LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES...CH. 27.3/36
Title: Love Knows No Boundaries (27.3/36)
Author: tikibuddy91
Characters: EXO, BAP, former APINK (Yookyung), JB, JR
Word Count: 5290
Genre: College, Drama, AU, Hurt/Comfort, Angst
Rating: PG (angsty emotions)
Summary: College students: Blind, Deaf and Mute. Their lives deal with the ups and downs, like roller coasters. They find relationships and companionships. Life does not always have a happy ending, but they can try to get their own.
Author Note: Jongdae’s family are in for a surprise. And a surprising revelation is made known for Minyoung, Jongdae's mother.
Masterlist
“So what’s gonna happen now?” Sunyoung asks.
Everyone looks at each other before Joonmyeon speaks up.
“Well, the rest of us are still at my place” - Joonmyeon sneaks a knowing glance to Yixing, and the latter nods casually - “but I will be more than happy to take the two of you to Jongdae’s place first.” Joonmyeon looks toward Minyoung and Yue with a genuine smile.
“Actually, we can take our parents in our car, and you can take Auntie Hwakyung and Yookyung to their place, if that’s okay?” Minseok suggests quickly.
Joonmyeon looks to Yixing, and they exchange nods before Joonmyeon complies. After exchanging hugs and thanks, the group parts ways. The Lee family heads off in one direction, to Minseok’s car, while Joonmyeon and the others head off in another, to his own car. Joonmyeon is escorting Auntie Hwakyung while Yookyung tries to lighten up Yixing’s mood by casually talking about the dance audition before she stops herself. She decides to strike up a conversation with Yixing about how he and Jongdae came to know the whole group.
The group reaches Joonmyeon’s car and, shortly after they parted with the family, Joonmyeon opens the door for Auntie Hwakyung to get in first before he enters into the driver’s seat. Yixing does the same for Yookyung at the passenger side. Now, Yixing and Yookyung are sitting behind Joonmyeon and Auntie Hwakyung respectively.
After Joonmyeon starts the car, he backs it out of the parking space. Once the car is in the open, he steps on the gas pedal, the destination actually being Jongdae’s apartment.
“Auntie Hwakyung, I’m sorry but I must say something,” Joonmyeon says with an air of declaration. Auntie Hwakyung looks at him with a raised eyebrow. “There is a surprise event happening at Jongdae’s apartment.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes… You see, I sort of lied to the family that the group was at my place; they are actually over there, prepping the apartment for the feast. The one that Jongdae was telling you about that night.”
With a gasp, Auntie Hwakyung is surprised, bringing a hand to her chest. She looks over to Yixing and Yookyung before looking back at Joonmyeon. “Oh! What a marvelous idea, that is so kind of you guys!”
Joonmyeon smiles half-heartedly. “It won’t be the same without Jongdae around to eat with us, though…”
Auntie Hwakyung frowns slightly as she gently pats on Joonmyeon’s arm. “Yes, I see your point… Aigoo, honey, it’ll be okay. You cannot let the food go to waste, after all that you guys have done and what you guys have went through. But let’s hurry now, less talking, more driving; who knows if the family have already gotten into the car and left for the apartment. Put your foot on the gas pedal, son!” Auntie Hwakyung chuckles as Joonmyeon smiles and nod.
Yixing cannot help but let a small chuckle escape his mouth.
- - -
Meanwhile, the family has already reached Minseok’s car, huddling up as they look to the hospital.
“It still hasn’t quite hit me that Jongdae’s not with us… Like I know that Jongdae’s in a coma right now, and he’s up there in the hospital… but it’s somewhat hard for me to accept that our child’s not with us right now…” Minyoung murmurs. “I’m so used to seeing the four of you together or at least you two,” - she indicates to Wufan and Sunyoung - “with Jongdae… Sorry Seokkie-yah…” The mother chuckles weakly. “But you take such good care of your siblings, so that alone is enough for me to be happy and have my mind at ease.”
The siblings nod in agreement, unsure of what else to say, until Minseok brings up an idea.
“Mama, Baba...the other night, we were cooking up a feast for the dancers because of their auditions. When we get home, would you like to have some?”
“Oh, that would be wonderful! Yes, honey, of course! I cannot wait to sample my son’s delicious cooking. We will see if it meets up to mama’s good ol’ cooking.” The mother winks and chuckles as she hugs her son. “Let’s eat it for our Jongdae, hmm?”
- - - -
Fortunately, Joonmyeon and the group have arrived before the Lee family does. Joonmyeon has explained to Auntie Hwakyung about the plan to surprise the family: they will leave the lights on, but the feast will have been laid out and ready on the table. When the door opens and the family comes in, the group will all be just standing in the living room and surprise them on the spot.
With hurrying footsteps, they quickly make haste to the elevators that would take them to the floor of the Lees’ apartment. Once Joonmyeon arrives at the door of the apartment, he knocks tentatively on it as the others catch up to him.
“Who is it?” Luhan’s voice creeps out from behind the door.
“It’s Joonmyeon and Yixing, with Yookyung and Auntie Hwaky-.”
The door quickly opens before Joonmyeon is able to finish his sentence. The group is met with Kyungsoo, Jongin, Zitao, Chanyeol and Baekhyun tugging on Joonmyeon and his company’s arms to enter the apartment.
There are lines of “Oh my!” and “Whoa” heard from Auntie Hwakyung and Yookyung as they stare in amazement at the multitude of Jongdae’s friends. “What a glorious sight to see!” Auntie Hwakyung chuckles before the whole group start bowing and introducing themselves to the two ladies.
“My, aren’t you all precious…I’m Park Hwakyung and this is my daughter, Yookyung.”
After all the introductions are exchanged, the ladies join the group to face the door.
“I’ll call Wufan to check how close they are to the apartment,” Joonmyeon takes out his phone, dialing Wufan’s number.
Ring ring…
Joonmyeon quickly looks around at the group, shushing them even though they are not making a sound. At all. Jongin giggles at the irony before Kyungsoo looks his way and sneaks an arm around his waist, silencing him with a look. Jongin smiles at him and places his forehead against Kyungsoo’s. Sehun looks at them with a mock-disgust face, pretending to gag “Yes, Joonmyeon?”
“Hey Wufan, are you guys home yet? I’ve just dropped Auntie Hwakyung and Yookyung off at their place.”
“Ah, yeah actually,” Wufan’s voice rings out. “…Wait…why did you call me with that question?”
Joonmyeon’s face falls with the sudden realization of his slip. He stammers a bit, thinking up of an excuse. “Oh, y’know. Just…checking on you guys, after what happened this morning…” Joonmyeon tries to say it casually, and Wufan buys it.
“Oh…okay, yeah…Thank you, Joonmyeon-ah. You’re a caring friend.”
“We’re walking to the elevators now and heading up to our floor soon.” Joonmyeon’s eyes widen and he looks to the door.
