Angelic [ān-jəl-ic] adj. - Characteristic of one who manifests goodness, purity, and selflessness.

“Would you like to take Sehun home today and pick up Luhan after the paper work is completed?” Woosung offered Mihyun as soon as she joined the two others in front of their car.

Mihyun’s long locks swayed from side to side as she shook her head and dipped when she bowed her thanks. “I would like the two of them to stay together.” She caught sight of Jaemin eavesdropping from around the corner, and expressed her concerns in a more audible tone. “I will be checking back here every single day, and if I see even the slightest injury on either one of them, I will not hesitate to file a lawsuit.”

The two grown men were stunned by the young girl’s sudden hostility.

“I apologize for my tone,” Mihyun immediately bowed to Woosung. “I am not trying to say that the work here is abusive, but I would just like to see my Noyes untouched until they are under my care.” She flinched at her own use of the word Noyes.

Woosung let out a good hearted laugh and he clapped Chando on the shoulder once again. “Your daughter sure is perfect! I was afraid that her timidity and manners would get her taken advantage of in the future, but I can see that she can hold her ground perfectly well.”

Chando beamed at his daughter with pride and he accepted his friend’s praise with a wide smile. “We must be on our way home now. I shall see you in a month’s time, my friend.”

Mihyun bowed to Woosung once more before climbing into the car, making sure to shoot Jaemin a sharp glare on her way in.

“Are you happy with the Noyes you’ve chosen, Mihyun? It is still not too late to change your mind, you know. Woosung told me that the ones you’ve chosen aren’t really the best Noyes he has to offer. The tall one, Sehun, is rash and violent, and the small one is a mute,” Chando informed his daughter as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“I am sure of my decision,” Mihyun responded curtly as she turned her gaze out the window.

“Yes, yes, you have always been talented in picking out people of substantial worth,” Chando smiled as he gazed proudly at his daughter. “You spoke quite a lot today. I was pleased. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard you say so many words at once, so you must have been very sure of your decision. You said you would be coming back here every day, then?”

Mihyun nodded her head in response, and Chando smiled in satisfaction. “You should spend some more time with Woosung’s kid too. According to him, there are quite a lot of girls after Jaemin.”

Mihyun nodded her head once more, but offered no words expressing her opinion. Nevertheless, Chando was content with his daughter’s action, and let the car ride continue in silence.

True to Mihyun’s word, she returned to the Noye House the next day. The receptionist of the building informed her that Sehun and Luhan were most likely residing in their cages.

Mihyun cringed at the word. Cages. She was even more disturbed at the way the woman said it, as if it nothing was out of the ordinary; as if the people living in those cages were animals instead of humans.

She was told that customers were not allowed to enter the cages, but because her father was held at such high prestige, they would allow her entrance. Mihyun hated using her family’s reputation as a way of getting what she wanted, but she had to admit that it was useful at certain times.

The cages were just as horrible as she had imagined.

As her eyes scanned the living quarters, she was now hesitant on whether “cages” was even the right word to describe the living conditions of the Noyes. The underground room resembled a prison cell, and the “rooms” were separated simply by iron bars that ran vertically from the ceiling into the ground. It was like a jail.

Each “room” possessed a sink, a small table, and 4 lumpy blankets spread across the dirt grounds. No, even a jail was more luxurious than this.

There was an almost pungent stench in the air, but that too had been expected. The Noyes were hardly given any food, let alone the chance to bathe on a daily basis.

“You’re looking for Sehun, aren’t you?” a sudden deep voice called out. “You’re the girl from the hallways, yesterday.”

Mihyun turned to her right and met eyes with a rather babyish looking male. His face was smudged with dirt, but one could still see beauty and innocence radiating from him. She stared at him for a few seconds, as if contemplating on whether or not the voice had actually come from him. Deciding that she must have found the wrong owner, she continued her gaze to look for the source of the voice.

“Yah, don’t just skim over me,” the baby face boy whined as he crossed him arms with irritation.

Mihyun stared at the other with amusement. How did such a childish face possess a voice as deep as that?

“I know you’re making fun of me,” the boy blushed as he kicked the heel of his foot into the ground. “Even if you don’t say anything, I know my voice is ridiculous.”

“No,” Mihyun stated slowly as she cocked her head. “I think I like it. It’s a nice contrast, charming.”

The boy looked momentarily taken aback until he cleared his voice, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “If you’re looking for Sehun and Luhan, they’re not here, and it’s going to be a while until they get back.”

“Where have they gone?” Mihyun asked as she approached the tall boy.

“I think they’re on kitchen duty today. Hey, Baekhyun! Baek! Are Sehun and Luhan on kitchen duty today?” he turned his head to call out to the boy sleeping behind him.

