a/n:

This is my first try in angst. This is my weakness, but thanks a lot to my favorite soap operas.

I have made this one-shot because of many emotional soaps out there. Thanks a lot.

This one-shot originated from a dream I had years ago. And now, here I am.

Hope you like this. Please COMMENT after reading. I need suggestions ~ 

"The world comes to life, and everything's right...

From beginning to end, when you have a friend by your side,

that helps you to find. The beauty you are when you open your

heart and believe it... The Gift of a Friend..."

-Demi Lovato, The Gift of a Friend

I strolled down the usual garden. It was like Heaven every time I go there. No one is annoying you.  I can only see the birds flapping their wings like angels and singing harmoniously, and the clear white sky where I  can have peace in both my mind and body. I suddenly felt light, like I'm falling in an infinite space. Then I closed my eyes as the cold wind passed by. The wind whispered something in my ear. "Your not alone," it said.  I was not frightened to hear that, instead I was so happy to hear that someone is joining me. Another cold wind passed. 

Just then, I remembered the events that happened years ago.

During my eighth birthday, I had a friend named Wooyoung. He appears innocent and cute but he really is a strong fighter that will do anything to protects his loved ones, unlike me who's always being bullied by my classmates but thanks to him, I was saved. He warned those bullies or else they'll be punched and kicked by him. And that's the time we started to be good friends.

At first he detested me. Why? I was so spoiled before, anything that I want will be right in front of me. He hated kids like that. But when I was being bullied, he felt sorry for me. That's the reason he saved me. As a thank you gift, I gave him one of my toy before: a remote-controlled car. He really wanted to have the toy, but his parents can't afford it. 

He did many good things to me. Like one time, when we were dancing, one classmate tried to stomp my foot. But he pushed him aside so that it will not happen. There are many things he did that I can't say in here because it's a lot. 

December 24, 2000

Before Christmas,  Wooyoung's parents came into our house, crying. My parents sent them inside. When they said what happened, thousands of needles pricked my heart. "We have lots of debts to pay to my stepbrother. He threatened us that if we couldn't pay him after five months, something bad will happen to our family. We didn't pay our debts fully that is why we tried to protect Wooyoung, but when we came to school, his teacher said that Wooyoung's gone."

"Did you called the police?" my father asked. They shook their heads in total despair. I went upstairs and cried a lot that night. Where are you Wooyoung? When I realized that I need to look for him, I decided to sneak out of my house at exactly 12:00 to find him. I knew it was dangerous but I really need to find him.

12:00 AM.

I exhaled heavily to let out my nervousness so that determination can take place. Before getting out of the house, I wrote a letter to my parents and then prayed to God. "God, please guide me. I really need to find my good friend. Please, God." As I prayed tears fell down on my cheeks. I placed the letter on the coffee table and left the house.

When I was walking, I didn't know how and where to find him. I waited patiently for some clues that will lead to Wooyoung. Abruptly, my phone rang. "Hello?" I answered. "Who's this?" I heard a chuckle from the other line. But behind that, I also heard vague screams and calling for help. "Nichkhun! It's me Wooyoung! Please help me!" His voice again became vague. "Go here at the abandoned warehouse near the kimchi restaurant. If you don't come within thirty minutes, he'll be dead," a mysterious man spoke. "Hey, wait!" But the other line ended. Where is the kimchi restaurant.

I had a hard time looking for that damn kimchi restaurant. He should have given me the name of that kimchi restaurant. When I felt tired, I sat on a stool and wrapped my arms around my waist. A tear dropped even though I wasn't crying. I stood up, determined. "I need to look for him," I told myself. I need to look for the kimchi restaurant within the time limit. Or else Wooyoung will be dead.

I searched every corner and every street, running. Even though my energy was low, I still managed to run. I need to be quick in finding that place. Then, I noticed that there was a row of kimchi restaurants near the wet market.  There was a small space beside it. Thinking this might be the place where the warehouse is, I took it and reached the abandoned warehouse. Lights were lit on the second floor. But there were lots of guard outside that floor. They were holding large guns. So instead of walking, I crawled down.

The first floor was disgusting. Lots of garbage bags were dumped in there. I controlled my body to make unnecessary sounds or else I'm dead. When I reached the second floor, I immediately hid behind the walls because there was a guard blocking my way to the second floor. He slowly walked towards North, which will give me a chance to hit him something that will knock him down. Luckily, a large stone was beside me. When I saw his foot, I positioned myself. I raised my arms and aimed at his head. Then there he was, lying. I pulled his body quickly.

I immediately saw Wooyoung when I crawled upstairs. He was tied and dirty. A man was trying to give him food but he rejected the offer. The man then slapped his face. In anger, I clenched my fists. Wooyoung turned his gaze in my direction. When he saw me, his eyes suddenly went bright. 

"Oh, it looks like we have an unpleasant visitor here," a man spoke from behind. I turned around and I saw a man. He was tall and dark with a strong build and was wielding a baseball bat. Frightened, I stepped back but he was stepping toward me. Two of his people then seized me. The man punched my stomach, and I was knocked out. I saw nothing but black.

