In the days following the events with the Haeju rebels, Heechul, Dongchun, and Leeteuk, Sungmin and Lee Youngwoon use Bukhansan as their temporary hide-out before Lee Youngwoon figures out their next steps.

These days, Kyuhyun is getting busier with training new members of the Children of the Mountains. In the meantime, Sungmin finds himself accompanying Doctor Shin and Sol to the small village at the foot of Bukhansan to help treat sick people. Ever since Kyuhyun got hurt right in front of his eyes, he has gotten more interested in medicine. Being able to treat and take care of loved ones has been his priority, so he has been learning medicine from Doctor Shin every day.

Today, he helps Doctor Shin buy and prepare medicine for the patients. After getting the prescription from Doctor Shin, he heads to the local market to get the herbs needed. As he is about to return to the village, Sungmin sees a young boy who looks like Hyunsung, the boy he had just met the other day at the market. He immediately follows the boy into an alley, wanting to catch up with him.

As soon as Sungmin gets into the alley, he realizes they are not alone. At the end of the alley, a man dressed in noble clothes grabs tightly onto Hyunsung's arm and holds the boy next to him. Hyunsung tries hard to fight the man off, throwing punches and kicks at him. But the man is much stronger and well-trained than him. He punches Hyunsung hard, and the boy seems half knocked out.

The man then gives Sungmin a malicious smile and speaks in a familiar cocky and vicious voice.

"Long time no see, Sungmin ah."

The man's voice sends chills down Sungmin's spine. This is the voice of the man who had terrorized him throughout four years of school. He stands still, his eyes glued on the boy Hongdae kept close to his side.

"What? Do you really think a little disguise is gonna fool me? I can recognize you anywhere, Sungmin."

"What do you want? Let the boy go, Hongdae."

"Let him go? Easy," Hongdae flashes another vicious smile, "I just need you to come with me, and then I will let him go."

"What?"

"Let me say that again. Come with me, otherwise, I will kill this boy and everyone in this village."

Sungmin widens his eyes. Behind him, a group of twenty men start to approach him. Judging by the strength and speed of their footsteps, Sungmin knows they are well-trained to fight. Even he will have a hard time getting out of a fight with them. These villagers and Hyunsung will not stand a chance if they decide to have a bloodbath right here, right now.

"Come on, I know you like to play the hero," Hongdae says sarcastically, "are you gonna let all these people die horrible deaths just because we did not like each other back at school?"

"Okay," Sungmin says calmly, "I will come with you. Let them go."

Hongdae gives him a content smile, leading him out of the alley, where a palanquin stands waiting for him. Sungmin quietly gets into the palanquin after Hongdae signals for the men to retrieve out of the street. At least now the villagers, Doctor Shin, and Sol are safe. 

Sungmin sits on the palanquin for more than four hours before it stops again. When he steps out of the palanquin, the scenes around him have completely changed. Before him is a vast empty empty field, surrounded by a large forest. In a far distance, an abandoned building is hidden in a thick fog. He has never seen this place before. It looks like some kind of old prison, with strong and highly structured walls. Behind him, Hongdae steps off his horse along with Hyunsung. He has taken the boy with him all the time.

"What is this plac..."

 "Ahjussi!!"

Sungmin only hears Hyunsung's screaming behind him. He is about to turn around to look at them when he feels his arm strongly pulled by another man's arm and his mouth and nose covered by a scented cloth. In a second, he feels as if all of his strength and energy have been out by that cloth. His vision starts to get blurry, and he feels everything spinning around him. Before Sungmin loses consciousness, he can only feel his body being lifted up by Hongdae and carried on his shoulder into the prison.

When Sungmin gains consciousness again, he is on the floor in a small room. But his surrounding is the least of his concern, as he can feel a pair of hands sliding up and down his body. Slowly, Hongdae starts undoing his belt, which sends him into a panic mode. More than anything, he wants to scream at the top of his lungs for the other to stop, to push the hands off of him, to tear him into a thousand pieces. But to no avail. However hard he tries, he can neither move nor speak.

Hongdae slowly takes off his outside robe. "When I called you 'pretty boy' back then," he whispers into Sungmin's ears, "you should have taken it as a compliment. Because it was a compliment, Sungmin."

Sungmin throws him a hateful look. All he wants to do is light up a torch and throw it in Hongdae's face to put out that grin on his face. But Hongdae continues to take off his second and third layer, and his cold hands start caressing Sungmin's skin. 

"God, you're pretty."

He utters as he plants a kiss on Sungmin's lips. Then, his kisses move to his neck, chest, and stomach. Everywhere he goes, he leaves rough bites and red marks on Sungmin's body. When he has had enough of the other's body, he comes back to attack Sungmin's lips. He quickly forces his tongue into the other's mouth and enjoys the taste all around, while his hands keep exploring Sungmin's body. 

"Ow!"

It takes Sungmin all of his strength to bite on the other's tongue as hard as he can. From Hongdae's mouth, blood starts to drip out. But he only seems to be even more . He quickly undresses himself, and his hands move down to Sungmin's pants. Hongdae grabs his belt and ties Sungmin's hands above his head.

As his eyes light up and he is about to take off Sungmin's pants, a big vase crashes into his head.

"Stay away from him!"

The voice of a young but fiery boy pierces through the dark and cold room.

Hongdae's body falls down onto Sungmin's. Pieces of the vase fall onto the floor, creating even smaller pieces and more clashing sounds. Outside, footsteps start hurrying toward the room. It takes Hongdae a long minute to stand up again and take a good look at the person who just attacked him.

"You little rat!"

Hongdae uses his leg and roughly kicks Hyunsung to the ground.

"How did he get in here!?" 

He turns to the guards supposed to be outside the room. The footsteps quickly arrive inside the room and join in the beating of the little boy. 

"Stay away from ahjussi!!"

Hyunsung continues shouting while shielding his own body from the beatings. Amidst the chaos, the boy manages to throw in a few kicks and punches to Hongdae's way. Sungmin wants to get up from the floor. He wants to protect Hyunsung from the beatings. Just as soon as he can move again, Hongdae and those guards will get a taste of his rage. But all he can do is listen to Hongdae's cursings and beatings of the boy. Then, every sound starts to fade in his ear, and he finds himself losing consciousness again.

When he wakes up again, this time, he can feel himself able to move again. But something else is restricting his movements. Every time he moves, there are clanking sounds that follow. His hands are tightly chained to the wall behind him, and his feet are chained to the floor. He is in an old and damp prison cell, with wooden fences that reach the ceiling and only a little window at the top of the wall. 

In front of Sungmin, Hongdae sits in a chair with his arms crossed, looking down at him. As Sungmin wakes up, he gives his subordinates a meaningful look, and immediately, they bring in a beaten-up Hyunsung and tie him to the wall not so far from Sungmin's cell.

Slowly, Hongdae stands up from his seat and approaches Sungmin. He grabs Sungmin's hair and forces him to look at the boy. At the same time, his subordinates pull out a whip and start whipping Hyunsung. The boy opens his eyes and whimpers in pain.

"Stop it!" Sungmin shouts at Hongdae, "You're killing him!"

"Look carefully at him, Sungmin," Hongdae is not shaken, "this is the consequence of disobeying me!"

"What do you want, Hongdae? Punish me instead! He is only a child, you have beaten him enough!"

Hongdae smiles contently.

"What do I want? I want you to remember this. If you try to disobey me, he will get punished. You try to hurt yourself, and he will get beaten. You try to escape, and I will kill him."

Sungmin throws him a look of daggers.

"Do you understand me?"

Sungmin bites his lips and slowly nods his head.

Hongdae laughs in satisfaction. Behind him, his subordinates stop whipping and quickly drag the boy outside. 

In the sky, the moon is completely hidden behind the clouds and wind of an upcoming storm.