That night was rather still for Hyunsik. He didn’t have to energy to head straight home from work so he decided to wander around through the suburban area. He passed by Cube High several times as his aimless trek lead him in circles.

            He stopped by a convenient store, hoping some iced coffee would heal the wound in his heart. He couldn’t stop thinking about his boss’ words. Sure, he wanted to believe in Kikwang, but he was too hurt to call his name. How could he be sure that the short, red-haired shadow wouldn’t just lie to him again? How could he believe that the demon was the same clumsy boy his boss had once known? He stepped out of the store when a familiar voice brought him out of his daze.

            “C’mon Hyeri, quit playing with me!”

            Hyunsik watched as Hongbin chased after the young, blonde queenka. He looked different to Hyunsik. The obvious change was his hair, going from a light, short chestnut brown to a longer, dark, almost black mane that made him seem slightly menacing.

            “Why, Hyeri? Why don’t you like me?!” The freshman begged.

            The girl simply flicked the boy on the forehead, causing him to fall back on his .

            “You’re such a desperate little puppy,” She remarked, with an arrogant chuckle. “Keep trying and maybe I’ll give you the time of day.”

            “O-Ok,” Hongbin, smiled with a love struck look on his face. Hyeri simply rolled her eyes and giggled as she walked away.

            Hongbin sighed, staring into space. It was almost a full minute before he realized he was being watched. His eyes instantly connected with Hyunsik’s and a blush fell on his face.

            “Uh,” Hongbin leapt to his feet, embarrassed about being caught in one of his shutdowns from Hyeri. He quickly brushed off his jacket and ran away, prompting a light chuckle from Hyunsik.

            “If Kikwang were here, he’d probably point out all the things he did wrong in that advancement.” Hyunsik sighed, his laughter quickly turning to sorrow.”...if Kikwang were here.” The boy slowly walked away from the convenience store as a figure watched over him from the roof top.

            ‘I can’t believe I got so distracted,’ Hongbin thought as he stripped off his jacket, revealing the long slits cut in the back of his shirt. Up until now, Hongbin had never understood why Leo had always worn a jacket or blazer despite the varying temperatures but now that he had to hide his own wing holes from the public, Leo’s strange habits began to make sense, or at least some did.

            Black feathers sprouted from beneath the thin fabric and Hongbin flew up into the sky. He was assigned to watch over Hyunsik to insure his shadow would remain dormant but when he spotted the object of his affections in the same vicinity as his target, the love struck teen couldn’t help being disrupted. ‘Ok, Hongbin, you have to look after Hyunsik, don’t let that shadow reappear and stay hidden,' Hongbin thought, hovering high above the area to distance himself from the gaze of mortals. 'If that shadow does awaken, there's no way I can take him during the night. I have to make sure they don't find out that I'm a rei.'

            Hyunsik arrived outside the abandoned school once more. He couldn’t help but wonder if any of the other Btob members were inside. He was already starting to miss practicing for the big show, but without Kikwang, things were feeling empty.

            He stood, staring at the gate for a while when a familiar blonde freshman ran up, carrying several large bags that seemed to have come from a hardware store.

            “Hyunsik,” Ilhoon panted as he looked up at the elder. “What’re you doing here?”

            “I should be asking you the same thing,” Hyunsik replied. “I didn’t expect anyone to come here anymore after... you know.”

            Ilhoon sighed, setting down his supplies. “Jiyoon wanted to take this time to put together the stage props. I told her we didn’t need them, but she insisted. She has faith that you guys will still wanna do the audition." Ilhoon started to toss the bags over the fence where his brother appeared to catch them.

            Hyunsik turned away from Junhyung who didn’t say a word to him. Instead he focused on Ilhoon.

            “Can I ask you something, Ilhoon,” Hyunsik asked as the boy was preparing to climb the brick wall to the old school.

            “Sure, what is it?” Ilhoon returned his foot to the ground and leaned against the wall.

            “Well, the thing is,” Hyunsik sighed heavily. “I really want to call back Kikwang, but I’m still hesitant about it. I’m not even sure the demon... I just don’t know if the shadow I’ve gotten to know is the real Lee Kikwang from five years ago. What if we can’t believe their story? What if the shadows were the ones to kill the boys in the legend and assumed their identities just to make us trust them?”

            Ilhoon sighed, “Hyunsik, you’re thinking too hard about ‘what if?’ Well, buddy, I have a ‘what if’ for you. What if you hadn’t snuck into the old school in October? What if you didn’t join BtoB that day? What if you and Kikwang had never met? Would you be happy?”

            Hyunsik looked down as Ilhoon continued, “It’s not about ‘what if’ but it’s about ‘what is.’ Life isn’t about being cautious, but it’s about taking risks for what we believe in. And up until recently, you believed in Lee Kikwang.”

            Hyunsik held his head in his palms, “But what if he’s not-”

            “There you go with the ‘what ifs’ again!” Ilhoon interrupted. “So maybe he’s not the same as the Lee Kikwang from five years ago, but you never knew him as a human. The Kikwang you know is a shadow demon. He was one when you met him and he’s still one now, but that’s not what you liked about him. He was kind and funny and smart, maybe not book smart but he had... his own form of intelligence.”

            Junhyung chuckled listening to his younger brother defend his friend on the other side of the wall. Hyunsik smiled slightly as small tears formed in the corner of his eyes.

