Another dawn has come. Dara was sitting quietly on one of the chairs outside the balcony of Donghae’s room. She watched how the sun is beginning to devour darkness with its warmth. It was one of the times where she likes silence. Her eyes went to her silver watch. It’s 5:00 A.M. Dara sat up and opened the door that leads inside the Lost Anima’s leader’s bedroom. She walked to his bed, and found him still curled up in his comforter like a child.

“Leader.” Her voice called him as she stopped beside his bed. “Get up. Your training starts.” He has still a lot of things to learn.

A few seconds passed when she did not hear any response or reaction from him. “Leader.” Suddenly, a thought came into her. What if he escaped? Her forehead creased at something impossible. He couldn’t get himself out of The Lair. There are alert blackbloods and cameras everywhere.

Dara did not waste another word as she pulled the blanket away from the pillows.

He’s still sleeping.

Dara looked at the painting of a ship on the sea on the wall across. “We have to start your training or you’ll get another two hou-” Her words were cut as she heard a silent groan came from him. She looked down on him again. He was pressing his head on the pillow as his arms hugged another pillow tightly to his chest. “Leader?”

Donghae stirred to the side, facing her, and made incoherent syllables.

Dara noticed how his mouth and hands were trembling, while his eyes were firmly shut. Her right hand carefully touched his forehead, and then she confirmed. “You have a fever.” How could he get sick at this age? She pulled back her hand.

“M-M . . .” Donghae began to speak without opening his eyes. “Mianhe.”

Dara just looked at him before taking her phone from her back pocket. Suddenly, Lisa picked up the call. “Lisa. Cancel all the activities of lideo today.” She ordered. “And call Kiko. I need her here in leader’s room immediately.” She ended the line. Dara looked back at him again. “You should rest today.”

He didn’t reply, he could only make those silent unintelligible sounds as he could feel everything just felt heavy. He was sneezing endlessly last night that he already turned off the air conditioner in his room. He couldn’t remember what time, but he woke up feeling his head lightly and shivering. It was summer, and there he was on his bed, freezing. It was like his whole body was aching after all the intense training that he had for the past weeks, both physically and mentally.

Dara turned her back on him and took a step when she felt a warm hand grabbed her left wrist. She looked back at the sick person on the bed.

“P-please.” He said, with his eyes closed. “S-stay.”

Dara looked at his hand holding her. “I’m sorry. I can’t-”

Donghae’s eyes slowly opened and bored her with that very weak and hopeful gaze of his. “Don’t leave me.” His hand went from her wrist to her palm. He held it tightly, feeling comfort in her warmth. “Jebal.”

She knew she should’ve pulled away from his grip, but without a word or any reasoning that moment, Dara sat quietly beside him on the bed as Donghae took her left hand with both his hands and placed her hand under his left cheek. Dara opened to protest but shut it again. She watched how slowly the creased on his forehead eased and his mumblings stopped.

For a few minutes, Dara watched him finally took a sleep. He’s warm. His left hand was under her hand, while his right was holding onto her wrist. And peaceful. Her last thought before looking away to stare at the wall.

Peaceful.

It was a word she didn’t think of using before as she couldn’t remember if she ever felt what’s it like to be at peace. Quiet. That she knew what it was like.

She glanced back at Donghae again.

But somehow there’s something different whenever he’s around.

And she stared back quietly at the wall again.

It was two in the afternoon when Donghae woke up again. He stirred to his right, stretching his body for a bit. He still felt weak, but he couldn’t feel any pain anymore. His eyes opened and looked at the balcony. He had three seconds before realizing that there was someone sitting beside him on the bed. He looked to his left, and saw Dara still sitting there. He was about to ask her what she was doing there when he remembered his words a while ago.

Please. Stay.

Don’t leave me. Jebal.

Dara turned her head to him, without saying a word. Donghae pulled up himself to sit. He could feel a different heat incoming. Why did I tell those words to her? He swore he looked like a kid pleading for his mother’s presence.

He was about to apologize when Dara spoke. “Kiko came a while ago. She gave you a shot on the arm. It’ll help you feel better and be immune to even stronger viruses.”

“Oh.” Donghae glanced at his arm and saw a band aid on it.

“You’ve been sleeping for 9 hours. You need to eat.” She told him again. “I’ll call people to assist you.” She meant other blackbloods who are working in The Lair, doing different chores. In Lost Anima, you cannot have outsiders working for you. They might look maids or even garden trimmers at first glance, but they are full-pledged blackbloods who had years of training to protect the Zeniths and use their skills and weapons whenever necessary.

“It’s okay.” He said as he looked back at her. “T-Thank you for staying here.” He gulped. “With me.”

