Xiumin - or now Kim Minseok - was standing in the corner of the kitchen at the coffee shop where he worked at. It was already dark outside and his shift was over, but he opted to stay there and watch his coworkers do their jobs. Besides that he didn't know where to go, he had found interest in working there with the coffee machines. He didn't know why, it just looked pretty cool.


The door to the kitchen opened and came in a girl with a small hair bun on top of her head. She came to Minseok, who was too busy eyeing a coffee machine that he failed to notice the girl standing behind him.


Seyeon tapped his shoulder, making him jump and yelp in surprise. He swiftly turned around and stared at the shorter with wide eyes.


"Y-Yes? Can I help you, Seyeon-ssi?"


"My father was looking for you," Seyeon said, pointing her thumb towards the exit door. Minseok nodded and followed the girl out of the kitchen and to her father's room.


Mr. Lee beamed when he saw the boy enter his room. He got up from his seat behind his desk and told the two teens to sit on the couch. He dropped his next to Minseok and patted his back a little bit too hard as he asked, "How was your first day?"


"It was okay," Minseok answered with a smile, "I like working here. Oh, and thank you for letting me eat here, Mr. Lee."


Mr. Lee laughed and patted the boy's back again. "That's not a problem at all. So, will you come here again tomorrow?"


"Of course, Sir. If you're satisfied with my work," Minseok answered politely.


"Hmm. What do you think about his work, Seyeon-ah?" The fat man turned to his daughter. "Did you keep an eye on him?"


Minseok glanced at the girl, suddenly feeling nervous about what she might say. Had he done well that day? As far as he could remember, he hadn't broken anything or upset anyone. He secretly sighed in relief when Seyeon nodded and put on a smile on her face.


"He did his part perfectly. I can tell that he's actually really clean and neat, he didn't even miss a spot on the tables. He acted friendly too, bowing and smiling at the customers," Seyeon explained wiith a smile on her face.


Mr. Lee gave Minseok yet another proud huge pat on his back. "I knew you'd be a diligent one! I should consider promoting you to a higher position then!"


Minseok chuckled and rubbed his arm shyly. He really had to thank Seyeon later. It wasn't that what she had told her father was a lie, but he just hadn't expected her to pay attention to everything he had done.


"I'll let you clean the tables until this weekend. If you can keep your good work, I'll put you behind the cashier and pay you with money too!" Mr. Lee declared happily. He was getting fond of the young man, he seemed really nice and he had that kind innocent expression on his adorable bun-like face.


"Thank you so much, Mr. Lee," Minseok bowed slightly, "but it's okay not to pay me with money, as long as I can get something to eat."


The older man's gaze softened at the boy. Was he that poor? "Don't worry about that, young man. I'll make sure you will eat properly. Now, I thought you had gone home already. Why are you still here?"


"I was watching the other employees and the coffee machines. I like seeing how they use them," Minseok confessed shyly.


Mr. Lee raised his eyebrows, his lips stretched into a big smile. "Oh? Are you interested in working as a barista?"


"Barista?" Minseok furrowed his eyebrows at the unfamiliar word.


"That's what they're called, those who make the coffee drinks," Seyeon explained for the boy. Minseok's face lit up after he got it.


"Yes, of course I'm interested!" He beamed, but then his smile vanished away. "But I don't know how to do it."


Mr. Lee laughed and nodded understandingly. "Look, if you're that interested, you can learn from the baristas by watching them work before or after your shift. Unfortunately I guess you'll have to take it slow, I can't move you directly to the kitchen. Start working as a cashier next week, and then we'll see your progress. Work hard for that position. How does that sound?"


The boy perked up again and slightly bounced on his . "So I'll get to use those machines too? You're letting me do that? For real?" He asked like an excited five-year-old boy. Seyeon chuckled quietly and rolled her eyes at his child-like behavior.


"Yes, but I told you, you have to work hard to get there," Mr. Lee said and laughed when the boy continued to bounce on his .


"I will work hard, Mr. Lee! I promise! Thank you so much!" Minseok took the older's hand and shook it up and down, bowing deeply as he thanked the funny-looking man.


"Alright, alright. Now you should go home, young man."


Minseok let go of Mr. Lee's hand, his happy face slowly turning into a sad one as he bowed his head and murmured, "I don't know where my house is."


Mr. Lee looked obviously surprised, even Seyeon's brow furrowed in confusion. But then she remembered how the boy had looked like when she had first seen him earlier that morning.


She couldn't help but ask, "Is it 'you are homeless' or 'you don't know where it is'? What happened to you?"


"I don't know where it is. I can barely remember anything," Minseok said and bowed his head sadly.


"Then you should take him home, Seyeon-ah."


"WHAT??" Both Seyeon and Minseok asked in unison.


Seyeon's eyes almost popped out of her skull. How could her father say something like that so easily? Did he think the boy was only a stray cat?


"No, no, Mr. Lee. I can't let you do that! You and Seyeon-ssi have helped me a lot, I can't receive more help from both of you. I'll only cause you more troubles," Minseok shook his head and waved his hands aimlessly, but Mr. Lee caught the hands and put them down neatly on the boy's lap.


"You won't cause us any more troubles, young man. You'll give us a hand instead," Mr. Lee wiggled his eyebrows and flashed a mischievous grin, making Minseok furrow his eyebrows slightly in confusion.


"How will I give you a hand?"


"You'll see later at home. Go back with Seyeon. Oh, Seyeon-ah, would you please introduce him to Mr. Shin?" Mr. Lee grinned wider and Seyeon's jaw fell open.


"You can't be doing this, father."


"Oh, why not? Of course I can."


Few moments later Minseok found himself sitting on the back seat of a bicycle like a little kid, doubting hard if he should hold onto the girl in front of him for his dear life or let himself wobble left and right and maybe roll onto the street later because heck, that quiet-looking girl turned out to be a crazy bike rider.


"S-Seyeon-ssi please slow down-"


"Whaaat?"


"Please slow do-"


"Huh? Whaaat?? I can't hear you!"


Minseok plucked the earphone from the other's ear and shouted loudly, "PLEASE SLOW DOWN YOU'RE GOING TOO FAST!!"


