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There was something so distinctly liberating about being out of his house.

Long goodbyes preceded longer car rides. Jongin sat shotgun in the BMW, while Chanyeol drove. The younger cringed at his sibling's choice of music. He'd never liked all of the exaggerated 'cuteness' that came with female k-pop groups, and A-Pink was no exception. The off-tune singing of his brother certainly wasn't helping. With every word he sang, Jongin became more and more thankful that his brother had chosen a musical path that doesn't use his vocal chords. He stared out of the window, looking intently at nothing at all. He felt a soft nudge to his side. Slightly annoyed by the disturbance, he turned to his brother, who was wearing his natural happy grin.

"Lighten up, baby brother! You're acting as if you're being driven to your execution! And by a complete stranger, too..." Chanyeol had such a positive attitude, and it didn't take all too much to see that he really wanted Jongin to be just as happy. But all that his minor efforts got was an obviously fake smile, and an almost silent "Sorry, hyung," and though he didn't show it, it hit Chanyeol like a ton of bricks.

Chanyeol knew very well that Jongin hated him—he'd known it from the moment he received his first icy glare from the younger after giving a cello performance. He decided that confrontation was a bad option; it was clear Jongin would just retaliate negatively and spin the words in a way to make his innocent intentions seem murderous and cruel. So he opted to reply with nothing more than a short nod, and an uncharacteristically quiet, "It's okay. Just smile a little more."

The silence was dragging and provided gushing streams of awkwardness. The only thing preventing the scene from being unbearable was the high-pitched singing that enveloped the car. Neither of them dared to create actual conversation (but really, even without the occurrence of the previous events, it's doubtful that they would've). Chanyeol still had fight left in him. He so desperately wanted to try again; he wanted his brother to connect with him the same way they had before music had entered their lives. But the suffocating fear that his efforts would only pry them further apart was enough to snuff out his determination. So instead of having a brotherly catch-up, they just drove on and on, only talking when it was necessary. 

The morning had long since turned into afternoon when they arrived at the foot of the mountain. They were already told that they would need to take a cable car up to reach the retreat location, also meaning that they had to leave the car behind. Chanyeol looked on at the car in sadness, agony clawing at his chest. He couldn't just leave his baby. It was his first car, earned with so much hard work and effort. He paid for it himself, overlooking all of the more reasonably priced cars; he only had eyes for that one. 

Jongin impatiently waited for his brother to just let the damn car go. He watched as the lanky one begrudgingly handed over the keys to the people in charge of the valet, and trudged over to meet him, stopping every few seconds to glance back at his precious baby. Jongin passed him his suitcase, and they began the walk up to the pick-up station.

"Welcome. Are you here for the retreat?" queried a tall woman dressed in a pristine uniform, hair pinned back in a tight bun. She gave them a nod, and so she quickly gave introductory pamphlets to both of them, indicating their rooms (Jongin was eager to jump for joy for the rest of eternity at seeing that he and Chanyeol weren't together), and rough schedules. The wide eyed boy hadn't been lying when he said they were merely a rough outline. 

"So, can you further explain how this whole thing works? Sorry, I'm still a little bit confused." Chanyeol looked up expectantly, a gentle smile on his face. Seeing his kindness, she saw no problem in launching into thorough explanation about all the finer details of the retreat, and how it would help them to grow and form as musical entrepreuners. As she spoke, Jongin stared out of the glass windows, praying for his brother to hurry up. He paced around the entrance, counting his footsteps to pass the time. 

He was almost up to the three-digit numbers when a hurtling body collided with his. A sharp push, a quick flash of realisation, a not-so-quiet shout and then they were on the ground. 

"Jongin! Are you okay?" Chanyeol shrieked, quick to rush to his brother's side. He was answered with a confused nod. The younger was quick to prop himself up on his hands, and brush himself off. He blew his bangs out of his face before turning to see who the culprit was. He was met by unfamilar eyes clad with dark circles, raven black hair, and an unmistakably frantic face. He couldn't help but notice that there was a large, potentially potent stick poking out of his bag. 

"I'm so sorry! You're late, too? Oh my gosh, I can't believe this happened!" the dark eyed one cried. He composed himself as quickly as he could, before offering Jongin help. He looked at the extended arm, and back at its owner. He thought for a second, before completely ignoring the kind gesture and getting up on his own. In an attempt to handle the rejection smoothly, the other male quickly lifted his hand and used it to brush through his hair, before standing as normal.

