Wonwoo was never the boy that stood out. He was plain, uninteresting and simply existed to be of service to his master’s family.  He was the kid that watched other kids play around together as he fetched water for his master. He was that one kid in the middle of the field, feeling the rays of the sun, the breeze in his hair and the grass on his skin. He was that one kid that went around the market to buy food for his master.

He was okay with this.

Not exactly happy.

But he was contented.

Mingyu made it all bearable.

Mingyu was the exact opposite of Wonwoo. He was the only son of the master. He went to school every day. He was the kid that everybody loved. It was hard not to love Mingyu. He was tall, smart, handsome, charismatic and most of all, kind. The girls adored his handsome wolfish grin and the boys wanted to be his best friend.

But he preferred the company of Wonwoo. There was just something about how Wonwoo can communicate so much emotion without using words, how he can mean so much with so little sentences, how he can be so much by being so little. There was also that painfully beautiful smile that rarely flashed. Mingyu’s always so desperate to bring out that beautiful smile.

He would always come rushing home to Wonwoo. He was always excited to see the older. Even if the girls asked him out or the boys would ask him to go play after class, he would turn them all down to be able to come home to Wonwoo. He was always excited to see the older.

They would play in the garden till Mingyu's father summoned Wonwoo for an errand. They would run to the lake at the back of the mansion and play in water and feed the ducks bread that they would usually bring with them. They would chase after each other in the fields till the sun beautifully dipped in the horizon. They would watch sunsets together as they talked about the future when Mingyu would have to take over the family business and Wonwoo would be his right hand. They would huddle together in the darkness of the mansion's library, near the soft light of a lamp and Mingyu would teach Wonwoo about history, science, literature and arts.

Their favorite activity would be to go up to the roof of the mansion at night and stare at the twinkling stars.

One night, they were up on the roof, watching the stars twinkle and shine. Wonwoo was lying on his back, with his hands behind his head and Mingyu was reclined back, leaning against his elbows.

"Do you ever miss your mom?" the younger asked.

"Of course I do. But I don’t know what to miss. I don’t really have memories of her." Answered the older.

"I do. "

The older turned to the younger with curious eyes.

The younger simply smiled softly, his canines showing.  "I remember her smile. I remember how she held me against her chest. I remember her warm voice whispering my name. ‘Kim Mingyu’ she kept on saying. "

The older simply blinked in confusion, trying to absorb his friend’s statement.

Mingyu chuckled. It was a deep, short chuckle. "I don’t know how I remember. I just do. "

Wonwoo looked back up the stars. "Well, I don’t remember anything about my mother personally, but I do remember something my dad once told me. " The older sighed, staring fondly at the stars. The younger simply watched the older, marveling at his porcelain like skin, chiseled jaw and beautiful nose. "He said that while I was in mom’s womb, they would watch the stars together for hours.  That’s why I like going up here every night and staring at the stars. Finally, something my family and I shared. Father said that my mom promised him that I would have stars for eyes. "

"She lied."

Startled, Wonwoo looked at Mingyu to find him staring deep into his eyes.

The younger smiled adoringly. "You don’t have just stars, you have whole galaxies in your eyes, hyung. "

Mingyu has always liked Wonwoo. He didn't know if he liked Wonwoo as a friend or something more. He was afraid that if Wonwoo finds out, they would drift away. So he hid his feelings deep inside him and just enjoyed the company of the older.

Wonwoo felt the same way. At first he just thought that he loved Mingyu like everyone else because it was hard not to love the younger, but then  a few years back, he realized that he would take a bullet for the younger.

He loved him.

But he knew his place.

He was but a slave after all.

His family has been serving Mingyu's family for years. Wonwoo was practically born in service to the Kim family.His father and mother served the Kim family their whole lives. When Wonwoo was born, his mother wasn't able to take it. She died while giving Wonwoo a chance at life.

His father raised Wonwoo on his own, until at the age of 7, he too passed away.

With nowhere to go, no relatives he knew of, Wonwoo stayed with the Kim family.

Besides, he couldn’t find the heart to leave the younger alone. Ironically, Mingyu’s mother suffered the same fate as Wonwoo’s mother. So the two kids knew what it felt like. They took refuge in each other when confusion came in and they would start blaming themselves for what happened.

Mingyu was born one ear after Wonwoo. He’s always treated Mingyu as his little brother and Mingyu to Wonwoo as his big brother.

That’s why the two grew so close. They practically grew up protecting each other, understanding each other, loving each other,  having only each other.

Mingyu’s father was always grateful to the Jeon family because without them, Mingyu would be lonely. He never really knew how to handle his son because he was always busy with the family’s business. He trusted Wonwoo enough to take care of his son.

One night, as he was sleeping, Mingyu’s father was yelling after him, waking him up. "Mingyu! Mingyu! Fetch me my gun! There’s a thief on the roof! "

With much disorientation, he followed automatically. He ran inside the library and handed his father the gun he was looking for. "Go hide in your room. Lock the doors and don’t come out. " His father ran outside the house while holding the gun.

Then it hit him.

Thief? Roof? Night?

He ran after his father.

"Father, no!!! That’s -"

Bang.

The body fell from the roof and on the ground.

Mingyu ran as fast as he could.

He might not have much time left.

"Wonwoo! "

It echoed into the darkness.

Unanswered.

Mingyu’s blood ran cold as he saw Wonwoo on the grass in the garden, a pool of sickly red liquid pooling around him. He rushed to his side and held the older’s head in his arms.

"Wonwoo! Wake up! Please! "

The older slowly opened his eyes, a smile forming on his lips. "Mingyu. "

Tears started falling from Mingyu’s cheeks uncontrollably. " What the were you thinking going up the roofs at this hour?! "

The older smiled again. "I saw a shooting star and I wanted to get a better view. It was so beautiful. I wanted to see another one so I waited. I wanted to make a wish. To have just one wish granted. "

The younger wiped away his tears and looked around for something he can use to stop the bleeding. "Shut up! We are not talking about stars right now! We have to get you to the hospital! "

He was about to carry the older when the older gently held his arm, stopping him. Wonwoo knew he didn’t have much time left and running to the hospital would be futile. "Do you know what I wished for? "

Mingyu knew all of this as well. The shot was close to Wonwoo’s heart. He knew it would only be a sliver of chance that Wonwoo would survive with a gunshot wound like that. But he wanted to fight for Wonwoo’s life. He wasn’t letting him slip away like that. He was everything for Mingyu. But when Wonwoo held his arm, he knew. With tears staining his cheeks, he tried to smile for the older, feigning courage. "What did you wish for? "

Wonwoo smiled calmly. "I wished that I was able to watch the stars with mom and dad. "

That hit Mingyu like a cold hard knife. "Damn it, Wonwoo. We were supposed to grow old together! We’re supposed to watch more stars together! Damn it, I haven’t even told you I love you yet. I was supposed to tell you while we were under the stars! "

The older reached out for the younger’s stained cheeks. "You did, Mingyu. I love you too. I’ve loved you for years now. "

Mingyu stared at him with awe. It was hard for him to process all the emotions he’s feeling right now.

"But I’m gonna go watch the stars with mom and dad now. "