The loud rumble of the generator echoed throughout the basement, the dimly lit place filled with people. Heechul wove through the crowds as he scanned his pass, entering into his tiny room. Sighing loudly, he slumped into his bed, almost hitting his head on the top bunk. Hearing the noise, a head peeked from above, hair curly and ruffled.

 An excited squeak erupted from above, as a small boy scrambled down from the top bunk. Smiling to himself, Heechul peeked out of his bed to find a beaming grin right in front of him. 

‘Aish....You always make me smile, Hae.’ Heechul muttered under his breathe, patting the younger’s fluffy curls. Donghae was his younger brother, who Heechul had refused to let work at the basement. Most of the time Donghae would stay in the room, working on his composing. Different to the other boys living on their floor, Donghae had always been a small child, never strong enough to haul bricks or fix pipes. Instead his talent laid in music, something that was rare in the underground. Heechul cared for his brother too much to let him roam around the dangerous workplace, therefore gave him the task to write music daily. Sometimes Heechul would sing them for spare gigs he applied for, earning them some money......but that never happened much. 

After settling the adorable boy down, Heechul tucked Hae to bed, before quietly slipping out the room. The corridor stank of dirt and sweat, causing Heechul to grimace at the smell. Although he had spent all his life at the basement, he still couldn’t get used to the smell of grime. Shaking his head, he made his way towards the large pinboard, filled with hiring notices and some illegal betting announcements ( those normally disappeared after a while ). Scanning the board, something caught his eye as Heechul reached out to pluck at one of the posters. 

‘An hour gig for $150? Thats impossible, who would hire for this high a price?’ Heechul wondered as he asked toward the office. ‘Hey Kyu! Who posted this notice? The pay is incredible!’ 

Kyuhyun looked up from his computer, glancing at the notice Heechul was waving at him. ‘Oh that one’ he remarked lazily ‘It’s from room 1004. That’s all i know....go apply for it Chullie, it’s good pay. I was going to ask you about it anyways, because you fit the requirements perfectly. Now shoo, i’m doing work.’ Heechul glared at the younger, ‘Work my foot! Starcraft isn’t work.’ He huffed at Kyuhyun before running back to his own room. 

It was near midnight - or at least from what his old watch had told him. The plastic blue watch had lasted for a good fifteen years, still running amidst the tiny cracks at the side. It cost Heechul a good fortune to acquire one as good as this, and he treasured it very much, cleaning it every day.  Tossing and turning in bed, Heechul glanced at the notice sitting on his small bedside table. It was a tempting offer, as he needed the money to feed both himself and Hae. Since Hae didn’t work, he had to earn enough for both of them, sometimes skipping his own meals for Hae. It was hard, but the innocent smile of his brother’s face made all his worries disappear. Turning away from the notice, he willed himself to sleep, as he had another long shift tomorrow at the basement. 

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Leeteuk glanced out of the window, bored. Flicking through the channels on his wide-screen television, he settled for a cooking program before moving into the kitchen. Opening his cupboard, he mulled over his choices before pulling out a bottle of whiskey, grabbing some ice cubes in his way. Pouring some shots, he stared soullessly at the television, his thoughts miles away. Sipping on the bitter alcohol, it dulled his senses, muting the voices in his head. He could never sleep lately, paranoid of unknown things. Somewhat onto his twentieth shot, he felt himself give way as he crumpled onto the floor, glad to have an escape from reality. 

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‘Don’t do this please…..jungsoo-ah….’

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The next day, he awoke with a throbbing headache and a very stiff back, from sleeping on the kitchen floor. Cracking his back, he stood up and hastily cleaned away the shot glasses, locking away the bottle of whiskey. Quickly popping for a shower, he heard the bell ring and cursed under his breath. Turning off the water quickly, he grabbed his robe before opening the door. Annoyed, he stared at the man before him before inviting him in. ‘What is it now, Hyukjae? Is there something important for you to interrupt my morning shower?’ 

