Together As One

No secrets between you and I

[Wheein's POV]

I had a rude shock and was stunned. I was disappointed yet I was so worried. I was so so so worried. I had a bad feeling about the long sleeves and pants and this just proved all my suspicions right.

The silence that came after I called out for my soulmate to come over echoed through the house. The shiny blade remained stuck on the surface of the cupboard, reflecting the light like a diamond, seemingly calling out to me. I didn't dare touch it, or rather, I didn't know how I should handle this situation.

"Wheein..." Hyejin stands at the door and starts her sentence.

I look up at her straight in the eye. Before she could open her mouth to carry on, I plucked the sharp weapon off and wrapped it in toilet paper before dragging her hand towards the bedroom. I sat her down and the bed before taking a seat on the bed as well.

"Hyejin? What happened? What's with the blade... and the blood?" I break the silence, looking at her face, noting the tears welling up in her eyes. My heart softened but I knew I had to get every detail out of her now. Blame my lack of control or whatever but right now, fear consumed me and it was the fear of losing her forever.

She takes a deep breath before rushing a few words out of her mouth.

"I used the blade..." She scrambles to say so softly I had to strain my ears to make out the words even in the silence of the house. I see her fingers pinching her thighs as though she was in pain.

Gently I pulled her fingers away from her beautiful thighs. I didn't want her to hurt herself anymore. I waited for a few seconds hoping she would continue sharing but realised she wasn't planning to carry on talking. I looked up at her, making full eye contact with her, finding it hard to control my own tears as well, then gently pulling her arm sleeves up.

I winced at the angry scars on her wrists. This was why she couldn't wear anything without long-sleeves. She didn't want anyone to see her scars, no, her battle scars.

She hurriedly pulls back down her sleeves as though ashamed of me seeing her scars, bitting down on her lips hard and I see some blood oozing from the corner.

"Hyejin, hyejin, stop it. Don't bite your lips. They're bleeding." She relaxes her jaw for a brief second and hurriedly uses her sleeve to wipe the droplets of blood away.

"Are there any more?" I ask her cautiously, afraid that I'll break my fragile as glass other half now.

She nods her head, with much reluctance pulling up her shirt revealing fresh wounds that the plaster couldn't hide entirely. She pauses and I rub my thumb over her hand in encouragement. She slowly slides the bottom of her pants up till above her knees at her thighs. I frowned. The wounds on her stomach and her thighs looked deeper than those on her wrists. They looked like they were brutally made, in exasperation. I say nothing and pull her into a hug before letting my tears flow down my cheeks. She was stiff, not reacting to the hug for the first few seconds before I felt her skinny arms pull me tighter into her embrace, the tiny bedroom filled with the sobs from both of us.

It felt like we were teenagers again, when we first moved to Seoul to go for auditions, having no one to rely on but each other. Only each other.

"Hyejin... how long has it been?"

"Almost a week"

I mentally sighed in relief. Fortunately, it was an early discovery, if not, I wouldn't know how to forgive myself.

"Wheein ah... you're not going to tell the unnies are you?" She grabs my hand tightly, using her puppy eyes filled with pain to convince me.

I sigh aloud. As much as I wished I could promise her that I would keep it as a secret between the two of us only, I knew it was better for her and for me if I told the unnies. It was better for her recovery.