Main pair: Mashikyu (Mashiho & Junkyu)

 

Genre: action, drama, angst, fluff

 

Rate: M (for violence)

 

Description: after starting a new life as Kim Junkyu’s personal butler, Mashiho faces a much bigger challenge as he takes the duty to protect the son of the wealthy family from criminals.

 

Main characters: Mashiho, Junkyu

Supporting characters: Hyunsuk, Yedam, Jihoon

Cameo: Jeongwoo, Jaehyuk, Haruto, Doyoung

 

---

 

A/N: here is the bonus for the first story in this collection, The Housekeeper! If you haven’t read it, I suggest you read it first so you won’t be confused. Enjoy the story!

 

---

 

Life as Kim Junkyu’s personal butler was probably the best thing he could ask for. It wasn’t that everything was easy and convenient; protecting the son of a wealthy family became a big challenge when this son’s identity was known to the criminals, also when this son was extremely clumsy, and when the neighborhood security was stricter than ever because of a certain head security who didn’t fool around with his job.

 

“We know that lately there have been a series of criminal activities around where we live. It’s been discovered that these burglars are from one common community, and certainly they are not newbies. Some of them are armed with weapons, possibly have a connection to the police, but this information is still being looked into. They specifically target wealthy households and elite neighborhoods like ours. I’m afraid that they have members who live in this neighborhood, because even with our detailed security check at all three entrances, another burglary happened last night. It’s hard to keep watch on every house because we don’t have enough people, so it’s advised that you provide yourselves extra protection.

 

Please also be careful outside the neighborhood because they may do harmful things out there, since our security doesn’t allow them to do that freely here anymore. We will do our best to keep everyone’s safety.

 

Sincerely,

Choi Hyunsuk

Head Security”

 

Mashiho had been recalling and practicing all sorts of martial arts he had learned throughout his childhood and teenage years. Seeing him work hard already made Kim family feel secured; unlike Bang family two houses away, who had found their guy, Park Jihoon, rather useless when it came to fighting if it wasn’t verbally. He was witty with his words, but what would that do when he had to stand face-to-face with armed criminals? With that thought in mind, they were looking for another guy to support him.

 

Meanwhile, Kim Junkyu himself didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that he could be in danger as some criminals could break in, hurt him, or even kidnap him out there. He went on with his days like the big goofball he was, not being cautious at the slightest bit even when he was out and about. It had been hard for Mashiho to control him before, when he hadn’t obtained his driving license, but thankfully he had it then so he didn’t have to watch every suspicious-looking people in the subway anymore.

 

On a side note, Mashiho had realized that Junkyu’s family was really wealthier than he had thought the first time he had met the boy. Jihoon had been right about the salary; it was much, much higher than he had ever earned. Every month, he sent eighty percent of his salary to his family in Japan, and kept the rest twenty percent for his own basic needs and wants. Since the Korean family always fed him well, he would normally use the money to buy clothes. So, Mashiho was then a handsome and fashionable butler.

 

It was college summer break when Junkyu and Mashiho arrived at the airport, after travelling together to Japan to visit the butler’s family as well as a Japanese friend of Junkyu’s, called Noa. Junkyu had quickly grown close to the Japanese family as if he was a part of them. Coming back with many presents from Mashiho’s mother and aunt, Junkyu had to take an extra suitcase with him.

 

“Junkyu hyung, I’m going to get the car. Keep watch on the suitcases, okay? I’ll be quick,” Mashiho said, answered by a nod and a child-like smile.

 

“Okay!” Junkyu gave a thumb up. As soon as Mashiho disappeared, he took out his phone and began to get busy replying messages, and then moved on to check his social media to the point that he became too engrossed in giggling at memes.

 

A moment later, a black sedan stopped in front of him and Mashiho came out, proceeding to put the suitcases in the trunk with his help.

 

“Wait, hyung… Something’s missing.” Mashiho froze when he realized something. “There are only two suitcases. Where’s another one?” Both boys looked around and began to panic when they couldn’t spot the said suitcase.

 

“It-It was here just now!” Junkyu said, clutching on his head. “Ahh, my suitcase is gone! All my clothes and perfumes are in there!”

 

“Get in the car, hyung.” Mashiho shut the trunk and suddenly dashed away like a little cheetah, causing Junkyu to drop his mouth open in surprise.

 

Meanwhile, the butler’s eyes were set on a certain grey suitcase with a huge koala face and cute hamster stickers on it, being dragged away by a tall guy in a black hoodie and a black mask. The closer he was to the guy, the clearer the view he got of the suitcase, and he was dead sure of it now.

 

That’s the suitcase. The stickers and the dent in the bottom left corner, I can’t be mistaken. How am I going to take it back?

 

“Hey, stop right there!” he yelled. The black hoodie guy who had been walking calmly turned his head back, and when he saw the fierce hamster run towards him, he began to run as well.

 

So we can’t do it nicely. Okay then. Mashiho picked up his pace. Noticing that the thief was running towards a motorcyle, the butler didn’t hesitate one second to slide across the floor and tackle the man by the legs, sending him crashing down to the floor. Ladies around them shrieked at the sudden action, and they were quickly surrounded by security guards.

 

“What’s going on here?” One of the guards asked.

 

“Help, sir! This guy attacked me and tried to steal my suitcase!” The black hoodie guy put on an act while being pinned down by the small butler.

 

Mashiho snorted. “That’s a petty way to get out of it.” When the guards came closer to pull him away, Mashiho said, “Hold on! I believe that this suitcase belongs to my boss and this guy has stolen it just now. If he really owns the suitcase, make him unlock it.”

 

Quietly the guards stepped away from the butler. “Sir, please try to unlock the suitcase,” one guard said to the black hoodie guy, while the others grabbed a hold of him as he proceeded to do so.

 

The tall guy looked extremely nervous trying a random combination of numbers. And, as expected, it was the wrong combination.

 

“See? Now, let me try to open it,” Mashiho said.

 

They gave a way for him, and on the first try, the key was unlocked.

 

“Take this guy,” a guard handed the thief to the other guards.

 

“No, wait, I didn’t have a choice! I ran out of money!” The guy began to thrash around as they carried him away.

 

“I apologize for the inconvenience,” the guard apologized to Mashiho. “However, that was a very brave move. He could have brought a weapon, so a direct attack was dangerous. Please ask for our help next time.”

 

“No problem, Sir. Thank you for your help.” Mashiho bowed and smiled politely before returning to the car with the suitcase.

 

When Mashiho entered the car, Junkyu greeted with a guilty pout, shrinking in the front seat.

 

“I’m sorry.” He scratched the back of his ear like a little boy.

 

Mashiho sighed. “Hyung, you must learn to be more cautious with your surroundings. Okay? This isn’t the first time I say this. We’re just lucky that the thief hadn’t gone far.”

 

Junkyu bowed his head like a scolded puppy as his butler drove the car out the airport. Their trip back home was spent in silence.

 

However, when they stopped at a red light, Junkyu looked at the boy next to him and placed a hand on his thigh to get his attention.

 

“…Thank you for getting my suitcase back, Mashi. You’re really the best. I wouldn’t know what to do without you.”

 

Mashiho couldn’t help but smile at the sincerity in his sad, guilty tone.

 

“Sometimes I wish I could protect you too,” the older boy continued, “You’re smaller and younger, but stronger and braver than me.”

 

“Protect me by protecting yourself, hyung.” A soft smile formed on Mashiho’s lips. Sometimes the Korean boy’s clumsiness really got on his nerves, but he couldn’t deny that he treasured his precious boss so much that he wanted to protect him because of his own will, not because he was paid to do so.

