you kept a face for her sake.
ᅠ╰─> AS THE sisters ran out of breath, the happening with Ban Yeoryeong, the pretty girl the twins met in the morning, disappeared. The thoughts about Yoo Chunyoung, the handsome boy Ham Haru bumped into on their way out of the school, also seemed to scatter away.
"We...got...away...!" Ham Dan-I panted, holding her knees to balance herself from falling.
Ham Haru weakly laughed. "...good job, us..." She then collapsed on the ground.
Shocked, Ham Dan-I frantically rushed to her older sister's side. Recalling that Ham Haru was all brains but no brawn, she was regretting the literal running away plan.
"Haru unnie!!" She cried.
Seeing Ham Dan-I's towering face above hers, Ham Haru reached for her younger sister's pretty cheeks.
"...Since my promised ring with Kiro is gone...might as well...die here...it's been a good life, Dan-I...I love you...good...bye..." Ham Haru's hand dropped back on her chest.
Ham Dan-I shuddered.
Turning her sister's face, her usual pretty cupped face was no more. Ham Haru's passed out white eyes were standing out while her skin lost its original hue. Everything seemed to be the outcome of a soul leaving the body.
"Nooo!! Haru unnie, don't die on me!!"
The sound of a skin being smacked real hard reached the clear blue skies.
.
.
.
"Dan-I..." Ham Haru rubbed her stinging face as she held out her phone to see her own reflection. There was a big red hand mark imprinted on her right cheek. "if you weren't my twin, I would've done all sorts of things to you by now..."
The irked Ham Dan-I punched her by the shoulder. "YOU WERE DYING ON ME! WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO?!"
Ham Haru let out a deep sigh, pushing her younger twin away from her to fix her glasses. Looks like I need to work on my cardio exercise. I can barely run without getting exhausted right away...
Ham Haru looked around the area. "That aside, we're at...?"
"I think we're at a bus station, Unnie." Ham Dan-I glanced at the bus route with her eyes crinkled and her hand on the forehead.
Most of the middle schools around would have their names on the bus stop. Even this station is named 'Ji Jon Middle School' which is weird. I've been living in this neighborhood for 13 years since I was born but I had never heard of this station. Ham Dan-I thought. But what should we do when it already existed...?
Noticing her younger sister's distorted expression, Ham Haru silently unlocked her phone to look up on something.
Let's see... Searching for the station, she thought about the students of Ji Jon Middle School for a moment.
"Haru unnie, what the heck is really going on?? The uniform, mom, that girl named Ban Yeoryeong, everyone, the school, the handsome guy, the people-not to mention the strange hair and eye colors...!" Ham Dan-I fumed.
"I know, I know~" The ebony haired girl nonchalantly replied while scrolling down on her phone. "It's as if we're in a novel or a drama of some sort."
"Yeah! Exactly!"
Ham Dan-I shook her head at that ridiculous idea. They both were fans of web novels, but being in one was a silly fantasy.
"Maybe we read too much of that and now it's getting us. Could this just be a dream? Ow! It's not." The brunette asked her older sister before pinching herself to test it out. The ending? She cried out in pain. "Okay...anyway, today's really weird. What's up with everyone? I'm really starting to think we've lost our minds already. Plus—"
As Ham Dan-I continued to ramble on and on about her day, Ham Haru only nodded in response occasionally.
Suddenly, unbeknownst to her younger twin, Ham Haru mildly froze.
She looked around stepping back from the bus map before checking her phone again.
....Earlier, Dan-I browsed the bus route but there wasn't any name of Dae Dam Middle School on the list... Browsing in the internet only gave me zero results for Dae Dam Middle School...
With her back facing her sister, Ham Dan-I didn't see the fringes covering her twin's darkened eyes.
Not hearing her sister's reply, Ham Dan-I wondered out loud.
"Unnie? Are listening to me?"
The grip on Ham Haru's phone tightened as she pursed her lips.
"Haru unnie...?"
Even if she vividly heard Ham Dan-I calling out to her, her mouth wouldn't open. It felt as if all sounds in the world became muted.
"Haru unnie..."
Ham Haru felt a tap on her shoulder, pulling her back from cloud 9.
"Ah!"
All of a sudden, Ham Haru turned around to her her sister plastering a close eyed grin, casually tucking her phone back inside her bag.
