1999, May 6th

He sat on one of the thrones in Montgomery living room while playing with his own fingers. There must be something big, he thought. It was not common for his father to call him, his brother, and his mother in the living room all of sudden. He only did that if there was a big announcement which should be told very soon. He was feeling nervous when his dad and mom finally came and closed the door. There’s no one else beside those three and the butler, Joanne Godeauc, in the room. His brother was nowhere to find which means that it’s a very private talk between them.

A cold sweat dropped from his neck as his Father stared at him. He bit his lower lip and squeezed his shirt. The last time they did this was about one week ago when they found that their boy was not improving in his school.

What’s happening here? Did I do something wrong? He thought, battling with his own mind.They were staring at him deeply before the words got out.

“Son, I’ve pointed your brother to be the successor of our clan,” his father said which made his boy started feeling calm, “...I-I agree, then?” he was seven at that time and of course, power is not everything for him. He didn’t bother to accept that because he personally accepted that his brother was way smarter and brighter than him. Besides, he loved his brother too much, so he would be happy for him no matter what.

“But you’re our first son,” his father said then taking a deep breathe, “...and in our clan’s rule, the first son should be the successor. Except, if the first son is dead,”

He got goosebumps at the word ‘dead’. He was staying still and his expression was just too indesribable. He mutters, “..t-then?”

“We need to remove you,”

A sudden lightning comes against his head, leaving him in shock while all he can do is holding his tears. Remove? Was his father trying to use better word than kill?

“D-dad, y-you gonna kill m-me?”

“Sadly, no. Your Mother didn’t allow me,” his Father said coldly, “..but I cannot stand to have such faulty kid like you. You have to be removed! No matter what. You’re such a shame for our family. You cannot even read, you are not able to keep up with the pace of the school and I cannot accept that excuse called Dyslexia to be the obstacle for you! You-are-the-heir-of-Montgomery! I cannot accept you to hold Family’s great name till you die!”

He started mumbling and crying. Tear drops on his cheek as his body keeps shaking to hold him making any sound.

“I thought that you’ll learn! I thought that you can be cured! But no! I know from the start that you’re a disgrace for us! So now, please son, LEAVE!” his father burst in anger.

He started crying even louder. He couldn’t stand the look at his father’s eyes as he kept crying, “..g-give me one m-more c-c-chance,” he said mumbling between his cry.

“No more chance, son. It’s all over now. You’ve disgusted me with your promises. You’re not improved at all. Besides...,” he finished his words then taking a sheet of paper. Clan’s memo. It’s only used to publish official announcement to media mass from Montgomery family. His father used that a lot in 1997-1998 when the great crisis attacks the world.

“..it’s been official,” he started reading the memo, “North Alexandre Montgomery, the son of James Grady Montgomery and Anne Claire Yoon has died at 1999, May 6th due to malignant disease which remained unidentified. His funeral was unpublished and hold as soon as he was found dead because of the depth of grief and pain which felt by his family,” his Father smirked at the last word.

That boy gasped in shock and cried even louder. He got down from his throne and approached his mother whom reamined silent, “..m-mom,” he was there, hoping that his mother was doing something for him. But the woman shook her head and said to him softly, “..one day, you’ll understand,” she said while holding her tears to drop. She really wanted to join her son crying, but she knew that her husband would hate her if she cried for him.

He looked at her hopelessly, he really hoped that his mother would stop her husband to do o. But her mother rejected to look at him again. She felt hurt, indeed. Her blood will be thrown away somewhere.

“From now and on, North Alexandre Montgomery has died! You, son, I’ve set a good place for you to stay,” he smirked then walked off of the room. As soon as he clicked the air, the guards gathered and pulled him out of the place.

“D—dad! W-where? W-where will you take me? D-dad!” he cried even louder that his face was not even red anymore, it got busted.

“Somewhere, son.. somewhere outside Europe,”

And he swore at that time he saw his mother and Joanne were gaping at the shocking words.

2014, May 6th.

A news breaks out this morning.

It said that Anne Claire Montgomery (nee Yoon) has died.

His mother was dead this morning.

The boy stands up in the corner of the rooftop of Department of Engineering, Seoul National University. It’s been two hours since he stood up there fearlessly and so defenseless with his hands in pocket and his ready-to-jump mode feet. In that situation, he may just fall with one small touch. He actually just looks like other usual Korean boy next door whom loves to play around the neighbourhood aimlessly to get an attention. His cheeky smile, pouty lips and wide forehead plus tiny eyes looks like just common Asians. Never in their thoughts, of all Seoul’s even South Korea’s people, that this boy is a son of the Head of biggest clan in Great Britain, well not. He is not, but he was the guy in that great clan—Montgomery.

A name which got him goosebumps and suffered for years.

