Seokjin wakes up in bed- no, he wakes up on his thin mat in the cold cellar. His tattered blanket is still draped over him with little warmth.

The sun hasn't come up yet but it's time for the 10-year old to get up. He must if he wants an egg for breakfast.

Quietly, Seokjin tiptoed up the stairs, not wanting to wake up his aunt. Last time he interrupted her sleep, he received a beating and no food for the day.

He jumps in fear when he sees his aunt already up and dresses up. She glances at him for less than a second before opening the door to leave the house.

"Make two eggs," she orders and Seokjin's face lit up. He hopes for more food is shot down when his aunt reads his mind and says, "Don't even think that you're that lucky. The other egg is for the new boy."

She slams the door and Seokjin tilts his head. A new boy?

Despite being confused, he gathers some wood and makes a fire. He gets two eggs from the chicken coop and cooks the two eggs like he is suppose to. The cooking is finished and he ate his egg, eyeing the uneaten one hungrily.

After thinking about the consequences of eating more than he's allowed to, Seokjin walks away to do his morning chores to distract him. He's suppose to work and clean here anyway.

A few minutes later, the door opens and Seokjin sweeps up the last of the dirt on the ground. He cautiously looked up, tucking his hair back and is surprised when he saw a little boy with his aunt.

The boy is no older than five, thin and small with big, lost eyes. His tiny hand is gripped by his aunt, who practically drags the boy to the table where the cooked egg sat.

"Eat," she simply tells him before turning to Seokjin, "I want him working when I come back."

She goes upstairs to change again then leaves to who knows where. Seokjin knows that she likes to hang out with older, rich men. His aunt had never brought anyone home and Seokjin is thankful for that.

He looks at the boy sitting at the table. His broom is put away in the closet and he tries to talk to the boy.

"You have to eat," he states first, nodding at the egg. The boy looks at it before looking back at Seokjin.

"But I'm scared."

Seokjin's heart twists at the sight of the poor boy, who's lips begin to tremble. He knows how careless his aunt is with children. "It's alright. Just eat before my aunt comes back."

He doesn't know when she would be back.

The boy obeys, shoveling the food in his small mouth until the plate is clean.

Seokjin waits until the boy finishes swallowing his food. "Okay, let's get to work."

"What's your name?" the boy asks quietly as he slides off the chair that is too high for him to sit in in the first place. Seokjin turns back to him hesitantly before his lips tug into a smile, something he hasn't done in a while.

"My name is Seokjin. What's yours?"

"Jungkook. My grandpa likes to call me Kookie," he chirps. Seokjin hasn't been with a kid for a long time and to see this kind of energy made him slightly happier.

"Alright, Jungkook. Come help me with the dishes."

That was the first time they met. Since then, the two had created a bond that brought them closer to each other.

Seokjin actually loved and cared for someone again in years.

~~

From what Seokjin has learned, Jungkook's grandpa owed his aunt a lot of money. He couldn't pay her back and it's been too long. So she took Jungkook, who would work for her just like Seokjin.

"I miss my grandpa," Jungkook yawns one night when they were trying to sleep in the cellar.

Seokjin's aunt didn't even give them an extra mat or blanket for Jungkook. She said that Jungkook is small and could just sleep with Seokjin. It's true that they can still fit on the mat but it's hard to move.

"It's okay, Jungkook. I'm sure he misses you too," Seokjin mumbles tiredly. Jungkook always have trouble going to sleep but Seokjin is always there to assure him about everything.

"Hyung, how come you're here like me?"

Seokjin opens his eyes and sees Jungkook's big, innocent orbs. He hugs the little boy's frail body.

"My parents passed away years ago when I was a baby. My aunt is my only family left but you know... she hates children."

Jungkook shivers, "I don't like her."

The older boy shushes him in case his aunt might hear them from two floors above. "You have to go to sleep before she hears us."

"Okay."

~~

Seokjin was feeding the chickens one morning when he hears faint screaming. First, he pushes it away, thinking that he may be hearing things but the screaming wouldn't go away. He makes no movement and tries to figure out what was making such noise.

When the realization sunk in, terror spreads across his face as he drops everything in his hands.

"Oh no..."

Seokjin runs back to the house, screaming Jungkook's name. He enters and sees that there were broken dishes on the kitchen floor.

"Jungkook!" he shouts again as he jumps up the stairs to the second level of the house. He hardly comes up here but the fast pumping of his heart made his first concern about the little boy.

"Jungkook!" Seokjin hears crying and yelling coming from behind one door. He tries to open it but it was locked. "Auntie, please open the door!"

His aunt stops yelling and Jungkook can still be heard crying. The door unlocks and before Seokjin can see what was going on inside, he gets slapped in the face.

The slap was so hard that he falls over.

"You useless idiot! Why weren't you watching the stupid boy?! Do you know how expensive my dishes are?!! Do you?!!" She shakes Seokjin harshly before pushing him back to the floor.

"Clean up the mess. I can't stay here any longer," she pants out angrily before storming off.

When Seokjin could move again, he slowly sits up, touching his face. The pain subsides immediately when he sees Jungkook's limp body.

He almost trips over himself as he rushes to the boy's side.

"Oh, Jungkook!"

The little boy's limbs were starting to bruise all over and Seokjin looks to the side to avoid the forming purple and blue injuries. But he sees a wooden cane on the floor and cries.

He doesn't know who originally owned the cane but he does know how much it hurts to get hit by it.

Carefully, he picks Jungkook up and takes him downstairs to aid him.

~~

Seokjin was cleaning up the last of the broken dishes when he hears Jungkook calling him from the cellar.

Quickly, he flies down the stairs to the cellar and saw Jungkook sitting up on the mat.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" he asks gently. Jungkook looks at his arms. Seokjin had found some ice and used it to rest the bruised areas.

"I didn't mean to break anything," he said instead of answering.

He explains to Seokjin that he accidentally dropped one plate and his aunt got mad, raging and smashing the rest of the dishes.

Seokjin shakes his head. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to help you faster."

Jungkook opens his arms and Seokjin leans forward to hug his little body.

"It's okay hyung. I have you here with me now."

~~

For a kid, Jungkook never really have the time to play anymore. Seokjin notices this and hates it. The boy should be out playing freely.

His aunt is out of the house again and Seokjin couldn't stand it anymore. He's willing to take the risk and responsibility.

"Jungkook, come here," he calls to him. The boy's fast steps is heard from somewhere in the house.

"Yes, Hyung?"

Seokjin smiles at him, "I think you worked hard enough. Why don't you go play for a bit?"

Jungkook looks confused. "But what about you?"

"Don't worry about me. Now, go on." He hurries the boy out, who was hesitant at first.

Jungkook only took a few steps outside then stop. He turns and runs to hug Seokjin quickly before running in the direction of the main circle of the city, which is filled with people.

Seokjin felt a little sad but he's happy that Jungkook is able to go at least.

~~

It's getting late and soon enough, it'll be completely dark. Jungkook isn't back yet and Seokjin starts to worry.

So far, his aunt isn't back either.

Just when he was going to go search for the boy himself, he hears, "Hyung! Hyung!"

He gasps when Jungkook jumps around him excitedly.

"Woah! What's going on, Jungkook?"

"Hyung! I brought lots of food!"

Seokjin looks at the bags in his hands. He pulls the boy inside.

"Where did you get these? We don't even have money!" he exclaims.

Jungkook giggles, "I made a friend and he gave me these!"

"What's his name?"

"Chimmy Hyung!"

"What kind of name is that?" Seokjin laughs. But he's very glad that Jungkook has someone around his age.

That night, Seokjin and Jungkook enjoyed the best meal of their lives.

~~

Weeks passes and Seokjin never meets this Chimmy Hyung. But he and Jungkook received enough food to keep them full for whole days, and Seokjin really wants to thank him.

Jungkook came back one day with a sad expression. When Seokjin asks what's wrong, he almost cries. "Chimmy Hyung is going to move!"

Seokjin calms the boy down first before asking him where his friend lives right now. He really needs to thank the boy before he moves.

They still have enough time so Jungkook takes him to his friend's home.

It's a very nice house, just like his aunt's. The only difference is that Seokjin isn't afraid of this one.

"Jungkookie!" A bright boy runs out from the house and Jungkook runs to him too. The two start to jabber on about something Seokjin couldn't understand until Jungkook's friend sees him.

"Woah, Jungkook, is that your hyung?"

"Yeah!"

"He's so handsome..."

Seokjin blushes at the comment. He recovers quickly and bends down to the same level as Jungkook and the boy.

"So... you're Chimmy Hyung?" Seokjin asks. The boy smiles widely and nods.

"Sure am!"

"And I heard that you're moving away... I want to thank you for helping Jungkook and I." Seokjin smiles sadly. He's really grateful.

The boy's expression softens and he reaches out to caress Seokjin's cheek. Seokjin is taken aback at this act but finds it quite comforting.

"Stay right here. I'll be back," he goes inside his house before coming back out with something in his hands.

He slips it onto Jungkook's wrist before giving the other one to Seokjin. They were bracelets.

"Take good care of these, Okay? I used my allowance to buy these," the boy says proudly.

Seokjin stares at the accessory with awe.

Of course he'll take good care of this.

~~

Jungkook is in trouble again. This time, he lost one of Seokjin's aunt's dresses while hanging laundry to dry. Seokjin has to stop washing the clothes and tries to stop his aunt from hitting Jungkook.

The neighbors suddenly disappeared, not wanting to be involved no matter how much they pity the children. It has always been like this. Nobody does a single thing.

She ends up hitting the both of them and right when she looks around and finds a thick stick, a man shouts, "STOP!"

She freezes and Seokjin sees that a man is standing behind their fence. Seokjin has never seen the man in the neighborhood so assumes that he must be from somewhere else.

"That is no way to treat children," he says and the aunt scoffs in disbelief.

"They have one job to do and they can't even do it correctly! They've lost my dress!"

The man asks to come inside their house to talk to the aunt, who allows him.

When they're all seated, with Seokjin and Jungkook sitting on the floor, the man speaks.

"Miss, are these your children?"

She looks offended, "Of course not! Their families owe me money but because they can't pay me back, these two must work for me."

He shakes his head. "Look, I can't stand you or anyone abusing these children. My wife and I don't have any children at all and if you don't mind, let me take them with me."

"Sure, absolutely! Go right ahead! But," she holds up a finger, "You must pay me."

The man is getting frustrated with her but he asks, "How much?"

"That little boy is 20,000 silver coins," she starts. The man pauses for a bit but soon hands her a bag of money.

"And the older boy?" he asks.

"50,000 silver coins."

"Why does it cost more?" The man questions.

"Because he's older and is paying back not one, but both of his parents' debt to me."

The man searches his bag and shuffles the things inside of it. He slowly looks back at the aunt and concludes, "I'll just take the little boy since I don't have enough money for the second boy."

Seokjin's eyes widens as he and Jungkook look at each other.

"You!" Seokjin's aunt snaps at Jungkook, who flinches at her loud voice. "Get up now. I want you out of here as fast as possible!"

"No!" Seokjin cries out when she yanks Jungkook up by the arm, which still hasn't healed completely. She pushes him towards the man, who looks down helplessly.

The man takes Jungkook's hand gently and walks him out of the house even though he keeps calling for Seokjin.

The man lets Jungkook say goodbye to Seokjin when they were outside. Seokjin hugs Jungkook so tight.

"Hyung, come with me," Jungkook's voice is muffled against Seokjin's chest. He clutched his shirt with his fists.

"No, Jungkook. I can't. I want to be with you but... you have to go. You'll be in a better place, have a new, loving family to take care of you," Seokjin whispers as tears escapes from his eyes.

He feels his shirt getting wet and knows that Jungkook is crying. Seokjin hates to be alone again but Jungkook deserves better. He needs warm food to eat everyday, warmer clothes, an actual bed with soft covers.

"I promise I'll come back for you," Jungkook sniffs quietly when he had to pull away. The man crouched down to meet Seokjin's eyes.

"I'm sorry. If I could, I would take you with me too," he says with eyes full of sympathy. He opens his large bag again and takes out a cozy blanket.

"Here. Take this as a gift," he gives a fuzzy blanket to Seokjin, who takes it. He still couldn't stop crying and the man his head a few times before he stands up to leave.

"Hyung," Jungkook reaches out and holds Seokjin's hand for a spilt second before slipping away.

Seokjin is left alone, again.

~~

Years passed and Seokjin grew into a very handsome man. Though he is still too thin and has little scars, it still doesn't change the fact that he is beautiful.

He still works for his aunt, sleep in the same cellar on the same mat with the same blanket. Nothing changed and his aunt still beats him, just less than before.

Seokjin has given up on being saved from his aunt ever since he turned 15. He's too old for anyone to want to adopt. Now, he's almost 22 and all he knows is work. Clean the house, wash the clothes, feed the animals; nothing else.

His aunt is known to trick people, thus making many owe her money so much that it's impossible to pay her back. It is also why Seokjin has no friends. They fear her aunt so much that they don't come close to him at all.

It's been so long that Seokjin doesn't think about Jungkook anymore. There are times when he almost forgets the boy's name. If this repetitive life goes on, he may not even remember his own name.

And Seokjin's life stops its repeating cycle one day, to an even worse future.

"Seokjin! Come up here!" he hears his aunt shout. She has someone over and when she does, Seokjin would go in the cellar until they leave.

He obeys and goes up to the first floor. Standing with his aunt is an older woman, probably in his late 50's.

"Yes, auntie?"

"Take whatever you have and leave. This lady is going to be your wife. She's taking you with her," she turns to the lady with a nice smile that Seokjin never received from her. She's probably telling her how much Seokjin's worth and such but he couldn't hear.

He's only thinking about how his life is spiraling down an even deeper hole.

"N-No," he stutters, stopping his aunt's speaking.

"What?"

"Auntie, I don't want to marry her," Seokjin pleads with his eyes.

The woman is nice as she tells Seokjin, "Honey, if you come live with me, I'll give you whatever you want. I'll love you and you'll never need anything else."

Seokjin shakes his head, body already shaking itself. "No! I won't go!"

His aunt shoves him with one hand and threatens him if Seokjin doesn't listen. "You will do as I say!"

She turns back to the lady and spoke in a soft voice, "Miss, just give me the money and take him even if he puts up a fight. You already have my permission."

So the woman give his aunt the money before calling two men, who were waiting outside, to come in.

"Take Mr. Kim to my car," she orders and the two did as told.

"No! No, let go of me!" Seokjin screams as he kicks and tries to push the men away. They were bigger, stronger and Seokjin's strength is not even a fraction of theirs.

"Auntie! Please, just let me be work for you forever! I'll do whatever you say! Don't let them take me!" he cries but his aunt doesn't care. He doesn't know why he wouldn't give up even though he knows that she wouldn't care.

"Stop crying," she laughs at him, "Don't you know how rich this woman is? You should thank me that you'll have a luxurious life from now on."

Seokjin could not believe her. He can not believe that she, his only family left, is doing this to him.

~~

Heavy panting is rushing through the forest as the moon follows Seokjin, giving him light. He keeps looking back, scared that someone is going to find out that he's missing and chase him.

After only four days, Seokjin dreaded his "new life" so much that he runs away. Sure, that woman is nice but she wants a husband and Seokjin can't be one for her.

He needs to get out of the town, away from everyone who knows him. If he gets caught and sent back, he'd rather die.

But the hours of running is affecting him. He didn't even eat before he ran off which made it more difficult. He forgot about water too.

It's only now that he realized how parched his throat is.

His legs finally gives out to exhaustion.

~~

Seokjin hears a voice in the distance. As he starts to wake up, the voice grows clearer. It must be late afternoon already.

"..lo? Hello?" A woman's face is the first thing Seokjin saw when he finally opens his eyes.

"Do... Do you have water?" he croaks out first thing. She gives him a bottle and he gulps down the delicious water.

The lady looks kind and she asks Seokjin what he was doing here and if he's alright.

He explains to her what happened and is interrupted when his stomach grumbles loudly.

She didn't even wait for him to ask when she gives him half of a sandwich from her basket.

"Ma'am, please help me. I can work for you, anything. I can't go back, I really can't," Seokjin asks of her, "I can even be your slave."

Her eyes widen and she hesitates, thinking if she should accept or not. Finally, she makes her decision.

"Alrighty, then. I have a little farm that you can help me with."

Seokjin thanks her a million times, bowing so much that the lady is afraid he may hurt himself.

"I will do my best job!" Seokjin is more than happy. He doesn't have his aunt and won't have to go back to the old woman.

~~

After the lady, Mrs. Kim, shows Seokjin around her small farm, mostly just chickens, pigs, and a cow, she goes home to get more things for Seokjin.

He starts gathering wood for a fire. Right when the fire is alive and strong, Mrs. Kim comes back with a man. It was her husband and they brought Seokjin some food, pillow and blankets, along with extra clothes. He doesn't know how to pay them back.

They could only stay for a while and soon left before it got dark. Seokjin goes inside his little house after all the animals were put back in their homes.

He had the most relaxing night.

~~

The next day, right after he had just finished feeding the animals, someone calls out to Seokjin.

"Hey! You!"

Seokjin turns and shields his eyes from the sun with his hands. A young man stands by the gate, waving to him.

"Can I help you?" Seokjin asks when he gets to the gate.

The man smiles at him. "No. I always walk pass this farm and it's the first time I saw someone here besides Mrs. Kim. You new around this place?"

Seokjin nods, "I'm working for the Kims."

The man is still smiling when he holds his hand out. "The name's Yoongi. I live a few miles away, that way," he points to the right, "And you?"

Seokjin shakes his hand, "I'm Seokjin."

"Hello, Seokjin," Yoongi tries the name out, "Would you like to be my friend? There's not a lot around here so I'm quite interested."

Seokjin shrugs awkwardly. "I guess?"

Yoongi beams. He chats with Seokjin for a while before remembering that he has to get back home. But before he leaves, he promises to keep Seokjin company again.

The next day, Seokjin hears the gate open and close. He steps out of his house, thinking that it's probably Yoongi coming here again.

He turns around the corner of the house and almost bumps into a man. Not Yoongi.

"Why are you here?" Seokjin asks nervously. The man is a complete stranger and doesn't have the same friendly aura Yoongi has.

"This is basically my farm," he says like Seokjin is dumb, "You know, I'm Mrs. and Mr. Kim's son."

"Their son?" Seokjin questions. Did Mrs. Kim ever mentioned having a son?

"Yeah, Kim Taehyung."