Hak-yeon was better; it both enthralled and terrified Taek-woon at how much Hak-yeon had changed since that one meeting with Saet-byul. He was in no way completely healed, he had a long way until then, but there were definite changes to his overall demeanor.

He hadn't noticed anything at first, hadn't suspected anything originally when Hak-yeon confidently walked by himself the way home after the meeting, refusing Taek-woon's hand and insisting on going on his own. He had just thought that seeing Saet-byul had affected him more than he had let on. He didn't think anything of it when he sat at the table the entire time Taek-woon cooked dinner, ignoring Hong-bin's attempts to hide away and forcing the younger boy to sit with him.

There was a small light in his eyes, a light that Taek-woon hadn't seen in years, a light that he had so dearly missed. He would look up and meet his gaze when Taek-woon spoke to him, despite each time his fingers shaking and his hold on Hong-bin tightening, his eyes would never waver. The changes had been so small, he was still unable to bathe or dress himself, so he hadn't noticed at first.

The significance of the changes hit him like a ton of bricks when he woke one morning to find that he had slept through his alarm, sitting up in alarm to find Hong-bin stirring uncomfortably next to him and his other side jarringly empty. He looked around frantically to find Hak-yeon missing; he pried Hong-bin's death grip off of him and climbed out of bed, ready to tear the house apart to find where Hak-yeon had disappeared to, when he heard the familiar sound of a pan scratching against the stovetop.

His brain refusing to believe what he was hearing, he hesitantly walked over to the door, making sure to not make a sound as peered around the corner. From the doorway he was able to get a clear view of the kitchen, and he felt his knees nearly give out under him when he saw Hak-yeon cooking.

Hak-yeon.

Cooking.

His fingers gripped the door frame as he stood there silently, watching Hak-yeon glide around the kitchen as he worked, his face passive as he moved. He stared and stared, holding his breath as if afraid any sound would make the image in front of him disappear, to reveal this to be just a dream.

This...Hak-yeon doing anything on his own...had been a wish of his that he prayed for every day, to see his friend one day stand on his own two feet again. For him to wake up on his own and dress himself, to be able to cook himself food whenever he was hungry, to bathe himself without needing Taek-woon- to confidently show his skin without feeling ashamed of his scars. But as the years passed and his health only deteriorating, he had thought that wish would never come, that it would become just that- a wish. He had grown afraid that it would never happen, the revelation of what Hak-yeon truly was to Saet-byul hovering over him, terrifying him of what he could truly become.

But here Hak-yeon was, cooking breakfast like none of that mattered.

His chest tightened and he fought a painful bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

Hak-yeon dropped a bowl he had been attempting to pull out of the cupboard, and Taek-woon found himself running over to help him before he could stop himself. Hak-yeon blinked owlishly as Taek-woon leaned over and picked up the bowl, holding it out for him. He didn't take it right away, staring at his outstretched hand incomprehensively before gingerly taking it. He smiled warmly, a flicker of affection crossing his features before they faded to the more distant look he always wore.

"Good morning Taek-woonie."

You're cooking. When did you wake up? How are you feeling? Are you alright? Those thoughts raced through Taek-woon's mind in response to Hak-yeon's question, but he forced those thoughts away as he collected himself, determined to stay calm so as not to shatter this fractured, fragile dream. He swallowed heavily, keeping his face tight as he replied amiably, "Good morning."

Hak-yeon turned away from him as he finished cooking the eggs in the pan he had been scratching earlier, dumping them into the bowl in his hands. His motions were robotic but his own all the same, and Taek-woon watched him in arrested fascination. "I turned off your alarm. It was noisy."

He blinked in surprise, for a second his stoic facade slipping. "You heard my alarm?"

Hak-yeon turned off the stove and placed the eggs on the adjacent counter, looking everywhere but at him. "Yes. You have been tired lately. You should sleep more." Taek-woon didn't say anything, still in shock at Hak-yeon's response, and Hak-yeon continued. "You should eat before you head off to school." He threw a helping of rice and an egg onto a plate and shoved it into Taek-woon's hands, and he cleared his throat.

