It has been more than 2 months since Yoochun had moved into the orphanage with his sister and has been more than a month since he had been diagnosed with clinical depression. Yoochun had been feeling better in the company of Jaejoong, Changmin and Junsu, who all have been his rays of sunshine and have all made sure to never leave him behind and crack some jokes once in a while to keep him happy.

                In the spite of the happiness and relief his new friends and the new loving community has been giving him, the painful memories and scars of the past still haunted Yoochun in the night and that his father’s soul was still calling on him to avenge his death and find the true murderer.

                After Mrs. Hwang and the other children in the orphanage had noticed Yoochun was acting a bit gloomy and quieter than usual, they consulted to bring him to a doctor and he therefore is actually scientifically depressed.

To the relief of everyone, after taking his medicine regularly and going through weekly therapy in order to control his mental and emotional state, he had been showing signs of improvement and had started to smile more often over the course of time.

                Jaejoong  had given an old, empty notebook that he had found within the depths of his wooden closet to Yoochun for him to express and write down his feelings and the memories that have been left, in which he thought would be a perfect measure to help him move on from his depressed state.

                Even for a month after, Yoochun had greatly appreciated his gift and has written down on it every day since he had received it and had not missed a day at all, even if he had spent most of that day outside playing soccer or hanging out at Changmin’s house nearby.

He had been showing signs of improvement slowly and had started to become the optimistic and joyful young boy he had always been, but he had now become a young man and still kept the burdens of his father’s murder deep inside his heart, no matter if it did not show at all outside.

                Though vengeance was not all he had in mind, since he knew that living and breathing vengeance would ruin him in the end and that he had something else rather than avenging the death of one long gone, taking care of Yoona.

                His little sister was the last fragment of the picture he had called family and the only living thing he had loved and held dearly still alive and with him today. To be able to take care of her and become a better older brother figure, he had to become she could look up to and be proud of and he knew he had to work on it in the long run.

The future has so much on hold for him and for everyone with him, Yoochun knew that he could become a better person than his mother had been, his father should have been and better than what his parents had expected of him.

….

Yoochun scribbled endlessly on the page in which he had flapped open, incomprehensible writing that swirled and scratched the paper endlessly, his words going on and on as he jotted down everything that had happened and what he had felt during the day.

                He always made sure he would always write something down in the beginning of his day early in the morning as he gets up and at the end of the day late at night as he was about to get to bed. Yoochun knew it was important that he would be able to express what was unfathomable in words and actions to anyone he would try to talk to.

                “Yoochun-ah, aren’t you going going to play some baseball later? If you’re coming, we’re going to be late or if you don’t want to go, it’s alright.” A voice that Yoochun recognized like Junsu’s rung loudly in his ears, which prompted him to hide his diary under the cloth of his mattress and throw his pen towards his study table.

“I’m coming!” He grabbed his worn-out baseball bat and crumpling baseball glove that had stitches falling out and its fabric falling apart, running outside his room and slamming the door hurriedly.

Yoochun panted as he reached the bottom flight of stairs, his palms gripped tightly on his knees and his upper body bent down as he took a moment to take a breath and calm down from all the running he had done from the third floor.

“It looks like we’re not going to play baseball today; Mrs. Hwang told us the Jung’s are coming over.” Junsu turned over with a disappointed expression as he set aside his baseball materials and slowly walked away.

A sense of excitement and contentment had filled Yoochun’s stomach with butterflies and his cheeks slightly turned scarlet as he thought of the new friend he had made in the Jung manor.

                “Well Jaejoong hyung’s going to see Yunho hyung this time.” Changmin teased jokingly as he nudged Jaejoong’s shoulder. “For the last time, I am not gay for Jung Yunho.” Jaejoong spoke out clearly as he emphasized every syllable he spoke and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

                “You haven’t met Jung Yunho yet?” Junsu asked as he noticed Yoochun’s confused expression, who in turn responded as he shook his head. “She’s Jung Sooyeon’s older brother, the girl you met a few months ago on your first day here. She looks just like him, personality and first impression wise- scary and serious looking.”