“Ah, okay; well, I’ll be heading off with Yixing to my place. We’ll see you sometime soon, okay?” Joonmyeon’s face blanks at the slip of his tongue. Softly facepalming himself, he hears Wufan humming in acknowledgment and telling him that he will see them soon, too. After exchanging byes, Joonmyeon hangs up the call and lets out a sigh of relief. Putting away his phone, he looks to the group with a smile.
“They’re coming.”
- - - -
In the elevator, Wufan is standing with one arm around Sunyoung’s shoulders and another arm linking with their mother’s. Minseok is standing with their father, in front of Wufan, Sunyoung and their mother. The family has been chatting the whole time, but there was a temporary silence while Wufan received a call from Joonmyeon. The elevator makes a dinging noise announcing that they have arrived at their floor, and they file out, with Minseok leading the way.
Wufan and his family are gathered at the door when Minseok goes to open it and turns the knob.
Some fumbling noises are heard as Minseok pushes the door open…
“SURPRISE!!!!!”
With a sudden jolt, Wufan and Minseok stiffen at the noise. Wufan has also felt Sunyoung startle under his arm. Wufan removes his arms from his mother’s and Sunyoung’s shoulders as he walks around Minseok to see the group that surprised them.
“Wh-…”
“What…” Wufan is left breathless as he enters, the family trailing behind him to enter the apartment. “What is all this?” The family is now inside the apartment, looking very confused and shocked at the group present in the apartment.
“Well, Jongup here wanted us to do something for the family, and Daehyun here and I thought of the feast,” Smiling, Joonmyeon explains as he attempts to sign. “So we decided to have a surprise visit and feast for you and the family when you guys get back from the hospital.” [J-U *He points to Jongup* suggest us for you-all do something. D-H *He points to Daehyun* I think-finish feast. *Joonmyeon snaps his fingers* Finally, we decide group-move here surprise and eat with you-all, after hospital.]
The group moves aside to let the table come into view as Wufan and the family see a grand feast decorated on top. With floored expressions, the Lee family sees that the food has been reheated as the aromas of the meal fill the nostrils of everyone in the apartment.
Wufan savors the smell in his nose before he glares at Joonmyeon.
“YAH!! You lied to me that you were out, heading back to your place!” Wufan scolds Joonmyeon with a smile.
“I know, otherwise this surprise visit wouldn’t be a surprise,” Joonmyeon says pointedly in good humor.
The group chuckles before Wufan finds himself pouting. It is not too long before Wufan’s pout returns to a smile.
“But…why?”
There is a sigh somewhere in the group before Yongguk speaks up. “We thought you guys might need some mood-lifting, ever since…you know.” Everyone nods, understanding what he meant. “And we do feel bad that Jongdae will not be with us, but we couldn’t let you and the whole family mope around. We’re really doing this for Jongdae and for you guys; he wouldn’t want you all to be sad any longer than you should. He’s always been this bright young guy among all of us; I mean, who wouldn’t be able to smile the moment they see him?”
“Oh…” Minyoung croons softly behind Wufan, touched by Yongguk’s explanation.
There is a moment of comfortable silence before Kyungsoo speaks up as he makes his way to Minyoung.
“S-shall we eat, Mr. and Mrs. Lee?” His wide eyes cast a shy glance between the parents and the sweet smile on his face causes Minyoung to baby him almost immediately.
“Aigoo, Kyungsoo-yah, you’re cute. We would be delighted to dine with the whole group.” His smile unchanging, Kyungsoo then takes Minyoung by the arm and leads her to the dining room.
- - - -
“So…the three of you have been together for some time?”
Joonmyeon, Kyungsoo and Jongin nod in unison, their eyes on Yue and Minyoung. Lunch had been having the whole group in chatters, with each Lee family member conversing with a different group of speakers at the table. Auntie Hwakyung, Wufan, Yookyung and Sunyoung had been checking up on Yixing and talking with him; Minseok was talking with Luhan, Sehun, Yongguk and Himchan; Yue and Minyoung were talking with Joonmyeon, Kyungsoo and Jongin, with Daehyun, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Youngjae, Jongup, JB and Zitao watching on. Although, Zitao had often snuck glances at Wufan, wanting to somehow communicate with him; Wufan had not noticed, as he was watching Yixing in concentration. But right now, everyone is focused on the trio, upon noticing how Jongdae’s siblings look intrigued with the conversation between their parents and the trio.
“And uh… there have been no…erm…disagreements or anything of the sort?” Yue is curious about the love triangle, while his wife watches the conversation. The whole group’s attention is on these four, and it is not very awkward at all either, since they are a tight-knit group of sixteen guys, including Jongdae.
“No, sir. Well,” Joonmyeon says as he shares a look with Kyungsoo before they share another with Jongin, “actually it was pretty funny at first. Jongin and I…we go way back, but we were unaware of each other’s feelings. What’s funny is that we both fell for Kyungsoo here, and we sort of had a bit of falling out, because we were too busy trying to get Kyungsoo to like us, not knowing the other was doing the same. We had no idea that Kyungsoo was having a difficult time trying to choose one over the other. One day, Jongin and I decided to have a talk, and admitted our true feelings with each other and with Kyungsoo. It’s true what they say, open communication is the key to a healthy relationship.” Kyungsoo and Jongin roll their eyes in an amused manner, both of them chuckling softly.
“Oh, is that so?”
The three of them nod. “Mhm, and Kyungsoo here didn’t know that Jongin and I had decided to form a relationship first with each other, so that we could avoid any conflicts with sharing Kyungsoo. When we told him about our relationship and asked him how he would feel about being in an exclusive relationship with us, he was fine with it and was glad we could be more open and honest with each other this way, instead of keeping secrets or cheating on the other.”
“Well, as long as all is well with the world and you three, I’m glad that it’s working out. The three of you are very kind gentlemen, and incredibly handsome too, so I can see why it would be hard to choose one over the other,” Minyoung comments with a smile.
“Thank you, Mrs. Lee,” the three guys give an unison reply. The rest of the group watches on, with soft smiles on their faces.
A moment of silence passes as the whole group eats their lunch, often complimenting Minseok on his gourmet creations. Minyoung applauds her son for his genius ideas of combining flavors to achieve wonderful tastes, and for his efforts put into making some dishes as good as hers.
After Minseok thanks her, Minyoung smiles as she shakes her head nonchalantly, before taking another glance at Himchan. She has been doing that for some time, having an annoying gut feeling that his face reminds her of someone.
“Mama?”
Minyoung looks to her daughter who has been the one that to call her out of her daze. Meanwhile, one by one, everyone starts disposing of their paper plates and plastic utensils in the trash. However, there are a few, including Minyoung, that are not quite done with their food.
“Baba just said that you two will be here in Seoul for some time, and we want you two to spend some time here in our apartment. Luhan-ge had also just told us that he brought your luggage from his car to here, so everything’s taken care of. That’s okay with you?”
“O-oh! Yes! That’s quite alright with me,” Minyoung smiles. Finished with her lunch, she makes to stand up to throw away the trash when Himchan offers to dispose it for her. Surprised, she gratefully accepts the offer and thanks him. Himchan shoots a gentle smile in reply.
