Archive of Our Own

Work Text

The man sat silently on his bed, an hour since he had woken up. The sun barely rising above the hills, shining the sky with pinks and oranges. He stood up gingerly from the bed and dressed himself as he did every morning. He made sure that every fold and sash of his hanbok was in order before leaving his room and making his way to the main pavilion. As he walked through the open hallways, wind passing slowly through his hair, he noticed the rather chilly breeze even during the spring season but it was nothing he couldn’t take.His way to the main pavilion was a quiet one, like always, being the only one awake at such hours. He watched the sun rising just slightly, showering the gardens with the sunlight it needed. The man smiled when he noticed that the cherry blossoms were finally starting to bloom, slowly but surely. He entered the main pavilion and passed through the empty rooms before reaching the grand room’s door. He knelt right in front of it, knocking softly and waiting for the response he knew he was not going to receive. Years of experience letting him know of the fact.He patiently waited by the door, no response came from the other side, before shaking his head in disdain and smiling to himself. Standing up and opening the door slowly, he entered the room, closing the door behind as quietly as he could before tiptoeing the way to the bed location in the center of the room. He knelt down, barely a foot away from the bed, staring at the person lying there, duvet covering the person complete except for his head.He smiled at the silhouette before clearing his throat and speaking up.“Master Min,” the man voiced out, doing his best to not laugh when he noticed said man move just a mere inch but not waking up. “Master Min, please wake up. It is past noon. You must awaken now.”The man lying on the bed grumbled something under his breath before tossing around the bed, doing his best to ignore the voice calling his name, even though it sounded soft to his ears. The sleepy man flinched when he felt a hand patting his arm gently, delicate fingers barely touching the duvet.“Master Min,” the soft voice filled the silence in the room again. He groaned but refused to move from the bed. The hand that was touching his arm was creating a warmth that not even the duvet covering him was able to achieve throughout the night. He opened an eye lazily when he felt that hand move from his arm to the top of his head, fingers carting through strands of hair, moving it away from his face.“Please wake up, Master Min,” the soft voice whispered his name. “You need to get ready before your visitors arrive I the evening, sir.” The man was still caressing his hair away from his eyes when he moaned in answer to the comment of visitors the other made. His hand wrapped around the wrist of the hand caressing him when he turned around to glare up at the direction the other was kneeling, he looked up until he made eye contact with the man.When the other noticed that he was finally awake and looking his way, he smiled brightly at him not flinching when the other was still glaring at him. “Please stand up, Master Min,” he pried his arm from the other’s hold before respectfully bowing at the man. “I will assist you in dressing, sir.”He looked at the other for a brief moment, glancing at the open windows and noticing the sunlight entering the room through the window sills. It was obvious to him that the sun was just setting up on the horizon. He closed his eyes and he sat up on the bed, letting out a yawn before turning once again to look at the man patiently waiting for him to rise. “It seems like you have a bad habit about lying what time it is.”The other smiled at him, eyes turning into crescents at the comment. “I apologize, Master Min,” he said, still kneeling even when the other stood up from the bed, throwing the duvet to the end of the bed. “If I did not lie to you, it really would have been noon before you even thought of waking up, sir.”He smiled at the confession from the other before motioning with his hand for the other to stand up from his kneeling position. When he did stand up, the man walked forward, hands pressing neatly in to his stomach out of respect, until he reached the other.“Please excuse me, Master Min,” the man bowed once before placing his hand on the robes the other wore. Long thin fingers undoing the knots of the sash before removing completely and placing it on the table nearest to them. Those same hand moved to slid of the robes from his master, hands moving gently on the pale skin of his master until the robe was completely removed.The man never once gazed below his master’s neck, closing his eyes as he bowed his head at him, moving to place to robe atop of the same table the sash laid. He smiled at his master when he noticed him zoning out. “The bath has already been prepared for you, Master Min. The water is warm and clean. Do you require any assistance in bathing?”“No. I am fine by myself. Please prepare clean clothes as I bathe. I will be out momentarily,” he announced, when he opened the door leading to the bath. “Stay here until then,” he ordered soon after.“As you wish, Master Min. Please take you time,” the man bowed once again, only raising his head when he heard the door close. He made his way to the closet, where the hanboks he recently cleaned were placed. He took out the blue garments that his master liked the most and placing them on the unmade bed. He was going to close the door to the closet when he remembered they were to have visitors. He grabbed the golden dopo out and also placed it on the bed, closing the closet and sitting down, patiently waiting for his master to come out.He only had to wait for a couple of minutes when the door to the bath was slammed open and his master walked in, wet from head to toe. He stood up and picked up a towel to help him dry. A hand stopped him in his tracks before he could even wrap the towel around his master’s body and he looked up to make eye contact.