When Ryeowook came to, he immediately registered three things: he was lying in a bed, there was someone else close to him, and it was nighttime. He felt better rested than he had in a long time and could almost say that he was content, especially because Kyuhyun’s comforting scent surrounded him even though they weren’t touching, yet when he opened his eyes, his heart nearly stopped. A wooden ceiling. He was on that ship!

Ryeowook's breath caught in his throat as panic shot through him, only to subside a moment later. No, that wasn’t quite right. Neither his wrists nor ankles were bound by any ropes.

Of course… They were on the journey back to Shanghai. He wasn’t at the historian’s mercy anymore. The historian was dead. Kyuhyun was back by his side. So were Hangeng and Heechul.

Ryeowook turned his head and found Kyuhyun sitting on the ground, arms crossed on the bed and his head resting on them, eyes closed and breath so even that he had to be asleep. His expression was relaxed, not revealing any trace of the time that they had spent apart.

Ryeowook’s heart bloomed at the sight, but at the same time, he felt sorry for Kyuhyun that he was sitting on the ground like that. He should have also gotten himself a bed to sleep in!

Ryeowook sat up, reaching out one hand to gently wake the other, but Kyuhyun’s head shot up almost as soon as Ryeowook moved, sharp eyes boring into Ryeowook, then darting through the room before returning to Ryeowook who had frozen mid-movement. Their eyes met and a mix of feelings flooded him: relief that the icy coldness from Kyuhyun’s eyes had disappeared, confusion at the confusion that he was met with, love for Kyuhyun, happiness that they were together despite everything that had happened, worry.

“How is your stomach?” he blurted out.

Kyuhyun frowned, pushed off the bed a little to look down, then he shook his head. “No wound.”

“Did—are you injured anywhere else?”

This time, Kyuhyun eyed him with undisguised irritation as he slowly shook his head. “We should go find the other two. They want to talk to you.” He got up stiffly and Ryeowook realized that he wore different clothes from before. Wasn’t that one of Heechul’s robes?

“What?”

“Nothing.” Ryeowook looked away and pushed the blanket back, spotting a tray of food as his gaze went through the room. Someone had brought him food! And Kyuhyun had kept it until he woke up! But hadn’t Ryeowook clearly stated that he didn’t want to be disturbed?

Whatever, he had food! He got off the bed and took one of the triangular kimbaps, ignoring everything else on the tray for the time being, when a thought flashed through him and he turned to Kyuhyun, indeed finding him glaring. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“You’re your own person,” Kyuhyun replied, but his tone had become colder and he looked away.

“So what can happen to me if the food is poisoned?”

“The one earlier wasn’t poisoned.”

“Eh?” Ryeowook blinked in surprise and Kyuhyun turned back to him, looking annoyed.

“You didn’t listen? The one earlier wasn’t poisoned.”

“Then why don’t you want me to eat anything? If it’s not poisoned, can’t I eat?”

“Let’s go.” Kyuhyun briskly turned away and opened the door, stepping through it. Ryeowook hurried to follow after Kyuhyun, fearing that he might get lost otherwise. Their room had been dimly lit by moonlight, but the hallway was dark and quiet, only soft creaks from the wood occasionally permeating the silence.

While taking the first bite from his triangular kimbap, Ryeowook mulled over another thought: Kyuhyun had said that the food from ‘earlier’ hadn’t been poisoned. But if it was nighttime and they had boarded the ship in the evening, there wasn’t a lot of room for ‘earlier’, especially since he had requested to not be disturbed. Why had the sailors ignored his order?

Kyuhyun led them down one floor and their surroundings immediately became a lot darker, though Ryeowook could still see the silhouettes of the walls around them, of some boxes down the hallway, of Kyuhyun’s back right in front of him. If only he could reach out his hand, take Kyuhyun’s hand… this felt so much like the first time that the two of them had been on a ship together, the main difference being that this time, Ryeowook could walk on his own, sensed all the other people around them, could see… and was eating kimbap while they walked. And what a delicious kimbap it was!

Ahead of them, a door was opened and warm light flooded the hallway. For a heartbeat, Ryeowook froze in his spot because they had been found out, but then he recognized the person standing in the doorway. “Hyung!” he cheered quietly after he swallowed, and he hurried past Kyuhyun, smiling brightly when he was let into the room. Hangeng was sitting on the bed, his long hair down and outer robe looking almost carelessly pulled over his undershirt, as if he and Heechul had already been ready to go to bed but then had noticed the other two vampires.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you two so late, you must be tired after today.”

Hangeng frowned and looked towards Heechul, a glance that immediately told Ryeowook that something was indeed a little off and both of them knew more than he did—and knew where he was wrong. “Kyuhyun didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Ryeowook turned around to where Heechul was just closing the door and Kyuhyun leaned against the wall near the door, his gaze sharp as always.

“We left Joseon more than a day ago. You were unconscious for over a day.”

“I…” Yes, he what? Ryeowook instinctively sat down next Hangeng, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he had been unconscious for such a long time, that Kyuhyun saying ‘the food earlier’ actually made perfect sense, that the sailors most likely had obeyed his order for the time being, that they were already somewhere in the middle of nowhere while he had thought they had barely just left Joseon!

