“Sungyeol. Can I speak with you?” Hoya asked.

Sungyeol looked up from Myungsoo’s lap and sat up. “…Yes, Hoya?”

Hoya stood in the doorway, his gaze hardened as he motioned for Sungyeol to follow him outside. Sungyeol shared a glance with Myungsoo before standing up. He placed a kiss on Myungsoo’s cheek before walking outside to join Hoya.

“Yes?” he asked. “My siblings are getting ready to sleep, so I hope this won’t take too long.”

“I’m going to get Dongwoo back.”

Sungyeol’s eyes shot open. “…What?”

“I know how to get him back,” he said. Hoya wasn’t wasting any time and was getting straight to the point. “And I want to apologize to you.”

“Apologize for what?”

“For exploding at you two and blaming you for Dongwoo’s capture. I’m sorry for my behavior.”

Sungyeol shook his head. “Don’t apologize, Hoya. It really was our fault. I’m still sorry that we didn’t tell you that we weren’t going. I should be apologizing.”

“Its fine, what’s done is done. I’m not angry anymore. I don’t need to be.”

“That’s good,” Sungyeol replied slowly.

“But anyways, I wanted to ask you something. Your parents… they were arrested, weren’t they?”

“They were.” Sungyeol replied.

Hoya nodded to himself. “Then I want you to come with me. There’s no guarantee that we can rescue Dongwoo and your parents but I want you to come with me. Scout the area so that we can go in again and get your parents back.”

Sungyeol stood frozen in his spot, unsure of what to say. “You want me to come with you?”

“Yes.” Hoya nodded firmly. “I trust you. I’ve seen you taking care of your family. You have good intentions. I know I can trust you.”

“I-I suppose–”

“Just you,” Hoya added, his stare serious. “Not you and Myungsoo – just you. I can’t make that clear enough. More people means more chances of getting spotted. I only need you on this mission.”

Sungyeol blinked a few times before ultimately nodding. “Okay,” he replied softly. “I’ll come with you.”

“Good. We set off tonight at eleven. I don’t know what time we’ll be coming back.”

“And there’s a chance that we won’t come back,” he added. “We’re going into the Capital Building, Hoya. We might not make it out.”

Hoya’s stare sharpened. “We will,” he swore. “We will. And if we don’t, then I’ll break us out. Simple as that.”

The two of them didn’t say anything afterwards besides a short goodbye as Hoya parted ways. It felt funny in Sungyeol’s stomach. He knew that Hoya was earnest but he didn’t know if going into the Capital Building with him was the right thing to do. Find Dongwoo and then what – ask where his parents are? No, he wouldn’t be able to save his parents tonight. But perhaps this was good, considering that he would learn the layout of the building.

Sungyeol decided that it was good he could learn the building. That way when they went back, he would know where to go to save his parents. But when he told Myungsoo about the plan, Myungsoo seemed skeptical.

“Hoya’s going to go back?” he asked. “After saving Dongwoo, he’s going to go back? I feel like he wouldn’t go back there without a reason.”

“To get my parents,” Sungyeol replied. “Right? He said we’d be going back a second time.”

“A second time and then a third time?” Myungsoo inquired with an eyebrow raised. “Or just a single second time?”

Sungyeol’s face filled with confusion as he blinked a couple times. “What do you mean, babe?”

“I mean that if it’s Hoya we’re talking about, he could be planning an invasion the second time around and not a mission. After Dongwoo returns, he’ll be just about ready to spring an attack on the Capital. We both know it, Yeol. After all these raids and attacks, the Capital Building is next. And once that’s been defeated, Hoya’s got the power.”

“That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Sungyeol murmured back. “A governmental change would be good, right?”

“Hoya’s only good when Dongwoo’s around.” Myungsoo’s face was serious. “He has yet to learn how to control himself when he wants something. He’s got the passion but not the control.”

“Well, that’s why he’s got Dongwoo, right? They’ve always balanced each other out.”

Myungsoo pursed his lips. “Dongwoo’s not going to be around for him twenty-four-seven.”

