Three days since Luhan and Sehun had suffered such a harsh and unjust treatment.

Three days since Mihyun had visited the Noye house.

Three days since Mihyun had lost even the tiniest fragment of respect she had left for the man she called father.

For three days Luhan remained unconscious, both he and Sehun bedridden from their injuries. For three days Mihyun had exchanged not a single word with her father. For three days she hadn’t slept, busying herself with the tasks of nurturing Luhan, taking care of Sehun, completing her work, planning for the rebellion; for the first time she pushed herself well beyond her limits, not caring for the consequences that would follow.

“You need to rest,” Sehun’s voice jolted her out of her thoughts, and she turned to see the other attempting to sit up in his bed.

“I should say the same to you,” Mihyun chided softly as she moved to help Sehun sit properly. It was the first time he had been able to lay down, for the injuries to his back had been so severe that the doctor forbade him from lying for the past few days.

“I have been resting, and I’ve been doing lots of it,” Sehun scoffed as he gestured to the confines of the bed he was restricted to. “Now it’s you that needs to take a break.”

“There’s no time for a break,” Mihyun responded bitterly as she blew a lock of hair from her face.

“Then make time,” Sehun replied in a stern tone as he reached over to tuck the stray strand behind her ear. He began to wriggle in his bed, scrunching his face at the pain his movements caused him. Mihyun was about to ask him what he was doing until he finally came to a halt, patting the space he had made beside him.

“Sleep with me,” he commanded as he lifted the blanket to allow Mihyun to slide in.

She blinked. “You’re rather bold, aren’t you?”

Sehun stared at her blank faced for a few seconds before a bright red flush captured his cheeks. “I don’t – You know – I didn’t mean it in that way, you know that.”

The corner of Mihyun’s lips lifted briefly, and she reached forward to ruffle the boy’s hair affectionately. She glanced back at the pile of work that rested on her table still needing to be completed, and let out a reluctant sigh.

Sehun grinned victoriously when Mihyun climbed in beside him, resting her head on the bit of pillow that Sehun offered. She closed her eyes after receiving a pointed stare from Sehun, but fluttered them open just seconds later. “I can’t sleep.”

Sehun chuckled, “You haven’t even tried. You must be so physically and mentally exhausted that your body doesn’t even remember what relaxation felt like.” There was a beat of silence and Sehun trained his gaze onto his open palms that were resting on his lap. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Mihyun muttered in reply. She closed her eyes and her sides, ashamed. Even she hadn’t told the other of such words, for she felt undeserving of them. She deserved every bit of the guilt she felt, and saw it unfit to attempt to relieve her guilt by professing her remorse.

Sehun parted his lips to continue, but pressed them together when he saw how uncomfortable Mihyun was. He stared at the back of her head for a few seconds before a small smile slipped onto his lips. It would be insane of him to say so, but he was happy. He would have hoped that he and Luhan would be able to stay with Mihyun in a state much better than the one they were currently in, of course, but he was still happy nevertheless.

It was selfish of him, he knew, to be happy even when his hyung remained in an unconscious state only 10 feet away from him; even when all of his other Hyungs remained uneasily in the cold, dirty cages, anxiously waiting news as to what had happened to him and his Hyung; even when his presence was nothing but an extra burden on Mihyun’s shoulders – he couldn’t help but be happy.

“Can I request something...?” Sehun asked hesitantly, peeking over at Mihyun to gauge her reaction.

Mihyun glanced over her shoulder, “What is it?”

“Can I… Can I hold your hand? Just one?” Sehun asked rather timidly, feeling so much more embarrassed now that the words had actually left his lips.

“No,” Mihyun responded curtly.

Sehun’s entire face fell, and he stared down at the lint on his blanket as if they were the most interesting things in the world. “Oh.”

“I’m just joking,” Mihyun let out a small laugh. She moved her hand under the blanket to find Sehun’s, intertwining their fingers when they finally met.

A blanket of silence captured them, both diving deep into the thoughts that consumed them.

“The doctor says that Luhan should awake within the next few days,” Mihyun spoke up as she trained her gaze on the still figure lying a few feet away from them. “He says his wounds are nothing too serious, and although there are a lot, they are rather shallow. Luhan hasn’t woken up yet because of exhaustion, not because there’s something internally wrong with him.”

“That’s good to know,” Sehun smiled slightly, relieved that he would be able to see the smiles of his Hyung within a few days’ time.

“Can I ask you something?” Mihyun asked slowly as she closed her eyes.

“Of course you can,” Sehun replied without skipping a beat.

“How long?” Mihyun asked after a pause.

“I’m sorry?” Sehun asked with furrowed eyebrows.

“How long were you here before I came? How long did you have to suffer?” Mihyun asked in a small voice. In all honesty, she didn’t want to know. She didn’t want the guilt in her heart to grow to an even taller height, but she knew she had to. She had to know.

