Chapter 15

I struggle to hold back tears as Chris shares his story with me. I never expected him to open up like this. He seemed so alone. Growing up, he had no one...

It wasn't until he met Seungmin and then Felix that he found light in his life again. He credits them for shaping him into the man he is today. Reflecting on Chris's journey, I realize just how special Seungmin really is. Despite being Changbin's friend, who was often ruthless towards Chris, Seungmin extended a helping hand. I shudder to think what might have become of Chris if Seungmin hadn't reached out to him that day.

My heart aches as I struggle to contain the tears threatening to spill. I've never experienced emotions like this before. I was never programmed to feel them...so why now?

"Only then did I keep moving forward." Chris concludes his story.

A tear finally escapes my eye, but I swiftly brush it away before he can notice. I absorb his story, grappling with what I should say next.

As his words linger in the air, a realization dawns on me. Perhaps there's a chance for Chris to reconcile his relationship with his cousin. Despite Changbin's past cruelty, something in Chris's story suggests a subtle shift in Changbin's behavior. Maybe, just maybe, Changbin secretly longed for a genuine connection with Chris. Could his visit to Chris's house before leaving town have been a silent farewell, an unspoken attempt to make amends? The thought lingers, stirring a mix of hope and uncertainty within me.

"What if..." I begin tentatively, hoping not to upset Chris too much with what I'm about to say. He looks over at me, and I take in a deep breath, steeling myself for his reaction. Though I know what he endured with Changbin was traumatic, I feel compelled to voice my thoughts now.

I glance towards the ground before meeting his eyes again. "What if Changbin had changed?"

My theory is that Changbin matured as he grew older. His animosity stemmed from being overshadowed and compared to Chris, primarily due to his father's influence. When he rebelled against his father, perhaps a part of him realized that his resentment didn't truly lie with Chris. It's evident he never aspired to be an assassin; he was merely groomed to surpass Chris and fell short miserably.

Chris glares at me for a moment, causing a knot of nervousness to form in my stomach. Then, he scoffs, looking away, still leaning on the railing. "Changbin change? That's the funniest thing I've ever heard."

His dismissive response saddens me. Chris doesn't want to entertain the notion. Leaning against the railing with my side, I gaze up. "Maybe he has."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Chris directs his gaze towards the sky. "I doubt it."

His skepticism is understandable. Chris endured so much torment because of Changbin. Yet, life is different for them now. They can't even be in the same room without tension. But perhaps if they could just have one normal and calm conversation together, everything might be resolved.

"You won't know unless you actually try and talk to him."

I'm aware Chris doesn't owe Changbin anything, especially after enduring years of torment. But a part of me believes I'm right. Changbin likely ceased hating Chris years ago but feels compelled to maintain his facade for the sake of his ego. He probably feels too ashamed to suddenly be kind to Chris.

"There's just a side of Changbin that you don't know." Chris replies, clearly eager to drop the topic of discussion. But I refuse to give up.

I must find a way to convey what's on my mind. Deep down, I know Chris wishes things could have been different. It's not too late to at least try.

"Listen." I breathe, my tone turning serious. I have so much I want to tell him, but I must remain focused on the main point.

"You don't even have any blood-related family." I begin, maintaining steady eye contact. "Sure, you have friends like Felix and Seungmin, but is limiting yourself to only those two people good for the long run?"

I understand that toxic people should remain out of one's life, and for some, having two friends is perfect. But for Chris's sake, it's different. He has the ability to change the outcome of his life.

"We only live so long." I continue. "Why waste it living behind a shell when you could explore what could have been?"

As I observe Chris, I detect a flicker of understanding in his expression. Perhaps my words are starting to resonate with him. If it were that easy, maybe Chris wanted to believe that things could change between him and Changbin as well. He just needed a little push.

Hovering over the balcony railing, I sigh inwardly. "All I'm saying is that...take the first step."

I slowly meet his gaze again. "That's the only way for this madness to end."

If Chris takes the first step in talking to Changbin, it might provide him with the closure he needs. Whether Changbin appreciates the effort or not, it's all up to Chris.

A tense silence envelops us as Chris glares down at me. Then, after a brief moment, a smirk tugs at the corner of his lips. Without uttering another word, he turns and strides back inside, leaving me suddenly bewildered as I follow behind.

"Give me your motorcycle keys." Chris demands, his voice firm, addressing Han, who's lounging on the couch, engrossed in his phone.

Han looks up, visibly surprised. "What? Why?"

Chris's glare intensifies, a fire burning in his eyes. "Give me your keys now." His tone brooks no argument; he clearly doesn't want to entertain any questions.

Sensing the seriousness in Chris's demeanor, Han retrieves his keys from his back pocket. "Alright, here."

I hadn't expected Han to surrender his keys to Chris so readily.

As soon as Changbin re-enters the room, Chris locks eyes with him, waving the keys in the air. "Bring your motorcycle out. Let's go for a ride."

And with that, Chris strides out through the front door, leaving Changbin with no opportunity to respond.

Confusion fills the air as Changbin surveys all of us, then glances back at the front door, clearly puzzled by what just unfolded. With a resigned sigh, he retrieves his leather jacket from the couch and follows Chris outside.

I understand now. Chris seized the moment without hesitation because he knew that if he paused to think, he might reconsider. I'm relieved he's taking the chance. I can only hope things work out between them.

"What was that all about?" Hyunjin enters the room, having witnessed the scene from the sidelines, munching on a sandwich.

I smile inwardly, hoping my instincts were right.

"Should we be worried?" Felix asks from the stairs, also having witnessed the exchange.

Han reclines on the couch, resting his eyes as he interlocks his fingers behind his neck. "If they kill each other, they'll just haunt each other via the ghosts."

"I bet they'll haunt you first for that comment." Felix chuckles to himself.

Hyunjin lets out an accidental laugh, quickly muffling it with his hand.

"Yeah, keep laughing." Han retorts with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. "But if I'm going down, you're going down with me."

As light laughter fills the room, I glance around, hoping Chris gets through to Changbin. Initially, when Chris shared his story, I wanted to hate Changbin too. But upon reflection, I realized that as Changbin matured, he might have recognized his mistakes but found it too late to change.

...

The next morning, I yawn, covering my mouth as I step down the stairs to find Felix brewing coffee in the kitchen. "Morning." he greets me with a warm smile when he turns toward me.

Leaning against the counter, I stretch slightly. "Morning."

Felix hands me a mug filled with coffee, his smile still radiant. "You look like you need it."

I Return the smile, accepting the cup from him. "Thank you. I couldn't sleep last night." My mind was too consumed with thoughts to find rest. It made it impossible to sleep.

"I stayed up all night finishing the song." Felix informs me with a grin, catching my attention. "The song?"

Suddenly, it clicks. He's referring to the song he found inspiration from our conversation a few days ago. "Oh!" I lean in eagerly & excitedly. "Can I hear it?!"

Taken aback by my enthusiasm, Felix chuckles softly, looking down at me. "I'll play it for you later."

My eyes light up at the prospect. "I can't wait!"

Here's an edited version of the paragraph:

Felix's voice resonates deeply with me, and his singing brings me comfort. I'm eagerly anticipating to hear whatever song he's written.

Felix pats my head affectionately as if i'm a small child, maintaining his warm smile.

"Are they not back yet?" Hyunjin's voice interrupts our moment. I glance over to see him descending from the stairs, as Han follows behind. "I hope my motorcycle's safe."

Turning back to Felix, then to Hyunjin and Han, I realize Chris and Changbin still haven't returned. A pang of worry sets in. What if they've resolved nothing and only ended up hurting each other? I hope nothing has happened...

"I didn't sleep a wink last night," Han yawns as he stretches upon reaching the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, I.N was training a little too hard outside." Hyunjin adds.

"Oh... is that what that noise was?" I ask, recalling the multiple rounds of jumping and knife slicing from the backyard last night that was percieved through the light windows.

"Has he seemed strange to you guys recently?" Han asks, glancing around the room.

I realize we haven't seen much of I.N since our stay here, and he's been unusually quiet, keeping only to himself, despite being close with Changbin and the gang.

I don't know much about him, so I never gave it much thought, but if Han has noticed, then something must be going on with him.

Suddenly, the loud sound of the door slamming open interrupts my thoughts.

"The nerve of this guy!"

Changbin storms into the house, looking disheveled. He has dark circles under his eyes, and his clothes are torn.

"What the hell happened?!" Han exclaims in horror, approaching him.

Changbin begins muttering as he explains the events. "First, he invites me for a motorcycle ride, then we drive too far, and he suggests we stay in a hotel. The bastard forgot his money, and we ran out of gas, so we've just been walking the streets in our raggedy clothes!"

My heart breaks at Changbin's tone. He seems annoyed and irritated, even resentful towards Chris. It's as though he despises him even more than before now...

Did I misunderstand? Did Changbin never want to get close to Chris in the first place? But...

"I found us a nice bench to rest on, didn't I?" Chris leans against the doorframe with a smirk. "You didn't complain then."

Changbin looks back at him. "That's because I've already complained about everything there was to complain about!"

Chris chuckles in amusement, crossing his arms.

There's a shift in the atmosphere. This exchange feels more like bickering than outright hatred.

"Anyway, Han, Hyunjin," Changbin addresses them. "You guys gotta go pick up the motorcycles. I'll send you the address."

"What?!" Han's exclamation fills the room, his voice carrying a mix of surprise and frustration.

"Why us?" Hyunjin's eyes roll upward in exasperation, a hint of annoyance lacing his tone.

"Because..." Changbin's awkward stare shifts from Han and Hyunjin and then back to Chris. "Chris and I are gonna go play tennis."

A wave of surprise washes over me as Changbin mentions their plans so casually. The room descends into silence, punctuated only by the heavy breathing of everyone present.

"Yeah, loser's gotta do the laundry." Chris remarks with a grin, breaking the sudden silence with a touch of humor.

With that, they both exit the room, presumably to freshen up after their long night before heading out to play tennis.

How did that even come to be? Was I right? Did they finally manage to mend their relationship?

"That's crazy" Han murmurs under his breath, drawing my attention. "What is?"

Both Han and Hyunjin turn to me with sentimental expressions, and even Felix appears puzzledby it.

Han takes a step forward, exhaling softly. "Changbin has wanted to invite Chris to play tennis since high school."

My eyes widen in surprise at this unexpected revelation. "Tennis?"

Was there some hidden significance to tennis that I wasn't aware of? Why specifically that activity? Was it some sort of tradition among them? Is it a boy thing?

Hyunjin steps forward, joining the conversation and leaning against the wall with crossed arms. "Tennis is a subtle code for hanging out." he explains.

My heart begins to race as the realization sinks in. I was right. Changbin desired reconciliation with Chris, but his pride stood in the way. It's astonishing to consider how differently things might have unfolded if Chris hadn't shared his story with me, or if I hadn't encouraged him to confront Changbin.

"Are you guys serious?" Felix's voice breaks through the moment as he steps over beside me. His expression clearly one of bewilderment. This revelation is news even to him.

"He mentioned it once briefly," Han interjects, offering clarification, "though he didn't realize we overheard."

This adds another layer to the situation, one I hadn't fully grasped until now.

"We should apologize to Chris too." Hyunjin suggests, glancing over at Han, who nods in agreement.

I'm heartened to see that as they've matured, they've become more willing to acknowledge their past mistakes. Much of Chris's suffering occurred during their childhood, and I'm relieved that they're now capable of taking responsibility and offering sincere apologies to him. It takes a lot of courage, a lot of bravery.

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