Bo Young spent the whole Friday night inside her room, reading romance novels. University life was such a hectic time for her already, and though she could go out to hang out at clubs, she was extremely tired from all the exams in the upper institution, and it was draining her all over. If Shin Hye weren't in such a bad situation, she could also be in college too. 

And her thoughts suddenly went back to Jong Hyun.

"Why do I need a high school guy for a tutor? And of all guys, why a geek from a low-class high school? Why not my handsome classmates? Pfff... I will really refuse and tell Eomma to give Jong Hyun hard work around the house," she thought as she frowned to herself. "Andwae! Andwae! If there is someone who is gonna teach me math, it should be Jaejoong-oppa!"

And she suddenly smiled and giggled, "Or Jonghoon-oppa..."

She found it rather ridiculous, embarrassing, and inappropriate to be taught by a high school guy. Besides, she was already in college, and she had to do things her way. Why was her mother still trying to baby her? Besides, it was fate which made Jong Hyun still in high school despite them having the same age.

And she got back to reading her romance novel.

****

Meanwhile, Jong Hyun, who had borrowed some books that afternoon at the school library, went back to the basement with his humble candle and boy scout kit. He reckoned that Shin Hye needed to refresh herself so that she would feel at ease. When he went there, he saw Shin Hye standing by the window, looking at the moon outside.

"Annyeonghaseyo?" Jong Hyun greeted again.

Shin Hye waited as he came, and he placed his materials on top of the creaking piano. Shin Hye slowly went to him and looked at the things that he had bought.

"I hope I did not hurt your feelings, but I brought along some clothes and toiletries, see?" he told her.

Shin Hye just nodded and sat on the piano chair.

"I guess you're hungry, huh," Jong Hyun said. So, he grabbed the meat-filled bread that he had bought from a humble bakery and gave it to her. 

He knew she had eaten her meal, but more often than not, it was gruel, the same old gruel that Oliver and his friends were complaining about. Shin Hye took the bread and ate slowly, before being a savage and eating the bread hungrily. Jong Hyun looked at her in delight despite the dim light. It felt so good to see her eat. This girl was lonely and in need of friends, and he, a social outcast himself, was finding solace in the company of this silent girl.

After eating, Shin Hye went to the bathroom to drink from the tap. Her lavatory was acting strange again, not draining well, but she managed by digging in some hard twig that she had acquired from the window outside. After drinking water, she took her place beside Jong Hyun again. And he grabbed a book that he borrowed from the library before turning to the source of light.

"I wish we can see each other at day, and perhaps Mdm. Hye Ri does not want me here," Jong Hyun said.

Shin Hye froze upon hearing Hye Ri's name, but Jong Hyun did not notice it. He began flipping through the pages and read to her about "Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It was quite a long story that Jong Hyun promised he will read to her again tomorrow. He left the book so that she can have time to skim before tomorrow night.

****

The next day, Hye Ri fired all the new servants and left only the current chief servant, two cooks, and another who will clean the house. This was in accordance to Bo Young's tantrums. And Hye Ri had Jong Hyun called.

"Instead of being Bo Young's tutor, you will clean the house along with Hong Ki. And your salary will be the same," she told him.

Jong Hyun felt he was betrayed but he still nodded. In his determination to succeed, he was willing to earn that little. He was the type to sacrifice and save, so he might be able to keep his earnings to help his parents. He knew what Mdm. Hye Ri had was fake mercy, and that she was just underestimating the poor people. That is why he wanted so much to succeed and be rich, and talk to Jaejoong on the road to riches.

"Gwaenchanha," Jong Hyun thought as he comforted himself. "If the people here are cold to me, at least I have a secret friend."

"And by the way, do not mind the door next to your room," Hye Ri told him. "It is just a basement and storage room."

But Hye Ri had no idea that Jong Hyun knew what, or rather, who was there. After the meeting, the aristocrats ate their breakfast while Jong Hyun joined the lowly servants.

"I have heard from Mdm. Hye Ri that she and Bo Young will be gone the whole weekend," Hong Ki shared to the other servants, not even talking to the awkward nerd.

Jong Hyun shifted his glasses and wrinkled his nose. If the two will be out of sight, he might have a chance to be with Shin Hye.

"Aigoo, having a vacation and all that, eh?" another servant asked. "Why! If I have all the time to rest while they are not here, I wouldn't mind about Shin Hy--oops..."

And all of them looked at Jong Hyun, who was silently eating his breakfast of rice, kimchi, and mixed vegetables. And the chief servant began to lean forward and beckon all the other old staff.

"Hey, kid, you wanna listen to some gossip?" the chief servant asked.

Jong Hyun shook his head because he was not one really for gossip.

"I mean, this is important that you know this, and we here all do... except for you," the chief servant said.

"What do you mean?" Jong Hyun asked.

The chief servant told him about the reason why the new servants who had been fired never knew about the secret in the basement. Actually, all of the servants here knew, and they were really tired of keeping such secret.

"If I were rich, I will sue Mdm. Hye Ri for injustice," Hong Ki said. "Too bad I am as poor as a rat."

"Sue? Mdm. Hye Ri? For what?" Jong Hyun asked.

The chief servant told Jong Hyun about who Shin Hye was, and who she was to the madame and the agasshi. And they told him that oftentimes, the madame would unnecessarily punish Shin Hye though she had been confined in the basement for seven years. And because of that revelation, Jong Hyun choked and coughed out his kimchi.

"Seven years?" he gasped, catching his breath.

"Eung. Mdm. Hye Ri used to hit Shin Hye, but then lived like she forgot about Shin Hye and all for two years. But two weeks before you came, she was so angry at not being able to get her hand on some land that she proceeded to vent out her anger on the poor girl. And that had been happening up to now, everytime you and Bo Young-ssi would be in school."

Jong Hyun realized the first time he saw Shin Hye face to face. He remembered her wounds, and especially her lips. He had a slightly bewildered expression that the other servants noticed it.

"Gwaenchanha?"

"Uh... anio... it's just that... I also have to tell something..."

And he told them that he had met Shin Hye for three nights already. They all exchanged looks of shock before turning to the young man.

"You are never allowed there, not even us!" Hong Ki said. 

"Even I had to go out immediately after putting food on her plate because she holds her fork like a weapon," the chief servant said.

Jong Hyun shed a tear as he listened to them.

"Shin Hye-ssi did not do me harm when I visited her," he said to them.

"Good thing you went out alive," another servant said.

"I was scared at first, but when I started to sing, she just... calmed down," he told them.

The chief servant told him to be careful with his acts and not to get inside the basement while the madame and Bo Young are in.

"Why did the madame hurt Shin Hye during the day?"

"Because she did not want you to know of that dirty little secret," another said.

****

It was good that the two brujas went out for some appointments, leaving the servants alone in the house. It was a fine Saturday morning, and Jong Hyun thought he should go visit Shin Hye.

By the time he was there, he saw that the basement was a half-and-half: half dirty and half organized. He thought a little cleaning would do, and some beautification too, so that he and Shin Hye can have their own secret world together. Finally, Shin Hye had finished bathing, and he could tell that she smelled really good. He still saw the wounds on her face, but because she was a bit presentable with clean clothes, he was able to appreciate her beautiful face.

"Annyeonghaseyo?"

Shin Hye realized all these time that Jong Hyun had always been polite, so she bowed.

"A... annyeong?"

Jong Hyun's heart skipped a beat when he heard her voice for the first time. It was a bit husky from her silence. He went to her and smiled.

"Shin Hye-ssi, I am being polite to you, so please answer me politely too," he begged.

Shin Hye avoided eye contact when he told her that, so he apologized. He explained he was teaching her how to mingle with people again, the real people, and not monsters. He did not tell her that he knew about what Mdm. Hye Ri was doing to her.

"Annyeong..haseyo?" Shin Hye said again.

Jong Hyun held her hands and squeezed them gently. Shin Hye blushed when she felt his warm hands again.

"I'm so happy that you finally talked to me," he told her.

"Ne... Jong... Jong..."

"Jong Hyun," he reintroduced himself.

"Ah... gomawo...yo..."

Jong Hyun noticed that she was not fond of speaking in jondaemal (formal speech), so he reviewed with her some basics, just to reintegrate into her system. After a little review, they sat again by the piano, and Jong Hyun opened the book he brought last night. He asked if she wanted to continue, and she nodded, now with a soft smile. Jong Hyun nodded and proceeded to tell the story of the little prince's adventures across the galaxy.

****

Jong Hyun got tired after reading some few chapters, so he invited Shin Hye to the window to watch the zen garden. Shin Hye often saw the red bloody roses but never get to appreciate the garden because of her pain.

"The garden looks beautiful from here, but I think it is boring you already," he told her.

She only continued to stare at the garden.

"Those roses... they remind me still of The Little Prince, though I will not tell you what happened between the prince and the roses," he told her.

And she looked at him again, her eyes wide in curiosity. But all she got was silence from her new friend.

However, what everyone did not know was that, though Shin Hye was having her silence and seemed like she forgot how to speak, her mind was functioning, though full of hatred and anger and vengeance. Even Mdm. Hye Ri's zen garden was loathesome, for it was like prison to her. But hearing Jong Hyun say that the garden was beautiful gave her a new perspective. Jong Hyun had given her a new way of looking into the things that she had been seeing everyday, and with Jong Hyun's coming, she was really thankful. At first, she found it hard to trust him, but he kept his promise and kept coming back to her. And she realized, the zen garden became beautiful when Jong Hyun came.

Sure, she still wanted to gain some revenge and escape, but knowing Jong Hyun made her misery bearable, and she had something to look forward to every night.

~~~~

(A/N) Yeoreobun, sorry for changing some things in this chappy. I had miscalculated the age between Jong Hyun and Bo Young... Geuraeseo, mianhaeyo.

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