The moon shone brightly in the sky, full and round. Moonlight illuminated the world below, bathing the grassy field in a wash of silver. The field was mostly empty, dotted with the occasional weed and rock. But what stood out the most was a magnificent oak tree that sat alone in the middle of this field, its massive branches stretching up to brush the sky, leaves thick enough to block out the starry view. Underneath the magnificent oak tree sat a young man, his brown, almost black eyes set on the stars in the heavens above that were visible to him. A light wind sprang up spryly, teasing his short, raven locks into motion, tangling in a mockingly intimate dance. Pale skin practically glowed silver as the night grew deeper, but the young man showed practically no recognition of the time passing by. Instead, his eyes remained trained on the sky.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he raised a hand, reaching towards the stars. His mouth twisted into a frown as he realized, almost belatedly, that he couldn’t reach the sparkling balls of light, his hand lowering slowly.

It was a cold night, one whose chill would make worried mothers wrap their children up in thick, woolen blankets and have even the most warm-blooded of men wear a scarf, but the young man seated under the tree wore only a thin sweater and black jeans. Eyes set on the stars, he ignored his body as it slowly grew cold.

Once more, the young man reached out for the stars, closing his eyes as he imagined his fingers brushing the very edges of the glittering canvas above.

“Please, take me far, far away…”

The words left his lips like a whisper, a prayer, a call for help. Desperation tinged his tone, his eyes opening once more to behold the night sky. Not knowing who he was calling out to, the young man clenched his fist, imagining it closing around one of the shining stars and trapping its light.

“Please…”

He waited for a few moments before visibly deflating, slumping against the rough bark of the tree behind him. “Not this time either, huh…” Closing his eyes, he tried to swallow the inexplicable lump in his throat, his fingers going numb from the cold.

He shouldn’t have been out this late.

“Jungkook-ah…”

The soft voice calling from behind Jungkook barely broke him out of his trance, nor did the warm blanket being draped over his shoulders. The speaker was Park Jimin, Jungkook’s childhood friend. Worry twinkled in his dark eyes, his equally dark hair falling into his eyes.

“Come inside, Kook-ah. You’re going to get sick if you stay outside any longer.”

Looking up at Jimin blankly, Jungkook pulled the blanket around him more tightly. “Inside I can’t see the stars.”

Jimin sighed, lips pressed together. “Jungkook… Come inside. Your dad is worried about you.”

To this, Jungkook snorted. “Like hell he is.”

Jimin’s face fell further, his fingers clenching around the edges of Jungkook’s blanket as he bent down in an attempt to pull the sitting boy to his feet.

“Jungkook-ah, your dad wants you home… Now. He’s really, really, really angry right now…”

To hear Jimin – the insanely cheery and playful one – this upset and scared was enough to snap Jungkook out of his star-induced trance. Eyes immediately focusing on Jimin, the raven haired boy paled slightly.

“Oh .”

Leaping to his feet, Jungkook scrabbled to his feet, snatching up the blanket on his way. Turning on the balls of his feet, Jungkook sent one last longing glance at the stars above before being tugged away by Jimin towards a metropolitan paradise.

Buildings scraped the sky, puncturing through the starry landscape and sending thick, black shadows down to the world below. Fluorescent lights glowed in every window and lamp, flooding street upon street with artificial blueish light. Glass, chrome, and steel shone harshly, glinting brightly in his eyes and practically drowning the stars. Cars, sleek and shiny and blue with their own internal light, zoomed past on the black pavement, honking and screeching despite the late hour at night, competing with the streetcars for space on the ever-crowded road. Walkways wound through every available edge of space, staircases that lead to subways crammed in between bus stops and bike paths.

Not a single leaf nor blade of grass in sight. A steely fence that boxed it in on all sides.

Paradise to many – prison to him.

Home.

“I thought I raised you better than this.”

Jungkook stayed silent, shoulders tense and head down as his father paced in front of him. The two of them were in the Jeon residence’s living room, Jungkook seated on the black leather couch and his father on the other side of the shiny glass coffee table. Behind his father was a doorway that lead to the kitchen, another doorway to the left leading to the front hall and staircase to the second level.

