"Where are taking me anyway?" Minho asked as he followed behind Taemin, allowing him to lead him down the cobblestone path. Obviously, they were headed to the gate, but he had no idea why. What could be there that Taemin wanted to show him?

"I just want to try something," he explained.

The two of them came to a stop before the large iron bars that separated the property from the rest of the world. The shrubs and weeds were overgrown around the fence, even though Jonghyun had recently extended his yard work to care for more of the property. It looked a little better than it had the last time he had ventured that far, but it was still obvious that they didn't come to the gate very often.

"What?" Minho wondered.

Taemin extended his hand. Minho caught wind of what he had in mind.

"I told you, I already tried leaving. I can't."

"We're not trying to leave. We're just going to step outside, that's all."

"But Taemin..."

"Humor me," he insisted, lifting his hand closer.

Minho sighed, but couldn't resist him for long. He took Taemin's hand and allowed the boy to pull him closer to the edge of the property. He was weary and reluctant, but Taemin walked without pause, past the boundary and onto the open road. Minho followed, without the pull and without the compulsion to turn around.

They stopped once outside. Minho just stood there, unable to believe he was actually beyond the gate.

Running out as a crazed desperate beast was one thing. Standing there as a man completely in control of his faculties was something else entirely.

Everything around him, from the dirt road to the untamed trees, was new. It was bright and wild and inviting. Even the air there felt different.

He breathed it in deeply and relished the feeling of the dirt beneath his boots. He squeezed Taemin's hand, grateful that he was there with him, and that he had given him that small moment of freedom.

"Let's run away together," Taemin suggested randomly.

Surprised, Minho stepped back from him, back toward the gate. The idea was tantalizing, yet at the same time, repulsive. With that one suggestion, the compulsion was back, and his urge to be back within the property was overwhelming.

"Forget it, forget it," Taemin said, grabbing both his hands and forcing him to stop. "We're not leaving."

Minho could relax once again, but he was confused.

"That's what I thought," Taemin said to himself.

"What is?"

"Well I thought a lot about how you were all able to leave before...I think the curse let you go because it knew you would come back. Think about it. You came all the way to my village to bring me back here, not to stay there. And the others left to get us, to bring us safely inside. But when you all tried leaving again, you couldn't."

Minho took a moment to ponder what he was saying. It made sense, and if it was true...

"So I can leave, as long as I fully intend to go back?"

Taemin shrugged. "It's worked so far."

Overwhelmed with joy, Minho grabbed him in tight hug. Taemin was caught off guard, but tried to return his embrace, even as it drew out and grew awkward. Eventually, Minho pulled away, before his emotions could get the better of him and he started crying. "Thank you."

"Just don't lose hope, Minho. That's an awful way to live."

He nodded, but was more preoccupied with their new discovery than any hope, or lack thereof. "Let's see if we can walk a little further," he suggested.

Taemin agreed. Minho continued to hold onto his hand and let him lead him, as if his freedom depended solely on him. For all he knew, it could have. Either way, he wasn't about to let go of him.

They walked some distance down the road, going nowhere in particular. Minho enjoyed every aspect of it and took in all the unfamiliar details. The fact that he was with Taemin only made the moment more enjoyable. Even among all the new details, Taemin's presence was resonated more. That moment only reinforced his desire for him to remain by his side.

He never would have imagined that Daevy's trickery would have given him the freedom he longed for, the rude awakening he needed, and the relationship he didn't know he craved.

Taemin was so different from Jinki and Jonghyun, and even Kibum. While he cherished the relationship he had with his servants (and even the magician), they weren't what he needed. He needed Taemin's bluntness. He needed his defiance. He needed someone to stand up to him and tell him he was wrong.

Jinki was his servant, he would never do that to him. And he loved him so much that he simply looked past his many flaws. Jonghyun was mostly unaffected by any mistreatment, he was just that type of person. Kibum didn't tolerate any mistreatment, but he also didn't care enough to correct him.

It was clear from the beginning that Taemin wasn't going to put up with any mistreatment. Minho knew that, and he wanted to push him. He wanted to see how far Taemin would go for his family. He didn't expect him to push back. He didn't expect him to push so hard that he broke through his callousness and his anger.

No one dared challenge him since Krystal.

But Taemin wasn't like Krystal. He wasn't spiteful. Somehow, he managed to look past all the mean things Minho had done to him. Even now, he still did things for him that he didn't deserve. Like taking him on that walk.

"Can I ask you something?" Taemin asked, interrupting the quiet moment.

"Anything," he said. He smiled at his friend pleasantly, but Taemin wasn't in as good of a mood as he was.

"What really happened between you and Krystal?"

No wonder. Minho's mood dropped immediately too.

"Jinki told me you broke her heart, but there has to be more to it than that."

"There is."

Taemin waited patiently for him to say more. Minho steered them off the road to where a tree had fallen and lay on its side: the perfect place to sit.

"I was nineteen when I met Krystal. Her family had recently come into wealth, which suddenly brought her up to my social level. I met her at a party and she caught my eye, like most pretty girls did. For two years, we met here and there, talked, flirted...then became a couple. At least, she believed we were a couple. I made her believe we were a couple."

Minho paused as he thought over his time with Krystal and of all the things he had done to her. It was hard to think about and even harder to speak about.

"She wanted me, and like everything else she wanted, she pursued me with a passion. Maybe she was a little over-bearing, but I encouraged her. She was pretty and wanted to please me, so I led her on. I took advantage of her. I told her I loved her just as much as she loved me. I told her I wanted to marry her. I..." He paused and laughed, not because anything about his past was funny, but because it was all so pathetic. "I lied to her so easily, with no intention of ever making good on all those promises. I had countless other girls while pretending to court her."

