Crescent // ATEEZ ✔

35 [illusion]

He wants to keep his promise to his daughter to kiss her goodnight even if she's fast asleep and it's already midnight, so he pushes the door open slowly, accompanied by his red eyes and puffy cheeks. He couldn't stop the tears from flowing so he asked for the others to let him be at the meeting room alone, because he needed to collect himself. When he did and he went up, the house has turned silent and there are no more noise from the rest of his team members.

In the dark room he tiptoes towards his daughter's bed, not wanting to wake her up. On the way he helps to tidy up the books and colouring pencils strewn across her desk and he reduces the speed of the fan. After finishing he slides across the floorboard to her bed, but when he lowers his face to plant a kiss he tumbles backwards, getting silently alarmed when he notices that there's another figure in bed, his daughter's arms wrapped around the figure. He peeks at the figure; her red hair is covering part of her face and her chest falls and rises steadily.

The two of them have fallen asleep without a blanket over them, and it looks like Byul was in the middle of patting Hwayoung's head for her to sleep, but fell asleep together on the small bed. As he observes them he smiles to himself, but hurriedly puts it away as the young woman stirs, although her eyes are kept shut. He pulls the blanket at the edge of the bed, spreads it so it can cover both of them, but realizes that it's not enough.

He steps out to come back with a larger blanket from his room, covers both of them and as he pulls up the blanket up to her shoulders, his fingers accidentally brush against Byul's face and he quickly fists his hand. He relaxes when he sees it didn't disturb her, as she stays unmoving with her eyes tightly shut. His hand instinctively travels to her face, but he curls his fingers just as he's about to touch her skin.

No, she's not her. She's gone.

He straightens up his body, turns around and with one last look over his shoulder, he clicks the door shut.

Byul slowly opens her eyes, the sensation of Yunho's fingers brushing against her skin searing hot. She looks from Hwayoung's face to the door, before she pulls the little kid closer to her, wanting to feel the warmth radiating from her body.

Hwayoung... what is the truth?

---

____ years ago

"Psstt, wake up!" he whispers through the gap. He knocks on the metal, hoping that the person inside the room can actually wake up, knowing that she is a heavy sleeper. He bangs his fist on the bars before bringing the fist to his mouth and suffering in silent pain. He flicks his hand a few times and calls out to her again.

"Trainee #923, not too loud, or else the others will hear and all of us will get the consequences!" the guard outside the room holding a shot gun half-whispers, half-shouts.

"Sorry Uncle Remy," he grimaces. "She's too much of a heavy sleeper."

"You came here yesterday, but why are you here again, young man?" He runs a hand across his moustache, throwing a look to the trainee inside. Locked up. "I thought both of you promised that you would only come and visit her once every fortnight."

"It's true," he starts to pout, his puppy eyes becoming prominent as he blinks rapidly. "but it was so boring at the main training centre, it's always the same thing every day."

The guard guffaws but shuts his mouth soon after in fear of attracting attention. The last thing he wants is for the others to know that he's being nice to the trainees, and that he lets one of them visit the other even though it's highly forbidden. It's the damn wide smile and friendliness of Trainee #923 that are making him relent. Trainee #899, the one being locked up inside, is not supposed to be making any contact with other trainees, or even be let out of the room when her schedule's empty.