Leeteuk walks silently on a path separate from the rest of the troop. Above his head, the fireworks have started to fade away, but the storm in his heart feels like it would wreak havoc for eternity.

In a dark alley with almost no lighting except for a tiny ray of moonlight hidden away by the clouds, his shadow looks like an entity from another world. His white clothes resemble those of an ancient deity, or a faraway ghost, who could never be touched or tainted.

Leeteuk suddenly slows down as something out of the ordinary catches his eye. In one corner of his perfectly white robe, a drop of blood sits mockingly. Leeteuk immediately crouches down to wipe it away, yet, the bloodstain seems as stubborn as the faces and words of his last victim of the night.

"Every man is an island, Jungsu ah."

Leeteuk tries to shake the words out of his head.

"I feel sorry for you, Leeteuk."

Every word seems like a blade piercing into his heart.

"You will pay for this!"

Heechul's anger and hatred will forever be etched into his mind.

Leeteuk scrubs harder at his robe, but the bloodstain only seems to be absorbed even more deeply into his clothes. Into his facade.

He suddenly remembers the last time he was on the ground rubbing at his clothes just like this. Forty years had gone by. He was only a small child then. That life to him seems like another lifetime, perhaps a dream in the worst storm of a summer night.

He did not remember how old he was when he first started this life. As long as he could remember, he had always lived on the street. He could not remember his parents' names or even if he had ever met them in his life. He made it through his days by begging for food and change on the street. On his good days, some street vendors and restaurants would feed him their leftovers out of sympathy. On his worse days, he would have to steal food off someone else's dishes or trash, and get seriously beaten up for it. But at least he still got through the days without starving to death.

Until one day.

The day that he met Choi Oongshik.

He did not know whether the man was his saviour or executor.

Choi Oongshik was only a young man back then, in his early twenties. He was dressed in the most luxurious clothes that the boy had ever seen in his life. The silk shone brightly in the sunlight, and the pattern was simple, yet elegant and noble. But the thing that caught the boy's attention the most was his eyes. Choi Oongshik had the eyes of an eagle on a hunt in his favourite forest. His eyes were filled with such pride and ambition that the boy felt that he could swallow him whole if that would get him the results he wanted.

But the hunger in him got the best of him. He had not eaten anything for days and had started to feel woozy. His judgement was clouded, and he approached the young man with almost no hesitation.

"Nauri," he spoke in a low tone, "do you have anything to eat? Please, I... I'll do anything you want me to."

The man stopped for a second to look at him. The boy did not have anything special, but in him, he could see a clear perseverance. 

He strongly grasped the young boy's arm, studied it for a good minute, then grabbed his chin: "Really?"

The boy could only nod repeatedly.

As if satisfied with what he had seen, the man threw him a half-eaten dumpling that he intended to feed the guard dog at his residence.

"Come with me," the man said as he watched the boy gobble up the piece of dumpling he picked up on the ground, "There's more where I come from."

"Where?" The boy looked up at the mysterious man, his eyes twinkling with a hint of hope.

"To the Park's home for orphan boys. What is your name?"

"I... I don't have a name." The boy mumbled.

"Then," the man decided promptly, "your name will be Park Jungsu from now on. Say it."

"My name is Park Jungsu."

"Good," he gave him a deceiving smile, "but remember what you promised me. There will come a day when I ask you to pay me back, so remember today, this exact moment for the rest of your life."

The boy nodded with much enthusiasm and hope.

But his days at the Park's home would prove to be filled with anything other than enthusiasm and hope.

As he arrived at the residence, Jungsu realised that was not the only young boy that Choi Oongshik had rescued from the street. At the residence, there were about fifty other boys just like him. They had all been orphaned and living on the streets like him. During the day, the boys were given martial arts training, and during the night, they slept in a small room packed with ten boys in a room. But it was still a step up from all of their street lives, so none of them had ever complained.

