[b1a4] city of love, village of dreams; gongchan/jinyoung; r [3/3]

[halcyondusk]

Breakfast is exciting for the first time since Chanshik’s arrived in the Inner City. He sits down in his assigned seat, next to Junghwan and Yixing, clutching Jinyoung’s music underneath his robes. Baekhyun, Jongin and Chanyeol sit down opposite, hiding small smiles.

“Music?” Baekhyun asks, and Chanshik hands it to him underneath the table. “Ah, this is five line notation.” Baekhyun explains to them how to read it under his breath, shovelling food into his mouth every so often so the Thinkers don’t suspect.

“Let’s split,” Jongin says when they’re out of the dining hall, licking his lips. “We can try to go to the other Tier One Idol rooms and tell them we’re looking for a special group, and we’re meeting in the Entourage practise room in the break after dinner.”

“Be careful of the Thinkers,” Yixing warns, and after a pause, adds, “and be careful who you recruit.”

Chanshik runs around the top level Idol rooms, looking for Idols who seem discontent. He gives them the details of the meeting, but from all the blank stares he gets, he doesn’t feel all that hopeful.

Chanshik turns the corner, and crashes into someone.

If this is a Thinker, Chanshik thinks, he’s so screwed-

It is a Thinker.

There’s no mistake-that's a golden Circlet around the boy’s blonde hair, but-“You’re the Young Master’s Thinker,” Chanshik stutters, picking himself up.

The Thinker laughs quietly. “I am. But there’s no need to be so formal, you can just call me Kris. Dongwoo told me about his promise. Here,” Kris takes something out from underneath his robes and Chanshik’s eyes go wide. “Thinker Circlets. Bronze ones, of course, but they should all function. Give these to your Entourage friends and you’ll be able to slip past the mirrors and the gates without question. They’ll only work for one day, on the seventh.”

“T-thank you,” Chanshik says, hiding the Circlets underneath his own robes. Kris smiles, nods his head, and turns to leave.

“Wait,” Chanshik says, licking his lips. “Don’t you-don’t you want to go say hi to Ten-Seven? Yixing?”

Kris falters. He turns around. “You…know his name?” His face softens, a wistful look appearing in his eyes. “I can’t. It’s been years. I’m still on duty, the Young Master-”

“He’ll understand,” Chanshik says. “He’s kind. Come on, Yixing’s probably waiting back at our quarters.”

“How is he?” Kris asks.

Chanshik grins. “He talks about you all the time.”

“I bet everything he says is bad,” Kris says, chuckling. “Making fun of me was Yixing and Lu Han’s thing.”

“Lu Han?”

“Lu Han’s…” Kris goes silent for a moment. “I’m sure you’ve heard from Yixing. We used to be in the same class at the Academy, us three. I passed as a Thinker, but they were made into Workers. They both promised to become Idols so they could see me in the Inner City, but…” He smiles. “Lu Han must’ve failed his final Annual Grading.”

“Chan-Eight-Fourteen?” Yixing’s voice sounds from the room. Chanshik grins, moving out of the way to let Kris through, and Yixing looks like he almost can’t believe his eyes. “Kris?” Chanshik hides a smile as Yixing looks around the corridor to make sure no other Thinkers are around, and launches himself into Kris’ arms. “How-why are you here? Isn’t the Young Master-”

“I missed you,” Kris says simply, walking into the room with Yixing, and Chanshik backs out to give them some time alone.

These two-in a strange way, it gives Chanshik hope.

Chanshik walks to the Entourage practise room, deep in thought. If Yixing and Kris could find each other, then surely he and Jinyoung could too. The Circlets clink underneath Chanshik’s robes, and he puts a hand in there, grasping the smooth metal in his palms.

Chanshik can’t wait for the seventh.

Yixing joins the rest of the Entourage for practise thirty minutes later, looking quite red-lipped. Jongin squints at him, flushed cheeks and mussed hair, asking if he has a fever, and Yixing looks down at his feet, hiding a smile.

“Are we all here?” Junghwan asks, looking around. He peeks out the corridor to see if their instructing Thinker is here or not. “How did it go?”

“Don’t think I got anyone,” Baekhyun says, shaking his head. “There were a couple of people interested, but most of the Tier One Idols are reluctant to do anything outside the rules.”

“We need to get to the Outer City, to the Tier Two and Three Idols,” Chanyeol muses. “It would be even better if we could convince them that it’s a Thinker’s orders.”

