If there was one thing Joonmyun liked about the States, it was their chef's cooking. He was the master of every culture, having travelled the globe and worked alongside the world's best chefs. 

It made sense for the man to be working in this house. Mr. Kim hired and bought things the way the chef chose his teachers. The very best money can buy. That's why for a family of three, the mansion that could have a second function as a community centre with a restaurant attached was quite large. 

Giselle was a kind, middle-aged Hispanic woman with a daughter Joonmyun's age. With her broken English, and Joonmyun's out-of-practice English, the two understood each other. She was basically his second mother. 

The gardener had been working for them as long as Joonmyun could remember. He was an elderly Chinese man who's grandparents had been hired in Canada a long time ago to build a railroad. He was born to good-enough English speaking parents, and he himself was completely fluent. When Joonmyun was a kid, he would tell stories about moving to America for better job oppurtunities, and being homeless and unemployed for a long time in his early twenties. Now, in his late seventies, he needed constant medical attention for his chronic back-pain; a symptom of too much work. 

There were also new-hires: people hired after the last time Joonmyun had visited. One of the footmen was even his age. They had conflicting views of the world, thus, they didn't get along. 

Joonmyun tried hard to keep contact with Baekhyun and Chanyeol, and Kyungsoo and Jongin, but the time-zone differences got in the way more often than he'd like. 

He'd never felt more alone in his life. 

*** 

When Mr. Do had come back home with Minseok and his 'plus one', Jongin surely wasn't expecting his doctor, Kim Jongdae. 

"Dr. Kim?" he sputtered in shock. 

The doctor's eyes widened with a reciprocated feeling of surprise. "Hello, Mr. Kim." 

Kim Minseok, yet another man with the same surname, looked between the man by his side and the boy with narrowed eyes. "You two know each other?" 

Jongdae glanced at Jongin, as if asking for permission to explain, and the younger man nodded. "Jongin-ssi is my patient." 

Kyungsoo, just getting out of the bathroom now, gave his cousin a hug. "Hey, Minseok-hyung! Who's your friend?" The short boy extended a hand to the stranger, which the other man shook with a professional grip. 

"Jongin's... doctor... Apparently..." Minseok said. He seemed suspicious. 

Kyungsoo glanced at his boyfriend, and then back to Minseok's friend. "Hi, Doctor," he said with a smile. "It's nice to meet you." 

"Ah, so Jongin told you?" the older one asked. 

Kyungsoo nodded. 

Mrs. Do got impatient. "Come on in, boys. Get yourselves cleaned up. Have you eaten?" 

Jongdae nodded politely, but Minseok was still stuck on something. 

"You're a neurologist... Why are you Jongin's doctor?" Kyungsoo's cousin wondered. 

Kyungsoo coughed, and Jongin shuffled awkwardly. Jongdae smiled in a way that made it clear to Minseok that he was in trouble. 

Mr. and Mrs. Do turned to Jongin, questions unasked. 

"Hyung, does it ever cross your mind that some questions are better asked in private?" Kyungsoo hissed. 

Minseok looked around in nervousness at the tension he created. "Oh, crap. Sorry!" 

"Jongin," Mrs. Do approached. "Is everything alright?" 

Kyungsoo could almost hear his boyfriend's heartbeat from where he was standing. Telling their friends was one thing, Kyungsoo knew, but telling his boyfriend's parents was especially difficult for the young boy. 

Jongin's breathing got heavier, and Kyungsoo was officially worried. He was not alone in the feeling. 

"Jongin?" Mr. Do called. "Are you alright?" 

Jongin nodded, widened his eyes, and bolted for Kyungsoo's room. 

"Jongin!" the parents yelled, followed shortly after by, "Kyungsoo!" when their son had gone in suit. No one else moved. 

Jongin's voice could clearly be heard thro