Seyeon cringed at the loud voice and covered her ear with one hand. "Gosh, I'm not deaf! You don't have to shout that loud!"


Minseok didn't reply and pouted quietly. How could she ride the bike like a drunken one while listening to loud music? She wouldn't have been able to hear if a car had honked the horn at them and they could have been hit by a bus and died a ridiculous death.


They stopped at a corner of the street. Minseok flew his gaze around, perplexed because he couldn't see any buildings that looked like a house. Seyeon told him to get off the bike and he did so obediently. For a second he had thought that she was going to leave him there, but then she got off her bike too and approached two figures sitting nearby on the concrete in the shades. Curious, Minseok followed her to see what she was going to do.


Minseok found that the two figures were a little boy and a teenage one. It was a little bit too dark to see their faces clearly, but he noticed that they had a small guitar and a box of coins with them. He was well surprised when the little boy jumped and threw himself into Seyeon's arms, seeming to be really happy to see her as if he had been waiting for her.


"Seyeon noona! You're finally here. Are we going now?" The little boy beamed.


Seyeon laughed and ruffled the boy's hair. "Of course! How was your day? Did you get lots of money?"


"We did! The box is heavy now," the curly-haired boy said cheerfully and patted the box in the teenage boy's hands. The older boy stood up along with Seyeon and tilted the box to let her see the pile of coins inside.


"Wow, that's a lot," Seyeon chuckled and clapped her hands happily. And then she shifted her gaze towards the boy holding the box and gave him a warm smile. "Thank you for taking care of Chansoo, Jongdae-ssi."


Jongdae grinned and gave the girl a thumbs up. "That's not a problem! I had fun with him today. He even taught me to sing a song," he chuckled and patted the little boy's head.


"Aww really? That's very nice of you, Chansoo-ya," Seyeon giggled and pinched Chansoo's cheek, causing the tiny boy to grin and wipe his nose; a habit he always did whenever he became shy. "Let's go now, shall we?"


Jongdae turned his head towards the boy standing quietly behind the girl. "Seyeon-ssi, you've brought a friend?" He asked with a big friendly smile plastered on his face. Minseok's eyes widened slightly, not expecting the stranger to point out his existence there.


Seyeon turned around, widened her eyes and covered seeing Minseok standing there awkwardly. She had almost forgotten that he had been there too.


"Oh, I'm sorry," she said and grinned sheepishly, lightly pushing Minseok towards the other two males. "This is my new co-worker, Kim Minseok. His real name is Xiumin though."


Jongdae gave the other boy his biggest smile and held out his hand. "Hello, I'm Kim Jongdae! Nice to meet you, Minseok-ssi."


Minseok shook the hand and smiled shyly. "Nice to meet you too, Jongdae-ssi."


"So casual," Chansoo commented and laughed, but then also gave Minseok his little hand, which Minseok took with a tinge of pink on his cheeks. "I'm Yoo Chansoo! Can I pinch your cheeks?"


The question got both Seyeon and Minseok widen their eyes, while Jongdae laughed a little bit too happily and ruffled Chansoo's hair like a proud father.


"Chansoo-ya, that's not what you should ask when you introduce yourself," Seyeon scolded softly in a motherly manner.


Nonetheless, Minseok cracked a smile and bent down to let the little boy pinch both his cheeks with his small fingers. Chansoo laughed cutely and clapped his hands, making the bun boy laugh along with him.


"Seyeon noona, Minseok hyung is cute! He's cute, isn't he? Where does he live, noona? Can I play with him sometimes later?" Chansoo asked as Seyeon picked him up and placed him on the back seat of her bicycle.


"Yes, yes," Seyeon chuckled somewhat awkwardly and stole a glance at Minseok. "He will be living with me, at my house. You can come visit us sometimes."


Chansoo gasped and covered his mouth. "Minseok hyung lives with Seyeon noona? Live together?? Does that mean Minseok hyung will marry Seyeon noona?"


Jongdae laughed again while Minseok and Seyeon awkwardly looked away and pretended to clear their throats, faint blush coloring their pale cheeks.


"No, Chansoo-ya. If a boy lives together with a girl, that doesn't mean he will marry the girl. You got that?" Seyeon sat on her bike and let the little boy hugged her waist. Unlike how she had ridden it before with Minseok, she rode it really slowly and carefully with the same pace as the two boys walking beside her. Minseok secretly pouted, thinking that it was too unfair that the girl acted really different around the other two males.


"That's too bad. I thought if hyung and noona got married, later I would get a new playmate." Chansoo pouted and shrugged, oblivious to the red faces. Jongdae snickered quietly seeing the awkwardness between the other two teens, but then his grin flew off his face when the little boy involved him too.


"Or maybe Seyeon noona should marry Jongdae hyung!" Chansoo suggested with a bright smile. "Jongdae hyung is really nice, as nice as Seyeon noona. Your children would be nice too! I don't want to play with naughty kids, I want nice ones."


It couldn't be more awkward between the three older ones. Seyeon bit her lip in attempt to hold the overwhelming embarrassment. The two boys walking beside her were basically strangers to her, how could she be okay with that kind of conversation? Kids could be too nosy sometimes. But since it was Chansoo who was talking, she brushed it off with an awkward laugh.


"I won't get married that soon, Chansoo-ya. Now, you should just sing us a song."


It turned out to be a brilliant idea to stop the kid from pushing them further into deep awkwardness. Chansoo began to sing with his soft voice as they made their way to his resting place. Minseok and Jongdae didn't know the song, but they were happy to hear the little boy sing it; it somehow made them feel calm and warm inside.


"My mother used to sing it before I slept," Chansoo said, smiling nostalgically. "I sang it on my family's funeral."


Minseok was taken aback by the boy's words, while Jongdae bowed his head and smiled sadly. The latter stole a glance at the girl, and even though it was dim there, he could see her eyes glistening with tears that she wiped away quickly with the back of her hand.


"Use your voice to sing your happy songs, Chansoo-ya," Seyeon said softly.


"It is my happy song, noona. Because until now I still listen to it every night before I sleep," Chansoo grinned innocently. "Noona, you're singing it for me again tonight, right? Oh, this time for Jongdae hyung and I, because Jongdae hyung is going to sleep with me tonight."


