For: AsianNoodles

Title: The Prince of Nagareboshi and Prince of Yoosung

Pairing: WooGyu

Prompt: Picture of Woohyun and Sunggyu at Melon Music Awards 2012

 

---

 

When I was little, my dad would always tell me a bedtime story. They would always revolve around the same characters, and most often, he would tell me a story about two princes: the Prince of Yoosung and the Prince of Nagareboshi.

He would take me onto his lap and tell me, “Look up there, princess, there’s a star, righhhhhhhht there between those two stars. That’s called Yoosung and that's where this story is going to take place.”

One day when I was older, about 16, I decided to ask him again of the Princes and he told me a new story of the Prince from Nagareboshi and Yoosung.

He smiled and started the story, “Your dad’s mother used to always tell him a story of a palace in the stars where princes would go after they passed away. The princes always lived in the stars, even in death.

“Look up there at the night sky, princess, there’s a star, righhhhhhht there between those two stars. That’s called Yoosung and next to it is Nagareboshi and that’s where this story is going to take place.”

 

☆♪☆

 

Prince Sunggyu stepped off of the starship, arriving at Nagareboshi from Yoosung, and looked around for a certain someone.

It was the Star Festival, a festival where the people from Sunggyu’s home planet of Yoosung go and visit to the star next to theirs, Nagareboshi, and celebrate together. Sunggyu had been coming to Nagareboshi for as long as he can remember, he needed to come because his mother was the Queen and ruler of Yoosung, which made him the next in line for the throne.

Sunggyu glanced around for someone he knew was around somewhere. He remembered every year, the same boy was there on the platform, waiting for them.

“I can’t wait to see Sungyeol and Dongwoo and Woohyun again,” Myungsoo said, bouncing up and down a little bit. Sunggyu smiled at his little brother and patted him on the head.

“You’ll see them soon, just act like a prince for a little longer,” Sunggyu said.

Immediately, Myungsoo straightened up and tried his best to look more ‘prince-like’, which made Sunggyu laugh a little bit. Myungsoo was three years younger than Sunggyu and even though Myungsoo insisted he’s a big kid, Sunggyu still doted and spoiled him.

From the other end of platform, a small party of royalty came out to greet Sunggyu’s family. Immediately, his eyes landed on the young boy standing beside the Queen of Nagareboshi.

Woohyun, his best friend and the second in line for the throne of Nagareboshi, gave Sunggyu a big smile and a small wave, which Sunggyu returned.

Myungsoo was jumping up and down impatiently as he finally saw Sungyeol again. “Umma! Can we go play now?” he asked, tugging at her skirt.

She smiled and nodded. “Just make sure you’re back in time to get ready for diner, okay?”

“Okay! Thank you!” Myungsoo gave his mother a hug before rushing off to stand by Sungyeol’s side.

“Umma, can I go with him?” Sungyeol asked his mother, looking much more hyper now that Myungsoo was beside him.

Both of the Queens laughed and gave their permission for their children to go off by themselves. In a flash, they were gone, running off to have fun.

As soon as they were in the garden, Woohyun hugged Sunggyu tightly, nearly lifting him off his feet, which caused Sunggyu to laugh a little bit.

“I missed you so much, hyung!” Woohyun said, without letting him go. “I want to play with you every day like this. I want to go invade the kitchen every day, I want to hear you sing every day and I want to fall asleep beside you every single day!”

Sunggyu laughed at Woohyun’s excitement, finding it adorable. “Be more mature,” he scolded as they parted. “Anyone would think that you’re Myungsoo’s age, not mine.”

“But you love me anyways,” Woohyun said, throwing hearts at him that made Sunggyu roll his eyes. “Come on, hyung. Let’s go, we’re falling behind.”

Sungyeol, Myungsoo and Dongwoo were running around in the castle gardens, happy to see each other again because it was the first time they had seen each other since the last Star Festival.

“Guys! Wait up!” Hoya and Sungjong, the sons of the General of the Yoosung’s army, came rushing up to them.

“I missed you so much!” Sungjong said happily as he gives Sungyeol and Dongwoo a tight hug.

Suddenly, their laughter was drowned out by the loud noises of an airplane passing overhead. They all instinctively looked up to see what it was. Sunggyu jumped in surprise as he saw a dozen planes flying across the sky in a V like the birds back at home.

“What are those doing here?” Sungjong asked, looking slightly scared. “Those planes aren’t supposed to be out unless it’s dangerous.”

Sungyeol looked down at the ground. “Umma is scared of something.”

“Of what?” Myungsoo asked, clinging onto Sungyeol tightly, not wanting to see the fright on Sungyeol’s face. “What is it?”

“We don’t know, Umma is just more scared of something that she has been for a little while,” Dongwoo explained. “I think there’s something coming our way…”

Sunggyu shifted his weight, feeling uneasy by the appearance of the planes. “Let’s just forget about it,” he said firmly. “I’m sure it’s nothing or our moms wouldn’t have let us come out here.”

Everyone nodded and soon they’re running around and screaming again.

“Let’s play hide and seek,” Sungyeol suggested.

“NOT IT!” all seven boys yelled at the same time.

After a round of screaming and rock paper scissors, Hoya became it and Sunggyu ran away to find a hiding place. Hurrying into the Palace, Sunggyu looked around for a spot to hide.

