[00SN18] Isolation

words: 5053
rate: PG13
(Phase 18 of the Scarlet Night series.)


Phase Eighteen: Isolation

First day of second term; First Monday of September 20XX

Heechul sighed heavily as he stepped away, pulling the curtains closed behind him. He absentmindedly began to braid his long hair as he cast a critical eye on the nurse’s office.

“So, care to explain how you’ve managed to lose fifteen pounds in two months?” He asked simply as he heard the soft sounds of dressing.

“Not really, but I’m sure you’ve made your own estimations anyway,” Kyuhyun replied from behind the curtain, pulling his pristine, white, button-up on. He began slipping the buttons into their holes as he barely repressed the urge to beg Heechul to not divulge his health information to the one other person allowed access to student health folders.

“Yes, I have, but I had hoped you would tell me yourself,” Heechul replied softly. Finally, his voice hardened, “Whether you like it or not, I have watched you go through your changes and struggles over the past year. You were improving before the break, especially considering you were feeding regularly and regaining the weight you lost during that six-month period after turning… However, now…”

“I don’t like worrying you, truly,” Kyuhyun said as he pulled back the curtains, tugging his sweater vest into place. “But I wouldn’t do anything stupid without rationale.”

“So what’s your rationale for not feeding anymore? Because Zhou Mi returned to the C – returned to China? I’m sure he would come running if you called,” Heechul said easily as he walked over to his desk, flipping open the folder and writing in his observations from that morning’s assessments.

“Well, he can’t come running if I don’t call,” Kyuhyun replied as he shot Heechul a look, “And nice attempt at a cover-up… I know Zhou Mi is from the Council.”

Heechul looked up at him a moment before looking back down at the papers he was filling out. He wrote in silence until he finished, and then he put down his pen. He looked back up at Kyuhyun who was now picking up his satchel bag and swinging the strap horizontally over a shoulder, “You know, I never come back to SJA on time after breaks. Don’t make my sacrifice go in vain and take care of yourself.”

“So bitter so early in the term,” Kyuhyun noted lightly as he ran a hand through his hair, “And I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

“Just barely staying alive is not the reason why I keep looking out for you Kyuhyun,” Heechul stated, eyes narrowing slightly, “Whatever is going on between you and Zhou Mi, fix it because he seems to be the only person you feed from.”

“You’re wrong,” Kyuhyun replied swiftly, sternly, eyes locked with the nurse’s. “He’s not the only person I feed from now… I have someone else.”

Heechul raised an eyebrow and sat straighter in his chair, “Oh?”

“And I understand you look out for me, Heechul, but my relationship status has nothing to do with my health,” Kyuhyun retorted,

Heechul sat back in his chair, crossing his arms loosely about his torso, “Not anymore, anyway…” He leaned forward then, propping an elbow on the table and holding his chin in his hand, “You’re right, I have no right to talk about your relationships, but make sure you start feeding regularly and you gain back all that weight and I’ll leave you alone, okay?”

Kyuhyun nodded as he turned to leave. He paused and turned back, “Heechul… I… I’ve never asked you before, but what do you know about vampires?”

“Vampires? Nothing. Turned vampires? Even less,” Heechul answered, “Anything I do know is from your experiences and from what you’ve told me. Why?”

“I… I feel like there’s so many gaps in what I know and… I’m tired of guessing, of not knowing what’ll come next. Like… is this all I’ll become? Is my turning complete or… or is there more? Is this the limit of my bloodlust or… or am I just temporarily controlling it?” Kyuhyun sighed heavily, “The first six months I was stupid… naïve… but recently I’ve realized how ignorant my beliefs have been. How can I even begin to believe I can control my bloodlust when I don’t even know what’s happening to me...? When I don’t even know what I am?”

“I’ve been waiting for you to say that… or something like it,” Heechul admitted, “I never thought your desire to control your bloodlust was stupid, Kyuhyun. But you’re right, it was naïve because you went into it not knowing anything. So, I’ll tell you something that I’ve been waiting a year to tell you: Talk to Headmaster Park.”

Kyuhyun’s eyes widened, “What?”

“Without being a vampire himself, Headmaster Park will give you the most information about a turned vampire… and, it will be unbiased, compared to what your sister might tell you,” Heechul stated,

“Even the Council has its knowledge gaps,” Kyuhyun replied, “Kyuri admitted as much.”

Heechul nodded approvingly, “Well, do as I say and… hopefully you’ll learn something to help you.”