Seyeon bit her quivering lip and forced a smile, even though the innocent little boy behind her couldn't see it. "Yes, Chansoo-ya. As usual."


They stopped in front of what looked like a small old wooden shelter, a little bit far from Chansoo's usual "working place". It was hidden from the crowded place, but seemed pretty safe for a little boy to sleep alone there. Seyeon had found that place by accident, long ago when Chansoo's older sister was still alive. It was the place where they had shared many stories of their lives; the different lives of a princess and a pauper.


Chansoo pulled Jongdae into the shelter and sat on the wooden floor. Seyeon motioned Minseok to come in as she took off her bag and opened it, taking out her usual cleaning stuff. She wet a cloth with water and handed it to the very bewildered Minseok.


"Please help me clean him, Minseok-ssi," Seyeon said. "Just wipe his body and face."


Still confused, Minseok nodded and proceeded to take off Chansoo's shirt. The little boy crossed his arms over his exposed body immediately, giggling shyly under the older boy's amused gaze.


"Oh, you're pretty shy, aren't you?" Minseok grinned and slowly pulled the thin arms down so he could wipe his body.


"He has never acted like that whenever I clean him though," Seyeon said, pretending to pout at the little one. She turned to Jongdae and unwrapped the cloth around his wounded arm to replace it with a clean one.


"That's not it, noona," Chansoo defended himself, "it's just the first time Minseok hyung touches me, so I feel a little bit embarrassed."


The skinny little boy looked down and smiled at the hand working on his body. His face became a bit flushed somehow. He reached out his small hands to cup Minseok's cheeks, making the older boy freeze for a second before moving his hand again with a broad grin splitting up his face.


"I like it when Minseok hyung touches me," Chansoo confessed bluntly and cracked an innocent grin, although to the three teens it sounded a little bit inappropriate.


"Really? I like touching you too." Oh wait, does that sound wrong?


Since he was just basically a troll, Jongdae interfered, "Can I be touched too? I also like being touched."


Chansoo gladly offered himself, "I will touch you, hyung!" and stretched out his arm to poke the older's cheek. Jongdae laughed and Seyeon silently facepalmed, feeling absolutely awkward and out of place with those two seemed-to-be-dumb teenage boys and the blunt naïve little boy.


Seyeon glanced at her wristwatch and sighed heavily, suddenly feeling really tired. Chansoo lied down on the wooden floor and pulled Jongdae down next to him, while Seyeon sat by his side and let him put his small head on her lap.


Usually when they were already in that position, she would start singing until the boy fell asleep, but this time they were not alone. It would be too awkward to sing in front of those two strangers, wouldn't it? But, seeing how Chansoo smile at her and wait patiently for her to start, she could do nothing but open and let her voice out.


Minseok and Jongdae's mouths slowly fell open as they heard more of the soft voice filling the comfortable silence surrounding them. They hadn't expected her to keep such beautiful voice though. Minseok was especially taken aback; she looked like a totally different person that he could almost feel the soothing motherly warmth radiating from the girl. She was really bipolar, he thought.


But then that he thought about it again, about how she changed that easily even at unexpected times; which one was the real her? The cold one? Or this warm one?


Chansoo's eyes had fluttered closed even before Seyeon finished the song. The little boy stirred in his sleep and snuggled into Jongdae's hug. Seyeon took the box of money and told Minseok to hold it while she opened her backpack and fished out her wallet. Both Jongdae and Minseok gave her curious looks, especially when she took out some bills and slipped it into the pocket on Jongdae's pants.


She leaned down and whispered to him, "This is to replace the coins, usually I give it to Chansoo but now I'll trust you to keep this. Like today, use the money to buy food and drink. The rest of his money is safe with me. Don't lose it, okay?"


Jongdae nodded and gave a thumbs up. "It's all safe. Thank you, Seyeon-ssi."


Seyeon cocked her head to the side and flashed a sweet smile at the other. "I'll take you and Chansoo to my house tomorrow morning so I can treat both of you better."


Jongdae almost shot up to a sitting position, if he hadn't remembered that he was still holding a sleeping boy. He widened his eyes and opened his mouth to say something, but Seyeon shushed him and pushed his jaw up to close his mouth.


"How old are you again, Jongdae-ssi?"


"Umm... I'm eighteen."


"We're the same age then. See you tomorrow." Seyeon grinned and patted Jongdae's head before getting up and walking out of the shelter, followed by the very confused Minseok.


On the way home, Minseok was quiet because of the thoughts and questions running back and forth in his head.


'Why is she cold towards me but warm towards the others? How could she smile like that at that Jongdae guy but now acting like a complete stranger towards me? Uh, well she did smile at me too earlier at the shop, but just that. Did I do something wrong? Well, I am a stranger to her, but isn't that Jongdae guy a stranger too? She asked about his age, doesn't that mean he isn't her friend? And what's with that 'I'm taking you to my house tomorrow'?'


There were just too many questions packed inside his head, but of all questions he asked, "Seyeon-ssi, who is Mr. Shin?"


The girl answered shortly, "My old butler."


But then he also managed to ask, "Did I annoy you?"


He didn't get his answer right away and he noticed that the bike slowed down a little bit.


"...No you didn't."


"Then?"


"This is just how I am. Besides, things will probably be awkward between us, if my father is really crazy enough to actually make you my new butler."


Minseok widened his eyes. "I thought I'll just get to know Mr. Shin and nothing more! So I'll work for your family?"


"That's what he meant when he said you'd give us a hand."


Minseok furrowed his eyebrows. Honestly he didn't see any problems with that, working as a butler sounded nice too. But again, butler? How big was her house actually that her family even needed a butler? The head of the family, that fat funny-looking man Mr. Lee, he didn't look that rich if judged by his appearance. The daughter herself even rode a bike and took care of some hobos like Mother Teresa.


When they arrived at their destination though, Minseok started to believe that the girl was a princess in disguise. Not literally. But really, if he hadn't been told by anyone, he wouldn't have known that it was a private house.


A man in black uniform opened the big gate to let them in. "Good evening, miss," he greeted and bowed at Seyeon, while Minseok got a curious and judging look from him.


"Good evening." Somehow Minseok was relieved that he wasn't the only one who could get that cold tone from the girl.


