They’re in a garden, outside the house that Baekhyun assumes to be the home of Sehun’s childhood.

There’s a swing and a slide to one side, and a clothesline sitting at the end of a paved pathway that snakes through the grass. White shirts hang from it, and Baekhyun feels at ease.

Sehun, with mousy-brown hair, sits on a swing. He is not alone, Baekhyun notes.

There is a boy, perhaps a year or two older than Sehun, occupying the other swing. The soccer ball sits between this boy’s feet, as he pants heavily.

“So we actually made it…”

Baekhyun nods. Chanyeol breathes a sigh of relief.

“It sure is nice here,” Baekhyun states. Chanyeol doesn't agree.

“I don’t think so.”

Baekhyun looks at him in surprise.

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you notice anything odd before?” Chanyeol asks. Baekhyun shakes his head.

“No?”

“I have a feeling…nevermind. I just hope I’m wrong…”

Baekhyun watches as the older boy gets up from his swing, and kicks the ball around excitedly.

“You’ll never catch me, Sehun!” he calls.

“Get back here Junmyeon!” Sehun yells back, leaping off the swing.

“Junmyeon!” Baekhyun points out loudly. “That’s Junmyeon?”

Chanyeol gives a small nod.

“You’re not going to like this… if I’m right,” he tells Baekhyun.

Junmyeon shuffles his way around the grass. Sehun tries to follow, but the smaller boy’s legs aren’t long enough to cover the distance in the time it takes for Junmyeon.

“Goal!” the older shouts as he kicks his way through a net.

“Not fair! You’re bigger than me!” Sehun complains.

Junmyeon gives him a wink.

“I’m better than you at soccer!”

Sehun pouts.

“It’s not fair!” he complains. Junmyeon gives him a smile.

“You’ll just have to grow!” he pokes Sehun playfully on the nose. Sehun’s nose twitches cutely.

“If you grow big and strong, you could be as cool as me!” Junmyeon grins. Sehun pushes him playfully.

“As if you’re cool!”

Junmyeon feigns a hurt look, but breaks into a massive beam.

“Catch me if you can!” he calls.

Junmyeon moves quickly, running to a gate that leads off to the house’s driveway.

Baekhyun sees the family’s large car’s backlights before he realises where this memory is going.

“I’d better get going, the store closes early today!”

It’s Sehun’s mother, in the front seat of the car, her hand on the steering wheel.

“I’ll be home soon, honey! Take care of the boys for me!”

Junmyeon is in the driveway by now, his legs pattering gracefully on the concrete. Sehun’s barely made it to the gate once it shuts.

Sehun stands on his tip-toes to try and flick the lock to let himself out so he can follow Junmyeon, but his hands are clammy from running around and he is far too short to reach.

She doesn’t look behind her as she presses her foot on the accelerator, the car jerking backwards.

“NO!” Baekhyun shouts.

Chanyeol places his hands over Baekhyun’s eyes as a blood-curdling scream fills the peaceful air. He pulls the shorter man into a hug, so that Baekhyun’s face is in his chest.

Baekhyun cries heavily into Chanyeol’ shoulder, as Chanyeol tries to hush him. Chanyeol knows this is too much for Baekhyun to handle.

“Junmyeon!” Sehun’s mother lets out a strangled sob.

Chanyeol watches on sadly as the woman nurses the boy in her arms, her eyes becoming red and puffy, her clothes now soaked with tears.

People begin to gather around, but she doesn’t notice any of the onlookers. She is caught in her own little world.

Sehun finally manages to unlock himself out of the garden.

“Junmyeon! Junmyeon!” he shouts repeatedly. Baekhyun sniffles, and Chanyeol presses him harder to his chest.

“Junmyeon! Can you hear me? Junmyeon? Why did you hit him, mother?”

Sehun is hysterical.

“Wake up, Junmyeon! Wake up! Mother baked us that cake, remember? I know you wanted to have a piece! I know you did!”

