The clash of swords and afraid men ripped through the air as the masked man went through each man with grace and skill. Jonghyun couldn't help but gape in awe of the man. The Zorro was amazing, no doubt about it. His sword knocked off crudely bagged loot of each of their horses and one just so happened to land near Jonghyun. He came out behind the cart and picked up the bag. 

Jonghyun's ears had blocked out all other noises but the sounds of swords clashing. He couldn't hear Mrs. Lee's hysterical screaming for him to come inside. 

None of it.

"E-Excuse me! Mister Zorro!!"

What was he doing?

The masked stranger turned his head, spotting Jonghyun. He trotted over on his horse and stopped in front of Jonghyun. The shorter boy's voice was immediately lost in his throat. The Zorro was much more handsome up close. His sharp eyes were a muddy brown, almost black, but deep and inviting. It was drawing him in by the second, but it nagged Jonghyun that has seen that same pair of eyes before. 

"Yes?"

The droopy eyes boy flinched at his voice, "Thank you for saving me...w-well us more like it. I'm a really big fan of yours!"

Those dark eyes twinkled with a knowing smile, "What's your name?"

For a split moment Jonghyun forgot his own name and how to speak, but when he remembered he blurted it out in one slur, "KimJonghyun--!"

The masked man chuckled and shook his head. Kibum was trying so hard not to give himself away but he couldn't help it from the way the elder was acting around him. He was utterly star struck in his presence and he couldn't help but think it was the cutest thing he's seen. He was only really doing this to humor Jonghyun. 

"That's a nice name. Now head inside, Jonghyun. It's dangerous out here. You should listen to the nice lady over there." 

"Wait!"

Kibum felt his cape being tugged when he turned to leave. The elder fished into his pocket and pulled out a beaded jade bracelet with a single flattened gold pendant. Kibum raised a brow.

"P-Please take it. To show how much I appreciate what you've done." Jonghyun held out the piece of jewelry in his palms and offered it to his idol.

The black masked man sighed and took the bracelet, slipping it away into the pocket of his vest. Kibum thanked Jonghyun for the gift and watched as the shorter boy finally listened to Mrs. Lee's hysterics and headed inside.

Jonghyun can barely stop smiling. Not only had he spoke to his idol, but he also knows his name now. 

The next day Jonghyun is the first to wake up out of the bunch. He jumps around waking everyone up for another day of work in the scorching sun. Kibum raises a brow at the older boy as he bandages his hands before heading out to the cotton crops.

"Hey! Wait up Kibum!"

The fox eyed boy stops in his tracks and waits for the other to catch up to him. Jonghyun rolls up his sleeves and puts on a grin.

"Oh Jonghyun, good morning. You woke up awfully early today. Wanted to get a head start I see." Kibum said when he obviously knew what the elder's intention really was.

"Actually, I wanted to head out to look for the Zorro before I had to start my chores. I haven't the slightest where he would be but there isn't any harm in trying! Wanna come along?" Kibum's heart ached at the ambition and excitement in Jonghyun's big eyes. Why hasn't he given up by now?

"Actually...you just missed him. He helped a couple of gypsies down the road. A wheel broke off their carriage." Kibum explained when it was clearly a lie.

He hated doing this. Lying to Jonghyun about the Zorro just so he wouldn't know it was him the whole time. He wanted to tell him, he really did, but it would kill Jonghyun he just knew it.

"Oh..." the elder's voice muttered, "That's...that's too bad. Man, and I thought I got up really early too! I wanted to see him more than anything... Do you know how cool it would be if I was friends with the Zorro? I would be the most popular kid in town! Me! Friends with the Zorro!"

Jonghyun bit the inside of his cheek and exhaled deeply through his nose. 

You're already the most popular kid in town, Kibum thought. 

"But, I know he probably thinks I'm just some annoying kid who won't leave him alone. He probably already forgot my name--"

"Jonghyun stop it."

The shorter male stopped talking, flinching at Kibum's sharp words. All this talk made Kibum feel sick inside. Zorro this, Zorro that. That's all the elder talked about and it was driving Kibum mad with jealousy of himself. The alter ego he created wasn't meant to cause this much trouble for him or none at all. He never would have expected Jonghyun to fall in love with it. 

It was utterly ridiculous. Kibum was in competition with himself!

He was always fond of the droopy eyed boy, but the fact Jonghyun hasn't even talked to him this much until the Zorro incident really got under his skin.

"People already admire you, Jonghyun. If you ask me, you don't need any hero. I'm telling you this as a friend. There's a good chance nothing will become of it." Kibum pauses, chest rising and falling rapidly from the sudden outburst. 

Jonghyun's face visibly fell from excited to disappointed. Kibum's words cut through his hopes and deteriorated them into mere fantasies. He was right though and Jonghyun knew that. He swallowed thickly and nodded.

"You're right...you're absolutely right. It was all just a hopeless dream wasn't it?" Kibum swore he could hear Jonghyun's heart shatter. 

Now Kibum felt like for crushing every ounce of hope the elder had. He sighed and went and pulled out a long black rag with two holes cut out in them. Jonghyun's eyes momentarily widened in curiosity.

"Is that...?"

"When he rode off his mask fell off. I was going to return it, but I think you should have it instead." Kibum placed the mask in Jonghyun's hand.

Damn him and his sad puppy eyes.

Callused hands from wielding farming tools ran it's fingers over the crude material of the mask, a small smile forming on Jonghyun's plush lips. An alarming squeal erupted from his throat as he clutched the mask close to his heart like Kibum had just handed him a million dollars in cash.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Kibum this is the greatest thing anyone has given me!!" muscled arms wrapped themselves around Kibum's neck in joy. 

Kibum smiled but inside he knew he had screwed himself over.

Ten times over.

After the sun had begun to lower in the sky, all the boys out in field begun to file inside to wash up for dinner. Apparently Jinki wasn't feeling well so he hadn't been out the whole day. Jonghyun had noticed a weird limp in Jinki's step and the way his face would twist in pain every time he bent down. Jinki insisted it was that he had slept wrong so Kibum brought him inside to tend to his pain.

Jonghyun on the other hand had his own agenda. He was going out to gypsy territory after dinner to ask for eye witnesses. Someone was bound to see his face if his mask fell off right? So after he had tore threw his supper he snuck out onto the dirt road up north.

There was only one flaw in his brilliant plan.

Jonghyun had a poor sense of direction. 

He found himself completely lost in a quick ten minutes. 

"...I've been on the same road for like twenty minutes now I should've gotten there by now!" Jonghyun huffed and looked around.

Yup, he was lost.

Jonghyun had a habit of letting his goals blind him of the little details. Once in particular was the fact that gypsy territory was crawling with thieves and kidnappers, but of course he had over looked that small detail. If Mrs. Lee knew he was heading out here she would've denied his leaving without a second to think about it.

The boy sighed and sat down on a patch of grass, wondering how the hell he was supposed to get home now. A rustle and whisper of voices interrupted his train of thought.

Jonghyun swallowed hard, "Is anyone there...? I can hear you!"

Silence.

Jonghyun shifted where he say uncomfortably and hugged his legs closer to his body.

When suddenly his world went black.

A gruff and foreign voice cackled next to Jonghyun's ear, "Looks like we found ourselves a nice catch!"