She had spoken in a faint whisper, but the wind seemed to carry her voice across the considerable gap between them.

Minhowas so alarmed that his quick-witted lying skills failed him for the first time since their descent into the human world. Panic and dread stirred themselves into a horrible concoction in his stomach as he stood, too terrified at the stupidity of the mistake they had so carelessly committed. He did not expect Jonghyun to speak up for the two of them, but then, he would have been happy for his master to remain silent – after all, his manner of speech would only have made matters more complicated and perhaps exposed more of what they had already given away.

But the girl did not allow for any chance for explanation. In the seconds of silence that soon ticked into minutes, she only stared with those large black eyes of hers, a mixture of confusion and fascination written on her face. And then she was off. Turning her head, her bundle of black curls tumbling in the cold wind behind her, she dashed off in the direction that she had come from.

‘What was that all about?’ Jonghyun was the first to speak amidst the stillness that ensued, where only the rustling leaves and the faint whistle of the wind sounded.

Minho tossed between his options: he could have poured out all of his discontent at his master and risk the possibility of setting off his temper again, which, thankfully, had seemed to diminish after the mystery girl’s interruption, or he could take advantage of the calming of tensions and make use of the peace to talk some sense into him.

His sigh echoed in harmony with the howling wind that ruffled up the light curls bordering both sides of his attractive face. ‘Jonghyun, we’ve just exposed our identity to a human; she knows what we are. And please, don’t do what you did just then… it was against human conventions: it was disrespectful to that girl, and you would be in even more trouble if she already has a boyfriend or something. You should find a chance to explain to her – if we ever meet again, that is. We really should talk to her, and if lying won’t work, at least build some friendly relationship which will ensure that she will help keep our secret for –’

‘Shhhhh!’ Jonghyun’s index finger flew to his lips as he signaled an abrupt ceasing to Minho’s unexciting rant. The First Heir had trailed off listening to his sidekick and had his hearing devoted elsewhere. ‘Did you hear that?’

‘Hear what?’

‘Someone screamed. I think we should go down and see what’s going on.’ Before Minho could protest or piece together a reason as to why they shouldn’t get involved in any more trouble that night, Jonghyun was bounding off towards the direction of where the lake lay.

And it was just as well he did. His line of vision, upon arriving at the top of the slope, which led to the dip where the lake would be situated, brought his attention to something rolling. It seemed to be a person, he thought, squinting his eyes and beginning to pace slowly downhill towards it. It didn’t take much longer for him to realize what the rolling bundle was: Eunmi had apparently fallen out of her wheelchair – how that happened, he had no idea – and the ever so tranquil lake seemed to wallow in the possibility of her continuing to tumble chaotically downwards.

He never expected himself to be the heroic type. But the kindly instincts that lay beneath his usual sour words protruded from the surface of his stubborn attitudes; Jonghyun found himself racing carelessly towards the girl, plummeting to the floor as he slid the last few metres on his stomach.

He was alarmed, but his fast reactions allowed him to dive forward and enclose his hand over her small one. The panic he felt sweltering in his mind could not be relieved, and the resulting perspiration made his attempts at heaving her up the steep edge of the lake border all the more difficult…

A sudden, sharp pain seared through his head as tiny black dots formed in his vision. He blinked hard several times, struggling to contain his strength, as he felt his body turn cold and perspiration trickle down the side of his face. He trembled as he grasped her hand with unexplainable familiarity.

‘Oppa! Help me!’ Eunmi raised her other free hand and clasped it tightly around his, struggling with all her might to ensure that their hands were not separated while he heaved and tugged.

It came as no surprise when the two lost the battle…

Jonghyun could feel the ice-cold waters on his skin. His eyes refused to open as the surge of panic struck down on him: he was unable to swim. The only relief he could garner was the source of human life beside him. He knew she would save him… his life depended on her… Those were the only thoughts his mind revolved around as he gripped her hand tighter still; he was not going to let go. She was practically all he had…

‘Oppa!’

Eunmi called out to him, and Jonghyun opened his eyes, realizing that he had succumbed to a vivid memory attack as the grass made its way into his mouth and his face pressed down solidly into the earth. The word she referred him with had no connection to his memorable knowledge, and yet he felt a strange intimacy to it, as though he could not deny the bond he had with that word which reverberated inside his head while more black dots invaded his vision.

And it struck down on him while he lay there tugging on her. It was like a beast, encaged inside his mind and lying dormant for the past seven years of his life. It now fully awakened, stretched its ghastly claws out and roared – a ferociously menacing roar which prompted the sudden urge to let go: the temptation to his hand hard and release hers. It was vengeance that the beast inside him was spitting. The loathsome feeling of hatred and betrayal crackled as he struggled to contain the unexplainable wrath and bring his arm to heave the struggling girl up towards the flat surface.

There was a sudden addition to what he assumed was his own strength as both he and Eunmi were wrenched away from the water’s edge by a foreign pair of hands.

They landed in a messy heap on the grass.

‘Eunmi! Are you alright? Jonghyun, why didn’t you pull her up? I know you have the physical strength to do so! What were you fighting against down there?’ The familiar deep voice was dripping with alarm and worry.

