Chapter 21
Forgotten Idols
“Well that was…great,” Shin said with a breathy laugh. There was no adjective able to properly explain what he felt in that moment. ‘Blissful’ was the only thing that could possibly come close. As he felt the girl of his dreams snuggle herself into the arch of his side on the library’s plush leather couch they laid on, he couldn’t help but wonder how he ever got so lucky.
“Agreed,” IU whispered, eyes closed as she wrapped her arms around the boy’s bare chest. She took in a slow, deep breath, inhaling the boy’s scent. Something about the act was strangely calming, and an unfamiliar wave of peace washed over her, “Shin, can I ask you a question?”
“Of course,” he said.
“How do you feel about me?” she asked slowly, hesitation evident in her tone.
Shin chuckled, “I guess I didn’t make it obvious enough.”
“What do you mean?”
“I like you, Jieun. A lot,” he said, looking down to see her reaction, “I don’t know what it is, but you have this angelic presence. It’s like just by looking at you, I know that you’re an amazing person that can never do any wrong.”
IU tensed up, “That’s a lot of confidence to put into someone, don’t you think?”
“Not at all, because it’s you. You could never do anything bad. I don’t think you have it in you.”
She scoffed, “You’re just saying that.”
“No, I promise I’m not. And whenever I make a promise, I keep it. Especially for you,” he said. He took her hand in his and brushed his thumb over the delicate skin. IU heard his answer, but her mind was elsewhere, “So, what do you think about me?” Shin asked with a grin.
IU looked up and gave him a small smile before she stretched her neck up to meet his lips. She never did give him a straight answer, not that Shin minded, but it was truly because in that moment she realized that she had no idea.
___________________________________________
Her limbs had never felt heavier. It was as if she had been possessed by some outside force, a force that weighed her down but yet somehow pushed her along and gave her the strength to mount every single stair. She didn’t even remember opening the door, switching on the lights, or turning the faucet, but before she knew what was happening her hands were splashing water into her face.
Hana gave her reflection a look in the mansion’s bathroom mirror.
Flushed. Disturbed. Disbelieving.
How the hell could this be happening?
She didn’t remember sitting on the floor either, but she felt the cold bathroom tiles under her exposed thighs and wet fingertips.
It all makes sense now, she thought.
The adamant denial. The distractions. It all began to click together in her mind.
He’s never even had a girlfriend before, how did he manage to get his celebrity crush of all people?
Under different circumstances, Hana would have been happy for Shin. As miraculous as it was, he somehow got the girl of his dreams at the end of the world. That seemed like something she would have given him a highfive for at any other time, but this was different.
And dangerous.
Hana wanted to go back downstairs and slap him, yell at him for being this stupid and not thinking with his brain but with his body. She knew it would be even harder for him to question IU now, and she dreaded it. How would she make him believe that everything is not what it seems to be?
The next morning she sat on the balcony of her bedroom, her legs crossed and eyes closed. To anyone else it may have seeme like she was meditating, but in reality she was trying to clear her mind of the images of Shin and IU’s half- bodies. Even when she eventually went to sleep the night before, she couldn’t escape the bare flesh and heavy breathing.
The balcony door opened, followed by the sound of footsteps.
“No matter how much we pretend like we didn’t, we both heard what Eunhyuk told us last night,” Amber said as she sat down beside her roommate. It was a sunny afternoon with a light breeze. Most of the group was out in the backyard suntanning by the pool after breakfast, but the two girls sat looking down at the young adults deep in thought. When Hana didn’t say anything, Amber continued, “And I think it’s our job to do what we want to with that information.”
Hana knew exactly what she meant, “But if she won’t drink at all, what makes you think she would drink for us?”
“She won’t drink for us, but she’ll drink for you if you’re persistent enough,” Amber said.
“Hell no, I’m not doing this alone.”
“You won’t be alone the whole time, just in the beginning. You need her to feel comfortable with people she trusts in order to get drunk enough to spill her secret,” she said, “She’s never done anything to you right?”
