The hallway was strangely dark and cool, so unlike the sunny corridors of the East Wing that he had just came from. Sungjong shivered slightly in apprehension, he was defiant but he wasn’t a fool. Maybe there were headless corpses, maybe a torture chamber, maybe a whole bunch of little beasts.

            Or maybe, he decided, Howon will get fat. I’ll never get anything by standing here. Lifting his chin, Sungjong strode forward determinedly, already preparing his excuse of oh-but-I-had-no-idea-this-was-the-West-Wing! in case he met Dongwoo. Aegyo worked surprisingly well on Dongwoo, maybe he was just deprived, what with living in a big lonely castle with only the beast and other people/object for company.

            Walking as quietly as he could, Sungjong’s footsteps echoed eerily off the walls. If the beast was here, this was one brilliant way of attracting his attention. The rooms seemed ordinary enough though, just bedrooms and living spaces. The West Wing was huge though, almost twice the size of the East Wing and by the time he reached the end, the sun was already setting.

            It was only at the last room that Sungjong half-regretted trying to be Lewis and Clark. The curtains were drawn and there was a weird chemical smell in the air. But the dim light was just enough for him to make out the photos plastered all over the walls and the small tub on a table at the end. What was freaky was the collage on one of the walls.

            It was an enormous collage of him.

            Sungjong in the garden, in the dungeons, in the hallways. His face stared down at him from every angle. They were all candid photos, seeing that he wasn’t looking in the direction of the camera in every photo. He didn’t know whether to be flattered or disturbed. At that moment the door swung open.

            Instantly, Sungjong whirled around and he could swear his heart almost fell out when he saw Myungsoo standing there. Myungsoo was breathing heavily, his eyes shooting sparks and glaring at Sungjong so intensely that he felt the first stirrings of fear.

            “I thought I told you to stay out of here.” He snapped.

            “I…I was bored.” Sungjong couldn’t stop the slight tremor in his voice when he replied. Myungsoo looked terrifying, not like the he had been pushing around and deliberately annoying in the past few days. Without thinking, Sungjong dashed forwards and pushed past Myungsoo.

            He didn’t look behind as he ran for all his worth to his car and drove off at full speed (He was smarter than Sungyeol, at least. The choding would have run away screaming, literally.). To his surprise, the gates swung open as he approached. “I should have just left earlier if I knew it was this easy.” He muttered to himself as he entered the forest. “Now all I have to do is get back home.”

            Bang! White smoke billowed from the hood of his car.

            Sungjong’s mouth fell open.

            Did he just…jinx himself again? “Aargh!” he cried in frustration and banged his head hard on the steering wheel, clasping his forehead a moment later. , that hurt.

            Suppressing a sigh, Sungjong got out of the car and pulled the hood of his car open. A cloud of stinky smoke whooshed upwards into his face. He coughed, backing away as he contemplated what to do next. Vainly, he tried to pick apart bits of the engine to find the root of the problem.

            “Maybe this wire disconnected?’ he frowned, tugging on a blue wire, snatching his hand away when a spark fizzed. Howon hyung was so right. He couldn’t fix a car to save his own life.

            A low growl sounded from behind him. Sungjong froze. Some primal instinct deep inside him was screaming Run, Sungjong, run! Put your long legs to good use for once!

            Slowly, dreading what he would see, he turned around.

            A pack of wolves was closing in around him.

            He couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Some long-forgotten fear in him, the fear that had been handed down by his ancestors from so long ago when they lived in caves, rendered him motionless. His mind was a humming blank and all he could register was that he was going to die. There was no way he could outrun them and the car would be pretty much useless if they smashed their way through the glass windows.

            As though there was anything more that could shorten his life span, a louder, more fearsome growl came from behind him. If it weren’t for the support of the car, Sungjong was quite sure he would have fainted for the first time in his life.

            Miraculously, it wasn’t the big bad wolf. Sungjong could have cried with relief when he realised it was the big and not-so-bad-anymore beast. Myungsoo had materialised out of the shadows and he was battling off the wolves. Flinching at the snaps and growls that emitted from both, he could only watch as they fought until the wolves whimpered and ran away.

            “Myungsoo?” he approached him cautiously.

            “Why the hell must you run away after dark?” Myungsoo barked, “Are you stupid or something?”

            Sungjong was just about to retort when he saw the bite marks on his arms. “Are you okay?” he bit his lip worriedly.

            “I’ve been better.” He replied shortly. Sungjong walked right up to Myungsoo, his own guilt causing him to accept Myungsoo’s callousness without comment.

            Placing one hand on his arm, Sungjong felt Myungsoo jerk slightly in surprise. “Let’s get back,” he said firmly.

            Later, Myungsoo sat on the couch as Sungjong bandaged up his arm, the same way he did to Howon whenever he overstretched himself. “I’m sorry about that.” He mumbled. Sungjong had always hated apologising but when he did, it was always sincere.

            “Don’t be,” Myungsoo replied. “I would have too.” At Sungjong’s raised eyebrow, he said, “If I found out that a hideous beast was taking photos of me secretly, I would have freaked and ran too.”

            Sungjong shifted uncomfortably, what he said was all too near the truth. “Why did you even take photos of me secretly anyway?” he demanded.

            Myungsoo stared at him intensely, searching Sungjong’s eyes before he coughed embarrassedly. “You’re so beautiful, I couldn’t resist taking some photos. Would you have posed for me if I asked you to? You’re already doing your best to avoid me.” Even with his husky voice Sungjong could hear the hurt laced in his words.

            Sungjong fiddled with his fingers, “About that…well you ordered me around the very first time we met. Plus you gave me a woman’s wardrobe to wear!”

            He stared at the younger in astonishment for a moment before realisation clicked in his face. “Oh, right. I’ve always been sort of awkward around people. I wanted to make things clear to you since we’re going to be living together but I guess it rubbed you the wrong way.” he looked at Sungjong apologetically, “I’m sorry.”

            Sungjong blushed slightly, there was something about the way Myungsoo was looking at him that made his heart speed up. “Thanks for saving me, anyway.” He said softly. In a much louder tone, he quickly added, “Not that I needed help, I’m no damsel in distress.”

           Myungsoo scoffed, then he snapped his finger, “Ah! I’m sorry about the wardrobe mix-up too, I forgot to restock them.”

            “Really?” he asked sceptically, “It’s fine to admit that you thought I was a girl, it won’t be the first.”

            Rolling his eyes, he said, “From this vantage point I can see that the front of your chest is a 180 degrees straight line. Either you’re a woefully incomplete woman or you’re a man.”

            Unthinkingly, Sungjong smacked his arm, like how he would always do to Uncle Woohyun and the others when they for looking feminine. Myungsoo laughed out loud and pushed Sungjong’s shoulder gently. “Go to bed, it’s late already.” Myungsoo smiled at him.

            Sungjong smiled back, feeling his heart lift slightly. Maybe this won’t be so bad, he thought happily. This must be my reward for cooking breakfast almost every morning, even if Howon hyung does most of the work. Hey, it’s the thought that counts.

__________________________

            Sungjong brought up a nagging thought with Myungsoo at breakfast the next day. Pushing the bread crumbs around, he said without looking up, “Myungsoo?”  

            “Yeah?” he asked.

            “Why didn’t you want me to see the pictures?” he questioned. The photos weren’t ugly, from what he recalled the photographer obviously had some idea of lighting and angles.

            Myungsoo snorted, “Do you know anything about photography? It’s called a dark room for a reason.” He smirked smugly.

            Sungjong was unpleasantly reminded of the first time they met, but this time he smiled a little at his words. “You really do have a passion for photography.” He observed.

            Myungsoo nodded enthusiastically, “That was why I got so mad when your dad took the rose. It destroyed my entire collage.” He said mournfully, oblivious to Sungjong’s scowl. So this was the reason for his imprisonment? Wow, that really helped to boost his self-worth.

            “Anyway,” Myungsoo continued cheerfully, “That was why I asked for you! I’ve heard a lot about you and I wanted you to model for me, as a replacement for my collage…” he trailed off at the look Sungjong gave him. “And also because I wanted companionship.” He added hastily.

            Sungjong struggled to control his temper, mentally cursing his father for taking that stupid rose. “Okay, look.” He breathed finally, “I have nothing better to do, and you need a model. So I was thinking, I might as well be your model for your collage.”

            Myungsoo’s eyes lit up in delight and he beamed, though it was kinda freaky to see two rows of fangs appear so suddenly. It was like seeing Jaws up close, mega sized version. Sungjong calmed down slightly though, Myungsoo looked so much like a child being handed a lemon candy at the orphanage he volunteered at, if a two foot high beast can look harmless and adorable.

            Sungjong’s stay improved considerably after that, him posing whenever he felt like it and Myungsoo taking candid shots (with Sungjong’s permission, of course) when Sungjong was too lazy to pose.

            Sungjong soon found Myungsoo a lot nicer than he thought initially, he was just a bit blunt sometimes. He didn’t mind, because although his honest words could hurt sometimes, there were no malicious intentions. They came straight from his mind and were as pure as his heart.

            “Are you happy here, Sungjong?” he asked in between shots. The former shot him a look that he didn’t catch.

            “I’m as happy as I can be.” He replied bleakly. Myungsoo hadn’t chewed him up yet, that counts for something doesn’t it? Oh god, even his optimism is already approaching desperation levels by now. If he could return to the past he would be running down the streets laughing hysterically with Sungyeol during his coffee-induced mania, happy just to exist. And he used to think that that was a pathetic reason for existing. What does that make him now?

            Myungsoo looked up curiously, alerted to the change in his tone. Sungjong was staring off at a distance, seemingly lost in thoughts. Then he blinked, returning to reality and smiling softly at Myungsoo. His breath caught in his throat, he had never seen anyone as beautiful as Sungjong and that one smile was a hundred times more incredible than photo he had taken

            He had heard of Sungjong before, rumours had spread of a pretty boy living in another town and up to now, he believed it was fate that led them together. Myungsoo remembered the first time he saw Sungjong, hope and determination shining in his eyes despite his predicament. He hadn’t run screaming from Myungsoo when he first laid eyes on him, choosing to face him haughtily, like a queen who had been taken prisoner. Over a few days his fierce and independent streak had showed up, sparking his respect and admiration.

            Myungsoo didn’t know what he felt for Sungjong, a boy he had barely known for a month, but he knew that he craved the boy a bit too much to be normal. He was like a drug, Myungsoo wanted to see him, hear his voice and he was constantly in his thoughts.

            A sudden thought struck him and he called out to Sungjong to wait a while. He returned a few minutes later with an enchanted mirror Woohyun had left him. Obviously swamped by guilt, the enchanter had mailed him a mirror, both in compensation for the broken one and his looks. (“Try it! It can make you look slimmer and lift the wrinkles if you tell it to!”)

            It didn’t change his appearance in the slightest though, what it did do was to show him anyone that he thought of. It was times like this that Myungsoo was grateful for Woohyun’s many mirrors and idiocy.

            “What’s that?” Sungjong asked curiously.

            “A mirror.” He answered seriously.

            “Why, thank you Captain obvious.” He rolled his eyes.

            Laughing, Myungsoo handed the mirror to him. “Try it,” he encouraged, “It’s a magic mirror. Just think of anyone and it’ll show you the person.”

            Sungjong examined the mirror closely. It looked ordinary enough, just a fancy gilded frame and an unblemished surface. What made it stand out was the strange appearance of the glass. It was at once as clear and smooth as crystal, yet it seemed to move every time his eyes shifted from it, swirling faintly like a kaleidoscope. After some hesitation, he thought of his father and an image appeared on the frosted surface.

            Sunggyu was slumped on a couch, gazing emptily in front of him while a sombre Woohyun held him in his arms. He couldn’t make out what he was saying, he could just see them. His heart clenched painfully, it was because of him that his bright, lively father was reduced to this state. He stared at them for a long while, heart breaking whenever a tear rolled down Sunggyu’s haggard face.

            So absorbed in his thoughts, Sungjong missed Myungsoo gazing intently at him. “Go,” he said abruptly.

            “Huh? What?” Sungjong raised his head, confused. Myungsoo scrunched up his face and closed his eyes for a moment. “You miss your dad, don’t you?”

            “Well, duh. I haven’t seen him for a while,” Sungjong flipped him off, trying to cover up his emotions.

            “Go visit him then,” Myungsoo said quietly.

            Eyes wide, the younger stared at him. Did he knock his head or something? Which prison warden in his right mind would do something as dumb as that? If this was a drama he could already half expect the main character to go dancing off into the sunset with a new lover in his arms and the poor, forgotten sidekick standing at the sidelines, being the idiot he was to let him go.

            Myungsoo smirked at him a little, “You just have to come back after a week, otherwise I’ll die.” He said jokingly but Sungjong could tell that Myungsoo really wanted him back.

            He trusts me, he realised. He’s being a naïve fool and placing all his hopes on me just to make me feel a bit better. At that point Sungjong wasn’t sure whether he wanted to jump up and hug Myungsoo or whack him over the head with the camera stand for being so trusting.

           Sungjong exhaled slowly, “Okay,” he said cautiously. “I’ll come back, you’ll be waiting for me, won’t you?” he asked unsurely. Maybe this was a ploy to get rid of him and he was the trusting .

            “Of course,” he replied instantly. A slow smile crept up on Sungjong’s face, expanding as he wrapped his head around the reality.

            Finally, he was free.