~°~°~ Flashback ~°~°~

Little Woohyun's life had always been easy and perfect. He had loving parents, boys in his school were his friends and girls were in love with him. But above all, he had Kim Sunggyu and Kim Myungsoo.

The three boys had met each other a long time ago and were now inseperable. At the beginning, it was more Myungsoo and Sunggyu or Sunggyu and Woohyun. The youngest of them was really retiring and distant. But through the years, Woohyun had learnt to pierce through the little Myungsoo's shell and since, the trio were only separeted when they had to go home, and still, if they had the oportunity for a sleep over, only one bed was enough.

When the event at the post happened and that Myungsoo had became Sunggyu's adoptive brother, the two Kims had entirely withdrawing themselves. Woohyun had witnessed the criminal's apprhension and he had also seen Myungsoo with a gun in his hands and Sunggyu with his bleeding shoulder. But he had said nothing. Because when the two brothers had come out of the building, they had walked just before little Woohyun without even looking at him. The inseparable trio was not anymore. It was only Myungsoo and Sunggyu and Woohyun had found himself being alone.

But despite this crack in their friendship, Woohyun had been persistent and had kept visiting the Kims. He had done all what he could to cheer up his two friends. He had brought them crisps and candies packets for their superheroes afternoons on tv. He had even learnt to bake in order to show them how much he cared about them. After some months, Sunggyu had finally started to smile to him again. But Myungsoo, him, had stayed impenetrable.

One day, the Kims had invited him for a sleep over. As usual, the three young boys had slipped in the same bed. Sunggyu was on the left, Myungsoo in the middle and Woohyun had found himself on the right edge. While the silence had reigned during most part of the night, it was suddenly broken by horror screams coming from the youngest. Woohyun had jumped awake, not understanding what was happening. And when he had seen the dark face of the older and his brother's frail and shaking body, he had understand. Myungsoo's hyperthymesia had sentenced him to live the post's hold-up every night, over and over again. And every night, he became an orphan again.

So the next morning, Woohyun had rushed in the first antique shop that he saw in town and had bought two leather braided bracelets. The seller had confirmed him that these objects could protect people from bad dreams. The same evening, Woohyun had tied these bracelets to Sunggyu and Myungsoo's wrists. And that night, the brothers Kim had finally, after these long months full of nightmares, a peaceful slumber.

The trio had quickly reformed then. It became Sunggyu and Myungsoo, the brothers who are always watching on each other, Sunggyu and Woohyun, the accomplices who could understand each other with only one glance, and finally Woohyun and Myungsoo, inseperable despite them being like black and white. And the years passed and the Kims brothers had ended finding their life sparkle in their eyes again. To forget, no. Never, could they forget the incident at the postoffice, it was an event that had totally changed their lives, but they could recover from it, with their best friend's help. They could slowly wake up from their nightmare. Life was easy and soft again. Or almost.

The fifteenth year of the young Woohyun had been the worse for him. The beginning of the year had been perfect though. The new year had been celebrated with joy and cheerfulness between the Kims and the Nams. In february, when he had blown his fifteen candles, he was surrounded by the people he cared about the most. Everything had been so extraordinary, like an endless dream. But nothing was eternal and that, Woohyun had quickly realised it that summer.

It was a saturday, in the middle of the summer. The young boy had just spent a week with his parents at the beach, a week that he had not seen Sunggyu and Myungsoo. He had missed his friends a lot and this, both adults had noticed it. So they had suggested him to stop at a kiosk, near their home, then he could buy some ice cream and they would drop him at the Kims house for the night. Woohyun, enchanted and excited at the idea, did not refused. Arrived in front of the minimarket, Miss Nam had given a few cents to her son before the young boy had rushed in the store in order to get three water ice sticks. He had pay them quickly and had headed back to his car, where his parents were waiting for him, almost jumping in happiness.

But when he had reached the vehicle, he had been welcomed by a dreadful scene. A man, wearing a hat that was covering his face, was holding at gunpoint his parents who were laying, afaid, on the gray sidewalk. His mother was sobbing and was almost choking in her own terror tears while his father was pleading the armed man for mercy. However, two shots had resounded, letting place to a total silence.