He takes a lot of oxygen again, before opening his eyes and facing the view of Seoul from his department. He closes his eyes too much, huh? He fears the reality too much, huh? He lets out a silent laughs for himself then takes out the piece of Huffington Post in his pocket again. The piece that told him that her mother was dead. This morning, in Isle of Skye. His dad looks sad in the photo while his brother is nowhere to be seen. It was written that his brother suffers a great depression due to her death so that he couldn’t be able to attend the funeral.

“Tch, what a lie,” he mutters to himself.

Yes. Lie. He knows it all too well because he’s been living inside of it for years with the Montgomery family. All they did is bull and all their news are lies. All, and he includes this one, too.

Big fat liar.

He looks at the piece which showed him the date of his mother’s death: May, 6th.

“May 6th,” he repeats. Is it a perfect day to die, Mother?

He smiles, then squeezes the piece and throws it nowhere from the rooftop. He sees the piece is being flown by wind as he takes another deep breathe. He doesn’t know what to feel right now, either being happy for seeing his old family in newspaper or being sad for his mother. But one thing that’s always being clearer for him in this fifteen years:

North Alexandre Montgomery has died and forgotten.

It’s Byun Baekhyun now.

“I’m home,” he closed the door then set himself to enter the home. He puts his shoes in the wood rack then changes his socks with the ones he usually wears at home. He gets into the house and about to go upstairs when he sees his adoptive brother laying on the couch, sleeping, with the TV still turns on.

“Yonghwa hyung..., I’m home,” he whispers at the older, knowing his weakness. The ‘hyung’ suddenly gets up with mad expression in his face, “..y-ya! Scared me! It tickles, you know!” Yonghwa said, still in the state of unconscious. Baekhyun only laughs at his brother’s act, “Where have you been, Baekhyun-ah? Too late for going home, huh?” he said after looking at the clock which shows 8 pm. It’s not common for Byun Baekhyun to come home at this time, but without his adopting family realized, he always does that every year in May 6th, to mourn the death of North Montgomery—his somehow alter ego.

“I’m having evening class, hyung,” he smiles before continuing his way to go upstairs, “Don’t forget to cook dinner! It’s your turn tonight!” Yonghwa shouts.

“Yes, hyung!”

He gets into his room which have “Byun Baekhyun” name on the door, made by Soojung when she was 11. He changes his clothes to the casual ones then plopping himself on the bed before going down to cook. He looks at the photograph in the corner of his room, then he smiles. The photo shows him, Soojung, Yonghwa, and Jung Ilhoon (their father) smiled happily on his first trip in Jeju-do with Jung family to celebrate his birthday. It was the happiest moment for him after being adopted by the Jungs at the age of 9. Jung family is indeed way different from the Montgomery. Here, he can feel the warmth that he’d been craving for years of being a son. He suddenly feels so bad to his younger brother for being unwasted. He sometimes feels that he’s lucky to be discarded by such cold family with strict clan rules. Here he learns that family shouldn’t have rules, family shouldn’t throw away the member just because they want it, and family should support each other.

He will never be able to forget how Jung Yonghwa is being patient toward him when he taught him how to write and read both Koreans and English. It took five years for him to understand how to write and read that he finally could be able to get into regular school in 17. He would also never forget how Jung Ilhoon taught him Korean history and how to read the ancient runes in order for Baekhyun to pass the entrance test of Seoul National University. He also remembered when all the family were being proud of him because he passed to get into the most difficult major in SNU. He was being improved so much because of them. Because of their patience, kindness and love. They treat Byun Baekhyun nicely and he told them everything in return. About his background, his family, Montgomery, his childhood and stuffs which successfully made the Jung family surprised. At first Baekhyun thought that they would leave him because it’s such a danger to keep him, but he was wrong. The family still opened their arms, even Yonghwa jokingly said that the family was so lucky to get a richie kid to take care of.

At that time, he laughed relievedly at that joke.

But now, he would laugh ironically at that joke.

Jung said that they were lucky to get him.

While Montgomery said that they were ashamed of him.

He stares at the ceiling of his roofs blankly, starts thinking of his family. How his brother is doing, how his mother is doing, how the butlers are doing. Are they good? Are they feeling happy after North died? ..or, are they feeling sad? How is his younger brother? Is he strong enough to bear the crown that the dad passed to him? Is he getting thinner because of thinking the clans? How is his mother? Is she really dead? ..or is it another issue to divert public’s attention? Why can Baekhyun do nothing while his mother was publicly announced ‘dead’? What if his mother is being murdered? Why can he be so calm and not asking anyone if his mother is doing fine? Is he being selfish right now? Is he unable to leave the comfort zone, the happy zone he had with the Jungs? Did he completely forget his real family?

