Jongin left me to myself and I fell asleep only to wake up a little later when the sun was higher in the sky. My stomach growled and I knew I had to go down to greet Mrs. Kim and thank her for her hospitality. Hopefully she wasn't two-faced like the couple was.

 

I peeked down from the railing of the staircase and saw the old lady working in the kitchen with a boy. They were covered in flour and I felt bad for taking up space in their home while they worked so hard.

 

“Good morning, Mrs. Kim,” I greeted her by bowing when I got to the kitchen.

 

The granny turned around and wiped her hands on her apron before ushering me to a table. “It’s nearly afternoon, dear, but good morning to you too.”

 

I thanked her after she poured me some tea and then I looked around the kitchen for Jongin.

 

“Are you feeling better, Miss?” The boy, who looked a lot younger than me, brought over a plate of dainty cakes. He towered over Mrs. Kim but had the face of a baby.

 

I nodded. “A lot better.” I realized he was the one that had helped carry Jongin into the house last night. “Do you work here?”

 

The boy tossed a ball of dough between his hands and smiled. “Sort of.”

 

Mrs. Kim interrupted us. “He’s been here since he was a kid. He’s pretty much my own grandson now.” She patted him on the back, leaving a white handprint on his shirt.

 

The boy didn’t notice at all but nodded proudly instead. “Mrs. Kim took me in when I was eight.”

 

“I have a soft spot for strays.” The old lady chuckled before opening the oven to put in a tray of bread.

 

“So you’re an orphan?” I asked.

 

This time, the boy shook his head. “I have parents but they often left me on my own at night.”

 

Mrs. Kim interrupted again, proudly showing off her adopted grandson’s story. “And this brave thing decided to knock on a stranger’s door to get some help. Thank goodness my own sons had already moved out or else I wouldn’t have had any room left.”

 

I laughed softly at the bond that Mrs. Kim and the boy shared. “What’s your name?” I wanted to get to know these two more and I felt blessed to have found their home as a shelter.

 

“Luhan.”

 

I tried saying the name but it just didn’t sound right in my mouth. “Well, Luhan, do you need any help?” I stood up and drank the last of my tea, not even realizing how thirsty I was.

 

“Yes, actually.” He led me to a counter that was dusted with white flour. “Our village’s harvest festival’s in a few days and we need to prepare a bunch of stuff before then. Do you know how to make rice cakes?”

 

I stood there, staring at the bowls in front of me. I realized had never been to the kitchen to cook; I had only gone as a child to grab some snacks before supper. I shook my head and pursed my lips. “I can try, though.”

 

Luhan shrugged and decided to let me take on the job. He taught me the right ratio of water and rice flour to make the dough, and he showed me how to prepare the filling. Lastly, he began shaping the cakes. I watched as he enclosed the filling with colourful dough and pinch it in such a way that it looked like a precious dumpling.

 

I spent the afternoon kneading and stirring and shaping little rice cakes. The first few were unappealing lumps of dough. Then I was making spheres of rice cakes. Finally, my creations were starting to look like Luhan’s.

 

“Evening, Luhan!” He and I turned around at the same time to find a girl standing at the front door. Her gaze briefly lingered on me before finding Luhan.

 

“Good evening, Suni.” Luhan bowed and put down his work. “Is there anything you need?”

 

Suni bit her lip and looked at Luhan through her lashes. “Umm…not really.”

 

Luhan smiled. “That’s good. Your father’s feeling better, right?”

 

The girl took a deep breath and seemed to pray to the sky before opening again. “Luhan, do you want to go to the market with me? There’s a new stand that sells goldfish and I was wondering—“

 

Luhan shook his head. “I'm sorry, I can’t. I have to prepare for the harvest festival. Maybe some other time?”

 

I noticed Suni’s lip tremble a little and her eyes glanced to me for a second. I felt like I was interrupting their moment so I turned around and worked on my rice cakes instead.

 

“Oh, okay. I understand.” The girl’s voice was a lot quieter as she left. The bell that sounded her departure was the only sound in the bakery as we continued working.

 

Mrs. Kim broke the silence by letting out a huge sigh and heading up the stairs. I wondered if something about the girl bothered her. Or maybe it was the way Luhan rejected the girl's invitation without second thought.

