“So what’s his story?”

   “You first.” Replied the younger, who didn’t even dare to know which was hotter – his neck on which Daehyun was breathing on, or his burning cheeks. The older smirked and moved away, leaving Jongup with a rather awkward feeling and maybe, a little bit of emptiness:

   “His girl broke up with him. See those hands in his pockets? They are playing with his cold phone while he is repeating her message in his head again and again.” Pausing for a dramatic moment, the older raised his eyebrows. “Am I right?”

   “Daehyunnie, you’re always thinking of failed love stories.” Jongup smirked sarcastically as he focused on the man’s sorrow and read his story out loud to the other. “He was laid off a long time ago, but didn’t dare to tell his wife and children since he doesn’t want to worry them. Now that the money he saved ran out before he can even predict it, he is unsure of what to do. Committing suicide is now a considerable option for him.”

   “Wow, fantastic baby.” Daehyun rolled his eyes. “And now it’s 860 – 2, with Moon Jongup leading, ladies and gentlemen!”

   The latter couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of Daehyun trying to be sarcastic; the feeling that his ability could be something entertaining and leisure whenever the older was around was brought back again to his mind. Only Daehyun knows, but not scared of the way Jongup sees the world. He, in fact, was the one who suggested the younger tons of ways to light up his gloomy world. But still, he kept himself a secret which was thought to be unseen by Jongup. He was in love with the latter.

   Jongup told himself many times that a white lie wouldn’t harm anybody, and further more that nobody was his hyung, so he told Daehyun that he couldn’t read someone if they knew how to keep their minds out of his reach. Such a good liar he was, so Daehyun believed, and even let Jongup show him how to build a fence, keeping his own thoughts away from the younger. It was not only Daehyun’s efforts to hide his heart away, but it was also Jongup’s desperate efforts to keep a comfortable distance from the older’s mind. Though he thought he was getting used to it, everytime his hyung was around, the only thing he could hear clearly was the sound of his warm heart beating and the way he looked at him – something tough as an older brother’s gaze, yet caring and loving as a man in love’s.

   He was scared of it; he knew that it is wrong, too wrong for men to fall in love. It was everything against God’s will, which are those exact things that he doesn’t ever want to disobey in his entire life. But Daehyun did, he actually fell in love with Jongup, and if there was another thing the latter didn’t want to do, it was to see his friend - who was also his brother, his father, his family, practically his everything – being hurt. He hated it being in such a dramatic dilemma, and sometimes he told himself to just run far, far away from Daehyun; and that way he wouldn’t have to even think or feel the older anymore. But how could he, when Daehyun himself did so much to him without even wanting him to pay back?

   Jongup still remembers what Daehyun did to his life. How he came around and lit up his gloomy world as an illegitimate child who no one wanted and loved. How he protected him from being bullied at school. How he got furious when the younger said he wanted to quit everything and dragged him back to school without listening to any weak excuses from the latter. How he saved him from that firing building. How he practically turned his world around, changing everything that he used to know and brought something that could be called as hope into his heart. Jongup knew that he owes Daehyun big, and there would be a million things that he couldn’t do to satisfy the older no matter how hard he tried. And one of those things was try to love the older with something that could be more than brotherly love.

   Being drifted into his own little world, Jongup didn’t even realize that Daehyun had already left his seat running somewhere. He looked up bewilderingly and soon realized that the older was running towards the river banks. He couldn’t possibly run there for fresh air, it was freezing cold. Soon after that Jongup saw the figure of a man, whose story had been told not long before, standing precariously like he was going to throw himself into the river any moment soon.

   And he did.

   Daehyun cursed out loud and followed him down to the river. At the same moment, Jongup shrieked and dashed towards them, yelling at Daehyun non-stop with a desperate attempt of making the older think for himself first. As the younger made it to the river bank, Daehyun was struggling in the water, dragging the fainting man’s hair with him. Jongup looked around hopelessly, but there was no one there to help them. They were the only one who got near the river bank in so cold the weather, and Jongup soon regretted his crazy idea of meeting Daehyun there even though they could have just met in a warm, cozy café somewhere near his house. He bit his lips and trembled uncontrollably as Daehyun’s mind went across his. He knew all too well that the latter couldn’t physically stand it anymore; but moments later he realized that there was something burning inside Daehyun’s heart. Something that told him to keep going. Something that told him not to give up, for the sake of the man’s life and for the sake of his, too. Because there was still someone waiting for him right there.

   Jongup.

   The younger’s eyes almost went teary as he heard his hyung calling his name in silence. He wanted to get down there fast and help his hyung, but at the same time he was aware of the fact that he would be no help for the older. Crossing his finger, he closed his eyes tightly and tensely prayed for the two down there in the river without even peeking a bit at the sight. He was too scared to look and then realize that he was standing there alone on the river bank. He was too scared to be left alone, and he prayed his best that Daehyun wouldn’t leave him alone yet. There was too much things that needed settling down between them two.

   “Hyung!” As soon as he heard no more splashing sounds but a heavy thud instead, Jongup opened his eyes and got towards the older as quickly as he could. The latter was lying on the concrete ground panting hard; next to him was the man, who slowly regained his composure and opened his eyes, looking around questioningly. The two’s threads were both black and red, but as seconds past by the deadly color was soon replaced by the sparkling red of life. Jongup ignored them and helped Daehyun to stand up; and then the man managed to choke out too much of a stupid question that the younger didn’t even want to hear:

   “Am I dead?”

   “Listen, bastard!” Jongup gently pushed Daehyun away and grabbed the man’s collar, lifting him up with an immense and nearly unbelievable power. The man gaped at him in terror and Daehyun looked completely shocked. “I don’t know what the hell happened with you that got you fired, I don’t know how much money you needed to spend for your family, I don’t know how the hell on Earth is your family going to manage without you, but don’t you just have some times to think it over? There are so many things better than kill yourself, you know! You could just freaking look for a freaking new job instead of throwing yourself down to hell like that! I could just punch you in your stupid face right now and I swear that would make your head a little more conscious, but you are older, and as far as I am concerned, it would be crazy to kill your again after hyung risked his life to save you like that. So get lost from now, and if you’re not alive the next time I see you, you’re going to regret it!”

   Dropping the man’s collar down, Jongup turned back to Daehyun who had his mouth half opened as if he was confused whether to laugh or to be scared to death. The younger glared at him and snatched his wrist, signaling that they should go already. Daehyun nodded as Jongup quickened his pace, but he himself turned around and took his jacket out before handing it to the shocked man:

   “Here you go, ahjusshi.” He smiled and bowed at him. “It’s a little wet, but I’m sure it’s still better than nothing. And I’m sorry for Jongup’s actions too. He’s a hot-tempered boy, but his intentions are good whatsoever. Please forgive him.”

   “Thank you.” The man bowed at Daehyun and the latter helped him up, telling him that he should get back to his family. The man quickly ran away, as Daehyun smiled satisfiedly and walked his way back to Jongup. The younger didn’t even look at him as he took his own jacket out and put it on his shoulder.

   “Put it back on, you don’t have to…” Daehyun said, but Jongup quickly interrupted him:

  “Don’t you tell me what to do, Jung Daehyun. You are the freaking one who jumped into the river in this kind of weather.” Turning away with a surly attitude, he wiped his nose with one hand and raised up the other to call a cab.

   “Aish, stupid.” Daehyun smirked and flicked the younger’s forehead. “I’m not dead yet, remember?”

   “You should have.” Jongup murmured as he shoved his dripping wet hyung into the cab. Daehyun rested his head on the window as Jongup told the cabbie where to go; a thought jumped into the hero’s mind that whatever it took him, at least he got his crush to care about him for just a small moment. He grinned to himself, though his head was thumping like hell and his body was freaking numb.

   The cab slowly left the sidewalk; as some guys walked by and threw curious looks at the two who had just left.

   “That’s weird.” Said Aaron, as he tapped his chin slowly and frowned again, ensuring that what he saw was right. “I can’t saw that dude’s thread anywhere.”

   “Eh?” Junhong looked up from his phone. “Which one?”

   “The one who is not soaking wet.”

   “Maybe it’s just hidden somewhere unseen.” Dongho smirked with a erted smile, and moments later Minki smacked his head with a thick book. The older jumped up and turned around, yelling at the feminine blond:

   “What was that for?”

   “Oh don’t you pretend that you are so naïve, sir!” Minki glared at him with razor-like eyes and ignored him temporarily to look at Aaron. “Really, hyung?”

   “Yeah, but I'm not really sure about it since I wasn’t paying much attention.”

   “No, I think I didn’t see his thread, too.” Junhong spoke up from the front of the line, his eyes still glued to the screen of his phone. “But I thought I was just confused in the middle of these bunches of threads and threads. Maybe I should call apoji and ask him about this.”

   “Just call Yongguk-hyung first.” Minki told him. “We’re still not sure about this yet. If only we knew where they were going.”

   “Eunsong Church, Yongsan.” A voice came throught their ears, and they turned back almost immediately to see the final member of the group. Minki raised his eyebrows and Dongho tilted his head a bit. “You sure?” He asked, and the owner of the voice nodded.

   “I heard him talking to the cabbie before closing the door. It can’t be wrong.”

   “Well then, off to Yongsan we go.” Junhong said, and soon after that he was skateboarding down the streets, creating a big space between himself and the others as Aaron rolled his eyes and looked at the petite figure behind Dongho:

   “It’s a long way from here; and I swore if you’re wrong I’m going to skin you alive for this.”

   “You wouldn’t dare.” Replied the latter, as boldly as a different person could say, as they quickened their pace trying to catch up with Junhong.