She was almost thankful Daevy was still at the tavern. She didn't trust him to make the right decision in his current state of mind, and with all the riches that had been given to them, they needed to make the right decision.

But it wasn't her decision to make alone. She stood patiently waiting for Jongin to read and re-read the note from Minho. He had hardly believed his eyes when she showed him the delivery, but like her, he was wary. It was very dangerous to accept gifts from any man, much less a cursed beast who had magic at his disposal.

"He just gave it all to us?" Jongin said in the end. "Isn't he angry at dad for tricking him?"

"You would think," she answered, "Maybe he doesn't know that he's a man yet."

"I doubt he'd be able to keep up the charade for this long. He was barely convincing as it is." Jongin stepped closer to the chest and carefully dug through the items, going through all the thoughts and emotions she had before.

"Maybe he doesn't care then. Maybe he's happy with him."

Jongin didn't reply. He pulled a velvet bag from the chest and removed the emerald necklace that was inside. The piece was beautiful.

"We could pay the landlord," he said after a pause. It was exactly what she had been thinking.

"Can we?"

"That man gave this stuff to us."

"But at what price? In exchange for Taemin's life?"

"He already has Taemin's life."

"It's like he's paying us for him! Doesn't that feel wrong to you?"

She could tell that it did, but their situation was weighing heavily on his shoulders as well. He knew the landlord needed his money. He knew they were falling behind on all their debts. The gift would take care of all of that.

"Taemin would want us to use it," Jongin said.

"Would he?"

"Well we can't exactly ask him."

An idea came to Naeun suddenly. "Maybe we can."

"Taemin!" Jonghyun called.

Taemin stopped walking and turned to the gardener, who was sneaking into the foyer suspiciously. He looked around to make sure no one else was in the room with them.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Come on," Jonghyun beckoned without explanation. He grabbed the broom from Taemin's hand and set it aside, before pulling him toward the exit.

"Where are we going?"

"Shh!" Jonghyun said as he led him through the door, then down the long hall that inevitably led out into the garden. It was late in the afternoon now, but they still had a few hours before the sun set. Minho wasn't out in the garden.

Without giving him any further information, Jonghyun took him through the garden, much further than their normal activities usually led them. He was leading him all the way to the edge of the property, to where the fence stood as a demarcation from the rest of the world. The grounds weren't so well tended near the border, and trees and shrubs had grown around the iron fence.

"Where are you taking me?" Taemin demanded, now that they were far enough away from the house and there was no chance they would be overheard. He forced Jonghyun to stop running and explain.

The gardener's suspicious urgency had turned to excitement.

Certainly, he couldn't be trying to help him escape.

"I have a surprise for you”. He walked the rest of the distance to the gate by himself. Taemin warily followed behind him and stepped cautiously through the shrubs.

"Taemin!" a familiar voice called his name. It made him stop and look up.

He hadn't noticed before, but now that he peered through the trees he could see her. It was Naeun, and Jongin.

He had mixed emotions of fear and relief as he ran to them, taking their hands through the bars that were the only thing separating them.

"Oh Taemin, I'm so glad you're alright," Naeun was saying.

"What are you guys doing here?" Taemin demanded. As happy as he was to see them, he was also upset that they had risked coming to the mansion.

"We needed to make sure you were alright," Jongin answered, "We were worried."

"You let her come with you?" he asked, bothered that she was that near to Minho.

"I let him come with me," Naeun corrected him, "This was my idea."

"Naeun, you can't be here. You know Minho wants you."

"I know, but I had to see you." He could tell she was trying very hard not to cry. If she missed him half as much as he missed her, then he could understand her decision. She was also his little sister, and he couldn't be angry with her. He sighed heavily and kissed her forehead through the fence.

"Are you alright?" Jongin asked more seriously.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"That beast hasn't hurt you, has he?"

"No, not really. He's...He's not so bad."

"He sent us a gift," Naeun told him, "A chest of silver and gold."

"He did?"

"He sent it to dad, in exchange for you," Jongin elaborated.

Taemin turned from them to Jonghyun, asking questions of the man with his stare.

Jonghyun shrugged and confessed, "He told me to send it to your family."

"Why?"

"I don't know! Why does Minho do anything he does?"

"We wanted you to know," Naeun said, pulling his attention back to them, "It just doesn't feel right taking it."

"But you could use the money," Taemin said, thinking of the list of expenses they had and the many needs that had always gone unmet. Their father must still be behind in his work too. The money could keep them afloat.

"Not if it means losing you," Naeun answered.

"I'm stuck here either way. Use it."

"But Taemin--"

"Use it," he said definitively. "Tell dad I don't mind. Where is dad anyway? Is he with you?"

"No, he doesn't know we left," Jongin said, "He doesn't even know about the gift yet."

"How could he not know?"

The two of them paused and he saw a sorrow in their expressions that frightened him.

"Dad hasn't been the same since you were taken," Jongin volunteered, "He wastes every night at the tavern."

"Not again," he said with a heavy sigh. They had barely managed to get their father to break his drinking habit after their mother died. Losing him too must have sent him right back to the tavern.

"We need you back home, Taemin," Naeun said, grabbing his hands more tightly.

How he wished he could go with him. How he wished he could break down those bars and run far from that mansion with them. But he couldn't. That was the harsh reality.

"You need to survive without me for a little while longer."

"Taemin..."

"He'll let me go home eventually, I know he will. He's just not ready yet. But I will see you guys again, I promise. I promise I'll come back home."

"But we need you now!"

"Taemin!" Jonghyun said urgently.

Taemin looked back the way they had come to see Minho was headed their way. How did he know where to find them?

"I'll stall him," Jonghyun said, leaving the fence and going to meet his master.

Taemin turned back to his siblings. "You need to go now. I don't know what Minho will do if he sees you."

"But Taemin..." Naeun continued to plead, with her hold on her tears steadily slipping. It hurt him so much to send them away. They had been apart for so long. He would have given anything to spend the rest of the night at the fence with them.

He turned his focus to his brother, knowing he would do what was necessary to protect Naeun. "You need to get her away from here. And please, don't let her come back. I don't care how long I am here, promise me you won't let her come back!"

Jongin nodded.

He gave Naeun one last kiss on the forehead, before pulling his hand out of her grip. "Go!"

As much as they didn't want to, they pulled away from the fence. Jongin took Naeun by the shoulders and led her away, just as Minho broke away from Jonghyun ran through the shrubs. He stopped when he saw what it was he had been trying to hide. Taemin waited anxiously as his siblings ran away, and as Naeun took one look back at Minho.

Minho pressed himself against the fence and stared after her for as long as she remained in sight. When she was gone, he pulled himself away and turned to Taemin.

He wasn't usually afraid of Minho, but he had no idea how he would react. His salvation had just been within in his reach. He had seen a glimpse of the woman he wanted so badly, only to see her walk away to never return. He was angry. He was frustrated. He was hurt. Taemin could see all those emotions in his eyes. They were emotions that would send any normal man over the edge. He half expected Minho to snap.

But he didn't. He simply turned away and walked back to the mansion.

A/N: See? Naeun going there wasn't so bad. :P