“Hyung.”

Sunggyu jumped as he heard Woohyun right behind him. “You gave me a heart attack,” he said, their voices echoing loudly in large hall they were standing in.

Woohyun smiled at him and took his hand. “Hyung, I have a good place to hide, come with me.”

Woohyun led Sunggyu to the greenhouse where large sparkling flowers reached into the sky. “There’s so many places that you can hide in here,” he said. “Plus it’s pretty.”

Sunggyu laughed and hid between some plants with Woohyun. “It is pretty,” he said, touching the flowers next to them.

Woohyun gave him a smile and he laughed in that special way of his. Sunggyu couldn’t help, but smile back, feeling ridiculously happy to be the one who Woohyun was smiling at.

Turning his gaze back to the sky, Sunggyu looked at the stars in the sky, wishing that this moment could last forever.

But as he watched the heavens, the sky exploded into flames and the beautiful city turned into flames, signaling the beginning of the war.

 

☆♪☆

 

“Myungsoo! Sunggyu! Where are you?”

Sunggyu and Woohyun ran through the grand halls of the palace, hand in hand like they used to when they were younger. Sunggyu could hear his mother somewhere in the palace calling for him, but he didn’t know where to go. The city was under attack and the only thing that he knew was that they needed to get out of there.

“What’s going on?” Woohyun asked, frightened. Sunggyu could only shrug as he keeps on running.

Suddenly, he crashed into someone running in the opposite direction. A wave of relief washed over him as he recognized his mother, but his mother his mother looked frantic as she glanced around. “Where’s your brother?” she asked sharply.

“I don’t know, we were playing Hide-and-Seek,” Sunggyu said, feeling rather small in his fright. “He’s hiding somewhere.”

His mother closed her eyes for a moment, but then opened them again, a hard glint in her eyes. “We have no time, hurry,” she said as she started running down the hall, holding Sunggyu’s hand in hers.

Sunggyu was worried, his mother has never sounded this panicked before and he knew something is wrong.

For the whole year, Sunggyu knew that there was something going on. For increasing periods, his mother had been in the study or far away on important missions. From what Sungyeol and Dongwoo had said, it sounded like there was something going on here too.

Woohyun tapped Sunggyu’s shoulder. “Hyung, where we going?” he asked, sounding slightly scared as he ran with Sunggyu and his mother.

Sunggyu shrugged, because he really didn't know. “Somewhere safe, where we can be together.”

That made Woohyun smile widely, even though there was another explosion and the world rocked like there was an earthquake.

Suddenly, Sunggyu’s mother stopped and looked down at the two boys. “You need to get out of here,” she said urgently. “There’s a aircraft hanger down this hallway, you will find a aircraft there and you can escape in that.”

“Umma, what about you?” Sunggyu asked, reaching out to grab onto her. “Umma, why aren’t you coming with us?”

She smiled sadly. “Baby, I won’t be able to come with you, I need to find your brother first. Go ahead without me. I’ll see you back at the castle.”

“Umma!” Sunggyu wailed, clinging onto his mother’s beautiful white dress. His actions were rather like a two year-old unlike the fifteen year-old boy he was. “Umma, take me with you.”

She shook her head again. “I want to go with you too, baby, but I can’t.” She took off her necklace that she always wore around her neck and handed it to Sunggyu.

Sunggyu stared at it in his hands. It was the royal symbol of Yoosung, the Muhanui Byul. All the rulers of Yoosung had worn it before his mother and he was the next to wear it when it was his turn to rule. The centre of the charm was made out of a precious material called ‘muhandae’ from the centre of the star Muhan in the middle of their star system. “Umma, why are you giving it to me?”

She gave him a shaky smile. “Baby. Umma might not be coming home tonight, keep it safe for me and go home.”

“But…”

“I love you so much, baby,” his mother whispered. “Be a wonderful king and take care of Yoosung and your brother.”

Sunggyu grabbed his mother in a tight hug, trying not to cry. “Umma. Come back home. Please.”

She nodded and gave him a kiss on his forehead. “I will, baby, I’ll be home soon. Take Woohyun and go home together.”

Sunggyu nodded and stepped back, watching as his mother turned to Woohyun and smiled at him.

“Woohyun, don’t cry,” she chastised as she wiped off some of his tears for him.

“But my brothers, Dongwoo and Sungyeol, I need to go find them,” Woohyun said, moving to run to go find them.

“I’ll find them for you,” Sunggyu’s mother promised. “You need to get out of here. I’ll find Sungyeol and Dongwoo and bring them to Yoosung, so meet us there.”

Woohyun sniffled a little, wiping off his eyes. “Really?”

She nodded. “Stay beside Sunggyu’s side, okay? Live in that palace among the stars together.”

Woohyun nodded again, though he looked scared as she gave them both a hug. “Both of you must get home safe together. The two of you can decide the fate of Yoosung and Nagareboshi. Be safe.”

With a nod from each of them, she kissed their foreheads one more time before leaving Woohyun and Sunggyu alone in the hallway.

Sunggyu and Woohyun stayed frozen in the hall as they listened to the echoes of her footsteps fade away.

Sunggyu looked at Woohyun who was staring at him with wide scared eyes. “Let’s go,” Sunggyu said, trying to be brave for the younger’s sake.

