Chapter 18: The Truth

Yeonjun's POV

So, I'm already at School. I'm currently at the Courtyard, waiting for those boys, and well, for a certain cat-eyed girl to come to school.

Since, she hasn't gone to school, ever since the incident. We asked Hyunjin, but he never answers. Even the teachers are worried, for her. I already asked Lia's friend and herself, but, it seems like, they still don't know what happened to Yeji either.

So I told them, when they heard it, two of them were crying, and the other one was well, comforting the other two, but you can see, she's trying to stop those tears from flowing.

I feel, bad because they didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve that. Nobody deserved that. I always wonder that, if that didn't happen, would it happen, in the near future. Would things be better? Would she be able to go to school again?

I was so lost in my thoughts, that I didn't notice my own group of friends standing right in front of me.

"Hey, Yeonjun hyung are you okay?" I heard a voice asked, or more likely Soobin asked me.

"I Guess so? Why?" I asked him back.

"Well, you kind of seem, out of it lately." Beomgyu answered for him.

"Oh. Come on let's go." I said, and stood up from where I was seated.

"Hyung! Are you still waiting for her?" I heard Taehyun ask.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be? I mean, I am the president of our class, and I'm also her neighbor. So I should be worried for her. I should also look after her." I said, while walking towards the building.

"Yeonjun oppa!" I heard a feminine voice said.

I quickly turned around, in hopes that she's back. But I was wrong it was just, my sister Lia. I looked at her, she was still catching her breathe, she looked like she just cried.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"You need to see this." She said, and took out her phone.

Of course having my friends there, they're also looking at the phone. Once, she found the thing she was going to show me. She gave me her phone.

"What is it?" I asked her, still not looking at the phone. But I suddenly heard gasps, behind me.

"Read it for yourself." She said, and pointed at her phone.

"Okay...?" I said, and looked at her phone, I was shocked to see the what's on the phone.

It has Yeji's picture, and of course texts.

<<>>

Hwang Yeji
Active now

Yeji:
Hi, Lia!

Lia:
Yeji!

Yeji:
Sorry, I wasn't in school for this week.

Lia:
It's fineeee, I suppose you still have to heal, I guess.

Yeji:
You must've been worried for me, weren't you?

Lia:
Of course! Who wouldn't be?! If it was your best friend or family then it's normal. But when it's somebody else, that's another story.

Yeji:
Don't worry!

Yeji:
I'm fine! I'm currently going back there in a couple of hours.

Lia:
Wait. What?! A couple of hours?! What do you "couple of hours"?!

Yeji:
Yeah, didn't Hyunjin ever tell you guys?

Lia:
HYUNJIN?! HE'S BEEN AVOIDING US FOR THE PAST FIVE DAYS! WE ALWAYS ASK HIM WHERE YOU ARE BUT HE NEVER ANSWERS.

Yeji:
Okay, since he didn't tell you, guys. I'll tell you. I was transferred back to my hospital.

Lia:
Where?

Yeji:
In Daegu.

Lia:
BRB. Imma show this to Yeonjun.

Yeji:
Okay...?

Yeji:
By the way can you give me Yeonjun's phone number?

Lia:
Why? You two aren't dating right?

Yeji:
No! We just have something to talk about.

Yeji:
And, no. We can't use your phone. I know what you do when, people use your phone.

Lia:
Oof- Fine. Here 09××××××76. That's his number.

Yeji:
Okay! Thank you! By the time I'm there I should be able to see you guys.

Yeji:
Bye!

Yeji:
P.S. can you give me A list of what you guys did when I was gone? Thank you!

Lia:
Okay, I'll drop it off, at your house, later tonight. Take Care!

<<>>

"What is this? Why did you give her my phone number?" I asked her.

"Well, it is what it looks like. And for your phone number, I think she needs to talk to you in private." She said.

"Yeah, but why are you showing this to me?" I asked her.

"Well, I was thinking we should go to her. Later, we'll all be going, same for our group and to yours too. So we can check on her. Got it? Okay. We'll be seeing each other at the gates. Since some of you guys are literally younger than us, wait for us at the gate, and don't go anywhere." She said, while looking at me with her eyebrow up, as if she was judging me.

"Okay, seeing Beomgyu's the oldest, I'm taking that he's in charge? Of the kids?" I asked her.