 

"Suni seems like a nice girl," I piped in without looking away from my work.

 

Luhan stopped for a second and thought of something to say. "Yes, she is."

 

"Do you...like her?"

 

He shook his head and sighed like Mrs. Kim had done. "As a friend, I do."

 

I nodded in understanding. "She seems to like you, though." Suni was pretty and Luhan was handsome. I thought they'd make the perfect couple but it seemed like they didn't share mutual feelings with each other. “I mean, more than a friend.”

 

"I just help her around the house since her father got sick last month." Luhan worked quickly even while he talked. "I don't see her as anything but a little sister."

 

My hands stopped moving and I bit my lip. Though this shouldn't have been my battle and I needed to mind my own business, I had to give my two cents. "Why don't you just give her a chance? Maybe you'll realize that you do like her."

 

"But I don't like her." Luhan put down his dough like I had done and then stared at me with his big eyes.

 

"How do you know if you don't even give her a chance?" I was just starting to get impatient. Boys were so frustrating. "Do you have your sights on another girl?"

 

Luhan shook his head and picked at the sticky bits of white dough on his hands. When he spoke, he sounded reluctant. "I don't like girls."

 

I rolled my eyes and wiped my hands on a towel. "Listen here, buddy. That's a pretty immature thing to say. I mean, you're going to have to marry eventually. You can't just rely on Mrs. Kim for the rest of your life."

 

"But..."

 

"I don't want to hear anymore excuses. You need to get out there and get that girl back before she goes to some other guy." I was standing up by then and Luhan's big eyes looked up innocently at me.

 

"I don't like girls," he repeated himself and I was ready to go off on a tangent when he spoke up again. "I like men."

 

I was left with my mouth open and I had to bring my hand up to cover it. "O-oh." I slowly backed away and sat down on my wooden chair, keeping my eyes on the floor. So many things were running through my head at that moment. He should've kept that a secret, especially from me. If the public knew, they'd put him to shame; if the royal family knew, he'd be hanged.

 

But how could a boy like him be... be... How could he like boys?

 

Luhan let out a soft chuckle. "Your brother's reaction was a lot different from yours."

 

"My brother?" In my shock, I had forgotten that Jongin was my brother.

 

"Yeah, when he was leaving, he threatened to kill me if I laid a hand on you." Luhan was back to working again. "Then I told him that I'm not interested in girls and he gave me a pat on the back."

 

Jongin had congratulated him on that? Why? Was it because Jongin was one of them as well?

 

"D-does Mrs. Kim know?" I asked shakily.

 

Luhan nodded and hid his eyes. "She does. I didn't want to keep secrets from her."

 

From his tone, I could tell Mrs. Kim wasn't happy from the news. A hardworking, handsome, young man like Luhan did not fit the norm and would be condemned to a life of loneliness.

 

I bowed my head. "I'm sorry for what I said and I hope I didn't offend you in anyway."

 

"Don't worry about it." He handed me another pot of dough. "Finish this and we can have dinner."

 

I got down to work, hoping it would distract me from my thoughts. But one thing wouldn't leave my mind.

 

"Where did my brother go?" I stopped for a second to ask Luhan.

 

He shrugged. "I don't know but he said he'd be back tonight."

 

"Oh." I worried my lip. Jongin was gone again but I had wanted to talk to him about Luhan.

 

"And he told me not to let you out of the house."

 

"Why not?"

 

Luhan laughed. "He said you have a tendency to run into trouble. I think he wanted a little time to himself and not have to worry about his little sister."

 

Though he had said the words with a light tone, there was an ache in my chest. I felt like a big burden to Jongin, dumped onto him by my father. "Do you have any idea where he might've gone?"

 

"Hmm, if I had a little sister and I wanted to get away for a little bit..." Luhan looked to the ceiling and seemed to have gotten an idea but decided not to tell me when he saw the look on my face. "I don't know, actually. I mean, I usually come back home if I'm fed up with the rest of the world."

 

Home. Jongin's home was in the woods. That's where he was most at ease.

 

I sat up straight when I realized what that meant.

 

If I knew Jongin well enough, he would've gone back to the cottage to get revenge. And this time, he wouldn't have any backup.

 

"Luhan!" My voice shook a little. "I have to go find him!"

 

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omg i love lulu ;A;

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