There is an annoying hunch inside of Minyoung that she has seen someone with a face almost like Himchan’s. She has already learned about Himchan’s musical education, as he and Yongguk had explained over lunch, but not of the parents yet. Sitting down with a slight frown, she then takes a look at Jongup, who had introduced himself earlier that morning as Himchan’s younger brother, and she feels frustrated with herself when she cannot remember who else had these faces similar to the brothers.
“Honey?”
Minyoung looks up to her left, at her husband’s concerned face.
“How long do you want to stay? I told the kids it’s up to you how long.”
“O-oh…” Minyoung trails off as she looks around the room before her eyes rest on her kids. “Well, I was hoping that we could stay until Christmas, hopefully our Jongdae will wake up before then…” She senses some of the members slightly shifting in their seats, and some looking discreetly at one another.
“But…” the mother sighs, “if…he’s not awake by then, I’d like for us to stay a little longer…until Jongdae wakes up. I don’t want to leave without knowing that my baby’s awake and…with u-us.” She sniffles and blinks hurriedly, not wanting the tears to fill her eyes and spill. She feels Sunyoung hugging her and she mirrors back the same gesture.
“Okay, mama. That’s quite alright with us. Baba, are you okay with that?” Sunyoung and Minyoung pull back from their embrace, as the daughter looks to her father.
“Anything your mother says, I have no problem with it.” Yue reaches for his wife’s hand and squeezes it gently in reassurance, before he smiles at her. Minyoung smiles back.
Some time after lunch has ended, the group decides it is time to go and leave the Lee family to their time in the apartment. After all, Minyoung and Yue have had a long day. As the family and the group exchange hugs and parting words, Minyoung beckons Yixing to have a word with him.
“Xing-xingie, come here, please.”
Yixing, having just finished talking with Sehun, looks to her with silent anticipation, and he walks up to her.
With a small smile, Minyoung gives him a hug, resting her forehead against Yixing’s chest. Yixing responds by wrapping his arms loosely around her, but he feels her shoulders shaking. He does not know what to say or how to react, until he remembers a nagging request from her a while back, ever since he had first met Jongdae’s family.
“Mother?”
Just a word from Yixing causes Minyoung to cry a little, hearing him use the title that she has insisted on for years since she first met Yixing, for Yixing had always referred her as “Zhongda’s mama” and Yue as “Zhongda’s baba” out of politeness.
There is a moment of silence as the whole group watches the embrace with curiosity and the family watch with soft, genuine eyes.
It is then that Minyoung pulls back from the hug and looks up at Yixing.
“Child…do me a favor, and don’t blame yourself for what has happened. Believe me, I’ve been there. I’ve done it once…and I’ve done it again, but I cannot go back and change them for my sake, nor for my child’s. It’s one of the ha-…hardest things that a p-parent has to accept. So please, when you walk out the door and you go home today, don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault, nor was it mine, nor our beloved Jongdae’s. We’ve gone through quite a lot this weekend, and especially with this being the second ordeal in Jongdae’s lifetime. We need to be strong for our Jongdae, and for ourselves, okay?”
With glistening teary eyes, Minyoung attempts to smile reassuringly, but Yixing knows better. He gives her another hug in response, not saying anything.
“Mother, I will try. I cannot guarantee you that I will do what you ask of me…but I will try.”
Everyone in the room watches the scene in front of them, and they all exchange looks of gratitude and appreciation for each other. The embrace does not last long when Minyoung and Yixing pull apart, and Minyoung wipes her tear-streaked cheeks while Yixing rejoins the group.
The family joins Minyoung as they watch the group file out the apartment in pairs.
The last pair, Himchan and Yongguk, are about to leave when Minyoung called Himchan.
“Wait, Himchan-ah.”
Himchan has a look of both surprise and slight confusion, as to why he is being singled out, when he looks to Minyoung.
“Yes, ma’am? Oh wait, Jonguppie-yah! Jongup! Yah, Jonguppie, wait! Come back here for a sec. You guys can go ahead, we’ll be down there soon,” Himchan calls out to his brother in the hall as he pokes his head out of the doorway. Seconds later, Jongup appears in view, looking nervous, as Himchan steps back to allow him inside. Yongguk is watching the brothers and Minyoung with interest.
“Sorry about that, I didn’t want Jongup to leave without me,” Himchan shoots a small smile to the family. However, Minyoung is studying Himchan and Jongup in a peculiar manner, her head cocked and brow furrowed.
“Uhm, Mrs. Lee, is there something you need from us?”
An awkward moment of silence passes as Himchan, Jongup, Yongguk, and the Lee family members, wait on their spots for Minyoung to say something.
“Honey?”
“Mama?”
A combination of Yue’s and the children’s voices stir Minyoung out of her daze. Blinking, she recomposes herself before she looks to her husband.
“Honey…look at the children. I’m sorry but it’s been bothering me ever since this morning. Do they look familiar to you?”
Yue, puzzled with his wife’s commentary, glances at the two young men in front of him. He stares at them for a while, but nothing is coming to his mind.
“Er, Mr. Lee? Mrs. Lee? Wh-what’s…going on?” Himchan has a slight fear in his voice, his eyes looking sharp, and an alarmed expression on his face. He wraps an arm around Jongup’s body, looking overly protective.
“Mama, what’s wrong?” Wufan asks.
“I don’t…know, honey, it’s just…I’m sorry but, you two look so familiar. You two resemble some people that I feel like I’ve known many years ago, although not personally but…” Minyoung leaves her sentence hanging before she makes another comment. “I swear, I’ve seen these people on television or something…”
Minyoung notices Himchan’s eyes softening at the last sentence, the young man averting his gaze to the floor, and looking as if he is struggling to find words to say. She fails to see Jongup also averting his eyes to the floor and taking a few steps backwards, as he moves closer to his brother for comfort.
Himchan peers up at Yongguk, sharing a look, before he turns to look at his younger brother, whose back is flushed up right against his chest. He lifts a hand to pet Jongup’s head.
“Do the names ‘Moon Jongsoo’ and ‘Kim Hanchul’ sound familiar to you?” Himchan asks softly.
Minyoung gasps immediately as she hears the names, her mind reeling back to the times when she would watch and listen to the musicians on television, and how enjoyable and stunning she found them. In her mind’s eye, she sees the striking resemblances between the two young men and the two well-known musicians.
In a heartbeat, she remembers the tragic accident she heard about on television.
“Oh, my heavens,” Minyoung says sympathetically, bringing a hand to her mouth, as she steps closer to the two men. “You’re really their children. You’re really their sons.” She notices both Jongup and Himchan’s eyes are slowly glazing over, blinking intermittently. “It is such an honor to be able to meet the children of astounding artists. I always looked forward to hearing and watching your parents play at performances, because no one else could play so well like they did…”
Himchan nods with a bitter smile, as he starts to feel the tears brimming in his eyes. He already feels Jongup’s shoulders shaking. It is the first time in a long time that they have heard of their parents from someone outside of the family, and that someone else is praising them for their reputations.
