Flashback

There was a fence. A black metal fence that surrounded a large piece of land. In the centre of it were gates grand enough to welcome royalty. They guarded the district inside with a bar behind it. Behind the fence was a long stone path. Each stone a different colour from the one next to it. The path led through a flower bed. The garden had a variety of different flowers along with roses: violets, buttercups, red and white roses. Past the flower garden was a small, fenced in pond. There was a short brick fence surrounding the square pond while the path led to a small bridge that arched over from one side of the pond to the other. Often, birds would shower in the small human-made pond while ducks and a few swans would swim in it for a while. It was a bright and sunny day, the perfect summer day for afternoon strolls and playing in the yard.

Instead, the sound of piano keys rang from inside the house. The house was huge. There were shrubbery that lined all across the mansion, cutting off only at each side of the main entrance. Behind it were long cement columns, designs all along it complete with a square base that connected to the ground. Each of these columns arched in to each other towards the top, creating a semi-circle arc, framing the ceiling further behind them. Past that section was a long walkway that was a simple path horizontal to the shrubbery that lined the front of the mansion. Past the glass doors with gold coloured frames was a large grande piano placed inside one of the empty rooms. The floor boards were all chestnut brown. Each window wide and tall, allowing the sun to shine inside, especially in the summertime. The piano room had a few chairs in the back followed by a small chair next to the rectangular piano chair. A little boy, probably six years old, was seated on the piano chair and playing a familiar children's tune, 'Oh Mcdonald'. An old man sat next to the small boy, smiling softly at his grandchild as he played. His skinny arm wrapped around the young boy as the child sat, back straight and arms stretched. His small and chubby pink fingers touched the keys expertly, as if he was already familiar with the song. His black hair sticking out here and there as he swayed his head left and right comically. The old man chuckled softly.

As the boy finished the tune, his grandfather beamed proudly after having been told by the small boy to sit next to him. The boy had tugged the chair next to the piano seat before playing. Applauding for the six year old child, the boy grinned proudly before bowing. “That was wonderful, Mr. Dong. I'm so proud of you, how long did it take for you to learn this?” The grandfather spoke, eyes narrowing into slits as he praised his grandson. The small boy was Youngbae. He never wanted his parents to call him by his name, or son, since he always felt so small when he was called those names. He wanted to be called like others called his father. It sounded so professional and so grown up. Youngbae, still rather young, wanted to grow up faster and become a business man like his dad. His parents loved him so much, they complied to anything he requested. The boy was overjoyed. He couldn't be happier. Unlike many spoiled kids who would take advantage of the tremendous amount of love and freedom being showered on them, Youngbae didn't. Instead, he accepted it and gave all the love he received back to his family. They were Christians. The small boy believed in God, so he was one of the good boys at Sunday School who listened to every lesson when they were supposed to and goofed off and socialized when the time came. His church was good. The teachers didn't force beliefs on him. They didn't make him do things, but rather, he was explained why he should and shouldn't do things, and the boy was already mature enough to listen. He wanted to learn.

“Thank you, grandpa! I practiced this song for one week!” the child's voice chirped. Though he thought he was already a big boy, Youngbae was still little. His voice still rather high, his parents thought it was cute. His grandfather opened his mouth in fake shock, already suspecting Youngbae to have learned that song in a week, but pretended he didn't.

“Wow, that's amazing, Mr. Youngbae, I would never have learned a song that hard in such a short period of time! You're definitely a smart boy. A smart man indeed.” the old man said, nodding as he spoke. He chuckled softly before ruffling the other's hair gently, messing it up slightly before patting his grandson's shoulder lightly.

Youngbae pouted softly, chuckling cutely as he tilted his chin up proudly. “It's Mr. Dong, grandpa. Not Mr. Youngbae!” the boy corrected the elder, beaming widely. His teeth appeared between his lips as he smiled. He felt happy that he was complimented by his grandfather. He'd been working on this piece for such a long time because it was harder than the other piece he'd learned. The boy loved the piano, and always wanted to play the piano in a big concert hall. Next to being a business man like his father, who he looked up to, the boy also loved music. He listened to many bands, instrumental, pop and rock. Although he did know a lot of bands at such a young age, his favourite was the piano. There was a beautiful thing about the sound of each note as he played it. The way each one would ring as he held the key for long periods of time. The way the higher ones would ring even after he let go. Each note sounded unique to him. It made Youngbae happy to be able to play an instrument as beautiful looking and sounding as the piano.

