“Henry, what are you doing out so late?” Zhou Mi asked, surprised to be meeting little Mochi this late at night.  

“I would ask you the same thing.”

“I went to buy some groceries after work,” Zhou Mi said while shaking the grocery bags as evidence, “What about you?”

“Ummm… I’m just getting some fresh air.” It wasn’t exactly a lie because Henry actually did initially thought of wanting some cool air to calm him down.

“Is that so? Are you heading back home anytime soon?”

Henry shook his head. He didn’t feel mentally ready to go back and face his mom and his brother, but it’s not like Zhou Mi knew what happened.

“Do you want to come back to my place with me then? I don’t think it’s safe for a little boy like you to be roaming the streets at this hour.”

“Little boy? I’m almost 15! I am not a little boy!” Henry pouted. Zhou Mi laughed. He gestured Henry to come with him by using his head. His hands were full and they looked like they were tired.

“Here, let me help you with some of those bags.” Henry offered. He took all of the bags from Zhou Mi’s left hand, relieving the stressed arm.

“Are you sure you can carry all that?” The older teased.

“I’m not a baby either, Zhou Mi.”

Donghae and Hyukjae shouted for Henry’s name for almost 15 minutes. Their voices were starting to get hoarse and raspy.

“Maybe he’s not here.” Hyukjae said. They were no longer holding hands since they had split up and looked in different places, careful not to lose each other.

“Where else could he be then?”

“I’m not sure, maybe we should head back. Maybe he’s home already.”

“But if he’s home, I think my mom would’ve called me or something,” Donghae sighed, “I don’t want to give up. I really hope Henry is safe. It’s my entire fault. Maybe I should’ve talked to him earlier. I should’ve made sure if he was okay or asked him how he felt. I should’ve-”

“Shhhhh.”

“Did you just shush me?” Donghae sassed.

“Shhhhh.”

“What-”

Hyukjae covered Donghae’s mouth and placed a finger on his own lips to gesture for Donghae to be quiet. They stood there with their faces only inches apart, waiting for whatever Hyukjae had heard.

“Do you hear that?” Hyukjae whispered.

“What?”

“Listen.”

They both listened closer. The sound was getting louder.

“Is that Henry’s voice?” Donghae asked as a jovial feeling gushed through him.

“Yeah, and Zhou Mi’s voice, too.”

The voices got closer and Donghae was overjoyed to see his brother okay over the distance. Henry was chatting with Zhou Mi happily and he was even smiling.

“Hen-” Hyukjae covered Donghae’s mouth again and pulled him behind a car to hide from Henry and Zhou Mi.

“What are you doing?” Donghae hissed.

“Hey, let’s follow them, see where they’re heading.”

“Why?”

“If you’ve noticed, they’re holding grocery bags, and your house is not in this direction. Let’s see where they’re heading.”

“Oh, I see. Okay.” Donghae easily agreed while nodding his head. Hyukjae smiled and he peeked from the corner of the vehicle. Henry and Zhou Mi weren’t too far ahead.

“Alright, Donghae. It’s time to let your inner spy come out.”

A huge smile plastered on the little Fishy’s face. Playing spy sounded really fun to him. A burst of excitement coursed through his body and veins. The younger followed the older as they went from tree to bush to vehicle to whatever else they could keep themselves hidden behind. They pretended to shoot guns and even duck and rolled from hiding spot to hiding spot. Donghae couldn’t stop giggling from how much fun he was having by playing spy. He completely forgot that he was supposed to be silent and stealthy.

“Shhhhh. Donghae, you’re too loud.” Hyukjae said in a loud whisper.

“Sorry.”

The two pretend spies followed their targets for a few more minutes, but then soon got distracted by shooting each other with their hands as fake guns.

“Pew, pew! I got you, Donghae!” Hyukjae declared.

“Nu-uh. You missed.” Donghae childishly protested.

“Did not,” Hyukjae said back, “obviously I got you in the heart.”

“You didn’t get my heart.” The Fishy denied.

“Yes I did, look.” The Monkey placed a finger on Donghae’s heart. Donghae looked down at the finger. Hyukjae smirked and flicked his finger up, hitting Donghae’s nose. A sneaky trick it was.

“Ha! Gotcha!” Hyukjae teased.

