"Hey!" Junsu cries out as he tries his hardest to keep up with Changmin. "Stop walking!"

But despite looking back at Junsu to roll his eyes at the young heir, showing him that he did hear what he said, Changmin does not stop to walk and fastens his pace instead.

"I hate tall people and their long legs." Junsu mutters under his breath before he breaks into a run, years of doing sports turning out to be an advantage as he manages to catch up with Changmin and place himself in front of the mechanic to prevent him from moving further.

He earns himself a glare for interrupting the mechanic on his way, but instead of feeling intimidated, Junsu merely brushes it off with a roll of his eyes before he let out a sigh. "Look, if I'd say I didn't want to be mean, I'd be lying. You've not been the nicest to me and everything I said was meant to bother you in some way. But since you're letting me and my brother stay at your place, the least I owe you is an apology."

Changmin raises his eyebrows at him, only staring at him without doing anything else for a while before he let out a sigh and shrugs.

Now it's on Junsu to raise his eyebrows. "Was that you trying to tell me that you accept my apology or do your arms just twitch regularly?"

The mechanic’s eyes narrow for a bit, but when he gets nothing but Junsu's challenging stare in return, Changmin relents and nods with a sigh. "Fine. I'll accept your awful apology."

"Hey!" Junsu snaps. "My apology was not awful!"

Changmin snorts and pushes his way past Junsu. "Yes it was."

"Was not! And where are you going?"

"I wanna walk around and clear my head a bit. Just go back." The taller male says as he walks further away.

Junsu frowns and looks behind him, biting his bottom lip in worry when he realizes that he can't even see the house of Yunho and Changmin anymore. He and Changmin put quite a distance between themselves and the house during their little chase and as much as Junsu wants to go back, he doesn't feel very confident about walking around in the dark at a place he does not know at all. So, with a small groan, he runs after Changmin and manages to catch up with the other just before Changmin can disappear behind a corner.

"I can't really see the way back anymore." Junsu offers as an explanation when the other raises an eyebrow at him as if to question what he's doing.

"Suit yourself." Changmin says. "But when a snake bites you, expect no help from me."

"Yeah right." Junsu snorts."As if there are snakes around."

Junsu believes himself to have caught Changmin trying to prank him, but when Changmin merely shrugs nonchalantly without any sign of mirth in his eyes, Junsu is suddenly not so sure anymore, whether his assumption had been right.

"Wait." Junsu gulps. "You've got snakes over here?"

"Of course." Changmin rolls his eyes. "Where do you think you are? Seoul?"

Feeling less safe and more vulnerable out of a sudden, Junsu allows for himself to get a hold of the back of Changmin's shirt, ignoring the feeling of grease sticking to his fingers as he presses himself against the taller male. And although Changmin does sport a scowl on his face after noticing the gesture, he does not say anything and simply keeps walking.

"You know, if you protect me from snakes, I'll give you a reward." Junsu drawls. "Anything you want."

"Anything I want?" The mechanic inquires.

Junsu nods in confirmation.

"You know what I really want?" Changmin grins when he sees the other shaking his head. "I want for you to shut up!"

Instead of receiving a verbal counter-attack in return, Changmin finds himself crying out when Junsu manages to land a good kick to his shin and has him bend down in utter pain as the young heir glares down at him.

"Would you just ing stop using your ninja skills on me?" Changmin hisses.

"I didn't even use my martial arts skills. It was a normal kick." Junsu bites back and crosses his arms over his chest, one eyebrow raised for good measure. "You would save yourself a lot of pain if you'd stop being such a ."

Changmin glares at him in response before straightening himself with a grunt. He doesn't need to see the sore spot to know that there will be a huge bruise by tomorrow morning. Curse the duck and his surprising strength.

"Normal kick my ." The mechanic mutters under his breath. "You kicked like you were trying to break through a brick wall."

Junsu rolls his eyes at that. "Don't be ridiculous. I kick harder than this when I'm playing soccer."

Changmin gapes and eyes Junsu up and down. "What are you doing so much sports for? Are you trying to compensate for your lack of height by being a ninja dwarf?"

"I'm 1,78 cm and by no means a dwarf, thank you very much!"

