Chapter 7 "I told you that I would not accept the task if you don't tell me," the same female voice in the same tunnel with the same male. "I could tell you the truth but you have to guarantee that the task can be done within two months," the male said with a smile. "If you decide not to tell me, then forget about it," the female said.  She hated it when people blackmailed her. "Okay!" the male said.  He forgot that she could never be blackmailed by anything.  Although she has the best skills in the whole team, her personality is also the most well known in the team.  "The fire was not an accident."  The female looked at him coldly.  The male looked at her and continued, "Someone deliberately put the house on fire." "Who was it?" she asked. "I only promised that I would help you find out how it happened.  I never promise that I would tell you who did it," the man answered. "In other words, you know who did it but you are not going to tell me," she said. "As usual, you are a very smart girl," the man said with a satisfied smile. "I'll tell you the next time to meet," she said and then she left.  The man felt satisfied that he was at least able to do something that no one else was able to do: Keep something to himself. *********************************************** "Kang Ta?" Hee Jun asked as he looked at Kang Ta.  He seems as if his mind was somewhere else again.  They were at Hee Jun's house the next night to discuss some things about their album. "Yeah?" Kang Ta asked. "What are you thinking about?" Hee Jun asked as the rest of the members looked at Kang Ta. "Nothing," Kang Ta answered. "Yeah.  Nothing and you can't even concentrate on what we are talking about.  You probably don't even know what we talked about one minute ago," Tony said with a laugh. "I'm just thinking about Sharon," Kang Ta answered absent-mindedly.  Hee Jun looked at him in shock. "Don't tell me that you really want her as a girlfriend!" Hee Jun exclaimed. "There's nothing wrong with that," Kang Ta answered.  "I wasn't even thinking about that anyway.  I was…just thinking about some things that she told me yesterday night when I was driving her home from the party." "What did she tell you?" Jae Won asked.  Kang Ta looked at him and sighed. "You people really can't blame her for being what she is today.  She just…went through so many things in her life and she was so young when all these things happened to her," Kang Ta said. "What happened?" Hee Jun asked, getting more and more curious.  The rest of the members also moved closer to the center to listen what Kang Ta has to say about Sharon. *********************************************** At night, the beach had no one there.  At that particular night, the stars shined especially bright.  There were no clouds and the waves splashed gently onto the shore of the beach.  The wind blew gently but not cold.  Sharon looked at the skies and sighed before she started to talk.  Kang Ta had driven them there after he finally convinced her to get back on the car. "There was an accident at my house one day.  There was no one who survived from that accident.  It killed my father.  My mother.  My brother.  My sister," Sharon said.  With that, the tears uncontrollably came down again.  Kang Ta gently brushed the tears away from her eyes.  They were sitting next to each other on the sand.    "Nobody would save them.  Nobody would be willing to just go and even call the fire station.  Not only that.  After the fire that killed my family, nobody would even help me…I had no more relatives at that time…They weren't willing to help me even if I promised that I'd try to help them with chores…No…Not until they saw that I still have a little bit of possession."  She took out a pendant made out of gold and looked at it.  "This is given to me by my mother.  She said that this was given to the first daughter that was born to our family…That was all I had…They tried to take that from me…I thought that they were going to be good to me…but…it was all a lie…They didn't want me…They just wanted the money…Everything to them was money…Everyone was cold to me…Everywhere I go, they were cold to me…If they were nice to me, they wanted this…They didn't care if I was only five years old at that time and that I was about to die from the cold weather…They didn't care that I was about to starve…One day…I saw a little girl that was walking across the street with her mother…with her warm clothes…laughing at me that I was so weak…so cold…so hungry…I was amazed that I actually survived through those days for a year…People didn't feel that it was enough that I was cold and hungry…They wanted to add to the pain that I already have…People in cars, purposely drove into the puddle of water to spray the dirty water into my face…People walking, spat in my face, or kicked me, and told me to get out of their way when there were more than enough room for them to walk down the street…You think that I wanted to be what I am today?  I saw enough of everything…I…I don't want to be hurt again…Not by strangers and not by the loss of  love ones again…I can't stand that anymore…The only way that I can protect myself…from being hurt anymore…is to eliminate that chance…And the only way is that I don't use my feelings anymore…"  Sharon then broke down and cried.  