Once, the world was a place for everyone. It was bright and joyful.

Then came a different time.

People became greedy for power, for money. Politicians overthrew the democracy and in our time, they reign. They set the guidelines, they punish, they reward. They control. Everything is monotone, everything is order. Going against the power is a crime considered worse than murder and so the punishment is severe. No one will risk it.

They are the rulers. They have clouded people’s minds, vanquished their hopes, their dreams, the light. The world has turned dark. Violence, , murder, crimes… That’s the daily life of those less fortune. Those with less power than the authorities.

If you have money and power, you’ll succeed. If you have not…

You’re doomed to fall. To fail.

To perish.

You can try to fight it, you can try to change your fate, but you can’t. Your fate is set. You’ll live in suffering and then you’ll die. The end. There’s nothing more.

This world, this nothingness, is devoid of hope. There’s no way to escape. Happiness is for those with power, hope is for those with money, life is for the authorities.

If you aren’t killed, this world will drive you to your own demise. That’s a promise.

However, hidden away from the power, there are people who dare take up the fight. People who wish for better, who still have hope. Who have seen the light and believe in its return. People who will go against the power.

Kings and Queens, defending our dreams, hopes, rights. Kings and Queens of promise.

We refuse to fall. We will shout, we will stand, we will fight, and if we die, we will not have done so in vain.

We still believe.

Our pasts may be different, our nationalities may not be the same, but we do have one thing in common:

We will not stand idly by while our world is wasting away beneath our feet.

xXxXx

The screams of his parents and sister when they barge into the house are loud and pledging and Daesung cannot focus on anything else. He is frozen solid in his seat even as two men grab one of his arms each and hoist him up from the chair. Daesung is confused and afraid and can only watch his family as he’s dragged away, under arrest for crimes he hasn’t ever even considered doing.

It’s only when they pull him over the doorstep that he suddenly wakes from his stupor and protests.

“Wait! I haven’t done anything!” he cries, pleads, and tries to get away from them. “Let me go! Let me go!”

“You are to remain silent or we’ll be forced to resort to force,” one of them speaks coolly and Daesung despairs, futilely fighting the men that hold him.

“Spare him!” his mother begs and Daesung feels tears gather in his eyes as he watches her sink to her knees and humiliate herself; she bows before them, forehead and hands on ground. “He’s done nothing! I swear! I beg of you! Show him mercy!”

The men, however, are heartless and Daesung’s forced away from his home and his family without even the chance to say goodbye. The men drag him down the street and people stop in their actions to watch him being taken away. No one dares to intervene.

Daesung keeps his head low until they reach their destination. He’s brought into a room, a court, and here he’s forced on his knees in front of a man, chin raised slightly to show off the power he holds.

“Kang Daesung. Do you confess to your crimes?” the man asks monotonously and Daesung panics.

“No! No! Please understand! I haven’t done anything! I really haven’t!” He’s always lived quietly with his parents and sister, making sure not to evoke the system’s attention. They’ve never done anything against the system. “This isn’t fair!”

The man is a rock. “The papers clearly state that you’ve broken the laws set by the highest authorities. You are charged of betrayal. Do you have anything to say in defence?”

Daesung is beyond desperation. He knows what happens if he’s found guilty. He’s truly and utterly terrified. “Please listen! I didn’t do anything! I’ve never ever broken the laws! Please! Please!”

He feels himself hyperventilating. His breathing is quick and he’s trembling. This is too sudden; he’s shocked. He doesn’t understand.

“If you confess to your crimes, your punishment will be less severe,” the man announces and Daesung wants to cry.

“Please listen to me!” he begs, fighting the men holding him down. “Please! I didn’t commit any crimes!”

He doesn’t understand why this is happening to him. He’s done everything right, never once broken the laws. He’s a good child. He comes from a good family. This is in no way righteous.

The man stares at Daesung for a long time and just when Daesung feels a shimmer of hope, the man blasts it away with his cold words. “I hereby find you guilty of betrayal of the authorities. Your sentence will be execution tomorrow at sunrise.” He turns his back on Daesung and gives a slight wave with his hand. “Take him away.”

Daesung cries and begs but no one listens. He’s thrown into a cell and here he curls up, sobbing and screaming and pleading for them to release him because he truly hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s never even considered it.

But no one listens.