“Don’t do this to yourself,” Sehun replied with narrowed eyes. “Nothing is your fault, so don’t—”

“How long, Sehun?”

Sehun stared down at her for about half a minute before he gave a sigh of surrender. “I… I got a glance at the clock right before we were brought into the backyard…”

“And the time?”

“I… uh…” Sehun mumbled. He sighed when Mihyun called out his name in a sharp tone, and reluctantly confessed, “It was around 2 PM.”

Mihyun inhaled a sharp take of air at his words; she hadn’t come home until around 6 in the evening. “Four hours?” she asked in a strained voice. “You stayed awake, enduring the pain for four hours?”

“Well no, I out occasionally,” Sehun confessed sheepishly. “But he was still at it when I came to.” He winced at the pressure Mihyun unconsciously pressed against their intertwined hands.

“Sorry,” Sehun mumbled. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No,” Mihyun responded in a small voice. “I needed to know.”

Another silence engulfed them, and Sehun squirmed uncomfortably in bed. He was such an idiot! He shouldn’t have told her the truth, let alone tell her about the bits where he fell unconscious. Stupid!

“I won’t let him lay a single finger on either you or Luhan anymore. I promise,” Mihyun whispered quietly, giving Sehun’s hand a small squeeze to express her seriousness. “I’ll protect you all.”

“Isn’t it the job of a Noye to protect his master?” Sehun chuckled. His eyes widened in surprise when Mihyun suddenly cupped her hand around his chin to force him to look at her. She stared straight into his eyes and spoke in a stern tone, “You are not my Noye, Sehun, do you understand?”

Sehun paused, “Then what am I?”

Now it was Mihyun’s turn to fall silent, and she let her fingers fall from Sehun’s face as she thought. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and in a quiet voice she admitted, “Somebody very special to me.”

Both he and Mihyun jerked their heads in opposite directions as flushes of red captured both of their cheeks. Mihyun was surprised as to how direct she had just been, even if she was one for not beating around the bush. She squeezed her eyes shut and allowed the foreign burn to spread through her cheeks, hoping that Sehun wasn’t witnessing her in such a state. The girl's heart jumped when Sehun cleared his voice to murmur quietly under his breath.

 “You should get to sleep, Mihyun,” Sehun spoke out in a soft voice. He gave her hand a small squeeze, and reached over with his free hand to press her head gently against his shoulder. “We’ve been awake for long enough.”

Mihyun didn’t make any efforts of protest, and fluttered her eyes to a shut as she rested her head against Sehun’s sturdy structure. Her soft breaths evened out within a few minutes, and it was then that Sehun dared to train his gaze on the younger’s face. His lips lifted into a light smile as he examined the girl’s tired, yet relaxed facial features.

“Thank you,” Sehun whispered quietly, careful not to disrupt the girl of her much needed sleep. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against the top of her head, blushing lightly as he pulled away. He then closed his eyes peacefully and leaned his head against the wooden bed frame. It all felt like a dream, really, to be able to sleep peacefully by Mihyun’s side, free from the constant reminders of his hardship. Although there were tiny nibbles of guilt here and there reminding him of his unconcious hyung and the hyungs that were left behind in those dirty, dingy cages, he decided the be selfish for the time being and force those thoughts away. For now he would be greedy, and enjoy the very few minutes he had.

It was a dream he wasn’t willing to wake up from.

“Do you have to go?” Sehun asked in a childish voice, almost whining as he watched Mihyun tie her hair up into a loose bun as she prepared to depart for the morning.

“Are you pouting, Sehun?” Mihyun asked with a raised eyebrow of amusement.

Sehun immediately narrowed his eyes and turned his head, not willing to admit to his immaturity. “I’m sick, and you should take care of me.”

Mihyun chuckled under her breath and flicked him gently on the forehead, “You really are such a child when you’re ill.” She frowned when she felt the heat the other was radiating under her fingertips, and let out a sigh. Sehun had caught a fever overnight, and although she wanted nothing more than to stay by his side, she had to attend a meeting that morning.

“Exactly,” Sehun agreed, nodding his head enthusiastically. He extended an arm and pointed at Luhan and remained still in his bed. “And Luhan, you have to take care of Luhan too.”

“Jaesuk will be here to take care of you two,” Mihyun responded as she packed several files of papers into her bag. “He’ll make sure that you two are well rested and will attend to anything you want.”

“It’s not the same!” Sehun whined as he batted his clenched fists against the bed sheets.

“I really should film this to show it to you when you’re better,” Mihyun chuckled under her breath. “I’ll be back within a few hours, Sehun, and then I’ll spend the rest of the way with you.”

“But I want to start spending time with you now,” Sehun pouted as he kicked at his covers, wincing when the movements strained his still healing injuries.

“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be,” Mihyun scolded the elder as if she was talking to a child. She pressed a chaste kiss against his forehead and waved him goodbye as she picked up her bag to sling across her shoulders. “I’ll be back later, be good to Jaesuk.”