Seyeon put her bike back to its place - Minseok was again surprised to see another four bicycles there that looked much more expensive than the one Seyeon had ridden with him - and led Minseok into the mansion. But before they entered through the big door, Seyeon took the box of money from Minseok's hands, closed it and held it by herself.


They bumped into some maids, who immediately bowed at the daughter of the house as soon as they saw her. She caught one of them and asked, "Did you see Mr. Shin? Where is he?"


The young maid bowed her head and stole a timid glance at Minseok before stuttering a little bit, "Y-Yes, miss. Just now I saw him talking to your mother in the living room."


Seyeon furrowed her eyebrows seeing the light blush on the other girl's face but shrugged it off and thanked her casually. Minseok smiled and bowed politely at the maid, causing her face to turn a deeper shade of red. When Seyeon and Minseok were out of sight, she pressed her balled hands on her cheeks and quietly squealed, "So cute and handsome!" before running away cupping her cheeks and giggling to herself.


Minseok walked really close to Seyeon, afraid that he might get lost inside that huge place if he didn't stay at least two feet behind her. He kept turning his head side to side and flying his gaze around with his mouth slightly agape. Everything there was just so shiny he thought he would be shiny too if he worked there. Seyeon's expression was completely different though; when Minseok's arm unintentionally brushed against hers, she quickened her pace and kept a straight face but Minseok would just stick on her back like a lost puppy.


Seyeon brought Minseok to the spacious living room and they were greeted by worried looks given by a youthful middle-aged woman and a wise-looking old man in black suit sitting on the sofa. The two teens stood in front of them and Minseok widened his eyes when Seyeon placed her hand on his back, thinking that finally she would open up to him and let some skinship happen but then she only pushed him down to bow at the adults and straightened him up again. He pouted for a split second before replacing it immediately with a polite smile.


"Mother, Mr. Shin, this is Kim Minseok," Seyeon introduced. "Father wanted him to work here and learn from you, Mr. Shin."


"Oh? So this is my new assistant?" The old man stood up, approached Minseok and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose to inspect the boy closely.


Minseok looked up at the taller man with wide eyes and slightly raised a hand. "H-Hello, Mr. Shin."


Mr. Shin nodded and rubbed his chin, making the boy gulp nervously. "Hmmm. Good enough. Let's go with me now."


The old man bowed at Seyeon and her mother before walking away. Minseok shifted his gaze between Mr. Shin and Seyeon, not sure what was about to happen to him and if he would be okay without her, but then she moved her hand as the sign that he should go. He bowed awkwardly before catching up with the old butler.


Mrs. Lee approached her only daughter and asked, "Where have you been? I know your shift ended hours ago."


"I did some stuff," Seyeon answered calmly and shrugged.


The older woman sighed and rubbed her temple. "I've told you countless times, you shouldn't wander around aimlessly and waste your time on the street. And you rode that ugly bicycle again. Look, your clothes are dirty now. Your driver is always ready to take you anywhere you want, you can always use the car. Or at least a better bicycle. What if our relatives see you like that on the street? We are not poor people, Seyeon-ah. Don't act like one."


Seyeon averted her gaze and exhaled harshly. "First of all, I didn't wander around aimlessly. I had important stuff to do, so I didn't waste my time. And I don't want to go everywhere by car, I've also told you that countless times. I can go faster with my bike and it's healthier and I don't have to pollute the air. And I don't want to use other bikes either. As long as I can ride my own bike, even if it gets old or broken later, you can't stop me from riding it. I bought it with my own money, and I don't care if your cocky friends see me on the street. Are we done? I'll go take a shower now."


Seyeon bowed and left without even bothering to wait for the answer, leaving her exasperated mother alone in the living room.


Meanwhile, the baffled Minseok was standing in the middle of a big bedroom, watching as Mr. Shin rummaged through a closet to find a butler suit with the right size for him.


"There it is!" Mr. Shin pulled out a black suit and put it on the bed, joining the other pieces of the butler outfit; a long sleeve white dress shirt, black trousers, grey dress vest and a necktie. "You better go take a shower now, so you can try them all!"


"O-Okay, Mr. Shin." Eyes still glued on the clothes, Minseok bowed and walked to the bathroom inside that room.


Few moments later, a fresh Minseok came out of the steamy bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. Mr. Shin dragged him to a full length mirror and without any warnings pulled the towel off his waist, and a fully exposed Minseok was visible on the mirror. The boy gasped and widened his eyes.


"O-Oh my God give it back!" He reached out his hands in attempt to take the towel back from the older man's hands, but Mr. Shin threw it away and laughed at his flushed face. Minseok pouted unintentionally and covered with his hands.


Mr. Shin laughed a little bit more at the cute sight in the mirror before handing the boy a pair of briefs. "Here, wear this. It's still new. Madam Lee bought some new underwear for me, but I haven't used them, so you can have them all."


Minseok took the briefs with one hand and turned around to put it on instead of getting away from the mirror, in result displaying his two cute buns in the mirror. Mr. Shin laughed again at the clumsy boy and patted his back.


"You've never had a girlfriend before, have you?" The older flashed a teasing smile and Minseok could feel his cheeks burning hot. The first time he had seen Mr. Shin he hadn't expected him to be that playful.


"I don't know, Mr. Shin. I've lost my memories," he answered somewhat sadly.


"Oh? Really?" Mr. Shin raised his eyebrows and then said again, "Well, I guess you really have never had one. Look how innocent you are."


Minseok bowed his head and rubbed his nape shyly. "I... I guess I'm not innocent. A nineteen year old can't be innocent."


"You've got a point." Mr. Shin chuckled and proceeded to help the boy put on his new outfit. "You can wear the vest only or the suit only or you can wear them together."


"Okay."


When they were done, Mr. Shin stepped away and let Minseok admire his own reflection. He looked absolutely dashing, a handsome and manly young butler.


Snap!


"Eh?" Minseok blinked and turned around when he heard the sound of a camera shutter. He looked around and found Mr. Shin standing few feet behind him, holding a camera in his hands. The old man grinned and gave him a thumbs up.


"Mr. Shin, did you just take a photo of my back?" Minseok asked clumsily.


