***************************************************

5 MONTHS AGO

“Are you sure about this?” Sungmin asked Hyukjae, giving him a worried look when the blonde finally made his decision – a very crucial decision.

Hyukjae nodded weakly as he leaned against the headboard, he had made up his mind long ago to escape, even with his condition like this. It had been a week since he fell and the pain was slowly fading but the wound was still not healed. It wasn’t a good idea to run away, but staying here was like being locked in a cage and the loneliness he felt was killing him, hurting him more than he thought.

His eyes started to water when Siwon’s face appeared in his mind, smiling gently at him just like the good old days. But he knew it wasn’t going to happen again. Siwon changed too much, changing into a person he couldn’t recognize. Sometimes he wondered what exactly the reason that made Siwon changed into a heartless human he barely knew, leaving behind humanity while being consumed by greed and evil. He wanted his old Siwon back, he wanted to see his angelic smile that he loved so much, he wanted to be with him just like they used to, when they were still happy. He missed Siwon so much.

“Hyukjae,” Sungmin squeezed the blonde’s hand, knowing exactly what was in his mind, “Forget about Choi Siwon. He’s no longer the person we know. Move on, Hyukjae.”

Hyukjae’s tears fell upon hearing that, and he just let Sungmin hugged him, caressing his back gently.

“Don’t cry, Hyuk. We will protect you.”

“Minnie-hyung…I…”

“It’s okay. It’ll take time to forget about someone we love. But I want you to know that you need to stop tormenting yourself by staying here,” Sungmin said as he tightened the hug, “Tomorrow, we’ll escape from here. Just act like usual, and I’ll take care of everything else, alright?”

Hyukjae nodded his head. It was almost time for him to leave Siwon. He loved him, but he couldn’t take it anymore. Siwon didn’t love him, and he no longer felt the need to be at his side when he was being treated like trash in this huge mansion. Having a luxurious life wasn’t everything, it could never bring happiness just like people always thought. And he knew then, Siwon might not be the one whom he should spend his life with.

**************************************************

“Does is still hurt, Hae?” Eunhyuk placed his hand gently on Donghae’s bandaged temple, giving him a worried look after walking out of the clinic.

Donghae had finally agreed to go to the clinic this morning after a long ‘counselling session’ with Eunhyuk last night. The blonde couldn’t stop worrying about him and Donghae could just grin sheepishly whenever Eunhyuk patted his head with his soft hand while looking at him lovingly, oh, how he loved that. He stopped at his track and pointed at his lips, making Eunhyuk blinked his eyes in confusion.

“Kiss me,” Donghae smirked, “And I’ll get better for sure.”

Eunhyuk’s face immediately turned red at the latter’s words, but seeing Donghae’s puppy eyes, he reluctantly stepped closer and pecked his lips, and was about to pull away when Donghae circled his arms around his waist, preventing him from doing so. When the latter bent down, and their lips were only an inch apart, Eunhyuk quickly smacked Donghae’s shoulder, making the injured boy winced in pain.

“What was that for, Hyukkie?” Donghae frowned at the blonde, half pouting.

“People are looking at us, Hae!” Eunhyuk said, trying hard to hold back his laughter. Donghae’s face was too cute, like a puppy.

Donghae frowned deeper, for a second, he thought that Eunhyuk sounded a little different just now, he sounded so…matured. Even if he wanted to deny it, he couldn’t hide the fact that he was afraid of the day when Eunhyuk would remember everything. Will he forget me? Will he leave me? Will he hate me? Those questions kept pestering his mind lately, and he felt restless. Life wasn’t going to be filled with happiness all the time, despair would come someday, he knew it already.

“Hae, are you really alright?” Eunhyuk asked again, placing both of his hands on Donghae’s cheeks. Their eyes were locked on each other, and Donghae wanted to express just how much he loved the blonde, but Eunhyuk had already opened his mouth. “I love you so much, Hae.”

Donghae smiled. He kissed the latter’s forehead, keeping still for a moment before pulling away. “I love you more, Hyukkie.”

“I love you most.”

Donghae chuckled as he hugged the blonde tighter. Eunhyuk was too adorable, he felt like showering him with kisses but he was sure the blonde would kick him to death if he were to do that in public. How cute.

“Hyukkie.”

“Yes, Hae?”

“Let’s go somewhere.”

“Are going to eat, Hae?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

“Let’s eat strawberry milk!”

“Hyukkie…I told you that’s not a food.”

“There’s no difference, Hae.”

“Nevermind…”

"Okay, let's eat strawberry milk!"

Silence filled the atmosphere as always, sometimes broken by the sound of the door creaking when someone stepped in. It was creepy to be surrounded by thick walls and darkness, knowing that death was right in front of you. Hangeng smirked slightly as he entered the restricted area, scanning around the place before facing the officer beside him. He nodded, thanking him silently for letting him into this special prison, isolated from other cells.

It was a place for ‘famous’ and dangerous criminals. It took them 3 years just to build a ‘supporting troop’ here, but it was worth it. Three of the top police officers here were under their control and Siwon played a big part in it, Hangeng had to admit the young man’s capability. He walked slowly, purposely not making any sound until he reached the cell he was looking for. There was a man sitting on a chair, staring blankly at the ceiling with his sorrowful eyes.

“Lee Jin,” Hangeng called in a low voice, but loud enough for the man to hear.

Jin turned his head, slightly frowning when he saw a familiar face he hadn’t seen for so long was right in front of his eyes. He slowly stood up and walked closer to the grill, narrowing his eyes as he was facing Hangeng.

“I’m here to help you,” Hangeng said, half whispering.

Jin’s face changed, he stared at the Chinese man with wide eyes. “Tell me you’re not joking.”

“I have no time for a joke, Jin,” Hangeng continued, “You want to kill someone right?”

Jin nodded. His eyes were full of anger and darkness.

“Tell me their names.”

“Lee Misook…”

“Anyone else?”

“Lee Donghae.”

Hangeng smiled. “Good. I’ll grant your wish. You will get out of here tomorrow, before the dawn. How does that sound?”

“More than perfect.”

“But remember,” Hangeng handed a small bag containing the cell’s main key and a gun to Jin, “Never forget that you’re able to go out because of Master Siwon. And you need to pay him back, at all costs.”

Jin swallowed before taking the bag with his trembling hands. “I understand.”

“Good luck.” Hangeng emphasized the two words, with a smile on his lips before walking away calmly and even waved his hand right before he stepped out of the place.