What a house it was. Miyoung hadn't seen any houses as far as she could remember, but she knew what houses were supposed to look like. And this wasn't it. The walls were high and clean and white like the walls of heaven. Paintings of some vast expense hung on the walls, though Miyoung herself found the strange random lines and splashes of the abstract art rather pointless and ugly. Another rich person flaunting the fact they could buy such things. The furniture was modern and minimal, just a few sleek couches and a glass table flaunting some strange metal statue. 

"Baekhyun-ah!" A young woman came running into the room and crushed Baekhyun. Baekhyun didn't move, he didn't even blink. He stood stationary with his arms at the side like a soldier. "My baby are you alright?" she cupped his face in her hands and fussed over him. Miyoung instantly knew this woman was his mother. They had the same almond eyes, the same flawless skin.

 The woman ran her hands all over him, checking for injuries, "did you get hurt anywhere?"

Baekhyun shook his head lightly, his face remained expressionless. He knew she was only pretending, overreacting to make him feel special. It was the mother act his mother wasn't good at, but pretended to be when he or his father was around. 

His mother nodded slowly, then faster. "Yes," she wiped a non existent tear from her cheek, "You're fine aren't you? Such a good boy."

Baekhyun simply nodded. His mother nodded back, seeming satisfied with just that. 

She took Baekhyun's hand and started to lead him away, "Let's go ea--" she stopped in her tracks upon seeing Miyoung, "Who's this?"

From this point of view, Miyoung could see the woman clearly. She looked so young, no older than 30-something. To look like this she must have given birth young. Her lips were the bright red of blood, and thick youthful makeup covered her brown eyes. Her short sleek hair formed an A frame around her round cheeks. She wore a loose hanging red shirt to match her lips, and a long tight black skirt that hugged her hips. 

"This is a friend of Mr. Baekhyun's," the maid jumped in to save Miyoung. 

"I see," the woman raised her eyebrows and took Miyoung in. Miyoung could see her cat eyes taking in every inch of her, scanning for imperfections. Then her eyes fluttered to Miyoung's and she blinked once and put a polite smile on her face, "and your name is?"

"Jin Miyoung," Miyoung bowed, "Ma'am."

"Miyoung," Baekhyun's mother repeated, and took a strand of Miyoung's hair between her long over-decorated nails. Her eyes bore into Miyoung's like coal, "Mrs. Nam?"

"Yes?" the old maid fidgeted.

"Prepare dinner for us," she smirked without taking her eyes off Miyoung, "would you?"

"Of course!" the maid hustled away, disappearing through a pair of glass doors. 

"What are you doing?" Baekhyun's mother asked, dropping Miyoungs hair like it was that of a rat's, and flicking her head towards the kitchen, "Go help her."

"O-oh!" Miyoung snapped out of her fear and nodded quickly, "Of course! I'll go--"

Baekhyun caught Miyoung's wrist and stopped her. He shook his head at her not to go. 

"What are you waiting for?" Baekhyun's mother tapped her foot impatiently. 

Baekhyun shot an angry glare at the older woman before pulling Miyoung away and up a flight of stairs. His mother stared with angry eyes.

"What are you doing!" Miyoung threw his hand off as soon as he shut his bedroom door. Baekhyun pressed his lips together and sat on his bed, tearing his notepad out of his pocket. 

Don't listen to her.

"She's the mistress of this house isn't she? Why shouldn't I listen to her!"

She'll never stop bullying you if you listen to her. 

"Well she'll never stop bullying me if I don't!"

Just trust me.

Miyoung huffed a furious sigh and dropped to the ground, putting her head in her knees and ruffling her hair. What did she get herself into by coming to this family?

Something tapped her head and she looked up. Baekhyun stood above her with his notepad.

I'm going to cool her off. Stay here. Don't go anywhere. 

"Whatever," Miyoung snapped and put her head back in her knees. She heard the door click shut and looked up, blowing hair out of her eyes. She bit her lip, feeling sorry for what she had said. She shouldn't have yelled like that. She should apologize. But she had too much pride for that. 

She popped up and whipped her head over her shoulder, "Stupid," she stuck her tongue out, "Where would I go anyway?"

Miyoung ran her fingers along the silky black bedsheets as soft as kittens. The sheets matched the royal blue empty walls. Empty. Completely empty. There wasn't a single photo or painting or poster hung up. Just bare, bare, blue walls. A dark ebony brown desk sat in the corner of the room with a few books on it. Miyoung picked up the first one she saw, the one on top with a lime green book mark peeking out of the white pages. She flipped it open to the last page Baekhyun left off. 

