QUICK A/N BEFORE YOU START READING;

so this chapter will be backstory, so I'm sorry if it's shorter than the usual chapters. also; I'm sorry if it's not interesting... LOL I'll try to make it interesting though, but idk my writing kinda . ok enjoy; 

Kim Mingyu.

Every and anyone on the streets, for any amount of time knew that name. Leader of one of the nicest, yet most skilled in fighting group of boys in the neighbourhood. No one had the guts, or the strength to stand up to this band of 10 boys. Only the naive people, new to the street or this kind of life, would attack them, deceived by their flower boy looks and scholar achievements. Their group had many nicknames, before the most used one was '17', rumours going around that that was the number of groups they had defeated. But that was 2 years ago. Now, the group is known as 'The Kings', but they don't necessarily care about titles. If anything, they call themselves 'family'. But, they were respected, feared by anyone. No one went into the base that wasn't invited, but no one had the guts to anyway. They were scared they would get beaten, or even killed. They didn't know that in that base were stupid things that normal teenage boys do. Despite their reputation, honestly, the group of 10 boys lived normally. Yet when the time came, their eyes went from smiling crescents to piercings eyes that didn't even blink when they landed a punch. Their eyes that saw their target, and only them. The fierce eyes that looked to their leader, naturally. Eyes that have seen beatings, buts, bruises, boys screaming in agony. Yet the same eyes looked at things with happiness, care, love. So, when you look into the eyes of these 10 boys, think of all the horror they've seen, regardless if it was caused at their own hand. Yet they still manage to smile sincerely, laugh till their stomachs ache, and tears are b their eyes. The boys known on the street as 'The Kings', and how they are at home have no connection. Sure, they give off an intimidating aura, their eyes are cold, and their hands are bruised. 

But who were they before this? Who are they behind all of this, or have they always been like this?

Kim Mingyu wasn't born with a piercing, deadly glare, or his misfit reputation. He came to be like this... And it all started on that one day. Maybe it wasn't the day that he started fighting, but this was the trigger. The day that he met a certain boy his age, who goes by the name Lee Seokmin.

Mingyu's life at home was honestly Hell on Earth. Despite his mother being deaf, she managed to meet a man who 'said' he loved her, and would treat her right. That man is Kim Mingyu's father. The first few years of his childhood was the typical family set up. Birthday parties with cake, balloons, and a simple present for the growing boy. This was the highlight of Mingyu's past, because as he grew old enough to talk and walk, and attend school, that's when things took a turn for the worse. The first time it happened was in grade 2, at the beginning of the school year. Mingyu was only 6 years old, and happily attended school, liking his teacher, classmates, and the subjects weren't too bad either. But one day, he went home with a 'bad' mark on his Spelling quiz. He showed it to his parents, and his mom wrote down on a piece of paper that,

"It's okay, baby. Just try harder next time, okay?"

Mingyu read the note, and nodded, promising his mother to get better marks in the future. His father on the other hand, told him that he would talk to him later. While Mingyu was playing in his room, he heard 3 knocks on his bedroom door.

"Mingyu-ah, it's me. I'm coming in,"

the man's voice announced as he opened the door, walked into the little boy's room, and closed the door behind him.

He walked towads Mingyu, and in response Mingyu stood up in front of him. In the man's hand was a piece of paper, Mingyu's almost failed Spelling quiz. 

"Care you explain this?"

Mingyu didn't really know what to say. He wasn't a stupid child, and he himself knew that, so he didn't know what reason to give for his mark. Before the little boy could say anything a hand slapped him across the face. Mingyu's eyes opened wide, in shock and pain.

"You better pick up your grades, son."

Mingyu stared at the floor, still not believing what had just happened. It was the first time that his dad had every laid a hand on him, but it definitely wouldn't be the last. Mingyu thought that his dad was just strict, so he took his slap into the positive, reasoning that his dad just didn't want him to fail anything.

Yeah... he hit him because he wants Mingyu to succeed, that's all it was in Mingyu's head. But it wouldn't be 'reasonable' for long.

After slapping him, Mingyu's dad just walked out of the room. Mingyu stood there, stunned as he placed a hand on his red cheek that was still stinging. He shook his head, awakening himself from thoughts and resumed playing with the Lego that was sprawled across the bedroom floor, just shakking off the experience as discipline. But, as he grew older and his grades became high and consistent, the hitting continued. It didn't matter what he got on tests of quizzes, because now Mingyu was just his dad's punching bag. Mingyu cowered into a fetal position every time his dad raised his hand, pleading

"Don't hurt me," "please, daddy!" and other cries of help.