"Well, it's your back and your reflection. This is a nice photo. I was a great photographer when I was younger, I tell you."


Minseok ran to the older to see the picture. It was indeed a good photo, but it would have been better if his black hair had been styled up.


"Now, change again into pajamas. Find them in the closet."


Minseok furrowed his eyebrows. "Why? Can't I start working now?"


Mr. Shin chuckled and shook his head. "Look what time it is. It's almost midnight, we don't work at midnight."


Minseok glanced at the clock on the wall, his lips forming a small circle. "Okay then. Time sure flies."


"Aren't you tired already? How about I teach you some basics of how to be a butler now?" Mr. Shin offered with a smile.


Minseok's face lit up as he nodded excitedly. "Yes! I'll go change now. Thank you, Mr. Shin!"


Minseok spent the rest of the night learning from his senior. All this time he hadn't known that being a butler could be that hard and complicated; he had to pay attention to every details of everything he did, he had to watch his manners and talk in the politest way, he had to be more considerate, organized, patient, polite, gentle, and clean. He saw no problems with the latter though, he had found out that he loved cleanliness. He listened closely to everything Mr. Shin said and kept it in the back of his head.


The next morning, Minseok was ready for the practice.


Minseok smoothed the grey dress vest he was wearing and fixed his perfectly-styled-up hair before knocking softly on a certain door. After waiting for few seconds with no replies from the inside, he pulled down the handle and slowly pushed the door open.


The first thing he saw was the big bed inside with a certain girl lying on it. Minseok could only see her back view, but because she wasn't moving, he assumed that she was still asleep.


Minseok entered the room and closed the door quietly, and then walked towards the big window. He opened the curtain and the warm sunlight immediately emerged through the window into the room. A small smile found its way to his lips as he felt the warmth on his face.


Seyeon cracked her eyes open because of the sudden light seeping through her eyelids. She groaned quietly, slowly pushed herself up to a sitting position and rubbed the sleep off her eyes. The baby-faced girl squinted at the figure standing in front of her window, her vision still somewhat blurry and the sunlight wasn't pretty much helping. She tilted her head slightly, wondering why Mr. Shin's back view looked so young and somehow full of charm.


And then the guy turned his head towards her. He smiled softly at her and for a second she thought she was still dreaming because it was like in a drama. His smile was calming and his face looked kind of angelic, bathed in the warm sunlight.


"Good morning, Miss."


That soft voice. Seyeon fell back onto her back and closed her eyes again with her arms spread open, but then sat up again almost immediately and stared at the other with wide eyes.


"Minseok-ssi?" She whispered in disbelief. She slid off her bed and wobbled towards the boy, standing in front of him and staring up at him with round eyes and slightly parted lips.


"Yes," Minseok chuckled and rubbed his nape shyly. The other looked really different somehow, in her white nightgown and with her long light brown hair falling freely cascading down her back. Not a bad sight at all.


Seyeon shut and gave a small smile to the other. "You look nice."


Minseok bowed his head and grinned to himself, his cheeks slightly pink. "Thank you, miss."


Seyeon nodded and turned around to walk to the bathroom. "I should take a shower now."


"Yes." Minseok bowed, and then began to make the bed after Seyeon had gone into her bathroom. After he was done, he went out of the room and to the dining room to help Mr. Shin prepare the table.


On his way though, he bumped into Mr. Lee and the man stopped him to give some huge pats on his back.


"Look at you, so handsome in butler outfit!" Mr. Lee laughed and patted him a little bit more.


"Thank you, Sir," Minseok bowed and grinned.


"Don't forget to go to work at the shop at noon, okay? You can go back home at the evening with Seyeonnie," the older winked.


"Yes, I understand, Sir," Minseok bowed again.


And then Mr. Lee pulled him down by the elbow to his eye level and whispered, "Make sure you stick with her all the time and protect her, especially when she's out on the street. Mr. Shin is our family's butler, but you're her butler and therefore you should be her bodyguard too. How about that? Don't worry about your salary, I'll take care of that."


Minseok straightened his back again and shook his head firmly. "Don't mind about paying me, sir! I'll do my best to take care of miss Seyeon."


Mr. Lee smiled and nodded in satisfaction. "What a nice boy you are. But of course I'll still pay you no matter what. Look, I know my baby girl likes to play on the street, but her mother doesn't like it. Just make sure she doesn't get into trouble. Is that too hard for you?"


"No, Sir," Minseok shook his head and smiled.


"Good," Mr. Lee chuckled and patted the younger's arm. "Now go to where you were going."


"Okay, thank you, Sir," Minseok bowed once again and made his way to the dining room.


Few moments later, Seyeon came to have her breakfast. She was back to her usual style; hair bun and casual clothes. Mr. Shin greeted her before dragging Minseok away. They went to the garage.


There were three cars and five bicycles parked there. Mr. Shin took one of the four big bikes and placed it in front of the confused Minseok.


"What are you doing with this, Mr. Shin?" Minseok asked, eyeing the big white bike curiously.


"Oh, I'm not doing anything with this. You are," Mr. Shin chuckled. "Let's see if you can ride it."


"Me?" Minseok widened his eyes and pointed at himself. "But I don't know if I can ride it. What if I fall?"


"Then you should get up and try again. Now sit here," Mr. Shin patted the seat.


Minseok bit his lip anxiously as he placed his on the saddle and held the handlebar grips tightly, eyes shut as he mentally prayed to the heavens.


'Please don't let me fall and cause some dents on this bike, I don't have any money to fix it.'


Mr. Shin held the back of the bike for awhile until he thought Minseok could go by himself. After he had released his hold, the bike wobbled a little bit but then its move became steady. Minseok's face brightened up like a little kid riding a bike properly for the first time, although apparently it wasn't really his first time.


"Mr. Shin! I can do it! I can ride a bike! I can-"


CRASH!


"Oooh, oh oh oh my God Minseokkie are you okay?!" Mr. Shin freaked out and bolted towards the boy, whose face was flat on the ground. The bike was lying next to him and the tires were still spinning slowly.


Mr. Shin helped Minseok up and wiped the dust off his pouty face.


"You hit a big rock," the older smiled apologetically and brushed his thumb against the small cut on the boy's cheek.


