I walked around the quiet neighborhood. I waved and smiled at the very few people outside, most of them were young children playing in the spacious lawns of their large homes.

It’s been a week since I’ve been here, and it was the first day I’ve been alone. The first few days I spent unpacking and setting up the house with Yunho. On the third day Yunho returned to the palace but promised he’d come back every afternoon. The last couple of days Yoochun and Junsu showed me around different parts of the city and a couple of nearby towns Today was my first day alone Yunho returns in the afternoon.

I didn’t mind the time alone. It was good break to pause and think to myself.

Since I have time, I figured I’d introduce myself to my surrounding neighbors.

I entered the large home greeted by the pleasant smell of sweet guava bread. The smell was arm and seemed to wrap you in its own kind of embrace. Seconds after I shut the door behind me, the timer went off.

I washed my hands in the kitchen sink before tending to the oven. I pulled out the fluffy loaf of bread and rest it on the counter. I let it cool and added some final special touches before wrapping it in a brown paper bag, tying a thick white string around it, packing it nicely. In the fertility Kingdom, it was a common tradition for neighbors to greet new neighbors with food or some sort of gift and vice versa. It’s probably not common here, but it’s still a fun and nice way to meet new people.

I carried the fresh bread out the kitchen and went back outside. I only had one neighbor whose house was close to mine. It was to the right of my home, in the corner of the neighborhood. The house was a huge mansion. It was probably the largest home in the neighborhood.

I walked up to the tall intimidating mahogany doors. I grabbed the heavy gold door knocker and knocked against the wood. It banged loudly despite how gently I moved it.

I stood on the porch for a few minutes, but there was no answer. Maybe no one’s home?

I decided to knock one more time just in case.

This time I heard shuffling and murmuring on the other side of the door. It wasn’t until another couple of minutes later when the door finally opened.

“Hello?” It was an elderly lady. She was dressed in a black shirt, tucked underneath a long black skirt that just reached her ankles. Her dark brown hair was tied neatly back in a bun. She looked exhausted but wore a weary smile. “How may I help you?”

“Hello, my name is Jaejoong. I just moved in next door from the Fertility Kingdom. I just wanted to greet you with this guava bread. It’s a delicacy in my home kingdom. It’s honestly a tradition for us to give gifts whenever we move.” I explained faster than I planned. I was oddly nervous. It didn’t occur to me till now that it may come off as weird or suspicious of a foreigner giving away food to other strangers.

The lady looked surprised.

“Uh, I’m sorry if it seems weird. You don’t have to accept it.” I rubbed the back of my neck, now feeling like an idiot.

“Who is this?” A harsh voice questioned before she could respond.

“Master Changmin.” The lady quickly bowed.

The name sounded oddly familiar.

“I thought I said no guest allowed.”

I turned around.

My eyes widened a little at the fawning boy behind me. His dark fringes barely covered his face and he was dressed in expensive but casual clothing. Where have I seen him?

“Master Changmin, this is Jaejoong. He recently moced here and wanted to present you with a gift.” The woman quickly explained.

The young man’s frown deepened.

“You’re the painter!” I blurted in realization.

The two of them looked at me in confusion.

“Do I know you?” He questioned.

“I bumped into you a couple of years ago! You had that painting!” I paused in thought. “You live here?! What a coincidence!”

I really was amazed by his work. I thought about it every now and then after returning from the Fire Kingdom.

However, he only looked more confused.

“You probably won’t remember; it was a while ago. You had a wonderful painting. It was a garden with the dragon lovers.” I recalled; the image still vivid in my mind.

His eyes widened at my words.

I looked at him hopeful. Did he remember?

However, his eyes immediately narrowed into a cruel star. “I don’t paint.”

I paused thrown off guard, “But you-,”

“I said I don’t paint!” He suddenly snapped angrily.

I shut my mouth almost immediately. His sudden piercing of outrage was strangely frightening. It didn’t even sound like a cry of anger but one of pain and desperation that rung in your ears.

He noticed this and looked away. “Get off my property and take your stupid gift with you.” He lowered his tone, but it was still cold.

He stormed past me into the house, slamming the door behind him.

I stood there dumbstruck, trying to process what just happened.

The lady sighed, her shoulders falling. “I’m sorry.” Her words were full of fatigue.

I blinked a few times before snapping out of it. I was surprised to be met with her sad expression.

“Please forgive him. It’s nothing personal.” She sounded as if she’s said this several times before. She looked me in my eyes and paused. Her eyes studied me curiously. “I didn’t know that he still painted.” She suddenly said.

“He quit painting several years ago.” She scrunched her brow in thought as if to fish for something in her mind. “That painting you spoke about…A couple years ago he went to throw it out, but then he returned home with it and hung it on the living room wall. He said it was a waste to throw it away with the days and weeks he spent on it. No one asked, he just said so.”

I raised an eyebrow, so he was the one I bumped into. I was unsure as to why she was telling me this, but it was an interesting fact to take note of.

Another sigh escaped her lips. “I’m sorry again. He’s not good with people. He’s lived on his own most of his life. I’m telling you this, because you might come in contact with him more often since you live next door.”

“He’s not good at communicating with people. I’m just trying to make sure he doesn’t make any enemies. So, I am asking for your understanding.” Her tired eyes pleaded me desperately.

I slowly nodded.

With that assurance, she bowed and returned inside the large building.

I lagged for a moment before stepping off the porch.

The walk back home felt longer and slower. I thought of her words. I was furious when he snapped at me, but it barely lasted a second, the pain in his voice had struck me dumb. It reaction afterwards was even more striking. He looked hurt.

Had I said something that hurt him?

Or was it something else?

He already seemed as if he was in a bad mood when he came. He only snapped when I mentioned the painting.

I scrunched my brow. My heart suddenly fell heavy thinking about the woman’s words and how desperate she was for his sake. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

-

For the rest of the day, I decided to start planting the seeds I brought with me, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I caught myself glancing at the large home. The home really was big. It could house at least 3 families and still have plenty of space leftover.

Did he really live there alone?

I was slow in my work, as I fell lost in my thoughts until Yunho returned.

We sat at the glass table in the kitchen. The prince spoke about his day while we ate the bread I made. He was excited when he saw that I made it. My mother had baked the cream filled bread a few times before and he loved it.

Our conversation reminded me of the letters he sent. He had a lot to say about everything. I didn’t mind it. It was nice hearing him talk instead of reading from a piece of paper, and it was more amusing.

“I brought some books.” He pulled out a stack of several books. They looked old but had delicate designs engraved on their hard covers.

I raised an eyebrow, “You’re not wanting me to help you with your lessons, are you?” I questioned teasingly.

“No.” He muttered. “They’re books from the palace’s archives.”

My eyes widened. “What?!”

“Since you like reading and learning and stuff, I thought you’d like these.” He explained.

I looked at him in disbelief. I stared at the books trying to process his reasoning. “Yunho...you can’t bring these outside