Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

The sound of a clock could be heard from the darkness. The endless ticking finally woke him up.

Hongbin got up from his place and started to glance around. None of s were around.

Dammit. Did I get separated from them? But how? What happened? I remember walking next to Jaehwan-hyung and following the others behind…

Hongbin felt a sudden throbbing in his head as he tried to recall what could have possibly happened for him to have become separated from the others.

He remembered walking through the empty hallways with s but the more he walked with them, the distance between him and the others grew. And before he knew it, he out.

‘Where the heck am I?’ Hongbin got him and looked around his surroundings.

Wooden barrels stacked on top of another. There were also weaved sacks all over the floor and crates filled the room. It seems that he was in a storage of some sort. A basement?

Then he noticed a scent coming from nearby.

A scent of fresh baked goods. Bread?

Hongbin could smell a delicious aroma coming from upstairs and his stomach started to growl in response to the scent.

Shush. He told his stomach. There was no time to be hungry. I have to get out and find the others before the Dark Taekwoon’s time runs out.

Just as he was about to go up the steps, he ran into something.

‘Ow!’ A child bounced right off of Hongbin and fell onto the ground.

‘What the-?’ Hongbin was surprised. ‘Hey, are you okay kid?’

‘Owie,’ the child rubbed his head.

Hongbin reached down to try and help the child get back on his feet but he became too shocked as he saw the child’s face.

‘You…’

The child was familiar. He has seen this child before from photographs many times while the oldest of the group kept talking about his past. But why? Why is he in a child’s form?

Why is Hakyeon a child?

‘Who are you mister?’ the child got back up on his own while Hongbin was too shocked to move. ‘You’re not supposed to be down here. It can’t be… you’re not a thief are you?!’

‘Huh? No! I’m not!’ Hongbin finally snapped back to his senses.

‘You’re not?’ the child looked at him skeptically.

Hongbin shook his head frantically. ‘I’m not! I promise. I just got lost and stumbled down here by accident. I’m sorry.’

‘Well, you can’t be down here!’ the child pulled Hongbin out of the basement. ‘You better leave before mom and dad catches you.’

‘Uh wait!’ Hongbin halted. ‘My name is Lee Hongbin, what’s yours?’

He needed to confirm.

‘Hmm?’ The child looked at the older for a moment, thinking whether or not he should converse with the stranger. ‘My name is Cha Hakyeon. Seven years old.’

It can’t be…

Just as the two of them made their way upstairs, Hakyeon’s father caught them.

‘Hakyeon-ah, where did you go? Did you manage to get the flour I asked you to get?’ He asked.

‘Ah! I totally forgot! Sorry dad,’ the child said as he got distracted by the trespasser.

‘And who are you?’ Hakyeon’s father noticed Hongbin. ‘Do you know him Hakyeon-ah?’

‘My name is Lee Hongbin sir. I accidently got lost and your son here helped me find my way back up. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.’ Hongbin smiled and greeted the older as politely as he could.

‘My son did?’

‘Yes sir.’

Hongbin nudged the young Hakyeon to play along with the small excuse.

‘Yes father! I was just trying to help this hyung out!’ He said.

‘I see. You did great,’ his father patted him on the head for a job well done.

Hongbin finally got out from the basement and looked around the place as he headed for the exit. It seems like he was inside a bakery, the home of the young Hakyeon. Just as he was about to open the doors and make his way outside, the child called out to him.

‘Hyung! Wait!’ He came running after Hongbin.

‘Hyung? Me?’ Hongbin pointed at himself almost in disbelief that Hakyeon, the young version of the leader, called him hyung. It felt as if their roles were suddenly reversed.

‘This is for you!’

The child handed out a small cupcake with a chocolate drizzled icing on top.

‘I made this myself today with my mom. I want to say thank you for helping me earlier. If dad knew I wandered off without getting the supplies, he’d be disappointed.’

‘Disappointed? Why would he? He seems like a nice man,’ Hongbin didn’t understand the child’s worry. ‘I should be the one thanking you instead.’

The child shook his head and insisted to thank Hongbin.

‘Um, can you come again?’ He asked Hongbin suddenly with his marble-like eyes.

‘Sure,’ Hongbin couldn’t refuse the child.

~

Hongbin, who was separated from s were having quite the trouble trying to find a way back to where he was supposed to be. Instead, he found himself stuck in this world of the young Hakyeon. Time was moving forward inside this part of Dreamscape, which made him grow worried for what might be happening to the rest of s. But he couldn’t find it in himself to leave the young child alone.

The young Hakyeon was attached to Hongbin and always asked him to come to the bakery to play even though he had friends of his own.

Hongbin of course, could not find it in himself to refuse as the child was also Cha Hakyeon. Just in a child’s form.

A few days have gone by and Hongbin realized that something wasn’t right. Though it was his first time officially within Dreamscape, he knew that in order to leave a certain dream sequence, something must occur. Something must change for the setting to change as well.

But what could it be? He had to follow through with the sequence in order to find the exit.

As usual, Hongbin went down to the bakery of the small town in order to find the child and accompany the younger.

‘I’m here,’ Hongbin called out as he step foot through the doors.

The door chimes went off.

‘Hyung!’ Hakyeon called out in a rush as soon as he heard Hongbin’s voice.

‘How are you?’ Hongbin kneeled down to the child’s level and ruffled the other’s head.

‘Mom taught me how to make sugar cookies today!’ He said excitedly.

The child took Hongbin’s hands and led him to the kitchen as he tried to demonstrate to the older what he had learned that morning.