The Lee family watches the scene in front of them, confused at first but slowly catching on that there is something they have not known about the Moon brothers. Yongguk steps closer to Himchan to wrap an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders.
“And when I heard about what happened…that night…I was so shocked, and then I had found out about how they had left behind two sons…” Her voice hitches in her throat as she is filled with emotions.
Meanwhile, the family watches on, with Yue looking pensive, and the children looking shocked, their mouths slightly agape.
Himchan then brings his eyes to meet with Minyoung’s, and she can see tears falling on his cheeks. She looks to Jongup, who is biting on his lower lip while the tears spill in abundance from his eyes, and gulps. “All I could think about was how sorry and heartbroken I was to hear that you two were so young to be left behind…
“I really admired your parents, and I never would have thought there would be a day when I would meet their children… They were magnificent people, and so humble. They would be so proud of you right now, seeing that you have become fine young men.”
“Th-thank you, M-Mrs. L-Lee.” Himchan’s voice is already shaking from the emotions, as he gulps and wipes the tears from his face. Jongup turns to be closer to his brother, seeking comfort in the half-embrace.
“Oh goodness, I’m sorry for this whole situation. I feel so guilty right now for making you guys cry,” Minyoung lets out a weak chuckle, and she sees Himchan smiling weakly. “Let me give you a hug,” she croons as she gives them a hug. A croaking noise erupts out of Himchan’s throat as he tries to smile, and both brothers welcome the hug.
“Eight long years without parents…” Minyoung caresses the two brothers’ heads, watching Himchan and Jongup with admiration. “How did you two manage? You had relatives to take care of you, I hope?”
“In the first couple of years after our parents’ death, yes. But then they had to go back to their homes and I was left to take care of my brother. They visit now and then, but I swore to myself that I would take care of Jongup here to the best of my ability. I refused to let him out of my care these past eight years. I worked many part-time jobs to help ourselves, even if we had the inheritance.” With that final statement, Himchan pets Jongup’s head before planting a kiss on top of it. Jongup still has his head bowed, not meeting anyone’s gaze.
Minyoung’s eyes soften at the gesture and she brings a hand to Jongup’s cheek. Jongup slowly looks up to meet her soft gaze with puffy eyes. She wipes off a tear falling on Jongup’s cheek, smiling, “Jongup-ah, you’re so lucky to have an older brother taking great care of you. You two are so lucky that you have each other. As a mother myself, I cannot imagine the hardships you have had these years to get here. It pained me to hear about your parents’ deaths and about you two, but I am relieved to see that, right in front of me, their two sons are doing so well and chasing their dreams and happiness.” She smiles with watery eyes.
Himchan and Jongup respond with smiles that are not completely happy smiles, but enough to show that they are thankful for her words.
- - - -
Jongdae is in another dimension, feeling panicked…
“Gege, where are you???”
He runs around in the darkness, trying to find a light… He keeps blinking to remind himself that he’s not blind; he knows that because he feels his eyes trying to focus on anything in front of him.
For what seems like an eternity spent in the darkness, it has only been a few minutes…
Tears come to his eyes…
He rapidly blinks, unsure to believe if he has gone back to being blind, or if he is just seeing pitch darkness…
Hints of sobbing creep up in his throat…
His arms are outstretched to find anything in the dark…anything to grasp, anything to touch…
“Gege, I’m sc-scared…where are you?? P-Please help me, I c-can’t see anything…” Jongdae is whimpering, his arms weakly reaching out for something, anything.
Silence is all he hears…
Darkness is all he sees…
“A-Anyone? P-Please…P-please help me. I’m s-scared. Gege, where are you? Gege??”
After a while of running around, he is about to give up when he trips on his own shoes and he lets out a frightened yelp. He collapses to the floor, and he could feel a hard, cool floor. He lets out shaky moans, whimpering, as he draws his body closer to a fetal position.
“I hate this… I want out of here, please… Please. Help me… Help me… Mama, Baba…where are you? I’m sc-scared…” Jongdae sniffles.
The image of Wufan flashes across his mind.
“GEGE, HELP ME!!!!” Jongdae’s distressed screams fill the darkness, as his body is flailing horribly in fear. “I WANT OUT OF HERE, GEGE! WHERE A-” His mouth betrays him as the croaks and the emotions chokes up in his throat. He is left heaving and sobbing.
“M-Mama…Baba…where are you? M-Mama, I’m scared. I’m scared…”
There is no reply, only his words being swallowed into the silence.
“Please… someone… anyone… Help me, please… I don’t know where I am,” Jongdae sobs as he sits up. “Where are you guys?” He draws up his knees and huddles into a ball, his head cradled in his arms as he tries to block off the darkness and the panic that builds up inside of him. Tears flood from his eyes.
“AHHH!!” Jongdae screams out, wanting to shut his eyes from the horrible nightmare. It does not matter if he shuts his eyes or opens his eyes, it will still be black around him.
Several minutes pass as Jongdae’s sobs persist before they dwindle to high-pitched whimpers and unintelligible mumblings.
“…Zhongda?”
Jongdae gasps as he lifts his head up, opening his eyes, despite being in the dark, and recognizing immediately the voice.
“Xi-…Xing-ge?” Emotions build up in his throat, leaving him unable to speak properly. Is it really him? It’s really Yixing’s voice?
“Zhongda, come here. Follow my voice.” Yixing’s voice seems to come from all directions, and Jongdae does not know where to face.
Jongdae feels like crying, out of a combination of relief and helplessness. “I can’t…I can’t…I don’t know where I’m going…I’m too scared to even move…”
“Just follow my voice…”
“Xing-ge, please help me! Can’t you find me??” Jongdae wails as he shuts his eyes from the suffocating darkness.
“You can do it, I know you can. Just follow my voice…I will keep on talking, but follow my voice…”
Yixing’s voice suddenly starts to radiate from a single source, as Jongdae’s ears can pick up the source, and Jongdae slowly gets up. He blindly starts moving ever so slowly towards the source.
“That’s it, babe…”
Sniffling, Jongdae continues to follow the trail of his boyfriend’s voice, still in a slow, cautious pace. “I can’t believe it’s you, Xing-ge…I missed your voice…”
There is a chuckle. “Keep on going, babe…you’re almost there.”
Almost where? Jongdae thinks to himself.
“You’re about to reach a door…turn right after you’ve counted eight steps.”
Jongdae does as he is told, turning right immediately after making eight steps.
“Walk two steps and then turn left. Feel out what is in front of you, and you’ll find a door handle.”
Jongdae follows his orders and, true to Yixing’s word, he finds the door handle. He suddenly opens it with a push, before he finds himself blinded and bathed in a warm light.
Blinking for his eyes to adjust to the light, Jongdae notices a figure in motion, walking towards him. He squints them to focus on it.
Walking on a grassy field, the figure looks almost pale, with dirty blonde hair. He is wearing casual attire, loose shirt and denim jeans.
Jongdae does not recognize the person at all, but he thinks he has a feeling he knows who it is.
