Chapter Eight

Sleet

Heechul’s eyes drifted over to the door when he heard gentle knocking before it was propped open. In coming home, he had found himself completely alone – or at least, it had seemed that way. His lips pursed curiously when he heard a familiar, soft voice. “Master Heechul-ssi,” He heard the clinking of porcelain, “I heard that you were not feeling well so I made you some soup.” With a heavy tray in his hand, the boy that had been punished because of Heechul, came into the room and set it down on his lap. Heechul blinked several times, trying to get over the immense surprise. He had never heard of a slave that simply did something because they wanted to, rather than it being an order. Unless, somehow the school had passed on the fact he had not eaten lunch. Heechul doubted though – no Kim would be there to appreciate the sentiment and the school only kissed up to him so they would receive more funding.

He looked down to the sterile, white bowl that contained a thick, dark broth. A spoon was set down next to it, everything ready for Heechul to dig in. He was hesitant in eating it, scooping up the liquid and spooning it into his mouth. He felt warmed from the inside out, his body feeling comforted and cared for, even if he did not need it. The boy propped up the pillows so that his neck was not so strained. He could not believe that a slave could be so sweet to him. He had never treated any of them particularly that well before, Heechul had been quite indifferent to them. Heechul had even been the cause of the boy being beaten to the point of scarring. Why would he feel the need to take care of the “sick” Heechul? Unless… he was trying to poison him or something.

“Er, you didn’t have to do this, so thanks.” He sounded awkward, as he hardly ever showed gratitude to anyone. The boy’s cheeks grew bright pink rather quickly, shaking his head in protest.

“There’s no need to thank me, Master Heechul-ssi,” He bowed at the mention of Heenim’s name, “It’s my job.” With that, the boy his heel to leave the room, telling Heechul he could call him when he was done and he would come back to clean everything. Before he could depart though, Heechul reached out to tap on the back of his shoulder, which caused the boy to wince. Heechul felt guilty, having forgotten that the whip had wreaked complete havoc on the kid’s back.

“Wait.” Heechul stopped him. As none of his family was home, he thought that it would be the only time he could say anything to the slave. He dare not risk it when any other Chosen was home. They would probably skin the poor guy. The kid turned, waiting patiently for what Heechul had to tell him.

“Look. I’m… sorry, for what had happened.” The words escaped his lips and he felt a mixture of relief as his conscience diminished the pressure he felt to confess. However, as he rarely displayed any kind of thankfulness, he most certainly never apologized for anything. He felt quite dissatisfied in having to admit something had been his fault. Heechul was slightly angry that the kid was starting to make him soft, however that sounded silly. The boy had only been following his orders.

Again, the boy seemed to be unsure of how to respond. Chosen never acted in such a way with their slaves and Heechul figured it made him probably feel uneasy. “There is nothing to be sorry for Master Heechul-ssi,” The boy’s words echoed to what he had said before, “I promise to face the other direction whenever you need to get dressed.”

Heechul bit back a laugh, seeing the serious expression on the boy’s face. Were humans really that scared of them? New Earth had begun to be created a bit less than a year earlier, however the world had already changed so much. He, himself, remembered quite clearly what it had been like for his kind before. When bringing back up those memories, Heechul could completely relate to the other Chosen in wanting to punish the humans for how they had treated them. Barely any of the slaves could be blamed for the treatment of his people, however, as the Heroes had massacred all of the humans directly responsible. 

The boy took the tray from him in seeing the empty bowl, however did not leave. Heechul had never told him he could leave and he did not want to get punished again. Heechul looked over him for a moment, “What’s your name?” He did not know any of the slave’s names that lived in the house. He didn’t know any Chosen that would ever be curious to such a thing. A name forced Chosen to remember that their slaves were not just their property, they were people. They were people with emotions just like anyone else.

The boy shook his head, looking uncomfortable, “Whatever you’d like it to be, Master Heechul-ssi.” Most Chosen simply referred to the humans as “slaves”, while others renamed them – which made them seem more like pets than anything else. Either way, Chosen only referred to the humans that served them to demean them and put them in their place.

“Answer me.” Heechul’s tone was not commanding, however it was firm. He wanted to have something to refer to him by that would not degrade him – at least when no one else was around. If the kid had gotten punished just because he had left his place, then Heechul did not want to conceive the punishment he would receive for Heechul calling him by his name. That would infer that he treated him like an equal, when Chosen were to only look down to humans as subservient.

