Jongup put on his work clothes and tied his bandana on his head. It's another of day of work at the car workshop he's been working at for the last six months. Jongup used to run the street with one of the gangs in Seoul. Everything changed when his mother got admitted to the hospital and begged him to live a straight life as her last wish. She died just two days after that and it shook him deeply. He promised himself that he'd try to get a better life for the sake of his mother's wish. 

When he told his friends that he wanted out, he almost got himself killed. His friends sold him up to their leader and as a consequences, he was subjected to harsh beatings. They wanted to beat him to death as a punishment for even considered leaving. Jongup was sure that his mother in heaven watched over him, because the next day he woke up at the same place his so-called friends almost beat him to death the night before. 

A boy with a skateboard saw him limping on the street and brought him home. He was unconscious for a couple of days and when he woke up he found himself in a room with a wet towel on his forehead. He still remembered the time when a girl several years older than him walked inside the room with a smile on her face seeing her guest had wake up. 

Dahee and Zelo were his savior, and he stayed with them since then. They helped him adapting to his new way of life. They gave him a place to live and helped him find a proper job. After a while, Jongup found himself loving the fact that he don't have to worry over some gang fights and the sound of a police car anymore. But beyond everything, he found himself couldn't wait to always come home to the house where his new family lives.

Jongup walked out from the staff room and cleared up his work area. He crawled on his back to slip below a car he's been working on since yesterday. The car owner said he wanted the car repaired by today, so he needs to work fast. After a while, he heard footsteps near him and he could see two guy stood just besides the car. He recognized his boss' shoes but not the other one.

"What do you want? We paid our rent already." His boss said with an annoyed tone.

"Relax.. I won't disturb your bussiness today. I just want to ask if you've seen this guy around here."

It was silent for a while and then Jongup heard his boss talked again, "No, I haven't seen him."

"Really? That's too bad. Make sure to tell me if you do, his name is Bang Yongguk. Here, keep this picture."

"Yeah yeah sure, just go. You'll scare our customer." His boss shooed the guy away and walked back inside his office room.

Jongup stopped what he was doing when he heard the name he's familiar with. Is that the same Bang Yongguk who lives in his house for almost a week now? Jongup slidded out from below the car and went to his boss's office. He needed to confirm what he heard earlier. He knocked the room and opened the door when his boss said to come in.

"Jongup, what do you need?"

"I'm just going to check when will the car owner come today." He lied.

"He'll be here at three, make sure you finished the car by then."

"Okay sure." Jongup tried to see the picture that was on his boss' desk but he couldn't see clearly so he decided to risk asking, "Anyway, what's that?" He pointed to the picture.

"This? One of Byungjin's men came earlier and asked if I've seen this guy, have you?" His boss showed the picture to him.

It was him. It was their Bang Yongguk. Jongup tried to put a straight face and took the picture from his boss. "No, I haven't. By Byungjin you mean that loanshark?"

"Yeah him. You knew him?" Of course Jongup knows him. Byungjin was the most ruthless guy in the area, his gang actually had to face him a couple of times.

"Heard his reputation.. Well, I better get back to work now." Jongup gave the picture back to his boss but he rejected it.

"Just throw it away. I don't want to be involved in this kind of thing."

"Okay.." Jongup put the picture in his pocket and left the room.

During work, he couldn't help but thinking about it. It was never a good thing to have yourself being chased by Byungjin. What did Yongguk do? Jongup couldn't find any good answer. Is he a bad guy? If he was, Jongup have to protect his friends from him. But Dahee noona would never bring a bad guy to her house, she always knew if someone is good or evil. Could it be that she was wrong this time? Jongup made a mental note to himself to find out about this.

♦ ♦ ♦

"Kamsahamnida.." Yongguk said to the guy behind the counter when he gave him his change. Yongguk walked out from the convenience store and decided to take a stroll for a while before heading home. Dahee had asked him to help her buy some things she needs for dinner tonight and he took it as a chance to got himself familiar with the neighbourhood. His wounds were much better now and he already got all his strengh back. The next thing he had to do now was to find a job.

Dahee and the guys have been so nice to him but he saw himself as no more than a freeloader at the house. He needed to find a job soon. But in order to do that, he needs his documents before he could apply to any job. He didn't even have his identity card with him. Yongguk sighed when he realized that he must go back to his house to take the things he needs. Would it be safe? He wasn't sure.

Yongguk walked past a spacious park and decided to sat there for a while to think. He pulled out his cigarette and lit it. He thought about what happened in his life for the past months; his father's death, being separated from his mother, being caught by Byungjin, running away, starving on the street, and then... Dahee.

Instantly, the face that he's been seeing everyday played in his mind. Her voice, her smile, her laugh, and how she takes care of everyone in the house like it was the most normal thing to do for her. No matter how hard Yongguk tried to keep his promise to Himchan, he knew that it was too late. He already fall deeply in love with her, maybe from the first moment he stared into her eyes. 

Stomping his cigarette on the ground, he stood on his feet and exited the park. A noise from across the street caught his attention and he approached them to check what's going on. It turned out that there was some kind of street dance battle going on. He tried to slipped himself among the excited crowds to see better. 

There was one guy with a black sleeveless hoodie dancing and another guy who stood still at the other side, maybe thinking about his next move. Yongguk was awed at the powerful krumping the hooded guy showed and he started to cheer with the others unknowingly. As his last move, the dancer did an airflip and everyone cheered louder. It was clear that he won the battle. Thanking the crowds, he bowed to everyone and dropped his hoodie so that now his face could be seen clearly.

"Jongup?" Yongguk recognized him as the other maknae he's been living with for a while now. Hearing a baritone voice he's familiar with, Jongup turned his head and saw Yongguk in the crowds.

"Hyung! What are you doing here?" He approached him with a smile. Yongguk showed him the plastic bag from the convenience store and he nodded understandingly, "You're heading home? Wait for me okay, let's go back together."

Yongguk waited as Jongup grabbed his stuffs and bid goodbye to his friends. A couple of minutes later, Jongup ran to him with his backpack, "Ga ja!"

Yongguk pulled out a bottle of water from the plastic bag and threw it to him, "Drink this, you must be thirsty."

"Thanks hyung." Jongup gulped down his drink and threw it to the nearest trash bin once he's done.

"I didn't know you can dance like that, woaah that was so cool." Yongguk said with a wide smile on his face. He just knew Jongup as a boy who doesn't talk much and just do whatever people tells him to do without much asking, and seeing his dancing self was something new to him.

"Hehehe I always like dancing, it's my way to release stress." Jongup grinned bashfully.

"Everyone knew about this?"

"Yeah, they watch me dance here sometimes. So, Dahee noona's home already?"Jongup asked. Dahee used to stay longer at the social welfare center she works at because she didn't really have anything to do alone at home, but Jongup noticed that she started to come home early since Yongguk came. Jongup thought it was because she needed to take care of Yongguk but now that Yongguk fully healed he started to think otherwise. He thought that maybe, just maybe, Dahee comes home earlier to see Yongguk.

"She came home at four, why?"

"Ani..it's just that she never home until at least six, when everyone starts to come home too."

"Really?"

"Yeahh..but maybe things are different now." 

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing.." Jongup grinned innocently.

"Aish. I never understand anything you say."

"So does everyone, hahaha."

They walked past some students who entered a study academy and Jongup watched them in envy. Because of his life style back then, he didn't manage to finish his highschool. He regretted it so much but now he's going to make up for it. With the help of Yongjae, he studies hard to be able to take the GED exam this year. 

As he saw Yongguk's back who were walking ahead of him, he remembered the picture he had in his backpack. Should he confront him now? or could it wait until later? No, he needed to know now.

"Hyung, what's your relatioship with Hwang Byungjin?" Jongup saw Yongguk stopped in his place and turned around slowly, his face unreadable.

"How did you know about him?" Yongguk asked him back with a low voice. He walked to him and showed him the picture.

"Someone came to my workplace with this."

"So he does still looking for me.." Yongguk mumbled when he saw one of his picture that Byungjin took from his family house.

"Why is he looking for you? What did you do?"

"What do you know about him, Jongup-ah?"

"Many things, and not one of them is good. He's a dangerous man. So, tell me everything."

Yongguk sighed, trying to find out where to start to explain to the younger guy in front of him, so he decided to tell him from the beginning. Just like what he told Dahee. Jongup's expression turned from curiousity to utter fear. He knew what does it mean for Yongguk to be on Byungjin's bad side. He knew all too well about those part of street life he never wanted to go back to.

"Hyung, this is bad."

"I know.."

"No, you don't. You can't run from him.."

AN:

@pretty_rania1 : I'm glad that the story progresses to your liking :)