"Sungyeol?"

"Hm?"

"I've got to tell you something."

"Go ahead."

"I'll help you escape," Myungsoo said in a quiet whisper, staring intently at Sungyeol. 

Sungyeol, who had been slouching lazily on the floor, sat bolt upright, his eyes wide with shock. "What?!"

"I- I'll help you. I'll get you out of here." Myungsoo gazed at Sungyeol with uncertainty. "That's what you want, right?"

"I..." Sungyeol began, looking almost confused. "Of course I want to get out of here... but didn't you say that it was only a matter of time before they let me out anyway?"

"I lied," Myungsoo admitted shamefully. "I didn't want you to feel abandoned by your father. I didn't want you to think you would have to be here forever."

"Oh, Myungie," Sungyeol breathed, and Myungsoo thought the boy sounded almost sad. 

"So I'll get you out of here," Myungsoo continued. "I'm not gonna make you wait for my Boss to let you out. That could take weeks, months even. I don't know. I won't make you wait for that."

"Then you're going to come with me, right?" Sungyeol asked, and he said it like it wasn't something actually worth asking. Like the answer was obvious.

"Of course not!" Myungsoo exclaimed, horrified by the notion. 

"Huh?" Sungyeol furrowed his brows in confusion. "Why in the world not?"

"Boss would kill me!" Myungsoo burst out.

"That's why you have to come with me!" Sungyeol insisted. "Do you really think your boss is going to let you live if you let me escape?"

"I'll say it was an accident. That I was uncareful."

"He'll beat you up," Sungyeol said quietly. He gazed at Myungsoo with something that looked like resolution in his eyes. "I won't let him beat you up."

"It's fine," Myungsoo replied, brushing him off. "It's happened before. I can handle it."

"I don't want you to handle it."

Myungsoo looked at Sungyeol in surprise. They both remained silent for a moment, staring at each other. Finally, Myungsoo said, "Why do you care?"

"Because you're my friend," Sungyeol said, and he looked so honest in that moment that for a second, Myungsoo couldn't help but hold his breath. "You are my friend, and I care about you. Of course I don't want you to get hurt."

"Sungyeol..."

"Hm?"

"Thank you," Myungsoo whispered, choking on the words. And before he could think his actions through, he leaned forward and wrapped the other boy in a warm hug. 

If Sungyeol was surprised, he didn't show it. Instead, he brought his hands around Myungsoo like it was the most natural thing in the world to do so. 

"You'll come with me, right?" Sungyeol mumbled.

Myungsoo pulled away and looked at the boy who was his only friend in the world. "I can't. You know I can't."

-

Lying on his hard, cold bed, Myungsoo stared at the ceiling, thinking. Wishing. 

He wished Sungyeol hadn't planted the thought in his head. The thought of freedom. Ever since he was little, he had stopped himself from thinking about things he couldn't have. Now, though, he couldn't stop thinking about those things. And there were so many things he wanted, but couldn't have.

He wanted to be free. He didn't want to have to obey the Boss that he hated above any other person. He didn't want to have to do all the bad things that he did. 

He wanted to be normal. A normal, average, teenage boy, with normal, average teenage worries and concerns.

He wanted to have a friend. A friend he could talk to and laugh with and be with. Someone who would accept him and love him, even though he was a bad person. Even though he was someone who didn't deserve to be loved.

And most of all, he wanted that someone to be Sungyeol.

I would give anything to be with Sungyeol, he thought as he drifted off to sleep. 

-

"So, have you changed your mind yet?" Sungyeol asked as he inspected his nails, his tone casual. 

"Huh?"

"About coming with me. Because you are coming with me, you know."

"I already said I can't. You know that."

"No, I don't."

"It's obvious I can't!" Myungsoo said, raising his voice.

"And why is that?" Sungyeol shot back, glaring at Myungsoo with slitted eyes. 

"Because Boss would find me. He would find me and then he would kill me for betraying him. And then he would kill you too, for making me betray him."

Sungyeol gazed at Myungsoo for a moment with a considering look in his eyes. "How do you know? That he'd find you. Did you ever try escaping before?"

Myungsoo started in surprise. "How did you guess?"

"What happened?"

"I was around eleven. Terrified of the man. So I tried to run away... they found me within 24 hours." Myungsoo's voice faltered. "I don't... I'd rather not talk about it."

Sungyeol pursed his lips, looking very much like he was about to cry.

"It's fine!" Myungsoo said hastily. "It was a long time ago. I'm fine, really."

"You keep saying that when it's so obviously not true," Sungyeol said, a frown on his face.

"I swear I'm fine."

"I don't care what you say. If you're not going, I'm not going either, and that's the end of that." Sungyeol looked away, as if finished with the conversation.

"Huh?"

"I'm not leaving this place without you."

"Oh, come on," Myungsoo said in exasperation.

"Sorry, but no can do."

"You're hopeless," Myungsoo declared, throwing his hands in the hair. 

 "And you're losing."

"Losing what?"

"This argument." And Sungyeol smirked, a glint in his eye.  

-

"So what's the plan?" Sungyeol inquired the day after. They were both lying on Sungyeol's bed, side by side. Myungsoo couldn't help but be concious of how close he was to Sungyeol. We are almost touching.

"I don't have one," he admitted sheepishly. 

"Oh my goodness, you're the hopeless one here, not me."

"It's not that easy!" Myungsoo said defensively.

"Really?" Sungyeol replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "What about this: we sneak out in the middle of the night and take the first bus out of town."

"But you need to get back to your partents."

"I'll call them."

"But you have school."

"We live in the twentyfirst century: I can study online."

"But all of your friends..."

"You're my friend too."

Myungsoo turned his head towards Sungyeol and looked at him with wonder. How can someone like you exist?

"So you've gone back to staring now?" Sungyeol asked, sounding amused. He shifted so that he was facing Myungsoo and gazed straight back at him. "I rather like when you look at me like that."

Myungsoo blushed, feeling extremely embarrassed. He was about to turn away, but Sungyeol grabbed his shoulder and held him in place. "Don't."

"But-"

"Just relax. We're friends, right?"

Myungsoo looked at Sungyeol with uncertainty, but the other boy seemed to be doing just fine. I must be the only one who's weird. I'm the only one who's freaking out. I'm the only one who can't breathe properly. It's just because I haven't had a friend before. It's just because this is new to me. 

Myungsoo was in the middle of trying to calm himself down when Sungyeol suddenly leaned forward, a smile playing on his lips, and kissed Myungsoo on the tip of the nose, making Myungsoo's attempt at relaxing go completely to waste. 

Author's Note: You guise. You. Guise. I can't believe this. Oh my gosh, I can't believe this. I AM GOING TO KOREA!!! Hoooly, I am actually going to South Korea! In less than two months! I have never been so excited in my whole life (ok, I take that back, I was equally excited when I went to see Infinite in London <3), and I don't know how to behave normally anymore xD 

I'll be in Seoul for about two months :D Crazy, right? I'm finally fulfilling my dream! 

Hey, if there's anyone who's been in Seoul, or is living in Seoul right now, and have any recommendations for me, like some good places to eat or fun stuff to do, please tell me! Cause I have no clue whatsoever (as I've never been to South Korea before), and it would seriously be supernice to get some tips! <3 ^^