It was early morning, even before the sun began to rise. Everyone in the dorms were still asleep but Hongbin heard something coming from the kitchen.

He didn’t want to wake the Dark Hakyeon up as the other slept beside him all night long so he slowly slid his arms away from underneath the other’s head.

Hongbin put back on a jacket while looking back to see if the other was still covered up warmly with the blankets.

He looked at the older’s face once more and gentle caressed the other’s head before he left the room quietly.

The younger heard sounds of pots and pans clanking from the kitchen. Luckily, all the others members were much heavier sleepers so they didn’t hear all the noise, especially Wonshik who snored much louder.

As Hongbin peeked into the kitchen to see what it was about, he was quite surprised to see the Dark Taekwoon preparing breakfast. Or at least attempting to.

‘You’re up early,’ Hongbin said.

‘Uh, morning.’ The Dark Taekwoon was obviously flustered by being caught by Hongbin’s sudden appearance.

Hongbin noticed the mess on the kitchen counter and the many failed attempts the other must have made in order to prepare a meal.

He couldn’t help but laugh.

‘Ya…’ the Dark Taekwoon wasn’t pleased to be made fun of.

‘Sorry,’ Hongbin tried to cover up his smile. ‘Though I know I won’t be much of a help, let me just try to assist you a bit. At least on the cleaning up after yourself part.’

The Dark Taekwoon wanted to refuse at first since he was trying to handle the breakfast duties alone but when he turned around and saw all the mess he’s created, he knew he needed an assistance.

‘You don’t have to prepare a grand feast for the morning you know. Simple meals are just fine. Most of us are used to sleeping in when there are no schedules anyways.’ Hongbin told him.

‘I know… but I just thought I should try.’

‘Why the sudden change?’ Hongbin asked. ‘Is it because you’re feeling guilty and that your time is finally running out? So you have no choice left?’

‘That might be.’ The other was honest. ‘All my life, I have only served for the first Taekwoon. When he threw me away, I thought that revenge was all I wanted. But because of that, I never once truly experienced life as it should be. To be honest, I was jealous when I saw how accepting you guys were towards the Dark Hakyeon.’

‘It’s strange,’ Hongbin suddenly said.

‘What is?’

‘If it wasn’t for him, maybe you and I would never get the chance to be standing next to one another and having this conversation in the first place. He asked me if I hated you and whether or not you could have a second chance as he did.’’

‘That’s because he’s still a child. A kind one.’

‘And easily influenced too,’ Hongbin jokingly glared at the Dark Taekwoon.

The Dark Taekwoon and Hongbin was helping one another to set up the plates and preparing the dishes. It took them awhile and the sun was finally appearing.

‘Are you really willing to let go of him?’ the Dark Taekwoon asked Hongbin. ‘You know what it means to bring back your leader right?’

Hongbin tried not to imagine it. But he had no choice and he knew that it would be better for all if things returned to the way it was before.

‘Even if I don’t want to let go, we both know that that’s how it should be. He’s been trapped for so long in a body that isn’t his and even his freedom is limited by the Heavens. The both of us haven’t talked to one another about this but… I think we both know that there are some things that doesn’t need to be said. All it matters is that we’re both cherishing the time we have remaining. Just like you.’

‘I don’t know whether I should admire you or call you foolish. Falling for someone named Hakyeon time and time again yet having to let go each time,’ the Dark Taekwoon sighed for Hongbin.

‘I don’t even know why I’m like this,’ Hongbin sighed with him.

‘You should know that just because he loves you doesn’t mean that he’s a replacement for Cha Hakyeon,’ the Dark Taekwoon warned him.

‘I know. He’s too different from Hakyeon-hyung. To be honest, I was confused at first whether my attraction towards him was merely because he was in Hakyeon-hyung’s body. But as I spent more time with him, I realized that I fell in love with him for who he is and not how he looks. It’s just like you said, he’s like a defenseless child and so kind that it makes you want to protect him. It doesn’t matter how many mistakes he’s made in the past but rather, he’s learned from those mistakes already.’

The Dark Taekwoon was relieved to see how sincere and genuine Hongbin was while thinking about the Dark Hakyeon. He was definitely concerned with the Dark Hakyeon’s attachment to the younger who once loved his leader and he wasn’t going to let Hongbin go if the younger was looking for a replacement. But the bittersweet smile on Hongbin’s face made him realize just how important the Dark Hakyeon has become to Hongbin.

After the long preparations, both the Dark Taekwoon and Hongbin went to wake the other members up. They were all surprised to hear that the Dark Taekwoon was in charge of making their morning meal.

Though the meal on the table was just simple toasts and eggs, it still helped to bring smiles on their faces. It was the first time that these six members were able to sit around together without a hint of awkwardness and only happiness.

After their meal, Wonshik brought the rest of them to the studio in order to listen to the new song.

‘I heard you helped with the composition and arrangements this time?’ Jaehwan asked the Dark Taekwoon.

The other nodded. ‘Just a bit.’

‘The sound has a lot of impact and it’s very refreshing. But it is still very VIXX-like,’ Wonshik commented.

The members all agreed as they continued to replay the track.

The second part of Conception told a story of a tragic fantasy and being swallowed by desires. It was a relatable concept for them as it was reflecting on a true story of the past.

