Luhan couldn't help but laugh at the girls holding scrunched-up rags in their hands and a multitude of expressions ranging from bewilderment (“What’s the top and what’s the bottom?” Hyuna had asked, clutching the middle of a mop.) to disgust. It was like they never cleaned a house before, which in all honesty, wasn’t too far off the mark for the majority. Luhan clenched the broomstick in his hand and got to work, sweeping the floor diligently in wide motions. All the while, he looked up and shared amused glances with Luna, who was scrubbing the windows with soap and a grungy cloth.

"Hurry up!" Miss Bom clapped her hands impatiently, annoyance clear on her face. "This room isn't going to clean itself!"

Their mission for today, fortunately, was something Luhan could fully handle. The nine girls - and Luhan - were assigned the task of cleaning the dining room after their breakfast, and after that, cooking their own lunches. Finally, something I can accomplish. The boy couldn't deny the warmth in his chest at the familiar acts of the housework, which reminded him so much of his home back in Bucheon. And watching Luna clean with a small smile on her face, he could tell he wasn't the only one.

Singing under his breath as he swept to his heart's content, Luhan didn't notice two boys sneaking up on him.

"Ji-eun."

"Argh!" Luhan tripped over his broom in an attempt to back away, his arms whirling like a windmill. Both Sehun's and Jongin's arm shot out to catch him, but Sehun got to him first, his fingers curling protectively around Luhan's thin wrist.

For a long moment, no one said anything. Luhan had long since regained his balance, and pointedly stared down at the Prince’s hand circled around his wrist. You can let go now was the clear message. Jongin was the one to pull away Sehun’s hand.

“Your wrist isn’t as tiny as I thought it would be,” Sehun said, almost in awe. Luhan, rubbing at his wrist, glanced down briefly. He had built some muscle in his arms over years of soccer practice that he was proud of, but now he tucked them behind his back.

Jongin, catching his action, assured him, “His Royal Highness doesn’t mean that in a bad way, I’m sure.”

“Why should I be offended, either way?” Luhan shot back, starting to sweep again to give his hands something to do other than cover his flaming face. It was embarrassing how easily he could be read. He could feel Jongin’s knowing gaze, and thanked whatever merciful being out there for making the Prince so slow on the uptake.

“I meant that it made you seem strong and able to protect yourself,” Sehun blurted out.

Luhan was saved from responding as Jongin said, “Yes, but she’s still a lady. Even if she’s doing housework and exercises, she still might get into trouble. Remember how she got so easily startled?”

“Yeah, with my loud mouth, I’m surprised she didn’t hear us sooner.” Luhan almost smiled despite his growing irritation. At least the Prince was self-aware about his uncontrollable volume. Almost every time he entered a room, Luhan could hear his voice above everyone else’s. “But I’m sure she can take either of us down in a fight.”

“Okay, speak for yourself. I doubt she can take me down-”

“She is standing right here,” Luhan shouted, waving his hands in between the two bickering boys. Despite the dining room’s ginormous size, Luhan was sure everyone heard their entire conversation, and if they didn’t, they were surely tuning in now.

“All I’m saying,” Jongin said, “is that there’s no such thing as being overly safe. Be careful, Ji-eun.”

“Of what?” Luhan rolled his eyes. “What possible danger could there be inside the castle that’s watched over by at least a hundred guards every single second? If you’re talking about the two immature boys standing in front of me, then I’d agree. I should be careful of them. Who knows when they’ll accidentally shove me into a wall or trip a poor unsuspecting lady because they’re so caught up in arguing with each other?”

“Okay, if anyone is tripping, it’d be Prince Sehun,” Jongin interjected. “There will be no shoving into walls, but Prince Sehun would probably accidentally walk into one.”

“Oh my god,” Luhan said.

“Why are you making it sound like I have two left feet? Have you seen me on the dance floor?” Sehun said.

As the two boys engaged in another argument, Luhan backed away with his broom. See, Luhan was smart, and smart people chose their battles. Luhan chose to skip this entire war, because he had no idea what the two were even fighting over, and he sure as hell did not want to find out.

