The Fake Soulmate [ 𝙏𝙓𝙏 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝘼𝙐 ]

🔥 : Happy 24/7

I can't do this.

Running so fast, I exhaust myself in the hallways. I'm dizzy. My head hurts. I can't do this. I can't look at the blood.

The blood. The wounds. It's too familiar. Too resemblant to the one of my sister. Too good at referencing what happened.

—

Two years ago, I was coming home from school. I had texted my family in our chat that I was going to hang with my friends, but they both had to cancel, so we couldn't make it. Their parents wanted them to stay at school to study.

That was fine with me. However my phone was dead and I couldn't tell anyone that I was coming home.

I opened the door, hanged my coat and walked upstairs with my bag, heading to my room. Up the stairs, there are three rooms: one for my little sister Angelica, one for storage, and one for me. There is only a wall separating my room and Angelica's.

Halfway up the stairs, I heard a soft muffled scream coming from Angelica's room and froze. Oh, so she already is home. She's probably fangirling over something on her phone. Wrong was I. I made another step and heard a slap. Yes, a slap. A loud skin to skin slap. Before I could even imagine anything, I made my way to her door faster than anyone could pronounce the word "help."

I pushed it open and gasped shockingly. Her lights were off. She was there, on her bed. Half-naked. Hurt. Slightly wounded. And scared. Some dude I don't even know was facing her, standing near her bottom, his pants off. He turned his head to my weak self.

"KAI! HELP ME! DO SOMETHING!!!"
"Shut up, baby."

I couldn't see what he was doing with his hands because it wasn't in my range, but now that Angelica's head wasn't under a pillow, her scream was loud and clear. He was hurting her.

I stood there for a few long seconds, not knowing what to do. But after this, everything happened so fast.

I ran down the stairs, panting like I never have. I called the cops. They took him. They took her. She went to the hospital, and as for the guy, he kept filing complaints. Insult. Defamation. Injury. When I saw with my very eyes how much she was injured – although her wounds were minimal, the pain was alive and growing inside.

I then learned that the guy was Angelica's boyfriend, who she didn't tell anyone about – she thought it was too early. She thought she could trust him.

My whole family was scared. I was actually so shocked my mom helped me reach a therapist. We all worked hard to keep him away for my little sister, who was most affected in this situation.

Months later, he was convicted to rape and was sent in prison for two years. Angelica's accusations were all dismissed. But she had trouble eating, sleeping, and even texting because of how he was flooding her phone with texts. Or how her friends were asking if she was okay.

It was horrible. It was the worst time of our lives.

—

"Kai?"

Yeonjun's voice resonates in the bathroom, bringing me back to reality. Shit, I didn't even know he was there.

"Kai, the teacher thinks you're absent. You have to come to class."

There is a silence. I want to tell him that I can't, but the words don't leave my mouth. They're stuck halfway in my throat.

"Taehyun and Beomgyu are at the nursery. They're okay. Please, come back to class."

A silence hits again. Yeonjun sighs and leaves the bathroom.

He's right. Nobody should see me like this, stuck in the bathroom like some scaredy cat. I better get going, and show everyone a smile.

When is this going to end?

—

The last class of the day is nearly beginning. Deep in my thoughts, I try to focus on how I did last time. 10 minutes and 26 seconds, that was it.

Gym class is my best friend when it comes to letting it go. While everyone may think I just run very fast and do my best to get the grade, I actually run away from my demons.

And for the first time, among these demons is Taehyun.

The group starts to run.

Why is Taehyun the bad guy? Why is he with the demons? I ask myself, trying to contain my energy by running at an average speed. Taehyun got in a fight. A fight with Beomgyu, his friend from before. Why aren't they friends yet? Oh, because their relationship was toxic.

Beomgyu was apparently relying on Taehyun-hyung too much. Or at least that's what I know from hanging with the two about five times. He thought it was better to end it there – or was it better?

I start to run faster.

In the end, I'm hanging with Taehyun while Beomgyu is alone there. What's he thinking of? Is he feeling better off without hyung? Or is he regretting his actions? Is he perhaps wanting to be his friend again?

Wait. They got in that fight because we saw Beomgyu with Soobin, Yeonjun, and the others.

I run even faster.

Wasn't Beomgyu bullied by Soobin? What happened? What made it so that they're able to hang with each other and not... explode? Like Taehyun told me they do? Hyung was probably tormented by that?

But hold up again. Is it... even his business to know why Beomgyu's mutuals with Soobin? Why was he bothered again? Why is it a problem worth a fight? Why?

I sprint.

Taehyun was okay for the whole time Beomgyu was "a loner." The moment he started to boil was when we saw the boys together. This... It's not okay. I get why he didn't want to be friends, but how could he think this way? How? Why?

I finish the race, beating my record by ten seconds. I then make my way towards Taehyun, and with all my assurance I tell him:

"Hyung, let's not be friends anymore."