Eric groaned. Hyesung didn’t do what the young captain said. Eric tried to give him an example, hoped he would copy him but…yeah, he just sit on floor, watching. Hyesung refused to sit on the couch, refused to do anything since he arrived at Eric’s apartment. His eyes wondered around. Looked at every single thing in that room.

“What should I do, Hyesung-ah?” He stared the blank face on the floor. Eric squatted in front of Hyesung. And for the first time, Eric took a look at Hyesung’s face and body in detail. Altough Hyesung has a cute face, it was dirty. Full of stain. Eric raised his hand, touch Hyesung’s face as he tried to erase every dirt in there. Hyesung’s eyes lit up.

“It’s covering your beauty, Hyesung-ah,”And his body is so smelly.

“Okay, why we don’t take you bath first?” Eric cupped his face as Hyesung gave him a beautiful smile.”Oh, I wonder how handsome this naughty Hyesungie after taking bath,”

Laughing, Eric ruffled Hyesung’s dry hair before stood up and looked at Hyesung who sit stiil on the floor, smiling.”Will you understand what I said? Will you do what I’ve told...Hyesung-ah!”

Hyesung grabbed Eric’s hand and stood up too. Eric looked at Hyesung’s expression closely again. Then he touched his nose, cheek and hair. As he guessed, Hyesung’s eyes lit up and he smiled more.

“You love to be touched, eh?”

Now, Eric dragged the smiling boy to the bath room.

After a tiring bath time, Eric made Hyesung sat on the couch. Now, he made a plan to make Hyesung learn more than those four words.

“Hmmm…uncle?” Eric made a try.

“Uncle!” Hyesung’s copied him hurriedly.

“Hyesung?”

“Hyesung! Pilkyo!” now, the boy smiled widely.

“Eric?”

A moment of silent until a small whimper came.”E…”

“..ric,” Eric continued him.”Eric.”

“E…ric. Eric.”

“Oh, good boy!” Eric ruffled his hair. And he said again while pointing himself.”Eric.”

“Eric.” Hyesung copied him.”Eric…Eric…Eric…,”

“Naughty boy!” Eric laughed.

“Na…,” Hyesung seems tried to copy him again but failed in the middle.

“Na-ugh-ti,”

“Na….ugh…tiii…,”

“Good!” Eric clapped his hand. But a miserable expression appeared on Hyesung’s face.”Why Hyesung-ah?”

“Na…ugh…ty..,” Hyesung said again, looked at Eric with longing face. But when Eric stayed still, Hyesung took his hand and putted it on his hand.

“Oh, you’re asking why I didn’t touch you after you succeed said one word? You want a reward, eh?”

Upgrade the ‘reward’, now Eric cupped Hyesung’s face and caressed his cheek.”Okay?”

“O…kay?”

“Hyesungie’s so clever,” Eric hugged him. Surprised, he heard a long sigh from Hyesung. That boy was smiling and closing his eyes. Eric’s heart felt so happy until he heard a short mumble from the boy in his arm,

“Eric uncle.”

***

A sound came from his stomach. It gave him one meaning; eat. He looked around; no one there, as expected. Yes, no one. No sound. No light.

Yes, no one will there until he said those two words that have been learned years ago.

“UNCLE! EAT!”

Then he would heard a click sound, a light appear from above and someone came, with a plate full of food. That man smiled, nodded a little while looking at eating Hyesung, then leave him into the silence. Again.

As the man gone, Hyesung nodded. Copying. Felt tired after nodding more than twenty times, he slept.

It repeated. Everyday. But, he never heard a ‘day’ word tough.

***

“Hyesung! Hyesung, wake up!”

Hyesung felt his body shook by. He opened his eyes and saw something familiar. Uncle Eric.

“Uncle Eric!”

“Hyesung-ah why you called me uncle?” Eric whinned. But something serious came to his mind.”Hyesung-ah, why you shouted ‘uncle’ and ‘eat’ in your dream? Did you hungry?”

Hyesung stayed silent. Eric palmed himself.

“Hyesung, listen,” he faced the clueless boy.”Hungry, eat.”

As he understand what Eric wanted, he repeating those words,”Hungry, eat.”

“Hungry? Eat?” Eric used different tone now and used his body language. He put his hand on Hyesung’s stomach.

“Eat?” Hyesung’s stared at his stomach then shook his head.