It seems as if she wanted to cry out all the tears that she had kept to herself throughout the years in that day.  "I tried…I really did try to do that…but I can't help it when my friends…my friends are so nice to me…I betrayed what I said…I went back on my own words…I wanted that friendship with them…I don't want to lose that…But…but I'm so afraid that one day I would…I don't know how much more I can take…I don't want to lie to myself…But I still tried to do that…But I didn't do what I wanted to do…I really did…I just found out today…that I can't lie to myself…I want to maintain that friendship…and…" She looked at him and turned away.  "Forget it," she whispered.  She couldn't tell him.  She didn't want to.  She didn't want to lost to feelings again.  As she thought about, she started to cry again. Kang Ta didn't know what else to do but to take her into his arms and let her cry. *********************************************** "Woo Hyuk?" Tony looked at Woo Hyuk.  He looked as if he was in shock and his face was whiter that usual. "Is she at the hotel now?" Woo Hyuk asked Kang Ta as he stood up.  Kang Ta looked at him weirdly. "Woo Hyuk Hyung, what's the matter?" Jae Won asked. "Is she?" Woo Hyuk asked again, getting a little impatient which can be heard by the way he was talking. "Woo Hyuk, can't we just sit down and talk about it," Hee Jun asked. "I can't explain it now," Woo Hyuk said as he turned to look at Hee Jun.  Then, he turned back to Kang Ta.  "Is she at the hotel now?"  Kang Ta looked at him for a while and then nodded.  Woo Hyuk grabbed his jacket and ran out of the door. *********************************************** There was a knock on the door of the room that Sharon was staying in.  She looked away from the window and looked at the door.  Is it Kang Ta again?  He just called her a few minutes ago but she insisted that she didn't want to talk so she just hung up.  Why did she even explain to him?  Couldn't she just hang up? Sharon then got up and walked over to the door.  When she opened the door, she saw someone that she didn't really expect to see. "Woo Hyuk?" *********************************************** Chapter 8 "Why did you come over?" Sharon asked, not to be harsh, but she really didn't understand.  Woo Hyuk looked at her and could clearly see that she had been crying. "You…really lost your family through a fire?" Woo Hyuk asked after a minute of pausing. "Kang Ta told you?" Sharon asked as she walked over to the seat in the hotel and sat down. "Do you…remember your brother?" Woo Hyuk asked, looking at her. "Yes…of course…How can I forget him?" Sharon said.  Then, she looked at him.  "Weirdly enough, he has the same name as you did." "Did you ever think-" "No!" Sharon answered before he could finish.  "I would never think of that.  He died in the fire…Don't try to pity me and pretend to be my brother…That could never happen…That fire was too big for anything to survive."  She then started to cry. "You really don't believe that I'm your brother?" Woo Hyuk asked.  Sharon shook her head as she cried.  Why did these people have to make her cry so much these days? Woo Hyuk went into his pocket and pulled his wallet out. "Do…do you remember this picture?" Woo Hyuk asked as he placed the picture in front of Sharon's face.  She picked up her head slowly and looked at the picture.  The picture showed a happy little girl about four years old with her family.  In the family, were a younger girl and a boy that looked a little older than the two girls.  The three of them were all smiling happily for the picture.  It could be seen from the picture that the two girls were very close to the young boy.  The younger girl in the picture…Hae Jin…her dongseng…the young boy…her oppa… "How…how did you get that picture?" Sharon whispered.  "No one had that picture…There were only three copies of that…They should have been burned in the fire already…How…how did you get it?" "I wasn't home that day," Woo Hyuk answered.  "I went with uncle to another city that day.  I went to look for you to tell you but I couldn't find you so I had to leave with uncle without telling you…I told Hae Jin to tell you…I came home one week after the fire and found out that no one was left…I thought that you died in the fire also…" Sharon shook her head. "No…this can't be happening…Am…am I dreaming?  Is it really you, Oppa?" Sharon asked as she looked at Woo Hyuk.  Woo Hyuk nodded. "I didn't know that it was you at the beginning because you used your English name…and it's so long and you've changed so much," Woo Hyuk said with a light smile.  Sharon looked at him and slowly smiled. "Oppa!" Sharon cried out as she held on to Woo Hyuk and hugged him. "Sharon," Woo Hyuk whispered with a smile.  He finally found her.  It was truly a gift…because both of them thought that everyone in the family was dead…^^ *********************************************** The next day. Headline News: A Headless Man's Body Found In The Gutter. *********************************************** "Is it true!?" Lami exclaimed.  "Sharon's really your younger sister!?"  Woo Hyuk nodded happily.  They were at the house that the four girls bought.  The people who were there were the members of H.O.T., the girls who were in the group, Fae, and Audrey. "Wow! That is just so amazing that the two of you can actually find each other after so many years!" Chibi said. "What do you say about another celebration?" Hee Jun suggested. "Yeah!" everyone cheered. "Are you suggesting this so you can get more food?" Christina joked with Hee Jun. "No!  I'm suggesting this for you so that you can get more food," Hee Jun returned. "I don't eat as much as you do!" Christina exclaimed as she hit him with a pillow as the rest of the people laughed. "I guess that we really should have a party or something," Woo Hyuk said.  Then, he looked at Sharon and Sharon just smiled. "I'm so glad that Sharon found out that Woo Hyuk is her brother because now she even smiles more!!" Fae added.  Everyone agreed and laughed. "Are you going to smile more now or what?" Lami asked as she sat next to Sharon.  Sharon just lowered her head and smiled.  "I'll take that as a yes!"  Everyone cheered at that.  Then, the news on the tv set came on. "There was a headless man's body that was found in the gutter this morning by a pedestrian.  Investigators had said that this was done with such precision that whoever done it must be a professional…" "People!  Turn the tv off! It's not a good day to listen to those kind of stuff!" Audrey exclaimed. "I agree!" Tony added. "Of course you agree with everything that Audrey say," Chibi said again with her sweet smile. "What…what are you talking about?" Tony stuttered as he turned red (again). "Nothing…just that you're blushing again!!" Lami said with a laugh and the other people laughed also. "I say that the person that really brought these two brother and sister together is Kang Ta!" Hee Jun said. "True," Fae said as she nodded.  "If he didn't tell you people what Sharon said, they probably would never know that they were long lost brother and sister."  Kang Ta looked a little uncomfortable, being put on the spot. "It was nothing…I just tried to help," Kang Ta said as he blushed a little. "The main thing is, what are you going to do to repay him, Sharon?" Hee Jun said with a devilish smile. "What are you talking about?" Sharon said as she, too, blushed. "Nothing," Hee Jun said with a same smile.  "Let's ask Kang Ta what he wants for return." "I don't know what you're talking about," Kang Ta said. "Really?" Tony asked, deciding to join in the fun. "What do you want to do to my sister?" Woo Hyuk asked, deciding to protect his sister. "Did I say anything Woo Hyuk!!??" Kang Ta asked.  Woo Hyuk shook his head. "You better not," Woo Hyuk said.  "I thank you and everything but don't think about doing anything to my sister!" (chilhyun1979: What a good oppa, right?^^) *********************************************** "You're the new person sent by the team to inform me?" the female asked.  Same tunnel, same female, but a different man. "Yes," the man said fearfully at the female.  She seems to be young, according to the people in the team.  Heard that she's less than twenty years old.  But he also heard that she's one of the most skilled in the team and the most vengeful one.  He could make out from the dim light that from her beautiful face that there was a chilling smile.  He really ought to be careful when he talks to her. "Tell him that I need the bombs for next week.  They're holding a celebration," the female said. "O…Okay," the man said. "Six days later.  Same time."  With that, she walked away. *********************************************** "You seem so much happier after you know that Woo Hyuk's your brother," Audrey said.  She was in Sharon's hotel room right now. "Of course.  Anyone would be happy if they were in my position," Sharon said. "Your personality changed with that; did you notice that?" Audrey asked. "Did it?" Sharon asked.  She really didn't notice any change.  Maybe just a little happier. "Yeah.  You seem to smile a little bit more although you're still sometimes cold to people sometimes.  But things seem to be improving," Audrey said with a smile. "Is that good or bad?" Sharon asked. "Good! Definitely good," Audrey said. "What do you think I should wear to the celebration next week?" "Depends on you," Sharon answered. "I want to ask you something," Audrey said.  Sharon looked at her.  "What do you think of Tony?" "He's nice," Sharon answered. "Do you…do you think that I'll make a good couple with him?" Audrey asked.  Sharon looked at her and nodded with a little smile.  "Really?"  Then, she blushed.  Why did she even ask her?  But she's the only one that she can talk to and she would not go out and tell everyone in the world.  "Um…let's change the subject now…What about Kang Ta?"  Sharon looked at her and raised a brow.  "What do you think of him? "Nice," Sharon answered. "Come on!  Give me a different answer other than nice!  You say that for every member!  Don't you kind of feel that he kind of likes you?" Audrey asked.  Sharon looked at her and shook her head.  Audrey sighed.  "What am I expecting from you?  Maybe I shouldn't have asked you.  You just got some feelings back.  I can't really expect you to suddenly spill all your emotions out yet, right?"  Sharon looked at her weirdly.  What in the world is she talking about?  Audrey sighed again.  "Oh well.  Let's just hope that Kang Ta has the ability to get his message through to you." ***********************************************