The banging on the door startled Saeran in his spot, head darting up from the couch. As he grasped his surroundings, waking up in a daze, he noticed the time on the clock. It was too early to be someone he knew. His heart started racing, pounding against his chest as he eyed the source with wide eyes. He wasn't expecting anyone, paralyzed in fear as he watched the door shake with every bang.

As the pounding became more frantic, he found himself standing slowly and easing towards the door with careful steps. The closer he got, the more he felt his legs shaking, as if they were ready to collapse in themselves. He carefully tiptoed up to the peephole only to slump back at the familiar red hair, unlocking and opening the door immediately.

"Thank god you're home," Saeyoung said without wasting time, making his way in, "You need to come with me."

"What? Saeyoung, I'm not leaving."

"I'm taking you with me to get to the bottom of this, no arguments. Now let's go," he said, "I'm about to show you who's really behind these letters."

"Do you even have any clue as to where to go? What to do?" Saeran questioned, racking his mind around this, "Do you even know how dangerous it is to leave your house? You need to think this over before you walk into something fatal."

"I know everything I need to. You just need to come with me," he said, reaching for his arm only to feel it retreat from his grasp. A small flash of fear and skepticism shifted his expression, looking at Saeyoung with wide, darting eyes.

"How do I know you're not taking me to him?"

"Are you being serious?" he questioned, though the ache in his chest deepened to hear the trepidation in his own twin's tone. He collected himself quickly, looking at him with unwavering surety, "I would never hurt you."

"Then tell me where we're going," he demanded, eyes pleading for reason.

"We're going to V and Rika's. They're the ones leaving the notes."

"They wouldn't do that, where are you really taking me?!"

"Do you really not trust me?" He asked, the slight crack in his voice evidence of the underlying pain at the distrust he let show.

"I just can't be sure. I know you're my brother, but I can never be too careful and-"

"And nothing, I'm the only other person in your same position. You really think I would turn on you like that?"

"I don't know. There's a lot going on right now, and I'm just not sure that they really did it. We should just stay put like they-"

"Do you fucking hear yourself right now?!" Saeyoung snapped, "God, Is it really so impossible to imagine that those two are hiding something from us? Saeran, I found a pile of notes, just like the ones sent, sitting on their coffee table last night. I saw footage of her leaving them at the shop door."

The shock in Saeran's eyes quickly faded, watching as denial took over. Words failed to make their way out, floundering for a cohesive response. None of it seemed to add up to him.

"They've been different. Rika has been hinting at some sort of "paradise" and V has basically disappeared since this all started saying he'd "take care of it,"" he exclaimed, throwing air quotes around, "Is it really not raising any red flags?"

The pensive look on Saeran's face deepened, as if contemplating every individual word. His gaze shifted to the floor for a second before meeting his twin's piercing look. The defeated look on his face made Saeyoung's stomach flip, feeling nauseous as he spoke.

"You're being ridiculous."

"I'm being ridiculous?" He scoffed, pushing down the twinge to continue, "I'm not the one locking myself in my apartment to stay safe. Or abandoning the work I love to do so. I'm not turning a blind eye to what's been right in front of me the entire time."

Saeyoung turned to leave, walking towards the door with a huff. Once he got to the doorway, he couldn't fight one last question.

"Don't you even care about seeing MC again?"

Hearing the name had him taken aback, as if biting back the sea of emotions that surfaced. The long, drawn out silence made the air thick with tension and uncomfortable, practically giving Saeyoung his answer. Though once he composed himself, exhaling a deep breath, the words were contradictory.

"I've thought about it, and maybe I idealized her."

Saeyoung could tell even he wasn't believing his own words, but he persisted.

"I made up too much of what wasn't there. I got so carried away in the idea of having someone that maybe I didn't fully think about whether I wanted that. And I think that kind of stuff isn't meant for me, no matter how hard I try," he lamented, collapsing back on the couch with a sigh.

His eyes subtly caught the note on the coffee table—the note that kept him sane through this— a sad smile forming, "For a moment, I felt like I was living in a fantasy. But that's all it was and all it could ever be, a fantasy."

"Saeran," his twin sighed, gaining his attention, "You are a horrible at lying. But you're not going to need to anymore because I'm sure that it's them, and we're going to find out why. This is going to get solved."

The pained expression on Saeran's face only sunk deeper, brows furrowing as he got up and paced towards the door.

"Good luck, Saeyoung. I hope you find what you're looking for, but I don't think it's going to be there," he said, shutting the door before his twin could respond.