“Yi-Yixing-ge?”
Author: tikibuddy91
Characters: EXO, BAP, former APINK (Yookyung), JB, JR
Word Count: 5290
Genre: College, Drama, AU, Hurt/Comfort, Angst
Rating: PG (angsty emotions)
Summary: College students: Blind, Deaf and Mute. Their lives deal with the ups and downs, like roller coasters. They find relationships and companionships. Life does not always have a happy ending, but they can try to get their own.
Author Note: Jongdae’s family are in for a surprise. And a surprising revelation is made known for Minyoung, Jongdae's mother.
Masterlist
“So what’s gonna happen now?” Sunyoung asks.
Everyone looks at each other before Joonmyeon speaks up.
“Well, the rest of us are still at my place” - Joonmyeon sneaks a knowing glance to Yixing, and the latter nods casually - “but I will be more than happy to take the two of you to Jongdae’s place first.” Joonmyeon looks toward Minyoung and Yue with a genuine smile.
“Actually, we can take our parents in our car, and you can take Auntie Hwakyung and Yookyung to their place, if that’s okay?” Minseok suggests quickly.
Joonmyeon looks to Yixing, and they exchange nods before Joonmyeon complies. After exchanging hugs and thanks, the group parts ways. The Lee family heads off in one direction, to Minseok’s car, while Joonmyeon and the others head off in another, to his own car. Joonmyeon is escorting Auntie Hwakyung while Yookyung tries to lighten up Yixing’s mood by casually talking about the dance audition before she stops herself. She decides to strike up a conversation with Yixing about how he and Jongdae came to know the whole group.
The group reaches Joonmyeon’s car and, shortly after they parted with the family, Joonmyeon opens the door for Auntie Hwakyung to get in first before he enters into the driver’s seat. Yixing does the same for Yookyung at the passenger side. Now, Yixing and Yookyung are sitting behind Joonmyeon and Auntie Hwakyung respectively.
After Joonmyeon starts the car, he backs it out of the parking space. Once the car is in the open, he steps on the gas pedal, the destination actually being Jongdae’s apartment.
“Auntie Hwakyung, I’m sorry but I must say something,” Joonmyeon says with an air of declaration. Auntie Hwakyung looks at him with a raised eyebrow. “There is a surprise event happening at Jongdae’s apartment.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes… You see, I sort of lied to the family that the group was at my place; they are actually over there, prepping the apartment for the feast. The one that Jongdae was telling you about that night.”
With a gasp, Auntie Hwakyung is surprised, bringing a hand to her chest. She looks over to Yixing and Yookyung before looking back at Joonmyeon. “Oh! What a marvelous idea, that is so kind of you guys!”
Joonmyeon smiles half-heartedly. “It won’t be the same without Jongdae around to eat with us, though…”
Auntie Hwakyung frowns slightly as she gently pats on Joonmyeon’s arm. “Yes, I see your point… Aigoo, honey, it’ll be okay. You cannot let the food go to waste, after all that you guys have done and what you guys have went through. But let’s hurry now, less talking, more driving; who knows if the family have already gotten into the car and left for the apartment. Put your foot on the gas pedal, son!” Auntie Hwakyung chuckles as Joonmyeon smiles and nod.
Yixing cannot help but let a small chuckle escape his mouth.
- - -
Meanwhile, the family has already reached Minseok’s car, huddling up as they look to the hospital.
“It still hasn’t quite hit me that Jongdae’s not with us… Like I know that Jongdae’s in a coma right now, and he’s up there in the hospital… but it’s somewhat hard for me to accept that our child’s not with us right now…” Minyoung murmurs. “I’m so used to seeing the four of you together or at least you two,” - she indicates to Wufan and Sunyoung - “with Jongdae… Sorry Seokkie-yah…” The mother chuckles weakly. “But you take such good care of your siblings, so that alone is enough for me to be happy and have my mind at ease.”
The siblings nod in agreement, unsure of what else to say, until Minseok brings up an idea.
“Mama, Baba...the other night, we were cooking up a feast for the dancers because of their auditions. When we get home, would you like to have some?”
“Oh, that would be wonderful! Yes, honey, of course! I cannot wait to sample my son’s delicious cooking. We will see if it meets up to mama’s good ol’ cooking.” The mother winks and chuckles as she hugs her son. “Let’s eat it for our Jongdae, hmm?”
- - - -
Fortunately, Joonmyeon and the group have arrived before the Lee family does. Joonmyeon has explained to Auntie Hwakyung about the plan to surprise the family: they will leave the lights on, but the feast will have been laid out and ready on the table. When the door opens and the family comes in, the group will all be just standing in the living room and surprise them on the spot.
With hurrying footsteps, they quickly make haste to the elevators that would take them to the floor of the Lees’ apartment. Once Joonmyeon arrives at the door of the apartment, he knocks tentatively on it as the others catch up to him.
“Who is it?” Luhan’s voice creeps out from behind the door.
“It’s Joonmyeon and Yixing, with Yookyung and Auntie Hwaky-.”
The door quickly opens before Joonmyeon is able to finish his sentence. The group is met with Kyungsoo, Jongin, Zitao, Chanyeol and Baekhyun tugging on Joonmyeon and his company’s arms to enter the apartment.
There are lines of “Oh my!” and “Whoa” heard from Auntie Hwakyung and Yookyung as they stare in amazement at the multitude of Jongdae’s friends. “What a glorious sight to see!” Auntie Hwakyung chuckles before the whole group start bowing and introducing themselves to the two ladies.
“My, aren’t you all precious…I’m Park Hwakyung and this is my daughter, Yookyung.”
After all the introductions are exchanged, the ladies join the group to face the door.
“I’ll call Wufan to check how close they are to the apartment,” Joonmyeon takes out his phone, dialing Wufan’s number.
Ring ring…
Joonmyeon quickly looks around at the group, shushing them even though they are not making a sound. At all. Jongin giggles at the irony before Kyungsoo looks his way and sneaks an arm around his waist, silencing him with a look. Jongin smiles at him and places his forehead against Kyungsoo’s. Sehun looks at them with a mock-disgust face, pretending to gag “Yes, Joonmyeon?”
“Hey Wufan, are you guys home yet? I’ve just dropped Auntie Hwakyung and Yookyung off at their place.”
“Ah, yeah actually,” Wufan’s voice rings out. “…Wait…why did you call me with that question?”
Joonmyeon’s face falls with the sudden realization of his slip. He stammers a bit, thinking up of an excuse. “Oh, y’know. Just…checking on you guys, after what happened this morning…” Joonmyeon tries to say it casually, and Wufan buys it.
“Oh…okay, yeah…Thank you, Joonmyeon-ah. You’re a caring friend.”
“We’re walking to the elevators now and heading up to our floor soon.” Joonmyeon’s eyes widen and he looks to the door.
