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[fünf]

It was like he was teasing me. The way he touched my skin was electric. When he was done, I could barely stand. He stood solidly under the shower, holding me up by the waist. His hands firmly gripped onto me and the contact set me ablaze.

"Are you alright?" I heard him whisper into my ears. He turned to shut the water off and then wrapped his arms around me again. His chin rested on my shoulder as his body sank into me. I felt every inch of his skin against my own. It was this familiar warmth that brought me comfort and I could hear the beating of his heart clearly. He made no motion to move from this position and soon enough, I shuddered from the cold.

Mingyu pulled back immediately and pulled the towel from the rack. He folded it and patted the fabric against my skin, drying it inch by inch—so agonizingly slowly.

"I love..." He paused right after the two words left his lips. "Being able to do this with you."

I scoffed and pulled the towel from his hands wrapping it around me. "Dry yourself and come," I told him.

Mingyu was still obedient. What I demanded, he carried out. I told him to call Soonyoung for any shopping that needed to be done. I still feared my father would come after us. Mingyu spoke to Soonyoung in a way that was absolutely expected of him.

"Please, Mingyu-ya, call me Soonyoung." It wasn't the first time Soonyoung had to remind Mingyu.

"Soonyoung-ssi..." Mingyu couldn't break the habit of addressing him formally. I made a mental note in my mind to train him to forget his duties. That wasn't the reason I brought him with me. Away from that house, I no longer needed Mingyu to serve me.

It was sometime in the middle of the night that I awoke to the emptiness beside me. Mingyu had left his place and I felt a surge of worry and fear wash over me. If he had gotten up and left to get water on his own, I would feel assured when he was within sight again, but if that wasn't the case, I would have scoured the whole city looking for where he could be hiding and praying that it was not my father who found him first.

I found Mingyu sitting in the kitchen--in complete and utter darkness. When I first called his name, there was no response and the thought that he might have fallen asleep like that occured to me. When I approached closer, I saw the brightness of his eyes reflecting the moonlight from outside. His cheeks were wet. I didn't know how to respond. This was the first time I had ever seen Mingyu cry and I had absolutely no clue what the reason was.

"What's wrong?" I asked him. "Are you hurt?"

He shook his head and blinked away the tears with a blank expression on his face. "I'm sorry," he apologized suddenly. Those simple words bothered me greatly. He was like a puzzle I couldn't solve. What must I do to make him forget his place?

Lust did nothing to break his self-control. Even with desire, Mingyu only aimed to please. He always made my satisfaction his own. Sometimes, it even felt like he knew me better than I did myself.

Aside from that thought, in this very moment I felt anger. I wanted to eliminate the very thing that caused Mingyu's tears. But the first step in doing so required figuring out exactly what it was—and even if it was my father, so be it.

"Who?" I asked.

Mingyu turned to me, not fully understanding the tone of the question. He tilted his head, blinking tiredly.

"Am I useful to you, hyung?"

His question took me by surprise. For the first time, it felt as if I finally caught a glimpse of Mingyu's deepest feelings. What was I supposed to say? I hesitated—a feeling unfamiliar to me. It dawned on me that I feared his reaction to my response.

"You've always been useful," I told him. I knew that it would push him further behind the line of just someone whose labor was appreciated by a spoiled brat. I refused to stop there. "You're more than useful."

"It feels wrong."

That single sentence felt like a sword through my chest. I watched Mingyu carefully and saw the hurt on his face, conflict flashed through his eyes—he was in a greater pain that I couldn't even fathom. "Mingyu..."

"There are things I want that I could never even dare to ask for. Still, it seems like it's coming my way and I'm scared. Everything tells me that it's wrong... but I... I want it so badly, hyung."

He got me at the last word. It wasn't clear to me what he had meant, but at this point, it didn't matter. I hugged him tightly, feeling for the first time that it wasn't just Mingyu who always protected me, but it was time I protected him too. He was someone who wouldn't hesitate to get his hands dirty for me after all. His loyalty was unquestionable, but it had grown to become something that could only hurt him over the years.

"Is this hard for you?" I asked for his opinion—something I had neglected to take into account all this time.

"Yes." He nodded and sobbed into my shoulders.

[extra]

"What is your name?" The dark-haired man questioned Mingyu with an intensity that could make a grown man cry.

"Kim Mingyu." The young boy replied and stood firmly as he knew was expected of him.

"He's around the same age as the boy," the man said to his companion. "We'll put him there."

Barefoot and wearing only a pair of worn out jeans, eight-year-old Mingyu arrived at the doorstep of his new home.

An elderly man dressed in a black tux with coattails opened the door and smiled at Mingyu. He wasn't used to being smiled at—it felt nice. He brought Mingyu to the basement with a row of beds lined up and boys of similar age to his own busily completing chores.

"Get dressed," the old man told him and handed him a white dress shirt and pants. He then turned to address the other boys. "In ten minutes, line up and make your way upstairs."

"Sir?" Mingyu stooped, unsure of what to do.

"You too."

They lined up in order of age—the youngest at the very front. Mingyu didn't know how long they waited, but it wasn't very long. The old man told them all to hush and then two young boys descended down the staircase. They looked like brothers—one looked only slightly older than Mingyu and the other much younger. They followed a terrifying looking man with a stern expression on his face.

The old man bowed his head, and Mingyu watched curiously. The boy next to him shuddered and grabbed his hands. Mingyu felt how small and fragile he was.

"Stand straight!" The old man yelled at them and the little boy quickly let go of Mingyu's hand.

The two boys made their way down the row. One of them looked only a little bit older than Mingyu. He stopped at the young boy next to Mingyu and said a single word. "Father."

It happened so suddenly. The younger brother ran over and grabbed the hand of the little boy that his older brother had stopped in front of.

"Bohyuk." The man that the older boy had addressed as his father narrowed his eyes at the younger boy.

The older boy was quick. He glanced at Mingyu and they made eye contact, before he took an indiscreet side step and stood right in front of Mingyu. "This one," he said and pointed to Mingyu.

Their father sighed and nodded to the old man. He dismissed the others and asked for Mingyu and the other boy to remain.

"Listen carefully," the old man told Mingyu. "From today, you are the Young Master's person. Whatever he asks of you, you must fulfill. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Mingyu said, nodding as if he fully comprehended the situation. The younger boy followed him, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He didn't look to be more than six years old.

"You," the boy that was now his Young Master called him over.

Mingyu looked at the old man. "Go," he told Mingyu. Mingyu turned to thank the old man once more and trudged towards the pale-skinned boy.

"How old are you?"

"Eight," Mingyu responded without more words than necessary.

"I'm older than you by a year." It was a statement used to remind Mingyu of his place. "What is your name?"

"Kim Mingyu."

"Alright, I'm Jeon Wonwoo."

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A/N: Thanks to romeomingyu for giving me the last kick to make this happen and push for many more updates on the way.