Sandeul made a quick job of cleaning up the mess of glass shards, but he almost wished he could’ve kept on cleaning. The prince’s bedroom was immense and filled with many beautiful and fascinating things, yet he couldn’t find anything to occupy himself with. For the next two hours he would resort to intensely inspecting each and every ornament in the room, testing out the furniture for comfort, and hopping up and down on the bed like a child.

When Sandeul became entirely too bored of his activities, when he could not possibly think of another thing to entertain himself with, he came to the decision that he had to leave the room. He felt restless, and he had way too much time to think. Considering what had happened between him and the prince just hours earlier, his intuition told him that thinking could be unhealthy for his sanity.

Sandeul tightly gripped the polished brass doorknob until his knuckles were white, biting his lip while he contemplated whether he should venture into the halls. As the prince’s servant, did he have the privilege of wondering around the castle? He allowed a sigh to escape his lips before twisting the doorknob little by little.

The door slowly creaked open, and Sandeul poked his head into the hallway, glancing down both sides before hesitantly stepping out of the room in his bare feet. The hardwood floor felt slick against the pads of his feet as he began to creep down the hall, keeping close to the wall and examining the lavish adornments that lined both. A large, expensive-looking leather chest with a brass lock on the front was positioned underneath a tall, narrow window. An end table made of a rich, dark red wood sat in between two posh padded chairs. A stark white porcelain vase sat atop the table in the very center. Huge, elaborate chandeliers hung every few feet along the ceiling, intricate details etched into the thin glass. Four slender, dripping candles were placed in deep-set holders in the center of  each of these chandeliers, causing a muted, warm glow to be cast over the hallway.

Sandeul stole a glance around the corner at the far end of the hall before easing down a corridor narrower and duskier than the one he was on. No sooner had he started down the corridor before a lady wearing an elegant, flowing gown stepped out of one of the rooms. Thanks to his close proximity to the wall, Sandeul was able to stealthily slip inside a room, lightly shutting the door behind him.

The room he ended up in was shrouded in shadows, the silhouettes of massive pieces of furniture looming in the darkness like crouching giants. Sandeul cautiously crept further into the hollow room.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms around his slim waist, squeezing him gently. “Let me go!” he shrieked, breaking free dramatically and stumbling backwards. “Shush! You’re gonna get us both caught!” the mysterious person whispered urgently. “You sound familiar…,” Sandeul said, trailing off. “You sound…” He paused. “…like my friend, Baro.” The guy standing in front of Sandeul chuckled mildly. “That’s because I am, you silly boy,” he said, ruffling Sandeul’s hair affectionately. “Baro!” Sandeul screeched, throwing his arms around the other boy. “Ha-ha, miss me?” Baro snickered, hugging Sandeul back fondly. When the two friends finally broke their hug, Sandeul crinkled his eyebrows. “What are you doing here? How did you get here?” he questioned, eager to know the answers. Baro took hold of his hand, tugging him over to a sofa and sitting down, pulling Sandeul down to sit next to him.

Baro smiled solemnly, wetting his lips before beginning with his explanation. “I came to your house,” he said, dropping his head. After a minute, he continued. “You weren’t there.” He bit his lip like he might cry, but Sandeul knew better. He and Baro had been friends since childhood, and Sandeul had never once, in all those years, seen Baro cry. He had too much pride for that.

Baro wet his lips once again, blowing air through his nose. “I asked your mum where you were, and she said that you could never come back home…When I asked why she said that you were forced to become the prince’s servant for life, or else die.” Baro messed up his hair in a frustrated way. “Sandeul, I just couldn’t accept that. You’re my best friend. I just knew I had to see you.” Sandeul smiled, but Baro could see sadness written in his eyes. “You don’t want me here?” Sandeul shook his head fervently, mumbling, “No, no! I mean, yes, of course I want you here, but there’s one thing I’m concerned about,” he said, scrunching up his nose. Baro waited patiently for Sandeul to continue. “Nobody knows you’re here, right?” Baro nodded once in affirmation, and Sandeul sighed, leaning his head against the back of the sofa. “You can’t just keep on sneaking around. That’s not any way to live. How did you get in anyway?” Baro stretched his limbs out, curling his toes and extending his arms to the ceiling. “I snuck in, of course. There’s always royal officials coming and going, so it’s not hard to sneak in.” Sandeul grunted, rolling his eyes. “You’re so sneaky, Baro!” Sandeul swatted Baro’s arm lightheartedly. “You sound like a teenage girl!” Baro laughed, pinching Sandeul’s red cheeks. Sandeul puckered his lips, seemingly in a huff. “Aw, you’re so cute, Deulie!” Baro cooed.

