“Um.”

It wasn’t a hesitant sound.  It was a disapproving-in-a-Baekhyun-trying-to-get-Yeonhee’s-attention sound and Yeonhee internally groaned as she looked up from where she was stomach-down on the floor, sketching out a tentative template of flowers to paint and send to her grandmother.  The band and Mihae and Sehun were with them all in the common room, finishing off Yeonhee’s cake and watching the news, which (as the prince had told her) was all taken up with information on the assassin.

Baekhyun was holding up Yeonhee’s phone, and Yeonhee instantly did not like where this was going.

“I feel I may have overstepped some boundaries last night,” he read off the lock screen, and she winced.  “What does that even mean, Yeonhee?”

“When did you get my phone?” she asked, more than a little concerned at his ability to purloin it without her notice.

“Yeonhee.”  He shook the phone, holding it just out of her reach when she stretched up for it.  “I know this is from the same guy who’s been knocking around.  You were out late last night – I saw you leave.  What boundaries is he talking about?”

Yeonhee frowned.  What was the prince talking about?  “I don’t know.”

“Are you sleeping with this guy?” he asked, a little too loud.  It got everybody’s attention, and Yeonhee noticed Jongin shooting her an inscrutable look.  She wished she could tell whether he was alarmed or interested.

“No, Baekhyun, I am not.”

Everybody else turned back to the TV.

“Then what is going on?” he asked, exasperated.  “Is he making you uncomfortable?  If it’s not -related, what kind of boundaries are there, Yeonhee?  And if you’re really not dating, why are you spending so much time with him?”

Jongin started coughing.  Yeonhee wasn’t sure if he’d swallowed into his windpipe or if he was trying to cover something.

Baekhyun plopped down beside her.

“Yeonhee,” he said quietly, so that the others couldn’t hear.  “I don’t get why you’re being so defensive.  Literally the only reason that comes to mind is that he does or likes something you know we think would hurt you.  We watched Taehyung hurt you and saw how badly that affected you and none of us want that to happen to you again.”

Yeonhee bit her lips.  “He’s not like Taehyung.  Baekhyun, can’t you trust me?”

He wrinkled his nose.  “Your track record with boys is really bad.”

“It was one, Baekhyun, one.”

He pointed her phone at her.  “Your only boyfriend.  I’ve looked into this, Yeonhee, and Kyungsoo is a psychology student, so he can back me up on this—”

“Back you up on what?” Kyungsoo asked without looking away from the TV.

“People who’ve been in a relationship that’s gone wrong or hurt them are more likely to end up in another relationship that goes exactly the same way.”

“That’s abusive relationships,” Kyungsoo said.  “Taehyung was a scumbag and a cheat.  There’s a difference.”

“Still,” said Baekhyun.  “Yeonhee, what is going on?  Is he paying you—”

“Yes,” she said, “for art lessons.”

It momentarily shut him up.  Jongin’s head popped back up over the top of the sofa.

“Seriously?” he asked.

“Seriously,” Yeonhee replied.

“Why you?” Jongin asked.

Yeonhee shrugged and he lost interest again, but Baekhyun had latched onto something else.

“Does this guy know you’re Pencilmania?” he asked, this time in a very low voice, so low that Yeonhee could barely hear him.

Yeonhee nodded.

“How on earth did he find out?”

“I don’t know.”  Yeonhee couldn’t think of anything better, yet she also couldn’t tell him the truth because otherwise he’d figure out it was the prince.  And they actually had a non-disclosure agreement for Easyl, so she really couldn’t bust that one.

It was not the right thing to say.

“Yeonhee, that’s kind of worrying.  And creepy.  What if he’s a creeper?”

Yeonhee sighed.  “He’s not, Baekhyun.”

“How do you know?”

“It’s not like he stalks me—”

“How do you know?”

Yeonhee had to close her eyes so that she could speak calmly.

“Look, Baekhyun, he’s, like, barely two years older than me—”

“And drives a Mercedes!” Baekhyun hissed.  “What kind of twenty-three-year-old has the money to afford a top of the range Merc?”

“His parents are super rich!” Yeonhee snapped back.  “Baekhyun, stop, okay?  Please stop!”

“Then can I meet him?” he asked.

“No!”

“Why?”

Yeonhee wanted to scream.  “Because I don’t want you to!”

“Why?”

She didn’t have an answer for that.

“You were really secretive about Taehyung too when you first started dating.  Didn’t want us to meet him either.”

“For the last time, I am not dating him and he is not like Taehyung!”

