That day, I couldn't comprehend the situation.
It felt like in just a blink of an eye, everything was taken from me and I couldn't defend myself.
I thought that my so called "fans" would defend me but I couldn't understand anything. Once I saw the minority of fans that defended me or stayed neutral, I couldn't wrap my head around it.
A single rumour started by a singular person lead to many creating fake evidence against me which caused these allegations to spiral out of control.
But even though I didn't have my fanbase, I thought my friends would support me.
The ones who'd been with me through my journey as an idol.
However, that was never the case.
All I received were messages from them all about how I should die.
That they should've known from my presence.
That it was obvious from the start that I, their close friend, just a disgusting person that they should've never talked to.
But what hurt me the most wasn't just that.
The people I've known since the start didn't hesitate to turn on me.
Not even the person I loved.
I was alone.
No one to turn to.
No friends.
Hardly any fans.
No one that wanted to be around me.
I couldn't trust anyone.
I had to leave the place I'd always dreamt about being in.
That huge dream of being in stage turned into my own worst nightmare.
__________________
"Congratulations to Astra and his song, Generic Love Story!"
As soon as the MCs announced my win, confetti suddenly launched from the cannons. However, I didn't expect it to go off so soon and I was caught off guard, dramatically flinching while everyone began clapping, and cheering.
The camera panned over to me and I could hear the laughter from the other artists around me, pretending to act like nothing happened as I winked at the camera lens and was handed the trophy, and microphone.
Holding the trophy with my right hand, I held the mix with my other and held it to my lips, grinning widely as I stared down at it for a bit.
My first win as a solo artist.
"I really wasn't expecting to win this award considering I was up against some brilliant artists around me today. I'd like to give a thank you to my friends and family. Especially to my company who have been really supportive. But I have made it without my precious Sparks and you all have gotten me to where I am. I can't wait to show you what I have next. Than you so much!"
With that, I bowed once and my song began playing, and I looked to the Idol MCs, bowing to them which they did the same before heading off.
I looked to the other artists on stage, my eyes drifting the group just opposite of me and I couldn't help my extremely wide grin, especially because of a certain person among them.
"You did it, Oppa!!" Dahyun cheered and I pumped my fist, gently rubbing the top of her head as she walked past. As I did, I felt a firm grip around my lower back area and I turned to see Sana mischievously smirking.
Luckily, I was at an angle where it wouldn't be seen and I sighed in relief, a smile on my face remaining so it wouldn't be obvious.
As they walked past, she winked at me and mouthed a few words as she got off stage.
'See you later.'
I gave her a nod before holding the mic to my lips, looking to the audience and grooving to the rhythm of the song,and began singing like I always would. However, I noticed my back-up dancers celebrating on the side so I quickly gestured for them to come on, which they looked at each other unsure.
"Come on, you're all the ones that made the performance!" I chuckled and they looked at me brightly, happily walking on.
"Show them what you got!" I tell them as I stood back and we all created a circle, letting someone dance up front.
Continuing to sing, I watched one of them come forward and began doing some very acrobatic moves which caught me off guard, and the audience went wild.
They cheered and he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck after finishing in a flashy pose and the next person got up, starting off with some very intricate footwork.
Seeing the happy expressions of my fans that sent a rush of adrenaline throughout my body.
The dancers chanted her name and I continued the encore stage with the dancers doing their impressive moves.
Which I just did my thing and stood back, singing as I watched, barely missing any notes and being stable.
______________
As I stepped inside the car, I sat down and peered my head out of the window, waving to all my fans who stayed to congratulate me in person.
"Thanks for coming, everyone! Get home safely and eat well!" I yell, which they responded back with an extremely loud cheer that made my heart flutter.
"I'll see you next time!" I wave once again as the car engine started, beginning to move as they all wished me farewell, rolling the window up to stop the wind from coming in.
Leaning back onto my seat more, I closed my eyes with a smile still remaining, unable to release this feeling of euphoria within my body.
Even though this rush of joy wouldn't go away, I couldn't help feeling guilty from the fact that my group hasn't won an award but I have before them.
However, breaking me from my thoughts was my phone suddenly ringing, vibrating from the left pocket of my jacket and I reached in, pulling it out to read the contact name.
