My Lady
The Teaser Era
Kai & OC
18th Century London
Rating: PG
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It had been raining over the past few days. It had only recently let up, going from a constantly heavy storm to a tolerable shower. It was early springtime, and that meant rain would fall in London until the first flowers bloomed.
But that didn’t matter to Kai.
It could have been snowing and he would still be outside on the empty streets, street lights illuminating his cobble stage.
She was his everything. Everything he wanted in life. She wasn’t just his reason to live - she was the very thing keeping him alive. Kai needed her every day, even if just a little taste between meetings and parties.
“Stop the coach!” he called from the carriage, belting over the sound of stomping hooves.
“But My Lord, the Phallon Manor is still very far away.” The driver slowed the stagecoach but wouldn’t pull to a complete stop. “You’re already running late and I promised your father to make sure you would be there as soon as your visit to the Carraway House was over.”
Kai’s antsy body cringed at the thought of having to stand around in a stuffy room with haughty women who think they have a chance with him, or dealing with uptight men in their fancy clothes and bragging about their latest addition to their art collection. “I’m done with these parties. Can’t you just take me back home, already?”
“I’m sorry, Young Master, but I cannot. Your father’s orders come before yours.” From inside the carriage, Kai could hear the reigns whip, sending the horses a burst of energy. He merely sighed as he gazed out the windows and hummed a slow melody to himself.
The stagecoach finally slowed down, but Kai was content with remaining in the cramped space. The door swung open and the sound of violins filled his ears. It was the only thing the piqued his interest as his driver offered a hand to help Kai out the carriage.
Kai brushed the hand away as he stepped out of the carriage. He threw the top hat back into the carriage before shutting the door. The gentle shower was refreshing, washing away the strains of living an upper-class life and dealing with the stiff expectations of society. Kai looked up, letting drops of water hit his face, running down his tanned skin before falling to the ground.
“My Lord, we should hurry inside before you catch a cold.” His butler said as he prepared an umbrella. Kai, being as impatient as he was, merely walked to the front door of the oversized mansion, not caring that his cape was drenched and clothes started to dampen.
Inside, the grand hall was lit up, blinding Kai. Glass chandeliers redirected light into every corner of the room, and the blaring orchestra Kai was so looking forward to disappointed him with the cliched classical tunes he had grown tired of long ago.
“Well, well. Look who decided to finally show up. I thought you were too good for things like these parties, Kai.”
“...Jin.” Kai rolled his eyes at the sight of a man with two woman hanging off his arms. His extravagantly gaudy tux was overly bedazzled in Kai’s opinion, and his shirt had three too many ruffles for Kai’s taste. “If you’ll please excuse me, I have to go do something.” Kai untied his cape, handing it to the nearby doorman. Kai brushed passed Jin in his simple white top and black pants. Designer, of course, but still simple looking.
Jin laughed as Kai retreated to a corner. The two girls on his arms started to laugh with him. The only thing that crossed Kai’s mind at that moments was how much he cursed himself for having to be in a room full of ditzy girls and Jin, Kai’s self-proclaimed rival in everything.
The table of drinks and food was still well manned and had fresh plates coming in as the older, emptier ones were sent back to the kitchen. Kai grabbed a glass of champagne and some odd looking hors d'oeuvre before mingling with the crowd. The slight alcohol buzz he got from the drinks were the only thing that made any of these parties tolerable for more than an hour.
Just as Kai had expected, girls flocked to him - both older and younger. He thanked his father for his good physique, his mom for his baby face, and his wait staff for raising him well, but blamed everyone else for thinking that his looks and manners would be accompanied by a sweet and welcoming personality. But despite always pushing people away, the girls just found that more alluring. It was as if being a prick made you more attractive. Girls were something Kai would never understand no matter how old he got or how many times he was confronted by one.
She was the only one he would ever understand, but she was special because she understood Kai, too.
The second hour of Kai’s presence had just started and he was already on his third glass of alcohol. Or fourth. He wasn’t keeping track but he knew he had already downed a glass of champagne and another glass of wine. Whether there was another glass of something in the mix, he really didn’t care. He started to feel the buzz, but even that wasn’t enough anymore. Kai needed her, but she was nowhere to be found in the hell hole that is a Phallon party. She never made an appearance and that always made Kai upset.
But Kai understood why. She wasn’t seen as high-class enough to fit into these venues. And Kai found that to be one of the best parts about her. He could keep her all to himself. Even if no one else could appreciate her, he and he alone could be hers. Best of all, she pissed off Jin, and Kai always made it a note to mess with Jin’s head. It made the one-sided rivalry more entertaining for Kai.
Kai must have been staring for a while. His butler had shook him a bit before snapping his hands in front of Kai’s face. “My Lord, a few of the ladies have been whispering amongst themselves, hoping to share a dance with you.”
“Hmph. I’ll share with no one.”
“That’s most unfortunate, Young Master, but must I remind you that you are representing your family here tonight? A false move on your part would reflect-”
“-badly on father and mother, and would potentially cause the family status to drop because people think I’m a rude child with a horrid upbringing and blah blah blah. I know, you’ve given me this spiel a hundred times.”
Kai’s butler just nodded and directed Kai’s attention to a group of young women. They hid their faces behind their overly-decorated fans as if trying to act cute and coy. Kai found it ridiculous that their peacock attention callers were even thought to be stylish, but he let it go. Kai just looked around. He occasionally acknowledge someone, but the number of people Kai got along with wasn’t very high.
If he could, Kai knew who he would want to share the floor with. But she wasn’t around. She wasn’t there to capture his every step and sway with every flick of his wrist. Kai had to settle for someone who just wanted to twirl in circles while Kai stood there with his hand up and out.
“Do I really have to dance with one of these girls?” Kai asked as he leaned against a wall.
“Young Master, I’ve never had to tell you more than once a night why it is that you must do these things. Please do not break that pattern tonight. If it comes down to it, I will pick the most obnoxious girl and offer her your hand.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.” His butler gave an innocent smile to cover his devious intents. “Your father had to dance with all sorts of crazy women when he wouldn’t listen to me the first time.”
In all his defeated glory, Kai set back at looking for someone to dance with. “It just has to be be one dance, right? With anyone?”
“Yes, My Lord. Just one dance so that the world knows you aren’t trying to grow old and alone and ruin your family’s future. I will not take you home until after you’ve had a dance.”
“And I can’t just wait until the festivities end?”
Kai’s butler smiled sweetly. “I doubt you’ll last for another three hours.”
“Three?!” Kai almost dropped to his knees in shock. He gawked at the realization that he would have to stay for more than one hour, and almost hurled when he realized that meant he was going to have to deal with people he detested - especially Jin. “You’re an evil man, you know that?”
“I am merely doing my job. I’ll leave you to finding a suitable partner, Young Master. I’ll give you two hours before I act.”
If it was legal, Kai would have killed his butler then and there and ran off with in his carriage. To be honest, Kai almost didn’t care about the whole legality of the situation, but it would make life much harder if he was a criminal constantly on the run.
Kai about to give up and lock himself in the bathroom when a girl caught his eye. She was dressed oddly casual for the occasion and had separated herself from everything around her. But Kai liked how she was dressed. Her plain dress with flat, thin sleeves and a simple a-line cut fit her nicely and complemented the air she let off. It was almost like she just didn’t care that people were talking badly about her. From a distance, she didn’t look extremely beautiful, but Kai did acknowledge she did look pretty.
She, too, was looking around the room. Her eyes met with Kai’s and she just smiled before turning away. She held her ground in the corner of the room she claimed as her own.
It was odd. Kai never felt so intrigued by anyone other than her. But here was this young girl - at least she appeared young - who with one look suddenly had all of Kai’s attention. She glanced over at Kai every so often but made no pass or acknowledgement that every time she looked, Kai had his eyes on her.
“You know, Young Master, most men would go talk to a lady they fancy. But I guess you aren’t like most men, are you?”
“As my butler, do you have anything else to do with your life other than poke fun at me and drag me to these tortuous events?” Kai asked. But he was flustered, and his butler knew that. “Just go do something else, will you?”
“If you need help talking with her, just wave me over and I shall be the best wingman you could ever wish for, My Lord.” Kai’s butler laughed quietly to himself as he left Kai to his staring.
Kai turned his attention back to the girl. Their eyes met immediately, and Kai could see her giggling at the exchange he just had with his butler. Kai felt embarrassed. As soon as the girl turned away, he hid his face in his hands.
“Oh no, is the great Kai not feeling well?”
“Jin, just leave me alone. I’m too annoyed to deal with you at the moment.” Kai peaked out from between his fingers. He still felt his cheeks were a bit warm and didn’t want to give Jin the satisfaction that he was anything but composed. “Now if you would so kindly move to the other end of the world...I’d rather not have a view of your face everytime I open my eyes. Actually, if you could jump off the end of the world, I will personally throw you the grandest funeral anyone could ever-”
“Seohyeon.”
“Huh?”
“The girl you have been staring at for the past ten minutes. Her name is Seohyeon.” Jin said as he looked at the girl.
“A foreign girl? Doesn’t seem like Phallon would have many connections outside the country.”
“Yet he has us.”
Kai scoffed. “You know what I mean, Jin. Our families have been here for a while, but this is the first time I remember seeing her at one of these.”
“Meh, maybe she’s just another girl he seemed to have picked up during his random excursions. You know how Phallons can be.”
Kai nodded in agreement, but shot up and started blinking as if an electric shock sent his eyes into a spasm. “Oh dear lord, please tell me we aren’t actually agreeing on something.” Kai couldn’t believe he could be on the same wavelength as Jin, but it seemed like the world decided to let it be so.
Jin found the whole thing amusing. He dropped the issue of Phallon and resumed to talking about the girl. “The little wallflower isn’t much to deal with. She actually blew me off. Me! Clearly a girl with no taste. Insane is what she is!”
Kai pushed himself off the wall and straightened his clothes. “Or maybe the only sane girl in the city.”
“What did you say?!”
Kai just laughed as he took a stroll across the room, leaving Jin to be in a fit of frustration.
Seohyeon was looking elsewhere when Kai had reached her side. He didn’t realize how much shorter she was in comparison to himself. He was almost a head taller than her, and a small build. Not quite petite, but on the slimmer side.
Kai offered his hand to her. He bowed his head slightly so he could see her eyes better, “Seohyeon, yes? Would you be so kind as to honor me with a dance?” he asked.
She looked at him before gently smiling, brushing the hair out of her eyes and tucking her long bangs behind her ears. “Though I don’t know why the famous Kai would want to dance with me, I would love to.
Kai mentally celebrated when Seohyeon took his hand and followed his lead, noting how her dark brown eyes were so very perfect and twice as beautiful as when he had seen them across the room. While Kai wasn’t big on the waltzing, he didn’t mind now that he had a chance to talk with Seohyeon. “I haven’t really seen you around before. Have we just never been invited to the same parties?”
With a bit of a laugh, Seohyeon curtsied before answering. “I guess so. My elder sister just recently married into the Gabbels’ house, and her husband had our family all moved here.”
“Oh, Clive Gabbels? I was supposed to attend the wedding, but I ended up being dragged elsewhere. What was your sister’s name again? Bae...Bae...”