 

Junkyu wrapped his arms around his little heroic hamster in a quick embrace just to pull back immediately. The traffic light turned green, and the butler stepped on the gas pedal with a grin on his face.

 

---

 

Yedam, Junkyu, and their butlers had all their attention on the neighborhood head security. All five of them were gathering at Yedam’s house that Sunday afternoon, chilling in the front yard, having a serious talk over a fresh summer drink that Jihoon had learned to make.

 

“So they didn’t only manage to turn off the alarm somehow, but also broke the gate easily. I have no idea what tools they used. The metal looked like a carrot chopped by a knife! They kidnapped the daughter of the house and held her hostage demanding a huge amount of money. I heard her parents had prepared the ransom money, but I’m not sure how they’re going to exchange the girl with the money. It’s dangerous even with police’s help. They could end her any second.”

 

Instinctively Mashiho had his arm stretched out to the side, where Junkyu was sitting, all the while Hyunsuk was telling them about the recent case that had just happened in a different elite neighborhood nearby. It was about another child of a wealthy family who had gotten kidnapped. The butler’s protective side came out easily, and it wasn’t left unnoticed by the others.

 

“Jihoon-ssi, please learn a bit from Mashiho,” Yedam said, looking restless.

 

“Huh? Me?” Jihoon pointed at himself, confused as to why his boss suddenly mentioned him. He looked at Mashiho, and then back at Yedam again. Dragging his chair closer to the latter, he copied Mashiho’s gesture, reaching his arm out in front of his boss as if covering him from danger.

 

“Ugh. Should I be afraid for my life?” Yedam pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, while the other three males laughed at them.

 

“I won’t be afraid as long as I have Mashiho,” Junkyu said, hugging Mashiho’s arm. “If those bad people manage to get in, Mashiho will suddenly appear and flykick their asses out. Wooo-ooOO-waahh!” He waved his arms around and made random kungfu noises, making the others laugh. “Wa-taaah!”

 

“I don’t make those noises.” Mashiho faceplamed and laughed.

 

“What would you do, Jihoon-ssi?” Yedam asked.

 

“I would…” Jihoon rubbed his chin and tried to imagine the situation. “Maybe serve some drinks. Poisoned drinks, that is. Set a trap by making it look pretty and fresh in the kitchen. They will feel thirsty and drink it. Then when it kicks in, I’ll call you, Hyunsuk babe. And you will send your people with some weapons. They’ll be too weak to fight back.” Jihoon finished explaining his strategy with a proud smile. “It doesn’t always have to use muscles.” He tapped his head with his index finger.

 

“What if they don’t even touch the drink?” Hyunsuk asked.

 

Jihoon shrugged. “Easy. I’ll pour some sulfuric acid on them from upstairs and ruin their already ugly faces. Don’t worry, I’m all prepared. Boss Yedam, for your own safety, please don’t touch the bottles in my room.”

 

The other four males had no idea how to react. The sly look on Jihoon’s face made it look like he could make a bomb if he wanted to.

 

“Glad that you’re not on the bad side,” Hyunsuk said, “we’re screwed if we have to deal with your witty .”

 

“Of course not. I’m all by your side, baby.” Jihoon winked, and Yedam, Junkyu, and Mashiho had to hold Hyunsuk from grabbing their drink and splashing it on the cheeky butler’s face.

 

“I have to go back to my post now,” Hyunsuk said, “but before that, please have these.”

 

The head security took out two white boxes from his bag and handed them to the butlers.

 

“What is this? An alarm?” Jihoon observed the box. “Don’t we have it already?”

 

“It’s a special emergency alarm,” Hyunsuk began to explain, “You can stick the device outside your house. It works in a different way. The alarms you have right now will go off if it detects any movement and body heat, but since apparently now the criminals have a way to switch them off from the outside, my team has come up with this. This new alarm will go off only if you activate it yourself.” Hyunsuk took out a small two-button remote control from Jihoon’s box.

 

“If you press the red button, the alarm will go off. It’s so damn loud that the whole neighborhood can hear it. That’s why you must put the device outside, not inside the house, otherwise your eardrums will pop. When an alarm goes off, our tracker will show which house it is. We’re giving these alarms to all houses. Remember, use it for actual emergency only, because our men will come immediately.”

 

“Can I use it when I crave you?” Jihoon asked the security guard, “it’s an emergency to me.”

 

“I’ll get you kicked out from the neighborhood, Jihoon-ssi. Everyone won’t mind,” Hyunsuk answered with his sweetest smile, making Jihoon crack an awkward grin. The guard then bid goodbye and went back on his duty.

 

“Hey Mochi, do you think we’re gonna have to use it?” Jihoon asked.

 

“I would use it if I were you,” Junkyu said, nervously tapping his lips. “It’s the fastest way to get help.”

 

“I’ll use it only if it’s really urgent and there’s nothing I can do,” Mashiho said, “but I’ll keep it around just in case. Instead of looking forward to when we have to use it, let’s hope that these people will get caught before they can harm this neighborhood again.”

 

The other three guys nodded agreeing to his statement. They fell silent sinking in their troubled minds.

 

“But Junkyu hyung,” Mashiho said again, “I promise you. If danger ever comes, I will protect you with all my life… because you’ve changed my life. I live a happy and meaningful life because of you. If it weren’t for you, I would still be cleaning hotel rooms right now.”

 

Mashiho’s sincere, adorable smile caused something to stir in Junkyu’s chest that he had to squeeze his little hamster to relieve that feeling.

 

“Whooaa! That sweet talk. He’s learned well from me.” Jihoon shrugged and clapped his hands, looking smug.

 

“Don’t credit yourself for what you didn’t do, Jihoon-ssi,” Yedam said while trying not to tear up at the sweet scene unfolding before him.

 

“I love you guys,” Junkyu said out of the blue, “let’s protect each other and be safe.”

 

The group of four shared a hug like Teletubbies until the soft-hearted Yedam began to shed tears. Seeing that, Junkyu laughed and ruffled his younger buddy’s hair.

 

“Aww, cheer up! We’re going to be just fine.”

 

---

 

That Saturday afternoon, Mashiho and Junkyu were giggling and lazing around in the latter’s room after having a nice lunch. Everything in that room was mostly black, which was the owner’s favorite color. The closed curtains and the lights that had been switched off made it even darker, except that the faint sunray could still seep in through the thin fabric of the curtains, and the light coming from the TV allowed the two boys to see each other’s face clearly. The flat screen TV was left on, showing a lengthy sappy drama, but none of the two paid attention to it – they would usually watch news about recent crimes, but strangely, it had been three weeks that the rich households in the city were left peaceful and free of any criminal activities.

 

Their eyes and smiles were directed towards each other as they lay on their sides facing each other, with their heads propped up in their hands.

 

“Would you sleep here again tonight?” Junkyu asked with a naughty grin.

 

“Why? My room has been unoccupied for a week now.” Mashiho chuckled. “Your dad even asked me why I didn’t sleep in my own room downstairs.”

 

“Really?” Junkyu’s eyebrows went up and his mouth fell open. “What did you tell him?”

 

“I told him you couldn’t sleep without me.” Mashiho’s wink and cheeky smile sent the giant koala guffawing like crazy.

 

“Mashiho! Woah! What did Jihoon teach you?” Laughing, Junkyu got up on his knees and pushed the giggling butler onto his back, shaking him by the shoulders. “You’ve become a cheesy flirt too! How could you do this?”