So, his parents bought the boy a piano. It was the very piano he played for his grandfather. To the little boy, it was his most treasured birthday present he'd ever gotten from his family. Every day that he was done kindergarten, he would run to the piano to play songs. Song after song, he'd continue playing until he was satisfied, or until dinner was ready. Life couldn't be any happier.

Youngbae's grandfather laughed and nodded. He kissed his grandson's petit forehead and agreed to the boy. “Yes, yes, Mr. Dong. Sorry, Mr. Dong. Your old man is becoming more and more forgetful!” he mused, giving the young boy a mischievous grin. “I'll tell you what. How about you continue playing the piano and never stop. That way, I'll never lose my memory.” he spoke. As much as he knew it wouldn't exactly work, he knew the boy loved playing the piano. He could let the boy dream for now. He was still young. The old man loved his grandchild's piano playing, and it always soothed his mind no matter what went on in the house. Whether there had been a family feud or if a petty argument took place.

Grinning, the little boy nodded his head vigorously. “Yes, grandpa!” he shouted before sitting back into his seat, having stood up previously to bow. He opened the pink book with a cartoon piano in the middle smiling, to the middle, where another familiar song title was written there: 'Edelweiss'. Youngbae focused on the tiny notes on the page and began playing the piece with as much emotion as he could put in. The song was slow and sweet... innocent. The boy's expressions were different from many kids mainly because he would absorb himself into the song itself whenever he played something. The song's familiar relaxing tones rang from the piano in the now silent room. Each note was clear and precise, with minimal errors. Youngbae's grandfather smiled softly before turning his back to the room, walking out of the room as he let the music absorb into his heart and mind.

Flashback ends

Leaning forward in his seat, Youngbae stared at the tiny black notes on the pages he'd printed out. The pages placed messily on the stand above the keys sat still and plain as the male stared at the song title. 'Planetarium – Ai Otsuke' the page read, with notes practically scribbled from top to bottom in an unordered manner. The piece being a way higher level now, the notes and combinations were much more difficult. Now there were more than just f  's, p 's,  mf 's and mp 's. Across the page were lines with weird dents here and there. There were zig zag lines next to certain chords as well. The blonde pursed his lips in a line as he stared at the pages. He hadn't played the piano for a while, now. The last time he'd touched it, it was right after moving into his own house. He was frightened, too frightened, to touch the keys of the piano he bought himself. It felt like he was betraying a small part of himself. What would his parents think of him playing piano again? He stopped because of them. They would get angry, wouldn't they? And what about this new piano? It wasn't the same one his parents got for him. Of course it wasn't. That old one was destroyed a long time ago in the fire. That incident. Shaking his head, Youngbae placed his hands on the keyboard gently. His fingers caressing the keys silently as he stared at the pages of the piece in concentration before pushing one key down, the beginning of the piano piece. He hadn't completely forgotten how to play the piano. He hadn't forgotten his parents' lessons. He knew how to play, he just never got the courage to try. But it's been a long time, and he was willing to finally let go of the reasons, the excuses he'd made for not playing. He wasn't going to completely give up on a talent of his over something that happened so long ago.

As he drifted further into the song, his fingers practically controlling themselves, he heard a light knock on the door. Ignoring it, the male continued playing. The notes gliding gracefully one after another in the lullaby. He put his whole body into the song, emphasizing each high point of the piece and exaggerating the chorus each time he repeated it. He knew who knocked. He'd invited Seungri over not too long ago, and he knew his friend would let himself in if he didn't answer. Soon enough, towards the end of the song, Seungri came and stood next to the blonde, standing behind him and reading the sheets before staring at the elder's fingers as he finished the song. Seungri applauded, earning a “Yah! You've heard me before, haven't you?” from Youngbae, who chuckled softly as he nudged the younger boy next to him.