“Her real name is Yurim, but when she moved here from Korea, she started going by the name Belle.”
“Belle?”
“Everyone would botch her name. Mine, too, which is why I started telling people to just call me Irene. But...I like how you say my name. You don’t try hard to make it sound like I’m from somewhere else.” Kai and Seohyeon continued to talk as they danced their way around the floor. Their playful interrogations relaxed their minds into the music as it carried their every step and turn. They asked about each other’s personal lives outside the high class wine-n-dine lifestyle they both dealt with. How Kai found his way to the streets of London, what Seohyeon thought about moving away, how Seohyeon knew who Kai was without him having to introduce himself, what their hobbies were...
Neither realized how much attention they were drawing.
Kai hardly ever danced at the parties, and when he did he always looked bored and detached. But he actually volunteered and asked someone to dance with him, and he didn’t look like he wanted to kill himself. People were pretty sure this was the first time they had actually seen him smiling and enjoying himself. It scared them a little.
Seohyeon also caught a lot of attention. At first, her outfit was what attracted the attention. Then the onlookers started to wonder what was so special about this un-special girl. How did she manage to get Kai? How did she get the stone-faced boy to actually smile?
When the song ended, Kai and Seohyeon laughed as they walked back to their place on the wall. “I’m surprised, though,” Seohyeon said, “I had heard you were such a killjoy at these things. I must say, I’m pleasantly surprised to find that you’re the exact opposite.”
“Not many people get me. I blame that for everything.”
“Does that mean you have a special lady who does, and no one else is worthy?”
Kai played with Seohyeon’s words in his head before nodding. “You could say that.”
“Can I meet her?”
“Did you just...? You want to meet...wow. That would be a first.” Kai waved down a server and pulled two glasses of wine from the tray. They toasted their drinks before sipping the sweet alcohol. “But if you’ve nothing to do, then I can show you.”
“Show me? You mean introduce me?” Seohyeon had only taken a few sips by the time Kai had finished his fourth (or fifth) drink, so she was certain she was still sober enough to hear right. “Maybe you’ve had a little too much to drink.”
“No, no. I know what I mean. Trust me, I’ve built up a tolerance to alcohol just to get through these parties. Tipsy enough to deal with people, sober enough to know what I’m doing and saying.” Kai offered Seohyeon his arm. “Come with me. I’ll bring you back before anyone realizes you’ve gone out.”
Seohyeon hesitated, but took the offer. “Honestly, I don’t think anyone would notice.”
“So I’m a nobody?”
“Oh. Well now I see why all the ladies like you. A mysterious man with a quick tongue. That’s original.” Seohyeon rolled her eyes as she laughed at Kai.
“Does the underdressed wallflower really have a place to be talking down on me?”
“I think I’m strong enough to back my words.” Seohyeon eyed Kai with a sly grin.
Surprisingly, Kai seemed to enjoy Seohyeon’s snarky attitude. “Well well, confident little one, aren’t you?”
“I’m not vulnerable like every other girl in this place, and I’m not letting some guy think they can get away with treating me with anything but respect.”
The two continued their banter as they went to the door. Kai’s butler smiled at Kai before helping Kai put on his cape. “My Lady, may I get you your coat?”
“No, I didn’t bring one.”
“Just bring the carriage around, if you would.” Kai said. His butler nodded before disappearing to the outdoors.
Kai and Seohyeon continued to talk by the door until they were interrupted by none other than Jin. “You know, you two are the talk of the party! It’s a shame you two are leaving so soon.” Jin clearly wasn’t sad, though. He seemed to enjoy that Kai was leaving with Seohyeon. The only thing that made Jin upset was that he wasn’t the center of attention. Kai was completely fine giving that to Jin.
“So, Seohyeon, I must say you made Kai look wonderful out on the dance floor. Might I be chanced with your grace on the dance floor as well?” Jin bowed and offered Seohyeon a smile and arm.
“Didn’t I tell you no before? Do you really think my answer would change when I’m about to leave?” Seohyeon clung tightly to Kai’s arm. Kai glanced down at her but immediately looked away as he tried to suppress the oncoming blush he felt coming on from the sudden increase in contact.
Jin’s face tinted red, too, but in his case he was red with embarrassment. “Uh, of course, my mistake. Maybe some other time.” Jin reluctantly walked off. His dampened spirit was quickly healed by the attendance of another.
Seohyeon scoffed as she watched Jin interact with the girl. “Is he really that...that...”
“Despicable? Annoying?”
“Both.”
“Yes. Yes he is.” Kai gently pulled Seohyeon outside towards the stagecoach and helped her inside. “You, on the other hand, are neither.”
It was Seohyeon’s turn to feel embarrassed. She wasn’t one to often receive compliments from someone she just met. Before joining her in the carriage, Kai went to his butler and discussed their route.
The ride was quiet at first as the riders got used to the bumpy terrain and loud stomping of hooves against the pavement. Kai was looking out the window when Seohyeon spoke up. “Why do you hate going to parties so much?”
Kai glanced at her but looked back out the window. “I didn’t always dislike parties. When I was younger, I thought the parties were fun. But then I got bored with everything and annoyed by everyone.”
“Sounds like you’re just anti-social.”
“You try being the heir to a huge fortune and having everyone’s eyes on you at all times.”
“Not big on attention?”
“Not this kind. Not the kind where I have to be someone I’m not. That’s why she’s special. I can be myself with her.”
Kai’s words made Seohyeon a little uncomfortable. She wanted to meet this mystery lady who made Kai come alive like when they were dancing at the party, but the way Kai talked about her made Seohyeon’s stomach twist.
“I don’t mind you, though. I feel comfortable with you seeing the real me.”
Now Kai’s words made Seohyeon a little confused. She liked that Kai didn’t mind her, but was it really okay that Kai had a woman but was being so kind and open with Seohyeon as well?
“Everything okay, Seohyeon?” Kai asked.
Seohyeon whipped her head to look at Kai at the mention of her name. She squealed a bit when she realized Kai’s face was incredibly close to her own.
“You’re really red. If you’re not feeling well, I can take you home. We could do this another time.”
“Ah, no! I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little tired from earlier. Still not used to attending parties like this.”
“You’re sure it isn’t the wine?”
Seohyeon shoved Kai back into his seat. “I’m not one to get drunk off a few sips of wine, you alcoholic.” She let out a huff, hoping to mask her flustered self with a confidence Kai wouldn’t be able to break.
Kai just laughed. “See, this is why I like you. You aren’t scared to bite back. I knew you were special when I laid my eyes on you.” Kai shifted in his seat turning all his attention to Seohyeon.
“Is that supposed to be a complement?”
“From me, yes. From anyone else...well, you know.”
Seohyeon didn’t notice right away, but now that she was alone with Kai without anyone else looking at him, his personality seemed different. There was a confidence he had and a charisma that oozed from his gaze. It was almost frightening, but definitely alluring. Seohyeon realized she was very attracted to Kai and her interest in him only grew. Whether she had any real feelings for him, though, was a different matter.
Kai glanced out the window. “We’re here.”
Seohyeon looked out the carriage window as Kai had done. It had stopped raining but water droplets were still stuck to the window. “This is...” Seohyeon couldn’t find the words to finish her thought.
“Not what you expected? Yeah, people say that about me all the time.”
The door swung open. Kai’s butler offered a hand to Kai and Seohyeon to help them out. Now that she was outside, Seohyeon took a better look around herself. They were on the opposite end of the city away from the rich upperclass district. It wasn’t exactly the poorest area, but no one would expect someone as well off as Kai to willingly spend time in this place, or even know anyone who lived there.
“Over here. He can’t take us farther inward because the carriage gets noisy and I don’t want to disturb anyone since it’s already late.” Kai started to walk down the street leaving Seohyeon to run and catch up with him. They mostly walked in silence as Seohyeon continued to look around at the buildings and lamp posts. Kai just smiled at the thought of showing her to Seohyeon. “I hope you can at least give her a chance.”
“I swear, you make this mystery lady sound like a dog...” Seohyeon had to keep running to keep up with Kai. His large strides made it hard to keep a good conversation going when her leg could only carry her so far.
Eventually Kai turned into a building. It was one of the nicer buildings in the area, but that wasn’t saying much considering a lot of the houses had poorly repaired windows and criss-crossing boards to fix their hole-on-the-roof problems.
“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you cold just standing there?” Kai smirked again. Seohyeon couldn’t help but think that Kai suddenly became a cocky jerk. Just the way he was talked and the way his words sounded seemed condescending. She almost regretted letting him drag her around town.
Almost.
Seohyeon was still interested in him.
“Well? Get in here already.”
Seohyeon ran inside, slipping underneath Kai’s arm as he held the door open for her. The floor creaked as Seohyeon’s feet met the old wooden boards.
“What are you doing here?”
“Nothing, Hyeyoung.”
Kai quietly shut the door behind himself but ran down the hall and into a lit up room to greet the groggy female voice who seemed to know Kai very well. Seohyeon stayed back by the entrance. She couldn’t deny how hurt she felt. Somewhere during the course of the night, during their ride in the carriage, Seohyeon wanted to think she really was special. Kai even said she was special. But Kai clearly had someone else.
Kai poked his head back into the hallway to fetch his guest. “Hey Seohyeon, I want you to...Seohyeon?”
“Yes?”
“What’s wrong?” Kai was pouting. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Seohyeon with care. That gentle look in his eyes came back and his confidence gave way to a sensitive side Seohyeon didn’t expect Kai could have.
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“You know, if you’re going to lie about how you’re feeling, you should at least be smart enough to hide your tears.” Seohyeon didn’t notice she had started to cry. She gasped a bit at the sudden realization that she allowed herself to lose herself so much. Kai had totally undone every fiber of her being and worked her into a shredded mess. And all he had to do was dance with her and saw brash yet sweet things to her. Seohyeon tried to pull herself together but she was already broken and couldn’t get her body to stop falling apart even more.
“I thought you weren’t weak and vulnerable.” Kai walked up to Seohyeon and gently wiped the tears with his fingers. Seohyeon pulled away from his warm hands but Kai refused to let her leave his side. “Now tell me what’s wrong before I get mad and leave you stranded here in the middle of nowhere.”
“I’m telling you, it’s nothing.”
“Don’t be stupid.”
“Who are you calling stupid?!” Seohyeon wanted to scream and leave but Kai had the upperhand. She was stranded and had no idea how to get home if Kai wasn’t with her. She needed Kai but didn’t want him.
Kai grabbed Seohyeon and bent down so his eyes were level with hers. “You. You’re stupid. You’re stupid for thinking I’ll just let you cry when something is clearly wrong. You’re stupid for thinking that I’ll leave you alone when I’m probably the problem.”
Seohyeon tried to wrench herself out of Kai’s hold, but he was a lot stronger than herself. He only gripped tighter as she struggled to get free.
“And you’re stupid for thinking I might not think I like you.”
Seohyeon looked at Kai. His face was incredibly close to her own, eyelashes brushing against each other and foreheads just barely touching. His eyes bore through her, clawing for some sort of answer; some confirmation that Seohyeon could be thinking the same thing or feeling the same way. “Kai...”