The mechanic raises his eyebrows and eyes Junsu up and down, only snorting in the end. Junsu seems to take great offense in the gesture and narrows his eyes some more. Not that it manages to stop Changmin from looking down on him, although the taller male does take a step back when Junsu moves closer.

Hey, you can't really blame a guy for being cautious around someone whose kicks hurt like he's got feet of steel.

Junsu, of course, notices the slight movement and smiles smugly. "So, where did you want to go? Lead the way."

Letting out a soft sigh, Changmin decides that it's better to keep his snark to himself for now and just do as the rich kid says. He is not a coward, mind you, but he'd like to continue being able to move around without crutches, thank you very much.

"Fine, just follow me and watch where you're going."
 

Jaejoong takes a glance towards the clock hanging by the entrance of the living room and bites onto his bottom lightly. It has been quite a while now since Changmin and Junsu left and he's starting to get worried.

He gets up and leaves his position in front of the TV to walk over to the nearest window and have a look outside. But he can't spot Junsu and Changmin anywhere and it's driving him crazy not to know where his brother is.

When Yunho walks into the living room after taking a shower and changing into clean clothes, he easily spots Jaejoong by the window as the other has his arms wrapped around himself while he keeps looking left and right in turns as if he is searching for something.

Or someone.

"We can go and search for them if you want." His voice breaking through the silence so suddenly seems to have scared Jaejoong as the other let out a gasp and places his right hand above his chest as if trying to calm down his heart after he turns around and realizes that it's Yunho speaking.

"Yunho ssi." Jaejoong says airily before chuckling softly at his own jumpiness.

"I didn't mean to scare you." Yunho smiles. "Changmin loves to sit by the stream going through the plantation not far away from here when he's upset. We could go and search there first if you want."

"Sure." Jaejoong replies with a nod. "That would be great."

Yunho's smile widens some more as he turns off the TV while Jaejoong walks towards the entrance with his phone in hand to get ready to leave the house. He can understand Jaejoong's worries. The first time Changmin decided to storm out of the house late at night after a fight between the two of them about how to do business, Yunho had been panicking as he searched for Changmin with the help of some neighbors after the younger male did not return home even two hours after he left the house. He can't imagine how much worse it has to be for Jaejoong considering that they are in a town where they know nothing and no one.

After turning off the lights, Yunho exits the house together with Jaejoong and leads the way towards the plantation he mentioned beforehand after locking the door. A small movement from Jaejoong catches his attention as the other hugs himself after a cool breeze catches them both off-guard and has Jaejoong shiver.

"Shall we go back and get you some thicker clothes?" Yunho asks and halts to point at the house with the small flashlight he's taken with him. "I don't want you to get sick."

But Jaejoong shakes his head with a smile. "No, it's fine. I'll warm up the longer we walk anyways."

Yunho parts his lips as if to protest but decides against saying anything as Jaejoong gestures for him to continue the journey. He nods in response and starts walking once again.

"So..." Yunho begins as he tries to get rid of the awkward silence hanging between them. "I suppose that you are the ones who bought the Lee family's old mansion?"

Jaejoong raises his eyebrows and is about to ask Yunho how he can possibly know about it when he remembers the phone conversation he had with Yoochun at the two cousins' repair shop earlier. "You heard me talking to my friend."

"Yes." The mechanic admits and scratches the back of his head sheepishly. "We were told that the new owners of the mansion were to come and then you two showed up and when you said something about a house your aunt bought, I just put the pieces together."

Jaejoong hums before letting out a chuckle. "Well you were right. Although, as you have heard, our aunt was the one who bought the house, so she is the owner, not Junsu and I. We were only supposed to supervise the renovation today and show the workers our aunt's ideas for the renovation before driving back to Seoul by evening. We should've come up with a backup plan and search for a place to stay and bring along some clothes. At least we took our phone chargers with us."

"I wouldn't leave without my phone and my charger either if I was to make a trip so far away from home to a place completely unknown to me." Yunho says. "I'm surprised that your aunt even bought the mansion. It's so far away from Seoul and in a very bad shape."

The heir chuckles, a look of adoration gracing his face as he speaks. "She's known for her odd choices. But I guess she just wants to have somewhere quiet and peaceful to stay at during vacations and she must've seen a lot of potential in the mansion despite how it looks right now."