“So what are you saying – after all this is over, assuming that it succeeds, Hoya wouldn’t be an ideal leader?” Sungyeol narrowed his eyes. “Who do you suggest then? Woohyun?”

“I would,” Myungsoo admitted, “but after that he pulled? Not a chance. He’s a good leader, but his intentions and loyalty are too questionable to be a good leader. I don’t know a single person in this stronghold who would be a suitable leader, honestly.”

Sungyeol tilted his head up, looking at the ceiling. “What about Dongwoo?”

“Dongwoo?” Myungsoo questioned, his mouth forming a contemplative pout. “Dongwoo… I guess… yeah, I guess I could see him as a leader. He’s always been too kind though.”

Sungyeol shrugged. “Maybe what this city needs is a good dose of kindness, authority and trust. But that’s all theoretical. Even if Dongwoo made the perfect leader, something would be going wrong somewhere. Nothing is ever perfect.”

“No,” Myungsoo agreed. “No government will ever be perfect. But we can get a good one with a president who tries.”

Sungyeol nodded. “You’re right.”

Myungsoo smirked, leaning over to kiss him. “I’m always right.”

With a giggle, Sungyeol pushed him away. “Come on, babe. Let’s get my brother and sisters to bed so that they can rest easy. And you rest easy too, okay?”

“Hell no.” Myungsoo frowned. “You’re going on a mission without me to the Capital Building and you expect me to be relaxed? Don’t bet on it, sweetheart.”

Sungyeol smiled gently. “I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself, remember?”

Myungsoo still frowned and replied, “If you’re not back by sunrise, I’m going after you myself. No exceptions, I’m going to come find you.”

“That’s fair.” Sungyeol grinned and gave him a kiss. “Now let’s get to sleep. I promised Yerin you would read that new book you brought to her in the morning.”

“I can’t read like you can, Sungyeol.”

“No, but you can try.”

Dongwoo wiped the sweat from his forehead, panting heavily as he evened his breathing. Rubbing his eyes, he squinted into the heavy flames that he was shoveling coal into. The men that threw him in here were right – his safety suit was keeping him alive, even if it was barely doing its job. The high collar protected his nose and mouth from the smoke, but there were no goggles or any safety gear to protect his eyes from the sparks. His eyes constantly watered and he kept having to wipe at them.

He threw another shovel of coal into one of the giant furnaces, watching as the flames roared up for but a moment. The heat blasted onto his face and he turned away. He wasn’t the only person working in this godforsaken room, but it felt like it.  He felt so alone in this giant room. The only sounds that ever echoed throughout the large room were the grunts and creaks of the furnaces and boilers. The other prisoners shuffled around solemnly like he did, just passing their time and waiting for a chance to get out.

Days were routinely like this. They would wake up and be fed some gruel for breakfast before dressing down and heading to the furnace room. Then they worked all day and well into the night. After someone came to tell them they could leave, they would all just head back to the barracks to get two or maybe even three hours of sleep before being woken up to repeat the same routine the next day. Dongwoo had lived like this for a few good days already and he hated it more than anything.

But he kept hope. He kept going because he had that feeling in his gut. Dongwoo had a feeling that things were going to be okay – that someone was going to come for him. He had been there for so many people, he could only hope that people were good hearted enough to feel the same.

He had his fingers crossed that someone was coming. And he could feel it – he knew someone was going to come for him. He had faith that they cared. He had faith in all of them.

Daeyeol touched Sungyeol on the shoulder, his brother nearly jumping from surprise.

“Daeyeol,” he exclaimed in a whisper. It was night and their family was sleeping. Myungsoo was sleeping soundly with Yerin in his arms and Yeoreum by his side. Sungyeol was awake with intentions on going on a little mission. “Why are you up?”

“Where are you going?” Daeyeol asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

Sungyeol pursed his lips. “I’m– I need to go do something, okay?”

“But where? If you’re leaving then I should at least know to where.”

“Daeyeol–”

“Hyung, you need to tell me,” Daeyeol responded firmly.

Sungyeol sighed as he pulled a jacket over his shoulders. “I’m going to the Capital Building,” he murmured.

“What?!”

“I’m going with Hoya, not on my own. He found out where to find some of the prisoners and how to get into the building. I wanted to go check it out.”