Seungri laughed in return and nodded. It was true. He had been there when the blonde decided to start playing the piano again. That just said so much about how close he was with the elder. Youngbae's house was now much smaller than his mansion, and was probably the same size as Seungri's. Since the blonde came from a very rich family, when they deceased, and when he turned 19, he was given the entire family fortune that had been saved up since their deaths. With the money he got, along with the money he made himself, the male used only some of it to get the piano he was currently playing. Seungri was one of the first people, apart from Seunghyun and a couple of friends, to visit his new house he'd purchased by himself. It wasn't as beautiful as the mansion but it was out of his own hard work. That was why Seungri always was so proud of the elder. Ever since they were young, Seungri had looked up to Youngbae.

Sitting down on the small chair he'd left next to the piano chair, Seungri rested his back against it before closing his eyes, letting the other continue to play as he listened. Just a little, it reminded the blonde of his times with his grandfather. The chair that would always be next to his each time he wanted to play a piece for the elder. Taking out another few sheets of music notes, he placed them in order on the stand. Staring at the next title, he started playing again. This time, the music was slightly more sad than the previous tune. Though it was sad, the piece did have a sweet melody to it. He closed his eyes again as his fingers danced all over the keyboard, pressing skillfully over each note.

Flashback

Out of the darkness, he ran. He ran as far as his small legs could carry him. He'd heard the screams behind him and was told to run by a frantic voice. By a woman. It was his mother. “Go!! Get out of here, Baeby! You can't be here!! Get out of here as fast as you can before it's too late!” the voice screamed at him as he turned. His eyes broke to tears as he sobbed. He sobbed loudly as he ran blindly as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands fiercely. He could barely hear his own thoughts nor his own sobs from the noise that came after that last command from his parents. Screams rang through his eyes as he covered his ears. He wanted the noises to disappear. He hated this. The pain that sounded from those terrified screams followed by the sinister laughs as skin was shred from bones. It was killing them. Whatever it was, it was killing all those he loved one after another, as if they were nothing but left over meat waiting to be devoured. Youngbae continued to run until he reached a house. It was one made of log that looked more like a summer shed. The lights were on, so the young boy assumed someone was probably home. As he'd been running, his mansion had blew to flames. Whatever it was obviously didn't want anyone to find this scene. The boy pressed the door bell button and waited for someone to open the door for him. He needed help and the quicker, the better. He was still rather young, and had no idea how to take care of himself out in the wilderness.

The door cracked open a few seconds later, as a woman appeared at the door. She looked down at him as the young boy panted heavily. He stared back up at her with a just as confused expression. “Are you lost, little one?” the lady asked. She pursed her lips in a frown as she wiped her flour covered hands on her apron. It was a little past 7, so the woman was probably baking something. The boy didn't care at this point. All he needed was shelter. Food. Anything that could get him far away from this place. Youngbae shook his head. His parents were long gone now, and he was far from lost. He felt so small in this world compared to yesterday, when he felt like he owned everything in the world. He didn't feel like he fit in this world at all. No one was at his side anymore. The boy let a few tears slipped past his eyes before pointing behind him. The woman looked over his shoulder to where he pointed at and saw a line of grey smoke drifting from the trees. Her eyes widened in horror as she understood what the boy was trying to say. Or at least she had thought she did. She still didn't know even half of the story. How those creatures had snuck in there house in the middle of dinner time. How they were all suddenly covered in black mist as they began hallucinating. They began seeing things that made them attack each other before finally being taken in by those creatures, and brutally murdered. The little boy had been late coming home after playing with his friends. He knew he was going to be in trouble when he got back, but he came in just in time to witness everything happening before his eyes. His mother's final words weren't ones of disappointment. They were ones filled with terror. Her eyes of horror as she frantically willed her son to run away. And he did.

Pulling Youngbae inside, the woman hugged him tightly. She knew the child was most likely still in shock after what he'd witnessed. She didn't know what to do, but she didn't want to send him off to an orphanage to live either. She'd just have to look for one that was trustworthy. She could barely take care of herself. “I'll take you to find good people to take care of you tomorrow, okay? You can just stay here with me for tonight.” the lady said kindly, smiling down at the boy. Youngbae stayed expressionless. He didn't respond much more. The pain of losing his parents finally hit him, and he just wanted to curl up in bed and let the world cave around him.