“Okay,” Eric sighed.”It must be a bad dream. Ah, it’s still 4 am. I can’t sleep again.”

Eric took his phone and saw many messages from Andy and Junjin. He pressed the call button, hope the younger already wake up.

“Hello?” a groggy answer came.”What Eric hyung?”

“You wake up?”

“You’re waking me up!” Andy snapped.

Eric just laughed.

‘Andy, help me,” Then he just blabbered, told his frustration about Hyesung, in a fast and almost without breathing way. Andy just grinned.

                “How about let him watching tv, hyung? Maybe he’ll learn faster,”

                Eric paused.”Oh, it’s a great idea, Andy!”

Finishing the call, Eric found the still sit Hyesung.”Hyesung, what about watching tv?”

Then he the tv and saw the changing expression on Hyesung’s face. Hyesung look at the moving people inside the small box. His eyes wide, his mouth opened. Eric laughed. But one minute later, Hyesung already copying word by word that he can catch from tv. Every time Hyesung got the right word, Eric ruffled his hair, caressed his cheek and hugged him.

It might be the best method. When Eric felt thirst and took a glass of water, Hyesung scream, yes scream in happiness,

“Water!”

“Yes, this is water. You want?” Eric smiled.

“No,”

Oh! Eric took a peek and realized that Hyesung was watching drama. The scene was in the restaurant. Good, Eric though.

At seven, he already made Hyesung took a bath and use his own shirt.

Everyone beamed up at fresh look Hyesung. When someone said ‘Hi’ to Eric, Hyesung answered it faster, before Eric could say anything.”Hi too!”

And it’s make every women in there squalled.

“Okay, okay, but don’t ask him anything. He’s not ready yet!” Eric stopped everyone from asking, pinching and making Hyesung copy their word.

“Sit, Hyesungie.”

“Sit.” Hyesung mumble and put his on the couch. Yes, he knew if ‘sit’ mean put your on something, your foot hanging-not if you had longer leg- and stayed still.

“Good. Now,” Eric give him his iPad that already playing some movie.”take this and watch, okay?”

Of course Hyesung didn’t understand the whole sentence. But when he saw ‘the moving man’, he remembered and took the square thing. Again, he repeated every word that he heard. Ignoring everyone in Eric’s office.

***

The same dream came again. A blurry face, unclear voice, the warm feeling… His head told him something; a word that he never heard, but felt so familiar but he couldn’t say it.

His first word is ‘uncle’. It’s been said many times. But he never say any word like his head told.

What is that? He has an urge to moving his lips.  His mouth twitching. But he didn’t know.

***

“Hyesungie, wake up.”

Eric’s voice. Wake up? Yes, it means; opening his eyes, stopping from lying and moving his body to the right and left.

“What are you doing, Hyesung-ah?” Eric saw the boy moving his body in a strange way.

Blinked his eyes for several times without answering Eric’s question made the police officer grumbled.

“Okay, forget it. Hyesungie, you need to wake up. We’ll go home.”

“Home? Home!”

Home? A nice feeling. A mother, father, so much people, hug… Thinking about it, Hyesung smiled widely.

“Oh, I see, someone seems so eager to go home,” Eric ruffled his hair.

“Eric hyung, you need to talk in short sentence to make him understand,” Junjin approached them, looked at the confused boy.

“I know,” Eric answered.”I just wanted to Hyesung familiar with a long sentence and having conversation with other.”

When Dongwan passing by, Eric called him.

“Found something?”

“Not yet, Eric. There’s no case or report related with someone named Hyesung or Pilkyo.”

“I see.”

Why there’s no one tried to find you, Hyesung-ah? Did your parent throw you away?

“Will you bring him to your apartment again?” asked Dongwan.

“Yes, but if you want to…,”

“No,” Dongwan cut him, gave him a horror look.”I’m not finish with Minwoo yet.”

“What do you mean, hyung?” asked Junjin.

“He mad at me. We’ve a big fight last night,” Dongwan mumbled weakly.

“Who told you flirting with every girl you met?” mocked Junjin.

“YAH!”

Eric saw Hyesung watched the two bickering. Oh, the boy must be though about world war. Then he stopped them.

“Dongwan, please continue your research,” Eric talked. Dongwan faced him, erased his playful manner and nodded,

“Yes, sir!”