Her heels dragged along the experienced pavement, a sigh halfway stuck between . She shuddered, not because of the absurd winter weather but as a spontaneous reaction at the thought of returning home.

Home has become hell after she began training under SMent.

Her mother’s existence in the house was slim. She always found an overzealous reason to stay away from her and her father, and successfully escaped from their presences in the house.

Not that her father was home most of the time anyways, she bitterly noted.

Suppressing tears upon remembering her not-so-distant past, she fastened her pace. Of course, her mom’s actions were godly compared to her father’s.

He was always drowsed in the shabby atmosphere of clubs and bars, drinking his life away. Ever since he lost his job, his cheerful enthusiastic morals were replaced by cold and docile glares.

She knew she had nobody to support her on becoming a singer, but that was almost exactly why she began training.

Her getting accepted by SMent was the time her father’s verbal attacks turned physical. Her disheartening father’s anger dilates at every mention of music. He would raise his hands, threatening her, when she ever steps within a yard radius of a guy.

His actions were thought as protective at first, but now all his glares and attacks were impromptu. The bruises and pains on her gradually increased but she suppressed her urge to tell anybody outside her household. He became in league with darkness.

A tear slid down her face and she roughly sniffed and whipped her finger across the face, the only evidence of her emotion gone.

She hated to delve into her very own past any more but her anamnesis was continuous.

Since young her father had kept her away from anything but study. Her childhood possessions consisted of dozens of extra workbooks and pens and pencils. She had nobody to talk to even if she wanted, because as far as her friendships went, her dad always found a way to stop them.

She was not allowed to talk to any girls her age for longer than five minutes.

Five minutes for the shy child she was only was enough time to murmur her name and age.

And she couldn’t even mention the boys in her childhood; she had not even fully processed the fact that boys are a part of the human species until she reached elementary.

Of course girls can’t be girls without having a little crush, either on someone near or an idol for afar.

She too was the same until her father had drilled indefinitely into her brain that boys, even idols, were inconsequential.

At the immediate moment she thought about the guy she had met earlier that night. She could not bring herself to admit it but she was helplessly attracted to him. She knew she had seen him somewhere but couldn’t quite figure out where. He had a unique shy charm that no other guy she had met held.

She regretted running away from him, not once but twice, and she knew it was probably the most impolite thing she had done in ages. But of course, her fear overpowered her politeness.

She knew that she’d get beaten again if her dad found her talking to this guy. She wasn’t even allowed in the forest anyways, she was supposed to be at the library.

It was like a tug of war of her life. Her father forcing her to desperately study, and SMent telling her to spend her life on training.

She didn’t like either idea a whole lot but of course, had to choose one or the other.

Talking to the strange guy in the forest also means punishment from SMent if they somehow finds out. She was not allowed to leak her musical talents to anybody, and if they knew she did, her years of training her heart out were wasted.

Actually stopping to talk to the mysterious guy was like slow suicide of her career. It came as a surprise to her how he knew about the forest too.

She sincerely wondered if he also knows about the secrets with the apple tree. Surely he could’ve just been a lost tourist but it didn’t seem like it, he was so confident within the embrace of the forest, no trace of panic displaying on the features of his quite handsome face.

She crossed her fingers and stood in the middle of the street, wishing that someday he’ll come to her again and she’d be in a better position to meet him.

Maybe even tonight, her brain whooped and she frowned slightly. Tonight? She questioned herself doubtfully.

Would I be able to live till tomorrow then? What if SMent finds out? What if my father…

She wished her mother was there to soothe her, to gently tell her that Yes, she was allowed to talk to him.

Because one parent’s permission is better than no parent’s permission.

But of course, her mother was probably somewhere outside of Seoul, perhaps even outside the country, doing whatever she was doing.

A sigh escaped and she looked down at the mockingly gray sidewalk. The spots of snow were like her heart, the only memories left that keeps her happy. Her entire heart was dyed grey, overclouded by shadows that changed her life.

She was tired of always being bossed around. Being a puppet for her father, doing everything he tells her to do willingly when he just sits around throwing beer bottles.

She shuddered just thinking about what he would do if he finds out that she met a boy tonight, then realized that gradually her fear was evaporating into the winter night.

She no longer cared much.

But what about SMent?Her brain chanted, and she shuddered again.

Are you really going to give up what you’ve worked for, just for a guy?

She shook her head at herself.It’s not just for a guy. It’s for my freedom.

Kyuhyun woke up in his room with a shock. His hand swiped across his forehead self-consciously, and felt cold to the skin when beads of sweat crowded his hand.

“S-sungmin hyung?” he chattered, his arms immediately wrapping around his goose-bump covered body.

“D-donghae hyung?” he tried again, throwing his blanket around him tighter.

Nothing replied him but their steady snores. He sighed and looked at the ceiling. Darkness.

He looked down.

Darkness.

He looked out the window but his vision was blocked by the curtains.

All in all, he was enveloped in utter darkness.

