"Sometimes, people put up walls, not to keep others out, but to see who cares enough to break them down." - Bananna

P R O L O G U E

       At the crack of dawn, in which the air was damp and muggy, a silhouette was seen near the wood. The figure wasn't alone. In fact, he was with someone else and from their looks, it seemed that they were discussing about serious matter. No, definitely not just talking but arguing in a hush tone. Later, the elder of those two made a sudden vicious move by slapping the younger hard on his face. The silhouette stumbled as his hand touched his swollen cheek, effect from the unexpected blow he received. His slightly parted cherry lips were bleeding as he stared at the person before him in utter disbelieve. The person in front of him was absolutely not the same person he knew anymore. The elder's eyes shone with undying sparks of madness and rages.

       The younger glanced at the elder's right hand which was clutching a hoe tightly until his knuckles turned white by the pressure. He drew a shaky breath as he slowly took a step back. And the very next moment when the elder raised his weapon, the younger one hastily made a run for his life. He ran as fast as his small body could without sparing even a glimpse of the elder behind him. His breathes were erratic and thick with desperation as he went farther into the forest. Fat tears spilled on his reddening cheeks as he realized that a beast was tailing after him. Never mind the fact that the beast was the person he knew so well yet so unfamiliar with.

* * * * *

       "Yes, father. I'll take a flight home today." The tone of Sehun's soft voice was thick with confusion and awkwardness at the same time. Nevertheless, he tried to ease the tension between them but to no avail. It was his father who'd call him after all, what did he expect from him? A warm 'good morning' and 'how are you doing'? Absolutely not.

       Once the call ended, he ruffled his blond lock and sighed tiredly. The open book in front of him was long forgotten the moment he received a 'surprise' call from his parents in Southern China's Yunnan. Sehun took off his spectacles as he buried his face into his arms, suddenly feeling defeated and dejected. It had been years; three years of bliss and contentment for Sehun and his new life here, in USA. He hadn't been home for exactly three years seven months and thirteen days. Yes, he did count the days since the last time he saw his parents and elder brother. He missed them, certainly. But what was the used of coming back if he would only bring hard luck to his family? And he was doing incredibly okay on his own; studying and spending times with his friends in university. He was happy and there was nothing for him to worry about except for the upcoming examination he would be facing in the next two weeks.

      At least he was fine until just now, when his father called and forced him to get back to his hometown. It confused him to no end. Why did his father ask him home when Sehun's face was the last thing he would like to look at? He refused to tell Sehun the truth, only saying that it was a family problem. From what Sehun had learned from his father, he wasn't included as one of the family members anymore, or that was what he thought. And now he needed to book a plane ticket to China to meet his family again? What an irony!

       Sehun was so deep in his own thoughts until a gentle tap of someone's hand landed on his bony shoulder. He heaved a sigh as he let out a quiet 'what?' before glancing up at the intruder. Sehun's body involuntarily tense under the gaze of those kind brown eyes belongs to a fellow Chinese, Zhang Yixing.

      Oh, no! He was the last person Sehun had ever wished to meet today.

      Yixing smiled whole-heartedly as he took a seat beside him. Sehun put on his façade as he grabbed his pen and busied himself with works which he abandoned moments ago, completely ignoring Yixing's presence - which he often did whenever that guy was around. The elder never mind the cold shoulder Sehun was giving him. And that made the blond wonder what actually Yixing was seeking from him. It wasn't that Sehun disliked him. Yixing was very friendly and one of the approachable type. But the bad thing was he could read the younger like an open book. And that really was a big problem. Sehun didn't like it when people judged him, especially someone who was innocent, or so he thought. They shouldn't know his past nor did they need to pity and classified him as one of the weaklings.

       Yixing who was watching him closely for the passing minutes knew that there was definitely something wrong with the younger. Hesitantly, he called out for the blond. "Erm . . . Sehun?"

       "What do you want?" Sehun snapped. He did not mean to be impolite because Yixing was older than him by two years and there was no reason for him to be furious but he couldn't help it. He was having a hard time and Yixing had just come to complicate things further. His temper was something he couldn't wrap his fingers on because he had always been a bad-tempered kind. After a few minutes of agonizing silence, Sehun finally spoke.

       "I'm . . . sorry."

       "It's okay." Yixing smiled tenderly as he continued, "I see you have problems?"

