(WARNING: Minor swearing. So minor you probably won't even notice it... )

Days have passed and there was still no sign of the return of the original Cha Hakyeon.

The members would visit their leader everyday as much as they could, even if they were pushed away. It pained them so much to see their leader having such a hard time and being treated like a patient with mental disabilities.

It pained them to the see their oldest being locked away, cuffed throughout the nights, and strapped down by the doctors and nurses in the small-secluded room.

Everyone thought that this child-like Hakyeon would be easy to deal with. He was delightful, innocent, and playful all at once that they really thought this new persona of Hakyeon’s was simply a child.

But their presumptions were wrong.

This Hakyeon was witty and smart. He was mischievous and devious. He calculated his every move ahead of everyone else and almost escaped the hospital several times in the past few days.

He would pretend as if the original Cha Hakyeon had returned to his own body and gave false hopes to those that cared for Hakyeon. But there was one thing the new persona could not hide, and could not lie about.

His hatred for the younger members of VIXX.

The intense glares, murderous intents and chilling atmosphere this Hakyeon gave to the members, brought the members worry and sorrows. Looking at the person with the same face as their leader, yet this Hakyeon had such hatred for the members, was a painful experience for them all. Even though they were supposed different personalities, they still shared the same body and face.

The members were heartbroken and was only left to sit back and watch. They were feeling helpless as days went by to watch their leader disappear by the minute.

‘What if Hakyeon-hyung really never comes back? What… do we do?’ Hyuk cries.

All their activities as VIXX in a group were postponed. There was obviously no way for them to continue with any of their schedules when their leader was missing and completely away from the real world. Their agency lied to the public that the members were busy with preparing for a long awaited comeback but it was an obvious lie because none of the members were motivated to do anything as an idol except hope for their leader’s return.

Wonshik eventually released his first mixtape to the public and the fans were hyped about it for awhile. They didn’t question as to why VIXX wasn’t returning with a new song after their Japanese release but Wonshik’s mixtape was able to draw the attention towards him as a solo artist rather than being a part of VIXX.

But after his release, Wonshik decided to put everything regarding music aside. He was still passionate about his compositions and as an artist but his mind was just in such chaos that he could no longer focus on anything except his leader’s health. He was most likely the last person to have talked to the original Cha Hakyeon amongst the members and he blamed himself as to why he did not pay enough attention to his leader when the older came to find him the first time.

If only he just cared a bit more about his precious members, this would not have happened is what he keeps blaming himself for.

Exactly where did things start to go wrong? When did Hakyeon disappear and how? Why?

~

Taekwoon worried a lot about Hakyeon during this time.

He never would have thought that his lifelong friend, who loved and received so much love would end up in such a place time after time. The hospital settings and scent became almost too familiar for Taekwoon. So familiar yet still, frightening.

He watched day after day through a small window of the door, watching his lifelong friend receive endless treatment and medications. He was helpless and each time Hakyeon screamed in pain and desperation, Taekwoon could feel his heart being pierced through by guilt.

By the guilt of having ignored the one person who cared for him and even called him his lifelong friend.

Taekwoon was thankful to Hakyeon for a long time. Hakyeon was the first person who helped Taekwoon get along with the other members since their trainee days. Taekwoon once had the dream and opportunity to entering the national soccer team but due to an injury, Taekwoon decided to take a different path in his career.

Singing.

Taekwoon was never really the type to speak loudly, in fact, sometimes too quietly for anyone to hear. But that was just because he felt awkward around unfamiliar faces and environments. His unique and angled eyes did not help either.

Because of his ice-cold expressions and intense gazes, people often mistaken Taekwoon as a mean and uncaring type of person. No one dared to approach Taekwoon when he first entered the agency.

‘Do you want to be my stretching partner?’ The boy asked him.

Taekwoon still remembers the bright and bubbly boy who approached him first. The person that was able to save Taekwoon from isolation was Hakyeon.

His lifelong friend.

Taekwoon felt the same fear he felt as his other members when they watch this how this new Hakyeon would behave. But he also knew that this Hakyeon would never harm him. In fact, Taekwoon was the only one whom the new persona would allow to approach him.

This Hakyeon loved Taekwoon. Too much and too extremely however.

Even if the original had confessed to Taekwoon personally in the past, the original would never break Taekwoon’s personal space and was sensitive about how Taekwoon felt. But this child-like Hakyeon was possessive, extremely violent towards those he didn’t like and selfish with his desires.

The doctors eventually came to a dead-end as to what to do with Hakyeon’s alter ego. Even after so many treatments and endless observations, they were still unable to find the solutions as to why this Hakyeon existed in the first place. Usually, with enough counseling and treatment, the patient would open up to others and have a chance to return to reality.

But this Hakyeon was stubborn. He rejected everyone. He was violent and fought back against the world. He was supposed to be Hakyeon’s other persona but he felt more like someone else in whole.

‘It’s only a matter of time before the public finds out.’ Jaehwan sighed.

‘I don’t give a damn if they did! I worry more about whether or not Hakyeon-hyung will ever return to us!’ Hongbin was frustrated. He didn’t care about how the world perceived them, he didn’t care anymore about his life as an idol. He cared for his friend and oldest hyung the most and would want nothing more than see to Hakyeon returning safely to their side.

Hakyeon wasn’t just another member of the same group but a really great friend and family.

‘If only this Hakyeon-hyung didn’t fight us… even though we’ve followed everything the doctor told us to do about consulting with Hakyeon-hyung, he still acts violently against us. It’s not like we’re going to hurt him yet he still just… wouldn’t let us near him!’ Wonshik punched the wall so hard from frustration that he couldn’t control the fact that he was helpless.