Seeing his nickname, I immediately accepted the call and his face appeared on the screen, an excited smile plastered on. In the background, he appeared to be in a location other than his home due to obvious shine of the lights in the background, as well as the white walls that highlighted him.
"(Y/n)! Congratulations on the win!" He cheered happily and I chuckled from his upbeat attitude.
"Thanks, Nii-san. What'd you think of the song, considering that the title is called, Generic Love Story?"
"I thought it was great. I was obviously expecting a generic pop sound but wasn't expecting to hear an experimental jazz inspired sound."
"Sick. You should've seen the company's face when I was about to give the song away."
"Were you going to give it to Twice or something?" He questioned and I instantly raised my eyebrow in confusion, which he smugly grinned.
"Yeah, I know you've kept that secret from me."
"What secret?" I reply, slightly sweating as hardly anyone knows about it, apart from her group and mine obviously. Along with my best friend and my parents but other than that, no one else knows.
"Great acting, Bro. However, I kept a secret of my own." He stuck his tongue out and flipped the camera, revealing a sleeping baby in It's crib.
"You're a dad now!?!"
I couldn't help the volume of my voice and he gestured with his finger over his mouth to silence me.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I whisper aggressively and he flipped the camera to show his deadpan expression.
"Why didn't you tell me you were dating Minatozaki Sana?" He immediately added and I let out an annoyed sigh.
"We just wanted to keep it private and see how things would go since we're idols, and if we could commit to it. And we have for two years."
"Two years!? I can't believe you've done this to me, little bro..." He gasped dramatically but did sound hurt by it.
"More importantly, who told you?"
"Uh...Rin told me." He grinned cheekily and I shook my head in disappointment.
"Of course she did..."
"But how long have you been a dad?" I change the subject and he scratched his cheek.
"A few months."
"Fuck.....is that how it feels to be betrayed?" I groaned.
"Yeah, hurts doesn't it." He laughs.
"Who's the mum?" I ask and he let out a strange fake laugh, panning the camera over to the sleeping woman in bed.
"It was a one night stand but......"
"Bro...." I trail off and he rolled his eyes.
"Yes, I was horny alright. But unfortunately, I'm a single dad."
"Don't tell me..." I sigh and he pressed his teeth together, looking a little embarrassed.
"She left me after her family rearranged a marriage with a wealthy guy. It sucks but at least I got this adorable ray of sunshine out of it."
"So she's not helping you take care of her?" I squint my eyes and he nodded.
"She didn't want to risk losing the opportunity and just bailed."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Don't worry, I'm over it now. It's also given me another reason to change jobs so I'm back into clothing design now." He smiled.
"That's awesome. Working as a civil servant definitely didn't suit you at all so I'm glad that you went back to your passion."
Before he could speak, the piercing sound of crying bursted from the speakers and he scratched his har.
"Back to being a dad. I'll call you later, (Y/n)."
"Alright, tell mum and dad that I'm coming home next week. So I'll be able to spend time with you and meet the baby."
"Alright, I'll see you then." I tell him and he gives me a nod, which he hangs up and I slid my phone back into my pocket, turning to the window to the peek at the surroundings.
Conveniently, we were just outside their building and the car slowed to a stop, allowing me to leave.
"Thank you so much," I tell the driver and step out of the car, shutting the door behind me and walk into the pavement. I watched the car slowly drove off before approaching the building, making my way to the front and pressed the door bell.
"Ah, (Y/n)-Oppa. Come in!" A voice I recognised to be Chaeyoung exclaimed and the door swung open, which I immediately entered.
"So how does it feel to win a music show?"
"It still feels a bit surreal but hopefully I'll get one with my group next time. It's a little strange that my group hasn't gotten one but I have for my solo." I answer and she nods.
"But you can showcase more as a soloist so it's impressive to see what's been restricted because you're in a group. I did not expect you to sing or belt high notes at all."
"That's because the guys can't rap well so it's been my main focus along with dance. Plus, my tone doesn't exactly fit with the pop songs we do so I don't sing in any of them."
Before I could continue talking the shirt cub, my body stumbled from the big impact of a straight up tackle but I managed to keep my balance by using all the strength in my feet to stay somewhat stable.
"(Y/n)!!"
"Woah! Be careful, Sha." I tell her as she embraced me tightly and made inaudible noises of a happy gremlin.
