The Aged | Gyuhao (Sequel to Youth)

- 39

"Where'd he go?" She looks around for Jungwon, just now noticing his departure.

"To get tea?" Riki chuckles, saying it like it's a question.

Eunchae laughs, "He's so weird." She continues looking around.

Riki nods slowly, the silence eating him up as he trails behind her like a shadow.

"Do you know how to play anything?" Eunchae asks, eyes beaming.

Riki shakes his head, "No," He lies, "Not really."

Eunchae hums in understanding, and Riki watches her slip a guitar off it's stand, taking a seat near the window right next to it, "My father taught me how to play," She says, tuning the instrument to it's right pitch, closing her eyes to take it in as she strums the strings.

"Really?" Riki asks, crossing his arms as he smiles right down at her.

"Mhm," She opens her eyes, that endless smile on her face never ending, "You know Love Again by Baekhyun?" She asks, smiling as one of her very few happy memories run through her head, "It was the first song he taught me." The only one, she wants to say.

A warm feeling spreads through Riki's chest as he watches her begin to play. It's the most stunning thing Riki has ever heard, "Beautiful," He says without thinking, panicking when Eunchae lifts her head in wonder, "It's beautiful! I-I mean the music— The guitar! Just the guitar! The noise it's making?"

Eunchae snickers, "Cute," She looks back down at the instrument, strumming it again.

Cute.

Cute?!

Riki wants to die.

Eunchae frowns as her fingers flick the last note of the song. She drags it out, a frown overtaking her face as she finally finishes the song, the 'endless' smile finally disappearing, "This was the only good thing he ever did," She rolls her eyes, unhooking the guitar strap harshly as she rises to her feet again, practically throwing it back on the stand.

She storms away, huffing, "Let's go—"

"Wait!" Riki's hand catches her wrist, "Um," He removes it awkwardly once she meets his eyes, "Wait, hold on—"

"What are you doing?" Eunchae watches him plop down in a stool, precisely the stool that stood just before the biggest piano in the entire room.

"C'mere," Riki tells her, grabbing her hand and tugging her over gently, "Just listen," His fingers unwrap from her wrist, falling to graze the piano, tiles cold against his fingertips.

Love Again by Baekhyun.

Eunchae's heart breaks. Shatters. But, nonetheless, that smile is back on her face.

Mid-song, she takes a seat next to Riki, silently telling him to scoot over as she slides in next to him. She watches him play the song with a heavy chest, heart thumping at the talent in which he plays, the speed and beauty of his passion in playing finally showing itself.

He's so graceful. He plays so effortlessly.

When Riki finishes the song, hitting that last, bone chilling note... He sighs, closing his eyes as he lowers his head.

"How?" Eunchae asks, "I didn't even know you could play." She says, voice soft in understanding of his sudden mood change, "Who did you learn from, sunbae?"

Riki looks over, "Myself."

"Yourself?" Eunchae's eyes fly wide, "You really taught yourself?"

"Mhm," Riki responds, "My parents were either too busy drinking or taking turns beating me to listen to me when I told them I wanted to learn," The boy folds his lips together, "I loved music. It was the only thing that made me happy."

Eunchae stares at him for a moment, maybe two, until she finally makes a move, taking a deep breath before lying her fingertips on the keys, "Maybe you can grow to love music again," She says, only tapping a few notes here and there, as she never really had the opportunity to learn the piano, "If it was the only thing that made you happy, I want you to have something in your life that brings back that happiness."

Riki blinks, lips parting.

"I already do."

Eunchae's fingers freeze on the keys, all the oxygen stolen from her body as her heart uses up most of her energy. She turns her head to look at the boy next to her, lashes fluttering as she blinks at the suddenness of his statement.

"I—" She blinks, at a loss.

Their eye contact doesn't falter once, Riki's feelings finally splattered out all over reality for the world to see.

Just then, the door swings open, and Jungwon's throwing himself inside. Both Riki and Eunchae flinch harshly, flying to their feet and shooting away from each other.

"Jesus, hyung!" Riki's hand flies to his heart.

"Prison— Guards — Bad — Siren — Running!" Jungwon screams, out of breath.

"I think I speak for the both of us when I say I have absolutely no idea what that means," Eunchae tells him.

"Say it in a way we can understand," Riki says to Jungwon.

"A group of people just barged into the fucking prison! They killed guards! Killed them— and ran inside like they owned the place!" Jungwon shouts.

"What?" Riki furrows his brows.

"Did you see any tattoos?" Eunchae asks.

Jungwon gives her a look, "I can't see tats from this far away, Eunchae," He sighs, "And besides, I saw it on the café television. It was so bad it already made the news,"

"And we were wasting our time in here?" Riki scoffs. He doesn't catch Eunchae's face dropping, "We need to go! Hurry!"

"Go?! Hurry?!" Jungwon repeats, slamming a hand to Riki's chest to stop him, "What will we do?! Need I remind you there are only 3 of us!"

"And the 3 of us will fight for our leader back! I don't give a damn what Seokmin said!" Riki pushes past Jungwon, barging out of the building.

"Sunbae!" Eunchae and Jungwon chase after him in panic, "We really can't! We're not prepared at all!" She shouts, tugging Riki back by the arm.

"Get off!" He shrugs the girl off harshly. Her jaw drops at the sudden mood change, "Our leader is in there! We can't let him die! Not after we've come this far!" He shouts, glaring at his fellow members, "If another gang really went in there, than they're 100% after Hao hyung! We need to save him!"

"We'll die!"

"He'll die, hyung!" Riki pushes Jungwon harshly, angry, "We made a pact to protect him! When we joined Cerise, we sold our soul to the devil. Once you sell your soul, there's no way you're getting it back! Don't you get it?!" He's breathing heavily, frustrated, "Both of you."

Eunchae wants to cry, but luckily keeps her composure, "But—"

"I'm going in there. You 2 can follow me or not, I don't care," And he's running away.

Eunchae looks at Jungwon in panic, "What do we do?!"

Jungwon runs a hand through his hair, "Fuck," He groans, rolling his eyes as he takes the younger girl by the hand, "Let's go,"