“Ah, okay; well, I’ll be heading off with Yixing to my place. We’ll see you sometime soon, okay?” Joonmyeon’s face blanks at the slip of his tongue. Softly facepalming himself, he hears Wufan humming in acknowledgment and telling him that he will see them soon, too. After exchanging byes, Joonmyeon hangs up the call and lets out a sigh of relief. Putting away his phone, he looks to the group with a smile.
“They’re coming.”
- - - -
In the elevator, Wufan is standing with one arm around Sunyoung’s shoulders and another arm linking with their mother’s. Minseok is standing with their father, in front of Wufan, Sunyoung and their mother. The family has been chatting the whole time, but there was a temporary silence while Wufan received a call from Joonmyeon. The elevator makes a dinging noise announcing that they have arrived at their floor, and they file out, with Minseok leading the way.
Wufan and his family are gathered at the door when Minseok goes to open it and turns the knob.
Some fumbling noises are heard as Minseok pushes the door open…
“SURPRISE!!!!!”
With a sudden jolt, Wufan and Minseok stiffen at the noise. Wufan has also felt Sunyoung startle under his arm. Wufan removes his arms from his mother’s and Sunyoung’s shoulders as he walks around Minseok to see the group that surprised them.
“Wh-…”
“What…” Wufan is left breathless as he enters, the family trailing behind him to enter the apartment. “What is all this?” The family is now inside the apartment, looking very confused and shocked at the group present in the apartment.
“Well, Jongup here wanted us to do something for the family, and Daehyun here and I thought of the feast,” Smiling, Joonmyeon explains as he attempts to sign. “So we decided to have a surprise visit and feast for you and the family when you guys get back from the hospital.” [J-U *He points to Jongup* suggest us for you-all do something. D-H *He points to Daehyun* I think-finish feast. *Joonmyeon snaps his fingers* Finally, we decide group-move here surprise and eat with you-all, after hospital.]
The group moves aside to let the table come into view as Wufan and the family see a grand feast decorated on top. With floored expressions, the Lee family sees that the food has been reheated as the aromas of the meal fill the nostrils of everyone in the apartment.
Wufan savors the smell in his nose before he glares at Joonmyeon.
“YAH!! You lied to me that you were out, heading back to your place!” Wufan scolds Joonmyeon with a smile.
“I know, otherwise this surprise visit wouldn’t be a surprise,” Joonmyeon says pointedly in good humor.
The group chuckles before Wufan finds himself pouting. It is not too long before Wufan’s pout returns to a smile.
“But…why?”
There is a sigh somewhere in the group before Yongguk speaks up. “We thought you guys might need some mood-lifting, ever since…you know.” Everyone nods, understanding what he meant. “And we do feel bad that Jongdae will not be with us, but we couldn’t let you and the whole family mope around. We’re really doing this for Jongdae and for you guys; he wouldn’t want you all to be sad any longer than you should. He’s always been this bright young guy among all of us; I mean, who wouldn’t be able to smile the moment they see him?”
“Oh…” Minyoung croons softly behind Wufan, touched by Yongguk’s explanation.
There is a moment of comfortable silence before Kyungsoo speaks up as he makes his way to Minyoung.
“S-shall we eat, Mr. and Mrs. Lee?” His wide eyes cast a shy glance between the parents and the sweet smile on his face causes Minyoung to baby him almost immediately.
“Aigoo, Kyungsoo-yah, you’re cute. We would be delighted to dine with the whole group.” His smile unchanging, Kyungsoo then takes Minyoung by the arm and leads her to the dining room.
- - - -
“So…the three of you have been together for some time?”
Joonmyeon, Kyungsoo and Jongin nod in unison, their eyes on Yue and Minyoung. Lunch had been having the whole group in chatters, with each Lee family member conversing with a different group of speakers at the table. Auntie Hwakyung, Wufan, Yookyung and Sunyoung had been checking up on Yixing and talking with him; Minseok was talking with Luhan, Sehun, Yongguk and Himchan; Yue and Minyoung were talking with Joonmyeon, Kyungsoo and Jongin, with Daehyun, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Youngjae, Jongup, JB and Zitao watching on. Although, Zitao had often snuck glances at Wufan, wanting to somehow communicate with him; Wufan had not noticed, as he was watching Yixing in concentration. But right now, everyone is focused on the trio, upon noticing how Jongdae’s siblings look intrigued with the conversation between their parents and the trio.
“And uh… there have been no…erm…disagreements or anything of the sort?” Yue is curious about the love triangle, while his wife watches the conversation. The whole group’s attention is on these four, and it is not very awkward at all either, since they are a tight-knit group of sixteen guys, including Jongdae.
“No, sir. Well,” Joonmyeon says as he shares a look with Kyungsoo before they share another with Jongin, “actually it was pretty funny at first. Jongin and I…we go way back, but we were unaware of each other’s feelings. What’s funny is that we both fell for Kyungsoo here, and we sort of had a bit of falling out, because we were too busy trying to get Kyungsoo to like us, not knowing the other was doing the same. We had no idea that Kyungsoo was having a difficult time trying to choose one over the other. One day, Jongin and I decided to have a talk, and admitted our true feelings with each other and with Kyungsoo. It’s true what they say, open communication is the key to a healthy relationship.” Kyungsoo and Jongin roll their eyes in an amused manner, both of them chuckling softly.
“Oh, is that so?”
The three of them nod. “Mhm, and Kyungsoo here didn’t know that Jongin and I had decided to form a relationship first with each other, so that we could avoid any conflicts with sharing Kyungsoo. When we told him about our relationship and asked him how he would feel about being in an exclusive relationship with us, he was fine with it and was glad we could be more open and honest with each other this way, instead of keeping secrets or cheating on the other.”
“Well, as long as all is well with the world and you three, I’m glad that it’s working out. The three of you are very kind gentlemen, and incredibly handsome too, so I can see why it would be hard to choose one over the other,” Minyoung comments with a smile.
“Thank you, Mrs. Lee,” the three guys give an unison reply. The rest of the group watches on, with soft smiles on their faces.
A moment of silence passes as the whole group eats their lunch, often complimenting Minseok on his gourmet creations. Minyoung applauds her son for his genius ideas of combining flavors to achieve wonderful tastes, and for his efforts put into making some dishes as good as hers.
After Minseok thanks her, Minyoung smiles as she shakes her head nonchalantly, before taking another glance at Himchan. She has been doing that for some time, having an annoying gut feeling that his face reminds her of someone.
“Mama?”
Minyoung looks to her daughter who has been the one that to call her out of her daze. Meanwhile, one by one, everyone starts disposing of their paper plates and plastic utensils in the trash. However, there are a few, including Minyoung, that are not quite done with their food.
“Baba just said that you two will be here in Seoul for some time, and we want you two to spend some time here in our apartment. Luhan-ge had also just told us that he brought your luggage from his car to here, so everything’s taken care of. That’s okay with you?”
“O-oh! Yes! That’s quite alright with me,” Minyoung smiles. Finished with her lunch, she makes to stand up to throw away the trash when Himchan offers to dispose it for her. Surprised, she gratefully accepts the offer and thanks him. Himchan shoots a gentle smile in reply.