       Sehun wasn't sure whether he must be honest or not. He didn't like to share the story of his personal life but he knew Yixing could tell whenever he was lying. By hook or by crook, he needed to let the elder knew truth - not all of them of course, maybe only a part of it.

       "I have to go home." He answered shortly, refused to reveal the troubles he'd been facing. He had half expected Yixing to bombard him with questions or maybe just simply asking him for his sudden decision. Instead, he seemed calm and composed as if he had been expecting the news. But the next second he looked at Sehun's pretty face, the blond caught a flickering of disappointment in Yixing's eyes. Nonetheless, it was quickly replaced with a gleam of mischievousness and a grin.

       "Home? You mean Yunnan? Seems like you have finally know yourself." It was meant to humor Sehun but the young lad did not appear a tad bit interest. Without words, Sehun stood up from his seat as he collected his papers and pens on the desk rather furiously. Was he mad? No, he didn't; he was far from it. Yixing's words were nothing - they did not offend him at all. Those sentences could hardly affect him.

       "Sehun, slow down! I'm sorry, alright? I did not mean it that way . . ." he caught Sehun's hand which was slightly clammy. Abruptly, he stopped picking up his things as he sighed for what seem like thousand times that day.

       "You know I'm not mad, Yixing. I just need some times alone. Plus, I have to prepare my things."

       "I know. But still, I was afraid you'd feel . . . hurt by my words." He exclaimed awkwardly while rubbing at the back of his neck with a bashful smile lingering his lips. Sehun would have smile if only he did not have much to think right now.

       "Well, have a nice trip, I assume? Send my regard to your family."

       "Thank you. And I will."

* * * * *

       Sehun put his passport into his bag pack, followed by his IC and phone. All his things had been prepared and the plane would be leaving in the next two hours. Apparently, he was sitting on his bed, preparing stuffs he needed. When his arm accidentally brushed a photo frame on the desk beside him and it fell to the solid floor, he involuntarily flinched. Sehun glanced at the photo frame and picked it up.

       He observed the picture quietly as his blood ran cold in his veins. It was a childhood picture of him and Luhan.

       Luhan, his elder brother, was always the beauty and charming one. The admirable and filial one. He was the angel. When Sehun was younger, he did envy his brother for everything he had. What was him compared to Luhan? Sehun had nothing - he was the daring and fiery-tempered one. The obstinate and stubborn one. A boy who always spoke his mind, no matter how inappropriate the thoughts really were. He was such a contrast to his brother.

       Sehun couldn't stand it whenever his parents or close relatives, or even the villagers, compared him with Luhan. He knew he wasn't and couldn't be the best at anything as long as his brother was around. People would set their eyes on Luhan all the times and Sehun would often sit at the corner, sulking and raging over the fact that he was completely ignored while the elder was getting full attentions. He had tried, but no matter what he did or how much effort he put, he couldn't match up to Luhan.

       He didn't hate Luhan. In fact, Sehun cherished him a lots. Luhan was kind and comfy person. Anyone would get comfortable with him in a matter of time, as he was the soft-spoken and well liked type. Sehun and Luhan were total opposite but they were undeniably close. He smiled lightly as a flash of distant memory display before his eyes.

* * * * *

       "There's a stream just down the hill, ge. Come on! We need to get there and have some funs." An eager six year old Oh Sehun was practically screaming in delight from the front door, asking his brother to come with him to the new place he had discovered and 'marked' as his earlier that morning.

       "No, Shixun. We can't. Mother and father are not home. They'll be back in an hour. Do you want them to get mad if they find out?"

       "They won't!" Sehun said with a pout. "It's just 30 minutes, okay? I promise it won't take too long. Please, Luhan gege. Pretty please."

       "I'm sorry, Shixun. But no, I won't allow you to go there. It'll be dangerous for little kids. We can get drown."

       "But you are not a kid anymore, ge." Sehun pointed out innocently. It was indeed true. Luhan was already ten that time, compared to Sehun, a kid who height had barely reaches his brother's shoulders. Luhan was physically stronger and higher, but he couldn't swim.

       "Nope, Shixun. Come on. We'll do something better."

       "Ah, Luhan ge is no fun. You aren't my friend anymore." He sulked and faced his back towards Luhan. The elder of those two came and placed both of his hands on the sides of Sehun's tiny waist.