"I don't have class today." Hak-yeon froze, blinking and moving ever so slowly before gradually prying his hands off the plate.

"You should still eat. I will get Binnie." Taek-woon turned to watch Hak-yeon robotically walk back to the bedroom, his soft voice wafting out in a faint whisper. It was a couple minutes before he emerged with a sleepy Hong-bin behind him, the younger boy rubbing his eye as the older boy led him out by the hand. Hak-yeon didn't say anything as he passed him by, his focus on Hong-bin alone as he tenderly put the younger's breakfast together, running a hand through his hair as they sat down at the table. It was only when they both turned to stare at him that he quickly ran over and sat with them.

"Hyung cooked?" Hong-bin asked after he had properly woken up, sniffling as he opened his mouth for Hak-yeon to feed him.

"Mm," Hak-yeon replied, reaching over and scrubbing Hong-bin's cheek affectionately. "So make sure you eat everything."

"Okay," Hong-bin shouted happily, smiling brightly which Hak-yeon matched.

Taek-woon watched this exchange silently, his chopsticks frozen halfway to his lips and his bottom lip shaking. The bubbling in the pit of his stomach grew steadily, each second agonizingly longer than the last.

If Hak-yeon was getting better, where would that leave him?

--

"My babies," Taek-woon's mother cooed as she stepped into the apartment, seemingly unbothered when Hak-yeon and Hong-bin instinctively shrunk back at the sight of her. She reached over and pulled Taek-woon into a hug, her smile sad when he only greeted her accordingly, not returning her embrace. She laughed as she sat down on the armchair in the main room, turning to the two huddled on the loveseat across from her. "How is everything here?"

Taek-woon thought about telling her of Hak-yeon's fits that had all but disappeared at this point, of how he was suddenly getting better, of how they had actually left the apartment- but felt the words fall short of leaving his mouth. The two had never truly gotten along with his mother, always keeping their distance from her. He, in turn, tended to keep things that dealt with them a secret as well, afraid that telling her anything they didn't want her to know would be betraying the small trust they had grown to place in him.

He cleared his throat, taking her attention away from them. "It's fine."

"I'm glad," she said, not unaware of the fact he wasn't telling her everything. "You know that you all are welcome to visit at any time. Our doors are always open."

"I'm sorry, I've been so busy I haven't had time to come."

She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "You don't have to be so formal with your own mother, Taek-woon ah." She stole a glance at the two who were trying to make themselves as small as possible, their eyes flitting to Taek-woon every so often. "You shouldn't have to hold such responsibilities like this on your own. You're too young." 

"I don't find it cumbersome."

"I know," she said knowingly, leaning over and patting his hand lovingly. "It's just I can see the toll it's taking on you." He bowed his head, unable to say anything against what he knew to be true, and she sighed again, pulling away.

"But I didn't come here to scold you. Hak-yeon," the older boy jumped at the mention of his name, pulling away from Hong-bin enough to look at her, "there's something I want to ask you. Would you be alright with that?"

Hak-yeon didn't move for the longest time, the nod he finally gave so small it was almost missed.

His mother grabbed her large bag and pulled out her computer, opening it up and turning it to show them a camera opened on the screen. The two pulled away from each other as they leaned in, eyes curious. "Taek-woon said you were okay with seeing your mother as long as you were not in the same room as her. I thought of the idea of bringing her here through a webcam, so you would be able to see her and talk with her without being in the same room. But if you can't-"

"I...can see her?" he asked, his voice shaking as tears already filled his eyes. His mother paused, surprised that he had spoken to her, but quickly regained her composure.

"Yes. I told her about this already and we were just waiting to see what you thought. Is it something you want to try?"

"Yes," Hak-yeon answered, pulling away from the camera to stare at his mother imploringly, his chin trembling. "Yes, please. Please. M-my mother...my mother."