A Thinker’s orders…

Chanshik’s hand wanders under his robes, to the Circlets.

It seems…like these things can be used for more than just a fun day out of the Inner City.

Chanshik purses his lips. He can’t tell them about it right now, though-their Thinker could come in at any moment. Plus, Dongwoo had said to leave it late, just in case the Grandmaster finds out. But the sooner they know, the sooner they have to plan…

“I have…something for you,” Chanshik decides. “Later. After the meeting tonight.”

Only ten Idols show up at the Entourage room after dinner for the meeting, and when they’re told the plan, all of them hastily back out, wishing the Entourage luck.

The atmosphere in the room is glum, until Chanshik lets out an exclamation.

“We can…” Chanshik takes out the Circlets, handing them out. Baekhyun’s jaw drops open, and Chanyeol’s eyes threaten to bulge out of their sockets. “These-the Young Master gave them to me. He told me that we could use those to get out of the Inner City and out to the City or back to the Village to visit our family.”

“Thinker Circlets,” Yixing breathes. “You have Thinker Circlets.”

“Surprise?” Chanshik says. “They’ll only work on the seventh. We have the entire day, so…”

“We’ll be able to go to the City and convince the Tier Two and Three Idols,” Jongin says, putting two and two together. “We can give them the music-transcribed into modern notation-and say that it’s a special order from above.”

“We can split into pairs to cover all the Idols groups,” Junghwan says. He turns to Chanshik. “I’ll go with you.”

“I’ll go with Baekhyun,” Chanyeol volunteers, looping his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders. His eyes are bright. “I’ve always wanted to see the City properly.”

“And I guess I’m stuck with this one,” Yixing says, pointing to Jongin with his thumb, a lopsided smile on his face. “I don’t mind. Let’s do this.”

In the next few days, the six of them go about their regular daily Entourage practice without a hitch, but back in their quarters, they’re working on their plan. Baekhyun transcribes Jinyoung’s music into modern notation to distribute, and Junghwan and Chanshik find a few old Thinker robes discarded in the very back of the dressing rooms, patching them up so they can use them.

“How do we start it off?” Chanshik asks. “Assuming they all get the music and are convinced?” He’s in the bedroom with Yixing and Junghwan, working out the finer details.

“We’ll form a signal. I like an L with our index finger and thumb,” Yixing decides. “That can be the signal for them all to start changing the music. It’s small enough that the Thinkers won’t notice, but if we instruct them to keep at eye on the Entourage-”

“Then we can signal to start the music whenever we want,” Junghwan finishes off. “Brilliant.”

Chanshik pauses. “What if the Thinkers start asking the Tier Two and Three Idols about their music? It’ll…be hard to keep it all secret.”

“Well, we’ll have to convince the Thinkers too, then,” Yixing says matter-of-factly. He grins. “Baekhyun and Chanyeol are perfect for sweet-talking them.”

And then it’s the seventh.

“Good luck,” they mutter to each other at breakfast, and they split off into their pairs.

“We’ll be fast,” Junghwan says, grinning at Chanshik. “I have somewhere I need to visit afterwards.”

“Me too,” Chanshik says, thinking of his parents and Jinyoung. Chanshik still feels uneasy when he remembers the Young Master’s interest in Jinyoung-or rather, that necklace-but he supposes that today he’ll be able to find out if anything’s happened to Jinyoung. “We’re doing Tier Three, right? Let’s get this done.”

Chanshik’s heart is pounding at a mile a minute when he walks out of the Idol residence, bronze Circlet fitted snugly on his head. His Choker is sitting under his pillow, having come off when he’d activated the Circlet. The alarm at the entrance designed to keep Idols inside doesn’t go off when they walk out the door, and by the time they’ve passed the corridor of mirrors, Chanshik’s confident that the Circlets are working, just like the Young Master had promised.

The Tier Three Idols are easier to convince than Chanshik expected. Seeing Junghwan and Chanshik walk down the corridor, they all bow, and they soak up every word Junghwan says. He thought that they’d have an aversion towards music that was…not the norm here, but it seems like they’re quite sick of being treated like lowlifes here too, and the opportunity to shine and do something different is something they can’t pass up. Plus, Junghwan’s a convincing actor, Chanshik thinks, so he just lets Junghwan speaks and hopes the other pairs are doing their jobs too.

They’re finished in less than an hour, walking out of the white-paved roads feeling quite victorious.

