Kris POV:

 

I walked down the street, the street lamps lit up my way as I staggered pass them. I didn’t have any energy left. Everything passed me in slow motion, I stared ahead as I walked. I didn’t know where I was going. I just walked on and on, my mind was empty.

My phone vibrated on and off, I didn’t answer. I wasn’t in the mood to answer calls right now. I came across a park, I walked in and sat down on a bench.

They looked alike. They looked exactly the same. How in the world would there be 2 Rin’s? I knew about people having a doppelgangers but they look like identical twins. The eyes, the face shape, it was all too similar. I didn’t know what to think off it. Was she really alive like what Yixing said she would be? If so, why didn’t she find us, find me? These thoughts started another round of waterworks.

My phone vibrated for the thousandth time. I took it out of my pocket and looked at the caller ID.

Chen Chen

I watched it ring. It was late and Xue probably caused a big hoo-ha about me running off. They were probably worried.

“Hello.”

“Hyung! Finally. We have been trying to get you for so long. Xue said you dashed across the street and almost died. Why would you do that? Where are you now? Are you okay?”

I didn’t answer, my tears fell continuously, staining my cheeks. I knew that if I said another word, I’ll start bawling. I was controlling myself, the members hasn’t seen be in this state since 2 years ago, they are probably thinking that I’m getting better but it’s the opposite.

“Hyung? Can you hear me?” there was a pause of silence.

“Hyung, just come back soon.”

“Okay.” I said and hung up the phone. He knew, he must have guessed that I has having a difficult time, he could read situations fast. One of the reasons why I liked Jongdae a lot. He never asked me questions that I don’t want or cannot answer. He jokes around with all of us, sometimes making fun of me but he cared deeply for everyone.

I buried my face in my hands and took in deep breathes, I felt so helpless. There was a gentle tap on my knee, I didn't look up thinking that someone will go away. They tapped my knee again, I looked up slowly. He looked at me with his big dewy eyes. Looking at his size, he wasn't more than 3 years of age, he rested his small hand on my knee. Reaching out with his other hand, he wiped away my tears. When his hand touched my face, I suddenly felt calm, and the heaviness inside temporarily disappeared. I looked at him and he looked right back at me.

"Don't cry." his voice was really calming, for a child, it was strange. They don't really go to random adults and talk to them but he just did that. His warm brown orbs were staring right past me, like he saw right through me. He looked down and took out something from his pocket.

"For you." he held out a grape flavoured candy. "Take it." slowly I reached out and took the candy, he broke into a big smile. "Don't be sad." he patted my knee as he smiled. For a boy who is no more than 3 years of age, he comforted a 26 year old man. It wasn't something you will see every day.

"Thank you." I reached out and ruffled his hair making him giggle.

"CHANWOO ah!" he turned around and there was a guy looking for him.

"Your appa is looking for you." I said and smiled a little. I actually felt much better.

"That's my uncle." he said and he turned to me. "Bye bye!" with that he ran off.

"Ya, where did you go? Your mum is going to have my head if you disappear like that."

"Eomma is not like that." he said and held hands with the adult and they walked off. I was alone again in the park, but I wasn't feeling as remorseful and confused as before. It was like that little boy took them away with him, I was more at peace now than I have tried to be the last 2 years. My tears were no longer falling, instead I was thinking, planning what I should do next, my head worked faster than it would on a mission.

I stood up and headed home, my mind didn’t rest, it was coming out with more ways to find her. That was the only thing on my mind. The wedding, Xue, everything was forgotten. She occupied my whole mind. I had to find out if she was alive or not.

That boy gave me hope again.

Reaching home, I was bombarded with questions straightaway. I just walked towards the stairs only to be stopped. Turning around, I faced the person who held me back, the whole room was silent and all eyes were on us. I placed my free hand on her wrist and pushed it downwards, freeing myself from her grip. I turned and walked up the stairs without saying anything. I wasn't letting her control me anymore. No more giving in, no more listening to her whines or doing things she likes. I've done that for the past 2 years and I have enough. I not going to force myself to be with Xue because it was her wish, not anymore. She wanted me to be happy but I’m not. I'm going to do things my way and the way I like it whether Xue likes it or not.

I locked myself in my room and got down to business, I wanted to know who she was. I was going to search until I find my answer, I had to know if she was alive. With this new found determination, I began my search without the other’s knowledge. 2 years ago, we tried to contact her twin brothers but they didn’t pick up, the line was no longer available. Kai went to search for them at their house to inform them about Rin but they disappeared. The house that they used to stay was sold and another family moved in. We searched for them but we didn’t find anything. It was the same with her friends. That guy at the airport, I didn’t know his name or his contact number, I couldn’t contact him. They just disappeared along with her, none of us could find them. Now the only clue I had was that neighbourhood and the apartment building.

I searched through all the residents in that area, focusing particularly on that apartment building. There were many names, but I was looking for that one name. I scrolled through 144 names, there wasn’t a Han Se Rin in any of it. I checked the nearby buildings residents, her name wasn’t found in it neither. I rubbed my temples and thought about it. Did I really mistake someone else as her? I am so sure that it was her.