“Jongin! Quit scaring her.”
“I’m not, Hyeyoung!” Kai whipped around at the sound of the woman’s voice, loosening his grip on Seohyeon but still keeping her in his hands.
A girl walked out of the room in a long t-shirt, and what looked like shorts underneath. She pulled Kai off of Seohyeon and pulled Seohyeon close as she hugged her tightly. “I think it’s safe to say that you’ve sufficiently confused her. Look! Her forearms are turning red because you were holding her so tight! Jongin, apologize for being a brute.”
“Hyeyoung!”
“Jongin!”
Kai recoiled at the girl’s harsh voice. He gave his attention to Seohyeon and sheepishly scratched his head. “Seohyeon, I’m sorry for acting like a brute.”
Hyeyoung flicked Kai’s forehead. “Ow! What the-” Kai rubbed his forehead.
“You are a horrible child. What in the world has Dad been doing to you?”
“I don’t know, why don’t you visit and ask him once in awhile?”
“Yeah, I’m not really trying to hike it up all the way over there if he isn’t even going to bother giving me the time of day.”
“Well if you just came once in a while and gave me a heads up I could probably convince Dad to meet with you. Mom misses you, too, you know, and Dad will listen to me if Mom backs me up.”
“How about he drags himself down here? And I don’t see Mom going out of her way to visit me, either. I’m free more or less whenever. The last place I want to be is in that house.”
“Wait!” Seohyeon suddenly shouted. “You two are...”
“Baby brother.”
“Older sister.”
Kai and Hyeyoung pointed at each other. Seohyeon just looked at the two of them like they were crazy. She felt her legs give out and was grateful that she still had Hyeyoung to support her.
“Woah now, let’s get you something to sit on.” Hyeyoung motioned for Kai to help her move Seohyeon to the living room couch. “Do you need anything? Water? A snack? Possibly alcohol so you can deal with this child?”
“Hey!” But Kai just sat down and scrunched his face in protest.
“Kidding, kidding. So why are you down here and why did you drag a girl with you?”
“I wanted to show her.”
“Show her...?”
“Really? What other reason would I drag someone down here to show her anyone or anything?”
“I don’t know. She doesn’t really look like Dad’s type for you.”
“Rude. I’m not about to bring a girl here just because I think Dad would like her.”
“Jongin, I know I haven’t lived at home for a few years, but I know for a fact that you’re scared of Dad like a little kid is scared of the dark.”
“Shut up!”
“Wahh!” Seohyeon interrupted the siblings again.
“Sorry...” they said in unison. Hyeyoung smacked Kai on the back of the head. He gave her a threatening look but backed off when Hyeyoung hid behind Seohyeon.
“Okay, let me get this straight.” Seohyeon took a deep breath. “You two are siblings. Why in the world are you calling Kai “Jongin”?”
“Oh, did I not mention this before?” Kai scratched his head again. “Sorry. I’m used to just introducing myself as Kai. But my birth name is Jongin. I started going by Kai when I was little, though, and the name stuck ever since.”
“He’s such a cutie. I’m one of the few people who still call him by his actual name.” Hyeyoung pinched Kai’s cheeks tightly. “He started wanting us to call him Kai because his favorite character from some book was named Kai.”
“Gah!” Kai beat Hyeyoung’s hands off his face. “Stop saying things like that!” Kai massaged his face as he tried to get the small finger marks to disappear from his cheeks. Seohyeon laughed at how red his face had gotten from both the embarrassment and pinching. It complimented his tan skin.
“See? He’s cute when he’s embarrassed, right?”
“Uh...” Seohyeon slowly nodded as if answering wrong would mean she would get her cheeks pinched hard, too. “But why do you live so far away if you guys are siblings?”
“Er, long story short, our Dad and I don’t get along well and I moved here.”
“You mean you were kicked out.” Kai interjected.
“Watch it, Jongin.”
“Hey, you’re lucky. I’d gladly live out here.” Kai relaxed into the seat cushion. “If Dad wasn’t so desperate for me to take his place in the world when I get older, I would have gone with you.”
Seohyeon sat there as Kai and Hyeyeon continued to talk. She felt so out of place, but she also felt a refreshing wave of happiness knowing that Hyeyeon was his sister and not anything other than that. She hadn’t said much when she suddenly stood up. “I think I should get going now. Kai, could you take me home?”
“But you still haven’t seen her yet.”
Seohyeon’s face dropped. “Her? There’s more to this surprise? Someone else for me to meet?”
“Yeah. Come this way.” Kai got up and offered a hand to Seohyeon.
But this time Seohyeon didn’t take it. “I think I’ve taken in more than enough for one day. I don’t need to be introduced to anyone else tonight.”
“Jongin, what have you been telling her?”
“What? Why is it always my fault?”
Hyeyoung got up and ushered Seohyeon into Kai’s direction. “I apologize for my brother. He isn’t good with his words and tends to refer to things in odd ways.”
“But-”
“Don’t worry. You’ll like...her.” Seohyeon saw Hyeyoung roll her eyes as she emphasized the word “her”. “Just go with him and enjoy it. He keeps this under lock and key after getting a hard time from people about it.”
Seohyeon realized that she wasn’t going to be able to leave until Kai got his way. Whatever that really was. She allowed herself to be shepherd into the deeper parts of the building and down the stairs through another door into a darker room.
“Hyeyoung, can you get the lights?”
As Kai’s request was being fulfilled, Seohyeon could feel Kai’s grip on her slipping away. She was about to protest when the lights flashed on and lit up the room. Seohyeon looked in front of her and saw herself. A large mirror was set up along the wall. It was so well kept that Seohyeon couldn’t believe such a nice space could exist in the slums. She heard some sort of rustling behind her. She looked along the mirror and saw Hyeyoung wrestling with a large object that had been covered by a cloth.
Seohyeon walked over and offered to help Hyeyoung. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just a little wonky at times. Feel free to pull up a seat over there.” Hyeyoung pointed over to the far end by the door.
Seohyeon nodded. She pulled a seat forward but didn’t sit down yet. “Where did Kai go?”
“Hm? Oh, probably to grab it. Don’t worry, he’ll be back soon.”
Seohyeon sighed. The whole mysterious thing seemed to run in the family. Neither Kai or Hyeyoung were good with explaining things to people unless they were prompted to. She sat down and waited for whatever was supposed to happen to happen. There was more rustling of items, but Seohyeon just figured Hyeyoung was having a really bad time with that thing she was dealing with. Seohyeon just closed her eyes.
It felt like five minutes had passed and nothing had happened. Seohyeon was still sitting with her eyes closed while an odd scratching and humming in the distance lulled her in and out of sleep.
There was an odd click followed by a series of footsteps and a door closing. Seohyeon opened her eyes but it was dark. “Kai? Hyeyoung?” “Kai?!” Seohyeon stood up but almost tripped on the chair legs. A flash of light hovered over her as she felt an arm catch her.
“Didn’t your mom tell you to be careful when you walk around in the dark?”
“Kai! Why are the lights off?” Seohyeon steadied herself on Kai’s arms. She noticed he had a light with him.
“Hyeyoung. She probably hit the switch on accident. Just wait here and I’ll turn them on” Kai let go of Seohyeon before walking away. The lights came back on.
Seohyeon blinked a few times to allow her eyes to adjust to the brightness. She felt a tug from behind her. “Just sit.” Kai said as he walked passed her and strolled to the machine in the corner. “Hyeyoung better not have broke this while setting it up...”
Seohyeon peak from behind Kai. “A record player?”
“I thought I told you to sit down.” Kai carefully placed a record onto the player but refrained from placing the needle. He walked Seohyeon back the the chair and carefully pushed her into the seat. “This is her.” Kai said.
Seohyeon looked around. There was no one except for Kai and herself in the room, and the mirror showed no signs of anyone approaching from behind her. “Kai, you do realize we’re the only two people here, yes?”
“I never said she was a person. You just assumed that.”
“Then what...?”
“Just watch.”
“Yeah, just watch.”
“Hyeyoung!” Seohyeon turned to see Hyeyoung return with a seat. She set the chair down next to Seohyeon and motioned for Kai to proceed. He walked away towards the music player and fiddled around with something about it.”
“Trust me. If he wants to show you, it means you’re special.” Hyeyoung took Seohyeon by the hand. “You like dancing, right?”
Seohyeon nodded her head. The question seemed to come out of nowhere, but Seohyeon just thought it was another Hyeyoung-Kai sort of oddity. “Ever since I was little. Kai, er, Jongin asked me if I used to dance when I was little.”
“What kind of dancing?”
“All kinds, I guess. My parents made sure I knew how to function in higher society, but I learned how to do cultural dances, too.” Seohyeon looked at Hyeyoung. “Your family is Korean too, right? How did you find your way here exactly?”
“Did Jongin not explain?”
“He did a little, but I’m still a little confused.”
Hyeyoung nodded. “Our family came here a few years ago because our Dad made a fortune off of the toys he made. His connections got him to where he is now, and he wants Jongin to take his place as heir to the family business.” Hyoyeon pulled something out from behind herself. It was a small doll. At first it didn’t seem very special, but then Seohyeon recognized the colors and features. “It’s an-”
“An ACE doll!”
“Oh, you know?” Hyeyoung held the doll, allowing Seohyeon to hold and admire the throwback to her childhood.
“I had one when I was little. An older one, of course, and the female one not the guy one, but it was an ACE doll none the less. Your father is the one who made these? Your dad is THE Jeongho?” Seohyeon couldn’t take her eyes off of the doll. It should have just been a doll, but there was something about its eyes that made it look like it came alive. Something that made it feel very familiar. “Wow...”
Hyeyoung nodded. “Dad started in Korea, and an English businessman offered to help him get a jumpstart here in London. Jongin and I were still little at the time. ACE dolls were his first doll in Korea, the first dolls he sold in England, and the one line of product he refuses to give up on.”
Seohyeon was in awe. She carefully turned the doll around, playing with the threaded hairs and gazing at the eyes that looked so much like...
“The ACE dolls are supposedly based on Jongin and myself, but I don’t really see it. I’d never dress in that way or anything.”
A low humming reached Seohyeon’s ears before she could respond to Hyeyoung’s piece of trivia. Seohyeon saw her leave from her spot as Seohyeon turned to see Kai posing in front of them. A series of sounds started to come from the player. Seohyeon couldn’t recognize the instrument, but it wasn’t a wind instrument, nor a violin or viola like Seohyeon would have thought.
It didn’t matter, though.
Seohyeon couldn’t take her eyes off of Kai. The way his body moved with the music was unlike anything she had seen before. He wasn’t restrained or tense like he was when they were waltzing earlier that evening. Rather, his arms whipped around his body and his legs were filled with purpose every time his feet moved from under his own weight. The way he let himself be controlled by the music was hypnotizing and captivating. Everything about Kai was absolutely thrilling.
But what caught Seohyeon’s attention the most was his eyes.
