Within a few more minutes all the men around the table began getting up and taking their dirty dishes to the kitchen area. One of the men rolled up his sleeves and began the task of washing the bowls and spoons that were brought to him. Baekhyun watched as a couple of the men went over to the living room side, making things brighter by lighting several of the kerosene lamps that were sitting on the fireplace mantel and the many side tables in the large area. A couple of the men left the living area and went outside to the porch, while some of the men went over to the couches and a game of cards was soon started. 

With all of these activities, a lot of laughing and carousing was going on and Baekhyun thought the noise was similar to when he lived in the orphanage. He watched everything with guarded interest, trying to not be too obvious as he made mental notes about who was talking and how they interacted with others. He learned that the loud man from earlier that predicted the rain was a little quieter when he was full of food and his name was Jongdae. And Minseok seemed to be fond of Jongdae regardless of whether he was loud or not.

Baekhyun also watched as Jongin made a show of taking the large empty pot that previously held their dinner back off the table and carrying it to the sink. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes at the show, but grinned secretly at the orphan when he noticed Baekhyun watching the whole scene. Baekhyun gave a small grin back but then his attention was taken by Junmyeon, who had picked up one of the lit lamps and carried it over to stand beside Baekhyun's chair. Before the orphan even realized, Yixing had already picked up Baekhyun’s bowl and was taking it to the kitchen for him, so Baekhyun looked back at Junmyeon who gestured towards the hallway.  Baekhyun nodded timidly, clutched his bag to his chest, and dutifully followed the handsome man down the hallway. 

The kerosene lamp cast shadows on the walls as they went up a flight of stairs and down another hallway. Then, at the third doorway, Junmyeon opened the door and gestured welcomingly. “Here we go…”  He walked in and put the lamp down on a small table in the room. The light brightened up the area that the last of the day’s sunshine had deserted only minutes before.

Baekhyun peered inside. The room was about the same size as the small shack that he had been staying in the previous three nights. Inside were two beds of different sizes. The smaller one was positioned next to the only window in the room, and the larger bed was against the wall closer to the door.  

The handsome man pointed at the smaller bed. “You’ll be sleeping on that one. You can leave your bag there and I’ll show you where we bathe.” 

The orphan looked down in embarrassment. He knew his clothing was very dirty and although it wasn't a bath per se, it had been several days since he had waded in the river as he made his escape from the weaver’s shop. The thought that he might smell badly made him feel very self-conscious and he wasn’t sure if he should apologise or what he should say. 

Junmyeon seemed to understand Baekhyun’s discomfort. “Please don’t feel bad. You’ve probably been through a lot and I’m sure getting clean will help you feel better.” He smiled kindly. “Let’s go..?”

Baekhyun meekly put his bag down on the floor next to the smaller bed then followed the man out of the room and down the hallway a little further. There were lights along the corridor that had already been lit, and Junmyeon picked one up as they walked along. At the end of the hall was a door which Junmyeon opened and walked into the room. Baekhyun followed and then stopped and looked around curiously.

When Junmyeon had entered the large room, he had immediately used the lamp to light a different type of lamp that was sitting in an open-sided box lined with highly polished metal. The light reflected off the metal and lit up practically the whole room, making it brighter and easy to see everything. All the walls of the room were covered with white tile, which also created the illusion of light. A long countertop with four sinks lined one wall. To the back of the room were four cubicles with doors on them. Inside each of the cubicles were chair-like structures with chain contraptions attached to them. And on the other side of the room were fo