“It seems like you overused your power, but seeing how you’re currently appearing before us, Kyuhyun has obviously taken good care of you while you were unconscious,” Hangeng explained and Kyuhyun scoffed, but Ryeowook turned to Hangeng in hopes for more answers.

“Is that why I fainted? And why I started feeling cold as I kept on healing Kyuhyun? And why I’m not actually hungry right now?”

Hangeng smiled as he nodded. “That is correct.”

Thinking about it, Ryeowook had also felt cold and faint when he had first learned what his power was, so it shouldn’t be surprising that he had feel both things again when he had consciously pushed past his limits.

“What’s the plan from now on?” He raised his head and looked back and forth between Hangeng and Heechul, assuming that at least one of them would have an idea.

“It’s kind of up to you two. When we arrive in Shanghai, Hangeng and I will go back to Wuhan to get some things settled, then we will journey on.”

“You won’t stay?”

Heechul and Hangeng shook his head and the latter added, “It’s too dangerous. Some of the court staff know that we are currently residing in Wuhan, so they might lead your family back there in hopes of getting a nice reward for catching us. We can’t risk staying any longer.”

Ryeowook lowered his head, a pang of guilt bursting inside him and spreading through his entire body like poison. This was all because of him! Because of him, even Hangeng and Heechul now had to leave the place where they had comfortably lived for a long time!

Heechul crossed the room and crouched down in front of him, waiting until they made eye contact before he spoke with a comforting smile, “Don’t worry about it. We would have had to leave sooner or later anyway and honestly, the circumstances could be a lot worse than this: the townspeople might want to chase us out because they started figuring out what we are, or they might even try to kill us. We were able to stay for several years in a very good position—that’s a great privilege and Hangeng and I both value it a lot. It just so happens that in order to protect the two of you and now us as well, the time to leave has come.”

“If it weren’t for Kyuhyun and me, though, you could have stayed in Wuhan for much longer than this!” Ryeowook argued, but Hangeng next to him shook his head.

“We probably could have stayed a few years longer, that’s true, but we would have worn out our welcome eventually. Believe me, Heechul especially has seen some nasty ways in which things can go down, it’s better that we’re actively taking the step to leave before things can go down with the townspeople.”

Ryeowook looked back at Heechul who nodded, but his warm expression stayed. What was he able to hide behind such an expression? How much had he endured? How much of that was he actually over and how much was just suppressed?

“Ryeowook-ah, don’t worry so much about us. Hangeng and I are fine: no matter what happens, we always have each other to rely on and confide in. Never forget how important it is to have a person like that by your side and how much they are worth.”

Ryeowook’s eyes involuntarily went towards Kyuhyun, but instead of the warmth or maybe the teasing smile that he still expected to see, he was once again met by an icy glare—though it seemed to be more directed at Heechul than himself.

“It’s getting too sappy in here,” Kyuhyun muttered, briefly met Ryeowook’s eyes, then he spun around and left.

“Kyu—“ Ryeowook started to protest, but the door was already closed and Kyuhyun was gone. What if he ran off, what if—

They were on a ship. No matter how far away Kyuhyun might want to run, he wouldn’t be able to get far, and no matter how much he seemed to detest the rest of them in that moment, he was still there, with them… Were they just a means to get out of this situation alive?

“Ryeowook.” He looked back at Heechul whose tone and gaze had suddenly become urgent, his voice so quiet that Ryeowook had to strain his ears to hear him while he spoke fast. “Listen closely, okay? Because Kyuhyun can’t tell you these things right now, but I will tell you what I know so far: Kyuhyun is indeed in there, somewhere, struggling. The real Kyuhyun feels like a whisper somewhere in the current Kyuhyun’s head: quiet, fighting to be heard, but there and struggling to gain the upper hand. And don’t ever think that Kyuhyun detests you—he doesn’t understand why, but he protects you instinctively and sees everyone else as a threat right now. I don’t know if this is your Kyuhyun’s doing or if the feelings he has for you are indeed strong enough to endure the manipulation that he has been through, but you must know that even right now he would do anything to make sure that you are safe, okay?”

“Heechul is right,” Hangeng added, “even Kyuhyun’s feelings are a mess. But what I can tell is that you’re incredibly important to him and everyone who gets too close to you is immediately written off as an enemy.”

“But—“

Heechul shook his head. “Hangeng and I weren’t even allowed into your room this entire time; all we could get him to agree to was that he would take you here once you wake up. I understand if you’re frightened by this situation and I understand that you want your own Kyuhyun back, but for the time being, I can only tell you to have patience and always remind yourself that the one you want is in there somewhere and that things aren’t as bad as they seem. Do you understand that?”

Ryeowook nodded, but his head was spinning from all those words, from the new perspectives he had just gotten. Kyuhyun was there! His Kyuhyun was there! He wasn’t able to really take control over his own body, the manipulation holding him back, but he was there! And Kyuhyun was protecting him, somehow still treasuring him or at least staying overprotective of him despite the manipulation!

“But where is he now?”

“He needed to feed. His hunger just now was nearly as bad as yours when we arrived at court.”