“Where to?” Woohyun asked, sounding a bit dazed as if he wasn’t sure what was happening.

To be honest, Sunggyu isn’t sure what’s going on either, but still, he smiled and replied as bravely as he could, “Back home. We’re going home.”

Sunggyu and Woohyun ran through the dark hallway. Above them, attack planes were zooming through the sky, dropping bombs on Woohyun’s beautiful city.

The hallway seemed to stretch on forever. Sunggyu was getting doubtful that there was actually somewhere they could escape from at the end, but he kept on running.

As they passed a big window, Woohyun stopped and looked out of the window. Sunggyu stopped as he realized Woohyun was no longer right behind him. “Woohyun, we need to go. We need to run.”

Woohyun’s eyes were filled with tears. “Sunggyu-hyung… my home… it’s ruined.”

Going back to Woohyun’s side, Sunggyu reached forward and took his hand. “Your home will be with me from now on, okay, Woohyun?” he said quietly. “Your home can be wherever you want.”

Even as Sunggyu said that, tears ran down Woohyun’s face as he looked out at the burning city. It was strange. For some reason, Woohyun never felt much younger than him, but at that moment, Sunggyu remembered that Woohyun was younger than him and if Sunggyu was scared, Woohyun must be terrified.

Closing the space between the two, Sunggyu put Muhanui Byul into Woohyun’s hand. “As long as you have this, I promise you, we’ll rebuild Nagareboshi together and return home.”

 

☆♪☆

 

Hand in hand, Sunggyu and Woohyun ran down the rest of the hall together, only two 15 year-old boys against the whole star system. The palace shook again when more explosions rocked the city.

Sunggyu saw the aircraft that his mother mentioned and ran to start it up. His hands were shaking as he started up the spacecraft. To be honest, Sunggyu hadn’t had formal lessons; only Hoya’s father had occasionally let him drive when there’s no one else around. “Woohyun, hurry over here.”

Woohyun sat down in the seat beside Sunggyu and looked over at him, worried. “Can you fly this?” he asked.

Even though he’s not sure, Sunggyu nodded. “Of course I can. Hold on though.”

The ship took off shakily and Sunggyu crashed into a couple of crates beside the parking space, but he managed to drive it out into the air.

Sparks were flying into the air as if they were trying to be their own star systems. Sunggyu hoped desperately that they will make it through unnoticed, but that’s useless hopes as bomb planes flew towards them quickly.

“Hold on,” Sunggyu told Woohyun again as he punched a random button and flicked another random switch and their ship shot forward.

Woohyun let out half a scream as they break through the stratosphere. The planes behind him were still flying after them, closing in on them.

“Are you okay?”

Woohyun nodded, though it looked like he’s going to throw up. Sunggyu nearly smiled at him and laughed a little, but his laughter died down as he saw a large fighter plane in front of their little flyer. He knew all the guns on that fighter were aiming for their little ship, containing the fate of both Yoosung and Nagareboshi.

“Hold on!” Sunggyu yelled and he hit the acceleration as hard as he could.

The small plane sped past as bombs and bullets whizzed by into space, where Sunggyu was aiming the aircraft.

He thought they’re home free as they passed the last layer of the atmosphere, but there was an explosion and emergency lights started flashing on the dashboard.

Woohyun’s eyes were wide and frightened. “What’s going to happen, hyung?”

Sunggyu blinked back tears. He wasn’t sure what’s going to happen, but he knew that he needed to save Woohyun. “We’re going home, Woohyun-ah, we’re going home.”

“Are you sure?”

With a smile, Sunggyu nodded. “I promise.”

With one last effort, Sunggyu hit a random button that he pray will save them and the little craft jetted forward, causing Sunggyu to hit his head against the dashboard and press a few more buttons. Sunggyu wasn’t sure what’s going on as suddenly all of the planets and stars flew past him in a blur and there was a large blue and green-ish planet right in front of him and he knew that they’re going to be in for a crash landing.

He looked over at Woohyun who had come to the same conclusion as Sunggyu. “Hyung…” Woohyun whispered, his voice filled with fright.

“It’s okay,” Sunggyu said, even though it wasn’t. “This is going to be our home now. Right? I gave you Muhanui Byul with a promise. We’ll return together.”

They intertwined fingers, holding the necklace in their hands together. If this was the end, Sunggyu was happy to be with Woohyun.

“Hyung…”

“It’s okay,” Sunggyu promised one last time. “We’re going home now.”

The fire from entering the atmosphere started to burn the aircraft and Woohyun’s fingers slipped from his hand. Sunggyu watched as the light consumed Woohyun’s figure, leaving him feeling empty.

Muhanui Byul was no longer in his hand. Woohyun had it.

 

☆♪☆

 

A couple of years later, Sunggyu was hurrying down the halls of a high school in Seoul, not wanting to be tardy for classes again.

The planet that he accidently crash-landed on is called Earth. The people on Earth have no idea where Yoosung or Nagareboshi is, which made Sunggyu feel safe, but threatened at the same time.

Since the crash, he hadn’t seen Woohyun. He’s tried searching as hard as he could, but he couldn’t find the Prince of Nagareboshi.

When he had first arrived at earth, an elderly couple that lived in a small town outside of Seoul found him. They were friendly and kind to Sunggyu, even though for the first few weeks, Sunggyu was lost and confused, insisting that he was from the stars and needed to look for a prince and necklace. He drew all the maps of the Muhan Star Systems every way that he could, but no one could recognize them.