His mother stared at Hak-yeon with a mixture of pity and affection, pulling the computer back to face her. "I'll let her know you agreed. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear it."

The room was absolutely silent as they watched his mother type away on the keyboard, nobody daring to move an inch as they waited. Taek-woon glanced over to see Hak-yeon focused on the computer, his eyes wide and alert. His hands were gripping Hong-bin's hands so tightly they both turned white. After what seemed like an eternity, his mother looked up at the group of them, a small smile on her lips.

"Are you ready to hear your mother's voice?" she asked, and Hak-yeon was so wound up at that point that all he could do was nod. His mother clicked a few more buttons before she turned the computer back around, propping it carefully on her lap as the screen faded from black to show the face of a woman. It took a few seconds for the screen to load, the woman staring confusedly before a hand flew to , soft sobs echoing in the speakers as she chortled out a small gasp.

"Hak-yeon..."

"M-mom?" Hak-yeon whimpered out, his voice trembling so much that he sounded like a small child. The woman nodded her head, crying outright as she reached out and the screen.

"My baby, my baby Hak-yeon...oh my baby." Hak-yeon slowly peeled his hands away from Hong-bin, haltingly moving off the couch and crawling over to the computer, raising shaking hands to the screen, attempting to place them over the woman's.

"Mom..." he cried, tears running down his cheeks, "Mom, I'm here. I'm here."

"Look at you," she whispered, her voice full of love and affection, "you've grown up so well. You've grown so handsome."

"Hey," he managed to mumble out, a hint of a smile growing on his lips, "it's because I had such a beautiful mom that I look like this." That managed to get a small laugh from her, her fingers still the screen as she sniffled.

"My baby...Seok-jin would have been proud of you." Taek-woon frowned at the name, never having heard it before, and watched as Hak-yeon nearly broke down right there, pulling his hands away as he buried his face in them. He noticed Hong-bin also grew somber, crawling down next to Hak-yeon and holding onto him tightly, pushing his face into the other's side. The woman saw Hak-yeon's reaction and panicked, leaning her face closer as if it would bring her closer to Hak-yeon, her eyes filled with worry.

"Hak-yeon ah, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned Seok-jin. I'm sorry. It's okay, everything's okay." Hak-yeon's shoulders heaved as an ugly sob rang out, and Taek-woon realized that 'Seok-jin' must have been Hak-yeon's brother that had died. As he watched the two in front of him, he suddenly had the feeling that he was intruding, and wished that he had left before this.

After a long moment, Hak-yeon lifted his head up, eyes red and cheeks puffy, his lips trembling as he fought to smile. "Seok-jin...Seok-jinnie should be here. I'm sorry..."

"It's not your fault," she said gently, and Hak-yeon looked close to breaking down again. "Don't blame yourself Hak-yeon ah. Seok-jin wouldn't want that."

"I'm sorry..." he only muttered again, strangely flinching away when Hong-bin tried burying his face in the crook of his neck.

Hak-yeon's mother seemed to realize his mood was worsening, slapping on a bright smile as she waved her hand at the screen. "I've brought someone to see you, would you like to see him?" She shifted away from the screen as loud shuffling blared through the speakers, the camera shifting around until it finally rested on that of a young man, a large smile on his face as he waved.

"Hey Cha Hak-yeon!" he called out, and that was enough to grab Hak-yeon's attention again, the older boy's head snapping up at the sound of the man's voice.

"M-Min-hyukkie?"

The man grinned even wider when Hak-yeon called out his name, reaching behind him and grabbing Hak-yeon's mother back into the screen. He waved brightly at them, wrapping an arm around her neck casually. "How are you doing over there? You're not being too much of a nag are you?"

A small chuckle escaped Hak-yeon's lips, and Taek-woon watched in fascination at how happy Hak-yeon appeared to be. This was something, he admitted bitterly to himself, that he would never be able to do; he would never be able to make Hak-yeon smile the way he was now. He couldn't remember the last time Hak-yeon had laughed.