The woman tries to push her son away, but she can’t.

“Why did you hit him? Why?”

Chanyeol sighs.

“Now I know why Sehun had to use those beta blockers. Losing an older brother at such a young age must have been too painful to bare.” Chanyeol reports.

“What about their mother?” Baekhyun asks between hiccups.

“I don’t think she took the beta blockers,” Chanyeol explains, running a hand through Baekhyun’s hair possessively.

“She must have gone a little crazy after that.”

“What do you mean?” Baekhyun inquires.

“Let’s just say… I don’t think she called Sehun ‘Junmyeon’ as a mere nickname for his father…”

“You mean…?” Baekhyun says, shocked.

Chanyeol nods.

“But what about Sehun?” he questions. Chanyeol shakes his head.

“Let’s go. I don’t think I can stand the smell of blood anymore.”

Chanyeol walks over to the body. Junmyeon’s small hand is curled around a small slip of paper.

“Is this the next link?”

“Seems so.”

Baekhyun wipes his nose on his sleeve, letting out a small sniffling sound as Chanyeol picks up the paper. There’s a drop of blood in the corner, but Chanyeol quickly wipes it away before Baekhyun can see it.

Chanyeol knows Baekhyun is really more fragile than he makes himself out to be. Chanyeol likes to shield his boyfriend as best as he can from pain.





The pair is once again in the small bedroom; the one that Chanyeol now knows must be shared.

At first he though the bunk bed was Sehun’s mother spoiling her son, but now he realises that the room homed two children, instead of one.

Sehun is sitting on the top bunk, his legs dangling over the side as he stares down at his older brother. Junmyeon is sitting at his desk. He’s reading a book. An all too familiar book.

“You should try reading this… it’s by Hans Christian Andersen. Pretty cool!” Junmyeon tells the younger boy.

“No! I don’t like to read!” Sehun grumbles, throwing his hands in the air.

“Can we please do something exciting? You’re being so boring today, Junmyeon!” he complains.

Junmyeon sighs and snaps his book shut, laying it down on the table in front of him.

“You know, I want to be a famous writer when I grow up!” Junmyeon tells Sehun loudly. He grins.

“I’ll make us rich, and I’ll buy you and mother really big houses, and we can play soccer outside all the time!” Junmyeon smiles.

Sehun remains silent.

“What? You’re still mad at me from before?” Junmyeon asks.

“You know I wanted that soccer ball,” Sehun grumbles.

“But you got a prize too… what was it again? A stuffed teddy bear? Where did it go anyway?”

Sehun looks down.

“I gave it away.”

“You what? Why?”

Sehun refuses to answer the question.

“Look, it’s not about that at all. It’s about everything!”

“What are you talking about?” Junmyeon asks.

Sehun glares at the older boy.

“Come on, Junmyeon. You know mother likes you better than me.”

“Hey! That’s not true!” Junmyeon asserts.

Sehun shakes his head.

“Remember last Christmas? And Easter… and the day we went fishing with Lay and grandfather? And-“

“Stop, Sehun. That’s enough,” Junmyeon says warily. “You can keep my soccer ball, OK?”

There is a pause.

“Really?”

“Of course. I mean, if what you’re saying is true, mother will just buy me a new one!” Junmyeon throws a warm smile at Sehun and punches him playfully on the arm.

“Listen, Sehun. What difference does it make who ‘owns’ what? Everything that’s mine, is yours too. That’s what brothers do.”

Sehun stares at the ground, a smile forming on his lips.

“If that’s true, then come on! Come outside and play soccer with me!”

Sehun picks the ball off the ground and grabs Junmyeon’s arm, pulling the older child behind him. Junmyeon lets out a giggle and runs along after him. His eyes scan outside.

“It’s raining though, Sehun! We’ll get sick!”

“I don’t care,” Sehun snaps back. “Come on!”

Baekhyun looks down at his screen, and all of the five small spheres on the bottom left light up. It’s time to find the memento and move on.