Screams of horror, screeching tires and more panic cries. But Woohyun had not heard any of those. In his world, tears of his mother, his father's imploring voice and the two shots were resounding over and over again. Not knowing when or how, the young boy had found himself kneeling at his parents side. Their black and empty eyes, their inert and motionless bodies and this blood that was flowing out endlessly. This hot liquid which was surrounding him more and more. Woohyun was not breathing anymore, his heart was not beating anymore. His eyes, congealed on his dear parents corpses, were not crying. All what he had felt at that moment was this liquide too red and sticky which was covering his skin more and more, his heart which was breaking in a billion of pieces in a desperate cry and those three icy sticks which were melting in his hands, making them tacky and soggy. He was not aware of anything anymore. His world had collapsed in two gun shots. His mind had lost itself in his loving mom's incessant sobs. And his soul had been lacerated by his father's, his model's, pleading voice. Everything was over. He was falling in the abyss, but the worst was that he was falling alone.

That night, when he had regained consciouness, he had panicked. He was not in his bed. It was not his room. And the adults who came to calm him down were not his parents. Then he had started running. Breaking the grip a woman had on him, running through the crowd of children gathered in front of the room he had been in, and passing the metallic portail surrounding the big house, he had not turned around, neither did he stop running.

And he had kept running and running. Wandering in the streets of the sleeping town. His legs were heavy, his lungs burning and his head spinning. But he had kept going. Further and further. The loneliness was choking him. He needed to keep going or he would sink in the gulf of the sorrow. And even before he had realised it, he was standing in front of a house that he knew too well. Exhausted, he had let himself heavily sliding down against the door, having no strength anymore to knock or ring the bell. Yet, a few seconds after his fall, the entrance had been hastily opened, revealing Sunggyu, worried to death, and Myungsoo, on the verge of crying. Kims family had warmly welcomed him. And that night, when he had layed in the big bed, in the middle of the Kims brothers, he had felt the sadness clutching his heart. And he had cried. For the first time of the day, for the first time since his parents murder, he had let himself go in the reconforting arms of Sunggyu and Myungsoo. The throat tied by the emptiness of his soul, he had screamed his distress. Then, he had fell in a dreamless slumb, under the kind look of his two friends.

At the first sunrises, he had emerged with difficulty from his drowsiness to find Myungso, still deeply asleep against him and Sunggyu, eyes fixing the ceiling and their hands interwinding.

“Hyung.” He had whispered in a breath, tears ready to fall again.

Sunggyu had turned to him and had taken him in his arms, taking at the same time his little brother in the embrace.

“It's gonna be alright Hyunie. We are here for you. We won't let you down.”

He had then closed his eyes again, enjoying the reassuring warmth coming from the bodies of his two best friends. A sigh full of bitterness had passed through his pale lips and a salty pearl had slided down his cheek. The emptiness was oppressing his chest. While a sob was ready to resound in the room, Sunggyu had sit up, had gently taken his wrist and had tied there the leather bracelet that Woohyun had given him a few years ago. The young boy had wided his eyes in surprise and had wanted to protest but the older boy had gestured to him to not say anything.

“May your nights, from now on, be protected from nightmares.”

It was too much. Too much feelings in him. Then he had cried, again. But this time, it was not because of the sadness, neither because of the abandonment. He had cried because he had realised that he was not alone.At any time he had been lonely. Sunggyu's and Myungsoo's reconforting arms around him had eased him from the weight of the emptiness of his heart. The warmth of their fraternity had brighted his dark thoughts and this leather bracelet, against his wrist, had warmed up his bruised soul. Woohyun was not alone, he was still loved and he would recover. For himself, for Sunggyu and Myungsoo and for his parents, he would live.