“No,” Hana replied, which made their whole plan sound a lot worse.
“Then that means she either likes you for some reason or is just being careful. Lucky you, because she hates my guts.”
“So how would this go?”
“Next time you see her, go up to her and casually ask if she wants to hang out and have a few drinks. Once you get her there, make her keep drinking until she’s drunk enough to answer your questions. The end. That simple. Just make sure you’re nice the entire time.”
Hana sighed, “That’s the problem, I can’t do nice. At least not well enough to make it seem genuine.”
“Hana, if you want answers, then you have to. You don’t have a choice. She sure as hell won’t go if I ask her.”
“You sure we’re not going overboard with this plan?”
Amber scoffed, “We’re giving her free alcohol, not strapping her to a table and making her confess at gunpoint...as appealing as that sounds,” Amber muttered.
Hana assessed Amber’s words. It truly could be a lot worse, but something about it still felt cruel, “Do you think this will actually work? It just seems too easy.”
“If Eunhyuk was telling the truth, then it should go off without a hitch.”
Even though I’m going to be the one talking to her, I still need your help with something,” Hana said.
“Sure, what?”
“One more person has to be there to hear what she has to say, and I need you to make sure they’re there for it.”
__________________________________
Hana stood by the back door as a few of the boys and IU left the pool and filed into the house, towels around their shoulders to dry their chlorine scented hair.
Hana briefly scanned over the group and realized that Shin was nowhere to be seen. She concluded that he and Chanyeol were working together in the garage, which worked out perfectly because she would rather not see him in that moment.
At the back of the group was the person she was looking for.
Hana took a deep breath and mustered up the biggest smile she could before the singer could walk past, “Hey, Jieun!”
IU stopped in her tracks, turning to Hana with a look of confusion that turned into curiosity, “Oh hey, Hana. What’s up?”
It was obvious that IU had no clue know what Hana wanted, and Hana spoke before her skepticism could grow, “I know this may seem really random, but I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me sometime tonight?” she asked, keeping up her cheerful smile. Her cheeks were starting to hurt. Oh God, she hated smiling.
IU was taken aback, “You want to hang out...with me?”
Isn’t that what I just asked? Damn.
Hana gathered herself enough to chuckle, “Yeah of course! We’ve been living together for a few weeks now, but I just feel like I still don’t know you, and I wanted to change that. I was hoping we could go to the den next to the living room and just talk, have a few drinks,” she said casually.
“Oh...that sounds fun but I don’t know, I’m not really a drinker.”
Hana wanted to drop it right there, tell Amber they needed to go back to the drawing board and come up with another plan until she remembered her words from earlier.
She’ll drink for you if you’re persistent enough.
If you’re persistent enough.
Persistence.
“Come on, it will be fun! I really want to get to know you better. You just seem so cool and interesting. Just one drink!”
She could tell that IU was still unsure. The girl rocked from side to side, looking as if she was still contemplating the situation.
Hana sighed silently, “Please? I really want to be your friend.”
“Really?” IU asked in an almost child-like voice, shock evident on her face.
The question made Hana uncomfortable, because she knew her response would be a complete lie, “Yeah. And if it makes you feel any better, Seunghyun will be there too. I know you two are close friends, I hope that makes you feel more comfortable,” she laughed. She never told Seunghyun anything, but the words just kind of slipped out as she ran out of ideas. Luckily it seemed to be working.
“Well I guess if Seunghyun will be there, then sure, why not, one drink won’t hurt, right?” IU smiled, reluctance evident.
You don't want me to answer to that question...
“Awesome! See you at 10.”
IU nodded her head and walked in the direction of her room. Hana immediately relaxed and plopped down on a nearby chair. It was done. That simple, she would get the answers she had been looking for soon enough.
She then remembered that she had promised the appearance of someone who didn’t even know that they were involved. Without him, she knew that she wouldn’t have been successful in getting IU to agree in the first place.
“,” Hana muttered before pushing herself out of the chair to find the man.