The entire house looked unlived in, everything perfectly neat and orderly. No picture frames lined the walls nor filled tables, no papers or crafts spilled onto the floor, no spare pillows or blankets or shirts thrown over the closest chair. Completely untouched.

“You’re an ungrateful brat, Jeon Jungkook. Do you know that?”

Jeon Jungho wasn’t the most handsome of men, but his shoulders were broad and his head was held high. The only things that betrayed his age were the strands of silver than peppered his otherwise dark hair and the fine lines that formed around his eyes and mouth from frowning too often.

One of the top scientists in the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Jeon Jungho was a strict man with high standards. Everything around him must be perfect, from his work to his family. It was his soaring demands and harsh words that drove Jungkook’s mother, Jeon Yuni, away from him and her only son, leaving him to face his father on his own.

It was probably Jungkook’s greatest regret in life. That his mother wasn’t with him.

“The borders are there for a reason, boy. You know you aren’t allowed to go outside of them whatsoever and you still disobey me. I’ve raised you, fed you, housed you, and you repay me like this?! I will not have people thinking that my only son is a… a… a country hick! It’s bad enough that your of a mother left. Do you know how much they talked when we divorced? DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THEY TALKED?!”

Jungkook lowered his head further, waiting for his father to be done.

“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”

Wincing slightly, Jungkook looked off to the side. “I’m… I’m sorry, father…”

But Jeon Jungho was far from done.

“And you call yourself a man. Can’t even speak up for yourself without grovelling at someone’s feet.” A sneer wormed its way onto his lips, sending shivers down Jungkook’s spine. “That friend of yours. Park Jimin.”

Jungkook stiffened, muscles tensing as he braced himself for another onslaught. Dear god, please, not again…

“Why is it that some has to be the one to bring my son home, hmm? His family is pathetic, Jungkook. Absolutely pathetic and utterly worthless. You’re only lowering yourself by associating with people like him. Tell me, Jungkook. What’s so amazing about that disgusting piece of crap?!” The last words were spat out, pure rage painted on his father’s face.

The problem with the Parks had started about three years back, when Jimin’s father, Park Jindong, fell ill with a rare neural disease known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. With no available treatment and Jindong’s rapidly deteriorating condition, Jimin’s mother had begged Jungkook’s father to help her husband in any way; whether it was by transferring him to a better hospital or helping to get permission to put him out of his misery.

His father was disgusted. Even more so when he learned that Park Jimin was biual.

“I’m waiting for an answer, Jungkook.”

The sound of his father’s voice snapped him out of his trance, bringing him back to the question – however poorly worded – at hand.

“I… I…”

Crack!

Head jerking to the side, Jungkook gingerly touched his cheek. It swelled almost immediately, a twinge of pain running through it when his fingertips brushed the sore skin. His heart felt empty. “You will not hesitate to answer my questions, Jeon Jungkook.” A pause. “The answer’s very simple, you see.”

Leaning in and ignoring the fact that he just slapped his child, Jungkook’s father growled lowly. “There is nothing special. He is nothing. If I see you with him again, there will be consequences more severe than usual.”

Straightening up, Jungkook’s father turned around to head towards the kitchen. “I expect you to listen to me this time, Jungkook.”

Waiting until his father entered the kitchen, Jungkook leapt to his feet and raced up the stairs, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. This wasn’t the first time that his father had threatened him over meeting with Jimin, but Jungkook wasn’t ready for his father’s consequences if he disobeyed just yet.

Completely forgoing ice for his cheek, Jungkook flung open the door to his room, closing it behind him in a rush. Sliding over to his black computer desk and sitting on the leather chair in front of it, Jungkook quickly tapped a piece of curved glass twice. The glass glowed, lighting up to his computer home screen. Tapping on the ‘call’ icon, Jungkook quickly hit Jimin’s name and prayed that the older boy would answer.

A few agonizing moments later, Jimin’s anxious face filled the screen. “Kook-ah? Are y