Hong-bin shifted next to him and Hak-yeon pat his hand lovingly. "I'm doing fine."

Taek-woon noticed the small drop in Min-hyuk's smile at Hak-yeon's monotone voice, knowing that Hak-yeon's change would come as a shock to anyone. However, the other man hid it well, laughing as if nothing was wrong. "You must be fine if they're letting you stay there for that long. I probably would've kicked you out years ago." Again Hak-yeon laughed, and again Taek-woon felt a pang of jealousy.

"Min-hyuk...my mother-"

"Don't worry," Min-hyuk said gently, looking over at Hak-yeon's mother and hugging her softly. "I'm taking care of her. We all are."

"Thank you...thank you so much Min-hyukkie..."

"Don't worry about me, Hak-yeon ah," Hak-yeon's mother cut in, leaning closer to the screen, smiling serenely. "You just take care of yourself, alright? Make sure you eat all your meals and sleep well, okay?" Hak-yeon nodded wordlessly, and neither moved for the longest time, staring silently at each other in a way only a mother and son could. Eventually Hong-bin grew restless, whimpering quietly as he moved back over to Hak-yeon's side, lifting Hak-yeon's arm and wrapping it around him. Hak-yeon's mother noticed.

"Is this little Hong-binnie?" she asked sweetly, both her and Min-hyuk jumping when Hong-bin turned a glare towards them, his hands on Hak-yeon's arm tightening.

"You made Hak-yeon hyung cry."

Hak-yeon turned into full panic mode, twisting around to pull Hong-bin away from the screen, cupping his face in his hands as he whispered something softly to him. Hak-yeon's mother panicked when he suddenly disappeared from the screen, shouting for him and tapping on the screen as if it would bring him back. Hak-yeon panicked again at her shouts, yanking away from Hong-bin to move back in front of the camera, a shaky smile on his lips as he reassured her he was still there.

"I'm sorry," she started when everyone had calmed down, "I didn't mean to upset him-"

"It's okay," Hak-yeon reassured, pulling the indignant Hong-bin back to his side and running his hand through his hair tenderly. His mother's eyes were locked on his hand but she didn't say anything. "Say hello Binnie."

Hong-bin glanced up from Hak-yeon's warm embrace to the seemingly grim faces of Min-hyuk and Hak-yeon's mother, suddenly timid to the way they stared at them. He eventually managed a small hello, which brought the smile back on her face.

"Hello," she returned, and Hong-bin hid his face. She chuckled, looking up as if searching for something. "Where is Taek-woon? Is he here too?" He stiffened in his chair, having been so engrossed watching the two that he was surprised when Hak-yeon turned to him with the happiest smile he'd ever seen from him and reached over to pull him down. He managed to school his shocked expression when he found himself before the staring eyes of Min-hyuk and Hak-yeon's mother, and he coughed nervously.

"This is Taek-woon," Hak-yeon continued, his voice having a lilt to it as he reached over and pat Taek-woon on the shoulder. For the longest time neither said anything, and he saw with horrifying clarity that Min-hyuk was actually scrutinizing him. Hong-bin, realizing that at this point Hak-yeon was a traitor, wiggled himself away and came over to Taek-woon's side instead. Min-hyuk frowned, his eyes narrowing, but Hak-yeon's mother plastered a smile on her face, bowing slightly.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, "thank you so much for taking care of my Hak-yeon."

"I-it's nothing."

"If there's anything you need, or anything you need help with, please don't hesitate to ask me." He nodded, glancing back over to the silent Min-hyuk to see him glaring at him. He blinked, taken aback as he wondered what he could have done to gather so much disdain from the other, when his own mother cleared , only he and Hong-bin looking up at her. Hak-yeon was too engrossed with the computer to move.