"Fear of a name increases the fear of the thing itself," Miyoung read the first line her eyes fell on. With a snap she shut the book and dropped it back on the desk. She didn't need another voice in her head telling her to stop fighting it, to stop fearing the past and remember it. 

"I don't remember," Miyoung moaned and collapsed onto the bed, "stop telling me to. I don't."

A sound like a tin can hitting the ground rung in Miyoung's ears. She sat up and looked down to see a picture fallen picture frame face down on the ground. It must have fallen off of the desk. She plucked it off the ground and dusted it off, turning it around in her hands to check for any cracks. 

"Phew," Miyoung's sighed, "Not broken." 

Four people, one family. That one there was Baekhyun, she could tell. He frowned with teary eyes and stared up at his bangs that fell halfway down his forehead. Miyoung laughed at the ridiculous hairstyle. Baekhyun must have hated it. She supposed he always was a diva. Another much older boy was in the picture too, laughing with his head thrown back and hand placed on Baekhyun's head. 

"That's our family picture."

Miyoung dropped the photo, luckily on the soft bed, and jumped back at the sound. A tall man leaned against the blue walls with raised eyebrows. 

"Ah, I-I know I was just l-looking!" Miyoung was frozen like a deer in headlights. 

The boy smiled, and it felt vastly familiar. He wore dark red pants and a handsome button up shirt, his golden hair fell perfectly straight around his head. Everything about him looked arranged and clean. 

"I know," he breathed a laugh and pushed off the wall, "Miyoung, is it?"

Miyoung nodded. The boy floated by and picked the photo from the bed, then carefully set it on the end table. 

"T-that's right." How did he know her name?

"Overheard it," he said as if he read her mind, bending over and looking at the picture, "cute, isn't he?"

"Who?" Miyoung looked up from twittling her thumbs. 

"Baekhyun," the older boy stood up and turned around, "Isn't he?" he repeated, looking at Miyoung with expectant eyes. 

"He is," Miyoung shyly cast her eyes on the floor. 

"You're cute too," the man sat directly beside her and smiled brightly, "maybe even more than he is."

Miyoung flinched when he ruffled her hair.

"I don't bite you know," the man pouted, "I'm Byun Baekbeom, in case you were wondering."

"Bae..Baekbeom?" Miyoung raised her eyes to his. So that's it, he's Baekhyun's brother. No wonder he looked so familiar. "You look like him," Miyoung whispers under her breath.

"I get that a lot," the older, more mature-looking brother laughs.

"So she's also you're mother..." Miyoung thought back to the vicious woman from before.

"Her? Oh no, she's not my mom," Baekbeom looked at Miyoung like she was crazy, "thank goodness, right?"

"Then you're not...."

"Brothers?" Baekbeom finished before she could even open , "We are. Half brothers."

Miyoung nodded slowly, trying to take it all in. Baekhyun's mother is the young one. Baekbeom's mother is someone else. Then their father must be the same. Where is he?

"And your dad?"

"Business trip," Baekbeom answers immediately, standing up, "he'll be gone for a bit."

"Oh."

"So," Baekbeom leans back on the door, giving Miyoung the space he could tell she needed, "amnesiac, huh?"

"How do you know that?" Miyoung shot a little too defensively, "did Baekhyun tell you?"

"I figured it out on my own," Baekbeom shrugged, "you should really look less confused, it makes it obvious."

Miyoung pressed her lips together as her face reddened. 

"No need to be embarassed, you're doing your best. That's why you came here isn't it?"

"Huh?"

"To remember."

Miyoung felt like a bug under a microscope the way Baekbeom looked at her like he knew everything she was thinking. True, she did come here to remember, because Baekhyun was her only memory. But that doesn't mean it was any of Baekbeom's business.

"You can think whatever you want," Miyoung turned away from him.

"I apologize if I was wrong," Baekbeom furrowed his eyebrows, "strange, I'm usually pretty good at guessing these things."

Miyoung felt sorry to him too, because he was right. Even if he was a bit too straightforward for her tastes, he wasn't wrong. 

"Nevermind that, let's go to dinner," Baekbeom holds out a welcoming hand, "shall we?"