One time the man was beating the kid, and all Mingyu could do was cry and scream.

"Yell all you want," the man whispered as he grabbed Mingyu's head by his hair, and pulled his ear closer,

"It's not like your mother could hear you."

It was so terrifying. How someone so sweet to his mother, and a successful man in his profession, he even owned his own mortgage company, and well kept on the outside, could do this to his son. During parties or meetings, his dad was always smiling, laughing, deceiving people with his achievements, and 'loving' actions. No one knew that back home was where his true identity came out. Mingyu told his mom because the man threatened,

"If you ever tell her, I'll leave her."

As a child, even Mingyu could tell that his mom loved the man, or atleast the side he showed to her. The way they acted around each other, you would actually think that the man was loving to his son, and that they were a happy family. He even learned sign language, and that's how they met. So, Mingyu, not wanting to ruin his mom's happiness kept quiet about the situation. 

He didn't tell anyone.

As he grew older, the naive innocent child like smile was replaced with thing lips that rarely showed expression. He stopped going to school, tired of coming up with several excuses as to why he was cut here, or bruised there. A lot of people misinterpreted him as a hot headed child, a kid with an uncontrollable temper. He lost the meaning of happiness, family, love and trust. 

How could someone do this to their own flesh and blood?

Sometimes he would just sit in his room in the dark, staring at the cuts and bruises on his arms and legs, wondering when the man would be coming in to add new ones. He never retaliated, not once, but that doesn't mean he wasn't angry. As the years went on, and the beating continued, a combination of hate, anger, and evil began brewing in the heart of merely a 12 year old. At 12 is when the man took it too far...

It was the first time that Mingyu ever retaliated, but just ended up running away from home for a bit.

The man started off with the usual beating; slapping, punching. He did all of this in the middle of the night, when Mingyu's mother would be sleeping, and there was an extremely low chance she would catch the abuse in the act. But then, he started feeling Mingyu's body. Mingyu didn't really know what was happening, but he was really scared and preferred if he just reverted back to beating him up. But, Mingyu heard the movement of fabric, the removal of the man's pants. Mingyu got a sense of what was happening. He went to school, and was taught in grade 4 about 'private parts' and how no one should touch them. The little boy started squirming, resisting and trying to escape, but it was futile against the grown man's strong grip and persistence. That was the day that Mingyu's innocence was taken from him. By someone he thought was supposed to love him, to care for him. By someone that said 'Love you, son', someone that got him birthday presents and loved his mom.

By his father.

When the man was 'finished' he quickly put his pyjamas back on, and left Mingyu in his room and simply went to bed.

How could someone so horrible sleep so peacefully at night, yet a little boy whose been mutilated and stripped of all purity and innocence is left awake, crying silent tears in the middle of the night as he holds in his screams. Mingyu sat there on his bed, his pants and underwear somewhere thrown in the bedroom floor. He was crying tears of sadness, frustration, anger. He didn't want to stay here anymore, he didn't want to continue to be disrespected or mutilated. So, at the age of 12 was the first he ran away from home. Mingyu quickly threw on some pants and exited through the bedroom window. He jumped down from a ledge and landed on a bush which cushioned his fall, but still ended up with some scratches and hurting his ankle a bit. Mingyu ran with a limp away from that God-forsaken house, tears streaming down his face as he cringed at the sticky substance still left on his stomach, that made his shirt cling to his skin. He continued running, unaware of his destination or if he even wanted to stop. Mingyu got to a hill, where he collapsed on his back, desperately searching for oxygen to enter his fatigued lungs. His chest violently rising and falling as he stared up at the night sky as tears continued to roll down his cheeks and on to the grass. Mingyu caught his breath and just laid on the grass.

"Stars are pretty..."

Mingyu thought as he admired the white dots that were spread across the sky. For the first time in a long time, Mingyu felt a sense of peace. While still admiring the stars, he was startled when a boy suddenly appeared above him, looking down at the laying boy. He was surprised and scared, immediately thinking that it was his dad, and closed his eyes tightly, and cowered into the fetal position,

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Mingyu kept repeating as he hid his face in his arms, rocking himself as he prepared for another beating. The boy stared down at Mingyu in confusion, and didn't know how to get Mingyu to stop, so he simply laid down beside him. He tapped his bak, causing him to stop rocking briefly, and slowly open one of his eyes. When he did, he was greeted with a boy's smiling face. The smile was pure happiness, his eyes practically closed.

