After wrapping the wounded leg tightly, Youngbae started putting his tools back into his medical bag. He was silent, too silent. Jiyong didn't know where to begin. “I think it would be best if you left before he regains consciousness. You gave him such a scare and even poked a needle into him. He's bound to be pissed at you.” Jiyong smiled apologetically. “Thank you so much for coming to my rescue. I don't know where I'd be without you.” Jiyong grinned. He was obviously trying to smooth things over, but he meant what he said, on so many levels.

Youngbae finally broke his silence. “Jiyong.. you need to take him to a hospital and contact the authorities. You can't just camp out here, alone with a wild homicidal boy.” Youngbae was dead serious. He had a knack for calling Jiyong out on his crap. But this was something Jiyong was not prepared to back down from. “I can't. Who knows what they will do to him!” Jiyong said a little too theatrically. “Who are 'they'?” Youngbae asked, not buying Jiyong's antics. “The whole society, really. I mean, he has no ID, so it's not like I can take him to the hospital no questions asked. And if the authorities get to him, his life as he knows it will be over. He will have no say in his own life. He will be probed and poked and treated like a side-show freak. I don't want that to happen to him. He has no one to look out for him, somebody's going to have to take his side.” Jiyong said stubbornly, trying to play on Youngbae's heartstrings.

Youngbae looked at him disapprovingly, apparently thinking this through. He looked at the boy that was snoring lightly beside them. Jiyong could see his expression getting milder. Youngbae could be extremely strict, but he was a real softie at heart. “Are you sure you're not just protecting yourself?” Youngbae asked with piercing eyes. Jiyong sometimes felt as if he had x-ray eyes, or better yet, s-ray eyes, s standing for soul since he seemed to be able to peer into his soul whenever he felt like it. Not counting Seunghyun, he had never experienced anything like it. Everyone else bought Jiyong's made up identity at face value, he was used to going through life completely hidden. Then suddenly this little bundle of sunshine comes into his life, torturing him physically and mentally, making him want to be a better person. Jiyong was often torn, who didn't want to be a better person, only it was much easier faking your way through life instead of actually having to care. Maybe Youngbae was right, maybe he was mainly protecting himself. The tabloids were going crazy, every paparazzi in Korea was trying to find out his location. If he were to show up at a hospital with boy wonder here, there was no way his whereabouts wouldn't leak out. Then this tiny, safe little world Jiyong had created would be lost forever. He wasn't ready to face the world again. Not yet.

“Maybe a part of me is, but no matter who I'm doing this for, I don't think it would be in the boy's best interest to be subjected to a grueling interrogation, lost in a sea of specialists that all have their own ideas of how to handle him, thinking of him as a problem to be solved rather than a real human being.” Jiyong was bringing out the big guns, trying his best at an inspirational speech. For whatever reason, he really disliked the idea of abandoning the boy at a hospital somewhere, with no way of protecting him. He hadn't been thinking rationally ever since he heard that cry in the woods. He felt connected to the boy. Thus if something bad happened to the boy, in a way it was like it was happening to him. He wasn't going to let that happen. He had dug his heels in, ready for battle.

Youngbae sighed. “That wound isn't minor, it could get infected. You would have to change the dressing every couple of hours or so and I would have to come back to check on it tomorrow.” Youngbae had caved. Jiyong nodded his head profusely and let Youngbae teach him how best to do it, leaving a mountain of bandages behind. Jiyong walked Youngbae to the door. Youngbae turned to face him in the doorway, softly grabbing his upper arm, looking deep into his eyes. Jiyong got goose bumps. “Be careful.” he said and prepared to leave. He walked two steps out the door, but turned around again. “I'm going to send you a message every hour, if you don't answer it immediately I'm calling the cops!” Youngbae said resolutely, with a half-smile. His smiles were his greatest weapon. Jiyong had tried time and time again to resist that wonderful eyesmile of his, failing each and every time. It was impossible!