"It used to be a very beautiful mansion." Yunho's gaze softens some more as he speaks. "Mr. and Mrs. Lee loved inviting people over and most celebrations in the village took place at the Lee mansion. It was the center of this village, the place where adults met to talk and children gathered to play."

"What happened to it?"

Yunho gives Jaejoong a sad smile in return and waits until they have crossed the street before answering. "Mr. and Mrs. Lee passed away soon after their son, Jin Wook, left to pursue a career in Seoul. First Mrs. Lee and then, a few years after, also Mr. Lee. After Mr. Lee's death, Jin Wook stopped caring for the mansion entirely and that's why it has reached its worse shape by the time your aunt bought it. It's kind of sad to see the mansion like that."

Jaejoong feels his heart ache a little at how broken Yunho sounds at the end. "The mansion seems to be very important to you."

"To all of us. Most of us grew up with it as our second home." Yunho replies as they walk down the plantation. "That's why I'm glad someone's going to take care of it."

"We'll make sure to bring its beauty back." It's a promise Jaejoong is determined to keep.

The look of adoration and gratefulness Yunho regards him with afterward fills Jaejoong with so much warmth that he feels the best he's ever felt in his life. It roots him to the spot and makes him crave for more.

And even as their journey continues in silence with Yunho leading them towards the stream where they change the direction and enter the plantation to walk long the stream, Jaejoong keeps feeling so utter comfortable and at home that he does not mind no words being exchanged between them.

'I guess this is what comfortable silence feels like.' Jaejoong thinks as he eyes Yunho's back while the other moves.

He then takes a deep breath and looks around with a smile, glad that Yunho has now the flashlight and make it possible for them to walk around safely. When he realizes where he is right now, Jaejoong has to think of his brother's earlier description of a horror scenario and a snicker escapes from in between his lips before he can stop himself.

Yunho looks back at him questioningly and now it's on Jaejoong to smile at him sheepishly.

"I'm sure you remember what my brother said about us getting ourselves into a situation horror movies start with and now that we're here in the middle of the dark plantation where no one across the street would be able to hear anything, I had to think of what he said and well..." Jaejoong chuckles. "He was kind of right. This does seem like a scene from a horror movie."

The mechanic let out a short laughter at that. "I can assure you, I would never be able to hurt you."

"I know. It's just..." Jaejoong means to explain himself after that simple statement as Yunho looks at him in mild surprise upon hearing how confident Jaejoong sounds, but in the end, there is nothing but pure feeling and instinct to back it up, so he chooses to repeat himself instead. "I know."

At that very moment, Yunho swears he would've actually melted a little if that was physically possible. To have Jaejoong trust him so much even though they have known each other for less than a day felt amazing, because what Jaejoong thinks of him somehow matters a lot. Maybe he shouldn't care so much, but he does and he is completely okay with that.

He smiles and says nothing as he forces himself to stop staring at Jaejoong and look to the front instead, making sure to pay attention to what's in front of them in order to get himself and Jaejoong through the plantation safely.

Just then, the sound of two people talking greets their ears and causes them stop in their tracks to listen to the verbal exchange. It takes them less than a second afterward to recognize the two people as Changmin and Junsu, their voices too familiar and distinctive to be mistaken.

They walk just a little bit faster and it takes them less than a minutes to spot Changmin and Junsu sitting not far away, having a heated discussion about something.

"Junsu." Jaejoong calls out softly, causing Changmin and Junsu to turn around and look at him and Yunho in surprise. "What were you guys arguing about?"

"Football." Junsu and Changmin answer at the same time.

"We were not arguing, actually." Changmin clarifies. "We were talking about World Cup 2014."

Junsu nods as if to confirm Changmin's words and while Jaejoong is rather surprised that the two of them seem to get along way better than before, Yunho seems to be nothing but amused.

"While we're glad that you've found something you can bond over, it's pretty late already and we should go back home." Yunho gestures towards the direction he and Jaejoong have come from.

And although no verbal response is given by Changmin and Junsu, they do get up and follow Yunho and Jaejoong out of the plantation with Junsu clinging onto Jaejoong's arm as he let out a yawn.

