Narrative:

The firefighters fought to put out the fire, it was a big blaze. All of them received treatment from their injuries. For the organisation, being able to wipe out the whole of Starship was something worth celebrating. But the atmosphere there wasn’t one to celebrate. It was similar to one at a funeral, full of sadness and it was grave. Lay sat in the corner with Qian, they both didn’t look good. They both had pale white faces and looked like they could collapse anytime.

Lay looked lifeless, his eyes no longer had that shine, and it was dull. The others came over slowly, they knew that no matter what they said now, nothing mattered. They felt bad for treating her like that. She got them out of the factory, safe and sound. She helped them when they were lost. She was always there for them but yet, they didn’t see her.

Kai kept crying. Now that he lost someone precious to him, it made him realised what a jerk he had been. He claimed that he was her best friend but he didn’t pay her much attention after he got closer to Xue, he threw their friendship down the drain.

Chen on the other hand just stared into space. He was angry at himself. He knew about her and yet he failed to help her, failed to protect her, failed to tell all of them the truth. He didn’t know that she was Lay’s sister. If he did, he would have told Lay immediately. Chen felt bad for Lay, he had to go through it all over again. He lost his sister to a kidnapper and she was missing for 16 years. And now after 16 years he has finally found her but she is gone, he lost her again. She protected him. That feeling was horrible, the guilt of indirectly killing your family. Seeing Lay not speaking but just staring in the distance with occasional tears falling, was scary. No one knew what he was thinking of making it dangerous. He may fall into depression if he didn’t have treatment or company. Chen knew that, and he was not going to let that happen. Looking around, he searched for someone who is also going through a tough time. Spotting him in a distance, he walked over.

Kris.

He stood the furthest away from them. He was taking things as hard as Lay. He was confused. Why was he feeling like he just lost something really important. His emotions went wild. He laughed, cried, got angry and upset over a short time span. People who saw him would think that he was bipolar. He couldn’t understand why he was behaving like that. He even pushed Xue away from him. He saw Rin coming out all tattered, bruised and injured, his heart felt pain for some reason. Seeing her blood flow down her arms and face, he grew worried. She promised to bring Xue to safety and she did, at the cost of her own. When he heard her name coming out of Qian’s mouth, he saw images flashed past him. The once blurred out face was now clear. It showed her face, Rin’s face. She smiled back at him. Her smile and her voice, how could he have forgotten about it?

“Hyung.” Chen approached him. Kris didn’t budge or look at him. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Okay?” Kris looked up, his face was tear stricken. “Do you think I’m okay? I don’t even know what’s happening!”

“Do you want to know?” Chen asked as he stood in front of Kris, leaving an arm’s length between them. Kris just nodded.

“I’m so confused.”

“You know, Rin was always there for you. She helped you when you needed help or just some company. She looked out for you all the time.” Chen paused a while. He was starting to feel angry, he didn’t know why he was telling Kris all this when he should have figured it out on his own.

“Rin, she is the one you are looking for. That girl that you wanted to meet so much, the one who could break your curse. She was just next to you when you got your emotions. But you couldn’t see it. You thought it was Xue because of her tattoo on her back. Every time you got an emotion, you were with Rin first, did you know that?” Chen questioned Kris. Kris didn’t move, his mind started thinking back. Did he really over look these small little hints?

“When you got angry, you were arguing with Rin. She was the one who made you angry. When you were happy, who was the one who encourage to make a move?”

“R-rin.” Kris whispered. He mentally slapped himself for not realising it earlier. Rin was always there for him and he didn’t see it, Xue was just in the picture. “I d-didn’t know.”

“Because you were gaining emotions but you weren’t looking at her, she lost hers. Because of you, she couldn’t feel anymore.” Chen raised his voice a little. “She couldn’t be angry, she couldn’t smile anymore. She became emotionless, just like you!”

“W-why?”

“Because there is another part of the curse that you don’t know about. You will gain emotions with her help but if you don’t fall for her but with someone else, she will lose hers in exchange for yours. And when all is gone, she will die.”

Tears flowed down Kris’s face. Now he knew, he knew that because of her, he could feel. He now knew what she meant by ‘don’t be sad, it hurts.’ She was losing her emotion then.