Now, Sunggyu was in high school and he lived in an apartment in the city to be closer to his school. That day, as Sunggyu ran to his homeroom class, there was a big crowd of students standing outside in the hallway.

“Hey, Soojung!” he called ahead to his friend, Lee Soojung.

“Hey, oppa,” she said brightly, “Did you see the new student yet?”

“No, what kind of new student is it now?” he asked.

Soojung nodded in the direction of a large crowd. “He has a lot of good looks apparently,” Soojung said as they headed over to the crowd. “He isn’t my type, but I have to say, he does looks quite nice.”

Sunggyu laughed at Soojung and tried to look over the heads of the many people to see the new student. He caught a glimpse of the side of the new student’s head and he was suddenly pushing forward through the crowd, ignoring Soojung’s calls to stop him.

When he broke through the front of the crowd, he knew he wasn’t wrong.

It’s the Prince of Nagareboshi.

It’s Nam Woohyun.

Sunggyu leapt forwards and suddenly hugged Woohyun, thankful that he finally found Woohyun, but just as suddenly he was pushed off and Woohyun was yelling at him.

“Who the heck are you and why are you hugging me?”

Sunggyu stumbled back at the venom in Woohyun’s voice. It’s definitely Woohyun who was standing in front of him, but there was no recognition in Woohyun’s eyes.

“Oppa!” Soojung called as she fought her way through the crowd. “Why did you do that?” she scolded and hit the back of Sunggyu’s head. Sunggyu was too stunned by Woohyun to complain about Soojung’s actions. “I’m sorry for my friend,” she apologized to Woohyun. “He hasn’t had his head on straight for the whole day.”

Woohyun gave a smile that made some of the girls around him squeal. “It’s okay. I’m sorry that I yelled,” he said, giving a small bow to Sunggyu. “I’m Nam Woohyun and I just transferred. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Lee Soojung,” Soojung said with a smile too. “And this is Kim Sunggyu.”

Woohyun smiled. “Then Sunggyu, we’ll be seeing more of each other.”

Sunggyu nodded, still in shock. He didn’t say anything as Woohyun and the crowd moved away, leaving Soojung and Sunggyu alone.

“Why did you do that?” Soojung asked Sunggyu. “I know that you might be desperate for a boyfriend, but seriously! That is not how you do it.”

Finally, Sunggyu was able to get over his shock and tell Soojung, “That was Woohyun. I know it.”

Soojung scoffed. “Of course that was Woohyun, he just told us his name.”

Sunggyu shook his head. “That was Woohyun. I know it. It was my Prince.”

“Your prince? As in the one from the stars that you keep on mentioning?”

He nodded, looking down at his feet. “Don’t laugh, Soojung, it’s not funny.”

“Whatever you say,” Soojung said with a roll of her eyes. “Just don’t go around and hug random people. I got to go to class, see you later!”

Sunggyu nodded and walked into his homeroom, feeling quite dejected. Sitting down at the back of the classroom in his usual seat, Sunggyu jumped when someone sat down beside him. No one ever sat with him, he was not part of the ‘cool’ group of kids and was demoted to the back of the back of the class. As he looked up, his heart jumped into his throat.

It’s Woohyun.

Woohyun smiled at him. “Hello again. It looks like we’re in the same class.”

Sunggyu nodded, still not believing that it’s his prince in front of him.

Woohyun looked at him with a bit of concern. “Am I coming onto you too strong? Did you hit your head?”

Sunggyu shook his head and blinked a couple of times. “I’m sorry, you just startled me and I didn’t mean to hug you before, you looked really like one of my old friends.”

“I’m sure that your friend must be really handsome then,” Woohyun said with a grin. “Let’s start over again.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m Nam Woohyun. I just moved school from Namyangju.”

Sunggyu smiled and shook his hand. “I’m Kim Sunggyu. I’m from a town outside of Seoul,” he said. I’m from Yoosung, you’re from Nagareboshi, why can’t you remember?

Something caught his eye. There was a necklace around Woohyun’s neck. It was beautiful shining silver, just like the stars from where he came from. Without a word, Sunggyu leaned forward and stared at the necklace intensely, his hand traveling up to touch it.

“What are you doing?” Woohyun asked, leaning away from Sunggyu, unsure of Sunggyu’s motives.

“Sorry,” Sunggyu apologized quickly. “That necklace though… where is it from?”

Woohyun looked down and laughed as he saw what captured Sunggyu’s attention. “Oh! Isn’t it nice?” he asked, showing it to Sunggyu. “I don’t know where I got it, I just had it as long as I can remember, but I only remember things from when I was thirteen, everything before that is a big blank.”

Woohyun must not know anything from Nagareboshi or Yoosung, Sunggyu realized. He doesn’t remember me either.

“I have a feeling though, this is important,” Woohyun continued. “That’s why I wear it all the time. I have a feeling it’s going to lead me to something special. It’s going to lead me back home.”

Sunggyu smiled, just really loving seeing Woohyun’s smile again and to hear his voice. “You need to keep it safe. Keep it close and safe.”

Woohyun laughed happily, giving him a nod. “I will always keep it safe. No matter what. It’s going to take me to my prince.”

