Melodies Of Betrayal: The Toxic Encore ✓

Chapter 28: The Letter Of Truth

Chapter 28: The Letter Of Truth

RAJWAN sighed heavily as his palms touched his waist, his eyes occasionally glancing at Quinn to look for any reaction from them.

"Where and how do we start?"

"Um," Quinn thought for a brief moment, their eyes scanning the entire bedroom to decide on something. "Let's start by the drawers. There are a lot, so you search that one, and I'll search this one."

They pointed at two sets of drawers opposite from each other, to which Rajwan nodded. It didn't take long for the two of them to split up and begin their search. Rajwan sighed once again before placing his hand on one of the drawers and pulling its handle.

Pens, papers, some empty and some not.

He barely had time to scan the papers filled with papers, before he moved on to the next drawer. Nothing. Or more precisely, nothing worth looking at.

He huffed his breath before moving to the next drawer, his hand placed on its golden handle before he glanced over at Quinn, who had stopped searching and stood completely still, staring at something he couldn't see.

"Found anything?"

Quinn slowly turned their head in Rajwan's direction, their hands frozen and shaky as their eyes fixated on the paper between their fingers.

"Y-Yeah," they spoke, their voice above a whisper. "You need to come take a look."

Rajwan bolted in Quinn's direction almost immediately. Quinn's face dropped as they continued to read the paper's content, causing Rajwan's heart to drop as well.

"What's going on?"

Without a word, Quinn stretched their arm out and handed their partner the paper, which he accepted with no hesitation.

And as soon as he could finally take a look at it, he knew what it was.

A letter.

More specifically, a letter written in smooth, cursive handwriting. His brain immediately recognized it as Junwon's handwriting, as Junwon had picked it up from Mal over the years.

Even their handwritings were similar.

"W-What is that?"

It didn't take long for his eyes to catch the first words. It didn't take long for him to read the entire letter in only a few seconds, and then re-read it again, and again, till the words lost their meanings. It didn't long for him to open his mouth in shock.

And it didn't take long for his tears to run down his face.

Dear, whoever is reading this,

I assume that I'm already gone when you're reading this. I know you're feeling traumatized because me and Mal (probably) passed away in the same period of time. But trust me, I wouldn't want it any other way. I wouldn't change what happened to me for anything in the world; except one thing.

Getting the love of my life back.

The truth is, I haven't been completely honest with you. And I haven't been completely honest with Mal. I'm really, really sorry for that. And I'm really sorry for what I'm about to write next. I hope it doesn't make you intolerant or hateful of me, because I already hate myself more than anything.

I wanted to tell you that I knew it all. I knew everything about Noona's problems with her brothers. I knew all about how they hated her and wanted her gone. And I knew how she was willing to go so far to protect me.

It was one, fateful night when I was left alone in the living room, coincidentally with her phone. I know I shouldn't have scrolled through her messages because it's simply none of my business, and if I've gotten a chance to apologize for it, I would. But I didn't. I hate myself for it. And I hate myself for what I read... The mean comments, the death threats, all the messages from her two, mean brothers.

I couldn't help it, I swear.

From then on, every night I slept beside her and took a long look at her beautiful, angelic face. The face I've loved for very long. I had terrible nightmares about losing her, and I hated myself more than anything. I hated myself for not being able to protect her. Hell, I couldn't even defend myself doing the job I loved most. I let everyone take advantage of me, and walk all over me, and I didn't bother to say anything. The only person who loved me with her entire heart was suffering in silence. Because I've been too ignorant, she couldn't tell me about herself.

How could she, when I've been bothering her with my problems and causing her to worry about me every night?

It wasn't until I was in the kitchen, unseen while spotting Soul put some kind of poison in what I assumed was my plate, that I decided my own ultimate death. I decided that I was going to eat whatever he gave me.

Because the world wasn't fair.

Because why do I get to live any further while the most beautiful human being I've met ultimately dies?

In other words, why does she end up dying so soon, so that I end up alone, with no one left to love me and help me get over everything; her death included?

Why does she get to die and I, a stupid, ignorant person, stay alive to bother everyone with my existence?

I have decided that I had enough.

I couldn't live without the only person holding me together. The truth was, I was too weak to go on. Too much of a coward. I couldn't tell her, even when she was crying out for me to get better, that it was all my fault.

Because everyone around me wasn't aware that I had confronted Soul that night. I told him that if he didn't give noona the wrong medicine, I was going to tell everyone about what he did to me. I had taken a photo of him doing it too. You can see it on my phone, in my gallery.

I told him that if he didn't give me the poison that was going to kill me, he was going to go to jail.

To whoever is reading this, I'm deeply and truly sorry for how much pain I've caused. I'm sorry I've been such a weakling. I'm sorry I couldn't live without her. But trust me, it's better like this. I can't cause any more pain to anyone around me that way.

Love,

                 Junwon.

Rajwan stared at the paper, at the words that stabbed his heart over and over with knives. It didn't take long for him to fall to his knees while ignoring Quinn's attempts to hold him between their arms. He allowed tears to stream down his face before he gathered his courage to open his lips, to say the words he was holding inside him for so long.

"H-He did this?"

And suddenly, it was all crystal clear.

The End