“Sungyeol. Sungyeol, look at me. Hey.” Hoya was bent down in front of Sungyeol, trying to talk him back to reality. They had dragged him away from the Capital Building before guards could spot them. Now they were sitting in an alleyway and had sat Sungyeol down on the roots of a gnarled tree. But Sungyeol was still frozen in shock and anger and Dongwoo couldn’t even get through to him.

“Sungyeol, I’m sure your parents are okay. We’ll get them back when we go back, I promise your parents will be priority,” Hoya told him. He rested his hands on Sungyeol’s shoulders. “You’re going to be okay, Sungyeol. You can’t let this knock you down.”

Dongwoo took Sungyeol’s hands in his own. “Yeol, you’re going to be fine. Everything is going to be okay.”

But Sungyeol’s wide eyes still stayed trained on the floor. He looked terrified and angry. “Why is it me?” he murmured spitefully. “Why is it my family that he’s after?”

“Sungyeol–”

Sungyeol exploded, his voice raising and he shouted, “He’s got my parents and he’s put my siblings and me into hiding! Why is it my family he’s after?! What did we ever do?!” His voice cracked from the yelling and Dongwoo tried to hush him.

“Sungyeol, calm down. It’s morning, people will hear you.”

“No, that has my parents! He’s got my mom, Dongwoo – who knows what he’s doing to her?!”

Hoya gripped his shoulders harder, stilling him. “Sungyeol, I need you to calm down, okay? We can’t make a plan to save them until you calm down. Are you listening?”

“He’s not listening,” Dongwoo said. He shook his head wistfully. “You can see it in his eyes, Hoya, he’s not listening. We’re not going to get through to him.”

“No, he needs Myungsoo,” Hoya muttered. “Myungsoo’s the only one who’s going to get through to him.”

“Then we need to get him to Myungsoo.”

“You don’t need to worry about that, I’m right here.”

Hoya and Dongwoo turned their head in surprise to find Myungsoo standing at the mouth of the alleyway, his body faintly illuminated by the early morning light. His eyes were unhappy at the sight of his distressed boyfriend as he stalked over. Dongwoo and Hoya stepped out of the way.

“What happened?” he asked.

“We ran into the president at the Capital Building,” Dongwoo told him softly. “Nobody was hurt but he told us some… obscure things.”

Myungsoo nodded as he kneeled down in front of Sungyeol. He took Sungyeol’s face into his hands gently and his cheek with his thumb. “Hey,” he whispered. “You can focus on me baby, I’m here.” He leaned in to kiss him softly.

Sungyeol looked up, surprise evident in his eyes. “Myungsoo… Myungsoo, what are you doing here?”

“I told you that I’d come looking for you if you weren’t back by sunrise. Now tell me what’s wrong.”

Dongwoo nudged Hoya’s arm. He nodded his head at the entrance of the alley and muttered, “Let’s give them some privacy.”

Hoya nodded and let Dongwoo lead him out of the alley. Now that it was daytime, there wasn’t a need to be sneaking around. Hoya looked a little out of place with his dark clothing but he didn’t care. Not when he was holding Dongwoo’s hand again.

It was too early for people to be really roaming the streets, so Dongwoo and Hoya felt as if they had the whole town to themselves.

“Do you want to head back to the base?” Hoya asked him. Dongwoo’s eyes were looking up at the sky. “Or would you rather stay out here for a bit?”

“Let’s stay out here for a little bit,” Dongwoo replied. “I feel like I haven’t seen the sky in so long.”

Hoya squeezed his hand firmly. “I can’t believe I let them keep you in there for a few days. It must have been hell.”

“If it was hell for me, imagine what it was like for the others who had been there longer.” Dongwoo shook his head. “I didn’t even get the chance to really talk to anybody before you broke me out of there, but I wish I had.”

“It’s okay,” Hoya reassured him. “You’ll see them again. I’m planning to ambush the Capital Building. I was planning to wait much longer but knowing that the president is expecting us… It makes me nervous. And we have to strike as soon as we can to catch him off guard.”

Dongwoo waited for more words but was surprised when he didn’t hear any. He raised an eyebrow at Hoya’s suddenly troubled expression. “But…?” he prompted. Hoya let out a sigh and Dongwoo asked, “What’s wrong? Something’s bothering you.”