"As I thought~ it seems that Dae Dam doesn't exist. Should we take this opportunity to become a NEET, Dan-I?"
An vein popped out of the brunette's head with a shadow looming over her eyes. She thought Ham Haru was depressed or something and genuinely was concerned; and this happened.
"Please take this seriously, Haru unnie."
"Yes, ma'am." A sweat trickled down the older twin's cheek. At times like these, Ham Dan-I was scary when serious.
Ham Haru cleared her throat, pushing aside the scolding from earlier to try and set up the mood. "Ahem~! Anyway...right now, Dan-I, I can't give you an accurate answer. All I know is that Dae Dam is probably replaced by Ji Jon Middle School. Other than that, I have no clue on our current status."
The brunette's brows furrowed. Even if Ham Haru seemed playful like usual, her way of speaking was firm, hinting her seriousness.
"Seriously..." Ham Dan-I held her head, clearly burned out. Nothing made sense and it's knacking majority of her brain cells out. It was exhausting. "...I don't know what's going on anymore..."
The older twin silently watched Ham Dan-I but didn't make an effort to comfort her. Considering the given situation, she felt it'd be useless to do so.
It's possible that Dae Dam Middle School really doesn't exist...even with little evidence, the world we are in right now proves its existence to be absent... It's unbelievable, but...
Somehow, deep down, she knew how little she could do for Ham Dan-I.
It was ridiculously quiet. The trees along the street shaded with green. The place felt deserted.
Ham Haru rolled her jacket sleeves and checked the watch which was wrapped around her right wrist.
9:00 am.
It was already over time for most of the students to commute. The street was quiet without any students or commuters.
When does one see an uncrowded street anyway?
In horror movies.
Ham Haru sweat dropped.
Nope, nope. Ham Haru, there's no such thing as waking up in a horror movie.
"There's no one here but us..."
Ham Dan-I grimly spoke, looking around feeling strangely emotional and turned back feebly as she enveloped Ham Haru's hand with hers like a lost child.
The older twin blankly observed Ham Dan-I without uttering a word. Eyes unreadable. At times like these, it made Ham Dan-I really wonder what thoughts might be revolving inside her older sister's head. Ham Haru had always been so calm and composed; it made her wonder if this girl ever feared anything.
Ham Dan-I then felt a squeeze on her hand as the ebony haired girl grinned.
"Don't go all crybaby on me now~ Whatever happens, I'm by your side. Let's just focus on finding our school, okay? I mean, who knows? Our phones or the station must've been just broken and outdated."
Ham Haru saw her younger sister's tense self relax a bit after hearing her words. It wasn't long before her lips curled to a smile.
"Thanks, Haru unnie."
"Mhm, what are big sisters for~?" Ham Haru winked cheekily at her twin. "How about we head to a crowded place and ask where Dae Dam Middle School is? Maybe that'll help us get somewhere."
Suggesting that in hopes of easing Ham Dan-I's worries, fortunately for Ham Haru, the brunette nodded.
"Let's go!" Ham Dan-I began to march, ready to face anything hand in hand with her sister. Meanwhile, Ham Haru continued to quietly scan the sky, as if ruminating on another matter. Ham Dan-I saw this, and before she knew it, her mouth moved on its own.
"Hey, unnie...."
"Hm?" The ebony girl stopped walking and turned to her sister, all ears.
Suddenly, I remembered the girl's cry when Haru unnie and I escaped from her. It crossed my mind, and her words seemed to repeat itself in my head. Maybe she was right or what? The current evidences pointed their direction to what Ban Yeoryeong claimed, and yet Ham Dan-I still couldn't accept it.
"The girl named Ban Yeoryeong said that there isn't any Dae Dam Middle School around here. Do you...do you think she's telling the truth?"
Ham Haru blinked. She herself had an inkling guess that what she said was accurate, but there was yet any explanation. And since that's the case, Ham Haru made her assumptions neutral.
I still can't confirm anything without valid reasons, so I probably can't take sides for now too... She sweetly smiled at her twin.
"...Honestly, Dan-I, the one thing that's occupying my head right now, is the ring you and that Murasaki girl made me lose."
"Ah...sorry..."