Hana winded through the many halls and rooms of the first floor before she found him. He was squatting in front of the drier in the laundry room, moving what few clothes he had. He had his sleeves rolled up, exposing his toned, muscular forearms. His raven hair was tousled, falling almost perfectly and curling in front of his his dark eyes.
Did he style it? How does it do that?
She doubted that he had mousse or gel at a time like this. She didn’t remember him grabbing hair products on their runs--
“So are you going to speak or just stare at me all day?” asked a richly deep voice, snapping Hana out of her thoughts. TOP had an amused smirk on his face as he watched Hana search for a response.
“Um, s-speak I guess,” she answered stupidly.
“What’s up, you need your bandage changed?”
“No, it’s not my bandage this time,” Hana said, lowering her voice. She walked into the laundry room and closed the door behind her, leaving the two of them alone in the space, “Amber and I came up with a way to get Jieun to tell the truth.”
TOP stood up. Hana had forgotten how tall he was, “How?”
Hana explained the plan, watching the rapper’s face as he reacted, “What you’re doing is very dangerous, I hope you know that.”
Hana sighed. She walked over to a washing machine and pushed herself on top to have a seat, “I know...but what other choices do we have? I’m not going to let this go, we need to know what really happened. I can’t rest until we do, Seunghyun.”
TOP leaned against the machine next to her, “ I know...I guess this is the best option there is. I hope you two find what you’re looking for,” he said.
“Actually,” Hana chuckled nervously, “It won’t be just me and Amber involved.”
“What do you mean?”
“I kind of told Jieun that you would be there too.”
TOP scoffed loudly and rolled his eyes, “Oh really? I don’t remember agreeing to that.”
“Ugh, c’mon Seughyun! Saying you would be there is the only way I could get her to do it.”
He looked over at her with an expression of clear annoyance, “I don’t know…”
“Please! Its the only way this will work,” the man appeared to still be thinking it over, “Seunghyun, please-!” she was suddenly interrupted by laughter, “The hell is so funny?”
“I’ll do it. I just wanted to see you beg,” he grinned, still laughing at Hana’s dumfounded expression.
Hana’s cheeks flooded with color. She smacked his arm harshly before jumping off the washing machine, “See you at 10, Nurse Choi,” she said, closing the door behind her.
After dinner, the house’s activity began to dwindle as usual. Hana ate her meal quickly, wanting to escape the glances she saw being passed between Shin and IU at the table as soon as possible. Something about it made her sick to her stomach. She wondered how she was so oblivious to it before, and she looked at all of her other housemates and knew that everyone was in the same boat.
Hana ran over the plan a few times with Amber before the time came. Everything had to go perfectly or else they were both goners. When 10 o’clock rolled around, Hana sat nervously on the den sofa waiting to be joined. She had arranged the liquor (the strongest she could find in the house) and glasses neatly on the table. All she needed now was the lucky volunteer.
Almost on queue, IU walked into the room. She was noticeably jittery, dressed in a sweatshirt and Hana’s pajama pants (she had asked for the clothes after dinner and Hana had no choice but to give them to her).
“Hi,” IU said as she sat across from her on the opposite sofa, “Where’s Seunghyun?”
“He’s on his way, I saw him not too long ago. He said he just had to take care of a few things before he came here,” Hana lied. She had no idea where TOP was but she hoped he would hurry up. She saw the uncertainty in her face, and she knew she wouldn’t stay long unless TOP came soon.
“Oh, okay,” she said, “So...what do you want to know about me?”
Hana didn’t think that far into the plan, “Um--”
“Sorry I’m late,” TOP said as he walked into the den, “Hey, Jieun,” he waved to her.
Hana exhaled, grateful that he showed up before she could answer the question.
“So, how’s life been treating you?” TOP asked, filling three glasses with the brown liquid. He picked up his glass and Hana followed suit, and thankfully IU did the same.
“As good as one can expect,” she laughed, eyeing the cup in her hand as if it were filled with poison.
It might as well have been.