Kyuhyun relaxed for the first time since entering the nurse’s office that morning. He offered a tentative smile, “Thank you, Heechul.”

“You’re a good kid, Kyuhyun. I don’t want to lose you to this,” Heechul said simply as he turned his gaze to his computer, “Now hurry. First period will start soon.”

…

He shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and quickly rubbed himself down and then slung the towel around his narrow hips and secured it. He walked to the mirror and rubbed away some of the condensation with his hand, but the steam covered it up within seconds. As he opened the door, he ran a hand through his wet hair as he stepped into his bedroom.

He turned towards his dresser when he paused and looked over at the bed, “Taeyeon, what the HELL do you think you’re doing here!?”

“Waiting for you,” she said simply as she looked up from the textbook that lay open over her crossed legs.

“How did you even get in here?” Sungmin questioned as he crossed his arms over his chest and slowly continued to edge towards the dresser,

“I took the spare key you gave Kyuhyun last term,” she answered,

“I thought we agreed that once we were back at SJA we had to pretend that nothing’s between us,” Sungmin stated as he blindly reached for the drawer and pulled it open,

“School technically doesn’t start for another half-hour,” Taeyeon replied simply, smiling brightly at him.

Sungmin blinked at her smile. That damn smile that turned his heart every time. He suddenly became very aware of the fact that he was only wearing a towel and that he should turn his back to her before his body betrayed him. “Well, that’s a damn loophole if I ever heard one.”

“Well, I could leave and I’ll just see you when I see you,” Taeyeon said with a sharp snap of her textbook. She barely inched towards the edge of the bed before Sungmin spoke,

“Don’t try that fake-coy approach, Taeyeon, it doesn’t suit you,” he said bluntly. He grabbed his clothes and headed back towards the bathroom, “I hate it in other people, why the hell would you think I’d tolerate it in you?”

With that, he re-entered the bathroom, the door shutting behind him with a thud.

Taeyeon sat there in silence. She knew it was low of her to say such a thing, to use such tactics. But she didn’t understand anything, didn’t know what she was supposed to do in their particular situation. She wanted to spend time with Sungmin, wanted to see him as much as possible, especially since she didn’t have him as a teacher that term. She knew the way she handled the situation was wrong, but she couldn’t fight the sting she felt in her chest.

Belatedly, she remembered their agreement to not see each other while they were at school. She replaced her textbook back into her backpack and climbed off the bed. She slipped the backpack back on and quietly escaped from the room.

Within the bathroom, Sungmin leaned his back against the door, his clothes held loosely in his hand. He stood there, barely seeing anything around him. He heard the unmistakeable sound of his bedroom door opening and then closing. He sighed heavily and then began to get ready for the day.

…

When fourth period ended, Sungmin stood at the front of his class with his arms folded as he watched the students pack up and begin to leave. He thought this class would be better than the others. This class was his Advanced Placement Biology class for third year students. He thought this class would have those who knew what they were doing and knew what they wanted out of the class. Indeed, his class was full of brilliant students, however, he momentarily wondered what they were like before attending SJA. Had they been different? Had SJA changed them as they attempted to assimilate with the children from rich families?

The class had been quiet, had been him talking and him calling on students to answer. He wondered if, before, they used to raise their hands of their own accord, indeed, excitedly. He hated the way the class was going and hated that for the last three-quarters of the class, he assigned questions and the class sat in silence doing their work.

As the classroom emptied, the last student tentatively approached him, hopping onto a nearby desk, legs swinging, “You don’t look too pleased, Min.”

“Why does it seem… so tense in the classroom, Kyuhyun?” Sungmin asked, “It’s like… so much of this… suppressed energy and I couldn’t tap it, I couldn’t let it out.”

“You’re trying to undo a change that has happened three years ago,” Kyuhyun said, immediately knowing to what his friend referred to; “The students at this school are either stupidly rich or ridiculously smart. In such a set-up, it was only natural for the rich to prey on the smart. So, the smart had to change, had to stop raising their hands and answering questions just to stop drawing so much attention to themselves.”

“And do the teachers not care?”

“I think you just answered your own question,” Kyuhyun replied, “Some teachers care, but they’ve become resigned to it. I hate to say it, but most of the teachers here teach because of the money rather than the minds they can impress.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m a new teacher… I’m still naïve to these things,” Sungmin sighed, “In a few years maybe I’ll become like them and I’ll stop expecting things from my students.”

