“Andy, Vievie had left Korea.”

“Sylvia left Korea?! Why?” It was Minwoo who reacted to Eric’s statement. Andy stood frozen on the spot, as if his soul left his body.

Minwoo grabbed Eric’s arm and turned him to face Minwoo. Despite the foreboding premonitions he already had when he met Sylvia, Minwoo was flabbergasted. Eric stole a hasty glance at Andy before replying his co-CEO. “She was only taking a break in Korea.”

“I know. But…but she said she would be staying here for good if she can adapt.” Minwoo argued. He turned to look at Andy and sighed desperately. The maknae was still hopelessly frozen.

“Andy…” Eric asked cautiously. The guilt and agony gnawing at him now were horrendous. His stress and worries had made him believed when Andy said he saw Sylvia as his future sister-in-law. That was why he let her leave. That was why he had given up making her stay.

“Why…how…how come it was me?” Andy’s unfocused eyes met Eric’s. The emotions beneath his eyes were like a thousand knifes piercing through Eric’s heart.

“I…I am sorry Andy. I screwed up.” Eric tried to stifle his sobs. The decision he made with Sylvia more than ten years ago to protect Andy was backfiring. It hurt not only Andy, but all of them.

“Hyung, where can I find her?” Andy took an unstable stride towards the leader and almost fell. Minwoo caught hold of him.

Eric shook his head, afraid. He really did not know. Sylvia’s work required her to travel to rural areas with almost no network or ways to communicate with the outside world. It did not help that she never stayed in the same place.

“Where did she go Eric?” Minwoo asked, still holding on to Andy.

“China. That is all I know…She always travelled to rural areas to help and I don’t think there is any way to contact her now.”

“Why didn’t she tell me?” Andy mumbled to himself. He tried to reconcile the new information with the knowledge he already had and said his thoughts out loud. “Hyung, you said it was always me…so you and Sylvia were not really dating…” He jerked his head up and gaped at Eric. The older man nodded.

“But…you broke down after she left America. If both of you did not really date...”Andy started trembling, “hyung, was it me? Was it me that chased her away? Did I do something wrong? Hyung, please tell me.”

Eric was hesitant. He was afraid that the truth will hurt Andy more than the partial truth already did; he was afraid Andy will never forgive himself for not being by Sylvia’s side in that difficult moment.

“Eric, I know you want to protect Andy, but this is not the way…” Minwoo said. Eric should not carry the burden alone. And this is causing too much misunderstanding.

“Hyung, I am old enough. You don’t have to shield me anymore. What happened with Sylvia was the only thing that we had never been open to each other about. Let’s not have any more secrets. I did hate you hyung, the period I thought you were dating her…” Minwoo and Eric stared at the younger man, taken aback by what he had just said. But deep down, Eric already knew. How can anyone in Andy’s position not hate him?

“But all those feelings resolved after Sylvia left America. It hurts me to see you that broken. You had always been my brother. Always…” Andy fisted his hand, the tears trailed down his face at the memories of the broken Eric. “You are also one of the people that matters to me since that long ago. That was the only thing I had never told you about…”

Minwoo exhaled loudly through his nose and pushed his two brothers into Eric’s house. They really need to talk. He made them seat in the living room and force them to pour out everything.

“How could both of you keep this from me?!” Andy blared when Eric revealed Sylvia’s illness. He was angry with both Sylvia and Eric, but more so with himself for not knowing, not being there for Sylvia when that was the promise he had made to her.

“I’m sorry.” Eric mumbled.

“Andy, she would have died if there was no heart donor. Eric and Sylvia were only trying to protect you.” Minwoo reasoned. Eric was giving too much. He took the blame and accepted how the whole school (and now the Shinhwa members) had misunderstood him. But Minwoo also understand Andy’s frustration and hurt. It was not targeted at Eric but at the younger man himself. “And it was not your fault you did not know since they were intentionally keeping it from you.”

“I…I know. But I should be there to share the burden. I should have realised it myself. It was supposed to be my burden to bear.” Andy cried. If Sylvia had not survived then…the guilt overwhelmed him at that thought. Then another thought hit Andy. “Hyung, why did she leave? Is it her health again?!” Andy started panicking.

“No, it wasn’t. She is okay now Andy.” Eric said quickly, trying to calm the maknae down.

“Then why did she leave?” Andy was doubtful.

Eric bit his lips. Minwoo squeeze his palm lightly. Eric raised his head to Minwoo. The Co-CEO’s gaze was encouraging. “No more secrets Eric.” Minwoo said gently, but firmly.

“Why don’t you move into my house? Aunty and uncle will be more at ease with someone they know taking care of you.” Eric asked his childhood friend over the phone as he played with Gomdori. It was not only to keep Sylvia’s parents at ease; he knew the money she was getting from all the volunteering would not be able to sustain.

Sylvia chuckled. “I was really waiting for you to ask my dear Eric. What took you so long?” She answered jestingly.

Eric smiled at how comfortable they are with each other. Their relationship hadn’t changed a bit. “I’m sorry for taking so long! Your hotel is nearest to Andy’s house so I thought you would enjoy staying there longer. You know, with him picking you up and sending you back…” Eric joked.

“He might have moved on.”

“You haven’t. What makes you think he did? He had only dated once all these years and I really think it was because he can’t forget you. Vievie-ah, give him the ring! I am his hyung and I know him better than anyone.” Eric said, remembering the ring that Sylvia prepared for Andy before knowing her heart condition.

He had thought everything was going fine, and the regrets he felt years ago for the couple could finally come to an end seeing both Andy and Sylvia finally being together, but he noticed Sylvia being unsettled the night they had dinner at Andy’s house.

 “Did something happen?” He asked his friend while keeping his eyes on the road.

Sylvia shook her head. “I am just thinking…maybe I should not whiz into Andy’s life like this…”

“Why did you say that?” Eric was surprised. His eyes went to his friend for a second before returning to the road.

“He had moved on.”

“What?!” Eric exclaimed as the car come to a halt at the traffic junction. “I’ll ask him!”

“No Eric! Don’t! I don’t want to burden him with my feelings. It will be unfair.”

“But…”

“Eric please…promised me you won’t do that. If he know he’d come back to me even if he had moved on. It will be unfair to him.” Sylvia pleaded. Eric sighed but still made the promise to Sylvia.

***

“Hyung, stop making such inappropriate jokes. Sylvia noona was Eric’s girlfriend.”

Eric had gone cold earlier with Andy’s statement.

“Vievie, I am going to tell him.”

“No you can’t. You promise me Eric.”

“Why?! Why are you keeping it from him and hurting yourself? It might just be a misunderstanding. He might be drawing the distance because he still thinks we really dated.” Eric was frustrated.

“What if it was not? What if he had already moved on? Eric, I will be a burden to him; a responsibility that he cannot shake off because of the past. It wouldn’t be fair to him.”

“But…”

“Eric, I had hurt him enough. He deserved his own happiness and not tied down to someone just because of responsibility. He said the ring was a misunderstanding. I have to let go Eric…”

Eric shut his eyes and exhaled tiredly. To be honest, he was unsure about Andy’s feelings. And like Sylvia, he did not want to tie the maknae down if Andy had indeed moved on. Both Andy and Sylvia are important to him. It hurt Eric to see Sylvia in such anguish state. That was why he flared up when Dongwan made the unfair comments about Sylvia. But he could not tell any of s the truth, fearing that it will reach Andy’s ear. He needed to find out how Andy really felt about Sylvia before he does anything.

When Sylvia wanted to leave Korea, Eric had pleaded her to give him more time; to give Andy more time. But during the debrief, Andy had told him that Sylvia was his future sister-in-law. Eric had begged him to tell the truth, and that was the answer. His heart had sunk; and he had believed.

***

Andy slumped into the couch after hearing what Eric said, wishing that the leather would split open and devour him. The scene of him telling Sylvia he was not wearing her ring because it might give the fans the wrong idea played and replayed in his mind.

He was granted the rarest second chance…Sylvia was granted a chance to live and to meet him again, but he let her go…a second time….

It was as if he lost a big part of himself and the meaning in life.

“Why are you guys being so dejected?” Minwoo asked suddenly, breaking Andy’s thought. He looked up at his hyung.

“We can’t contact her but she follows Shinhwa’s news! You can leave her a subtle message in Shinhwa Broadcast Andy! Tell her you love her. Stop all these misunderstandings! When she has her connection back she will see it.” Minwoo turned his head from Andy to Eric and back again. He could see his brothers’ expression slowly becoming hopeful again.

The brothers stayed over at Eric’s house that night. It was as if they were back in dorm, squeezing in a room, talking until late night and hugging each other to sleep. The precious friendship that nothing can replace…

Minwoo sent Andy home the next morning after they had breakfast at Eric’s place.

“I’ll send you up.” Minwoo told Andy as he pulled up in front of Andy’s apartment.

Andy laughed. “Hyung I am not your girlfriend.” Minwoo puckered his lips. “You would be if you were born a female my sweet Andy. The members would be fighting over you but I would win.” He joked. Andy gave him a sheepish smile. “Okay, get some rest Andy-ah; and hwaiting for making Sylvia my next sister-in-law. I don’t even mind the two youngest members are the first to settle down.” He said before driving off.

When the lift door opened, Andy saw two unfamiliar men standing at his doorsteps. He walked towards them and asked politely, “May I help you?”

“Lee Sun Ho?” The man speaking to him pulled out a police ID from his front pocket and showed it to Andy. “We’d like to invite you back with us to assist in an investigation on an alleged illegal gambling.”