Treasure ◇ | Seongjoong ✓

Episode 5: Waves ◇ Part 2

Squelch. That's the horrid sound he hears when his younger brother stabs their older brother in the courtyard. Mingi is frozen on the spot. Blood spurts out the moment the sword is ripped away from its victim. His younger brother huffs erratically, tortured eyes trembling at his deed.

"What—What have you done? What have you done?!" Mingi chokes.

The eldest snatches the blade and turns it back onto its owner. He knocks him down and screws the sharp tip into the boy's guts. Mingi quakes, unable to move no matter how much he wants to.

They'll kill me, too. I have to run. I have to escape. Yet he stays rooted in place, watching his siblings take turns ripping each other apart.

The youngest gets the upper hand again and repeatedly pulverizes the eldest until he can no longer stand. Over and over, he jabs the blade into his body.

Mingi gets soaked with the blood spray, shaking his head like a glitched screen. "Stop it..."

His older brother's light diminishes, but the youngest continues to mutilate the body while he himself bleeds out a red ocean.

"Stop it. Stop it!" Mingi screams, "STOP IT!"

"SONG MINGI!"

His eyes flash open in the darkness of his shared bedroom. Sweat darkens his pillow, and tears crust around his face. Mingi hyperventilates, completely traumatized by not just a nightmare but a scarred memory.

Yunho hovers over the redhead's bed. He grips Mingi's arms and the latter's fear is reflected in his pupils. A sob gets caught in his throat.

Still trembling, Mingi stares at the brunette; he is safe now. He reaches out for him and cries, "Yunho!"

His arms circle the startled man's neck and hug him close. The salty signs of his bad dream stain the brunette's shirt. Yunho breathes heavily and returns the embrace full force, caressing Mingi's head—a prized possession he never wants to release.

Five minutes ago, Yunho was spooked awake by the sounds of whimpers. Peeking at the bed next to his, it was clear his roommate was suffering. Wasting no more time, the brunette launched himself to his side and aggressively tried to wake him up.

"It's okay. It's all okay. You're all right, my princess. I've got you."

Feeling the love of his life emotionally crumble in his arms, hot tears pour out of Yunho's eyes. They cry together for a long time, never letting each other go.

When the downpour slows down to a drizzle, Yunho guides Mingi to sleep in his bed instead. They lie there in each other's solacing hold. Yunho never stops playing with the redhead's hair.

After a long hour of silence, Mingi says, "My brothers..."

"You don't have to say anything."

"Yunho, you don't have any family," Mingi says instead.

The brunette hums, "Right."

"Have you ever wished to have one? Parents, brothers, and sisters..."

"No. I was raised by the government. They don't advocate that kind of stuff. So, I can't imagine how you felt," Yunho says honestly.

Mingi tightens his grip around the swordsman's torso. He continues to suffer tremendously because of the memory of his wretched family, but Yunho never had one to begin with. Mingi doesn't know if he's jealous or if he pities him.

"You're pretty empathetic for someone who spent most of his life in the government system," he remarks.

Yunho blinks sadly. "That's because of you."