‘Venting out your frustration like that isn’t going to get you anywhere.’ Jaehwan sighed and grabbed the younger’s hands to see if they didn’t get bruised too much,’ just look at you, your arm have barely just healed and you’re already hurting yourself again.’

Jaehwan and the members saw the bite marks left on Wonshik’s arms.

The members had visited Hakyeon the other day and their leader was rather normal at first when he saw them. But the moment when Wonshik thought it was safe to approach Hakyeon, the latter bit him so hard that blood began to fall and left a scar on Wonshik’s arms.

‘Hyung, are you getting enough sleep lately?’ Hyuk noticed that Taekwoon was very tired and his eyes had very obvious dark circles around it.’ You’ve been so busy with visiting Hakyeon-hyung lately…’

‘I’m fine,’ Taekwoon assured him.

‘We know you want to make it up to Hakyeon-hyung and the fact that you’re the only one this Cha Hakyeon allows to get near… but you need to rest. I heard from the managers that you haven’t even had a proper meal lately.’ Jaehwan commented.

Taekwoon looked away.

There was no way he could have the appetite to eat properly when he knows that his lifelong friend was in such a state and locked away in the hospital, lost from this world.

~

‘Hyung, was there anything unusual about Hakyeon the few days you two were away for his filming?’ Taekwoon asked his manager.

The older shook his head.

‘No. He was normal. He slept, ate, rehearsed and filmed the drama like normal. Everything went smoothly in fact and there wasn’t much retakes for the drama itself either. The directors even complemented his performance.’ His manager reported to them. ‘Even I freaked out when I saw that Hakyeon’s alter ego came out…’

Taekwoon sighed.

They thought if only they had watched their leader closely and never let him out of their sight, everything would be all right.

‘Taekwoon-hyung! We’ll do that, you need to get some sleep. You’re literally staggering!’ Hongbin said.

Hakyeon was running out of clean clothes to change into at the hospital and Taekwoon was going to pack those clothes, then go visit Hakyeon that night.

‘But-‘ Taekwoon stuttered.

‘It’s fine. We’re only going to there and drop off some clothes for Hakyeon-hyung then leave right away. Plus, it’s the middle of the night, hyung should be asleep by now.’ Wonshik said as he tells Taekwoon that both him and Hongbin will be going to drop off the clothes together and that there’s no need to worry.

Hongbin nodded and pushed Taekwoon back to his own bedroom. ‘Go sleep.’

Both the 93 line friends decided to go to the hospital together because the both of them really wanted to visit Hakyeon and see him even if it's for a bit. It was nearly impossible during the day because if Hakyeon had seen either of the members, their leader would probably throw violent acts like usual at just the sight of them.

‘I miss hyung.’ Hongbin said as they were walking to the hospital.

‘I do too.’ Wonshik patted his friend on the back.

‘Remember how we used to always talk about hoping to debut together as a group? We knew Hakyeon-hyung first when we were still trainees. I always forget that Hakyeon-hyung is three years older than both of us. We were all so close.’ Hongbin reminisced.

Wonshik nodded sadly. ‘I remember. I sometimes even go online to rewatch our old MTV Diary or VIXXTV… it feels just like yesterday when we were chosen as the 6 to debut in VIXX and now this…’

‘But I just don’t get it! We’ve literally found all the best doctors and psychiatrists in the country to help Hakyeon-hyung yet everyone keeps saying the same things. That this alter ego of Hakyeon-hyung didn’t seem like another personality but rather another person who looks the same. It just doesn’t make sense!’ Hongbin was frustrated with the useless doctors and the fact that he himself could not help Hakyeon-hyung any other way except to watch patiently.

‘I’ve done a bit of reading on DID cases too and it’s definitely possible that the doctors aren’t wrong either. I mean, people with DID can be like a completely different person or even barely noticeable at times. We should just wait and carefully watch over hyung.’ Wonshik tried to persuade his friend.

As the two of them was walking closer to the quiet and empty hallways of the hospital, they felt a bit scared. Hospitals aren’t exactly the best place in the world to visit so constantly. They only came to fulfill their errands and see Hakyeon in his sleep. But as they got closer to Hakyeon’s room, they heard talking from within.

Curious as to whom Hakyeon was talking to so late at night, the both of them peeked in the window quietly to observe. But Hakyeon was just alone, locked in isolation and there was no one else within the room.

Then, Hakyeon started to throw fits per usual.

‘Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! This isn’t how I planned it!’ He threw his pillow and bed sheets all over the room out of rage. ‘Who the hell do they think I am?!! Treating me like some crazy person?!!’

The two members watched fearfully in silence as they witnessed their violent leader shouting and rampaging in the middle of the night.

But then, Hakyeon said something strange.

‘This isn’t a part of our deal! We had a deal!!’ He said.

A deal? Wonshik thought.

‘You said you’d get that damn Cha Hakyeon away from this world while I take over completely! But now I’m trapped here and locked in this damn place!’ He roared.

‘A deal?’ Hongbin whispered to Wonshik as the two continued to eavesdrop. ‘Who is he talking to?’

Wonshik shook his head. He doesn’t know either.

There was no one else in the room aside from Hakyeon.

‘If only I had my powers back, I can just destroy this damn place and make them all pay for making me go through with this bull!’

A deal? Powers? What is their leader talking about?

* * * * * * A/N * * * * * *

:D