As Sungyeol pulled back, Myungsoo stared at him with wide eyes, his lips slighty parted. He blinked a few times, remaining silent the whole time. Finally, he stuttered, "Wha-at was that for?"

"That was my way of telling you that I like you," Sungyeol answered. "And that I want you to come with me. We'll escape together and find someplace nice to live. What do you say?"

"I-" Myungsoo began. "I can't promise you anything."

"Then promise you'll try," Sungyeol said, his expression having turned from playful to serious.

"I'll try," Myungsoo agreed, and then he rose and walked hastily out of the room, still shaken from Sungyeol's lips against his skin, however brief it had been.

-

"I need your help, hyung," Myungsoo whispered into the phone. He was sitting on his bed inside his small bedroom, his left hand drumming nervously on the bedspread.

"This is the first time I've ever heard you ask for help."

"And it will be the last, I promise."

"What is this about anyway?"

"I-" Myungsoo hesitated. If there was one person he believed he could trust, he knew it was this hyung who knew - to a certain degree anyway - how it felt to be trapped in his Boss' claws. Still, it was difficult to say what he wanted out loud. Myungsoo drew a deep breath and continued. "I need you to hide someone for me."

"Huh?" 

"I kidnapped a boy, around my age. He didn't do anything wrong, and doesn't deserve to be here," Myungsoo explained. "I can't keep him here anymore. I want to help him escape, and I need to find a place where I know he can be safe; a place where Boss won't find him. I know it is too much of me to ask you this, hyung... you have the right to refuse, of course. But I needed, at least, to ask. I don't know what to do anymore. I have no other way to save him..." Myungsoo's voice faltered. 

"I assume you did this on the Boss' order?"

"Yes," Myungsoo confirmed. 

"Why?" 

"It's not really important, but in short Boss wants some kind of information that the boy's father has."

"And so Boss made you kidnap the boy as a threat?"

"Yes... His name is Sungyeol. Lee Sungyeol."

"So what you're trying to say is that you want me to keep this boy of yours - this Sungyeol - at my place?"

"Hyung, please..." Myungsoo said, and he knew he sounded like he was begging. 

"But what about you, Myungsoo-ah? Are you just going to stay there? You know Boss will kill you."

"He won't kill me," Myungsoo disagreed, though feebly so. "He'll just let me suffer for a little while. I can handle it."

"Haven't you suffered enough, Myungsoo-ah?"

"Life is unfair. There's nothing I can do about it."

"You can escape. Like I did."

"I already tried that. It's not going to work."

"It worked for me; it can work for you. You were too young the last time you tried, but you're more experienced now. You know Boss better."

Myungsoo was still for a moment, considering. "Hyung..."

"Yeah, Myungsoo-ah?"

"I want to... I want to escape. I want to be with that boy, with Sungyeol. But I'm scared," Myungsoo admitted. "I don't want to pull Sungyeol further down than I already have."

"You just have to take some risks, Myungsoo. I know the feeling; I was there, in your shoes, once."

"Then... are you saying that you'll help me?" Myungsoo asked, the hope slowly blossoming inside him. 

"I'll help you." 

-

"I have reason to suspect that L is planning to escape with the boy he is in charge of watching, hyung-nim sir."

"Really?" the deep voice rasped. 

"His recent phone conversations has been with a person we suspect is in fact the older boy who escaped a year ago."

"Interesting... Have you learned anything specific?"

"Not yet. We are still tapping his phone, and I will give you notice as soon as any new information has been aquired."

"Good. See to it that L doesn't escape. I won't have my dog bite my hand after I have fed it."

-

"Sungyeol, I have good news," Myungsoo smiled, his voice quiet. Sungyeol liked to see Myungsoo smile. He just wished Myungsoo would smile a little more often than he did. 

"Really?" Sungyeol replied. "Tell me."

"I talked with a hyung of mine. He agreed to help me. You'll be able to hide with him until I find a better solution."

"You mean we'll be able to," Sungyeol said, raising his eyebrow. 

"Sungyeol," Myungsoo began.

"Don't even," Sungyeol cut him off. "I don't want to hear it. I already told you I'm not leaving without you. I don't want to have your death on my shoulders."

"I'm not going to die," Myungsoo breathed, exasperated. 

"Pft," Sungyeol scoffed, waving his hand in the air. "Yeah right."

"Why are you being so difficult?" Myungsoo demanded.

"You're the one being difficult," Sungyeol shot back. "I'm just trying to save you, while you insist on being the tragic hero that rots away in his lonely prison."

"I'm not trying to be a hero!"

"Then why do you refuse to go?" Sungyeol stared at Myungsoo with hard eyes.

"I'm trying to save you!" Myungsoo yelled in frustration. 

"If you want to save me, then you need to save yourself too," Sungyeol declared. "I don't care how much you yell; I won't go without you."

Myungsoo pulled his hand through his hair in aggravation. "Fine."

"Huh?" Sungyeol started, taken aback. "What was that?"

"I said fine," Myungsoo glared at the other. "We'll die in the attempt, but fine. If that's the only way, then so be it."

The edges of Sungyeol's lips twitched; he tried not to smile. "I guess we have a deal then. Myungie-ah," he added after some consideration. 

Author's Note: I'm not even gonna apologize for being late once again, because I've already done that in the last, like, 4 chapters or so, and I'm sure you're all sick of hearing the same thing over and over again. (Still though, I'm really sorry!! OTL) 

On a side note: Can anyone guess who the hyung is? :P