"I missed you." She looked up at me with her cute smile and pressed her chin against my chest, causing my heart to flutter like usual.
"I missed you too," I laugh and lean down towards her, kissing the top of her head while embracing her back with left arm.
"Hey, wrong spot." She smirked before puckering her lips and standing onto her toes to gain more height.
"Okay." I laugh and lean down once again, pressing the tip of nose against hers, feeling her breath tickling my lips as I smirked.
"What's the magic word?" I tease and she suddenly moved her arms from her embrace and wrapped them around my neck to trap me in this position.
"Don't need to." She giggled before pressing her soft lips against mine, the warmth of them heating up mine and creating a blissful sensation between them.
A few seconds passed and our faces parted, a satisfied grin plastered on her face as she released my neck to lower hand to gently wrap around my arm.
"So, are we just chilling here today?" I question and she nodded.
"I know how tiring it's been for you so let's just relax today." Sana leaned forward to kiss my cheek and I couldn't stop myself from smiling.
No matter how many times she'll do this, it never fails to make me flustered.
"You never fail to make me nervous, Jagi-ya." I chuckled and we slowly walked deeper into the dorm, passing by the living room, the Maknae Line sitting on their large couch and completely invested in the drama that played on their TV.
After viewing for a few seconds, it clicked in my mind what the show was and I couldn't help feeling amused, considering that I could've been the lead of that drama if Sana allowed me to. However, she wasn't exactly keen on me being intimate with someone else on camera.
"That could've been me." I chortled and she whined, pressing her head against my shoulder while tightening her grip, watching the two characters make out on the bed.
Seeing her expression was adorable, staring up at me with her pouty lips, visibly upset but I couldn't help my the feeling of butterflies.
"I'm all yours. You don't have to worry about that," I assure her and her face lightened, slowly forming a smile.
"That's right. You're mine, and mine alone."
It took a bit before they turned to us, the Maknae-line instantly greeting me and and they had wide smiles at the sight of me.
"Oppa! I didn't know you were coming over today!" Dahyun exclaimed and we slowly approached them, using my hand to ruffle the top of her head to mess up her hair.
"It was sort of last minute. We were originally going to go out but she changed it after hearing I slept an hour last night."
"That's why you looked so tired during the stage rehearsals." Chaeyoung pointed out and I nodded.
"I had a lot more caffeine than I should have so I'll probably feel like shit later," I laugh.
"So where are the others?" I add.
"They're out shopping. Momo-unnie saw something she really wanted and the others accompanied her, but they'll definitely be taking their time." She answered and I looked at the youngest who hadn't said much.
"Tzuyu-ah, are you hungry or anything?" I question and she shook her head.
"I'm alright for now." Tzuyu said with a smile.
"Alright, just ask if any of you are and I can make something from whatever's in the fridge." I tell them and they cheerfully raised their hands excitedly.
"Yay! I missed Oppa's cooking!" Chaeyoung cheered and I was suddenly nudged on the arm by my adorable lover, who sulked quietly.
"You didn't ask me that..." She quietly mumbled.
"That's because I'll do anything you ask for and they're too shy to ask me sometimes." I explain.
"Anything?" She raised her eyebrows while smirking and I turned away from her, eyes on the Maknae-line and pretended I didn't hear what she said.
"So, do you know if you have any plans for activities in Japan yet?" I ask as an attempt to ignore Sana's seductiveness.
"Not too sure. We had a discussion with Pd-nim about it but it isn't clear if we are or not." Dahyun answered and I nodded
"Well if you're allowed a break, I'm going back home in Japan next week and it's on the countryside so it'll be relaxing as there won't any worries about sasaengs, and such. It's also in a place with beautiful scenery and you'll be staying at my parent's Inn. It'll be fun too since it'll be a nice change from the city."
"That sounds fun but I don't know if we'll be allowed." Chaeyoung said in disappointment, followed by the other two.
"We might though. Since we do finish promotions by then so we might be able to with the break we have," Sana pointed out and they nodded.
"We'll ask. But enough talking, this is getting interesting." Tzuyu said simply, completely focused on the event happening in the drama and I turned to Sana.
"So what should we do now?"
"I got a new scent yesterday! I want to know your opinion about it," She tugged on my arm and lead me out of the living room, slowly walking towards her shared room, which she pulled the handle down and pushed her door open, revealing her shared room with Nayeon and Momo.
