• cards | nct 2018 •

MEMORIES OF CARDS #2

Special Episode TWO

Two years ago

"Thank you, Ms Han." The sixteen year old girl bowed politely to her teacher who promptly left her room with a small smile.

The young girl had just finished her lessons for the day. It was quite common for pure blood families to homeschool their children instead of sending them to school.

In this case, the house of Lee was the most powerful pure blood family. It would be reckless for the family to send their middle school aged child to a school, defenceless.

She sighs, stretching out her arms.

Two knocks were heard from the door.

She swiftly closes her mouth and withdraws her hands, just in time for the door to click open.

There stood a dark haired lad in his early twenties. His bangs stopped right above his brows, and his dark pupils landed on his sister's.

"Hyeji." His voice was kind and undemanding.

"Taeyong...?" The girl cocked her head to a side in curiosity at the sudden appearance of her brother, who had always been so busy.

"How are you doing? I heard your powers have awakened..."

He steps into her bedroom and closes the door behind him.

Her eyes dart to the ground in disappointment as she heard his question.

"I'm fine. Why?"

"The pioneers were asking, I thought I'd check on you."

Oh. So I was right. I should have expected less...he's only here on behalf of the pioneers of the house of Lee.

To the younger sibling, all she had wanted to was to have a normal sibling relationship with her brother. But that was probably impossible...

He was always at the beck and call of their family's pioneers. Pioneers, meaning, the older members of the house of Lee.

"Hyeji?" Taeyong's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah?" She exclaims, momentarily surprised.

"Would you join me for dinner?"

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The awkward silence between the two ensues, with only the sound of cutlery resounding throughout the large dining hall.

The two weren't always like this, though.

When they were younger, before both of their parents passed away, they always loved to be in each other's presence. It would be odd to see one without the other.

However, as both their parents passed on and their grandfather became their guardian, things took a swift change.

The time they were spending together became lesser and lesser, with Taeyong often busy with so called 'heir preparation'. He had various tutors teaching him not only his school subjects, but also skills of public speaking and management.

And at last, it came to today.

"Hey, Hyeji, you know...about your power," Taeyong begins as he sets his tableware down gently. "Do not use it recklessly."

So, is this what we're going to talk about?

"I know."

"Don't use it on impulse, or for fun. Okay?" He confirms with her once more, and she starts to feel a little annoyed.

She nods her head. It was something that she was already instructed to do ever since her powers had awakened.

But then a question suddenly comes to mind. "Why?"

She blurts. and Taeyong glances up at her.

He purses his lips into a thin line. "You want to know?"

She stares back into his pitch black orbs, and nods firmly. "Certain."

He lets out a slow breath, seeming to be in hesitation.

She recognised that look in his face. He was worried about something. "Look, I'm not a kid anymore. Tell me."

She probes.

He gulps, then looks up at me. "Every time you use your power...especially those leading to change the future...you will slowly lose your sight."

"Oh." Her lips parted at the unexpected news.

"...So, please don't act rashly, Hyeji." Taeyong says in a soft voice.

The younger girl glances up at him and carefully begins to ask, "Is this you telling me to be careful, or just something the the pioneers want?"

Taeyong meets her steady gaze. "Well, the pioneers told me—"

She huffs loudly. "Again with the pioneers?"

Once again, disdain could be heard in her tone of voice. It was awfully evident to Taeyong that she was upset.

"Hyeji, hey—

"If my powers hadn't been awakened, you probably wouldn't have even come to see me, huh?"

She abruptly stands up, her face turned away from him. Though, he could clearly see the way her eyes glistened under the chandelier lights.

His eyes travel to the ground in guilt as she storms off, not sparing a single glance.

"I'm sorry, Hyeji..." He whispers apologetically.

He had understood how difficult his younger sister had to live the past few years of her life without any parents, or his company.

Especially at such a tender age of sixteen...

But he simply had no choice. He was busy with the family's business, and he knew that it would only benefit him, as well as Hyeji, in the long run if he could succeed.

"Just wait a little longer, Ji. I promise..."

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