“I can also do this on my own,” he stated. His servant nodded before moving away and waiting patiently for him to dry himself off and ask for his assistance. He did his best to make sure he was completely dry before throwing the towel to the floor and grabbing his clothes from the bed. He dressed himself until his pants, unable to do the belt on his own. “It seems that I now do require your assistance.”The man nodded and walked forward, taking the cotton sash into his hands before moving his arms around the other, passing the belt around his master’s waist before wrapping it tightly and bringing it forward to tie it properly. With professional hands, the belt kept his pants up, helped him wear his robes, and made sure all the folds and creases were in place. When his servant presented him with the dopo to wear next, he raised an eyebrow in confusion.“What is this for?” He questioned the article his servant was raising up his face for him to wear.“Master Min, you are having visitors as your company in the evening,” he stated. “I hope you did not forget your visitors are from the palace, sir.”“From the palace?”“You received the letter a week ago, sir. The letter stated that the royal court is coming to visit you,” he added, lowering the dopo, draping it on his arm. “It is starting to become a worry that you forget things easily, Master Min.”“It does not interest me in the slightest when it comes to government duties,” he shrugged, sitting down on the chair presented to him. “The royal court can come if they want but I will not dress for them. I am not a toy.”“His highness, the king, presented you with this as a gift for your loyalty, Master Min, but you refuse to wear it?”“It was more like a bribe that I am still unwilling to accept. Come now, fix my hair so we may move to finish the work of the day.”“Yes, Master Min” the man nodded, placing down the article of clothes and moving to grab the hair brush from the cabinet and standing behind his master. He brushed the still wet strands gently, making sure as to not harm the man and placing his hair in a clean style before tying it neatly above his head. “You need to grow your hair, Master Min. I can barely tie it back for you.”“I prefer short hair.”“Is that the reason why you asked of me to cut it off, Master Min?”“You look better with short hair,” he answered honestly, standing up and patting his hanbok down. “You look like your sister with long hair,” he added with he turned to look at his servant, able to see him picking up the dirty clothes and carrying them neatly on his arm. “I suspect breakfast is not ready yet.”“Your breakfast is ready to be served whenever you wish to eat, sir. I made beef broth since last night, letting simmer down just like you like it, Master Min.”“Very well. Let us go and work, then,” he nodded. He walked out of the room, the other following behind a couple of steps back. He couldn’t help but smile when he noticed how well manner and educated his servant was, even though he was just turning the prime age of nineteen in a month from now. “Have you completed the readings I asked of you?”He saw his servant pick his head up at the question before answering him. “I have, sir. I finished the poems that were asked of me to finish by tomorrow. I am able to recite them by memory if you would like me to, sir.”“There is no need for that,” he answered. He entered through the door that was opened for him by his servant, sitting down in front of his desk that was covered with paperwork and books. Books covered the floor of his work space, stack high like mountains all around the room: scrolls, manuscripts, and pens with their respective blocks of ink were stacked on the cabinets pushed to the walls just a few feet away from his desk. “What did you think of them?” He asked after a while, looking up to see his servant smile.“The poems you provided were lovely, sir.”“Lovely?”“Yes, Master Min. The poetry was beautifully written. The emotions of each sentence seem to portray of feelings of a hopeful love in my opinion, sir.”“What makes you thing that the poet was writing about love?” He raised an eyebrow at the other, trying to understand where the other was coming from, since he too read the poems.“In one of the poems, the poet describes a person as shining brighter than the sun, making the sun useless,” his servant explained. “If one is to degrade a force like the sun to describe the familiarity of a person as such, my only thought is that the poet sincerely loves the person they write about. Do you not think they would be in love, Master Min?”“What an interesting way of perceiving the work of this poet,” he nodded in understanding before picking up his pen and a block of ink to start on his work. “Very interesting, indeed.”“If you do not mind me asking, Master Min…may I know the identity of the poet of this work?”He looked up from with paperwork to stare of his servant who was standing by the door. He didn’t think it for long, breaking their eye contact to look back at his work when he answered, “The poet is his royal highness, second in line to the throne, Prince Kim Taehyung.”“His highness, the prince wrote the poems? I did not know his majesty liked to write.”“No one does,” he answered him. “It is a secret we must keep. If someone finds out that the prince writes poems instead of learning war tactics and the politics of our government, there will be an uproar within the scholars and generals that are siding with him for the throne. As part of our loyalty to the royal family, we will do our best to keep this secret.”“I understand, Master Min,” he bowed at him. “Please excuse me, then. I will now bring you your breakfast and tea, sir.”“Make haste. I am famished.”“Yes, sir.”He watched his servant bow at him, exiting the room and closing the door behind him, before he exhaled a breath he was holding. Looking down at the small leather book that contained the poetry of the royal prince and picked it up without a thought.He skimmed through it before placing it on the stack of books nearest to him before turning to look at the work piled on his desk that seemed to taunt him. He knew he needed to finish before his visitors arrived and it only made him grumble. “I hate this job,” he muttered, picking up the first of many official transcripts he needed to finish.“Master Min,” he heard the soft voice from the other side of the door call from him, making him raise his head from the last piece of paperwork he needed to finish.“What is it?”“It is time for your lunch, sir.”