Jiyong sat on the sofa in the living room, looking painfully at the rug under the sleeping boy. It was dirty beyond recognition. Jiyong cringed. He was thankful they weren't at his house and that this wasn't his cabin, he couldn't have handled it otherwise. What had he gotten himself into? How was he going to survive the night with a wild beast in his house. Under all the dirt, the boy looked angelic in his sleep. One couldn't have guessed that when awake, he was an uncontrollable maniac. Had he made the wrong decision? Jiyong was full of doubts. He was in no way capable of handling the situation, what had he been thinking?

Jiyong's eyelids got heavier. He forced them open, he had to keep watch on the boy. His vision was blurry, he was exhausted. He patted his cheeks lightly, trying to get to his senses while his body whispered 'sleep, sleeeep'. How was he going to stay awake all night? He was too tired to fight it and drifted off to the world of the dreaming.

“Ouch!” Jiyong's leg stung. He rubbed the sleepydust out of his eyes, peeking in the direction of his leg, searching for the reason why his leg was hurting. His heart jumped and he swallowed his breath. The boy... it was the boy. Jiyong was terrified. He had fallen asleep on his guard and this was how it ended, Jiyong game over. He was looking into the eyes of the growling boy who had seized his leg, burying his long nails into it. The boy's eyes were fierce, totally wild. He wasn't a boy, he was an animal going on instinct alone. Hungry and hurting, his instinct had clearly been to attack Jiyong. Whether it had been for revenge or to satisfy his hunger, Jiyong couldn't say. Looking into his eyes, Jiyong knew it was over. He was defenseless and the boy was ten times as strong as he was. There was no way he would be able to overpower him. Jiyong's cell phone lay on the table, so close but yet it could just as well have been lightyears away.

Jiyong took a deep breath to calm his nerves, ransacking his brain for some inkling of an idea how to get out of this alive. He came up empty. He opened his mouth to try the Heartbreaker-song again, when the boy peered his eyes and pounced. Jiyong could feel his full weight on his upper body. He could hear his own neck as it cracked when the boy yanked it to the side, going for the jugular. But he hadn't gotten to say goodbye to Seunghyun. He couldn't leave without saying goodbye. He felt horrible leaving him all alone on this godforsaken planet. It had always been the two of them. He tried to send him a thought filled with regret and love, hoping it would reach Seunghyun somehow. If there was ever a moment to discover one's telepathic abilities, it would be now. Seunghyun had been beside himself when he learned of the car accident, not leaving his side the first week in the hospital, nearly costing him his job. And now this. A sole tear ran down his cheek. Jiyong could hear a faint chime of bells, was it heaven calling him, welcoming him home?

The chimes got louder. They were unbearably loud and there was the growl again. Jiyong closed his eyes and shook his head. Wait, how could he shake his head after falling prey to that boy monster? He opened his eyes. His phone was going berserk on the table. The boy was indeed awake but he was cowering in the corner, apparently scared less of the strange sounds and vibrations coming from the phone. Oh, it had only been a dream! Jiyong's breath got lighter and he reached for the phone. A message from Youngbae. 'Still alive?'.

Jiyong had never felt happier being able to answer that question with a firm 'Yes'. He was alive! He couldn't believe it, it was a miracle. The dream had felt so real. He got goose bumps all over. It was like he was being given a second chance at life.

'Don't forget to change the bandages! If the color is anything other than white, you should change them right away.' another text message from Youngbae had arrived. 'Roger. Yes, boss! Over and out.' Jiyong answered back, smirking. He loved to pull his chain. He looked at the corner into which the boy had retreated, wary and scared. How on Earth was he going to change those bandages?

Jiyong got closer to take a look at the color of the bandages, the growling growing louder the closer he got. Jiyong had still not shaken off the feeling of the nightmare from before so he was extra careful. Jiyong's heart sank, the bandages were almost red through and through, he definitely had to change them. He went back to gather the stuff Youngbae had left behind. Think, brain, think!