Hours tick by and eventually the tears dry on his cheeks. He thinks of his family, of the faces of his parents and sister when he was taken away right before their eyes.

He didn’t even get to tell them he loved them and now he’ll never see them again.

“Please…” he begs brokenly, grabbing the bars and looking for someone. “Please, I didn’t do anything. I didn’t.”

He doesn’t sleep at all. He cannot make sense of time, doesn’t know if it’s day or night; doesn’t know how close he is to the time of his demise.

He tries to remember the good times. He tries to remember his family and his friends.

All those good memories vanish from his mind, however, when four men suddenly appear before his cell. Fear, ice cold fear takes hold of him and he screams as they pull him from the ground and drag him to wherever.

The men are used to their work. The prayers of the criminals don’t touch them.

Daesung’s brought to a dimly lit room and forced down on the only chair available. Men tie him to the chair to assure he stays there and Daesung once again cries.

The man from earlier is there and this time he’s also the one doing all the speaking. “Kang Daesung, ID number 433158. You are charged for betrayal of the system, punishable only by death. Do you have any last words before the serum will be injected?”

Daesung has heard of the serum the system uses for executions. Everyone has. It’s as if a bucket of ice cold water has just been emptied on him and he stares wide-eyed at his prosecutor. He cannot believe it. How did this happen? Why? What did he do?

“I didn’t do anything,” he whispers, voice hoarse from crying and screaming. Once he sees the look in the man’s eyes, he lowers his head and closes his eyes tightly. There’s nothing he can do. The man will not be moved. Daesung cannot convince him of his innocence. The man is steadfast in his belief.

Daesung follows the man with his eyes as he accepts a small vial of liquid and a syringe. His body tingles with fear as the man the water-like substance up in the syringe and hands the empty vial back to one of the observers. He then approaches Daesung, as does another man who pulls forth a knife and cuts the sleeve of Daesung’s shirt away from his right arm, leaving his flesh exposed. The prosecutor feels the skin on Daesung’s arm and Daesung feels the small hairs on the back of his neck stand. He doesn’t understand.

“I was assigned this task to inject the serum in your veins today at sunrise by the higher authorities. As the protocol states, I will now tell you what will happen.” The man seems entirely bored with this and it makes Daesung want to throw up. “I will inject the serum into your veins. After a minute, maybe two, you will start to feel dizzy and you will have troubles moving your limbs. Depending on your body’s reaction to the serum, you might feel pain. Following these symptoms is lack of vision. If your body does not react well to the serum, you might lose consciousness. When these symptoms occur, death is next. It is a mostly painless death if everything goes according to procedure.”

Tears trail down Daesung’s cheeks once again and he cannot stop them. Doesn’t want to stop them. He’s not ready to die. It isn’t fair that he has to die.

The man straightens slightly and Daesung bites down on his lower lip, closing his eyes and trying to control his erratic breathing, knowing everything will soon end. “To avoid complications, you are to sit still and wait once the serum has been injected in you. It’ll be over in a minute.”

Daesung doesn’t feel reassured at all and when he feels the needle prick his skin, he suddenly cannot breathe, but he still tries to talk, tries to plead, tries to fight. He doesn’t want to die, especially not because of false accusations.

The world is cruel, however, he’s come to realise, especially in his final moments. Do what you can to live, but survival still isn’t a guarantee. The world is indeed cruel. Merciless.

Suddenly everything is turned upside down. There are shouts and yelling, the sounds of running steps and fighting. The needle is pulled painfully out of his arm and there are more shouts and he whimpers but doesn’t dare to open his eyes, too afraid to do so. He’s frozen solid. Only when someone grabs him does he jolt and his eyes open wide as he tries to get away from his attacker.

The man in front of him looks nothing like the ones he’s been around the last many hours.

“Can you hear me?” the man asks hurriedly, fighting to undo the ropes keeping Daesung tied to the chair.

Daesung’s inner is like a tornado, his emotions being tossed around inside of him and he doesn’t know what to do or how to respond.

“Answer me,” he man orders and grabs Daesung’s jaw, looking him dead in the eyes. “Can you hear me?” He lets out a relieved sigh when Daesung nods timidly. “Good. Did you see how much of the serum was injected?”

Daesung shakes his head this time and the man in front of him curses, pulling him to his feet. Daesung’s legs, however, cannot carry his weight and his knees buckle underneath him. Only the stranger’s quick reaction saves Daesung from kissing the floor.

“, not already!” he hisses, making sure Daesung stands before he looks him in the eyes. “Look at me, okay? Good. Move your arms. Good. Shake your legs, yes, great. Are you dizzy?”

Daesung takes a second to answer, this time another shake of his head. The man lets out a relieved sigh and pulls Daesung with him. “Good. If you start to feel dizzy, let me know immediately, understand?”

Daesung is about to nod, but just then he notices the bodies on the floor and he freezes. He knows death happens often, but… This is too much. There’s too much blood and he feels sick. He’s not used to being in the middle of it. He’s always tried to keep away from it.

It takes a couple of attempts for Daesung to find his voice, and even then he only manages one trembling word. “No…”

“Don’t just stand there,” the man urges and Daesung is forced onwards, away from the bodies. “We must get out.”

“They are dead,” Daesung whimpers and the man glances at him. “They are all dead. I…”

“Don’t think too much about it, Daesung,” the man advises quietly. “It was them or you.”

“How..?” Daesung manages.

“I’m Dong Youngbae. Don’t worry, I’ll get you away from here.”

The run down the hallway is a blur and Daesung doesn’t remember much. Too much has happened in a span of twelve hours and he is about to burst. If he cannot scream, he wants to sob for hours on end or maybe he just wants to sleep it all away.

What he wouldn’t give to suddenly wake up at home with his parents there to soothe him. He’d tell them about the horrible nightmare where he’d been caught and sentenced to death and he wasn’t able to handle it, but it’d be alright because it was only a dream.

But he won’t wake up, because this isn’t a dream. This is a living nightmare. This is the cruel, merciless reality.

And when the dizziness hits, they’ve just made it out of the building and Daesung is feeling short of breath.

“The… You asked me to tell you… Dizzy…” he pants and Youngbae comes to an abrupt halt and spins around, grabbing Daesung’s shoulders and giving him a quick once-over.

“Just now?” he asks and Daesung nods slowly. Youngbae groans and runs a hand through his hair. “I don’t know how much time is left…” He makes a noise of frustration and then pulls Daesung with him again.

It doesn’t take long before Daesung cannot keep it up any longer and he drops to his knees on the grass. Youngbae’s hands are on his shoulders again, shaking him, and he speaks urgently but Daesung doesn’t quite catch what he’s saying.

Youngbae curses, knowing Daesung won’t be able to continue the rest of the way on his own. Just as the man sinks against him in a faint, he reaches a decision. He promised himself that Daesung wouldn’t die, that Daesung wouldn’t suffer because of the system, and he’s not about to break that promise, so he hoists Daesung’s unconscious form up from the ground and continues towards the hideout that is luckily not too far away. He knows it wasn’t the whole serum that made it into Daesung’s veins, meaning Daesung won’t die just as quickly, but he knows just as well that it’s only a matter of minutes. Ten minutes may be too little. Half an hour is the limit. Daesung cannot survive for longer than thirty minutes without the antidote.

And so he runs. He runs as if the fate of the world were in his hands.

The serum either kills instantly and more or less painlessly – or pulls you through a living hell of pain. Youngbae fears for Daesung; he can feel the warmth from the other’s body, signalling a fever. His troubled breathing is worryingly, too, and Youngbae knows instantly from the symptoms that the serum is having a worse effect on Daesung’s body than it usually has.

He finally reaches the hideout, but he doesn’t allow himself a breather. “Ji!” He calls for the one man who’s been his best friend in many, many years. The man he started all this with. “Ji, quick!” The grand hall is almost deserted, but Youngbae spots his friend on one of the platforms, already on his way down. “Someone, get me a vial of Type 1bA!” he adds and one of the girls on the same platform scurries off.

Youngbae lays Daesung’s body on the ground and shortly after Jiyong is by his side, momentarily joined by two others that Youngbae has by now known for long, too.

“Critical,” one of them declares as soon as she’s checked him.

And she couldn’t be more right. Daesung is in a critical state. Youngbae purses his lips in thought as he runs his eyes over Daesung’s form, noting the faint tremble, the sweat, the small irregular gasps for air…

Youngbae fears that time isn’t on their side.

Everything after that happens in urgency. They’re all experienced in these kinds of situations and so they quickly get the antidote injected and can hereafter only wait. Youngbae gives a quick resume of everything that happened up until this point and, as they wait for the antidote to do its magic, he adds more about Daesung.

It happens that they notice someone and decide to keep an eye on them. This is mostly done by Youngbae and his fellow leaders, Kings and Queens as their people have adapted to call them however much Jiyong complains about it.

Daesung was one of those they’d kept an eye on, specifically Youngbae with Doongwook and Hyori. However, they hadn’t been prepared for the system’s sudden move and so Youngbae had had to plan a rushed rescue mission. They’d gotten Daesung out, but time is always an important factor and it remains doubtful whether they have enough time or not.

Fate and luck definitely seems to have left them.

When Daesung is brought to a more private room with a bed, he seems better, but then Youngbae remembers the colour of the serum and the situation changes drastically after hat.

The colour of the serum has in a long time been water-like, but the one used on Daesung was a light green which means the system has once again made an improvement of the serum or made a whole new one.

Hence, Daesung’s life is still in danger and Youngbae can do little to help him aside from joining Daesung on the bed and holding him close as Daesung screams and cries even in his unconscious state, his body fighting the serum. Daesung is in agony and Youngbae is unable to do anything.

They can only wait and hope since there’s no cure for a possible new serum and so Youngbae prays to God, prays that He will save Daesung. He must keep his faith, his hope.

However, no one of them thinks he’ll survive. Seunghyun is the first to voice all of their thoughts and Youngbae despises him for it, refusing to give in.

“He’s not going to die,” he says firmly, holding Daesung closer and trying to ignore the whimpers of pain coming from the younger man. “He cannot die.”

He promised himself. He promised that he’d save him. He’s never been one to break his promises.

Youngbae feels close to crying when one of their specialists relay her thoughts to them.

She, too, doesn’t believe in Daesung’s survival.

There’s still hope, Youngbae truly believes that, but the hope is so small, barely reachable.

Youngbae would cry when Daesung’s grip in his shirt slackens, signalling that he’s weakening, dying, but he still cannot.

Youngbae can’t quite explain what makes him so attracted to the younger man. It had started the moment he laid his eyes on him, that he knows, and he’d felt an overwhelming urge to protect the other, and maybe… But to finally have the man with him, but like this… He cannot stand the thought.

Waiting for death is always a painful process. Youngbae finds that he’d rather be in Daesung’s place, that he’d rather be the one in agonising pain, than watch and feel how the younger is slowly dying in his arms. He’s used to watching people die, to kill them, even. He’s used to people surviving from the serum, used to people dying from it after a brave fight. He’s used to it.

But the prospect of losing Daesung is too much. The thought of losing someone he barely knows, someone he’s only watched from afar for a couple of weeks, pains him more than anything.

And Daesung’s breathing is slowing down to the point that Youngbae can’t even feel the warm puffs of air on his skin.

Seunghyun leaves the room shortly after Jin Ae. They are soon joined by Seungri and Hee Ra. No one of them wants to stay and wait. Only Tae Cha, Jiyong and Youngbae stay behind and no one makes a sound as they wait for Death to come and take Daesung away.

Daesung’s still young, Youngbae thinks bitterly. He’s no more than 20 and Youngbae’s seen him smile, seen him laugh. Daesung doesn’t deserve to die. A bright light, one of the last in this world of darkness, will die, but Youngbae doesn’t want to believe that.

And yet, despite him not wanting to believe it, it still surprises him when he feels the soft breaths on his neck again. Faint, but definitely there. He doesn’t quite dare to hope yet, however, and so just waits for more signs to tell him whether Daesung is going to live or not.

Eventually he grows certain and hugs the now merely sleeping form of Daesung closer.

Daesung is going to live. He knows.

xXxXx

Youngbae’s the only one present in the room once Daesung awakens, groggy and slightly nauseous.

“You’re awake,” the older man observes and Daesung looks at him for a while, narrowing his eyes in thought.

“I… I am,” Daesung mumbles, finally forcing his eyes away from the other man and instead looking around, examining the room he’s currently in. He has no idea of where he is or how he got there. “What happened..?”

Youngbae is quiet for a while until he stands from the chair, approaching Daesung with careful steps. He sits down on the bed and feels Daesung’s forehead, smiling when he is met by a normal temperature. The fever broke hours ago, but the paranoia still has a place in his mind. He was deceived so many times earlier, after all.