 

“Don’t you like it?” Mashiho shot a mischievous grin, catching the older boy off guard with his question. “He didn’t teach me anything, it just came to my mind. Maybe I’ve spent too much time around him.”

 

Suddenly the door was opened and the koala’s parents popped their head in.

 

“…Oh, are we interrupting something?” Junkyu’s mom asked, and the two boys became self-conscious of their positions – Junkyu was straddling his butler between his thighs and holding him down by the shoulders.

 

“N-No!” Junkyu scrambled off the younger boy immediately, making it look more suspicious instead. Mashiho sat up and shifted his gaze back and forth between the boy and his parents in confusion.

 

“Ah… Can I help you, ma’am?” Mashiho asked the mistress of the house.

 

“No, it’s okay,” the mother smiled, “we were just going to tell you something. My friend’s daughter is getting married and the wedding is tonight. Junkyu, do you want to come with us?”

 

“No, I’ll stay at home with Mashi.” The son flashed his koala-like smile at the Japanese butler, who also gave him a sweet smile in return.

 

“Are you sure? Even your brother is coming too. It’s at the hotel where Yedamie held his birthday party. The foods were delicious, right?” The mother tried to convince, which failed to change her son’s mind anyway.

 

“I like staying at home,” Junkyu said.

 

“Okay, then. Mashiho, take care of Junkyu and the house, okay? We’re leaving at 5:30, maybe will come back late,” The father said.

 

“Aye aye, Sir,” Mashiho answered with a salute. “Junkyu hyung is safe with me.”

 

“Of course, we never doubt you.” After they had closed the door and left the room, the father whispered, “Don’t you think they’re too close?”

 

“Let them be,” his wife chuckled, “kids will be kids.”

 

Meanwhile, inside the room, Junkyu heaved a sigh of relief.

 

“What is it?” Mashiho chuckled. “You looked nervous.”

 

“They might get the wrong idea seeing us like that.” Junkyu scratched the back of his head.

 

“What wrong idea?” The younger leaned closer, putting on a mischievous teasing look.

 

“You know.” Junkyu laughed. “Don’t look at me like that! It feels weird.”

 

“What kind of weird?”

 

When Mashiho bit his bottom lip, Junkyu lost it and had to push him away playfully. “Don’t do that!” The older cackled, pressing his own cheeks with his palms out of embarrassment.

 

“Why are you like this now?” Mashiho laughed, amused by the other boy’s reaction. “You get embarrassed by little things easily.”

 

“N-No I don’t.” Junkyu grabbed a pillow to hide his face.

 

The Korean boy tensed up when he felt a pair of arms around his body and a head on his shoulder. Came a soft whisper close to his ear, “Let’s take a nap for a bit.”

 

Junkyu wasn’t sure why he had to, but he went to lock the door while the other boy turned off the TV and buried himself in the comfy big bed.

 

“Why did you lock the door?” Mashiho giggled when Junkyu’s face came into his sight, lying down next to him.

 

“So that my parents won’t walk in and get the wrong idea.”

 

“What wrong idea?” Mashiho repeated his question to tease the older boy.

 

As the answer, Junkyu pulled the smaller boy closer and proceeded to cuddle him. “Whatever they may think if they see us like this.”

 

It was Mashiho’s turn to be embarrassed. He sank his reddening face on the older’s broad shoulder to hide his shy smile.

 

Unlike months before, when he had shared a bed with Junkyu for the first time at the hotel, Mashiho was much more comfortable with physical contact now. He even initiated it first sometimes.

 

On a side note, he also wasn’t curious about the friendship Junkyu had with Yedam anymore, as he had seen them sleep together on sleepovers multiple times. Yes, they also had plenty of skinship; apparently hugging in bed was something completely normal to the two childhood friends.

 

Learning that, Mashiho had tried to open up and let Junkyu do that with him as well, which had taken quite a lot of time since the moment he had officially become a butler. And now, it was also starting to be a normal thing between them. Mashiho was like Junkyu’s teddy bear. Or a hamster plushie. One that could giggle when squeezed.

 

“They’ve seen us hug while sleeping before.” Mashiho pulled his head back to see the other’s face, but Junkyu returned his butler’s head back on his shoulder and began to fiddle with his big ear, which he knew was sensitive to touch.

 

“Don’t, hyung.” Mashiho giggled and covered his ear, shaking his head a little because of goosebumps.

 

“Still, just in case I do something else more than hugging you in my sleep.” Junkyu’s chuckle sounded deeper. His hand then moved to the back of Mashiho’s head, softly caressing and massaging his nape, as what he knew could help the little hamster fall asleep faster.

 

As Mashiho drifted off to sleep slowly, he couldn’t help but wonder for the nth time about what was going on in Junkyu’s head. He asked himself, What does he feel and think when he says such ambiguous things? Does he feel absolutely nothing to be this close?

 

On the other hand, Junkyu wondered if Mashiho could hear his heartbeat, or if it was loud in his own ears only. He couldn’t keep its cool, he had no idea why. Holding his small butler had started to feel so different compared to hugging Yedam.

 

Perhaps, it hadn’t really become a normal thing for both of them after all.

 

---

 

Mashiho woke up to a soft knock on the door. The room was much darker as the sun was slowly setting down. After blinking the sleep off his eyes a few times, he realized that his position and Junkyu’s had been switched – Junkyu’s face was buried on his chest, and he found his arm hugging the koala’s head.

 

When he moved a little bit, he finally felt the hand that had sneaked into his shirt, placed on the bare skin of his back.

 

…Right, anyone might get the wrong idea.

 

Carefully, Mashiho slid off the bed and went to open the door. It was one of the maids.

 

“Excuse me, sorry to bother you. We have finished all tasks and we are going to leave soon. You can find dinner prepared in the kitchen, it’s still warm at the moment. Do you need anything else before we leave?” the young lady asked.

 

“No, thank you. Have a safe trip back home.” Mashiho gave a sweet smile that made the maid somewhat shy.

 

“Thank you, Mashiho-ssi. Take care.”

 

After the maid had left, Mashiho the lights in his boss’ bedroom. The sleeping koala didn’t budge, as expected.

 

He looked at the clock on the wall. 5:55. Junkyu’s parents and brother had left for the wedding party.

 

“Junkyu hyung. Wake up, let’s eat.” Mashiho tapped the older’s face lightly. His naughty side then came out and he began to make funny faces out of the sleeping boy, squeezing his cheeks and making his lips pucker. He giggled to himself.

 

Out of the blue, Mashiho remembered the time when he had let Junkyu know about the nightmare he had had back then at the hotel, after Junkyu had told him that the uncomfortable faces he had made actually had been sort of seductive faces. Junkyu had laughed his off knowing his butler had dreamed of such a dangerous scene with him – a child-like reaction that could always be expected from the giant koala.

 

With reddening ears, Mashiho ran his fingers through the older boy’s lush, deep black hair softly, his loving gaze admiring the little features on the handsome sleeping face.

 

“I know you’re awake,” Mashiho said, followed by a sudden crack of laughter. Junkyu’s smiling eyes fluttered open.

 

“How did you know?” Junkyu sat up and rubbed the sleep off his eyes, while the butler tried to fix his boss' messy bed hair.

 

Nevermind, he's handsome like this. Mashiho gave up with the hair. “I’ve watched you sleep so many times, it’s easy to tell the difference.” He struggled to pull the bigger boy out the bed, which was like trying to move a palm tree. “Come on, dinner is ready. We overslept.”