Jiyong had an idea, he took his phone and keyed in 'How to approach a wolf' and hit 'search'. The boy obviously wasn't a real wolf, but he kind of behaved like one, so maybe the internet would come up with something brilliant. He clicked the link 'Wolves in the Wild - Dos and Don'ts'. He started skimming the site's content, 'It's a common myth that one should not look straight into the wolf's eyes. Actually, wolves rely heavily on eye position for communication as well as facial expressions. If you avoid the wolf's gaze, it will be impossible for him to understand you, often increasing agitation resulting in unpredictable outcomes. However, if the wolf is clearly threatening you, growling, using aggressive body language, then averting the wolf's gaze can signal that you want to avoid a fight, declaring yourself the submissive one.'. Jiyong was confused, so should he or shouldn't he look him in the eye?

Jiyong decided just to trust his instincts. He approached the boy cautiously, but without fear, since it was often said animals could smell fear on you. Jiyong's heart broke. The boy was seemingly in a lot of pain. Jiyong looked him encouragingly in the eyes, “I'm here to help you.” he said softly. He reached out for the boy's leg but he retreated further into the corner, gnarling. Jiyong tried to put himself in the boy's shoes. He had probably never seen the inside of a house and now he was trapped there with a strange person, his leg hurting like hell, not knowing what was happening to him. Jiyong needed to find a way to make the boy trust him. Jiyong lifted up one of the cuffs of his trousers, baring his leg. He took the disinfectant, showed the boy the bottle and then put some on his own leg. He figured it would sting a little if he put it on the boy's wound, so he let out a small hissing sound, curling his face up dramatically. The boy looked at Jiyong curiously, he probably thought he was one weird dude. He then took some bandages and tied them around his leg, smiling, showing him it was completely safe.

Now came the tricky part. Performing this same routine on the the boy. He reached for the boy's leg, the boy was watching his actions intently, but this time he didn't shy away. Jiyong carefully undid the used bandages, the boy whining a bit. He then took the disinfectant bottle and held it up. The boy examined it with his eyes, moving his head closer. He tried poking it a little with his nose, not taking his eyes off it for one second. When nothing happened, he sniffed it. The smell was so strong that he sneezed hard, looking surprised at Jiyong. Jiyong put the bottle up to his own nose and faked a sneeze as well, trying to show him it was okay. He held the bottle over the wound and squeezed. The boy cried out in pain, a couple of tears making a break for it. That boy had some pipes, Jiyong thought. Even his screams sounded lyrical. Jiyong wailed with him, it was the only way he could think of to communicate to the boy that he felt his pain.

Jiyong felt guilty over the nightmare he had had, in reality the boy was just a lost little soul in need of rescue. He redid the bandages and said “There! All good!”. The boy pointed at the bandages, Jiyong nodded “Yeah, bandages.”. “Ben-du-ji” the boy copied. “That's right! Bandages!” Jiyong exclaimed beside himself with excitement. He was a really fast learner! The boy pointed at his other foot, “Benduji”. Jiyong's excitement vanished. “Yeah. No.” he said disappointedly. The boy pointed at Jiyong's arm, “Benduji?”. Jiyong snorted and shook his head tiredly.

The boy started whining again, the leg was bothering him. Jiyong handed him a powerful painkiller Youngbae had left for him, indicating that he should swallow it. The boy wanted nothing to do with it. Jiyong sighed and took one of the tablets and gobbled it down ceremoniously, the boy watching his every move. He handed him another tablet and the boy copied his movements down to the smallest twitch. Wow, that stuff really did its job. Jiyong got woozy right away.

“You really need a name, boy.” Jiyong said exhausted, trying to keep awake. “How about... Great Voice - Daesung.” Jiyong drooled and fell into a dreamless sleep, huddled up together with the already sleeping boy on the floor.