《我明白》-[w.jh]

[20: otherworld]

Jun looked around the room he was in. It was dusty, and a few old paintings hung from the wall.

Minghao emerged from the doorway behind him. "This is my house."

"Your house?" Jun mentally compared it to the house he had just been in. This house just seemed so...shabby.

"The house we live in when we stay over here. We don't stay here often, so it's a little dusty. We just bought this small cottage house that would fit us all." Minghao explained. "Seoyul's house is down the street."

When he heard her name, he strode quickly out of the room, and looked around the neat but dirty house. It was really underfurnished, and it definitely didn't have the "lived-in" feel.

"Come on," Minghao said. "We're going to see Seoyul."

• • •

They turned around a corner, and Jun was faced with a three-storey apartment block.

"Here we are!" Minghao declared. "Seoyul's humble abode."

"She lives in an apartment?" Jun had the impression she'd live the same way Minghao did back in the human world—extravagant and grand.

"That's not an apartment block," Minghao said. "Seoyul and Seori live in that entire building.

His eyes widened as he looked back up at the colourful house. "Really?"

Minghao nodded, before producing a set of keys from his pocket and opening the door. "Seori's at work now, so it'll just be Seoyul and us in the house. I don't think you'll be okay with that woman. Seori hates humans in general. She might come for your throat if we stay too long."

Jun shrugged. He didn't like the sound of Seori that much.

"Yullie!" Minghao called out as he stepped inside with Jun, locking the door behind him. "Guess who!"

"Hao?" He heard a tired female voice from the floor above him. "Did you bring more medicine?"

"I brought a different kind of medicine this time. You'll be really happy when you see it!" Minghao sounded really excited now. "Guess who I brought with me today!"

"You keep saying guess who," Jun heard the woman say. Footsteps could be heard from the landing above their heads. Then a head peeked out from the wall, and Jun had to stop himself from running up the stairs at that very moment.

Seoyul looked exhausted, but it was definitely still Seoyul. She had her hair bundled in a messy ponytail, and his heart leapt wildly. He wanted to run up to her and hug her, hold her, kiss her...

"Your sweetheart!" Minghao shouted, grabbing Jun by the shoulders and pushed him in front of him, shattering all his previous thoughts. Jun was now facing Seoyul, and the surprise on her face was expected.

Minghao pushed him towards her. "Now come on, don't you miss your darling? I'll give you space to talk, okay, Junhui? I'm going to go buy some things and I'll pick you up when I'm back. Go on, I'm sure your darling Seoyul misses you." He winked, the most weird thing Jun had seen the weird Minghao do, before leaving the house, closing the door behind him.

And they stared into each other's eyes, and Jun saw her pupils, they were red, thin. Almost snake-like.

"Seoyul..." he whispered, and rushed to her, running up the stairs and wrapping his arms around her. He missed her so, so, so much.

But Seoyul pushed him away, causing him to tumble onto the cold, marble floor. He looked at her, astonished. "Seoyul?"

"Don't touch me." She snapped at him, and he took a sharp intake of breath. Where was the Seoyul he had held in his very arms more than a year ago? Where was the girl who looked at him with love and adoration in her eyes? Where was the girl who he had kissed so many years ago the very night he had confessed his feelings?