“Are you going to get mom and dad back?” Daeyeol asked.

“No, I’m not going to get them back just yet,” Sungyeol responded. “I’m just going to get information.”

Daeyeol’s mouth frowned in distress. “Why wouldn’t you just get them back now? Get them safe.”

“Because I don’t know where they are in the building,” Sungyeol explained. “We have to wait before we can completely save mom and dad, Daeyeol. We’ll have to take them back at a different time. For now, it’s just recon for me.”

“Then… why is Hoya going?”

“He has his reasons.”

Daeyeol seemed speechless for a moment, his fingers fiddling on their own as Sungyeol finished dressing. Sungyeol was already on his way out of the room when Daeyeol spoke up again. “Hyung, take me with you!”

Sungyeol turned around, his mouth pressed into a frown. “Absolutely not.”

“Hyung, please!” Daeyeol exclaimed under his breath. “I want to help you. I want to help!”

“No, Daeyeol, it could be dangerous. And you’re too young.”

“I’m seventeen, I can help!”

“Daeyeol, we don’t let minors on missions or let them fight. You can’t stay. Your job is to stay here and help take care of your siblings.”

“While what, you risk your life?! Hyung, I want to help!”

“Daeyeol, I said no.”

Daeyeol’s eyebrows furrowed angrily. “I care about this town just as much as you do so why won’t you let me help?”

“Daeyeol, I said no.”

“Hyung.”

“No.”

“I heard you talking with Hoya earlier,” Daeyeol said sharply, his eyes narrowing. “I know why you’re going. And where you’re going. Come on, hyung, let me come with you.”

Sungyeol shook his head, unrelenting. “I said no, Daeyeol. It’s not happening.” He headed out the door and turned back to give a single glare towards his brother. “I mean what I say. I’m not about to let you get hurt. I’m not letting you out there. Not while I can still take care of you.”

Daeyeol frowned but made no move to disobey him. “You can’t take care of me forever. I’m turning eighteen in a week. I’m going to join then.”

“Then I hope this is all over by then.” He sighed through his nose as he turned away. “Go get some sleep.”

Sunggyu didn’t understand. Woohyun was never a big crier. He was too headstrong and levelheaded to ever let his emotions get the best of him in front of others. Even to Sunggyu, his own boyfriend, he had never sobbed uncontrollably like he had that night. It didn’t make any sense to Sunggyu because he had never known Woohyun to be so emotional.

Woohyun had stopped crying a couple hours ago, nothing left but his puffy eyes and pink nose as evidence that it happened. He didn’t talk to Sunggyu when he stopped crying, he only sat there in silence. Sunggyu wasn’t sure if he had nothing to say or if he had too much to say. He wouldn’t know unless Woohyun talked to him. He had tried coaxing him for the first fifteen minutes but Woohyun didn’t seem ready to engage in conversation just yet. So Sunggyu had left him alone.

And now here they were, sitting on the frigid cement ground, no windows to give them any light. Woohyun was turned away from him, his shoulders rising and falling at an eased pace. Sunggyu knew he was back to normal now. He wasn’t going to cry anymore.

“So.” Sunggyu decided to break the silence. There was silence immediately after he spoke and he wondered if he had even spoken to begin with. But he continued anyways. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

Woohyun sighed. “I should,” he agreed. He turned around slowly and Sunggyu’s eyes flashed as his gaze landed on the bruises and cuts over his face. Hoya had not been merciful and Sunggyu would never forgive him for it.

At once, Sunggyu wrapped his hands around Woohyun’s and rubbed them to make them warm. He was surprised when Woohyun pulled his hands away and shook his head.

“Woohyun,” he began, “I know we broke up and all but you have to at least let me take care of you.”

Woohyun shook his head. “No. I have confessions to make and you’re going to listen to me.”

Sunggyu’s eyebrows knit as he slowly took his hands away. “…Okay,” he muttered. “I’m listening.” The way Woohyun stared down at the floor guiltily made his stomach knot in worry.

“Do you… want to know why I broke up with you?” he asked, his voice soft.

