“Lord Do! We are coming in now!”

“Why do you bother knocking if you’re not going to wait for an invitation? And what’re you calling me in that ridiculous way for?“

Jongin’s heart is beating uncontrollably in his chest and his breathing is irregular as Baekhyun pushes him ahead into the room. His body feels as if it has been plunged into freezing water, system shocked for air and frozen into stillness. It is somehow anticlimactic, to hear the voice that he has imagined so many times in such a sudden way and without any preparation, but Jongin can’t bring himself to care. It is smooth and deep and melodic in its cadence, even in its current irritation. But when the man, who is only in a light blue jeogori with silken pants of a soft grey, turns from the low table where he is writing, all other thoughts are erased from Jongin’s mind. 

Lord Do is without his mask.  

The eyes that have enamored Jongin since eight years ago widen to their fullest potential as Lord Do’s shocked gaze fixes on Jongin and his mouth drops open in surprise. 

His mouth.

He has a full upper lip that peaks twice in the most perfect cupid’s bow Jongin has ever seen, creating a slightly more pronounced philtrum  jutting out just beneath his curved nose. His bottom lip is heavy in its plumpness, creating a slight shadow at the top of his chin which is soft and rounds out into a squarer jaw than Jongin had expected. Though his features lack the overall sharpness of Jongin’s or even King Minseok’s, he has an undoubtedly masculine beauty. Overall, he is not anything like Jongin’s fantasies but rather exceeds all of them. 

“Jongin-ssi…” the lord whispers as if he is unconvinced that Jongin is not just a mirage that will shudder and disappear at the disturbance of his voice. The woodworker is jolted back to life by the velvety utterance of his name, system startled is if by a current of electricity that brings him all the way down to his knees. Lord Do’s mouth forms a pleasant ‘oh’ shape as his fathomless onyx orbs follow the movement.

“My Lord,” Jongin stutters out, “ I- forgive me for disturbing you in your private room. I wanted to come and thank you; Without your generous compliment a mere tradesman such as myself would never have been known to our Great King. There is no higher praise for me then your recognition of my skill.”

If Jongin had been facing up he would have witnessed Lord Do shoot a positively poisonous glare at the slim faced attendant still giggling by the door. As it is, he can only watch in stupefied fascination as the lord’s slipper-clad feet approach until they are right before him and he crouches down to meet Jongin on his level. 

“Jongin-ssi, please raise your head,” he whispers as if trying not to startle an animal. When the carpenter raises his head he is treated to a glorious close up view of Lord Do’s unobstructed face, a barely perceptible flush tinting his round cheeks. 

“In all of Korea, there is no one who can match your artistry. You do not need my recognition or even the King’s to know that you are great. However…” It is not until he breaks the eye contact and pulls away slightly that Jongin realizes embarrassedly how close their faces had gotten, “I am happy to enlighten others of your skill,” Lord Do finishes with a shy little smile that reveals a bit of his top gums and Jongin for the first time in his life finds himself thinking that a row of teeth are attractive. 

A loud clap from behind them causes them both to turn to Baekhyun who is grinning as if he is looking forward to winning an auction. 

“Well,” he begins, “I guess we can continue the tour now, Jongin-ssi. I will show you the carpentry tools that have been prepared for you. If you’ll just-oh!” He says and smacks his own forehead with a look that is probably supposed to be sudden realization but looks more like deranged glee, “How irresponsible of me to forget!”

“Baekhyun,” Lord Do says warningly and Jongin’s spine prickles at the sound of the lord’s voice so close to his ear as they are still kneeling together. 

Baekhyun presses on as if uninterrupted. “I had given the tools to a stable hand and told him to hold onto them until it was decided if you’d be commissioned or not! Now who was it? Honestly this memory of mine! Well, I suppose we can look at something else first. Perhaps the kitchens? Or the bath rooms? I am sure I can hunt down your tools before tomorrow.”

Here he pauses and gives Lord Do a very meaningful look over a confused Jongin’s shoulder. When the lord only arches one thick eyebrow at him Baekhyun clears his throat and continues.

“Unless, of course….” And he widens his eyes and looks between Jongin and Lord Do. “Since we have all been acquainted for some time…”

Lord Do’s lips narrow into a thin line and Jongin’s mind fizzles to a stop as short fingers curl around his bicep to lead him to stand. They can barely wrap halfway around the muscle and Jongin reminds himself to breath.

“If your time can be spared, My Lord,” says Baekhyun in exasperation and Lord Do gives a resigned sigh.

“Baekhyun, please go locate Jongin-ssi’s tools so neither he nor Lady Chen will be inconvenienced when the time comes to use them.” He turns his warm gaze on Jongin and says with more sincerity, “If Jongin-ssi does not mind, I will continue to show him the palace.”

“Yes, please,” says Jongin without thinking. Baekhyun scoffs from the doorway and Lord Do gives another gorgeously shy smile but does not avert his eyes this time. It makes it hard for Jongin to think.

“Uh, I mean. I want to, um. I don’t mind,” He finishes lamely, heat traveling from his neck to his face. 

Lord Do turns to Baekhyun to dismiss him with an unimpressed gesture, but they seem to share something in their final glance to each other and Jongin pushes down the jealousy at the way the two communicate without words. He wonders how much time the two actually spend together. Is Baekhyun’s room in this hallway as well? Or worse,  could he possibly sleep in the same room as the lord?!

He is interrupted from his horrified search for evidence of another presence living in the room by the sound of Lord Do clearing his throat behind him and becomes acutely aware that they are alone in the room now. Baekhyun had shut the door on his way out.

“It’s nice to see you like this Jongin-ssi. I,” He bites his lip as if considering what he’s about to say. Jongin is transfixed by the way the soft pink flesh gives so easily under his teeth. He swallows and forces his gaze back up but Lord Do isn’t watching him anyway, focused instead on his fiddling fingers. 

“I have thought before that it would be nice. To talk to you.”

He glances up shyly from beneath his lashes with a hesitant smile and Jongin has to physically restrain his hand from coming up to clutch at his heart and making himself look more like an idiot in front of the beautiful lord.

“I have always wanted to hear your voice,” He blurts. Well then.  

Lord Do’s bashful smiles might just be the end of Kim Jongin. 

“Well, I hope it’s not a disappointment.”

“My Lord! Never!” Says Jongin, the offense clear in his voice and Lord Do gives a deep laugh, top lip curving beautifully and Jongin restrains himself from saying that nothing about the lord could ever disappoint him. His voice, his face; It is all beyond anything the young carpenter could have ever dreamt up. 

The young man manages to control himself from looking any more the besotted fool and concentrates on giving Lord Do a smile his sisters have called charming.

“I would love to see more of my home for the next month.”