"Nope! Ryujin's in charge! Because she can control all six of you guys. See you guys later!" She said, and took her phone then walked towards the staircase that leads to our classroom.

***

We finally got out of our classroom. We immediately ran towards the gate. Once, we got there we saw them, eating ice cream.

"Wait, where did you guys get that?" Lia asked the guys.

"Well, there was an ice cream vendor that came by earlier, and since they were hungry, I decided I should buy them ice cream." Ryujin said, while eating her ice cream.

"Okay... let's go!" Lia said.

We all went to each other's cars. The others just went in the elder's car. Yuna and Huening Kai were in Beomgyu's car alongside Ryujin. I'm sure they'll be chaotic there. While the rest are here. Meaning Chaeryeong, Taehyun, and Soobin at the back, feeling like a third wheeler, And Lia beside me. I started driving leading the way over to our house.

***

Well, that was fast. We only minutes, we reached our destination. We quickly knocked on their gate.

After a few minutes, a maid approached us. Looking shocked, she quickly opened the gate for us. We asked her, if Yeji is here. She just nods, at us, meaning it's a yes.

"Can we go see her?" Lia asked her, being here most of the time, the people in charge here practically knows her.

"Of course, Lia" the maid said, it looks like they're close or something.

We quickly ran inside, but of course before taking off our school shoes. And ran towards Yeji's bedroom. When we got there, her parents were also there, they looked at us, and they looked surprised.

Well, I guess they should be, we just barged in their daughter's room.

"Well, I guess you guys want to see her. We'll be leaving her to you guys. Yeonjun you're in charge." Auntie said, while I just nod.

I looked back at our group they were all looking at Yeji. I quickly peeked over to her. She had all kinds of tubes attached to her! There was even the monitor that kept on making the noises back then. I looked at Yeji, she was still sleeping.

Meaning it wasn't her, who texted Lia. It wasn't her, at it looks like she's been sleeping all week long.

"Lia." I called her out, and tapped her shoulder.

"Huh?" She said, while looking at me.

"Let me see your phone, I want to see the text that she sent to you earlier today." I said, she quickly gave me her phone.

Once, I received it, I unlocked it, and yes, I do know my sister's password. And saw a picture of her and Soobin back then. Not paying to that, I quickly went to the messages.

I scroll until I came across Yeji's name. I looked at it and opened the message. I scrolled back up, and saw the message difference. The Yeji she was talking to this morning wasn't that Yeji we know. It was somebody else, somebody who had access to her phone.

The Yeji we encountered wasn't using shortcuts, but the Yeji she spoke weeks ago, used shortcuts. I came to the conclusion somebody used her phone.

"Lia?" I called her once again, grabbing her attention as well as the others.

"What?" She asked, looking annoyed.

"The chat earlier wasn't Yeji." I said, everybody looked shocked.

"What do you mean?" Soobin asked.

"I mean, look at her, does it even look like she can move?" I asked them, they all looked at her sleeping body.

"Just looking at her, I'd say she can't." Ryujin said, being the smartest one in itzy member.

"I mean, with all those tubes, connected to her. It would be difficult to breathe, let alone move. And her hands? There are all sorts of tubes connected to it, meaning it's still monitoring her life. If it's going steady or not." She said, all of us looked shocked.

Well, if you're wondering whether how does she know about this. It's because she was always in the hospital when she was a kid. She was kind of sickly back then. But, when she grew up, she still went there. But, just to visit her parents, her Parents are doctors in that said hospital. So she knows more about these things than us.

"You said, she texted you?" Ryujin asked Lia, while Lia just nodded.

"Well, Yeonjun's right, it wasn't Yeji. It's impossible for her to text in her condition. With all of these connected to her? She might as well be in the ICU, by now. Meaning somebody else texted you and that somebody else is also close to her." She said.

"It's either Yeji's Parent or that Creepy Stalker Brother of hers." She said.

"But, I have a feeling It's the second one. From the last that we were here, Yeji said, that the only one who knows her password is..." Ryujin said, while looking at her members.

"Hyunjin." They said, Ryujin just nodded.

"Meaning, Hyunjin wanted us to come here for a reason, because he knows when he used the phone, we won't reply or even read it. But with Yeji's... It's another thing. Knowing was all worried for her, and knowing us, we'll probably reply. So he used the chance." I said, while looking at Ryujin.