Sunggyu narrowed his eyes and raised an eyebrow. “I already know, it’s because I arrested your friend’s parents–”

“That was an excuse,” Woohyun cut in quickly. He kept his stare trained on the floor, unwilling to match Sunggyu’s gaze. “That wasn’t really why I broke up with you. In fact, I never had a real reason for breaking up with you.”

The line of Sunggyu’s mouth deepened into a frown. “Woohyun, what are you talking about? You’re not making any sense.”

“I-… Hyung, there’s no easy way to say this. At all. But I need to tell you what’s going on.” Woohyun closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Without opening his eyes, he continued. “I broke up with you because I couldn’t be with you anymore.”

“Woohyun, what is that even supposed to mean?”

“I couldn’t be with you, hyung. I still can’t be with you.” He shook his head. “I can’t- I can’t apologize to you either. Because… I’m not sorry.”

“You’re not making any sense.” Sunggyu blinked slightly and shook his head. “You were crying, Woohyun, you’re not making any sense.”

“I know I cried but–”

Sunggyu narrowed his eyes further. “There aren’t any buts, Woohyun. You cried, you must have been sorry for something. Woohyun, you need to talk to me because I’m trying to understand you.”

Woohyun sighed sadly. He looked void of any emotions or remorse and Sunggyu couldn’t understand why because earlier that night Woohyun was sobbing so hysterically that Sunggyu was worried for him. But ever since he had finished crying Woohyun looked so dead. He looked like a zombie. And Sunggyu didn’t want that kind of emotionless gaze staring at him.

He must have been brainwashed by these infuriating rebels or something. 

“Come on, Woohyun,” Sunggyu prompted. “Tell me what you need to say and we can get out of here. There’s still time to save ourselves.”

But Woohyun shook his head harder. “No! I sad you couldn’t save me!”

Sunggyu let out a sigh of exasperation. “Woohyun, could you please stop being cryptic. We have to find a way out of here–”

“No, no we don’t. I’m not leaving.”

Woohyun had finally opened his eyes and was staring at Sunggyu with a new gaze – a hardened gaze. Sunggyu still didn’t understand. “Woohyun,” he murmured, “we have to escape before they decide to hurt you again.”

“They can hurt me all they want, I won’t leave.”

Sunggyu sighed through his nose. Woohyun was being difficult. He reached out to hold his cheeks. “My gosh, Woohyun, did they brainwash you before they brought you in here to beat you up? Do you have any idea what you’re even saying anymore?”

Woohyun swatted his hands away from his purple bruises. “I do know what I’m saying Sunggyu. I was crying because I was guilty not because I was sorry. I’m not sorry for this. I’m sorry for hurting you, from hiding the truth. But I’m not sorry for what I’ve been doing.”

Leaning back, Sunggyu raised his eyebrows. “And what have you been doing, Woohyun? What have you been doing that you’re not sorry for?”

“I would ask you to not get mad at me but… even I know that it wouldn’t be a fair thing to ask.” He took in a deep breath. “And I just know you’re going to be mad at me because… this whole time while we were dating, I was a part of the rebels.”

The way Sunggyu’s eyes harshly flashed and his fingers clenched made Woohyun anxious. He had seen those signs before, and the people on the receiving end didn’t end up pretty. “What?” Sunggyu asked, a sharpness in his voice.

“I’ve been a part of this underground organization,” Woohyun admitted. “And I’m sorry that I hid it from you. But I’m not sorry for being a part of something great.”

Sunggyu let out a scoff of disbelief as he crossed his arms across his chest. “Woohyun, this isn’t the time to around. Don’t joke around with me. Don’t lie. We’ve been dating for so long, that can’t be true.”

“Well, it is. And you can believe it or not, but it’s true. I am a rebel. In fact, I used to be the leader up until recently.” Woohyun waited silently for the oncoming reaction. He knew Sunggyu was mad, he could hear it in his breathing. But Woohyun also wondered if Sunggyu even believed him. Or did he think was just a cruel joke?

“Woohyun are you serious?” Sunggyu bit out, his jaw tightening. “The leader of the rebels has been romancing it with the captain of the guard? Do you realize what kind of joke that is? I’ll give you a hint – it’s not a funny one.”

