- Jongup’s P.O.V. –

Once we got back to dorm, we gathered in the studio. Everyone sat in a circle expectantly watching hyung as he slowly opened the envelope. It felt like several long minutes later with a silence so quiet that you could hear a pin drop but hyung finally looked up at us.

Minsoo hyung was quiet for a few more seconds before speaking again, “I’m sorry everyone…” and began handing us out our individual papers.

When he got to me, I looked up at him and asked “Why do we have to do what they said, Hyung? Can’t we just stay together?”

Minsoo looked at me sadly, “I made a promise and signed a contract. It was stupid of me and I’m truly sorry, Jongup.” He patted me lightly on my head before going back to the center to grab his own.

“This is ridiculous!” Dongho hyung cried out. “Why should we listen to a bunch of air heads? They don’t know a thing about us!” After crumbling up his paper into a small ball, he stormed out of the room.

“Hyu-” I began. Myungsoo hyung held me back.

“I’ll go talk to him, don’t worry,” he said as he too left the room.

The rest of us continued to sit in the studio room and stare into nothing as we tried to digest what was about to happen to us.

- Dongho’s P.O.V. -

I knew I was throwing a tantrum, but this just wasn’t fair. We didn’t do anything to deserve being separated like this. Not only had the papers stated what we were in for, they also specified that we were not to be in contact with each other. At all. It was better to just leave this place, at least then I wouldn’t have greedy air-headed people dictate my future.

Once I got into my room, I closed the door and leaned against it. I slowly slid down until I was sitting on the floor. That’s when the tears finally began to flow.

It wasn’t right. This isn’t how it was supposed to be. We were supposed to be a family and stick together. When the hyung’s found me I thought I’d finally found where I belonged but now it felt like my world was turning upside down again.

< Flashback to 6 year old Dongho >

- No one’s P.O.V. -

“Umma! Appa! Wait, Umma! Don’t leave me here!” Dongho cried to the retreating car. He tried to race after it but he slipped and fell on the rainy concrete. Ignoring his scrapped knee, he got up to chase after his parents again but they had already disappeared. Dongho continued chasing after them, going street by street until he couldn’t figure out where he was anymore.

After screaming for his parents until his throat was raw, he gave up and sat on the curb and sobbed uncontrollably. Eventually he ran out of tears and began to nod off until suddenly the rain stopped, but only right above him. Thinking it was his parents who came back for him, he quickly turned around. It turned out that it was an older couple, about in their 60’s, who saw him and felt sorry for him.

“Are you lost, little one?” The elderly woman asked, “What’s your name?”

“D-D-D-Dongho,” he stuttered.

“Where are your parents, Dongho?” It was the man this time, “Do they live around here?”

Dongho just shook his head and began to sob once again. The couple looked at each other, realizing what had happened.

“My husband, Byung Hee, here is a retired police officer but he still has friends in the force, how about coming back with us and we can look for your parents together?” The kindly woman, Tae Hee, inquired.

Little Dongho nodded, a look of faint hope dawning on his face.

After 2 years, the couple still hadn’t managed to track down Dongho’s parents but they brought him in and treated him like their own son. They even tried to put him through school but they received too many complaints from parents and teachers alike so they had to pull him out.

One day while Dongho was out with the Byung Hee’s foreign friend from the police, he received a call about the couple that had taken him in. The two raced home, Dongho confused with what was going on and the man, Jason, speeding to get back to the house. As they drew near, they began to see the black smoke above the houses. It blocked out the sun and cast a shadow on the world, much like the shadow was growing within Dongho as he finally realized what was happening.

When Jason finally pulled in front of the house, they could see the entire house consumed by fire and two bodies lying beneath some white sheets. The firemen were already there trying to put out the flame and contain it so that the fire didn’t spread to the other houses and the paramedics were trying to keep people away from the action.

As soon as the car stopped, Dongho was gone, Jason calling after him. The paramedics tried to stop him but he slipped between them and ran towards where the bodies were lying. Before Dongho could pull back the sheets and verify it was his foster parents, Jason grabbed him and swung him away.

“No, no, NO!” Dongho screamed. “Don’t leave me again! You can’t leave me again!” He continued to scream until he finally passed out from a mix of shock and hyperventilation.

The weeks following passed in a blur as people kept talking about the unfortunate kid. First his parents leave him and then his foster parents died in a fire. He tried to block them out but it never worked. No one wanted to take a kid with so much misfortune.

Eventually, Dongho ended up in an orphanage but he continuously got into fights as the other kids taunted him about his bad luck. At night, the Pastor would take Dongho out of his room and force him to do things. If he didn’t then, he would get beatings and wouldn’t get his meals for the next day.

After only a month there, Dongho ran away after beating the Pastor with his own beating stick. He hid in the streets as people looked for him to compensate for what he had done, but he was small and there were many places for him to hide. It didn’t take long before people stopped looking for him.

For 6 months Dongho lived off the scraps kitchens threw away and slept in cold alleyways. It was by luck that he stumbled upon Minsoo and Myungsoo trying to earn some money by dancing in the streets. They were only a little older than him but they were working so hard, even though most people ignored or avoided them.

Dongho continued to stand there and stare in awe until the two finished and noticed him. They took in his dirty attire and unwashed body and waved him over. He was unsure at first but they smiled and held out a small cookie to him. It wasn’t much but it was the best thing Dongho had eaten in weeks. He inhaled the cookie so fast that he choked on it but the older looking one offered him a little water he had managed to collect.

“I’m Minsoo!” the younger one exclaimed. “And this doofus is Myungsoo. We’re going to get famous by dancing!” Do you want to join us?” Minsoo extended his hand. Slowly Dongho took it while continuing to stare in wonder. Who were these two who appeared out of nowhere and took him in without knowing a thing?

Minsoo and Myungsoo brought Dongho back to their little shelter they had made and offered him another cookie, the last one that they had.

“So what’s your name?” Myungsoo asked. With that, Dongho broke down and told them everything, expecting to kick him out at any second but they never did, they just sat there and listened attentively. When Dongho finally finished his story, including the part where he was scared they would kick him out like everyone else, Minsoo piped up, “Don’t worry we both have our own stories, maybe we’ll tell you one day!”

From that point on they became a family and continued to gather the other members that would become their family.

< Flashback end >

- Dongho’s P.O.V. -

Myungsoo finally caught up to me a few streets down.

“C’mere ya little punk,” he said playfully. “It’s time to go back home.” He ruffled my hair and I swatted his hand away, trying to be mad still but he grabbed me in a head lock and did it again until I gave up and lightly punched his side, letting him know I was alright now.

As we headed back to our dorm, I saw the smoke rising above the houses. The only thing running those my mind as we both began sprinting back was not again, please don’t let this happen again.