Chapter 22:  Glass Hearts

"Patience, my dear.
We could spend a lifetime waiting here.
Maybe this time,
I hope I get the chance to say goodbye."

“TaeHyung.” YeonAe called in horror. Seeing the sight of the oil tank made her tremble, and she knew that Ms. Zhang was feeling the same too. Beads of respiration made its way down to her neck, and no words could describe the dreadfulness she was feeling. She can’t believe that they were going to breathe their last breath soon, and together. This was not how she pictured their lives were supposed to end.

Ignoring her call again, TaeHyung marched forward and splashed every corner of the room with the oil, at the same time made certain that it included the area of where the three of them were at too. YeonAe struggled to break free, wanting to stop TaeHyung since he wouldn’t listen to her. She had to stop him before it was too late.

Heck, this TaeHyung in front of her was no longer the same TaeHyung she thought she once knew. Gone was his smile that would always display his perfect white teeth, pressing his cheeks up that would cause his big eyes to crinkle at the corners. Gone was his assuring voice that would often comfort her that everything was going to be all right when she had a meltdown. But most importantly, gone was the friend she thought she could finally rely on, and she couldn’t believe that it was all just a façade, and this rancorous boy in front of her was the real TaeHyung.

She felt as if she was in a dream, for this cannot really be happening. TaeHyung cannot be doing this to her. It seemed bizarre to actually believe that the one who helped her to move on was the one who would kill her in mere few minutes.

“TaeHyung, please, why are you doing this? Why did you kidnap my mother? You’re not like this, TaeHyung. You’re my friend. You wouldn’t do something like this. Let’s just talk it out.” YeonAe pleaded, tears b in her eyes for having lost yet another friend. All the times they’d spent together flashed right before her very eyes, and she refused to believe that they were just memories, and a deceived one.

TaeHyung laughed humorlessly before turning his back on her and walked towards a cupboard, where old and dusty photo frames were lined up. He picked one up, despite the heavy dust, and kept looking at the picture as he made his way towards the two girls.

“You know something, YeonAe? You sound very pitiful right now that I couldn’t help but to sympathize you.” He said, switching his attention from the photo frame to YeonAe. The girl had to swallow the urge to cry upon meeting his cold, distant eyes that were once warm with faith and patience.

“You don’t get to tell me that I wouldn’t do something like this. You don’t know me, YeonAe. You have no bloody clue about who I really am, and what I had to endure all these years.” He continued, and pointed a finger towards Ms. Zhang, who only stared at the both of them with sad eyes. Like YeonAe, she was extremely devastated to learn that TaeHyung had been deceiving them all these while.

“This woman, just so you know, is the cause for all my predicament and nightmares. Everything that’s happened, and why I’m doing what I’m doing is because of her!” He bellowed, slamming the photo frame to the floor, causing the glass to shatter just like YeonAe’s heart. She closed her eyes and winced when she heard the sound of broken glass, hoping that no shards were on her.

“We can talk this out, TaeHyung.” She whispered, terrified to see this new side of TaeHyung. Only that, she knew now that this side of his had always been a part of him, just that he refused to show it when he was with her. Instead, he blinded her with a fake persona, just as means to trick her into believing him and trust him.

TaeHyung chuckled and raised an eyebrow at her. “Talk this out, huh? If only talking could bring my mother back, as well as giving me back my childhood and take away all the nightmares that keep haunting me. Not to mention, if only talking could give me the family I’ve always wanted. The love from two people called parents who were never there for me. And it’s all thanks to this wretched woman, who took everything away from me!”

YeonAe listened to every word he said and looked at Ms. Zhang, confused. She only had little information on what was going on, as HoSeok didn’t want to go into details just now. “What does he mean, mom?” YeonAe asked her, and Ms. Zhang looked at her back in shame. “What does he mean by you took everything from him? I thought all your life you only ever had YiXing, before I came.”

Ms. Zhang’s gaze fell onto the floor and TaeHyung who’d been watching in amusement, chimed in. “Well, the list of things she’s hidden from you is extremely long then. I always knew that you have no idea about her past, or should I say, our history, but I didn’t know that she hid this much from you.”

“Mom.” YeonAe called her, ignoring TaeHyung who seemed to love driving a wedge between the two of them. “Mom, tell me. Why is he out to seek revenge from you?”

Ms. Zhang lifted her eyes and met YeonAe’s, and as much as the girl pleaded and begged her to tell her the truth, Ms. Zhang just couldn’t do it. She wasn’t ready to go back to the past and reliving it all over again. She knew that YeonAe had to know the truth, but she didn’t have the courage to let the past come to life again.

“It’s me you want.” Sh