The look in his eyes was just like that in the eyes of the doll. That’s what Kai’s dad meant when the dolls were inspired by Kai and Hyeyoung. Their eyes were so captivating. To be honest, that was the very first thing that Seohyeon had noticed about Kai. There was a confident yet playful glow in his eyes when he first asked her for a dance. But in the carriage ride to Hyeyoung’s house, his eyes turned almost cold as he smirked and refused to take his charismatic eyes off Seohyeon. And then at Hyeyoung’s house, his eyes were so caring and bold when he confronted Seohyeon and confessed his feelings.
Wait, he actually confessed to Seohyeon that he could possibly maybe have some potential feelings towards her. How did it not register until now that Kai had said that?
Those thoughts were quickly pushed out of her mind as Kai closed their distance and bent over, resting his hands on the back of the chair and once again meeting Seohyeon’s eyes. She could feel their breaths against each other’s as they stared at each other, music filling the silence with sweet lyrics of chocolate and doors.
Seohyeon couldn’t explain what she saw in Kai’s eyes anymore. But it was intense and yearning and strong and beautiful and everything she wanted her eyes to convey to the world.
“Dance with me,” was all Kai said before he grabbed Seohyeon’s hands and pulled her to her out of her seat.
He had caught Seohyeon completely off guard. She stumbled to her feet and fell into Kai’s body and arms. Though Seohyeon tried to push herself off, she could feel Kai holding her tightly against himself. She managed to wriggle out of his hold after the touching moment went on for a few seconds and turned away from him, too embarrassed by his sudden affection and how much she enjoyed it. “I don’t...”
“Sure you do.” Kai sauntered up to her. “Just like before. Let the music envelop you.” He held out his hand for what was easily the fifth time that night - he would have offered the same hand a thousand times to her and not be tired of waiting. Seohyeon didn’t want to take it, but she couldn’t resist as his voice sent her heart into overdrive.
Kai quickly spun her around and they moved together, weaving around each other as they let the strangely seductive tune entice their next step. Seohyeon felt a little awkward at first, but as Kai encouraged her to just feel the music, she felt more at peace with herself and couldn’t care less if anyone saw what she was doing.
Seohyeon noticed Kai’s stupid smirk and saw the way he was eyeing her. It wasn’t in that creepy way most other guys had looked at her, nor was it the judgmental “what is wrong with you?” kind of stare she felt on a constant basis. The way Kai looked at her made it seem like he was drunk of her movements and intoxicated by their intimacy. And those eyes clearly were for only her. Seohyeon loved everything about that look in his eyes.
She loved everything about Kai.
That stupid smirk.
The way he made snide remarks to her.
His bashful and embarrassed expressions he didn’t want her to see.
Every step he took as if he ruled the very ground they were dancing on.
Those damn eyes.
She loved everything.
The song continued to loop - Seohyeon was pretty sure that Hyeyoung had been resetting the needle when the song ended.
The couple continued to dance - Seohyeon was very grateful that Hyeyoung was meddling in Kai’s business.
Hyeyoung eventually stopped replacing the needle and the song no longer lulled the two into a romantic moment. They danced for a few seconds after the song ended, not wanting to admit that the night was coming to a close.
Despite dancing for so long, Seohyeon didn’t feel tired. She didn’t feel very energetic, but she didn’t feel tired, either. It was some odd limbo in between and her body was just there.
“So you like her?” Kai asked as he helped Seohyeon into a seat.
“I don’t...”
Kai just laughed. Seohyeon hit him on the arm, but all he could do was give her that stupid smirk she had started to fall in love with. “The music. The dance. Everything that happened just now. That’s her.”
Seohyeon was quiet. All night she had been worried that some girl was going to appear and take Kai away from her. She had been so jealous and hurt by Hyeyoung before even realizing she was just Kai’s sister. The fact is that Kai was looking at her, only her, and so excited to just be with her didn’t really settle in. “I still...I...huh?”
“This is my everything. Dancing. It’s the one thing I can do and feel myself. Feel free. Feel-”
“Like nothing else could ever matter?” Seohyeon finished.
Kai just looked at her. “Yeah...like that.”
Seohyeon was silent. She didn’t look Kai in the eye as she mulled over the “her” Kai had been speaking about so much for the past few hours.
“No one respects her. She isn’t something that I can just find at a party where everyone waltzes and socializes over petty things. But the fact is that she makes me feel like I’m so much more than an heir to some huge empire. I am more than that, and no one understands or likes that. No one likes her. She-”
“You’re right.” Seohyeon interrupted, “No one else would really like this kind of thing.”
“Her.” Kai said sternly.
“Right. Her. I can see why no one else would love her like you do, and why she is the only one who could love you the way you need to be loved.” Seohyeon just sat there letting her thoughts flow from her into the quiet. “I can see why you’re the only person who could ever think this was nice.”
Kai turned away, pain and hurt evident in his eyes. “Sorry, I guess she’s not for everyone. I just thought that-”
“You’re stupid.”
“What?!” Kai turned back and faced Seohyeon. It was clear he was very offended and would have slapped Seohyeon had she not been a girl.
“You’re stupid for thinking this is cool, and stupid for dragging me all the way down here thinking I’d appreciate this.” Seohyeon crossed her arms. “And you’re stupid for making me join you thinking I’d enjoy it.”
Kai had enough. He got up and walked to the door half way to tears. He had heard people make fun of him and his interest in his dancing, but no one ever had said it to his face, and no one who he felt a close bond to had previously been so mean to him. His pride was broken, but he wasn’t about to let some random chick be the one to completely break him.
But Kai knew in his heart that Seohyeon wasn’t just a “random chick”. She was the only girl he ever felt confident in sharing Her with, and she was rejected - Kai was rejected.
By the time Kai was at the door, he hadn’t realized Seohyeon had been following him. Kai only realized it when Seohyeon suddenly hugged him from behind and wrapped her arms around his waist. “And you’re stupid because you think that matters to me.”
Kai didn’t respond to Seohyeon’s touch or words.
Seohyeon buried her head into Kai’s back. “But I guess I must be stupider for thinking I could like her as much as you do.”
Her new and contradictory words caused Kai to turn around and try facing her, but he grip made it hard to properly look at her. “Seohyeon, does that mean that...”
“And you’re even stupider for not understanding that I think I might have feelings for you, too, idiot.”
“...I hope you realize that “stupider” isn’t an actual word.”
“Shut up, stupid.”
“You really aren’t afraid to bite back.” Seohyeon could hear Kai’s laughter; feel it reverberating through his body. “I told you that you were special.”
“Just shut up and quit ruining the moment.”
And Kai did just that. He shut up and awkwardly wrapped an arm around Seohyeon. And they just stood there. Quietly. And they enjoyed their time together as if everything was perfect in the world. Because it was. It really was perf-
“JONGIN! GO HOME ALREADY!”
“Shut up!”
Kai and Seohyeon looked at each other before laughing at their simultaneous retort. Had Hyeyoung not ran down and dragged Kai - and thus Seohyeon who was still wrapped around his waist - out the door, the two would have stayed where they were all night.
Kai properly escorted Seohyeon to the carriage where his butler was dutifully waiting. Or so they thought until Kai kicked him and he jolted from his sleep. “Uh, yes. Home. Right, sir?”
“No really? I never thought I’d want to go home at this time of night, Sherlock.”
Seohyeon couldn’t help but laugh. She found Kai’s butler interesting. He was the first person to make Kai go red and that would remain a good memory for her. Otherwise, Kai’s butler seemed like a very nice person. Besides, Kai seemed to have a friendly (albeit in an occasionally playfully mean) relationship with him so Seohyeon figured he had to make Kai’s special cut.
“So, where shall we drop off the lady?” the butler asked. “If it’s easier, we can bring you back to the Phallon manor and allow your own wait staff to retrieve you from there.”
Kai looked to Seohyeon for an answer, realizing only now that he didn’t know where she actually lived. “Just bring me to the Gabbles’ estate up on the hill.”
“Oh, you fancy, huh?” Kai jokingly asked as he raised his brow. Seohyeon retaliated with a light punch to the arm. “Kidding, kidding. Sorry for keeping you out for so long.”
Seohyeon shook her head and sat down next to Kai. “Doesn’t matter. I would have been out late anyway. Besides...this was a lot more fun than that party.”
The door shut and soon enough the carriage lurched forward as it carried the passengers away from their escape. Seohyeon and Kai sat quietly, occasionally looking at each other and smiling at their moment and loving everything about it.
Before she realized it, Seohyeon felt a shake and opened her eyes. “Didn’t want to wake you up until we got you home. You’re...really cute when you sleep.”
Seohyeon looked up at Kai, but he had turned his head and started biting at his lip. It was barely there, but Seohyeon could see the red tint of his cheeks. “You’re cute when you’re embarrassed...”
“Shut it!” Kai buried his face in his hands and tried to push Seohyeon in the other direction and out the door. "Gah...”
Seohyeon giggled as she hopped out of the carriage. Kai was still sitting inside but was not hinting at moving from his place. “What? You’re not walking me to the door?”
“Do I look like I want to?”
“Fine. Whatever. If something were to happen to me between here and the door then-”
“You mean the door that is quite literally ten yards away behind a large gate with two “BEWARE: ATTACK DOGS” signs on it?”
“Ugh. You’re not at all romantic. No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend.” Seohyeon spun on her heels, bidding Kai’s butler a good night. A sudden tug at the back of her dress pulled her off balance and into the familiar arms of Kai.
Seohyeon felt herself being spun back around. And for the third (fourth?) time that night, Seohyeon found Kai’s face right in front of her own. “Oh? No girlfriend? So what does that make you?” Kai leaned forward but fell backwards at the push of Seohyeon’s arms on his chest.
“Single. But interested.” Seohyeon skipped away and closed the gate behind her.
Kai grabbed her hand through the bars and cocked his head to the side with curiosity. “How interested?”
After failing to tug herself out of Kai’s grasp, Seohyeon subtly motioned for him to move closer to the gate with her finger. Kai complied but couldn’t quite make out what Seohyeon was whispering. He turned his head so he could hear Seohyeon’s mumbles better. A soft pair of lips brushed past his cheek before stopping at his ear.
“Very.”
Seohyeon quickly pulled herself out of Kai’s grasp now that he was off guard. “Good night!”
Kai couldn’t respond fast enough. Seohyeon was already at her door by the time Kai realized she was gone. He was certain she could see how red he was despite the distance, but he really didn’t care because that meant she could also see his stupid smirk and the amusement in his eyes.
“She’s a keeper, isn’t she?”
“Shut up and take me home already.”
Kai’s butler laughed and left Kai to be embarrassed, flustered, and every other emotion he could have been feeling. “Yes, My Lord.”
Back at his own house, Kai laid down and got ready to retire for the night. His butler walked in to check on him one last time. “Sleep well, Young Master.”
“Thanks. You, too.”
Kai pulled the covers over his head.
“Hey, uh...”
“Yes, Young Master?”
“Take me to the Gabbles’ estate first thing tomorrow. I have some business to attend to there.”
Kai could hear his butler trying to stifle his laughter. “Yes. Of course, Young Master.”
“Good. Now get out of here. I want to sleep”
“Good night, My Lord.”
The door clicked shut and Kai could hear the butler’s footsteps fading down the hallway.
“Yeah...yeah it was.”