As if he had just realized something, Minseok widened his eyes double times and scrambled to the bike, checking every details of it to see if there were any dents left. When he found a half centimeter long of a thin scratch, he slapped a hand over his face and let out a pitiful sound of a dying whale.


"I've ruined it! I've screwed the bike, Mr. Shin! Now Mr. Lee will sure fire me because of this!"


Mr. Shin shook the younger's body a little bit to calm him down. "Don't worry about it! Mr. Lee won't get mad just because of that, he can always buy more of this. It's only a really tiny scratch anyway, no one will notice it! Here, let me fix that cut on your cheek."


Mr. Shin cleaned the cut and covered it with a small bandage he had brought in the pocket of his suit.


"There you go. Try again?" He smiled. Minseok somewhat hesitated but nodded anyways.


This time Minseok was like ten times more careful and he focused on his way around the big front yard instead of screaming like an overjoyed seven-year-old boy. He stopped again in front of Mr. Shin, who was trying to blink back his happy tears like a proud father.


"Congratulations, you now can be miss Seyeon's new 'driver'."


Sadly the said girl didn't approve it.


"Why do I need a driver to ride a bike? This is nonsense, I ride a bike to stay fit too. Besides, this guy even got scared when I went a little bit fast with my bike."


"Umm, excuse me, but I was about to roll onto the street so it wasn't exactly a little bit fast."


Seyeon rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue. "You could have held onto me."


Minseok was practically surprised by how easy she had said that. "...Okay. I thought you would at least maybe push me onto the street and let me get run over by a bus if I touched you."


"You watched too many cartoons. And what's with that bandage on your face? You really are a clumsy kid."


"I'm not a kid, miss. I'm almost an adult, this year I'm twenty."


"Fine. Oh look, my mother has just gone away. Let's go now! Hurry up, take another bike, you ride your own."


"Eh? We're not riding the same bike?"


"No, just do what I say please."


"Okay."


They both got onto their bikes with Seyeon on the lead. The boy gulped nervously and waved goodbye at Mr. Shin before bolting away quickly because the girl was suddenly meters away in front of him.


On the way, Minseok managed to catch up and ask, "Miss, is your father staying at home today?"


"No, he's going to the coffee shop later."


"Is that his only job? Your house is really big though."


"No, he works for a big company too but he's too lazy to go there and he loves coffee more than his real job."


"That's nice."


"I wonder what's so nice about that."


Minseok smiled discreetly; finally the other could talk more to him, although not in the nicest way. He'd do his best to show his gratitude to her.


Minseok had just remembered Seyeon's promise to Jongdae and Chansoo when they stopped at the corner of the street. The two males were already there with another box of money, but since it was still quite early in the morning, there were only few coins inside the box.


"Hello, noona," Chansoo waved and beamed at the girl, and then screamed and jumped happily when he saw who had come with her. "Minseok hyung! You're here too!"


"Hello, Seyeon-ssi, Minseok-ssi," Jongdae bowed and flashed his brightest grin at the other two teens.


"Hi," the other two waved and grinned.


"Noona, this morning Jongdae hyung woke up with his back hurting. It looked like it was really bad," Chansoo pointed at Jongdae's back and pouted sadly, while the older boy shook his head vigorously in attempt to brush the topic off.


"Oh really? Does it still hurt now?" Seyeon got off her bike immediately and approached Jongdae to check his back worriedly. "Where does it hurt, Jongdae-ssi?"


Minseok pouted discreetly. She has changed again. Just look at that worried face. He's only having a backache, he's not dying.'


"No, no! I'm completely fine! You don't have to worry about me," Jongdae stepped away from Seyeon's hands, but the girl caught his arm and slightly lifted the back of his shirt. She gasped and covered when she found a quite big patch of blue skin on his lower back.


"Oh my god, how could I not see this?" She brushed her fingertips against the bruise, and then looked up to see the boy's face. "When did you get this, Jongdae-ssi?"


Jongdae rubbed his nape because of the uneasy feeling. "I don't know, but I guess it's not new. Really, Seyeon-ssi, you don't have to worry about it. It doesn't hurt that much anymore."


Seyeon pressed her fingers on the bruise, causing the taller to wince slightly. "Come on, Jongdae-ssi. Get on Minseok's bike, we'll take you to my house."


"Okay. Thank you very much, Seyeon-ssi."


"Don't mind it."


Minseok jutted out his bottom lip slightly when Jongdae sat on the seat behind him. It was just not fair that the other could get all the warmth and concern and Minseok was supposed to be Seyeon's 'driver' and not Jongdae's. And then that he thought about it, Seyeon was taking them home when her mother wasn't home, so she must have planned it well. If the lady of the house knew about this they would probably get in very big trouble and Minseok had promised Mr. Lee that he wouldn't let the girl get in trouble. What should he do then? But if he disobeyed Seyeon, she would probably act even colder to him while he was trying his best to get along with that 'owner' of his.


So he kept quiet and let Seyeon take control. He would just find a way to keep it a secret from her mother.


"Minseok-ssi, is it okay if I hold onto you?" Jongdae asked with a friendly tone, one of his hand already placed on Minseok's waist while the other one holding the box firmly.


"No problem," Minseok answered flatly, but mentally shivered when the other's arm s around his body and held him tight.


"I'm sorry. I guess this is my first time so I'm a little bit scared," Jongdae chuckled shyly. "Please don't go too fast."


He sounded so friendly. Minseok somewhat felt bad for giving him that cold tone. "It's okay. I guess my first time riding a bike was earlier this morning, so I'll go slow."


Apparently it was a mistake to confess about that, because the other only held him tighter and seemed to be more tensed up.


After making sure that Chansoo had been seated properly, Seyeon moved first with Minseok following behind her. Minseok noticed that she wasn't riding her bike like a drunken lady anymore, since she carried a little boy with her. Minseok sighed in relief secretly, glad that Chansoo was with her. If Jongdae had been the one who had been sitting behind her, she would have probably bolted away in a blink of an eye and left hin behind. Or maybe not.


She was just so gentle twoards those two boys.


Seated behind Minseok, Jongdae could see something black on the left side of his neck. He guessed it was a tattoo, but he couldn't see the shape completely because half of it was hidden behind his collar. However, he somehow could guess what it was.