Woohyun frowned. “I’m not joking, Sunggyu. You can act like I’m joking but I swear to you I’m not. I’m serious. And I’m sorry if you feel hurt by it. But I’m not sorry of choosing the rebels over you.”

“That? That’s why you broke it off?” Sunggyu seethed, his eyes settling into a glare. “You chose to break up with me so you could prance around with these spoiled dogs without worrying about having to do it behind my back?!”

“That isn’t how I see it.” Woohyun stared straight back into his eyes.

“Not how you see it? Woohyun, from a leader to a leader, this isn’t about how you see it. Look at yourself, you’re sitting here, beat half to death and you’re staying for what? For those guys who did this to you? Why would you stay loyal to them? Or a better question – why in the hell would they believe in your loyalty?!”

Woohyun winced. “That’s–”

“It doesn’t matter whose side of the story you’re looking at this from, Woohyun. You betrayed your allies by dancing around with the enemy and you betrayed your boyfriend by working with his enemies.” Sunggyu raised a sarcastic eyebrow. “Is staying loyal supposed to make you look good or something? Woohyun, you don’t look innocent from any angle.”

“I’m not trying to be innocent! I just–”

“You know what, I’m not even mad – this is all just a huge joke to me. I was mad when we broke up but to know that this is the reason? What a joke, Woohyun – come on. Don’t play hero; who are you going to save? You can’t save anyone.”

Woohyun’s frown deepened. “I’m not going to save anyone, Sunggyu! I’m here because I pledged myself to this cause first and foremost!”

Sunggyu rolled his eyes. “Look at yourself, Woohyun. What are you staying here for? What do they keep you here for? You betrayed them, Woohyun. You can say all you want but you can’t change the fact that you betrayed their trust. You brought this upon yourself and you’re trying to fix it now. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but it looks like that is leading the pack now and you’re just collateral damage. Don’t push your luck with them. Or with me, either.” Sunggyu shook his head. “This is ridiculous.”

“Hyung–”

“You couldn’t have just chosen me and left these pricks? I was going to propose to you and take you away from here to live happily, but no – you chose to stay with a pack of wild animals because you felt guilty. That’s it, isn’t it? You just felt guilty.”

Woohyun huffed, his eyes flaring with anger. “And so what if I am guilty?! I’m apologizing by staying loyal, Sunggyu! Do you even know what apologizing means or do you just lock people up without thinking?”

“Listen to yourself, Woohyun. Don’t try to turn this around on me. Apologizing is selfish if the other person isn’t willing to forgive. You’re just apologizing for your own sake.”

“I’m not–”

“Don’t lie to yourself. And don’t lie to me either. Just figure yourself out and we can leave.”

Woohyun narrowed his eyes this time. “I told you, I’m not leaving. They might not forgive me and my apologies might be futile but I’m still fighting for them. I’m still going to fight in what I believe in, no matter what. Not that you would understand – you don’t know what it means to fight for a dream.”

“Dreams? Enlighten me as to what these dreams are. I’m dying to know,” Sunggyu spat out sarcastically.

“See, this is exactly why you don’t understand the rebels. You don’t understand what we stand for. You can’t understand that we’re fighting for the future of the ones we love. Because in our future, we want our kids and their grandkids to share the same rights and have the same opportunities as those people in the Capital Building. Because in my future, I want my kids to know how to read.” Woohyun felt impassioned by such simple words and simple wishes. But it was those kinds of wishes that had built the foundation of these rebels in the first place. They wanted fairness, equality now but more importantly, for the future. Nothing was more important than their future.

Sunggyu was quiet, his mouth pressed into a stubborn line as he listened to Woohyun’s words. He didn’t look convinced, not one bit. But at the very least, he didn’t have anything to say back.

Woohyun turned away. “I do love you and I wanted to live with you in the Capital Building. I’ll never deny that I’m in love with you or that I want to live in the Capital Building and not worry. But there are so many other people here, Sunggyu – all with hopes and dreams. And when I became the leader, I put their hopes first. Even though I’m no longer in a position of power, I still feel the same.”