 

As soon as Junkyu was seated in the dining room, Mashiho took the well-prepared food from the kitchen and served it to his young master, neatly placing eating utensils on the napkin next to the dish. He kept his left arm behind his back as he poured some warm tea into Junkyu’s cup and his own.

 

“Thank you, Mashi.” Junkyu thanked the butler with a sweet smile.

 

When they began to eat, small footsteps came, lightly tapping against the floor. A big, black and brown creature with an adorable friendly face appeared by the table with its tongue sticking out. It was the family’s pet dog, a cute yet mighty male Jindo-Husky mix.

 

“Oh, hi Jjanggu!” Junkyu giggled and patted the dog’s head, happy to see his beloved pet whom he had grown up with. It had a scar on its shoulder, one that couldn’t be completely covered by the fur. Seeing it always brought back a bad memory to the owner, as it reminded him of the burglary that had taken place months before. Jjanggu was one brave dog who hadn’t hesitated to attack armed burglars.

 

Since there was no one else other than the three of them in the house, they spent the night flocking up in the living room, watching a romance comedy drama on the huge flat screen TV. They quickly got engrossed in the drama.

 

It was almost 8 PM when Junkyu got a phone call from Yedam.

 

“Hyung, Jihoon and I are going to Doyoung’s house for a sleepover. Do you want to come?”

 

Already too comfortable, Junkyu rejected the invitation. “Maybe next time, Yedamie, I’m staying at home with Mashiho. Have fun, you guys!”

 

Two and a half hours later, the two boys found nothing else that was interesting to watch on TV. Therefore, after spending some more time talking and giggling with each other, they decided to go back to sleep together with Jjanggu joining them in Junkyu’s room.

 

As they fell back asleep with a smile on their faces, none of the two boys sensed the danger that was lurking around the corner.

 

They felt so safe that they left the door unlocked.

 

---

 

“.”

 

Mashiho was pulled back to consciousness when his ear caught the whispered curse word, and yet his eyes remained closed. When the realization hit him, it was as if his heart was struck by thousands of volts; it stopped beating for a second and suddenly starting thumping loud and fast.

 

It certainly wasn’t Junkyu, as it sounded farther than Junkyu’s position right behind him. Not even his parents or his brother – they didn’t curse like that.

 

It could only be one thing…

 

There was an uninvited stranger in the room.

 

Mashiho heard a shuffling sound coming behind him. His back was facing the door, while Junkyu was behind him, backhugging him in his sleep. The butler opened his eyes slowly as he knew the stranger couldn’t see his face in that position. He saw Jjanggu on the floor next to him, also slowly waking up because of the subtle sound. The butler and the dog made an eye contact.

 

Mashiho closed his eyes for two seconds and opened them again. Being the smart dog it was, Jjanggu caught what he meant and pretended to sleep.

 

This person couldn’t have broken in alone… There must be someone else outside.

 

At this point, the butler had two options: continue pretending to be asleep and wait until they left so no one would get harmed, except that they had to lose their stuff; or get up and kick their asses out, as he was obliged to as the protector of the house.

 

However, when he felt the arm around his body slowly being pulled away, he knew there was only one choice left.

 

No way, there’s no way I’m going to let you take Junkyu hyung!

 

All of a sudden, Jjanggu sprang up on four and let out a loud bark as an alarm. In a split second, Mashiho pulled the pillow beneath his own head and turned around reaching out the pillow with both hands, right on time to shield himself from a big dagger that now had penetrated the pillow – its sharp tip just inches away from his face.

 

So you want to kill me first, huh? The butler smirked.

 

“Damn it!” The kidnapper cursed as Mashiho threw the pillow and the dagger aside, rose up and pounced on him like a fierce tiger, sending him down hard on the carpeted floor. The masked guy in black took out a smaller dagger from the pocket of his cargo pants, but Mashiho was faster to catch and twist his wrist, successfully snatching the weapon that he then placed on the side of the kidnapper’s neck as a threat. The dog joined in and attacked with a deep bite on the man’s thigh, not letting go to the point that blood started seeping through the fabric of his pants.

 

All the while the scuffle was taking place, Junkyu remained soundly asleep on the edge of the bed.

 

“Let go! You little !” The man grunted in pain. “I’m not alone, just you see, we’re gonna finish you!”

 

Mashiho was aware that after the dog had barked, whoever it was outside the room must be alarmed now. They had weapons. He knew he had to be witty and quick after finishing this one.

 

But Mashiho didn’t want to kill anyone. So he slammed his opponent’s head hard against the floor to knock him out, then bent the man’s leg in a sharp angle until he heard a crack, breaking it to make sure he wouldn’t be able to move when he came back to consciousness.

 

Hyunsuk hyung. At last Mashiho remembered that he could ask for help. However, when he flew his gaze to Junkyu’s desk where their phones were supposed to be, he only found Junkyu’s there.

 

Gosh, I left my phone in my room!

 

The butler ran to get his boss’ phone, unlocked it easily with the password he knew well and proceeded to call the neighborhood’s head security.

 

There was no answer. Hyunsuk’s phone was inactive and the call was sent into voice mail.

 

Damn, Hyunsuk hyung, where are you? Unable to think clearly, Mashiho tried to dial the number once again and snatched the big dagger stabbed on the pillow before dragging the man out of the room.

 

“Jjanggu, guard Junkyu hyung!”

 

As soon as he stepped out the room, he was immediately faced with another opponent.

 

Seeing his unconscious partner, the bulky criminal growled in anger as he grabbed the butler by the neck, pushing him back into the bedroom. The big guy noticed the phone in Mashiho’s hand that was still trying to reach Hyunsuk – he snatched it and slammed it into pieces.

 

“Jjanggu, stay!” Mashiho commanded before the dog could leave Junkyu’s side.

 

Is it even possible not to kill at this point?

 

The butler slashed the dagger that he had hidden behind his back hard across the burglar’s arm, causing him to yell in pain and let go of his neck. In that mere second Mashiho opened the door and sent a powerful kick in the man’s gut tossing him out. Jjanggu ran from his spot to attack, and once the big powerful dog had managed to pin the man down with its teeth in the neck, the butler took the key out from its hole and locked Junkyu’s door from the outside.

 

I’m sorry, hyung, I’ll protect you.

 

“There they are!” A guy’s yell came from downstairs.

 

Oh no. Not seeing any other choices, Mashiho grabbed the big guy in a headlock and broke his already bloody neck in a snap. He out in an instant.

 

Two masked men in black then marched their way up the stairs to get the butler, with daggers in their hands.

 

“Jjanggu, let’s not get hurt, okay?” Mashiho said before jumping towards the men on the stairs, sending a strong flykick that managed to toss them back rolling down the stairs – and yet the butler himself fell on the wrong position and landed on his back after rolling all the way down. Feeling a sharp pain in his left shoulder, he forced his sore body to get up and face the burglars.

 

“Damn it, you didn’t say this house had a Bruce Lee!” One of the two yelled at his partner, cussing because of the pain.

 

“Now is not the right time to be a puss!” The smaller yet bolder one of the two charged forward with the blade in his hand.

 

Hurts. Trying to ignore the pain, Mashiho kicked his leg up high in the air and swung it hitting the weapon off the man’s hand, grabbed him by the arm and leg and proceeded to slam him down hitting the other guy. The small butler ran to pick up the dagger and pointed the weapon at his opponents, who were still squirming in pain on the floor.

 

In the midst of the chaos, all of a sudden Mashiho remembered something.

 

The emergency alarm.

 

I have the remote control in my room! Mashiho turned his head towards the door several meters behind him.