He starts getting headache. He thinks of everything so deeply. Too deep that he drowns in his mind, asking for everyone’s help to bail him out. He thinks too much that he didn’t realize that a tear has dropped on his cheek. It’s the left eye which produced the tears first, Yonghwa said that it’s the tears of sadness.

“Baek..,” girl’s voice comes closer to him. Baekhyun rubs his eyes quickly when he find Soojung stands on the doorstep. He gets up to approach her, gets ready to cook dinner which the family has waited for, “..the dinner, right? I’ll be cooking it at top speed,” he smiles brightly at the girl like nothing has happened, but Soojung knew everything. She knew Baekhyun too well.

She hugs him immediately and buries her face in Baekhyun’s chest. She’s crying soundly there, “I’m sorry..., I’m.. sorry for your loss,” she said in sad tone which made Baekhyun’s heart breaks even more. She knew it. Of course, the news of his mother’s death has been spreaded to the whole nation, because his mother is a Korean-British which is very famous in Korea for her beauty, work, and brain. Her look was praised and even got into 100 most beautiful faces of the year. She was a Medical Student in Harvard, the first Korean girl to study in Harvard University. She was graduating with egregia laude from Harvard then went back to South Korea for increasing the medical sector of the nation. She was praised for being such sweetheart, gorgeous woman and generous by sacrificing her youth to serve the country. She even got into TIME 100: The Most Influential People of The Year. She was always in the spotlight, she was beautiful by face, heart, and brain. There’s nothing that Yoon Anne failed to do. She’s succeeding everything, except..

...keeping her own child.

Baekhyun starts patting Soojung’s back, calms her down. He is blank for some moments because he doesn’t know how to react. He is not that sad for figuring out that his mother has died. The fact, is that he even forgot his family’s faces and all the interactions they did to him. He only remembered his brother, with whom he spent time at most.

“It’s okay.., we don’t know,” he said softly, still patting the girl’s back, “..I died too, right?” he sighs then smiles at his irony joke. Soojung doesn’t bother at his joke and still cried in his chest. He her hair softly and kisses Soojung’s top, breathing the beauty smell of her hair. He feels very lucky for having this family, and to be found by Soojung in orphanage.

“Baekhyun-ah, when will y—,” Yonghwa stops his word at the scene in front of him. He suddenly feels shiver all over his body. He was feeling broken to see Baekhyun and Soojung cried. His precious diamond, his treasures, his family, his dongsaengs. He had no idea of what to do for his brother’s loss. Of course, he knew. But he didn’t want to bring the issue up in order to calm his brother’s heart. He has told Soojung not to say anything about this to Baekhyun today, but he knew, that Soojung will disobey him. He then hugs both of them in his long arms and rests his head in the back of Baekhyun’s head.

“It’s okay..., it’s okay. I promise you that we’ll always be okay as long as we have us,”

In the other side of Seoul, rain pours heavily as the sky gets darker. A man with hazel eyes, neat square motives long sleeves and long black pants is waiting inside a cafe on the corner side of Gwanghwamun. He looks so young but not that young for his age. He sips his coffee slowly as he reads an unknown book which still remains mystery for him.

“Been eighteen years...,” he said calmly at an elder woman—about forty years old—whom still busy gathers some pieces of paper.

“Look, I’m working very hard on this,” she said, placing the pieces of paper and some photographs neatly in front of the guy, “..last thing I knew him is that he was thrown by Sir Montgomery somewhere in Canada, in the home of Yoon Anna’s closest friend namely Byun Hyeri for two months. North then runs away after Hyeri’s death to nowhere until an orphanage which was funded by private foundation of Canada-US found him and took care of him for a year. He later was brought to US to cure his dyslexia, then finally he met the Jung family, which has interest toward him to adopt. Jung family is Koreans and they live here, I’m sure,”

“Seems like Jung family has a taste..,” he throws a joke.

“Now, he goes by the name Byun Baekhyun, a second year student of Seoul National University, Engineering Department, majoring Chemical Engineering,” she said nervously.

“Chemical Engineering? Wow..,” he clicks his tongue in amuse, knowing that it was the most difficult major to enter in Seoul National University.

“He must’ve been working hard for that. It was quite difficult, even more, he is a kid with disability,”

He just nods and takes for another sip.

“..and.. this is his latest photo..,” she passes Baekhyun’s photo to the guy in front of him, “I did everything for this research, I hope that I wasn’t wrong,”

The guy takes the photo of Baekhyun’s and plays it in his hand. He stares at the photo for long time and smirks, “..I know, he didn’t die,”

Author’s: Woah! It’s quite long for first chapter and introduction. I hope that the fic goes well! This is my very first time to write an FF so please leave your comments (no silent reader allowed!) and give a vote if you like the story! Don’t forget to subscribe ^^

-nevele-