"This day has been very eventful and tiring for you." Yunho remarks after hearing Junsu's yawn, only glancing over his shoulder and at the two brothers for a brief moment before his attention is back on the front and what his flashlight reveals to his eyes. "You can sleep as long as you want. Changmin and I will leave for the repair shop around 7 AM. If you need someone to bring you to the workers at the mansion, you can come over and tell us."

"Thank you." Jaejoong says, smiling down at his brother when the younger heir does not manage to get out more than a slur.

The smile Jaejoong sports loses some of its radiance the moment he sees the way Changmin glares at them. To say that Jaejoong feels confused is an understatement. Changmin has been all smiles only a few seconds ago and neither he nor his brother have said anything since they have started their journey back to the house of the two cousins, so Jaejoong can't really think of what they could've done to offend Changmin in the meantime.

But instead of addressing the issue, Jaejoong chooses to look away. He is exhausted and not really in the mood for anything remotely close to an argument with their hosts right now. All he wants is get some sleep and let his mind and body rest for a while.
 

The sound of something falling onto the ground pulls Jaejoong out of dreamland all too abruptly. It takes a few seconds for him to actually stop staring into the darkness and look around. He instinctively panics when he doesn't recognize the room he's in right away, but then the sleeping figure of his brother catches his attention and Jaejoong let out a sigh of relief as he remembers where they are.

"Changmin, be careful." Jaejoong hears Yunho whisper. "I don't want to wake them up. They need to rest."

"It wasn't intentional!" The younger male hisses back. "Besides, I don't get why you're acting like they've been running a marathon or something. They haven't done anything exhausting yesterday."

"Traveling is exhausting and before you protest, I must remind you that when you traveled from Jeju, you fell asleep ten minutes after arriving here. You were tired and so are they. Plus, they had an accident and that doesn't really make things any better for them."

Jaejoong pulls the blanket up to his chin and can't help but smile at the concern apparent in Yunho's voice. He closes his eyes once again and snuggles into the pillow underneath his head. It's almost strange how secure he feels despite being at a place he has not known until yesterday.

Changmin sighs. "Fine. I still don't like the idea of us helping them out considering what they are here for."

"Changmin, just let it be." At that point, Yunho almost sounds like he is pleading and the conversation between the two cousins draws Jaejoong's attention enough to make him open his eyes once again. "It's not their fault."

"But-"

"Changmin." Yunho cuts his cousin off before the other can speak further and Jaejoong feels himself being curious about what Changmin has to say.

But whatever Changmin planned on saying, he isn't going to get the chance to speak it out loud as he let out a sigh and mutters a short 'Fine' towards his cousin before the two of them move to leave the house if the sound of the front door being opened and shut a little while later is anything to go by.

Jaejoong narrows his eyes as he tries to figure out what Changmin could possibly blame them for. It had to be something related to the mansion their aunt bought considering that Changmin specifically mentioned their reason for being here in the village. They are planning to renovate the house, so that's a good thing, isn't it?

Changmin seems to think otherwise for some reason. And Jaejoong wants to find out why.

The rustling of cloth catches Jaejoong's attention and causes him to look at his brother as the other changes his position to sleep while facing the window. Jaejoong then has a look at his phone and cringes at the light greeting his eyes when he presses the home button to have a look at the time.

It's barely 7 AM and Jaejoong's curiosity subsides for the time being as he pulls the blanket over his head and closes his eyes. It's way too early for all the mystery-solving he's planned out. He will still have enough time for that after sleeping some more and allow for his body to get the rest it deserves.

Besides, getting a proper amount of sleep is going to help him think better, he argues.
 

Changmin is busy wiping grease off his hands when he catches his cousin spacing out while cleaning one of the tools.

"You don't need to polish it to that extent, you know?" Changmin gestures towards the item in Yunho's hands when the other is looking at him in confusion. "We'll still need to use it later on."

Yunho smiles at him sheepishly and Changmin can't help but raise his eyebrows when he notices that his cousin is actually blushing.

"I was just..." The older mechanic clears his throat. "I was just wondering whether they have eaten yet."

Changmin rolls his eyes as he makes his way towards the fridge to get himself a bottle of water, drowning half of it down within the first two seconds before he stares right at Yunho with a knowing look.

"They?" He wonders aloud. "Or just Jaejoong?"

Yunho looks down as if to focus on his task, but Changmin manages to catch the red hue on his cousin's cheeks and his shy smile anyway.