 

☆♪☆

 

Sunggyu and Woohyun started hanging out every day, before classes, after classes and in the evenings too. Sunggyu found out that Woohyun always had the same dream about a home far away in the stars, but even still, he didn’t remember their home.

The week of their finals, they were staying up late together, trying to cram in the last of their studying. Woohyun fell asleep somewhere around midnight, his head resting on top of his science notes.

Sunggyu smiled and gently ran his hand through Woohyun’s hair, feeling himself slowly fall asleep too.

And for the first time in a long time, Sunggyu had a dream.

He was standing in the middle of a wide white room that looked familiar, but different at the same time. It reminded him of the war room back at home on Yoosung.

There was a young man sitting at a table, pouring over information on a tablet. As soon as Sunggyu saw him when he looked up, he knew who it was right away.

It was Myungsoo, his little brother.

It was his little brother that his mother ran back into the burning city for and he didn’t know if either of them survived, like they didn’t know that he survived.

“Myungsoo-yah!”

Sunggyu looked around as he heard someone calling Myungsoo’s name. He recognized the two people coming into the room: Dongwoo and Sungyeol.

“We found them!” Sungyeol cried happily, sweeping Myungsoo up in a hug. “We found them!”

“What? Really?” Myungsoo looked towards Dongwoo to make sure it was true. “You found them?”

Dongwoo nodded. “The spies on Yoroo found information on a strike happening on Earth, they’re looking to extract something that they think will end the war. There’s only one thing that can be.”

“Sunggyu, Woohyun and Muhanui Byul,” Myungsoo said, his voice telling that he was already deep in thought. Sunggyu had seen Myungsoo like this, rather like a pondering over the fishes in the stream by the castle, but not plotting ways to get his brother back home. “But are you absolutely sure?”

Sungyeol nodded, holding out a tablet to Myungsoo. “This is them, it’s Sunggyu-hyung and Woohyun-hyung.”

Myungsoo looked at the pictures on the tablet, a picture of Sunggyu and Woohyun together in one of their classes. “It’s them…” he whispered, covering his mouth with his hand in surprise. “I can’t believe it.” He looked up at the other two. “Did the Yorooians get to them yet?”

“We don’t think so,” Dongwoo said. “It just seems like they’re suspecting them.”

Myungsoo’s eyes widened slightly and he hugged the tablet to his chest as if he was a little boy holding onto his favourite toy. “We need to get them out of there before they can get to Sunggyu,” he said, his eyes set.

Sungyeol nodded. “I can go!” he volunteered.

“There’s no way that you’re going. If you go, you might as well be painting a target on Sunggyu’s back,” Myungsoo snarled. “You’re staying here, Lee Sungyeol.”

He deflated a little from his usual bright and bubbly personality. “I’m only trying to help.”

Myungsoo sighed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I know, Yeol, I’m sorry I snapped. We can’t lose this chance. I can’t lose anyone else after I lost Umma and now I know that I can get Sunggyu back… I can’t lose someone like this again.”

Dongwoo patted Myungsoo’s arm. “We know that. We can send Sungjong and Hoya instead. They can do it and I’m sure Sunggyu and Woohyun would love a familiar face.”

Myungsoo nodded and opened his eyes again, a hard glint in his eyes now. “Go. Send them for me. We need to bring our King home.”

Sungyeol nodded, running out of the room to get Sungjong and Hoya, Dongwoo turned to leave, but then went back to hug Myungsoo. “Don’t worry, Myungsoo, the king will be home soon.”

Myungsoo smiled and hugged him. “Thank you, hyung.”

Dongwoo left Myungsoo alone in the room, as soon as he left, Myungsoo fell down in the chair, looking at the picture of Sunggyu and Woohyun on the tablet.

“Hyung… I miss you so much.”

Sunggyu smiled and tried to reach out for Myungsoo, but his hand fell through Myungsoo’s shoulder when he tried. “I miss you too.”

Myungsoo closed his eyes as if he heard Sunggyu’s voice, because maybe he did. “I’ll bring you home, hyung, even if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll bring you home. Wait for me and be strong. I’ll be there soon.”

A tear fell down Myungsoo’s cheek, mirroring the one on Sunggyu’s. “I love you, little brother.”

The dream disappeared between his fingers and when he woke up, he missed Yoosung more than ever.

Sunggyu opened his eyes and his neck was screaming in pain from the awkward position that he was sleeping in. As he sat up to stretch out his neck, his eyes landed on Woohyun sleeping beside him.

Sunggyu smiled and put his hand back onto Woohyun’s head gently. Woohyun muttered in his sleep and his eyes twitched as if he was having a dream. Sunggyu frowned and gently shook Woohyun a little bit.

Immediately, his eyes flew open and there was a bit of panic in them as he looked around. He seemed to recognize where he was and that he was dreaming as he smiled at Sunggyu. “Sorry I dozed off,” he said. “I was really sleepy I guess.”

Sunggyu smiled and nodded. “Did you have a dream?” he asked.

Woohyun blushed a little as he nodded “It was a really weird dream,” he said. “It’s always the same. There’s a palace that’s so beautiful and I’m always walking through it, dressed in the same outfit. It looks like it’s made of the Milky Way,” he said, smiling a little bit more. “And every single time I have this dream, I have my necklace in my hand and I’m thinking to myself, ‘My prince is close, I’m so close to him and we’ll be back home,’ and then I get to a door…”

“And then what happens?” Sunggyu asked, encouraging him to continue.