After dinner, which was complete silent between the two who'd just met, Youngbae finally went to his room where the woman lent to him. Crawling in, he pulled the sheets over his head and cried. The little boy cried himself to sleep until he could do nothing but sniffle in bed. The woman poked her head in to the room just as he was asleep to check up on him. She shook her head solemnly, cursing whoever it was that caused this boy so much misery.

Flashback ends

 Finishing the song he was just playing, the blonde stood up from his seat before tapping Seungri's shoulder lightly. The younger had fell asleep listening to his friend playing the piano. Eyes opening slightly, he rubbed his eyes before crossing his arms. The elder chuckled and pulled the other up before patting his shoulder firmly. “Hey, ya want anything to eat? Or drink, since you're visiting me.” he grinned at the other as he turned to walk over to the kitchen. The kitchen, the blonde had made to look much like the one he had at the mansion when he was small. It wasn't entirely identical since it was a much smaller house. He was also basing off of his own memories as a child, which weren't much, but he still insisted on remodelling it that way. His parents meant a lot to the male, so he wanted some things that would remind him of them.

Walking in to the kitchen, he open a cupboard, pulling out two mugs before the younger could say anything. Groggily, Seungri followed behind the elder before propping himself on the counter. “Make me some coffee, please. And let's order some pizza.” the younger said, resting his back on to the counter top. Youngbae turned to the other and smacked the other's leg, causing him to yelp, whining as he rubbed his thigh, sitting back up again. “Yah! The hell was that for?!” he protested. The younger pursed his lips in a frown as he glared at Youngbae, who only snickered as he turned back to the two mugs.

“You need to stop being lazy and lying around everywhere. Being one of my closest friends, I don't want to be seen around someone chubby when I'm so good looking.” he said teasingly before smirking. He loved teasing the younger male, mainly because the other was always so fun to tease, and he knew how to take a joke. Many times, his friends would take him seriously since he often acted that way. But come on, we have to loosen up once in a while.

The blonde brewed the coffee in the machine and waited before it was ready just as Seungri replied. “Psh, I'm attractive enough as I am. You're just worried that I'd steal all the girls from you.” the younger stated boldly, rolling his eyes as he grinned, lying back down on the counter. It was comforting when his friend would joke around with him that way. Seungri recalled when the other was so silent. When they first met, the boy was still traumatized, and he didn't know why. Only a couple years after living together did Youngbae finally expose to him what happened before he arrived to their house. Seungri was angry at the time. He didn't expect that something like that had happened to his closest friend, and he was frustrated. He wanted to have been there to support the other, and yet he couldn't do anything now since they never knew each other. The past was already done and over. All the younger did was cry on Youngbae's shoulder, feeling the other's sorrow as if it were his own.

When the machine tuned out a song signalling that the coffee was ready, the blonde grabbed one of the mugs and pressed the button of the machine, pouring the brown bitter liquid inside before walkign over to the fridge. Youngbae grabbed the milk carton and poured some in the almost full mug before adding a sugar cube inside. He grabbed a spoon from one of the shelves and stuck it inside the coffee. Once he was done, he slid the mug to the younger. “Here's your coffee.” he said before repeating the same actions for his own mug of coffee. After he was done, the male put the milk back into the fridge before leaning his back on the counter, sipping on his drink.

“Time really had passed, hasn't it?” the younger spoke up, sipping his cup of coffee before smiling at Youngbae. It really has. It felt like only recently when they both met Seunghyun and began hanging around each other. It felt even more recent that he and Youngbae became great friends. Sighing, Seungri pressed his back against the wall as he looked up, recalling how he first met the elder many years ago.

Flashback

“Quickly, Riri. We have to go pick up your new older brother.” a man's voice was heard in the dark and stuffy house. Half the lights were off inside. One man wearing a quick turtle neck and jeans was headed over to the washroom to check up on his wife. “Dear, are you ready?” he asked as he walked into the washroom, smiling. His wife stood facing the mirror. She wore a loose black t-shirt that caressed her hips, exaggerating her already slim body. She had on a pair of black skinny jeans to complete her outfit. Even though they were only picking up a child, the woman still wanted to be seen in her best. Seungri's father found that unnecessary because she was already beautiful in his eyes, no matter how many times she asks, and especially no matter how much she tries.

