“Jaesoon,” Jiyoon stepped forward with covered and tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

            Ilhoon was frozen, like a deer caught in the headlights as his elder brother seemed to be having an internal panic attack.

            “Jaesoon... is it really you?” Jiyoon let out a shaky breath.

            “I-I,” Junhyung couldn’t deal with this confrontation. He had wanted to tell his sister he was alive at some point but he needed time to prepare. He needed an excuse. He needed to get out of there. Without warning, Junhyung turned a deep shade of black and sunk into the ground.

            Jiyoon quickly ran over, wide eyes filled with shock, confusion and a bit of worry. “Jaesoon! Jaesoon, what’s going on here?!”

            “Jiyoon,” Ilhoon finally snapped out of his trance. “I-I can explain!”

            “That was our brother wasn’t it?” Jiyoon turned to Ilhoon. “I just know it. Where’d he go?!” Jiyoon looked around until she spotted Ilhoon’s shadow, desperately trying to keep out of her line of sight. “Jaesoon I know you’re in here!”

            “Look, Jiyoon, it’s not what you think-”

            “Jaesoon come out right now!” Jiyoon interrupted Ilhoon. “I know you’re here. I saw you!”

            “Jiyoon, calm down!”

            A small smirk appeared on Jiyoon’s face. “You haven’t changed a bit, have you?” She crossed her arms, staring directly at the black silhouette on the wall. “If you don’t show yourself right now, I’ll be forced to show Ilhoon the ‘Wonder Girls’ video from 7 years ago where you-”

            ‘YAAAAHHHHH!’ Junhyung yelled telepathically causing Jiyoon to ineffectually cover her ears. Junhyung immediately emerged from the wall regaining his solid form and grabbed Jiyoon by the shoulders. “We swore never to speak of that again!”

            “It is you!” Jiyoon enveloped her older brother in a strong hug as she let the tears flow from her red, puffy eyes.

            Ilhoon sighed before closing his door and walking over to his bed. “I guess it can’t be helped. Sit down Jiyoon. We have a lot of explaining to do.”

            Jiyoon held onto Junhyung’s arm as the two boys sat her between them. She wiped the tears from her eyes before turning to the shadow on her left. “Where were you, Jaesoon? How could you leave us for so long? Why are you with Ilhoon now? And what’s with that shadowy thing you did a minute ago?”

            “Calm down, lil sis.” Junhyung sighed. “First things first, I should tell you, my name’s not Jaesoon anymore, it’s Yong Junhyung. And as for why I’m with Ilhoon, well...”
            Ilhoon pulled off the biker glove and bandages that had been concealing his mark for the better of two months. “Junhyung is my shadow.”

            Jiyoon’s eyes widened, looking at Ilhoon’s mark. “What the hell is this?! You got a tattoo?!”

            “It’s not really a tattoo.” Ilhoon responded.

            “It’s more of a symbol that represents my link to him,” Junhyung continued where his brother left off.

            “I can’t say I understand,” Jiyoon commented, wiping away the remaining tears. She was still so overwhelmed by the fact that her elder brother was still alive that any and all information seemed to pass from one ear through the other.

            “I suppose we should start from the beginning.”

            Junhyung and Ilhoon spent the rest of the evening explaining their situation to their sister. Junhyung told her about being bullied and why he tormented Ilhoon. Junhyung mentioned being affected by his siblings’ words about him and it pushed him in his decision to get revenge. Ilhoon confessed how he found Junhyung in the school, which sparked a bit of scolding from Jiyoon. He also explained the past month with his brother and all the good times they had. When it was time to explain about Ilhoon’s bullies and the competition with Vixx, Jiyoon was fully on her brothers’ side.

            “So, let me get this straight,” Jiyoon spoke after Ilhoon and Junhyung finished their story. “You two are in this shadow, link contract thing for life?”

            The two brothers looked at each other before shrugging.

            “I guess so,” Ilhoon replied, “no big deal, right? I need him and vice-versa.”

            Jiyoon sighed. “This is kind of hard to take in. But, as long as you’re both alive and well I can accept it. But you should’ve told me about the bullies, both of you should have. I’m a 3rd degree black-belt in Tae Kwon Do, you know.”

            “Yah, I couldn’t have had my baby sister fighting my battles for me!” Junhyung puffed his cheeks in annoyance.

            “I just figured, I’d eventually be able to handle those Vixx jerks on my own,” Ilhoon confessed and Jiyoon nodded.