“Drink up, we have more than enough for all of us,” TOP said, flashing her the brightest smile Hana had ever seen from him. He downed half of his glass in one gulp. It was amazing, seeing him take initiative of the situation like that. He knew that Hana needed his help getting IU going, and he played his role without even being told what it was.
IU smiled back, growing more certain, “Okay.”
She brought the glass to her lips and took a tentative sip, squinting as the liquid burned . Hana watched in awe-- Amber was right, everything was going according to plan.
“You too, Hana,” TOP said with a smirk, nodding towards the untouched drink in her hand. He knew she didn’t like alcohol, and he swallowed back a chuckle as she rolled her eyes.
Hana took a small gulp, her face contorting in disgust as she wished she would have picked something tastier from the cabinet.
“Well this is...strong,” IU laughed as she took her second swig, “What brand is this?”
“Bacardi...151 proof” Hana replied.
“Wow, well it’s really good,” IU said. Hana wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but it seemed as if her voice had dropped an octave or two, “I haven’t drank in so long I forgot how nice it could be.”
Hana and TOP hummed in response. Hana watched the singer from across the table. She seemed to be smiling a lot more and laughed at things that wasn’t even funny; normal reactions when drinking. Hana began to wonder whether Eunhyuk was telling the truth or not.
“I was really surprised when you asked me to hang out with you, Hana,” IU said, “I never really get along with other girls for some reason, maybe it’s jealousy or maybe it’s because I’m a ,” she laughed with a shrug, “but either way this is a really big deal for me...so thank you for being nice enough to give me a chance.”
A pang of guilt overtook Hana’s conscience, “Yeah.... no problem, Jieun.”
TOP sighed and rolled up his sleeves, exposing his arms yet again.
“You know, Seunghyun,” IU began, “I always wondered why we were never a thing.”
TOP almost choked, “I’m sorry?”
The truth serum was beginning to take effect.
“You’re really attractive, I mean really attractive,” she said, emphasizing every letter, “But for some reason I was just never drawn to you. I think it’s because you seem so serious all the time. I mean I don’t think I’ve ever heard you crack a joke in all of the years that I’ve known you,” she said.
TOP was lost for a response.
“My loss I guess, right?” IU laughed, pouring herself another cup. Hana sat back amused at TOP’s discomfort, until she saw IU look between the two of them and give a sly grin, “Now you two,” she said pointing an unstable finger, “would be perfect together.”
It was Hana’s turn to choke. The liquid came back out between her lips as she wiped on her sleeve, “What?”
“You’re aesthetics match beautifully. You’re both tall with gorgeous hair, you’re serious 24/7, you know how to fight...it’s a match made in heaven honestly.”
Hana wanted to cut their meeting short, snatch the drink from IU’s hand and crawl under the sofa.
Oh, God. If I’m this embarrassed, I know Seunghyun has to be mortified by the thought of it--
“Thanks,” she heard him say. Hana looked up at him questioningly before meeting his eyes. The corner of his lips raised in a small smile and Hana felt her heart stop for a moment.
“But it’s okay, I have someone to keep me company anyways,” IU said, her voice dropping to her normal speaking voice.
TOP broke their stare to turn to the singer and laugh, “Oh really? Who might that be?” he asked. He expected to hear the name of a certain blue haired dancer.
“Shin.”
Hana’s stomach dropped.
She knew it already, but hearing her cousin’s name leave made what she hoped was only a bad dream become reality.
“Shin?!” he asked, “Like Hana’s cousin? The one that can’t shoot a gun for his life?”
IU laughed, finishing her second glass of rum. It was at that moment that Hana knew the plan was working, maybe even better than she had hoped, “Believe it or not, yes. He’s not what I would have expected for myself either, but he was just too cute to pass up you know? And he’s not a complete like most of the other boys in this house, so why not?”
“Wow,” was all TOP could muster.
“He’s the best kisser I’ve ever had, and even better with his hands,” IU giggled.
“Oh my God,” Hana muttered under her breath as she held her face in anguish.