‘Sir, your father wishes to see you next week in room 1015.’ Hyukjae sighed as he relayed the message to the frozen man. Making himself welcome at the elder’s apartment, he poured himself a glass of whiskey. Unlocking Leeteuk’s wine cupboard was no challenge, everyone knew his password. Turning around to face Hyukjae, Leeteuk’s annoyance softened, moving over to accompany the younger. ‘Whiskey so early in the morning?’ ‘Don’t ask. Your father has been driving me crazy all day.’ Hyukjae gulped down the drink, wiping his mouth with a napkin. Leeteuk patted the younger’s back knowingly, before silently moving the glass away from Hyukjae’s reach. ‘You better get back to that old man, he’ll be wondering what took you so long.’ Showing Hyukjae to the door, he thanked Hyukkie for the message, before closing the door. 

Striding over his office, he ran a tense hand through his wet hair. Reaching under his desk, he grasped for a tattered green bottle, pouring out a few pills. Not caring about the dosage, he swallowed the pills, before collapsing onto nearby couch. His mind was racing, wondering why his father needed him. The man never bothered to talk to him, preferring to send Hyukjae as his messenger. Even when he fell sick, the old man never cared for him......The sudden invite aroused his suspicion.  He stayed like that for a while, before realising he had work to do. Closing his eyes, he erased all emotion he had shown, before moving over to the dressing room to get ready for the day. 

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Heechul scrambled out of bed, taking a glance at his watch, he knew he was late for his shift. Quickly throwing on his clothes, he kissed a quick goodbye to Hae, before rushing through the crowds at the basement towards his workplace. Scanning his pass, he ran towards his supervisor, who was currently ticking off the names of people who had arrived. ‘Ah, Heechul you’re here. You’re late again......go see the boss tonight after work and explain yourself.’ Handing Heechul his schedule, he directed him toward the tunnels.

   ‘Aish I’m on tunnel duty again......’ he grumbled to himself before turning to find his partner for the day staring at him. ‘Wookie? What are you doing here?’ Heechul stared confused at the small boy standing next to him, ready for instructions. Startled, Ryeowook jumped at the sudden voice.  ‘Oh it’s you, hyung. I’m old enough to to work at the basement, plus since Mimi is sick again, i’m taking his place for the day.’ Shaking his head, Heechul led the younger down the dark tunnels, whilst looking over the schedule sheet for the day. Fixing platform 04, repairing pipe 21-5 and continuing construction at generator 07-10, Heechul read silently. It was going to be a long day. They were nearly there when Heechul realised how quiet the younger was. Turning to face Wookie, he saw how pale the small boy looked. ‘Wookie? Ryeowook-ah, you’re scaring me. Are you okay?’ He was normally so chatty, so energetic...... something was up..... Ryeowook nodded silently, not wanting to answer Heechul. Heechul decided not to press on, going back to quietly fixing the platform. The silence continued for most of the day, only ever accompanied by the soft noise dripping of water. 

Night arrived, and Heechul arrived back at his room. His wages had just gotten cut down again, due to the decrease in funding for the basement. Cursing loudly, Hae popped his head down, slightly afraid of an angry Heechul. Hae slid towards his brother, snuggling into Heechul’s warm arms. Looking down at the adorable smile facing him, his anger disappeared in a flash, replaced by a forced smile. ‘ Everything is fine. Don’t worry......’ Hae could sense that something was wrong, his point proved when he heard the quiet sniffles spreading from the lower bunk. 

Heechul curled up under his worn blanket, his body tired from the work. Reaching under his bed, he took out a small crumpled photo. Unfolding it, he smiled sadly at the happy smiles he and his younger brother showed, accompanied their beaming parents. Everything was so perfect that moment. Until the accident happened in the tunnels. Their father had been crushed by a falling stone in the tunnels, leaving their mother with two children and barely any money. There was no compensation, and soon after that their mother killed herself, unable to look at the two children who reminded her of her dead husband every single day. She had locked Heechul and Donghae in a room, kissing both of them goodbye. Heechul had recognised that look in her eyes.....it was that soulless gaze. Heechul pounded on the door, crying to be set free, but it was too late. She was already gone by then. From that day on, Heechul swore to himself he would protect Donghae at all costs, unable to bear seeing another loved one pass away.  

‘I will always be there for you, Hae. Always.’