“Hyukjae, what brings you here?” His father asked as they ate dinner together.

“I just wanted to come home for a day or two,” Hyukjae said, even when he was still wearing the face mask. “I have a few marks on my cheek, I beg your pardon for using it on the table.”

“Don’t mind it too much, Hyukjae,” his mother said with a soft smile. “How’s school?”

Hyukjae smiled, even when they couldn’t see it. “It’s great,” he said. “How are things going on in the mansion?”

“Nothing much,” his father said firmly. “You must come back to school tomorrow at first hour, Hyukjae. It’s dangerous for you to stay in this mansion while there’s a prisoner in here.”

“I thought you would have disposed of him already,” Hyukjae said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

“Not yet,” Hyukjae’s father said. “I still have something planned for him, but it’s taking me way longer than I had expected.”

Hyukjae said nothing more and looked down at his plate. He had barely eaten anything, but he needed to talk to Sora first. “I’ll head to my room, father,” he stood up and looked at his mother. “Mother,” he recognized the other before getting a nod from his father for him to leave the table.

Hyukjae walked through the halls. In the afternoon, he had dragged Sora to her room without any other word and she had been crying because of him.

It was almost midnight when Hyukjae knocked on his door and unlocked it. “Sora, are you there?” He asked as he opened the door. He sighed as he saw his sister crying just by the door’s side. “Look, I’m sorry I had to lock you up, it’s just that you were saying nonsense and-”

“If he dies, Hyukjae,” Sora didn’t even look at him. “If he dies in father’s hands, it’ll be the end of us,” she said.

Her voice sounded lost, empty. “Sora, what are you talking about?”

Sora stood up from where she was standing and reached her hands to hold herself up against the wall. “I’m not asking you to help me, Hyukjae,” she said, finally finding the door. “Just please don’t block my way.”

“You intend to allow a prisoner to escape,” Hyukjae said firmly, frowning as he just followed her sister. She wouldn’t be able to do much, so he allowed her to.

“I intend to save your life, Hyukjae,” Sora said. “Mine is ruined, just let me be a little better than I am here.”

“You’re with your family, I don’t understand what you’re trying to do,” Hyukjae said. “Setting a prisoner free is treason and you’ll be executed.”

“I don’t care,” Sora said, and it was obvious she was crying. “I need to get him out of here before everything ends.”

Her small hands had hundreds of small cuts from the way she used them to do everything. She walked along the halls towards the dungeons, pursing her lips in determination as her tears fell down her cheeks. “Cho Kyuhyun means nothing for this family.”

Sora bit her lower lip, not stopping his tracks. “You live in a reality that was created only for you, Hyukjae,” she said, feeling frustrated because the walls weren’t continuous from that point and she still had a long way to go. Reaching her hands to the front, she decided to walk, even if it was for days until he could find his way to Kyuhyun.

Hyukjae raised an eyebrow, holding her sister’s hand. “I’ll take you there,” he said. “But Sora,” he pursed his lips firmly. “I can’t assure you we’ll be both alive when the sun gets up.”

Sora held onto Hyukjae’s hand firmly, letting out his tears, nodding quickly. “Thank you, Hyukjae,” she said. “Thank you…”

Hyukjae looked at his sister. How could she say no?

There was something going on that he didn’t understand but Sora did and she wouldn’t tell him unless he helped her. He held her firmly as they kept on walking towards the dungeons in silence.

Sora was the reason Hyukjae hated the Cho’s so much ever since the beginning. If Hyukjae was honest with himself, he would do anything to make her sister a little happier after her life was destroyed completely.

Finally reaching the dungeons, Hyukjae sighed. “I’ll get them unconscious, Sora, but you must know there will only be a few minutes before father realizes what we’ve done and after that, we can only depend on luck.”

Sora breathed in and out deeply. “You don’t need to stay, Hyukjae,” she said. “I’ll take responsibility of it if something bad happens.”

Hyukjae chuckled lowly. “It’s easier to defend you than you getting to do something, Sora,” he said, trying to lift the mood. “What’s the plan?”

Sora turned towards his brother. “We need to get Kyuhyun free and I’ll try my best to make him regain a little bit of energy so he can take us to the main room of the mansion.”

Hyukjae raised his eyebrow confused. “Why do you want to go to the main room?”

Sora nodded slowly. “You’re right,” she said. “We need to separate.”