“Yeah,” Baekhyun’s voice croaked back in return.

Mihyun’s eyebrows immediately furrowed at the sound of the other’s voice, and all thoughts of Luhan and Sehun disappeared. “He’s sick, isn’t he?”

The boy’s face fell and he stared at his companion with a saddened expression. “Yeah. He has been for a while now, but the guards keep stealing Baekhyun’s medicine to sell so he’s just stopped requesting it.”

Mihyun rushed through the open cell door and quickly went to Baekhyun’s side. She laid her hand against the other’s burning hot forehead, and frowned at the intense heat that radiated against her skin.

“Who… who are y-you?” Baekhyun asked weakly as he tried to open his eyes at the foreign presence.

“My name is Han Mihyun,” Mihyun responded as she slipped her pack from her back to rummage through it. “And you should know better than to go this long without medicine, Baekhyun.”

“W-What’s the p-point of… of asking f-for it if the g-guards are going to st-steal it?” Baekhyun’s chuckle quickly escalated into a cough.

Mihyun uncapped a bottle of water and pressed it gently against Baekhyun’s cracked lips. “Drink.”

Obediently, Baekhyun greedily gulped down the water as if he hadn’t drank liquids in a long time. Mihyun suspected that he hadn’t.

“What have the guards been giving him in return?” she turned to ask the taller boy he stood silently at Baekhyun’s side.

A dark expression took over his face and he bitterly replied with, “Nothing. They haven’t been giving him anything because they say that he’s going to die soon, so there’s no point in wasting resources on him anyways. I’ve been sharing my meals and water with him, but they aren’t enough.”

Mihyun’s eyes softened at the sight of the angry other, and she asked him, “What’s your name?”

“Chanyeol,” he answered.

“You’re a beautiful person, Chanyeol,” Mihyun stated softly as a gentle smile touched her lips.

Surprise filled Chanyeol’s eyes and he fell silent at Mihyun’s sudden words, not knowing exactly what to say in return.

“You won’t die, Baekhyun,” Mihyun stated softly as she gently pulled the boy into a sitting position. She pressed the palm of her hand firmly against Baekhyun’s back as support and gestured for Chanyeol to come over with her other hand. “Prop him up, please, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol immediately came over to do her bidding, and he held Baekhyun up with a hand on each of his shoulders.

Mihyun pulled a silver canister out of her bag along with a plastic spoon, and slowly spun the top of the canister off. A delicious scent wafted through the room, and Chanyeol had to swallow his saliva to hold in his hunger.

“Open your lips, Baekhyun,” Mihyun stated as she carefully slipped a small spoonful of warm porridge through the other’s lips. Mihyun continued to spoon feed the other until the canister was half empty. She then closed the container despite Baekhyun’s whines for more.

“You haven’t eaten much for a long time, and if you suddenly consume this much you’ll throw up,” Mihyun explained as she set the canister aside. “You wouldn’t want to waste all of that food, would you?”

Horrified at the idea, Baekhyun immediately shook his head. A tinge of red managed to flow back into Baekhyun’s cheeks to make him appear more lifelike, but he still remained a sickly color. Mihyun then pulled out a small bottle of red liquid, and poured a bit of it into the spoon before holding it against Baekhyun’s lips. “Swallow.”

“What is that?” Baekhyun frowned, scrunching his nose against the sour smelling liquid.

“It’s medicine. If you want to get better, you will ignore this taste,” Mihyun instructed. Baekhyun immediately swallowed the substance, and Mihyun patted him on the head as a reward. She pulled a small candy out of her pocket and unwrapped it before slipping it into Baekhyun’s mouth. “This should get rid of the bitter taste.”

Mihyun wrapped the silver container of porridge and the medicine before slipping it under Baekhyun’s blanket and out of sight. “Feed him the rest of the porridge at dinner time, along with another spoonful of medicine. I know it looks delicious, but you mustn’t eat the porridge, Chanyeol, or you’ll get sick. I’ll bring you something delicious tomorrow, but until then you can eat this,” Mihyun instructed the other before pulling out several candies from her pocket. She put the small caramels into Chanyeol’s hand. “Give Baekhyun one after he’s eaten his second dose of medicine, but he can’t have anymore, alright?”

Chanyeol nodded his head, and he slipped the candies under his own blanket.

“You should get to rest, Baekhyun,” Mihyun smiled as she gently helped the other lay down. “You will feel better tomorrow, so rest well.”

“Thank you,” Baekhyun managed to whisper before sleep consumed him.

