The lecturer was talking about how art is about pouring your soul and feelings into your work.

"An artist should be able to convey many things in a single artwork, be it a picture, a drawing or anything. I wanted you to widen your mindset and be creative about what you can fit in a single picture to make it seemed alive. We will be focusing on drawing technique this month. For the monthly project, I'll only allow you to decide on your own theme but it's up to your partner's consideration to chose a short sample of inspiration to boost up your imagination. Sometimes, we can choose what we want to draw, but sometimes, we just can't chose how we want to draw things. Make sure your drawing is based on what your partner chose for you or I'll deduct your mark. Communication and understanding is very important in art. Sharing your own stories, having some amount of shares in other's work, isn't it amazing? You will be partnered up and complete the task within a week. Is that clear? Until then, class dismissed."

"When will we start working?" Jinyoung asked him after the class ended.

Jaebum ignored him and continued to pack his belongings. He shoved his books into his bag and tossed it aside. He is wearing his headphone, pretending to hear the nonexistent music from his phone. The class is almost empty now but Jinyoung desperately said that they need to discuss about the project now as the time allocated for them to finish it up is very limited. He stopped him from exiting the class and begged him to listen.

Jinyoung's hand was itching to grab his shoulders and turned his body to face him, to force him to look at him in the eyes but he reminded himself once again not to be reckless. Especially when it's not even easy to stand this near to him like this moment. They both seemed like two magnets with the same poles that will always repel each other when they get near. He shouldn't be touching him at all when he remembered what happened at the hallway when they first met.

JB doesn't like skinship it seems.

"I know you're not listening to anything." Jinyoung said when his patience is almost wearing thin with the lack of response from JB. Jinyoung pulled away the headphone gently from his head and put it on the table.

 "This assignment is important you know. You can't ruin my grade just because you don't want to cooperate."

Jinyoung lied. He doesn't give a about his grade. He pestered the teacher to make them partner because he knew he can found and dig something out from JB.

"So what? It's not like I choose myself to be your partner." For the first time since forever, JB opened his mouth to reply to him in a monotone voice, not even bother to look at him.

"So when can we meet up? Are you free this evening?" Jinyoung ignored the snide remark and continued to discuss about the project like he didn't heard anything. JB just keep quiet, seemingly to be deep in thoughts before he aswered,"Library. Five o'clock."

Then, he grabbed his bag and walked towards the door. Jinyoung sighed. What made you hate me that much until you can't even bear to look at me in the face?

Jaebum walked in and he propped himself in one of the library sofa. Minjun was the one who told him to find his brother so that they can carry out their mission faster. Well, he doesn't even need to find him-Jinyoung bumped into him in the hallway the first thing in the morning when he was here. It's weird, because Jaebum was supposed to hate Jinyoung after everything that had happened. But instead, when he saw the worried look on Jinyoung's face and the way his touch triggered something inside him, the memories that he tried so hard to bury at the back of his head came back flooding all at once. The feeling was overwhelming, seeing how easy he recognized Jinyoung even after years apart. After all, Jinyoung's scent is like a code he knew so well despite not seeing him more than half of his life. He couldn't deny there's a tinge of relief and happiness when Jinyoung also seemed to noticed him just by looking into his eyes even when the potion already disguised his scent completely.

Flashback

Jaebum stared outside the window. Somehow, it's been raining  heavily, it was almost as if the sky is also grieving with him. It's been three days now, since the last time he saw his mother, alive. It's also had been three days since he talk or see anyone too. From now on, no one will come into his room to kiss him good night and good morning anymore. Jaebum kept his promise that he made to his mother, he didn't cry. He held it in by himself. When the maiden tried to make him eat, he refused to and pretended to be sleeping. He can't even remember the last meal he ate or the last time he took a bath. His weakened body is sticky and smelly.

There is no stars today in the sky. The sky is empty and dark, just like how he felt his soul had become. He look around his room, also dark and cold. Suddenly a crystal clear water rolled down his cheeks. Jaebum doesn't realised until he was already sobbing silently. It's already midnight when he entered the bathroom, opened the shower and stood under the rushing water. No, He didn't cry, it's the water from the shower. If he was given the choice he'd rather run under the rain instead, but he was not allowed to even step outside his room. They are afraid that the king will get mad when he saw him. So he thought to himself, if his father is that mad at him, why didn't he kill him too?

