Darkness.

You can't take him away! Stop bothering us!

They fought for me. They did.

Stop resisting! Just give him to us, and we'll leave these, here.

Two suitcases were strewn across the old carpeted floor.

What... We told you, you can't buy our orphan for your dirty needs!

But we know you need it. Very desperately.

The men in suits threw another two suitcases down and money literally spilled out of it. A gasp resounded in the room.

No no no no no. I understand this look in their eyes. No no no---

I... I can't...

So how about it, ma'am? Is this a deal?

One more suitcase and it's sealed.

And all that happened afterwards was a blur. What honestly happened? I was thrown about, into a van, and it hurt. They stripped me and blindfolded me. I was hungry. And scared. Terrified. My head was pounding. But what happened? Does this mean I'm protecting the kids? Why was I raised in the orphanage? Who... am I? I want to know. I want to know I want to know I want to kno---

"SUNGMIN!! WAKE UP!"

The darkness disappeared in an instant, instead replaced with a handsome face. It took a while, but SungMin finally managed to recognize the person as his master. His master sighed in relief and sat upright, out of his eyesight.

"I was SO worried. You screamed once and then you started to cry. I kept trying to wake you up but you seemed to be resisting... Oh sorry! I was rambling on. Are you okay, Min?"

KyuHyun. His name was KyuHyun. SungMin reminded himself. When the information finally set in, a surge of memories flooded into his empty mind. Happy, colourful memories of KyuHyun. He felt the odd feeling of butterflies fluttering back into his guts and he blinked.

"Min? Oh my goodness, you're crying again! Come on, let's help you sit up."

He did not give a response, but he felt himself being gently held up nonetheless. He leaned into the warmth that is his master's arms and sat quietly as a tissue was dabbed swiftly across his cheeks.

"What happened, Min?"

What happened? What happened? What... happened? The questions resonated in his mind, and SungMin recoiled involuntarily. Immediately the arms around him tightened and he felt the warmth breath of the other male encircle his face. Slowly, but surely, he felt his shoulders drop and a few more stranded tears later, he gasped. Reality hit him like a truck and he pushed himself away forcefully, causing him to fall from the bed.

He braced himself for the impact on the back of his whole being, but nothing happened. Nothing happened. He soon realized that KyuHyun had lunged forward and softened the blow by cushioning his fall with his body.

Quickly, he sat up and climbed off the male. "I'm so so sorry! Are you hurt anywhere, master?"

The revert back to the formal label sent KyuHyun's stomach churning. He couldn't begin to wonder what has caused his servant to act so odd all of a sudden.

SungMin seemed to realize his mistake and searched his mind for a correction. "K-KyuHyun-ssi." His master visibly calmed down and they stared at each other in silence, until finally--- "Do you want to go back to sleep?"

The nightmare flashed by his mind and SungMin felt weary. He was physically tired, but he didn't want to sleep. So he shook his head and apologized once more before asking what the time was. "It's... around 3am right now. No, don't apologize! This isn't your fault. But let's talk about your dream?"

SungMin considered the offer, knowing that he would probably feel just a bit better by speaking about his concerns, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to nod. He didn't want anyone to find out, although he didn't know why. Shaking his head, his eyes teared up once more, but in appreciation, as he watched his master curve his lips softly and nodded understandingly.

He understood him.

This seemed to literally take his breath away and he tackled the taller male into a tight hug. He felt a large hand caress his hair and back soothingly in response. After a few moments of comfortable hugging, SungMin let go and looked at KyuHyun properly. The man's dark circles were just a tad bit darker than usual, his enlarged pores more obvious than he remembered and his hair, slightly wavy, was tousled in all the wrong directions. This proximity caused SungMin to see all the imperfections that is Cho KyuHyun, but surprisingly, he seemed to find the latter much more attractive than before.

This was weird. Imperfections are meant to be hated, but why was he sitting here, on his master's lap, admiring these supposed imperfections? He stopped his mind from twisting any further. 3 am was provoking odd thoughts that hurt his brain. He clenched his eyes shut and shook his head, wanting nothing more than to empty his mind.