“I hope that never happens,” Kyuhyun said sincerely, “I’ve seen you teach both semesters, Min. I know what you’re capable of and you’ve always been passionate about learning and helping others to learn. If you can break the resolve of these students to just act honestly in the classroom, then you’ll do something no one else has.”

“Ah, you spoil me, Kyuhyun,” Sungmin laughed softly, “So what are you up to now? Studying?”

Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow, “I almost wish I had to study. After classes are done there’s nothing else I have to do simply because I don’t need to study and it’s not like I eat.”

“Why don’t you draw? Do you still draw?” Sungmin inquired as he began to clean the boards,

“It’s hard to want to draw once colour is gone,” Kyuhyun admitted quietly.

Sungmin paused for just a moment in his cleaning before continuing on, “I… I’m sorry, I forgot about…”

“No, it’s fine,” Kyuhyun insisted, “You didn’t know and that would be a great way to fill my time. The view from the school’s roof is amazing and…” He laughed bitterly, softly, “Can you imagine me drawing a sunset in greyscale? The one damn talent I had and now I can’t even see colours.”

“Draw fire?” Sungmin suggested lightly, hoping to lighten his friend’s mood,

Kyuhyun laughed sincerely this time, “You have a point… I can see red, yellow and orange.” He sighed heavily, “I don’t know, Min… I miss blues and greens. Heck, I even miss purple.”

They locked eyes as Sungmin stated with a twitch of his lips, “But you hate purple” just as Kyuhyun said solemnly, “And I hate purple.” They burst into the laughter of two friends who had known each other all their lives.

Sungmin closed the distance between them until his thighs were touching the other’s knees; “Look, take some pencils or charcoals and try drawing. You used to love drawing and I know you still do because there have been some tests you’ve handed in and there were erased doodles in the margins. Just try drawing, even without colours and… maybe you’ll find it’s not so bad.”

Kyuhyun gazed into his friend’s eyes, arms crossed about his torso and finally nodded, “Fine… but the next time I draw you, I’m drawing it all in purple.”

Sungmin laughed, “You’re the one who hates purple, not me.”

Kyuhyun glanced away, “I’m sorry, Sungmin… but… if you want to ask me about Taeyeon, just ask me.”

Sungmin blinked and looked down between them where his thighs were pressed against Kyuhyun’s knees. He looked back up at Kyuhyun, “I’m sorry, Kyuhyun, I didn’t want to bug you about it… or my thoughts.”

Kyuhyun shook his head, “It’s fine, just ask what you want.”

“Have you seen her at all today?” Sungmin asked immediately,

Kyuhyun shook his head again, “We don’t have any classes together, but I didn’t even see her before the lunch hour, so I didn’t bother going down to the dining hall. Why? Did you two fight again?”

Sungmin sighed, “Not really, but I wasn’t the nicest… of… erm…”

“Boyfriend?” Kyuhyun prompted, his lips struggling to remain a straight line,

“Ah… yeah… that… I wasn’t the nicest of… boyfriends… this morning,” Sungmin explained as he ran a hand through his hair, “Like, even friend-wise, I wasn’t that nice.”

“So apologize,” Kyuhyun stated,

“But… I was right,” Sungmin defended, “Just a jerk, but I was right.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Kyuhyun replied, “More often than not, the other person knows when they’re wrong. Especially since this is you and Taeyeon, she definitely knows that she’s in the wrong. However, the fact that she is wrong and you were a jerk, only means she’s in a very vulnerable place, especially since this is her first relationship.”

“I messed up, huh?” Sungmin sighed,

“You both did,” Kyuhyun replied, “Just talk to her.”

“Like how you should talk to Zhou Mi?” Sungmin asked lightly,

Kyuhyun slanted him a look, “That’s different and you know it.”

“True… but perhaps if you talked to him, he’ll understand why you’re suddenly treating him like the plague,” Sungmin suggested,

“Maybe… Actually, you just reminded me… I’m going to talk to the headmaster,” Kyuhyun said as he hopped off the desk,

Sungmin took a step back to give his friend space, “Oh? Why?”

“Heechul said that the headmaster will be able to answer some of my questions concerning my vampirism,” Kyuhyun explained,

“Well, that’s good then,” Sungmin said, “After you’re done with the headmaster, come back here if you’re still bored.”

Kyuhyun nodded and then left.

…

She stood on the front steps, looking out towards the front gates. The taxicab drove down the driveway towards the front courtyard, stopping before the steps. She slowly made her way down the steps as the back door swung open. A young man dressed in black stepped out and then held out his hand and helped out a young woman with a small but obviously protruding stomach. The woman was also dressed in black.