‘I don’t know, Minho…’ The beast seemed to have settled back into its former state of slumber and returned Jonghyun his senses while he inhaled the cool air and calmed himself.

Eunmi had been unable to sit herself upright, and lay upon the grass in a helpless state. As the boys reached forward and gently helped her into a comfortable position, she dropped into Jonghyun’s arms and entered into a trance from which none of them could seem to rouse her.

She allowed her head to rest against his shoulder as her arm travelled up around his neck and tightly clutched the back of his white feathered coat. Her eyes were transfixed as they stared at the crystal pendant.

‘Oppa… I’m so sorry…’ she whispered through tears. ‘I’m so sorry I didn’t save you seven years ago… I… I…’

‘Eunmi, wake up. Stop talking nonsense! You’re safe now. Eunmi, answer me!’ Jonghyun lightly tapped her cheek with the palm of his hand.

‘You don’t understand… I didn’t leave you…’ she continued to plead under her breath.

‘Eunmi! Come back! Eunmi, look at me!’

‘Forgive me… please…’ she raised her head and gazed into Jonghyun’s mesmerizing eyes. ‘Oppa…’ It was only at such close proximity that she fixed her eyes on his shimmering gold hair: more than the mere blonde colour she had thought it was. It was streaked with countless hues which gleamed under the moonlight… ivory… straw… saffron… amber… She breathed in his scent – a sweet, invigorating scent, quite unlike anything she had ever smelt before. It was pleasant, and seemed calming to her senses as she inhaled the intoxicating smell which definitely was not cologne: it resembled the fragrance of lavender tinged with the aroma of the sun dappling through the breeze of springtime.

Jonghyun placed both hands on either side of her face and shook her lightly. ‘I am not your Oppa. Eunmi, you have got the wrong person.’ He emphasized each word as he looked sternly into her eyes.

‘Jonghyun…’ Her eyes seemed to relax sadly as she dropped her arm from its place on his shoulders and let it land lifelessly on his leg. ‘You really are not my Oppa, right?’

‘I cannot stress clear enough that I do not understand a word of what you say regarding this issue. But you really must get it right: I am not your Oppa. I have never met you until tonight.’ Jonghyun kept his tone calm and steady, careful not to harm her emotionally during such a vulnerable state of her mind.

‘I’m sorry, Jonghyun.’ She had shifted away from the physical intimacy to place a slight gap between the two of them, and now gave in to the outburst as she cried openly, ‘I just really wished you were him… you don’t know how much I’m craving for a chance, even if it’s just for a few minutes, to explain everything to him. But what I long for more than anything is for him to not be gone at all! I wish he was still here with me…’

Jonghyun did not know what induced him to then reach out and wrap his arm lightly around her, pulling the weeping girl to him and resting her head on his chest. He patted her gently on her back with his other hand. It wasn’t a very intimate embrace, but a way for him to express his sympathy and provide the comfort which his mouth often failed to word. She trembled under his arm as she sobbed and hiccupped.

His voice became soft – an astonishing contrast to his usual haughty remarks and conceited manner of speech – as he hushed her gently before saying, ‘Sometimes, people are taken away from your life for your protection… perhaps God knew that he would have caused you pain or heartbreak and therefore removed him before he could hurt you. And when this happens, it is best not to go running after them.’

‘Well spoken, Jonghyun,’ Minho had been smiling all along, and now nodded his head in appreciation, ‘that was beautiful.’

The sentimental moment ended here as Jonghyun regained his self composure and returned to his usual pompous self. ‘Now get off me, woman. Your tears are contaminating my clothes.’

Eunmi lifted herself from her position, and, sure enough, there was a wet patch at his chest, right at the place where his heart lay beneath.

‘Eunmi, we’re going to take you home. Onew must be really worried about you,’ Minho offered kindly.

‘I can’t go back in this state, though! He’ll probably burst into another rant about how I never protect myself and that will just add to his over-protectiveness of me!’

Sure enough, there were scratches and tiny trails of dried blood sketched along the surface of her smooth, pale legs. The two boys set about to clean the minor injuries with the help of some water from the lake.

‘How did you get yourself into this state in the first place? What were you doing?’ asked Minho politely.

‘I was just moving around the place thinking on my own, and I think the wheel of the chair got caught in something in the grass… and then it flipped and I ended up rolling out of it and into the lake… if it weren’t for you two… I might –’

‘There’s no need for cheesy “thank-you”s,’ remarked Jonghyun, as Minho retrieved the wheelchair from its knocked-over position.

‘This chair doesn’t seem like it’s going to move properly: it needs some fixing on its wheel,’ announced Minho.

Eunmi winced as the sign of fright invaded her beautiful features yet again. ‘What are we going to do? How will I get back? And what are we going to tell Onew oppa?’ she squeaked.

Jonghyun placed one arm beneath her knees and one around her shoulder, lifting her off the floor in one swift movement as he got to his feet and joined Minho, who pushed the empty wheelchair jaggedly along the ground.

‘Don’t worry; Minho is an excellent liar.’

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