Ryeowook and Changmin were once again the first ones to leave their study room, followed by Hyukjae and Donghae who ran past them soon after. Ryeowook’s maids met them at one of the next doors, accompanying them first to Changmin’s house, then further to the hospital.

The prince had barely entered when one of the nurses spotted him, her tired face lighting up immediately. “Prince! The doctor asked for you to come to the big room as soon as you arrive.”

Ryeowook nodded. Worry immediately filled his heart at those words and he hoped that he was merely called to the big room because Kyuhyun was waiting there and not because the situation had become unmanageable by then.

He walked to the biggest room of the hospital with fast though still gliding steps. The stench of old blood and feces became stronger the further he walked and he hoped that, if Kyuhyun was over there, his nose wasn’t as sensitive as his ears.

He stepped over the threshold into the big room, briefly scanning it to find the doctor and Kyuhyun standing off towards the right, the doctor explaining something to the fire artist. Ryeowook took in their figures while he approached, ignoring the calls from the nearby patients who had instantly spotted him. The doctor held some sort of mask in one hand, his figure a little hunched. Kyuhyun looked up as soon as the first patient called and Ryeowook could see that not only the other’s entire body seemed stiff, but his expression was also tense. I told him it’s a tough job! he scolded in his mind, though he kept his face neutral.

Once he arrived with the two, Ryeowook nodded towards the doctor who straightened from his bow. “Prince, good that you have arrived! Can I have a word with you?”

“Of course, doctor.”

The doctor looked over towards Kyuhyun who, after a short moment, got the signal and bowed towards them before he left with steps that looked almost hurried.

“Are you sure he’s made for this job?” the doctor asked quietly once the two of them had retreated into a corner, hoping that as few patients as possible would overhear their conversation and that those few ones would be too preoccupied to listen.

“I warned him that it might be tough,” Ryeowook replied just as quietly. “Maybe I could go to the children’s section with him for now and then help you here later while he could stay with the children?” He could understand that starting in the big room could be overwhelming, however, he figured that it would also give Kyuhyun a glimpse of what he would be working with—if he didn’t quit.

The doctor still looked troubled, but he nodded in the end. “I trust you, my prince. But…” The doctor’s eyes wavered to the side.

“But?” Ryeowook asked when nothing followed. Someone coughed into the silence, briefly followed by another person as if the cough was contagious.

“Nothing.”

“Please tell me.”

The doctor shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his facial expression working until he let out a sigh. “There seems to be some harsh flu going around recently. So when you come to help here, my prince, please be careful.”

“I will be.” Ryeowook smiled, then he turned around and left the big room. He found Kyuhyun at the end of the hallway, having brought as much distance between himself and the big room as possible without disappearing from sight. If his first day was like this, would Kyuhyun really be able to last during the remainder of his time around?

With his two maids right by his side, Ryeowook went past the entrance door and towards where Kyuhyun was waiting. From behind the door in Kyuhyun’s back, the high voices of small children could be heard, sounds that were so very different from the moans and complaints about pain in the big room.

“After that scare, why don’t we continue in the room behind you?” the prince offered and motioned towards the door.

Kyuhyun glanced at the door before looking at Ryeowook warily. “Why do they sound so cheerful?”

“All of them have some pain or worry, but this area is also used as a kind of daycare by parents whose children aren’t well enough to help at work and would only be in the way if they were to stay home.” He knew this sort of judgement sounded harsh, but there wasn't really a nice way to say that truth. The fire artist raised an eyebrow, but Ryeowook didn’t believe it to be necessary to elaborate his point. Instead, he motioned towards the door once again. “Shall we?”

“You lead the way.”

Ryeowook smiled at the wandering artist, then he stepped past the other and opened the door. A series of children’s voices greeted him just seconds later, only quieting down when they noticed the second visitor.

“Prince, who’s that?” one of the braver children asked.

“This is Cho Kyuhyun. He came here for the spring festival but has decided to stay with us a while longer.” Ryeowook crouched down in order to be on eye level with the young children.

“Did you come to watch the festival?” the same child asked, his big, curious eyes focused on Kyuhyun.

“Yes and no. I looked around during the day, but I also performed.”

“You performed?” some of the children echoed and a waterfall of questions spilled out of their small but loud mouths. Ryeowook sat to the side for a while, watching as the children clung to Kyuhyun’s every word, before he rose to check on a particular child. As expected, he found the young, sickly boy called Minjeong in a separate room.

“Prince!” the boy called out and sat up on his bed.

“Hey, Minjeong. How are you feeling today?”

“I’m okay. The doctor said that I can probably go home tomorrow if my tummy doesn’t ache again.” The boy patted his stomach proudly, making Ryeowook smile. He hadn’t even realized that the child’s cold or flu had already passed into a new health problem.

“Then how is your tummy? Is it hurting?”

“No, not at all! Tomorrow, I can be with mommy and daddy again!”

“What will you do once you’re back home?”

