"You know, we aren't that different from each other," she teased, a smirking playing on her plump lips. His dark eyes glared into hers.
"We are nothing alike."
started: may 24, 2022
completed: july 15, 2022
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FIVE MONTHS LATER.
Haechan sat in front of the bar, the man on his seventh shot. He took the alcohol to his lips, downing it immediately. He didn't care about the liquid burning his throat as it flowed down. He didn't care about a lot of things now. His vision had began to alter from reality, Haechan knowing that he was drunk. He stood up from his seat and dug into his pocket, placing a tip onto the table.
He threw his mask and hoodie on, walking out of the bar like he was never there. The chilly air of the winter night swarmed around his body, the man letting out small shake from it. He looked around at the people who walked down the streets— smiles on their faces as they talked to each other. His eyes gravitated towards a screen on a building, his body tensing. It was him.
"Love Sign topping the charts! Newist song from Upcoming artist Haechan."
He tore his gaze from the screen, making his way towards his destination. After one train ride, he found himself in the cemetery that always had him as a guest. He sat down in the grass that had began to grow around her grave. His face softened as he read the stone for the hundredth time.
Sage November 27, 2000 - July 18, 2022
"I released the song like you told me to, it took a few months to make a name for myself and get myself signed but, I did it for you," he softly said, some of his words slurring from the buzz of the alcohol.
"The rest of the Neos are doing okay. Renjun misses you a lot but he hasn't come to visit. He's scared to so don't get too mad at him. He's trying," he let out. "I haven't seen Jungwoo since that night. I hope he's okay. Can you watch over him for me angel?"
Haechan took off his hoodie, revealing his grayish, silver hair that he had dyed a few weeks ago. It was messy and covering some of his vision but he didn't care too much. He brought his knees to his chest and cried for the fifth time that week.
He was just so tired. He missed her to the point where everything he did in his daily life reminded him of her. He was getting worse everyday and he couldn't help it. All he wanted to do was to hold her in his arms but that was taken away from him.
Haechan never blamed her but he was still upset at her actions. He knew that she felt like she had to fight her dad alone but, that one thought costed her her entire life.
As his cries increased, the heartache that formed in a certain someone's chest increased also. They looked at him with sorrow. They couldn't stand to see this anymore.
Their feet moved faster than their brain and before they knew it, their arms were wrapping around a crying Haechan. His cries began to stop at the family scent of cinnamon and vanilla. He looked up, that same curly hair covering his face. He moved away in shock, his eyes widening.
Sure enough, it was the same Sage that had left him five months ago. He shook his head, immediately rubbing his eyes. "This isn't real," he mumbled to himself.
She grabbed his hands, sitting down in front of him. "It's real Donghyuck."
He took a good look at her. Her hair had grown longer, the now blonde curls sitting on her chest now. She wasn't wearing any makeup, the moles and freckles that he loved to kiss, visible to his eyes.
He looked away from her, his eyes trailing to the the grave that he thought she laid under. "Why? For months I thought you were dead. I came here everyday and cried my eyes out just for you to be alive? Do you understand how much I went through?" he asked, anger filling his veins.
"You think I wanted to leave you Hyuck? I had to watch you from afar for five months and every day I thought about coming back. I watched you get drunk to the point where you could barely hold yourself up. I watched Renjun come here and turn around at the gates every single time he thought he could finally look at this grave. I wanted to reassure you all and tell you I was alive but I couldn't. I did this for your safety!" she yelled, tears clouding her vision. Donghyuck's eyes softened as she fished in her pocket, placing a sticky note into his hands.
"By the way, I go by Ruolan now. Call me when you're sober so we can actually talk," she softly said, leaving him in the empty cemetery.
☾
Ruolan opened the front door to her apartment, letting out a deep breath as she hung up her jacket on the stand. She heard a door open— the door being Jungwoo's. After they had faked her death, Jungwoo and Ruolan rented out an apartment in the city that was spacious enough for the two of them. It was two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a big kitchen that connected to the living room.
The two had even adopted a cat named Stella. The black cat ran up towards her, it's small body crashing with her legs. She didn't have enough energy to give the cat affection back but, she appreciated the small action.
Jungwoo could read her face as soon as their eyes connected, the man wasting no time to walk towards her with his arms open. She let out her sobs in his embrace— all of the emotions that she had felt in the past few months coming out.
"It didn't go well?" Jungwoo asked, Ruolan nodding in his chest.
"He was drunk. I told him to call me when he sobers up but was if he never dials? This was a mistake Jungwoo."
"You were doing it to protect us Ruolan. He will understand."
