Midnight. For Cinderella, the clock strikes twelve and her fairytale is over. For Kyuhyun, it's different, that's when his fairytale begins.    The first strike.   The grandfather clock began to chime and the melodic sound of the bells echoed throughout the empty hallways of the vast house. Kyuhyun was waiting for the toll as a signal to make his move. He had been lying awake, fully clothed, under his bedsheets while his foster family slept.    The second strike.   The tolling of the clock's bells used to keep him awake as a child and they frustrated him to no end, but now he reveled in the sound. It was the sound of freedom. Kyuhyun flung back his bed covers and leapt out of bed. He checked the lock on his bedroom door and made his bed up with a decoy, he wasn't coming back tonight. He hardly ever spent the night at home.   The third, fourth, and fifth strikes.   Kyuhyun swore under his breath as he hopped across the floor trying to lace his boots up as fast as he possibly could. He pulled on his tight leather gloves with his teeth and wound a scarf around his neck; he was bundled up and ready to leave.   The sixth, seventh, and eighth strikes.   Kyuhyun slung his backpack over his left shoulder and flipped open the latch to his window. He left the window slightly ajar as he clambered out onto the roof. He winced as the old wooden shakes gave a telltale squeak, but there was no turning back. Kyuhyun edged his way across the second floor and scaled down the wisteria lattice.    The ninth and tenth strikes.   He could almost taste freedom as he dashed across the yard, his chilled breath came out in billowy clouds.   The eleventh strike.   Kyuhyun made it to the front gate without being caught. He pulled on the latch and started sprinting down the street while letting out an exhilarated whoop of joy.   Midnight.   His fairytale began the same way every night, escaping the confines of the house and the family that suffocated him. He always felt like the walls were caving in on him while the expectations piled up. He wanted to be a perfect student and a perfect son, because they took him in out of the kindness of their hearts. He knew of no other way in which he could repay them, but that kind of life was nothing more than a gilded prison.     ~~How it began.~~     Kyuhyun often wondered if there was anything to look forward to other than the road map laid out for him by others. He went through the same motions everyday and doubted anyone would truly miss him if he were gone. He had thought of ending it all on a night when the chimes of the old grandfather clock kept him awake, allowing his mind to wallow in a pit of paranoia.    The bells seemed to be tolling the countdown of his life. He had thought of killing himself at that time, but he didn't want to be an inconvenience. No one would want to wake up to an ungrateful child that slit his own wrists at home, so Kyuhyun threw on an overcoat as the clock stuck twelve and climbed out the window for the first time.    He walked about town aimlessly until he made it to a bridge. He stared down at the Han River and thought it was as good a place as any to end it all, but then he met Jongwoon. Kyuhyun couldn't go through with his plan when there was a stranger watching so he decided to live for another day and return home.    The next night, when the grandfather clock struck twelve, Kyuhyun was still unable to sleep. So he snuck out of the house again and his mind was made up. He would jump into the river and put himself out of his misery, but Jongwoon was there again, staring at him in silence. Shocked and embarrassed, Kyuhyun left the bridge and went back home.   “Third time's the charm.” Kyuhyun thought to himself as he climbed out the window again and headed towards the bridge. He found himself searching for Jongwoon that night, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to avoid the judgmental glare or just lose himself in the dark orbs. The bridge was quiet, he was truly and utterly alone. It was just him and the river. All he had to do was climb over the railing and jump.    Kyuhyun took a deep breath and gripped the edge of the railing so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He was tired of feeling trapped in his dead-end life. He was tired of struggling. He was tired of being alone. Kyuhyun released his grip and wondered how  many seconds it would take for him to plunge into the icy, cold depths of the river.    He felt himself fall forward, he waited for the moment where panic and fear would take over his senses, but he suddenly stopped. A pair of arms were locked tightly around his waist, a warm body was pressed against his back, and a raspy voice was shouting in agitation.    “You idiot! Who gave you permission to treat your own life so recklessly?”   “Why should you care?”   “Why shouldn't I?”   Kyuhyun's breath caught in his throat and tears welled up in his eyes. “No one cares.”   “Maybe you just don't give them a chance to.”   Kyuhyun spent the rest of the night pouring his heart out to a complete stranger. Jongwoon held his hand the entire time and listened to Kyuhyun with patience and sincerity. They talked until the darkness of night gave way to the morning light and Kyuhyun felt like a great weight was lifted off his shoulders. They watched the sunrise together and Jongwoon told him to hurry home before school started. Kyuhyun was reluctant to leave, but Jongwoon promised to meet him at the same time, in the same place.   “I'll be right here, whenever you need me.”     ~~And the days soon turned into nights.~~     Kyuhyun was exhausted, but he felt refreshed. Going to school and following his regular routine no longer made him feel so smothered. Jongwoon was right, he needed to learn to give people a chance and what Kyuhyun needed more than anything was a friend. He just needed to know that someone cared.   Kyuhyun was restless, the day dragged on for too long and the time he could spend with Jongwoon was way too short. He climbed out of the window for the fourth time that week, but this time his h