Most of the boys there were quiet and reserved, just like Jungsu. They had been through all kinds of hell living on the street, so they knew the better thing to do was survive, not make friends. 

Jungsu was at the Park's home for about one year when he met Doyun.

Doyun entered the home on a cold and gloomy day. He was only one year younger than Jungsu, but he had a much slimmer build. The boy always had a timid look on his face, as if even the slightest sound could startle him and send him running for his life. For the first three days that he was at the home, he did not speak one word to anyone else. At night, he was assigned a place to sleep next to Jungsu, although Jungsu always wondered if the boy did indeed sleep at night.

On his third night, while Jungsu was struggling to fall asleep on a rainy night, he heard a familiar sound of someone's stomach growling. He had heard this sound too many times before, mostly on days that he failed to beg for anything to eat on the street. He turned to the boy next to him. His eyes were shut, but Jungsu could see his fist clench tight at his mattress. He was clearly not asleep.

"Hey," Jungsu whispered quietly next to the boy, "are... are you hungry?"

The boy lay still for another long while. Then, just when Jungsu was about to return to his mattress, the boy slightly turned in his mattress and nodded at him.

"You didn't have dinner?"

The boy slightly nodded again.

"Why?" He asked gently.

But the boy only shook his head at his question. As Jungsu tried to recall, he had not seen the boy at any of the meals for the first three days that he was here. He contemplated for a minute, then quietly stood up and left the room. 

In the small kitchen of the home, there was no food left but some cold rice and vegetables, so Jungsu mixed them together to create a few riceballs. It would taste better than eating cold ingredients separately. When he was finished, he quietly walked back to his room and handed the riceballs to Doyun. Watching the boy devour the food that he had made for him gave Jungsu a feeling that he had never experienced before in his life. He did not know that the feeling was called happiness.

Just as Doyun was finishing up his meal, they heard a series of footsteps in the hall. As a reflex, Jungsu and Doyun immediately lay down on their mattress and hid under their blanket. In a second, the door to their room swung open. Behind the door, the Head Caretaker of the home stood solemnly with a few other servants. 

"Which one of you just snuck out after curfew?" The Head Caretaker's voice was stern.

No response was heard from any of the boys, most of whom were only just woken up by the sound of the door opening and the Head Caretaker's stern voice.

"You are well aware of the rules. You are not to go out of your room after curfew, and if one of you does not admit your mistake, the whole room will endure the same punishment!"

This prompted every boy in the room to immediately get up from their mattress. Some looked around them suspiciously to find the culprit, while some were already trembling at the Head Caretaker's tone and expressions.

"It was me!" Jungsu knelt before the Head Caretaker decisively, "I was hungry, and I thought I could go to the kitchen to get some leftovers."

The Head Caretaker looked at him coldly.

"Did anyone go with him?"

"No, it was me alone. Please, punish me and me alone." Jungsu was close to begging her.

"Fine. You kneel in the front yard until tomorrow morning and copy house rules three hundred times tomorrow. Everyone else, get back to sleep."

As Jungsu followed the servant to complete his punishment, he threw a quick glance at the mattress next to him. Doyun was lying perfectly still in his blanket, but in his eyes, Jungsu could see fear and timidity starting to form. He turned back to give him a reassuring nod and a gentle smile. It was going to be a long night.

After that night, Jungsu and Doyun were inseparable. They were like two pieces of the same soul that had found each other. Doyun was warm and caring, while Jungsu was strong and protective like a guardian angel to his dongsaeng. They were exactly what the other person needed, and there were no circumstances that they could think of when they would choose to be apart.

Time flew past them like yellow leaves in the autumn. The years went by like a stream in the forest. In the Park's home for orphan boys, Jungsu and Doyun had grown up to be strong and determined men. When Jungsu and Doyun were around fifteen years old, they had to enter into a martial arts competition held by the head of the Park family. The purpose of the competition was to find the strongest and most capable person to serve the Royal Family. For most of them, this was an honour and the ultimate opportunity to further their life goals. They would never have to beg for anything ever again.