“I know I should just be happy now that I’ve gotten you out of there but… I don’t know. I feel so distressed after meeting that president like that. He said he was waiting for us, Dongwoo, and now I feel like we’re unprepared for whatever attack I was going to launch. I just feel like he knows our every move now!” Hoya let out a nervous groan of exasperation, his hand going into his hair. “It makes me wonder if I should hold off the ambush… for a week, or so.”

“When were you planning it?” Dongwoo asked.

“I was going to go back in there in a few days,” Hoya admitted. “But I don’t feel comfortable doing that now.”

“Then… maybe we should wait a week?” Dongwoo suggested. He brought Hoya in for a soft kiss on the forehead. “You shouldn’t worry too much though, Hoya – if it’s beyond your control, then it’s beyond your control.”

“That’s not–” Hoya shook his head, pulling Dongwoo into a nearby alleyway. “I’m just worried. What if he’s really waiting for us?”

“Hoya, calm down.” Dongwoo held his biceps firmly. “The president was just bluffing, he had to be.”

“But was he?”

“There’s no way he knows when we’re coming. He’s just scared because we’ve been closing in on the Capital Building. He doesn’t know when we’re coming.” He kissed Hoya’s cheek. “You need to relax, okay? I know coming back for me probably stressed you out. You need to rest. Decide when you’re going to attack after a good nap. Okay?”

Hoya was silent for a moment, his eyes wandering Dongwoo’s face. He took in a sharp breath and said, “You’re right. I just- I need to calm down.” He pressed a kiss onto Dongwoo’s lips and rested his head on his shoulders as he let out a sigh.

Dongwoo nodded as he his fingers through Hoya’s hair. “You’ve got all day to plan what you want to do. Take it slow today. I’m here.”

“Sungyeol. Look at me, okay?” Myungsoo stared into his boyfriend’s eyes imploringly. His hands clutched his face firmly. “You’re okay. I’m here.”

Sungyeol was breathing heavily, his hands going up to hold Myungsoo’s wrist. “He says he has my parents, Myungsoo. He’s got my mom! I-I don’t know what to do, I can’t go back in there on my own! I’m–”

“Calm down,” Myungsoo told him, his voice low. He thumbed over Sungyeol’s warm cheeks slowly. “You have to calm down for me, okay?” He kissed Sungyeol’s forehead affectionately. “I’m here, so you need to talk to me.”

Sungyeol rested his forehead on Myungsoo’s, his breaths not slighting in the least. “I can’t handle this, Myungsoo. Why? Why is he after my family?!” His voice raised louder as he gripped tightly on Myungsoo’s wrists. “Why is it my family that he’s after?!”

“Because you defied him,” Myungsoo said to him. “You and your sister were supposed to be arrested but he got your parents instead. He’s messing with you, he has to be. He’s just trying to get in your head.”

“But what if he really has my mom?” Sungyeol asked desperately. “I need to get them out of there, Myungsoo. I have to.”

Myungsoo nodded reassuringly. “I know. We can get them back and everything will be okay. They’ll come back and your siblings will be safe and we can leave. Then we’ll live like immortals like you want.” Myungsoo rambled on and on until he could feel his boyfriend’s breathing even and his pulse slow. He talked about all the things would do outside the wall. All the time they would have together to do whatever they wanted without restrictions.

Sungyeol was calm now, his hands loosening around Myungsoo’s wrists. With a large sigh, he pulled Myungsoo in for a hug. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“Don’t worry about it,” Myungsoo replied, rubbing his back. “I’ve got you. No one else does.” He kissed Sungyeol’s temple lovingly and murmured, “Do you need to cry? Because if you want to, I won’t mind.”

Sungyeol shook his head. “I won’t cry. I can’t let myself cry. Not now, not ever. They’ll never make me cry.” Myungsoo felt his fingers curl into his shirt forcefully, almost angrily. “They can’t anymore.”

“Woohyun… Woohyun. Woohyun!”

Woohyun groaned, his head hurting as he opened his eyes. His sides hurt from sleeping on the floor. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up with some difficulty. “What is it?” he muttered.

“She fell asleep on me, what am I supposed to do?”

“…Who fell asleep on you?” Woohyun asked confusedly. As he focused his eyes, he was able to make out a small girl that fell asleep on Sunggyu’s lap. His eyes widened. “Holy crap- Sunggyu, how did she get here?”

Sunggyu raised his hands in defense. “I don’t know! She kind of just wandered into here and gave me a book to read to her! Which is weird, because I thought we burned all the books…” Sunggyu shook the thought away. “And then she fell asleep and now I don’t know what to do.”