Baekhyun stormed back down the stairs after leaving Miyoung in her room. His shoulder knocked a wide eyed and confused Baekbeom out of the way as he went. Baekhyun didn't even look back to apologize. He the wide white doors open and stormed inside. His mother was sitting casually on the rosy pink couch, her eyebrows furrowed in anger that some trashy girl dared to oppose her. HER, the mistress of the Byun household. On top of this her precious child who used to defend her and listen to her so well is on that girl's side. She could bet Baekbeom had already joined her forces too, that boy had never liked her. Not since she joined the family and replaced his mother. Everyone was against her now. 

Baekhyun stomped his foot to get her attention. She needed to know he was tired of her childish ways, he wasn't her puppet anymore.

"Oh Baekhyun, darling, have you come to apologize?" his mother who'd never worked a day in her life smiled, pleased he'd come to his senses.

But Baekhyun shook his head.

"I know the doctor said you can't speak anymore but won't you try dear? This silence is giving me a headache, I feel like I'm talking to a wall."

Baekhyun bit back the tears from her foolish careless words and scrawled into his notepad.

You didn't visit. Not even once.

"Baekhyun-ah, you know I was worried about you," she cooed, "But I was so busy."

Doing what?

"Well I had dinners and parties and--" she scoffed and flipped her hair, "I'm your mother! I don't need to explain anything to you!"

Starting now you do.

Baekhyun flipped the page before she could say another word.

Don't touch her. Leave her alone.

"Who?" his mother played stupid, acting like she didn't know, "that girl?" she laughed, "Oh Hyunnie you could do so much better."

I said leave her, I mean it.

Byun Daeri was scared for the first time in her life. More scared than she was of Baekbeom's mother, more scared than she was of giving birth, the fire in her son's eyes was like none she'd seen before.

"Fine!" she shouted, "but I hope she doesn't intend to stay for long. I'll have to discuss this with your father when he comes home." She sauntered past Baekhyun, avoiding his eyes, "come and eat, won't you?"

The table was the size of a wooden continent, but instead of coutntries it had silver-handled candles and shimmering silverware. It spread across the room like stretched out taffy. Yellow curtains hung over full wall windows cast a warm glow on the table. Miyoung couldn't help but feel like in any other situation, one absent of people and anger, it would have been a beautiful scene. If only, if only.

Baekbeom sat to the right of Miyoung, and Baekhyun sat across from her, beside his mother who seemed to be--judging by her expression--in the middle of a temper tantrum.

"Jandi!" she barked, "Nam Jandi!"

the older maid came running in with her tangled hair falling out of her loose ponytail. She poured the woman a glass of wine and quickly hurried to the other side to offer some to the second oldest in the room, Baekbeom. He politely raised his hand and shook his head. He wanted to be clear and sober for whatever was going to happen next. 

Baekhyun stood as straight, stiff, and pale as an aspen tree. His almond eyes were fixated on the plate in front of him, where he carefully sawed at a steak. 

"So Miyoung," his mother half-spat, trying her best to remain calm, "what do your parents do?"

"I don't--" Miyoung bit her tongue at the look on Mrs. Byun's face, "I don't have parents," she lied. She did, somewhere. She wouldn't exist if they didn't, but she couldn't say much more than that. Who, where, dead, or alive, she didn't have a clue. 

"Great!" Mrs. Byun rolled her eyes, "You brought in an orphan!" 

Miyoung flinched at the harsh words, she didn't need to go that far. Baekhyun looked up from his plate only briefly to shoot his mother a chilling look, the woman immediately pushed away from the table and stood up.

"I don't feel very hungry tonight," she announced, and stormed away. 

As soon as the dining room doors were shut, Baekbeom heaved a sigh and leaned back in his chair, "good riddance."

Baekhyun raised his eyes to his brother, and Baekbeom frowned,"What? I'm sorry, but she wasn't helping ease the mood any."

Baekhyun knew Baekbeom was right, but he still couldn't help feeling a twinge of anger at his Hyung for being insensitive. Baekbeom had always been a good and kind brother when he needed to be, but he could be just as rash and cruel without a second glance. 

Miyoung sighed visibly in relief, her whole body slumped against the soft velvet chair. That woman terrified her. 

"So how's the food?" Baekbeom asked, realizing Baekhyun couldn't exactly start a conversation here. Baekhyun nodded his thanks, Baekbeom always knew what to say. 

"It's very good," Miyoung smiled at the maid, "thank you."

Mrs. Nam smiled back and disappeared back into the kitchen, also pleased the mistress was gone. This litle mistress was much nicer. 

"So how did you two meet?" Baekbeom eyed the two of them suspiciously. Baekhyun flushed a light shade of red and stared harder at the steak on his plate.

"He just kind of..showed up in my room," Miyoung remembered that first day a smiling boy came to her door with a smile and nothing to say.

"Why did he come to see you?" Baekbeom scratched the back of his neck.

"I don't know," Miyoung and Baekbeom both looked straight ahead at Baekhyun, "why did  you?"

Baekhyun shrugged. He would never let her know the truth. Not yet, not with Baekbeom here. This was something for the two of them, for another day. 

"See?" Miyoung sighed, shoving another bite of the delicious food into , "he won't say anything. Never does."

Baekbeom darted away right after dinner, something about visiting friends. No sooner had he finished his last bite before disappearing. Seconds later Miyoung heard a car roar into life outside and slowly go quiet. 

Despite Miyoung's protests, the maid insisted on cleaning up after her and Baekhyun. Baekhyun quieted her objections with his hand on hers. He linked their fingers together and pulled her towards the front doors. 

"W-where are you taking me?" Miyoung pulled back a little--but not too much. Not that they'd never held hand before, but it was different now. For what reason, Miyoung wasn't sure. 

"Aren't you going to grab my hand or something?" 

Miyoung stopped abruptly at the sound of her own voice echoing in her mind. She stopped so quickly Baekhyun nearly fell backwards into her, he turned around to see a girl with wide eyes staring at nothing. 

"Do you want me too?"

There it was again. The unfamiliar voice. 

How Baekhyun wished he could grab her and ask her with his own voice 'are you alright?' He felt so incomplete without that one important part of being human. Without communication. 

"No!" 

The voice was Miyoung's again, throwing a tantrum like a toddler. Then she saw it. It flashed before he eyes like a scene in a movie. Her small familiar hand, and someone else's. She felt her fingers tingle as the stranger wrapped his hand around hers. A name was on her lips, it was right there. The next line of the movie. 

Then it was over. She opened her eyes, not even realizing she had closed them, and Baekhyun was there again. 

"I'm fine," she laughed dryly upon seeing Baekhyun's expression. 

Baekhyun could tell she was lying, he could read her like an open book, he was quite sure anyone could. She looked like she'd seen a ghost, her face was white as a sheet and the hair on her arms still hadn't settled. She clenched his hand tighter than usual, too the point where it almost hurt. He set his free hand on her head and squeezed her hand. Miyoung didn't flinch when he petted her hair gently, then he turned around and pulled her out the front doors. 

The whole garden was lit up like a small galaxy. Lights strung from tree to tree glittered like a million tiny yellow stars. The sky was already dark, and Baekhyun continued to drag her through the garden as light after light flickered into life. 

Almost there, Baekhyun thought, just wait until you see this. Without him noticing, a smile formed on his face, turning his eyes into cresent moons.

The pair finally came to a stop in front of a black pond. They had long since left the warm shelter of the lights, and it just barely lit up their backs from where the last light stood a few feet away. The moon seemed to float on the pond's surface, like it had been trapped there by a witch's curse. Then something else caught Miyoung's eye. From just a few feet in front of her, a small light blinked on. It floated up from the grass like magic, like a tiny sun rising in the east. 

"A firefly," Miyoung stared with dreamer's eyes at the little bug before her. Baekhyun smiled wider. He tapped her shoulder and pointed to the other side of the pond, where fireflies rose like an army of angels from the reeds. In seconds a million tiny lights danced over the pond. Miyoung in a breath of fresh sweet air, the smell of garden flowers still hung in her nose. She felt a gentle tug as Baekhyun pulled her down beside him, holding a single finger in front of his lips. You'll love this next part. 

In one perfect streak, all of the grass surrounding the two lit up. As if on cue, all the fireflies ascended together. They poured out of the grass like fairy dust, illuminating the black pond into a scene from a fairytale. 
"Oh Baekhyun," Miyoung smiled like an angel, almost causing his heart to stop, "It's beautiful."

I thought you might say that. Baekhyun thought. 

Hi guys! Sorry it took so long to get this out there and it's not very long. I've been getting busier and busier with school lately, I'm running low on writing time. You might have to be more patient, sorry T-T

I updated my cover art! I thought the old one was preeetty bad, and so I went and made a different, more suitable one. 

Hi to any new readers who made it this far! I would just love love love it if you would hit that subscribe button and comment on what you think so far!

And to my current readers thank you so much for reading!