Sungyeol’s life was perfect for a really long time. He had top grades in school, a great and trusty circle of friends, high ambitions for his future, and lived with a high-achieving family he was able to admire every day; his mother was an actress and a best selling author, his father a veterinary surgeon, and his younger brother was on a steady path to stardom too as an aspiring actor just like their mother. In addition to all that, Sungyeol had the most beautiful girlfriend he even hoped to marry one day. 

 

If someone were to tell him that his life was about to fall apart and wither away within a short year, starting from the night of his high school graduation, he would call them crazy because — realistically — nothing could tear down the life and happiness he had built up in nineteen years.

 

« Who said anything about being realistic though? »

 

“Hey.”

 

His best friend nudged his side softly but Sungyeol tried to ignore it, knowing it was unlikely anything but drunken slur would come out of Woohyun. The class was having a final get together at a bar to celebrate their graduation. Although the night was still young, Sungyeol looked like he might pass out from boredom because he didn’t like to drink much. Instead, he gazed at the golden liquid in his half full pint glass.

 

“Hey.” Woohyun said again. “Hey, remember that time…? You know… Class trip? Whatever happened to you that time when you were suspended for smoking during the, you know, class trip?”

 

It seemed random to bring that up all of a sudden but it wasn’t, as somebody had already tried to bring it up after the graduation ceremony to playfully tease Sungyeol’s otherwise perfect attendance throughout high school; even his teachers were teasing him about it for the last time.

 

Woohyun had bailed on that particular class trip — because he had to prepare something special for his beloved boyfriend’s birthday, which to him was obviously a million times more important than school — so he only heard about the incident from some classmates since Sungyeol never wanted to talk about it.

 

“Nothing.” Sungyeol said while pushing his pint away.

 

“Ah, come on. Tell me. I’m your best friend, aren’t I? Were you alone or were you with someone? Was it a hot girl? Guy? Did you get laid? There was a rumour…” Woohyun's mumbles trailed off after he took another swig of his drink.

 

Sungyeol knew what he was talking about and there was even a bit of truth to the rumour but he wouldn't admit it.

 

When Sungyeol accidentally locked himself into the storage basement at the cheap hostel during the class trip, (he was supposed to grab a spare set of bed sheets for himself, when the door closed behind him and couldn't be opened from the inside), there had been another person in there with him, locked in for the same reason too.

 

But that was it. There was no ‘getting laid’. The only thing they did together during the night in the basement was chat for a while, smoke an entire pack of cigarettes, and then cuddle together for warmth later when the night got cold.

 

Even though there had been no signs of any tobacco or a lighter on Sungyeol when he was later found – alone – he was suspended from the trip because there was a distinct smell of cigarettes in the basement so who else was to blame? The kid who sneaked out behind the teacher’s back unseen? Of course no one believed Sungyeol, the straight A student. It was ridiculous.

 

“Who was it?” Woohyun asked, his cheek resting on the palm of his hand as he watched Sungyeol for his response.

 

“There was no one else.” Sungyeol said, sighing. It was a blatant lie Woohyun was fortunately too drunk to catch onto.

 

There wasn't a lot Sungyeol knew about the other male who kept him company that night, but apparently his name had been L. He also knew that L was the same age as him, went to a different school but lived in the same neighbourhood as Sungyeol, and one of his main hobbies was playing the guitar although he admitted he wasn’t good at it.

 

L was also very sensitive to temperatures, especially when it got cold during the night. In a matter of minutes, the direction of their conversations and general interaction turned gradually weirder and weirder until L eventually snuggled against Sungyeol and gave him no choice but to unwillingly let him do so until L was warm again, and then he dozed off like a kitten.

 

It was all so strange.

 

What Sungyeol didn’t know about L was what he looked like since it was pitch dark in the storage basement.

 

“Hello? Sungyeol. What are you thinking about so deeply?”

 

Sungyeol stopped staring at his half-finished pint and turned to the man standing behind Woohyun, trying to shake his sleeping friend awake.

 

“Oh, Sunggyu. You’re here.” He said with a small smile, happy he could finally go home too.

 

The older male chuckled. “Yep. Thanks for calling me. I'll just bring him back to mine since he's too drunk to go home. Do you need a lift too?”

 

“No, I'm fine. I need some air so I'll walk.” 

 

“You kids are crazy.” Sunggyu mused as he watched the other students from Sungyeol's class, some with vodkas and cocktails, while others with juice and soft drinks because they weren’t old enough to legally drink alcohol. “Even my graduation night was less wild. And it was still considered wild as hell at the time.”

 

His own graduation wasn't even that long ago, Sungyeol thought, maybe 4 or 5 years ago? But he decided not to point that out since Sunggyu had shown to become rather sensitive towards anything that pointed out his age difference with Woohyun. 

 

“Don't count me in with them. But your lover here is the worst of them.”

 

Sunggyu agreed happily. “Right? He's so cute.”