"No wonder she hates you," Taemin pointed out so factually.

"No, she hates me because I did even worse. I insulted her. I rubbed salt on her open wounds. After she caught me with one of my girls, I didn't try apologizing to her. I didn't even try to pretend like I cared. I could have let her down easily, or at least tried to spare her feelings. But I didn't. I told her she was a fool. I told her that I never loved her. That she had wasted all her time and energy and love...and that I never wanted her."

Taemin listened to the last part in silence. His look was reprimanding.

"But who was the greater fool? Who lost twenty years to a cycle of monotony and magic, forced to regret my actions every night in that awful form? If I had known what kind of power that pretty little girl and her family possessed, I would have stayed far away from her."

"And broken other hearts instead," Taemin said.

Minho sighed heavily. "Maybe."

"Have you ever tried apologizing to her?" he wondered.

"Of course I have. I've begged and pleaded on my knees for her forgiveness. But she's as unaffected by my pain as I was by hers. That is why I hate her. Not because she did this to me, but because she won't end it. She continues to let me suffer, year after year. Maybe I deserved it, but for how long? Everything I knew is gone. My family is old, my acquaintances have moved on, everything I know about the world has changed. And not just for me, but for the others as well. They all suffer because of me."

He hadn't realized that he still held Taemin's hand, until the boy gripped it a little tighter to offer him a little comfort.

He turned back to him and sympathetic look he was offering. "Can you understand now why I did what I did to your father? I know it wasn't right, but I was desperate."

Taemin nodded. "I know."

"I am sorry. Can you forgive me?"

Taemin opened his mouth, but took a moment before answering. And it wasn't quite the answer he was hoping for. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" he repeated, wondering on what conditions that forgiveness hinged.

"Maybe," was all he said.

Minho was a little disappointed, but he knew it was to be expected. He did keep messing up. Just when he and Taemin were starting to get along, he went on a rampage in his village. It would probably take him a while to get over that.

But at least he wasn't like Krystal. He wasn't spiteful. And he didn't say he never would forgive him.

"That's good enough," Minho replied.

Taemin nodded and turned to the sun that was setting in the distance. "We should probably head back."

Minho knew it was true, but he didn't want to. He wanted to stay out on that open road and enjoy his little bit of freedom. But Taemin was already standing and urging him back to that mansion.

"We'll come back out tomorrow," Minho said.

"Sure," Taemin answered, though it wasn't a suggestion.

He intended to spend as much time as he could on the open road with Taemin, before the others caught wind of the technicality and started joining them. Until then, it would be his and Taemin's little secret.

Dear Naeun,

I know I should have written you sooner. I'm sorry. I just didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to tell you.

I don't want you to be afraid or feel guilty in any way.

I made a deal with Minho. I'm going to stay here for as long as he wants me to, and in exchange, you will get a box like this every two weeks.

I know you all miss me, but you don't have to be afraid. Minho won't harm me. Please take care of yourselves and try to get along without me.

You can write me as much as you want, but please, don't come to see me. I'll be home as soon as I can. Until then, take care.

Your brother, Taemin

Naeun let her hand with the letter fall onto her lap. Her gaze went to the chest of treasures before her on the floor with its lid wide open, showing its contents proudly. She could only stare at them in hatred.

A second chest of riches. Did Minho really think that was payment enough for what he had done to their family? Did he think they could be bought that easily? That it could make up for all the pain he caused?

If she were strong enough, she would have thrown that chest right back out the door. Even Taemin's letter hadn't been enough for her to accept it. In fact, it only made it worse.

There he was again, sacrificing himself for them.

Once again, it became too much. The weight of everything came down on her and she found herself sobbing in the kitchen. She crumbled her brother's letter in her frustration and threw it across the room, where it bounced and came to a stop at Jongin's feet.

Naeun lifted her head, startled. Jongin had just come in and stopped in the doorway when he spotted the chest before her. He was surprised, but more concerned with her tears. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She gestured to the ball of paper at his feet and he stooped to pick it up. He read over the note as he came inside. She watched the anger on his face as he crumbled the letter again himself.

"He's not coming back," Naeun croaked, "He's not ever coming back."

"That bastard," Jongin hissed under his breath. "I should have gone with the hunting party to kill that beast myself."

Naeun didn't argue with him like she had done the first time he mentioned it. She just sat there, lost in her emotions. She didn't know what to do, but something had to be done. Taemin couldn't remain a prisoner of that beast forever. Not for their father, not for them. Not for a chest of riches every few weeks. She would rather they were homeless and together than separated the way they were.

"Where's dad?" she asked, holding back her tears for a moment.

"Where do you think?"

Daevy wandered right back to the place he knew best - the bottom of a bottle. Taemin being stolen from them again was enough to ruin whatever commitment he had to being sober.

"We need to tell him. Can you go get him?"

"No!" Jongin snapped unexpectedly. It was his turn to throw Taemin's letter across the room, "Let him spend all night at the bar. I don't care! I'm tired of dragging him home every night. Lock him out for once, maybe he'll see what a disgrace he's become!"

"Jongin..." she reprimanded. He was their father. No matter what his flaws.

"I'm done picking up after him," he said with finality, before leaving the kitchen behind. He walked straight into his bedroom and slammed the door shut, leaving her alone.

And she was very alone. She had no one to turn to anymore. No one to lean on and trust to be strong.

The only person she could rely on was herself. She was the only one who could save their family.

A/N: I'll admit it, this was probably my favorite chapter. :3

Poor Naeun though. That family just can't catch a break. lol

<3