¤¤¤

The dining room was spotless by the time lunch rolled around, and all the girls - even Hyuna - were complaining about their hunger. They were ushered into the kitchen, and all the chefs were standing by the walls to make sure they didn't accidentally explode the castle. Luhan made a bee-line straight to the ingredients piled on the kitchen table. This was going to be a piece of cake. Figuratively, of course, Luhan was not planning on baking. He was pretty awful with an oven.

"Oh, you might want to turn it down a notch." Luhan looked to his right and saw a short boy with round eyes reach over and turn the dial on the stove's front edge. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t so great with a stove, either. "Just in case."

"Thanks..."

"Do Kyungsoo." The boy tilted his head adorably, and Luhan took in his white chef's hat placed crookedly over his dark locks and his wrinkled, pale white uniform. "You must be Ji-eun."

Luhan smiled, "You know me?"

"Aha, yup." Kyungsoo smiled back, his lips turning into a heart, and Luhan wondered where such a cute boy came from. "All the castle's staff had to memorize the girls' names."

"I see." Luhan grabbed a bowl and skillfully cracked an egg on the rim. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw all the other girls moving to their respective stations, some looking lost and others moving gracefully through the kitchen. He also noticed a very happy Jongin walking his way. "Ah, it's very nice to meet you, Kyung-"

"Kyungie! Lu!" Jongin belted out, a wide grin plastered on his face. Kyungsoo’s eyes widened to an impossible size, the whites in his eyes all too noticeable. He made a move to leave but Jongin's arm wrapped around his shoulder before he could. "I never knew you two were friends!"

"Lu?" Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow.

"Kyungie?" Luhan mirrored the chef’s eyebrow-raising.

"Jongin!" All three of them raised their heads at the Prince's irritated voice blasting through the kitchen. Luhan gulped as he watched Sehun stomp towards them, his face blank except for the small scowl. He heard Jongin chuckle, and didn't know why, until his eyes landed on Sehun's normally white suit - which was now faded pink. Not a bad look, Luhan smirked to himself. The murderous intent in Sehun's eyes as he bulldozed past the poor people was enough for Kyungsoo to disappear, but not before dragging Luhan away with him, Jongin's snickering not lost behind them. Ah, so Sehun is why Jongin's so happy today.

Luhan let out a gasp as they reached the other end of the kitchen and smirked, "Thanks, Kyungie."

"Don't ever call me that again, Lu." Both of them burst out laughing, but Luhan suddenly froze and stiffened when he realized he left his ingredients back with the two arguing boys standing in front of a blazing stove. Kyungsoo followed his gaze and let out a strange, choked noise as Sehun suddenly threw an arm around Jongin and laughed loudly. Luhan shot a look at Kyungsoo, who just averted his stare.

"Do you... perhaps, like-"

"Jongin?" Kyungsoo finished, letting out a sigh. "I know I’m obvious, but if you say a word to anyone else, I’d have to kill you. It’d be a pity, too, since I was starting to like you.”

"I was going to say 'do you perhaps like working here' but Jongin? Wow, works too, I guess." Luhan stifled a laugh as Kyungsoo turned to him with flaming red cheeks. He couldn't help but pinch one.

Kyungsoo’s face shut down into a blank, soulless stare. “Since you’re so eager to get to your funeral, I insist you keep trying my patience.”

Slinging an arm around Kyungsoo, Luhan let out a bubbly laugh, “Yeah, yeah, you like me too much to kill me.”

Unnoticed behind them were the Prince and his butler, having mutually decided to stop their fight over Sehun’s choice wardrobe and to start staring at Luhan and Kyungsoo - more specifically, Luhan’s friendly arm around Kyungsoo.

¤¤¤

"And the winner of the test is Ji-eun!" Miss Bom announced, her hands flailing to showcase the startled girl with a half-empty plate of steaming chicken and rice in front of her. Sehun's mouth fell open. "Congratulations! Your prize is a date with Prince Sehun! How exciting!"

What?

"What?!" The girl sitting to Ji-eun's left - Sunny, was it? - spat out her food and gasped. "That's not fair! She gets a date with Prince Sehun just because she's good at chores?"

Miss Bom merely smiled at the outburst and flounced away, the sparkling dress swishing behind her in waves. Sehun glanced up at Ji-eun again, and watched as she gobbled up the rest of her food, as if the news didn't affect her at all.