 

Without thinking twice, the butler sprinted towards his room. His injury was making it harder for him, he needed help.

 

“He’s running away, get him!”

 

“Aarghhh!” Mashiho fell down and shouted in pain as a small blade pierced through the skin and flesh of his thigh. Seeing that, Jjanggu ran down the stairs and attacked the burglars from behind. The dog went wild out of anger, growling and snarling, barking loudly at the blade pointed at its face.

 

“Jjanggu, stay back!” Mashiho commanded, but the dog didn’t listen. The butler let out another cry in pain as he pulled out the dagger from the back of his thigh, struggled to push himself up onto his feet and drag himself to his room.

 

To the butler’s dismay, the smaller burglar of the two caught him and began to shower him with punches. Despite still being able to fight back, he was getting too weak and forcing his body to move only worsened his injury. At this point he was fighting only to keep his opponent from snatching the blade he had dropped after falling down, while the dog was holding the other man – who seemed to be more of a coward – from coming closer to the butler.

 

Mashiho knew that if the weapon fell into the burglar’s hand, he was done for.

 

Meanwhile, in his room upstairs, Junkyu stirred in his sleep. The continuous barking sound had finally managed to enter his ears, waking up the rest of his senses. His eyes eventually fluttered open.

 

“…Mashi?” Finding the spot next to him empty, Junkyu sat up and flew his gaze around the room. “Jjanggu?” Why is Jjanggu barking outside?

 

And then the boy turned pale in shock. His eyes bulged out and his mouth fell wide open at the sight of red stain on his carpet. ‘B-Blood?!” He let out a loud gasp when he also found his phone scattered in pieces. “My phone!” And when he turned his head to the other side, he saw his pillow that had been torn in the middle. “W-What the heck??!”

 

The lanky boy jumped off his bed and ran to his door, but found it locked when he tried to open it. The key was no longer there.

 

“No… No! Mashi! Mashiho!! What’s happening out there??” He began to bang his fists on the door. “Open the door! Who’s out there?!”

 

When he heard Jjanggu’s bark turning into a loud whine, followed by Mashiho’s loud cry in pain, Junkyu slammed his fist harder against the door. “Nooo! Don’t hurt Mashi and Jjanggu! Stop!”

 

The boy ended up sliding down to the floor, helplessly sobbing for his beloved friend and his dog.

 

No, I must get out of here. Mashi has protected me, now I must to protect him too.

 

In his blurry sight, Junkyu saw his only way out: the balcony.

 

He rushed to the balcony, opened the glass door and easily made his way out. And yet, when he stood on the edge, he realized that it was way too high – jumping down would most likely break his legs before anything else.

 

Looking around, he found another way; the long balcony connected his room with his brother’s on the other end.

 

Please don’t be locked. Junkyu tried to open the glass door to his brother’s room.

 

It was locked.

 

So the boy ran back to his room, grabbed his chair, and smashed it against the door until it shattered to pieces.

 

“I’m sorry, hyung!” Junkyu stepped into the room, wincing in pain as a piece of glass pierced through his slipper and left a cut on his foot.

 

That’s it! That’s my way out. Junkyu began to tremble as he marched towards his exit, not knowing what he would face. He inhaled deeply and kicked his slippers off before throwing the door open.

 

His ears now clearly caught the sound of commotion happening right downstairs; the sound of hard physical contact, the dog’s bark and snarl, and a sound of a piece of metal hitting the floor. Junkyu might not be as witty as his butler, but he knew it’d be suicide if he showed up with empty hands. So he rushed his way to the door that led to the laundry room, where there were another stairs down to the kitchen.

 

“This… This will do.” The boy grabbed a butcher knife and a frying pan to be his sword and his shield. Taking a brief moment to calm himself down, he pressed his back on the wall and heaved a deep breath.

 

I can do this. Mashiho needs me. Either we live together or die together.

 

Junkyu blinked away the tears in his eyes before getting out of his hiding spot.

 

As soon as he showed up, he saw one man hitting the life out of his butler, who was weakly struggling to fight back with one limp shoulder and wounded leg, and a dagger laid on the floor just several feet away from them. Another man with a knife in his hand was standing face to face with Jjanggu, who was keeping him in his spot with his loud bark. There was blood on the dog’s body.

 

Junkyu didn’t have time to cry when Jjanggu’s opponent suddenly felt his presence and turned his head around.

 

“You! You’re coming with us.” The man turned away from Jjanggu and marched his way towards the son of the wealthy household, who was none other than their target.

 

“Don’t kill the kid! We need him for the money!” The other man yelled.

 

Junkyu hyung! How did he get out?? Mashiho turned pale. “Junkyu hyung, run!”

 

Instead of running, Junkyu froze in his spot. Jjanggu the dog dashed from its spot and stood firm in front of its master, baring its teeth to threaten the criminal.

 

“You again, get out of my way!”

 

“No! Don’t hurt my dog!”

 

When the man swung his dagger towards the dog, Junkyu’s first instinct was to use whatever weapons he had in his hands.

 

It all happened like in slow motion in Mashiho’s eyes; Junkyu slapped the knife off the man’s hand with the pan, swung it back hitting him in the head, and lifted the butcher knife in his grip.

 

The next thing he knew, blood poured out heavily from the man’s neck as he slowly collapsed to the floor.

 

“Nooo! That’s my brother!” The last man screamed and pushed Mashiho down with full force.

 

With pure hatred in his eyes, he took his abandoned dagger and jabbed it into the butler’s gut.

 

“MASHIHO!”

 

Mashiho’s unfocused eyes were wide on the hateful, infuriated face of the criminal, his trembling hand weakly holding the blade that had pierced through his flesh. His fingers were quickly coated in deep red.

 

Junkyu hyung…

 

Losing his self control, the enraged criminal turned around and shot his death stare at the boy who had killed his brother. Junkyu was pale, tears were heavily flowing down his cheeks – he hadn’t meant to kill the man.

 

And now he was losing his butler because of his careless action.

 

“You’re going to pay for this!”

 

Jjanggu began to bark and snarl like crazy in front of its trembling master as the man quickly moved closer.

 

Junkyu hyung… I will protect Junkyu hyung. Breathing hard in agonizing pain, slowly Mashiho pulled the dagger out his bleeding deep wound.

 

“Stop!” With the last bits of strength he had, Mashiho launched the blood-covered blade towards the man’s back.

 

A painful yell broke in the air.

 

In that moment, as if the butler had transferred his courage to them, Jjanggu and Junkyu tackled the man down with a hard blow on the head and a big bite on the neck. The sobbing boy pushed the blade deeper into the man’s flesh, before running to his little friend who was fighting for his last breath.

 

“Mashiho! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! Please stay with me,” he cried, hugging the head that could barely support itself. “Don’t leave me, I love you. Please, I can’t take care of myself.”

 

“Ah…” Mashiho’s trembling lips struggled to mutter out a word. “A… Alarm… Remote… M-My room.”

 

It took a few seconds until Junkyu managed to figure out what the younger boy meant. Without waiting any longer, he ran to the butler’s room, grabbed the small remote control on the desk and slammed his thumb onto the red button.

 

A long, deafening sound pierced through the silence in the night air, blaring throughout the neighborhood. The sirens from the guards’ vehicles immediately answered to the call as they rushed their way to a certain house.

 

“Get in positions!” Hyunsuk commanded as soon as they stopped in front of the house. As they were just guards and not the police, they didn’t have any firearms with them to attack – they prepared their shields and batons before scattering into their positions. The head security was already on standby to reach the police any second.