But that didn’t matter to Kai.
It could have been snowing and he would still be outside on the empty streets, street lights illuminating his cobble stage.
She was his everything. Everything he wanted in life. She wasn’t just his reason to live - she was the very thing keeping him alive. Kai needed her every day, even if just a little taste between meetings and parties.
“Stop the coach!” he called from the carriage, belting over the sound of stomping hooves.
“But My Lord, the Phallon Manor is still very far away.” The driver slowed the stagecoach but wouldn’t pull to a complete stop. “You’re already running late and I promised your father to make sure you would be there as soon as your visit to the Carraway House was over.”
Kai’s antsy body cringed at the thought of having to stand around in a stuffy room with haughty women who think they have a chance with him, or dealing with uptight men in their fancy clothes and bragging about their latest addition to their art collection. “I’m done with these parties. Can’t you just take me back home, already?”
“I’m sorry, Young Master, but I cannot. Your father’s orders come before yours.” From inside the carriage, Kai could hear the reigns whip, sending the horses a burst of energy. He merely sighed as he gazed out the windows and hummed a slow melody to himself.
The stagecoach finally slowed down, but Kai was content with remaining in the cramped space. The door swung open and the sound of violins filled his ears. It was the only thing the piqued his interest as his driver offered a hand to help Kai out the carriage.
Kai brushed the hand away as he stepped out of the carriage. He threw the top hat back into the carriage before shutting the door. The gentle shower was refreshing, washing away the strains of living an upper-class life and dealing with the stiff expectations of society. Kai looked up, letting drops of water hit his face, running down his tanned skin before falling to the ground.
“My Lord, we should hurry inside before you catch a cold.” His butler said as he prepared an umbrella. Kai, being as impatient as he was, merely walked to the front door of the oversized mansion, not caring that his cape was drenched and clothes started to dampen.
Inside, the grand hall was lit up, blinding Kai. Glass chandeliers redirected light into every corner of the room, and the blaring orchestra Kai was so looking forward to disappointed him with the cliched classical tunes he had grown tired of long ago.
“Well, well. Look who decided to finally show up. I thought you were too good for things like these parties, Kai.”
“...Jin.” Kai rolled his eyes at the sight of a man with two woman hanging off his arms. His extravagantly gaudy tux was overly bedazzled in Kai’s opinion, and his shirt had three too many ruffles for Kai’s taste. “If you’ll please excuse me, I have to go do something.” Kai untied his cape, handing it to the nearby doorman. Kai brushed passed Jin in his simple white top and black pants. Designer, of course, but still simple looking.
Jin laughed as Kai retreated to a corner. The two girls on his arms started to laugh with him. The only thing that crossed Kai’s mind at that moments was how much he cursed himself for having to be in a room full of ditzy girls and Jin, Kai’s self-proclaimed rival in everything.
The table of drinks and food was still well manned and had fresh plates coming in as the older, emptier ones were sent back to the kitchen. Kai grabbed a glass of champagne and some odd looking hors d'oeuvre before mingling with the crowd. The slight alcohol buzz he got from the drinks were the only thing that made any of these parties tolerable for more than an hour.
Just as Kai had expected, girls flocked to him - both older and younger. He thanked his father for his good physique, his mom for his baby face, and his wait staff for raising him well, but blamed everyone else for thinking that his looks and manners would be accompanied by a sweet and welcoming personality. But despite always pushing people away, the girls just found that more alluring. It was as if being a prick made you more attractive. Girls were something Kai would never understand no matter how old he got or how many times he was confronted by one.
She was the only one he would ever understand, but she was special because she understood Kai, too.
The second hour of Kai’s presence had just started and he was already on his third glass of alcohol. Or fourth. He wasn’t keeping track but he knew he had already downed a glass of champagne and another glass of wine. Whether there was another glass of something in the mix, he really didn’t care. He started to feel the buzz, but even that wasn’t enough anymore. Kai needed her, but she was nowhere to be found in the hell hole that is a Phallon party. She never made an appearance and that always made Kai upset.
But Kai understood why. She wasn’t seen as high-class enough to fit into these venues. And Kai found that to be one of the best parts about her. He could keep her all to himself. Even if no one else could appreciate her, he and he alone could be hers. Best of all, she pissed off Jin, and Kai always made it a note to mess with Jin’s head. It made the one-sided rivalry more entertaining for Kai.
Kai must have been staring for a while. His butler had shook him a bit before snapping his hands in front of Kai’s face. “My Lord, a few of the ladies have been whispering amongst themselves, hoping to share a dance with you.”
“Hmph. I’ll share with no one.”
“That’s most unfortunate, Young Master, but must I remind you that you are representing your family here tonight? A false move on your part would reflect-”
“-badly on father and mother, and would potentially cause the family status to drop because people think I’m a rude child with a horrid upbringing and blah blah blah. I know, you’ve given me this spiel a hundred times.”
Kai’s butler just nodded and directed Kai’s attention to a group of young women. They hid their faces behind their overly-decorated fans as if trying to act cute and coy. Kai found it ridiculous that their peacock attention callers were even thought to be stylish, but he let it go. Kai just looked around. He occasionally acknowledge someone, but the number of people Kai got along with wasn’t very high.
If he could, Kai knew who he would want to share the floor with. But she wasn’t around. She wasn’t there to capture his every step and sway with every flick of his wrist. Kai had to settle for someone who just wanted to twirl in circles while Kai stood there with his hand up and out.
“Do I really have to dance with one of these girls?” Kai asked as he leaned against a wall.
“Young Master, I’ve never had to tell you more than once a night why it is that you must do these things. Please do not break that pattern tonight. If it comes down to it, I will pick the most obnoxious girl and offer her your hand.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.” His butler gave an innocent smile to cover his devious intents. “Your father had to dance with all sorts of crazy women when he wouldn’t listen to me the first time.”
In all his defeated glory, Kai set back at looking for someone to dance with. “It just has to be be one dance, right? With anyone?”
“Yes, My Lord. Just one dance so that the world knows you aren’t trying to grow old and alone and ruin your family’s future. I will not take you home until after you’ve had a dance.”
“And I can’t just wait until the festivities end?”
Kai’s butler smiled sweetly. “I doubt you’ll last for another three hours.”
“Three?!” Kai almost dropped to his knees in shock. He gawked at the realization that he would have to stay for more than one hour, and almost hurled when he realized that meant he was going to have to deal with people he detested - especially Jin. “You’re an evil man, you know that?”
“I am merely doing my job. I’ll leave you to finding a suitable partner, Young Master. I’ll give you two hours before I act.”
If it was legal, Kai would have killed his butler then and there and ran off with in his carriage. To be honest, Kai almost didn’t care about the whole legality of the situation, but it would make life much harder if he was a criminal constantly on the run.
Kai about to give up and lock himself in the bathroom when a girl caught his eye. She was dressed oddly casual for the occasion and had separated herself from everything around her. But Kai liked how she was dressed. Her plain dress with flat, thin sleeves and a simple a-line cut fit her nicely and complemented the air she let off. It was almost like she just didn’t care that people were talking badly about her. From a distance, she didn’t look extremely beautiful, but Kai did acknowledge she did look pretty.
She, too, was looking around the room. Her eyes met with Kai’s and she just smiled before turning away. She held her ground in the corner of the room she claimed as her own.
It was odd. Kai never felt so intrigued by anyone other than her. But here was this young girl - at least she appeared young - who with one look suddenly had all of Kai’s attention. She glanced over at Kai every so often but made no pass or acknowledgement that every time she looked, Kai had his eyes on her.
“You know, Young Master, most men would go talk to a lady they fancy. But I guess you aren’t like most men, are you?”
“As my butler, do you have anything else to do with your life other than poke fun at me and drag me to these tortuous events?” Kai asked. But he was flustered, and his butler knew that. “Just go do something else, will you?”
“If you need help talking with her, just wave me over and I shall be the best wingman you could ever wish for, My Lord.” Kai’s butler laughed quietly to himself as he left Kai to his staring.
Kai turned his attention back to the girl. Their eyes met immediately, and Kai could see her giggling at the exchange he just had with his butler. Kai felt embarrassed. As soon as the girl turned away, he hid his face in his hands.
“Oh no, is the great Kai not feeling well?”
“Jin, just leave me alone. I’m too annoyed to deal with you at the moment.” Kai peaked out from between his fingers. He still felt his cheeks were a bit warm and didn’t want to give Jin the satisfaction that he was anything but composed. “Now if you would so kindly move to the other end of the world...I’d rather not have a view of your face everytime I open my eyes. Actually, if you could jump off the end of the world, I will personally throw you the grandest funeral anyone could ever-”
“Seohyeon.”
“Huh?”
“The girl you have been staring at for the past ten minutes. Her name is Seohyeon.” Jin said as he looked at the girl.
“A foreign girl? Doesn’t seem like Phallon would have many connections outside the country.”
“Yet he has us.”
Kai scoffed. “You know what I mean, Jin. Our families have been here for a while, but this is the first time I remember seeing her at one of these.”
“Meh, maybe she’s just another girl he seemed to have picked up during his random excursions. You know how Phallons can be.”
Kai nodded in agreement, but shot up and started blinking as if an electric shock sent his eyes into a spasm. “Oh dear lord, please tell me we aren’t actually agreeing on something.” Kai couldn’t believe he could be on the same wavelength as Jin, but it seemed like the world decided to let it be so.
Jin found the whole thing amusing. He dropped the issue of Phallon and resumed to talking about the girl. “The little wallflower isn’t much to deal with. She actually blew me off. Me! Clearly a girl with no taste. Insane is what she is!”
Kai pushed himself off the wall and straightened his clothes. “Or maybe the only sane girl in the city.”
“What did you say?!”
Kai just laughed as he took a stroll across the room, leaving Jin to be in a fit of frustration.
Seohyeon was looking elsewhere when Kai had reached her side. He didn’t realize how much shorter she was in comparison to himself. He was almost a head taller than her, and a small build. Not quite petite, but on the slimmer side.
Kai offered his hand to her. He bowed his head slightly so he could see her eyes better, “Seohyeon, yes? Would you be so kind as to honor me with a dance?” he asked.
She looked at him before gently smiling, brushing the hair out of her eyes and tucking her long bangs behind her ears. “Though I don’t know why the famous Kai would want to dance with me, I would love to.
Kai mentally celebrated when Seohyeon took his hand and followed his lead, noting how her dark brown eyes were so very perfect and twice as beautiful as when he had seen them across the room. While Kai wasn’t big on the waltzing, he didn’t mind now that he had a chance to talk with Seohyeon. “I haven’t really seen you around before. Have we just never been invited to the same parties?”
With a bit of a laugh, Seohyeon curtsied before answering. “I guess so. My elder sister just recently married into the Gabbels’ house, and her husband had our family all moved here.”
“Oh, Clive Gabbels? I was supposed to attend the wedding, but I ended up being dragged elsewhere. What was your sister’s name again? Bae...Bae...”
“Her real name is Yurim, but when she moved here from Korea, she started going by the name Belle.”
“Belle?”