She closed her bedroom door behind her, and halted after taking only a few steps away. She glanced hesitantly back at the closed door, and bit down on her bottom lip. Perhaps she should stay home with Sehun rather than attend the meeting. Catching a fever in the current condition he was in certainly would take quite a toll on his health.

She quickly shook her head and reluctantly traveled down the stairs. If she skipped a meeting as important as the one that was supposed to be held today, her father would certainly see to it that a punishment would be handed out. A punishment that would undoubtedly involve one or more of the others.

“Make sure to pay close attention to Sehun, alright?” Mihyun whispered to Jaesuk as she made her way to the front door.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you, Agassi? This would be the first time for you to travel alone with somebody other than myself,” Jaesuk responded hesitantly. Mihyun had picked up another chauffeur for the day, ordering Jaesuk to keep a mindful eye over Sehun and Luhan. The elder had sworn to protect Luhan and Sehun with his life, even if it involved him disobeying the orders of the head of the house.

“I’ll be fine, Jaesuk,” Mihyun smiled as she stretched up to pat the top of the man’s head affectionately. Just as she was about to slip on her shoes to leave, a voice called out her name.

“Mihyun, your father would like you to come for breakfast,” a maid called out as she stepped into the front room. Before Mihyun could open to deny the offer, the maid continued with narrowed eyes, “He was very insistent on it, Agashi.”

Mihyun and Jaesuk exchanged glances before Mihyun reluctantly headed towards to dining room, Jaesuk glued firmly to her side.

“Ah, it’s been such a long time since I’ve seen your face, Mihyun,” Chando greeted his daughter with a wide smile as she slipped into her seat.

Mihyun only responded with a simple bow before picking up her utensils to finish her breakfast as quickly as possible.

Chando cleared his throat, trying again to catch the attention of his daughter, but she simply ignored him.

“I am very sorry as to how badly you are taking this, Mihyun,” Chando stated as he stared at his daughter without even the slightest bit of remorse. “I hope you will get over this quickly, and realize why I had to do this. It was for your own good, you know.”

Mihyun twitched with nearly every word that came from her father’s mouth. Of course, it would be her fault that she was reacting rather negatively to the fact that he had beaten her friends nearly half to the death. It was her fault that she couldn’t understand why he had done such a thing. Her fault that she couldn’t see why it was for her own good.

“I will do no such thing,” Mihyun responded rather coldly. “I have respected your orders to stay away from the Noye house and I have been finishing all of my work at an impeccable speed. That, however, is the extent as to how much I will obey your wishes.”

“You must understand, Mihyun,” Chando exclaimed, slamming his open palm against the wooden table. She didn't even flinch at the loud bang that echoed throughout the room. “Do you know what people have been calling you? They’ve been calling you a Noye lover! Do you understand how detrimental that is for our reputation?! I refuse to have our family tainted with such a disgusting label!”

There was a pause of a silence, and the air rippled with tension.

“Why is that so wrong?” Mihyun asked in return, her suddenly soft voice contrasting her previously harsh tone. She lifted her gaze to meet her father’s, and she clenched the cloths of her dress tightly in her fists. “Why is it so wrong to care for those that are treated like trash by the people we live with? By the people who walk the same halls as us, the people we eat meals with, the people we work with? Why is it so wrong to show compassion to those who need it the most?”

There was a beat of silence before Chando shot her a glare composed of both pain and disgust, “You’re just like her.”

Mihyun could have laughed, for who was the one to have driven her to such a state? “Isn’t that how the saying goes? Like mother, like daughter, right?”

She recognized the expression that flew across her father’s face, and she knew what words were to come out of his mouth next. It was an expression that Mihyun had seen on her father’s face multiple times, but she had always been the bystander to such an occasion, never the recipient. She clenched her fists tightly at her side in anticipation, preparing her heart for the next words that were to slip from her father’s lips.

“I’m disappointed in you.”

Mihyun blinked.

And that was it.

Those were the words Mihyun had dreaded to hear for all 16 years of her life. The words that always pushed her to the limits of her endurance, the words she had nightmares about.

Yet, she felt nothing.

A giggle escaped her lips at how dumb she had been. How could she have feared for such a thing her entire life, something as trivial and meaningless as that? She placed her utensils calmly at the sides of her plate and slid out of her chair to depart the room. The air around her felt so much lighter, and Jaesuk followed behind with an expression of noticable confusion.

“What are you laughing about?” Chando asked with narrowed eyes. “I just told you that I am disappointed in you.”

“You might be disappointed in me,” Mihyun responded, a small, silly grin plastered across her lips. “But I’m not.”

Mihyun didn’t even wait for her father’s response, as she spun sharply on her heels to skip light heartedly out of the room.

It was then that Mihyun realized something she wished she had discovered much earlier. Words, they were something that meant nothing unless they were coming from people that meant something.