“We still have time. Are you…” Junghwan looks at Chanshik. “Going back out to the Village of Dreams? To see Jinyoung?”

Chanshik nods. “Where are you headed?”

Junghwan grins. “I have a friend I’m meeting too. Let’s go!”

They part ways at the familiar stone gates to the Village, and Chanshik runs off to the Workers’ markets, excitement building in his chest.

His parents are working hard as always at their stall in the corner of the market. Chanshik smiles, about to walk towards them and present himself in all his glory, but then, a pair of Thinkers, actual Thinkers, approach them and start collecting their best produce. His mother wipes away the dirt from her cheek as they leave, and all of a sudden, Chanshik’s excitement dies down, his heart twinging and the edges of his eyes going blurry with tears.

They’re trying their hardest here. He wants to go up to them and hug them, tell them about the beauty of the Inner City, but…

He’s already said his goodbyes.

If they saw him again, he’d have to explain why he’s out here, with a Thinker’s Circlet, the Thinker’s Circlet that they hate so much, and there’s no doubt that it would be twice as painful to part at the end of the day. So no, he decides. He’ll watch them from here.

“Channie?”

Chanshik whirls around, and his heart stops.

It’s Jinyoung, holding a small antique box in his hands, his mouth agape. The first thing Chanshik feels is shock, because it must be fate that they bumped into each other here in the middle of thousands of people, and then he’s relieved, so relieved that Jinyoung’s safe.

Jinyoung walks up to Chanshik, eyes darting up to Chanshik’s head, where the Circlet sits, down to Chanshik’s robes. He puts a hand on Chanshik’s arm. “How did you get that? Surely you can’t be a Thinker now?”

“No, no,” Chanshik says, mesmerised by Jinyoung’s surprised smile. “I’m-it’s hard to explain.”

“Well, I…” Jinyoung looks Chanshik up and down once more, his initial shock settling down. “You’re going to at least explain to me where my music went. I told you to stick to the music they gave you.”

Chanshik gulps, laughing nervously. “Sorry, I wanted something of yours-”

“You haven’t done anything stupid with it, right?” Jinyoung asks, brows furrowed, and Chanshik shakes his head, heart pounding in his chest. “Good.” Jinyoung smiles, then motions away from the markets with his head. “Come on, let’s go somewhere where there aren’t so many Workers and Helpers staring.”

Jinyoung leads Chanshik through the snow into a little alley between the markets and the residential areas. There, away from prying eyes, he pulls Chanshik into a crushing hug. “I missed you so much.”

“I did too,” Chanshik mutters into Jinyoung’s shoulder, holding Jinyoung tight. “I’m glad you’re okay.” He thinks of Dongwoo, the Young Master, and his peculiar actions. “Nothing…strange happened to you, did it?”

“Hmm?” Jinyoung asks, pulling away. “What do you mean strange?”

“I mean…” Chanshik bites his lower lip. “You know that…necklace you lent me at the Grading?” Jinyoung nods cautiously. “The Young Master was asking me about it. Has…he been around here?”

Jinyoung hesitates, then shakes his head, averting his eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Where did you get that necklace, by the way?” Chanshik asks. “I asked you before, but you never told me. It must be very special.”

Jinyoung pauses for a long time. “It was my mother’s,” he finally says, looking up at Chanshik with teary eyes. His voice cracks. “She gave it to me for my Grading, and I passed it and made it into the Entourage. And then she was…she died.”

“I’m…sorry,” Chanshik mutters, not sure what to say.

“It’s alright,” Jinyoung says, wiping his eyes. “It was years ago. I shouldn’t dwell on the past.” He takes Chanshik’s hands, interlacing their fingers. “I’m doing well now, and you should do well too.”

“Where are you working now?” Chanshik asks. His lips curl upwards. “Whoever your Worker is, I bet they’re not as great as I was.”

“No one could ever be,” Jinyoung says, playing along. He starts walking out of the alley back into the crowd, taking the box back out from underneath his arm. “I’m a Helper at a jewellery shop now, Tier One. It’s quite nice, and sometimes my Worker lets me keep little trinkets, like this.” Jinyoung shakes the box and Chanshik hears something clanking around in it. “Jewellery box.”

“Fit for a king,” Chanshik jokes. He goes silent for a moment. “Speaking of which, Jinyoung, will you have a day off to watch the Banquet on the eleventh?”

