Takes place in the future lol further after Bonus 2: Reality

The new neighbors are weird, Chanwoo notices.

They consist of two family members: two males - one, with blondish hair and a pretty face, and the second one, a taller guy with dark hair and a scary face. The house they moved into, which is across the street, is the one rumored to be haunted by a murdered woman but they still bought it. They have a weird work schedule too. Sometimes one of them goes at night, sometimes the other in the morning.

Also, Chanwoo knows the new neighbors aren’t ordinary people. They smell and feel “black” and “shadowy”, as if there’s a veil around them that makes them blend in but also stick out. He knows the new neighbors are living in another world. Rather, in that world.

And why would 10-year-old Chanwoo know that? Because his parents also have the same smell and feel, only that they have a light veil around them compared to the new neighbors. Mama and papa have no clue about what he senses though. They won’t understand what he sees and he’ll get punished if he talks about it.

But really, the neighbors are the weirdest people he’d met so far. Despite having the same veil with his parents, the blonde guy smiles at him as if it’s spring and summer everyday, and the scary dark-haired guy isn’t really scary. When Chanwoo’s locked out of the house and he’s forced to wait by the porch, blonde guy pulls scary guy out of their house and they go to him, bringing chicken and ice cream. They eat together while blonde guy asks him about school, and scary guy tells him school isn’t everything. They don’t ask him why he’s outside, where his parents are, or even what his name is but that’s okay. Chanwoo likes that. He likes that he isn’t being interrogated for once.

They leave when mama texts him that they’re inside the neighborhood already. Chanwoo doesn’t tell his parents about them. He doesn’t want them to know about the new friends he made.

***

Chanwoo finally gets the courage to ask for the new neighbors’ names when his parents left him alone again and pretty blonde guy invites him into their house for dinner.

“I’m Donghyuk. You can call me hyung.” blonde guy says as he places a big plate of burger steak with gravy in front of him. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Chanwoo.” he says, suddenly becoming shy because the food looks so delicious (and expensive) and he feels like he doesn’t have the right to eat it. “Thank you for the food, Donghyuk-hyung.”

“It’s alright. Eat up Chanwoo!” Donghyuk-hyung shows that summer smile again and he can’t help smiling back. He nods and finally digs in.

It doesn’t take long before scary guy arrives. Chanwoo immediately picks up the same “dark shadowy” scent but he doesn’t say anything. Scary guy frowns at him then tells him he’ll have stomach ache if he eats too much. Donghyuk-hyung scolds him then gets him to sit and eat as well.

“Introduce yourself, June.”

“You already mentioned my name.”

“Come on! Make our new friend feel welcomed here.”

Chanwoo watches them with interest. His parents are never like that with each other since it’s always curses and talks of money between them.

“You can call me June-hyung, kid.” says scary guy after Donghyuk-hyung pinches him on the arm. “Uhh. You can come over when you feel like it. We don’t have toys or video games around here though.”

“That’s fine hyung. You can just help me with my homework.” Chanwoo responds with a wide grin, some gravy around his mouth. June-hyung raises an eyebrow at him and starts telling him about the importance of overcoming trials on his own, while Donghyuk-hyung laughs and wipes his mouth with a table napkin.

Chanwoo grins at them both. He hasn’t left yet but he can’t wait to come over again.

***

He covers his ears as the noise of shattering glass echoes through the thin walls of his home. Mama and papa are shouting at each other again. He hears the words “boss”, “gold” and “kill” and he feels nervous.

Then papa opens the door to his room and pulls him up from the bed, fists on his shirt as his blood-shot eyes stare at him. Chanwoo sees the shadowy veil around him and it makes him terrified. It’s different from the veil he picks up from June-hyung and Donghyuk-hyung.

Papa shouts at him, telling him it’s his fault before slapping him across his left cheek. Mama comes in and just watches, telling papa not to do too much or else the neighbors might hear.

Chanwoo wishes for it. He wishes they’ll beat him up more, make more noises so Donghyuk-hyung and June-hyung might hear and come save him. He knows they can.

“If you tell anybody about this, we’ll kill you. I’m not kidding brat. You should know.”

On the other hand, Chanwoo will just stay silent. He’s not ready to give up his life yet.

***

“What’s this?” Donghyuk-hyung cups his face gently and stares at his left cheek. Chanwoo sees how his hyung’s eyes quickly scan his whole body, before settling at his face again. He has never experienced having a person look at him with so much concern before.

“I was hit during soccer at school.” he reassures with a grin. It’s different from his excuse at school of falling down the stairs, but it’s not like Donghyuk-hyung will know. “Please don’t worry, hyung.”

Donghyuk-hyung frowns and stares at him more, as if waiting for him to say something else. Chanwoo sweats a bit. Should he tell him? Ask for help? But what if things will just get worse?

Yet Donghyuk-hyung doesn’t intrude further and pats his head. “Tell me when you’re ready”, he says, then holds his hand towards the kitchen for ice cream.

Chanwoo wants to cry. He wishes. If only he could just spill out everything to him and June-hyung. If only he isn’t scared.

June-hyung arrives home after he’s done with his chocolate cone. The shadowy veil around him tonight is stronger than Donghyuk-hyung’s, making Chanwoo nervous a bit, but he quickly tells himself not to be. He forgets the scent more when he finally notices the plastic bag June-hyung carries; his eyes immediately catching the Playstation logo on the box inside. He gasps.

“Well, it’s boring to always do homework.” Donghyuk-hyung says with a chuckle and a grin at him. June-hyung smirks at him and points at the TV with his thumb.

“Why don’t you set this up there, kid?”

Chanwoo can’t help squealing as he jumps at Donghyuk-hyung to give him a hug. He hears June-hyung complain so he pulls away and hugs him too, grabbing the bag so he could check out the newly bought PS4.

He stiffens when he sees the game cases also bought by his hyungs. Most of them are mafia and shooting games. Quickly shaking off the growing nervousness in him again, he opens the box and cheerfully asks June-hyung to set up the game console with him.

***

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