Woohyun blinked. The little girl was Yerin. Sungyeol’s baby sister. And here she was, sleeping on the lap of the man who arrested her parents. “We need to get her back to her family,” Woohyun said. He picked up Yerin gingerly, cradling her safely. He stood. “I’ll be back, okay?”

Sunggyu sat up. “You’re going out there on your own? Won’t the rebels–”

“I have Yerin, they won’t care. It’s okay, I’ll be back in a second.”

Woohyun didn’t wait for him to answer before he was walking out the door with Yerin’s face cradled into his neck. He walked along the halls quietly, making sure to not draw attention to himself. If any of the rebels caught him outside of his room, he might get hit a few times before they threw him back inside.

He knew where Yerin’s room was and took the safest route he knew. There was no one in the halls he took – he knew because he usually took them to sneak out. In no time he was at the door. It was still quite early in the morning so he was hoping that people were still asleep. Or at least, that they weren’t expecting him to be roaming the halls.

Woohyun smiled slightly as he adjusted Yerin on his shoulders. It seemed like she was so excited about her book she woke up too early and was now feeling those side effects. She was a cute kid. It was a shame that she had to be living here.

When he opened the door, he was met with Daeyeol’s face of confusion and worry. Daeyeol seemed to be rushing out the door and Woohyun believed he knew why.

“Yerin?” Daeyeol asked in disbelief. He took the child into his arms swiftly. “What are you doing with Yerin?” he asked Woohyun coldly.

Woohyun raised his hands in defense. “Before you accuse me of anything, I woke up to her in my room. Okay? She wandered in on her own. Keep an eye on her.”

Daeyeol only huffed in his face and shut the door. Unsurprised at the hostile reaction, Woohyun simply turned to walk away. He didn’t need to fight back if he didn’t need to.

After a few days since their first infiltration into the Capital Building, Hoya had called a meeting between people he wanted opinions of. He had gathered them around a giant map of the city as he explained the plan he had hatched over the last couple of days.

“I think we should attack within the next week,” Hoya finished soundly, waiting for his comrades opinions. “That way we have enough time to stock up on medical supplies and rest. If the president is expecting us then we should go in fully prepared. Remember that it’s not just us anymore – the people in the city believe in us too. We have to take the Capital down.”

“I agree,” Myungsoo said. “For now, I think that is the choice that is the safest and most effective at the same time. I have no objections.”

“Neither do I,” Sungjong spoke with conviction, his gaze unwavering. “About three days is enough for me to be prepared with a fresh load of supplies. And I’ll have more medics on the job.” He glanced around at the other people seated at the table expectantly.

“No objections from me either,” Sungyeol said gently. Though it had still been a few days since his initial shock, the feeling still lingered afterwards like dull electricity. “I fully intend to fulfill this mission.”

Hoya looked to Dongwoo, who shook his head. None of them objected. Hoya nodded and continued with his plan. “Good. Then we will attack in three days, if everyone agrees.” They all nodded. “Now we’ll need to split up into teams. Four big teams to cover more ground.”

He went over details meticulously, drawing out the layout of the Capital Building from what he could remember and marking directions, exits and entrances. He felt slightly overwhelmed by it all. Though he had lead the rebels on raiding missions before, he had never conducted one at this caliber. It was unnerving to think of how many people he would be leading into battle and even more unnerving to even think of how many might not make it back.

For most of their raids thus far, it had been planned to every last detail so that they knew they would beat the guards. There was no doubt that they had planned victories when they planned their raids. But this was the first time Hoya felt that they lacked that attitude. These weren’t regular guards, these were guards in the Capital Building. The guards there had been promoted from the low ranks in the city. They were the best guards that the city had to offer. That alone was stress inducing enough. And to know that this was not an assured victory was scary as well.

All those thoughts made Hoya’s eyes flicker and his hands shake. He hated feeling uncertain in front of the others and even Dongwoo had to put a hand on him at times just to calm him. He was unconfident, and it was starting to show.

The meeting adjourned after he explained the details of their attack. He felt stressed in the silence that followed. And he couldn’t decide whether or not it was a good thing.

But Dongwoo held his hand and comforted him – told him that they had good chances of coming out victorious. Hoya felt that pit in his stomach tighten because he didn’t know whether or not to believe Dongwoo. Dongwoo’s words were soft and sweet but he wasn’t sure if believing those words was going to be a good idea.

