[Un-betaed]

*****

Yunho straightened his muscles after he finished cleaning all the cobwebs that covering the house wall and wiping the dusty floor. Today, he had done the worst cleaning task ever with the queer boy’s help. Weirdly, the boy had obediently listened to him without a word. Now, the old hanok looked like a real place for living, seemingly get a homey scene compared to a scary, haunted house when he first time came to the place. After he done with the task, Yunho proceeded to get the boy clean by cutting his claw-like nails and unkempt hair which almost covered half of his face. He just couldn’t stand a messy look of the other and the place for these three days of his stay in the deserted place.

“Hey, don’t move. Stay still!” Yunho held Jaejoong on his waist to seat still near the well as he concentrated on cutting the boy’s hair. But Jaejoong still kept moving.

“Stop scratching.” He warned as Jaejoong kept scratching his back and neck, feeling itchy.

“And can you stop keep blinking your eyes?” Yunho ordered again as he leaned closer to the other’s face, to do the final cut on the long bangs that covering the boy’s big-doe like eyes. Jaejoong kept blinking his eyes as Yunho pulled the strain of hairs straight down his face to have a proper cut.

“You’re so cute…” Yunho blurted out and chuckled as he found Jaejoong looked adorable at the moment, but the smile faded instantly upon realized what he had just said. He was not someone who would let out that kind of praise easily though, moreover to a boy.

“Urm, well…I think you can take a bath now.” He averted his look elsewhere once he done the final cut. The more he stared at those enchanting eyes, the more he felt something weird swelled subtly inside of him.

Jaejoong looked up at Yunho and shook his head at the man’s order, refusing.

“What?” For a moment, Yunho was confused.

“Aish, okay…okay. Stop staring at me! Come here closer, I’ll bathe you.” He sighed after he got the meaning of that look. The boy obediently scooted closer to him upon heard the offer. Yunho then pulled a basin of water up from the well and started bathing the boy.

 ‘Seriously, this is not good.’ He mumbled inwardly. Somehow, he felt it was not good for him to keep showing slightest affection or care toward the boy, it would turn out bad when the time he needs to leave comes.

Yunho took the other inside after he done bathing him, and he ordered Jaejoong to wear his cloth like he was taught last time. Yunho turned around, facing the wall, avoiding from stare at the young boy when the other was struggling with putting on the cloth. After few minutes, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He smiled. 

“You’re done?” He asked and turned around. But only burst in laugh when he found the shirt was hung on the other’s waist and pant stuck on Jaejoong’s forehead. The blank boy failed miserably.

“Aigoo…seriously, what should I do with you? Are you really couldn’t catch up with what I’d taught you yesterday?”

The boy didn’t answering him, only blinking innocently and staring at Yunho’s pant before shifted to the shirt that hung on his waist, seemingly studying the differences.

“See…it’s not correct, is it?” Yunho told as he caught the other’s examining look.

“C-correct…not.” Jaejoong muttered.

Yunho chuckled at the incoherent word escaped from the boy. He pulled Jaejoong closer by arm and sighed as at the end, he ended up to put on the cloth for him again.

“Done!” Yunho said once he had done putting the cloth on Jaejoong.

The younger boy then jumped and curled on the couch with hair still dripping of water, he sniffing the new cloth on his body like he did last time. Yunho just smiled and shook his head seeing the boy’s antic. With a towel still draping on his shoulder, he walked over to the couch and started drying Jaejoong’s hair with it.

“You should dry yourself properly. I wonder, will you catch a cold.” He mumbled.

Jaejoong’s stopped with his sniffing and looked up at Yunho who sat closer to him with hands busy drying his hair.

“C-cold… cold not…” Jaejoong mumbled and leisurely leaned his head into Yunho’s body. Now, he seemed fond to repeat the words that Yunho spoke, it somehow did reminding him how to talk again – even not that coherent.

Yunho who was occupied with the task in his hand, stiffened as he felt the other’s head rested on his chest, then it only took a minute before a snoring sound escaped from Jaejoong’s mouth.

