Yunho chuckled and sat beside me. “You aren’t used to long plane trips, am I right?”

“Nope.”

“Then I suggest you get a good night’s sleep. You have a big day tomorrow. First is the orientation where you draw lots that determine the competition order. Then we hold the party where you meet the jury and other competitors. Then you have to sign up for practice rooms.”

I groaned at the last sentence. Needless to say, I had many bad experiences fighting for damn practice rooms. “So much work!”

“Yah, well, it’s not that you want to do it, it’s that you must do it.”

I groaned some more.

“Come on,” he stood up, “Let’s go on a walk first. It’s still light out and you’ll suffer from massive jetlag if you sleep now.”

After one last groan, I hoisted myself off of the bed and shakily staggered to my feet. Losing a bit of balance, I fell into Yunho’s chest. He smelled quite sweet—not unlike the scent you detect when you flip the pages of a brand new book in front of your face.

I looked up at my professor’s face and shivered.

Although he was smiling, he had a very solemn look on his face that was a mixture of sadness, fear, and uncertainty. Yet, when I looked into his eyes, I saw a very carefree little bird flying lightly through the trees, chirping merrily to all it encountered. Yunho’s words rang in my mind: ‘Jaejoongie, you can be a large bird physically but still retain your inner little bird.’

It was a magical moment that only lasted a fraction of a second, but I found myself mysteriously happy.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized for my clumsiness. “I have ty balance.”

“Jaejoongie, watch your language.”

‘Good going, Jaejoong,’ I swore at myself. I covered my mouth disgracefully. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Indeed not,” he chided. “Swearing is demeaning to peoples’ character; it gives off negative signs to their surroundings no matter how ubiquitous it originally is. It would be a downright shame for somebody to think negatively of a person as lovable as you just because of one vocal vulgarity.”

I hung my head low. “I understand. Sorry.”

“Good. But next time, Jaejoongie,” he rolled his eyes. “Don’t apologize that profusely. If it’s not life-threatening, you do not have the obligation to say ‘sorry’.”

“I’m sorry,” I apologized anyways.

Yunho rolled his eyes again and turned around. I grabbed a coat from my luggage and followed my professor out the door.

Belgium was a very neutral place—it was cold enough to see the steam in front of you when you exhale, yet it was warm enough to avoid the development of goose bumps on your skin. On a pH scale, it would read exactly pH 7.0. How ironic.

With our arms entangled, we walked across our hotel towards a small plaza that was half-filled with people in large clusters, drinking and talking and laughing. Many of the women were dressed in flashy dresses, while the men were all holding a glass of wine.

“Night life,” Yunho simply answered when I looked at him.

“I always wonder why people do that,” I said. “Party all night, sleep until three in the afternoon, it’s just so unconstructive, don’t you think? If anything, they could use the hours they party to do something more useful, like learning languages or sharpening a skill. It’s just ridiculous how they live their everyday lives.”

“People have different lifestyles,” he replied. “The majority of the world are hedonists—people who only strive for the pleasures in life and nothing else. I do not blame them; it’s human nature. Everybody wants to be happy.”

“You can be happy without being a hedonist.”

“Yes, but most people don’t know that. Think of our society today. It’s commercialism, practically. The media encourages the consumers to buy a computer to replace their old one. Right after their purchase, a new one comes out and all of a sudden the old computer becomes expired and old-fashioned even though it is still perfectly usable. They keep buying fancier cars, purchasing bigger newer houses, and ordering the most up-to-date technology products just to keep up with the status quo. Then by next week, the cycle starts all over again when newer ‘better’ products come out onto the runway. Materialism at its worst.”

I nodded. “Yes, but the world is aware of their materialistic needs now.”

“So?”

“Well, they are trying to change this commercialist mindset, right?”

Yunho chuckled. “That’s the unorthodox thing about the world today. They keep spreading their awareness and yet they shamelessly continue advertising. In my opinion, it just makes the problem worse. People always have this inner desire of bending or even breaking the so-called rules, no matter how decent they are.”

“Oh, reverse psychology! The more people discourage something, the more people want to do it! Dad does that to me all the time!”

“Bingo. It’s like those downloading sites. Studies have shown that the greatest number of downloaded CDs is directly proportional to the number of CDs sold. The law states that it is absolutely illegal to be downloading free music, but people still do. At the same time, however, the sales go up.”

“That makes sense.”

“Does it now?”

I nodded.

“Ultimately, people aren’t happy,” Yunho continued. “Because they are prisoners, Jaejoongie, forced along by the chains of advertisement.”

“Obviously they aren’t happy!” I bellowed.

“It may seem simple, but if you become a prisoner, it is quite difficult to break out of those chains and out of the cycle. One, you would feel the compulsive—almost obsessive—driving force that practically compels you to continue buying. And two, you would dread being an outcast if you didn’t.”

I opened my mouth to protest but then closed it, letting the ugly reality sink in. ‘Obsession plus fear plus loneliness: the equation for self-destruction.’

“Jaejoongie, do you think that you are one of those imprisoned consumers?”

“I would hope not. I actually dislike buying new things.”

“Me too,” Yunho nodded. “But why don’t you?”

“Sentimental value,” I responded meekly. “I hate throwing things away and replacing them with new ones because I have already become so acquainted with the originals. I sort of, um, ‘left my smell’ on them. I made them mine.”

“You became responsible for what you have tamed, eh?”

I giggled. “Yah. Basically.”

Yunho ruffled my hair. “You are a sweet boy.”

I pressed my lips together nervously. “Yunho?”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you so nice to me?”

My professor snapped his head around to face me. “What?”

“Why are you so nice to me?” I repeated.

“Why are you asking such a ridiculous question?”

I gulped. “C-Curiosity, I suppose.”

“Jaejoongie, do you trust me?” he asked coldly.

I shivered. “More than anything!”

“Then make use of it right about now,” he closed his eyes. “And just trust me.”

“I do, Yunho, I really do!” I bit my lower lip. “But I was just curious to know why you are so willing to do so much for me. Is it because I’m too young to do things by myself?”

Yunho laughed. “No. Well, partly.”

“Then why?”

The golden-brown-haired man looked me in the eye and tucked a strand of loose hair behind my ear. “I am a protective person by nature, Jaejoongie. Whenever I see somebody in dire need, I reflexively have this urge to lend a hand.”

“So it was because you thought that I needed protecting that you decided to help me?”

“Yes, but that is not the main reason.”

“Really?” I raised an eyebrow. “What is the main reason, then?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Yunho smiled. “We must turn back now.”

I pouted. “Promise you’ll tell me?”

“I promise.”

In high spirits, I smiled cheekily at my professor and walked back to the hotel with him.

```

When we got back to the hotel, I changed into my Hamtaro pajamas (this made Yunho laugh) and crawled into my bed. My professor fluffed up my pillow and tucked me in, kissing me on the forehead before slipping into his own bed right across from mine. That night, I fell asleep looking at Yunho’s peaceful face and listening to the music of his steady breathing.

It was hard. Yunho was only a meter away from me and still he was not mine. He did not belong to me because I did not tame him—I was unable to tame him. The Little Prince tamed the fox and the rose, and thus they both belonged to him as he belonged to them. Not me. Yunho was unreachable for me.

Do you know what was even harder for me to understand? Yunho, he tamed me. I belonged to him. I was his and only his. I willingly—yes, willingly—gave him my heart, and he accepted it with only a twinge of hesitation.

Heechul later told me that I was ASKING for heartbreak—that I was asking for all the pain and lovesick misery that I went through.

Did I know that? Yes. Did I care?

‘No,’ I answered myself. ‘Not at all. I would have endured it either way.’

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Thank you again, Harumi95 for doing my review.
Everybody who wants one should go to Kaleidoscope Kreations and request from her.
It's the most detailed one I have ever received!!!