"You aren't late. You don't have any reason to be so reckless. There's still another half an hour to go before we're supposed to be up there. I don't know who you are, or if you're always this dumb, but don't ing shove me over like that again." Jongin walked away, leaving his brother behind. He made sure to nudge he other male's shoulders in a predatory way before doing so. He presented his ticket to the guard, and disappeared behind the gate.

"It was an accident, I swear! He doesn't seem like a nice guy at all..." the other boy mumbled, eyes fixated on the ground. Chanyeol motioned at the woman behind the counter, indicating that everything was okay. She smiled in response, and Chanyeol turned back to the male in front of him.

"Sorry about that. Jongin's a little cold. Are you okay?" Chanyeol asked. The smaller guy nodded reassuringly.

"I will be soon enough. Cold is a bit of an understatement, don't you think? He's a complete and total douchebag!" At hearing that comment, the giant looked down at him, a sad smile on his face.

"He's my brother. I know better than anyone that he can come accross like that, but please don't misunderstand. He really does have good in him; his problem is conveying it. That and his temper, as you've just seen," Chanyeol said, laughing a little at the end. "Say, what's you're name?"

"Huang Zitao, but most people just call me Tao. I play the flute."

"Is that what the massive thing poking out of your duffle is?" Chanyeol asked. He'd been eyeing the protruding apparatus for a while. He was extremely eager to find out exactly what it was.

"Uhh, no. That's my wushu stick. I practice martial arts and I didn't want to lose my balance while I'm here. I perform best when my head is as steady as the rest of me. It might sound weird, but it kind of works. I was going to bring a dummy too, but Mom said I was being unreasonable." The taller couldn't help but laugh at his comment. He waited with Tao as he got his pamphlet, before making their way together to the cable cars.

"Say, Huang Zitao isn't a Korean name, is it? What's your background?"

"Chinese. I just flew in from Guangzhou, and I guess I hadn't changed my watch. I did have good reason to think I was late!"

The conversation was light, and the small talk wasn't awkward. They found out that Tao was younger, and smarter too. All sorts of random facts and pieces of information were flung around in the best way. Chanyeol decided that Tao's appearance had an uncanny resemblance to that of a panda, which led to the discovery of Tao's rough sleeping habits, and occassional insomnia. It was so easy to talk to each other. Through that little morning mishap, it became extremely apparant that the two of them would be good friends throughout the course of the retreat.

See, Jongin? It isn't too hard to make friends. Try not to be too cold to people; you're here to make friends and grow! Don't get hurt trying to be superior.

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Jongin was expecting the retreat to be some sort of high class establishment, complete with all sorts of amenities found at five-star-hotels. 

To say the more rustic atmosphere displeased him was an understatement. He trudged on to Block 3, where his room was. He had his fingers crossed that it wouldn't be a complete and total wreckage. He walked towards the door with the number '19' bolted onto it in copper. He drew a deep breath and opened the door to find a reasonably clean room. He sighed in joy and smiled greatly, before dumping all of his luggage on the floor and examining the locations of the two beds. One was against the window, whilst the other had easy access to the bathroom. He pondered for a while, before deciding that he'd get enough light from the other bed, opting for the latter option. He lay down and stared at the ceiling, before beginning to beg. 

Please, dear Lord, don't let me end up with a loud, obnoxious, dumb, drunk, or annoying roomate. Please.

Almost on cue, a tall blonde boy opened the door. His eyebrows were thick, and his expression was neutral. He didn't look hyper-active, nor did he look overly happy. The guy looked around, and nodded to acknowledge his presence. My God, he's perfect. Jongin found himself being the one to initiate conversation, extending his arm for a handshake before nonchalantly saying,

"Hey, I'm Kim Jongin, your roommate." The latter looked up at him before shaking his hand reluctantly.

"My name's Kris. In case you're wondering, which you are, I lived in Canada before. Kris is a western name. I also have a Chinese name, but that's really none of your concern, is it? I see you've already taken the other bed, which makes this one mine. I hope we get along well, Jongin. Tell me, what instrument do you play?"

Jongin had to really focus to get his tongue back in place, for he had wanted a good roommate, but this was just amazing. It was a true of luck. 
"Violin. Played it since seven, admired it since three. You?"

"Viola. Hmm... Our instruments would compliment each other, wouldn't they? Seems that this was a real draw of luck in a roommate. I was worried I'd get someone who was too excited for their own good, and played some form of percussion. That'd be annoying."

"No way! I was too," Jongin replied, a genuine smile making it's way onto his lips. Kris smiled too, before crashing onto his bed and turning the TV on to a News channel. Normally, Jongin would ask for the channel to be changed. The affairs of the modern world were always the same; typhoon in the pacific; some form of war in the middle east; Korean politics; American politics; just about every country's political problems; to be honest, he was tired of it. But this time, the headline was a stark difference to the ones he would normally be able to predict.

Faulty Experiment Creates New Fatal Disease

He was curious, so he decided to listen.

In 2015, the world rejoiced as numerous trials on a cure for cancer proved successful. It was tried on children, men, women, teenagers, the elderly, and even infants. 200 people took the chance, and when it was proved successful, they were declared cancer-free. It seemed like a dream come true.

But recent leaked reports have shown the secrets behind these original trials. There were two separate groups in this trial. The first half were given a more premature version of the cure, whilst the second received a fully developed cure. In each and every one of the original test-subjects, a new terminal disease has formed.

It is called Celeris Ingino Degeneratum but is much better known as 'the Black Butterfly.' It causes the rapid shutdown of the brain. Now, there are many diseases that also cause this, but the catch in this situation, is that you never know when the knife will strike. The Black Butterfly gives symptoms such as nausea, loss of concentration, and severe migraines, but will not do any harsh damage until mere hours before your death. You may have nothing but a headache one minute, and the next, your brain is imploding. It's a slow killer, with the symptoms worsening as time progresses.

Now, why do we have to worry about this disease? Many of these cancer patients have gone on to donate blood, or spread their cells through hereditary means. Although it is not communicative, if we don't solve this problem now, soon it will prove to be the next installment of Cancer. We all know very well that our race does not need any more of these harsh diseases.

Scientists and doctors are working hard to search for a cure, but chances are seeming increasingly bleak. Will they be successful? Only time will tell. This is Kim Hyorin reporting for Channel 4 news.

After the report finished, it went on to speak about the weather, and so Kris changed the channel to some documentary.

"Ouch. Another disease, eh? You'd think that they'd learn to just let things go without trying these stunts. I feel bad for the people affected," Kris commented.

"Yeah, so do I..."

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He was still extremely reluctant to let Kyungsoo go.

As a doctor, he couldn't really force the younger to stay for mere worry. His symptoms weren't worsening all too horribly just yet. But that didn't stop Dr. Zhang Yixing from wishing that Kyungsoo would listen to him and stay. He had all of his contact details, medicines, and procedures in case of emergency all filed away in a neat little folder for his patient to bring.

The smile on the smaller's face was undeniable, so he gave the folder without showcasing his worry, and smiled caringly.

"Take care of yourself, Soo."

"Of course, Doc. I know better than to get into any trouble in my current state," Kyungsoo replied, beaming. He was so excited for the retreat. He couldn't wait to get there. He watched as the seconds ticked by, waiting for the final okay from his doctor.

"I know you do. Just...don't forget, commitments are out of the question, Kyung. You can't sign contracts, you can't begin long-term programs. I'm sorry, I know this is a little somber at a time you're so happy, but just...don't forget, the Black Butterfly is on your shoulder, just waiting for the right moment to strike." Kyungsoo frowned, looking at the ground. 

"I know, Doc. Sometimes I try to forget, but then it always comes back in the big tidal wave and...I realise that's it's useless. There's no point in avoiding it anymore."

He received a pitying smile before the driver escorted him to the car. Dr. Zhang's words were still playing on repeat in his mind, haunting him to no end.

"...don't forget, the Black Butterfly is on your shoulder, just waiting for the right moment to strike."

Oh, how I wish I could.

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A/N:

So I was looking through diseases, and I had an exact idea about how I wanted it to be but it was getting so frustrating so BAM! I made my own. :D

Is it confusing? I hope it isn't...

yayy~ Tao and Kris are in the story now~

Anticipate the next chapter guiseee

OH! AND MERRY CHRISTMASSS <3