“He’s really a great guy, you should be proud of him. A true gentleman. He keeps my bed warm at night and keeps mind off of everything that happened at the clubhouse, he’s exactly what I need right now.”
Hana slowly uncovered her face, looking at the girl across from her with apprehensive eyes, “What happened at the clubhouse, Jieun?”
_________________________
Time was running out.
It was a few minutes after 10 pm and she still couldn’t find him. If he didn’t show up fast, her part of the plan would be ruined.
In her state of emergency, Amber ran around the corner and almost collided into the very person she was searching for.
“Agh!” Shin screamed, “Why are you running?”
“No time to explain, I need you to come with me,” Amber said in a panic.
“Why, is something wrong? Is someone hurt?”
Amber grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the stairs, “You’ll see.”
________________________
IU slowly sat her glass down on the coffee table, the ice rattled around the cup noisily. She sighed and held her face in her hands, “I really want to forget it...everything. But I can’t, I ing can’t,” she whispered through her fingertips.
“Why?” Hana asked.
“Because I’m a terrible person. And I know that now, and I have to accept it every time I hear his voice.”
“Who’s voice?”
“My manager, Changwoo,” she said remorsefully.
TOP sat up straighter, “Jieun...what happened?”
“He was always such an , I still don’t know why I hired him,” she scoffed, “On the day we were filming at the clubhouse, he took every opportunity he could to criticize me. He came up with a thousand reasons why I was messing up the shoot, saying that I needed to lose weight every five minutes because he could “see my cellulite from across the room.” He just didn’t know when to shut up,” she laughed in spite of herself, but they could see from her body language that the memory pained her, “That’s when the zombies came. Everybody thought the news was fake, so nobody believed it until the freaks started eating the crew.”
“Changwoo and I had enough foresight to run, so we hid in the kitchen,” she paused, and they could see her eyes begin to fill up with tears as she tried to blink them back, “We were in that kitchen together for two days...and the two days I spent with that man were the worst of my life.”
“You shouldn’t be eating that,” Daewoon said as he snatched the crackers out of IU’s hands. He opened the bag and dumped the contents into his own mouth, stretching out his tongue as if to mock her, “You’re on a strick diet remember? So here,” he slid over a bag of baby carrots.
IU looked down at the bag in humor, but deep down her blood was boiling, “Are you kidding me? We’re just trying to stay alive in here, do you think counting calories really matters right now--?”
“Don’t talk back to me. You hired me to do my job, so I’m doing my job,” he said, “Now remember, when this thing clears over, you have an album signing to go to next Tuesday and an interview next Wednesday with Elle Korea.
“You don’t get it, Changwoo, there will be no album signing or interview! The world is ending, can’t you see that?!”
This was their second day of hiding out in the kitchen. But to IU it felt like their second year. Every word he had for the singer was critical, harsh, and demeaning, and all she could do was go to the opposite corner of the room and take it, all while being taunted by the occasional growl of an undead murderer as they passed by the door.
“Calm down, the government will be here any day now to clear all of this up. Stop worrying, you’ll get crows feet. That’s the last thing you need, because if we’re being honest here, your looks are all you’ve got,” he laughed.
IU’s eyes narrowed and her fists began to shake. Fury coursed through her veins, eliminating every cell of logic she had. All she needed him to do was shut up for one minute.
Just one minute
It was time to put her acting skills to good use.
“Wait,” she breathed, “I heard voices. Human voices!”
“I didn’t hear anything,” Changwoo scoffed.
“Well I did, right outside the door. I think help is here...the government is here to save us!”
Changwoo’s eyes brightened and he immediately rushed towards the door, “See, I told you the government would be here!”
IU hid her smirk, “Gullible,” she said under her breath.
The manager opened the kitchen door and stood in the doorway, looking around the dining room as IU stood closely behind.
“I don’t see anyone, Jieun. I think your mind is playing tricks on you--”
With all of her might, she shoved the man out of the kitchen, making him stumble away and fall to the ground in a confused heap.
“What the hell?” he said, turning to her.
