house. It was quiet, too quiet. If Jinah was in the house, there would be loud music or the tv going at full volume but nothing.

There was nothing out of place. No dirty dishes in the sink, which is odd considering Jinah likes to dirty everything to make herself a meal. I left Maria in the kitchen and went straight to Jinah’s room, hoping that I would find her sleeping soundly but even that hope was shattered as I opened her door and found the empty bed and her cell phone on the bedside table.

Grabbing the phone, I sat down on her bed and checked her recent calls and messages, nothing out of the ordinary or alarming came to mind as I looked through all the messages so where the hell did she go? And why didn’t she take her phone? Maybe she went out for a walk and simply forgot it, that sounded plausible and she has been known to forget her phone on many occasions.

I exit her room, remembering I have to help Maria with dinner since everyone is coming over tonight, walking down the small hallway I notice the neon sticky note I left for Jinah this morning, turning it over and seeing a message from her.

Hmmm, so she really did just go out and forgot her phone, her message quietens my gut feeling but it doesn’t disappear completely. I step into the kitchen, grab my apron from the rack and immediately help Maria peel and cut the vegetables and marinate the large amount of meat that we bought for dinner.

I tell myself to concentrate on dinner and that Jinah will be home at any moment, walk through the door and demand to be fed with that mischievous grin of hers. Hours passed, the table was set with all the dishes placed in the middle of the long table, the guys had arrived but Jinah still wasn’t here yet. I don’t let my worry show as I greet them.

I was surprised to see Soo Man with them, he must have just come back from China, he looked pretty tired as he greeted me with a hug and a peck on the cheek, his brows furrow as he looks around.

“Where’s Jinah?” He asks

I stay silent because I have no idea how to answer his question and now everyone is looking at me expectantly, waiting for my reply. I open my mouth when I hear the front door open and close, I turn around and see Jinah as she comes in, she looks deflated. Her feet drag across the carpeted floor, her shoulder slumped as she walks toward us.

I was going to demand where the hell she’d been when Jinah raises her head and I could tell instantly that she has been crying. She turns to Soo Man after she gives the guys a weak hello.

“Can we go to your office and talk, please?” her voice sounded hoarse and scratchy, like she had spent hours screaming.

Soo Man nods and both of them go into his office. Instead of walls, he has soundproof glass encasing his office, says drowning out sound helps him concentrate. We watch them sit down and start talking.

“what’s wrong with Jinah?” Kyuhyun says from behind me. I shrug my shoulders.

“I don’t know, I’m as clueless as you are.” I say to him, not taking my eyes of my sister.

Whatever they are talking about must be serious, Soo Man is listening intently with a grave expression to whatever Jinah is telling him and then she starts crying, he consoles her for a few minutes and leaves the office. He shuts the door, letting out a heavy sigh before walking back to us, the guys looks uncomfortable and I hold my breath, waiting for Soo Man to explain. His glances around the room, his looked dejected and conflicted as if he was unsure whether to say anything.

“What did she say? Is she okay?” I finally asked him before the silence became unbearable, hoping he would give me an answer, he sighs in defeat.

“Sunah, what I tell you now shouldn’t change your relationship with your sister and know that she still loves you with all her heart.” He pauses, wondering if he should continue or not, I gave him an encouraging smile.

“Jinah has expressed her wish to be a solo artist and has asked that Sister Act take a temporary hiatus.”

I could feel the blood draining from my face, my legs start shaking so badly that I was lead to the couch and sat down.

“Why would she want that?”

I am still shocked, after everything we have been through, why would she want this for us? I feel Sungmin’s hand rub calming circles on my back.

“I know this is not what you expected but give your sister time and she will explain her reasons.” Soo Man says as he leaves, heading to his bedroom.

“Did you even have a suspicion that Jinah would do this?” Leeteuk asks me even though his gaze never left Jinah, the concern he had on his face for her was heart wrenching, Siwon, Eunhyuk and Donghae wore the same expressions.

“No, I thought everything was fine, we were even talking about writing a new song together last night. I know something happened today, I just wish she would tell me.”

The door of Soo Man’s office opens and Jinah comes out, looking more deflated than before. She ignores us, walking straight to her room and locking it. No one was talking but they took turns knocking on Jinah’s door, trying to get her to open it but each one of them failed. I stood before the door, my hand poised ready to knock when it opened, revealing Jinah in the skimpiest outfit I’ve ever seen.

~

“Where do you think you are going?”

Jinah sighed in annoyance , seeing her sister bocking her way. She had to get out of here, Yoon Jae was coming to get her, and she didn’t want Sunah and the guys to see that. The consequences of that would be too much for Jinah to handle. She was already at the end of her already frayed rope, she was barely holding on as it was.

“I’m going out. What’s it to you?” Jinah remarks in the iest tone she should muster, even going so far as to glare at her sister when on the inside, she was breaking.

“You are not going anywhere, not until you tell me why you want to be a solo artist. Now!” Sunah demands, searching her sisters face for any sign that this might be a terrible prank, but her sister’s face tells her nothing.

“I’m tired of being in a duo, I’ll shine more if I’m on my own.” Jinah replies, she regrets her words when Sunah’s face blanches, losing all its colour, she looked ready to faint.

I’m sorry sis but this is the only way I can protect you, Jinah thought as she walked past her sister to the front door.

The guys made a move to follow Jinah when Sunah suddenly blocked them, tears were streaming down her face.

“Leave her, if she wants to be a selfish then let her.” Sunah says in a hurtful tone, her voice unsteady.

Jinah freezes for a second at her sister’s harsh words but knew it was for the best, the more her sister hates her, the less danger she is in. Once Jinah made it outside, it took every ounce of strength within her she had not to breakdown and cry. She looked back at the closed door, realising what she did can’t be taken back, Sunah would never forgive her and the guys wouldn’t forgive her either.

Sher was given a choice and she chose to save her sisters life, having to live with the consequences of that choice would be her and hers alone to bear. Jinah walked down the driveway where Yoon Jae was waiting for her in his car. She opened the passenger side, sliding into the seat and shutting the door, turning to him with a displeased expression.

“It’s done, Sunah and I will be separate artists. Soo Man is making all the arrangements, he will be contacting you in the morning.” Jinah told him lifelessly.

“You always make me so proud, thanks to you our plan is in motion so if you keep doing what your told, no harm will come to your sister.” Yoon Jae says with a sly smirk, his hand caressing Jinah’s thigh.

Jinah pushed his hand away aggressively, moving closer to the door to put some distance between them. Yoon Jae chuckles and starts his car, the engine of his sports car roaring to life.

“Can I leave now?” She asks, her hand already on the door handle.

“I suppose that since you did a good job today, I’ll give you one night of freedom.” Yoon Jae answers, his eyebrows raised when Jinah immediately opens the door and vacates the vehicle. He smirks to himself before speeding off, leaving Jinah on her driveway.

Jinah starts walking to the club district, since she can’t go home, she might as well party and drink tonight to forget about the ty situation she has put herself in. Jinah enters the first club she sees, ordering drinks for herself until she becomes blind drunk, making the night pass by in a colourful blur.