Unwillingly, Hyosung had to say goodbye to Jonghun because she didn’t want to introduce him to her brother yet. Doojoon would have a field day with the pretty boy, teasing them both and causing unnecessary awkwardness. Smiling slightly, Hyosung shook her head.

Jonghun had understood completely when she told him that she had to go home. It might have been her imagination, but she thought she had saw a somewhat of a pout on his face when she left. It was probably her mind playing games on her. There was absolutely no chance a guy like Jonghun would have some sort of affection towards a girl like her. Even if he did take care of her, he was undoubtedly just being a gentleman, following the unofficial code of chivalry.

The bus halted to a stop a few streets away from her apartment. Usually from this bus stop, it would take a few minutes to make it to the complex, but with her limp, it took her almost twice the time. She should seriously think about investing in a crutch.

As Hyosung was about to unlock the door, it creaked open by itself which happened from time to time thanks to their cheap locks. “Oppa, I’m back!”

“Hyosung!” Doojoon came into the front hall with a huge smile on his face. He enveloped her in a bear hug but soon stopped when he noticed the bandage wrapped around her ankle. “What happened? It wasn’t him again, was it?!”

A dark frown replaced his grin.

“Don’t worry! I just bumped into someone and twisted my ankle. You know how clumsy I can be.” Smiling somewhat sheepishly, Hyosung patted her older brother’s cheeks, in an attempt to keep him in the present. It would be horrible if he indulged in the rough past she had to endure for too long. “So…what’s the emergency?”

She could tell he was still skeptical of what happened to her, but that was only to be expected. A small smile soon crawled onto his handsome face as he pulled her towards the living room which easily merged into the dining room slash kitchen. Unlike Jonghun’s black and white flat, the apartment she shared with Doojoon had warmer colors such as tints of browns and oranges.

“Umma! What are you doing back in Seoul?” Hyosung went over to the older woman lounging on their only couch. Her parents had split up years ago when she was still in elementary school. Somehow, things worked to her mother’s favor. Undoubtedly, her mother was much more reliable than her alcoholic father which resorted in her obtaining the custody of Hyosung and Doojoon.

However, her mother was a workaholic – going on multiple business trips throughout a week, never having a lot time to spend with her daughter and son. So every time Hyosung saw her mother, she made sure she took advantage of it.

“Just wanted to see how my kids were doing.” She kissed Hyosung’s cheeks, smiling her beautiful eye smile.

Hyosung took a seat next to her mother while Doojoon busied himself getting lunch ready for them. “How long are you going to be in town?”

“I’ll be leaving in an hour or so.”

Pouting, Hyosung tugged on her mother’s arm. “What? So soon? You have to stay longer!”

“Geez, Hyo, leave umma alone. You know she has to work...” Doojoon set the table up for lunch and gestured for them to come over and have a seat. He wasn’t much of a cook, but his ramyun was never something to underestimate.

“Aigoo…my son is definitely growing up to be a fine man.” Their mother grinned, pride written all over her face. Hyosung pretended to gag. Doojoon and ‘a fine man’ should never be in the same sentence together especially if it’s to describe one another.

“Yah, you’re just jealous umma loves me more.” Doojoon stuck his tongue out at her.

“Grow up.” Hyosung retorted before digging into her noodles.

While Hyosung was enjoying her lunch, she could feel her mother staring intensely at her. As she looked up, she braced herself for a lecture which always seemed to bloom from her dear mother during a meal.

“Hyosung-ah…you visited Zinger’s grave this morning again…” It wasn’t a question for Hyosung to answer. “You need to stop. It’s not healthy.”

“What…did you say?” Hyosung dropped her chopsticks and stood up, somewhat wobbly thanks to her sprained ankle. The thought of not visiting Zinger’s grave ever crossed her mind because that was something she could never do. If she did, then it would be like throwing away the memories of Zinger away.

But she wanted to treasure Zinger for as long as she could.

“Sit back down. I’m just saying that you need to focus on your studies and maybe even get a boyfriend. You’re living in the past too much and I don’t like it.”

Hyosung looked at her brother for some help, but all Doojoon could do was stare at his noodles with a guilty expression lit up in his eyes.

“Oppa. You agree with her, don’t you?” Tears welled up in her eyes as she glanced at her mother before returning her gaze back to her brother. “I see…”

“Hyosung!” Her mother jumped up and tried to stop her from leaving the apartment. But with all the strength she could muster, Hyosung was able to escape their suffocating thoughts. She wasn’t ever going to stop her trips to the cemetery. And it wasn’t as if she did it daily, just every once in a while.

Lost in her thoughts, Hyosung had made her way up to the rooftop of the apartment complex, tears streaking her cheeks again and again. She crumbled to the ground and let out loud sobs, paying no attention to the guy that was lazing around.

“Yah…are you okay?” He kept his distance, but the worry in his voice wasn’t lost on Hyosung.

- x -

author's note: sorry for the late update! I've been busy lately with making trailers for | D i g i t a l - R e m i x | so if you guys are in need of posters, character charts, reviews, one-shots, or a trailer, look no further! Shameless advertising, I know xD request here ~ ^^ I also made a trailer for HSC but it kind of has a spoiler-ish in there so I'm not sure if I want to show it to you guys yet xD I like surprises...hehe ^^

chapter title credit: Wheesung - Tears Keep Flowing and Flowing

PS: thank you to salina_seunghyun, InnerMagui, eun1mi, MimiRa, foreverwoou, Nrk7778, and XinXin for subscribing ♥