His father was not there anymore.

The person who made him into a man, the person who gave him a family and a life, was not there anymore.

As his knees hit the ground with the force given on his shoulders, which made him kneel down beside his mother and sister, Baekhyun didn’t feel the forceful grip on his shoulders, nor did he see the government official who stood towering in front of them to announce the royal order.

Nor did he fully comprehend the words that rang over his head.

“With the judgment given by the Royal Court, the former Defense Minister Byun Joonho will be announced as a traitor who conspired against His Majesty the King and the throne of Joseon, along with his family, and is sentenced to death. Since his life ended during the interrogation, only the punishments for his family will continue as sentenced, hence Cha Inseo, Byun Joonho’s wife, Byun Baekhyun, Byun Joonho’s son, and Byun Inhyun, Byun Joonho’s daughter, will be exiled to a village in down south, and are ordered to live the rest of their lives repenting for their crimes. All the property that belongs to the Byun family will be confiscated, and entering the capital is prohibited for all three subjects for the rest of their lives.”

His mother was allowed to choose a few of their belongings to take with her, where barely a bundle that fit into her hands was allowed, and they were given white clothes as per the tradition to be worn as they departed to the village they were exiled to.

When he wouldn’t move from the spot he was forced to kneel down, two royal guards were ordered to grab him onto his feet once again, and he was stripped off his outer robe which his mother took months to embroider those silver dragons on, and was draped in an off white robes to match his mother and sister. Everything still was a blurred sequence of events to Baekhyun until a hand reached up to his head to pull his headband off, which snapped him back to his senses.

His father’s words started echoing in his ears as his gaze on the guard was turning into a glare.

“There you go my handsome young man!” his father had said, tying the long hair of little Baekhyun on top of his head for the first time. “Long hair, our ancestors considered it as an honor to a man. His dignity and pride. So make sure you grow up and make our family proud, my son.”

The servants and people crowded around them all gasped in fear when he reached forward and grabbed the dagger tucked into the guard’s waist band. The guard flinched, but instead of charging forward, Baekhyun raised his hands and cut off his hair that was held up in a ponytail.

“Baekhyun!”

He heard his mother’s enraged voice, but avoided turning around, and let himself be dragged away by the guards.

* * *

“What on earth is going through your head Kim Junmyeon??? What are you thinking?” Junmyeon’s mother was raising her voice at her son, which was one of the rarest things to happen in the Kim’s household. “Do you think you can ever undo what you have done Junmyeon?”

“WHY AM I THE ONE TO BLAME???” Junmyeon bellowed for the umpteenth time that evening. “Do you have any idea about how hard I worked on proving his innocence? It’s been sometime since evidence started guiding us to Lord Byun but do you know how much I tried to prove those evidence wrong? Whom do you think I am omma? Don’t tell me you also think that i did this to drag Byun Joonho down and gain a little bit more power.”

His mom glared back, causing the young man to turn away with a disappointed sigh.

Gayeon approached their mother, and held her gently. “Omma please… this is enough of a mess now.”

“Do you think the same way Gayeon?” Junmyeon turned to his sister, his face turning redder with rage. “Do you also think I’d ruin your marriage because of my greed?”

“No oppa! Never.” Gayeon replied, voicing her true opinion. She knew Junmyeon just too well to suspect him, she knew that he was content with the position he held in the King’s court and that he never craved for wealth and power like most aristocrats did.

“But my own mother doubts me Gayeon-ah.” He glared back at his mother who was now turning flustered by her own words. “My own mother thinks that I killed the person who’s been abhuji’s best friend for decades and caused his family to be exiled. Will anyone else believe me when she doesn’t?”

He stormed out of the room, closing the door with a bang, to walk into an unexpectedly crowded front gate.

People were gathering in herds on either side of the street, whispers were buzzing with frequent mentions of the names ‘Byun’ and ‘Kim’, and soon a small possession of soldiers appeared from the far corner of the road.

Accompanying three people dressed in white rags, the older woman clutching a bundle to her chest and holding her daughter’s hand, while the third figure, her son following them with soldiers on either side of him, and his wrists tied down with ropes, extra precautions taken.

Not noticing the two ladies who had stepped out of the mansion behind him, Junmyeon walked into the crowd, watching the exiled.

Heads bent down, the two females walked ahead, the mother afraid of insults they might receive from people, and the daughter obviously because she was too scared to raise her head.

Yet the youth held his head high, still dignified despite his outer appearance being a mess, his face sickly pale, hair cut short and totally disheveled, and the dusty white robe hanging down his shoulders.

His eyes were scanning the crowd, as if there was a certain face he had been looking for, and it didn’t take for Gayeon to realize that he was searching for her brother.

If Baekhyun’s current state caused a slightest shake in her emotions with a pang of ache in her chest, it was vanished and replaced with fright as she saw him catching the sight of Junmyeon.

Before the guards could comprehend what was happening, Baekhyun darted towards the Royal Secretary, causing gasps from the men around and screams from the women around, and grabbed him by his collar with his tied hands.

“Kim Junmyeon,” Baekhyun hissed at the older male through gritted teeth, not letting go when the guards who soon followed him tried to drag him away.

“Wait for it...wait for the day I make you lose everything just like you did to me.”

Junmyeon listened, staring right back at the youth with a surprisingly calm gaze, and not moving a single muscle.

Which gave Gayeon the urge to meddle in like she’s never done before, and she stepped forward to try pull Baekhyun away from her brother. Her interference made Baekhyun’s glare shift onto her, and he gave a smile- a smirk that didn’t look so humane and sane.

“Treat him well.