But the more Dongwoo touched him, the more he allowed himself to relax. Maybe that’s all he needed – some more relaxation. He had taken a few long naps since he had gotten back a few days prior. Perhaps he just needed more. After all, nothing sounded better than a nap with Dongwoo in his arms.

Sungyeol hadn’t told his brother and sisters about the president’s words. He was afraid of how they would react – afraid that they’d end up getting themselves into trouble. He didn’t want them to worry or get themselves into unnecessary danger. He was doing enough of that for all of them.

But it didn’t matter if he hid the problem or not because Daeyeol would just keep on approaching him.

“Hyung,” Daeyeol said, “my birthday is tomorrow. That means I’ll be old enough to join you on that raid you said was happening. It’s huge isn’t it? Nearly the entire base is involved, right? I’m coming too.”

Sungyeol narrowed his eyes, keeping his voice low as to not disturb Yeoreum and Yerin. “Daeyeol, I already told you that it’s not happening. I don’t want you fighting. You need to stay here.”

Daeyeol retorted, “No, I don’t. Yeoreum is taking care of Yerin and she doesn’t need me to help her! They’ll be completely safe here. And besides, I want to help. I’m turning eighteen tomorrow – I won’t need your permission anymore.”

“That’s not the point, Daeyeol–”

“No, it’s not. The point is that whether you like it or not, I’m going to go out there and help you. It’s not a decision that’s up to you. But I came to you because I want you to teach me what to do. I trust your skills, hyung – teach me how to get around like any other person in this headquarters would.” Daeyeol looked at him imploringly. “Please, hyung. I trust you the most. Can’t you at least teach me how to shoot a gun?”

“No,” Sungyeol replied sharply. “I am absolutely not letting you handle a gun.”

Daeyeol stared at him disappointedly, opening his mouth to try and make another point. But before he could, Sungyeol interrupted him.

“But,” he said firmly, “I’ll teach you how to fend for yourself. We’ve got a few days to get you up to speed. And you’ll probably be in the safest division anyways. So fine – I’ll teach you a few things.”

A spark of excitement lit up in Daeyeol’s eyes as he exclaimed, “Really?! You will?! Hyung, you’re the best!”

And though he still wasn’t completely comfortable with the idea of Daeyeol fighting, he smiled slightly. “Don’t mention it,” he told him. “It’s the least I could do for your eighteenth birthday.”

“Can we start now?” Daeyeol asked him. And Sungyeol sighed and nodded, leading him out of the room. After being lead down the hall, Daeyeol was told that they would be going into a normal training room and he felt excited. They walked together in a comfortable silence, although, Sungyeol’s mouth was pressed into a tight line. Daeyeol took a moment to carefully ask him, “Hyung…? What made you change your mind? About me joining, that is. I was sure that I would need to spend more time convincing you.”

Sungyeol looked at him and sighed with a smile. “I was your age when I joined. And you’re so excited and motivated. You were a lot like me, when I joined. And if you’re anything like me, I know that that determination in your eyes isn’t going away until you get what you want. So I’d rather have you prepared for your first raid rather than going in blindly.”

“You really think so?” Daeyeol smiled proudly.

“Myungsoo says your personality is like me all the time so… I know so.”

Daeyeol grinned. “How many days do you have to prepare me?”

“Three,” Sungyeol answered. “That’s not a lot, but you won’t be doing the bulk of the mission. You’ll probably be backup in case of the worst case scenario. If you’re lucky, you won’t even need to get out to battle.”

“Oh.” He deflated faintly but didn’t fail to brighten up again. Sungyeol chuckled, Daeyeol really reminded him of his younger self.

Sungyeol vaguely wondered how long it had been since he had acted like that – naïve and eager to put his life on the line. Now that resolve seemed so distant. He felt as though he had aged five years within the last couple of weeks. With the arrest of his parents, and the sudden weight of his family and the rebels put on his shoulders at once, it had gotten hard to breathe. And though that was the last thing he wanted to happen to Daeyeol, he wasn’t going to deny him entry into the rebels. No, his brother was practically an adult now.
Sungyeol sighed. Daeyeol had aged in these past few weeks as well. His brother wasn’t happy-go-lucky as much as he used to be. He was starting to see the realities all around him and his solution was to join the rebels to help fix the problems. Sungyeol commended him.