“Yah! That’s not funny!” Donghae pouted.

“Why? You embarrassed that you fell for such a cheesy trick?”

Donghae continued to pout. He then smiled and grabbed Hyukjae’s nose.

“Ha! I got your nose!”

Donghae then took off, dashing on the sidewalk.

“Yah! Come back here!” Hyukjae chased Donghae until he caught up and grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him into his arms. They were face to face and panting hard.

“Okay, here’s your nose back. You got me.” The younger said, pretending to put back the nose on the older’s face. Hyukjae felt his heart beat louder. His body was so close to Donghae’s and he felt the warmth radiating from the younger’s body. They looked into each others’ eyes and stayed in that position for a little bit longer. It was a comfortable silence, but Donghae soon broke it.

 “Hey Hyukjae, do you know where Zhou Mi and Henry went?”

The older’s eyes widen. “Crap, we got distracted.”

When Henry and Zhou Mi had reached their destination they quickly walked towards the house to get out of the cold. Zhou Mi’s house looked small, but the inside was bigger than you would expect. After the front door was opened, they placed the bags in the kitchen.

“Have a seat on the couch, Henry. Would you like some tea?”

“Yes, please.” Mochi politely said.

Henry walked into the living room and sat down on a leather couch and had a look around his surroundings. There were abstract paintings and photos of landscapes hung neatly on the walls. Orchids and other plants decorated the room. Zhou Mi came in the room and placed two tea cups and a tea pot on the table. He then poured Henry and himself a cup and sat on the couch opposite to the younger. The steam from the tea drifted into the air and faded at a certain length, it looked hot. The taller folded his leg as he drank one sip and warned Henry to be careful.

Henry told Zhou Mi to stop treating him like a baby and drank the tea, accidentally burning his mouth. Zhou Mi laughed and offered to give Henry some milk, and Henry accepted it.

Just like a baby. Zhou Mi thought with a smile.

After bringing Henry his milk, Zhou Mi sat back down on the couch across from him and they began to chat.

“So, how’s school Henry?”

“It’s…” Henry wanted to choose the right words because he didn’t want the wrong impression, but wouldn’t it be the truth?

Zhou Mi interrupted. “Tough?”

“Yeah…”

“I know. It’s difficult at first when you’re from a different place, but then you start to meet amazing people who are willing to help and support you.”

“Oh yeah, you came all the way from China, right?”

“Yup. From Wuhan, China.”

“Why did your family choose to move to South Korea?”

Zhou Mi took a sip of his tea before he told his story.

“When I was little, my parents were always busy. My Appa ran a business and my Omma was a photographer. We were pretty wealthy, but I guess that they were unhappy with each other. My Appa cheated on my Omma and she soon found out. She was upset, but her love for him had worn down over the years. They had a divorce and my Omma became my rightful guardian. We moved here 4 years ago and I guess I’ve grown to like Korea.”

“Do you ever miss your Appa?”

“Of course I do. I use to be really depressed about it. I’d think about him all the time. I didn’t like living in Korea at all when I first came here. There was the language barrier, the difference in culture, and the unfamiliar environments. People made fun of me behind my back and I couldn’t say anything about it because I couldn’t speak Korean. I had no voice. I wanted to move back to China, but we couldn’t.”

It all felt too familiar to Henry. Having little to no voice, the differences, and the families, they both connected. Zhou Mi had taken his words right out of his mouth. Finally, there was someone who understood his trouble, his frustration. Someone other than his Hyung that would listen and not laugh.

“I wanted to be with my Appa so much. I would ask my Omma ‘why did we move to Korea?’ but she just told me it was to start new.”

“Me too.” Henry said, sympathetically.

“You too?”

“I miss my Appa, too.”

“Is your Appa back in Mokpo?”

“Yeah…”

Henry began to shake. His hands wouldn’t hold still. His milk was shaking along with him. He held on tight to the cup because he didn’t want to spill it. He didn’t want to ruin Zhou Mi’s floors and furniture. He didn’t want to floor to get sticky and for Zhou Mi or his mother be angry.