"Let's let Hak-yeon have some time to talk with his mother alone," she hissed, lifting the computer off her lap and placing it in Hak-yeon's hands. Hak-yeon didn't even flinch, his fingers immediately clamping over the screen. Taek-woon stood up and forced Hong-bin to as well, Hong-bin only whining for a minute before he dutifully followed Taek-woon out.

As he went into the kitchen, he could hear Hak-yeon's voice whisper softly, the forced bravado he had earlier gone as he all but cried out, "Mom...I miss you. I really miss you..."

--

His mother. His beautiful mother that he thought he would never see again- she was just the same as she was all those years ago and it made his heart swell. He had resigned himself long ago to forget any chance he would have to see her again, had resigned himself that one day he would forget what she looked like or the sound of her voice. He was forever thankful that Min-hyuk and his friends were taking care of her, thankful that his friend that never knew why he vanished had taken it upon himself to watch his mother.

He didn't realize how much he missed just hearing their voices, how just seeing their faces on a screen was enough to reduce him to tears. He wasn't sure he would ever be able to tell Taek-woon's mother how much this meant to him, he hoped she understood. It hurt when they eventually ended the call; as much as he loved every second he was able to see his mother and speak freely with her, he could feel his chest tightening and a voice in the back of his mind urging him to run away.

It wasn't nearly as terrible or painful as the time he nearly ran into Min-hyuk back in the amusement park all those years ago, or when he spoke with his mother in the hospital, but he didn't know if he would be able to do it again.

By the time Min-hyuk ended the call, saying that his mother had to take her medicine and get to bed, to which he panicked wondering what she would need medicine for, it was already well into the night. He didn't move for the longest time, just staring at the dark computer screen as if his mother's face might appear one more time. Eventually he placed the computer down by his side as he stood up, seeing a light coming from the closed kitchen door. He headed over, guilt eating at him wondering if his Taek-woonie had waited for him this entire time, but paused when he heard Taek-woon's mother speak.

"Taek-woon," she said in a hushed voice, "this isn't good for you."

He peeked through the crack in the doorway to see Taek-woon sitting at the table across from his mother, Binnie cradled in his arms asleep. He noted how Taek-woon absentmindedly ran his hand through Binnie's hair. "It's fine. They're not causing me any trouble."

He knew that was a lie, had seen the way Taek-woon had stared at him after his fits to see how lost he looked.

He knew.

"Look at you, you're twenty-two years old and you're watching over two grown men who should really be having a professional take care of them. Hong-bin needs help-"

"You know they can't stand being with anyone they don't know." He inwardly hung his head, his body not listening to him, wishing that he wasn't such a burden to his Taek-woonie. He was the older one, he should be taking care of him. He never cursed the doll and his life as much as he did then. "They trust me, and I don't want to betray that trust."

"At least have someone help you. It can't be good for you to be doing this on your own." She tried to reach over to grab his hand but he flinched, his hands on Binnie twisting away.

"Be careful. Hong-bin doesn't like to be touched."

"This is what I mean," she said exasperatedly, a hint of desperation in her voice. "I saw you back there. All you did was watch them as if they were children. You shouldn't be like this. You have your whole life ahead of you, you shouldn't be carrying such burdens on your own."

"I can do it," Taek-woon insisted, and Hak-yeon felt tears at the edges of his eyes. His Taek-woonie was so strong, so so strong- but his mother was right. He and Binnie were not normal, and they were definitely not something that Taek-woon should have to take care of alone. It hurt every time Taek-woon insisted he was fine, that nothing was wrong. "Hak-yeon...he can get better." Hak-yeon let out a shaky breath, wondering at how he was able to have someone as pure and sweet as Taek-woon willingly take care of him.

"Taek-woon-"

"Don't take them away!" Taek-woon suddenly shouted, the first time Hak-yeon could ever remember Taek-woon raising his voice, and both he and his mother jumped at the sound. Hong-bin whimpered at the shout, twisting in Taek-woon's arms and the older swallowing heavily as he quietly soothed him. He took a few minutes to recollect himself, his mother biting her lip as if afraid anything she did would set him off. "I...please don't take them from me..."