Hongbin couldn’t help but smile at how innocent and pure the young Hakyeon was. He offered to help out at the bakery as much as he could until he finds a way out. Though Hongbin was worried about s, he was also curious as to why he ended up here inside of Dreamscape and why he was seeing Hakyeon in a child’s form.

Even the setting and environment of this place was as if it was a place of the past rather than a replica of reality.

Hongbin struggled to find anything wrong with what was occurring around him though. The people and the town were pleasant and peaceful. Their lives were always full of joy and festivities. He couldn’t understand what could have possibly gone wrong for him to trigger this part of Dreamscape. Why is he here?

‘Sorry, Hongbin-ah, but can you go downstairs to the storage and get me a bag of flour? We just got a huge order and we need more flour.’ Hakyeon’s father asked him.

‘Sure.’ Hongbin said.

He made his way down to the basement and looked around for the stashes of flour. Just as he went to the flour bags, he saw the young Hakyeon looking at something through the barrels.

What is he up to? Is he getting something too?

Just as Hongbin was about to approach the child and call out to Hakyeon, he heard the other talking to himself.

‘I look better this way,’ the child said. ‘If only I can look like this forever…’

The tone of the child was strange. It didn’t sound like the usual happy and energetic Hakyeon that Hongbin knew of. He decided to approach with caution.

‘Hakyeon-ah?’ Hongbin grew a bit worried.

The child jolt and pretended not to hear.

‘Hakyeon?’ Hongbin got closer and worried.

The child refused to look back.

‘Hakyeon-ah? What are you doing down here?’ Hongbin said and reached for the child. The young child struggled and didn’t want to let the older see him for some reason.

Hongbin turned the child around and was shocked.

‘You-! Your face!’

The child had his face smeared completely with flour. His face was pale and white.

‘What are you doing?!’ Hongbin asked.

‘I-…’ the child suddenly grew teary-eyed and didn’t know how to explain the situation he got himself into. ‘I… I just wanted to be beautiful!’

He started to cry.

‘Beautiful? What are you talking about?’

‘…’

The child didn’t want to explain himself. He was in fear of getting into trouble as he was caught by Hongbin. He bit his lips and could not look at Hongbin in the eyes. It broke Hongbin’s heart as he saw how fragile the child had become.

‘Please, Hakyeon-ah. Tell me why you’re doing this. Why did you put flour all over your face? Does your mom and dad know about this?’ He asked.

‘No! Don’t tell them please!’ the child started to rub his palms together and begged. ‘I’ll do anything you ask! So please! Don’t tell them! I don’t want them to hate me!’

‘Hate you? Why would they hate you?’

‘Because I’m ugly…’

‘What?’

Hongbin was speechless. Such words came from the child’s mouth.

Then, Hongbin began to realize.

He finally understood why he was here and why he had encountered this child.

Hongbin knelt down and wiped the child’s tears away. He gave the child a warm and gentle hug while trying to calm the child down.

‘It’s okay. I won’t say anything.’ Hongbin reassured him.

‘You won’t?’

‘I won’t. I promise.’ Hongbin looked at the child and dried the other’s tears away. ‘You’re not ugly. You’re anything but that. You’re more beautiful and kind than you think you are and I know for sure that your mom and dad loves you. Everyone in this town loves and care for you. So please, love yourself. Please, don’t cry anymore.’

‘Hongbin-hyung…’

The child’s tears slowly stopped as he held tightly onto Hongbin for comfort and reassurance. Something about the older’s words were calming and sincere. It was as if anything Hongbin said, he could believe. It was all that the child needed.

‘Thank you.’ The child said.

Then, the child finally disappeared from Hongbin’s arms. A calming breeze changed the environment.

The bakery disappeared. The people’s voices vanished and the town was no longer around.

Hongbin’s eyes teared from relief.

If only I could have been there for you since the beginning of time, then I could have been your light instead. You could have learned to love yourself rather than fall deeper into the darkness…

Hongbin has always hoped for it.

The ability to turn back time. The ability to go back to the beginning.

A time where he could have met the other before everything went wrong. He wanted to be there for the younger before the latter grew fond of the darkness and hid himself from the world in the shadows.

The child who is now known as the ‘Dark’ Hakyeon.

* * * * * * A/N * * * * * *

When writing this chapter, it really felt like a rock came flying at me because I suddenly remember how I felt when I was writing the SIDE STORY: Cha Hakyeon back in "The World of Us." That side story was basically a turning point of the fanfiction and it was very much based on how a young child felt such strong psychological emotions since the beginning. We always think that children are innocent and pure, untouched by the world and things that adults would go through. But children are more mature and knowledgeable than you think. They sometimes endure really heart breaking moments and emotions that adults do. When I was writing that side story, those were the emotions I tried to convey and how it affected a child's youth. Whenever I write, I think I try to convey these messages to people even if this is a fanfiction. Just because they're children, doesn't mean that we should overlook their feelings and that we should be sensitive around them because they could be hiding feelings of self-destruction at an early age. Hongbin's role in this chapter is supposed to be someone who realizes and finds out the young Hakyeon's destructive thoughts and change that. Hongbin doesn't need to say much to the child but just a simple word to tell the child that he is beautiful just the way he is and that he will love him no matter what.

So, are we ready for my NBIN, "unWRITTEN" fanfic? If you are~~~ the first chapter "Prologue" is out! --> http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1229782/1/unwritten-fantasy-vixx-hakyeon-hongbin-chabin-nbin-chabean