            “Well, I’m glad you’re settling this mostly without violence,” Jiyoon chuckled then her smile faded looking at the two boys, “Guys?”

            The teen boys turned toward their sister who was now walking around the room. “You do know I have to tell mom and dad about this.”

            Both boys’ eyes widened as their sister walked to the door.

            “Wait, Jiyoon, you can’t tell them!” Ilhoon yelled.

            “Why shouldn’t I? They’ve been worried all this time about Jaesoon. I have to let them know he’s alive-”

            “They’re not worried,” Junhyung interrupted, “Because they think I’m gone. I noticed in my time with Ilhoon that mom and dad have relied on the two of you in my absence. They used to worry about me all the time, because I was so anti-social, cruel, and cold. But now that I’m gone, the two of them use my memory to help the two of you thrive. If I come back, they’ll just go back to worrying, especially about Ilhoon who is going through a similar situation as I was five years ago. I don’t want mom stressing about these things anymore.”

            He sighed before turning back to his sister, “but if you believe it’s truly better that I come back, then go ahead and tell her.”

            Jiyoon sighed before walking into the hallway leaving her two brothers behind. She silently walked into the living room where her mother was watching an old video of the three siblings at an amusement park.

            “Umma?” Jiyoon muttered as she approached her mother. Jiyoon couldn’t help but see the bright smile on her mother’s face as the teardrops in the corner of her eyes shimmered in the blue light of the television screen. Jiyoon turned to the screen to see a loud four-year-old boy sitting on the shoulders of his older brother while their seven-year-old sister skipped around them.

            Jiyoon watched the younger boy tug on the elder’s hair, pointing out all the things he wanted to do as the elder boy endured and gave his brother treats.

            “Jaesoon was always a good brother to Ilhoon,” the woman commented, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Even in the later years when they were fighting.”

            “You noticed that, huh?” Jiyoon spoke, a saddened a bit by her mother’s tears.

            The Jung mother simply nodded. “In his last few days, Jaesoon had really lightened up, especially with Ilhoon. I hope Ilhoon realizes just the kind of man his brother was. Jaesoon always wanted to be strong for Ilhoon, even when he was breaking down inside.” The woman sniffed before continuing, “I just wished I had noticed back then, all the pain he was going through.”

            “N-None of us knew,” Jiyoon stuttered, amazed that her mother could see through her brother’s masquerade.

            “If I had another chance with him,” the woman sniffed, “I’d do my best to help him through the pain.”

            “A-About that,” Jiyoon stuttered quietly.

            “...but at the same time,” Mrs. Jung continued, her daughter’s words left unheard, “I know he’s happy now.” She brushed away the liquid gems in the corners of her lies. “I still worry about him, but I at least know he’s in a better place. And even now, I’m sure he’s still looking after Ilhoon, and all of us.”

            Jiyoon nodded silently. Her mother didn’t know how right she was. Every tear her mother shed was both a symbol of her love for the elder boy as well as a hint of acceptance for his passing with a small shred of regret for not being able to console him through his high school torment. As much as Jiyoon wanted to tell her mother that Jaesoon was alive, she felt it might be better for her not to know, rather than making her worry about him all over again.

            “Was there something you wanted to tell me, Jiyoon?” The woman asked and Jiyoon diverted her gaze.

            “No, it’s not important.” Jiyoon sighed before heading back into the hallway.

            Jiyoon arrived back in the bedroom where the two boys were nervously waiting.

            “Where’s mom?” Junhyung asked.

            Jiyoon sighed, “I couldn’t tell her... not yet.”

            Both boys let out a sigh of relief.

            “But you two are gonna have to tell them at some point, understood?” the brothers nodded and Jiyoon parked herself on Ilhoon’s bed. “So why not show me these powers that you claim are so cool.”

            Junhyung chuckled before giving her his signature smirk, “Do you really want to see what I’m capable of?”

            Jiyoon nodded, “Might as well.”

            Instantly, Junhyung sunk into the ground, and used his silhouette form to travel from wall to wall within the blink of the eye. As reluctant as he was to admit it, Junhyung loved this form because he could move a lot faster without the burden of keeping a physical form. After a moment, he emerged from the ceiling landing on his feet. Junhyung held out his hands and objects in the room started floating.

            Jiyoon was mesmerized by the floating objects as her elder brother made them dance near the ceiling. Pencils would tango with gym sock