"Taek-woon-"

"I...I don't want to be alone again." Hak-yeon lurched forward, face pressed against the crack in the door at the sight of tears on Taek-woon's cheeks, the other boy silently crying. His mother noticed too, grabbing a handful of tissues out of her bag and shoving them at him, though Taek-woon made no move to take them. "They're the only ones who've stayed with me," he whimpered, his voice so broken and small compared to the calm, patient Taek-woon who always stood by his side. Hak-yeon felt his heart clench, memories of the timid, shy, and bullied Taek-woon from high school sharply running through his mind.

Everything in his life might be blurry and unfocused now, but his Taek-woon shone brightly and clearly in the center of it.

He couldn't stand the sight of that bright Taek-woon dulled and crying.

"So please...let me take care of them. I-" He was cut off when Binnie twisted in his lap, blearily looking around before realizing he was in Taek-woon's arms. He sniffed tiredly before whimpering as he leaned back into Taek-woon's chest, but it seemed Taek-woon had enough talking, shaking him gently. "You need to go to bed," he said quietly.

Binnie shook his head. "Hak-yeon hyung. Want hyung."

"Hak-yeon is still busy. You should go change and wait for him there." Hak-yeon noticed the way Taek-woon spoke with Binnie, his voice softer. It had started after Taek-woon found out about the dolls, and he wondered if it was pity that spurred that difference. He then wondered if that same pity was directed to him.

He blinked when the door swung open to reveal Taek-woon and Binnie, Binnie's face brightening as he broke away and jumped into his arms. He instinctively pulled the younger boy into his arms, aware of the two eyes staring at him. He glanced up to see if Taek-woon would say anything, in the end the other merely sighing as he herded them off to bed.

After Binnie was changed and bundled in the blankets, Taek-woon held his wrist with an unreadable expression on his face. "Hak-yeon...I want to ask you something." He tried to nod but it was so small he wasn't sure they other could tell. It didn't seem to deter him though, tugging him a small ways away from Binnie.

He could see how Taek-woon bit the bottom of his lip in worry, the way his brow furrowed in thought; he gently reached up and smoothed out the creases in his forehead. That seemed to snap him out of whatever was bothering him, stuttering out a small, "Hak-yeon...I...do you want to meet Saet-byul again?"

He froze, images of Saet-byul and her badly hidden bruises and cuts flashing through his mind. His silence was taken the wrong way, Taek-woon quickly backtracking, "If you don't want to, I'll let her know. I just thought you were getting better since then and would want to meet again."

He stared confusedly, wondering what could possibly have changed that Taek-woon would have thought him to be getting better. He felt no better than he did before, no better than he had before seeing Saet-byul. But the thought of seeing Saet-byul again stopped him, remembering how hard she had tried to hide how hurt she was and how she shook at even the mere mention. He wanted to find out who was hurting her, to break that person apart until there was nothing left.

That, and the idea that if he really was getting better it would help lessen the burden he had on his Taek-woonie.

He finally gave a small nod that had Taek-woon sighing. "I'll let her know." Taek-woon moved to leave but he grabbed his wrist this time, forcing his head up to look him in the eye.

"Taek-woonie," he said softly, "Binnie and I...we're really not burdens to you, are we?" Taek-woon paused for just a second before he stepped forward and pulled him into a hug, and he found himself easily melting into his embrace.

"No you're not, and please don't ever think you are." 

Hello everyone.

I'm leaving this note here to say I might not be uploading for a while; I already had this chapter written so I wanted to upload it beforehand. I was admitted to the hospital a couple days ago, and while I'm home now, I'm still recovering. It will be a while before I'll be able to write. I'm so sorry, I don't want to make you have to wait for the next chapter, so I'll try my best to continue writing. But please know that it might not be for a while.

However, please know that I will continue this story, I will not drop it.

Thank you all for your understanding.