“Come on in,” he said. He finished reading and signing the paperwork before stacking all the work in a neat pile at the end of the desk when his servant entered the room with a tray filled with food and a tea pot. He waited patiently as he watched his servant place the trays of food with exact precision in their correct order. The side dishes creating an arch around the main dish, eating utensils placed near him before he was served a cup of mint tea.He nodded in pride at the way his servant carried himself throughout the ordeal before picking up his chopsticks. “You have been taught well,” he commented, liking how his servant has placed everything is the order he liked the most. “Your etiquette is perfect.”“Thank you, sir. My sister has taught me everything I know.”“I am not surprised,” he said, picking up the beef patty and taking a bite off it. “Your sister was a great maid. Always liked everything to be in order. Just like you.” His servant said nothing but smiled at the comment. “You both like things to be tidy.”“Yes we do, sir,” he smiled. “For different reasons.”He stopped chewing when he could hear the hurt of his servant’s voice. I was no secret to him when it came to the Jung siblings past that his servant had suffered too much in his youth. He was the son of the great general Jung, the fierce warrior of the troops of King Kim. When his father had died, his sister had already married to a general of the Choi lineage, all of her family assets passed to the Choi family, making her unable to work on his side. His servant, the young man, had unfortunately seen and forced to do things he did not want since he was fifteen.It is wasn’t for his sister’s plea for him to help her brother, the boy would have most likely been forced into slavery at a brothel or forced to become a soldier under the king’s order. It all depended on his horrible uncle’s decision, one that was stopped when he decided to take the boy away from his old home.He stayed silent as he started at his servant, eyeing the man’s face for every detail. He had known Dawon, the only daughter of General Jung since he was a child, so he knew by a fact that she was beautiful. Her looks always a conversation brought up by the scholars that worked with him. Praising her and envying her husband for getting to her first. Judging him for never asking her hand in marriage.When he looked at his servant, he was able to see the resemblance to his older sister, but there was still a lot of differences between the two. He was able to notice the small mole on the other’s heart shaped lips, the mirth in his eyes, and the slim yet strong figure under the clothes that his sister was not. They were so alike in their demeanor, thinking of other’s first, but unlike his sister, he preferred his servant’s attitude more.He was respectful yet mischievous. Even though he was now a servant, he acted as his equal, something that he always appreciated of the other. He knew the boy was taught to dance, due to his bad upbringing, and was quiet on his feet due to it. He had once asked the other to dance for him: when he did dance, one bright night, he couldn’t help but admire his servant for the grace and poise he carried himself, even though he could see the tell-tale signs of discomfort and pain it brought him soon later.“I seem to have made you recollect a bad memory,” he pointed out, making his servant shake his head fervently.“No, sir. You have done nothing of the sort.”“There is no need to hide it,” he said, picking up food as he spoke. “I apologize. Due to my age I tend to forget a lot about the past.”“There is no need to apologize, sir. I will be fine. I will not let it affect me like it did before.”“It is good to hear that you are becoming strong for yourself. Keep it up,” he stated, noticing the smile that bloomed after his words.“Thank you, Master Min.”“When are they to arrive?” He asked, changing the topic to something else to hide his smile.“They should be here soon, sir,” his servant answered. “The letter stated that they would arrive around the evening but due to how close we live to them, they might arrive sooner, Master Min.”“Make sure you prepare food and drinks for them.”“Yes, sir.”“Hoseok,” he voiced, making his servant look at him again. “When I ask you to leave to your quarters if things get hectic, make sure you follow the order.”They stared at each other for a minute, eyeing the other for any hidden messages transmitted through brown eyes, before Hoseok nodded and bowed his head.“I understand, Master Min.”He ate in silence in the presence of his servant.The sun was barely setting, creating streaks of red and orange to spread beautiful in contrast to the darkening blues of the sky, when the royal court had arrived. He waited by the entrance of his home with his servant just behind him to his right to greet his guests.What he wasn’t expecting was to see the young prince waltz into his home. He frowned when the prince smiled up at him before he had to bow in respect. Both his servant and he bowed respectful until the prince asked them to raise their heads.“What a surprise, your highness,” he stated, not actually surprised considering that the prince tended to do things like this. “I was not expecting for you of all people to be here.”“So am I, scholar Min Yoongi,” the prince’s boxy smiled directed at him and his servant. “But due to the severity of the issues we need to speak of today, I was told by Prince Seokjin that I had to be here.”“Your brother, the crowned prince, ordered you to make an appearance here, your highness?”“Correct,” he nodded his head at him before turning to look at the servant standing behind. “It is always a pleasure to be able to see you,” he smiled warmly at the servant who in returned bowed his head respectfully. “The Jung siblings have always been a sight for sore eyes, have they not, Scholar Min?”“That is not something I can answer without insulting someone, your highness,” he answered. “Please come inside. Food and drinks have been prepared for both you and your companions, your highness.”“Thank you,” the prince nodded and followed them inside of the pavilion until the servant was opening to main doors to the dining area. Just like he was told, there was an abundance of food prepared already placed on the tables for him. The sat down on the seat the servant ushered him to. He thanked him, trying to make eye contact with the other but failing miserably when the servant kept his head down at all times.