Surprisingly, it’s Myungsoo who first brings it up. “Hyung,” he says, using a long-disregarded term of respect. “Hyung, why don’t we all become brothers?”

Woohyun, despite not being the hyung in question, snorts. “Brothers?” he asks. “We all come from different families. The only people who could even possibly pass off as brothers would be them.” He jabs a thumb at the two people sitting in the corner.

It’s true; Sungyeol and Sungjong share the same family name, and even the same generational name. However, their faces are so obviously different that if they were to pose as brothers, one would have to be a stepbrother.

Sunggyu, whom Myungsoo was addressing, runs a hand through his hair. “I read about a pact in a book,” he says quietly. “It was called The Three Kingdoms, or something like that. Three people, completely unrelated but for the same cause, became bond brothers. So yes, Woohyun,” he sighs. “What Myungsoo is suggesting is completely plausible.”

“Why don’t we do it, then?” Howon says, a note of hope entering his voice for the first time in a long time. “Hyung, why don’t we do it?”

Dongwoo coughs and sits up. “It’ll be a morale booster, at least,” he rasps out. “Hyung, I think it’ll be good for us. At least then, maybe we’ll find some optimism.”

“Stop being such a pessimist!” Sungjong, the youngest, complains. “Sunggyu-hyung, please, can we?”

“It’s may, not can,” Sungyeol snaps, leaning his head against the cold concrete wall. “I think it’s bull. It was just a book. It’s not real.”

Woohyun coughs. “It’s a historical book,” he says testily, “composed of a real historic event. You’re just not well read.”

Sunggyu, sensing a building tension, breaks it before further development. “I think we can do it,” he says, pushing himself to his feet. “Myungsoo, what did you have in mind?”

Myungsoo scrambles up, pointing out the window to a dense forest. “There, hyung. We could swear our brotherhood in there and then come back to burn the house so we can never turn back.”

So we’ll always keep going forward. Sunggyu sighs through his nose. Myungsoo’s always been a very romantic type, but just this once, he himself is inclined to agree.

“I agree,” he says aloud. Woohyun’s head snaps up, eyes burning in anger.

“Hyung!” he says loudly. “We can’t! This is our home! Our only home, since that.”

But Howon jumps to the rescue, stumbling up to latch onto Sunggyu’s right arm. “No, I agree with hyung and Myungsoo. We’ve been here for too long, and if we want to live, we have to move on.”

“But Dongwoo-hyung’s sick!” Sungyeol protests, crawling up. “We can’t drag him through the snow. Who knows what’ll happen?”

“I’m fine,” Dongwoo insists. He struggles up, using the wall and Sungjong as supports. “Hyung,” he says to Sunggyu. “I’m with you all the way. Just tell us what to do.”

“Hyung!” Woohyun’s face is a mask of conflicting emotions, and Sunggyu closes his eyes. For the first time since that, Sunggyu prays.

A/N: what up my dudes I am back!! Ooh, wondering what THAT could be? Stick around to find out! Notice that I will be switching between now and the past using only tense changes. I'll try to keep it a chapter of each, alternating, but your best bet is still the tense. Alright, enjoy!