"Did Jeongyeon clean the place up?" I question, seeing that everything was sorted out and was basically spotless.
As soon as I spoke, I heard the sound of the door closing, a click of the lock following it and I turned around, only to fall back instantly from the force pushing me and I fell onto the bed.
Laying completely on my back, I blinked once and before I knew it, she was already on top of me and trapped my head in-between her arms, her head only being a few inches from mine so I could only see her gorgeous face.
"Sana!" I panicked and her mischievous expression said everything, taken off guard by her action and felt my face heating up from being flustered.
"We have a lot of time to ourselves. So why don't we use it to let out a little stress~"
"W-what about that body mist or perfume you wanted my opinion on!?" I stuttered and she lifted her left hand, cupping my cheek.
"We can do that later."
"But..." I trailed off. Just seeing her expression and could tell that she was going to get what's she wanted anyway, so I gulped as she playfully caressed the corner on my bottom lip.
"Check if the door is locked again...I don't want the same thing to happen again..." I mumbled but just loud enough for her to understand.
"Don't worry, I already did~" She spoke slowly and I was in for a wild ride for the next hour.
_______________________
"No...it doesn't sound right..."
"Jagi-ya, are you ready?" I heard Sana's voice from behind, turning around to see her approaching me and I glance at the clock.
"Oh, crap. Sorry, Sha." I apologise as she was probably waiting for a while since I was distracted by my unfinished track.
"What are you working on?"
"Just a new song for Alex-Hyung. He's the next member to do a solo project and I'm just making something that's inspired by Pop-punk since his concept is very outlandish." I tell her and she looked interested, which I spun around and quickly saved the file.
"So far, I'm trying to add a bunch of supporting instruments and sounds that will make it sound more full and will add a nice depth that'll compliment the other main instruments. At the moment, it's sounds like this."
I play the track and carefully listened, letting twenty seconds pass before pausing so she'd only hear a small portion, spinning back around to face her.
"It sounds so cool!" She complimented and I smile, scratching the back of my head.
"It needs quite a bit of work before it's finished though. I still need to mix it properly and write the lyrics too so I can record the demo."
"Rest a bit. You just finished up promotions and are on break, you need to stop before you overwork yourself." She scolded and cupped my cheeks with her hands.
"I will. After I finish up this." I tell her and she puffed her cheeks.
"Don't worry, I won't overwork myself. But let's go now since I don't won't to waste any of our time together."
"Okay." She grinned and released my face, which I spun back around to grab my face mask, pulling my hair tie off to let my hair down before putting it on.
"Alright, I should look like a strangely tall girl now. What do you think?" I question and spin back around to her which she nods.
"Weirdly enough, your outfit makes you look like a teenager "
"That works."
"But you know you could've just worn something you're more comfortable with." Sana added.
"I know but it's just a precaution. Who knows what'll happen if they find out that Astra from DIVINITY is dating Twice's Sana? I mean we nearly got caught last time."
"But I'm sure our fans would understand and support us."
I squinted my eyes in response to her claim, letting out an unconvinced sound after taping around the other eye.
"That'd be easy to say if I didn't have one of the most possessive fanbases. Do you remember how they reacted after there was that dating rumour that I was with reported to be dating?" I question, remembering the chaos online until the company released a statement.
"Well...I forgot about that." She blinked and had this brief look of fear before shaking it off with a smile.
"But on the other hand, we interact a lot and it's known to the public that we're close so it wouldn't be a surprise."
"You're...not wrong. But if were going to, we should let someone report it to Dispatch first to see how our fans react to the rumour."
"Can we?" She gave me her adorable puppy eyes and I couldn't help smiling at her act.
"Sure. It would make things a lot easier too."
"I love you." She grinned widely and leaning forward, kissing my forehead and I let out a chuckle.
"Love you too, Sana."
I get up and she dragged her mask back on, wrapping her arms around mine immediately.
"Alright, let's go!"
____________
"(Y/n)! You're in a really bad situation!" My manager burst through the door, looking incredibly panicked as he approached me, waking me up from my peaceful sleep.
"What is it?" I immediately sit up, brushing my bangs back with my hand and he instantly pulled his phone out, showing me what was on the display.
