The sun was setting by the time he left for home. Others walked down the stone path slowly, chattering away with friends or marveling at the beautiful way the water was painted red and orange. Some talked of going down to the shore before heading back to their families, some even dared to plan on staying outdoors until night dawned. He could hear their laughter, the giggling and chortling of his classmates, but he did not let them distract him.

            He had to go home. He had to see his mother as soon as possible.

            His heart started pounding at an incredible rhythm as he began to pump his legs with his upmost energy. He had never run so fast in his life; he had never sprinted this quickly even during the races held in his school gym. Perhaps if he had moved with the unfamiliar desperation and anxiety exploding in his chest right now, he could have won all the races. Perhaps he could have won all the races in the world.

            "Junghyuk, where are you going?" his friends cried after him, but their words never reached his ears. He kept running, dashing with all his might despite the cool evening air slashing him across the face.

            Even though he was running faster than ever before, every step seemed to last a lifetime. He felt years older when he finally saw his little house in the distance.

            "Mama!" he screamed as his lungs seemed to burst. "Mama!"

            The door was unlocked as usual. He rushed through, kicking his shoes off with outlandish force. They collided against the wall and bounced hopelessly back onto the floor.

            "Mama!"

            "Junhyuk!" A beautiful woman with soft, pure features collected her child in her arms. He rested his head on her warm shoulder, feeling a pang of dizziness as his body searched for air.

            "Mama..." His vision blurred and he realized tears had sprung to his eyes. He tried to swallow them back, remembering his father's words.

            "Junghyuk, you must never cry. You must be tough. You must be a man who protects your mother when I'm no longer here."

            And the terrible truth was, his father wasn't there with them. He had left, disappeared like a noiseless shadow, leaving only a broken emptiness and a pain that Junghyuk was still too young to understand. Since his father wasn't by his side, he couldn't cry,  he was forbidden from shedding any tears.

            Yet he couldn't stop the little cold droplets from dripping down his cheeks. His heart seemed to explode, inundating him with an uneasy sensation he could not comprehend.

            It felt exactly like the night his father's presence had perished from his life.

            "Is it true?" he managed to gasp out between his sobs. A thin hand his hair like a comforting gush of spring wind.

            "What do you mean, sweetheart?" his mother murmured softly.

            Junghyuk blinked a few times, his eyes outpouring like the April sky. "Is it true that Pilkyo's gone?"

            The hand caressing his hand stiffened for a slight second. "Pilkyo? The eldest son from the Jung's residence?"

            Junghyuk nodded, his childish face drenched with tears and sweat. "At school, the teacher said he's gone," he explained in a hurry, wanting his mother to tell him it wasn't true. "She said there was a fire... She said that Pilkyo's never coming back--"

            "Junghyuk honey..." Her voice was strained and overwrought.

            "The other kids said they saw it. They said that they saw Pilkyo's house on fire..."

            "My poor child..." The slender arms tightened around him like the protective wings of an eagle. "Was this Pilkyo boy a good friend?" she asked gently.

            "Y-Yes," he answered, his voice cracking as his eyes began to flood again. "We play every day together. Pilkyo always tells the coolest stories. He's brave, too. He always saves his little brother when he's in trouble."

            His mother frowned at the way her child used present tense, but she stayed silent, letting him continue to pour out his bottled up emotions.

            "Pilkyo's the best. He's the best at sports. We're always on the same team."

            A tiny tear trickled down his chubby cheek.

            "Pilkyo's the smartest, he always gets the best grade. He helps me a lot with my homework."

            There was a strange mixture of pride and loss that ached within his chest.

            "Pilkyo... I love Pilkyo. He's my best friend."

            He froze at the sound of his own words. He remembered what the teacher had announced with bloodshot eyes, what his other classmates had whispered solemnly amongst themselves.

            "Pilkyo won't be coming to school anymore."

            "Did you see it? The smoke that came from his house?"

            "My mom said that the whole family's gone. She said that they're all--"

            "He was." Every nerve in his body seemed to sting as he corrected himself. He remembered how only the day before, Pilkyo had waved goodbye after their exciting round of freeze tag. Never had he imagined that it would be the last, that their farewell would last much longer than a few hours... That he would never get to see that easygoing grin he adored ever again. "Pilkyo was my best friend."

            He heard his mother stifle a sob inside . She brushed his hair out of his face and looked at him with glistening brown eyes.

            "Junghyuk, Pilkyo is still your best friend."

            With a loud sniffle, he stared deep into her tender hues and saw his own stunned reflection as if they were puddles of glass.

            "But he's gone. Everyone says that Pilkyo is d-dead." He shuddered as if the word was taboo or cursed. He felt so cold, as if he was drowning in ice water.

            His mother gave him a kind smile that kindled a gentle fire in the darkest pits of his heart. "He's not gone, Junghuk," she told him, reaching into the depths of his soul. "He's with your father right now."

            That sent a sudden shock through his system. "My f-father? P-Papa?" he stuttered in disbelief.

            "Yes, Pilkyo's with Papa." Her soothing voice was sweeter than the most dulcet melody. It was like a song that layered his despairing soul with honey. "Remember where I told you Papa went?"

            Junghyuk took a sharp intake of breath. Of course, he remembered. "The sky," he whispered. "Pilkyo's in the sky with Papa?"

            She gave him an assuring nod. "They're both up there, looking down at you."

            "I-Is he an angel? Is he an angel like Papa?" he questioned curiously.

            "Yes," she confirmed, cradling her son in her arms. "Pilkyo's an angel. A beautiful, innocent angel."

            "An angel..." His sodden eyes became crystals filled with wonder. "When do I get to see him again, Mama?"

            Soft laughter filled his young ears and heart. "Not yet, Junghyuk. Not just yet."

           "I'll miss him," he mumbled as if it was a vow to never erase the boy from his memories. "I'll miss him a lot."

            "I'm sure you will," she agreed as she pressed her lips against his forehead. Suddenly, he felt his eyelids fluttering shut from exhaustion. "But you will meet him one day, Junghyuk."

            He caught one last glimpse of his beautiful mother as her soothing voice drifted him to sleep. He inhaled the cozy scent of cinnamon and vanilla embedded in her apron, his final lullaby.

            "I promise," he heard her whisper before his eyes closed and his world faded away.

            "I promise, one day you will be reunited with your best friend."

[A/N]: KAHHH! FIRST CHAPTER!!! Well, a prologue at least... I finally got the whole plot down so this was just a tiny bit of the backstory (sorry if it was boring >.<) Thank you guys for all the support! I couldn't believe all the positive feedback I was getting! I just hope I don't disappoint (too much at least haha). Please keep it up, comments and upvotes are really appreciated! You guys are the best~ <3