 

Since Woohyun was in the safe hands of his darling boyfriend of two years, Sungyeol decided to head home too because he was never particularly close with anyone else in his class so there was no reason to stick around. 

 

Darkness followed him all the way back to his neighbourhood, as if the lamp posts were broken, but they weren't, and it was a surprisingly quiet walk. The graduation night was known to be the night all seventeen to nineteen year olds were out getting drunk and crazy and wild, so the silence gave Sungyeol chills.

 

He tried to speed up his steps, a little frightened by the darkness around him, until he heard a voice that made him stop, motionless for a full minute.

 

« It’s all downhill from here, Lee Sungyeol. Your life as you know it is over. »

 

This was unlikely because Sungyeol was quite confident about his upcoming exam results and with his high chance of getting into a top college. That's not to say he wasn't a little nervous about going to college and studying well without disappointing his parents.

 

What made him a lot more nervous was the familiar sound of the gentle voice he heard, but couldn't see the owner of. 

 

« I told you it would end tonight. Didn't I? »

 

“Who are you?” Sungyeol asked with a shaky voice. “What do you want from me?” 

 

Was he dreaming again? It felt like a continuation of his nightmare from the night before.

 

« You know what I want. I want you to surrender yourself to me, » the voice spoke darkly, appearing to come from the shadows in a dark laneway nearby. Then, it sounded a little lighter as if he was smiling, « or you could just save me and I’ll leave you alone. »

 

Before Sungyeol could ask how he was supposed to save him, he was shaken out of what turned out to be some kind of a trance or daydream as he bumped into a dark figure in front of him. 

 

“Sorry,” Sungyeol gasped out, his hand on his chest. 

 

“It’s okay. Got a cigarette by any chance?” 

 

“I do, hold on– wait, wait– what are you doing?!” he cried out when the other suddenly started patting his pockets, looking for the pack of cigarettes in the back pocket of Sungyeol's jeans. “Stop touching me. I’ll get it for you.” 

 

“I got it, I got it.” the stranger chuckled. “Aren't you supposed to be quitting these anyway?” 

 

“What? How do you know that? Who are you?”

 

“Light?” Why did the way he said it sound so familiar to Sungyeol? “Never mind, I'll find that too.”

 

“No! Don't touch me. I'll get it.” Sungyeol took out his lighter quickly and lit the stick between the other's lips.

 

Was this guy... L? he thought as he stared at him. He certainly gave off that same uncomfortable vibe Sungyeol got from the male he was locked in the storage basement with during his class trip.

 

“Thanks. Hey, your phone's ringing by the way.”

 

“What?”

 

“Your phone's—”

 

“Yeah, I heard you.” Sungyeol grumbled and took out his phone.

 

He was a little weirded out by the fact that he wasn't able to hear his ringtone even though it was loud and clear, and not to mention it was also the special ringtone he had set just for his girlfriend's calls.

 

“Yes, my princess?” he answered cheesily, watching as the guy in front of him snorted and started laughing. Sungyeol scowled at him before speaking into the phone again, “Sure. I'll be there in a minute. Is everything okay—? Hello?”

 

“She hung up?”

 

“Yeah... I wonder what's wrong... Wait! Why am I even talking to you about this? Bye!” Sungyeol walked past him.

 

“My house is in the same direction, princess.” The strange guy spoke up when Sungyeol turned around to predictably ask him to stop following him. 

 

“Don't call me princess.”

 

“Okay, princess.”

 

Sungyeol decided to ignore that. Somehow he knew the other wouldn't let that rest and he really didn't have time for that. His girlfriend's phone call made him nervous as hell. She had sounded like she was crying. Why was she crying?

 

Before he could run off, the other male called out to him again. “Sungyeol, wait. The pack.” So Sungyeol turned around to find the dark clothed male motioning with his hand in a way that asked Sungyeol to throw the pack of cigarettes over to him. And that's what Sungyeol did, without giving it much of a second thought.

 

Sungyeol could hear the amused laughter behind him before he started to realise what he'd done.

 

He'd called Sungyeol by his name. So did he know him then? Was he really L? He had to be. His behaviour was just as weird and intrusive. He was rude too, much like how Sungyeol remembered the guy from the storage basement. 

 

While he hoped he wouldn't have to see the guy again, especially during that same night, an hour later he was just what Sungyeol needed so that he wouldn't fall apart into a million pieces and get himself in trouble. 

 

« Lee Sungyeol, » said the now familiar dark voice coming from the shadows of the lane way leading towards his neighbourhood.

 

« Are you hurting? Is the pain unbearable? »

 

Of course he was hurting.

 

His nightmare had been a terrible omen of what eventually came.

 

Sungyeol's girlfriend had called out to him in tears, begging for him to give her one last kiss before she disappeared from his life. She gave him no explanations for her actions, no reasons for leaving, or even a hint of where she was going, only that she was sincerely sorry for the pain he was about to go through because of her, because he had become like family to her.

 

She used that word a lot. Family. As if that was the main problem.

 

What that meant, Sungyeol didn't get a chance to ask.

 

He was truly sad to break up, sure, but his heart didn't break until just half an hour after he parted with her. The sudden emptiness, which flushed everything else in his heart and made it its home in its stead felt a lot like grief. It was pure torture and exhausted him in a matter of seconds, causing him to collapse to the ground in uncontrollable tears and sobbing.

 

“Yes.” Sungyeol answered the shadow's question truthfully.

 

It was a stark contrast with how he reacted to the voice just an hour ago, or in his nightmare the night before. He was no longer afraid of the darkness. He was mesmerised by it. The dark suddenly seemed like the safest place to be, away from the bright agony that poured in through the cracks that were beginning to show on the walls of his perfect world.

 

“Can you take this pain away? I'll do anything!” He cried out.

 

« Good man, Lee Sungyeol. »

 

Sungyeol felt something grab a hold of him, starting from his feet and slowly creeping up his legs. It felt relaxing, freeing him from tension, a fast relief to the pain he had first thought was just in his heart but turned out to have run through his whole body. It felt like he was getting swallowed by darkness, and he liked it. But then came a much needed interruption.

 

“Get a grip, Sungyeol! You don't want to do this to yourself or your family!”

 

There was that word again. Family. He loved his family too much to make them go through this pain his girlfriend gave him.

 

Sungyeol opened his eyes slowly, blinking, then widened his eyes and stood up straight. It was the guy that had tricked him earlier. He tried to push him away, but his arms were too strong and Sungyeol felt too weak and weary to put up a better fight. The gentle way he rubbed Sungyeol's back also felt so good. The pain was gone.

 

Who was this person? An angel?

 

“What's your name?”

 

“Kim Myungsoo. We're neighbours.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Then Sungyeol passed out for some time only to wake up again later to the vast starry sky above him as the first thing he saw. The fresh and cool air calmed him down considerably and his heartache was just a distant memory for the moment.

 

Then he felt the cushion under his head move.

 

“How are you feeling?”

 

Sungyeol thought about it. He felt nothing. Just numb. 

 

“Empty.”

 

“Thought so.” Myungsoo his hair softly, then placed his hand on Sungyeol's forehead. “I heard what happened.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“Your girl is gone, and in your frenzy of grief you were about to make a huge mistake. Aren't you glad I was there to stop you?”

 

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

 

Myungsoo stayed quiet then, realising it probably wasn't a good idea to burden Sungyeol's mind with the heavy information he then decided to keep to himself for the time being. 

 

“Don't stop talking... Your voice is calming... somehow.” Sungyeol said, closing his eyes again.

 

“You're not curious?”

 

“About?”

 

“Why I brought you to the park instead of your house?” Myungsoo watched as Sungyeol shook his head before shifting his body a little to make himself more comfortable with his head on Myungsoo's lap. He smiled. “Because I wanted to watch you as you sleep.”

 

“I know you're just saying that to creep me out. Isn't that right?”

 

“Right.” Myungsoo said, chuckling softly.

 

“My parents told me to stay away from you. Kim Myungsoo. They said you're dangerous.”

 

“I know. I was there when our parents had that conversation. It's the reason my mother hates your family now.”

 

“I've never even seen you outside. Did we ever meet before?”

 

Maybe if he was L, the mysterious guy from the storage basement, this was a good time to tell Sungyeol.

 

“I- No. Not exactly. I mean, until a week ago I wasn't even allowed to go outside, except for school. I had to sneak out at nights if I wanted freedom. Now I can do what I want because my mother gives even less of a about me than before. It's really great.”

 

The conversation was gradually making Sungyeol uncomfortable. Myungsoo's words didn't make a lot of sense. He still didn't know why Myungsoo was dangerous. How did Myungsoo's mother not care about him if he cared about how badly Sungyeol's parents thought of him?

 

“I mean it is really great for me,” Myungsoo said again when Sungyeol stayed quiet. “But I'm not letting the same happen to you.”

 

Sungyeol was about to fall asleep again because of how good it felt to have Myungsoo brush his fingers so gently through his hair while speaking with his soothing voice. But then, the shadow's familiar voice spoke up again, startling him fully awake again.

 

« I'm afraid it's a little too late for that, Myungsoo. »

 

“What? Are you serious?”

 

« Deadly. In his grief stricken state, Sungyeol gave himself to me. Come on, Myungsoo. Did you really think you could protect him? It was a sweet attempt though, I'll give you that. »

 

“What is this?” Sungyeol asked, looking at Myungsoo for answers.

 

Myungsoo frowned, shaking his head. “I'll tell you later.”

 

The wicked laughter that followed, which came from the shadows just before the sun began to rise, continued echoing in both of their heads for hours after that. What had Sungyeol gotten himself into?

And that's the first chapter for you! Rewritten. The original first chapter was written in a rush, so it was difficult to continue from there, also I realised highschool!AU is awkward for me to write now that I'm nearly 22 and no longer in school. hahahaha. So that part is gone. Thanks for reading! :)