***

I felt dizzy, and realized that I was asleep for some time. I opened my eyes and saw the dazzling light. I was about to stand, but I was tied. Beside me was my good friend, Wooyoung. He was awake, crying and felt sad and gloomy. "Wooyoung," I called. He faced me and his eyes went teary, "Why did you looked for me? It's too dangerous!" 

"I don't care about that. What I care about is you. I need to save you for a reason. You saved my life many times already. Now it's my turn to save yours now. It's okay if I suffer hardships, I just wanted you to be fine."

He gave me an anxious smile. "Thank you, Nichkhun." Then, the tall man went inside, clapping. "That's what I call drama. I'll give you five out of five stars there. Now, I'll ask you a question, do you know why you two are here?" We didn't answered. "Of course, you know! Haha! Wooyoung's parents were so poor that they can't even pay their debts."

"They're not poor!" I protested. "Shut it, you rant! How much is your debt, Wooyoung? Oh, I know. 500, 000 won. That's not enough to pay what happened to my family! It costs a life, so that's why Wooyoung is here! He should die, he should die!" Then the man punched him. I cringed from my seat. "And you, you are his good friend that will be there to save him. How precious. But do you know who you are befriending with? He has the blood of a criminal flowing through his veins. He should be your enemy."

"Let's do the 'criminal' talk. You know why I said that? His mom killed my wife! His mom killed my children. His mom killed everything I loved!" Then he punched Wooyoung again. I wanted to stop him, but unfortunately I am tied. "His mom is a criminal! She and her family should be out behind the bars now. But who appears to be the bad guy now? Me. Why? Because I kidnapped his innocent son who isn't!" His phone suddenly rang.

He smiled widely. "Hello, my dear stepsister. Why did you called? Oh, tell them their handsome son is here trying to save his good friend but he couldn't. Did I just heard them pleading? Sorry, but he will be dead, too. Goodbye, criminal." I gave him a sullen look. "You heard that? You will be dead, too."

***

Wooyoung was smiling, but behind that smile was sadness and pure agony. He felt like he wanted to commit suicide, but he also didn't want to end his life. He knows that God will save us both. I held his hands firmly and looked at each other. 

For three days, we were tortured and we have to follow them. One time, we had to clean their dirty body. If we made a flaw, we will be slapped, punch, and kicked. We have to bear those. Wooyoung was a strong fighter, but that spirit faded away. He was dull and speechless. 

Within the next three weeks, our parents were calling the man. They were threatening him. "You think I'll be fooled by those joked? It isn't a joke? Seriously? I wanted to laugh so hard!" He then ended the call. "Wu-seong, Byung-ho, take care of those kids okay? I've got business to do."

The two men drank for an hour until one of them, the curly-haired guy went sleepy while the young-looking man was still awake. He grabbed the knife from the other man's vest and walked towards us. I was frightened. He might kill us. But instead of walking in front, he went behind our seats and started cutting the knot. I was amazed and confused.

"Mister, why are you doing this?" I asked. "Just sit there," he said in reply. After both of our hads were free he explained. "I am a police officer who is asked to investigate this case. After what I heard, it may be that his mom was innocent and accidentally killed Mr. Nae-sang's family, or it wasn't an accident and that she really meant to kill his family."

"It was an accident," Wooyoung suddenly spoke. "My mom took care of his baby when I was four years old. He and my mom had a good relationship. Mr. Nae-sang hired a maid to aide my mom in taking care of the children. But the maid detested my mom for an unknown reason. Until I learned that the maid was a criminal. She poured poison on the kimchi, and that was the day his family was killed."

"What was the maid's name?" the police asked. "Her name was Han Cho-ah. But her fake name was Lee Chae-ra. You know her?" The police snapped his fingers. "She was the woman behind the Kam family poisoning, right? And was the one behind the HanGwang High School food poisoning?" Wooyoung nodded.

"But wait, why is she killing without any purpose or valid reason?" I butted in. "She has a mental illness. In short, she is crazy," Wooyoung replied. 

***

"Byung-ho, where is Wu-seong?" Mr. Nae-sang asked when he came. Me and Wooyoung acted like we were still tied even though it was just a rope tied on our hands which we can easily pull out, and Wu-seong was actually dead. Mr. Byung-ho stabbed him when he found out that he helped us. "He took a pee," Mr. Byung-ho lied. 

He walked toward us. "So how are you two? Haven't you suffered enough?" We didn't responded. "Nichkhun, your mom says 'hi' and that he wanted to see you. They were so strong that we couldn't kidnap me and Wooyoung's mom. Many soldiers were outside your mansion. It was so scary."

The next two weeks went on as usual. We follow them, and if we made a flaw, we'll receive a grand prize of punches and kicks. Luckily, Mr. Byung-ho was in-charge of untying us. And our acting seemed so perfect. But that's what we only get. Our stomachs were filled with two day-old foods. It was almost spoiled, but we have no choice but to eat it.