“Kyuri! Kibum!” Taeyeon smiled as she reached them, “Kyuri, you’ve grown!”

Kyuri smirked, “I didn’t exactly want to make a public announcement,” she said, no hint of apology in her voice, “But, apparently after four months, I can’t keep the secret anymore.”

“How was the flight, Kibum?” Taeyeon inquired,

Kibum merely slanted her a look and then went to taking two suitcases out of the trunk of the taxi. He paid the driver and then followed the ladies back to the school.

“Where’s my brother?” Kyuri asked nonchalantly,

“Hiding in the shadows somewhere,” Taeyeon replied lightly, “I’m not sure. I tried looking for him after fourth period, but I couldn’t find him. He’ll appear sooner or later, especially once the sun sets.”

They reached the second floor of the east wing when Kyuri paused and turned to look at Kibum, “Just going to visit with the headmaster and then I’ll go up to my room.”

Kibum said nothing, but stared at her. Then, slowly raised a single eyebrow.

Kyuri sighed as she placed a hand over her small bump and smiled softly at him, “You know I’ll be careful.”

He nodded approvingly, looked at Taeyeon, gave her a small nod of goodbye and then continued on to the fourth floor.

Kyuri turned and, then, she and Taeyeon continued on down the hall. “Kibum’s been so protective since he found out I was pregnant. Actually, he knew I was pregnant before I was even sure about it.”

“So why are you going to talk to Headmaster Park?” Taeyeon inquired,

“Well, if Kibum and I are to continue on as teaching assistants here, I thought he should know the change in my… circumstances,” Kyuri explained,

Taeyeon nodded, “Do you know if it’s a boy or girl?”

Kyuri shook her head, “No, and we don’t want to know. We told the doctor we don’t want to know anything about the baby, just if it’s healthy or not and my baby’s healthy.”

“That’s good. Can I tell my mother? You know how she frets,” Taeyeon said,

“I don’t know how she frets,” Kyuri offered a small smile, “But you can tell her. It was… odd… calling every week and talking to your mother. Is… is this what it’s like to have a mother?”

Taeyeon grinned, “Something like it.” They reached the headmaster’s office and Taeyeon turned to her cousin, “I’ll leave you here then. If I see Kyuhyun I’ll send him your way.”

Kyuri nodded and watched as Taeyeon walked away.

…

Eeteuk closed the leather-covered folder before him and sat back in his chair, “You want to talk to me about vampires?”

“Turned vampires specifically,” Kyuhyun said as he lowered himself into one of the chairs before the desk.

Eeteuk cocked his head, “Um… Jo-sshi… Are you aware that I’m not actually a vampire?”

“Yes.”

“And you still want to talk to me about them?” Eeteuk inquired. Kyuhyun nodded and Eeteuk sighed. “What I know is small and very biased. I don’t know if it affects the general populace of turned vampires.”

“That’s fine. Whatever you can tell me is more than I can ever find out anywhere else,” Kyuhyun stated.

Eeteuk folded his arms, “I honestly don’t know where to begin. Is there anything specifically you wanted to know about?”

“Colours,” Kyuhyun stated, his eyes drifting towards one of the windows behind the headmaster’s desk. He saw the sky’s fading light and could only imagine what that sky and light could look like. Could he even remember what a sunset looked like? He cleared his throat as he cleared his head, “Vampires are colour blind… turned vampires lose their sight for colour… have you ever heard of a turned vampire regaining their colours?”

“Yes,” Eeteuk answered, “Once they began feeding regularly, slowly they began to regain back their colours. I think it’s only for a turned vampire since pure-bloods never had their colours to begin with. And I think there are conditions.”

“Conditions?”

“I think it’s very specific who one feeds from because… the one turned vampire I knew, he had fed for a year, but it wasn’t until he fed from a specific person, only then did he begin to see his colours,” Eeteuk explained,

“A specific person? But how can one know who that person is?” Kyuhyun inquired, feeling himself tense,

“If the vampire loves that other person… then I believe they will get their colours back,” Eeteuk explained, “If it’s just feeding, if it’s just a chore, then I don’t think their colours will return. There has to be love between the two people.” Eeteuk was silent for a moment before prompting gently, “What colours do you see, Jo-sshi?”

Kyuhyun swallowed hard, the sudden implications of why he could see colours troubling him; “Red… yellow… and then a mix of them, so… orange.”

Eeteuk nodded thoughtfully, “How long did it take for you to attain those colours?”