A few days later, he was there, standing in front of the marble rocks marking by his parent's names. He had not cried. He had already done that enough the last few days. Sunggyu and Myungsoo had not left his side since that night when he had arrived at their house. They had supported him all the time and he was extremely grateful for that. At the end of the ceremony, seeing that the Kims brothers were already really tired, he had suggested them to go home first without him. At first reluctant at the idea of letting him alone, they had finally accepted when Woohyun had explained that he needed some time with his parents. Then there he was, standing in front of Mr and Ms Nam's tombstones, enjoying the sweet silence reigning in the cimetery.

“I miss you so much.”

His whisper had been brushed by the breeze and had disappeared among the nightingales singing. Despite the summery time and the big sun shining bright in the pur sky, the weather was not heavy and suffocating. It was even nice and appeasing. Woohyun had smiled to his parents, in this calm and peaceful haven.

“I wish you a lot of happiness wherever you are now. Don't worry about me, I'm well surrounded here. I will always love you, Mom, Dad. And I will live, for you. You will see, I will make you proud of me. I, Nam Woohyun, will be the best son ever, your son, forever.”

A single tear, mixing all of the love he felt and the sadness of his heart, had escaped from his eyes. But he had erased it quickly with the back of his hand and had lifted his gaze to the sky. This simple salty pearl had taken off all the weight of all of these last days from Woohyun's shoulders. He had felt light, he could breath again.

“Well, I should leave now. I will make Sunggyu-hyung and Myungsoo worried of I don't go back home quickly. I will come back soon to see you. I love you, Mom, Dad.”

He had smiled at them one last time, a wonderful and bright smile, and then had turned away from their tombstones. Joining the principal path, he had noticed a young boy, on the other side of the way. His brown hair were falling on his face, tilted forward. He had his fists cruelly tight, to the point where scarlet pearls were dropping on the grass and all of his boday was trembling. Was it because of his sobbing? No, Woohyun had not heard anything from this boy. He had just felt a monstrous hate, so dark, surrounding this person. He had felt bad for him. So he had decided to go, with a tiny chance, to calm this young boy. He had seen himself a few days ago, in the same state, but he, at least, had Sunggyu and Myungsoo by his sides, while this boy had apparently no one.

So he had come closer, slowly, and had put a hand on his trembling shoulder. The young boy had then lifted his eyes on him and what he had saw in there had made him shiver with fear. His orbs, in an ink color, was not reflecting any life. There were only a mix of deep hate, of bloody rage and of infinite distress. This boy, who was surely younger than Woohyun, was suffering as never someone should. And no one was here for him. So without thinking another second, Woohyun had taken him in his arms, tightening firmly the grip.

At the beginning, he had fought, not understanding what was happening but the longer it had lasted, the more the young boy had felt this warmth, full of life, emitted by this stranger. That had calmed him a little bit. Just a little bit. But he had nevertheless ended by letting his tears, that he had held back for days, to finally flow down. In this hug of love and reconfort, he had allowed himself to scream and cry to ease this weight from his heart. And it had made him feel so great. Just for this moment, he had embraced, with arms opened widely, this resplendent love. And it had been wonderful.

When calm had come back again, the two boys had sitted down on the fresh grass, under the sky teinted by the sunset's colors. The youngest, still in Woohyun's arms, had not pronounced a word. But they did not need any words, what had counted the most was the fact that they had a presence on which they could find support that day. They could relax a little while in their nightmare.

“Nam Woohyun.” The oldest breathed.

The young boy had lifted himself up and had looked at him curiously.

“My name is Nam Woohyun. If you feel the need to speak to someone or just want a presence by your side, you can find me on the other side of the principal path, in front of the tombs of Mr and Ms Nam.”

A sweet smile had spreaded on Woohyun's lips and he was ready to stand up when the youngest had held him back by his arm.

“How?”

Not understanding what the young boy meant, he had turned back to him.

“What do you mean?”

“How can you smile like that?”

Woohyun had been taken by surprise. He had not expected this question. He had sighed and had taken the youngest in his arms again. He had this calming effect on him.

“I smile because I know that my parents won't want to see me crying. I promised them that I will live, then I have to smile and keep my head high.”

“What happened to them?”

“Murdered on a parking lot by a criminel who was running away.”

A silence had taken place but it was then broken by the youngest who had moved beside Woohyun. Curious, he had put his eyes on him and had noticed that he had taken out from his pocket an article from a newspaper. He had discerned the picture of a man who was around forty and next to it was posted a scene of a mortal cars accident. Woohyun's blood had frozen when he had recorganised one of the vehicle involved. But above all, his heart had stopped beating when he saw the date of the article.

“It's my parents car, the one that the man had stolen from us...”

“Then I guess that your parents killer is the one who murdered mine too. My name is Lee Sungjong and my parents died when this man was running away.”

Nam Woohyun and Lee Sungjong had become orphan because of one and single man, a madman who had not even been arrested.

~°~°~°~°~°~

Lee Sungjong had always been considered as a genius. At seven years old, he already had the intellingence of a seventeen years old person. School was too easy for him and being much more mature than the other kids of his age, he had not befriend with anyone. The only purview in which he had always kept discovering new things was computing. He had then immersed himself in this virtual world and only got out of it when his parents were insisting to have a family time. Despite his dark, distant and cold nature, Sungjong loved his parents above all. They were the only people who were providing him a little bit of compagny and they were doing all of what they could in order to give whatever their son needed. Unfortunately, money was not what they had the most so they were working days and nights so they could provided anything for their only son and mostly then they could give to their son an access in a renowned school in which he would let his intelligence shine.

That saturday, under the sun of the mid-summer, Mr and Ms Lee had juste received a letter from one of the biggest university of Seoul, announcing them that their son was accepted in the school. The parents had then gone to the bank, joy filling their heart. Sungjong could finally have an education up to his hyper-developped spririt. After spending the day to fill out papers in order to allow the payment, the adults had ended heading home, with in their hands, the confirmation letter of this famous university. They were so happy. They were already planning the little party that they would hold for their son. They had certainly spent almost all of their savings for this school, but they did not care, because Sungjong could finally have classes and above all, he would meet people and maybe would he even make some friends? Mr and Ms Lee wanted so much that their son would have some friends, like any other kids, that they were ready to ruined themselves for that. Were they crazy? And then what? The parental love was after all the most powerful.

But all of their projects had broken in a million of pieces when this car had rammed into them at a crossroads. Dreams shattered in a billion of fragments like the windows of their car and like the bones of their bodies. The violence of the choc had killed them immediately. There was no way to survive, no more chance for the university's letter to fall in Sungjong's hands, their only and loved son.

That night, when the police officers had announced his parents death, Sungjong had not cried. And he had still not cried the days after. He had thought that the situation was so unfair. His parents had always done everything for him to be happy. They were this kind of people who had a golden heart. So why did this man have to take their lives away like this? And mostly, why were his parents, the fairest people that he had ever known, dead while this killer, this criminel on run away, was still alive and more to that could escape? It was not fair! Sungjong had felt so much hate in him. Their unwarranted death, the investigation ending on an unacceptable abandonment and above all, this man so odious. When the young boy of only thirteen had seen the killer's picture, he had memorized every feature of his face, every curve of his physiognomy, every expression in those assassin eyes. And he had sweared, in front of his parents tombstones, that he would find this despicable man and that he would make justice, for them and for himself.

The rage had dominated him so much that the idea of crying had not even brushed his mind, not that day and not during the funeral either. So when this absolute stranger, this Nam Woohyun, had taken him in his arms, the warmth he had felt, the love that had him hard, had reminded him that his parents were not by his side anymore to comfort him. And the anger had vanished and had let the place to the deepest dispair. By screaming, he had expelted all the frustration that he had locked in for days. And when he had calmed down, in those consolating arms, he felt good. Just during that moment, he had forgotten the hate, the revenge and the loneliness.

When the moon had risen, he had stepped in his house. The cold and dark silence had welcomed him and he had directly fallen in the abyss of the aversion again. Now that he knew that this assassin had not only made him an orphan but he had also taken the lives of Woohyun-hyung's parents, he could not stop himself to be more in a hurry to find him back in order to make him suffer as much, if not more, as what he had put them through.

Woohyun-hyung, and his bright smile and his ardent love, had reminded him his loving mother. Woohyun-hyung, and his unswerving mental and his soothing arms, had recalled him of his own father. Woohyun-hyung had become, in only a few hours, the pillar holding him back in reality but he had also become the reason of his desire of revenge. For the sake of this new light in his life, people like this ignoble murderer should disappear.

So during the days which followed Mr and Ms Lee's funeral, Sungjong had locked himself up in his room and he had searched. More and more. He had perfected himself, in a record time, at the purview of hacking, and, after only a few days, he had learnt by heart every corner, every detail, of the informatic world. He was more than determined to find this criminal back, and for that, he was ready to infiltrate every little piece of information he could get.

However, his projects were interumpted when his grandparents from his mother side had come to get him. He then had to put his plans in parenthesis in order to organise his move to his new home. He had been first sceptical and against the idea of leaving his childhood house but he had quickly realized that he could not take care of himself all alone. He had then moved in this beautiful and peaceful neighborhood. And to his biggest surprise, he had discovered, the day when he arrived, that Woohyun-hyung was living in the house just in front of his. There was also this mysterious boy that Sungjong had seen many times at his school. He was apparently the youngest of the family and was pretty close with Woohyun-hyung. But he had not cared more about that. Only Woohyun-hyung and his joy counted.

The consequence of Woohyun's daily presence by Sungjong's side was that the younger had been even more motivated to find the runaway criminal. During the afternoons, the two boys were together, but when night fell the youngest, falling again in the abysse of hatred, was struggling on his computer, in the darkness of his empty room, in the middle of billions of informatic datas. Revenge had eaten up his soul, only letting behind it this desire of violence. His eyes, scanning hours after hours, all of those informations on his screen, were lifeless and his hands, typing restlesslly on his keyboard, were shaking with fury. But that, no one knew. Only the darkness was witnessing his mad nights.

~°~°~°~°~°~

Since Sungjong had moved in the house in front of the Kims, there was not a day that Woohyun had not passed by to see him. He knew that they both need their presence mutually. Morover, since their meeting at the cemetery, they had realized that being together had a calming effect on the older like on the younger. A simple gaze on the other and their destroyed soul would soothe itself down, their tormented mind would ease and their bleeding heart would be comforted. They needed each other. Woohyun's daily visit to Sungjong's grandparents house had become a necessity for both of them. It was an obligation.

But when one day, Woohyun had to stay in bed because of a flu, the worry and the fear for the younger had invaded his thoughts.

“How is he today? Did he eat? Did he cry? What is he doing?”

Woohyun could not help himself to think about the younger. He had to see him. He needed to do it. So he had got up and had tried to step out of the room that he was sharing with the Kims brothers but after only three steps, he had collapsed on the floor, his legs shuddering and his body heavy. Fever had taken him and he had ended up to simply lay there, on the parquet, not fighting the slumber and the exhaustion anymore.

A few hours later, Sunggyu and Myungsoo, coming back from school, had discovered with horror their friend, inconscious on the floor. They had brought him back into his bed but the moment when the brothers would let the black haired boy rest, the last one had painfully breathed Sungjong's name. The anxiety had clearly aggravated his state. Agreeing between them, Myungsoo had taken his jacket and put his shoes on while Sunggyu had worked on decreasing the fever of his sick friend.

After politely greeting Sungjong's grandparents, Myungsoo had headed to the younger's room. The two elderlies had told him that their grandson had locked himself up in his room since yesterday night and had not got out of it. Myungsoo was worried about this situation but he had kept his calm and had simply knocked on the door. No answer. He had frowned his eyebrows, a vice tightening around his throat, and had tried again. But once again, nothing. He had then allowed himself to push the knob down and had opened the door by himself. While the room revealed itself to him, Myungsoo had frozen by dread. His breath had instantly stopped and his eyes had widen in horror. A cold sweat had slided down along his back while incontrolable shivers had coursed through his body.

