Key and Taemin were seated in the library with me, each staring at a book that was open in front of him. Key was scribbling notes across a note page in front of him, and I knew he had long ago figured out what I was searching for. Taemin, on the other hand, had a dictionary open in his lap, and he had barely written anything in his shaky, childlike handwriting. He looked frustrated, and I knew it was only a matter of time before the waterworks came into play.

“Tae?” I said softly. He looked up quickly, then his mouth fell open and his eyes fell back on the page as he tried desperately to find where he had left off. I pushed aside my own stack of notes and the book I had been working out of, then went to stand behind Taemin. “I think it’s time for a break. What do you think, Key?”

“I’m fine.” He said, waving us off absently. Taemin’s head bowed, and I tapped Key’s arm with the back of my hand. He glanced up and understanding dawned. “Actually...I’m pretty hungry. Let’s take a break.”

I reached down, lifting the dictionary out of Taemin’s lap. Taemin looked horribly upset at the whole thing, and I slowly pulled him out of the seat he was in. He looked like he wanted to keep reading, but I knew he wasn’t getting very far. He wasn’t just a slow reader - he was bad at it, too. He would find a word he didn’t know, then go to the dictionary to see what it meant, then look up one or two of the words in the definition, then go back to the sentence he was working on. It took him almost an hour to finish a paragraph, and I knew it was upsetting him.

We went into the kitchen and looked over some take out menus, before I finally ordered over the phone. Taemin was staring out into the back yard, and Key had returned to the library to keep reading. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the one who found the information I was looking for, but in the meantime Taemin needed a break. I propped him up in the counter, and he leaned against me as I saw that Minho and Onew had made their way through two of the deep holes I would need in the back yard.

Taemin squirmed slightly, then wrapped his arms around me. I pressed my face into his hair to get a whiff of the scent, and a moment later I heard a loud knock at the door. I knew it was too soon for the food to arrive, and that set me on edge. I pulled Taemin down off of the counter quickly, and set him on the floor. He looked nervous, and I could understand the feeling.

“Go get Key, go back into his room, and don’t leave that room until I come for you. Understand?” I asked. He nodded, turning and bolting for the library. I heard them moved into the other room quickly, and headed toward the door where the knocking had returned. I pulled it open, surprised to see my father standing with a dark boy. “What do you want now?”

“Tone, Jonghyun.” My father reprimanded. “I came to see how things were going, and offer you a little incentive. Though, it would appear you decided to listen for once.”

I remained silent, and he shook his head. He turned around, grabbing the boy’s arm and shoving him into the doorway. I stepped back so he wouldn’t hit me. My father glanced out at Minho and Onew, who were working hard, and looked slightly afraid. He smiled, that awful smile he had, and looked back at me.

“You’re not afraid of them running?” He asked. I shook my head, and he shrugged. “Well, this one’s for you. I can’t remember his name, but I’m sure you’ll coddle it right out of him. Physically, he’s pretty strong, but he’s not as outspoken as the ones you have now. It should be easier for you to control just one, in any case. Use him for everything. If you work him too hard, then I’ll get you another.”

“I don’t want him.” I said, my voice hard. My father shrugged.

“He’s a gift. I’ll be back in a few days to make sure you actually followed through.” He said, a warning smile on his lips. He waved, then turned to leave. I watched him go all the way to his car, then get in and drive off, and I turned to the new boy in my charge.

“Let me guess. He wants you to report back to him, doesn’t he?” I asked. He swallowed, and nodded shakily. “Here’s my question - are you going to do it?”

“H-he said I have to.” He said, looking like he didn’t know what to do. I sighed, shaking my head.

“That’s the thing, though, isn’t it? You obey one master.” I said. “Either you obey him, or you obey me. He’s having me kill my lot right now because I was too kind to them. I let them sleep in beds, and watch television, and I gave them days off to relax. Which master do you want to obey?”

“Y-you let them have time off?” He asked, his eyes wide. I nodded, and he glanced around, as though making sure no one was listening. “He wants me to make sure you actually kill them. After that...he just told me to listen to you.”

“I’m sure you’re familiar with lying.” I said, and he bowed his head. I rolled my eyes, looking out the door again. “Minho! Onew! Come here!”

I watched as they jumped in surprise, then set their shovels down and started coming closer on shaky legs. When they made it to the door, the gardener tripped, and I reached out to catch him before he hit the floor. He smiled gratefully as he caught his balance again, and I let him go.

“Go clean up. I ordered take out, so you should probably hurry.” I said, and they nodded, looking at the newcomer warily. “Don’t worry about him. He’s a ‘gift’ from my father.”

“What’s his name?” Onew asked, his eyes never leaving the boy.

“Ch-Chansun.” He said, his arms tightening around himself. “But everyone calls me Joon.”

“Joon it is.” I said, looking back at him. “Do you know how to read?”

He tensed up slightly, and shook his head. Onew looked over at me, surprise clear on his face. I shrugged, and he looked back at Joon.

“Then you’ll have to help them dig after lunch.” I said, then turned my gaze to Onew. “Show him your room. He’s going to stay with you.”

“Yes sir.” Onew said, motioning for Joon to follow him as he headed back toward his room. Minho had officially taken to staying with Key, and I had Taemin back with me, so I didn’t see any real issue leaving those two together.

I was about to head down the hall to collect Taemin and Key when I heard another knock on the recently closed door. I rolled my eyes, turning around and pulling it open, money in hand. It was going to be a long day, I could already tell.

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A/N: I feel bad that it's taken me so long to actually post this. I've had awful writers block recently, and I just forced that out, so if it's crap, I'm sorry.