“Please eat and have some drinks before we get to business, your highness,” scholar Min motioned for at the food before picking up the cup of tea his servant served him seconds ago.“I would actually like to speak of the business as we eat,” the young prince stated, picking up the cup of tea offered to him, taking a sip before placing back down gingerly. “This is a private matter, men,” he turned to look at his guards, “leave the room for a moment as I speak to scholar Min.”The guards did as they were told and stepped out of the room soon after. They turned to look at his servant, who also stood up to leave without being asked. “Not you,” the prince raised a hand to stop him from leaving. “This matter concerns you. It would be preferable that you stay here to listen what I have to say.”“I understand, your highness,” Hoseok bowed, sitting once again behind his master. The room stayed quiet for a couple of minutes, both the prince and himself eating a bit of the food and drinking their tea waiting for the other to speak first.“As you know,” the prince broke the silence after a while, “my brother is the first in line to the throne, making it almost impossible for me to be able to gain the throne after my father.” He paused to look at both of them, trying to read the emotions in their faces, noticing blank stares only. “As so, there is a chance I will have to fight for the throne in the near future, forcing me to recruit both able soldiers and scholars in the way.”“Where does that include me and my servant?” He spoke up, glancing back to see his servant slightly fidgeting on his seat.“I am here to ask for your loyalty,” the prince stated. “I know you have been working under the jurisdiction of my father but now I ask you, if my father leaves the throne, be loyal to me.”“I can provide you with my loyalty, your highness,” he answered him, already knowing in his heart that he would not be able to follow prince Seokjin’s orders. “But what does my servant have to do with this matter?”“That is the second matter I wish to speak about. Your servant is the only son of General Jung, the man that defeated a whole battalion under my father.” He turned to look at the servant before addressing him. “I know you have been trained until the age of fourteen to become a soldier just like your father, hence why I also ask for your loyalty, Jung Hoseok. I know you can protect me by joining my armed forces.”Hoseok froze in place, the topic of his past being too much to handle, no matter how hard he tried. He glanced over at his master, noticing the worry in the other’s eyes before averting his gaze to look at his lap. I stared for a couple of seconds before exhaling a breath he didn’t know he was holding.“I apologize your highness,” he said, wringing his hands together. “I am able to give my loyalty to you if my master decides to follow you…but I am not a soldier. I cannot provide you with any force for your army.”The prince started at the other for a brief moment, shaking his head in understanding before tapping his fingers on the table, analyzing his options. He looked to the scholar seated on the other side of the table and noticed the worry in his eyes as he stared at his servant. He narrowed his eyes at what he was seeing before looking at the servant again.“What about as my concubine?” he offered, receiving a glare from the scholar in return. “You must have noticed by now that I am fond of you, Jung Hoseok,” the prince stated, making eye contact with the boy in front of him. “I am been rather forward with my advances, if I am honest.”“Advances? Fond?” It was scholar Min that spoke, trying to understand what was being said. “Your highness, you do realize that this is my servant we are talking about but also a man.”“I am very aware,” the prince answered, meeting the fierce gaze of the other head on. “You should have noticed by now the small gifts that I have provided your servant. The flowers in your garden being one of those gifts.”“You highness,” he closed his eyes, trying his best not to lose his patience. “I will not allow you to lower yourself in this manner. If your father heard you, there is a chance you would be executed.”“Jung Hoseok,” the prince ignored him, “I would like it if you chose me over your master to take care of you. I think it is enough hiding as a servant for your wounds to have healed. You should be praised and followed like the law states for someone as your status, instead of groveling and lowering your head to someone that is your equal,” he stared at the scholar in front of him before glancing at the boy. “Do you not think I am correct?”“I do think you are correct, your highness,” Hoseok nodded, receiving a raised eyebrow from his master. “It is enough time for my wounds to have healed but I do not believe I should become someone I do not wish to be. I am also thankful to you…choosing to show me your soft side and becoming soft hearted with me, but I cannot return the feelings your showering me with. You are a respectable gentleman of the throne and as such, you should behave like one.”“Does it mean you have chosen to stay in the same position you are in, instead of choosing to live a life of leisure with me, as I shower you with my love?”“I apologize,” Hoseok lowered his head, biting down on his lip hoping the prince did not lash out. When the room stayed silent for a bit longer than he liked, he looked up to see the prince glaring at his master. He said nothing, watching them both speak with their eyes before the prince scoffed and picked up his cup.“Suit yourself.”“Is this the only thing you wanted to speak of, Prince Taehyung?”“No…I also wanted to talk about the plans of constructing a second wing on the palace, for her royal highness, the queen. For that, we can wait after we eat. After I have regained my composure as well, of course.”“Very well,” he bowed. “Hoseok, please call the guards to come eat.”