Dara simply bowed at that. “It’s my duty. You don’t need to thank me for that.” She replied without any hint of emotion. “I’ll call people to prepare your meal. Also, you need to drink the medicine on the coffee table.” She paused. “You can stand, right?”

“Yes. Yes.” He nodded quickly, not wanting to look weak anymore in front of her. He didn’t know why, but he just didn’t want to. “I’m really feeling better now.”

“Is that so?”

“Deh. Kamsahamnida.”

Dara glanced down on the hand that hasn’t left hers, then looked at him again. “Will you let go of my hand now?”

Donghae didn’t understand that at first, but another embarrassment poured in him as he looked down on his bed and saw his hand still clinging to hers. As if a snake bit him, Donghae let go of her hand and put both hands to his lap. “M-mianhe. I . . .”

Dara didn’t reply to that and just bowed. As she closed the door to his room, he made a few stretches on her left arm as it definitely felt numb.

Donghae lied down again, covering himself with the comforter again. Are you crazy? He’s mentally scolding himself, as his face heated up under the covers. Her could still feel her warmth on his hand.  Crazy. Suddenly, a thought came into his mind. He threw the cover again away from his face, as he looked at the ceiling. “Have I held her hand for 9 hours?” He tilted his head to the right. “She did not really leave?”

“She hasn’t come.” He looked at the clock again in his own living room. It was already 10 a.m. He had finished taking a bath and had eaten his breakfast that was delivered in his room. He was ready for the training that day, although he was still coughing from time to time. “Aren’t we gonna train today?” He asked himself, as he walked towards the door. Donghae was on his gray tracksuit and white rubber shoes. He opened the door and stopped. His eyes fell on the woman behind it.

Dara looked at him from head to toe. “Where are you going?”

Donghae pursed his lips to answer, but his eyes wandered around as he tried to think about the answer too. Yeah. Where am I going? He couldn’t think of the answer, so he just asked her a question. “Are we going to train today?”

“Yes. Follow me. Daesung is already waiting for you.” Dara replied. The two began walking down the mansion’s long staircases. Dara heard him coughing. She knew he was trying to stop it, but the trace of yesterday’s sickness was still there. They reached the first floor, when Dara stopped and turned to look at him.

Donghae felt conscious. “Wae?”

Dara noticed the weakness in his eyes and he still looked a bit flushed. Dara took her phone and made a call. “Daesung.” She spoke. “Leader will not train today.” She paused as he spoke in the line. “Yeah. Okay.”

Donghae creased his brows at that. He gave her a confused look. “I thought . . .”

“You should rest.”

“But-”

“Just one kick on your face, and I’m pretty sure you won’t be able to get up.” She said without any care.

He knew he felt weak because of the fever yesterday, but he couldn’t just accept that comment. He felt insulted after believing he really had improved a lot.  “That’s a lie. I can still take you on a one on-”

“Just go back to your room.” She ordered.

Donghae sighed. “But I feel like I’m going to be sick more if I were confined in that room. I cannot breathe.” He complained to her.

“You are in no condition to fight today. It will be just a waste of time.” She said bluntly.

Donghae did not retort to that anymore. He exhaled as he looked up the staircases, thinking his regal prison. If he could be honest, the room really suffocate him. It was spacious, grandiose and all, but still he felt imprisoned by it. By the Lair. By Lost Anima. By fate.

Dara watched his expression changed into disappointment. She turned her back on him and inhaled deeply. She took her phone again and dialed someone. “Get the car.” She ordered. “Leader is going out.”

Donghae widened his eyes at her. “Mwo?” I’m going out? I can finally go out? “Sincha?”

“Just a few hours.” She replied, without looking back at him. “You said you’re sick of your room.”

Before Dara could walk away, Donghae jumped in front of her as if she was a genie he found in the bottom of hell. “Sincha?!” His face was about to rip with that smile. “You’re not kidding, right?” He pointed a finger at her.

Dara found him and Minho really world’s apart. “Just follow me, before I change my mind.” Dara went past him. Donghae made a punch to the air in excitement as he turned and ran to follow the woman.

“Waaaaaah.” Donghae had his head turning from left to right ever since he got down from the car. The two had been walking the busy streets of Gangnam for two hours already. Donghae was walking in the front, while Dara followed him quietly from behind. She observed how carefree he really was. He looked like a kid in the carnival. “You don’t see these things in Mokpo.” He was now standing in front of a huge electronic billboard. “Daebak.”

They had lunch in Giannis Nappoli, an Italian restaurant in Gangnam. Donghae kept on saying that he’d pay for the meal when he gets his backpack from Mokpo. Although he really doubts that it would be enough with the meal that he had eaten. Dara ordered him food that never in his life he had heard of.

He didn’t understand why Dara was so far away from his table. They ate separately. His table was in the VIP area, while she chose to be in the corner. If he could choose, he’d rather eat there as well. The people around that area loo