“I will play with my sisters and my brother, of course. And mommy will cook the most delicious food for me!”

Ryeowook listened to the young boy gush about all the things he would do when he was home until the child stopped, sulkily explaining that his throat was getting sore because he was talking so much.

“It’s okay. Take care of yourself, drink a lot and don’t talk too much today. Do you want me to get you some water? Or some tea with honey?”

“Tea, please.”

“Alright. I’ll tell one of the nurses to get you some tea with honey then. I think the doctor will need me personally with the other patients today. Get well quickly so you can finally leave this place, alright?”

Minjeong nodded with determination and smiled at the prince who smiled back before he rose to his feet.

“Bye, Minjeong-ah.”

“Bye, prince!”

“I said no speaking.”

Minjeong quickly clasped both hands over his mouth and Ryeowook couldn’t help but ruffle the boy’s hair a little at his adorableness, then he left.

Outside the room, he found Kyuhyun sitting on the floor together with the other children who currently stayed at the hospital. The fire artist looked up and their eyes met briefly, relieving the prince who noticed how much calmer Kyuhyun looked by that point compared to earlier that day.

“You’re okay?”

“Perfectly fine.”

“He said he’ll show us his skills with the fire!” one of the girls squealed and the others nodded.

“But we have to tell him lots and lots of stories!” another boy added.

“Then go on telling him. Believe me, you wouldn’t want to miss out on his fire show,” Ryeowook replied, watching as the children’s eyes grew bigger and their mouths fell open in awe.

“You’ve seen it?”

“I have. But I need to see the doctor now, so, everyone, be nice to Kyuhyun, will you?”

“Of course, prince!”

Ryeowook smiled at them and once more at Kyuhyun whose smile looked somewhat off this time, then Ryeowook left. He briefly told a nurse to get Minjeong something to drink before he joined the doctor in the big room, where the two men quickly fell into a rhythm, working side-by-side once Ryeowook had also received a mask from one of the nurses.

☆ ☆ ☆

The sun had already set by the time that Ryeowook, his maids, and Kyuhyun left the hospital. The prince glanced at the man next to him who was unusually quiet.

“Did you still perform for the children?”

Kyuhyun looked back at Ryeowook before looking up front again. “Yes, I did. You would have certainly been disappointed because I merely gave them a small show, but the children were happy about it.”

“I’m sure I would have been as happy as the children.”

Kyuhyun opened his mouth as if to say something, but then he remained quiet. “Is it always like today?”

Ryeowook shook his head after he realized that Kyuhyun was most likely referring to the big room and not to the time he spent with the children. “No, there are definitely more patients these days than normally.” He thought back to the big room and felt the smile fall from his face, worry replacing it. Something about this cough was strange; it seemed a lot more severe than a normal cough and more people than usually seemed to have gotten infected so severely that they went to the hospital. Hopefully, they would recover soon!

“But… I’m sorry for voicing out my worry again, yet… is it still safe for you to work under such circumstances?”

“It’s as safe for me as it is for anyone. Those people need help and I’m willing to provide that help. It is an emperor’s duty to do what’s best for the people, so, as the king’s son, I will help the people as much as I can.” He flashed the fire artist a brief smile and though the other didn’t look convinced, Ryeowook was relieved that no further protest followed. He knew of the danger of working in the hospital, but how was he supposed to help it? “Did you meet Minjeong?” he changed the subject.

“Yes, I did. The others brought him to the main room for my small show.”

Ryeowook couldn’t help the smile that instantly tugged at the corners of his lips, certain that this had been the most exciting thing that had happened to the small boy in a long time. “Will I see you at the hospital again tomorrow?”

“I think I’ll pay the children another visit. There were still a lot of stories left untold.”

“Great! Then I’ll make sure to pay you all a visit before I’ll help the doctor.”

“You missed your chance for another show, though.”

“Can I get another one then before you leave?”

“Would it be improper to offer you a private one? Including your two maids, of course.”

Ryeowook glanced at Kyuhyun, excitement buzzing through him at the prospect of getting a one-on-one show. Would Kyuhyun go above and beyond what he had already shown them during the spring festival? “I think it would be improper indeed. But I have to make sure that I am not mistaken.” In the end, neither his parents nor his brothers could deny him anything, so he knew he’d get to see another show if he just tried hard enough.

Way too soon, they arrived at the court’s gates and had to part ways, but the thought of a private show from Kyuhyun accompanied Ryeowook through dinner and even into his room that night. His imagination was running wild with expectation, yet nothing that he could come up with seemed to come close to what he was sure he would actually get to see. What images would Kyuhyun show him during a private show? What tricks would he perform? Where would they even do it? It would have to be late at night again and still somewhere private… So surely Kyuhyun wouldn’t come back to the court! But Ryeowook also couldn’t imagine Kyuhyun performing at some guest house. What other options did they have?

The image of a clearing in the forest outside the capital appeared in his mind and he hung on to that thought, letting his fantasy give him a walk-through fire-show to dreamland.