"Now is not the time for story telling, Maeri. You should go to bed." Yunho finally spared her a glance, removing his attention from the papers and onto his niece.
"But I can't sleep." she pressed her lips shut tightly in a thin line, nervously shifting by the door.
The elder looked at the painting by the corner for a few seconds, contemplating whether he ignores her or tell her what she wants to hear.
It wasn't the perfect time nor was it the right way but she was eventually going to find out and she already knew a few parts.
Yunho sighed in defeat and took his glasses off, tapping the edge of the table as a gesture for her to take a seat on one of the chairs on the other side, diagonal to him.
"Who are those people in the painting? I mean, aside from you and father." she rested her hands on her lap, already paying attention to what her uncle had to tell.
The elder clasped his hands together- resting his forearms on the messy desk.
"We were the best of friends back then. The one on the right was Song Myeon-hui and the woman on the left was Yuan Lôú Zhan."
"Yah! Yuan Lôú Zhan! Song Myeon-hui!" Changmin and Yunho exclaimed, heading over to the two women who locked arms with each other.
The two beautiful young women turned their heads and an annoyed look on both their faces. "Aish, you two seriously should stop getting late or we leave you behind at training." Jaemi glared at the two boys who catched up to them not long ago.
"Sorry, madam Yeon. Our bad." Yunho mimicked, rolling his eyes and making faces at the woman.
Jaemi growled and untangled her arm from Lôú Zhan and went to jump the man.
"Ow, Jaemi it hurts!" Yunho cried out while he was being slapped by the young woman.
Changmin and Lôú Zhan laughing at the duo while they watched.
"To put it, we were partners in crime and we were inseparable since we were kids and grew up as the great heirs of TVXQ." Yunho passionately unfolded the beautiful yet tragic story behind the painting.
"Go go go go, hurry before we get caught!" Changmin ushered his friends as he helped them get in to the vent.
"Come on, Changmin!" Yunho reached his hand out for his friend and the younger reached out and took it.
Jaemi helped as well, pulling him up the vent and closing it underneath them.
It was another successful mission for them yet again.
"We ruled TVXQ together even until we got married and had our own families." he smiled foolishly and looked at the girl. "Sungchan was the first who was born-"
"Then Chenle..... and me-"
"And Jisung was born last." Yunho added, a shocking truth that naturally slipped out of his lips as he reminisced the memories that seemed fresh in his mind.
It had the girl furrowing her brows and she didn't know how to react when she heard his name.
This was the first time she was hearing this.
She had vivid memories of Chenle and Sungchan as her childhood friends but Jisung being part of her childhood, it was a complete block for her.
How come she couldn't remember a single bit piece of the boy?
"Why did you all grow apart when we turned eight?"
Chenle stuffed the medium sized leather boxes that contained who knows what under his bed, crouched up as he dusted himself off.
The sudden knock on his door caused him to fully get up on his feet and fix himself up. "Come in!" he exclaimed, calling in whoever knocked.
The doorknob twisted and swung open, the wooden door slightly creaking as a familiar face had peeked inside his bedroom.
"Hey, Chenle." Sungchan greeted, fully inviting himself in the confinements of the younger's large bedroom, standing in his sweatpants and hoodie and his panda slippers by the door with a manila small leather box in his hands.
"Sungchan, you need anything?" he asked, wiping the dust off on the back of his jeans.
"Oh uhm, I just wanted to uhm...... return you these." he reached the medium sized box out and looked at him with a shy look on his face.
Chenle furrowed his brows upon seeing the box. "I don't remember owning this, are you sure it's mine?" he approached him and looked up at the taller in confusion.
"Well, my father said it belonged to you back then. He had it in my bedroom for a few years already." Sungchan put the box in his hands and smiled. "I'll be off now." he turned on his heel and just as he was about to leave the room, he heard the younger mutter a small "Thanks." before he left and closed the door behind him
Chenle furrowed his brows at the box that looked exactly like the ones he was stuffing under his bed not long ago.
Heading to his desk, he laid the box and he pressed the button on the lid and the box clicked open.
His brows furrow upon the contents of the box. "Letters and photos?"
Picking up the letter clipped with a photo, he flips over the envelope to see characters written in his native language.
Addressed to: Piáo Zhì Shēng/Park Jisung Republic of South Korea, City of Seoul. TVXQ corp.
"Jisung's characters." he muttered to himself, confused why his characters were written and was even addressed to the latter when it wasn't even sent to him.
Unclipping the photo attached to the envelope, his confusion growing more than it could've.
Characters written in hangeul behind the photo.
Legendary Parents of.... Sungchan, Chenle, Maeri and Jisung. Jjang!!
He flipped the photo and he gasps in shock.
It was the painting in the canvas he and Maeri had seen.
The photo of Yunho, Lôú Zhan, Jaemi and Changmin in leather coats and the familiar gold logo at the upper left corner of the gang Maeri's father led.
What didn't he know about his own history with the three?
Why can't he remember his childhood before his life went down the drain at the orphanage?
Well I know y'all are confused but we got TVXQ's Jung Yunho as Sungchan's dad and he was part of Jisung, Chenle and Maeri's childhood.
Surpriseee. *in Joshua's voice.*
Lmk ur thoughts.