The Elephant Between Us || SKZ

chapter twelve

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TO CARRY A HEAVY HEART

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Again, Jeongmin saw herself running like crazy in the middle of the streets filled with people coming and going. That was starting to feel like some kind of routine for her.

However, that time was different. Jeongin had just called her, and it looked like something really bad had happened. In fact, it seemed so bad that Jeongin had barely described it through the phone. It was like no words could describe his panic, and Jeongin is never in panic. Like never.

In ten minutes, Jeongmin arrived at her apartment and, again, the door was half open. The difference was that Jeongin was the one inside, sitting on the edge of the couch with his elbows on his knees.

She was about to ask what had happened when she looked around and saw the lamp broken on the ground, the television turned upside down over the rug, the walls dirtied with red ink and the wood on the window frame slightly pulled off. Not to talk about the kitchen.

"Oh sh.t..." That was all she could murmur. No more words crossed her mind or her mouth. She was completely speechless, just like her brother.

They were already used to it, they couldn't even pretend to be surprised. However, for the first time, Jeongin was not thinking the same as Jeongmin. She couldn't stop thinking that maybe it hadn't been something like before, but something from Changbin. Maybe he was desperate to the point of coming to her house to threaten her and ruin her personal space for her to fear him.

People did the stupidest things when they were mad but, when they were out of mind, they were limitless. That was the real reason why Jeongmin's fingers couldn't stop shivering.

"I'm sorry, Jeongin..." Again, she mumbled, and he looked at her.

He didn't cry. Jeongin never really cried, yet that relieved her for a second.

"It's not your fault." He said, although his face said otherwise.

He was tired.

Things were going definitely way too well to be true. That was the only thing repeating inside Jeongin's head at that moment. All he wanted was peace. Was that too much?

"It is..." She covered her mouth, refusing to continue looking at the living room. "It is my fault, Jeongin, in every way possible."

It's always your fault, Jeongmin, always.

Then, the routine continued and Jeongin stood up to walk over to his sister, hugging her from the back, his chin on her shoulder.

"I know this sucks, Jeongmin, but it's not your fault a freak is after you." He adjusted his face on the crook of her neck. "You know that little voice deep inside your mind is lying. That is not you, sister."

She now had two freaks after her, and knowing her brother had no idea about that caused her to suffocate. She had to tell him what she had done to Changbin. She needed to.

"I've got something to tell you, Jeongin." She said, gulping with her eyes shut.

"What are you talking about?" He realised the weight on her voice, the rock in the middle of her throat.

"I did something really, really bad recently." She couldn't believe what she was about to do. "And I'm afraid this was not what you think it is. I'm afraid it's a different person..."

His body tensed and his blood froze. In less than a second, she felt his warm comforting arms become the cold ones she had once seen full of blood. Blood that belonged to none of them.

Thinking of that made a shiver run through her spine.

"Do you remember the money I had been receiving from work? The extras?" Jeongmin knew she owed him an explanation, he didn't need to ask for it, so she turned her body to him and filled her lungs before continuing. "It was not an increase in my salary, but me slowly injecting in our wallets the money I got from selling something that was technically not mine."

It's said.

She knew he'd pull away and, for seconds, stand in front of her in silence, she just didn't expect him to walk over to the bedroom door in large steps.

"Where are you going?" She managed to hold him back by the sleeve, her cheeks flooded by countless tears.

It cost her more than she had imagined it would.

"I did it for us-" Jeongmin tried to justify herself, but he cut her off right away.

"We'll pay it all back, Jeongmin." He gulped, looking away from her. "We are not moving again."

"I just wanted to help." She cried, yet her brother's brain didn't stop working. He had just remembered something.

"How much are we even talking about?"

"Sixty thousand dollars." The words came naturally and smoothly out of her mouth, and Jeongin's eyebrows automatically raised.

"Tell me you didn't waste it all."

"I didn't."

"Okay... ahm, that's great." Jeongin looked around and ran his hands through his hair, taking a deep breath. "How much time do you have to pay for that?"

"I don't know..." Jeongmin dried her tears with her nervous fingers, calming down slowly. "But I believe he did this. I believe it's worse than I thought."

"We got this." Grabbing her right hand, he finally looked at her, and it felt like the whole world had just smiled at her again. "I'm with you."

That made the tears stuck in her eyes fall down her cheeks yet, from that moment on, no more fell.

Then, Jeongin got inside the bedroom to grab his coat, checking his phone before grabbing his keys.

"Now, we gotta have a conversation with those guys."

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