“You’ll be singing in the Entourage, won’t you?” Jinyoung stops, smiling at Chanshik. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

There are Worker children milling around the streets, running around with boxes of produce and sale items, proclaiming things about New Year discounts and how their shop had been endorsed by the Grandmaster. Chanshik walks down the road with Jinyoung next to him, slowing his footsteps, trying to drag this out as long as possible. He meets Jinyoung’s eyes, and touches their hands together as they continue to walk back to the main branch of Workers’ shops.

As they enter back into the busy market section, there’s a familiar tinkering laugh from somewhere in the crowd. Chanshik turns around, trying to see if Junghwan in the vicinity, but there are too many people around for him to spot where the sound’s coming from.

“Hey, Chanshik, I-” Chanshik turns back to see Jinyoung suddenly looking worried. “I have to, uh, go back to the shop now, Lu Han-um, my Worker-is probably waiting for me.”

“Lu Han…?” Chanshik asks, the name sounding familiar. “Wait, your new Worker’s name is Lu Han?”

“Yeah,” Jinyoung says distractedly, glancing over his shoulder. “Why, do you know him?”

“No, nothing like that,” Chanshik says, remembering Kris’ words. He wonders if Yixing’s taking advantage of their unrestricted access today to pay Lu Han a visit. Jinyoung bites his lower lip, tapping his foot, and Chanshik smiles, squeezing Jinyoung’s hand one last time before he lets Jinyoung’s fingers slip away. “Sorry, you better go. I’ll miss you. Watch the Banquet!”

“I will!” Jinyoung gives Chanshik a gentle smile, and runs off into the crowd.

“Success!” Yixing says, grinning as he waltzes into their quarters that night. “Jongin and I managed to give the music around to all the Tier Two Idols. They asked some questions but…well, we said some things about not letting the Grandmaster trample all over us an…” He makes a flourishing move with his hands. “Ta-dah.”

“And we did the Tier Three Idols,” Junghwan says. “Baekhyun and Chanyeol seem to have gone well with the Thinkers managing the Tier Two and Three Idols too, so there’s no problem.”

“I’m beginning to think that the Grandmaster isn’t all that liked around here,” Chanshik says with a quiet laugh.

Junghwan stares at him. “You think?”

“By the way, I talked to Kris,” Yixing says, sitting down on his bed. “And he’s…going to tell some of the Thinkers on his side about it. And maybe the Young Master too. They’ll make the signal with us.”

“The Young Master-” Chanshik starts. “Are you sure that’s…”

Junghwan smiles brightly. “The Young Master’s a good person. Trust me. He’s not like his father. I think he’s at the end of his rope with putting up with the Grandmaster too.”

Chanshik hesitates, then nods. That seems true enough-after all, the Young Master had been the one to let Chanshik in, and he’d kept his promises to not hurt Jinyoung and give them the day off, despite the Grandmaster’s reservations. Chanshik doesn’t know why the Young Master is doing all this, why he’s being so kind to them, but if Junghwan says so, then he’s worthy of trusting. “Where did you go afterwards, by the way?”

“Met up with someone,” Junghwan says. “My friend Sunwoo. He’s working as a kind-of mechanic in the Village.”

“I went to visit an old friend,” Yixing mumbles. “He owns an antique jewellery store.”

“Is his name Lu Han?” Chanshik asks, lying back on the bed. Yixing’s eyes widen, and his mouth hangs opens. “Don’t worry, I didn’t stalk you. Kris told me about you three.”

“I wish he was here with us,” Yixing says softly, then he crawls into bed and pulls his covers over himself. “Let’s go to sleep. We’ve got a busy four days ahead of us.”

A busy four days they have, indeed. As Entourage Idols, their rehearsals double from tomorrow for the Banquet, and on top of that, they have to find time to finalise their plans for their other project.

But it’ll be worth it, Chanshik thinks. It’ll be beautiful, the way Jinyoung’s music will ring around the City and the Village.

“Four more days,” Chanshik whispers to the wall, imagining Jinyoung’s face in its place. “Then you’ll hear your music.”

Chanshik’s barely awake the next morning when he feels something thump on the floor, and he opens his eyes to see Junghwan standing there at the door, a yellow slip of paper in his hands. He has the Thinker robes and Circlet on, and he jumps when Chanshik hisses his name.

“What are you doing?” Chanshik whispers, careful not to wake up Yixing. Junghwan puts a finger to his lips and clicks the door open. “You better not get caught like that. The Circlets won’t work today.”