“Everyone would botch her name. Mine, too, which is why I started telling people to just call me Irene. But...I like how you say my name. You don’t try hard to make it sound like I’m from somewhere else.” Kai and Seohyeon continued to talk as they danced their way around the floor. Their playful interrogations relaxed their minds into the music as it carried their every step and turn. They asked about each other’s personal lives outside the high class wine-n-dine lifestyle they both dealt with. How Kai found his way to the streets of London, what Seohyeon thought about moving away, how Seohyeon knew who Kai was without him having to introduce himself, what their hobbies were...
Neither realized how much attention they were drawing.
Kai hardly ever danced at the parties, and when he did he always looked bored and detached. But he actually volunteered and asked someone to dance with him, and he didn’t look like he wanted to kill himself. People were pretty sure this was the first time they had actually seen him smiling and enjoying himself. It scared them a little.
Seohyeon also caught a lot of attention. At first, her outfit was what attracted the attention. Then the onlookers started to wonder what was so special about this un-special girl. How did she manage to get Kai? How did she get the stone-faced boy to actually smile?
When the song ended, Kai and Seohyeon laughed as they walked back to their place on the wall. “I’m surprised, though,” Seohyeon said, “I had heard you were such a killjoy at these things. I must say, I’m pleasantly surprised to find that you’re the exact opposite.”
“Not many people get me. I blame that for everything.”
“Does that mean you have a special lady who does, and no one else is worthy?”
Kai played with Seohyeon’s words in his head before nodding. “You could say that.”
“Can I meet her?”
“Did you just...? You want to meet...wow. That would be a first.” Kai waved down a server and pulled two glasses of wine from the tray. They toasted their drinks before sipping the sweet alcohol. “But if you’ve nothing to do, then I can show you.”
“Show me? You mean introduce me?” Seohyeon had only taken a few sips by the time Kai had finished his fourth (or fifth) drink, so she was certain she was still sober enough to hear right. “Maybe you’ve had a little too much to drink.”
“No, no. I know what I mean. Trust me, I’ve built up a tolerance to alcohol just to get through these parties. Tipsy enough to deal with people, sober enough to know what I’m doing and saying.” Kai offered Seohyeon his arm. “Come with me. I’ll bring you back before anyone realizes you’ve gone out.”
Seohyeon hesitated, but took the offer. “Honestly, I don’t think anyone would notice.”
“So I’m a nobody?”
“Oh. Well now I see why all the ladies like you. A mysterious man with a quick tongue. That’s original.” Seohyeon rolled her eyes as she laughed at Kai.
“Does the underdressed wallflower really have a place to be talking down on me?”
“I think I’m strong enough to back my words.” Seohyeon eyed Kai with a sly grin.
Surprisingly, Kai seemed to enjoy Seohyeon’s snarky attitude. “Well well, confident little one, aren’t you?”
“I’m not vulnerable like every other girl in this place, and I’m not letting some guy think they can get away with treating me with anything but respect.”
The two continued their banter as they went to the door. Kai’s butler smiled at Kai before helping Kai put on his cape. “My Lady, may I get you your coat?”
“No, I didn’t bring one.”
“Just bring the carriage around, if you would.” Kai said. His butler nodded before disappearing to the outdoors.
Kai and Seohyeon continued to talk by the door until they were interrupted by none other than Jin. “You know, you two are the talk of the party! It’s a shame you two are leaving so soon.” Jin clearly wasn’t sad, though. He seemed to enjoy that Kai was leaving with Seohyeon. The only thing that made Jin upset was that he wasn’t the center of attention. Kai was completely fine giving that to Jin.
“So, Seohyeon, I must say you made Kai look wonderful out on the dance floor. Might I be chanced with your grace on the dance floor as well?” Jin bowed and offered Seohyeon a smile and arm.
“Didn’t I tell you no before? Do you really think my answer would change when I’m about to leave?” Seohyeon clung tightly to Kai’s arm. Kai glanced down at her but immediately looked away as he tried to suppress the oncoming blush he felt coming on from the sudden increase in contact.
Jin’s face tinted red, too, but in his case he was red with embarrassment. “Uh, of course, my mistake. Maybe some other time.” Jin reluctantly walked off. His dampened spirit was quickly healed by the attendance of another.
Seohyeon scoffed as she watched Jin interact with the girl. “Is he really that...that...”
“Despicable? Annoying?”
“Both.”
“Yes. Yes he is.” Kai gently pulled Seohyeon outside towards the stagecoach and helped her inside. “You, on the other hand, are neither.”
It was Seohyeon’s turn to feel embarrassed. She wasn’t one to often receive compliments from someone she just met. Before joining her in the carriage, Kai went to his butler and discussed their route.
The ride was quiet at first as the riders got used to the bumpy terrain and loud stomping of hooves against the pavement. Kai was looking out the window when Seohyeon spoke up. “Why do you hate going to parties so much?”
Kai glanced at her but looked back out the window. “I didn’t always dislike parties. When I was younger, I thought the parties were fun. But then I got bored with everything and annoyed by everyone.”
“Sounds like you’re just anti-social.”
“You try being the heir to a huge fortune and having everyone’s eyes on you at all times.”
“Not big on attention?”
“Not this kind. Not the kind where I have to be someone I’m not. That’s why she’s special. I can be myself with her.”
Kai’s words made Seohyeon a little uncomfortable. She wanted to meet this mystery lady who made Kai come alive like when they were dancing at the party, but the way Kai talked about her made Seohyeon’s stomach twist.
“I don’t mind you, though. I feel comfortable with you seeing the real me.”
Now Kai’s words made Seohyeon a little confused. She liked that Kai didn’t mind her, but was it really okay that Kai had a woman but was being so kind and open with Seohyeon as well?
“Everything okay, Seohyeon?” Kai asked.
Seohyeon whipped her head to look at Kai at the mention of her name. She squealed a bit when she realized Kai’s face was incredibly close to her own.
“You’re really red. If you’re not feeling well, I can take you home. We could do this another time.”
“Ah, no! I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little tired from earlier. Still not used to attending parties like this.”
“You’re sure it isn’t the wine?”
Seohyeon shoved Kai back into his seat. “I’m not one to get drunk off a few sips of wine, you alcoholic.” She let out a huff, hoping to mask her flustered self with a confidence Kai wouldn’t be able to break.
Kai just laughed. “See, this is why I like you. You aren’t scared to bite back. I knew you were special when I laid my eyes on you.” Kai shifted in his seat turning all his attention to Seohyeon.
“Is that supposed to be a complement?”
“From me, yes. From anyone else...well, you know.”
Seohyeon didn’t notice right away, but now that she was alone with Kai without anyone else looking at him, his personality seemed different. There was a confidence he had and a charisma that oozed from his gaze. It was almost frightening, but definitely alluring. Seohyeon realized she was very attracted to Kai and her interest in him only grew. Whether she had any real feelings for him, though, was a different matter.
Kai glanced out the window. “We’re here.”
Seohyeon looked out the carriage window as Kai had done. It had stopped raining but water droplets were still stuck to the window. “This is...” Seohyeon couldn’t find the words to finish her thought.
“Not what you expected? Yeah, people say that about me all the time.”
The door swung open. Kai’s butler offered a hand to Kai and Seohyeon to help them out. Now that she was outside, Seohyeon took a better look around herself. They were on the opposite end of the city away from the rich upperclass district. It wasn’t exactly the poorest area, but no one would expect someone as well off as Kai to willingly spend time in this place, or even know anyone who lived there.
“Over here. He can’t take us farther inward because the carriage gets noisy and I don’t want to disturb anyone since it’s already late.” Kai started to walk down the street leaving Seohyeon to run and catch up with him. They mostly walked in silence as Seohyeon continued to look around at the buildings and lamp posts. Kai just smiled at the thought of showing her to Seohyeon. “I hope you can at least give her a chance.”
“I swear, you make this mystery lady sound like a dog...” Seohyeon had to keep running to keep up with Kai. His large strides made it hard to keep a good conversation going when her leg could only carry her so far.
Eventually Kai turned into a building. It was one of the nicer buildings in the area, but that wasn’t saying much considering a lot of the houses had poorly repaired windows and criss-crossing boards to fix their hole-on-the-roof problems.
“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you cold just standing there?” Kai smirked again. Seohyeon couldn’t help but think that Kai suddenly became a cocky jerk. Just the way he was talked and the way his words sounded seemed condescending. She almost regretted letting him drag her around town.
Almost.
Seohyeon was still interested in him.
“Well? Get in here already.”
Seohyeon ran inside, slipping underneath Kai’s arm as he held the door open for her. The floor creaked as Seohyeon’s feet met the old wooden boards.
“What are you doing here?”
“Nothing, Hyeyoung.”
Kai quietly shut the door behind himself but ran down the hall and into a lit up room to greet the groggy female voice who seemed to know Kai very well. Seohyeon stayed back by the entrance. She couldn’t deny how hurt she felt. Somewhere during the course of the night, during their ride in the carriage, Seohyeon wanted to think she really was special. Kai even said she was special. But Kai clearly had someone else.
Kai poked his head back into the hallway to fetch his guest. “Hey Seohyeon, I want you to...Seohyeon?”
“Yes?”
“What’s wrong?” Kai was pouting. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Seohyeon with care. That gentle look in his eyes came back and his confidence gave way to a sensitive side Seohyeon didn’t expect Kai could have.
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“You know, if you’re going to lie about how you’re feeling, you should at least be smart enough to hide your tears.” Seohyeon didn’t notice she had started to cry. She gasped a bit at the sudden realization that she allowed herself to lose herself so much. Kai had totally undone every fiber of her being and worked her into a shredded mess. And all he had to do was dance with her and saw brash yet sweet things to her. Seohyeon tried to pull herself together but she was already broken and couldn’t get her body to stop falling apart even more.
“I thought you weren’t weak and vulnerable.” Kai walked up to Seohyeon and gently wiped the tears with his fingers. Seohyeon pulled away from his warm hands but Kai refused to let her leave his side. “Now tell me what’s wrong before I get mad and leave you stranded here in the middle of nowhere.”
“I’m telling you, it’s nothing.”
“Don’t be stupid.”
“Who are you calling stupid?!” Seohyeon wanted to scream and leave but Kai had the upperhand. She was stranded and had no idea how to get home if Kai wasn’t with her. She needed Kai but didn’t want him.
Kai grabbed Seohyeon and bent down so his eyes were level with hers. “You. You’re stupid. You’re stupid for thinking I’ll just let you cry when something is clearly wrong. You’re stupid for thinking that I’ll leave you alone when I’m probably the problem.”
Seohyeon tried to wrench herself out of Kai’s hold, but he was a lot stronger than herself. He only gripped tighter as she struggled to get free.
“And you’re stupid for thinking I might not think I like you.”
Seohyeon looked at Kai. His face was incredibly close to her own, eyelashes brushing against each other and foreheads just barely touching. His eyes bore through her, clawing for some sort of answer; some confirmation that Seohyeon could be thinking the same thing or feeling the same way. “Kai...”
“Jongin! Quit scaring her.”
“I’m not, Hyeyoung!” Kai whipped around at the sound of the woman’s voice, loosening his grip on Seohyeon but still keeping her in his hands.