“It’s kind of silly,” Woohyun admitted. “I can never open the door and it’s frustrating.”

Sunggyu smiled, trying not to laugh at Woohyun’s childish frustration.

“Don’t laugh, hyung,” he scolded. “It’s serious.”

“Sorry, continue,” Sunggyu said, trying to cover up his laughter.

“Well, today, before I got to the door, there was an explosion and I looked out the window to see what it was.” Woohyun let out a small sigh. “The city was on fire and I felt so helpless as I watched it burn down to the ground. It was such a beautiful city…”

Sunggyu patted Woohyun’s shoulder. There was no doubt in his mind that the dreams that Woohyun had were of Nagareboshi and it hurt to know that Woohyun couldn’t remember his home.

Woohyun shrugged. “The funny part is that I feel like I’ve been there before, but I don’t think I have, that would be somewhere I would definitely remember.”

Woohyun laughed again and turned back to his study notes. Sunggyu smiled sadly at Woohyun, knowing that he might not ever remember his home of Nagareboshi.

 

☆♪☆

 

Instead of having a formal written final in their science class, they were given five minutes to give a lecture about a topic of their choice. Without batting an eye, Sunggyu prepared a speech about outer space and Woohyun did the same.

One day, Woohyun surprised Sunggyu as he drove them out of the city during the night, so that they could go star gazing.

“Hyung,” Woohyun said suddenly when they’re looking up at the stars. “What do you think it would be like up there?”

Sunggyu looked over and raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“What do you think like up in the stars?” Woohyun asked. “Is it warm? Is it cold? Are there people up there?”

It nearly broke Sunggyu’s heart as he started speaking. “Up in the stars… it’s really beautiful. Every single day, the stars are in the sky through the day in the night. The night is even more beautiful; the skies are nearly silver with the stars. There are people there too; they wear clothes made out of starlight. There’s a Queen and King there too, their palace is the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen. The crowns that they wear are made out of a special stone that comes from the center of stars. The stars are a beautiful place. I miss home.”

The last sentence came out on accident, but Woohyun just laughed. “You talk like you’ve been there before,” he said.

Sunggyu just laughed, but he wanted to remind Woohyun that he’s a prince from the stars too.

“Let’s go back from home, okay?” Woohyun said, helping him stand up. “We can’t forget about school tomorrow.”

Sunggyu smiled, but he wanted to stay out there in the middle of nowhere, with just Woohyun by his side.

As they were driving back to the city, Woohyun suddenly spoke. “There’s the Winter Dance on Saturday, do you want to go together?” Woohyun suddenly asked.

Sunggyu jumped in surprise and looked at Woohyun. “What? What do you mean by that?”

“It was just a thought,” Woohyun mumbled, embarrassed, gripping the steering wheel hard and staring at the red light in front of them. “You can say no and I don’t know why-“

Sunggyu leaned forward and kissed Woohyun. “I would love that.”

Woohyun turned bright pink and hid his face in his hands. “Really?”

“The light’s green.”

“Oh, crap!” Woohyun floored the accelerator and they shot forward, causing Sunggyu to laugh at Woohyun. “Hyung! It’s not funny!”

Sunggyu smiled and looked over at Woohyun, remembering the times that they got in trouble for hijacking one of the ships on Yoosung together, but tried not to remember the day they ran away from Nagareboshi together. “It’s funny to me,” he said quietly.

Woohyun threw him a small smile as they turned the corner to Sunggyu’s apartment. “So Saturday at 7?” he asked.

With a nod, Sunggyu replied, “Of course.”

They arrived at Sunggyu’s apartment and Woohyun decided to walk Sunggyu up to his apartment. When they got up to Sunggyu’s apartment, two young men were standing outside of Sunggyu’s door. Sunggyu immediately recognized them and jumped forward with joy.

“Sungjong! Hoya!”

Sungjong smiled and hugged Sunggyu tightly. “Hyung! It’s so good to see you! The kingdom though you were dead! I’m so glad that you’re not dead! I missed you so much!”

Hoya was a bit calmer than his younger brother, but Sunggyu could see the enthusiasm in his eyes as well. “Hyung, what happened to you? How did you get here?”

“We took a space craft out of Nagareboshi, but the we got hit and crash landed here,” Sunggyu explained.

Sungjong gasped and held Sunggyu closer. “I’m so glad that you’re safe,” he said with a small smile.

Sunggyu laughed and hugged Sungjong tighter. “When did you get here? And what happened on that Star Festival?”

“We just got here a few hours ago,” Sungjong replied. “And on that Star Festival… Nagareboshi was destroyed.”

“Everyone from both planets had to flee and the survivors are living on Yoosung,” Hoya adds on. “We haven’t let Yoroo defeat us. Not yet.”

Suddenly, Woohyun coughed from behind Sunggyu and Sunggyu pulled away from Sungjong. “Who are they?” Woohyun asked, looking at the two brothers dressed in the Yoosung army uniforms.

Sungjong looked confused and he spoke before Sunggyu could stop him. “Why can’t you remember me, hyung? I’m Sungjong, we used to play together on Nagareboshi, don’t you remember me?”

