When his grandfather called it the attic, Joonmyun envisioned a small, barren loft whose primary function was for storage. While the entire mansion was lavish, there was only so much one could do with an attic, and it was his assumption that the only use for one when there were countless other rooms to pick from was to hide away objects that had no current use.

         He's proved wrong right away when he realizes the attic is actually a completely furnished room, including a bookshelf, several couches and lounge chairs, lamps, and even a small TV in the corner. The lamp isn't but a large, singular window illuminates the room, letting in just enough light so that Joonmyun can get a good look at the room. For a place that was locked away for years, it was well maintained. All the furniture was clean and tidy, and there was a surprising lack of cobwebs and mess. Only a light layer of dust covered the room, suggesting that until recently, someone had personally attended to it. It's odd for Joonmyun to think that his grandfather would personally clean the attic by himself in his old age, but the man clearly didn't trust anyone else to enter.

         There are several distinct figures occupying the room, and at first, Joonmyun nearly gives himself a heart attack when he mistakes them for people. Always the one to be easily scared, he stops in his tracks in baited breath, waiting for a response from one of the "people" when he realizes that none of them are moving. There isn't even a slight indication that they're breathing.

         At first, he assumes they're mannequins, and Joonmyun lets out a sigh of relief. However, as he walks up to one to get a better look, he is surprised again when a life like face stares right back at him.

         It would be wrong for him to call them mannequins, not when so much detail had been put into their appearance alone. Hair that looks soft to the touch, eyes that seem to gaze right back into his own, bodies posed in such a lax and natural manner it was hard to believe they aren't actually made of flesh and bone. Perhaps the best word to call them would be dolls, although it still seemed like he was mislabeling them. They are too large, too lifelike, too real looking to be called dolls. 

         Joonmyun had always considered himself as relatively good looking.  His only gripe would be his height, as he always wished he could grow just a few more centimeters taller. Of course, he was self aware enough to know he wasn't the most attractive person around, but in a general sense, he could be considered handsome.

         Yet in this room, surrounded by all the beautiful dolls, he is absolutely ordinary. 

         If they were modeled off of real people, they all would have been around Joonmyun's age, give or take a few years. They're all breathtakingly realistic, and Joonmyun half expects them to start moving any moment. He takes the time to observe them all, noting eleven dolls scattered throughout the room. One of them, casually leaning against the wall, towers over him in height. His masculine features make him look almost fierce, and he looks like the kind of man Joonmyun would aspire to be. Another one, seated comfortably in one of the chairs, looks more like a typical doll, with big doe eyes and slightly girlish features. Joonmyun has to debate the gender of that one in particular. There's one doll that looks almost scary with his narrow eyes and intimidating glare, and another with eyes that slant slightly downward.  There are more of them of course, and as he inspects all of them he's quick to recognize that they're all unique in their own way. The craftsmanship is remarkable, and Joonmyun doesn't doubt that it must have taken an extraordinary amount of time to get the details of each of the doll's faces. 

         Before he stares at them too long, Joonmyun stops himself. Once the initial surprise fades away, he finds himself in the middle of the attic utterly confused. After all this time, Joonmyun has finally been granted access to the mysterious attic. Now  that he had the key and knew of its contents however, he felt at a loss. What purpose did his grandfather have in giving him the key, when he had no idea what to do with what he found? Why did his grandfather collect these strange, life like dolls? Why had he tried so hard to hide them from everyone? It was a strange collection, for sure, but the vehemency with which his grandfather prevented anyone from getting inside the attic seemed beyond mere embarrassment. And why did his grandfather finally decide to let him inside now? Why did it take his death for him to finally allow Joonmyun to enter the attic?

         Joonmyun feels frustrated, both at himself and his grandfather, and for the latter he feels a little bad. He thought he would be getting answers when his grandfather left him the key. Now he only had more questions. He rubbed his temples and let out a groan, feeling an impending headache. 

         Joonmyun tosses his things to the corner of the office, planning to unpack tomorrow when the rest of this possessions will be dropped off. He's glad that he decided to finally leave his home, even if it still felt odd to live in the place where his grandfather died. While he was alone in this mansion  it was different than the suffocating loneliness he felt in his parents' mansion. He hasn't lived in this mansion for years since he started college, but Joonmyun can still remember every nook and cranny of the place. 

         Although the discovery in the attic is rather odd, and he isn't particularly fond of its contents, he wasn't perturbed enough to throw them away. Besides, his grandfather had cherished them so much, it felt wrong to dispose of them after all his efforts. They were a bit eerie though, with their shockingly life like qualities, but he would figure out what to do with them later. They would have to stay in the attic for a little while longer. Right now Joonmyun had to focus on his plans.

         His father had quirked an eyebrow when he brought up his request to move to his grandfather's mansion, but he barely gave it a thought before giving his okay. Joonmyun doubted that his father knew the true reason why he suddenly wanted to leave, but his father rarely gave him the time of day anyways.

          He figured living on his own would help change his father's opinion of him. Being independent would create a foundation that Joonmyun could stand on, and perhaps  display his own capability. If he ever wanted his father to see him as a possible successor, he would need to establish himself, and he was already far behind his brother.