“Yes, Master Min.”The prince’s visit lasted longer than what was expected. It was an honor under the tense veil of angry stares and biting words between the prince and the scholar. Once in a while the prince would seek for the company of the servant, only to be stopped minutes later by an unamused master.The prince left the next day, promises of coming as soon as he could to visit both of them and parted with a kiss to the servant’s hand.“Do not fall in love with people like that,” Yoongi warned his servant, watching as the other watched the prince leave with his guards. “It will do you no good to fall in love with people of that status.”“I understand, Master Min,” Hoseok answered, walking back inside the pavilion behind his master. He closed the front gates before making sure that all of the main doors were closed completely. Yoongi sat down at the now empty table, watching his servant picking up a new pot of tea and bringing it to him.“His highness is in the right, though,” he said after a while. The comment catching his servant off guard as he stopped serving him tea and staring at him. “It is time for you to finally be who you were born to be.”“I am afraid I do not understand, Master Min,” Hoseok responded. He placed the tea pot on the table with a light thud before placing his hands in his lap. “What do you mean by ‘it is time’?”“That is exactly what I mean,” Yoongi answered, grabbing his cup and twisting it on his hand. “His highness is correct in saying that you should be in the same class as the rest of us. Being the only child of one of the greatest general under King Kim is not something that can be passed as trivial, Jung Hoseok.”“I have been selfish in allowing you to serve me for so long,” he added when he noticed his servant made no move to reply. “You have been loyal and respectful during the time you have stayed with me but do you not wish to be greater than what you are now?”“I have never carried such thoughts,” Hoseok admitted. “I am content with the life I am living now. Is that not enough?”“In life, being happy with yourself is always a good thing,” Yoongi agreed. “It is what we all strive for, hence why I am glad to hear that you are content with your life. Yet, I cannot help but ponder if maybe it would have been better for you to live as the aristocrat that you were born to be.”“I apologize, Master Min, but I wish for you to drop the subject of my birth,” Hoseok voiced, looking down at his lap before making eye contact with his master. “This is not something I wish to speak of at the moment.”“It is better for us to talk about the matter now when it is fresh.”“Please drop it, Master Min,” Hoseok asked again.“Jung Hoseok.”“Drop it, Min,” Hoseok glared at the other, the dropping of honorifics surprising his master more than he allowed himself to show. “There must be a reason why you insist in bringing this topic to light and I am afraid that I feel that it has nothing to do with my birth right.”“I feel like you do not understand the severity of the matter, Jung Hoseok.”“What exactly is it that you are trying to say, Master Min?” Hoseok glared at the other only to receive a cold stare in return.“You are the heir to the Jung Family. You should be the head of your household. Not here, bowing your head at me every second of the day.”“Do you want me to leave?” Hoseok asked, doing his best to hide the hurt he felt.“That is not what I am saying,” Yoongi responded. “What I am saying is that his highness, Prince Taehyung, is in the right this time. Unlike how you act, you are more than just someone in the same class as me. You are the son of a general, heir of the Jung Family, and second in line for the throne if anything happens to the royal Kim family.”“So that is what this is about,” Hoseok scoffed, playing with the hem of his hanbok. “Does it really bother you that much that I do not want to be the person I was born to be, Master Min?”“You deserve better than what I can offer you.”“Do you want me to leave, Master Min?” Hoseok asked again, this time not backing down when he made eye contact. “If you wish for it, I will do as you say and leave when you ask me to.”Yoongi stared back, watching his usually bright servant lose his natural glow when he was glaring with such intensity. There wasn’t much to say: they both knew that the prince was correct in the matter. Hoseok deserved better than to be treated as a servant. Yet, here was the main person in the matter, disagreeing with everything they said.He closed his eyes, turning to look at the wall to his left before answering, “If that is what it will take for you to reach your rank, then so be it.”Hoseok stayed quiet at the answer his master provided him. He never expected the other to feel such a way. But it wasn’t like he didn’t expect it. After all, everyone that he knew abandoned him and left him to fend for himself. What would years of servitude and loyalty change that with another person he met?He stood up from where he was seated and bowed respectfully at his master. He said nothing as he walked out of the room and bang the door behind him, a childish action he thought he grew out of as he made his way to his room.Yoongi stayed seated, watching the door’s intricate design before sighing. He stared at the cup’s contents before standing up and leaving to his room, glancing only once towards the direction of the servant’s quarters before shaking his head.The next day, Yoongi found himself waking up with the sun on his face. He winced at the intensity of the sunrays entering through the window before sitting up on his bed, throwing the duvet to the floor when it started to get too hot. He muttered an insult at the sun before prying open his eyes and noticing that he was alone in his room.He glanced around the room and noticed that everything was the same way as last night. His dirty clothes laid on the floor and his shoes were thrown in two different directions. He frowned at the thought that he was also still in bed and by the position of the sun in the sky, it was definitely afternoon hours.He raised himself and walked out of this room making his way towards his servant’s quarters before stopping in the middle of the hallway to see said man walking towards his direction. He raised an eyebrow when the man bowed but said nothing, motioning with his hand to go back to his room.Yoongi entered the room first and allowed his servant to close the door behind them. He watched as the other silently walked around the room, taking out clean clothes and placing them on the dresser gently before moving to pick up his dirty clothes and shoes.“The bath is ready, Master Min,” his servant stated as he stood in front of the other. “Please excuse me, sir.” Yoongi arched an eyebrow when the other moved to undress him without a word or a single glance at his direction. When he removed the last garment, he bowed his head and stepped back.“Why are you quiet?” Yoongi decided to cut the tense atmosphere before“I apologize sir,” his servant responded. “It is not in my position to speak unless spoken to.”“What is that supposed to mean?”“That is a rule that must be followed, as your servant, Master Min.”“You never followed the rules before. Why now?”“I was out of place,” his servant answered immediately, looking down at the floor as he spoke. “Due to my actions, I have caused for both you and his highness, Prince Taehyung, to care about me. I apologize for my actions, Master Min.”Yoongi stayed quiet, watching the man in front of him bow and apologize like they were strangers and not once people on equal standing. He frowned when he was not able to find a decent reply to the apology his servant gave him. He decided to leave it as it was and walked out of the room and into the bathing room.“Stay where you are. Do not dare to move from there until I come back.”“I understand, Master Min.”Just like before, Yoongi did not take long to get himself clean and enter the room. As commanded, his servant was still waiting in the same spot he was before, not even moving an inch. He grabbed the towel from the dresser and dried himself before throwing the towel harshly on his bed. He dressed himself until he had to tie the belt once more and without saying anything, his servant stood up to help him.The hands touching him were colder than the last time they helped him dress. He made no comment on it and allowed his servant to finish dressing him before watching the man pick up the towel and dirty clothes, carrying them on his arm as he made his way to the door.“Lunch is ready for you, Master Min.”“What is it?”“It is steamed duck with vegetables, sir.”“I see. Lead the way.”“Yes, sir,” his servant walked in front of him as he escorted him to the dining area. He open the door for him to enter before leaving to drop the dirty clothes in the laundry room.Yoongi watched his servant’s every move, noticing that the other was placing a bigger distance than before, never once touching him or standing close to him. Yoongi sat down at the table, noticing that the food had already been placed neatly in front of him.He felt weird. That much he could tell without having someone to tell him. He knew the reason why his servant was acting the way he did was due to the conversation they had, but he didn’t think it was such a big deal.The prince was right.Hoseok deserved to be treated as an equal by the people. Hoseok was born to be a leader if not something greater, yet it was all taken from him by his dishonest uncle, something that Yoongi still fought with Prince Seokjin about.There was no reliable reason as to why his servant would act the way he was acting. He muttered under his breath as he ate, ignoring how hot the food was as he swallowed it whole. Eating in silence was one of his least favorite things but when it looked like his servant was not going to return any time soon, he resorted to stay quiet.He ate in completely silence, the only noise coming from his eating utensils as they collided with his plate. He was about to throw his chopsticks to the floor when the door opened as his servant came in, holding a bottle of rice wine and a cup on the other. Yoongi didn’t mean to glare but he did anyways, feeling pissed off for no reason.“Would you like some rice wine, Master Min?”“What do you think you are doing?” Yoongi ignored his question, boiling with anger at the other’s attitude.“What do you mean, sir?”“What is with your attitude? You have been acting rebellious since our conversation about your birth right? Did it really bother you that much to hear the truth? Just because you refuse to acknowledge the truth does not mean it will go away, Jung Hoseok. Trust me, I have tried to do what you are doing. It does not work.”“What exactly am I doing, Master Min?” Yoongi flinched at the intimidating look his servant gave him but did not back down. “I am only doing my job as your servant.”“That is what I am talking about,” Yoongi hissed. “You are not a servant. Especially not mine.”“Then what am I exactly?”“What?” Yoongi was taken aback at the question. “What do you mean?”“Both his highness and you bring my birth right into light like it is the easiest thing to do. Yet both of you do not see that it does not matter if I aim to be in equal footing with you or not. People will not respect someone that was once force to dance for scholars, someone that was sold off to a brothel, someone that worked as a servant for a scholar. It does not matter if I become what I was born to be, people will still see me as filth.”“Jung Hoseok, you know that is not true.”“I might have some respect from you, Master Min, but can you say the same as for the rest of the scholars? For the generals that knew my father? For his highness Prince Seokjin that forced me into your household after refusing to acknowledge my true birth right? Can you say they will give me the same respect that you show me?”Yoongi was stunned silent, watching his servant cry silently, tears stream down to hit his hanbok and making it a dark blue in contrast to the light color of the garment. For the first time in all the years the boy had lived with him, this was the first time he cried in front of him. Yoongi was known within the scholars for being cold-hearted, unable to provide any form of support for anyone suffering. So he stayed silent.Hoseok, apart from crying, was right in what he said. Yoongi had heard one or two scholars speak of his servant in sexual ways, one or two generals about the disappointment the boy was to General Jung’s reputation, and one annoying prince that always made advances at him, asking the boy to be his concubine.Yoongi knew Hoseok was right. People did not treat him as an equal. They viewed him as less than a servant. Scholars mocked him constantly saying that he was allowing a whore to live in his home, comments that he retorted with sarcastic comebacks about their sexual lives and avoiding bringing his servant as the topic of conversation.Hoseok was right but nonetheless he deserved to be in equal footing as the rest of those annoying bastards.