KyuHyun, on the other hand, watched the whole mental process take place. It was weird, because he seemed to know exactly what the man in front of him is thinking. Up close, the jet black hair was shinier than usual, nose much sharper than he assumed and lips plumper than ever before. He groaned silently. What was he thinking? Before the physical silence, and his thoughts, dragged on for too long, he coughed and suggested, "How bout we surf the net and watch some videos?"

The little bunny wriggled his nose and tilted his head slightly. "Videos? How?" KyuHyun smiled. He could feel it: things were going back to normal. He reached out and wiped away the tear stains on his servant's face and felt proud that at least the latter knew what the phrase 'surf the net' meant by now. He wiped away his own metaphorical tear in joy, full knowledge that he was the one who introduced the internet to this petite man.

"I shall show you, the wonders of YouTube."

5 a.m.

"Oh, it's already dawn!" KyuHyun exclaimed and accidentally let out a tiny yawn as the pair finished watching a whole series of comedic videos. SungMin, who was snuggled up to his side due the restrictive size of the bed, felt bad as soon as he heard the words being uttered. It was, after all, his fault that his master had to wake up in the middle of the night to entertain his needs.

When KyuHyun saw how SungMin's gaze shifted uncomfortably to his fair hands, he knew he made a mistake. "Oh, how 'bout we have a cup of coffee to perk ourselves up? I love waking up in the mornings, just that I never manage to." He spoke off-handedly, and clearly this was effective as SungMin started smiling. So cute.

"There aren't any stores around, though. Let's check out and we'll have the driver to bring us to one." SungMin agreed, and after packing their belongings following a short shower, the two men made their way out of the motel, KyuHyun fuming once again from having to deal with the ungrateful owner.

6.30 a.m.

The black van parked outside an average-sized supermarket, where the carpark was large but contained only a few camper vans that obviously belonged to tourists. KyuHyun and SungMin stepped out of the van and the former snapped his head to the man beside him when SungMin gasped.

His eyebrows furrowed as he asked worriedly, "Min? What's wrong?" Thankfully, his servant beamed instead. "This is the supermarket I worked at!" He squealed delightfully. KyuHyun's face morphed into an expression of curiousity and relief. "What are you waiting for? Let's go in then!" KyuHyun grinned, and without them realizing SungMin was already dragging them into the store.

When they pushed open the double glass doors, the environment was the same as SungMin remembered. The large florescent lights emitted dim, white lights, some flickering from old age. The tiled floors were white and clean, although some tiles were chipped at the sides. Two stacks of red shopping baskets were placed neatly next to the entrance, and a metre from the baskets was a long counter. The counter was well maintained, although the cream colour had faded over the years. On top of the counter was an old cash register, and the wooden cabinets below the counter showed organized stacks of plastic bags.

The whole supermarket contained only four aisles, which meant there were only three rows of dry food and other living essentials. At the end of the store, there were two small displays of meat and frozen food, as well as a small amount of fresh vegetables.

KyuHyun wasn't impressed with the state of the supermarket, but for a store of this reasonable size to survive in this deserted place was already, no doubt, quite a feat. At any rate, they strolled by the rows, looking for something to fill their stomachs with. In his boredom (as the food were all old-styled and close to expiration), he noticed that the petite bunny was sneaking peaks at the counter. He looked in that direction and noticed a male, looking to be around his late 20's, much like himself, who was staring back at them. No, the male was staring exclusively at SungMin. And he found that he hated the feeling he was currently experiencing. Subconsciously, he moved closer to his servant and distracted him with random questions about the supermarket.

After thirty minutes, they had a basket filled with biscuits and bags of chips, as well as a few room-temperature canned drinks. The large amount of groceries was amounted to them wanting to bring something for the kids at the orphanage. Then came the part KyuHyun wanted to get over with as soon as possible: Paying. No, he definitely brought more than enough cash and credit cards to pay for their shopping, but he did not want to linger around the cashier.

Much to his horror, when he placed the basket on the counter, the cashier looked at the other person behind him, and winked. Freaking winked. He was this close to swearing. But SungMin's there, so he shall limit himself to less extreme curses. Of course, KyuHyun moved so that he was covering his bunny completely, but the man did not get the hint and kept trying to carry on a conversation with a person he can't even see.

