It was dark.

Very, very, very dark, if you asked Hongbin. Trying his best not to panic –despite the cold sweat breaking on his spine, he started to feel what was around him. Though a bit intimidated to do so, especially since he’s in a pitch-black room, Hongbin still tried.

A bed. He was on a bed, that, he could confirm. Sitting up slowly, he thought of calling out to Taekwoon but there was something different that made him stop. Different air…the air in the room was different from what he’s used to. There was no Taekwoon. His smell wasn’t there.

“Hongbin.”

It could’ve shocked him, Hongbin, but it didn’t. He knew that voice, very well, in fact. It was Taekwoon’s. But it was far.

“Hyung? Where are you?” The younger asked gently.

“Where are you?”

“Hyung…” Hongbin started to show panic.

He was more worried about his hyung rather than the darkness blanketing him. He wanted to know about Taekwoon’s whereabouts.

“Hongbin, are you okay?” Taekwoon asked.

“I’m fine. Just a little shaken…and you, hyung?”

“I’m…I think I’m tied up. And blindfolded. I can’t see anything. But I’m okay, I’m not harmed…”

Tied up? Blindfolded? With every breath he took, Hongbin’s anxiety rose a little higher than before; not knowing where he was, not knowing where Taekwoon was and not knowing what to do. He wanted to get to the elder, but how?

It was already dark, but he closed his eyes anyway; trying to think of what to do. His body was trembling but his rationality was still intact so it was enough for the moment.

“Hongbin, where’d you go?” A little panic was heard in Taekwoon’s voice.

“I’m h-here…I’m still here. I’m just trying to think of what to do next. S-stay there. I’ll find you.”

Slowly, one by one, Hongbin tried to recognize every little thing that he knew by then to find Taekwoon. He felt around him and his hands found the wall just beside the bed. He wasn’t in his room and he wasn’t in Taekwoon’s. Both their beds lumpier than the one he was sitting on and the wall was clean. Their walls were smudged here and there with marker writings.

He smiled.

‘Focus on one thing,’ he heard someone say.

It wasn’t out loud but in his head. The voice was so familiar that he didn’t even try to identify it first to know its owner. It was his brother. It was when they were playing detectives…

‘Hyung I don’t like this game…it’s kind of creepy.’

‘It’s not if you know how to play it. I thought you liked Sherlock Holmes, don’t you want to try and play his game?’ His brother had said.

‘His game? What game?’

‘The detective game. You focus on one thing and try to figure it out. Like right now, where do you think we are?’

‘I don’t know…you blindfolded me, how can I know?’

‘By identifying everything around you using your senses. Smell, touch, feel, listen. Focus on one thing at a time, Bean,’ his elder had said amusingly.

‘I smell…fried food? And…and I hear dad’s music somewhere further, I think,’ little Bean tried.

‘Good, good! Okay, now try to feel. Feel what’s around you.’

‘I feel…cement, is it the floor? And…and I’m on a bench. No, no wait, I’m sitting on a wooden stool. It's kind of small in here, I can reach to the sides... it's wooden too. Am I right? So now what?’

‘You guess where you are.’

‘Am I…wait, I smell dad. I mean, it's the smell of oil and that weird thing dad sprays on plants. Are we... in the shed?’

‘Try taking off your blindfold.’

Little Bean did so, and yes, they were in their backyard shed; where their father keeps away his tools and such. Hongbin looked up and smiled. His brother was smiling right at him from the stool across from him.

Focus on one thing at a time.

“Hongbin?”

A slightly shaken voice broke Hongbin away from his memory bubble. He was then in that dark room again. On the bed.

“I’m still here, hyung. I think I know what to do.”

“Be careful, alright?” Taekwoon said not a second later, a little worried of the younger.

“Alright.”

With every touch, Hongbin tried to identify everything that he could take in. There was no blanket and that was fine. Slowly, he slid himself off the bed, trying to stand up. Hands stretched out as far as they can go, the male started to pace here and there, trying to touch everything there is to touch. He was so very afraid, but not afraid enough.

But there was nothing. It was a room similar to theirs, but there was nothing but the bed. The walls were the same, nothing on them; not one spot tainted. Hongbin took it all in and started to find his way out by trying to find a door. Walking along the walls, eventually, he found one. It was unlocked.

If he was taken by someone, surely the door would be locked. And surely he would be tied up like Taekwoon, but he’s not. Maybe…maybe this was a test. An ex-

Yes, an experiment, Hongbin thought. That’s why he was given the freedom to move. He was the one to solve this. That’s why.