A girl walked out of the room in a long t-shirt, and what looked like shorts underneath. She pulled Kai off of Seohyeon and pulled Seohyeon close as she hugged her tightly. “I think it’s safe to say that you’ve sufficiently confused her. Look! Her forearms are turning red because you were holding her so tight! Jongin, apologize for being a brute.”
“Hyeyoung!”
“Jongin!”
Kai recoiled at the girl’s harsh voice. He gave his attention to Seohyeon and sheepishly scratched his head. “Seohyeon, I’m sorry for acting like a brute.”
Hyeyoung flicked Kai’s forehead. “Ow! What the-” Kai rubbed his forehead.
“You are a horrible child. What in the world has Dad been doing to you?”
“I don’t know, why don’t you visit and ask him once in awhile?”
“Yeah, I’m not really trying to hike it up all the way over there if he isn’t even going to bother giving me the time of day.”
“Well if you just came once in a while and gave me a heads up I could probably convince Dad to meet with you. Mom misses you, too, you know, and Dad will listen to me if Mom backs me up.”
“How about he drags himself down here? And I don’t see Mom going out of her way to visit me, either. I’m free more or less whenever. The last place I want to be is in that house.”
“Wait!” Seohyeon suddenly shouted. “You two are...”
“Baby brother.”
“Older sister.”
Kai and Hyeyoung pointed at each other. Seohyeon just looked at the two of them like they were crazy. She felt her legs give out and was grateful that she still had Hyeyoung to support her.
“Woah now, let’s get you something to sit on.” Hyeyoung motioned for Kai to help her move Seohyeon to the living room couch. “Do you need anything? Water? A snack? Possibly alcohol so you can deal with this child?”
“Hey!” But Kai just sat down and scrunched his face in protest.
“Kidding, kidding. So why are you down here and why did you drag a girl with you?”
“I wanted to show her.”
“Show her...?”
“Really? What other reason would I drag someone down here to show her anyone or anything?”
“I don’t know. She doesn’t really look like Dad’s type for you.”
“Rude. I’m not about to bring a girl here just because I think Dad would like her.”
“Jongin, I know I haven’t lived at home for a few years, but I know for a fact that you’re scared of Dad like a little kid is scared of the dark.”
“Shut up!”
“Wahh!” Seohyeon interrupted the siblings again.
“Sorry...” they said in unison. Hyeyoung smacked Kai on the back of the head. He gave her a threatening look but backed off when Hyeyoung hid behind Seohyeon.
“Okay, let me get this straight.” Seohyeon took a deep breath. “You two are siblings. Why in the world are you calling Kai “Jongin”?”
“Oh, did I not mention this before?” Kai scratched his head again. “Sorry. I’m used to just introducing myself as Kai. But my birth name is Jongin. I started going by Kai when I was little, though, and the name stuck ever since.”
“He’s such a cutie. I’m one of the few people who still call him by his actual name.” Hyeyoung pinched Kai’s cheeks tightly. “He started wanting us to call him Kai because his favorite character from some book was named Kai.”
“Gah!” Kai beat Hyeyoung’s hands off his face. “Stop saying things like that!” Kai massaged his face as he tried to get the small finger marks to disappear from his cheeks. Seohyeon laughed at how red his face had gotten from both the embarrassment and pinching. It complimented his tan skin.
“See? He’s cute when he’s embarrassed, right?”
“Uh...” Seohyeon slowly nodded as if answering wrong would mean she would get her cheeks pinched hard, too. “But why do you live so far away if you guys are siblings?”
“Er, long story short, our Dad and I don’t get along well and I moved here.”
“You mean you were kicked out.” Kai interjected.
“Watch it, Jongin.”
“Hey, you’re lucky. I’d gladly live out here.” Kai relaxed into the seat cushion. “If Dad wasn’t so desperate for me to take his place in the world when I get older, I would have gone with you.”
Seohyeon sat there as Kai and Hyeyeon continued to talk. She felt so out of place, but she also felt a refreshing wave of happiness knowing that Hyeyeon was his sister and not anything other than that. She hadn’t said much when she suddenly stood up. “I think I should get going now. Kai, could you take me home?”
“But you still haven’t seen her yet.”
Seohyeon’s face dropped. “Her? There’s more to this surprise? Someone else for me to meet?”
“Yeah. Come this way.” Kai got up and offered a hand to Seohyeon.
But this time Seohyeon didn’t take it. “I think I’ve taken in more than enough for one day. I don’t need to be introduced to anyone else tonight.”
“Jongin, what have you been telling her?”
“What? Why is it always my fault?”
Hyeyoung got up and ushered Seohyeon into Kai’s direction. “I apologize for my brother. He isn’t good with his words and tends to refer to things in odd ways.”
“But-”
“Don’t worry. You’ll like...her.” Seohyeon saw Hyeyoung roll her eyes as she emphasized the word “her”. “Just go with him and enjoy it. He keeps this under lock and key after getting a hard time from people about it.”
Seohyeon realized that she wasn’t going to be able to leave until Kai got his way. Whatever that really was. She allowed herself to be shepherd into the deeper parts of the building and down the stairs through another door into a darker room.
“Hyeyoung, can you get the lights?”
As Kai’s request was being fulfilled, Seohyeon could feel Kai’s grip on her slipping away. She was about to protest when the lights flashed on and lit up the room. Seohyeon looked in front of her and saw herself. A large mirror was set up along the wall. It was so well kept that Seohyeon couldn’t believe such a nice space could exist in the slums. She heard some sort of rustling behind her. She looked along the mirror and saw Hyeyoung wrestling with a large object that had been covered by a cloth.
Seohyeon walked over and offered to help Hyeyoung. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just a little wonky at times. Feel free to pull up a seat over there.” Hyeyoung pointed over to the far end by the door.
Seohyeon nodded. She pulled a seat forward but didn’t sit down yet. “Where did Kai go?”
“Hm? Oh, probably to grab it. Don’t worry, he’ll be back soon.”
Seohyeon sighed. The whole mysterious thing seemed to run in the family. Neither Kai or Hyeyoung were good with explaining things to people unless they were prompted to. She sat down and waited for whatever was supposed to happen to happen. There was more rustling of items, but Seohyeon just figured Hyeyoung was having a really bad time with that thing she was dealing with. Seohyeon just closed her eyes.
It felt like five minutes had passed and nothing had happened. Seohyeon was still sitting with her eyes closed while an odd scratching and humming in the distance lulled her in and out of sleep.
There was an odd click followed by a series of footsteps and a door closing. Seohyeon opened her eyes but it was dark. “Kai? Hyeyoung?” “Kai?!” Seohyeon stood up but almost tripped on the chair legs. A flash of light hovered over her as she felt an arm catch her.
“Didn’t your mom tell you to be careful when you walk around in the dark?”
“Kai! Why are the lights off?” Seohyeon steadied herself on Kai’s arms. She noticed he had a light with him.
“Hyeyoung. She probably hit the switch on accident. Just wait here and I’ll turn them on” Kai let go of Seohyeon before walking away. The lights came back on.
Seohyeon blinked a few times to allow her eyes to adjust to the brightness. She felt a tug from behind her. “Just sit.” Kai said as he walked passed her and strolled to the machine in the corner. “Hyeyoung better not have broke this while setting it up...”
Seohyeon peak from behind Kai. “A record player?”
“I thought I told you to sit down.” Kai carefully placed a record onto the player but refrained from placing the needle. He walked Seohyeon back the the chair and carefully pushed her into the seat. “This is her.” Kai said.
Seohyeon looked around. There was no one except for Kai and herself in the room, and the mirror showed no signs of anyone approaching from behind her. “Kai, you do realize we’re the only two people here, yes?”
“I never said she was a person. You just assumed that.”
“Then what...?”
“Just watch.”
“Yeah, just watch.”
“Hyeyoung!” Seohyeon turned to see Hyeyoung return with a seat. She set the chair down next to Seohyeon and motioned for Kai to proceed. He walked away towards the music player and fiddled around with something about it.”
“Trust me. If he wants to show you, it means you’re special.” Hyeyoung took Seohyeon by the hand. “You like dancing, right?”
Seohyeon nodded her head. The question seemed to come out of nowhere, but Seohyeon just thought it was another Hyeyoung-Kai sort of oddity. “Ever since I was little. Kai, er, Jongin asked me if I used to dance when I was little.”
“What kind of dancing?”
“All kinds, I guess. My parents made sure I knew how to function in higher society, but I learned how to do cultural dances, too.” Seohyeon looked at Hyeyoung. “Your family is Korean too, right? How did you find your way here exactly?”
“Did Jongin not explain?”
“He did a little, but I’m still a little confused.”
Hyeyoung nodded. “Our family came here a few years ago because our Dad made a fortune off of the toys he made. His connections got him to where he is now, and he wants Jongin to take his place as heir to the family business.” Hyoyeon pulled something out from behind herself. It was a small doll. At first it didn’t seem very special, but then Seohyeon recognized the colors and features. “It’s an-”
“An ACE doll!”
“Oh, you know?” Hyeyoung held the doll, allowing Seohyeon to hold and admire the throwback to her childhood.
“I had one when I was little. An older one, of course, and the female one not the guy one, but it was an ACE doll none the less. Your father is the one who made these? Your dad is THE Jeongho?” Seohyeon couldn’t take her eyes off of the doll. It should have just been a doll, but there was something about its eyes that made it look like it came alive. Something that made it feel very familiar. “Wow...”
Hyeyoung nodded. “Dad started in Korea, and an English businessman offered to help him get a jumpstart here in London. Jongin and I were still little at the time. ACE dolls were his first doll in Korea, the first dolls he sold in England, and the one line of product he refuses to give up on.”
Seohyeon was in awe. She carefully turned the doll around, playing with the threaded hairs and gazing at the eyes that looked so much like...
“The ACE dolls are supposedly based on Jongin and myself, but I don’t really see it. I’d never dress in that way or anything.”
A low humming reached Seohyeon’s ears before she could respond to Hyeyoung’s piece of trivia. Seohyeon saw her leave from her spot as Seohyeon turned to see Kai posing in front of them. A series of sounds started to come from the player. Seohyeon couldn’t recognize the instrument, but it wasn’t a wind instrument, nor a violin or viola like Seohyeon would have thought.
It didn’t matter, though.
Seohyeon couldn’t take her eyes off of Kai. The way his body moved with the music was unlike anything she had seen before. He wasn’t restrained or tense like he was when they were waltzing earlier that evening. Rather, his arms whipped around his body and his legs were filled with purpose every time his feet moved from under his own weight. The way he let himself be controlled by the music was hypnotizing and captivating. Everything about Kai was absolutely thrilling.
But what caught Seohyeon’s attention the most was his eyes.
The look in his eyes was just like that in the eyes of the doll. That’s what Kai’s dad meant when the dolls were inspired by Kai and Hyeyoung. Their eyes were so captivating. To be honest, that was the very first thing that Seohyeon had noticed about Kai. There was a confident yet playful glow in his eyes when he first asked her for a dance. But in the carriage ride to Hyeyoung’s house, his eyes turned almost cold as he smirked and refused to take his charismatic eyes off Seohyeon. And then at Hyeyoung’s house, his eyes were so caring and bold when he confronted Seohyeon and confessed his feelings.