His body was cold and his hands and feet started to wrinkle. His teeth clattering and shivering but he just can't feel anything. The pain in his heart is so severe that his receptors were numb to the cold. But when his legs no longer have the energy to support his body, he fell on the floor. He couldn't move his limbs or his hands, so he let his body stay lying on the floor. The water is still running and the tiny droplets that were falling on his face mixed with the salt water that flowed down his cheeks. He could felt how his body system is slowly shutting down, but his mind is still running wild, thinking. He thought of Jinyoung, feeling the guilt and dread is eating him from inside again. This is how Jinyoung must be feeling when his mother almost died. How worried he must have been when his mother was poisoned. But Jaebum is sure that his mother wasn't the one who caused all this mess. His loving mother, who already know the reality of Jinyoung's existense, about who Jinyoung really is since he was born, but still accepted him readily nonetheless. She always looks at Jinyoung like he is her own son. She couldn't be the one who poisoned Jinyoung's mother right?

 Well at least, Jaebum thought, Jinyoung's mother is still with him. She is still able to kiss and hug him everyday, while Jaebum is all alone now.

He was also unable to sleep. In those sleepless night, the nightmare was chasing him in his slumber, greeting him mercilessly each time he closed his eyes. His father's hatred when he glared into his mother's face, how heartless it look. There is no love at all. He hate himself for being so weak and powerless at that moment.

Suddenly he heard a noise of footsteps nearing from his bedroom. When he turned his head, he saw a man standing at the bathroom door. He was clad in a black outfit, from head to toe. Jaebum's breath hitched, so, did his father decided to finally send someone to kill him now?

Before he could anything, the man quickly grabbed his hands by the wrists and locked his leg so he couldn't move. His small body struggled and tried to kick but then, the man pressed a handkerchief on his nose and mouth, pressing it so hard that he almost couldn't breath. His head bumped against the floor tiles while he were struggling, adding to the dizziness that was already overtaking him. As he was gasping for air, he felt that his throat is burning and his gaze blurring. He could felt that his hand and leg is tied as he barely hang on a thin line of consciousness.

 He was already carried on the man's shoulder when he was awake. When the nman realized that Jaebum was awake, he slowly put him down on the ground. The man grabbed a knife from his pocket. Jaebum didn't run, he didn't scream or shout. He gave up. There no will to stay alive anymore. Not when his mother already went to some other place that he couldn't follow if he's still breathing in this world. He didn't do anything other than blinking his eyes while staring at the figure in front of him. He is ready for whatever the man was about to do. He look around, they are in a thick forest, no one will know he died here.

"Im Jaebum" The man knew his name, so he must be someone from inside the palace. Looks like his father really sent him to kill him here. But the fondness and longing in the man's voice told him otherwise. Why did he look at him as if he had known him his whole life?

"Just do it. Don't wait anymore."Jaebum dared himself to say that.

"What?"

"Kill me. I'm not afraid." The old men chuckled. He look amused and impressed with the courage that was oozing from such a small body.

"Good try, young prince. I saved you from the king actually. I could be the only person in that palace that want you to live." His tone was serious after that. "Now listen to me."

Jaebum is puzzled, he was expecting the knife that the man is holding to be used to slit his throat but instead, the man cut the rope on his legs and hands.

"Can you walk? We are almost there."

He doesn't know where they were going but he followed the man anyway. It's his first time outside the palace and every nook and cranny of the forest is foreign to him. He doesn't have anywhere to go. They are already far away from the palace as he can no longer sense the way home. The scent was washed away by the heavy downpour.

When they reach in front of a mansion-like building, he was told to get inside. "From now on, this will be your new home."

When he entered, four other person were waiting for them at the living room. They all got up from the sofa and bowed at him and the elder. Even just by looking at their face, he could see a tint of sadness and sorrow, like they were all mourning over something. All of them look sad and miserable, just like him. He wondered what kind of things happened to them.

"This is Hyeran's son, the crown prince."

"We know." One of the elders, Yeeun said. "Come here, let's get you ready for dinner. You must changed your clothes quickly before you catches the flu." She clearly saw the way he was drenched but decided not to ask the reason why probably because she already saw how cold and pale Jaebum look. The older lady opened the hot water for him and adjusted the temperature. She smiled a motherly smile and it instantly warmed his heart almost the same way his mother used to.

 "You look just like the queen. Those beautiful eyes and lips that managed to lured many men back then." She deliberately removed his hair that was covering his eyes and trapped him in a hug. And suddenly, Jaebum felt that maybe, just maybe, he is really welcomed here, in his new home. Jaebum decided that he didn't miss the palace at all.

During dinner, he saw another two person at the dining table. A girl, who looked like she is the same age as him and a much younger boy, barely a toddler,  who was hugging