Bound By Blood

Chapter | 25

Sunwoo paced around his room, his nose burning as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. His fingers entangled into his hands as he bit back a harsh sob that knotted his throat. His whole body shook with regret and frustration as Sangyeon closed the door behind them both. 

“Take a breath Sunwoo,” Sangyeon said as calmly as he could. Even he was shaken up by the news but he knew now wasn’t the time to show it. 

“Sangyeon…” Sunwoo whimpered as he fell to his knees, his arms falling limp against his thighs as his head fell back. He looked so hopeless, helpless even. 

Sangyeon bit back his own frustrated tears as he knelt beside Sunwoo, his tears streaming down his cheeks and his neck as his head tilted back. Sangyeon gently placed his hand on Sunwoo’s shoulder, his thumb rubbing light circles around the fabric of his shirt. 

“This is all my fault,” Sunwoo breathed quietly, his eyes focused on the ceiling, “if I hadn’t-”

“Sunwoo you can’t keep blaming yourself, if anything it’s my fault for letting her get kidnapped,” Sangyeon interrupted. 

Sunwoo paused, “and it’s my fault for dragging her into this mess in the first place.”

“Sunwoo-”

“You know it’s true, Snagyeon. If I’d have been able to control myself all those years ago, if I had just… if I had just stayed out of it when she showed up again…” Sunwoo’s head tilted to the side, his eyes meeting with Sangyeons as tears began to stream over the bridge of his nose. “If only you had told me ‘no’.”

“Sunwoo this-”

“If only,” Sunwoo interrupted, “you hadn’t told me her last name, hadn’t interviewed her, hadn’t caved when I told you to hire her so that I could look after her.”

“You couldn’t have known this would have happened,” Sangyeon said.

Sunwoo shook his head, “no,” he whispered, “but I should have.”

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You smiled at Kevin’s wandering thoughts about Madeline, the two of you talking about her for hours until the sun shone through the windows. He told you about all the great times they had together, how she meant so much to each one of them. The way she brought joy into their lives, making them want to live instead of just surviving. She showed them all what love was, especially Kevin. He talked about the arguments they had, always over little things but soon forgiving each other. 

“You wrote songs for her?”

Kevin nodded, “whole albums, actually.”

You giggled, remembering the CD’s with dark blue marker written on them, “for better days?”

Kevin paused before his face relaxed into a small smile, “yeah,” he said quietly, “she used to listen to that one all the time. I still remember the way she’d play it embarrassingly loud and dance around the apartment to us,” he laughed, looking down at the small polaroid between his fingers, “I really miss her.”

“I wish I would have gotten to meet her,” you said quietly.

Kevin nodded, “I think the two of you would have been good friends, you’re a lot like her, sometimes I forget that she’s gone.”

“I’m sorry,” you muttered.

“Don’t apologize, it’s okay,” Kevin said with a light smile, “I’m glad you’re here…” he trailed off.