Chapter 16; Tailor Boy

Xiumin stares down into Su Min’s eyes, knowing that if he blinks, she’ll feel the flutter of his eyelashes against her skin. Being this close to her, he notices a few things--Su Min isn’t the ugly brute you would expect her to be with that personality, and she smells like lavender. She has pale skin that would be perfect if it wasn’t marked with scratches and bruises and covered in dirt. Her eyes are large and the color is reminiscent to the color of tree bark--it’s a pleasant, warm color. Very different from her icy attitude. And her hair looks soft and touchable, even in the bun she wears it in.

Su Min is pretty, but not in the way that would have people stopping to stare as she passes. But when you’re this close, she looks like a princess, almost. She doesn’t move for a minute or so, she just stares up at Xiumin blankly. She almost seems dead as she lies so still. If it wasn’t for the light shift of movement as she breathes, Xiumin would have thought her to have passed.

Suddenly, she shifts her weight, and the movement is so quick and fluid that Xiumin doesn’t even realize that he’s on his back until he’s awakened by a harsh slap. “What. The. Hell.” Su Min growls, her knee digging into his chest as she stares down at him, enraged. “Kim Minseok, do you see me as a woman? Were you trying to make a move on me?”

Xiumin shakes his head desperately from side to side. Su Min, obviously unconvinced, digs her knee in harder. A sharp pain erupts in Xiumin’s chest at the added pressure, and he simply whimpers. “Then, why, why would you lay on top of me? Are you a ert? Huh?” she pries, her voice quickly escalating from a whisper to a scream.

“Su Min,” Xiumin says, “I can’t breathe.”

Still suspicious, but not keen on hurting the boy, she ceases pressing on his chest. However, she continues to sit on his stomach, her eyes boring into him. “If you have ever do that again,” Su Min warns, “I will kill you.” Xiumin gulps and nods, despite the fact that he didn’t do anything on purpose. Maybe he shouldn’t have stared at her for so long. Maybe he should have gotten off of her. The thing is, he wasn’t that keen on doing that at that point in time. I must have been out of it, he concludes.

Su Min stands up, brushing her tattered clothing off quickly before sighing and looking towards the exit of the alcove. She moves to help Xiumin up, but after realizing what she’s doing, she narrows her eyes and pulls her hand back before striding out. Something tells Xiumin that she’ll be like that for awhile. He pushes himself up into a sitting position and cracks his neck. A cold feeling edges into his fingertips, causing him to look down in surprise. Wisps of frost spread from his fingertips outwards, painting the cave floor a stark white.

Drawing his hands back in horror, he stares wide-eyed down at his work. He knew that using his powers was making him stronger, and he knew that his confidence in his powers was also helping that cause--but he never once thought about the fact that he doesn’t know how to control his powers. Neither does Kyungsoo. With their strengths, they could seriously injure one of their companions without even meaning to. Their power is expansive, yes, but it’s also dangerous. It can be meddled with and exploited. Scrambling to his feet, Xiumin casts one last look at the ice on the ground before running to catch up with Su Min. And he realizes something...

Having power is terrifying.

- - -

“What a strike of luck,” Kyungsoo breathes as they stare at the city stretching out before them. The city is much larger than any of the ones they’ve come across before. Despite the cloak of darkness that is settling across the land, this city is still bustling. People mill about the streets, mingling and purchasing their household needs. Woman dressed in beautiful hanboks dance by, umbrellas spinning as they cast endearing smiles at everyone. Lanterns light the streets, giving the most beautiful glow to the city.

Su Min’s eyes light up at the sight, her eyes flicking every which way. Cities are dangerous, yes, especially with all of the people around. But they are breathtaking. A grin alights on her face as she beckons for the boys to follow her into the city. She hadn’t spoken since the four of them set back out, which they all found strange--she hadn’t even bothered to mumble bad things about them. That being said, they find her smile and voice comforting. Even the distant and vicious Su Min can be childish and airy in certain situations. It’s a nice change.

Girls stare at Su Min in disdain, occasionally snickering at the mere sight of her. She doesn’t look like them. She looks ravaged and scary compared to them. Su Min doesn’t look like a girl but like a warrior, something that’s very rare. And, in most cases, looked down upon. Not that she’s ever cared. The guys back at the camp used to give her slack all of the time, and some of the female caretakers weren’t kind either. She built up a hard skin in that respect. However, these girls somehow make her feel small and weak with their cruel giggling.

In their elegant dresses--crafted from fine fabric and dyed various colors, they look pretty. The boys stare at each passing girl with grins that go from ear to ear. The sight is disgusting and Su Min considers slapping them then and again. But a strange, foreign feeling tells her not to. Instead, she just stares at each girl in distaste. To her, they have it all. They grew up in a middle class family where everything was handed to them on a silver platter. They never had to worry about what lies beyond their town, they never had to worry about dying or having a loved one die. They live perfect lives. Lives that Su Min would kill for. Lives that Su Min has taken on occasion when an up and coming sage threatens to disrupt the monarchy.

Glancing around at the various vendors, Su Min feels herself longing for something. Something that she rarely longs for--material goods. She has always seen such things to be frivolous and unneeded. But on occasion, after going without for months on end, she gets the desire to have some common luxuries. A bar of soap, maybe, or a comb so she can comb her hair. And the most frivolous thing, in her mind, a change of clothes. Apart from her two warrior robes, Su Min possesses no other clothing. And seeing as how she has worn both of those outfits to their extents, she is now forced to buy new things.

It couldn’t be that bad, right?

Weaving through the crowd with the boys on her tail, Su Min looks for a tailor--something that’s very common in cities. Eventually, she stumbles upon a small store where a woman sells cabbages out front. The sign hangs by a thread and a few of the words have long since been washed away. She bows quickly to the old woman before striding into the store with the boys on her heels. “Hello,” Su Min calls into the seemingly empty store. Receiving no reply, she decides to poke around a bit.

Beautiful traditional dresses sit on pedestals, other garments are on display as well. The boys rifle through the male outfits as Su Min chances on staring at some of the expensive female hanboks. She only wears one once a year, and even then, she takes it off after the event is finished. The male warriors always told her that she looked “weird” in it, so she never bothered to wear one. After waiting a few more minutes and seeing that no one is coming, Su Min turns to leave, but stops at the sound of footsteps. “Wait! Can I help you?” a young male voice asks--surprising her. It isn’t very often that men operate this kind of store.

Su Min turns around to face the person and draws in a sharp breath afterwards. Mark this as the first time someone has ever taken her breath away. “H-hello,” she mutters as she stares wide-eyed at the boy in front of her. He’s not just good-looking, no, he’s gorgeous. Dark eyes peer out at her, they look pained, wise, and almost--vulnerable. Dark skin covers a slim, dancer-like body. Short, dark hair covers his forehead and down to his ears. Full lips shine slightly as he occasionally darts his tongue out to them, and he presses them together as he frowns ever-so-slightly. “H-hello.” Su Min repeats.

The boy laughs, a smiling curving his lips as he reveals straight white teeth. Kyungsoo casts Su Min a look of disdain as he whispers feverishly, “You already said that!” The boy tilts his head as his gaze moves to each one of the people in the room before drifting back to Su Min.

“What do you all need?” he asks quickly. Su Min blinks and looks down at her clothes, unable to find her voice. The boy opens his mouth slightly. “New clothes?” he continues as he steps towards Su Min. She doesn’t even flinch as he continues towards her, she just stays glued to her place. Finally, he reaches her and the corner of his mouth curls into a smirk as he looks down at Su Min, who seems almost tiny in his presence. “I’ve never seen a girl wearing clothes like those.”

Eyes hardening once again, Su Min straightens up. “Oh?”

He bows his head ever so slightly. “Kim Jongin. You’re not from around here are you?” he questions as he pulls something out and moves to measure Su Min’s arms. She stays rigid as he does so, obviously not comfortable with being touched by someone of the opposite gender. He moves closer still as he measures around her neck, his fingers grazing bare skin. Su Min stays quiet throughout the process, strangely intrigued by the fact that she can feel his breath on her cheek.

The boys shift uncomfortably on the other side of the room as they watch Su Min act like that. Act like someone completely different from the person they’ve come to know. Finally, she responds to Jongin. “We’re not,” she answers, her eyes glancing over to her companions. Jongin looks over at them as well and the lightest of chuckles escapes his lips. “Can you make something similar to this?” Su Min requests.

“I can try,” he breathes as he smiles up at Su Min.

Kyungsoo steps forward, his hands finding his hips. “Do you plan on giving me that treatment as well? I love whisper sessions, you know. And being touched.” he snaps, sending a wink at the end. Su Min stifles a laugh, not even bothering to be annoyed by her troublesome companion. Jongin casts him a short look before straightening up and looking to a door by the back of the room.

“Noona!”

A few seconds pass and then a tiny girl that’s as gorgeous as Jongin enters the room. The boys widen their eyes and smile, suddenly straightening up. “Yeah, you’ll do too,” Kyungsoo whispers as she bustles towards him and whisks him away to do measurements. Jongin smiles and returns to Su Min. He looks down at the tool in his hand for a second as he realizes that he has finished measuring.

“Where are you guys staying?” Jongin asks, eyes training on Su Min’s face. Su Min looks flustered for a second as she looks to Tao and Xiumin, who seem preoccupied with staring at Jongin’s sister.

“We don’t have a place to stay, yet.”

At this, Jongin smiles and claps his hands together. Even so, something about him seems broken despite his bright smile. The fact of it bothers Su Min like the thought of Xiumin’s lips being close to hers. It’s a strange feeling. “You guys can stay here. We have a room in the back that should be big enough. You can get cleaned up, too. And then we’ll be able to give you your clothes right away.” he suggests. Su Min lurches backwards, suddenly on the defensive. The idea of someone so easily offering such amenities seems suspicious. But they don’t have anywhere to stay, so Su Min can do nothing but nod. Jongin grins once more.

“And, please,” he says, “call me Kai.”