“Don’t worry,” Junghwan reassures. “I’m staying inside the Inner City. I just have to…give something to someone. At the Palace.” And before Chanshik can say anything back, he shuts the door and Junghwan’s gone.

Chanshik scoffs. Junghwan’s been the strangest one out of all of them here. Chanshik’s felt it from the beginning, with his weird attitude towards the rules, and he feels it now, but at least it keeps things interesting.

Junghwan’s a peculiar person, but if it weren’t for him, this plan would never have been put into place, so Chanshik tells himself to ignore the weird feeling that something big-bigger than his little rebellion-is happening around him, and just be glad.

The Banquet-a luxurious celebration held on the eleventh of the first month, in celebration of the Grandmaster’s birth. It was put into place by the third and current Grandmaster twenty-six years ago, when he’d become the Grandmaster, and it’s been happening every year since then.

An eleven course meal for all the Masters in the Inner City, with lavish entertainment from the Idols, and the Workers and Helpers in the Village offering their good words and praises about the Grandmaster.

For a nation whose original motto was about loving everyone, dreaming big, and being equals, a lot has changed.

Chanshik fumbles with the buttons on the special silver suits they have on today. It’s a replica of the clothing style from before the War, complete with silver bow-ties and cummerbunds, and he knows he’s not the only one who finds it a bit ridiculous. Junghwan’s struggling with the sleeve buttons, and Chanshik stops to help him.

“Here,” he says, and Junghwan looks up at him. “What?”

“Good luck. This is the moment.”

Chanshik looks around at everyone in the room, nodding at them.

“The moment where we lose everything,” Baekhyun says, flashing his perfect teeth as he smiles. Next to him, Chanyeol squeezes his shoulder. “But you know, I’m okay with it.”

Jongin rolls his eyes, exchanging looks with Yixing. “How noble of you,” he says, voice loaded with sarcasm.

“I never had anything to lose,” Junghwan says brightly. He pulls Chanshik onto his shoulder, patting Chanshik’s upper arm. “But I’ve gained some great friends here.” Chanyeol makes some gagging sounds, and Baekhyun hits him.

Their Chokers beep, signalling for them to take stage.

Chanshik breathes out. “Here we go!”

The spotlight is on Chanshik, bright and blinding. He looks out into the ocean of faces, even larger than it had been for the New Year celebrations.

“Now, the Entourage Idols performing Bless, accompanied by a chorus of Tier Two and Three Idols,” a Thinker announces.

“Entourage, hmm?” The Grandmaster’s voice rings out around the hall, amplified by the sound system. “I thought I got rid of them?”

“You gave them one more chance,” Dongwoo says on the side, looking straight at Chanshik. “Let them show you what music is about.”

Chills run down Chanshik’s spine. The corner of Dongwoo’s lip curls upwards, and his hand slips into his robes and takes out something…yellow…

Chanshik’s mouth hangs agape. That…it’s Junghwan’s note. So Junghwan had been at the Palace giving a note to the Young Master. Chanshik looks at Junghwan, who’s smiling up at the Dongwoo, and Chanshik feels a jittery excitement rising in his chest.

He doesn’t know what was in Junghwan’s note, but the Young Master most definitely knows, and he’s going along with them.

Next to Dongwoo, Kris gives a nod, and Chanshik sees Yixing press his lips into a thin line, nodding back into the distance.

Chanshik grits his teeth.

Somehow, they’ve gotten support from the top.

It’s not a dream. They can do this.

Bless plays, and Chanshik sings, going through the motions. It’s pure, delicate, unlike the emotion Chanshik wants to feel and wants to convey to the world. They reach the chorus.

It’s here, Chanshik thinks. He turns to look at Junghwan, who nods. It’s time.

Chanshik makes the sign with his hand. To someone else, it could be the symbol for a gun, for death, for destruction, but to them…

L, for Love.

Chanshik looks up to where the Grandmaster and the Young Master are sitting. Dongwoo’s making the sign too, index finger and thumb stretched out in an ‘L’ shape. Next to him, Kris has the ‘L’ held up to his chest.

And at that moment, something extraordinary happens.

The choral music stops. There’s absolute silence, and the Masters in the audience start muttering, until something breaks the silence, and there-

It’s the sound of an electric guitar.

