He wants to keep his promise to his daughter to kiss her goodnight even if she's fast asleep and it's already midnight, so he pushes the door open slowly, accompanied by his red eyes and puffy cheeks. He couldn't stop the tears from flowing so he asked for the others to let him be at the meeting room alone, because he needed to collect himself. When he did and he went up, the house has turned silent and there are no more noise from the rest of his team members.

In the dark room he tiptoes towards his daughter's bed, not wanting to wake her up. On the way he helps to tidy up the books and colouring pencils strewn across her desk and he reduces the speed of the fan. After finishing he slides across the floorboard to her bed, but when he lowers his face to plant a kiss he tumbles backwards, getting silently alarmed when he notices that there's another figure in bed, his daughter's arms wrapped around the figure. He peeks at the figure; her red hair is covering part of her face and her chest falls and rises steadily.

The two of them have fallen asleep without a blanket over them, and it looks like Byul was in the middle of patting Hwayoung's head for her to sleep, but fell asleep together on the small bed. As he observes them he smiles to himself, but hurriedly puts it away as the young woman stirs, although her eyes are kept shut. He pulls the blanket at the edge of the bed, spreads it so it can cover both of them, but realizes that it's not enough.

He steps out to come back with a larger blanket from his room, covers both of them and as he pulls up the blanket up to her shoulders, his fingers accidentally brush against Byul's face and he quickly fists his hand. He relaxes when he sees it didn't disturb her, as she stays unmoving with her eyes tightly shut. His hand instinctively travels to her face, but he curls his fingers just as he's about to touch her skin.

No, she's not her. She's gone.

He straightens up his body, turns around and with one last look over his shoulder, he clicks the door shut.

Byul slowly opens her eyes, the sensation of Yunho's fingers brushing against her skin searing hot. She looks from Hwayoung's face to the door, before she pulls the little kid closer to her, wanting to feel the warmth radiating from her body.

Hwayoung... what is the truth?

---

____ years ago

"Psstt, wake up!" he whispers through the gap. He knocks on the metal, hoping that the person inside the room can actually wake up, knowing that she is a heavy sleeper. He bangs his fist on the bars before bringing the fist to his mouth and suffering in silent pain. He flicks his hand a few times and calls out to her again.

"Trainee #923, not too loud, or else the others will hear and all of us will get the consequences!" the guard outside the room holding a shot gun half-whispers, half-shouts.

"Sorry Uncle Remy," he grimaces. "She's too much of a heavy sleeper."

"You came here yesterday, but why are you here again, young man?" He runs a hand across his moustache, throwing a look to the trainee inside. Locked up. "I thought both of you promised that you would only come and visit her once every fortnight."

"It's true," he starts to pout, his puppy eyes becoming prominent as he blinks rapidly. "but it was so boring at the main training centre, it's always the same thing every day."

The guard guffaws but shuts his mouth soon after in fear of attracting attention. The last thing he wants is for the others to know that he's being nice to the trainees, and that he lets one of them visit the other even though it's highly forbidden. It's the damn wide smile and friendliness of Trainee #923 that are making him relent. Trainee #899, the one being locked up inside, is not supposed to be making any contact with other trainees, or even be let out of the room when her schedule's empty.

But he's allowing that, letting them escape during the night to go and spend time together somewhere, coming to a deal with them that they will come back before the night starts shifting into day, when the higher-ups will do their daily inspection. So far, everything has gone well, and they haven't been found out.

He keeps on giving permission, because he knows that these two youngsters know how to take care of themselves.

After all, this facility is something that doesn't celebrate normal human interactions, so seeing these two acting them out reminds him that not all in the world is bad.

"Why are you here, Yunho? You came here yesterday didn't you, or did I lose track of time?" the girl inside stirs, but she can't deny the smile that lights up her face as soon as she sees her only friendly visitor.

"Let's go to the sea shore again, I want to see the stars and the moon tonight. It's supposed to be a crescent today!"

She giggles, pulls out a sweater from her metal locker and puts it on, the invitation from him needing no second attempt. "Why are you so excited when it's a crescent moon? Usually people would be excited if it's a full one." She puts her head through the bars, asking, "Uncle Remy, would you let us go again tonight?"

Remy pretends to go deep into thinking as he puts a finger to his temple, creasing his forehead. They laugh at his reaction, but they know that he'd end up placing his palm on the scanner beside the door, disabling the lock. He puts both of his palms over his eyes and utters, "Fly away, my little birds. I'll pretend that I don't see anything and when I open my eyes the room is going to be empty except for me. By the time day comes, you'll be safe and sound in this room."

Yunho swings open the door, grabs her hand and they excitedly bolt out of the room as he whispers to Remy, "Thanks Uncle Remy, you're the best! We love you."

They navigate the hallways hand in hand, keeping their voices and laughters down, knowing the exact blindspots to avoid being captured by the cameras littering the walls and ceilings. They are putting the training they got to good use, applying every tricks that's been taught to them to prevent themselves from being caught. Turning the system on itself, they make it past the final hurdle and stumble onto the sandy beach from the excitement and adrenaline pumping through their vessels.

Yunho laughs once as he looks at her, his chest blooming with indescribable feelings for her, immediately planting a kiss on her lips as they sit down at their usual spot, away from prying eyes but still enough for them to catch sight of the sea. She blushes but returns the kiss anyway, feeling that the world is infinitely theirs, the walls between them inexistent. No stupid rules, no fear, no pain; only them and their feelings for each other.

He retrieves a straw mat they stashed among the overgrown tree roots, spreads it and she looks on, looking at him curiously but not letting the smile falter from her face. He rolls onto the mat and lies down, and stretches out his right arm, patting it with his left hand. No matter how many times they've laid together under the open night sky, she always manages to feel like it's their first time coming close to each other, causing blush to dust her cheeks and her heart to pump erratically.

She scoots closer to him, lays her head on his arm and she closes her eyes, breathing in his scent. They are products of a system that tries to manufacture equally, but he always has this unique scent with him, despite how many hours he has spent among other trainees undergoing the same routine. He has this scent that reminds her of home, even though she has no memories left of that, brought down by the fire that was deliberately set up.

Set up by the very same people that are keeping her locked up, imposing the warning on her that drives other trainees away from her, and reminding others that she's a dangerous specimen.

Trainee #899, lethality level: very high. Must proceed with caution, is what's written across her profile.

Still, with all of that, Yunho is the only person that always finds excuses to come to her despite the warnings.

"It really is the crescent tonight," he says. "It's pretty."

"Why are you excited when it's the crescent, you silly? It's not even the full moon."

"Because the night I met you," he traces the burn marks on her arms, "a crescent moon was out."

She cups her face with her hands and exclaims, "That's so cheesy but why am I blushing?"

"That's what you have to deal with when you're with me." His hand stops at her wrist and they intertwine their fingers. He holds up their linked hands against the night sky; a hue of purple and black with stars that glitter across. He starts humming their favourite song then s