He didn't think about it any further though. He just wondered why someone as innocent-looking as Minseok had a tattoo on him. But he decided to ask something else.


"Minseok-ssi, can I ask you something?" He asked behind the other's ear.


"Yes, what is it?" Minseok replied; not cold, but not friendly either.


"Umm... What kind of relationship do you have with Seyeon-ssi?"


Minseok widened his eyes, the bike wobbled a little bit and Jongdae tightened his hold and squeezed his eyes shut.


"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please don't drop me on the street, I won't ask you that anymore," the younger freaked out.


"No, no, I'm sorry, I didn't do that on purpose," Minseok shook his head and gulped as he tried to steady the bike. He furrowed his eyebrows and thought for a moment.


"...We have nothing much. I'm just her new butler and her coworker at her coffee shop. How about you?"


There was a short pause when Minseok didn't get any answers and he couldn't see the other's face and he was starting to think that the other was probably freezing because of the mini heart attack earlier when they had almost fallen off the bike.


He was about to call the other's name when Jongdae spoke again, "It's nothing special, we only help each other. I helped Chansoo, and then she helped me for that. I guess she treats me nicely just because I saved Chansoo's money from being stolen and got wounded because of that. I've found no other reasons why she should care about me."


That's probably it. Minseok could finally see that tiny light of hope. Maybe she was just basically cold and not that she hated him.


But he didn't know why he said again, "Maybe she likes you." That sounded bitter somehow.


"...That's impossible, I'm just a hobo," Jongdae muttered. There was a long pause again until he said, "Let's be friends, Minseok-ssi."


Friend. Jongdae would be his first new friend then. "Okay." So he supposed he shouldn't give him the cold shoulder for getting all the attention. That would be too childish, they were friends then.


"How old are you? You look young."


"Is that a compliment? Thanks, I'm supposed to be twenty on March 26th."


"It's next week then!" Jongdae exclaimed happily. "Chansoo said today is March 19th."


"Really?" Minseok widened his eyes. He had just realized that he hadn't known the current date. "Oh... Right. How could I forget about that?"


"I should call you hyung then," Jongdae said cheerfully. "I'll be nineteen on September 21st. That time we will most likely have been pretty close, close enough for you to give me a present! Just kidding though."


Jongdae laughed, his arm unintentionally hugged Minseok's body tighter. Minseok felt a little bit weird, even maybe somewhat uncomfortable? A boy shouldn't touch another boy that much. It wasn't much though. But still.


The real thing that he should consider too much was when they were back at home.


All four of them were inside the big bathroom; Seyeon was washing the very happy Chansoo, while Minseok was half-heartedly washing Jongdae by Seyeon's command. Jongdae had insisted that he could clean himself and Minseok had also insisted that Jongdae could do it by himself, but Seyeon had also insisted that Minseok had to help the wounded Jongdae and that was final.


So Minseok had taken off his vest and had rolled up his sleeves, he had stripped the blushing younger boy - he had no idea why the other was blushing, they were both boys - and had dipped him into the tub very carefully considering his aching back. Seyeon had her back facing those two boys all the time so she didn't have to get her eyes scarred by the sight.


Minseok had also noticed the chain necklace hanging around the other boy's neck. It was similar to his, but he thought those necklaces were probably some cheap ones that they could have bought anywhere easily. And that tattoo on his neck. Again he thought those symbols were probably from some famous something and having matching ones was just a coincidence. So he shrugged it off.


"Noona, look! Jongdae hyung is red. He gets shy when Minseok hyung touches him," the little boy in the shower blurted out and laughed at the two older boys with his finger pointed at them.


"I'm not red!" Jongdae said loudly across the big bathroom and crossed his arms. "Well maybe I am, but because of the hot water! Not the touch!"


"Whaaat? I can't hear you!" Chansoo cupped his hand behind his ear and laughed more at the older boy, unintentionally splashing some water at Seyeon's clothes.


"Chansoo-ya, please stop moving you're getting me soaking wet," Seyeon said as she sprayed the water at the little boy's foam-covered hair.


"You just have to look at their faces, noona," Chansoo snickered. "They look cute and funny. Next time let's exchange, I want Minseok hyung to bathe me too! Noona can wash Jongdae hyung."


Seyeon's face turned somewhat flushed. "I can't wash him, Chansoo-ya. He's a grown boy."


"But noona!" Chansoo pulled the older down by her elbow and whispered, "This morning when we woke up, I saw Jongdae hyung's pants wet so I asked him if he peed himself, I was so sure about that but he insisted it wasn't pee, so he ended up telling me his secret. He dreamed about that, about you washing him!" He cackled quietly to himself while the water was still running down his body. "So that means dreaming about noona could make him pee. Thank goodness I've never dreamed about Seyeon noona."


Seyeon gaped and slowly turned around facing the said boy, forgetting that the other was still exposed. Luckily the sight was blocked by Minseok's back and she quickly turned around again to continue washing the little boy quietly.


The only thing she muttered was, "You shouldn't spill other people's secrets, Chansoo-ya. Gosh it's awkward now."


Meanwhile, Minseok was busy frowning at the briefs in his hands. "What is this white stain on your pants."


"I spilled some milk there," Jongdae answered nonchalantly as he put on the clothes Minseok had given to him.


"...How did it get into your pants?" Minseok brought the briefs to his nose to sniff it and then frowned deeper. "It must have passed its expiration date."


Jongdae looked away and covered his face with a hand. "I can't believe you're twenty next week."


Minseok and Seyeon hid the other two in the latter's bedroom. Mr. Shin and Mr. Lee had seen them and Minseok had had a panic attack for a short while, although it had seemed like those two men didn't mind about the two boys' presence at all. The one whom they should be afraid of was the madam of the house.


Seyeon treated the big bruise on Jongdae's back with some ointments and also changed the bandage on his arm. The wound had gotten much better then, but not the awkwardness. Seyeon found it somewhat hard to look at him right in the eyes.


Seyeon and Minseok spent some more time to feed the other two and let them rest for awhile, but through all of it both Minseok and Jongdae noticed the change of behavior of the girl, to her dismay.


"Seyeon-ssi?" Jongdae called hesitantly. Three of them were sitting on Seyeon's bed, Chansoo sleeping in the middle. Seyeon gulped and lifted her gaze from the sleeping boy's face to the one who had just called her.


"Y-Yes?"


"Are you alright?"


"I'm perfectly fine." Seyeon forced a smile, but even Minseok could tell it wasn't sincere.


But Jongdae opted to brush it off. He hugged his knees and smiled at the bed sheets. "Thank you for treating me nicely. I guess I don't deserve this much."


"You do though," Seyeon cut quickly.


Jongdae turned his gaze towards the other, who immediately dropped her head down again.


"Why? Because I helped Chansoo?"


"Well, yeah, and because I just want to... help you, treat you well, maybe. You just deserve it."


Jongdae nodded and pressed his lips into a thin line. "Okay."


"You should talk about the dream so it won't be awkward."


The three teens widened their eyes at the sleeping boy, who was obviously not asleep then but had his eyes closed and his bottom lip bitten to hold his laugh.


Both Jongdae and Seyeon looked away and covered their flushed faces.


"What dream?" Minseok asked confusedly.


Seyeon sighed heavily and lightly smacked Chansoo's bottom, making him giggle in his "sleep".


"Is that true that you dreamt about me, Jongdae-ssi?" Seyeon asked shyly, her cheeks burning hot.


"I... Yes. I'm sorry, Seyeon-ssi," Jongdae bowed his head and pouted sadly. "I'm not a ert, really. Please don't hate me."


Seyeon felt something stir inside her that made her feel really bad and uncomfortable seeing the sad look on the boy's face. She leaned closer to him, reached out her hand and patted his head softly.


"It's okay, don't be sad."


Jongdae glanced up at the girl and smiled sadly, while Minseok's lips curved into a small circle.


"So that was your milk."


"What?" Seyeon furrowed her eyebrows. "What milk?"


"Nothing," both boys answered in unison. Seyeon just shrugged it off, heaved a long breath and puffed her cheeks. Shouldn't be that awkward anymore.


"...Maybe I should do that sometimes later if you come here again, Jongdae-ssi. It's not like I've never cleaned you before."


Jongdae straightened his back and widened his eyes. "W-W-What? B-b-but it's different-"


SLAM!


The three jumped in shock and snapped their heads towards the door, who had just been kicked open. Even Chansoo was then sitting straight with his eyes wide open. A sweaty Mr. Shin stood there, looking like he had just finished running a marathon.


"Miss Seyeon, your mother is here, I don't know why she's home so early but now she's looking for you. You better hide them now!"


The three boys panicked while Seyeon flew off her bed towards a cupboard and pulled a long, thick rope out of it. She brought it to the balcony outside her room and tied it to the railing, while Minseok ran to her and watched her with abnormally large eyes.


"Miss, w-what are you doing with this?? You- You're not going to commit a suicide, are you??" He asked, his hands his own hair in panic.


"Of course I'm not! This is now the time for you to act like a real butler," Seyeon chuckled darkly.


"What...? Me?"


Before he could realize it, Minseok had already had Chansoo clinging on his back like a baby koala with a small guitar on his back. He threw his limbs over the edge of the balcony one by one, and with his sweaty hands gripping the rope tightly, he kicked his feet on the railing and tossed himself away from the balcony, swinging like a tarzan towards the big branch of the nearest huge tree in that backyard and he wasn't sure if Chansoo was laughing or crying. He managed to catch the branch and hang on it with one hand, and then put his other hand on it; using his hands he brought himself closer to the tree trunk, swinging like a monkey. Using both hands as support he struggled to pull himself up until he was straddling the big branch. Chansoo climbed off his back while he wiped the sweat off his forehead and took his time to manage his breath before turning his head towards the balcony.


It was then Jongdae's turn to swing. He looked terrified though, but Seyeon pushed him and he screamed as he swung towards the branch. Minseok caught his arm right on time before he could swing backwards and hit the wall.


"M-Minseok hyung please don't let go of me, please save my life," Jongdae cried as Minseok grunted while he slowly pulled the other up onto the branch.


"Use your other hand to pull yourself up," the older instructed through his clenched teeth.


Jongdae nodded and placed his free hand on the branch. The tree was tall he would smash his skull or at least break some bones if he fell.


Seyeon was watching with great anxiety and guilt from her window when suddenly the door to her room opened and came in the woman who had caused all of that acrobatic attraction to happen. Seyeon closed the curtain immediately and walked to her mother.


"What is it, mother?" Seyeon asked with a clear bored and irritated tone in her voice.


"What were you doing? What were you watching outside?" The older asked curiously as she brisk-walked towards the window.


Seyeon gasped and ran after her mother, reaching the window first and standing in front of it with arms open. The older woman narrowed her eyes in suspicion.


"N-Nothing. It's nothing. I was only watching some... Birds. Yeah, birds, on that tree outside," Seyeon tried to cover up yet failed miserably.


Mrs. Lee sighed heavily and brushed her daughter out of her way, and then snapped the curtain open. Seyeon looked away and covered her face.


After few seconds of no sounds coming from the other, Seyeon pulled her hands down from her face and quietly peeked through her mother's shoulder.


The branch was empty.


"Oh," Seyeon said, putting on a surprised look on her face, "those birds have flown away. Too bad. They were pretty though."


Mrs. Lee turned around and squinted at her daughter, who only shrugged and flashed an innocent smile at her.


"So... Why were you looking for me?"


Mrs. Lee sighed loudly before stomping her way out of the room. "Follow me, we have to talk about your study."


"Aye aye, cap'n."


Study? She couldn't care less about that. What she was thinking then was only how awesome her new butler was. She smiled to herself as she followed her mother out of her room.


'I should give him a reward later.'

A/N: I'm sorry this came out longer than I wanted it to be maybe almost 10k and I guess it's a little bit lame somehow :') yeah so I kinda lost control on this part it's too awkward I made xiuchen part awkward and I couldn't fix it, it will forever be awkward D:

I really want to write Luhan's part again so bad but it won't be fair if I don't write anything about Kai, Kyungie and Suho OTL so yeah next chapter is for them and it shouldn't be this long. Please wait for it, thank you for reading and subscribing ^^