The drive wasn’t a long one. It seemed forever to Minho. The silence was slowly getting to him. Not even the soft hum of the music could tune out the tension in the car. He couldn’t blame Taemin though. He did kidnap the boy. He had every right to be mad at him, but Minho was scared of what he’d find when he reached Incheon.

---

When they finally arrived, Minho warned Taemin to stay quiet and just act normal. If his brother asked, Taemin was his friend from the city. If he did anything stupid, he’d have the boy killed. It was a lie, but it was best Taemin didn’t know that.

Taemin followed Minho obediently, keeping quiet. Minho paused at the front door before knocking softly. The door opened and a young boy, no older then fifteen stared at them for a moment, “Minho hyung.”

“How is she?” Minho questioned, his voice was breaking already.

Minhyuk looked down, “The doctor was just here. He said she wouldn’t make it through the night.”

Minho pushed past his brother and walked through the tiny house. It was only a two bedroom home with a kitchen and living room in one. Minho had always shared his room with Minhyuk. It was still home no matter how small.

He made his way to his mother’s door and hesitated. He could hear coughing on the other side. He pressed his head against the door and sighed, trying to keep himself strong. He had to stay strong for her. He opened the door slowly and peeked inside. He slowly walked into the room, staring at the figure on the bed.

She looked so cold, yet still as warm as he remembered her. He remembered how she used to sing in the mornings as she made breakfast, or how she packed his lunch with a note that had some random quote on it every morning until he told her to stop when he was in high school. He couldn’t forget the time when his father died and she told him that he was allowed to cry. Boys were allowed to cry, she told him. How was he supposed to live without her now? He should have never left. He regretted what he had done.

He took her hand in his own as he sat down next to her. Four days. He left her side in the hospital four days ago. The doctors said there was no improvement, but she wasn’t in critical condition. He felt the first tear fall down his face and tried to wipe it away, but more kept falling.

“Umma… forgive me,” he begged softly.

---

Taemin’s eyes wondered the house. It looked again home-y. It felt like this is a real home. There were no columns or spiral staircases. The pictures were of the family, not of some exotic abstract or of people Taemin never would know. He felt jealous of his kidnapper. His own home was without pictures of him.

Minhyuk walked over to Taemin and set a trap of tea on the tiny table. They were sitting on the floor of the living room, a table set on the floor with four pillows surrounding it. Taemin’s legs were under the blanket, shielding from the cold. Apparently the heat wasn’t working right.

The young boy took his seat across from Taemin and poured them both a small cup of green tear before handing one over to Taemin. He took a sip before setting his cup down, “Who are you to my brother?”

Taemin looked up from the other before looking down at the tea. He took a sip and sighed. This was homemade. Not the brand his father always had. His father’s tea was made by the finest of tea makers. This was the real stuff.

He sat his cup down and glanced at Minhyuk, “I’m his friend.” He said the word delicately because he feared that if he didn’t, it would have come out vial.

Minhyuk nodded slowly and lifted his cup once more, taking another sip, “My brother thinks I’m a fool.”

Taemin was shocked by the statement. He looked up at the other, scared. If Minhyuk brought up the fact Taemin was a hostage, his life would be other. “I highly doubt-“

“He’s a criminal. I know,” Minhyuk persisted. “And you work with him.”

The dancer’s eyes widened for a moment before he relaxed, “He’s doing it to protect you-“

Minhyuk released a humorless laugh, “He may think that, but he’s hurting us. Now our mother is sick. She spent every night waiting for Minho to come home and when he did, he’d be gone the next morning and she’d be at it again.” The boy’s eyes were filling with tears, “Why couldn’t he trust us? Why did he have to do this to us?”

Taemin had no idea what to say. He had everything handed to him on a silver plate. He had no idea what it meant to be poor. He stared down at the gold liquid in his cup. He had no idea what it meant to lose a mother. He may have lost his, but he never had a chance to meet her.

“Promise me…” Taemin looked up at Minhyuk. His heart broke at the sight of the crying boy, “Promise me, my brother will come home.”

He had no idea what to do. He made Minho promise him that he would live, but he didn’t trust him. Now he had to promise a boy he barely knew to make sure his brother returned. He couldn’t disappoint him. He nodded his head, a soft smile on his lips, “I promise.”

Minhyuk sighed a breath of relief, “Thank you, hyung.”

Taemin nodded his head and took another sip of his tea. He had no idea why he promised Minhyuk anything.

---

An hour later, Minho had called for Minhyuk and the two went to the bedroom. A doctor came again and waited with them. The old woman was slipping away and Taemin was in the way.

He left the house and sat on the porch, staring up at the sky. It was shocking. He could see the stars perfectly. Back in Seoul, it was impossible to see anything but the sun. Now he had the stars at his fingertips.

He reached up as if he were to grab one until a voice spoke up, “That is Cassiopeia.”

Taemin jumped and turned to see Minho standing there. His eyes were puffy and red, but the same hard, stern look was on his face. “She’s gone… isn’t she?”

Minho said nothing as he sat down next to Taemin. He stared up the sky, “My umma always told me my father was in the sky. Those who die become stars.”

The red head stared at Minho for a moment before looking at the sky. It was a nice thought. “She must be up there to then.”

He glanced at Minho and saw that the other was staring at him. “I’m so-“

“Don’t,” Minho shook his head, “She’s gone. I have to accept that. No one is meant to live forever no matter how much you want them to.”

Taemin nodded his head slowly and glanced down at the ground, wrapping his arms around himself. It was just so cold, but soon the cold was gone. He noticed Minho had put his jacket around his shoulders. He looked at the other in question.

“I’m sorry, Taemin. I’m sorry I have done this to you,” Minho stated softly, though his eyes were on the sky once more.

“Then let me go,” Taemin tempted.

Minho chuckled softly and shook his head, looking at Taemin once more. The boy could see all the pain behind Minho’s eyes, “I can’t… I’m sorry.”

“Why? Why did you come after me?” Taemin asked, desperately. “I have the right to know my crimes to deserve this.”

“You don’t deserve it. My boss hired me to kidnap you because of your father. To hurt a man with no heart is take something with a heart. His son,” Minho pointed out with a sigh. “To hurt him, we have to hurt you.”

Taemin looked down at his hands and chuckled gravely, “What else is new? This is the second time I’ve been kidnapped. I was kidnapped when I was five by a disgruntled employee.”

Minho glanced at the boy and nodded, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s too late for sorry. Where are we going?” Taemin questioned once more.

“Jeju Island.”

Taemin shook his head, laughing once more, “At least I get to die in paradise.”

“I won’t let them hur-“

“Just like I can’t promise your brother that you’ll stay, don’t promise me I’ll live. I’d like to sleep,” Taemin said quickly. He stood up and walked back into the house, shutting the door behind him.

Minho stayed sitting on the porch and stared down at the ground. A few minutes later, he looked up at the sky, “I won’t let him get hurt, umma. I promise.”

He stood up and made his way into the house. He spared the sky one more glance before closing the door.

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Author’s Note:

Sorry for the long wait~ But I am back~ I may not post often still, but I will try to post a few times this weekend~ ^^

Thank you for reading J Please comment! Don’t forget to watch the trailer, check out my friend’s RP and shout out to my bestest best friend, Malkom! Read her . It’s awesome. Also, read more of my stuff~ I like fans. :D

Um, special note: Yunjae aren't in the fic anymore. Sorry ^^;;

ᘛ©sungyo2o12