| nine | twin thing

Hey brother
There's an endless road to rediscover

Hey sister
know that water's sweet, but blood is thicker

"Where is mom and dad?" Nara was relieved to see her mates and her twin enter the house, but she was waiting for the two adults of the group to be there too. "YA SO-CHEOL I AM ASKING YOU SOMETHING." Nara's raised voice alarmed everyone in the room, she was clearly near to breaking down because she'd break So-cheol's face if he said that they died.

"Omma and Appa stayed behind." So-cheol could not meet her eyes, he was in his own grief, tears blurring his vision. "The spheres-" 

The classmates gathered around, Ae-sol and Woo-taek helped the injured lady with some water, Tae-Man and Yoo-Jung were exhausted to say the least while Kim Chi looked at the twins and his heart ached. Their parents had not only crossed through hell to save them, they had stayed behind to keep fighting for them. Kim Chi owed his life to them, but to see their kids in a brawl was not something they'd like.

"And you left them back?" Nara was seething, she took a step closer to her twin, clutching his collar. They were in their military uniforms, but truth be told, they were still kids. "How could you!"

So-cheol pushed Nara away from him, lifting his face and that was when the whole clan saw his reddish eyes and teary cheeks. Nara felt a lump in her throat, she was never an emotional person but whenever her twin cried, she cried.

It was a twin thing.

"na ottuke," He sobbed, holding his head as he broke down, "you are not the only one who cares about them," He pointedly said. If he was angry, they could not tell because of all the crying, "and since when did my mother become yours?" 

That was like a slap to Nara, especially when she had said this time and again. They had separated five years back, and ever since then, Nara made it a point to believe that she had a father and that was her family. But she missed her mother, she missed her twin, and instead of being there for them, she was rude and indifferent to them. 

So-cheol left the room, closing the door while the rest of the kids sighed. The tension here was more than the outside, Tae-man leaned towards Yoo-Jung, "I think its better to fight the spheres than thi-" But he yelped when Yoo-jung pushed her elbow in his stomach. 

"Take some rest," Yoo-Jung told the rest of them, "we'll think of what to do after some time." She looked at Nara who was now at the window. Ae-sol was sitting with the injured woman, with water she had managed to bandage her wound with a clean cloth and the rest of them sat back. The aftermath of seeing deaths had made them want to stick together. 

Kim Chi-yeol placed his camera and the rifle he carried aside, now standing besides Nara. He did not know what to tell someone who had just lost their parents, he could not imagine the pain she must be in. However, when he stood next to her, he realised she was watching her twin from the window. So-cheol was sitting on the veranda of the house, head in his hands and she had her rifle ready in her hand.

Even when they were fighting, they had each other's backs.

Kim Chi-yeol could not help but chuckle, removing his spectacles and wiping the tears. Nara took a deep breath, "why are you smiling?" She asked, her gaze was fixated on the boy outside, attention now diverted. 

"I am just jealous, I guess." Kim Chi spoke in a soft whisper, Nara now turned to meet his soft eyes, "you two make me want to have a sibling too." 

Nara scoffed, she shook her head, shifting her gaze at her twin. "Its not all sunshine," She did not want to cry in front of anyone, Kim Chi to say the least, "sometimes, they hurt you the most." She gulped, the lump in her throat was back, and she hated it.

"Your parents are safe," Kim Chi assured her, he was hopeful that the power couple were safe and defeating the spheres like some online game. "They are really brave, bravest duo I have seen and that they came all the way to take their kids back." 

"And they saved all of us," Ae-sol added, she was Nara's closest friend so she could sense the heartache Nara was undergoing. "Your parents are our heroes."

"And I'm pretty sure they are going to be back," Yoo-jung said, pushing her spectacles on her nose, "none of our parents came," she lowered her voice, taking a deep breath, "but they did and we know that they'll come back for you again." Tae-man nodded in complete agreement, while Nara let that single tear drop to the ground.

_

"What place is this?" Yi Hyun and Saebom had escaped the spheres, a close shot when one of them almost got Saebom but Hyun managed to overtake them. They were clearly lost, this was not the school area, nor was it the one they had left the kids, but exactly where was the issue. It was an abandoned construction site, so there was no place to hide than be silent. 

The duo walked the stairs, cautious about who they'd find in the darkness, Saebom holding her rifle while Yi Hyun ready with his flashlight. When they were sure there wasn't anything around, Yi Hyun found a secluded corner, a very cold cement floor, with a little wall on either sides. It was the best they could find to sit for some time and think of what was to be done. Saebom checked the rifle, there was nothing in the first one, and a couple of bullets in the second, at this pace if they leave they were good as dead. 

"I think we should wait here till dawn." Yi Hyun suggested in hushed whispers, they sat besides each other in the confined place. Saebom nodded, exhausted now by all the running and shooting as she rest her head on the cold wall. "maybe we could do something during the day." Yi Hyun carefully chose his words, there was not much to do than wait. They did not speak for the next couple of minutes, throats parched, body freezing and head bursting with a million thoughts. 

"The kids?" Saebom looked over at her ex-husband, he had shut his eyes in the hope of finding a way out, "they'll be okay right?" 

"They will be," Yi Hyun was hopeful, their kids were equally brave and daring as they were, "just hopefully, they connect to someone on the other side."

"It's no use," Saebom shook her head, bringing her knees closer to warm herself, "the martial law was supposed to be enacted in areas with the spheres by now. Also, they won't answer the walkie-talkie back in the car because...."

Because she was in the blacklist and anyone accompanying her would also be executed.

Yi Hyun rubbed his hands, warming them and placed them on Saebom's cold ones. She opened her eyes and smiled softly at the man who kept doing it, just so she could be at ease. When the early morning became a lot chillier, the couple thought it better to sit close to each other, hoping their confined bodies would provide them some warmth. Saebom was wearing her SOU hoodie, and Yi Hyun was in his jacket, yet they could feel the cold numbing their senses. 

"So..." Yi Hyun broke the silence, his hand wrapped around Saebom's shoulder, bringing her closer and Saebom leaned her head on his shoulder. "This is awkward." 

Saebom chuckled, edging even closer. To say that the ex-couple were not feeling anything other than the cold and their loud heartbeats was funny. "It's been what? five years?" They remembered, of course they would, breaking up was the hardest thing they had done. "You remember the last night-" 

It was the night none of them would forget. 

The last night before they separated for real. It had been five years, seemed like it was just yesterday when the family of four would cuddle on the sofa in one blanket and watch movies. Then the kids would sleep next to them and the duo would watch the rest of the movie, holding each other and their precious peanuts. So-cheol would always be with Nara, and Nara would snuggle with her mother. 

"Nara and So," Yi Hyun sighed, resting his head on Saebom's head, her soft hair always smelled like home to him. "You think they'd ever understand?" 

To that Saebom had no answer, so she just wrapped her arms around Yi Hyun's waist, and shut her eyes. It was tough on them, but tougher on the kids when they had to part ways after being married for fifteen years. She only hoped to not die until she'd see them for one last time, happy and together, with Hyun, with her.

One last time, and she'd die happily.

"Wait-" Yi Hyun asked, interrupting her thoughts, "you are not dating anyone right?" 

Saebom smiled again, "how can I, when I am still married to this man i married back when we stuck exactly in a situation like this." 

_