"Right. But why?" Ryujin said, looking down at the floor.

"Finally, somebody guessed it wasn't Yeji." A voice said, from the back.

We all looked at the figure, of course with glares. The person quickly put his hands up as if were, going to arrest him.

"Woah, Woah! Calm down!" He said.

"Why, did you use Yeji's phone?" I asked him.

"Okay, okay. I'll admit it, I used her phone. But, only to ask about the things you guys did. And maybe, an explanation. My parents wouldn't tell me what happened to her, but I know it has something to do with the reason we had to move at our old place." Hyunjin said, explain why he called us here.

"Sickness?" Yuna asked.

"What do you mean? Yeji Unnie, never said anything about her getting sick." Chaeryeong said.

"See? She never told you, because she herself never knew about it. I'm telling you because I know I can trust you to keep this is a secret, From her." Hyunjin said.

"As you know, she has a weak immune system. Meaning she is easily attacked by diseases. That's why she spent a whole year at the hospital, but to our surprise, she also forgot something's, like how she has a weak immune system, a car accident, the reason why she was at the hospital for a year, And..." Hyunjin said.

"And what?" Beomgyu asked.

"She also forgot Yeonjun's face." Hyunjin said, and looked at me.

"Wait, what?!" I said, I was shocked from what I heard.

"She forgot me?! But she said that she had a friend who she trust and left her." I said.

"Yeah, she remembers that part but she doesn't remember your faces. To be exact, tomorrow by together." Hyunjin said, making us surprised.

"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you, even if you did hurt my sister. I just want to know why she was in the hospital." He said, and looked at us.

We all looked at each other, before telling him what happened. But, of course we had a deal. The deal was, we would tell him the story, and he will answer our questions. It was just a summarization of the incident.

"Now, you have to answer us." I said.

"Okay. Fire away." He said, while sitting beside Yeji's sleeping body.

"If this place was horrible to her, why come back here? I mean she had a rough time here. And coming back here would just make her have rougher time." Ryujin said out of the blue.

"Well, it was all because we want her to have her memories back, although they are all painful. She needs them, we see her, and spacing out every time was in the living room. Sometimes whispering something, to nobody." Hyunjin said, replying to Ryujin.

"And you think, this place can bring those memories back?" Taehyun asked Hyunjin.

"Yeah, I mean, we practically grew up here." Hyunjin said.

"Did Yeji, even woke up?" I asked him.

"From what I heard no. The last time she was awake was when she was with you, at her hospital room." He answered.

We all asked questions that bothers us. Until we had a decision, to ask their parents. As only they know what happened to her.

***

After the discussion of the things we found out. We decided to ask the source themselves, Yeji's Parents.

We had come to a decision that they are hiding something from us. Especially from their own Children. Hyunjin said, that they wanted Yeji, to know that she was actually severely ill, back then.

I wanted to know, if she forgot everything, about me or just what I look like. Maybe she knows that it's actually us and is currently getting ready to get back at us.

Trust me, I know the feeling of getting betrayed. I just want her to be safe. I didn't like how they were going to make her suffer, I don't want to her suffering.

So I did something stupid back then, I was too young to realize if it was right or wrong, back then. But now, I know that it literally is wrong.

I did things that I regret the most. But I also did things that I didn't regret.

After contemplating on how to approach them, we just decided to ask them face to face. Instead of doing the old ask them something else then, straight to the point.

We wanted to know what they're really hiding. It's unbearable, to see Hyunjin and Yeji Suffering this stuff. It's hard to imagine that your parent, your first best friends in the world, keeps a secret from you, your entire life.

It's much worst than what I did to her back then. I was just a boy in our Class, who she befriended because I was lonely. Without her, I wouldn't be who I am now.

We went out and quickly reached their living room, finding their parents their sit and talking to each other with worry written all over their faces.

"What are you guys doing here? Who's looking after Yeji?" Auntie asked us, while standing up.

We only looked at each other, before I asked them the question.

"What is happening to Yeji?" I asked them, and to be honest they looked terrified.

Why do they look terrified? I mean they did keep it from their children for a long time so maybe that's why.

