Rice cakes were put on hold as Luhan grabbed his coat and rushed out the door. I felt useless as I paced back and forth. I also knew I was being a burden by sending Luhan out but he wouldn't break the promise that he had made with Jongin. I had to stay in the house.

 

"Don't worry, dear. Luhan's good at reading people. I'm sure he knows where your brother went," Mrs. Kim soothed me by making me a pot of tea. "Now, you sit here while I finish the rice cakes."

 

I shook my head, not wanting to cause too much trouble. "I'll help you. I need some distraction."

 

My work looked quite sloppy next to Mrs. Kim's creations but I partly blamed my rice cakes' lack of finesse on my shaking hands. When Jongin comes back, I was going to give him even more of a talking to than I had done for Luhan. Jongin needed to learn to think things through and not just rush into situations.

 

"Will you be staying around for the festival?" Mrs. Kim asked while we continued to work.

 

I my lips anxiously. "It depends on my brother. If he doesn't get killed, I'll try to convince him to stay."

 

"There's no need for worry," Mrs. Kim reassured me. "Boys will be boys. They get into big messes but they always come out unscathed."

 

I tried laughing but it was hard considering all the things Jongin's been through. "I guess."

 

"Believe me. I had five sons of my own and a husband to deal with. Then my sons all had sons and I took care of half of them. Luhan's been the easiest out of all of them."

 

"Are you sure it isn't just your sons that are known to get into trouble?" I teased. "Maybe Luhan's the normal one."

 

"No, definitely not. Luhan's the exception." The mood of the room had gone from tense to light to solemn. I couldn't tell if Mrs. Kim was referring to Luhan's unrowdiness or his uality.

 

Speaking of the devil, Luhan burst in through the front door, causing the bell to chime. "Found him!" he called.

 

I scraped my chair back and dropped the dough on the table. I had expected to see Jongin scratched up with bruises all over his body or maybe I had expected him to be dead. But I could only stand frozen as I stared at the boys in shock.

 

Jongin had his arm draped over Luhan's shoulders. Instead of blood marking Jongin's neck, I saw rouge stains. As I took a step forward, a hiccup ran through his body and nearly knocked him to the ground.

 

"Where did you find him?" I wasn't sure if I wanted to know.

 

"Right where I thought he'd be." Luhan shifted Jongin's limp body. "At the pub, spending all his money to get himself drunk."

 

My nostrils flared and I clenched my fists. "I see."

 

Luhan brought Jongin over to a bench and set him down. "I'm surprised he's still alive. He downed a ton of the strong foreign stuff they got at the pub. Doubt he'll be up anytime soon."

 

I rolled my sleeves even higher and put Jongin's arm over my shoulder. "Oh, yes, he will. Luhan, could you prepare a bath for him please?"

 

I followed Luhan to the tub, barely noticing Mrs. Kim standing at the door of the kitchen. She watched us while working on a rice cake with her wrinkled hands. I felt bad for using her house like this but I made a mental note to reimburse her after I got back to the castle.

 

"After you kids are done, come to the table for dinner." Luhan and I nodded at Mrs. Kim's request.

 

I laid Jongin down by the tub and Luhan was done filling the tub with hot water. "Do you need anything else?" He turned to me expectantly.

 

"No, you've been very helpful. Thank you." I told him to go eat and he rushed out the door, closing it behind him.

 

I sighed and crossed my arms. Jongin sat in front of me with his eyes closed. He wasn't even conscious enough to prop his body up properly. "What am I supposed to do with you?" I mumbled.

 

"Nothing." Jongin's lips moved but his eyes didn't open. "Just leave me alone."

 

My lips trembled with rage at his slurred but harsh words. I should do just that. I could take refuge somewhere else so I'd be safe and Jongin wouldn't have to take responsibility over me anymore.

 

But then I saw the red marks on his collar and neck, resembling the shape of lips. My stubbornness came back.

 

I pulled Jongin's shirt off without a second thought and grabbed a cup from the sink. "Wash your mouth out," I ordered after scooping up some water from the tub.

 

His eyes opened slightly to give me a look before his jaw opened as well. Was he being stupid or did he actually expect me to wash his mouth out for him?

 

"Is this how drunk you are?" I asked with venom in my voice.

 

He merely nodded, not catching the sneer in my tone. "Mmm."

 

I threw the water on his face and grabbed the rag that Luhan had left me. I dipped it in the water and placed the towel against Jongin's neck. I scrubbed furiously, letting out my anger to clean the stains.

 

"Oww," Jongin groaned in pain. "Eun Kyo, that hurts." His hands feebly tried to lift themselves up to push mine away.

 

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure you've felt worse."

 

"But things hurt a lot more around you." I stopped for a second to think through his words. He was still intoxicated but his voice sounded sincere. Father always said “drunken words are sober thoughts” after his business meetings.

 

"Then why don't you just leave me?" I went back to scrubbing but I lightened my touch.

 

Jongin shook his head and pouted. "Can't."

 

I knew he couldn't. My father would probably kill him if I was left to die. I sighed, not sure what to advise Jongin to do. "Get in the tub."

 

"But I still have my pants on."

 

I crossed my arms and stood up. "Don't you dare take off your pants or else I'm leaving and you're going to have to wash yourself."

 

Jongin shakily stumbled into the water but sunk down comfortably. "I like it when you take care of me," he murmured.

 

I tried not to let a blush take over my face but it still did as I knelt down to dunk his head into the tub. "Don't get used to it." I wasn't ready to forgive him just yet.

 

A knock on the door made me turn around quickly and I found Mrs. Kim standing there with a set of clothes in her hands. "These are Luhan's. Give them to your brother when you're done." She gave me a smile and left the clothes on the ground beside the door.

 

I felt so guilty for using people like this and promised that I would treat my staff better when I got back to the castle. They did this and had to put up with my annoying family everyday.

 

I finally finished washing as much of Jongin as I could and then told him to put on the clothes by himself. I stood outside the door and hoped he wouldn't fall asleep beside the tub.

 

"Jongin, are you done?" I asked after I only heard silence for a few minutes.

 

He opened the door and fell onto me. "Bed," he grumbled.

 

I dragged him down the hall, past the kitchen, and up the stairs. Thankfully, I got him conscious enough to climb the steps. After what seemed like an eternity, I managed to lug his limp body all the way to the bed that I had occupied in the morning.

 

"I'm going to eat dinner. Do you want anything?" I asked as I tucked Jongin under the quilt.

 

He shook his head like a kid and wrapped his arms around me. "You smell nice."

 

I pursed my lips. If he thought compliments were going to get me to forgive him, he was wrong. "I smell like rice cakes."

 

Jongin nodded eagerly without even opening his eyes. "I like rice cakes."

 

"Then I'll try and get some for you." I tried getting up but Jongin had me trapped.

 

A gasp escaped my throat as I felt his lips le a sensitive part of my neck. His hands my back rhythmically and, for a second, I was lost under his touch.

 

“Jongin,” I cleared my throat a little. “What are you doing?”

 

His lips trailed up to my ear as he let out a little moan. “They made you feel bad.” When he nibbled on my earlobe, I had to clear my throat again loudly. “I want to make you feel good.”

 

I sighed. Any other day and I probably would’ve gladly accepted Jongin’s touches. But at the moment, he was drunk and I couldn’t take advantage of his state like Sookyung did. That would bring me down to her level.

 

I shuddered. “No,” I managed to push myself up and placed Jongin's arms back at his side. "Sleep, okay?" My voice was a little shaky and I struggled to tear my eyes away from Jongin’s pained ones. I could still feel his stare on my back as I walked across the room.

 

I closed the door behind me and went downstairs. I took a seat beside Luhan and apologized for my absence. Conversation was minimal but at least the food was good. By the end of dinner, I felt like I had stuffed my face like Jongin usually did.

 

As I helped them put away the dishes, Mrs. Kim came over with a towel in her hands. "Can I ask you something, dear?"

 

I nodded and stopped what I was doing. Her question seemed important. "Go ahead."

 

"Are you and Jongin really brother and sister?"

 

My lips parted but I didn't know what to say. After all that Mrs. Kim had done for us I didn't think I could lie to her. But what about our disguise? "No," I whispered without realizing it.

 

She nodded and wiped her hands on her towel. "That's all I needed to know." I blushed a little and wanted to ask her why she had asked. But then my head went to the kisses that Jongin had given me earlier and I couldn’t think properly anymore.

 

I finished the dishes and walked up the stairs with Mrs. Kim's question in my mind. I knew Jongin and I looked nothing alike but what had triggered the elderly lady to ask that question in the first place?

 

I entered the room and found Jongin lying on his side, staring at me. "You're not asleep?" I asked and realized he must've been waiting for the rice cakes that I had forgotten.

 

He shook his head. "I'm not sleeping until I know you're safe."

 

"But I am safe," I said as I sat down on the bed beside him. "I was just having dinner."

 

His hands reached for me and pulled me down to lay next to him. "Sleep," he ordered.

 

I crossed my arms. "I'm not sleeping until you sleep."

 

"But I don't need sleep."

 

"Then I'm not sleeping."

 

"Fine." Jongin laid an arm over me and closed his eyes. "I'll sleep."

 

I tried staying awake but it was hard when the bed was cozy. I was beyond exhausted but I wanted to make sure that Jongin slept so he wouldn't get sick again.

 

After a couple of minutes, Jongin's eyes slid open just a bit.

 

"I know you're not asleep," I whispered.

 

"How?"

 

I thought about telling him that he snores in his sleep but then he'd probably try to trick me. Instead, I shrugged. "I just do." I sighed when Jongin continued to watch me. He obviously wasn't planning on going to sleep. "Please, Jongin. I'm so tired."

 

"Then sleep."

 

I wanted to argue with him some more but my energy was all gone. I relented and shifted closer to Jongin. "You win," I mumbled before closing my eyes. I felt Jongin's arm get tighter around me and I could've sworn I heard his light snoring right before I fell asleep.

 

---

 

i'm sleep too unu

how do you guys feel about kai's blond hair?? i think he looks like a fairy now and i feel bad for thinking dirty thoughts about him! ;-;