“She knew about you but she didn’t say anything because you were looking at Xue. Do you know how much pain she felt? She hung in there but because seeing you alone itself was hard for her. That’s why she decided to leave. She wanted to die alone.”

Kris covered his face with his big hands. His shoulders shook and he cried silently. Now that he knows everything, he couldn’t help but feel bad. He should have seen those hints, those nice gestures she did for him. He was blind not to be able to see them. Now he could no longer see them. He could no longer see her smile, hear her voice, and touch her. She helped him be happy but he only brought her sorrow.

“I-I what-“ Kris couldn’t put words into his mouth.

“I’m not saying this things to make you feel bad. She didn’t want you to find out in the first place and made me promise her never to tell you. But I just couldn’t watch you be like this.” Chen placed his hand on Kris’s shoulder.

“Hyung, whatever she said to you just now, do as she said. Those were her last words and I’m sure she doesn’t want you to be in this state. She wouldn’t be able to go in peace like this.” Chen’s voice shook a bit. “Don’t hate yourself hyung. Rin wouldn’t want that.” They stayed there a while more until Kris calmed down before walking back to the scene.

The fire was put out and they went to search for bodies. All they found were 10 bodies, 6 males and 4 females. It matched the number of Starship agents. One body was missing.

Rin’s.

Her body was nowhere to be found. They continued to search throughout the factory, inside and out. Even 500 meter radius from the factory.

They couldn’t find her body. But they did find her shoes and phone. They were burnt beyond recognition, they wouldn’t have known if it was hers it if it wasn’t for the brand logo on the shoe.

“I’m afraid that she is gone.” One of them said to him.

“No, she wouldn’t leave me alone.” Lay spoke as he shook his head. “She is waiting for me. I know it. She waited for me for 16 years, she will wait for me to find her again.” he mumbled.

“Hyung,” Baekhyun held his arm and he pulled away roughly. He stumbled and leaned against the brick wall.

“She is alive. She is still alive.”

“Her body wasn’t found. She could have burnt until none remained.”

“NO!” He shouted. “Her body is not here. She is still alive, not until I see her physical body in front of me! She wouldn’t die so easily, she is MY SISTER.” He glared at them. “NONE of you took care of her, you all ignored her! I too am guilty but at least I made an effort to company her, making sure that she wasn’t alone.” He laughed a bitter laugh and ran his hands through his hair.

“I didn’t even know that she was my sister. MY ONLY SISTER!” he yelled at the end. Tears for frustration rolled down his face as he continued to laugh.

“She knew and she didn’t tell me! She told me to look after myself, my parents, Kai and Sehun! SHE KNEW IT ALL ALONG!” He slumped down and hung his head. No one said anything, they knew that they would only add salt to his wound. He sat there in silence for a while before looking up, he stopped crying.

“She is alive and I’ll find her. No one will stop me.” he stood up and walked back to the where the vans were. His eyes were burning with flames, he was determined.

“I’ll find her if it’s the last thing I’ll do.”

 

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Yongju waited outside the operating theatre. She was nervous, worried and fearful. Fearful that Rin would go just like that. Her chances were slim but she hung onto that tiny amount of hope that Rin will survive.

When they brought her into the emergency room, the doctors were shocked by the state that Rin was in. Burns, cuts, stab and gun wounds. They got into action immediately, linking her up to different machines before wheeling her into the operation theatre. It’s been 4 hours since Yongju last saw her.

Clasping her hands together, she prayed hard. “Please let her be okay!”

“Noona, Is she out yet?” she looked up as they ran to her. She shook her head.

“She is still inside.” Their shoulders slumped forward. They were really taken aback when Yongju called them saying that Rin was dying. They were in the middle of a schedule and they couldn’t leave immediately. They rushed over as soon as their schedules finished.

Yongju gave them a sorry look. She knew that she shouldn’t have called them at that time, she couldn’t help it. She was in a state of panic when the doctors said that Rin might not make it. She wanted them to be with her, in hopes of giving Rin the strength to live on. The whole atmosphere was sad and solemn.

“L.joe hyung, noona will be fine, right?” Ricky asked. He had grown fond of his new noona. Not only him, the others too, grown fond of her.

“I really don’t know.” he sighed. He felt really guilty. Guilty because he couldn’t be there for her. He promised to be with her but now she was fighting for her life, he felt bad.

Just then, the doors opened and the doctor came out. They all ran up to him, bombarding him with questions all at the same time. The doctor raised his hands and they all stopped talking. He cleared his throat.

“Are you her family?” they all nodded.

“Family and friends.” Yongju said. He nodded before continuing.

“We already did our best. It is now up to her if she wants to live or not. But looking at her circumstances, I’ll suggest you all to prepare for the worst.” He bowed apologetically before walking off. They all stood there, stunned. Like they had been hit right in the face. Yongju started tearing up again. Her worst fears were about to come true. Byunghun pulled her into a light hugged and patted on her back as she cried silently.

“She will be okay. She will make it. I know it.” His voice shook as he said that. He held back his tears. He didn’t want to cry, not when she was still alive and fighting.

“Let’s go and see her.” he said and everyone moved to the room where she was resting. As they entered, none of them said a word. They went in silently and crowded around her bed. She was dressed in the hospital gown and had an oxygen mask on. Multiple white bandages could be seen on her body and face. She was connected to many machines. It was a pitiful sight.

One thing caught their attention was her face. She had a bandage covering her right eye. Her face was swollen with bruising and cuts, her expression was so calm. It was like she was finally at peace.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Went the heart monitor.

Yongju sat down next to her and reached out for her hand. She rubbed gentle circles on her already bruised hand. She sniffed and held in her tears. She didn’t want Rin to see her in this state. They promised each other that if anything happens to her, Yongju would not bring her to the hospital and that she will not cry. However, Yongju already broke her promise. She didn’t want Rin to die. Not when she has a long life ahead of her. She is still young.

Beep. Beep.

“Rin ah,” she called out softly. The whole room heard her voice. “Please hang on. Don’t go.”

“Noona, we still have to go Guam next week. You will be coming with us right?” Changjo asked quietly.

Byunghun went to her other side and held her hand. He was tearing up, closing his eyes, he took in a deep breathe.

“Rin,” his voice shook. “If you want to go, I’ll let you go.”

“Hyung,” Ricky whined. Everyone looked at him, they couldn’t comprehend why he was being like this.

Beep. Beep.

“You don’t have to worry about anything now. I don’t want you to be in pain all the time and if this is the only way for you to be free, I give you my permission.” He pushed back a few strands of hair that was covering her face.

“Don’t worry about us. We will be okay. If you are happy, oppa is happy as well.” tears spilled down his face and he quickly wiped it away, maintaining his expression.

Beep.

“Think of yourself for once.” He choked. The room was now filled with tears, everyone was crying. “Just be happy my Angel.”

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. The heart monitor went dead. It showed a flat line.

Everyone burst into tears. She heard them. She made her choice, she chose to be free.

Yongju rested her head on Rin’s hand and sobbed loudly. No one really wanted her to go. Byunghun held in his tears as he touched her cheek. He was hurting more than the others. He said that she would make it, that Rin will live. He really wanted her to live on with them. But as soon as he saw the look on her face, he couldn’t help but want to let her go. She already went through so much and now she looked so peaceful. It pained him to say those words, it pained him to let her go. He made the hardest decision ever, but that decision meant a lot to Rin. She chose to think of herself for once. Deep inside, he wanted to die too.

“Sorry, oppa didn’t take care of you.” he whispered. CAP and Chunji took the 2 youngest out of the room. They were in a bad state. They were crying really hard.

“I’ll get the doctor.” Niel said and walked out like a lifeless person. Everyone’s energy was drained away when they heard the sound from the monitor. It was like they all died with her. Chunji came back and held Yongju by her arm. Carefully, he helped her out of the room closing the door behind him. All that was left in the room was Byunghun and Rin.

Alone, he fell onto his knees and cried. He wailed loudly, he was hurting inside. Holding onto her hand tightly, he called out to her.

“Rin-rin ah. Angel!” He called out continuously. “I’m sorry, come back, don’t go!” He regretted his decision. He wanted her to come back but there was no way to bring her back now that she is gone.

“Don’t leave me, come back, please.” He cried out loud.

“You can call me selfish but I want you back with us. I want hang out with you, laugh and crack jokes like what we used to do.” he rested his head on her bed and wept.

“Come back to us, come back please.” he whispered.