In this room, totally engulfed in the dim light, was reigning a stormy, too heavy, ambiance. The smell of the hatred and madness had caught Myungsoo by his throat. It was unbearable. When his eyes had found the skeletal profil figure, sitting at his desk, he had only seen a heap of crushed heart and mutilated soul. It was not the Sungjong that he had caught sight of at his school, indifferent and distant. It was not either the Sungjong that he saw everyday with Woohyun-hyung, appeased and serene. This … thing looked nothing like Sungjong. Those eyes widen and lost in fear and bitterness, this body running by spams coming from frenzy and regret and this aura surrounding him, disastrous and dark. This scene was just endless, suffocating, shattering darkness invading every corner, rolling on every surface, swallowing tevery bit of life that was still in this body. It was excruciatingly awful. Myungsoo could not let Sungjong in this abominable environment.

So he had entered with a bang in the room, had hastly caught the younger's arm and had pulled him out without any hesitation. Myungsoo had already been confronted to those infinite abysses, full of only darkness. He had seen them, he had grazed them. But Sunggyu and Woohyun had pulled him out of it and he had then realized how much this bottomless gulf was terribly frightful. So he could not let Sungjong fall into it, not this pale angel who had never stained his hands. He had then brought him to Woohyun and in this calm room, he had seen the ashes of the darkness evaporate. Here, by the two oldests sides, he had recorganised Sungjong, the real one. The one who loved Woohyun as his own brother, the one who had let all of his walls down for crying on his sick friend's body, the one, who despite his frail figure, had known how to get up from the pain with nothing than Woohyun's presence.

Sungjong had then passed the rest of the day by his heart brother's side. He had forgetten his insane projects, he had not thought about this aweful assassin anymore. Only Woohyun had taken all of his thoughts. The youngest had helped Sunggyu to dicrease the fever of their friend and had watched over him during the whole afternoon. He would never leave his sides.

When Myungsoo had come back in the room with a bowl of soup and some medicines, he had found a Woohyun deeply asleep in the huge bed and a Sungjong slumbering, half of his body laying on the matress. He had smiled at this view and had quilety put what were in his hands on the nightstand. He had then taken a seat on the floor, next to Sungjong and had looked at him.

The soft glow coming from the huge window was reflecting in his dark and silky hair while his skin, smooth and white, seemed almost bright under the delicate shining sun. His body, wraped up in a shirt which was too large for him, looked really thin now that he was appeased, the serene and almost angelical energy coming from the young boy was dazzling. His hands, resting on Woohyun's ones, were fine and immaculate. In this room with this quiet atmosphere, Sungjong was just a young and innocent boy, holding onto his brother. When his eyes had fluttered open, Myungsoo had been instantly throw into these onyx orbs. An enchanting mix of purity and kindness had drowned him and he had seen it, this flame asking ardently for life. In this peaceful room, by Woohyun's side, Sungjong was living.

And without knowing it, Myungsoo had come closer to the younger boy and with a caress, just a brush on Sungjong's cheeks, he had erased all of the tears trails, all of trace of distress, all of taint of darkness.

“Don't forget it, Lee Sungjong, an angel like you should never cry again.”

A single gesture, a simple sentence and Kim Myungsoo had lighted up Lee Sungjong's world.

Hey guys!! Finally an update^^ 

I'm so sorry for the long waiting, I had to deal with exams and I still have one more but I mostly took so much time because I wrote the final of this story in french and wanted to finish it in one go^^ So if you guys can read french, you can read the end of the story, or else, you will have to wait until I translate it :P But don't worry, I will be faster now ;) 

Thank you so so much for all of your comments and support!! I didn't expected such a good response but I'm glad that you like this story^^ 
Welcome to the new subscribers by the way, I hope to see you around and talk to you^^ 

Don't forget to let me know about your feelings for this chapter, it's always a great pleasure to read your lovely comments and talk with you :D 

See you soon, love you all~
<3