"You know he'll be gone by the time his car is fixed, right?" Changmin asks wearily, hating the way Yunho's smile loses its happy radiance and turns glum instead.

"I know." Yunho replies. "But don't worry. It's not like...I'm not in love with him."

Changmin snorts and rolls his eyes at that. "Not yet. But I know you and I know that you're getting there."

A sigh escapes from in between Yunho's lips as he looks up to face his cousin. "It's not really something I can stop or control. I got attracted to him the moment I saw him. It just happened. But it's not like I'm going to ask him out, so you can stop worrying."

Changmin tilts his head to have a closer look at his cousin as the other looks back down to seemingly focus on his task. Somehow, he has a feeling that the last word regarding this issue has not been said yet. This is not the end, not by a long shot.

Yunho and Jaejoong couldn't be any more different. Not only do they live at completely different places, but they are also leading lives which could not be any more different from each other. Jaejoong is nothing like what Yunho knows and Changmin assumes that to be one of the reasons why Yunho got so attracted to him in the first place. Everything about Jaejoong is so new and exciting. Also, he's mighty attractive and Changmin has yet to find a flaw in the other's personality.

Just when Changmin is about to say something in return, he spots the lithe figure of Jaejoong walking through the entry of the repair shop, easily catching not only his but also Yunho's attention as he steps closer.

"Good morning, Jaejoong ssi." Yunho greets and Changmin summons all of his self-restriction to not shout out loud that it's in fact 1 PM already and by no means morning anymore.

"Good morning." Jaejoong sends a timid smile Yunho's way as he speaks. "Thank you for the breakfast you left for us."

"You're welcome." Both cousins answer at the same time.

"Is there anything you want?" Changmin asks, ignoring the disapproving look he receives from his cousin for his not so friendly choice of words.

"I was wondering whether one of you could bring Junsu and I to the mansion." Jaejoong replies with a smile, not seeming to mind Changmin's scrutinizing stare on him. "If you are not free that's totally fine. You can just tell us the way and-"

"No, that's fine. I can't go because I'll have to meet a customer in a bit, but Changmin can give you a ride." Yunho says and places the tools aside to get a hold of the car key and throw it Changmin's way, smiling when his cousin catches it with ease with his free hand.

Changmin then puts his bottle of water away before making his way past Jaejoong, signaling for him to follow him as he gets into the truck without saying a word.

Jaejoong smiles at Yunho once more before turning around, calling out to his brother as he approaches the vehicle Changmin is sitting in. "Junsu, we're leaving!"

Not long after, the younger heir walks in and bows to Yunho in a fleeting greeting before getting onto the backseat of the truck.

"Didn't expect Ninja Princess to be up so early." Changmin says after Junsu throws a short 'Hello' his way, but the grin on his lips dies down the moment he feels Junsu's palm making contact with his forearm in a stinging slap.

"Shut up." Junsu hisses in return, only leaning back the moment Jaejoong climbs into the truck himself and gives Junsu a warning stare.

"He started it." Junsu mumbles and crosses his arms over his chest, soon looking out of the window sulkily.

The sight has Changmin snort as he starts the engine and twists his body halfway to have a look at what's behind them as he backs out of the repair shop carefully, completely missing the lock of gazes shared between his cousin and Jaejoong. Shortly before he turns around to face the front again, Changmin sticks his tongue out at Junsu, loving the scowl he sees on the other's face right after.

Okay, so maybe he is behaving a little bit childish, but it's so much fun to tease Junsu. He can't really help it.

Jaejoong looks over his shoulder and smiles at the pout on his brother's lips before he looks at Changmin with a smile. "Thank you for doing this, Changmin ssi."

All he gets in return is a hum and Jaejoong's smile turns weak as he lowers his gaze a bit. "Changmin ssi, did we do anything to offend you?"

The question seems to take Changmin by surprise as he looks at Jaejoong for a brief second before his senses force him to focus back on driving.

"What makes you think that?" Changmin then asks the moment they drive on the main road.

"Well for one, you're always behaving like a jerk without any apparent given reason." The younger heir says before his brother can answer, but doesn't say anything further when Jaejoong shakes his head at him.