As the members were discussing with the agency for the concept of Fantasy, Wonshik made a suggestion.

‘Can Taekwoon-hyung here, have the performance teaser?’ he asked.

‘Me?’ the Dark Taekwoon pointed at himself.

‘Yes. I think this concept suits you the best and I can’t think of anyone else that will be able to pull in the attention as you can alone.’

‘But what can I do?’

‘Hmm, I’ve had this idea for a while because of the intro and outro sample we used for the song but why don’t you try playing the piece of Moonlight Sonata on the piano?’

‘But…’ the Dark Taekwoon leaned in to whisper, ‘I don’t know how to play the piano…’

‘No worries, you can learn it. Even Hyogi is working on how to compose lately and he’s completed quite a few lessons already. He can teach you.’

‘That’s a great idea!’ Hyuk was strangely excited.

~

The keys on the piano was proven a difficult thing to master for the Dark Taekwoon. He’s never learned the instrument before and as he stared at the keys on the piano, his mind was in chaos.

‘Alright! Where to start first?’ Hyuk rubbed his palms excitedly and flipping the score sheets with enthusiasm.

He was diligently reading the notes but the Dark Taekwoon didn’t even understand the markings or where to begin.

‘Um…’

‘Oh! You don’t know how to read this right? Just let me show you and you can follow along okay?’

The Dark Taekwoon nodded obediently.

After a while, the Dark Taekwoon still couldn’t grasp the keys of the piano and even though his long fingers could reach them, the sound was completely off. He sighed at his failure and finally found something that gave him quite the challenge.

‘You’re not very coordinated are you?’ the younger commented.

The Dark Taekwoon glared at the younger.

‘I would think that since you’re in Taekwoon-hyung’s body that you’d just be as good as hyung but I guess not,’ the younger sighed as if he was mocking the Dark one.

It was obvious that Hyuk was giving the Dark Taekwoon a rather hard time and he was strict during the lesson. Each time the Dark Taekwoon felt his temper rising and wanting to leave the room to give up, the younger would not leave him be.

‘Sit,’ Hyuk said in a stern and commanding tone.

The younger’s tone was very similar to someone. To the leader, Cha Hakyeon.

Hyuk wasn’t going to let the Dark Taekwoon leave without mastering the piece even if the other was a complete beginner.

‘Can we just… take a break at least?’ the Dark Taekwoon gave in.

‘I didn’t know you were so weak.’ Hyuk mocked.

‘Ya!’

‘What happened to that all mighty Dark Taekwoon who almost killed me back in Dreamscape huh?’

‘You-! You’re holding a grudge against me aren’t you?’

‘Maybe~?’ Hyuk teased.

The Dark Taekwoon grumbled, not knowing how to win a fight against Hyuk when it comes to verbal arguments and the fact that the younger had all the right to treat him this way. He could only give in.

‘Look. I’m sorry okay?’ He tried to apologize.

‘Are you? You don’t seem that sorry to me though.’

‘What can I do to make it up to you then?’

‘Hmm… master this piece and we’ll call it even.’

The Dark Taekwoon lost.

What Hyuk says, goes.

~

The members gathered around to watch over the Dark Taekwoon’s performance for their music spoiler video prior to the release of the actual song. They were quite anxious to see how much the other had progressed over the last week or so.

‘How was it?’ Jaehwan asked Hyuk as they stood by the sides to observe.

‘I gave him a good beating~’ Hyuk giggled.

‘Poor him.’ Jaehwan laughed as well just imaging how strict the younger must have been on the Dark Taekwoon during their piano lessons.

The set up was like a perfect scenario for the Dark Taekwoon. It was just him and a black piano that was accompanied by the darkness in the room. Only a single window shone light onto him. It was eerie but peaceful atmosphere as the Dark one placed his fingers along the keys and became one with the tunes.

Though he knew he was still far from mastering the piece, the Dark Taekwoon was content that he was given the opportunity to play the song. It was only for a short video yet it was a film only for him. It was as if he was able to tell his tales through music and how he felt from the song. He finally understood why the vocalist loved singing so much.

Because music allowed them to express themselves more so than having to say anything aloud.

After a few more shots and monitoring his performance with the rest of the members, filming was finally completed. The staffs clapped and praised for the Dark Taekwoon’s performance.

He was relieved.

‘Good work,’ Wonshik said.

‘Thanks.’

The Dark Taekwoon turned around towards the younger.

‘Are we even now?’ He asked.

‘Maybe?’ Hyuk continued his teasing.

‘You…’

‘We are.’ Hyuk smiled happily. ‘Look at this.’

Hyuk took out his arms to show the Dark Taekwoon and the rest all gathered around them.

‘This…’ the Dark Hakyeon was pleasingly shocked to see it.

The others couldn’t hold back their smiles either.

Finally, a brilliant red string was formed between the members and the two Dark ones.

* * * * * * A/N * * * * * *

A little bit of AllDarkTaekwoon anyone?

Fun Fact: I rewatched the Music Spoiler Video for Fantasy many times in order to inspire this chapter to come out. Now I shall brainwash all of you into thinking that the Dark Taekwoon is the one who did the Music Spoiler Video ~~ kekeke