But in the weeks leading to the competition, Jungsu could see a change in Doyun's attitude. He was always anxious and restless to the point that Jungsu could see the dark circles around his eyes and the weight he had lost in just a few days.

"Hyung," one day, Doyun finally opened up to him, "I have a bad feeling about this competition."

"Why, Doyun?" Jungsu asked gently.

"Did you hear what people have been saying?"

"No"

"They say only one person will be selected."

Jungsu continued to listen to him as if waiting for the element of surprise.

"Then, what will happen to the rest of us, hyung?"

Jungsu only stayed silent in response.

"Some boys say that whoever is not selected will be left here to  die."

"Don't say that," Jungsu shook his head, "you don't know that."

"Why would they continue to train us if we are of no use to them?"

Jungsu did not have an answer to this. The only thing he knew was that there was no going back for them. They did not have another choice, and so it was better to try their best than to worry about something that was out of their control.

"Don't worry about that, Doyun ah," Jungsu gave him the most gentle smile he could, "Hyung will take care of you. Didn't you say that I am your guardian angel?" His smile revealed two dimples on his cheeks that made him look like an angel descending from heaven.

But Doyun only looked out the window, in his eyes, the worry seemed to have spread like a disease.

One month later, the competition was ready to begin.

With his strength and determination, Jungsu quickly defeated all of his opponents to enter the final round of the competition. To everyone's surprise, Doyun was the other one to enter the final round with him. Doyun was always a shy and timid kid, so no one expected to see in him a fire that could burn through their hearts and souls.

The night before the final round, Doyun did not speak one word to Jungsu.

But the next morning, he was the first one among them to get up as if sleep had never come to him. As Jungsu walked out into the front yard, Doyun was waiting for him with a glass of wine. On his face, a smile was present, but the look in his eyes almost sent shivers down Jungsu's spine.

"Hyung," Doyun looked at him straight in the eyes, "no matter what happens, you will always take care of me, right?"

It took Jungsu more than a second to recompose himself.

"Of course, Doyun ah." He took the glass of wine and smiled gently, the dimples shining brightly on his cheeks.

On the stage of the final round, anyone could feel extreme pressure and loneliness. On the highest chairs from an observatory, Choi Oongshik sat contentedly. Next to him were a few members of the Park family whom Jungsu could not name. Off stage, their teachers stood solemnly, ready to announce the rest of their fates. Jungsu felt as if his heart could jump out of his chest.

"Competition begins!" He heard the Headteacher announce as loud and clearly as the sound of the drums that started the match.

Jungsu started the fight strongly, but purposedly. His only aim was to disarm Doyun, not hurt him. His moves were decisive, yet purposefully leaving space for the opponent to defend. 

It was only two minutes into the competition when Jungsu suddenly felt something was wrong. He had started to feel woozy. Everything in front of his eyes was spinning, and his head had a throbbing pain. He looked up at Doyun. The boy was looking at him intentionally as if waiting for something to happen.

"Do... Doyun?" He struggled to let the words out of his mouth. In a second, the sword he was using to attack the opponent had to be used to keep him on the ground.

"You drugged me?" 

Doyun only looked at him silently. In his eyes, Jungsu could see a hint of cruelty.

But Jungsu would not give up without a fair fight. He pulled out a dagger from his pocket and stabbed as hard as he could at his shoulder. From the wound, blood started to pour out like a hot stream. The pain immediately woke him up. The sword sat determinedly in his hand, and within minutes. Doyun was already on the other side of his blade.

On a normal day, there was almost no one that could defeat Jungsu.

On a day like this, an enraged and betrayed Jungsu was the one to be feared the most.

But what he had not expected was that Doyun would throw his own body at his blade, piercing neatly into his heart.

"Doyun!!!" In a second, Jungsu threw away his sword, his heart pumping in his chest. He ran towards Doyun as fast as he could, but the other had already fallen to the ground.