“You cannot,” his servants shaky voice broke his train of thought watching as the boy cleaned his eyes with his hanbok’s sleeves. They sat in silence, Yoongi watching over his servant as the other tried to calm down.After a few minutes, his servant cleared his throat before placing the rice wine on the table and the cup in front of him, serving him without asking.“I apologize,” the whispered apology reached Yoongi’s ears as he look at his servant. “It seems I have lost my mind, sir. Please excuse me. I will come back within an hour to clean after you. Please eat and drink, Master Min.” He stood up, bowed, and left the room.Yoongi was able to hear the muffled sob behind the closed door and then the shuffling of feet as the other once again left him in complete silence.It had been seven days before Yoongi was able to speak again to his servant without bringing the topic of birth right to their conversations. It took him another three so his servant would once again read, write, and provide him assistance with his work.Yoongi was in the middle of changing for the night, forcing his servant to leave early and allow him to change on his own. He was able to complete the task of tightening the sash around himself with little problem but it was still a little loose compared to how his servant was able to tie a knot properly.Yoongi sat on the chair place near his dresser before letting a sigh of relief escape. He was worried that his servant would run away and try to find another master during the week they were walking on thin ice. Fortunately for him, his servant had always been loyal but most importantly understanding. He closed his eyes and allowed from the breeze coming from his window to play around with his hair, appreciating the feeling for a brief moment.He stood up to walk towards his bed and call it a day when his sash came undone. He tied it again but when he walked a mere two steps, it came undone again. He cursed. He really didn’t want to bother with it anymore but he knew he was going to get annoyed if it came undone as he slept.He decided to grab the robe in a secured fist and the sash with the other as he was briskly towards the servant’s quarters. He looked into each room, being the first time he ever entered the pavilion, searching for his servant but finding every room empty. He was about to give up when he heard humming coming from behind of another pavilion he never knew was there.As he walked towards it, he noticed that it was smaller compared to the others, the humming getting louder as he did. As he was in front of the door he slowly opened it, barely a crevice when he let out a soft gasp at the sight in front of him.His servant sat on a wooden stool, back to him, completely naked.It took Yoongi ten seconds to realize that this was the baths for the servants and another thirty seconds to realize that he was staring at his servant’s naked body. He stood there, unable to do anything but blink at the sight. He had seen other people naked, when he took a woman or man as a one night lover, all under the nose of his servant.But this?This was something else.He heard the rumors from disgusting scholars about how his servant was sold to a brothel as a sex slave and not as a servant but he never believed the rumor. But now, as he stood still, watching the fluid motions of the sun kissed body in front of him, supple movements as if the other was dancing, he realized he should have believed the rumor more.Prince Taehyung’s comment about the Jung siblings ringing in his head.
“The Jung siblings have always been a sight for sore eyes, have they not, Scholar Min?”
For the first time in his life, Yoongi couldn’t agree more to the comment.A creak on wood floor made him come out of his shock as he looked up to see his servant stand up and walk towards the towel rack, drying himself slowly as he continued to hum a tune Yoongi never heard before.He knew that he needed to stop watching the other but something refuse to let him move from where he was standing, eyes boring into soft looking skin and damp black hair sticking to his forehead, to long eyelashes blinking away water droplet to long legs trembling due to the cold wind entering through an open window.The only thing that made him blink and realize what he was doing was when his servant dressed himself. His own robe hugging him securely before moving to leave the baths. Yoongi scrambled away, reaching the servant sleeping quarters and hiding on the darkness of the dim hallway.He watched his servant walk towards him, watched the other jump in surprise to see him there, watched as the other bowed, watched as the other stood just a foot away from him.“What brings you here, Master Min? You should be asleep, sir.”Yoongi wasn’t able to voice an answer and instead showed him the hand holding the sash tightly. He noticed that understanding flicker on his servant’s eyes before the other giggled.“I see,” his servant mused. Yoongi almost flinched when his servant grab his hand and pried open his fingers to get the sash unto his smaller hand. Yoongi couldn’t help but notice the difference between their hands and his servant played with the sash until it was straight. “Excuse me, Master Min.”Yoongi held his breath as those hands moved around his waist to get the sash wrapped around his waist securely. Yoongi didn’t breathe until his servant told him that he was done.“Thank you,” Yoongi said.