“Red was… was after the first time. Yellow after the second… and then a few feedings to get orange,” Kyuhyun answered. He paused and then asked, “This… vampire you knew. How did they feed before finding the one they love?”

Eeteuk swallowed hard, “He… he found people who were intoxicated or heavily drugged. His theory was that if they were under the influence of something, then they wouldn’t remember what happened, or their memory was so distorted, they wouldn’t believe what they remembered. So he would scour bars and clubs…” He shot the student a sharp look, “Do not even think about it, Jo-sshi.”

“This vampire… did they control their bloodlust?”

“Yes. Very much so,” Eeteuk admitted immediately, easily; “He was feeding regularly. How could his bloodlust take over when they got their fill the moment they got hungry?”

“For how long were they in control?”

“It was… about a year or so,” Eeteuk answered, his voice quieting,

“And then he lost control?”

“Then he was killed,” Eeteuk replied, his gaze breaking contact with the student.

“This vampire you’re talking about… it was your lover, right?” Kyuhyun asked tentatively.

Eeteuk’s eyes opened widely for a moment and then he slowly swung his chair towards the windows behind him, “Yes…”

“And it was the Council, right?”

Eeteuk sighed softly, “Yes. A Head Hunter came to our house in the middle of the day. It was the middle of term, so I was here… I got a phone call and rushed home.” He shut his eyes, leaning his head back against the leather padding. He inhaled slowly, deeply, praying his voice wouldn’t break; “By the time I got back into Seoul, he was gone. All that was left was his blood everywhere… they took away his body before I could even say goodbye… the Head Hunter had left a message… it sounded… smug like he did something good… like he did me a service.”

“Headmaster… after what the Council did to you… why do you let Han Seonsaeng-nim and Zhou Seonsaeng-nim to be here?” Kyuhyun inquired hesitantly,

“Han Seonsaeng-nim was here before that… he’s my friend and… regardless of what the Council did, he’s not part of them,” Eeteuk answered, his voice softening, “And I allow Zhou Seonsaeng-nim to be here because someone must protect the students. I never realized the threat until you were attacked, Jo-sshi, and I will never allow that to happen again. So… if it means that a Council Member must be here… then so be it.”

Kyuhyun swallowed hard and bit his lip. He remembered that the headmaster wasn’t aware of Zhou Mi’s true status in the Council. Quickly, he sought for another question, something to bring the headmaster away from such sad thoughts.

“Was he ever able to see the future?”

Eeteuk’s chair swung around rapidly, “What?”

“Your… lover… person… were they ever able to see the future?” Kyuhyun inquired,

Eeteuk blinked, “No. Not ever… Can you?”

Kyuhyun shrugged slightly, “I honestly don’t know. My telepathy is uncontrolled but… I saw something in a dream and I knew it wasn’t my own thoughts, my own dreams. What I saw and what feelings they invoked made me think… believe… that they were visions from the future.”

Eeteuk opened his mouth to talk when a knock came to the door. “Come in,” he called.

Kyuri entered in her black skirt and black, short-sleeved blouse. She approached, glancing at her brother as she did so. She lowered to the other chair before the headmaster’s desk, “Headmaster Park.”

“Jo-sshi,” His eyebrows rose slightly, “I see you returned with more than I last remembered you with.”

Kyuri smiled softly, both hands coming to lay on her small, rounded, stomach, “Yes… I knew prior to the break, but I wanted to make sure everything was okay before I told you. Since the first trimester is done, I felt it safe enough to tell you.”

“Well I hardly think you’d be able to hide it,” Eeteuk smiled, “But I am glad for you. A child can only bring one happiness. And the father?”

“Is Kibum,” Kyuri confirmed before her expression hardened, “The bastard knew before even I did.”

Eeteuk laughed, “Why am I not surprised about that?”

Kyuri glanced at her brother and then back at the headmaster, “Am I interrupting something?”

“Yes,” Kyuhyun stated baldly,

Eeteuk shot him a sharp glance before stating, “But perhaps you can help. Kyuhyun is asking me about turned vampires.”

Kyuri blinked and then looked at her brother, “Anything I know is from the Council… and I’m pretty sure it’s all biased.” She paused a moment and then added, “And in all honesty, anything I’ve ever known about turned vampires, you’ve proved wrong.”

Kyuhyun sighed, “I thought not.”

“Is there anything else you wanted to know?” Eeteuk asked,

Kyuhyun shook his head as he stood up.

