Mino prays for the circulation of his shoulder which has been serving as Seungyoon’s pillow for the whole night. Outside the window, he can already see the strings of red beams cracking the dark sky.

The sun is rising soon.

If they get up now, they might see the beautiful sunrise and maybe take a few pictures.

But when he looks down at the man sleeping peacefully on his chest, his resolve melts away as quickly as it formed. He presses a kiss to Seungyoon’s forehead and closes his eyes trying to fall back to sleep.

When Seungyoon finally wakes up, it’s already 7 in the morning. Despite the cramped space, he feels like he had the best sleep in years, maybe ever. As he tries to move back to his seat, Mino also wakes up.

“Oh did I wake you up? I’m sorry. Sleep more?”

“No. I’m fine. Did you get a good sleep?”

“Yes.” Seungyoon reaches over and touches his cheek gently. “The best ever! Now, where’s my morning kiss?”

Mino chuckles lightheartedly at Seungyoon’s cute demand.

“Didn’t know the famous Inner Xpace’s boss would be this cheesy.”

Seungyoon retracts his hand from Mino’s cheek and shoots him a glare. Mino quickly grabs the hand back and intertwines their fingers.

“Already gave you one when you were sleeping.”

 Seungyoon snorts_ “Didn’t know the genius artist would be this creepy.”

Mino kisses their intertwined fingers

“Then try not to be so cute when you sleep.”

Mino smiles at Seungyoon’s pouty lips. After all these years, Seungyoon doesn’t change much, the way he acts bratty toward Mino or the way he pouts when he’s upset, although Seungyoon himself doesn’t remember that. He wonders how great it would be if he could recollect everything.

Because that’s what Mino has been hoping and living for; to find his childhood friend who also is his first love. And the memory of their time together is what pushed Mino to keep moving forward.

Now he can finally have him by his side, in his embrace. He feels happy but at the same time, deep down inside, he’s anxious. He doesn’t know why exactly but the feeling of being too happy becomes a bad omen at times.

That afternoon, Mino finds his intuition to be true when he parks the car at the foster home’s gate.

“Welcome to Dream Home.”

As soon as he rolls down the window to show Seungyoon the place they first met, Seungyoon suddenly turns pale like a sheet of paper.

Seungyoon looks up at the house and the moment he sees the building, blood drains from his face. He starts panting, as if he’s suffocating.

He himself doesn’t seem to understand why he’s like that either.

“Seungyoon! Seungyoon! What’s wrong?” Mino frantically calls out not knowing what to do.

Seungyoon grabs his shirt, face scrunching like he’s in pain. 

“Seunghoon Hyung, emergency contact. Call Seunghoon.”

Seungyoon breathes out a name between wheezes and blacks out.

Seungyoon looks at the phone.

It’s been a week since that incident.

Fainting in Mino’s car is the last thing he remembers. How he’s brought to hospital or how Seunghoon Hyung came and moved him to this current hospital in Seoul, he doesn’t remember much. Everything’s a blur to him. 

According to his psychiatrist, what happened to him was shock due to a psychological trauma he had when he was young. Seungyoon doesn’t remember clearly but he has had a few episodes of attack when he was young. Especially the first few years when he started living with his father. But they became fewer and less frequent as he grows old. So he thought they never would return.

Seunghoon Hyung said he was unconscious for 2 whole days. Two whole days is frigging 48 hours. Shouldn’t it be considered serious and life-threatening? Yet Mino is nowhere to be found. Not even a phone call or a short text asking about his condition.

Since he still needs to receive treatment at the hospital, he cannot go out and look for him either.

He can’t help the feeling of bitter disappointment in his heart. They just agreed to date each other. How could Mino give him cold shoulder like that? He’s disappointed in Mino and in himself because he can’t stop thinking about him.

As he sits idly in his room, his eyes automatically reach to his phone screen again. The empty notification center on the screen is mocking him.

“Maybe he’s just busy you know?”

Out of nowhere, he hears Seunghoon. He turns around to shoot a glare at the guy who comes into the view carrying bags of foods. Seunghoon gives him his usual smug smile.

“How do you even know I was waiting for a call?”

“I was peeking from the door. You were glancing at your phone for like 5 times in 10 seconds. Relax bro. Don’t be too serious.”

Actually Seunghoon Hyung is his father’s nephew. So they are cousins but close like blood brothers. He is probably the only person who genuinely cares about Seungyoon in his family.

“How can I be not serious? Hyung you know something right?” Seungyoon probes.

“Na uh! No idea. Don’t even know what you are talking about.”

Seunghoon raises his hands up which makes it even more suspicious.

“Hyung why didn’t he come see me? Is he not even worried about me? Whether I’m dead or alive?”

He looks down at the wrinkled bedsheet to avoid Seunghoon’s eyes. He’s not a teenager anymore to cry over something like that. But he can’t help the tears pooling in his eyes. Maybe it’s Seunghoon Hyung’s fault. Seunghoon always let him be himself, always tells him it’s ok to be vulnerable, it’s ok to shed a few tears in front of him.

Seunghoon swiftly moves to sit beside him and puts an arm around his shoulder.

“Hyung is it because he’s disgusted? Because I am a mental?”

Seunghoon grabs his shoulders and turns him around making Seungyoon face him.

“Hey hey! Come on! I bet you know Song Mino is not that kind of person. We met for a short time but I know he cares about you. Maybe too much!”

Seunghoon laughs in between as if recalling how Mino was like.

“Your boy was worried to death when you were unconscious. I even thought he would be the next to hospitalize at that rate. Even after the doctors told him your condition became stable, he ran around here and there like a headless chicken whenever there’s a beeping sound from your monitor. Geeze! A total drama queen.”

Seungyoon can’t help but smile at Seunghoon’s description of Mino. He can totally imagine that. Song Mino, that idiot.

“He was? Then why?” He just can’t help but wonder.

Seunghoon lets out a loud sigh.

“I don’t know how much I should tell you at the moment. You better find out for yourself later. Mino thinks it’s best if he stays away from you. He thinks it’s his fault that you ended up in hospital.”

Seungyoon is surprised. Of course, Mino must have thought it’s his fault. Why didn’t he think of that? The guy who treats him like he’s still a fragile teenage boy, would feel guilty when Seungyoon lost consciousness in front of him like that.

“Hyung, didn’t you explain to him that it’s not my first time having episodes like that? That it’s not his fault?”

“Of course, I did. But..”

Seunghoon looks hesitant as if considering if he should go on. After some deliberation, he continues_

“Seungyoon, what did you feel when you were there? Why did you faint? If it’s too much for you, you don’t need to tell me.”

“It’s ok Hyung. I’m fine now.”

Seungyoon recounts what he felt back then.

He remembers he was sad and terrified as soon as he saw the house. It’s just a normal 2-storeyed building but something about it is scary. His chest tightened like someone gripped it with force and felt chills down his spine. He felt something really bad is about to happen or happened there in that house, like losing something very important to him.

He concludes_

“That’s it Hyung. All I knew that moment was that I wanted to run away from that place as far away as possible.”

Seunghoon looks at him and then looks away, nodding his head like he gets the answer.

Like he understands something that even Seungyoon can’t.