 

“You are surrounded now, please drop all your weapons and get out so no one will be harmed!” Hyunsuk said through a speaker as he motioned some of his team members to sneak in through the damaged gate.

 

However, they all froze in their spots when suddenly Junkyu came out running with his unconscious, bloody butler in his arms.

 

“Please help! Please help Mashi, he’s losing too much blood!” the boy cried out loud.

 

At that moment, the rest of the family arrived right on time to witness the commotion. As the guards rushed in to collect the criminals, Junkyu bawled in his parents’ arms watching Hyunsuk cry and hold Mashiho, quickly disappearing from their sight to take him away to the nearest hospital.

 

“Mashiho!”

 

---

 

Criminals.

 

Sentenced to death.

 

Murder.

 

Heroic butler.

 

Junkyu dropped his head in his palms, running his fingers through his messy hair. His bloodshot eyes were swollen from crying.

 

“If danger ever comes, I will protect you with all my life… because you’ve changed my life. I live a happy and meaningful life because of you.”

 

Why, Mashiho…

 

Harshly Junkyu wiped away another teardrop that had escaped from his eye.

 

“Hyung.”

 

Pouting, Junkyu lifted his head to see his old buddy, with six other gloomy faces behind him – Hyunsuk, Jihoon, Doyoung, Jeongwoo, Jaehyuk, and even Haruto. Their heads were hung low, showing that they also felt sad for their koala, the happy virus who had lost his smile.

 

Yedam crouched down and gathered Junkyu’s hands in his warm grip. “Hyung, we’re all here now. Don’t cry, everything’s going to be okay.”

 

He sat next to the sad koala and enveloped him in his arms, letting him cry a little bit more on his shoulder.

 

“He ended up like this because of me.” Junkyu’s hoarse voice cracked.

 

“Don’t blame yourself,” Hyunsuk said, “he’d hate to hear that. In the end, you both managed to defeat four fugitives. And now more of them have been caught thanks to you two.”

 

“That’s badass,” Jeongwoo commented with a sad face, getting elbowed by Haruto.

 

Sighing and wiping his fatigued face, Junkyu stood up and opened the door on his left, revealing a big hospital room with one single bed in the middle.

 

In that bed was the butler himself, idle and somewhat pale. Hanging next to the bed were two fluid bags; one clear, and one deep red, dripping into the veins in his hand. There was a sling supporting his arm, and the upper half of the bed was raised – all to treat his broken shoulder.

 

“He hasn’t woken up yet,” Junkyu mumbled, “it’s the second day. Still no changes.”

 

Unlike Yedam, Hyunsuk, and Jihoon, who had been there the day before, the rest of the boys went closer surrounding the bed to get a closer look.

 

“His face is bruised,” Jaehyuk said, wincing, “they must have punched him hard.”

 

To everyone’s surprise, Jihoon began to shed tears. His puppy eyes were glistening and his nose was turning pink.

 

“Mochi, my cute fellow butler,” he sniffled, “is he going to wake up soon? Who am I going to learn from?”

 

Another surprise to the others; the teary-eyed Hyunsuk pulled him into a hug, patting him on the head.

 

“I’m sure he’s going to wake up soon,” Hyunsuk said, “he must.”

 

“You’re the one who knows Mochiho the longest, how come you’re not crying?” Jihoon complained.

 

“I am! Can’t you see the tears in my eyes?” Hyunsuk brought his face closer and opened his watery eyes wide.

 

“No, I can’t, because your eyes are small and they look like they’re smiling cutely all the time even in a sad situation like this.”

 

“Like your eyes aren’t small either. It’s not my fault that I’m cute.”

 

The two began to bicker like an old couple as they always did, all the while still hugging each other, until Yedam shushed both of them.

 

“Hyung, can we talk in private?” Yedam asked. Junkyu nodded lethargically, following him out the room.

 

Yedam closed the door quietly and pulled Junkyu aside to the seats.

 

“Hyung, I know. I found out.” Yedam bowed his head and took a deep breath, the guilt in his face got the older boy confused.

 

“Found out about what?” Junkyu croaked.

 

“The investigation result that they released this morning.” Yedam gulped. “That night they… They were actually targetting me. But I left with Jihoon to have a sleepover at Doyoung’s. Because they saw me leave, you… b-became their next target.”

 

Junkyu froze in shock, hearing about it for the first time. He hadn’t seen the news that day. It sure made sense that the criminals had targeted Yedam – his family was one of the richest around.

 

That sleepover; Yedam had called and invited him too. At this point there were too many things that Junkyu regretted. Like that sleepover, and the wedding party that he had refused to attend; he had gotten more than one chance to protect himself and Mashiho.

 

“Protect me by protecting yourself, hyung.”

 

If he had left the house, Mashiho wouldn’t have been in danger.

 

“I’m—I’m so sorry, hyung. I shouldn’t have left—”

 

Yedam’s stammering was cut as Junkyu pulled him into a hug. The younger broke into tears.

 

“I’m glad,” Junkyu said, “I’m glad you left. I can’t imagine how Jihoon would deal with those scary guys. You both could have been killed, I can’t afford to lose you… But that didn’t happen. So I’m glad.”

 

“But Mashiho…”

 

“Mashiho is strong.” Junkyu wiped Yedam’s tears away and forced himself to smile.

 

He himself didn’t even have enough faith in his own words.

 

He didn’t believe in himself, yet he wanted to believe in Mashiho.

 

Time passed by slowly, the guests came and left. Junkyu’s parents came in the evening to bring him some clothes and the news that they had bought flight tickets for Mashiho’s parents, so they could come and see their son. At this time Junkyu felt more grateful than ever to have them as his parents.

 

To Junkyu, Mashiho’s parents were also like his own. He wouldn’t know how to face them – it would feel like confessing that he had almost killed his own sibling.

 

The Korean parents stayed with their son and beloved butler until morning came. As he was once again left alone with the boy in deep sleep, Junkyu sat by the bed and took the fragile hand in his.

 

“Mashi, your parents are coming today. Don’t you want to greet them with your smile when they arrive?” Gently the sleep-deprived boy pressed his lips on the small hand. “I miss that smile. And your voice. I miss you.”

 

A strong nagging feeling of yearning tugged at his heartstrings. Letting himself sit on the edge of the bed, Junkyu supported his weight with his arm as he planted a soft kiss on Mashiho’s bruised cheek.

 

It didn’t help with the discomfort in his chest.

 

He closed the curtain until they were completely hidden even though there was no one else in the room. With his heart beating in his ears, he began to shower the bruises with soft, gentle kisses, as if he was trying to erase them.

 

Wake up… Please wake up… I miss you like crazy.

 

Finally snapping back to his senses, realizing what he was doing, Junkyu’s bottom lip jutted out in a sad pout. He returned to his seat and laid his head on the edge of the bed.

 

“Why am I such a fool?”

 

Memories began to flash in his mind like patches of a movie; that one cold day in winter when he had come back from Japan, when he had arrived at that hotel for the first time, and met a small Japanese housekeeper – a cute hamster-like boy who had stolen his heart with his smile and beautiful eyes. The hilarious moment when he had found the boy passed out in his room, when he had taken care of him, and the time they had spent on their date before they had had to say goodbye – it all felt like long ago. The turn of events when they had begun a new life and lived together, the clumsy days they had spent getting away with troubles, and the warm nights they had spent hugging each other…

 

He missed it all.

 

No, no, don’t cry… Junkyu closed his eyes and sighed.

 

Parting his lips, he began to sing softly to cheer himself up.