“Remember? I would definitely remember someone who has a face like yours,” Woohyun said, backing away as Sungjong took a step closer.

Sunggyu stomped on Sungjong’s foot and shook his head, but Woohyun caught the exchanged glance. “What do you mean? What is this?”

“Never mind,” Sungjong said, trying to cover his mistake. “I was thinking of a different Woohyun that I know.”

“No, you said Nagareboshi, that’s the planet that Sunggyu made up, what are you talking about?”

The truth had been weighing Sunggyu down until it felt like he’s going to drown, so he finally took Woohyun’s hand. “We have something to tell you,” he said gently.

 

☆♪☆

 

An hour later, they were seated in Sunggyu’s room and they had finished explaining about Nagareboshi and Yoosung to Woohyun. Woohyun’s expression didn’t change through Sunggyu’s whole explanation and he just stared at the two of them after they’re done.

Woohyun’s brow furrowed. “How do I know that you’re telling the truth?”

“Look at me, do I look like I’m lying?” Sunggyu asked.

Slowly, Woohyun shook his head, but he still looked confused. “But… I don’t know. I really don’t remember anything from the first half of my life, how can I trust you?”

Sunggyu’s eyes fell down to Woohyun’s necklace, Muhanui Byul. “That necklace… it’s called Muhanui Byul. It’s the royal symbol of Yoosung, it was my mother’s before it was mine, before it was yours. We were told to flee Nagareboshi when it was attacked, my mother gave me that before running back to save our brothers. It’s the royal symbol of Yoosung, once mine and now yours.”

Woohyun’s hand reached up to touch the key as he frowned. “I… I’m…”

“I guess it’s hard to believe, but you need to believe us. We’re here to take you home,” Sungjong said, his rather blunt side coming out. “Come with us.”

Woohyun jumped to his feet, shaking his head. “No. I can’t believe you like this.”

“You need to believe us,” Sungjong pressed on. “Whether you like it or not.”

“Show me proof then,” Woohyun demanded, crossing his arms across his chest. “What kind of proof do you have that I’m a prince of some kind of star?”

Sunggyu looked over at Hoya and Hoya nodded slowly. They need to do anything to bring Woohyun back home to Nagareboshi, they need to bring the prince back to his kingdom.

Reaching under the bed, Sunggyu pulled out a box. Sunggyu unlocked it with a key from his pocket and opened the lid, showing the contents to Woohyun.

In the box laid two crowns, made out of the same kind of stones as Woohyun’s necklace. Woohyun’s eyes widened as he stared at them.

Sunggyu could clearly remember the moment when he woke up in the crash of the plane. He tried looking for Woohyun everywhere, but he could only find Woohyun’s crown lying on the ground a little way away. He had kept it for all the years, hoping that some day he’ll see the crown with its rightful owner.

Woohyun’s eyes were so big that Sunggyu could see the reflection of the crowns in his eyes.

“Woohyun-ah. I know this sounds strange, don’t think I’m lying because I’m telling only the truth, but you are the prince of a star beyond our solar system.”

His eyes nearly automatically went over to the papers pinned up on Sunggyu’s dorm walls of a star system just outside of the Solar System, the Muhan System.

“It’s that star right there,” Sunggyu told Woohyun. “It’s called Nagareboshi. I’m the king from Yoosung, the plant right next to yours.”

“You’re a king?” Woohyun asked, his voice trembling a little as he looked back to the crowns.

Sunggyu nodded. “Woohyun-ah. It’s time for the prince to come home. Come home with me.”

Woohyun’s fingers were trembling as he reached forward and picked up the crowns. Woohyun didn’t say anything as he just held the two crowns in his hands.

Suddenly, Woohyun’s knees gave away from underneath him and he clutched his head, letting out a little scream of pain.

“Woohyun! Woohyun-ah!” Sunggyu yelled desperately as he dropped down to his knees beside him.

Sungjong sat down beside them, touching Woohyun’s head gently. “He’s okay, hyung, don’t worry,” Sungjong said, running his hands down Woohyun’s cheeks to rub them gently. “He’ll wake up soon.”

“Are you sure?” Sunggyu asked, still worried for Woohyun.

Sungjong nodded. “I think that seeing his crown again helped him remember again. It’s just a shock for him,” he explained.

“Give him this,” Hoya said, handing Sunggyu a flask filled with some kind of sparkling drink. “It’ll help him.”

Sunggyu nodded and put the flask up to Woohyun’s mouth and gently poured the drink into Woohyun’s mouth. It’s the healing drink from Yoosung, they often used it when people were sick and it was used when injured warriors were brought back from battle.

Woohyun’s eyes fluttered open and he sat up, looking around confused. He turned around slowly and when Sunggyu meets his eyes, he knows something is different.

The past was reflected in Woohyun’s eyes, but his next words broke Sunggyu’s heart.

“Tell me it isn’t true.”

Sunggyu opened his mouth then closed it, unsure of what to say. Woohyun looked desperate as he searched Sunggyu’s eyes for any sign that everything he just remembered was a lie.

“I can’t tell you I’m lying. I can’t tell you that your memories are a lie, it’s only the truth. It’s hard to accept your fate sometimes, Woohyun-ah, but please accept this and come back home with me. We can go home together now.”