       "Shixun-ah. I think I know how to wipe that pout away from your face . . ." Luhan whispered and grinned naughtily as he attacked the younger with his fingers.

       Within a minute, they were both on the floor with Luhan on top of Sehun. The younger was giggling as Luhan kept on tickling him everywhere. Sehun was really a sensitive one, especially at the back of his neck and stomach.

       After a long moment filled with cries and begs, Luhan finally stopped and lay beside his younger brother who was panting and flushed pink. He clasped Sehun's hand in his and squeezed it lightly as his gaze softened. The Sun was beginning to set and the evening sky was breathtaking with multiple shades of colors - orange, red, pink and slight indigo. The sunlight shone through the open window in front of them and covered their bodies like a warm blanket. That was one of precious moments they treasured the most.

       Out of the blue, Sehun leaned and kissed Luhan's cheek shyly. He quickly looked away when the elder turned to face him, surprise and overwhelmed by the sudden affectionate gesture. With a quiet voice, Sehun mumbled, "We're friends again, now."

* * * * *

       "You're in China? And in Yunnan? What are you doing there?" Sehun couldn't contain his surprise once he got a phone call from a Korean friend who was the son of foster family he'd been staying with during the transfer students program in freshman year. Being one of the smartest students in his high school, he had been asked by the headmaster to be transferred to Korea with a few other students.

       "Your parents did not tell you anything?"

       Instantly, Sehun stopped his track. He was at the airport and it was full of white people. One of them had accidentally pushed Sehun aside when he had suddenly stopped walking. But he hadn't paid the person much attention. His brows slightly furrowed by Joonmyun's words. What had precisely happened?

       "No, Joonmyun. My father said that it was only 'family problem'."

       "Then, I don't have the right to tell you anything. You'll find it out sooner or later."

       Sehun found no use of arguing with Joonmyun to get to the bottom of the problem. Plus, Joonmyun was really a loyal and secretive type. "Alright, then. Tell Ma and Pa that I miss them. And . . . you will be taking me at the airport, aren't you?"

       "Will do. They have been missing you too. And yeah, pretty much. Your father is busy while your mother, you know her. She can't even stand properly anymore."

       Sehun glanced at the board before him. His plane would take off soon. He hastily took out his passport and IC as he focused on Joonmyun back.

       "Oh, my plane will be leaving in a few minutes. I need to go."

       "Okay. Take care of yourself."

       After exchanging a 'goodbye', he ended the call. It was definitely going to be a long and exhausting journey. And it'll be a lots tiring than usual with all the questions inside his head.

       Sehun sighed one last time and walked past the departure gate. No matter what was awaiting him, he would face it. No matter if it was a bad or good one, he could certainly endure it - just like how he survived those years back, when he was nothing in his parents eyes but a terrible mistake.

A U T H O R ' S N O T E

Hello, dear readers! First of all, thank you so much for those who subscribed and upvoted. I hope you guys did enjoy the first chapter. I tried to make it long, okay. And I think this one is quite long and it reached my goal; 2400+ words. Plus, this is only a prologue. Maybe the next chapter will be longer, who knows?

As for your information, I did some research in the internet about Chinese culture and life and regions - well, basically, I tried to gain as much information as I can. But I'm not quite sure about choosing Yunnan as the setting of the story will be the best option. Is there any Chinese here? If there's anyone who can help me with this matter, it'll be good.

One more thing, remember the scene in which Sehun kissed Luhan's cheek? Little Sehunnie is not a ert, okay. He did it because a kiss on cheek means "we're friend". I read it somewhere in a website. It's really a good stuff! It says that every gesture has its own meaning, whether it symbolizes loves, friendships and etc.

Also, Luhan did call him Shixun and not Sehun because they were Chinese. But after Sehun moved out and stayed with his foster parents, he got a Korean name, which he used until he was in university. So, most of them would call him Shixun instead of Sehun except for those who knew him after the transfer student program. But I'll only use the name 'Shixun' in dialogs but not the paragraphs. I'm afraid it'll confuse you.

Uh, sorry if there's any mistakes whether in grammar, words chosen, sentences structure or anything. Please kindly tell me if there are things you aren't satisfied with. I will try to fix everything and I'll do my best. If you have any questions, just drop a comment down there! Last thing; thanks for reading! c:

Have a good day!

- Love, Fera