 

“As I sing this song, I will go back to you

If only I could see the beautiful you again

I will listen this song with you

And have one last dance

Remember this moment forever,

Just one last dance…”

 

A droplet of tear fell, and his worn out body was shut down to sleep.

 

---

 

“Hyung…”

 

The darkness in Junkyu’s field of sight was slowly filled with light, allowing him to see an unclear, blurry view. He could feel a hand softly caressing his hair.

 

As soon as his senses were fully awake, he shot up to a straight sitting position – at that instant, on his face appeared his signature shocked, dead fish look that he hadn’t pulled in a while.

 

Those eyes; the chocolate brown eyes that he had been missing to death were now looking back at him.

 

A weak smile grew on the pale lips.

 

“M-Mashiho!” Knowing that he couldn’t attack the boy with a big hug because of the broken shoulder, Junkyu trembled in his seat out of excitement, until he decided to grab that face and plant a big smooch on his forehead.

 

“You’re awake.” Junkyu pressed his forehead on Mashiho’s, holding his cheeks in his hands. “I missed you so much.”

 

The Korean boy looked around and found that the curtain had been opened, most likely by a nurse, yet they were still alone in the room. His parents weren’t back yet.

 

Mashiho’s weak hand tapped the other boy’s thigh, and then pointed at the glass of water next to the bed.

 

“Oh, you’re thirsty! O-Of course.” Being nervous for no apparent reasons, Junkyu held the glass for the younger boy and let him drink using the straw.

 

“Thank you, hyung.” Mashiho’s voice came out as dry as a whisper.

 

“No… Thank you.” Being as careful as he could, Junkyu enveloped his arms around Mashiho’s head in a loving embrace. “You protected me, but I failed to protect you. I’m so sorry, Mashiho.”

 

“You… protected me.” There was so much that Mashiho wanted to say, but his throat and his throbbing head weren’t helping him.

 

“Thank you, hyung… I love you.”

 

At that moment, the door was opened, and came in two pairs of middle-aged couples.

 

“Mashiho, my son!”

 

At last, in the last three days, a big smile bloomed on Mashiho’s face.

 

---

 

Five months later…

 

January 5. Two days left until Yedam’s birthday.

 

It might not be the special day yet for Yedam, but this day was especially important to a certain pair of giggly buddies.

 

The day they had met for the first time.

 

Standing side by side in front of a full-length mirror, a smiley giant koala and an equally smiley little hamster put on a beret on their heads – Junkyu with his new beret, and Mashiho with the old beret that the older had given to him one year ago, on the day they had had to say goodbye.

 

Grinning, Junkyu took the white scarf in Mashiho’s hands and proceeded to wrap it neatly around the smaller boy’s neck. He then took a familiar pair of leather gloves laid on the table and slipped them on Mashiho’s small hands.

 

They were re-doing a scene from a year before, when Junkyu had bought the scarf and gloves to stop his little friend from shivering in the cold.

 

“This really reminds me of that night.” Junkyu chuckled. “Wow, you really took care of them though! They still look new even after a year. Or did you never wear them?”

 

“I did wear them!” Mashiho laughed. “But I made sure not to get them dirty or damaged, so I can wear them for a long time and always remember you. Like what you wanted.”

 

Done dressing up nicely in their posh, all-black winter outfits, the two shared a warm, giggly hug. Now they were all ready to go.

 

“Junkyu, Mashi, leaving already?” Junkyu’s mother asked when the boys made their way down the stairs.

 

“Yes, Mom,” Junkyu and Mashiho answered in unison.

 

Yes, now Junkyu’s parents were Mashiho’s parents too. Just like Junkyu had been like a part of the Japanese family, Mashiho too, had been a part of the Korean family. They had taken him as a family member since the day he had risked his life to protect the household.

 

“Okay, take care and have fun! Eat a lot,” the mother chuckled. “Especially you, Mashi, so you will grow bigger.”

 

“I’ll grow fat instead, Mom,” the Japanese boy giggled, “I’m stuck at this height.”

 

“Oh, nevermind, small guys are adorable too!” The lady waved her hand and laughed.

 

Light, cheerful footsteps came and stopped in front of the two. They looked down to see a bright smile and a long pink tongue, a wagging tail that expressed elatedness to see them.

 

“Jjanggu, we’re going now. Take care of the house, okay?” Mashiho patted the dog’s head. He didn’t have much to worry about anymore, since they had been safe and sound after the whole community of criminals around their place had been captured and punished as they had deserved, thanks to the government’s participation after the news had gone viral. Mashiho’s job then really consisted of normal butler tasks only, just like Jihoon.

 

Yes, the cheeky guy still had his job despite seeming incapable. He was actually doing better at it.

 

After hugging the dog and the mother, they left for their date – of course, Mashiho was still the driver.

 

Their first stop was the hotel Mashiho had worket at as a housekeeper. Junkyu had booked a room for two nights; not exactly the same as his room back then, but a higher-class suite. He wanted to make it special.

 

After parking the car and checking in, instead of going straight to their room, they had a walk to the Japanese-Korean buffet restaurant nearby – the place where they had had their first dinner together. This time, they went there for lunch.

 

“That time we stopped and you cried here!” Laughing, Junkyu pointed at an alley.

 

Mashiho cracked an embarrassed nostalgic smile. “And we officially became friends there too.”

 

At the restaurant, unlike their first date, Mashiho was the one who pulled Junkyu around like an excited little puppy and grabbed the dishes for the older boy. The giant koala couldn’t stop smiling seeing his little hamster’s excitement and cute antics. When they began to eat, Mashiho didn’t even hesitate to let them feed each other with their chopsticks. The boy giggled and balled his small hands happily as he enjoyed the mouthwatering food.

 

“Stop being so cute! It’s hard to eat while smiling like this,” Junkyu complained, cracking an embarrassed laugh.

 

“Stop being so handsome, it’s hard to focus on the food if you keep distracting my eyes.” Mashiho cackled and applauded his own cheesy line, while Junkyu had to pinch the bridge of his nose and bow his head to hide his shy grin.

 

“Jihoon really has poisoned you. He needs to be responsible for this,” he mumbled.

 

Once their bellies were full, the pair made their way to the shopping mall next to the hotel – not to buy clothes, but groceries, since they had a kitchen in their room. Junkyu preferred Mashiho’s cooking more than the plenty kinds of exquisite food they could find around the hotel.

 

However, instead of the ingredients they needed, their cart was quickly filled by a pile of snacks.

 

“Mashi, can we get this?” Junkyu pointed at a box of choco pie, asking for the butler’s permission even though he was the one to pay.

 

“Just one,” Mashiho said, and the older boy dropped the snack into the cart with a happy child-like grin.

 

“And this one?”

 

“Just the small one.”

 

“This! It’s really good!”

 

“Yes—no, hyung, not that big.”

 

“Oh! Can we try this?”

 

“No. We’ve got enough snacks, hyung.”

 

“Pleeeeeease~”

 

“Ahh… Okay, okay.”

 

They ended up coming back with four big bags of food, all just for two nights.

 

Mashiho let out a sigh looking at the groceries.

 

I have to be more resistant to his aegyo next time.

 

Later that day, while Junkyu was busy laughing at the show playing on TV, Mashiho sank in his own world cooking dinner in the kitchen. He was always in good mood whenever he was cooking.

 

“Love love the stars~ Love love the mooooooon~”

 

Junkyu’s cackles subsided as soon as he heard the butler’s velvety singing voice. He had always been in love with that voice. Not wanting him to stop singing, Junkyu pretended to focus on the show.