To his further annoyance, Jongin sidled up to her seat in the dining room and started whispering in her ear. Sehun shifted his gaze; the sight disturbed him. His eyes wandered to Luna, who was glaring at him. He shot her a half-smile, to which she returned with a grimace and a nod to Ji-eun, now Jongin-free. Sehun rolled his eyes, knowing what the snarky girl wanted him to do.

Soon after, lunch was finished and all the girls returned to their rooms to rest. All except for Ji-eun, who stayed behind to help Kyungsoo clean up the dining table. When did they become friends? Sehun couldn't help but wonder as he paced outside in the hallway, waiting for Ji-eun to come out. He remembered the familiar way Luhan placed his arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders like it belonged there, and Sehun vaguely recognized the chef as the one all the rookie girls were sent to. They were similar in height and in frame, too - was he actually jealous over Kyungsoo’s size? That was ridiculous. What was even more ridiculous was the fact that he was waiting, and Sehun loathed waiting, so why was he spending his time doing just that? For the blunt, weird girl of all people, at that.

At last, the doors burst open to allow Ji-eun and Kyungsoo to emerge with wide grins. Sehun swiftly stepped in front of the two and grabbed Ji-eun's hand. "I need to talk to you for a sec."

Kyungsoo raised his eyebrows and shot the two a curious look, but simply bowed and left. Now it was just Sehun and an endearingly confused Ji-eun.

"What do you need?" Ji-eun asked, slipping her hand out of Sehun's. The Prince instinctively frowned at the lack of contact.

"I'm - uh - I admit my behavior for the past few days was a little... over-the-top." Sehun smoothed down the front of his grey suit and black blazer underneath. He had changed out of the dyed pink outfit Jongin tampered with as a prank - he still didn't quite forgive his butler for that just yet. "I do have a nice side, you know."

"Everyone does."

Sehun coughed in his fist. You're not making this any easier. "What exactly is your problem with me?"

She stared at him blankly. "I don't have a problem with you. I told you before, I'm just not comfortable around you."

"Maybe if we spend more time together, you'll get used to me?" The Prince didn't know why he was trying so hard, but he felt like he had to do something to get the incident from last night out of his head. And you say you don't like her. Those words echoed in his mind relentlessly, popping up just when he thought he got rid of them.

"Maybe. I'll try, but old habits die hard for a reason." Ji-eun walked a few steps away before turning back to say, "I appreciate you doing this - I assume it's your form of apologizing - but don't expect too much."

¤¤¤

He was everywhere.

Dancing in the spilled alcohol Baekhyun had to clean up, swirling in the clear wine glasses, in the customers purchasing drinks - Baekhyun even mistook some female strangers as him. It was getting ridiculous.

So it wasn't a surprise when Yeol finally popped up out of the blue that Baekhyun mistook him as another hallucination. Baekhyun was standing under the measly thin roof of the bar in the rain, furiously searching for any shelter. Jongdae had left early to take care of something, and trusted Baek enough to leave the bar in his care. The brunet stared up at the smudged sky, wondering if he should sprint the fifteen minute trip down to Jongdae's apartment. Just when he took a step, an umbrella hovered over his head.

"Hey."

Baekhyun glanced up at the towering boy whose red hair contrasted with the clearly expensive trench coat draped on his broad shoulders. Shaking his head furiously, Baekhyun grumbled under his breath, "It's getting worse. He looks so real."

"I am real, Baek. What are you talking about?" Baekhyun widened his eyes and did a double take. Yeol was actually here, right in front of him, with a slightly confused and very adorable expression. The shorter boy rubbed his eyes before realizing how strange he must have looked.

"Oh, Yeol! Wow, what are you doing here?" Baekhyun chuckled awkwardly, trying to appear a bit more normal.

Yeol smiled, to which Baek unconsciously responded with one of his own smiles. "I was walking through the city and saw you standing here without an umbrella in the pouring rain. I have a place closer to the bar than Jongdae's, so it's better if we head over there instead, right? When the rain lets up, I'll send you back to your apartment."

"What a Prince Charming you are." Baekhyun grinned jokingly despite the squeezing in his chest. Yeol's features twisted into a funny face before the giant let out a dry chuckle.

The two of them set off, with Yeol leading the way. It was actually a pleasant, short walk - only two blocks away from Jongdae's bar. The brunet was forced to squish right up to Yeol's side so both of them wouldn't get drenched - not that he minded. During the walk, there was not one bit of silence. It was so familiar and normal, being with Yeol like this. The boys always found something to talk about and Baekhyun liked that. He didn't need to think or worry about whether he said something wrong, because Yeol would be there laughing his head off - even though the things Baekhyun said weren't that funny - and boy, was his laugh something else. It made the tall boy's normally handsome face scrunch up, mouth opening wide to let out strange, whale-like noises.

Baekhyun thought it was the cutest thing ever.

"This is my humble abode. Make yourself at home," Yeol had said followed by enthusiastic arm gestures once they reached his fourth floor apartment.  Baekhyun didn't know what he was expecting (a penthouse suite, a massive condo, his inner voice shouted, still not giving up on the vague idea that Yeol was filthy rich) but it certainly wasn't a home - full of haphazardly scattered items - not much bigger than Jongdae's.

Baekhyun didn’t base his conclusion that Yeol had money off of some whimsical fancy of his. The quality and price of the clothing Yeol wore, as well as the way he carried himself gave off the sense that he belonged in some place classy. It was obvious Yeol came from a different world than Baekhyun. It was a nice surprise, nevertheless, made Yeol feel a little closer to Baekhyun’s world.

"Sorry for the mess. I wasn't expecting visitors." Yeol scratched his head in embarrassment, and Baekhyun bit his lip to keep from saying something foolish. He stepped out of his wet sneakers instead. "I don't actually live here that often. I live at my work, and this place is kind of like a home away from home."

It made sense. He probably owned one of those huge office, living on the the top floor - that was basically the equivalent of a penthouse suite. It would make getting to work more convenient, and there would be a ton of work since, going back to the thesis, Yeol had to do a lot of work to get a lot of money.

The brunet nodded, realizing that Yeol was waiting for a response, and shifted around, making squelching noises. Something struck Yeol and the taller boy ran down a hallway for a while before appearing again with a pile of clothing. "These are the smallest clothes I have. You can change in my bathroom - it's the door at the end of the hallway."

Baekhyun took the apparel out of his hand, not forgetting to thank him, and trudged to the bathroom. Along the way, Baekhyun felt the obviously expensive material in his hands. He was raised in a town where there were more fabric stores than fast food chains, libraries, and schools combined. It was clear from a simple touch just how much this simple, second-hand shirt costed.

Locking the bathroom door behind him, Baekhyun bent over the sink and splashed his face with water. It was odd - he just came out of a rainstorm and yet he wanted to get himself more wet? He started laughing at himself. He was odd.

And Yeol wasn’t. Baekhyun stared at himself in the mirror, lips twisting as he thought about the giddy butterflies fluttering around in his stomach on the way here, sharing an umbrella with Yeol, and about how those butterflies disappeared one by one - where did they go? Did he digest them? - the more of Yeol’s life that was revealed to him. Baekhyun tried to stop thinking, he knew these messy thoughts never led to good places, but hell, his roommate and boss was Yeol’s friend. It was all due to Yeol.

And in mere seconds, he was standing in Yeol’s clothes. Even though the taller boy had said they were his smallest clothes, the shirt sleeves still reached to the tips of his fingers and the pants were baggy, almost drooping. It only emphasized how small he felt.

"Baekhyun? You okay in there?" He heard Yeol's concerned voice call out as he knocked on the bathroom door.

"Oh, uh-" Baekhyun whipped around to open the door and looked up hesitantly at the giant. The brunet widened his eyes as he saw Yeol freeze and for the first time since they met, a strange silence enveloped the two. Baekhyun had no idea what to do and resorted to fidgeting with his sleeves. Then the taller boy coughed and looked away, breaking the moment. "I made some noodles for dinner, if you want some. The rain's not stopping anytime soon and it's getting late, so - uh - do you want to stay over?" Yeol picked up Baekhyun's wet clothes off the ground way too casually compared to the words he was saying. The taller boy's shirt lifted up, flashing a sliver of pale skin. Baekhyun was too busy trying not to stare at the creamy complexion to comprehend what staying over really meant.

"Um - yeah, sure." Baekhyun uttered before taking one last look at himself and Yeol's retreating back in the mirror. They were different. But, when the sound of Yeol slipping of some of the clothes he left lying around and falling (with all the grace of a CEO) on his , Baekhyun couldn’t find himself to care.

He still had a job and he was still earning money by doing something he loved and knew he was good at, and hell, he looked pretty good in oversized clothes - okay, maybe just oversized tops. So what if they were different? That didn’t change Yeol’s whale laugh nor the fact that he probably left his apartment in a state of disarray on every single day except for the ones when his mother visited.

At the end of the day, Baekhyun made huge changes from his life back in Bucheon, and he hadn’t even been staying here that long. At the end of the day, Yeol still looked at him half the time like he thought Baekhyun was a crazy alien sent to make his life a chaotic, confusing one, and other times he looked at him like Baekhyun was a cute alien sent to make his life a happy one.

And Baekhyun realized, as he padded into the kitchen saying, “Maybe you aren’t a CEO. CEOs usually have servants cooking for them,” and dodged the chopsticks Chanyeol threw at his head, that he was perfectly fine with this.

¤¤¤

"And then she turned around and said she appreciates me apologizing but I shouldn't expect too much!" The Prince exclaimed while he laid on his bed, hands and feet outstretched like a starfish. "What's that supposed to mean? I mean - I get what Luna wants me to do. It'll be better if I actually am not an to the girls and act like the Prince that I am. But it's so not possible with Ji-eun being... Ji-eun!" Sehun flung his hands in the air in frustration.

"Uh-huh." Jongin was leaning against the wall beside Sehun's bed, inspecting his nails. "Did you actually apologize to her? No, wait, scratch that. You and I both know you didn't say sorry. It's like this incapability of yours or something. So the real question is, what did you say to her?"

Sehun frowned and sat up, scooching forward so his legs dangled off the edge of his bed. "I said I admit my behavior these past few days was over-the-top."

"So far, so good." Jongin nodded approvingly.

"I also said I had a nice side, just to let her know."

"You what? Why?" Jongin said incredulously. "You don't follow apologies with a compliment to yourself, especially not if the apology's from you."

"And she's like 'everyone does' and then I said 'okay, what's your deal?' and she pulls her ‘I’m not comfortable with you’ card and bluh bluh," Sehun recounted the event, his volume lowering and lowering as the frown on his butler's face grew larger and larger.

The butler rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well, you can't force her to like you."

"I know." Sehun huffed, crossing his arms like a petulant child.

"Why are you so upset?" Jongin smiled a little. It was amusing watching the Prince act like this, over Lu nonetheless. And it also provided great blackmail material. "It shouldn't bother you if one girl isn't madly in love with you."

Sehun rolled onto his side, back facing his butler, with a grunt. "I don't know. I don't care. I just don't want to deal with her."

Having dealt with the sulky Prince for Jongin's entire life, the butler knew Sehun even better than he knew himself. It was obvious the Prince had a little crush on Lu but was in denial about the whole thing since Lu obviously didn't return his feelings. It happened before, with princesses who were visiting or beautiful servants. Back then, Jongin could barely control his jealousy and despised all those girls, but the butler was surprised to find he didn't mind Sehun liking Lu that much. Maybe it was because Sehun had no chance, or maybe since Jongin actually knew Lu.

Jongin walked towards the door but stopped when he accidentally kicked aside a crinkled paper ball. Frowning, the butler bent down and picked it up. He unfolded and smoothed it out to the best of his abilities, raising an eyebrow as he read the name. Ji-eun. It was her profile.

He slipped out the Prince's door to leave Sehun to his brooding and scanned the profile half-mindedly while he walked, stopping at the Family section. Jongin read it again and again to make sure his eyes weren't tricking him until he finally stiffened and let the paper fall to his feet. What? How is it possible? Eyes wide, Jongin paced in the hallway, mind a busy mess. He had suspicions, but it was still a shock. How could they have pulled this off without getting caught? It was insane.

Ji-eun didn't have a twin sister. She had a twin brother. Luhan. Lu. Why didn't he figure it out sooner? And how could a guy look so feminine?

Jongin headed towards Ji-eun - no - it was Luhan now. He mulled the idea over in his head on the way there. It wasn't a surprise that people would send in replacements for the girls, because some of them actually didn't want to marry the Prince, but the fact that the replacement for Ji-eun was a boy made things a whole lot messier. The butler knew how Sehun felt, or was starting to feel, towards the girl - no, boy - even if the Prince didn't know it himself. Jongin just hoped it was a simple crush that would pass and someone else would take the spot. Preferably female.

The butler knew the Royal Family was cool about men falling in love with men, since they knew about Jongin, but Sehun himself wasn't allowed to swing that way. All of them knew it wasn't something you could change, like your hair colour, but the Royal Family needed pure-blooded successors for the throne and not all the citizens supported homouality.

In conclusion, Luhan was screwed.

Arriving at Luhan's shut door, Jongin bit his lip as he wondered how he was supposed to phrase this. I was looking through your profile earlier and read that you weren't a girl. Creepy. I heard you might possibly have a ? Just plain weird. Jongin made a face. Ah, it, here I go. The butler spontaneously pushed open the door - surprisingly unlocked - and ended up in the middle of an empty bedroom. Great. He probably found out I was coming and ran away-

The bathroom door on the far side of the room suddenly burst open to reveal a dripping wet, shirtless Luhan with a towel wrapped around his waist. Yup. Most definitely a guy. With abs, wow. His caramel locks clung to his forehead, mouth dropping open. Jongin's mind went completely blank at the entrance of the half- - and quite attractive - male. How did he even pull off cross-dressing with that body? The butler quickly averted his eyes from the abundance of creamy, smooth skin.

Jongin couldn't think of anything to say but, "You should lock your door."

Luhan's mouth opened and closed a few more times before he dashed back into the bathroom. He emerged again shortly after, this time wearing a cotton black top held together by string and brown trousers. He ran his hand through his wet hair, large eyes darting back and forth. Jongin raised a finger to point at him, and Luhan flinched. "You're the boy I rescued from before... The one that was drowning, that was you, wasn't it?"

Luhan nodded after a pause. Jongin chuckled dryly. "Fate sure has a way of screwing us over, huh. I guess I'm saving you again."

The shorter boy widened his eyes, hesitating before asking, "You're not gonna tell?"

"No point." Jongin shrugged and tried not to flinch at Luhan's much lower voice. It should be weird how quickly he made the decision, but then again, he had a feeling he already made this decision way before Luhan even asked him the question. "It's not like you're going to marry Sehun anyway, since you're a guy and all. It's literally 100% impossible."

Luhan nodded and looked around his room awkwardly. Jongin frowned and asked, "Would you have told me? Before Sehun interrupted us in the garden last night."

"I wouldn't have lied, but I would have tried to avoid it." Luhan paused, a crease forming between his scrunched brows. "I - does this freak you out? Me cross-dressing..."

"Not really." Jongin couldn't help but glance at the wig on the pastel dressing table. "It's for your sister anyway, and I feel a little bad for you since you have to hide all the time."

The butler could clearly see Luhan let out a sigh and slump in relief, the worry melting away. He glanced up at Jongin and gave him a small, grateful smile. "Thanks, Jongin. Again."

"Anytime." Jongin grinned back before exiting the room. The butler didn't know why, but he felt lighter, like something was lifted off his chest.

¤¤¤

Jongin smiled to himself as he made his way to the kitchen. He had a bit of extra time to spend with his little cook friend since Sehun was obviously not doing anything besides holing himself up in his room. Seeing Kyungsoo always brightened up Jongin's day. There was just something about the chef that radiated calm and peace. Jongin knew of all people, Kyungsoo would be the one who would never leave him.

Rounding the corner, Jongin was abruptly yanked to the side and pressed against the wall. Blinking, the butler glared at whoever manhandled him. To his shock, Prince Chanyeol was the one pacing in front of him with a worried expression. Jongin bowed respectfully to the Crown Prince, but he didn't notice.

Prince Chanyeol stopped in his tracks and spun around to point at a startled Jongin. "I’ve asked countless people, but you’re the only one who’s been in the Prince’s room today. You have Ji-eun’s profile.”

Jongin raised his eyebrows. "You know too?"

The Crown Prince nodded, his red bangs flopping over his eyes. "I'm pretty sure that girl, Luna, knows as well. I caught her sneaking into Luhan's room a couple times. But it's just us two from the castle who know, Jongin."

"I promised him I wouldn't tell."

"I'm not going to, either. Just wanted to make sure you were on the same track as me." Prince Chanyeol kept shooting glances at their surroundings, as if someone was about to pop out and jump them.

"How do you know?" Jongin knew it was rude to question royalty in his position, but this was an odd situation. And besides, Prince Chanyeol  pulled him aside first.

"I have my sources. It’s not like you need to know." The butler frowned at the answer. Prince Chanyeol took a few steps back. "I have to-"

"Wait!" Jongin grabbed his arm, eyes narrowing. "Why aren't you telling? It wouldn't matter to you what happens to Luhan."

"I don't want to cause any unnecessary trouble," Prince Chanyeol cooly said before shaking Jongin's grip off. He smoothed down the front of his well-tailored suit and walked away with his head held high as if nothing happened.

Jongin stared at the back of Chanyeol's retreating back. The Crown Prince's answers were terribly vague, and more questions tumbled in Jongin's mind than before. The butler shook his head. He should be spending his free time talking to Kyungsoo, not worrying about future rulers' mental health.

¤¤¤

Kyungsoo paced in the kitchen, weaving between chefs while holding up a plate full of food in each hand. He slid them onto the counter, signaling for a servant to deliver them. Wiping away beads of sweat, Kyungsoo darted back to his station and the oven, immediately throwing in ingredients to sauté. He bit his lip, focusing on the food before him.

Whenever Kyungsoo needed a distraction, he came to the kitchen.

It was his day off, but he still found himself heading to the warm kitchen

It was his day off, but he still found himself heading to the warm kitchen after the little episode that morning. He fried away his thoughts and tossed away his feelings. In this environment, Kyungsoo was at home and in control. Just the way he liked it.

Recipe directions ran through his mind as he switched off the stove and dumped the food onto a ceramic plate. He called over his shoulder, "Dish done!"

"I'll get it."

A husky voice flowed to his ear, giving the poor chef shivers. Kyungsoo shut his eyes. No, no, no. He opened them just in time to see a pair of bronze arms circling him to reach the plate. His breath got caught as he felt Jongin's chest press against him. He was so unbelievably warm. Kyungsoo gulped and ducked under Jongin's arms swiftly, stepping back to create more distance between the two.

"Jongin," Kyungsoo finally uttered.

"Kyungsoo," Jongin replied, a smile tugging at his lips.

The chef was the first to look away. "What are you doing here?"

"I just - Ah, careful!" A frantic cook shoved past Kyungsoo to get to an oven emitting dark smoke clouds. The small chef stumbled and braced himself for impact, but instead met strong arms and a sturdy chest. I can feel his muscles. Kyungsoo squeezed his eyes shut. Oh god, this is not going to be easy.

"You okay?" Kyungsoo looked up to see Jongin stare back at him, concern clear in his dark eyes. Nope, not at all, Kyungsoo wanted to say, but instead resorted to nodding meekly. He noticed Jongin wasn't letting him go any time soon, and so took a step back himself. The butler rubbed his arms at the sudden lack of contact.

A pregnant pause inserted itself into the scene. Kyungsoo's eye darted to anywhere that wasn't Jongin, but it was so hard. Everything Kyungsoo was trying so hard to forget by emerging himself into cooking resurfaced. Finally, the chef let out a frustrated breath and narrowed his eyes at the butler in front of him. He grabbed Jongin's wrist, not wanting to distract himself by holding the butler's hand.

Kyungsoo heard Jongin gasp and ask, surprise laced with amusement, "What are you doing?"

"C'mon." The chef led him through the crowd and down the hallway. The only sound breaking through the silence was the quiet pattering of their footsteps echoing. Kyungsoo didn't know what he was doing. The only thing rooting him down was the feel of Jongin's smooth skin against his, their shaky breaths mingling into one.

At last, the chef approached an empty storage room and dragged the shocked butler inside. Kyungsoo locked the door behind him, causing Jongin to squeak out, "Kyungsoo?"

"Don't worry." The shorter boy nibbled on his lips and turned around. "I just wanted to talk to you in peace."

A/N:

I'm so sorry for the long wait, again ;A; I made this chapter a bit longer, so forgive me? OTL 

Thanks for the kind comments, subs, and upvotes~ I can't express how much I love all of you ♥ Especially my wonderful beta, iamawesomeness ♥ all the thanks to you, my dear~ what will I ever do without you? ;A; and thanks so much to pruechan for helping with the plot~ ♥ i really appreciate it c: