Junhyung sat quietly on the window sill. His leg hung over the ledge as he listened to the sounds of his brother’s keyboard. Neither of them had been able to rest, even though it was a school night. Junhyung was too worried about his friends and Ilhoon was too upset with his group, so instead of sleeping, Ilhoon played softly into the early hours of the morning.

            Ilhoon had been taking lessons from Junhyung for weeks now. He was nowhere near the level of his brother, but he managed to pick up the instrument rather quickly, as well as learn to read and write sheet music. He knew how to play both "Wow" and "Thriller" and was now practicing a song his brother had composed for Beast, a sad tune simply titled, ‘On Rainy Days’.

            “Ilhoon?” The boys turned toward the door as a sleepy-eyed Jiyoon stumbled into the room. “What are you doing? It’s three in the morning.”

            “Can’t sleep,” Ilhoon sighed, resting his fingers on the keys.

            “Is something wrong?” the girl asked, noticing the red in her little brother’s eyes, left behind from the tears he'd shed before.

            “It’s nothing.”

            “Don’t lie to me Ilhoon,” Jiyoon replied.

            “This is all my fault,” Junhyung muttered, causing both Ilhoon and Jiyoon to look at him.

            Ilhoon groaned, “Will you drop the self- martyrdom, hyung. You didn’t do anything wrong. So what if you guys lied about your supernatural species. Big ing deal! You didn’t lie about who you are on the inside and that’s what matters. You six did more for BtoB than we ever could’ve hoped for and if those idiots choose to throw it all away because of a stupid name-”

            “Hold up, hold up,” Jiyoon interrupted. “First of all, what’s going on here? What happened between you two and the rest of Btob, and what lie?”

            Junhyung sighed, swinging his legs back into the bedroom, “When we told the boys that we had become ‘shadow entities’ it was only half true. Actually, the correct term is ‘shadow demons.’ We came up with the term ‘shadow entities’ to soften the blow a little bit.”

            Jiyoon took a moment to think before simply replying, “So?”

            “Well the thing is,” Junhyung smirked, eyes cast toward the ground, “Shadow demons happen to be synonymous with consuming the souls of their links to use their bodies to walk in the daylight.”

            Jiyoon’s eyes widened as Junhyung rose his hands defensively.

            “Hold on, it’s not like I’m gonna do it!” The shadow defended. “I’d never hurt Ilhoon.”

            “Damn right you won’t!” The young girl yelled and Junhyung sighed.

            “I guess you don’t trust me either.” Junhyung sighed as he looked back to the floor.

            “Of course I trust you.” Junhyung’s eyes widened, looking back up at his sister as she continued. “I trust you because I know that you know that I won’t hesitate to kick your from here to Zanzibar if you so much as harm one hair on our brother’s head.”

            Junhyung laughed awkwardly as the young girl continued. “Besides, you’re our older brother.  Demon or not, you’re still family and I know you wouldn’t hurt either of us, right?”

            Junhyung smiled, giving his sister a quick nod.

            “Ok,” Jiyoon grinned and hugged both of her brothers. “Now what’s all this about Btob throwing all of your hard work away?”

            Ilhoon sighed. “Those jerks are making a big deal out of nothing.”

            “Hey, those are your best friends,” Jiyoon argued.

            Ilhoon rolled his eyes.

            “When we told the boys the truth about shadow demons, there was a lot of tension.” Junhyung continued, returning to the window sill.

            “The other Beast members fell dormant.” Ilhoon admitted. “They won’t wake up until those jerks call on them. They’re just being stubborn.”

            Jiyoon shook her head. “It won’t last.” She patted her brother on the head.

            “What makes you say that?” Ilhoon asked.

            “I’ve seen the thirteen of you together. You all have something special. It might just take a little while before they realize how much Beast means to them, but if your friends are anything like what I’ve seen in them, they’ll call on their shadows soon enough.”

            The next day came and went as the late afternoon sun sank in the west. Peniel and Sungjae had avoided the rest of Btob throughout the entire day; in fact none of Btob had met with each other. There was no rehearsal, there was no lunch gathering, and none of them were even in the mood to interact with Vixx upon their return to campus after an unexplained sick leave. With the exception of Changsub who spent the day with Jihoon, no one was in a good mood.

            Sungjae looked up from his spot on the couch toward the television set in the living room. His favorite drama was on, yet he couldn’t get into the storyline. His mind was a complete blank.

            “Mom and Dad will he home late, so I’m gonna make dinner,” Peniel called, looking at his cellphone. “What do you want?”

            Sungjae sighed, “I don’t care.”

            “Fine, I’ll make meatloaf.” Peniel walked toward the living room.

            “Gross, I hate meatloaf,” Sungjae groaned, “Make Jap Chae.”

            “No way! I had noodles for lunch.” Peniel argued. “I want something beefy.”

            “You mean something greasy. I refuse to eat it.”

            “You ate it last time, so I’m cooking it.” Peniel walked over, grabbing the remote and changing the channel.

            “Hey I was watching that!” Sungjae complained.

            “Too bad. There’s a special on Arirang that I want to watch!”

            Sungjae stood in protest. “You’re working in the kitchen so you can’t watch it anyway.”

            “I can listen, dumb-.”

            “Who are you calling dumb-, squid brain?”

            “Dip!”

            “Go to hell!” Sungjae yelled snatching the remote and pushing Peniel away.

            The elder was about to fight back when he sighed giving Sungjae a hard glare. “This is exactly why we lost Yoseob.”

            “What?” The younger growled in anger.

            “It’s because someone here keeps a closed mind. You’re totally incapable of forgiveness.”

            “He’s a demon, Peniel! What’s the point of keeping a dangerous monster around that is bound to kill one of us?!”

            “He never did anything!” Peniel argued. “You’re just afraid to take a risk.”

            “I’m afraid to die before my eighteenth birthday!” Sungjae yelled. “Are you stupid enough to put my life in danger just because you want a supernatural shadow?! If so then I hope he chooses you to die!”

            “You ignorant little prick! Open your eyes; Yoseob may be a demon, but he’s harmless!”

            “He’s a in' monster!” Sungjae screamed. “This is just like with Ravi! You try to befriend the worst kind of people; are you intentionally just trying to hurt me?!”

            “And there it is,” Peniel rolled his eyes while throwing his hands up, “Of course you bring up Ravi. Can’t you just learn to forgive and forget?! You’re the reason Vixx still sees us as enemies! But this isn't about Ravi, it’s about Yoseob. He’s not a threat!”

            “He is, jackass!” Sungjae yelled. “You’re just too blind to see that!”

            “He did nothing and you threw him away like garbage!”

            “If I threw out the garbage, then why are you still here?!”

            Peniel clenched his fist in anger before turning away, “I’m still here because you were too much of a coward to live without me.”

            Rage flashed through Sungjae’s eyes as he leapt up, landing a straight jab to Peniel’s temple. The elder boy fell to the ground and Sungjae stood over him, grabbing him by the collar. “You know what; I wish we never adopted you!”

            Sungjae stepped off, walking back to the couch, leaving the elder on the floor in pain. After a moment, Peniel stood up in silence and walked to the door. Slipping on his shoes, he exited the apartment without another word.

            Hyunsik sat quietly in his boss’ office. He was called in because his co-workers noticed his lackluster performance and reported it to the manager. The normally optimistic boy could barely broadcast a smile all day. In fact, the entire crew found something in Hyunsik that they could never have imagined; despair.

            “Hyunsik,” Rain entered his office, looking at the younger boy, “I’m getting reports from the staff, mainly Jackson, that you’ve been really down today. Did something happen?”

            Hyunsik sighed, “It’s nothing, Hyung.”

            “Anything that’s got you, of all people, down can’t simply be passed off as nothing.” He glanced over at the floor beneath Hyunsik where a still dormant shadow rested.

            “I just,” Hyunsik, turned away, “I was in a fight with someone, someone that lied to me. He seems sorry but I’m not sure whether or not to forgive him.”

            “Was it Kikwang?”

            Hyunsik looked away warily.

           “I suspected as much,” Rain sighed, pulling out some papers from his desk and looking them over. “Well, I’m sure if Kiki’s really sorry, he’s probably been begging you for forgiveness all day. He doesn’t seem like the type of shadow to try and hurt you.”

            “Actually,” Hyunsik sighed. “He fell dormant yesterday. I haven’t heard a word from him.”

            “Hmm,” Rain sat down the papers. “I didn’t know shadow demons could fall dormant.”

            Hyunsik’s eyes widened. “You knew he was a demon?!”

            Rain smiled, “Of course I did. There’s no such thing as a shadow entity. I assume he made up that name to seem less sinister.”

            “If you knew he was a demon, why’d you let him stay with me?!”

            “Because Kikwang is different from other shadow demons; I could tell just by looking at him. He may not have a beating heart, but I could tell he has all the emotions and feelings that come from one. Besides, he’s done more for you than I ever could have. He gave you confidence here and at school, he kept you on track with your grades, and let’s not mention your cool little make-over. Not bad for Pabo-kwang.”

            “P-Pabo-kwang,” Hyunsik couldn’t be more stunned. “Did you know Lee Kikwang before?”

            Rain laughed, “Maybe a little. I tutored him back when he was in middle school. He probably forgot, it was a long time ago, but honestly, he hasn’t changed a bit.”

            Hyunsik looked down, tears pricking at his eyes. “Why didn’t he tell me he was a demon? Why’d he keep so many secrets from me?”

            “He probably wanted to spare your feelings. He might have been ashamed about becoming a demon and he wanted you to trust him. That is, if he still thinks the way he used to.”

            “So how do I know whether or not to forgive him?” Hyunsik asked, eyes filled with tears.

            “That’s something you have to figure out for yourself,” He said, patting the younger boy on the head as he sunk deep into his chair.

            “How about this,” Rain stood up, walking around the office. “You head home, and think about what I said. It’s your choice whether or not to call back Kiki, but at least consider what I said, alright?”

            Hyunsik nodded and stood. “Thanks, Hyung.”