Beep.

“Please. Rin wak-“

Beep.

He looked up at her. He thought he heard wrongly.

Beep.

The heart monitor once showed a flat line but now, it showed her heart beating.

 

 

2 years later

 

 

EXO worked hard and forged a name for themselves in the industry. Almost everyone knew how they were and would tremor in fear.  They were no longer the same as before, they all changed.

They became more ruthless, more precise and more careful. They made sure to triple check their information, equipment’s and strategies, just to make sure that there wasn’t any holes. They did all this to make sure that the same event would not happen again. They didn't want to lose another friend or comrade.

“Good job guys.” They patted each other on the shoulders after a mission and some smiled. They headed back home for a well-deserved rest.

“Let’s eat together, it’s been a while since we did that.”Suho suggested and they all nodded.

“I’ll pass.” Lay said. “Next time.” he said and walked up to his room. No one said anything. They knew why he was like this. No matter what they did, he wouldn’t open up to them again.

“I’ll pass too.” Chen and Kris said at the same time. They looked at each other. Their reasons were the same.

“You guys eat, I’m beat! I’ll knock out once I hit the bed.” Chen faked yawn before following Kris upstairs.

The rest sighed. They didn’t feel like eating anymore, they didn’t have the mood anymore. They knew why Chen, Kris and Lay were behaving like this. Who wouldn’t know? They have lived with each other for at least 5 years. These 5 years, everyone got to know each other’s personality, mood and preference. They knew each other inside out.

The only reason for them to behave like that was because of her. It’s been 2 years since they last saw her, Rin.

They tried to move on, they really did. Some barely managed to but others just put on an act. They made it seem that they were fine, but inside they were crumbling. It was hard for them, having lost someone dear in front of them. Getting over it would take a long time.

“Give them some more time, they will be okay.” Suho said and went into the kitchen to make something to eat.

In the room, Lay on his computer and started searching for his sister. He has been doing this for the past 2 years, hoping that he could trace her down. Most of them believed that she was gone. But he didn’t give up, he knew that her body not being found meant that she could still be around. He remembered that day clearly. Before the explosion happened, someone caught her as she fell. He wondered who that person was. Could that be the reason to why she wasn’t there?

Lay, even though he is putting up a strong front, he was weak inside. He was losing hope that Rin is not alive. He hung onto that last hope that she is alive but the statistics were the opposite. As much as he wanted to find Rin, there was no way to trace her at all.

Nothing.

He slammed his laptop down and ran his hands through his hair. He was frustrated. He couldn’t find anything.

“Yi ning.” He whispered. He missed her a lot. He couldn’t bring himself to tell his parents.

When he found out that Rin and Kris had a connection, he was furious. He was angry that Kris didn’t noticed it and that she had to go through all that pain. But now that 2 years had passed, he didn’t feel the same way. He understood how Kris must have felt. Kris was feeling as guilty as him. Lay forgave Kris. There was only one thing that he couldn’t comprehend. Why Kris and Xue were still together.

They were still dating, but their relationship wasn’t as sweet as it was back then. Everyone could see that Kris was trying his best to give in to Xue. But there are times where he would just explode and walk out on her. Their relationship got strained as Xue went back to being her old self. She clung onto Kris all the time and didn’t give him the space that he needed. It was amazing that Kris was still with Xue, other people would have dumped her.

Kris changed. He seldom smiled and talk. He would also stare into space at times. Lay was worried about him and so were the others. They wanted to help but he didn’t tell them what was wrong. He kept it to himself. He already had a lot of things to handle and Xue was adding onto his burden. Lay sighed and went to his bed. Lying down, he thought about whether he should talk to Kris about it. He knew that Kris was having a hard time, just as hard as himself.

He didn’t want Kris to regret his decision, he wanted him to be happy and not be tied down forever. Lay wanted Kris to be happy and marry someone he genuine liked and cared for.

Kris was engaged to Xue.

 

 

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Hi,

I'm really sorry for the wait. I have lots of things on in school now, projects, assignments deadlines and tests. The updates will be slow I hope you all don't mind, after the 2nd week of Dec, I'll be more free so hopefully by then I can update more frequently. I'll update again once I get my assignments down. 

Anyway, this is the first chapter, I hope you like it.

Enjoy~