Baekhyun was stunned enough to let her snatch her phone as she stormed out.  She was barely out of the common room door before she stopped and collapsed against the wall.  Fighting with Baekhyun was unpleasant, and she hated doing it.

The common room door open and shut again.

“He’s not going to give up, you know,” said Jongin’s voice.  Yeonhee looked up.

They’d never really spoken before.  A few words here or there, but nothing for Yeonhee to consider them close enough to be friends, and from the way he tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans and stared awkwardly at the floor, he clearly felt the same.

“I know,” Yeonhee mumbled.  “That’s the worst part.”

“It comes from a good place.”  Jongin cleared his throat.  “He’s very worried about you.  Won’t stop mentioning it when we practice.”

Yeonhee nodded.  “So, uh. . . You know your cousin. . .”

“Works for the palace,” Jongin confirmed.  “Yes.  I know who he’s assigned to.  He’s not allowed to talk about it, but he probably wouldn’t anyway because he’s that kind of person.”  He cocked his head to one side, and then lowered his voice.  “Are you dating the prince?”

“I wish,” Yeonhee said miserably.

Jongin nodded slowly.

“This is very weird,” he said after a moment or two.  “You’re a known and vocal republican separationist.  Why are you so often with the prince?”  Then something else struck.  “Wait.  You like him?”

Feeling her bottom lip beginning to tremble, Yeonhee nodded.

Jongin shook his head.

“Insane,” he murmured to himself.  “Insane.”

“He’s nice,” Yeonhee protested weakly.  “Just so unbearably nice.  But I can’t – it’s not like I can just tell everyone I’m meeting him on a regular basis.  He’s asked me not to and it would be horribly unfair, even if I only told my close friends.  Baekhyun wouldn’t let me live it down if he found out, I mean. . . I’m a republican.”

“Baekhyun’s not going to stop worrying until he finds out,” Jongin pointed out.  “Only, he’d probably continue worrying, for your head.”

“What do I do?” Yeonhee whispered.

Jongin shrugged.  “I dunno, man.  I guess you and Prince Yixing are going to have to figure something out?”

“I guess.”

He smiled at her and slipped back into the common room.

Yeonhee took the opportunity to look at the message.

From: Private number, 17.23

I feel I may have overstepped some boundaries last night.  I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable at all.  Junmyeon told me I was acting a little too close when I accompanied you back from Tempe and I want to apologise.

Yeonhee exited the text and knocked her head slowly against the wall.  Did this mean he was worried he was leading her on or something?  She knocked her head again.  She wasn’t sure if she preferred knowing so she could try to draw some distinguishing line between him just being a perfect, perfect gentleman and possibly showing some kind of interest.  His honesty was so charmingly sweet, and yet, in some ways she wished he hadn’t apologised so she could continue revelling in the fancy that perhaps something in what he was doing was reciprocating.  She knocked her head again.  It was unfair.

Life was unfair.

From: Private number, 18.11

I got Junmyeon to sit still for me.  What do you think?

The text distracted Yeonhee from the curiosity of the wine bottle that had been left outside her door, a To Yeonhee label attached to it.  She wouldn’t say that the anonymous gifts were beginning to unsettle her, but she did find them odd.

She was happy to leave off puzzling over them to look over the prince’s sketch.  It wasn’t as easy to evaluate when it was only the size of a phone screen, but there were one or two things she was able to pick up on.

To: Private number, 18.14

You’re being a bit too heavy around the eyes, but apart from it, the rest of it is good.

To: Private number, 18.15

The hair in particular is very good.  But what will make a portrait come alive is the eyes.  You have to make the viewer believe that they really are the window to the soul.

From: Private number, 18.15

But that was intentional.  Junmyeon has no soul.

Yeonhee smiled.

To: Private number, 18.16

Poor Junmyeon.

From: Private number, 18.17

Well, he actually told me my portrait of him looked soulless, so I’d say he dug himself that one.

A laugh escaped Yeonhee before she could help herself.

From: Private number, 18.18

Are you free tomorrow night?

Yeonhee was about to reply that she was when she realised Baekhyun’s band was putting on an actual rock concert in collaboration with two other student rock bands (proceeds going to charity), and she’d promised she’d be there.

He’d also notice if she wasn’t, or if she disappeared halfway through.  Baekhyun had an annoying habit of noticing things like that.

She deflated, typing back that she wasn’t.  Baekhyun’s playing in a charity rock concert, she added, and I promised him I’d go.  They’re also debuting some new songs and he keeps playing me snippets.  I’d quite like to hear them in full.

Was she really justifying