Knock knock.

“Hyung? Can I come in?”

“I want to be alone. Sorry.” I saw his shadow from under the door, he shifted a little.

“Are you okay? I’m here if you want to talk.”

“Yixing, I’m fine. I’m-just, just tired.” I sighed.

“Okay, rest well. Good night.” with that he left. I was thankful that he came, he has been having it rough as well, both work and personal. He took the blow hard and he wouldn’t eat or drink let along leave his room since the incident. All he did was sit in front of the computer and searched until one day we found him collapsed on the floor due to fatigue and dehydration. Everyone didn’t know what to do, seeing him like that made us feel really guilty. He became slightly better when Chen went to talk to him. He may not be showing it now but I know inside he was just like me, we are still hoping that she is alive. Now that I have seen someone that looks like her, I’m more than sure that she is alive. I was going to find her for him and for me.

The rest of the night, I searched through everything I could get hold of, CCTV’s at the road, the building’s resident list, even the school of that high school kid. Nothing turned up relevant, I wasn’t even close to finding her. Morning came and I was still where I started off, there wasn’t much development at all. I leaned back against my office chair and sighed. All I need is a deciding clue that can lead me to her. She was all I could think off.

A fragrant scent of pancakes with eggs floated into my room and the image of fluffy cooked pancakes topped with butter and scrambled eggs appeared and I started to salivate. My stomach let out a low but loud rumble. It was then that I realised that I haven’t eaten since yesterday’s breakfast.

“I might as well take a break.” I said headed down.

The table was already laid out and the pancakes were calling me. D.O stood at the sink with an apron tied around his waist, next to him was Chanyeol with an untied apron. These 2 guys never let anyone go hungry in the house, along with Lay, they always made sure that there was food on the table. Lay seldom cooks these days, I heard him telling Suho that the members didn’t like what he cooked. That maybe the reason. Chanyeol turned around and jumped in fright.

“Hyung.” He breathed out and rested his hand on his chest. “Don’t appear like that all of the sudden, I got a shock.”

“Morning.” I said as I sat down and dig in immediately. The pancake melted in my mouth and the salty taste of butter mixed with sweet maple syrup was flavourful. The scrambled eggs were cooked to perfection, fluffy and a bit watery. I emptied my plate in minutes. Breakfast was heavenly. I brought my plate to the sink and did my dishes while Chanyeol and D.O went to wake the others up. Grabbing my cup, I went to the coffee machine to make myself a morning coffee.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?"

I turned and there she was standing next to the balcony. She tilted her head and smiled at me showing her dimples.

"Rin." I let go of my cup and moved forward to her. Her figure started to fade away.

"No, no no no." I ran forward to grab her but she was gone. All that was there was the morning sun that shone in from the window. I stood there alone in the living room, I was hallucinating again. I rested my palm against my temple and closed my eyes as I remembered her smile, she was smiling at me. I hung my head as I breathe in, I held back my tears. Letting my hand drop, I walked back to the kitchen. Instead of making my usual coffee, I made hot chocolate. Stirring the drink, I walked to the balcony and sat on the bench. Her usual spot. I took a sip of my drink, it didn’t taste as good as hers. Placing the cup on the table I looked over the buildings in front of me.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” I turned left, she was sitting on the next chair. She looked so real. “It’s my favourite place in the house.”

“Rin-“

“You shouldn’t be out here dressed like that. The weather is getting colder, you’ll catch a cold.” I looked down at my black wife beater and basketball short. She was right, it was getting colder.

“I’m not cold.” she gave me the ‘Are you kidding me look’.

“Yeah, whatever you say mister I’m not cold. I know you are lying, your arms is full of goose bumps.” I immediately rubbed my arm and she laughed, her melodic voice entered my ears. “Next time, don’t come out without a blanket. Why do you think I bring a blanket with me whenever I’m here, it’s freezing here.”

“Okay.” I smiled a little. “I miss talking to you.”

“Me too.” She turned to me and reached for my cheeks, my tears spilled as I couldn’t feel her touch, it was just an illusion from my mind.

“Ning, I saw you-“

“Take care.” She cut me offed. “Take care of everyone, Suho and the others, Luhan and Xue, my best friends Kai and Sehun and lastly, my beloved brother.” She smiled and her dimples appeared.

“You too, take care of yourself.” I closed my eyes and took in her voice. I knew that what I saw wasn’t real but it felt real.

“I miss you.” I whispered.

“I’ll see you soon.” her voice faded away and I opened my eyes. She was gone yet again. I was alone in the balcony. I slumped back against the chair and covered my face.

“I miss you so much it’s driving me crazy.”

“Hyung.” I removed my hands and looked up. “Who are you talking to?”

“Nothing.” I sat up and wiped away any leftover tears.

“Hyung, you need to let go of her. I know you feel bad an all but it’s not good to wallow in sadness. It’s hard but you need to get out of it. You and Lay hyung.”

“I’ve been trying.” I sighed. “It’s easy for you all but it’s a torture for me.”