There is an annoying hunch inside of Minyoung that she has seen someone with a face almost like Himchan’s. She has already learned about Himchan’s musical education, as he and Yongguk had explained over lunch, but not of the parents yet. Sitting down with a slight frown, she then takes a look at Jongup, who had introduced himself earlier that morning as Himchan’s younger brother, and she feels frustrated with herself when she cannot remember who else had these faces similar to the brothers.
“Honey?”
Minyoung looks up to her left, at her husband’s concerned face.
“How long do you want to stay? I told the kids it’s up to you how long.”
“O-oh…” Minyoung trails off as she looks around the room before her eyes rest on her kids. “Well, I was hoping that we could stay until Christmas, hopefully our Jongdae will wake up before then…” She senses some of the members slightly shifting in their seats, and some looking discreetly at one another.
“But…” the mother sighs, “if…he’s not awake by then, I’d like for us to stay a little longer…until Jongdae wakes up. I don’t want to leave without knowing that my baby’s awake and…with u-us.” She sniffles and blinks hurriedly, not wanting the tears to fill her eyes and spill. She feels Sunyoung hugging her and she mirrors back the same gesture.
“Okay, mama. That’s quite alright with us. Baba, are you okay with that?” Sunyoung and Minyoung pull back from their embrace, as the daughter looks to her father.
“Anything your mother says, I have no problem with it.” Yue reaches for his wife’s hand and squeezes it gently in reassurance, before he smiles at her. Minyoung smiles back.
Some time after lunch has ended, the group decides it is time to go and leave the Lee family to their time in the apartment. After all, Minyoung and Yue have had a long day. As the family and the group exchange hugs and parting words, Minyoung beckons Yixing to have a word with him.
“Xing-xingie, come here, please.”
Yixing, having just finished talking with Sehun, looks to her with silent anticipation, and he walks up to her.
With a small smile, Minyoung gives him a hug, resting her forehead against Yixing’s chest. Yixing responds by wrapping his arms loosely around her, but he feels her shoulders shaking. He does not know what to say or how to react, until he remembers a nagging request from her a while back, ever since he had first met Jongdae’s family.
“Mother?”
Just a word from Yixing causes Minyoung to cry a little, hearing him use the title that she has insisted on for years since she first met Yixing, for Yixing had always referred her as “Zhongda’s mama” and Yue as “Zhongda’s baba” out of politeness.
There is a moment of silence as the whole group watches the embrace with curiosity and the family watch with soft, genuine eyes.
It is then that Minyoung pulls back from the hug and looks up at Yixing.
“Child…do me a favor, and don’t blame yourself for what has happened. Believe me, I’ve been there. I’ve done it once…and I’ve done it again, but I cannot go back and change them for my sake, nor for my child’s. It’s one of the ha-…hardest things that a p-parent has to accept. So please, when you walk out the door and you go home today, don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault, nor was it mine, nor our beloved Jongdae’s. We’ve gone through quite a lot this weekend, and especially with this being the second ordeal in Jongdae’s lifetime. We need to be strong for our Jongdae, and for ourselves, okay?”
With glistening teary eyes, Minyoung attempts to smile reassuringly, but Yixing knows better. He gives her another hug in response, not saying anything.
“Mother, I will try. I cannot guarantee you that I will do what you ask of me…but I will try.”
Everyone in the room watches the scene in front of them, and they all exchange looks of gratitude and appreciation for each other. The embrace does not last long when Minyoung and Yixing pull apart, and Minyoung wipes her tear-streaked cheeks while Yixing rejoins the group.
The family joins Minyoung as they watch the group file out the apartment in pairs.
The last pair, Himchan and Yongguk, are about to leave when Minyoung called Himchan.
“Wait, Himchan-ah.”
Himchan has a look of both surprise and slight confusion, as to why he is being singled out, when he looks to Minyoung.
“Yes, ma’am? Oh wait, Jonguppie-yah! Jongup! Yah, Jonguppie, wait! Come back here for a sec. You guys can go ahead, we’ll be down there soon,” Himchan calls out to his brother in the hall as he pokes his head out of the doorway. Seconds later, Jongup appears in view, looking nervous, as Himchan steps back to allow him inside. Yongguk is watching the brothers and Minyoung with interest.
“Sorry about that, I didn’t want Jongup to leave without me,” Himchan shoots a small smile to the family. However, Minyoung is studying Himchan and Jongup in a peculiar manner, her head cocked and brow furrowed.
“Uhm, Mrs. Lee, is there something you need from us?”
An awkward moment of silence passes as Himchan, Jongup, Yongguk, and the Lee family members, wait on their spots for Minyoung to say something.
“Honey?”
“Mama?”
A combination of Yue’s and the children’s voices stir Minyoung out of her daze. Blinking, she recomposes herself before she looks to her husband.
“Honey…look at the children. I’m sorry but it’s been bothering me ever since this morning. Do they look familiar to you?”
Yue, puzzled with his wife’s commentary, glances at the two young men in front of him. He stares at them for a while, but nothing is coming to his mind.
“Er, Mr. Lee? Mrs. Lee? Wh-what’s…going on?” Himchan has a slight fear in his voice, his eyes looking sharp, and an alarmed expression on his face. He wraps an arm around Jongup’s body, looking overly protective.
“Mama, what’s wrong?” Wufan asks.
“I don’t…know, honey, it’s just…I’m sorry but, you two look so familiar. You two resemble some people that I feel like I’ve known many years ago, although not personally but…” Minyoung leaves her sentence hanging before she makes another comment. “I swear, I’ve seen these people on television or something…”
Minyoung notices Himchan’s eyes softening at the last sentence, the young man averting his gaze to the floor, and looking as if he is struggling to find words to say. She fails to see Jongup also averting his eyes to the floor and taking a few steps backwards, as he moves closer to his brother for comfort.
Himchan peers up at Yongguk, sharing a look, before he turns to look at his younger brother, whose back is flushed up right against his chest. He lifts a hand to pet Jongup’s head.
“Do the names ‘Moon Jongsoo’ and ‘Kim Hanchul’ sound familiar to you?” Himchan asks softly.
Minyoung gasps immediately as she hears the names, her mind reeling back to the times when she would watch and listen to the musicians on television, and how enjoyable and stunning she found them. In her mind’s eye, she sees the striking resemblances between the two young men and the two well-known musicians.
In a heartbeat, she remembers the tragic accident she heard about on television.
“Oh, my heavens,” Minyoung says sympathetically, bringing a hand to her mouth, as she steps closer to the two men. “You’re really their children. You’re really their sons.” She notices both Jongup and Himchan’s eyes are slowly glazing over, blinking intermittently. “It is such an honor to be able to meet the children of astounding artists. I always looked forward to hearing and watching your parents play at performances, because no one else could play so well like they did…”
Himchan nods with a bitter smile, as he starts to feel the tears brimming in his eyes. He already feels Jongup’s shoulders shaking. It is the first time in a long time that they have heard of their parents from someone outside of the family, and that someone else is praising them for their reputations.
