Eight
Of Maids & Men~ 2 days later ~
Nana shrieked in surprise when she heard a loud thud from the other hallway, followed by what sounded like some furious yelling. She quickly covered with her hand and crept forward towards the voices. She figured it must have been Mr. and Mrs. Kim arguing with the boys again however when she focused more on the voices she picked out Jongin's and....Sehun?
She cocked her head.
Sehun? The quietest one of the whole household that barely spoke a word most of the time?
Nana carefully poked her head around the corner and just like what she suspected, it was indeed Jongin and Sehun. Each male mirrored the other's frustration. As she heard Sehun release a low growl, she felt goosebumps rise on her skin. No one had seen Sehun with any emotion on his face, let alone seen his raging angry state. To see the youngest like this was very frightening.
"I didn't take them, Sehun! Stop blaming me! I don't ev-"
Sehun shoved Jongin backwards. "Don't lie! You're always the one telling me to stop this, stop that. 'Don't do it, Sehun!' or 'We'll talk later, Sehun.' so of course I'd blame you."
"Well I don't even know where you hide them, you ing brat! So shut up and stop blaming me," Jongin shouted impatiently.
Suddenly, Xiaoling, Lizzy, Krystal, Sulli, Victoria, and Taeyeon came running up to Nana. Victoria grabbed Nana's pale wrist. "What's going on?!" she whispers frantically with wide eyes.
"The boys are arguing again," Nana whimpered. She took a swift glance at the two boys. "I think it started because Sehun thought Jongin took something of his without permission," she whispered back. Xiaoling visibly stiffened, causing everyone to look at her. Victoria, Sulli, and Nana just brushed it off as nervousness, but Lizzy and Krystal eyed her suspiciously.
"Yah, Sehun. stop blaming your brother for taking whatever you think he took. He's not one to steal things," one of Jongin's friends from school, Kibum, scolded Sehun as he stepped out from Jongin's room. Jongin had been hanging out with a few of his school friends when Sehun had suddenly burst in and dragged him out of the hallway. Kibum had enough of this yelling and accusing so he decided to step in.
What a stupid idea.
Sehun's brown orbs flashed with irritation. "Oh? How do you know? Are you going to throw yourself in this too, Kibum? I suggest you don't," he warned lowly.
Kibum swallowed, but didn't back away.
"W-What did Kai take from you anyways?" he forced himself to ignore Sehun's intimidating glare.
Sehun laughed, making Jongin's eyebrows furrow in confusion. "I don't expect you to understand so why don't you off?" he said in a tone dripping with fake sweetness.
The maids looked at each other in panic. "What do we do?" Lizzy asked, starting to panic. "Sehun is practically radiating in anger. Mr. Kim is taking a nap in his room, so he doesn't hear anything and we all know he could sleep through an earthquake."
Victoria sighed, "Might as well go wake him up and tell him about this. Lizzy, come with me." Lizzy nodded as the two maids rushed off to Mrs. Kim's room. Along the way, she purposefully shoved past Xiaoling and smirked when the Chinese maid slightly stumbled backwards.
"I'm glad that whoever took those razo-- those things-- and threw them away, Sehun. You don't need to be doing that," Jongin told his brother quite fearlessly. Sehun let out a loud ughhh! and tugged at his rainbow colored hair.
"Stop saying that!!" Even Jongin flinched at his harsh tone. "You don't understand! You're just like everyone else Jongin; You will never understand! You know why?" he stepped close to his older brother. "because you're a huge prick that pretends to care. You only pretend to care because that's what the ''kind-hearted'' playboy Kim Kai does, right? He sticks up for his brother. At least; That's what he's supposed to do in front of the maids. In front of everyone at school." Sehun hissed angrily. He shoved Jongin against the wall, but Jongin pushed him right back with more force if not, more. Sehun winced slightly when his back collided with the wall.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Sehun. You know I care for you! Why can't you get this in your thick skull?! I've told you this so many times!" Jongin gripped both of Sehun's shoulders tightly, making the younger sibling accidentally let out a pained whimper. He squirmed and wiggled out of Jongin's hold. "See? I can't help you when you don't let me!"
Kibum parted his lips, "Guys, look-
"SHUT UP!" both the brothers screamed at him. Kibum squeaked and backed away. Jongin's other friends in his room watched anxiously from the open doorway.
Sehun turned to Jongin again. "I know what Mother and Father do." Jongin's almond shaped eyes widened.
"They pay you to do these things. To stick up for me at school, to stand up for me at home, to take care of me like I'm some kind of wounded street cat, to.....to...." Sehun felt a lump in his throat, but he forced it back down. "to be my brotherly figure." he whispered the last part.
"That is not true!" Jongin hissed, but his face flushed red. He peered nervously at his friends.
From around the corner, the maids tried to take this all in at once.
"Sehun, look, I promise I didn't take them okay? Maybe....maybe a maid did when she, I don't know......cleaned your room!" the older male suggested. Sulli whipped around, her eyes wide in panic and immidiently accusing Xiaoling.
"Xiaoling unnie....please....please tell me you did not take whatever they are talking about when you cleaned Sehun's room two days ago. Please," she pleaded. "If you did, we will both get punished for this!" she whispered frantically.
Xiaoling didn't say anything. She hung her head, her caramel colored hair falling to cover her face like a curtain. Sulli quietly groaned. Krystal chuckled humorlessly.
"I didn't know you were this stupid, Xiaoling. Better get your out there," Krystal chirped, flipping her jet black hair. The Chinese maid's head snapped up, her doe eyes wide. She shook her head furiously.
"N-No, Krystal. Not now. No, no, no, no-" but it was too late. Krystal grabbed Xiaoling by her wrist and shoved her into the hallway. She stumbled a bit before gaining her footing. Jongin and Sehun glared at her sudden intrusion. Kibum just eyed her with curiosity.
"M-master Sehun," she squeaked. She had never addressed Sehun as 'master', but now she figured she should. "Please forgive me," Xiaoling surprised the trio when she suddenly did a very formal bow. "I-I took them be--
"Get your filthy up," Sehun demanded harshly. "and look me in the eye."
She did as she was told.
Kibum rose his eyebrows at her. "So, she took-
"Shut the hell up, Kibum." Jongin snapped. He returned his fuming gaze to the Chinese maid.
In the corner of his eye, he saw his brother's fist clench tightly. As angry as Sehun was, he knew better than to hit a female.
It wasn't that Sehun had anger problems. He barely showed any emotion at all and when he did, it was usually an excessive amount of emotion. When he wasn't mad, he simply wasn't mad; But when Sehun was angry, it was like another war was about to start.
"I-I apologize for taking them, Master Sehun. I was doing what I thought was best for you s-
Sehun scoffed. He roughly tugged Xiaoling's wrist and dragged her down the hallway, towards his room. He ignored his brother's cries of ''Sehun! Get back over here!'' He ignored the group of panicked maids when he turned the corner. He ignored the Chinese maid's whimpers of pain when he tightened his grip on her small wrist.
Xiaoling struggled to keep up with the taller male because of his longer legs and her uncomfortable footwear. "M-Master Sehun, where are we g-going?"
"You're going to tell me everything," he snarled as he opened his room door and shoved her inside before he followed afterwards, slamming the door shut.
Xiaoling jumped when a picture frame on his wall fell from the impact. The glass shattered into various sizes, scattering everywhere on the floor. She glanced at it and noticed the picture was of Sehun and Jongin, perhaps around the age of thirteen. The two were grinning at the camera, Sehun's arm around his older brother's shoulders.
Xiaoling couldn't help but wonder what happened to that bright smile.
"You think you know me so well, don't you? Doing what you think is the best for me? Stealing what belongs to me?" his voice rose with each question.
Xiaoling shook her head. "No, Master! I just...I just thought....you don't deserve to...feel like this," she paused to think of what to say next, "and to do those type of things to yourself," she said slowly and carefully. This was the wrong thing to say. Sehun's eyes flashed with rage.
"That's your opinion. Not mine. You took something that belonged to me. Do you know how much trouble you could get in if I told my father?" he growled. She looked down at the pieces of glass on the floor.
"Please, I beg of you. Don't tell your father about this. I really need this job," she pleaded. He was not sympathetic to her wide glistening doe-eyes.
Sehun sneered, "Yeah? Well you should have thought about that before you took my belongings."
"Master, please." she tried again. But still, Sehun didn't give a .
"Who else was cleaning the day you stole my razors?" he asked. The question was so bold it threw Xiaoling off a bit.
She hesitated, "uh, Sulli-ah. But she didn't do anything, Master Sehun!" she informed him quickly. "I'll take her punishment for her, just don't give her any. It was entirely my fault." She bowed.
Sehun only smirked, making those butterflies in Luhan's stomach flutter around.
What an odd time to feel all lovey dovey, he thought to himself.
Sehun's chocolate brown orbs pierced into hers. It was then that Luhan noticed the dark bags under Sehun's eyes. The way his mouth always drooped down, like he was always sad. The way his eyebrows were crinkled half of the time. The way Luhan noticed Sehun's gaze would occasionally flicker to the shards of glass laying on the floor as they twinkled when light bounced off of their surface. The way he noticed that Oh Sehun's eyes were glazed over with hate and misery.
"If I told my father this, you'd loose a month of your pay." Sehun informed Xiaoling. Her eyes widened. "And if you're willing to take Sulli's punishment too, that's two months pay gone." He chuckled.
Luhan thought of his father back at his apartment, drunk and wasted. He couldn't even stay sober for more than an hour, much less get a job. He also thought of his overdue school and house bills. "Please Master! Don't tell your father. I beg of you. I'll do anything," Xiaoling offered.
Sehun was quiet for a few seconds. "I won't tell my father," She felt a spark of hope inside her. "on one condition."
She inwardly groaned. "Okay, anything. What is it?"
Once again, his gaze pierced into her. "Buy me new razors."
- - - -
Jongin heard the doorbell ring for the third time that afternoon. He growled in annoyance. "Stupid maids. Go get the damn door," he hissed to himself, rising off his bed to go answer the door. "I swear, I will punch whoever keeps ringing the doorbell," he grumbled. He was still pissed about the incident with Sehun, and apparently Sehun was too since he hadn't left his room for hours now. Not even when all of Jongin's friends begged for him to come out, but left eventually. Not even when their father banged on the door and yelled at the youngest, threatening him by saying No dinner for you tonight! . Jongin had scoffed at this.
He descended the stairs slowly at first, but it changed to him nearly throwing himself off the last flight of stairs from aggravation when the doorbell rang again.
"Dammit, who is it?!" he nearly shouted. He stomped to the door and swung it open. "What the hell do you want?! I. . . . "
He didn't finish his sentence because in front of him was a familiar wide-eyed boy, messing with the hem of his shirt. And he was still as adorable as the last time.
"U-uhm, h-hi J-Jongin-ah," he squeaked. He did a quick bow. Jongin couldn't help but smile. He rose his hand to wave to the smaller male, causing Kyungsoo to flinch and back away. Jongin bit his bottom lip and put his hand down.
"Hello, Kyungsoo," he greeted. "Come in. I guess you're here for Xiaoling?" he eyed the pile of books in Kyungsoo's small arms.
Kyungsoo gave a small nod as he stepped inside and removed his shoes. "Is sh-she here right now?" Jongin shook his head.
"I think she left a while ago. She said she had to go buy something at the store," Jongin informed. Kyungsoo frowned, but nodded still. "She should be back soon, so you can just relax for now." The smaller gently shut the door behind him. He smiled nervously and started making way to the livingroom until he heard Jongin's stomach growl loudly.
Jongin cursed his stomach. He forgot he was even hungry. How does one even forget he is hungry?
"If you're hungry, I could......make something for you," Kyungsoo offered in a soft, but kind voice. Jongin cocked his head and stared at Kyungsoo. "I mean, only if you want!" he added quickly. He turned around so that Jongin wouldn't see the growing blush on his face.
"Ah, sure." he agreed. Kyungsoo turned back around with a delighted smile, his cheeks lightly tinted with pink.
"Really?" Kyungsoo said in excitement. "I haven't cooked for so long.....not since Tao went back to China," he muttered to himself. Jongin noticed how his excited tone suddenly changed to a sadder one, filled with loneliness.
"Oh. Well today you can cook for me instead of that uh," Jongin paused to remember the name Kyungsoo had just said. "Tao."
Kyungsoo smiled slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Sure. Where's your kitchen?" he placed the armful of books on the coffee table and looked around.
"Oh, over here." Jongin replied, gently grabbing the smaller's wrist and dragging him away. Kyungsoo squirmed in his sudden hold, but eventually gave in.
When they reached the kitchen, Kyungsoo's eyes widened twice their size. "This is your kitchen? This is almost the size of my livingroom." he whispered in awe. He pulled out of Jongin's grip and delicately traced over the edge of the table. He moved forward and let himself feel the marble counter top. "It's so nice." he complimented. "I'd love a kitchen like this."
Jongin couldn't help but smile.
The next thirty minutes whizzed by as Jongin stood next to Kyungsoo and watched him cut vegetables. Kyungsoo would tell him about this Tao boy as he skillfully cut the variety of vegetables.
"You're a good cook!" he had shouted to Kyungsoo over the loud sizzling of meat. Kyungsoo would smile his wonderful heart-shaped smile and blush a little, or maybe it was from the heat of the stove. Jongin didn't know.
He stood behind Kyungsoo when he watched the smaller combine the meat and vegetables in one larger pan. Grease sizzled and flew everywhere, a few droplets even landed on Kyungsoo's arm. He didn't notice. He was busy laughing with Jongin when the taller had made a lame joke about kimchi.
Jongin wanted to put the seasonings in the kimchi. Kyungsoo disagreed. He thought Jongin might add too much, but Jongin thought Kyungsoo would add too little. The two ended up arguing about the packet of seasonings in Jongin's hands.
"More is better!" Jongin insisted.
"Less is healthier!" Kyungsoo tugged on the corner of the packet.
"That doesn't matter!" Jongin held it tighter.
"Yes it does!"
After minutes, Kyungsoo accidentally knocked the packet out of his hands and all the contents inside spilled into the dish.
"Look at what you did, Kyungsoo."
"Me?! And it's Kyungsoo hyung to you."
"Okay, hyung. Look at what you did!"
"Stop blaming it on me. This wouldn't have happened if you just let me have it, pabo."
"You're the pabo. This is my house, I should have my food the way I want it."
"You wanted me to cook for you. And besides, I'm a guest."
"No, you insisted on cooking for me, hyung."
"Didn't you want a lot of seasoning in it anyways?"
"Yeah, but not that much!"
Kyungsoo sighed. "Fine. I'll mix it up and you'll just have to eat it like how it is."
Jongin shrugged. "Good enough for me." He sat down at the table to wait for Kyungsoo to finish stirring the kimchi.
Kyungsoo placed a plate and a cup of water in front of him. "Here. Hope you enjoy it," he smiled softly. He pulled a chair out and sat across from him. He eagerly watched for the younger's reaction when he took a bite into it.
"Mmmm, this is really good hyung." he moaned with a mouthful. "Better than I expected," he joked. Kyungsoo just scowled. He kept staring at Jongin, watching him dive into his food. At first, Jongin didn't notice the pair of large round eyes looking at him, but after his plate was empty, he looked up and was surprised to see Kyungsoo's eyes on him. Unlike of what he expected to happen, Kyungsoo didn't look away or blush.
"Something the matter?" he asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin. Kyungsoo stood to gather Jongin's plate and half-way empty cup.
"No. You just...you remind me a lot of Tao," he replied, almost sadly. He held the cup firmly in his hand and the plate in the other. Jongin wanted to hold him and make him laugh again because he just couldn't stand seeing Kyungsoo's adorable face filled with sadness.
"How? You said Tao is quiet and respectful. I'm not really like that," he thinned his plump lips. "and you said Tao hates a lot of seasoning in his kimchi. We both know very well now that I'm not like that."
Kyungsoo paused, "It's not that. I just.....you....."
I want to care for you. You look like someone to overwork himself, just like Tao does.
"Forget it. I-I can't explain it," he sighed, walking towards the sink. Right when Jongin was about to argue, the front door opened and a pair of light footsteps were heard.
"Aish," Xiaoling's familiar voice muttered as a loud thud was heard. Kyungsoo turned the sink on and began washing the plate and cup. "Kyungsoo? What're you doing here?" she asked, stepping into the kitchen to put some bags on the counter.
Kyungsoo turned around and for an unknown reason, his eyes were glistening. "Lu-- Xiaoling noona. I have your papers," he told her and turned back around to continue washing the plate. Jongin saw her frown.
"Soo, what's wrong?" he heard her whisper. He saw her slender fingers tenderly rub his arm up and down.
Kyungsoo rinsed the plate. "Tao. He went back to China," Xiaoling's mouth fell open.
"What?? Why? When?" she questioned in a hushed whisper.
Kyungsoo let out a dry laugh as he rinsed the cup, but it sounded more like a strained sob to Jongin. "because he told me he was sick of everyone at his school making fun of him for liking another boy. Isn't that great, Lu-- noona? It's so, so wonderful," he laughed bitterly. Jongin saw him furiously wipe his eyes with the back of his hand.
Xiaoling grabbed Kyungsoo's hand and led him past Jongin. "Please excuse us. We'll be upstairs in my room if you need us," she bowed before exiting. Jongin noticed she still had a small bag in her hand and wondered what it was, but he pushed the thought away.
Kyungsoo turned around to bow at Jongin. Jongin felt like his heart shattered when he saw the wet trail of tears on his cheeks.
- - - -
merp >/////< I tried. /hides in the corner/
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xoxo,
- tea-with-nuest
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