'DIVINTY's ASTRA has been accused of sexual assault. Poster online has added real evidence that will affect the Idol's career.'
"What..." I blink and leaned in closer, unable to believe what I'm seeing.
"The poster has evidence and a lot of it seems to be legit. However, we know you didn't so we're currently starting to investigate the ordeal. We're cancelling your upcoming schedules so you need to lay low until we sort this entire thing out, okay?"
"Alright. But how long has this been up?" I question and he sighed.
"Yesterday. It didn't blow up until the evening so it's very recent."
He placed his hand on my shoulder, giving me a confident look.
"We'll get to the bottom of this."
"Okay, Hyung." I respond and he walked off leaving me alone.
Worry began to take over and I pull my phone out, instantly googling it and found the original post, pressing it to see a bunch of photos of me that I had never seen before.
One being me asleep on a bed with a bunch of pills placed on the bedside table. The next few images with the arm of the poster, completely covered in bruises and injuries.
Along with that, a photo of bloodied handcuffs and whip with me asleep in the back.
The account had many posts describing the "true event" in huge detail and from an outsiders perspective, this seemed to be legitimate.
"What the fuck...."
Grabbing my keys, I was about to head out but I stopped in place, remembering that I was meant to lay low and stay in my apartment.
Anxiously clenching my fists while sitting down on the bed, staring directly at the wall.
"What do I do now?"
________________
"C'mon..."
I couldn't help being impatient as I rang her number, already being left to voicemail constantly from my previous attempts.
Finally, I heard the sound I've been waiting for and I felt a sense of relief.
"Sana, I-"
"We're done, (Y/n)."
I paused, taking in what I just heard and didn't know how to react. My lips struggling to move after hearing it and my hands began to tremble.
"What..."
"I can't believe you did all that to all those people. I thought you were different." She said with disgust and the panic began to settle in, my body shaking in fear.
"Listen, none of it is true. The-"
"Stop lying to me! I've seen everything!"
"Please, just believe me!" My heart raced, my body unable to stop and I couldn't help my tears falling, refusing to believe that this was actually happening.
"I wish I never met you, (Y/n). I don't walk to talk to you ever again."
Before I could say another word, she hung up and was left in silence, my heart shattering at what just happened and my body grew weak.
Falling into my bed, processing and replaying the moment in my head, using my arm to cover my eyes.
The dread taking over my body as I barely had anything left in my life.
_______________
I blankly stared ahead, continuing to walk towards my group's dorm and had no strength in my body.
At this point, I nearly lost my motivation to live.
But knowing that I wasn't completely alone helped me.
I still had my members and my company who defended me.
That's all that matters.
I slowly approached the door, entering the passcode into the electronic lock and unlocked the door. But as soon as I grabbed the doorknob, I stopped at the sound of their conversation and pressed the side of my head against it, trying to understand the muffled voices.
"I didn't think it would end up like this!"
"We said to use one of those photos! Not use the whole lot!"
"And now we're getting backlash too instead of just (Y/n)."
"And when I said to post something to ruin his image, I didn't mean to pin him as a sex offender you idiot!"
What...
Without hesitation, I pushed the handle down, letting it swing open and their attention averted to me in the living room, their expressions becoming a shocked.
"(Y/n), when did you get here?" Alex awkwardly smiled and I glared at them all, my fists clenching as I walked in.
"What was this about ruining my image?" I ask and they nervously chuckled, slowly approaching me.
"Look, we just wanted some attention since we're not as popular as you. We didn't mean to go this far." Minseo added and I tried holding my anger in, clenching my fists.
"And making me seem like harass people will do it!? Why the fuck would you do that!?!" I outburst and they looked down, stopping in place.
"We just wanted to ruin your reputation a bit and make it seem like you did something minor. But Seojun went further than we told him to go with it."
"Seojun....you did this?" I say in disbelief and he nodded his head once.
All those images that were posted had me in them, everything around me arranged to look like I did something while I slept.
And out of all the guys, I would've suspected him the least.
This was the person that was my first friend when I got to Korea.
The person I trusted the most.
The same person I'd call my brother.
"We're sorry, Hyung...I just wanted to have more recognition than just being in the same group as you."
"And this would do that!?!" I retort but they remained silent.
