Hyoyeon found herself waiting, checking her watch from time to time as she lounged at the couch of the entertainment label’s lobby. She sighed when she realized that she should have seen her brother, Taeyeon, and his manager, her now boyfriend, Sooyoung amble through the door twenty minutes ago. But only the comings and goings on unfamiliar strangers and a handful of acquaintances caught her attention. No Taeyeon. No Sooyoung in sight.

Bored, she got up for a quick dose of coffee at the nearby café across the street. She was about to cross the road when a person yanked her backwards to her utter surprise. Eyes widened and reflexes taking hold, Hyo grabbed the offending arm back and almost broke it had she not been welcomed by the sight of a familiar face.

“Summer.” She only managed to gasp before letting the tall woman go.

Sooyoung’s model twin sister stood before her, a smile ghosting over her lips before she greeted back, “Glad to run into you, Hyo.”

Hyoyeon released a relieved sigh, clutching her palpitating heart for an attempt at appeasing the nervous throb caused by her friend. “You almost gave me a heart attack! I could have died.”

The tall woman’s laughter rang through the block at that. Then, the model grew serious, “Sooyoung and your brother got into a car accident on the way here.”

Hyoyeon froze.

+++

Light, careful steps ran through the woods, stopping every now and then to survey the terrain. Their owner’s ears tuned in for any strange noise before sharp eyes explored what the rest of their senses could not. Hand clutched the sheathed hunting knife tight as they resumed their stealthy movement among the trees. A few paces ahead lurked another figure crouched low, hidden behind a dead trunk.

Krystal felt the sweat bead her brow as she prowled the woods that she and her sister often visited. This was a place only they both knew: a place where they would settle their differences and sharpen their skills. Krystal recalled her sister handing her a hunting knife she had kept hidden underneath her bike’s seat. The youngest Jung memorized their rules by heart: never cause too much harm, but never hold back in a fight. If this was her sister’s way of helping her cope with her stresses, then Krystal was more than willing to indulge.

Right now, she felt free and unbridled despite the feeling of being watched from afar.    

Jessica’s attack was sudden as she lunged at her younger sister and tackled her to the ground despite the hunting knife in Krystal’s hand. The younger one released her hold on the weapon when she sensed her sister’s reckless movement, only to crash hard against the ground under her older sibling’s weight. They wrestled on the dirt, the knife forgotten as they rolled away from it. Leaves, twigs, and dirt clung to them as they tried to overpower one another.

The sisters were in the midst of overwhelming each other when Jessica’s phone rang. Krystal stopped shoving her sister down as she straddled her older sibling, giving Jessica the time to reach for her phone in her pocket. Still maintaining their current compromising positions, with Krystal on top and Jessica at the bottom, the older of the two answered the phone.

“Jessica Jung speaking…” The blonde Jung began, keeping her breathing relaxed despite the current position she was in, she paused a bit to hear the person on the other line. Her eyes locked with Krystal’s the entire time, only to widen at the news that reached her ears. “What?!” Krystal quietly straddled her with alarm written on her face. “Accident?! We’ll be there as soon as possible.”

“What happened?” Krystal asked, worried about her sister’s reaction to the news.

“Taeyeon and Sooyoung got into a car accident.”

“How bad was it?” Krystal questioned as they both got up and collected the hunting knife that Krystal had dropped.

“They’re currently getting treatment at the hospital. I don’t know how bad it was, but Tae Hee-unnie told me that they’re both safe.”

“Tae Hee-unnie called? I thought she had a schedule.”

“It was family emergency.”

“We’re not even part of the family yet.” Krystal frowned as she followed after her sister.

Jessica turned to her younger sibling with a frown, “Taeyeon’s my fiancé, Soojung. And he kind of saved my life in one of our joint missions. I owe him my life.”

Krystal stood bewildered at what her sister had said as Jessica trudged on towards their parked ride. Shaking her head, Krystal jogged after her sister with more questions running through her mind regarding Taeyeon and Jessica’s strange relationship.

The ride back to the city was filled with silence as Jessica maneuvered the winding roads with haste. Krystal held tight around her sister’s waist as they entered the busy highway, their motorcycle weaving through the traffic at high speed.

“You’re going to cause an accident, if you keep this up.” Krystal warned through the helmet’s intercom.

“Trust me, baby sis.” Jessica assured her as they crossed an intersection.

“I trust you, sis. It’s everyone around us, I don’t trust.”

+++

Reporters from many news channels flocked the hospital entrance as they all tried grasping a scoop on the Hallyu star’s car accident. The hospital’s security had set up a perimeter from the entrance just as Jessica and Krystal were pulling over at the parking lot a few meters away from the crowd.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to push through the main entrance, sis.” Krystal said through the intercom.

Jessica thoroughly agreed as she took note of the large number of press people attempting to push past the guards. She restarted her engine and maneuvered her motorcycle out of the lot, moving to the back alley near the hospital where she and Krystal cozily parked. The sisters walked to the back of the hospital, accessible only to authorized personnel. A security manning the back entrance halted them as they took off their helmets to reveal their identities.