Sunggyu looked away. “I see how it is.”

“I told you Sunggyu – you can’t save me. I don’t want to be saved.” He sniffed. “Not anymore.”

Sunggyu stayed quiet.

“You can leave if you want to,” Woohyun murmured under his breath. “Hoya left the door unlocked on purpose. Because he thinks you won’t escape as long as I’m being put at risk. But you can leave if you want. I’ll be staying.”

Silence passed over them for a few more moments before Sunggyu let out a sigh. And though Woohyun wanted to, he didn’t smile. But Sunggyu didn’t move. He stayed.

“Dongwoo…”

Dongwoo lay in his barrack, his eyes squeezed tight as he pulled his thin cotton sheet up further. It wasn’t time to wake up yet – the guard wasn’t shouting. Until the guard started shouting, he could keep sleeping.

“Dongwoo.”

He mumbled nonsensically and rubbed at his eyes. Maybe he was just dreaming up the voices.

“Dongwoo!”

With the loud hiss came a yank to his blanket and Dongwoo was nearly tumbling off his cot. “Wha–?” He blinked the sleep from his eyes as he tried to adjust his vision to the two looming figures above him. Once his eyesight cleared, he covered his mouth to conceal a large gasp from coming out. “Hoya?!” he exclaimed under his breath.

Hoya looked down at him warmly and smiled. “Yeah, it’s me. I came for you.”

“How did you find me–?! And Sungyeol?” Dongwoo gasped out. He rubbed at his eyes violently, this must have been a dream – it must have been. Confusion was setting in his eyes as he felt Hoya grab his hand.

“Come on, we don’t have much time – sun’s about to rise. It took us long enough to find you in all of these barracks.”

Dongwoo’s face split into a grin as he was yanked up to his feet. “But you came for me.”

Hoya’s face flushed beneath his black mask. “Yeah, I came for you. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t.”

Dongwoo leaned in to kiss him as he fully stood up, pecking Hoya’s cheek affectionately. He was about to pull down his mask to kiss him some more before Sungyeol was hissing at them.

“Save your romantic reunion for later please, we have to get out of here first. Once the sun rises, spotting us is going to get a lot easier.”

Dongwoo nodded. “Right. You’re right. Let’s go before anyone can catch us.”

The three of them swiftly made it out of the barracks and back into the large metal hallways of the Capital Building’s basement. While all the floors above the ground were luxurious, all the labor was done in the basement. It was anything but glamorous.

“How did you find me?” Dongwoo asked in a hushed voice as they hurriedly rushed down the halls.

“It wasn’t easy,” Sungyeol replied. “Getting into the building was easy. Finding the barracks wasn’t so hard either.”

“Everything is pretty straight forward here,” Hoya agreed, his hands tightening on Dongwoo’s. “But finding you in all those cots were not easy,” he chuckled.

Dongwoo giggled to himself. “But you still found me.”

“I still found you.” Hoya grinned beneath his mask. He pulled the mask down so that he could bring Dongwoo’s hand up to his mouth to leave a short kiss.

“I knew you’d come to find me. I just knew.” Dongwoo’s grin lit up the dark hallways like a candle. “I just didn’t realize it would be so soon.”

“Me neither,” Hoya admitted. “But I wasn’t about to let you rot away in here on my account. Not for a single moment.”

“Oh, how romantic.”

“,” Sungyeol cursed.

The three of them came to a halt as a single, lone figure stood at the end of one of the corridors. The floor seemed like such a maze despite being so easy to navigate. But at the end of the corridor was an unmistakable figure with an unmistakable voice.

“…President Kwon,” Hoya said, his legs bending into a ready-to-fight stance.

“Fancy meeting you three here,” the president said coyly. His eyes landed on Sungyeol and he grinned. “Ah, and look – it’s Sungyeol.”

Dongwoo’s eyes narrowed as he pulled Sungyeol back protectively. “How do you know him?”

“How could I not recognize him?” the president laughed. “He’s the kid whose parents were taken in his and his sister’s place. What a chivalrous family.”

Sungyeol narrowed his eyes. “Don’t talk to me,” he growled. “You don’t know anything about my family.”