The next day, Mr. Byung-ho was left alone while the other was gone to do their 'business'. We planned to escape now. He agreed. "We have to be careful, okay? Here," then he gave us handguns. "If someone will hinder just shoot them with this until they're dead." We reluctantly nodded. "Now, let's go."

***

We sneaked out of the warehouse and rode his car. He sent us home. Me and Wooyoung held each other's hands while we were on the way to my house. After twenty minutes or so, we arrived at my house. Many soldiers were outside fighting with Mr. Nae-sang's gang. Wooyoung slightly opened the window and aimed his gun to one of his people. Aim, then shoot. He successfully killed one. They were outnumbered. So they ran out of the scene. I tried to shoot one of them, and successfully I had.

When the soldiers saw us, one of them sent us inside. I saw our parents crying. We ran to them and hugged them tightly. All of us were crying. Mr. Byung-ho was behind.

He explained to our parents what actually happened according to Wooyoung. Thanks to him, the case is solved. Now, the police department just need to find the real culprit and Nae-sang. 

Just then...

"Wow, what a family reunion. Think we're done. Not yet. And, oh, Byung-ho! You traitor," Mr. Nae-sang said. Mr. Byung-ho stood up while we stood behind them. "I don't give a Nae-sang. I know the truth already." Mr. Nae-sang chuckled. "You actually think I'll believe that? Hell no! Now get out of my way!" He punched Byung-ho's stomach and walked to us. He grabbed Wooyoung by the arm and aimed a gun on his head.

"Now, you choose, who should I kill? Wooyoung, his mother, or Nichkhun?" Mr. Nae-sang asked. "I'll wait for your answer." But suddenly, Wooyoung pushed him and tried to get his gun. Our guns were left inside the car. Why are we so stupid? He struggle against Mr. Nae-sang, but both were strong. 

They were struggling until...

Bang.

"Wooyoung!" I yelled. He was the one shot. He dropped on the floor. Anger started to fill my heart. Wooyoung's already dead. Many things happened so fast in just a blink of an eye. Mr. Nae-sang stood there staring at Wooyoung's body. I ran to Mr. Nae-sang out of anger. He fell down and I punched him because of my anger. I punched him until he was bleeding. 

I heard sirens from police cars outside the house. 

***

Wooyoung was really dead. He was semi-conscious when we brought him to the the hospital. I was so worried that he might be dead. I don't want that to happen. He went through a successful operation, but he was still weak and dull. 

I entered his room. I saw him happy but his lips were dry and dull. "Hi, Wooyoung." "Hi, Nichkhun. What did you bring?" I was carrying a large basket of fruits. "Here, fruits. So you can be healthy and strong like what you are before." He gave me a smile. "Thanks, Nichkhun." I fed him. I was so happy that he was alive.

But a mind-blowing news made my heart shred into pieces.

"Jang Wooyoung's dead. Time of death: 9:00 PM. Cause of death: unknown," the doctor announced. "Unknown? Why unknown? You are doctors! You should know why he's dead! Why?" I demanded while slightly tearing up. "Mr. Nichkhun, Mr. Wooyoung wanted to give this to you." He then handed me Wooyoung's diary. He had this for almost 7 years. 

When I came home, I went straight to my room and opened the diary. His hand writings were much more beautiful and neat than mine. Anyway, I started reading it. 

For the first five pages, he described the school he was at. Then he described the different kinds of people in there. I laughed when I was at the 'spoiled' section. He really hated me. Then the later pages were all about our friendship, how he saved me from those bullied when we were kids, and every detail and memories about our childhood were there. It was complete.

The second part of the diary was about his confessions. About the death if his uncle's family which he knew the truth. He said it all for ten pages. The next pages were blank because it was the time he and I were kidnapped. I proceeded to the page were the bookmark was pinned. It was an entry about his life in the hospital and how he appreciated my help.

I cried a lot when he wrote: he is a good friend, he was a friend worth dying for. Many people wanted to have this kind of friend, I'm lucky I was one of them. 

His last words to me where: When your hope crushes down, try to reach to the ground, Nichkhun. When you don't know which way to, there's no signs leading you home. You're not alone. Even I'm gone, just remember: LIFE GOES ON. I will miss you. - Wooyoung.

That was his last diary entry which made me cry a lot.

***

My life goes on like what he said. Now, at age 24, I am one of the most successful businessman in the the whole world. In my speeches, I always thank Wooyoung. He was part of my success, too. I can feel that he's still beside me, guiding me wherever I go. And the case was also solved. Han Cho-ah was brought to a mental hospital while Mr. Nae-sang now lives miles away from our family.

Another called wind passed. 

I looked beside and I saw Wooyoung. "Wooyoung," I mumbled. "I miss you." He smiled. "I miss you, too, Nichkhun. Thank you for being a part of my life. I never thought my life would be this beautiful with you." "Me, too, Wooyoung." We embraced each other tightly. Another wind passed by and Wooyoung was pulled up by the clear white sky. I waved my hands up, "Bye, Wooyoung."

"Bye, Nichkhun."

Wow, I can't believe I was crying while writing this one. Stop crying, stop it.

Anyway, that's it, I hope you like it! (Why am I still crying?)