Junghyun was becoming increasingly impatient with each tick of her watch. She had been watching the second hand for the past ten minutes. Just metres away from her booth were a dense mass of people dancing to an alcohol induced rhythm. Kisses, sweat, and incomprehensible sounds were in constant exchange. So, this is a nightclub… she frowned in disgust. She was never going to enter such filthy places again, even if it made the difference between life and death.

Five minutes and a drunk creep later, Minjae and Suzy were still missing. Now, she was angry. It takes a lot to anger her. She may not be the most patient person, or the nicest, but Junghyun has the emotional and reactional capabilities of a spoon. Unless she was with her brothers or her parents, she barely passes indifference. But today, her best friend and her boyfriend suggested that she used this birthday as an excuse to finally set foot in a club. She had never been interested, but she lacked other ideas. In the end, she complied with their suggestion. They had only been inside ten minutes – after queuing for an hour – when Junghyun started to feel nauseous. Minjae had sat her down in a booth to rest and told her he was to say goodbye to the friends he had bumped into. Meanwhile, Suzy was nowhere to be found. This was around twenty minutes ago. Half an hour in a club, and it was enough for her to feel the urge to either vomit or punch a person.

Every passing second amplified the pain in her chest, the loud drumming sounds in her ears, and the growing coldness. She had tried to stand a number of times to no avail. She could feel her consciousness slipping, but every time, it did so with a surge of power and a growing thirst. She barely managed to stand before a tall man bumped into her and reversed her effort. She now laid on the floor, paralysed, and stared at the two figures above her.

“It’s best if we split right now.” A low, steady girl’s voice floated somewhere near her. “Don’t get caught.” She said in a hurry. The words echoed in Junghyun’s head as she lost consciousness.

When she opened her eyes again, she was inside a taxi. She groggily sits up.                                

“Junghyun-sshi.” The passenger next to the driver uttered her name.

When her eyes cleared, she realised that she knew him. “H—Huang Zitao!” She backed away.

She closely monitored him from the rear view mirror. He rolled his eyes at her reflection. He seemed restless. His elbow rested by the window as he bit his thumb. His other hand tapped away at the dashboard. “Lee Junghyun, when did you start feeling like that?”

“Is... Is something wrong?” She asked with a small voice. She partly failed to comprehend him and partly feared his temper.

He was about to reply when she interrupted by telling the taxi driver to stop.

There, by the side of the road, Minjae and Jiyoung were queuing for another club. Jiyoung was latching herself onto Minjae’s arm, yet he didn’t seem to mind. The scene was so unlike any Junghyun had ever witnessed. Before, the slightest touch from Jiyoung would anger him. Every word to each other were poisonous,and all eye contacts avoided. They never even sat next to each other. Yet there they were, arms linked, laughing… kissing. That was when it hit her. Before she was aware, the taxi door had already slammed shut and she felt the cool breeze of an autumn night. A deep feeling of sickness filled the pit of her stomach as the beating in her head started and her vision became blurry. But she felt strong. She straightened up and locked her eyes upon her targets.

“Junghyun-sshi!” Tao blocked her way.

She narrowed her eyes, no longer feeling fearful of him. “Move.”

“No.” He met her eyes with equal determination.

“Move.”

“Get in the cab.”

“No.”

He put his arms against the cab, trapping her between himself and the door. “Get. In. The. Cab.” He ordered.

Suddenly she felt nauseated and weak again. His piercing eyes had shocked her to her senses, yet when he helped her inside, he was gentle and careful. She allowed him to sit her down and strap on her seatbelt. He took the seat next to her. “Where…?” She blinked at him while he multiplied in her vision. She could not finish the sentence.

“I’m dropping you home. You have to tell Baekhyun Hyung everything, okay?” He ordered once again.

She gave a small, nervous nod in reply.

At around midnight, a loud slam woke Baekhyun from his dream. The sound of movement filled the silence of the house. Suddenly alert, he threw his blanket to one side and opened his door a little. The hallway was virtually pitch-black. The only light came from his own room, where he had forgotten to turn off his desk lamp. He could only see a small shadow move toward a sofa and collapse into it. A few curse words later, he confirmed that it was his little sister, Junghyun. The sound of sobbing followed her curses. When did she become so foul-mouthed? He wondered.

He watched her for a few more moments and his chest tightened. Even though he had planned to surprise her with breakfast in bed in the morning, he could not hold himself back. Why am I so emotional today? Before he knew it, he had the lights and made his way closer.

Junghyun was lying down on a sofa, her arm covering her eyes. Baekhyun inhaled deeply. She had grown up a lot during the time he was away. Gone was the uniform and the short, black, bob. Her hair had grown into long waves; the tips dyed a dark red. Her plump, dark red lips pulled into a pout. Byun Baekhyun, it's about time for a control session. He stopped himself from coming closer. The light dimmed as he hesitated between leaving and staying.

“Dad… Please turn it off. I’ll just sleep here tonight.” She mumbled.

“Lee Junghyun…” he finally spoke.

Through her closed eyes, she can tell the light had just been . She thought she had warned her parents not to stay up. She covered her eyes with her arm to hide the fact that she had just been crying. “Dad… Go back to sleep. I’m fine.” She said again. There was no answer. From the sounds of the footsteps, she was sure they could not have been her mother’s. At the same time, they were definitely not her father’s either. Which meant… “Oppa...?” she said at the same time he called her name.

She immediately straightened up and wiped her eyes.

Her brother grinned. She was confused at the relief in his eyes, but said nothing as he took the seat next to her. “Happy birthday,” he smiled.

She checked her watch. “You’re a couple of minutes late.” She shook her head, grinning. The tears immediately stopped. She hit his bare arm. “You’ve obviously just woken up. You must have already been here a while… Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It was supposed to be a surprise…” He sheepishly looked around. "Why were you crying? Do you want me to take revenge?"

“I wasn't crying.” She poked his rib. He protested, uttering nonsense that she paid no attention to. “Where’s my present?”

“What do you mean?” He put an arm around her neck and started to put her in a guillotine hold. “I’m right here.”

She hit the same rib hard enough for him to let go. “Whatever. I’m going to bed.” She stood up and left, but less than a moment later, she came back to hug him. “Oppa… Good night!” She said into his chest. With a final squeeze, she left for her bedroom.

She barely managed to enter her room before everything disappeared from her sight.