Wait, he actually confessed to Seohyeon that he could possibly maybe have some potential feelings towards her. How did it not register until now that Kai had said that?
Those thoughts were quickly pushed out of her mind as Kai closed their distance and bent over, resting his hands on the back of the chair and once again meeting Seohyeon’s eyes. She could feel their breaths against each other’s as they stared at each other, music filling the silence with sweet lyrics of chocolate and doors.
Seohyeon couldn’t explain what she saw in Kai’s eyes anymore. But it was intense and yearning and strong and beautiful and everything she wanted her eyes to convey to the world.
“Dance with me,” was all Kai said before he grabbed Seohyeon’s hands and pulled her to her out of her seat.
He had caught Seohyeon completely off guard. She stumbled to her feet and fell into Kai’s body and arms. Though Seohyeon tried to push herself off, she could feel Kai holding her tightly against himself. She managed to wriggle out of his hold after the touching moment went on for a few seconds and turned away from him, too embarrassed by his sudden affection and how much she enjoyed it. “I don’t...”
“Sure you do.” Kai sauntered up to her. “Just like before. Let the music envelop you.” He held out his hand for what was easily the fifth time that night - he would have offered the same hand a thousand times to her and not be tired of waiting. Seohyeon didn’t want to take it, but she couldn’t resist as his voice sent her heart into overdrive.
Kai quickly spun her around and they moved together, weaving around each other as they let the strangely seductive tune entice their next step. Seohyeon felt a little awkward at first, but as Kai encouraged her to just feel the music, she felt more at peace with herself and couldn’t care less if anyone saw what she was doing.
Seohyeon noticed Kai’s stupid smirk and saw the way he was eyeing her. It wasn’t in that creepy way most other guys had looked at her, nor was it the judgmental “what is wrong with you?” kind of stare she felt on a constant basis. The way Kai looked at her made it seem like he was drunk of her movements and intoxicated by their intimacy. And those eyes clearly were for only her. Seohyeon loved everything about that look in his eyes.
She loved everything about Kai.
That stupid smirk.
The way he made snide remarks to her.
His bashful and embarrassed expressions he didn’t want her to see.
Every step he took as if he ruled the very ground they were dancing on.
Those damn eyes.
She loved everything.
The song continued to loop - Seohyeon was pretty sure that Hyeyoung had been resetting the needle when the song ended.
The couple continued to dance - Seohyeon was very grateful that Hyeyoung was meddling in Kai’s business.
Hyeyoung eventually stopped replacing the needle and the song no longer lulled the two into a romantic moment. They danced for a few seconds after the song ended, not wanting to admit that the night was coming to a close.
Despite dancing for so long, Seohyeon didn’t feel tired. She didn’t feel very energetic, but she didn’t feel tired, either. It was some odd limbo in between and her body was just there.
“So you like her?” Kai asked as he helped Seohyeon into a seat.
“I don’t...”
Kai just laughed. Seohyeon hit him on the arm, but all he could do was give her that stupid smirk she had started to fall in love with. “The music. The dance. Everything that happened just now. That’s her.”
Seohyeon was quiet. All night she had been worried that some girl was going to appear and take Kai away from her. She had been so jealous and hurt by Hyeyoung before even realizing she was just Kai’s sister. The fact is that Kai was looking at her, only her, and so excited to just be with her didn’t really settle in. “I still...I...huh?”
“This is my everything. Dancing. It’s the one thing I can do and feel myself. Feel free. Feel-”
“Like nothing else could ever matter?” Seohyeon finished.
Kai just looked at her. “Yeah...like that.”
Seohyeon was silent. She didn’t look Kai in the eye as she mulled over the “her” Kai had been speaking about so much for the past few hours.
“No one respects her. She isn’t something that I can just find at a party where everyone waltzes and socializes over petty things. But the fact is that she makes me feel like I’m so much more than an heir to some huge empire. I am more than that, and no one understands or likes that. No one likes her. She-”
“You’re right.” Seohyeon interrupted, “No one else would really like this kind of thing.”
“Her.” Kai said sternly.
“Right. Her. I can see why no one else would love her like you do, and why she is the only one who could love you the way you need to be loved.” Seohyeon just sat there letting her thoughts flow from her into the quiet. “I can see why you’re the only person who could ever think this was nice.”
Kai turned away, pain and hurt evident in his eyes. “Sorry, I guess she’s not for everyone. I just thought that-”
“You’re stupid.”
“What?!” Kai turned back and faced Seohyeon. It was clear he was very offended and would have slapped Seohyeon had she not been a girl.
“You’re stupid for thinking this is cool, and stupid for dragging me all the way down here thinking I’d appreciate this.” Seohyeon crossed her arms. “And you’re stupid for making me join you thinking I’d enjoy it.”
Kai had enough. He got up and walked to the door half way to tears. He had heard people make fun of him and his interest in his dancing, but no one ever had said it to his face, and no one who he felt a close bond to had previously been so mean to him. His pride was broken, but he wasn’t about to let some random chick be the one to completely break him.
But Kai knew in his heart that Seohyeon wasn’t just a “random chick”. She was the only girl he ever felt confident in sharing Her with, and she was rejected - Kai was rejected.
By the time Kai was at the door, he hadn’t realized Seohyeon had been following him. Kai only realized it when Seohyeon suddenly hugged him from behind and wrapped her arms around his waist. “And you’re stupid because you think that matters to me.”
Kai didn’t respond to Seohyeon’s touch or words.
Seohyeon buried her head into Kai’s back. “But I guess I must be stupider for thinking I could like her as much as you do.”
Her new and contradictory words caused Kai to turn around and try facing her, but he grip made it hard to properly look at her. “Seohyeon, does that mean that...”
“And you’re even stupider for not understanding that I think I might have feelings for you, too, idiot.”
“...I hope you realize that “stupider” isn’t an actual word.”
“Shut up, stupid.”
“You really aren’t afraid to bite back.” Seohyeon could hear Kai’s laughter; feel it reverberating through his body. “I told you that you were special.”
“Just shut up and quit ruining the moment.”
And Kai did just that. He shut up and awkwardly wrapped an arm around Seohyeon. And they just stood there. Quietly. And they enjoyed their time together as if everything was perfect in the world. Because it was. It really was perf-
“JONGIN! GO HOME ALREADY!”
“Shut up!”
Kai and Seohyeon looked at each other before laughing at their simultaneous retort. Had Hyeyoung not ran down and dragged Kai - and thus Seohyeon who was still wrapped around his waist - out the door, the two would have stayed where they were all night.
Kai properly escorted Seohyeon to the carriage where his butler was dutifully waiting. Or so they thought until Kai kicked him and he jolted from his sleep. “Uh, yes. Home. Right, sir?”
“No really? I never thought I’d want to go home at this time of night, Sherlock.”
Seohyeon couldn’t help but laugh. She found Kai’s butler interesting. He was the first person to make Kai go red and that would remain a good memory for her. Otherwise, Kai’s butler seemed like a very nice person. Besides, Kai seemed to have a friendly (albeit in an occasionally playfully mean) relationship with him so Seohyeon figured he had to make Kai’s special cut.
“So, where shall we drop off the lady?” the butler asked. “If it’s easier, we can bring you back to the Phallon manor and allow your own wait staff to retrieve you from there.”
Kai looked to Seohyeon for an answer, realizing only now that he didn’t know where she actually lived. “Just bring me to the Gabbles’ estate up on the hill.”
“Oh, you fancy, huh?” Kai jokingly asked as he raised his brow. Seohyeon retaliated with a light punch to the arm. “Kidding, kidding. Sorry for keeping you out for so long.”
Seohyeon shook her head and sat down next to Kai. “Doesn’t matter. I would have been out late anyway. Besides...this was a lot more fun than that party.”
The door shut and soon enough the carriage lurched forward as it carried the passengers away from their escape. Seohyeon and Kai sat quietly, occasionally looking at each other and smiling at their moment and loving everything about it.
Before she realized it, Seohyeon felt a shake and opened her eyes. “Didn’t want to wake you up until we got you home. You’re...really cute when you sleep.”
Seohyeon looked up at Kai, but he had turned his head and started biting at his lip. It was barely there, but Seohyeon could see the red tint of his cheeks. “You’re cute when you’re embarrassed...”
“Shut it!” Kai buried his face in his hands and tried to push Seohyeon in the other direction and out the door. "Gah...”
Seohyeon giggled as she hopped out of the carriage. Kai was still sitting inside but was not hinting at moving from his place. “What? You’re not walking me to the door?”
“Do I look like I want to?”
“Fine. Whatever. If something were to happen to me between here and the door then-”
“You mean the door that is quite literally ten yards away behind a large gate with two “BEWARE: ATTACK DOGS” signs on it?”
“Ugh. You’re not at all romantic. No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend.” Seohyeon spun on her heels, bidding Kai’s butler a good night. A sudden tug at the back of her dress pulled her off balance and into the familiar arms of Kai.
Seohyeon felt herself being spun back around. And for the third (fourth?) time that night, Seohyeon found Kai’s face right in front of her own. “Oh? No girlfriend? So what does that make you?” Kai leaned forward but fell backwards at the push of Seohyeon’s arms on his chest.
“Single. But interested.” Seohyeon skipped away and closed the gate behind her.
Kai grabbed her hand through the bars and cocked his head to the side with curiosity. “How interested?”
After failing to tug herself out of Kai’s grasp, Seohyeon subtly motioned for him to move closer to the gate with her finger. Kai complied but couldn’t quite make out what Seohyeon was whispering. He turned his head so he could hear Seohyeon’s mumbles better. A soft pair of lips brushed past his cheek before stopping at his ear.
“Very.”
Seohyeon quickly pulled herself out of Kai’s grasp now that he was off guard. “Good night!”
Kai couldn’t respond fast enough. Seohyeon was already at her door by the time Kai realized she was gone. He was certain she could see how red he was despite the distance, but he really didn’t care because that meant she could also see his stupid smirk and the amusement in his eyes.
“She’s a keeper, isn’t she?”
“Shut up and take me home already.”
Kai’s butler laughed and left Kai to be embarrassed, flustered, and every other emotion he could have been feeling. “Yes, My Lord.”
Back at his own house, Kai laid down and got ready to retire for the night. His butler walked in to check on him one last time. “Sleep well, Young Master.”
“Thanks. You, too.”
Kai pulled the covers over his head.
“Hey, uh...”
“Yes, Young Master?”
“Take me to the Gabbles’ estate first thing tomorrow. I have some business to attend to there.”
Kai could hear his butler trying to stifle his laughter. “Yes. Of course, Young Master.”
“Good. Now get out of here. I want to sleep”
“Good night, My Lord.”
The door clicked shut and Kai could hear the butler’s footsteps fading down the hallway.
“Yeah...yeah it was.”
-----
I SWEAR I WROTE THIS AGES AGO AND I CALLED THE DOLLS "ACE DOLLS" LONG BEFORE KRIS HAD ACE. I SWEAR. I HAVE PROOF AT CXO WHERE I INITIALLY POSTED THIS
/end a/n
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