“Does this look good?” she asked her husband, earning a light peck on her cheek, smiling softly as she looked at their reflection in the mirror. One light hung at the ceiling close to the mirror, making the room look orange in the somewhat dark house.

“Of course. You look beautiful.” the man said sincerely as he wrapped his arms around the woman's waist lightly. He rested his head on his wife's shoulder. “You always do, you know that.” he said. His wife nodded, smiling back at his husband before the man let go. “Come on, we should hurry. He's waiting for us.” he said before leaving the room. His wife followed behind him as they headed downstairs to the living room, ready to leave.

The two adults grabbed their coats and started putting them on. “Seungri baby!” the woman called out to her son, just as a little boy came running to them. He was already wearing his sweater and sweat pants. In his hand, he carried a small teddybear. He looked up, face expressionless. He knew his parents were bringing home another boy, but he didn't like it. What if this boy steals his parents away? What if they no longer loves him once they see this new boy? Little Seungri frowned, putting on his cutest pout in front of his parents.

His mother softened her expression before picking up her son. “Aw, baby... you don't want to meet the new boy?” she asked. The boy nodded his head a few times before looking down sadly. He hoped that this would get to his parents and they would change their plans and stay home instead. But the woman spoke again. “Why don't you want to meet him?”

The boy paused before looking back up at his mother. The bottom of his lip quivered slightly as he held his emotions in. “I... I don't want mommy and daddy to not love me anymore.” his childlike voice spoke up in the silence of the house, earning both his parents' attention. Seungri's father approached him.

“Riri-yah... No one's going to stop loving you, you know that? We'll always love you no matter what. This boy, he doesn't have parents to love, so we just want to help him. Don't you want other little boys to be happy and not sad?” the father's loving voice rung in the silence. He extended a hand to his son's soft black hair. His son thought about it. Seungri looked down for a moment before looking back up, nodding. Although he didn't entirely understand it, he knew he hated making people sad. If this new boy was sad, he'll try his best to make them happy again, even if he didn't exactly know it.

“Okay, daddy. I get it.” he said, looking at his father and smiling softly. His parents chuckled in relief. Both of them kissing Seungri's forehead lightly before letting go. The little boy's mother grabbed a small coat from the rack and handed to his son so he could put it on. After a few minutes of getting dressed, the family headed out to meet the new child.

When the family arrived, the little boy became curious. The little house looked almost like his own, except slightly bigger. What would the other boy look like? Would he be quiet like sometimes he was? Or would he be loud and noisy? Would the boy like him? What was his name? So many questions ran through Seungri's mind as he looked at the house from inside the car. His father got out of the car after parking it, opening the door next to Seungri so he could climb out before closing the door after him. His wife stepped out of the car and closed it behind her. They looked at the house make with red bricks cemented together and smiled before walking up to the front porch and ringing the door bell. It was already fairly dark outside since it was about 7PM. The family hadn't eaten yet, and told the owner of the orphanage to not feed their newest family anything yet, since they were going to head out together for dinner. Seungri's parents liked parties and events to celebrate whenever something happened, so they wanted the boy to feel special upon entering their family.

The door opened and inside was a woman in her late 40s. She smiled widely at the family before laughing warmly, gesturing to the family to come inside. “Welcome, welcome! You must be Mr. and Mrs. Lee. And who is this?” she looked down at Seungri who hid behind his father's leg. Though he was social, he was still rather shy. His family had so many connections everywhere that it partly scared him. The woman was tall, with blond curly hair that reached just below her ear. She was a fat and pink skinned lady that loved to smile.

“Ahh, he's Seungri. Say hi!” the little boy's mother spoke, smiling as she placed a hand gently on her son's upper back soothingly. She knew he was shy, and she hoped he'd overcome this soon. Seungri looked up at the lady and nodded, waving shyly with his right hand before looking down again. The woman beamed before waving back at the little boy.

“Well hello there, Seungri. Here to meet your new older brother?” she spoke before chuckling, wrapping an arm around Seungri's mother, pulling her inside the house. Her husband walked along with them as the lady spoke, just as a small little boy poked his head out from behind a wall. This boy looked about two years older than Seungri. Seungri stared at him. Was this the new brother that he was told about? He looked a little mature for a child. He seemed different from the kids he's known since he started talking. The kids he'd hang out with were all goofballs, since they were all younger than him. Nothing like this new boy standing in front of him. Seungri was curious. He tilted his head slightly before approaching the other.