But both of their attentions were diverted when a dozen undead corpses began to shuffle into the room, their steps gaining momentum as they stalked the manager with bloodthirsty grey eyes.
***********
“I couldn’t get the door closed fast enough,” Jieun whispered, “He was too fast. I couldn’t get the damn door closed,” a tear fell down her cheek.
In Hana’s peripheral, she noticed Amber and Shin’s figures come into view as they stood in the doorway of the den.
“So what did you do, Jieun?” she asked.
IU closed her eyes, “He was too strong. I tried to close the door, I almost had it, but he grabbed my ankle before I could do it. I fell...half of me was in the kitchen, the other half was being dragged out into the zombies by Changwoo. All I had was the doorframe to pull myself back inside, but that wasn’t enough,” she paused, “That’s when they started to grab him.”
She breathed heavily, her eyes were still shut tight as she began to rock back and forth on the plush sofa, “He wouldn't let me go. He was too strong...he wouldn’t let go...it only got worse when they started to eat him,” she said, “He freaked out and grabbed at anything he could get his filthy hands on to get away. My legs and arms were the closest things in sight. He kept scratching me...he wouldn’t stop scratching me!” she exclaimed.
TOP and Hana shared a disturbed glance. Shin looked on at the scene, horror evident in his face.
More tears began to flow, “I tried peeling his fingers off, but that didn’t work, so I kicked him….square in the face. I drove my shoe so hard against his ing nose so many times I could hear every bone break. It wasn’t until his nose was almost completely gone that he finally let me go. I slammed the door as fast as I could.”
She let the words hang in the air for a while, eyes still closed. She was rocking faster now.
“I tried to stop all the blood with a dish towel, but it just kept coming. It ran down my legs like water and it just wouldn’t stop...and that’s when I noticed the screaming....Oh God, the screaming! He wouldn’t stop!” she shrieked, “Even when I’m sure he was already dead, I could still hear his voice...and most of the time it was my own name that he was crying at the end of his life,” she was sobbing now, covering Hana’s pajama pants in large gray dots, “I shouldn’t have done it. I know I shouldn’t have, but I had to....because he wouldn’t shut up. I just needed him to shut up.”
Silence.
IU suddenly stopped rocking, and fell to her side. She sobbed into the cushion loudly, taking large gulps of air as she let everything go.
The secrets. The lies. The guilt. Every last bit of it floated into the air with her sobs as they disappeared forever.
Hana held her face as she took in every word the girl had said.
She killed him...because he wouldn’t stop insulting her.
“I can’t believe this,” Shin whispered, looking down at the crying girl.
“Me neither--,” Hana began.
“No, Hana, I can’t believe you!” he yelled, suddenly facing her.
Hana looked at her cousin in shock, eyes wide at his reaction, “What?” was all she could say.
“How could you do something like this?!”
“Shin, I had to. It was for the safety of the group--”
“No, you didn’t have to do anything, Hana. I told you to let it go and you didn’t listen to me!”
He walked over to the sofa that IU was laying on and grabbed her around the waist, lifting her up so that she could stand on her feet. Her knees were wobbly, and her sobs had turned into whimpers. All of the alcohol was taking effect, and she was on the verge of unconsciousness.
Shin asked if she was okay, and all he got was a weak head nod in return.
Shin scoffed, “I’m really outdone here. You got her drunk?”
“It was the best way to get answers, Shin. It was harmless,” Hana insisted.
“Oh yeah, sure. You got her alone, in her most vulnerable state, and interrogated her in a back room like the ing police. Yeah, harmless my .”
“Wait a minute, Shin, Hana wasn’t the only one involved in this. Amber and I are just as guilty so cut her some slack, alright?” TOP said as he stood up.
Shin laughed, a dark sound that made Hana’s blood freeze. She had never seen him like this before, “Wow, I thought all of you were better than this, especially you, Seunghyun. But I guess I was wrong about every single one of you,” he said as he began to carry her out of the room.
“Dammit, I was trying to protect you, Shin!” Hana screamed before he could leave.
“From what?” he turned.