Guilt surfaced Ham Dan-I's face again as she became speechless at the unexpected answer. She knew how possessive Ham Haru could be in terms of her precious belongings, but witnessing her all chill than usual even when the ring was lost brought her ominous vibes. Plus she called Ban Yeoryeong with a Japanese nickname... Although it may sound cute, Haru unnie calls people by nicknames instead of their real names to signify she doesn't acknowledge them to be anything more than strangers...
Sensing her sister tense, Ham Haru nonchalantly added, "But well, it does seem we're in some kind of web novel. Maybe the Murasaki girl was right."
"That does not make sense!" Ham Dan-I protested, forgetting her nervousness from before. "The school existed a month ago, and we took a placement test there. It was not fancy, it was just an ordinary building. Why would we get confused about the school we would attend?"
The ebony haired girl deadpanned internally. This opposition was to be expected. She refuses to try and check the options for truth even if it seems so obvious...not that I can blame her. This is all too surreal for me as well.
Ham Haru lightly huffed out of confusion. "I know, I know. However, the one thing that is concerning is that 'Ji Jon Middle School' a school even I never heard of is located at where exactly 'Dae Dam Middle School' should be. And when I browsed it up in the internet, there were zero results on it."
Ham Dan-I's face grew darker. She did not believe it. She didn't want to believe it, nor did the older twin want to. None of them wanted to. Why? Because just yesterday, there wasn't anything like that.
But Ham Haru somewhat knew they could never deny its existence other than having mere memories to boost their belief.
"Come on, you're joking right?" Ham Dan-I scratched her head. "It is a little strange but come on!"
"It's like having amnesia. Should we check out that Ji Jon Middle School to check our guesses?"
"Tell me about it──what?!"
After she thought Ham Haru was going to side with her, Ham Dan-I was taken aback by the abrupt suggestion. Was she crazy?
"Dan-I, I know this beats common sense, but we have to at least do something."
"But why that place??" Ham Dan-I argued. "Didn't you encourage us to check crowded places first and ask around about Dae Dam Middle School?"
Ham Haru herself knew this seemed crazy, but what could she do? This wasn't the world she was familiar with.
"Look, I understand your reaction, but it's our only option. Dan-I, you rely on me for answers right? I have a feeling we'll get them there." Plus I need to get my ring back if it still exists.
As usual, to support her desires, a logical explanation was needed for the speech of persuasion. Ham Haru was not going to let this chance slip by.
"Also, if we go there ──" Ham Haru proceeded with her argumentative speech.
.
.
.
The twins trudged again to Ji Jon Middle School with Ham Dan-I feeling anxious and dejected. After Ham Haru's train crashing facts, Ham Dan-I had no room to refute, and in the end, lost the battle.
Ham Haru, on the other hand, was secretly humming happily for the win.
When they were about to turn the corner, a car pulled up next to the sidewalk silently.
The street was very quiet but the car moved without any engine sounds.
I didn't notice this... Ham Haru held her guard up as she turned.
The brunette followed thoughtlessly.
A black limousine you would rarely see in your daily, whole life took their breath away.
A-A rich person...?! Ham Dan-I panicked.
A rich reference...?! Ham Haru's eyes sparkled.
Both were fraternal twins, alright.
The dark-tinted windows slowly descended, and a guy wearing sunglasses appeared through.
"Excuse me, are you a student at Ji Jon Middle School?"
He called them unexpectedly. His voice was soft and polite like those who worked in the service industry.
Tha Hams blinked at each other, surprised. They were still wondering themselves if they were Dae Dam Middle Schoolers, of Ji Jon Middle Schoolers.
As the eldest, and a gambler, Ham Haru answered. "Yeah...?"
It wasn't really a reply but more of a question. That way she wouldn't be charge for lying if ever things didn't go their way. Ham Haru was going to add a 'no' in the end, but he already confirmed his answer by the uniform they were wearing.
He then said to them, "I'm sorry but can I ask for your help?"
"Sorry?" Ham Dan-I blurted out in shock. The day was already bad as it was, so adding this probably wealthy guy in the equation was going to be a syntax error.
"It's the first time our young master is going to school alone and..."
Yo-Young master...? Was this for real? Ham Dan-I couldn't believe her ears.
"Whose first time? Ju-in goes there as well."
A firm voice from the back seat cut off the man's words. It was a low voice, but the twins could clearly hear it. Not because the Hams hearing is good, but his voice was that impressive.
An indescribable feeling erupted inside Ham Haru.
I have a feeling my sketch book's gonna be full tonight...