The boy swallowed, he probably knew just as well what the implications of what Heechul was saying were great. However, at the order, he answered meekly, “Ryeowook.”

Heechul’s lips formed a small smile. “Ryeowook,” He called out to the younger boy, his voice serious, “You can’t tell anyone about this, okay? Not even the other… er, humans. I’ve seen my family break them down before and they will spill anythingto spare themselves.”

***

Heechul took a seat next to his father at the dinner table, watching as his chair was pulled out for him and then pushed it in once he sat down in it. He had certainly not chosen the seating arrangements for the family, and knew that it was because his father wanted to continue to supervise him. Heechul sat silently at the table, pushing around his food. He glanced coolly up at his father before turning away. The equally cold man smirked back at him, knowing that it irritated his son incredibly at how much he could control him.

“So,” He spoke, “You were not feeling well at school. Do you feel better after some rest?”

The rest of the family turned their attention to the two males. Heechul straightened up a bit in his chair, pressing the glass to his lips as he tried to draw out his dad’s patience. Finally, setting it back down on the table, he looked towards his father, a nasty and disrespecting glint in his eyes. “I suppose.” His words seemed innocent enough, however his tone had an edge only the man he was speaking to picked up on. He noticed out of the corner of his eye as his father’s grip on his utensils grew tighter. Heechul was unsure why he wanted to anger him, knowing he was taunting a man that he certainly shouldn’t.

The man stared at him coolly before regarding the whole family, all sitting at the table and had returned to speaking when his father, sitting at the end of the table, had silenced. “It has almost been a year since New Earth was established,” He noted and several family members nodded, encouraging him to elaborate, “As such, the Heroes are hosting a celebration in Eden in a few days. Only a few Chosen families were invited to attend, and one of them happens to be us.”

Some of the girls, including Heechul’s mother, squealed at the idea. They had never been invited into Eden before, and all were curious as to what it would be like. Heechul, himself, was impartial. He preferred the City, where the students adored him and those older than him were forced to respect him. In Eden, Heechul would have to be humble and praise the Heroes. He did not like that idea.

After the announcement, the rest of the dinner was uneventful. Heechul departed into the hall, heading towards his room on the opposing side, however pausing when he heard sobbing. His curiosity took over as he saw a door on the complete other side, seeing light peek out from under the crack. He snuck over to it and leaned in, pressing his ear to the door so that he could listen in. Heechul had never gone over to that side of the manor before. He had not been allowed. The Kim house had been split into two, not even close to equal halves. The Chosen family resided in the larger half, avoiding the other where their slaves were allowed to stay.

“Ryeowook-ah,” A comforting voice rang out – one that Heechul did not recognize, “I know it hurts but you’ll be okay. I’ll take care of you.”

Heechul continued to listen in, wondering why Ryeowook was hurt. Had his father somehow found out about what had happened that afternoon? However, his wonderings were answered quickly, when the stranger continued, “I can’t believe they’re still open wounds. He must have beaten you hard.”

Heenim continued to listen in, wondering how the whipped boy would respond. He had never heard slaves speaking with each other before. He figured that they would act much differently. He wondered if Ryeowook would speak poorly of his father. “No, it wasn’t that bad,” Ryeowook responded, however Heechul seemed to detect a hint of dishonesty – perhaps the boy had taken his words to heart, and thought that speaking poorly of the most influential master of the house would only lead to trouble, “I guess my skin just takes a while to heal.”

“No kidding,” The other speaker continued, “You looked so underfed, that your body could not possibly keep up. Did they take away your rations for whatever you did to get beaten?”

“… Yes.”

Heechul swallowed. He had thought he had simply caused Ryeowook to get beaten – which was already bad enough – however it seemed his father had punished him much more than in that moment. He wondered what other little privileges his father had taken away or limited. He sighed, his stomach suddenly unsettling. Heechul’s body felt like it was going to reject the meal it had just taken in.

“I’m sorry, Ryeowook-ssi.” He mouthed, knowing he could not make any kind of sound he had been there, before departing to his suite.

Author's Note:

Happy New Year, everyone~! Hope you like this chapter and you had a great 2011. Here's to 2012!

~*Carissa*~