“Her! I know what you two have been up to, okay! I saw you in the library last night,” Shin’s eyes dilated in fear, “Yeah, I did. I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting yourself into before you did something you might regret later. I was just trying to look out for you!”
Shin shook his head, “I didn’t ask for a bodyguard and I sure as hell didn’t ask for a detective, Hana. I heard every word she said to you guys, but all of this just made me realize one thing.”
“What?” Hana said with a stony expression.
“You’re still the real monster here.”
No words had ever been so painful. They hit Hana hard, forcing her to fall onto the sofa to catch herself as she stumbled back.
He carried IU out of the room and disappeared around the corner, leaving the three young adults alone.
Not a word was spoken for a while.
Amber had taken a seat on the other side of Hana on the sofa, and the three of them looked at the empty space on the opposite couch with blank expressions, wondering if the events a few seconds ago were even real.
The empty glasses were the only evidence.
“Were we wrong to do that?” Amber breathed.
“I don’t know,” the two answered in unison.
Eunhyuk had just gone to take a few late-night laps in the pool.
The night air was humid as summer approached, and it felt nice as it enveloped him. The combination of the cool water and the dense oxygen was enough to put him at ease; to forget that the world had ended on the other side of the walls. Whenever he felt as if his world were unraveling, he would take a dip to clear his mind (unbeknownst to him, it stopped himself from unraveling as well).
After he was finished, he opened the back door and came inside, wet hair leaving trails of droplets on his marble floors.
He heard voices nearby, one in particular that he could not mistake. Just the sound of it made his heart flutter. He slowed his pace until he was right outside of the den’s door. He listened to the voice carefully as he hid in the shadows, taking in every inflection, every syllable, every word as it rolled off her tongue.
It was just so sweet to his ears.
“But it’s okay, I have someone to keep me company anyways,” he heard her say.
“Oh really? And who might that be?”
Me, of course, he thought to himself.
He just waited to hear his name leave her lips. How sweet it would sound, her saying his name in admiration.
Eunhyuk.
“Shin.”
No.
That was not his name. Her voice no longer sounded sweet, but instead poisonous as it rang in his head. He drowned it out for a while, his heart pounded as the denial he felt took over.
It can’t be.
“He’s not a complete like most of the other boys in this house, so why not?”
Is she calling me a ? She can’t be talking about me.
“He’s the best kisser I’ve ever had, and even better with his hands,” she said. The voice was now corrupt, foul, contaminated by the name that was not his own.
He’s been kissing her. Touching her.
“He keeps my bed warm at night.”
The voice was putrid.
Rancid.
He’s been sleeping with her. He’s been in her bed. He’s been in her ing bed. Where I should be.
Eunhyuk pushed himself away from the wall, staring into the room from his space in the darkness.
The feeling was worse than betrayal.
He stormed out of the house, going right back from where he had just come. He grabbed the handle of the back door and slammed it roughly, causing the frame to shake. He stood on the patio, huffing, trying to calm himself as images of Shin and his love in compromising positions flooded his mind.
No. Never.
He balled his hands into fists and bashed them into his own head.
“No, no, no!!! NO!!!” he screamed, his voice echoing across the backyard.
He grabbed a lawn chair and flung it across the space, making it clatter and skid until it landed into the pool. He kicked over a glass table, shards splaying over the grass, and punched one of the sofas by the fire pit until he had formed a hole in the cushion. He took the contents and tore them out of the sofa, covering the once exquisite space in fluffy white cotton.
“Not on my watch. Not if I can help it. Not if I can help it!!” he growled.
He eventually grew tired. He sat on the floor, in between the sofas he had just destroyed and stared into the water. He crawled over to the pool, past the cotton and the shards of glass on his hands and knees until he could see his reflection.
His blue hair stuck to his face with a mixture of pool water and sweat. His face was red. His eyes had gone dark.
“He won’t take her away from me. He won’t take what’s mine.”
He looked into the water one last time and gave a smirk so chilling it would make anyone's blood run cold.
Watch your back, Psycho.
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