Chanshik hasn’t heard one in so long, but there it is, and it’s playing the same melody that he’d heard Jinyoung perform for him in that small basement room back in the Village. There are a couple of stylistic riffs, and then a bass comes in, and the drums, and…

Everyone, singing Jinyoung’s composition together.

The song resonates in the buzzing hall, raw, beautiful, human.

It’s the most wonderful thing Chanshik’s heard in his entire life.

“Stop!”

The singing falters. The Grandmaster’s booming voice rings across the hall. Chanshik holds his breath.

The Grandmaster looks furious.

“Stop! Who started this? Who went against me? Speak!”

There’s absolute silence in the hall now, all the Idols scared into silence. Chanshik looks up at Dongwoo, who’s looking at his father fly into a furious fit, deep in thought.

“I’m sorry, Jinyoung,” Chanshik mutters, “I couldn’t keep my promise. I did something stupid.”

“Speak now!” the Grandmaster’s voice thunders. “Idols! Speak now or I will banish your worthless beings to the Narak and you will not see the light of day again!”

“It was a Thinker.” A trembling voice sounds from inside the crowd of Tier Two and Three Idols. “It wasn’t our fault, I swear. A pair of bronze Thinker came in saying that it was orders from above-”

“Find the traitor!” the Grandmaster roars. He turns to the Thinkers, glaring at them. “If you don’t find the traitor amongst you, you will all be demoted to Helpers!”

“Father, enough,” Dongwoo says, trying to pull the Grandmaster down. The Grandmaster throws Dongwoo off, almost striking him across the face, and Dongwoo falls onto the floor. “Father!”

“Worthless!” the Grandmaster shouts, spitting in Kris’ face. Kris looks away, wiping the spit from his face. “All of you Thinkers, worthless fools!”

The doors to the hall burst open, and a boy storms into the hall, his fist held high in the air. A murmur runs through the crowd of Masters, but the boy marches straight on through the middle of the hall, unfaltering.

“People of the City, listen to me!” he shouts, holding something up in his hand. From where he is, Chanshik can barely see what it is, so he shields his eyes from the light, squinting.

It’s a silver ring. Simple enough, with a-

Chanshik’s jaw drops open.

It’s an L. The same pattern that was on Jinyoung’s necklace, except the jewel on this ring is bright orange.

“Your ruler-the Grandmaster, so he calls himself-he’s done things against this nation’s laws,” the boy continues. “He murdered my father and sent me, a helpless baby, to the Narak. Well, I am the great-grandson of the first Grandmaster.”

“He’s lying! Stop the broadcasts and seize him!” the Grandmaster shouts, pointing to the boy in the middle of the crowd, but no one moves. “I said seize him!”

“No. Let everyone in this nation hear.”

Everyone turns to face the second level. Chanshik holds his breath as Dongwoo stands up from his chair and faces the Grandmaster, feeling incredibly confused. “He tells the truth, father, and you know very well.”

A loud gasp sounds from the crowd. Chanshik turns to Yixing, who shrugs at him, then turns in the other direction to Junghwan, whose eyes are fixated on the boy in the crowd, a small smile playing on his lips. Junghwan’s hand is held against his chest, clasping something hanging around his neck.

“Son…” the Grandmaster is looking up at Dongwoo, eyes wide. “Son, why are you…?”

“Great-grandfather built this nation on love, dreams, and equality. He led the people to victory in the People’s War, and he was a great leader.” Dongwoo pauses, looking out into the crowd. He looks in the Entourage’s direction, and Chanshik turns his head slightly to see Dongwoo and Junghwan smiling at each other. “But father, you’re no different to those politicians from before great-grandfather’s time who used their power to dispose of those he didn’t like,” Dongwoo says, facing the Grandmaster again. “You were once no one, but you married my mother, the Lady Master, so you could enter the family and gain power. And with that power you sent this boy, my half-brother, out into the Narak, when he’d committed no sin and no crime against the nation. And then my…” Dongwoo’s voice cracks. “And then my mother died of ‘illness’. But it wasn’t illness, was it, father?”

There’s complete silence in the hall, until a hushed whisper starts up in the Masters. “The rumours were right,” Chanshik hears Yixing murmur. “So the Lady Master’s death wasn’t from disease after all.”

“With great power comes great responsibility, father, isn’t that what you taught me?” Dongwoo continues, choking up. “So why couldn’t you practise what you preached?”

There’s a murmur of approval and cheer from all the Idols. Some of the Thinkers are nodding too, but the Masters in the audience look hostile.

“I raised you!” the Grandmaster thunders. “Shin Dongwoo, you are my son, don’t forget that-”

“But before that,” Dongwoo says softly, turning to the camera, “I am my mother’s son. I am the first Grandmaster’s great-grandson, just like him down there.” Dongwoo points to the boy in the crowd, then takes something out of his pocket, holding it up in the air. “I stand for the people.”

A ring, the exact same setting as the ring the boy in the crowd is holding up, but with a blood red jewel.

“He stands for the people!” the boy in the crowd is shouting, facing a camera. “He stands for the Workers!”

“He stands for the people!” Junghwan shouts next to Chanshik. Chanshik whirls around in shock to see Junghwan turn to the Idols, holding something up in the air too. A necklace, a copy of Jinyoung’s one, with a green jewel. Chanshik stares, open mouthed, and Junghwan grins back. “He stands for the Idols! For us!”

There’s a moment of silence, then the Idols break out into raucous cheering.

Chanshik’s rooted to the spot, completely lost. There are no Thinkers to stop the Idols running off the stage and into the crowd, finally able to break free of their restrictive chains-the Thinkers are standing in a circle, Kris in the middle of them all.

Yixing stands next to Chanshik, looking equally lost, but at the same time, he wears a proud smile on his face.

“Get off the stage,” Junghwan mutters to them both, pushing them out of the spotlight. “I promise I’ll explain later. Chanshik, go out to the main foyer. I think someone might be there for you.”

Chanshik hesitates for a split second, then takes off for the double doors.

The foyer is still, quiet, all the guard Thinkers having moved to the main hall to see what the hubbub was about. Chanshik stops at the entrance, catching his breath, and when he looks across the room, a stupid grin forms on his face.

“I told you not to do anything stupid!” Jinyoung shouts across the foyer. Jinyoung has a bright smile on his face. “But I guess I did something even more stupid.” Chanshik shakes his head in disbelief. Jinyoung somehow made it into the Inner City. “I can’t believe all the Idols were playing my music.”

“Forgive me?” Chanshik asks, running to Jinyoung. “I had to do it.”

“Forgiven,” Jinyoung says, pulling Chanshik into a crushing hug.

“How did you get in here? What just happened?” Chanshik asks. “That boy in the hall, holding the ring, he’s the first Grandmaster’s great-grandson?” He looks down at Jinyoung’s chest, where his necklace is resting, blue jewel sparkling. “And that necklace-the Young Master has one of those too, and that boy, and my friend Junghwan-what is going on?”

“It’s a long story,” Jinyoung says, smiling, “and I don’t have time to tell it to you today. But that boy, I think you might’ve heard his name before. Does Sunwoo sound familiar?”

“He’s-” Chanshik laughs incredulously. “Junghwan’s friend. The mechanic.”

“Except he’s…not really a mechanic,” Jinyoung says. “He’s from the Narak. Junghwan is too. Long story.”

“The…” Chanshik gapes. “They’re Outcasts? How did they even…” His head spins. Junghwan’s strange behaviour. Not knowing anything about the Academy or about the Workers and Helpers. Treating the rules so flippantly. It makes sense now. “This is crazy.”

Jinyoung shrugs. “Life is crazy.”

There’s a scream from inside the hall, and both of them jump, startled.

“We should…” Chanshik nods to the corridor leading to the main hall. “Go back in. See what happened. Find the others. I’m going to beat Junghwan up for not telling me anything, that sneaky thing was planning all this right under my nose, wasn’t he?” Jinyoung smiles knowingly, and Chanshik hits him on the arm. “And you too!”

“You know,” Jinyoung says in an attempt to change the topic as they’re walking back. “I wrote that song for someone.”

“Who?” Chanshik asks, eyeing Jinyoung.

And then Jinyoung stops in his tracks, grabs Chanshik and pulls him close, kissing him, lips soft and tender. The shouting from behind the doors fades away into background.

Jinyoung pulls away, looking Chanshik in the eyes. “Who else but you?” he whispers, leaning in for another kiss.

Chanshik closes his eyes, wrapping his arms around Jinyoung’s neck.

There are so many unanswered questions. Something big happened today, that’s for sure. The Grandmaster’s grip is loosening all around them, the people coming together, and in this chaos, Chanshik has no idea what’s in store for them in the future.

But…

Jinyoung parts his lips, and at this moment, everything in this world seems right.