            “I guess I still don’t get you, Ilhoon,” Hyunsik wiped his eyes on his sleeve. “How can you be so sure that these demons are harmless? I mean, I know you think that Junhyung is your brother, but they don’t even share the same name. How can you even be sure?”

            Ilhoon glanced up at the cloudy night sky as he let out a deep breath of cold air. “I guess I’m just taking a leap of faith.” Hyunsik looked over surprised as the younger boy continued.

            “I know that Junhyung may not share the same name or species as my brother, but inside, I know that Yong Junhyung and Jung Jaesoon are one in the same. This may sound cheesy but even though all the evidence in my head points against him, my heart is sure that this is the same man I foolishly lost five years ago. And now, we have a bond that is stronger than ever. My heart tells me to trust in my brother, just like I’m sure your heart is telling you to trust in Lee Kikwang.” Ilhoon placed a hand on his crying friend’s shoulder. “Sometimes, you just have to push aside all reason and go with what your heart says.”

            Hyunsik sighed before pulling away from Ilhoon. “I... I need a moment to think.”

            Ilhoon nodded. “Take all the time you need.” He scaled up the old wall and sat on top before looking down at Hyunsik. “But whatever you decide... we could really use you on Friday. No one can sing your part better than you.”

            Hongbin followed as Hyunsik took the long route home. He had eavesdropped on Hyunsik’s conversation with Ilhoon, and it managed to get in his head. He couldn’t believe just how brainwashed Ilhoon was. He could only hope that Leo could get rid of Ilhoon’s demon before it was too late. As Hongbin watched from the rooftop his eyes started to wander until they caught sight of a beautiful young queenka walking among her friends.

            ‘Oh Hyeri,’ Hongbin retracted his wings into his back and gazed out at the young girl. ‘What do I have to do for you to notice me? I changed my image completely for you. I became a kingka for you. And yet...’ He sighed heavily as he sat back on the roof. He quickly shook himself out of his trance. ‘One day, you’ll understand what I feel for you.'  He decided to leave the girl alone and went back to watching his target, noticing him standing alone in a dark alley. ‘Oh no.’

            Hyunsik had his hand against the wall, watching the white breaths escape from his mouth, made visible by November’s chill. He wasn’t sure when he had started crying again. His heart was aching without Kikwang’s guidance. However, his head kept screaming for him to keep the demon away and he couldn’t stop the internal struggle that had his emotions in disarray.

            He was scared, but he didn’t know why. Was he scared that if he put his faith in the demon again, he would end up losing his life, or was he more afraid he’d never be able to live without the boy who made his life interesting?

            Hyunsik slid to his knees, staring at the brick wall in front of him. “What did you do to deserve this?” Hyunsik’s words were quiet but Hongbin heard them nonetheless. “You’ve stood up for me, and helped me. I had such a hard time before you came. I work so hard for my family. I take care of five younger siblings. I rarely get any sleep, and through it all I’m bullied. I let the stress get to me, even though I tried to hide it.”

            Hyunsik sniffed wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his jacket. “But you came, and you saw right through me.” A smile appeared on his face. “You helped take the burden off of me. You helped me overcome my personal demons. You worked with me to bring my grades up, you helped me stand up to my tormentors, you gave me a new lease on life... but I gave you up...”

            “That idiot! He’s not going to...” Hongbin leapt down onto a fire escape overlooking the alley.

            “You were the one I could rely on... the shoulder I’d cry on... the one who guided the way.” He chuckled before standing to his feet. “They call you an idiot... you must’ve been to try to help someone as foolish... as hopeless as me. You gave everything you had, just for me to trust you... and now you’re gone because of me.”

            Hyunsik clenched his fist, reddened by the cold of the late autumn air. “My head tells me you’re a monster... a creature of the night... a demon without a heartbeat...” He gazed up at the sky. “But my heart... my heart says you’re so much more. You’re a hero... you're a brother... you’re my friend, my guide, and my favorite idiot, and I’m tired of running away from you.”

            “No don’t!” Hongbin leapt over the railing, spreading his wings and flying toward the blonde boy. “Hyunsik, no!”

            Hongbin’s cry fell on deaf ears as the elder boy cried out to the sky, “LEE KIKWANG!”

            A great power surrounded Hyunsik repelling Hongbin into a pile of filled garbage bags. Hyunsik turned toward the source of the crash as the symbol on his hand glowed a faint purple. Kikwang groggily emerged from the brick wall and yawned before giving his link a hug.

            “Hyunsik! You called me back!” He cheered and Hyunsik returned his attention to the reawakened shadow.

            Hyunsik chuckled, hugging Kikwang back. “I missed you, Hyung.”

            The two boys’ reunion was quickly interrupted by a rustling in the background. They quickly turned toward a pile of trash seeing movement within it.

            “W-Who’s there?” Hyunsik walked over slowly.

            Hongbin grew nervous as the boy and shadow approached and quickly withdrew his wings just before the two of them could see.

            “L-Lee Hongbin,” Hyunsik stuttered, afraid the dark haired freshman saw his shadow emerge from seemingly nowhere.

            Hongbin groaned and the red-haired shadow pulled him out of the garbage. Hongbin quickly slapped his hand away, “Don’t touch me.”

            “What are you doing in the garbage?” Kikwang asked.

            Hongbin sighed, relieved the shadow didn’t see his wings. “If you must know,” the Rei scoffed. “This was all my plan to get a certain girl’s attention.”