“Then you need to try harder.” He said softly.

“Joonmyeon ah, it’s not as easy as you think it is. I’m doing my best already, don’t worry.” I stood up and grabbed my cup before going into the house. I didn’t want to talk about it. I sat on the couch as Sehun watched Weekly Idol, a show where idol groups will go on and promote their new song or album. This time the group was called Teen Top. I watched as the 6 males walked in and introduced themselves. Then one particular member caught my attention.

“Hello, I’m Teen Top’s rapper, L.joe.”

L.joe.

He was Rin’s friend, the one who came and picked her up from the airport. I sat up slowly and watched him carefully.

“Recently, there are pictures of you guys with a lady, who is she? The fans are curious. Is she one of your girlfriend?” They all just looked at each other hesitantly. “I’m correct, it’s one of their girlfriend!”

“No! She isn’t.” they all shook their head.

“Are you flustered? I’m correct, one of them is dating.”

“Really, no. We are all single right now.”

“She is a family friend. Our mutual friend.” another one added.

“Ehhhhhhh, you think we will believe you?” the MCs firm on their stance, the members looked a bit tense.

“We are really telling the truth! Noona helped us a lot. “

 “Noona?!” the MCs eyes opened wide and smiled with an evil smile. The big sized MC turned to the camera. “Everyone, the lady is older than Changjo and Ricky.”

“Hyungdon hyung, really please don’t do this, she is really just our friend.”

“Okay, we will give you a chance. Whose friend was she first?” They looked at each other. L.joe raised his hand and sighed.

“Mine.”

“Girlfriend?”

“No. Just a friend that is a girl.”

“Really?” He nodded. “For you all to protect her like that, she must be very important.”

“Yes, without her, I wouldn’t be here right now.” others nodded.

“What do you mean? Wah, I’m very curious.” The MCs folded their arms and listened to the reason.

“She was the one who encourage me to go for my dreams. When I became a trainee, she helped me, encourage me. That why I can be here in Teen Top right now.”

“Ahhhhh, so she was the one who made you into an idol. Fans, don’t misunderstand. You should be thanking her.” they clarified the situation. The one wearing sunglasses turned to L.joe.

“Why don’t you do a video message to her? I’m sure she is watching this right now.” He looked a bit embarrassed.

“What’s her name?” his face scrunched up and he looked at the members for help. It looked like he didn’t want to reveal her name.

“Does she have a nickname?” the MC asked again. “Use her nickname if she has one.”

“Hyung calls her angel. But the nickname really suits her, she is really pretty and really kind, just like an angel.” The camera zoomed in on him as he took in a deep breath.

“Angel ah.” The MCs cringe while the members just smiled. “It’s oppa. I don’t know if you are watching this but thanks for staying by my side and helping me when I need help. I’m thankful for having you in my life. Remember you are not alone in this, we will help you if you need help. Fighting! I love you.”

Angel.

I remembered hearing that name come out of Rin’s phone before. Could it be? I stood up and ran up to my room.

“Hyung!”

I searched the internet for Teen Top’s recent pictures and as what they said, there were lots of pictures of them with a female. They covered and protected her really well, her face couldn’t be seen at all. I enlarged one particular picture of her standing sideways while L.joe was standing in front of her. Her hat was pulled all the way down to cover her face but from the side view, I could tell who that person could be.

They knew about her? I slight surge of anger rose inside. He knew about her and he kept it away from us?

“What gives you the right to know where she is?” my inner self spoke up. “After what you did to her, do you think you have the right?”

I was right, why would they tell us about her after what happened. We weren’t her friends and she made that very clear in the last few days of her stay. We were her employers and that was that. Nothing more than that.

I clicked on another photo of them coming out of an apartment building, the same one that I searched for. The caption below stated ‘Female coming out together with oppa’s.’ Again, she was all covered up, and her face couldn’t be seen but the stature of that female was so similar.

It had to be her right? My heart raced as my finger traced her figure on the screen. All my questions, my doubts were cleared.

I looked up Teen Top and got their details and where they stayed. Going back to the list of residents, it was purchased under the company’s name, not 1 but 2 units. It was side by side. They did mention that they all stay together, why another unit? I looked at the picture again.

“I’ll find you. Wait for me.”

That was my only clue and I had no time to lose. I quickly changed out of my clothes and grabbed my jacket. I ran down the stairs with my jacked resting on my shoulders.

“Where are you going?”

“Out.” I said without looking back, slipped into my shoes and I was out. I was going to find her and bring her back to me.

 

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Sorry for the wait, I've cleared most of my assignments and tests. WOOHOO!!

I'm still in the midst of writing the next chapters so do bear with me for a while, it seems that I can only write at night. That's when the inspiration comes, at an ungodly hour too if I must say. I'll do my best to update as often as possible!

Thanks for your comments, some of your comments do let me know that I've left out somethings, it really helped me a lot when I'm writing. 

Enjoy!

 

P.S: I'm in the midst of writing another or at least drafting out another story, the rough idea is out but not the chapters. Hint it's another EXO member:)