"I just have a feeling that you're angry at us about something that has nothing to do with us staying over at your house." Jaejoong says. "There seems to be something more. Something that has to do with the mansion our aunt bought. Am I wrong?"

Changmin let out a sigh and doesn't reply at first, knowing that once he starts to answer that question sincerely, he's going to end up saying things he is going to regret. Things his cousin would not approve of and would scold him for later on.

"No, you're right." Changmin says. "But it's not like there's anything you can do about it at this point so let's forget about it and I'll try to behave less like an ."

"Seems like an impossible task to me." Junsu whispers from the back and while he receives a roll of the eyes from Changmin in return, Jaejoong chooses to ignore his brother's words this time around.

"Are you sure that there is nothing we can do to fix it somehow? We can't try making things better if you don't tell us what the problem is."

There is silence hanging in the air for a few seconds and when Jaejoong sees Changmin parting his lips once more, he hopes to hear something which would give him and Junsu the chance to make things right somehow. But his hopes get crushed the moment the young mechanic starts to speak.

"Just let it go." Changmin sighs. "It's nice that you are caring, but it's a little late for that. Just let it go and do whatever you came here for."

There is no real malice in Changmin's voice. Jaejoong detects the thin layer of hidden emotions, but whatever Changmin is trying to suppress, it does not seem to be anything like the anger he has shown until now. It's something less aggressive and almost sorrowful. There is no bite and Junsu must've noticed the change in Changmin's demeanor as the other does not get as defensive as he would've been a few seconds ago.

The rest of the ride goes by without any words being exchanged between them and while Jaejoong wouldn't say that he feels uncomfortable after his brief conversation with Changmin, he wouldn't deny the relief he feels upon their arrival at the mansion which has turned into a construction site either.

Letting out soft sigh, Jaejoong turns his head to look at Changmin after the other has parked the car properly and notices the glare the mechanic sends towards the man Jaejoong recognizes as Lee Jin Wook, the man he's seen on pictures his aunt has shown to him beforehand. So far, he's only had two conversation with the other man and while he seems like a fairly decent man, Jaejoong won't deny that he comes off as a bit of a bumlicker.

Lee Jin Wook makes his way towards the truck with a wide grin and Jaejoong smiles at the other before getting out of the vehicle to greet him properly and introduce himself, barely noticing that Junsu has followed his example in exiting the truck to greet Jin Wook as well.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you." Jin Wook says and Jaejoong barely manages to bite back a grin when Junsu regards the other with an odd look after Jin Wook shakes his hand a little too enthusiastically.

Junsu's reaction seems to please Changmin as Jaejoong catches him snorting upon seeing the expression on Junsu's face. But all signs of laughter disappear the moment Jin Wook turns around to look straight at Changmin.

"Hello, Changmin."

Changmin merely grunts and gives him a half-hearted nod in return, his scowl firmly in place.

"Still as rude as ever, aren't you?" Jin Wook speaks. "Typical hillbilly."

Jaejoong frowns. Sure, Changmin's response has not been the most courteous, but to actually insult him like that is simply low.

"I'd hardly consider giving strangers a place to stay at and giving said strangers a ride for free as rude. Insulting someone so harshly just because of an improper greeting, however, can't be considered as anything near well-mannered." Junsu says with a raised eyebrow before he turns to smile at Changmin. "Thank you for the ride. It was really nice of you."

Jaejoong smiles. Junsu has chosen his side.

Changmin looks rather surprised for the very first seconds before he smiles back at Junsu and Jaejoong can't help but feel his heart swell upon witnessing the exchange. Whether they are doing it to annoy Jin Wook or not, he is glad that they are getting along. At least for now.

Jin Wook clears his throat, his face painted red by embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have used that word."

"I don't think the apology should be directed at me." Junsu speaks, his voice fairly soft considering the frown on his face.

"Of course." Jin Wook nods before he looks at Changmin. "I'm sorry, Changmin."

Changmin nods before he starts the engine and pays no further attention to Jin Wook as he looks past him and at the two brothers. "Give the garage a call when you're done and I'll come to pick you up. Everyone here got the number."

And with that, Changmin makes his way back to the repair shop.

Jaejoong looks at Jin Wook thoughtfully.

There seems to be something that Jin Wook has not informed their aunt about when selling the mansion to her and Jaejoong is determined to find out what information is being held back.
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