"Minnie! Is that you? Awww~ It's been so long since I've seen you!" The man cooed. KyuHyun's frown got more more and engraved into his face as he kept shuffling around to cover the shorter man. Eventually, SungMin's quiet, muffled replies and the man's energetic flirtations died down and KyuHyun smirked at the guy before paying and grabbing the plastic bags.

When he turned around to leave, though, the cashier leant over the counter and grabbed SungMin's wrist. "Hey sweetheart! Honestly, where have you been and who is this person? Don't worry about him, just stay here and talk to me." KyuHyun felt a purple aura starting to form around his enitre being as he shook in rage. Who exactly was this person and why the heck is he touching his Min? And what's with the nicknames? He legit felt like flipping tables right now. Or more specifically, the cashier himself.

Without hesitation, he turned around and swiftly pulled SungMin to his side. "Excuse me, but what do you think you're doing?" He bellowed angrily. The cashier flashed a venomous glare and clicked his tongue. "No, what are you doing with my baby?" All KyuHyun saw was red, and he screamed out: "MANAGER! WHERE THE HECK IS THE MANAGER FOR THIS PLACE?!" The raven-haired man widened his eyes and jumped out of reflex. He seemed to panic briefly, much to KyuHyun's triumph, but recovered quickly. Or at least quick enough so he was composed when his manager stormed over.

The manager was an old chap. Thin, white hair, bald at the top of his head and a mustache that curled slightly at the ends. There were wrinkles all around his face, especially at the side of his eyes, but the laugh lines that was permanently etched into his fair skin seemed to indicate that he is a sweet-natured person. KyuHyun almost didn't want to make a complaint, but at that moment he was too far gone to care.

"What can I do for you, Sir?" The man asked, clasping his thin hands together nervously. "Your employee has been trying to touch my... my friend inappropriately." "I did no such thing!" The cashier scoffed, clearly offended. The manager turned to the worker and sent him a look that shut him up immediately. Then, he fixed his gaze back to KyuHyun and pursed his lips together. "I apologize on behalf of JongWoon for his rudeness. I will admit that he does not have sufficient training for this job yet, but because we lack workers around here he'd have to do. I hope you can forgive us. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

KyuHyun uncrossed his arms that seemed to have assumed that position without his notice and huffed, satisfied with the apology. He honestly felt bad for scaring the manager, but he wanted to see that the worker is thoroughly punished. "I am not angry at you. There is honestly nothing wrong with this store at all, but I do wish that you would drill some discipline into this cashier's mind."

The manager bowed a 90-degree bow and nodded when they were at eye level once more. Okay, maybe not eye level, because KyuHyun is at least one and a half head taller than him. "I will ensure that JongWoon would be taught a lesson he'll never forget, Sir." KyuHyun nodded once more to show that he is content with the answer and grabbed SungMin's hand in an attempt to leave the store.

However, he froze when he felt SungMin stay on his spot. He looked at his adorable servant, whose face was scrunched up in an unreadable expression. He was just about to enquire when the manager mirrored the expression completely. "S-SungMin?" KyuHyun furrowed his eyesbrows, completely confused and annoyed at the same time. But when SungMin seemed to struggle slightly in his grasp, he knew he would let go, so he did. He watched silently as his servant jumped into the manager's embrace. "S-sir! I missed you!"

The pair laughed joyfully, and the anger from before dissipated as the taller male smiled to himself, happy that SungMin was happy. He was about to say that he'd go and wait in the car while they catch up, when he stopped because the worker, JongWoon, decided to join in the reunion as well. He watched in disbelief as JongWoon swooped in to envelope the two in a tight hug, giving a short peck on SungMin's peachy cheek.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" KyuHyun didn't understand where this rage is coming from.. He simply followed his instincts and once again, pulled SungMin back to where he's happy seeing him: By his side. "We're going back to the car." He grumbled angrily, feeling just a tad bit guilty at the disappointed look on the other's face.

The two made their way back to the car, where KyuHyun had to physically fling the cashier off of SungMin. Once they were probably seated and the car has started to move, KyuHyun clenched his fists and gritted out a question: "Min, who are they?"

"U-um, that was my boss. F-from this supermark---" "No, not him. The other one." His icy tone made SungMin flinch visibly and left him fidgeting in his seat. "That was Sunggie...I-I mean, YeSung." KyuHyun raised an eyebrow at the nickname, already wondering what that was about. Why the heck am I acting like a possessive jerk? He's allowed to do what he wants. The voice in his head was on repeat, but he just couldn't follow the simple instructions. "YeSung... umm... when I was still in the orphanage..." SungMin took a gulp of air, "YeSung was always stuck to me. He used to work at the back of the supermarket, carrying heavy stocks while I was the cashier. Whenever a person tried to do anything inappropriate to me, he would be the first to protect me, ironically. He... um, may have confessed to me a few times before..."

KyuHyun's lips disappeared as he them in. He was beyond pissed off, but the thing that kept gnawing at him was the fact that he couldn't ever find a reason to act like he is right now. Maybe it was the strangers feeling up his servant part. Yea, that's probably it. Definitely not jealous. Not again. Taking deep breaths, he calmed down and slowly said, "Okay. I see. So he's still pinning after you then? Does he still live in the orphanage?" He has decided to do things logically, so he patiently waited for SungMin to find the right words.

"Before I was taken away," KyuHyun winced at that, feeling sorry for keeping SungMin, even though he technically bought the rights to, "I have never lived anywhere else. I'm not sure, but I think he still likes me. I have already made it clear that I only want friendship, though. Two years ago YeSung had found his real parents, who had lost him when he was young due to certain complications. His family is financially stable, so he wanted to move back to his parent's home in Cheonan, but he wanted me to tag along. I figured that if I left as one of the only working adults, then no one would be able to provide for the kids. The caretakers are too old, where housechores would already leave them heaving. Because of that, I stayed. Since then YeSung has made regular trips back to Cheonan, but he still lives in the orphanage. I'm always grateful for him, so I'd just like you to know that he's not as bad a person as he seems... Apart from the flirting, he is actually a responsible, reliable person. Please don't hate him..." SungMin begged, and he gasped soon after he finished talking: "Does that mean we're not going to the orphanage anymore?"

"Min, calm down. I've listened to your explanation. I think I understand now. We are still visiting the orphanage, but I will not consent to YeSung's advances to you. I mean, a-as your master I am responsible for your well-being. Not that I really want to stress on our hierarchy, that is." KyuHyun coughed, sitting straight. His strict demeaneour faded as quickly as it came when he saw SungMin's gentle smile. "Thank you so much, KyuHyun-ssi! You really are the best master in the world."

A blush crept it's way up from KyuHyun's neck to his cheeks and he grumble unintelligently, "Shh. We're not talking about positions anymore." The two laughed, and right at that moment the van halted to a stop. The driver knocked on the partition and informed them that they were at the orphanage.

The two men climbed out of the van slowly, admiring the beauty of nature that surrounded the small concrete home in front of them. Their vehicle drove away with permission to find a parking space, and suddenly a flock of children appeared at the doorway. They all looked shy and suspecting, until they caught a glimpse of SungMin.

In an instant the children ran forward and jumped into SungMin's welcoming arms. KyuHyun stood next to him, where he started to squat down due to the weight of the kids. They squealed and laughed; The whole scene was so innocent that KyuHyun allowed himself a chuckle or two.

The smiles ended abruptly when the door scraped open to reveal two women, both grey-haired and wearing long, thick dresses with aprons over their attire.

"S-SungMin? Why did you come back?"

SPPV212's Note: Sorry for the wait, yet again >.< |

I've been busy with university applications, continuing with another fic and Chinese New Year xD On that note, Happy Chinese New Year!! My resolution for this fic was to make it more dramatic so y'all won't be bored, but I sincerely feel bad for the sudden dose of angst. Don't worry, I don't like angst either. I'll make sure my characters are protected because they are just so so precious <3 |

Even though I'm "busy", if you read my homepage you'd know that my A level exams have already ended, which means Holidayyy. I'll try my best to keep up with all my fics (which you can check my clicking: me! :D ), so please bear with me >.<" |

Also I went through all the chapters and tried to fix grammar mistakes + typos, but because it's 2:19 AM rn I honestly can't be too bothered hahaha. Maybe some other day. |

I've also been to New Zealand last December, and let me tell you, that country is literally on par with Japan. I mean, NZ has less entertainment and night life, but honestly, the happy fluffy feeling I get from both countries are the same <333 Defo wanting to visit again!! <3