"Doyun! Get up!" As hard as he tried, Doyun remained motionless in his arms.

"Choi Daegam!" He turned to Choi Oongshik still laid back in his seat, "Please help him!"

On Choi Oongshik's face, a smirk slowly appeared. His eyes were filled with condescension and contempt.

"Did you really not know the purpose of the competition?" He retorted amusedly from his seat.

"Please!" Jungsu's mind was suddenly taken to the first time he had said these words to Choi Oongshik, "please, I will do anything you want me to."

"You have nothing to offer me." Choi Oongshik's tone showed even more amusement.

Tears had filled all of Jungsu's face now. He looked at Doyun on the floor, his blood starting to soak into the ground. Then, an idea suddenly occurred to him. He pulled out the dagger still wet with his blood and pressed it to his neck.

"How about my life?" He smirked at the older man, "You would not want to waste ten years of training and fifty other candidates just to see another body, would you?"

This prompted Choi Oongshik to stand up from his seat. He slowly walked from the observatory to Jungsu and studied the boy. On his neck, the dagger slowly cut into his flesh. Blood started to drip onto his white clothes, turning them into a crimson red.

Choi Oongshik grabbed the dagger from his neck and threw it on the ground.

"Fine," he gave Jungsu a malicious smile, "but this is the second time you owe me now."

Jungsu widened his eyes at the older man. His mind shifted to a younger him so hungry on the street that he could have said about anything to not starve.

"Do you vow to give me all your loyalty, all your life, until the last breath that you take?"

A tear slowly fell down his cheek, and Jungsu quietly gave him a nod.

"And you are never to see him again." Choi Oongshik signalled to the teachers standing around the stage. Immediately, they came to Doyun's side and took him off the stage.

"Every man is an island, Jungsu ah." Choi Oongshik continued what seemed to be an endless and unbearable lecture, "You can pretend to build connections, friendships, family. But in the end, it is every man for himself. Given the opportunity, anyone can betray you if they think doing so will bring them power, money and status."

With that, Choi Oongshik started walking away from him. Around him, a darkness started to form that would last for the rest of his life.

That was the very last time Jungsu had ever seen Doyun.

On their own fighting stage. Injured. Bloody. And completely given up.

At the time, he could not help but feel disgusted by what Doyun had done. But deep down in his heart, he knew that for every hatred of what Doyun had done, he felt ten times more towards what he himself had done. In the end, did he not betray the trust of his dongsaeng just to obtain the champion title? In the end, they were truly just islands, with no real connection to each other. In the end, they only did what was best for themselves.

As Leeteuk wanders in the endless night, the memories of his eternal debt to the Chois come rushing in like waves on a stormy beach.

He has gone through the last forty years of his life living the philosophy that Choi Oongshik had taught him that day.

Except for two times.

The first time was at the Jun residence more than fifteen years ago, when he saw Jun Taekyung at the bottom of the well. And walked away from him.

The second time was only a few months after that. When he encountered another boy when he was given the mission of watching the Lee residence.

"Ahjussi," the boy had snuck up behind him on his own mission, "are you an angel?"

The boy gave him a smile as bright as sunshine, his eyes forming two crescent moons when he smiled. He followed the boy's gaze to his pure white clothes. He did not know if he looked more like an angel or an unworldly ghost.

This boy will grow up to be an excellent martial artist, Jungsu had thought to himself. It was not an easy thing to sneak up behind a trained killer like him without him noticing.

He was looking for words to say to the young boy when he heard another voice from afar.

"Sungmin ah," A man about his age called out to the boy in a worried but patient manner, "don't wander too far."

For a second, his heart seemed to be pounding in his chest.

His own target, standing in front of his own eyes.

Despite that fact, Jungsu felt a familiarity and warmth that he had never experienced before.

And for the first time in his life, the lonely island that was his heart finally found a bridge that could have rescued him from this life.