The Lee family watches the scene in front of them, confused at first but slowly catching on that there is something they have not known about the Moon brothers. Yongguk steps closer to Himchan to wrap an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders.
“And when I heard about what happened…that night…I was so shocked, and then I had found out about how they had left behind two sons…” Her voice hitches in her throat as she is filled with emotions.
Meanwhile, the family watches on, with Yue looking pensive, and the children looking shocked, their mouths slightly agape.
Himchan then brings his eyes to meet with Minyoung’s, and she can see tears falling on his cheeks. She looks to Jongup, who is biting on his lower lip while the tears spill in abundance from his eyes, and gulps. “All I could think about was how sorry and heartbroken I was to hear that you two were so young to be left behind…
“I really admired your parents, and I never would have thought there would be a day when I would meet their children… They were magnificent people, and so humble. They would be so proud of you right now, seeing that you have become fine young men.”
“Th-thank you, M-Mrs. L-Lee.” Himchan’s voice is already shaking from the emotions, as he gulps and wipes the tears from his face. Jongup turns to be closer to his brother, seeking comfort in the half-embrace.
“Oh goodness, I’m sorry for this whole situation. I feel so guilty right now for making you guys cry,” Minyoung lets out a weak chuckle, and she sees Himchan smiling weakly. “Let me give you a hug,” she croons as she gives them a hug. A croaking noise erupts out of Himchan’s throat as he tries to smile, and both brothers welcome the hug.
“Eight long years without parents…” Minyoung caresses the two brothers’ heads, watching Himchan and Jongup with admiration. “How did you two manage? You had relatives to take care of you, I hope?”
“In the first couple of years after our parents’ death, yes. But then they had to go back to their homes and I was left to take care of my brother. They visit now and then, but I swore to myself that I would take care of Jongup here to the best of my ability. I refused to let him out of my care these past eight years. I worked many part-time jobs to help ourselves, even if we had the inheritance.” With that final statement, Himchan pets Jongup’s head before planting a kiss on top of it. Jongup still has his head bowed, not meeting anyone’s gaze.
Minyoung’s eyes soften at the gesture and she brings a hand to Jongup’s cheek. Jongup slowly looks up to meet her soft gaze with puffy eyes. She wipes off a tear falling on Jongup’s cheek, smiling, “Jongup-ah, you’re so lucky to have an older brother taking great care of you. You two are so lucky that you have each other. As a mother myself, I cannot imagine the hardships you have had these years to get here. It pained me to hear about your parents’ deaths and about you two, but I am relieved to see that, right in front of me, their two sons are doing so well and chasing their dreams and happiness.” She smiles with watery eyes.
Himchan and Jongup respond with smiles that are not completely happy smiles, but enough to show that they are thankful for her words.
- - - -
Jongdae is in another dimension, feeling panicked…
“Gege, where are you???”
He runs around in the darkness, trying to find a light… He keeps blinking to remind himself that he’s not blind; he knows that because he feels his eyes trying to focus on anything in front of him.
For what seems like an eternity spent in the darkness, it has only been a few minutes…
Tears come to his eyes…
He rapidly blinks, unsure to believe if he has gone back to being blind, or if he is just seeing pitch darkness…
Hints of sobbing creep up in his throat…
His arms are outstretched to find anything in the dark…anything to grasp, anything to touch…
“Gege, I’m sc-scared…where are you?? P-Please help me, I c-can’t see anything…” Jongdae is whimpering, his arms weakly reaching out for something, anything.
Silence is all he hears…
Darkness is all he sees…
“A-Anyone? P-Please…P-please help me. I’m s-scared. Gege, where are you? Gege??”
After a while of running around, he is about to give up when he trips on his own shoes and he lets out a frightened yelp. He collapses to the floor, and he could feel a hard, cool floor. He lets out shaky moans, whimpering, as he draws his body closer to a fetal position.
“I hate this… I want out of here, please… Please. Help me… Help me… Mama, Baba…where are you? I’m sc-scared…” Jongdae sniffles.
The image of Wufan flashes across his mind.
“GEGE, HELP ME!!!!” Jongdae’s distressed screams fill the darkness, as his body is flailing horribly in fear. “I WANT OUT OF HERE, GEGE! WHERE A-” His mouth betrays him as the croaks and the emotions chokes up in his throat. He is left heaving and sobbing.
“M-Mama…Baba…where are you? M-Mama, I’m scared. I’m scared…”
There is no reply, only his words being swallowed into the silence.
“Please… someone… anyone… Help me, please… I don’t know where I am,” Jongdae sobs as he sits up. “Where are you guys?” He draws up his knees and huddles into a ball, his head cradled in his arms as he tries to block off the darkness and the panic that builds up inside of him. Tears flood from his eyes.
“AHHH!!” Jongdae screams out, wanting to shut his eyes from the horrible nightmare. It does not matter if he shuts his eyes or opens his eyes, it will still be black around him.
Several minutes pass as Jongdae’s sobs persist before they dwindle to high-pitched whimpers and unintelligible mumblings.
“…Zhongda?”
Jongdae gasps as he lifts his head up, opening his eyes, despite being in the dark, and recognizing immediately the voice.
“Xi-…Xing-ge?” Emotions build up in his throat, leaving him unable to speak properly. Is it really him? It’s really Yixing’s voice?
“Zhongda, come here. Follow my voice.” Yixing’s voice seems to come from all directions, and Jongdae does not know where to face.
Jongdae feels like crying, out of a combination of relief and helplessness. “I can’t…I can’t…I don’t know where I’m going…I’m too scared to even move…”
“Just follow my voice…”
“Xing-ge, please help me! Can’t you find me??” Jongdae wails as he shuts his eyes from the suffocating darkness.
“You can do it, I know you can. Just follow my voice…I will keep on talking, but follow my voice…”
Yixing’s voice suddenly starts to radiate from a single source, as Jongdae’s ears can pick up the source, and Jongdae slowly gets up. He blindly starts moving ever so slowly towards the source.
“That’s it, babe…”
Sniffling, Jongdae continues to follow the trail of his boyfriend’s voice, still in a slow, cautious pace. “I can’t believe it’s you, Xing-ge…I missed your voice…”
There is a chuckle. “Keep on going, babe…you’re almost there.”
Almost where? Jongdae thinks to himself.
“You’re about to reach a door…turn right after you’ve counted eight steps.”
Jongdae does as he is told, turning right immediately after making eight steps.
“Walk two steps and then turn left. Feel out what is in front of you, and you’ll find a door handle.”
Jongdae follows his orders and, true to Yixing’s word, he finds the door handle. He suddenly opens it with a push, before he finds himself blinded and bathed in a warm light.
Blinking for his eyes to adjust to the light, Jongdae notices a figure in motion, walking towards him. He squints them to focus on it.
Walking on a grassy field, the figure looks almost pale, with dirty blonde hair. He is wearing casual attire, loose shirt and denim jeans.
Jongdae does not recognize the person at all, but he thinks he has a feeling he knows who it is.
“Yi-Yixing-ge?”