He stepped away, leaving Sunggyu feeling colder than the stars. “I can’t believe you,” Woohyun said, holding the crowns so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “I can’t believe you like this.”

Sunggyu reached out for Woohyun, but Woohyun shrugged him off. “Get off of me,” he said roughly. Sunggyu’s hurt must had shown in his eyes as Woohyun’s shoulders loosened and he sighed. “Sunggyu-hyung… Prince of Yoosung… whoever you are, I just need to think about this by myself for a little while… I’ll see you later.”

With that, Woohyun left Sunggyu alone with Sungjong and Hoya. Sunggyu wanted nothing more to cry, but there were no tears in his eyes.

“It’s okay, hyung, I’m sure that he’s going to come around,” Sungjong said.

Sunggyu nodded slowly, his mind still a whirl. “When are we going to leave?” he asked Sungjong and Hoya.

Sungjong looked down. “On Sunday at midnight,” he said quietly.

“Your brother told me to bring you no matter what,” Hoya said, speaking up for the first time in a little while. “And that includes leaving Woohyun behind.”

Sunggyu immediately shook his head. “I’m not going to leave Woohyun behind. I promised him that we’re going home when we landed here, I can’t break my promise and just leave him here. I can’t.”

Sungjong nodded, as he understood what Sunggyu wanted. “Convince him,” he said. “I know you can.”

“Either that or we kidnap him,” Hoya said, cracking his knuckles. “But I don’t think you’ll like that.”

Sunggyu laughed. Even through the years, the Lee brothers never changed. Sunggyu could remember all those times that he and Myungsoo would play with Hoya and Sungjong. A sudden wave of nostalgia washed over him and he asked, “How’s Myungsoo?”

“He’s doing fine,” Sungjong said, sitting down on the bed. “He’s been searching for you all this time. You don’t know how happy he was when he found you and how excited he is for you to come home.”

Even though Sunggyu laughed, he knew that even if he went home to Yoosung, it wouldn’t feel like home without Woohyun.

 

☆♪☆

 

Over the next week, Sunggyu looked around for Woohyun, but he can’t find him anywhere. Woohyun skipped all of his classes and no one has seen him anywhere.

Too soon, it was Saturday and Sunggyu was packing up his apartment, preparing for the journey home with Hoya and Sungjong. He sighed slightly and looked around, hoping that Woohyun would appear.

As the thought crossed his mind, his phone buzzed on the side table as it received a text from Woohyun. He nearly knocked over his whole room to grab his phone. His heart was beating frantically as he unlocked the phone.

Come to the Winter Dance tonight, hyung. 7 o’clock, okay?

It didn’t take Sunggyu even a second to answer ‘okay’ and run out the door, only leaving the Lee brothers a small note about where he had gone.

Only after he had arrived at the Winter Festival did he realize that he wasn’t dressed for it. He was wearing his royal attire from Yoosung, which did look fancy enough for a dance, but he stuck out from the crowd like a sore thumb, especially with his bright red hair.

He looked around for Woohyun. It was 7:10 and he couldn’t help but feel anxious as he glanced around for the missing prince. The band was playing a slow song and couples danced around on the floor while Sunggyu searched around for Woohyun.

“Hyung.”

Sunggyu turned around and gasped when he sees Woohyun. Woohyun is wearing a black suit that made him look handsome, but something else took Sunggyu’s breath away.

On top of Woohyun’s head, he was wearing the crown of Nagareboshi, the crown making him look like the king he was. Woohyun shyly approached Sunggyu, holding out Sunggyu’s crown in his hands.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t come to you earlier,” Woohyun said. “It was a lot to think about and it’s kind of scary to realize that you’re some kind of prince, but after I left, I started remembering more things about Nagareboshi, like the streams and rivers, the palace, my family… and you.

“I remember running around in those grand halls with you, watching the stars in the sky with you, laughing with you… loving you.”

Sunggyu watched, unable to speak as Woohyun reached out and placed Sunggyu’s crown on Sunggyu’s head.

“I’m sorry I ran away,” he whispered, his breath brushing Sunggyu’s lips lightly as he spoke. “I’m going to be beside you forever. Let’s go home, hyung, it’s time for us to go home.”

With Woohyun’s gaze on him, for the first time in a long time, he felt whole again. Tears stung his eyes as he smiled at Woohyun. “Prince Woohyun of Nagareboshi… I missed you so much.”

Woohyun smiled at him, tears running down his cheeks. “Prince Sunggyu of Yoosung, let’s go home together, back home.”

Sunggyu reached up and pressed his lips against Woohyun’s. The kiss tasted like salt tears, but it was perfect.

They were finally going home.

Woohyun rested his chin against Sunggyu’s shoulder as the band played a beautiful ballad. The couples on the dance floor swayed back and fourth to the music as Sunggyu and Woohyun held onto each other.

While the earth went around the sun four times,

I longed for you and shed tears hundreds of times.

Sunggyu closed his eyes and breathed in Woohyun’s sweet scent. “I’m glad I found you again,” he whispered in Woohyun’s ear. “Let’s go home.”

 

Hello!

If the ending seems slightly abrupt, it’s because this is not the end of this story! I was having a lot of fun writing this and so I decided to extend the ending of this story and include the other Infinite members more, so there is a part two to this fic, I’ll post it soon!

I hope you liked this story! See you soon, hopefully.