“How many times am I going to tell you, Woohyun? I’m not staying for these rebels. I’m staying for you.”

Woohyun sighed. It felt like the millionth time they had been over this. Sunggyu hadn’t talked to him the first day or two out of spite but now they had begun talking again. They still heavily did not agree on each other’s beliefs. Woohyun didn’t understand why he wouldn’t just leave if he hated it so much. But Sunggyu would always say that he stayed for Woohyun’s sake.

“I know they’re not going to take care of you despite all that happened,” he said, “but I will. We both know you’ve messed up, Woohyun. But like you said, I still love you. I hate what you’ve done but that can’t be changed.”

“But you still understand my or the rebels’ point of view.”

“I’m not interested in learning about it,” Sunggyu answered sharply.

“Then I don’t see why you’re staying!” Woohyun huffed. “Things have changed drastically between us, Sunggyu. We can’t go back to how we used to be together.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that I still care about you as a human. I just want to make sure that none of those pieces of trash lay their hands on you again. I will not condone physical violence in exchange for information again.”

Woohyun sighed loudly again. He stared across the room to stare curiously at Sunggyu, who was sitting against the opposite wall. “You know what I never understood about you, hyung? Your morals were always in the right place but you never used them correctly. I always knew you were a good guy but after you joined the government’s force, you put the rules above your morals.”

“My emotions don’t interfere with what I do,” Sunggyu said. “You should learn to do that as well.”

“Why would I compromise my morals?” Woohyun asked in astonishment. “Without my morals, I’d have nothing to fight for.”

Sunggyu narrowed his eyes. “You really are a rebel. You’re a delusional dreamer like the rest of them. How did I even date you?”

“That’s hurtful, hyung.” Woohyun frowned sadly.

With a scoff, Sunggyu said, “Oh, don’t lecture me about being hurtful. You have no right to.”

Woohyun pursed his lips and then looked down at the floor. He sighed. “You’re right,” he replied. “I don’t.”

It was like Woohyun had given up completely and Sunggyu just couldn’t wrap his head around it. Woohyun had become so complacent and dull. Like getting stuck in here was actually giving him time to think about his actions. Sunggyu wondered if Woohyun was really sorry or just embarrassed because he wasn’t apologizing anymore.

Sunggyu shook his head. He had decided he wouldn’t care about it anymore. He wouldn’t stop caring about Woohyun, but he would stop caring about whatever it was that was happening at the moment. There was no point in stressing himself out if all he was doing was sit around in a room all day. It was probably like how he was going to live in the Capital Building, but without the luxuries.

“Ahjussi! I brought something!”

Sunggyu and Woohyun’s heads turned towards the door. Yerin was coming in again. For the past few days, she always found her way back into this room with nothing more to do than say hi or bring them something she had found. Sunggyu tried to shoo her out every time, but she was stubborn. He wondered where she had gotten that trait from.

But he grew accustomed to her coming in – maybe even expecting it.

She walked in with a spring in her step, like nothing was wrong with the world, and was waving a cookie around in her hand like it was a great prize.
“Look!” she exclaimed. “Yongguk brought these today! He had saved them for a long time because they had cost him lots of money. I had one and saved extra to give to you since they don’t give you snacks.”

She stopped in front of Sunggyu and held out the cookie to him. It was small, no bigger than the half of his palm, but he couldn’t help but smile warmly and take the cookie with thanks. She was a sweet girl. He couldn’t bring himself to look down on her.

“You’re welcome!” she squeaked enthusiastically. “I’ll come back if I get more!” With a giggle and a bounce, she disappeared.

“She’s cute,” Sunggyu murmured as she vanished.

Woohyun nodded. “Yeah. She is.”

“What’s a sweetheart like her doing here? She can’t possibly be fighting.”

“She’s not,” Woohyun confirmed. “She’s only here because her parents were taken away. She and her siblings are here as refugees. Her oldest brother is a rebel.” Woohyun stared at Sunggyu’s frozen face. “She doesn’t fight but her brother does. He fights for her. Don’t you know what the feels like, Sunggyu? To fight for your family?”

Sunggyu’s hand closed around the cookie. He did know. He knew that feeling very well.

He didn’t answer Woohyun and opted to turn away into his corner instead. He had talked to him enough for the time being. His mindset had not changed; he was still unwilling to understand the people who he saw as his enemies.

But he stayed for Woohyun. And maybe, just maybe, he was staying for Yerin too.