"I lost everything because of you all! And I thought I would still have you guys but you're the fucking reason why this shit is happening to me!" I shout and they still didn't utter a single thing.
Feeling disgusted with being in the same room, I turn my back towards them and headed back out the front door with my my head filled with nothing but rage.
"We can still fix this! We can post stuff to clear it up so your career will be saved, and our group reputation will be fine if you don't tell the company!"
"You're all the reason why it's like this. Why the fuck should I not!?"
"We don't know what to do if our careers gone! And it was always us four so we can make up and just forget about this."
I couldn't stand their selfish desire and punched the wall in rage, breaking through the wood completely and causing them to become silent. The sharp splinters of the woods pierced through my hand, blood beginning to slowly spill through the deeps cuts as I pull my hand back.
"I quit."
__________
"I can't believe you're going already"
"Sorry, Hyung. I just...don't want to be here anymore." I apologise and she shook his head.
"Don't be. You've sent through a lot this month. Make sure you're healthy and give me a call every so often."
"I will." I tell him and pull him into a hug, possibly being the last time I'll be in Korea and it felt bittersweet.
Yet, all I wanted to do was just get away from here.
I released him and he had a half smile, reaching into his pocket and pulling out my old phone.
"You know, there are some friends that never betrayed you. It wouldn't hurt to stay in contact with some of them."
"I know...maybe I will." I take the phone off him and the announcement for my flight played through the speakers, which I gave him a small smile.
"Thanks for everything you've done for me. You were probably the only one that cared for me in the company."
"Stay safe, (Y/n)."
"You too, Hyung." I tell him before grabbing my luggage, beginning to walk towards my gate, glancing at him once last time and waving to him with me free hand.
Turning back to continue walking, opening the phone with my face ID, checking the number of notifications I had, the first one being Bang Chan who sent a bunch of texts to see if I was okay.
The next few being the entirety of GOT7, which were my only other close friends in the industry who had an insane number of texts. Besides them, I could see the names of others who I wasn't fond of anymore.
However, seeing how much those certain few were worried put a smile on my face, letting out a deep sigh as I made my way forward.
But that clear feeling of emptiness still remained.
_______________
"Please!"
The idol ran out of the elevator, heading straight for the closest door and took out her key, frantically shaking as she pushed the key in, turning it and opening it in an instant.
However, it wasn't the sight she was familiar with.
In front of her was the living room, shelves half empty with all the posters taken down, left behind were what was related to his group and sat on the top was his only trophy from his win.
But what broke her heart was the fact that he left behind every single photo of them and the items that had sentimental value, the framed photos all faced down to not been seen.
Walking further in, Sana headed towards his bedroom.
The door completely open and she walked in, seeing most of his belongings gone, remaining in his room are the other photos and clothing, and items that she had bought him.
However, what was most noticeable was the cut rope hanging from the ceiling and she looked down.
Her eyes widened at the sight of a noose on the floor and she felt her knees buckling from realisation,
Suddenly, the sound of the door shutting caused her to be full of hope and she ran out after hearing the set of footsteps, rushing to the front door.
But to her surprise, it was his manager.
"I knew you'd be here." He said with scorn, holding a deep grudge for the woman in didn't of him.
"(Y/n)! Where is he!?" Sana questioned with worry and he clicked his tongue.
"Thanks to you lot he hasn't been exactly the same. I'm sure you could tell from what's in his room. But he's alive and managing."
"Tell me where he is now! I need to see him!" She demanded by his cold eyes stared into hers.
"He left Korea."
Her heart sunk, unable to comprehend his manager's words and held a fake smile, hoping that it was just some childish prank to punish her and that he'd pop out of nowhere.
"Y-You're lying...he isn't gone..."
"After what you all did to him, he doesn't want to see anyone of you all. (Y/n) can't trust anyone, nor does he feel safe in this industry." His manager announced, his voice rough and resentment was present.
"He felt lost, unwanted and depressed. It drove him to nearly take his life if I didn't come that day." He tossed the key onto the ground.
"Just respect his decision and stop trying to contact him." He added and was ready to walk off, only to be held by a grip around his wrists.
"Tell me where he is in Japan...please..." Her voice quivered and he scoffed, yanking his arm out.
"Just accept it. If you truly loved him, you would've defended him like we did. He's better off with someone who trusts him."
