Dazzling Light | ATEEZ

Bloodbath

5:32 p.m. | Kang Family House, Jeongja 1-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon

Sangyeob called Ahyeon a few minutes ago, telling her that he's heading home from work and that Seonghwa went to Chong Elkie's house in Jeongja 2-dong. Usually, they don't let him wander around without Yeosang for his own safety, but his friend Hyunggu, who lives a few blocks away, assures them that 'only death will stop him from taking Seonghwa home'.

Besides, it's not that far from their house. They don't want to be overbearing, but Yubin reminded them to set a curfew for Seonghwa so he doesn't get careless and overexerts himself.

Yeosang, who usually walks home from school, arrived fifteen minutes earlier. He's used to seeing Seonghwa arrive later because Sangyeob insists on picking him up, though there are times when he has to work overtime, so Hyunggu escorts him home. Next year, when he's in high school, Yeosang will be the one to walk with his brother home.

Right now, he's lounging in the living room, flipping through the channels on TV while Ahyeon prepares bulgogi for dinner. On Saturdays and Sundays, when Seonghwa isn't in school and is feeling well, he'll help her around the kitchen. Yeosang loves his brother's cooking, almost as much as his mom's.

"Yeo, have you received a text from Seonghwa recently?" Ahyeon asks from the kitchen.

Yeosang checks his phone. No texts, but there are 13 KakaoTalk notifications from his friend Wooyoung.

"Nope." he replies, opening Wooyoung's messages.

"Do you know where his friend Chong Elkie lives?" Ahyeon asked again. She lets the beef marinate in a bowl and steps out of the kitchen to see him playing around with his phone.

"I don't know any of his friends except Hyunggu sunbae and the two big guys." Yeosang said, looking through his chat with Wooyoung. Instead of anything important, the idiot just sent him memes. He sighed and put his phone down on his lap.

"Isn't dad picking him up?" he asked, looking at his mom.

"No, your dad's heading home and he's tired. I was thinking maybe you can pick Hwa up from Elkie's house in case Hyunggu isn't with them." Ahyeon suggests, going back into the kitchen to check on the rice.

Yeosang hummed to hide his excitement. He hardly goes out since they adopted Seonghwa since he's busy 'bonding' with his brother. Wooyoung complains that Yeosang is ditching him.

"Yeah, sure. I'll text Hwa." Yeosang said, texting his brother. Normally, Yeosang sends plain text messages, but he adds emojis to entice Seonghwa into coming home sooner.

They haven't had 'private time' in a while...

He tapped 'Send' and ponders whether he should get ready now or wait for a few minutes for Seonghwa's reply. Yeosang has a bunch of cool shirts and worn-out jeans he can pair with his checkered Vans. He'll bring his skateboard and teach Seonghwa how to ride it at the park. He'll tell their parents that he spent some time with his brother's friends before they went home.

The thought of teaching Seonghwa how to ride a skateboard in the park is romantic. Maybe if the blonde gets good at skating, they can convince their parents to buy a cruiser for him so they can skate around and be lovey-dovey. He smiles to himself... before remembering they're supposed to be brothers (adoptive, but still...).

Yeosang watches some anime on TV while waiting for his brother's reply. It's a nice post-school activity, the only thing missing is a chicken sandwich and Seonghwa sitting next to him.

~

5:43 p.m. | First Floor, Dalchae Veterinary Clinic, Jeongja 2-dong

Yeeun walks solemnly towards the boys and sits next to Seonghwa. Elkie follows her and sits opposite them. The girls look at each other, then at Hyunggu, finally at Seonghwa. To say he's distraught is an understatement. They're both thinking of what to say, but words failed them. No word in their vocabulary would do justice to the pain they're feeling right now.