He thought about his father, the wonderful man who always had a smile on his face, no matter how much pain he was in. He thought about the times that he would play soccer with Donghae and his dad. He thought about those days where his father would take them fishing on his boat. He thought about his past emotions, the anger, the fear, the despair. His memories then transitioned to the hospital bed. He remembered the room 143. He remembered the tubes all around his father. He remembered the tears that had been shed. He remembered the smile on his father’s face after he had passed away. That same day his father had died, was the worst day of his life. The man who taught him to play the violin… was gone.

Zhou Mi saw the trembling movements of the younger. He set down his tea and got up to sit right next to Henry. He took the milk out of his hands and wrapped an arm around the little boy.

“He’s back in Mokpo… Waiting for us…” Henry managed to say. “He’s there waiting… Appa is waiting...”

Little Mochi began to sob uncontrollably. He leaned on Zhou Mi and covered his face with his hands. He didn’t want to be seen with a running nose and puffy red eyes.

Suddenly, Zhou Mi began to sing.

(Zhou Mi is singing in Chinese by the way).

“The summer quiet fills the air. And keeps you company as you cry. He suddenly became merely a memory. But then you lost yourself, too. The weather, now ice cold, cools the distance off. I see you smiling. And hear that he’s slowly getting further away. But I haven’t gotten any closer. Let my loneliest tenderness warm this most painful wound. Quietly watching over you, my empty heart exchanges my longing for your supportive arm…”

He sang smoothly, hitting every note. His voice, so gentle, so tender, so warm to hear, it touched Henry’s heart. He stopped crying to listen to the rest of the song. Zhou Mi truly had a lovely voice. Although Mochi didn’t understand what the lyrics meant, it made him feel loved.

After the last word had been sung, Henry applauded to performance. He was now smiling again. Never had he heard such a fine voice.

“That was amazing, Zhou Mi. You’re really talented.”

Zhou Mi’s face flushed. “Thank you.” He said.

“Do you sing often?”

“I do. I love singing. I’m grateful for singing. My Omma always sang for me when I was upset. For me, I can speak through song, from the highs and the lows, the rhythm and the flows. I can be free. I can cope and deal with the struggles. I always feel like me.”

(Anyone noticed that it rhymed?  xD )

“Through song, huh?” Henry said. It gave him an idea. Henry couldn’t really sing, but he sure as hell could play instruments.

“Do you have any instruments here?”

Zhou Mi nodded. He got up and climbed upstairs to fetch something. He came back with a case that Henry immediately recognized.

A violin case.

“My Omma bought it for me when I was young. She wanted me to learn how to play it, but I could never figure out how to work the damn thing, even with teachers, I .”

Henry delicately ped the case which appeared to be red velvet inside. A white violin was laid flat, waiting to be played. It was beautiful. Henry had never seen a violin different from its natural color in real life before. He took it out carefully and tried a few notes out.

Terrible. It’s out of tune and the bow isn’t sticky enough.

Henry was a prodigy at the violin. It was his favorite instrument and he had one at home. It was his most prized possession. The memory was still so vivid to him. His 6^th birthday, his father gave him a violin. At first he resented the violin, but after hearing the beauty of the strings, it captured his heart.

Like a boss, Henry first looked for the rosin. He checks multiple compartments until he finally found it. He rubbed a generous amount on the bow since he probably hadn’t been played or even touched in years. After he had finished with the bow, he moved on to tuning. He listened to each string carefully, accurately giving it its proper note.

“Finished. It’s ready to play.” Henry declared.

“Already?” Zhou Mi said, puzzled.

“Yup.”

“My teachers tuned it and played it, but the violin still sounded like crap. I doubt it can sound any better.”

Never doubt a professional at work. Henry said in his mind.

He began with a simple warm up. Do, ray, me, fa, so, la, ti, do.

With that alone, Zhou Mi was already impressed. The violin sounded amazing for just a few short notes.

Henry closed his eyes. He began to play the melody of the song Zhou Mi had just sung by memory. Every note he heard in the song was transcribed into his mind and he made mental music sheets which he saw when he closed his eyes and envisioned them. Henry had a brilliant memory for sound. His ears could detect notes from flat ones to sharp ones and natural ones and so on. Henry finished the song with the same pitch Zhou Mi had finished in. He opened his eyes and Zhou Mi was astonished. Speechless. Touched.

“I never knew you were so talented yourself. No sheets, no nothing, just the violin. Henry… You have a gift.”

“I’ve always played instruments when I was young. Violins were just my favorite.”

“Does that mean you can play more?”

“I can play piano, guitar, ukulele, you name it.”

“There’s a grand piano upstairs. I play it sometimes when I sing, but I bet you can play much greater things than I can,” Zhou Mi shifted on the couch and looked Henry directly in the eyes. “Do you think I can hear you play?”

With a big smile Henry said yes. He’d love to play and he’d be happy to play for Zhou Mi to hear. They both eagerly went upstairs and found the grand piano. Henry tested it out and luckily it was intune. It would’ve been a huge pain to tune it himself.

Henry decided to give Zhou Mi a surprised and play one of his favorite pieces to play. It was called Chopin Fantasie Impromptu, Op.66. He played it how he would usually play it, by added some of his own twists and style. He had missed playing the piano so very much. They had to sell their piano at home since they needed the money after his father died. So Henry hadn’t laid his hand on a single key ever since. He finished the last note and let out a huff of air.

“Beautiful. That was magnificent.” Zhou Mi commented.

“Thank you. It feels so refreshing to play the piano again. Your piano is lovely by the way.” Henry replied.

Zhou Mi smiled, showing all his teeth. He had one last request on his mind.

“Henry?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think we can go downstairs? I want you to play the violin again.”

“Sure.”

The both marched downstairs and Henry picked up the violin.

“What would you like me to play?” The prodigy asked.

“I want you to play a song that expresses how you felt when you first came here.” Zhou Mi requested. He wanted to know. He wanted to know how the latter felt. He wanted to know what went through the younger's mind. Zhou Mi was aware of the teasing, he was aware of the isolation, but he wanted to know how Henry felt. He wanted to hear how he felt.

Henry stood there thinking for a bit. He looked nowhere in particular. When he had picked the song that he felt most described his emotions, he took a deep breath because if he was going to express how he felt, he had to actually feel it and he did. The boy then brought the violin into position on his shoulder and under his chin and began to play.

He started off slow and then sped up. Zhou Mi instantly recognized the song. It was called “Storm”. The song title alone was enough to grasp some feeling, but the music took it to whole different level.

Henry’s entire body was moving. His foot tapped the ground and his arms sometimes exaggerated the pulls to give a more visual effect. He was burning his passion into the violin. He let all his troubles loose and he felt free, pouring his emotions into every note. Those bottled up words he kept inside him were no longer there, for that the violin was speaking his heart. There are times when words can’t express everything and this was one of them.

Henry was slightly panting after his intense session of the violin. He had no words to say and he had nothing left hidden inside. His heart felt lighter.

“How do you feel?”

“Good.” Henry just said. His mind was calm and his confidence even boosted. Zhou Mi stood up and walked over to Henry.

“You can have the violin if you want. I can’t play it and it would be a waste for it to never make a sound ever again after today.”

Surprised, Henry exploded with joy.

“No way! Seriously?!”

Henry marveled at the white violin which Zhou Mi didn’t understand. Mochi’s eyes looked at it like it an antique or a limited edition violin that few can have in their possession. It was just like any other violin, right? Not to Henry. To Henry, it was another instrument to add to his collection. It may sound like a dull reason, but only someone who loved instruments and music as much as he did would understand how much it meant for him.

Henry lunged forward. “Thank you!” He shouted, hugging Zhou Mi tight. Zhou Mi softly placed his hands on Henry, but as the hug went on, he tightened his hold.

“Do you even know where you’re going, Hyukjae?” Donghae asked for the 5^th time since he hadn’t received a reply from the older yet.

“Kinda.” Hyukjae finally answered.

“Kinda?!?! So we’ve been walking with little to no clue where we are?”

“I don’t have ‘a little’ clue. I have some clue.” Hyukjae corrected.

Donghae felt like slapping him but he just sighed and followed the Monkey. They had been walking around aimlessly, guessing upon each turn and so far 30 minutes had passed and they still hadn’t made any progress. Spacing out, Donghae didn’t realize that Hyukjae had stopped. He bumped into the older and snapped out of his trance. He saw the latter’s finger lift up and point at a house across the street. It looked quite small, but the inside looked nice. What also was in the inside of the house was not what Donghae had expected.

“Tell me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that Henry and Zhou Mi hugging each other?” Hyukjae said, staring through the window and into the house.

“You’re wrong.” Donghae replied.

Hyukjae looked at Donghae thinking if he was even looking in the right place.

 “I’m kidding. That is them.” Donghae teased.

Hyukjae pushed Donghae lightly. “Don’t lie to me like that.” He said playfully with a smile.

“Haha.” Donghae laughed.

RIIIIIIIIIIIING!

Donghae’s phone began to suddenly ring in his pocket. It had startled him and Hyukjae. However, that wasn’t all.

“Grrrrrr… BARK! BARK!” A dog behind a fence of a random stranger’s house began to growl and snarl at them. Its bark echoed in the distance and Hyukjae knew that Henry and Zhou Mi probably heard it. He saw their hug break apart and he they were probably going to look out the window and see Donghae and him.

Crap! He thought. Hyukjae had to act quickly, but there wasn’t anything big enough to hide behind. But then he noticed that there was a long hedge the extended about 10 feet, and they were right behind it. It was about 3 feet tall and they had no choice but to hide or be discovered.

Hyukjae tried to pull Donghae down in a squatting position, but clumsy Donghae tripped and fell and toppled on top of Hyukjae. They couldn’t move or they’d reveal themselves.

“BARK! BARK! BARK!”

Hyukjae was on the bottom and Donghae was on top. He felt uncomfortable since he’d rather be on the top. So he took a risk and rolled Donghae to the ground, switching their positions. “What the-” a finger was placed the younger’s lips to silence him. “Answer your phone…” Hyukjae whispered to Donghae. Slowly, Donghae reached down for his phone from his front pocket, touching Hyukjae’s leg while he was at it, and pulled it out. He hoped that no one would walk by and see them because it was embarrassing to be stuck in this position out in public. Their faces were unbelievably close and their bodies were just barely touching. He didn’t know where else to look so he looked Hyukjae directly in the eyes as he answered.

“Hello?” He said, almost in a whisper.

“Donghae!”  It was his mom. She sounded relieved after hearing her son pick up. “You and Henry both aren’t home, where are you? And do you know where Henry is?”

“I found Henry already. You don’t have to worry, Omma,” Donghae assured his mom. “We’ll be home soon.”

“BARK! BARK!” The dog was trying to stick his nose through the fence, but the gaps were too narrow to even put a paw through it.

“Yah! Jini, stop barking! Get in here!” The owner of the house and dog yelled. The owner came out, but luckily the two teens on the ground weren’t spotted.

“Is that a dog, Donghae? Are you safe?!” His mom became anxious again.

“I’m fine. The dog is behind a fence. It won’t hurt me.” Donghae looked towards the fence where dog was trapped behind. He saw passed the tiny gaps and realized that the dog was huge. It barked one last time before it left. He averted his eyes and looked back at Hyukjae, scared. He knew the dog was gone, but it was big and it didn’t look friendly. 

“Don’t worry, Mrs. Lee. I’ll make sure your son is safe.” Hyukjae suddenly spoke.

“Is that you, Hyukjae?” Donghae’s mom asked.

“Yes, Ma’am. It’s Hyukjae.”

“Thank you for watching my boy, he can be quite naïve sometimes.”

“I understand, it’s alright.” Hyukjae smirked.

“OMMA.” Donghae interrupted. The conversation could’ve gotten carried away if he hadn’t stopped it right there. His mom was someone who loved to embarrass him in front of guests and who knows what she would do in front of his lover when he has one.

“Alright, stay safe. I’ll be home waiting for you. And maybe Hyukjae can come over too if he would like to. I can make cookies and some tea and we can all get to know each other better.”

“OMMA.” Donghae repeated.

“I would love to Mrs. Lee.” Hyukjae answered.

“Fantastic! Bye!”

Click.

And she hung up. Donghae shoved the phone back down his front pocket.

“You know, you didn’t have to talk.” The younger said in a sour tone.

“But she wants you to be safe. I wanted to let her know that you’re not alone.” The older said in a sweet tone.

Donghae’s face flushed.

“Plus, if I didn’t talk, she wouldn’t have had invited me and made cookies. I’ve always wanted to see the inside of your house anyways.”

The latter sighed softly. “Fine. Can you check if Henry and Zhou Mi are gone or at least not paying attention?”

Hyukjae slowly peaked over the hedges and quickly ducked back down.

“What’s wrong?” Donghae asked.

The sound of a door opening was heard from across the street.

“What was that?” Henry asked, startled.

Their hug broke apart and Zhou Mi walked towards the front window of his house.

“Probably the neighbor’s dog.”

“BARK! BARK! BARK!”

“It keeps barking though.”

“There’s probably a cat or squirrel hiding in the hedges or something.” Zhou Mi said nonchalantly.

Henry looked at the time and noticed that it was almost midnight, but fortunately tomorrow was the weekend. Zhou Mi followed Henry's gaze and said,

“Do you need to go home soon? I can walk you home if you’d like.”

“Huh? Oh… I… I don’t know.” Henry still wasn’t ready. He didn’t know what happened after he had left. He didn’t know what their reactions were when he had abruptly yelled. He was seeing red at the time and his vexation consumed him.

“What do you mean you don’t know? Your family must be worried about you being out this late.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Henry said with a frown.

“I think they would. I’ve never met your Omma before, but I’ve met Donghae and judging from his character, he would be extremely worried if you’re out this late.”

“I guess he would be. But I can’t go back there. I made such a fool out of myself.”

“What happened?”

“I got angry. I yelled. And I ran upstairs, pissed. I wanted some fresh air, so I kinda snuck out without permission.”

“Silly Henry,” Zhou Mi chuckled. “So you ran away and you’re scared of how you’re family is going to react when they see you? Haha. Honestly, I think they would be angrier that you left without them knowing rather than you yelling rudely. Maybe they would be more worried than angry. You never know.”

“But I’m still scared.” Henry pouted.

Zhou Mi cupped Henry’s face.

Donghae and Hyukjae heard Zhou Mi and Henry chit-chatting as they walked from the opposite direction that the two idiots on the ground came from. It was probably the shorter way to get to Donghae’s house, too.

“Are they gone yet?” Donghae asked, still under Hyukjae.

“Yeah, they just turned the corner.” Hyukjae finally got off of Donghae and they both sat on the ground for a while.

“You know,” Donghae started. “You could’ve just lain beside me instead of on top of me. I mean, they wouldn’t be able to see you either way.”

“Yeah, but It would’ve been colder if I did that. I’d rather have a comfy cushion under me to keep me warm. Weren’t you warm, too?”

“Are you saying that I’m fat like a cushion?”

“What? No, of course not!”

“I guess I need to cut down on sweets if you think I’m fat then. It’s all your fault, Hyukjae. You always bring me out to eat and now I’ve gain weight.” Donghae teased.

“Donghae, you look fine. I didn’t mean that you were fat. You’re just warm and comfortable to lay on for some reason.”  Hyukjae tried to correct the misunderstanding.

“So, I am fat.”

“No, you’re healthy.”

“Isn’t that just another way to say that I’ve gain weight and that I’m fat, but just in a nicer context?”

“Then shall I say you’re handsome and that you shouldn’t worry about your weight because your body shape looks nice?”

Donghae blushed. He was stumped and he didn’t know what to say next. Hyukjae got up and lent a hand for Donghae as support. Donghae grabbed Hyukjae’s hand and got to his feet.

“We should head back to your house. How about we run?” Hyukjae proposed.

“You’re on,” Donghae challenged. “First one back gets a reward.”

“What kind of reward?” Hyukjae asked.

“Any kind of reward they want. Ready?”

“Set.” Hyukjae said next.

“GO!” Donghae shouted.

The two boys took off.

 

 

Sorry for not posting a a while ^^" I've been busy with some other stuff, but this chapter is a bit long so I hope it makes up for those days I missed :) Eunhae is being dorky and cheesy and Zhoury is sweet and caring in this chapter. The song Zhou Mi sang is actually a real song. It's called "Distant Embrace". The two piano song and violin song are also music that Henry has actually played in real life, too. I'll show you guys the link so that you guys can listen to them. Thank you~

Distant Embrace

Chopin Fantasie Impromptu, Op.66.

Storm

I do not own any of the songs.