He supported himself up with his arms and threw on a pair of jeans and a casual plaid shirt. He didn’t even think about disguises considering how of course, what’s waiting for him outside was darkness.

From two different direction two people walked the same route, two different hearts beating, two different brains debating against themselves.

Kyuhyun knew he had no destination. He wasn’t afraid of what his manager or the company would do if they found him outside; but deep down he was scared of their ways of punishment.

Seohyun knew at the bottom of her heart that if either her father or a SMent scout sees her out here, she’d be screwed.

But they both kept walking, two regular customers of the midnight’s embrace.

They soaked up the wind, not complaining as the breezes tickled through them, a childish kid finally let out to play.

Two different people’s eyes caught the flashy neon sign of the nighttime club at the same time.

They both were not used to the normal teen activities at night because they weren’t raised as normal teens.

It was their night to experience new things. They already have, and why stop now?

They had sufficient time before the strictest sun’s glares shines on them, and this was their night to do what they were missing for the past years.

They walked closer, still not realizing that the second starring role of their upcoming years is walking opposite of them.

Seohyun’s eyes caught someone coming off a limo in front of the club. She peered closer, at the celebrity-like character stepping carefully from the door.

She had a tall lean figure just like her mom. She was much more willowy, flowing around like a goddess. A man stepped off right after her, and grabbed her hands gingerly. Her mom smiled widely, a child with a proud accomplishment, and as she waved her hand at another lady that walked out, Seohyun’s eyes caught the ring on her ring finger. A ring she’s never seen the many times she flipped through her mother’s jewelry box when she was young.

A ring that wasn’t on the second woman’s hand, but was replica-d on the stranger man’s.

Realization washed over Seohyun harder than anything else. Seeing her mom dressed in such a self-disrespectful way in the middle of the night, knowing that her father was at home drinking half-consciously, with no clue where or who her mother was with, Seohyun realized just how everything around her was rotating the wrong way.

The three of them- her mother, the man, and the second woman- walked proudly into the club, and the bouncer nodded with recognition.

Another wave of realization hit Seohyun, when she suspected that this is her first time but probably not her mother’s.

She ran full speed at the club and skid to a stop before the bouncer.

Panting, she held out her ID, but that was when she remembered. She was a minor.

“You’re underage,” the bouncer frowned and pushed her away.

“But my mom just walked in!” she protested, on the verge of tears.

“Ma’m!” the bouncer shouted at the of her mother but she didn’t turn.

“Try again,” Seohyun urged.

“MISS!” he shouted an octave and volume level higher but still she did not retreat.

“Please don’t waste my time,” the bouncer bowed slightly and pushed Seohyun away.

“I’m not lying! Please let me in,” Seohyun begged, holding the calloused hands of the bouncer.

“I’m sorry, it is against the law to let a minor into a club unless she’s with someone of appropriate ag-”

“Sorry, my little sister got here faster than me.” A smooth voice said, stepping behind her. Seohyun was in too much grief and regret to fully register what was going on until the bouncer returned the ID and unclipped the velvet rope.

Seohyun was about to walk away, defeated, when someone grabbed her wrist and they slithered into the strong club ambience.

She looked up the same time he looked down. They both stepped back in shock. She didn’t realize who had helped him and he didn’t realize who he had helped until they were brought in with a flood of people into the centre of the club dance floor.

“I…you…thank yo-” Seohyun blushed, knowing this is her chance.

“Go find your mom. Thank me later.”

The last thing she saw and realized before the tears spilt over the rims of her eyes was that the guy that she met early hours ago- the man that helped her a second ago- was the root to all her strength and courage that night.

And more than anything, she promised to herself in the middle of the pushing and hair-clawing, that she was going to find him again.

To thank and apologize sincerely.

She didn’t know what to promise on that would be convincing enough for herself, but another shove by a crazy drunk girl and Seohyun smiled.

I promise on the apple tree.

---

i know this is a stupid matter to worry about, but do I update too often? it's just that i sometimes pile so much on you guys that some information are hard to process? please tell me if i'm writing too much/little . 

@imsoinlove_seokyu: i hope you can find your answer in this chapter!

if not , i'll briefely explain . Seohyun's father is abusive and overly protective, he wants her to focus only on study so she can't meet guys. Also, SMent does not allow Seohyun to sing/dance for anybody because they want tokeep her talent a secret until her debut and Seohyun was nervous that she's gonna be kicked out since in chpt 1 , Kyuhyun heard her sing.

@kyutie13: thank you so much for your support! my choice of volcabulary might be sort of plain in this chapter but i promise next chapter it won't be as rushed. thanks for reading (:

@Eycha_ys83: haha hopefully you like this chapter! it's sort of an explanation chapter, there will be more seokyu action in the next chapter. :D

@kyuseo23286: aha i hope i can write actual angst! don't worry i'll add more fluffier stuff later on, this was sort of an explanation chapter. if you can't find an accurate answer to Seohyun's behavior, i tried to explain it for imsoinlove_seokyu up there ^ thanks for supporting!

@jinnie: i will try! thanks for reading ^____^