Chapter 1 - Four Years down The Line
June 3rd, 1:05pm.
"Hey, dude!"
Yong Soo, now aged 16, looked up towards the door of the classroom, grinning as he caught sight of his best friend for four years running.
Alfred F. Jones wasn't the brightest of kids, but Yong Soo was certain that he had the brightest smiles.
"Yo, we still up for karaoke tonight?" Alfred asked boisterously as he seated himself, backwards, in the chair in front of Yong Soo.
The Korean laughed, giving a toothy grin. "You know it, da-ze!"
The two boys continued to talk, chattering away happily. It was the end of the year and they weren't doing anything in class, anyways. At this point, all the teachers cared about was graduation.
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Yong soo lay sprawled across his bed, gazing up at a familiar poster of one of his favorite actors.
His bedroom was decently sized, with pitch black walls and ceiling. Posters of all kinds covered his ceiling, and dozens of picture frames hung from the walls.
A stack of manga and comics were piled by his bed, and on his nightstand was his laptop and a large array of soda cans, plates, and glasses.
A small ding sounded beside Yong Soo, and he rolled onto his stomach as he grabbed for his phone. Opening the message, he froze. His breath hitched, and his mind stilled.
From: Yao
Pack your bags. You're coming home for the summer.
Yong Soo whimpered, not daring to believe what he was reading. He was going home. Home. For the entire summer!
He's been home over the past four years, of course, but never for more than a week or so. Never for a month, let alone the entire summer.
His heart leapt, and for the first time in quite a while, Yong Soo just shouted happily, grinning as he bounced up to his feet and towards his closet.
Halfway through packing his suitcase, the door to Yong Soo's bedroom slammed open and back into the wall. A tall figure stepped into the room, and a pair of glazed, cold eyes bore into Yong Soo's skull.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Hyung Soo, aged 28 and Yong Soo's older brother and guardian, was a handsome young man; rather tall with pitch black hair, he had very few resemblance to his younger brother.
Yong Soo froze up. On instinct, his muscles tensed. His entire body stilled and he worked his jaw. He struggled to control his breathing, squeezing his eyes shut.
"I got a text from Yao." He said quietly. "He said I'd be going home for a little while." He didn't dare to turn around, never quite brave enough to look his abuser in the eye.
"This is your home."
Yong Soo bites back his snarky response of This place has never been a home to me.
"Well, then." Hyung grunted, "Why don't we have a little chat before you go, eh?" He spoke in that same voice he always used when they were alone. That familiar tone that brought with it the promise of pain, of bruises and welts and gashes that took weeks to heal.
Yong Soo was grabbed rather roughly by the arm. Hyung yanked him backwards, then slammed him to the side. Yong Soo cried out as he stumbled backwards, his lower back slamming into dresser. Tears surged to his eyes.
The next few minutes passed in a painful, burning blur. He was on his hands and knees next, his shirt gone, and the end of a belt whipping against his back and shoulders.
The belt caught onto his neck and ears, even sections of his biceps. His skin seared, his flesh felt as if it was on fire. Tears slipped down his cheeks and dripped onto the carpet below, leaving little dark marks on the sea of grayish-white.
Just as it had ended, as he was finally free from the harsh leather of the belt, Hyung flipped the belt around. This time, the belt struck him once: the buckle slashed down the junction where his neck met his shoulder and back to the top of his shoulder-blade.
The door clicked softly, and Yong Soo gasped. He struggled to breathe through the haze of pain and sobs. Faintly, Yong Soo realizes that he can't remember a time that his pale skin hasn't been covered in wounds.
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Two Days Later
Yong Soo startled awake. The world blurred before him, and he mumbled incoherently to himself as he rubbed at his watery eyes. He sighed when he realized he'd fallen asleep during the train ride.
The train had just stopped at the station, so Yong Soo staggered to his feet and grabbed his luggage. He stepped down and onto the platform, eyes scanning the surroundings for any familiar faces.
"Yong Soo!" A voice called out, and he turned.
Yao was running towards him, smiling as ever. Not far behind, Chio and Kai followed.
Yong Soo's face split in a grin, and he felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He made his way towards them, practically bouncing out of pure joy.
Yao pulled him into a tight hug, crushing Yong Soo against his chest with a strength that the shorter boy hand forgotten he possessed. At first, Yong Soo cringed and fought away the horribly strong urge to shove Yao away. His back burned, and tears flooded his eyes. One of Yao's hands pressed against the gash from the belt-buckle above his shoulder blade, sending a burning flare through his neck and left arm.
Ignoring his protesting body, Yong Soo returned Yao's hug full strength.
When they separated after a few moments, Yong Soo turned to his siblings. Chio gave him a small smirk, and Kai gave him a one-armed hug.
"You haven't changed a bit." Kai had told him on the drive home. From the front seats, Chio and Yao both laughed. Yong Soo merely smiled, deciding not to mention how the seatbelt was digging into one of the week-old bruises on his chest.
Yet, as they pulled into the driveway, Yong Soo realized that no one seemed to notice the differences. He flinched at the louder noises, quick movements and when Kai moved perhaps a bit too close.
Well, if they noticed, then they didn't say anything. That is, til Chio and Yong Soo were left alone.
Chio turned to him, his brown eyes knowing in a way that Yong Soo couldn't quite place "You seem jumpier than usual. Quieter, too." He said simply.
Yong Soo laughed, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't get much sleep last night, da-ze."
Chio looked as though he didn't believe him. He gave Yong Soo a long, distrustful look, before turning around. Without a word, he walked up the driveway and to the house.
Yong Soo, after grabbing his bags from the trunk, lingered behind. He tugged at his sleeves and collar, making sure every bruise was still covered. He'd have to remember to text Feliks and thank him for lending him that concealer.
The two-story house, settled in a nice little neighborhood outside of the city, had changed quite a bit since Yong Soo had last been there.
Truthfully, Yong Soo hadn't been back home in nearly a year and a half. Even before then, each visit was short and far, far in between. Yong Soo and Hyung lived a 38-hour drive away.
His heart clenched painfully upon seeing the picture frames hung on the walls. There were pictures of practicality everything; Jade and Mei at their latest volleyball tournament, Kiku and Yao at the park, Kai and Chio at the beach...
One picture in particular made tears prick Yong Soo's eyes. It was of him and Leon from five years back, when both of them had been 11. They were sitting on top of the roof, grinning down at the camera.
Out of all of his 'siblings', Yong Soo had always been closest to Leon. They were the same age, and tended to get into quite a bit of trouble together. They loved to mess around, pranking anyone who dared to let their guard down.
Standing alone in the foyer, Yong Soo allowed a sad smile to cross his face. He and Leon used to be so close, yet they'd grown so far apart. What with barely seeing each other over the past four years, they had both grown up. They had grown up and apart.
"Yong Soo!" Yao called, poking his head around the corner and startling the Korean from his reverie. "What are you doing just standing there, aru? Take your stuff upstairs!"
Sniffling softly, Yong Soo blinked away his tears and headed upstairs obediently. Up the old, uncarpeted staircase, and down the hallway. His room was the very last, set apart a few feet from the others.
It was rather plain, with just a bed in one corner of the room, the side against the wall just beneath the windows. Grey curtains and white walls, the most decoration he had was a few sparse pictures frames around the room.
This used to be the room he shared with Leon. Now, though, the other boy had his own room. Sighing happily, Yong Soo rolled over and flopped face-door on on the bed.
Exhausted from his 8 hours on public busses, and nearly 30 hours on several different trains, Yong Soo slipped into a fitful sleep.