There was no one, no one anymore to at least be beside him. It was empty, nothing. Changjo was gone and Chunji, the only person left that he had cared was almost gone too, and there was nothing that he could do. He cried and cried, until it all became quite.

“Move”

His stuck, clogged lungs finally breathes in some air as Changhyun scampered around, trying to find the source of that soothing voice. Then a man nudges him to the side as the smaller stared searchingly at the sudden aid, it was the man that made him cry all over again. Ljoe was gently lifting Chunji off the ground and even while he had carried the man in his arms, he managed to comfort Changhyun, simply by grazing the younger’s fluffy red hair.

“Hyung..hyung… Byunggie hyung” the younger ran closer and pulled the wingless angel into his arms, hugging the latter from behind, as he cried and cried. “Let’s get him inside first okay”

“Let go, Ricky”

That comforting voice had changed; it was not Ljoe’s. It was a voice that he recognized, a tone that had been tattooed deep inside his skin. Tears were still spilling down his cheeks, but his hitches and sobs had stopped as he gazed over Changjo, who was carefully taking Chunji back inside the mansion. His face was not tainted with hate; instead he looked sincerely concerned while his blue, glossy eyes looked like he almost cried. His big, tall posture looked weary and mature; somehow it was as if the boy had grew decades older. “Jonghyun…”

That back view was hypnotizing.

“I was wrong, I was wrong, I’m sorry… I just….  I was so…” the taller mumbled as he stared down to the floor, his tears dripping down rather frequently and his ears burning red. “Jonghyun…” all Changhyun could do was call the latter’s name, he couldn’t speak because of what he saw and how it made him feel when Chunji had collapsed and blood bathed on the ground. But somehow, in his heart, if it could speak, then the boy would have screamed out and loud, telling Changjo that it was fine. That everything was okay, that he could easily accept the latter back even when resentment had colored his eyes.

That was when Changhyun realized that he might just have loved more than what he feared.

So even when it was painful for him to touch the latter, he did. He pulled Changjo close and brought the latter’s face to his chest so that he could prove to him that his heart was completely and hopelessly yearning for the taller, still. Changjo nodded and nodded and he just sobbed as he desperately held onto the smaller’s frail, shaking hands.

“He’ll be alright, the blade barely scratched him. Though, yes, he could have died if you had left him that way, but he is fine now.” The platinum haired demon spoke as he pulled the covers over the angel’s chest and exhaled. “Good thing you called me, Chang-boy” as he spoke, carelessly, the demon smirked. There was a plan, behind those skillful, red and bloody eyes; his mind was twisted with schemes. 

But then Changjo was not able to recognize anything anymore. Guilt was killing him, the way Changhyun had sounded when he breathe, the way the smaller’s fingers held onto his even though they were trembling and the way he had called his name made Changjo’s heart burn.

“Let me go…”

“NO”

“Please…”

“LET ME GO! LET ME GO!!!!! OH GOD” the taller bawled as he roughly pulled himself free, tears were just casually spilling down his neck and his skin was red with guilt. He couldn’t bear looking at anything which could remind him of the boy, everything was agonizing and as if his mind was a broken videotape, that moment when Changhyun had feared him. It played excruciatingly clear inside his head again and again, and the latter’s sobs were echoing in his ears. He was psychologically bleeding and yet, Changhyun, the boy wanted to hold him.

He avoided the latter’s hands, snapped them away and ran outside, again. Though he could see how Changhyun would’ve reacted, he ignored it and pushed them back into the dark. He was a mess. He was sobbing, screaming, sweating like he was burned alive and his lungs were marking records at how the air had failed him. He brought his hands up and he stared at them as it was a pair of grenades.

“I was wrong…”

♦

It was a blur, the skies, the room and the people. He remembered how it felt when Ljoe was gone and this was worse. His body was pushing the limits; he trembled so bad that Hyuna had to hug him tight, just so that he would stop moving but then, occasionally his fingers would twitch. Then he would cry again and the cruel process would start all over again.

“I love him, noona. He, he… it was my fault. It is my entire fault, he became that because he loved me and so…” Hyuna brought her lips to Changhyun’s forehead as she pecked his forehead lightly; murmuring spells silently to put him asleep.

“Jong…”

Her eyes went damp as she rubbed her thumb on the latter’s forehead, smoothing out the frown and as she trailed her fingers, she managed to catch some of the falling tears. She was in pain to see the boy going through another tragic love story, she wanted to bring him home. But she knew that no one, not even Chunji could separate the two anymore.

Their love had mended their fate together and unless one of them disappears, this agony would continue.

The night was silent, like always. It was bright from the full, round moon gracing the black star studded sky, but amongst the serenity, there was a boy who had sobbed for hours long.  His beliefs were shattered and the stars had seemed like it was mocking his existence, he was ashamed. “Strength comes from the heart,  even if you are weaker than the others… So Jonghyun-ah, my son. Keep your heart strong”

Changjo rubbed his eyes, but tears were staining it with pain and it made him sick, because he could still see the blood on his hands. He was weak and his heart had given up, he became something that he exactly despised. He became a monster. Then, suddenly as if the star had given him mercy, they started to clump together. The boy stared at the different sky, gasping at its bizarre state. And slowly he could see himself high up in the atmosphere, with someone he truly loved.

⇔♦⇔

“Dad! See I got my medal! But… Noona, she won the game” the young blued eyed child looked down, ashamed of his own victory. Personally, it was nothing compared to the achievements of his siblings, he was the weakest, frailest between the three. But unlike the cold judges of his tournament, his father scooted closer to the edge of the bed and pulled him closer. The middle age man looked wearied but he was handsome, even with tubes stuffed into his two nostrils.

“Strength my son comes from the heart. Remember?” the man smiled warmly as he swiftly lifted the boy onto his folded laps.

“I know but, I want to make mom proud of us dad. I want to show her that I can do it, that I’m just as strong as her two precious kids” the child scoffed as his eyes started to lit brighter, passion was burning strong inside his small, cute chest. “You will you dummy. And you’re hers too okay! You have our blood, you have my blood. So you’re strong, right Han?"

A young, dashing man crept silently into the room, sneering lightly at the youngest remarks. His black, straight hair pulled back as it revealed his two blue, gleaming eyes. They were identical to Changjo’s but much deeper. “Exactly, but not completely, the heart? You missed that part”

“Aha, the heart. Yes, your heart.” The sick elder smiled warmly at his suave step-son reply, as he signaled the younger to take the child off the bed. “Ughh no! Hyung, let me down. Dad?!” the two adults laughed at the child’s cute retaliation, as the young man effortlessly placed young Changjo on top of his shoulders. “We’ll come to visit you later” the dark haired latter bowed slightly as he carefully brought Changjo along.

“Your meeting… it’s at Keumgang, right?” the sick, adult looked pained as he spoke. “Nae” so did the child’s elder brother as he replied. “Take care, you…your mom treasured you and so are the pack. And take care of my son too, alright”

The younger snickered as he turned back and enthusiastically waved at his step-father. “I’m the strongest one remember, I’ll make sure this kid would still be whining at your bed once I’m done, dad.” The middle aged man looked as if he was slightly choking at the word dad. But then he immediately recovered, with his eyes glistening wet, the man smiled. “Yes, my two precious sons”

“You wanna have a go at your awesome hyung later, JJong-ah?”

“Sure! I’ll beat you for sure this time. Changjo, the boy who won against his legendary brother” the child snorted at his victorious sentence.

“okay.. okay… I’ll buy you ice cream if you do”

⇔♦⇔

His white, crippled shirt started to look darker as tears dripped down, one by one making a stain. But Changjo had stopped sobbing, the only thing that he couldn’t control were his eyes. Trembling from the cold night, the young man whispered..

“I’m sorry dad, I failed you. Hyung… you too, I’m sorry, I almost did it… but I couldn’t”

“Even with these two awesome bloods running through my veins, I’m still… so weak”

“Hey… you’re Changjo right?” the foxy demon sat carefully beside the half-blood, friskily handing him a bottle of liquor. “I don’t drink” the latter replied her gesture coldly as he shifted his body away from Hyuna. “Ah! You’re underage… mian” she smiled, as her hands ran through her mid length, blonde hair.

“You know, Changhyun… that kid, really loves you. As much as I love my, well, partner” she spoke before the lid of the glass bottle met her lips and the whisky ran down . “He kept calling your name, and it’s the first time he stopped saying sorry in his sleep”

“So, what does that have to do with you?” sharply the latter replied as his fingers fiddled with the wet grass. “Yeah, I guess it’s because I love him too. I always wanted a kid ya’know but I can’t have one but Changhyun, he acts like I’m his mother sometimes and now, that he stopped feeling so sorry. I’m just… thankful”

“To you”

“I’m pretty sure he thinks you as his auntie, only” the boy sneered coldly “But thank you... for saying that. I know you care about him” the latter smiled at the demon gently, with his eyes relaxed and tainted brown. The storms inside his heart had finally stopped and somehow, like magic the painful guilt had died down for a moment. “Yeah, hey… I like you half-blood. You’re a snobby little rascal but, you’re okay”

She replied as her soft hand landed on the younger’s shoulder.

“But Changhyun, he’ll never be alright unless Byung is awake. It’s like a curse, those two men had tattooed themselves into my boy’s skin and his guilt will never die unless he could undo his mistake” her hands started to shake, ever so slightly and he felt it tingle on his skin.

“So, even if I take him away, he’ll still be in pain?”

“Yes, in fact I fear he might hurt more if he is away” she looked into his eyes, pleading silently in her heart so that Changjo would just stop trying to take Changhyun away from this problem. “You see, he told me that everything would be perfect if Ljoe is awake”

Her hands finally on the ground and like her eyes, they were tied down to the sands. She knew that Changjo understand completely of her laced, pleated request. And she knew too, that when the boy finally agrees, she knew that she would see Changhyun break. But to her, this was the best.

“But he told me not to leave him. He specifically told me to rescue him” Changjo retorted quietly, knowing that the female demon would never understand his decision.  “Then rescue him, Changjo”