After knowing the intention of the whole thing going on, Hongbin started to get the hang of things. He opened the door and started to get out. It wasn’t as dark outside but it was fairly dimmed. The room was at the end of the hall so he had to walk along it to go to wherever Taekwoon was. As he cautiously walked by, he tried every door within his reach but all of them were locked.

BANG! BOOM!

Out of nowhere, loud noises started to sound. It was like someone was banging on a door, trying to get out of something. The noises were frightening to Hongbin.

‘Hyung!’

NO! Nonononononono- Hongbin started to scream inside.

Then there was a flash of memory of his little self being locked up in the old cupboard- NO, PLEASE NO, Hongbin cried out in his head. Collapsing, he let himself drown in the sudden fear. He was suffocating, his chest heaving, his stomach tied in a knot and his head a mess. He was seeing everything in double by then. 

‘Focus on one thing.’

One thing…just one thing, Hongbin thought.

Taekwoon.

That one single thought got him up as fast as he had fallen. Taekwoon was waiting for him, so he quickly tried to regain his senses. The loud noises were still there but it was faint to Hongbin then. He had drowned out the noises on purpose; so he could focus on doing one thing at a time. But how does he do that? He still didn’t know where to go to start looking for Taekwoon.

Then he noticed a lingering scent. It was familiar, but he didn’t know what the scent was or where it came from. It was a start. As long as it leads somewhere, he was fine with it.

Stumbling in his own steps, Hongbin tried to follow the scent down the hall. It was nowhere near strong but it wasn’t faint either. So it could be that it was still new; someone had walked by not too long ago. Slowly, the scent led Hongbin to the end of the halls, where at the far end was another room. The only room that had its lights on.

Curious, Hongbin started to make his way to the door of the room. The lights were dim. It shone only softly by the edge of the door. Then he noticed it again. The scent was there, he could smell it. He was sure of it. So he opened the door.

“Hongbin?”

That voice.

“Hyung?” Hongbin whispered.

“It’s really you,” Taekwoon had whispered back.

“Hyung.”

Realizing that he was stuck in his spot, Hongbin quickly broke away and kneeled by his elder’s back as soon as he got to him; trying to undo the tying. Once it was off, Taekwoon took off his blindfolds and rushed to wrap his now bind-free arms around the younger male.

A little taken by surprise, Hongbin quickly got used to the warmth; trying to settle himself comfortably into the familiar arms. It was his smell, Hongbin finally realized. It was Taekwoon’s smell that he had followed. The sweet-woody kind of scent. It was Taekwoon’s. Oh, how it relieved him.

“I was worried…” Taekwoon sighed into the younger’s hair.

“I was too, that’s why I came to find you,” Hongbin said quietly as he looked up.

“Where were you? And how did you find me?”

“I was placed in a room, just like ours but somewhat different. It was dark but I found my way…”

“It was dark? So how…” Taekwoon worried.

Smiling at the concerned expression that showed on the other’s face, Hongbin’s eyes started to water. He felt fine.

“My brother helped me.”

His brother was with him, somewhere deep in his heart, so of course, he would be fine.

---

The monitoring room was quiet.

Too quiet. Both the doctors inside were staring at the screen; putting all of their focus on what was happening. But the screen was empty then. The subjects; Hongbin and Taekwoon had both left, sent back to their respected rooms. It took them a while to separate but they eventually did.

And that was about 10 minutes ago.

Hakyeon was sitting in his seat, eyes still glued to the screen and Wonshik was standing not far away, also looking at the blank monitoring screen. One of the two was 100% satisfied with the experiment and the other as well but was still not fully admitting to it.

“We did it, didn’t we? We actually found a new method, didn’t we, sunbae?” Wonshik finally said.

“…yes. We did. We finally did it.”

There. Both the males agreed and it was done. But both their minds were still in doubt. There was one little slot in this experiment and it was on Taekwoon. Taekwoon’s part wasn’t a big one. It was a 'triggering' experiment, not as much as an 'overcoming' experiment like Hongbin’s. But just because it wasn’t big, it doesn't mean it was going to end well…

…and both Hakyeon and Wonshik were aware of it.

---

“Taekwoon.”

A sharp breath was caught in his lungs. He knew that voice.

He’d know that voice even if it were years and years away from now because truthfully, it was there since the beginning. Since high school, it was there, in the back of Taekwoon's mind. He closed his room door and turned around.

And there he was, Lee Jaehwan.

*[ A/n: I'm sorry for taking TOO much time to update but being in the final year of college is really hard. But I'm not stopping. I'll keep updating but only if you're all eager to stay and see what'll happen to these two.

             For now, please settle with short updates...okay? I'm trying my best. Enjoy! ]