“Are you the new brother I was supposed to get?” Seungri asked gingerly. The elder, probably about eleven years old, smiled slightly, shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't too sure himself if this family was the one that was going to adopt him. He'd seen the family at the door when he hid behind the kitchen wall. They looked nice, although nothing compared to his own family. He missed them, but he knew that they weren't going to come back. This new family wouldn't replace his own. He just needed to live with them, which the elder complied with.

“Are your parents Mr. and Mrs. Lee?” the male asked, looking down at the younger. He gave a soft and timid smile, being nice to the younger before they met. Something about the younger boy made him immediately want to take care of him. He looked skinny and frail compared to his somewhat masculine and still developing body. The young boy exercised a lot though he didn't exactly need it. “My name's Youngbae.” he added as he stuck his hands in his jean pockets. “What's your name?”

The younger looked up at Youngbae. This boy seemed like such a nice person. He was different and Seungri wanted to get to know the other more. “I'm Seungri, it's nice to meet you.” he spoke formally for the first time. He was the oldest where he lived, and it felt weird, but was compelled to speak this way to the other boy. Youngbae was someone Seungri knew he'd begin to respect the more he got to know the other.

Youngbae smiled before approaching Seungri, patting his shoulder firmly. “Yah. Seungri, if you're going to sleep, do that on the couch and not here.” the voice spoke. Seungri arched a brow up at the other. What was that all of a sudden?

Flashback ends

The younger male frowned in his sleep as he felt an arm on his shoulder tapping it before shaking him slightly. He cracked open his eyes before seeing the blond above him. The cup of coffee next to him, already cold. Damn. He didn't expect himself to have fallen asleep so easily. And to dreamed of such a thing as their first time meeting each other. Shaking his head a little, he pushed the idea aside. “Hey I didn't expect to fall asleep, Youngbae-yah.” he spoke, sitting up before grabbign his mug that held his coffee and taking a drink from it, finishing the half empty cup. Getting off of the counter, the young male placed the mug in the sink before filling it with water, washing it before putting it in the dish washer jus as the blonde chuckled.

“Whatever you say, but you're ordering the pizza.” he said, grinning before throwing the phone at Seungri. The younger male caught it in his hand, waving Youngbae off with a hand before nodding. “It's in the contacts book.” the elder added before heading over to the living room, turning on the television. He didn't usually watch TV, but maybe he could turn on a movie or something to watch with his friend. He had video games lying in a clump to the side. He didn't really play them unless he was at home by himself. No one did find any interest in them, so he kept them to himself. Maybe one day, he'd meet someone who he could enjoy them with.

Pulling out a few blue-ray discs, Youngbae waited as his friend walked over, having already made his order over the phone. “What movie do you wanna watch? We've got plenty of time to watch a few. Seunghyun's busy today isn't he?” he questioned, winking at the other teasingly. His friend nodded solemnly before sitting next to Youngbae.

“How about Inception? And The Hobbit. I haven't seen those and people say they're good.” he beamed, holding the two cases up in front of him. The black haired male opened the blue-ray machine and slipped one of the discs inside before closing it. Climbing on to the couch with the elder, he switched the channel, watching the screen turned from black to blue as the intro to Inception came up. For the rest of the afternoon, the two watched movies and ate pizza. Youngbae tried as he could to ignore the painful memories and live in the good ones. It was bad to drown yourself in sorrow all the time. At times, we need to sit back, relax, and forget about all of them and focus on the present. It was on these days that Youngbae wanted to forget about hunting, croats and Jiyong. That was for another time, and that time wasn't now. Smiling at the screen, the blonde pulled the third slice he picked up off the box to his lips, biting into the warm corner and enjoying the warm, cheesy taste of the pizza as he faced the screen.

'Ignorance is bliss... that's a good way to think about things once in a while.' Youngbae thought to himself.

A/N: Done. I wanted to finish this last night but then time didn't let me... But here you go~ I wanted to expand a little on Taeyang's life since he's a rather important character :P So I gave him one entire chapter \O/ Although this didn't have a lot of action and excitement, its a nice break from the plot for a while right?