"The stars are nice tonight, huh?"

The little boy said as he continued smiling at Mingyu. Slowly, Mingyu began to relax, and unfold his body from the defensive position. He went back to his original position. He went back to his original laying position of his back flat on the ground as he stared up at the sky.

"Yeah..." Mingyu said meekly. A reply from him made the other boy smile.

"I wonder what the stars are called. They do have names, right?"

"I don't know... Don't you go to school?" Mingyu replied, dryly.

The boy chuckled awkwardly as he scratched his head,

"Yeah, but science if my worst subject." he said with a smile. Mingyu caught a glimpse of the gummy smile out of the corner of his eye. He didn't mean to be rude, or mean, but he didn't want to be too trusting with someone he had just met. He'd known his dad his whole life, but look at what happened. It was hard to trust people after someone that's supposed to be trusted and loved unconditionally, betrays and mistreats you the way Mingyu was. The two boys laid there, side by side, looking up at the night sky. Mingyu slowly began to feel at ease again, not minding the boy beside him. But then he started wondering,

"What are you doing out here so late?"

Mingyu asked as he turned his head to look at the boy. The boy turned as well and faced the other,

"Well... I kinda got lost. I just moved here, so I don't know where everything is... So I started wandering, then I saw you here." the boy said as he smiled near the end of his words. Mingyu thought it was kind of ridiculous and started laughing,

"So, you just came and talked to me?"

"Yeah. Besides, it's kind of sad to look at the beautiful stars alone, don't you think?" the boy said, and Mingyu gave the statement some thought.

"What about you, shouldn't you be home?"

Mingyu's mind was quickly filled with memories and his body shuddered in disgust with himself, and the man he called 'dad'. Then he thought about his mom who was all alone with that monster, which ultimately convinced him to say

"Yeah... I guess I should go."

Mingyu stopped gazing at the stars and began getting up, wiping his backside just incase any grass had gotten stuck. The boy soon followed suit and they were not standing face to face, Mingyu being able to see the boy in more detail as the moon provided light. The boy infront of him was slightly shorter, and looked around the same age. The only difference in their faces was the boy looked sincerely happy. Unlike Mingyu's eyes that foretold sadness and despair, the boy's eyes were full of happiness and hope.

"Do you mind telling me where Sugeok street?"

"Must be where he lives," Mingyu thought,

"Yeah, you didn't wander too far. Just head that way, and you should get to a street sign." Mingyu said as he pointed a finger in the north-east direction. The boy smiled and said,

"Thank you!" 

Mingyu lived in the opposite way, so they started walking their own separate paths. As they got further apart, Mingyu realized that it was the first time in a long time that someone talked to him without fearing or questioning the bruises and cits he had. For some reason, this boy made him feel different. He made him feel just a bit less sad, and so he decided to call out,

"My name is Kim Mingyu! What's yours?"

The boy turned around and the moonlight caught a cute gummy smile,

"Lee Seokmin!"

He replied, receiving an unconscious smile from Mingyu,

"I'll see you around!" Mingyu hollered back as Seokmin waved in reply.

Then the 2 boys returned to their respective homes, atleast Mingyu did. He was slightly worried that Seokmin was just wandering out at night, and could easily get lost again. Who knows what kind of people are out there during the night? It's not like anyone knew about the person in the Kim home. Mingyu snuck into the house, successfully not waking up his parents and made his way to his room. He cleaned himself with a wet towel first before climbing into bed, and for once didn't cry himself to sleep. Instead, tonight he drifted off to sleep with the faint thought of a boy who had a big smile and liked to look at stars.

12 is the year that remains the most prominent in Mingyu's memory. The bad parts, obviously, but there was also the spark of unknown happiness when he met Lee Seokmin. Unfortunately, he only saw him that one day, and never again the rest of the summer. Also, at the age of 12 is when he met people that would, in the future, become his brothers and be known as 'The Kings', althought they obviously weren't called that back then. He met all of them when he transferred to a school that was a bit farther than his feeder school, but now that he thinks about it, it was probably the best decision of his life. He met the 9 other boys on his first day of school at Seorin Elementary. Mingyu was 12, going on 13 so they were in grade 7 by the time they all knew each other. Also, it was at the age of 12 that he threw first punch. Begin at an age where puberty starts changing a person, Mingyu was a little more moodyand sensitive, his voice got deeper, and he had a sudden growth spurt where he was now as tall, is not taller, than his 'dad', and ultimately taller than his group of friends. The 10 boys made a pact to stick together, through thick and thin, because even if life gets hard, they can get through it together... Because they're a team, they're a family; they are one.

I guess it was because Mingyu was the tallest, or he took on a leader figure, but all 9 boys ended up looking to Mingyu for decisions when they were hanging out. Most of them listened to what he said, but Mingyu would make sure to get everyone's opinion on what they should do after school that day. That's what made him a good leader, the boys probably thought. So, as their trust and bond grew, Mingyu naturally became their 'leader', and would continue to be in the future. One day, the boys were walking home from school, when they heard grunts of pain coming from an alleyway. Being curious 12 year olds, yet also aware they were weak 12 year olds, they meekly peered into the alley. Mingyu was obviously at the front of the pack, being the first to see a boy their age, somewhat familiar but in their uniform, in the middle of a circle folded on the ground as he was repeatedly kicked. The boy was wearing glasses, but that's about all Mingyu would see in the chaotic midst of feet. Mingyu was scared, but the sight also caused a spark inside his heart. Seeing a helpless boy on the ground, getting beat reminded him of himself. Only this time, it wasn't his father inflicting the pain, and his mom wasn't involved so; he could fight back, right?

And so he did.

Mingyu ran into the alleyway, and behind him were his friends screaming his name to come back, but it was futile, so they ended up following behind him. Mingyu ran into the circle, immediately punching one of the boys that was kicking the one on the ground. The contact of his fist to the other's face, knowing that he finally stood up, maybe not for himself, but had retaliated, had a symbolic meaning to the 12 year old boy. His first punch was extremely weak compared to now, but it got the job done, sending the other boy out of the circle, reaching for his nose in pain. The other boys were going to attack Mingyu, but were stopped by the 9 others that had followed Mingyu into this mess. While the other boys were fending off the enemy, Mingyu quickly grabbed for the boy on the ground, wsung the boy's arm around his shoulders, and helped him up. After successfully getting the boy out of the situation, the 10 boys plus the cripple started sprinting, they didn't know where to, but they needed to out run the 4 boys chasing after them, who were vowing to avenge themselves.

Although it was quite a scary experience, Mingyu and the boys were running, facing straight ahead with smiles on their faces.

Was the happiness from the adrenaline? From the rebellious puberty phased boys knowing they were 'bad'? Or for Mingyu, was it the happiness of a feeling of being free from the man who had punched him countless times?

The boys were running, and stopped to look behind them once they had reached the corner of Maporo and Daebangro, and they ran into an abandoned building, all 11 of them leaning on walls, the arms on their knees aas they desperately caught their breath,

"Yah, you." Soonyoung said, with more air than vocalization,

"Are crazy."

He said, directed at Mingyu who was still catching his breath, and had the limp boy's arm around his shoulders. Mingyu looked around at the group of boys, and decided that this was the moment that they became brothers. I mean, you don't just follow anyone into a group beating, right?

He saw the boys' faces red from lack of oxygen, excitement and adrenaline, then he started laughing. The boys exchanged glances with one another and sllowly smiles crept on their faces and eventually all 10 of them were losing their oxygen again from laugher. The laughter was stopped when the boys heard a thud, and it was the boy Mingyu had helped, his body hitting the floor unconscious.

When the boy awoke, he was greeted with 9 other boys surrounding him, 9 pairs of eyes glued on him. He sat up, trying to recollect his memory, his face showing confusion, amongst the bruises and little cuts. He looked around the building, and at the boys' faces who looked slightly fascinated. Then, he sort of recognized one boy's face,

"Mingyu-ah!"

He said, and the boys looked at Mingyu, who he himself was confused as to how this kid knew his name. Then, the boy on the couch flashed a gummy smile, and Mingyu remembered the boy from the previous summer, who gazed at the stars with him and settled this uneasiness in his heart.

"Seokmin-ah!" 

AUTHOR'S NOTE;

ok ok. so. basically, I was going to write about Seokmin in this chapter as well, but I wanted to let you guys in on Mingyu's past and it took up a lot of words. SO; I promise that Ch. 19 will be Seokmin's story. and that'll be uploaded soon, considering I already know the plot and what's gonna happen. I'm sorry if this chapter disappointed you guys D: ily still, tho. anyway;

comment, upvote, subscribe & whaterrrrrr

lmao srsly tho, comment your thoughts on this chapter, upvote if you like the story, and subscribe to keep updated.

I'll see you guys soon, I promise, with Seokmin's part of the past. Love you guys, and until then 

PEACE - Zen. 

p.s ; yeah the place where they ran to with Seokmin is their base in their future. c: