Chapter 4

Of playtimes and past times

2011 // 9 years ago…

            In an abandoned courtyard, children were playing carelessly, basking in the sun, racing and tumbling around, so free… so happy. The chains around their necks and the bruises covering their bodies were momentarily forgotten, in place of childish squabble and play.

            However, out of all of them was the most bloodied and most broken—Lee Chaeyeon. The young boy was laying under the shade of a tree at a corner of the courtyard resting peacefully, unlike the children running and shouting around him.

            “Chaeng, you sure you don’t want to play?” A 15-year-old Chaeyeon raised his eyes to see Yena tossing a soccer-ball in the air with playful eyes, but Chaeyeon’s eyes didn’t see the joy in Yena’s smiles, he saw the broken child behind it trying to cope, like they all were trying to.

            Chaeyeon shook his head, he wasn’t in the mood to play with Yena and the others—he just wanted a quiet morning.

            “I’m not really in the mood Yena.” Yena nodded at his words, fully understanding why Chaeyeon didn’t want to play with them. For it was exactly 3 years ever since their lives as free children ended and since this nightmarish hell started.

            “Okay, just don’t think too much of it Chaeyeon…” Chaeyeon smiled half-heartedly at Yena’s knowing words, how could he not think of the night that took away his life? That took away all of their childhood, their family, their future, and their lives?

            “Just play with the others. Yena, look, Yuri’s already waving you over.” Yena flushed at Chaeyeon’s words. It seems that his efforts of hiding his growing affection for their younger companion was not unnoticed by Chaeyeon—or the others, especially since they were at the age where girls stopped being disgusting with ‘cooties’.

            Chaeyeon chuckled at Yena’s embarrassment which led to the latter glaring at him as he turned to go back and play with Yujin, Yuri, and Chaewon.

            Chaeyeon smiled at Chaewon and Yujin’s frantic waves, trying to get him to join them—He waved back and signalled for them to continue playing and that he was okay, he just really wasn’t in the mood to play, even if it was rare for their captors to let them stay in the courtyard for this long.

            Chaeyeon leaned back and closed his eyes—not to rest, but to reminisce of his life; the life he left in Korea. No matter how many days, months, and years have passed since that fateful event, Chaeyeon in his young age took it upon himself to remember and to think of his family and of how his life used to be. Chaeyeon didn’t want to lose his memories of that normal happy life—it was the only thing that still kept him going.

            The 15-year-old Chaeyeon swore that he would get his family back, that he would see the kind eyes of his father, feel the warm embrace of his mother, annoy Chaeryeong—his little sister, and finally meet Chaemin—their youngest.

            Chaeyeon closed his eyes, remembering how his family waved goodbye as he entered the school bus that would bring him and the others to the airport, his father smiling charmingly, his mother pregnant, and sweet Lee Chaeryeong with tears in her eyes, who didn’t want her older brother to leave her.

            He can still remember the words of his father as if it was just said to him yesterday…

            “Don’t wander from the group Chaeyeon. Listen to your coaches and do your best, we’ll be here when you return.” Chaeyeon nodded at the words of his father.

            “Yes, Chaeyeon—Even if we can’t watch your game in person, we’ll be sure to watch it on television, eat properly. Do your best son.” Chaeyeon smiled at his mother, hugged her and patted her pregnant stomach. “Just take care of yourself and Chaemin mom, no need to worry about me.”

            Chaeyeon’s mother nodded, proud that her mature 12-year-old was chosen as one of the junior athletes to represent Korea in a peace-sports campaign against other East Asian nations.

            “Go now son,” Chaeyeon bowed at his father’s word and turned to head towards the other junior athletes waiting for the bus but he was stopped by a small hand clutching his shirt that bore the Korean flag.

            Looking down, Chaeyeon saw the teary eyes of his younger sister—he smiled at the sight and crouched down at his little sister’s level. Although he was young, the years of training and practicing Judo made Chaeyeon’s height and growth spurt be faster—so even if he was only 12 years old, Chaeyeon already had the stature of a 16-year-old.

            “Hey, Ryeongie~ hey… don’t cry,” Chaeyeon wiped the tears that was flowing out of his sister’s eyes. Chaeryeong really wasn’t fond of goodbyes. “See, Oppa is going to play in a very big place… so I need you to be strong and cheer for me okay?”

            Chaeryeong, who was the spitting image of her brother in a feminine way, shook her head—adamant not to let her brother get in the bus that would take him away from her. “No oppa, don’t go.”

             “I promise Ryeong, I’ll be back sooner than you know! So smile for your oppa, hmmm?” Chaeyeon hugged his little sister, hoping that his words would comfort her enough to let him go in peace and not cause a scene.

            “You’ll come back… promise?” Chaeyeon let go of his embrace to see Chaeryeong’s pinkie finger held right in front of his face, chuckling at the younger girl, Chaeyeon nodded and hooked his pinkie with his sister’s.

            “Be good Chaeryeong, take care of mom and dad okay?” Chaeryeong nodded at her brother’s words as Chaeyeon stood up, kissed her forehead, and bid their parents goodbye with a bow.

            “Make us proud Chaeyeon-ah!” Chaeyeon’s father said heartily to his son, who in reply, cheekily raised his thumbs up as he ran towards his team.

            The 15-year-old Lee Chaeyeon felt a heaviness in his heart, it seems his sister was right in not wanting for him to join that damned tournament… if he had only entertained the whim of his sister not to join, then he would still be back in his house, with his family.

            How he wished that was what happened, but Chaeyeon knew that he would never have the heart to leave the family he has formed in the darkness of hell, the family that kept him sane throughout the bloody nights, the ones he had right here, right now. Yena, Chaewon, Yuri, Yujin, and his noona… They are all he has and they’ve been through so much together the past few years that he can’t imagine what his life would be without them—Chaeyeon resolved to himself that one day, they would all go back to Korea, to their own families, together.

            Chaeyeon opened his eyes to see the little Yuri chasing after the soccer ball in Yujin’s possession. Chaewon and Yena laughing at their youngest’s taunts to the youngest girl of the group. Chaeyeon smiled, hoping that this peace would last for a few more hours… that Yuri and Yujin’s tears would not return and that Yena and Chaewon’s strong façade would not be seen, but he knew that he was wishing for naught… for every time the sun sank, the monsters that accompanied the dark of the night, rose—clipping Chaeyeon’s wings, chaining him back to the blood stained walls and bullet littered floor.

            “Chaeyeon,” Chaeyeon sat up at the voice that invaded his hearing, he was confused as to why she was here as she rarely was allowed freedom to go out of the compound where they all were kept like cattle. Nonetheless, Chaeyeon beamed at the sight of his noona with genuine joy—which was something not seen often on the boy’s face.

            Chaeyeon took note of the pure white dress his noona wore, making her look like an angel, “Hi noona! What are you doing here?”

            The woman he addressed sat down on the ground beside Chaeyeon, which further served to shock and scare Chaeyeon—the ground would dirty his noona. “Noona don’t sit, it’s dirty!”

            Chaeyeon moved to make his noona stand up from the dirt covered ground when the boy remembered something. He immediately looked around the courtyard in fear of the black clothed men that always followed like dogs whenever his noona went out of the compound building and who would surely beat him for ‘tainting’ his noona should Chaeyeon touch her.

            “Why do you not want me here Chaeyeon-ah?” Chaeyeon shook his head at his noona’s bitter question. “Of course not noona. It’s just shocking to see you outside without Don’s dogs.”

            “Don has some business to take care of so h