"I'm sorry for everything. I was childish and rash. I should've understood the situation better." Jae Ren kicked a stray pebble of the street.

As if fate was working its own magic, she had met Leo by chance while she took a morning jog. She just did so as an excuse to have alone time. The house seemed noisier and busier with 13 other guardians inside- even if they chose to sleep in the house next door, they seemed to like it better in her house.

"I don’t want things to end so... badly. So I was thinking of coming by to apologize anyway."

Leo nodded. "I wasn't mad."

"Then why?" She sighed. "You never talk to VIXX anymore. You act like you don't know them."

I thought it would be easier this way. Leo bit his tongue. He didn't see a need to stop his plans yet. He believed it really was the best plan. "I was setting my distance. I won't be around any longer."

"Oh." She blinked, failing to hide her disappointment to his answer. "When are you leaving?"

"Before the next semester. Since Seohae isn't allowed to reside in Sanctuary due to her status, I can't stay either."

"You have to be with her." Jae Ren stated. "I understand." She understood that classes would begin in a week which meant Leo had less than that before he left.

You don't. After this, I won't get to go on your adventures and I won't get to celebrate another birthday again. I won't be able to see you or them in a long time. He nodded.

He was at a forked path. It may have looked like he had a choice, but he didn't. Even if he did, he wouldn't know which to choose anyway.

One had VIXX. Jae Ren. A life where he felt like he belonged- with his brothers and Master.

The other was with Seohae. A life where he was made for- with his original Master. And he saw just how much she needed someone- anyone, to be with her.

"Can you say goodbye? Maybe one last day together? With Topp Dogg, it would be fun." She smiled, hoping he'd agree. "A trip to all the sweets stores in Sanctuary." She suggested, knowing he had a peculiar sweet tooth.

That tempted him. The 'yes' almost rolled off his tongue, but sense overpowered his wants.

He had Seohae to take care of. Constantly, he had to go back to the capitol since she wasn't allowed to step in Sanctuary anywhere else.

"Jae Ren, I can't. I'm sorry."

"Oh. I understand." She dutifully said. Though she couldn't hide that disappointment again. "Just a good bye, then?"

"I'll drop by before I leave." He promised. He was sure Seohae would allow him that.

It wasn't that she forbade him from doing anything, it just felt like he had an obligation to be with her. He didn't mind until complications such as this turned up.

She smiled. "So... where are you going now?" She wanted to ask where he was heading to in the first place.

"I was just coming to drop by, actually." He admitted. He had planned to talk to only N, but he was more than fine to have finally smoothed things out with Jae Ren. He didn't think he could hold up his act much longer.

"Go then. I still have some place to go." She shrugged. "Stay there as long as you want. It'll be a long time before you see each other again."

Leo nodded. He wondered where she was heading but decided not to question her. They went on their own way after a while of idle talk.

It refreshed him.

On his way, though, he was having second thoughts again. He was thinking of what would happen once he did meet the others. What was he planning to say?

Before he could turn back, he had already found himself at the doorstep of the house he previously lived in.

"Leo? You just missed Jae Ren. Dang." Hansol was at the roof, staring down at him. "Fate must hate you."

Leo ignored that. "VIXX?" He inquired.

"At the back. The house is in lockdown. N kept complaining we were messing the place up." B-Joo showed himself, stepping beside Hansol. "We're all gardening."

Then why are you on the roof? Leo didn't bother to ask and just nodded. He made his way to the backyard, through the narrow space between the house and the separator-fence. True to Hansol and B-Joo's story, he could smell damp dirt and hear the barking of orders. And complaints.

Such a slave driver, that one. He thought to himself.

They had sensed him already long before he'd shown himself and was already staring at him.

Ravi, Hongbin and Hyuk were digging a ditch on one side with Ken overseeing them. Topp Dogg were digging on the other side but shallower and uniformed. Plots, Leo guessed. N and Xero were both digging a whole with one tree seedling near the hole.

Not knowing what to do, Leo just stood there, staring at them back.

"Hyung!" Hyuk and Hongbin chorused in shock.

"What are you doing here?" N plainly asked. He didn't seem mad, though he didn't seem pleased either. "We're in the middle of gardening."

Leo glanced at the herb garden he had planted with Hyuk. It was flourishing in its plant box.

"We couldn't find anything else to do." Ravi shrugged.

"I can help." He found himself saying immediately. Vixx seemed surprised but Topp Dogg didn't show the same shock.

Hojoon, Seogoong, P-Goon and Yano accepted his help happily.

"The others are buying the seeds." P-Goon explained, though Leo didn't ask. "Though I'm sure they're lost somewhere right now." He didn't seem concerned.

"Why are you gardening?" Leo asked. He stabbed the dirt quickly and carefully, to make sure there was a small gap between each line.

"Ask his Holy Highness N." Seogoong murmured.

"I heard that." N threw a well-aimed pebble at the back of his head. "We're gardening because Jae Ren told us so."

"She told you." Hojoon pointed out.

"Yeah, hyung. She told you." Ken complained, earning an icy look from the leader.

N rolled his eyes. "She told me to tell all of you-"

"How come we didn't hear her say it then?" Yano asked.

"I was in her room-"

"Ooooooooooooooooooh~" They chorused, making Leo curiously look up. He found it funny. Even Xero was laughing.

"Shut up." N made a face. "Shut up and work."

Leo amusedly grinned to himself. Even when he was gone, N remained the centre of teasing.

"Gardening is hard." Hansol complained from the roof. He was lying down stomach first on the roof, his elbows propped up to support his head as he stared down at them. "Use the mini-shovel too hard and it'll break along with the ground."

"You're not even helping!" Ravi shouted.

"I'm in charge of filling the pond with water. You're not finished yet so..." He grinned.

Multiple complaints were said after a while. About the dirt getting on their clothes, the hot sun, the easily broken spades that hindered their work, and the 6 missing Topp Dogg members who were suspected to be late on purpose.

But Leo could sometimes feel N's eyes on him. Once, he gathered the courage to look up and meet the olders eyes, only to regret he hadn't looked up sooner.

N was telling him with his eyes what Leo had not known he had really wanted to ask for; Why he wanted to come for a visit in the first place.

I forgive you.

Forgiveness.

“Since no one’s saying it, I’ll just go ahead and do it. Leo the herb garden you made got destroyed. That one over there are just fakes.” P-Goon stated.

“Wow. I never thought I’d see that face again...” Hongbin nervously laughed.

“Who’s fault was it again?” Ravi awkwardly kept stabbing the ground.

“I’m pretty sure it was a bird...” Hyuk whispered, frozen where he was.

“Or N... it was probably N hyung...” Ken looked down.

“Don’t. You. Guys. Dare.” N gave them a look. “It was everyone’s fault! Who was the genius who thought those were weeds anyway?!”

"... I'm pretty sure that was you, hyung." Hyuk murmured.

"Nope. No. We will get to the bottom of this." N nervously laughed. "Right?!"

Leo walked closer to the fake herb garden. He didn’t notice the smell of plastic before.

“I’m sure I can get away with whatever I’m going to do now since I’m leaving anyway...”

4/4

Don't worry~ I'll try my best to update again within this week (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و