A/N: Update! I really want to thank all subscribers and readers sincerely for giving your time to read my fic! *bows*

For this chap, I dedicated to clumsyblue and shinfly who play with me all the time and support me no matter what! :D

Darkness …

It was all he could see …

And the coldness was all he could feel …

Shivers were spreading all over his body causing goose bumps along their ways …

Then, a tiny ray of light appeared slowly together with footsteps …

In his mind, he just wanted those footsteps to go away, not approach towards him …

His wish got broken when he felt a big hand on his face accompanied by a deep voice …

“Pilkyo-ah … Look at me …”

Feeling afraid and disgusted at the same time, he shook his head furiously and then he started to feel his whole body shaking

and the whole surrounding started to shake.

What was happening?

“Bang … Bang … Bang … Hyesung!”

That faint voice came in like a savior and all the dark scenes disappeared before he opened his eyes abruptly, finding himself on

his own bed, being covered with cold sweat.

But why was his bed shaking?

He tried to sit up and started to notice all the things in his room were shaking uncontrollably, some already on the floor.

Then, he heard that faint sound again.

“Hyesung! Get out quickly! Hyesung!”

Only at that time, he grasped the situation.

Earthquake.

Standing up abruptly and running towards the door with difficulty due to severe shaking floor, he opened the door abruptly,

finding the familiar guy standing in front of him.

“How can you sleep in this state? Aishh …”

Only being able to catch those words, at the next second, he found himself being dragged along towards the stairs by a big hand.

Then, by his instinct for all these years, he started struggling to make his wrist free from that hand.

“YAH! DO YOU WANNA DIE? DON’T ACT LIKE A DAMN CHILD!”

With a loud voice, he saw the red face of that guy, probably because of rage. Being dumbfounded and shocked must be the

understatement of that situation for him and it became worse when he suddenly felt like the world being upside down.

Because it really was.

His face was bumping with a hard back since that “Eric” started running down the stairs. Feeling an arm snaking around his waist

and a hard shoulder under his belly, he freaked out and tried to struggle but to no avail.

He could hear short and loud breaths of the guy carrying him together with the continuous footsteps echoing around the walls.

Closing his eyes tightly, he just prayed to God to save him.

After endless steps and infinite seconds, he felt the cold air seeping through his thin long-sleeved shirt and after a few seconds,

his feet touching the ground that was still unstable.

“You can open your eyes now…”

Hearing those words, he obediently opened his eyes and found himself standing outside of their building with other residents’

eyes falling on him. Beside him, there was that guy who had just carried him like a sack of sand, panting non-stop due to over

work. Then, looking around him again, looks and stares from other people made him feel like insecure and small and

subconsciously, he tried to hide his face and body behind the big structure of Eric. In the process, his legs became unstable and

tripped as a result. However, instead of his body meeting with the hard ground, a hand grabbed his waist, stopping his body

falling downwards and making it bump onto the hard surface.

Opening his eyes slowly after shutting them tight instinctively, only a few centimeters in front of him, he found a pair of dark

eyes staring at him.      

“Watch out …”

Hearing that calm voice, his sense kicked back in and immediately, he stood up properly, freeing his body from that hand before

keeping a decent distance from that guy.

Lowering his head while grabbing the hem of his shirt tightly for a few minutes, finally he heard the loud sound.

“Everyone! You can go back to your apartments! It is safe now!”

But, he stayed still although he heard people moving and walking beside him because he had to wait until the stairs and the

elevators got empty. For now, they must be packed with those people.

“Aren’t you going in?”

A sudden appearance of the now familiar voice directly through his ear made him jump and titling his head, he found that

so-friendly neighbor, standing beside him.

Was he waiting for him? Why was he still there outside, not going in?

He just nodded once before turning his feet to the entrance of the building without looking back. Then, standing in front of the

elevator, he watched his image reflected on the metal door of the elevator. There was an image of him in his thin long-sleeved

shirt and long pants plus his bare feet. Then, he saw another image entering the frame of the door’s reflection, a tall figure in

black T-shirt and short pants.

Instinctively, he backed off a step further from that image, lowering his head again. He was too confused right now. That guy

had kept banging his door without running for his life until he had come out. He even had carried him till the outside of the

building since he had been struggling and refusing to be touched.

Why was he doing all of this to him?

They had barely met a few days ago and there was seriously nothing that they knew about each other. They were completely

strangers. And from the beginning, he kept showing his attitude that he did not like to be close with him, strongly and clearly,

portraying himself as a rude and weird guy.

But still that “Mun Eric” was around him …

According to basic manners, he should say “Thanks” to him but his mind was still being hesitant to let out those words. What if

it was just the trap to make him trust on that stranger? What if it was just the act to make him closer with that stranger? What if

there was a bad intention behind all these caring?

Then, the “ding” sound appeared and he automatically set his feet inside of the elevator, stretching his hand to push the “11”

button. But his action got ceased by a hand pushing the buttons “11” and “12” continuously.

Lifting his head a little bit, he received a small smile from that guy making him hang his head low again immediately.

“You’re not ugly … Why are you hiding it under a mask?”

As soon as those words entered his ears, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he cursed himself in his mind.

Damn. He forgot to put his mask on.

Then, he realized that was the very first time that that “Mun Eric” had a chance to see his face. Actually, maybe he was the very

first person in this building to see his real face. But, now, the entire building had already seen his bare face a while ago. Not

knowing what to reply and also being afraid to lift his head, he kept quiet staring the metal floor of the elevator.

Then, he heard the “ding” sound again thankfully and abruptly he approached the door waiting for it to open.

“Don’t you think you should say “Thanks” to me at least?”

As soon as he set his feet outside of the elevator, those words in a calm voice entered his hearing sense and he looked back at

the one that was left in the elevator who raised one of his eyebrows once to emphasize his question. But as usual, he gave

nothing back to him except the blank and nervous pair of eyes until the door gradually closed again and there was only his

standing image on the metal door of the elevator.

Eric let out an inaudible sigh when the door closed in front of his eyes, making the sight of a tall, slim and weird guy disappear.

He was not still used to seeing his real face in stead of the mask but he must admit Hyesung had a good-looking face.

He had been slightly shocked when he had seen his face for the first time behind the door this morning. From the outline of his

face he had seen, he actually had not expected to that guy being ugly but the real face of him had been beyond his expectation.

It was too delicate for a man and from his face, he could guess that guy was still in his twenties. There was no visible scar on his

face and then why was that guy kept hiding his face all the time? And without his thick full clothes, Hyesung was too thin for a

guy of his age but when he had carried him on his shoulder before, it had been heavy like a bag of rice. Maybe his bones were

heavy enough to make that effect.

Punching his door code before entering his own apartment, he straightly went towards the kitchen to grab a water bottle out of

the fridge. After gulping down a large amount of water to refill his energy, he tried to collect all things that had happened in a

flash in that morning.

He had just waken up and got up from his bed when the shaking started and since it became worse after a few seconds, he

started to run out of his apartment, seeing all the family members of Mrs. Kim doing the same action as him.

According to his knowledge on earthquakes, he chose the stairs and started running down but his legs stopped seeing the “11”

on the wall.

“Maybe that weird guy’s still in his apartment?”

 He did not know himself why too but he could not resist the sixth sense that was creeping in his mind. The sixth sense that

Hyesung could still be sleeping in his apartment, not being aware of the condition, made his legs run towards the door and

started banging while calling out his name.

The opening of the door after a few seconds proved his theory right and the pale face with messy hair with a panic in his eyes

strangely made his mind calm for a moment. Then, he mumbled something like how he could sleep and grabbed his wrist to run

down until he felt the struggle from Hyesung.

At that time, he got really pissed off, seeing the childish action from that 20 something guy in such an important situation. And

the next thing he knew was that he picked up the boy onto his shoulder and he guessed that was what his brain decided as the

right thing to do in that urgent situation. But that did not stop the one on his shoulder struggling but he just put more force on

his arm while he was struggling in taking the steps.

When they got outside, he could feel all eyes on them and it was not their fault since it was really strange and awkward to see a

guy carrying another guy on his shoulder like a super hero. After putting Hyesung down on earth, he could sense how much that

guy must be uncomfortable to receive so many stares, based on his usual attitude. That must be why he was already alert to grab

him when Hyesung was almost tripped and fell. Being close that much, he could even see all details on his face, also not missing

the shocked and insecure shade in his eyes.

Then, after that, Hyesung just went back to his usual self again, keeping his distance from him and waiting all the people

disappear first before going back into the building. Once in the elevator, he punched both “11” and “12” buttons in a rush and

that earned a quick glance from Hyesung to which he replied with a small smile.

Then, seeing his side profile again, he just could not keep it to himself but let out from his mouth.

“You’re not ugly … Why are you hiding it under a mask?”

He could see how much the other got tensed after his words and he almost regretted for his words. Anyway, that guy did not

bother to look up at him until they got to the 11^th floor.

There, he could not control his action again and let another question fall out of his mouth.

“Don’t you think you should say “Thanks” to me at least?”

Although he was not being angry for that, he just wanted to know how that guy would react to that. As expected, he only got

silence from him and finally the door closed.

Eric still did not have a single clue why he was keeping being interested in Hyesung and looking out for that guy. He must be

really mad for his unthankful action when he had given a pancake to him a few days ago. But still, he had the heart to bang his

door in an earthquake and carry him out from the building.

He was not that kind person always but now, even he got surprised at his patience and endurance towards that guy’s strange

and sometimes rude actions. He tried to ignore him but from this morning’s incident, he realized the tiny part of his mind was

still paying attention to that guy. It was like he was getting more and more attracted to Hyesung and curious to know more

about him as the time went by.

What was exactly in Hyesung’s mind?

He really wanted to know it in a sudden …