We all looked at them, anxious about what will they say. We all find it, strange. I mean why would they hide it from their children? I mean I get why would they hide it from Yeji, but from Hyunjin? I don't understand.

"Well, Mom? Dad? Are you guys going to answer or what?" Hyunjin asked.

"Umm... you see. It's not easy to explain this but, we'll try to make you guys understand it." Auntie said.

"Okay, go on..." Hyunjin said.

"You see, the reason why we're here, and Yeji's condition. Is one in the same reason? Yeji's condition started when we moved there." Uncle said.

"We were in car accident. You and Yeji probably don't remember it as you guys are still little back then. But, for us it was something terrible. We tried our best to support you guys." Auntie said, continuing Uncle's statement.

"We thought, why did this have to happen to the both of you? We were the responsible ones behind that accident, but we didn't even get serious injuries. But for you guys, you guys even went in the ICU, and were later discovered that, you two are in critical condition." Uncle said.

"We wanted to know what happened to you guys. Well, and when we did. We almost lost all of our strength. Seeing my Baby boy, having so much tubes and casts everywhere. And my baby girl..." Auntie said, having tears appearing in front of her eyes.

"She was... in the same condition But, worst. She was younger than, Hyunjin that time, and let me remind you she was so, and young she wasn't even 10 yet! But she suffered something else, too." Uncle said, and looked to Auntie she was bawling her eyes out.

"While we decided she should undergo a surgery, it was all good. She wasn't in a critical state as before, but she wasn't still out of the wounds yet." Uncle said.

"While we were guarding her, something went wrong. The last thing we knew was she was getting so much attention from the doctors. We saw them looking terrified, the nurses quickly escorted us out of our Baby's room. We couldn't do anything back then." Auntie said, while crying Lia suddenly went to her and comforted her.

"I asked my wife if she could stay with Hyunjin for a while and I'll look after Yeji. She agreed as she doesn't want to see our Baby being in so much pain." Uncle said.

"A Few hours have passed, and the doctors finally came out. They said, Yeji had done something. But they don't know what it is. So they told me if Yeji, wakes up call them immediately. I quickly agreed as it is for the safety of our daughter." Uncle said.

"Months passed, and Hyunjin was finally out. It took some time to have him settled, at our new place. But it was worth it. We visited Yeji almost every day, making sure that she'll wake up sooner or later." Uncle said.

"And those months, turned into a Year. And as of that moment. We weren't sure if she was even going to wake up." Uncle said.

"But, in times of our desperation. She did, but the thing was. She couldn't remember what happened back then. She couldn't remember the things that she was hurt from." Uncle said.

"She couldn't remember the boy who had saved her, the boy who played with her, the boy who made her smile, and the same boy who protected her." Auntie said, while looking at me.

"Yeonjun, we know that you're the one, that she was talking about back then. But we were too afraid to bring that topic up. As it might trick something up from her memories." Auntie said.

"So when we were about to say something to them about staying there permanently, the doctor called us. Saying that there may be a cure, for her Illness. That she could she have her memories back. If she went back to the place where it all began." Auntie said.

"When we asked what he meant about that. He said, where was she born? Where did she grow up? And lastly where did she know all the things she knows now." Uncle said.

"That's all we know. We've been monitoring how she has been doing, the past days." Auntie said, while looking down.

"But, no matter what we do, it couldn't be returned. It couldn't be turned back." Auntie said, while crying.

"That's all what we hid from you the past years." They said, looking down.

To be honest, I kind of pity them. Because they only did that to protect their daughter.

"So that's what you guys, been hiding from me all along!" A voice said a voice too familiar.

We all looked up, and saw Yeji! Standing right the hallway of their house. Looking impatient.

"I thought you guys hid something much more badly, but knowing the reason now. It isn't really that big of a deal." She said, and shrugged it off.

"W-What do you mean?" Auntie said, stuttering.

"I mean I practically knew about it, ever since we moved back here. I just never showed it." She said, going back to her bedroom.

"I'm going back to bed okay? I'll be probably back to school next week." She said, and closed the door.

So, we were all worried for nothing? I quickly looked at Yeji's parents. They looked guilty, I wanted to comfort them, but they stood up and went upstairs I guess they're going to talk things out with Yeji. I wonder how that will work out. Saying our last goodbyes to each other before leaving. We quickly went our separate ways and went home.