“Wait, I’ll leave with you,” Kyuri replied as she slowly stood up. She turned to the headmaster, “I just wanted to let you know that I am plus-one now.”

Eeteuk smiled, “That’s fine. Besides, I’m sure if any of the students say anything I’ll have to protect the students rather than the other way around.”

Kyuri merely nodded approvingly before following her brother out into the corridor.

“You’re looking round, Kyuri,” Kyuhyun said as he closed the door behind them,

“Gloriously so,” Kyuri smiled at him before straightening her lips, “But if you meant that as an insult, I’ll kill you.”

Kyuhyun laughed softly, “Good to know that being a mother didn’t soften you.”

“I have to keep tough. Kibum is ridiculously protective,” Kyuri grimaced, “I knew how he was before… but damn… I swear, I cannot open a can of soda before Kibum swoops in and opens it for me.”

Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow, “You’re exaggerating.”

“I’m not!” Kyuri insisted, “He says that I don’t know if it was recently shaken and it could explode and hurt me!”

Kyuhyun opened his mouth to reply when he caught sight of someone ahead of them. He kept his gaze straight ahead and walked steadily. Kyuri glanced at him confusedly when he turned to the other person, who was slowly approaching them,

“Zhou Mi-sshi, it’s good to see you again,” Kyuri bowed slightly to him.

He gave her a nod, “Congratulations on the pregnancy.” And with that, he continued on down the hall, not even sparing Kyuhyun a glance.

Kyuri looked over her shoulder, watching as Zhou Mi disappeared into the headmaster’s office. Then, she fisted her hand and smashed it into her brother’s arm. Kyuhyun, not even moving an inch, stared at her, “What was that for?”

“What the hell did you do to Zhou Mi-sshi?” Kyuri questioned, eyes narrowed,

“Nothing!” Kyuhyun insisted as they continued on down the hall,

“Then what the hell was that just now?” Kyuri demanded,

“Hey! We both didn’t say anything to each other!” Kyuhyun exclaimed,

“Yes, but you did something, I know you did,” Kyuri stated,

Kyuhyun paused as they reached the door leading to the stairwell, “How?”

“Because regardless of us being separated for years, you and I, dear brother, are the same,” Kyuri explained as he opened the door for her, “And if I’m correct, you would mess up in the relationship more than he would.”

Kyuhyun slanted her a look, “For your information, dear sister, he has messed up several times!”

“Besides,” she continued on as if he hadn’t said anything, “If he did something wrong, Zhou Mi-sshi is the type to try to make things right regardless. He would have said hi, would have attempted to talk to you. The way he acted is like… like… a lover scorned or something.”

Kyuhyun rolled his eyes, “He did not act like a lover scorned.”

“True, he acted like a cold bastard,” Kyuri stated bluntly. Kyuhyun shot her a sharp look; “You can’t have it both ways. I either say it nicely and you mock… or I say it honestly and you get mad.”

“Can’t you find a – are you supposed to be climbing two sets of stairs in your condition – happy medium?” Kyuhyun asked,

Kyuri replied in succession, “Happy medium is boring and yes, I can climb stairs. What am I supposed to do? Wait until an elevator is built?”

Kyuhyun blinked, “The school has elevators… just not in this wing. But in the west and central wings, there are elevators.”

Kyuri shook her head, “Rich bastards.” They walked in silence until they entered the fourth floor corridor, “So… did you do something to Zhou Mi-sshi?”

“Yes,” Kyuhyun replied.

Kyuri nodded, but said nothing as she approached her bedroom door.

“That’s it? That’s all you’ll say? You won’t ask any more?” Kyuhyun said, looking at her suspiciously,

Kyuri blinked, “No.”

Kyuhyun narrowed his eyes, “Why?”

She sighed heavily, “Because first of all, I’m not nosy. And second of all, I don’t know you that well… I don’t have any right to pry.”

They stared at each other for a moment, before Kyuhyun muttered quietly, “Thank you…” Kyuhyun turned to leave when he heard his name. He paused and looked back at his sister,

“Kyuhyun… this is all… new to me and… and I honestly don’t know how I feel about you… but I do want us to be a family,” Kyuri stated quietly, firmly, her gaze down at her stomach as her hands covered it affectionately.

Kyuhyun was silent for a moment. Then, he turned, closed the distance between them and pulled her into an embrace. He felt her stiffen immediately and he suppressed the urge to laugh. Instead, he said sincerely, “It’s good to see you, Kyuri.”



(Phase 19: Return of the Regrettable)