After hours spent in the village, speaking to the townspeople and discussing serious matters involving the wellbeing of the village, Gongchan finally returned to the castle. Drained and wanting nothing more than to collapse on his bed beside his wonderful new servant, he sluggishly climbed the stairs and walked down the endless halls to his bedroom. When he finally got there he slung open the door and stumbled inside the room. “Let’s go to bed, Sandeulie. I’m so exhausted!” he groaned. However, he received no answer. Glancing around the room, he called out Sandeul’s name several times. “Huh? Where did he go?” Gongchan wondered aloud.

His eyes heavy and his limbs weak, Gongchan came to the decision that he must go to bed without Sandeul. He felt so gloomy, though. He’d finally acquired a friend to keep him company, and now that friend had disappeared, leaving Gongchan feeling as lonely as always.

Sandeul cautiously opened the door to the prince’s bedroom, closing it carefully and creeping over to the bed. However, it was dark in the room, so Sandeul didn’t see the table in front of him until he bumped into it, causing it and its contents to crash to the floor. He cursed under his breath, standing completely still and stiff as a board. Nevertheless, he heard Gongchan shift in bed, calling out, “Who’s there?” in a frightened tone. “I-it’s me, Sandeul,” Sandeul stammered timidly. “Sandeul? What are you doing? Where in the world did you go?” Before Sandeul could answer, Gongchan interrupted with, “Just come and get in the bed. I’m so tired.” Sandeul swiftly made his way over to the bed, thankfully without knocking anything else over. “I’m sorry prin-…“ Sandeul quickly corrected himself. “…I mean, Gongchan.” Sandeul climbed into the bed apprehensively, burrowing into the cool sheets. “That’s better,” Gongchan murmured. “What’s better?” Gongchan sighed. “You called me Gongchan. That’s better than prince,” Gongchan muttered. The minimal light filtering through the windows allowed Sandeul to see Gongchan’s face in the darkness. “You really do look tired,” Sandeul whispered. “Very,” Gongchan answered. “You know, I was sad when I saw you weren’t here.” Sandeul had a start. “You were sad?” Gongchan opened his eyes wearily. “Yes.”  Shaking his head, Sandeul asked, “Why were you sad?”Gongchan clucked his tongue. “I’m so lonely all the time. I hoped that you would be my friend, and that I would never be lonely again. When I saw that you were gone I…” He bit his lip, his eyes growing glossy. “…I lost that hope.” Tears dripped from Gongchan’s eyes, causing Sandeul to feel sorry for him, but Gongchan’s problems also reminded him of his own. “You know, this is hard for me, too. I can’t see my mum or my friends anymore, and I feel so out of place here. I don’t belong. I don’t feel comfort in being here.” Sandeul’s eyesight began to blur from tears. When he tried to wipe at his eyes, Gongchan took hold of his hand, drawing Sandeul closer and enfolding him in his arms. Sandeul, in need of someone to hug, wrapped his arms around Gongchan’s waist.

The two boys held each other and cried, foreheads pressed together, legs entangled, for nearly an hour. Whenever a new tear would drop from Sandeul’s eyes, Gongchan would kiss it away. Sandeul would simply lie still, staring ahead and enjoying Gongchan’s company. Gongchan was surprisingly comforting, although Sandeul knew of one other person whom he would rather be comforted by; Baro was his best friend. Nobody else could measure up, no matter how hard he or she tried. Besides, Sandeul couldn't help but wonder if this sweet side of Gongchan was ephemeral, and would disappear by the time they woke up the next day.

A/N: Hello! As promised, this chapter is longer than the last one. I hope you guys liked it. I tried really hard to make it good! ^A^

Also, please comment. Comments mean a lot to me, you know. ^__^

By the way, have any of you heard of the Chinese couple Yuxi and Oyo? When I was writing the part about Gongchan and Sandeul crying together this is what I thought of:

Idek...I just think this picture is so incredibly cute! ^o^

Ok, I will go now. Thanks for reading! :P