“They’re not that scary, it’s just that both of them all have tendencies to be very straight-forward and are very rigid with following the rules.” Changmin laughed awkwardly before he marched over to the kitchen to grab a green apple.

                The boys had remained gathered near the stairway and were chatting gallantly as they sat on each of their respective steps, until Mrs. Hwang entered through the main door and panicked shortly as she noticed the boys were not yet prepared for the guests they would entertain.

“Boys, come on please get dressed. The Jung’s are coming in an hour and I am sure all of you are excited to see them as well.” She shooed them upstairs gently before she ran off to the reception room to prepare the house further.

                “Yes, Mrs. Hwang.” The boys replied obediently in unison before they raced themselves back upstairs to their room once she left.

….

All the children in the orphanage are lined up in a uniformed manner, sitting patiently on chiffon dyed plastic chairs against the pecan colored marble floor and the crimson brick walls that held the house together.

                Yoochun sat wearily in between Junsu and Jaejoong, who were all by the coincidence the exact same height, but all stood out differently due to their different colored shirts; Yoochun wore a purple v-neck shirt of cotton material, Jaejoong wore a plain black tank top and a cream wool sweater on top and Junsu wore a brown polo shirt with a light blue periwinkle cardigan.

                The Jung family came in lead by their patriarch, Mr. Jung who was dressed formally in a suit and a cobalt tartan plaid tie that clearly stood out from afar. Following him was his wife Mrs. Jung, wearing an elegant sheath style white and black dress that stood out with a white colored cape that matched her top and their children: Yunho who is dressed in a trendy gray vest over his plain white shirt, Sooyeon stood there prettily in a light lavender polo dress and little Soojung proudly stood out in a ruby colored drop waist dress.

                The family had been active in philanthropic and charity work for over a century throughout the generations that have founded a multi-national company and served the benefits of the less fortunate, gaining enemies from other wealthy families and corporations who were envious and only see their generosity as a marketing scheme to trick people into thinking they were great people who cared about others.

Mr. Jung took a step forward and breathed in deeply before he began to speak loudly. “Ladies, gentlemen and children -it has been wonderful to be able to be gathered among you all as we honor and continue the tradition in which we the Jung family maintain the support in which we had extended this orphanage for years. “

                The speech had gone on for what seemed like forever and no one had noticed one of the girls in the Jung family sneak away secretly, hoping no one would see her but one person did, Yoochun noticed.

…..

Sooyeon laid her body against the dark green shards of grass that crawled against her skin and stained her gown with scorches of mud and dirt. Her ebony colored hair shone under the piercing glares of sunlight, seeming dark brown instead as her luscious locks dispersed themselves and were tangled intricately in between the remnants of pulled-out grass.

                She held a couple of wilting daisies in her palms, their beautiful qualities and perfume-like scent, no longer found as she carefully plucked each petal before they gracelessly dropped to the ground. Sooyeon kept her focus completely on the flowers she gently took out, before she stood up abruptly as she felt the presence of another person behind her.

                “Who’s there?” She reacted in shock and attempted to threaten the person behind her pointing out the nearly bald daisy up to his face, only to hear a surprised yet contented chuckle from the person who recognized as Yoochun.

Yoochun stood nearby the large cherry blossom tree that roofed the both of them with its pink petals that were securely locked against its branches and caved over them like a human would over an ant. He smiled teasingly, laughing even harder, which caused Sooyeon to redden up in embarrassment.

                “Are you sure you can provoke me with a daisy that barely has any petals?” He asked jokingly, walking towards Sooyeon even as she began to turn around and sit down as she ignored his question half-heartedly. “I sure can.” She retorted loudly before resuming lying down on the soft grass that rubbed her skin softly.

                “Mind if I join you down there?” Yoochun looked down curiously and got on his knees to discreetly examine her features on which he only fully was aware of this very moment. “Feel free to lay down. I don’t own this place, silly.” Sooyeon shrugged her shoulders casually without even looking up for a second glance.

He rested his head only a few centimeters away from her, unknowingly feeling the warmth that came from her body being so close to him. Yoochun place both of his arms behind his head, his eyes glued to the enchanting sight right above him.

