Dauntless [dänt-less] adj. - Incapable of being intimidated or discouraged; fearless.

Mihyun laid in bed, dark circles under her eyes from yet another restless night. The day the papers would be filed was coming nearer and nearer, and she still was absolutely clueless as to what she could do. To rebel against her father’s wishes and continue to visit the Noye house like nothing changed was certainly out of the question. She knew that by disobeying her father, she would put the other Noyes in harm’s way and had to think up of some way to work around his wishes and not blatantly disobey him.

As she rose from her bed, she glanced at the growing amount of folders and books that were scattered across her work table. The mountain of books and files must have grown to a height that surpassed her own by then, yet she still found herself unable to begin to work. Whenever she sat down in front of the mountain, she would find her mind in a far off place, and always end up reading the same sentence three or so times before finally closing her book in vain.

“Agassi, it’s time for you to get ready for school,” Jaesuk called out as he entered Mihyun’s room. A frown slipped onto his face when his eyes caught onto the pile of work that lay abandoned on her desk, and he turned to chide Mihyun for her procrastination. He let his words die on the tip of his tongue once he examined the fatigued state Mihyun was in, however, and stepped forward to help the girl out of bed.

“Perhaps you should see a doctor?” Jaesuk suggested lightly as he brushed his thumb against the dark circles that formed under Mihyun’s eyes.

The girl quickly shook her head in protest before she ran her fingers through her long, messy hair. “I’ll be fine, Jaesuk. I’m just going through a rough time right now, but all will be well.”

Jaesuk knew not to question the girl’s endurance any longer, and pulled her uniform out of her closet for her to change into. “It would be fine to skip school today, you know. You have been attending for a week straight already,” he suggested casually, hoping that the girl would agree to his words.

Mihyun simply stared at him, and that was enough for him to know of her reply.

“Your father has returned from his business trip, and is waiting downstairs for you. He said that he wanted to eat breakfast with you since it has been quite a while since the two of you’ve met,” Jaesuk informed her as she slipped her night gown off of her shoulders. He didn’t even blink when he stared at Mihyun’s almost bare body, already used to her creamy skin. After all, he was the one who even gave her baths when they were both young, and retained no lustful thoughts for the girl.

“He’ll probably just scold me for visiting the Noye house too often again,” Mihyun sighed as she gestured for Jaesuk to come forward to tie her uniform’s neck tie – she had always had problems with where the fabric was supposed to loop through.

“Have you come up with a plan, yet?” Jaesuk asked as he leaned against her dresser, propping his chin up with his fist.

“Don’t worry, you’ll think of something eventually,” Jaesuk smiled encouragingly when all Mihyun did was sigh in response. “You always do, don’t you?”

Mihyun winced unnoticeably at Jaesuk’s words as she felt the weight on her shoulders increase the slightest bit. “Let’s get down; we can’t keep my father waiting.”

“Ah, Mihyun,” Chando greeted her daughter when she flitted into the room. She returned his greeting with a small smile and a light bow before taking a seat in her respective spot at the dining table.

“How have things been going with school? Do you still have the first place in your grasps?” Chando asked as he placed down the newspaper he had been reading.

“Neh, Appa,” Mihyun responded politely as she took a bite of her toast.

“Jaesuk?” Chando asked with a raised eyebrow as he stared at the man expectantly.

“Han Agassi scored a perfect score on the last exam. In their overall points, the student in second place is still over a hundred points away from beating Han Agassi,” Jaesuk immediately stated.

A satisfied smile spread across Chando’s lips, and he let out a bellowing laugh. “My daughter is always so modest.”

“Thank you for your praise, Appa,” Mihyun responded quietly as she gave her father a small bow. Her eye caught on to the headline that was labeled across his newspaper, and widened in surprise. “Father, may I…?”

Chando’s eyes lowered to follow Mihyun’s line of sight, and he picked up his newspaper to hand to his daughter. “Such a horrible event, wouldn’t you think so? I hope this doesn’t ruin business. Those rodents are always causing trouble for the rest of us; you would think that they knew their place in society by now.”

Mihyun remained silent as her eyes quickly scanned the inked text, mentally retaining all the information that was present.

“Well, I must leave now or I’ll be late,” Chando excused himself as he put on his coat. “Be safe today, and don’t stay too long at that dump. It’s especially dangerous now.”

All Mihyun spared was a nod as she continued to read the article.

“We must go or we’ll be late,” Jaesuk stated the second Mihyun placed the newspaper down. She nodded her head and followed Jaesuk to the car as she thought over the things she had just discovered. A small smile slid onto her face, and her eyes gleamed as she thought of an idea.

“Change of plans, Jaesuk,” Mihyun announced as she slid into the car, the words she had just read in the newspaper still fresh in her brain. “Looks like we’re going to be paying an early visit to the Noye house.”

 “There’s been a revolt,” Mihyun whispered in a hushed voice of excitement as she stared into the eyes of the six Noyes.

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asked with a raised eyebrow of confusion. “What kind of revolt?”

“A Noye revolt, there’s been one a few days ago not too far from here, maybe 160 miles south,” Mihyun stated as her eyes darted over her shoulder every so often to make sure no others were eavesdropping on their conversation.

Sehun got a bad vibe from the look of excitement that filled the girl’s eyes.

After deeming her next words safe from foreign ears, she added in a hushed whisper, “What if we had a revolt ourselves? All of the Noyes in Gwangju have been freed – well, they are not legally free yet, and there are currently large bounties put on their heads, but I spoke with some officials on the way here and they say that the Noyes of Gwangju should earn their absolute freedom in no longer than a few days. The dreams you all possess, the dreams you all shared yesterday, what if they could come true? What if you could make it so they wouldn’t remain just a dream any longer, and become a reality?”

Dead silence captured the cage, and the eager smile on Mihyun’s face slid lower and lower as she gazed at the unenthused faces of the others.

“Are you crazy?” Baekhyun finally stated bluntly. “We wouldn’t make it ten minutes.”

“Mihyun, I’m thankful that you’re so eager to help us fight for our freedom, but… a revolt?” Jongin murmured hesitantly as he scratched the back of his head. “I don’t think… I don’t think that’s the right path for us.” Kyungsoo nodded along with his words.

“Then what exactly is the right path for you, Kim Jongin?” Mihyun demanded, a sudden anger capturing her chest. “What? I’d like to know. Are you going to be chosen during the next hallway showing and spend the rest of your life serving under an ungrateful, snotty, daughter of a noble? Is that your path? And you, Kyungsoo! Is your path to be sold as a—” She held her tongue.

Her expression softened once she caught the hurt look that flashed across Kyungsoo’s face that showed that he knew what the next words out of were going to be.

“Your path ways… exactly what do you see them to be? Is your goal in life to simply serve the same person over and over again without the respect each and every one of you deserve? To be constantly ridiculed among the elites and spat at and taken advantage upon? Why are you allowing your pathways to be deemed by society’s unjust standards? What about the future Noyes that are to suffer the same fate as all of you have today? This cycle, this cycle of cruelty and inequality is just going to continue year after year after year. A Noye is born, a Noye is bought, a Noye is killed – it’ll never end. You are all simply seen as pawns and tools of society, why will you not fight for what you deserve?!” Mihyun was nearly in hysterics by the time she finished her words, and she stared at them all with such a strong look of contempt in her eyes.

She knew it wasn’t her position to say such things to them, and that they were within their rights to be offended by the words that mindlessly spouted from her lips, yet she held no regrets. If she, a complete outsider who was situated at the prosperous end of the social ladder, was willing to fight for the freedom of those at the bottom rungs, why weren’t they? They had their reasons, of course, but she couldn’t help but feel disappointed with the lack of motivation and determination that ran through their veins. Did they not want change?

The boys remained speechless around her, not knowing what would be the appropriate thing to say in return. They knew she was right, oh did they know – yet, they would still chose to not do anything.

Why? They didn’t know exactly why, but would assume that their decision to remain as a neutral party consisted of a couple of factors. First, there was fear. To stage a rebellion against the Noye house would be no easy feat at all. Not only would they be against the hundreds of guards that roamed the lands well equipped with weapons, but they’d also be fighting against the state. They’d be considered fugitives, and if found after an escape, they’d be killed on the spot. They weren’t willing to lose their lives for the freedom they no longer missed, weren’t willing to lose the lives of each other.

Another reason was the fact that they weren’t willing to sacrifice Mihyun’s good name. They knew she was willing to help them whole heartedly, which is why they had to reject the idea even more. The girl had presented them with nothing but kindness and protection – how could they repay her by putting her life on the line?

And finally, perhaps they were just being selfish. Perhaps they believed that if they had to go through all the suffering for so many longs years, why would others get to escape? Why would they have to go through the hardship of fighting for another’s freedom?

“I’ll be taking my leave now,” Mihyun stated abruptly as she picked her bag off of the ground to throw over her shoulder.

Baekhyun opened his mouth to protest, but the look in her eyes told him that he should let her go, so he said nothing.

Mihyun glanced at them all for a final time before briskly making her way out of the cages, leaving the rest of the boys in a silence that would haunt them for the rest of the night.

Sehun’s eyes continued to dart to the door with uncertainty. It was nearly three in the afternoon – did Mihyun plan to never come back? He chewed hard on his bottom lip and tapped his foot impatiently against the hard ground. He knew that her harsh words had been for their own goods, and he held not even the slightest bit of contempt for the girl. It had been almost torture not being able to see Mihyun for a few days prior to yesterday, and he desperately wished that she wouldn’t disappear for another few. At this point, the only thoughts in his head were the hopes that she would quickly return.

Sehun noticed that he wasn’t the only restless one in the room, and caught how Baekhyun would glance over his shoulder and at the cage door all too often, the way Kyungsoo would stop his speech practices every few words to listen for the familiar light footsteps, how Chanyeol’s head would snap upwards every time somebody walked by the room, and he didn’t ignore how Kai would depart the room for bathroom breaks every few minutes, claiming that he was having an uneasy stomach. An odd, bitter feeling surged through his chest, and he felt confused at the sudden contempt he held for all of his hyungs.

Why did he care if the others were looking forward to Mihyun’s arrival just as much as he was?

Sehun’s uneasiness didn’t go undetected by Luhan who was at his side. He tugged at Sehun’s sleeve to grab his attention. When the younger’s head turned to him, he pointed his finger down at the words he had written into the ground.

Sehun, are you thinking about her?

A sheepish smile spread across Sehun’s face, embarrassed that he had been so easily caught by his hyung. The corners of Luhan’s lips twitched upwards, and he quickly carved another message into the ground.

Do you love her?

Sehun’s eyes widened in surprise at the question, and he quickly shook his head in denial. “I would never, hyung! I do like her as a person, and I certainly respect and admire her, but to love her?”

Luhan pursued his lips, disappointed at the fact that his dongsaeng was still in a phase of denial. Now it was true that they had only known the girl for a couple of weeks at most, but even he wouldn’t turn a blind eye to the tight bond she had formed with each and everyone of them.

Luhan had trust issues. Sehun had trust issues. Each and every person who was ever labeled with the word “Noye” had trust issues, yet Mihyun was so easily able to skip over those barriers as if they were nothing. Luhan didn’t understand why he was willing to be so open to girl or how she was capable of breaking down the walls that protected their hearts, but he knew she did. To be honest, it wasn’t as troubling as he would have assumed it to be.

He was happy.

For the first time in a long time, Luhan was happy. He was happy that the new female character was able to take a large chunk of their hearts so easily.

He was happy for Sehun.

Sehun wouldn’t admit it, for he probably didn’t realize it yet for himself, but Luhan knew that the younger loved the girl. He assumed that Sehun was in denial of his feelings due to the fact that he would feel weak if he did accept them. How could he have fallen so easily as a victim to the girl’s feet within just a few weeks? Luhan knew the younger wouldn’t accept those thoughts, for Sehun always saw himself as the protector of them all. Despite being the youngest, Sehun was also the strongest, and falling for a girl within a mere few weeks was not strength. In Sehun’s eyes it was a weakness, and Oh Sehun didn’t need any more weaknesses.

“Hyung?” Sehun asked as he nudged Luhan gently on the shoulder. “What are you thinking about?”

Luhan simply gave him a small smile and no type of disclosure for the thoughts he had running through his head.

Sehun frowned, unsatisfied with Luhan’s lack of reply, and was about to speak in protest until he was interrupted by a familiar soft voice.

Luhan almost laughed at how eagerly Sehun jumped to his feet. Like a puppy greeting his master at the door, Luhan thought.

“Sorry I’m late,” Mihyun apologized with a shy smile as she stared cautiously at the boys, worried that her harsh words from the day prior were still lingering in their heads. “I had a meeting with some attorneys and another court session.”

Only silence met her words, and she bit hard on her bottom lip, uneasy. Were they angry with her? She opened to give them a sincere apology, but was interrupted by a sudden figure who knocked the breath out of her.

“Kyungsoo?” Mihyun asked as she stared questioningly at the boy who had his arms wrapped tightly around her.

“I-I th-thought you we-were never c-coming b-ba-back!” Kyungsoo cried as he fisted the backs of her shirt.

The boy looked so torn that even Sehun didn’t mind that he held the girl within such a close proximity.

Mihyun’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, and she cocked her head in confusion. “Why would you think that? I would never suddenly disappear without informing you guys.”

“B-But yo-yo-you we-were-were an-ang-angry ye-yes-yest-yester-day-day!” Kyungsoo cried, his stuttering becoming twice as worse with the tears rolling down his cheeks.

Mihyun clucked her tongue against the roof of , and she stretched upwards to wipe the tears from the boy’s face. “Such a foolish boy, Kyungsoo. Do you take me for the type of person to abandon you just because I was a bit frustrated?”

Kyungsoo bit hard on his bottom lip and let out a loud sniffle. “N-No.”

A smile graced itself onto Mihyun’s lips and she pressed each of her fingers into the sides of Kyungsoo’s mouth to pull his lips up into a smile. “Don’t shed your tears anymore, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo swiped at his eyes with the back of his dirty sleeves and nodded his head furiously with a small smile on his face. “N-Neh.”

“Then you aren’t angry with us anymore… are you?” Baekhyun asked in a timid voice as he folded his hands behind his back and rocked on the balls of the his feet.

Mihyun chuckled at the adorable sight and stretched upwards to dishevel the boy’s bangs, “No, I am not angry anymore. It was unreasonable of me to throw this onto you all so quickly, so I apologize for that.”

Chanyeol quickly held up his hands and shook his head, “Don’t be sorry! It’s not your fault!”

“Don’t be mistaken, however,” Mihyun clarified. “I’m not apologizing for my suggestion. I’m simply apologizing for the fact that I expected you all to jump on board right away, and that I got angry when you didn’t.”

“What do you mean?” Jongin asked with a cocked head of confusion.

“I mean that I haven’t dropped the idea of engaging in a revolution just yet,” Mihyun shrugged, ignoring the looks of disbelief that were thrown her way. “I don’t want to argue with you all any longer, so I would suggest that you guys keep your words on this matter to yourself, or at least until I’ve departed for the day.”

The Noyes exchanged uneasy glances, but abided by her words and kept their silence.

A smile broke across Mihyun’s face and her eyes shaped into small crescents as she gazed at the boys in front of her. “Now then, who wants to try some of the pastries I’ve snuck in for you all?”