"But-"
"Give up, Sana!" He raised his voice and walked off furiously, footsteps creating loud
Unable to say anything, she stood there staring at the floor and her legs gave out, causing her to fall to the ground with her eyes threatening to spill out tears but she tried to hold it in.
However, it didn't last long and she eventually broke down, looking to the keys beside her.
The last thing he left behind along with all the memories they shared together.
All the happiness that was taken away.
_________
I walked further up the road, the sight of building slowly entering my vision and I examined it closely, noticing the changes from the last I've been in here, the entire Ryōkan looking brand new.
As I got closer, two very important figures stood at the entrance, immediately rushing over to me after they saw me approaching them and I was immediately pulled into a hug.
Their warm embrace making me feel at ease, the feeling of nostalgia rushing iver to me and my eyes failed to hold in my tears, slowly falling out as I embraced them back.
"Are you okay?" Dad asked worriedly.
"You're so skinny. Have you been eating!?"
"I..."
"What have they done to you?" Mum questioned and I grew a smile at their parental worry, remembering how much I missed them and put on a smile.
"You look so tired." She added and they released me, taking another look at me with anger beginning to take over.
"I can't believe those ungrateful bastards did this to you."
"It's alright. I'm back permanently so there won't be anyone else that'll hurt me." I assure them and they walked over, my Dad grabbing my luggage for me as my mum gently escorted me in.
"Your brother and Rin are waiting inside for you."
"Rin is here?" I say in shock and as we entered I took of my shoes.
While putting on a pair of slippers, I examined the interior and couldn't help the nostalgia, the last time coming here was before my debut a few years ago.
Everything was still there.
The old clock, my paintings hung up above the receptionist desk, and the same photo of us before I went to Korea.
"Nothing has changed..."
"Of course. We couldn't bear to take anything down in the building. How else could we have be reminded of you everyday?" Dad smiled and a sense of joy began to fill the void.
"They're waiting in the back." Mum pointed and I walked around the counter, walking through the entrance and the two figures darted their heads toward my direction, pushing themselves up from their sitting position and crashing into me.
I stumbled back a bit but held my balance, the two embracing me as tight as they could as a certain someone began bawling their eyes out.
"I was so scared for you!!" Rin sobbed and buried her face into the crook of my neck.
"Did anyone hurt you?" Yosuke asked and I let out a fake laugh, not wanting to worry them anymore.
"I could've been better."
He released me while Rin continued to stay in that position and I hugged her back, slowly patting her back to ease here as her cries grew a little more intense.
"How long has it been? Two years?"
"It's been three years, you idiot." She sobbed and I look to my brother who looked relieved that I was in alright shape.
"Still working at that sweets shop?"
"Of course I am. Where else is there to go in this town?"
"There's always that fireworks store that we'd always wanted to work at." I suggest and she let out a small laugh inbetween her sobs.
"That's because we wanted to sneak some out so we didn't have to pay for them."
"And now I actually have money so we can do whatever the we want to now," I add.
"So we can finally do those dumb eating contests that we couldn't afford to do?" Rin joked and I chuckled at the memory of our younger selves.
"We can now."
In the corner of my eye, I could see the infant capsule beside the table and it grew my interest, but I waited for Rin to calm down first.
"Is that what I think it is?" I question and he nods.
"It was about time you meet her."
Rin released me and took a step back, her eyes completely red and she wiped them while continuously assuring me she was fine, still looking like a complete mess. But knowing her, she'll calm down quicker if you don't nag her.
Slowly, I approached the capsule and took a knee, looking at the adorable who's eyes stared directly at me.
"What's her name?"
"Ayaka."
"Hi, Ayaka. I'm your uncle, (Y/n)." I smile and she happily reached out to me, grasping my fingers with her small hands as she lets out a adorable cackle.
"She likes you already." Yuuji hits my back proudly and I couldn't help returning a smile, watching her fiddle around with my larger fingers and letting out the cutest laughs I've ever heard.
"You're gonna be a great uncle!" He slapped my back and I turned to him, which he ruffled my hair in an instant.
"Welcome home, (Y/n)."
The euphoria started to overwhelm my body, the same familial feeling and just the joy of being back where I belonged caused my eyes to flow once again but my smile grew wider as the tears streamed down my face.
"I'm home."