 

“Nothing is even close to half of you

It can’t fill me, it doesn’t fill me up, yeah

Just half; if only I had just half of you

Then I wouldn’t feel this way—”

 

Mashiho’s singing was put to a halt when he felt a pair of arms snaking around his waist.

 

“I will fill you up… and not just half.”

 

Junkyu’s deep mumble behind his ear sent chills down Mashiho’s spine.

 

“A-Ah, hyung, don’t surprise me like that!” Mashiho chuckled, rolling his head around to get rid of the ticklish feeling because of the warm breath on his neck.

 

“Let’s have a warm bath. I’ll wait in the bathroom,” Junkyu whispered.

 

Mashiho’s big ears were getting hot. “What about dinner? Don’t you want to have it while it’s warm?”

 

“We can re-heat it later. It’s still early for dinner.”

 

Done cooking, Mashiho turned off the electric stove and turned around to face the taller boy.

 

Contrary to how he sounded, Junkyu had his innocent koala smile plastered on his face.

 

“Okay, wait for me. I’ll catch up after cleaning this.” Mashiho smiled. It didn’t take five seconds until Junkyu disappeared from his sight.

 

What is he up to? Mashiho couldn’t help but wonder.

 

When he finally came to the bathroom, he saw that the lights were off, except that he could see faint, warm yellow illumination coming from another room behind the bathroom – the jacuzzi room.

 

Mashiho slid the door open, and a timid smile grew on his plump lips.

 

Apart from the small yellow lights on the left and right of the room, there were scented candles that had been lit up on the edges of the big tub, filling the room with the soothing fragrance of sweet vanilla. The steam rising from the bubbling hot water made the air feel much warmer on Mashiho’s face – his already warm face that was flushed because of the sight of the handsome koala, relaxing and enjoying himself in that tub. His wet hair was pushed back, exposing the face that once again took Mashiho’s breath away.

 

How could he be this attractive?

 

“Mashiho, join in.”

 

Mashiho had taken showers together with the giant koala many times before. However, when he stepped closer to the tub and finally got a view of what was under the water, he got startled and his ears turned a bright shade of red.

 

“Y-You’re wearing nothing!”

 

Junkyu cracked his usual high-pitched laugh at the pure shock on the younger boy’s face. “Yeah, it’s not the first time! We didn’t bring swim trunks, take your clothes off and jump in.”

 

It’s not really the same as taking a shower…

 

Embarrassed out of his mind, Mashiho took off his shirt and jeans leaving his briefs on, and then let himself sit on the edge of the tub dipping his legs in. Junkyu came closer to him with a mischievous smile and encircled his arms around the smaller boy’s waist.

 

“What’s wrong? Should I take this off for you?”

 

“Don’t.” Mashiho laughed timidly, clutching on his briefs. “I-I’ll take it off in a bit.”

 

Junkyu’s smiling eyes slowly trailed down from Mashiho’s flushed face to his stomach.

 

With his handsome face turning gloomy out of the blue, he took one arm back and traced his fingers on the faint line across the belly.

 

The scar, where he had been stabbed.

 

“Hyung…”

 

Catching the younger boy off guard, Junkyu tilted his head and gently pressed his lips on the scar. His eyes fluttered closed as he left more soft kisses on that particular spot.

 

As if he was trying to erase it.

 

I owe you my life…

 

“Junkyu hyung.”

 

Mashiho wasn’t sure what he was feeling. He ran his fingers through the older boy’s wet hair, subtly trying to stop him because it started to feel full in his chest. Hence to distract him, he took off his briefs and dipped his whole body into the warm water.

 

Junkyu looked at Mashiho like he had finally realized what he had just done.

 

But, having Mashiho right next to him in that comforting warmth, he couldn’t be happier. His eyes closed into a happy smile as he enveloped his beloved shy little hamster in his arms, enjoying the contact and the bubbling water on his bare skin.

 

That night, they went all the way up to the rooftop café above the hotel to see the night city view. Mashiho’s round eyes were sparkling in awe at the sea of lights beneath, illuminating the city that was covered in white. As he flew his gaze up, he saw little snowflakes falling from the sky. He reached his hand out over the railing and caught one on his finger.

 

Once again, the Japanese boy felt a pair of arms snaking around his waist.

 

He closed his eyes as a soft singing voice filled his ears, a voice that he loved very much, soothing his heart that was beating in its second chance to live.

 

"It's a beautiful life, I'll always protect you
It's a beautiful life, you can lean on me
It's a beautiful love, your tears, your smile
Share them with me by your side..."

The beautiful brown eyes fluttered open as a pair of soft lips were pressed on the the side of his neck. He let out a small sigh in content.

"The view... It's beautiful, just like you."

 

Mashiho couldn’t help but laugh. That voice and cheesy lines didn’t go along really well.

 

“I may have not shown my best to protect you, but I’ll keep you safe like this. By holding you.” Junkyu tightened his embrace. “So you won’t fall anywhere but into my heart.”

 

Did he get these lines from Jihoon? Mashiho mentally squealed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Cringey! But, maybe kind of sweet…

 

“No, I didn’t get that from Jihoon.” Junkyu chuckled, catching the smaller boy off guard. “Mashiho. Would you promise me something?”

 

“What is it?” Mashiho asked. He couldn’t turn around because of Junkyu’s firm arms around him.

 

“Please don’t stop taking care of me. I know I’m a big baby who’s clumsy and incapable of doing many things. But I’ll stay like this so I can always have you around, because I love you.” Junkyu leaned his forehead on the back of Mashiho’s head. “I’m thankful, I’m so lucky that I still have you in my life. It may sound like a selfish love, to keep you all for myself... But, I’ll also promise that I’ll do my best to take care of you. Like how you protected me with all your life, I will protect you with all my life, in my own special way. Can we stay together?”

 

It was one of the coldest times of the year, but Mashiho found himself feeling so warm that he could melt into his giant koala’s embrace. His lips formed a sincere smile as he placed his hand on Junkyu’s and intertwined their fingers together.

 

“That’s what I want, hyung... I’ve risked it all once for you, I’d do it again if I have to. I’ll stay with you whether or not danger is around, to protect you and take care of you... b-because I love you. I promise.”

 

Junkyu took his hands back to slip something over Mashiho’s head. When the Japanese boy looked down, he found a necklace hanging around his neck, with a beautiful round silver pendant. Junkyu turned him around by the shoulders and pulled out an identical necklace from the collar of his turtleneck.

 

“This seals our promise.”

 

Beaming at each other, they intertwined their pinky fingers and shared a tight, loving hug.

 

With the falling snow above their heads, and the sea of lights beneath their feet, a strong bond had been sealed for life.

 

---

 

A/N: now this is really the end of the story! Even if it’s just a bonus it still got so damn long lol I’m sorry ㅠㅠ It’s just that I kind of didn’t want it to end… Mashikyu is beautiful. Period.

Also, I’m sorry if it got too cheesy at some points hehe

Anyways! I’m thinking of writing either OT13+OC comedy or Hajeongwoo for the next one, but I think it will be Hajeongwoo first, possibly featuring Yoonbin and Yoshinori since they didn’t appear in this story. You can expect a biker Haruto (motorbike, not bicycle) lol

Thank you for reading, please subscribe for more YGTB/Treasure13 stories!

 

P.S.: The first song Junkyu sang is Big Bang's Last Dance, and the last one is Crush's Beautiful, while the one Mashiho sang is Dean's Half Moon. They sang these songs on YGTB :)

 

Here are pics of Mashikyu and their couple necklaces: