She's a Keeper

The Brothers Kim
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"Your Majesty!"

Jimin looked up from his desk, blurry-eyed and exhausted. "What is it, Advisor Kim?"

It was still early in the morning but Jimin was already in front of his desk, going through the imperial edicts that needed his approval. He was almost three-quarters of the way down one stack when his brother-in-law suddenly brought him back to reality.

"I have news of the Waekugin!" Minseok said in a flurry, his feline eyes wide and somewhat alarmed.

Jimin shifted in his seat in response. Anything related to the Waekugin always warranted his unsolicited attention.

Once Minseok had caught his breath, he resumed, "Your Majesty" he began, and he swallowed nervously, "they have arrived."

Jimin's eyes flickered.

Seeing his grave expression, Minseok continued, "Unfortunately, one of them has fallen ill. They are resting in my cousin's sanatorium as we speak."

"One of them is sick?"

"Yes," Minseok affirmed.

"How long have they been under the care of your cousin? News like this should have been reported to me immediately!"

"I apologise," Minseok mournfully replied. "We did not receive word of the Waekugin's arrival until recently. The ambassador insisted that they rest first before meeting with Your Majesty."

Jimin let out a long breath as he composed himself. "How are they?" he enquired, worry replacing the agitation that was surging through his being.

"After much observation, my cousin has confirmed that one of the men is suffering from cholera. It seems that the unsanitary practices in destitute areas near the Galsaek river have led to his unfortunate sickness."

"We should get him proper help immediately" Jimin suggested while fiddling with his ink brush. "The Waekugin are our guests. We cannot have them suffer and accuse us of inadequate hospitality."

Minseok nodded in agreement. "I will send someone to him immediately." He was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, and Your Majesty?"

Jimin glanced up from his papers once more.

"Please be careful when you go on your excursions to the village" Minseok warned. "I must confess that it unnerves me whenever you leave the palace with so little security."

"Zeren is more than enough security" Jimin responded dismissively. "You need not worry."

"I do not doubt your body guard's ability at all" Minseok quickly replied. "Forgive me if that is how it sounded." He eyed Jimin as he revealed, "What I am more concerned about is Your Majesty's health. The Waekugin gentleman was able to catch cholera from his travels. From what my cousin has told me, this plague is contagious, and it has the most undesirable symptoms should one be unfortunate enough to acquire it..."

~*~

Through the foggy window of the storage house, Jimin eyed the sanatorium. It was a shoddy building that was in desperate need of repair as prominent cracks decorated its pillars like tiny fissures on the walls. Jimin's lips formed a tight line the longer he deliberated on the fact that one of the Waekugin, his esteemed guests, was being hospitalised in an environment more befitting of a peasant.

The thought alone made him blush.

I hope that the royal physicians have come to visit him already, he mused as he distractedly distributed the loaves of bread to the vagabonds. This will reflect badly on the kingdom if one of the diplomats perish under our hospitality.

"Chim Chim?"

Jimin snapped out of his reverie as he directed his attention to the sound of a feminine voice. He had been so immersed in his thoughts of the Waekugin that he hadn't realised who was in front of him. A frown tugged at his lips when he saw who it was.

"What?" he replied curtly.

Gyuri nervously fiddled with her sleeve. "Can I- can I talk to you?"

After distributing the last of his loaves, Jimin leaned back against the wall while regarding her with suspicion. He didn't know why he always acted so coldly towards Gyuri. When he was with Mayu, he didn't mind her presence at all. But with Gyuri... There was just something about her that made him feel he had to always stay on guard.

"About what?"

"Erm..." she mumbled. "I- I guess I just wanted to chat with you. Get to know you more."

Jimin arched his brow at her response.

"You come to the soup kitchen so frequently" Gyuri pointed out. "And you even help out when you don't need to." She scratched her head as she continued to remark, "And I guess it's strange that we've never really had the chance to talk."

Jimin remained quiet as he stared at the young maid.

"So..." Gyuri said, her voice losing confidence, "do you wanna... talk?"

"If you have time to talk" Jimin answered coldly, "then you have time to work instead." He was about to walk away when he spotted Zeren glaring at him from the other end of the storage house.

What? Jimin mouthed.

Zeren's face morphed into an unimpressed expression as he leered at Jimin. It appears he had been watching them from afar. Talk to her! Zeren mouthed back.

I do not want to.

Zeren's eyebrows arched even higher. Don't forget our challenge, his gaze said.

Jimin scowled.

I've been keeping my end of the deal, Zeren signalled by emphasising the distance between himself, Pho and Gyuri with his arms. So, you should keep yours. He jutted his chin out as if to point at Gyuri, who had started to retreat. Talk to her!

Jimin rubbed his neck as he reluctantly cleared his throat to catch Gyuri's attention. "On second thought..."

Gyuri peered at him.

"We should- we should talk" he stuttered. Begrudgingly, he added, "You are right. Even though I have been coming to the soup kitchen frequently, I have not had much of an opportunity to talk with you."

Gyuri smiled, taking Jimin by surprise. It was the same smile that, unknown to him, made his heart flutter ever so slightly. "Great, then, erm..." Gyuri searched the storage room for inspiration. "What should we, er, talk about?"

Internally, Jimin groaned, I really do not want to do this... But as much as he disliked talking to women, his unbroken streak of accomplished challenges was something he took pride in. For Jimin, breaking it because of a woman would be his greatest tragedy. "I do not know" he grumbled. "You suggested it, so you pick a topic."

Gyuri furrowed her brows at his unenthusiastic tone. "Fine then" she retorted. "Why don't we start with something easy?" She folded her arms across her chest as she brazenly demanded, "Tell me about your childhood."

Jimin matched Gyuri's impudent stare. "There is nothing interesting to say."

"Sure, there is" she coerced, "I mean, you grew up with monks, right? Why don't you tell me more about them?"

"How did you know I grew up with monks? I never told you that."

"I heard from Zeren" Gyuri carelessly divulged.

Jimin frowned as he quickly shot daggers at Zeren's turned back. "I see..." He met eyes with Gyuri again before questioning, "what else did he tell you about me?"

With a sly smile, Gyuri replied, "He told me that you're as stubborn as a mule. You're also witty when you want to be and..." Gyuri's voice trailed off and Jimin gaped at her expectantly.

"And?" he prompted.

"And..." Gyuri began but then just smiled. "The third thing he told me is confidential."

Jimin was perplexed.

"It's nothing bad, I promise you" Gyuri reassured him, but her unflattering grin was anything but comforting. She leaned in closely as she teased, "But I gotta say, you have a good eye. She's definitely a keeper."

"She?" Jimin repeated, even more puzzled. "What are you talking about? Who is she?"

Gyuri backed away and refused to say anything more on the topic much to Jimin's dismay. Instead, she shifted the conversation onto something else. "I've always wondered, what's it like working in the palace?"

Reluctantly, Jimin replied, "It is... interesting to the say the least." He pinched his nose bridge as he was suddenly reminded of the mountain of papers that he needed to read before meeting with the Waekugin consul. Thinking about it made his head hurt.

"R

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LaurelEvermore
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Comments

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PaigePaige #1
Chapter 60: Wahhhhh
leetaehee #2
Chapter 60: Thank you so much author nim. Hope you come back soon. I'll be waiting for your great writing.
leetaehee #3
Chapter 59: Yeay. I'm really excited for what's in store. Please update soon. Your story is great!
kookie11 #4
Chapter 59: the way that my heart broke in this chapter :') </3
leetaehee #5
Chapter 58: An update. Finally!! Hope you have pleasant time, but please don't stop updating for too long.
maizaux #6
Chapter 58: Finally, an update! I've been waiting for this. Thank you. Hopefully your hiatus won't be long. Can't wait for things to progress.
nancynuggets
#7
Chapter 58: Hope all is well!! Will be waiting patiently!!! <3<3<3<3<3
leetaehee #8
Hope you are in good health. Please update soon author-nim. I'm rereading your story again. Can't wait to know what will happen ?
TofuMafia
#9
Chapter 57: I love this story... But I'm going to cry TT_TT Please don't let this be a tragedy!
leetaehee #10
Chapter 57: You update! I've been waiting for your story since you posted the date on your Instagram. It's really an interesting chapter. Hope you have wonderful time Author-nim. I really can't wait what will happen to Gyuri. Just so you know I really stan Gyuri and Chim. Hope they end up together.