All words in Italics are Leo's thoughts.

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“If you idiots aren’t up in the next 30 seconds I’m getting Ahjumma and you really don’t want her waking you up again do you?” A deep voice echoed through the sparsely decorated bedroom. Three bunk beds lined far wall next to a single closet door, opposite two bureaus. Currently, four lumps under the thin blankets had not moved a single muscle despite Ravi’s loud voice.

Shut up. Leo thought to himself, keeping his eyes closed, trying to return to the world from which he came. Having good dreams came sparingly, and he liked to relish the moments when he could. This one had been particularly enchanting; a beautifully decorated living room, loving parents, even older siblings--there’d been three sisters. He imagined the room again, sinking into the soft velvet couch, eating the hot, delicious soup his mother had prepared, singing for his sisters--

“Seriously, do you want to get another detention for being late? Get up!” Footsteps pounded the scuffed hardwood floor toward their beds. The bunk bed next to Leo’s creaked and groaned as he heard Ravi shaking the frame.

“God Ravi, what’s wrong with you?” Ken’s crabby voice sounded above him and slightly to the left.

“Get up! You guys really don’t get it, we’re going to get in trouble.”

Dammit Ravi, shut up! There was no chance of getting back to sleep now. Leo opened his eyes in time to feel his own bed frame shaking and he looked up at an unfazed Ravi who was peering down at him.

“Are you up?”

Leo didn’t answer--he never did--and just glared at the younger boy, who flinched ever-so-slightly. I believe you just volunteered for an early death.

“Just...get up.” Footsteps receded and he heard Ravi sigh to himself. “Sheesh.”

Leo sat up and rubbed his eyes vigorously, hearing N groaning to his right as Ravi ripped off his blanket, making him huddle in the cold morning air. “Get out of bed you lazy bum.” Leo threw off his blanket and punched the mattress of the bed above him, hearing Hongbin groan in response. Out of habit, he glanced at the bottom bunk next to him, below Ken’s bed, to see if Hyuk was awake, though Hyuk was almost never there. Honestly, none of them knew where he spent his nights, but it wasn’t usually with them.

“That’s it, I’m getting Ahjumma.”

“I’m up, I’m up! Yeesh, give a guy a break!” Ken’s feet hit the floor and headed to the washroom down the hall. They heard him yelling at someone else to get their moving so he could brush his teeth. Just another morning at Lee Bongcha’s Home for Boys.

A pair of feet dropped right in front of Leo’s face, as per normal, and he shoved them away impatiently. How many times do I have to do that before you get the damn hint: I. Don’t. Like. Feet. In. My. Face. Hongbin’s face, handsome despite everything, appeared next, looking apologetic. “Sorry hyung.”

Leo rolled his eyes and followed Ken’s example into the washroom.

Several yawns, curses, shoves, and shouts later, the five of them finally ended up in the communal dining hall downstairs for a pitiful bowl of rice and vegetables before being sent off to school. The twenty or so boys holed up in this dump pushed and shoved their way out the door, several of the younger boys and Hongbin forced to the ground in the process. Leo gave the younger a slap to the back of the head, which he accepted meekly, before helping him to his feet. You have got to start defending yourself idiot.

The walk to the subway station wasn’t normally so bad, but it was cold today and Leo was not in the mood for the test he hadn’t studied for today. Light at the end of every tunnel, huh? This tunnel was clearly the exception. And to make matters worse, their train was delayed, making Ravi glance at his watch approximately every two seconds and bite his lip.

Chill out.

Ken and N were playing some dumb game involving pushing each other closer to the tracks and daring each other to go ask for money from one of the businessmen waiting for the train with them. The sound of their laughter irritated Leo and he looked away from them. Hongbin was just staring at the floor, arms crossed, his face devoid of expression. He looked depressed again, and they all knew it was getting worse.

Where the hell is Hyuk? He normally met them at the station, uniform disheveled and usually dirty, his hand out for his backpack, which Leo always had for him, and a broad grin on his face, which meant he’d just had a fix. In their younger days, Hyuk was the only one of the five of them who could get even the hint of a smile to appear on Leo’s face. The weight of two bags were getting on his nerves when Hyuk failed to show up. Why do I even bother anymore? Stupid question, one he could answer himself.

The TV above the screen displaying when the trains would arrive was broadcasting the local news and Leo glanced at it before unwrapping the headphones he’d found on the side of the street one day from the mp3 he’d swiped from a thrift store shelf that had music already downloaded on it. Then he did a double take, his headphones still half-wrapped around the player.

"Police have begun their investigation into the murder of an unidentified male, estimated at 15 or 16 years old.” The scene cut to police crime tape and a brief glimpse of an alley that appeared to be basically painted with blood before showing the reporter once more. A picture appeared in the corner of a hastily touched up picture of a body, making it seem a lot less gruesome than it probably was. The reporter continued. “The victim died from multiple stab wounds to his abdomen and appeared to have been beaten prior to his death. Anyone with information as to the victim’s identity is requested to come to the police station to identify him. He was wearing a blue hoodie, black pants, and converse sneakers.”

Leo froze. A body in an alleyway wasn’t exactly new to him; this shouldn’t make his cheeks drain of color and him feel like he was about to faint. The face in the picture was bloodless, the eyes closed, and barely recognizable, but he would recognize the figure sprawled out on the ground anywhere. And that meant anywhere, including a murder scene.

Hyuk.

Leo punched N’s arm. “OW! Hey, what was that for?” Leo grabbed the sleeve of the older’s uniform roughly and turned him so he was facing the TV, which was still reporting the murder. N’s eyes widened as he looked at the picture of his friend on the screen. However any of them had thought they’d see Hyuk next, it was definitely not as the victim of a stabbing. “Oh my God.” N whispered, his smile melting off his face . By now, the rest of them had turned and were drinking in the report, their faces varying degrees of horrified. “The incident is estimated to have occurred at just past two this morning.” Where were we?   

The train rumbled to a stop and they were jostled as the crowd rushed to board and continue on with meaningless lives. How can you be so unfeeling? Leo wanted to scream at them. My best friend is DEAD. Not even Ravi made a move for the doors.

“Doors closing. Please step away.” The female automated voice sounded as mechanical as everyone else acted in this damn world. Leo turned and punched the nearest wall, ignoring the stab of pain as the bricks split his knuckles. Faces blurred past as the people on the departing train looked curiously and slightly warily at him.

“Hey! Careful sonny, no defacing public property.” The station worker looked up from his newspaper to yell at him. Mind your own business jackass.

A hand closed on his arm as he went to attack the wall again and pulled him away, back toward the group. Leo aimed his furious glare at Ken, who let go as if Leo had burned him.

“Calm down.” He said, knowing Leo wasn’t going to answer. “We can figure this out.”

THERE’S NOTHING TO FIGURE OUT.

Hongbin already had tears streaming down his face and he made no apparent effort to stop them. Leo despised him at that moment. You think you’re the only one who loved Hyuk? Stop being a baby.

“W-w-what are we going to do?” Ravi stammered, looking to N. As the oldest, he usually made the decisions, but N seemed to be just as much at a loss as the rest of them.

"We have to go to the police.” Ken said, sounding unusually logical for him. “We have to tell them who he is and then they can find who...who…”

Hongbin burst into heaving sobs at these words and covered his face, almost like he’d been looking for an excuse to cry all morning. N put his arm around him and attempted to calm him down but it was useless. Once Hongbin got started, there was no stopping him until he’d gotten rid of all the tears in his body, which seemed to replenish unsettlingly quickly. N looked up and began to steer Hongbin away, beckoning the others to follow. “Let’s go, come on.”

Ravi looked at the tracks where the next train was pulling in and back at his watch, biting his lip again so hard he drew blood. Leo glared at him, daring him to step one foot on that train. If you really want to be that callous...

“If you’re not going to come, then go.” N threw over his shoulder at Ravi. “Just do something.”

With enormous difficulty, it seemed, Ravi turned away from the train and followed the four others out of the station.