“What the heck…” Yunho mumbled under his breath, couldn’t believe the latter would fast asleep with just a minute under his caresses. He patted the boy’s head gently before he shifted in his seat and laid the latter down on the couch.

“It hardly to believe he could harm someone, with this attitude.” Yunho uttered silently while watching the sleeping Jaejoong, who had a calm and docile look once he dozed off.

Yunho decided to walk around the house after that, studying the surroundings area. He tried to spot any sign of trail he could possibly left behind when he first time came to the abandoned place. As he started walking further into the woods, he caught something that was an actual reason of him to enter the woods. There was a ground-hugging rosette of greenery near the bark of trees around the area; it was the green herb that he had seeking for desperately.

“Finally…” Yunho smiled contentedly, walking closer to the plants and examining it before he plucked it off the ground carefully.

“At least it worth to be lost here…” He mumbled and smiled alone, at the thought the inhabited and dangerous mountain was actually where the new found herb that his research team had studying and experimenting lately breeds prevalently.

The sound of something rustled on the branches of tree, just above his head, washed-out the smile on Yunho’s face instantly; he stiffened in his spot. The familiar terror feeling that he had experienced a couple of days ago started seeping through him back.

‘Was it going to be another wolf attack?’

As the thought crossed his mind, a big branch above his head fell to the ground along with the creature that made it broke. Yunho jumped aside in surprise, gladly, he missed from being crushed on.

He who still in stupor turned around and his eyes locked with the pair of those doe-like eyes of Jaejoong, staring at him with his emotionless face ever.

“Gosh, it was you up there?!” Yunho able to force his voice out, it shrieked a bit due to aftershock.

“What the heck are you doing here?! Are you following me? But you were sleeping a while ago when I went out.” Yunho grumbled as he got up from the ground and patted the dirt off of his pant.

Jaejoong also stood up, scratching his arm and staring at him while blinking innocently.

“Do you get hurt? Come here…” Yunho said and pulled the boy closer to him as he examined his body. But the boy seemed perfectly fine even had fallen from the highest, big tree. There was not even a scratch of wound visible on his white, porcelain skin.

‘Aish, it should be natural to worry if he is human.’ Yunho thought and looked back at Jaejoong’s blank face.

“That was creepy, you know. Don’t do that again…If you not getting hurt, I probably will.” He told the younger boy.

Jaejoong nodded solemnly which brought an amused smile on Yunho’s face. “Hmm… seem you know to give me a response now. That’s good.”

Yunho chuckled and inwardly, hoping the boy would give him the same response for his next order.

“So…can you show me the way out of this wood now?”

It took a moment of silence from the boy, Yunho felt like everything near him freeze as he waiting and looking at Jaejoong expectantly for give him the same positive response.

It looked like a slow motion as Jaejoong nodded his head for the second times.

A wide smile spread across Yunho’s face. “Really? Seriously, you will show me the way out of here? Thank you! I really owe you big time.” He said happily, at the thought he could finally get out from the remote place.

***

“Ah, this can’t be real! How far more we need to walk..?” Changmin sighed as his knees dropped to the ground, tired after walking too long. But then he fell flat on earth as Junsu who was also exhausted threw his weight on his back, making him failed to balance himself.

“Aww, what the heck are you doing!” He winced and wriggled to shrug off the other from him.

“I’m tired, but I don’t want to rest my on earth. My pant will get dirty.” Junsu reasoned.

“So, that made you landing on me? You think I’m a mat or what?”

“Kind of…” Junsu muttered.

“You’re really annoying. Get off of me!” Changmin pushed the shorter man away.

“Aish, can’t you guys just get a rest quietly?” Yoochun who was resting his back against one of the nearest trees warned.

“How could you expect me to get rest in peace if this stupid guy always irritating me.” Changmin complained.

“Hey, you call me stupid?!” Junsu squealed angrily.

“Well, isn’t it obvious, shorty?”

“You call me shorty?!”

“Yes, that’s the most obvious fact.” Changmin retorted.

“You!” Junsu was about to smack the taller guy but was stopped once Yoochun voiced out something.

“I think we should have a night here.”

“What?!” Junsu turned at his senior in a surprised look.

“That’s right. We also thi