                The sun had just set and the sky had started to darken, the orange glow turned into a haunting, dark violet as the stars had started to come out as they hid behind the clouds and came out at the right time. Sooyeon herself has always been an enthusiast for stargazing and the likes, having not missed any sunsets and the first appearances of stars in the night sky for a consecutive year and had wished to continue that record further.

                “So what are you particularly looking about?” Yoochun muttered out loudly as he curiously looked up towards the sky, only to be shushed immediately with a finger on his mouth. “We’re looking at the stars.” Sooyeon whispered furiously as she places down her hand and rested her body once again on the solid ground.

He stared back in silence, keeping his attention as he carefully examined through Sooyeon’s features, especially those miniscule characteristics like the chestnut color of her eyes that shined under the moonlight and her thick eyelashes that seemed even thicker as he looked even closer.

“The potential that something greater than life and out of this world can be found within those stars, and that another world or alternate universe that awaits for us is found within those stars just-It bewilders me.”  Sooyeon sighs tiredly as she arches her neck up to look up at the sky even closer,

breaking the awkward silence as she looked down before sitting back up to rub her arms repetitively as a result of the dropping temperatures that have caused goose bumps to form on her skin.

Yoochun turned his head and shuddered as he noticed that Sooyeon had stood up and had left the spot she had rested on; worried that he may have done something that may have offended her. “Are you cold or did I say something wrong?” He bolted up as he ran over to her, as he followed her around while she had gathered her bag to prepare to leave.

                “You said nothing wrong, Yoochun. It’s just that it’s getting dark, I’m feeling cold and you probably are too, so it’s time for us to go in and I could just watch the stars from inside instead now.” Sooyeon shook her head sluggishly, yawning and stretching her arms side wards as she walked over the tree’s prominent roots and traced her steps backwards from where the orphanage was found.

He panicked for a few seconds, clutching his backpack behind his back and running to be able to keep up to her even as he tripped over the roots before he was able to catch up behind her. Yoochun hastily brings out his bag and takes the first piece of heavy cloth he can find- a purple wool blanket that had a significant polka-dotted pattern imprinted on it and was thick enough to be used for the dead of winter.

                He covered the blanket over her head and shoulders, sheltering her upper body and rubbing over the scalp of her head as a sudden wave of warmth flowed in her body. “Yoochun-shi – You don’t have to give this to me-“ Sooyeon looked up with a confused expression as she noticed the blanket on her head and held on it to take it off and return it to him, only to be refused as he held out a hand to deny her returning it.

                “No it’s yours Sooyeon-shi , it’s my gift to you.” Yoochun firmly refused as he gently pushed away the blanket away from him, looking away in an attempt to not make any eye contact with her whatsoever. She pouted slightly at his stubborn attitude in the moment, but then sighed in defeat to take the blanket instead.

“Thank you so much, Yoochun-shi. I’ll really take care of the blanket!” Sooyeon sincerely thanked him as they walked slowly back to the orphanage, smiling slightly. “You better take care of yourself first, Sooyeon-ah. Alright?”  He grinned teasingly and ruffled the hair on the top of her head playfully, in which her head scrunched in reaction. She nodded shortly before they made their way back to the orphanage in silence, only to see her older brother Yunho running out in panic.

                “Sooyeon-ah, where have you been? Mother has been looking for you for nearly an hour and if Father finds out, you will be in so much trouble.” Yunho slowly speaks up out of concern rather than out of anger at his little sister, the shortness of his breath clearly heard as he pants in between his words.

“I was just looking at the stars with Yoochun-shi, I don’t think you’ve met him before? He’s one of Jaejoong and Changmin’s friends.” She walked over towards her brother, the blanket still wrapped around her head as she introduced the two to one another. Yoochun smiled at his friend’s older brother, shyly trying not to make a wrong impression.

Yunho stood there for more than a few seconds as he stared at Yoochun attentively, before responding with his roaring laughter and extending a hand out in signal that he would like to be friends with him. “I’m Jung Yunho and as you can see, I’m her older brother. You mess with her means you mess with me, alright?”

                Maybe staying out in the cold to watch the sunset and see the stars glitter in the sky wasn’t that bad, as life eventually did get better for him, for now.