“Oh? How could I not? You’re all very beautiful.” The man smirked, his eyes and smile void of any warmth or humor. “After all, you’ve got your mother’s eyes.”

“How would you know what my mother’s eyes look like?” Sungyeol asked angrily.

The president’s grinned seemed to curl at the edges even further, like he was a snake taunting its prey. “I see her every night, how could I forget such gorgeous eyes?”

“You bastard!” Sungyeol shouted. Dongwoo and Hoya held him back as he lunged at the president.

“Sungyeol!” Dongwoo exclaimed. “He’s baiting you! Maintain yourself!”

“No! He’s got my mom – I know he does!”

“You know,” the president mused, “I knew rebels were going to invade the Capital Building, but I didn’t expect it so soon.” He tilted his head. “Or so few.”

Hoya’s eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

“Oh well, I guess I’ll just need to wait for the second time you fellows come before retaliating. Bring more of them next time, Hoya – I’ll be expecting you guys.” The president turned away to leave. “Oh, and the exit is on your right. Don’t worry – no guards are there.”

He left the three of them in a silent shock. They felt taunted and played with – and maybe they had been. But despite their high on emotions, they needed to get out. They continued on their route to escape the building but this time in a tense silence.

The sun had risen by the time they had made it out of the Capital Building. The president was speaking the truth – there were no guards near the exit they came from. The sun was up and shining.

But they didn’t walk any farther from the exit before Sungyeol was falling to the ground, his head in his hands. His eyes were wide in shock as he shook profusely. Dongwoo bent down next to him in the ground, trying to comfort him.

“Hey. Hey, Yeol – come on, calm down. You’re okay.”

Sungyeol shook his head. “No, he’s got my mom. He’s got my mom, Dongwoo. And he’s probably got my dad somewhere too. He’s got my parents. He’s got my parents.”

Dongwoo and Hoya exchanged a look. It would take a lot more than the two of them to make Sungyeol okay from this shock.

Six-year-old Yerin wandered down the halls of the compound curiously, her eyes big and curious and a book in her hands. She couldn’t read, not yet, so the words on the cover made no sense to her. She had woken up early so that Myungsoo could try reading to her, but when she opened her eyes, Myungsoo was nowhere to be seen.

It was very early morning, the lightest rays of sunshine peering through the windows. But she wanted nothing more than to have this story read to her. Myungsoo promised it was about a princess. But since Myungsoo was gone, she needed to find someone else to read it.

Yeoreum and Daeyeol were still sleeping, so it was up to her to find a replacement reader.

Waddling down the halls, she came to a big door. Tiptoeing as high as she could, she reached for the handle and pulled it down. The door swung open gently and she hugged onto her book as she shuffled in.

Inside were two men and nothing else. One man was lying down like he was sleeping and the other was sitting upright. He looked like he was protecting the sleeping man. He looked smart, Yerin assumed he could read.

“Excuse me?” she began politely, her voice high and clear in the empty air.

The sitting man looked up at her in confusion. “What are you doing here kid? You shouldn’t be here.”

She stared at him curiously and tilted her head. “Do you know how to read?”

“Me?” he asked, pointing at himself. “…Yeah, I know how to read.”

“Oh, goodie!” she exclaimed, scurrying over. She immediately began to settle in his lap, much to his surprise.

“Wait, what–”

“Myungsoo-oppa promised to read this to me this morning but he disappeared. So I had to find someone who could read. But I found you, so I’m lucky!” She grinned up at him as she snuggled up into his chest and handed him the book. “So read to me please!”

The man took the book from her awkwardly, gently holding the thin paperback in his hands. He was going to refuse, but he looked at her big, sparkling eyes and couldn’t find it in him to. Coughing, he opened up to the first page of the book and squirmed as the little girl pointed excitedly at the pictures.

“Um, once upon a time–”

“Oh, I forgot! My name is Yerin!” she said excitedly. She tugged on his arm. “What’s your name?”

He cleared his throat awkwardly. “My name is Sunggyu.”

“That’s a nice name,” she complimented. “Now read to me, please!”

Pursing his lips together, he opened the book again. “Once upon a time…”