Mihyun checked her watch and saw that it was about time to go. She climbed to her feet, and notified Chanyeol of her departure.

“You aren’t going to wait for Sehun and Luhan?” Chanyeol asked, hoping that she wouldn’t leave so soon.

Mihyun shook her head and gave him an apologetic smile. “I can always see them tomorrow.”

Chanyeol nodded his head reluctantly and gave Mihyun a bright smile. “Thank you, Mihyun. If Baekhyun died… I would… I wouldn’t…”

“You’re welcome, Chanyeol,” Mihyun smiled, relieving Chanyeol of his trouble to find the right words to say. “You have a very bright smile that makes a lot of people happy. I hope it’ll never dim.”

With those as her final words, she lifted a hand and gave Chanyeol a delicate wave of goodbye before disappearing up the stairs.

Sehun and Luhan immediately noticed the brightened atmosphere of the cages when they returned, and Sehun looked around with raised eyebrows. “What happened here?”

“The angel came to visit,” Chanyeol answered with a dreamy expression on his face.

“What angel?” Sehun asked with narrowed eyes.

“An angel that healed Baekhyun of his sickness,” Chanyeol smiled as he gestured to the sleeping male.

Sehun had to admit that the other looked a little healthier with the color he now possessed in his cheeks.  “Such an angel exists?”

Chanyeol nodded and pressed his hand against Baekhyun’s forehead to feel his friend’s decreasing temperature. “She goes by the name of Mihyun, Han Mihyun.”

“Has the angel come back yet?” Baekhyun asked as he wearily propped himself up on his elbows.

“Not yet,” Chanyeol told the other as he helped his friend sit up properly. “She said she’d come back today, so don’t be disappointed just yet, Baekhyun. It’s still morning.”

Sehun stared at the pair with amusement. The two others that he and Luhan shared their cage with had been waiting for the arrival of his supposed “master” all morning. How could they have become so infatuated with a woman they had known for hardly an hour? He wasn’t at all impressed, however. The pair of inmates always trusted others much too easily.

Despite these thoughts, Sehun found his head shoot up once the sound of light footsteps echoed through the cages. Luhan, who was at his side, stared at him curiously before turning his head to see what had caught the other’s attention.

“Ang- Mihyun!” Chanyeol called out gleefully as he ran to meet the small girl at the door. “You’ve come.”

“I said I would come, didn’t I?” Mihyun responded with amusement as she followed the tall male through the door. She still hadn’t gotten use to the foul stench in the air, but she didn’t let herself think of it too much. She met eye contact with Sehun and gave him a nod of acknowledgement. Luhan quickly averted his gaze so she wouldn’t do the same to him.

“Are you feeling better, Baekhyun?” Mihyun asked as she pressed her hand against Baekhyun’s forehead.

A sudden surge of jealous erupted in Sehun’s chest, and he was surprised at the sudden emotion. Why would he feel jealous towards his roommate for simply being touched by the girl? She didn’t mean anything to Sehun, yet he still unconsciously developed a bit of longing for her to caress his own face as gently as she did to Baekhyun’s. He immediately scolded himself for his thoughts, however; he refused to fall into the vixen’s trap so early in the game.

“You’re still a little warm. Has Chanyeol been feeding you your medicine on time?” Mihyun asked with a raised eyebrow.

Chanyeol pouted at Mihyun’s accusations, and her eyes smiled in amusement as she patted the other’s head. “I was just teasing. I don’t doubt your care, Chanyeol.”

Sehun stared at his friends with such bitter jealousy, his earlier scolds immediately discarded. How could she actually tease them? How could she speak to them in such a careless manner when she didn’t even speak to him in that way? He was the one who would be under her care within a month’s time, would he not? Sehun was taken away from his thoughts by the sudden tug of shirt, and he looked down to see Luhan staring up at him with confusion.

Luhan used his forefinger to write out characters into the dust of the ground. What’s wrong?

“Nothing’s wrong. Sorry about worrying you, Lu,” Sehun smiled as he patted the other’s head.

“As a reward for taking care of Baekhyun so well, I’ve brought you something,” Mihyun stated as she rummaged through an even larger pack to withdraw a large bento box. “Share with Baekhyun, alright? I’ve made enough for the two of you.”

Mihyun pulled out a similar bento box and climbed to her feet to walk over to Sehun and Luhan. “Here,” Mihyun stated as she placed the box of food onto Sehun’s lap. “You two can share this one.”

The food must have been freshly made, because Sehun could feel the heat radiating through the plastic. He opened his mouth to respond with a shameful thanks, but was interrupted by a sudden clang. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw that the container that had been on his lap was now on the ground. The latch had flung open, and the contents were now scattered across the ground, ruined by the dirt and dust.

Sehun turned to look at Luhan with wide eyes, shocked at what the other had just done. “Luhan? Why did you do such a thing?”

Luhan simply crossed his arms and glared at Mihyun, almost daring her to do something about it. He expected Mihyun to throw away her fake façade of kindness and rage at the other for ruining her hard work, but to his surprise, an amused expression slid onto the girl’s face.

“Good thinking,” Mihyun stated as she began to scoop the ruined food back into the container. “You’d never know if I put poison in here, right? You’re very clever to be cautious.”

Luhan simply stared back at her.

Mihyun now noticed the number of old scars that were scattered across Luhan’s entire body, from his face to the tips of his fingers and toes. She understood now that they must have applied make up to cover up the old wounds during Luhan’s appearance in the hallways. She was curious, however, as to why they hadn’t even bothered to cover up Sehun’s wounds then. Perhaps there wasn’t even any hope that he would be chosen any more.

She was rather disappointment that Luhan had wasted such a meal, but held her tongue. Who was she to expect them to trust her so easily? With the number of scars that littered Luhan’s body, he reserved every right to be cautious of her. She was a stranger, after all.

“Although, I assure you that I haven’t slipped anything that might harm you or Sehun into it,” Mihyun continued as she wiped her dirty hands with a napkin. “I’ll bring you more food tomorrow, and I hope you’ll trust me on it. I’ll eat some in front of you so you’ll know that I didn’t put anything dangerous in it.”

Mihyun slid the box back into her pack and pulled out several bottles of water. She stashed them underneath the small table so the guards wouldn’t see it, and cocked her head in Luhan’s direction. “These water bottles still have seals on them, so you can trust that I didn’t put anything bad in them.”

She brushed her hands off with each other and turned to look at Luhan once more. “Tomorrow, I hope that you will eat the food I bring you.  I worked hard on them, so I hope you will trust me and enjoy it.”

Luhan was a mute, but Sehun knew that even if he wasn’t he’d still be at a loss for words.

“I thought I’d find you here.”

Everybody in the cage froze at the sound of the familiar voice.

“Why would you be looking for me in the first place?” Mihyun asked in return as she calmly turned around to stare at the other. “I can’t imagine that there would be any reason for you to look for me.”

“My father wants me to court you,” Jaemin stated with a small smirk on his face. He leaned against the iron bar of the cage’s door and ran his hand through his hair in what he suspected was a ‘cool’ manner. “He thinks you fancy me. Isn’t that amusing?”

“It would be if it was true. Unfortunately, however, such a feeling towards you does not exist in my heart. There’s no room for a feeling like that when loathing and disgust take up all the space,” Mihyun responded as she turned her back to Jaemin to give Baekhyun her attention. She pulled a thermometer out of her bag and commanded Baekhyun to part his lips. Baekhyun stared hesitantly at her and glanced at Jaemin, but opened his mouth once Mihyun commanded him again.

“Don’t turn your back on me,” Jaemin hissed as he wrapped his hand around Mihyun’s upper arm to jerk her towards him.

“I don’t think my father would appreciate it if I told him that you treated his daughter with aggression and disrespect,” Mihyun stated calmly as she stared at his filthy hand. “Please restrain yourself.”

“You’re a little , aren’t you?” Jaemin growled as he reluctantly released her arm.

“I don’t understand why you would assume that,” Mihyun shrugged in response. She stared at him with a hard expression on her face. “Now, what exactly do you need of me? Because if there is nothing in specifics I would request that you leave.”

“Excuse me?!” Jaemin’s obnoxious laughter echoed against the walls. “You’re asking me to leave when my father is the one who owns this place? You must be ing stupid!”

Deciding that talking to the other would simply be a waste of her time, Mihyun turned her attention to things of a more important matter.

“Your fever has cooled down, Baekhyun,” Mihyun stated happily as she checked the thermometer. “You should be perfectly fine in a few days.”

“I told you to look at me when I’m speaking to you!” Jaemin raged as his hand flew forward. His motion was suddenly stilled from the grip Sehun held on his wrist, and he turned his angry gaze to the other.

“What the do you think you’re doing, dirty trash?” Jaemin growled as he tore his hand away from Sehun’s grip.

Sehun didn’t know what to answer with, because his defense had surprised even himself. He was too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice how Jaemin pulled his arm back to attack him.

“If you touch a single hair on his body I will not hesitate to sue,” Mihyun stated firmly as she trained a strong glare on Jaemin. “According to the contract made, both Sehun and Luhan are now registered under my family’s name, and attacking one of them would be like attacking a member of the Han family. You will suffer severe consequences as result, and will most likely cause your father to lose this entire place. Are you willing to accept the punishments?”

Jaemin’s fist froze mid-motion, and Mihyun mentally smirked victoriously. “I assume that you are not, so I would recommend that you lower your hand.”

“You will regret this, ,” Jaemin hissed with a dark glint in his eyes as he lowered his fist.

“If that’s the case then I will be concerned about it in the future,” Mihyun stated humorlessly in return.

Jaemin let out another growl at the humiliation Mihyun caused him, and swore that he would pay her back in ten folds. While leaving the cage, Jaemin slammed his fist against an innocent Noye that had been walking by.

“That bastard,” Mihyun muttered under her breath as she quickly shot forward to tend to the Noye’s wounds.

“I apologize for the pain you’ve received as a result for my words,” Mihyun sincerely apologized as she pulled a bottle of ointment out of her bag.

The tanned boy with pouty lips simply shook his head and smiled back at her. “It’s my fault for being nosey. I wanted a glimpse of the angel Chanyeol had been going on about all night, and I guess this is what I get in return.”

Mihyun cocked her head at his words and glanced back at Chanyeol. “Angel?”

A blanket of red fell over Chanyeol’s cheeks and he immediately turned his head to avert his eyes. His eyes soon widened in surprise, however, and his head shot over to face the source of the tinkling laughter that spread through the room.

“Well then,” Mihyun’s rare chuckle floated through the room as she held out a hand to help the boy to his feet. “I’m Angel.”

The boy smiled in return, “I’m Jongin.”

“Come inside, Jongin. Let me put some ointment on your cheek. It would be too pitiful if a bruise formed on your handsome face,” Mihyun smiled as she beckoned Jongin inside.

A light tinge of pink appeared on Jongin’s face at the compliment and he shyly nodded his head. He began to follow her inside but stopped abruptly mid step. “Hold on, let me get Kyungsoo, he wanted to meet you.”

Before Mihyun could ask who Kyungsoo was, Jongin had already disappeared into a nearby cage. She watched in slight amusement as Jongin appeared once again, dragging a small boy along with him.

“Mihyun, this is Kyungsoo,” Jongin smiled as he presented his roommate. “Kyung, this is the angel Chanyeol was talking about.”

“H-H-Hel-Hello,” Kyungsoo stammered as he stared down at his fiddling fingers. “I-I-I’m Kyu-Kyungs-soo.”

Mihyun stared at Kyungsoo for a long time, resulting in Kyungsoo becoming twice as flustered under her intense gaze.

“J-J-Jong-i-in,” Kyungsoo whined as he tugged on the other’s sleeve.

“Hi Kyungsoo,” Mihyun finally stated in a soft voice. “Your stutter is very cute.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened at her words and his jaw dropped at the girl’s bluntness. As soon as the shock had faded away, a crimson blush crept onto Kyungsoo’s face and he immediately averted his eyes. Never had he ever been called cute before, let alone his embarrassing stutter. “Y-Y-You don-don’t have t-t-to lie t-to m-m-me-me.”

“I always tell the truth, Kyungsoo,” Mihyun stated simply in return. She gestured for the two of them to enter the cage so she could tend to Jongin’s wounds.

The blush that had captured Kyungsoo’s cheeks now spread to the tips of his ears, and he shuffled into the room with his head ducked down in an attempt to hide the color of his face.

The cage was now beginning to get a little crowded with the new additions. It had already been a tight squeeze with just the four of them alone, but now with three additions, the space in the room certainly wasn’t a joke. Despite the stuffy air and the lack of space, however, the 7 of them felt at complete ease and comfort.

“I have to leave now,” Mihyun stated reluctantly as she checked the time on her watch.

The seven of them had been talking for the longest time, and through the barred windows Mihyun could see that the sun was about to set. She stood up and stretched her arms to the ceiling, causing her shirt to ride up and show the slightest sliver of skin. Before anybody could steal a glance at the milky expansion, Sehun’s hand quickly darted out to yank the cloth over the skin.

Mihyun stumbled forward a few steps from the sudden jerk, and turned her head to stare at Sehun in surprise. He himself was stunned at what he had just done. His action had been made without his realization.

“S-Sorry,” Sehun muttered quietly as he averted his gaze from hers.

Mihyun said nothing in response and brushed off the other’s actions as if it didn’t happen. She held up a hand and waved goodbye to the boys, promising to bring nice treats for them all the next day. It was strange how six complete strangers could make Mihyun feel the happiest she’s ever been in her entire 16 years of living.

As Mihyun walked out of the cage, she didn’t even notice that she could no longer detect the stench of the air.