“It’s complicated,” he starts, letting his hand drop to his lap, opting to just look at the younger. “The serum they injected in you was a prototype. An improved version of the serum, but not the final result. You were their guinea pig, so to speak, and you were in luck, I guess one can say. If it had been the final result… You wouldn’t be here now.”

Youngbae pauses shortly to let the words sink in. Daesung’s eyes are glazed over and Youngbae wants to comfort him. The young man has been too close to death too many times already and the first shock didn’t even have time to settle down before the next one hit.

“Your body reacted badly to the serum and the prototype worsened it. You were in pain. Agonising pain, I dare say. We… We almost didn’t believe you’d make it. But you did.”

Daesung is tired, oh so tired. He feels drained, emotionally and physically. He’s been through too much in a short time. Or, he realises, he doesn’t actually know how long it’s been, so that’s his first question, finding it more important than the other thousands of questions he wants to ask.

“I found you yesterday,” Youngbae answers gently. “You fainted once we’d made it out of their headquarters. We were only convinced of your survival almost two hours later. You’ve slept since then. 17 hours, I reckon.”

Which means it must have been almost two days since he was caught.

“My… my family,” he whispers and Youngbae meets his questioning gaze. Youngbae notes slight desperation and still present fear, too. “What… What will happen to them?”

“They’ll be fine,” Youngbae assures him. He lets out a soft breath before continuing. “I brought you here to our hideout. The people here are ones who still believe and so we fight the system. We want the world to become what it was years and years ago; a brighter world that isn’t corrupted by those greedy for power and money. I am one of the leaders here. Besides me, there are six others and then there is our people. We’ve become a large group in a span of few years, growing rapidly in number.

“You have two choices, Daesung. You either stay here with us and we’ll keep you safe or you go back and risk being caught again. If you choose to stay here, we’ll protect you, and if you wish, we’ll train you to fight them. We won’t force you, though, so rest assured. If you don’t want to fight, you don’t have to.”

“If I go back…” Daesung mutters after a while, fumbling with the blanket as he thinks deeply about his options. “Will my family be in danger?”

Youngbae frowns. “It’s a possibility. If they find you still alive and out there, they’ll suspect your family, too.”

Daesung falls back in the bed and throws an arm over his eyes, sighing heavily. He feels exhausted. “I don’t feel capable of making such a decision. I still haven’t gotten over the whole thing with being caught and…” He shivers slightly and doesn’t finish the sentence, but he knows Youngbae knows what he meant to say. “I don’t know anything. I don’t understand anything.”

“You don’t have to decide right now,” Youngbae tells him softly. “You can wait a few days if you want. Even a week if-“

“I’ll stay,” the younger interrupts, throwing him a hesitant smile. “I… If I endanger the lives of my parents and sister in case I go back… I’ll stay.”

Youngbae reaches out to place a hand on Daesung’s shoulder in a friendly gesture and Daesung takes comfort in it. The conclusion that he cannot ever see his family again is a painful one, but he knows it’s for the best.

“If that’s your decision.”

“It is,” Daesung answers, his voice firmer than moments ago. He’s trying his best to be brave.

And maybe, Youngbae thinks as he starts to tell Daesung about the beginning, about the hideout, about the group he leads together with Jiyong and the rest of his closest friends, maybe he’s fallen in love with the man with the gentle smile and the contagious laughter.

Now, this is a sidestory, yes, but currently I don't plan on uploading the main story. Maybe, some day, I will.

Oh, and I still seek someone who draws. As I mentioned in To the Piano's Tune, I’m in the middle of a Daebae fanfic inspired by Sleeping Beauty with Daesung in Aurora’s role and Youngbae as Prince Philip (I take my liberties in the plot). While writing, I thought of Daesung and Youngbae as children on a field of daisies. Daesung had made a crown of daisies and put it on Youngbae’s head and Daesung was all smiles while Youngbae tried to act manly (as manly as a thirteen (or slightly younger) year old can and with a blush adorning his cheeks). Anyways… Might anyone want to draw that? Just some chibi-thing-ish… Anyone seen the picture of Jiyong as Rapunzel and Seunghyun as her his saviour? Something like that.

Anyways, if you made it to this point, I hope you enjoyed reading!