“What!?”

“Shh!”

Ryeowook quickly shrank back, not having realized that he had raised his voice, but his head was spinning even more. What did they mean, Kyuhyun had been extremely hungry? And yet he hadn’t seemed any different from when they met at court! How long had it been since Kyuhyun had last fed? And then there was the blood loss and he had to have given Ryeowook some of his blood and…

Another wave of guilt crashed over Ryeowook. How come that all he could apparently do was to bring trouble upon people without ever being able to amend the situation afterwards?

“Ryeowook, you mustn’t think so negatively. Do you think Hangeng and I would have come to Joseon to help you if you only brought trouble upon us and no joy? Do you think Kyuhyun would be able to fight against his sire’s manipulation and would be able to keep on fighting and winning if you only brought trouble upon him? Have a bit of faith, okay?”

“But—“ No, he couldn’t say out loud that things seemed to have only gone worse for the other three since he had stepped into their lives: Hangeng and Heechul lost the place where they had been able to stay for so long and they had now been banned from returning to Joseon, Kyuhyun’s sire had shown up, resulting in Kyuhyun also being officially banned from Joseon and having been forced under severe manipulation again… How was any of that a good thing?

Heechul shook his head, his smile faltering. “You’re thinking too negatively. Believe me: all of us are staying by your side by our own free will and all of us want to be by your side. Hangeng and I would have had to move eventually anyway—and I’m sure that Kyuhyun’s sire would have found him eventually, too. But who knows if Kyuhyun would have been as well-equipped to fight back if it wasn’t for you.” His smile was back and he rose to his feet. “By the way, don’t you want to finish your kimbap? If I’m not mistaken, you haven’t really eaten in forever, and even now you got so shocked by everything that you stopped eating! Eat a bit, you’ll surely feel better afterward. But please remember that Hangeng and I will always be there for you if you want to talk about anything.”

Ryeowook looked down at his hands, indeed finding his half-eaten triangular kimbap in one of them, but this time, he also noticed that one of his inner sleeves had become stiff and crusty with the dried blood that he had wiped away after feeding from Hangeng. Uncomfortable from the sight, he at least pulled his long sleeve to fully cover the sleeve of his undershirt, using the unblemished side afterwards to continue eating.

“Hyung, there’s something I’m wondering about,” he said between two bites, waiting until he got the okay from Heechul before he continued speaking, “in the great hall, you emphasized that Kyuhyun’s sire had to find the entire scene rather touching—was that really her weak point? She did seem to become even more angry afterwards…”

“Yes. Apparently, she’s really not too good at maintaining relationships unless she’s using manipulation, so a combination of her thoughts, words, and the feedback I got from Hangeng about how she felt in that moment gave me a pretty good opportunity to attack. And you being there and being the one who received all the attention was just perfect as well.”

“Because she hated me.”

Heechul nodded. “Kyuhyun told you?”

“Yes. Why would she hate me like that, though? She doesn’t even know me…”

“Easy: the one she wants is Kyuhyun, and seeing how much she was willing to do in order to get him, it’s safe to say that she’s very adamant about controlling Kyuhyun. Hangeng also mentioned that she seemed to feel some kind of affection or maybe even a twisted kind of love for Kyuhyun. And then there’s you who so easily gets Kyuhyun’s attention without having to do anything—how could she not hate you?”

“So when I told her that I didn’t mean to lose against her… she also never really talked about court…”

“Oh no, the crown does seem to have been an important objective for her, but I think Kyuhyun was still more important than that.”

Ryeowook nodded lightly. That made sense of course: someone who wanted to own everything, how could they not want to rule at least one country?

“Don’t they tell you not to badmouth the deceased?”

Ryeowook jumped, almost dropping the last piece of his triangular kimbap in the process, just as Kyuhyun opened the door and re-entered the room. The icy air that surrounded Kyuhyun permeated the room and when his glare hit Ryeowook, the former prince shrank back a little.

“Have you gossiped enough?”

Ryeowook sent a helpless glance at Heechul, but, remembering the other’s words, he dutifully finished his last bit of kimbap and got up. “Yes, I think we were able to talk about everything important for the time being. Thank you for bringing me here.” He smiled at Kyuhyun and returned to his side before he looked at Hangeng and Heechul once more. “Good night, hyungs. See you tomorrow!” He smiled at them, then he left the room, following Kyuhyun back into the upstairs room.

Once the door was safely closed, Kyuhyun seemed to relax a little, making Ryeowook’s smile become a little more real while he looked through his food tray. Maybe he wasn’t hungry, but after all the time that he had been denied food, the array of Korean food presented in front of him nevertheless stirred his appetite and so he ate a bit of all the mild dishes, sending longing glances at the kimchi. But its smell alone was already quite strong, so he didn’t dare to actually try eating it. Plus, it looked so spicy that Ryeowook was afraid he’d regret it for the rest of his immortal life if he dared to actually eat it.

As he snacked, his thoughts wandered off to all the things that Heechul had told him, to everything regarding Kyuhyun. Was there anything he could do to help the real Kyuhyun take control of his own body again? Or was he helpless, just having to wait until the manipulation faded?