The house was eerily silent without a single soul in sight as Byunghun made his way around the house, his feet plodding against the cold parquet flooring making a muted ‘thud thud’ sound with each step he took. Wooshin had offered to look after Chanhun for the night and suggested Byunghun to return home to rest seeing how burnt out the boy looked to which the latter had surprisingly agreed to. Byunghun allowed his fingers on his right hand to linger on the cool metal surface of the door knob that was connected to a chocolate brown wooden door, and his left in his pocket fiddling with the silver key that was meant to unlock the door. It has been years since the door had been locked, seemingly sealing the memories that it held at the same time. Letting out a soft sigh, Byunghun finally takes the key out of his pocket and slotted the silver metal into the small keyhole on the door knob. Turning it once, the lock lets out a soft clink indicating that the lock had been unclasped as the boy reached out to turn the knob slowly and giving the door a push.

The windows of his soul scanned the area as despondency swam about within the deep sea of black in his pupils. Unlocking the door felt like a ripping open Byunghun’s once healed scars as the framed photos hanging on the walls glinted sorrowfully at the boy in seeming mockery. Happy smiles laced the faces of both Chanhee and Jonghyun, the ones the boys had emailed Wooshin before they broke up. Accompanying them was many other photos of Chanhun’s early growing years. Byunghun cautiously reached out to a single frame that sitting on the table, beside a dusty old desktop computer. Encased within the gold-rimmed box frame was a photo of Byunghun with Chanhee. It was taken on the day the both of them had gone to on their little date to watch Zootopia together, the duo had came across a photo sticker machine and of course Byunghun just had to whine his way to get their photo taken. The younger had his right fist balled up and placed at the side of his puffed up cheek, making the cutest ‘buing buing’ pose Chanhee had ever seen. The latter opted to play with cool with a slight smirk. His slender fingers drummed lightly on the edge of the frame before he finally picked it up.

A lone crystal droplet glides down his cheek gracefully as the boy sank to the ground with the frame held close to his chest. Byunghun had not switched on the light to the room and the only light shone was the moonlight that penetrated through the translucent half-drawn day curtains. For someone who has always been afraid of the dark, it felt comforting for the first time. As though reflecting how his own soul, once shimmering and full of life, had gone inky.

Chanhee flung his keys carelessly into a bamboo weaved bowl that was placed at the side table right beside the door. Heaving out a heavy-hearted sigh, he hung his coat on the rack and made his way to the room he shared with Wooshin when he noticed light peeking out from the study for the first time ever. A small frown appeared upon his furrowed brows, there shouldn’t be any one in the house when both Wooshin and Byunghun should still be at the hospital since Chanhun hasn’t been given any instructions to be discharged. Gingerly peeking into the room, his eyes widened at the sight of the countless numbers of familiar photos staring right back at him. A pang of guilt pulsed throughout his entire being, Byunghun had really printed out every single photo he had sent to Wooshin and that really proved how much the elder meant to him. Tracing his fingers gently over the baby photos of Chanhun that Byunghun had displayed, tears welled up in the man’s eyes realizing how much he had missed out on his own son’s growth. Newborn Chanhun looks exactly like him when he was a baby.

His eyes finally trailed towards the ground and landed on a small figure, all curled up on the cold hard floor hugging a framed photo to his chest.

Byunghun.

Chanhee’s heart ached as he noticed the tear stains that had marred Byunghun’s flawless complexion. Lifting the frame as carefully as he could out of Byunghun’s grip without waking the other, he let out a soft gasp realizing that it was a photo of the both of them.

“I’m so so sorry Byunghun ah… I’m so sorry.”

===

Byungun woke up to find a blanket over his small body and the photo frame he had held to his chest while crying the night before neatly placed on the floor beside him. Sleepily rising, the boy winced as a sharp pain shot up from his spine as he groaned and massaged his back with his nimble right fingers, eyes still lidded with sleep. He shook his head regretting falling asleep on the