         Joondong was always the star child, the well-liked one, the smart one, the better one. All of Joonmyun's life he had always been compared to his brother, and he had always come up short. While his parents had emphasized keeping up his grades and getting into good schools, it was more for appearance and less preparing him for possible succession. Joonmyun strived for excellence ever since he was little, trying to prove that he was just as good if not better than his brother, but he always fell behind. While Joonmyun made his own small feats and accomplishments, Joondong was the ideal son that was headed towards a bright future. When his parents introduced their two sons,  everyone always complimented Joondong, and Joonmyun was an afterthought. 

         But by no means was Joonmyun stupid. He could be considered quite intelligent, always in the top places in his school. He balanced schoolwork with student council and piano lessons, as well as regularly doing volunteer work. He established good relations with his teachers and his upperclassmen, and those who knew him always said he was headed toward good places, although his parents never really seemed to care. By normal standards, he was exemplary, but in relation to his brother, who had been practically raised to be future successor, he was subpar. 

         It was already projected that Joondong would be the new owner of WS Industries after their father's retirement. He was already well recognized by the many company executives, having already worked there for several years, and there were no other competitors for his place. Joonmyun had felt a sting when the possibility of him inheriting the company wasn't even considered. 

         It was his intention to contend with his older brother. While Joondong had gotten to where he was today with the aid of their father, Joonmyun planned on working his way through the company without throwing his name around, although he doubted anyone would recognize it. Proving that he was capable of leading the company without using his family background was the only way to prove himself better than Joondong. Of course, that meant navigating his way through the company by himself and making connections on his own. 

         Despite the fact that it's a long stretch and he has very slim chances, Joonmyun almost feels bad for competing with his brother. They were never close, but they weren't exactly on bad terms either.

         But then he remembers the look in Joondong's eyes when he looks at him, a coldness that says "we will never be equals," and that is enough justification already.

         He's planning to go to a charity event he knows several WJ executives will be attending later this week. Joondong isn't supposed to be there so it's the perfect opportunity. Joonmyun has already prepared for the conversations, ready to advertise himself and find a way into the company as well as its social circles. He'll have to work on making his flattery sound genuine, but he knows that his speaking skills are enough to come across as confident. 

         Of course, he'll have to memorize the face and name of every other attendee at the event too. Making connections outside the company could help him later as well. Joonmyun sighs as he takes out the necessary files from his briefcase, spreading them out across the desk. He's never had to attend these kinds of events before so he knows only a few of the people going, and he only has a few days to memorize the hundreds of people's names and faces, but he is nothing if not ambitious.

         It's already dark when Joonmyun decides to finally stop trying to differentiate between the many socialites he really doesn't care for. After staring at papers for so long, all the pictures and words start to blur together. He knows he's at his limit he'll have to try again the next day. 

         Joonmyun looks at his watch and groans as he realizes he forgot to order food for himself. It's too late to get anything now, and there may be food in the kitchen but his past attempts at cooking have turned out abysmal. He decides he'll have to do without dinner for the night as he gets up from the desk.

         It's instinct for Joonmyun to head downstairs and go to the room he usually stays in, one of the guestrooms directly below the top floor. But as he makes his way to the stairs he feels himself unconsciously slowing down before stopping at the master bedroom. 

         The door has been closed since his grandfather's death, and even though it isn't locked, it gives off the feeling that no one is allowed to enter. Its as if its telling Joonmyun he doesn't belong, that the room is closed off and it belongs to only person, and that isn't him. He's been inside it countless times to wake up his grandfather when he was younger, and a few more times to visit the bed ridden old man as he got older. Now he feels too comfortable to even enter, as he can only think of it as the place his grandfather died.

         Despite this, Joonmyun knows he has to try to get over such feelings. It would be improper to sleep in a guestroom when he's the current owner, and ignoring his instincts to walk away,  Joonmyun opens the door and makes his way inside. 

        Just as he predicted, there is a sense of unease as he enters. Even though the entire residency now belongs to him, this room doesn't yet feel like its his. He has mixed feelings as he notices that everything is still in the same place as he remembers it. The dressers still have his grandfather's clothes, his old, unused bottles of cologne are placed on top of the nightstand, and on top of the large king sized bed in the middle of the room, covering the expensive decorative linen sheets, are the thick, fluffy blankets that his grandfather always preferred. By  all means, this is still his grandfather's room.

        Joonmyun quickly changes out of his clothes and plops down onto the bed. A overwhelming sense of longing hits Joonmyun in the depths of his heart as he takes in everything around him. All that he sees reminds him of his grandfather, and it's so strange to be in mansion without him nearby. His recent passing is still fresh in Joonmyun's mind, and although he takes care not to show it, he's not sure if he's over it yet. Now that he can't occupy himself, he can't help but feel lonely. 

         Trying not to think about it too much, Joonmyun pulls up the covers and tries to sleep in a bed that is not his. He still has plenty to do tomorrow.

    
A/N: I know this fic is heavily focused on solely Joonmyun right now, but I promise you'll see more of the characters in the next update! Thanks for the great response on the first chapter, I'm so grateful for the comments and subscriptions! Hopefully you'll like this chapter just as much as the last one.