Ahjussi's POV:
 
              

                   I'm no softy, but I couldn't bring myself to actually punish the boys. The way they all knelt side by side, it brought back memories of when they were younger. Always standing up for one another, taking blame for each other, supporting each other. Just like the members of my generation.
 
There's a knock on the door,

"Yes?" I answer. The door opens a tiny bit, Donghae's head peeps through.

"Come in," I tell him. Right when I say this, his unsure expression transforms into a beaming smile. I haven't seen that expression of his since... he was 12.

"What're you doing?" he asks, his smile still in place as he walks in. I move to the couch and sit, he sits on the couch across from me.

"So... What is it?" I ask casually, he has to want something for smiling like that.

"Nothing… I just wanted to check in... Make sure you weren't mad or anything..." he admits, looking a little embarrassed towards the end.

"I'm not mad. Is that all?" he always worries about things like this; he's always so sensitive.

"... I'm sorry." He quietly begins; you can tell he's holding in his tears. Why though? Was I too harsh earlier?

"Why? For what?"

"What happened earlier today... It's just that I can't just sit around and wait anymore." he answers, still struggling to keep his voice steady.

"I understand, Hae. I didn't up until about an hour ago, but better late than never right?" I never really thought of how Donghae actually felt. I thought of how he should react, and what should be done, but didn’t think of anything realistically.

"... You do?" he asks, his glossy eyes looking right at me.

"Of course. And you're right, we should take action now. But I still want to test the waters first, see how prepared our soon-to-be opponents are."   To be honest, I miss Gaheun myself. Her presence is enough to lighten any atmosphere, even if she doesn't say a word.

"Yes, that makes sense… we have to make sure we’ll be okay too. And I've thought it through as well, and I think we can wait a little while longer... Kyu's trying to get the exact location she's in anyways." he answers, his voice back to normal.

"Yeah? That's good. So... You're not upset with me? We're good?"  He's like my own son, I've taken care of him for so long... Our relationship means the world to me.

"Yeah" he says, smiling again. He's hiding something, I can tell... His eyes always give away his true feelings.

"Well... I'm going to see how Kyu's doing." he adds, sighing as he gets up and heads for the door.

"Okay, oh and Hae... Don't worry; we'll have her back safe and sound for sure." He stops in front of the open door, his back to me. He turns his head around, and smiles again. This time it's a little more convincing than the last attempt. He nods once, then turns around and walks away.

                 I promise, Donghae. You and Gaheun will live happily... Your father wanted that for you. It was a dream of his, for your to get married and live a regular life, and I made a promise, during the last few seconds of his life, that it would happen.
 
 
 
Donghae's POV:
 
"Okay, and Hae... Don't worry, we'll have her back safe and sound for sure." Ahjussi says before I leave room. Compose yourself, Donghae. Just for a few seconds. I manage to smile, and turn around to acknowledge what he said. Ahjussi smiles back at me, with his kind eyes.
 
Oh no. I've got to walk, now. Go. This command reaches my feet, and I slowly walk away from the door. I'm cracking, I can feel it. Just keep yourself together a little longer, at least until it's time to...
 
"Hyung! There you are!" Henry runs to me. I quickly compose myself again, before he can see.

"Yeah, just went to talk to Ahjussi..."

"You don't have to try to hide how you feel, I have 20/20 vision." Henry says casually. What a strange kid.

"heh, okay. Got it." I smile at him.

"Oh look, there you go pretending to be okay again." I purse my lips... What face do I make now? What face does he want me to make? -.-"

"We know you're bummed out... And trust me, we all are too. But we realized... Gaheun wouldn't want us to be moping around, she'd want us to be happy and cheer up, right?" That's true... Haven't tried hard enough to be normal though. I just nod, fake smiling.

"oh gosh... Just quit it with your fake smiles will ya!? It makes me feel hopeless! Anyways, all fifteen of us are gonna go out and eat some desserts and snacks. Gaheun says food is the cure to everything, so when she's back we can tell her it's true!" he yells as he pushes me towards the front door.
 
I chuckle as he we leave the house; it's been a while since I really laughed. The fourteen of them are like my brothers, we've known each other as early as three years old. There's a bond between us that can never be replaced... I think our bond is the hardest thing I'll have to let go of.