“You are most welcome, Master Min,” Hoseok smiled at him.Yoongi nodded, bid him good night, and ignored the waft of honey and milk that the wind carried from his servant’s body.Yoongi never considered himself a religious person ever in his twenty eight years of living, but now he was considering joining a religion to save his soul. If he still had one.It had been sixteen days since the incident at the servant quarters but Yoongi could still remember his servant’s body vividly. He still remembered the dips of hip bones and the dimples on his lower back like he had seen it yesterday. The way eyelashes fluttered and touched his cheek bones. The way the water droplets slid down to places Yoongi knew he should have not been watching so intently.It was getting harder for him to even allow his servant to help him dress. The sight of those eyelashes hitting those cheekbones as he knelt in front of him to help him with his shoes was enough for him to remember that night, making it almost impossible to walk without having trouble with his manhood.He did his best to avoid eye contact unless it was necessary. He also made it his duty to wake up hours before his servant could. He learned that taking his own clothes off was an easier tasks than putting them on and so, he made it his job to be undressed and showered even before his servant could enter his room.“Something bothering you, Master Min?” The sudden question had him stopping from reading the rest of the paperwork in front of him. He glanced up to see his servant sitting by the door of his study, holding a tray with sweet rice cakes and tea.“Nothing is bothering me,” he answered, going to read were he left off before hearing the shuffling a socked feet getting closer to him. He closed his eyes when he smelled honey and milk on his left, trying his best not to remember that night. “Why do you ask?”“Apart from you waking up early and eating more than the usual, you have also been making a lot of mistakes on your work, Master Min,” his servant stated as he poured him another cup of tea. “This is the second time you made a mistake in the last hour, sir,” he added, pointing at the paperwork in front of him and noticing that it was not the one he was supposed to be working on.“Unbelievable,” he muttered, moving the paperwork to the right corner of his desk and placing his head on the wood. He heard his servant laugh at him and couldn’t help but smile at the sound. He was tired, that much he could tell.His body was tired of waking up at ungodly just because he couldn’t control the images that appeared in his dreams. His mind was tired of giving him so much detail during those nights. He was tired of allowing himself to indulge to dreams he knew he was not allowed to have about his servant as he came undone in those early mornings.He flinched when he felt thin soft fingers caress his shoulder almost lovingly. “Master Min? Are you not feeling well as I predicted?”“I am as healthy as I can be,” he muttered unto the wood under him. He closed his eyes as the hand touching him moved to his head, patting him almost groaning at how good it felt even when his conscious was telling him to stop. “What made you think I was not well?”“It looked to me like you were reverting to your old ways, Master Min,” his servant said as he removed his hand away. “You know…before you were willing to talk to me without getting mad.”“Are you saying I was acting like a jerk?”“Not a jerk…more like you were closing up to the world again, sir.”“I was a horrible person back then,” he agreed, filling turning his head to the left to look at his servant.“You were scared,” his servant smiled. “An emotion normal for a man that had seen too much.”“Yet you were not,” he replied watching his servant’s smile disappear. “You were just fifteen when you had to serve with me. Were you not scared?”“…I was not.” The answer made Yoongi raise his eyebrow in surprise but said nothing. “When you rescued me, you were just twenty-four…but the look in your eyes…the anger seething in them when you found out about my mistreatment, it made me realize that you were not like the rest.”Yoongi watch the fondness in his servant’s eyes as the kid remembered the first time they met. Yoongi couldn’t help the gummy smile that made itself present, remembering the disgust and fear in the boy when he was only fifteen. He would have felt insulted any other time if someone younger than him slapped his hand harshly like that time when he offered the other to stand.Something about the way his servant carried himself back then showed him that he was making the correct choice in taking the boy in. It reminded him of when he was younger, free to make his own decisions until his family forced him to become a scholar. But Hoseok, until himself, was a positive ray of sunshine that made his life turn upside down.Things he would usually not do, eat, or say, he ended up doing it all with Hoseok. He watched the first snowfall of his life with the boy, usually he would stay inside and ignore all the changes in the weather, but something about seeing the boy bundled up and running on the snow made him want to be outside. He remember playing in the snow, throwing snowballs at the boy when he shoved snow in his back. Ending up manically laughing when they fell on the snow after Hoseok tripped on ice, Yoongi landing above him and laughing into a scarfed up neck of the petite boy of back then.“Master Min,” his train of thought broke as he looked directly into a smiling Hoseok and he felt himself warm at the feeling he got at the sight. “I would really like to know if something is bothering you.”Yoongi watched the other’s features, analyzing and remembering every single thing he never had noticed on the other boy’s physique. Noticing the smooth tan skin, the soft black hair that was too short to even put in a bun—locks falling just above shimmering eyes, thin small hands compared to his, the thin wrists, then long legs hidden by his pants and the hanbok, and the cute dimples that appear every time he smiled or ate.He decided then that it was for the best to not allow himself to touch something so beautiful and fragile. He shook his head a bit before spoke. “It is something I do not wish to talk about with someone so innocent.”“Innocent?” He saw his servant frown at the comment. “What does that mean, sir?”“If you need to ask, then you still are not at an age I can talk about these things.”“If you teach me, I can learn,” came the response that made Yoongi shiver halfway through a sip of his oolong tea. He narrowed his eyes at the determined look from his servants, trying his best to not read too much into the comment and clicked his tongue at the disappointment he felt.“Do you really want to know?”“Yes, Master Min.”“Are you sure?”“I am.”Yoongi stared at him for a minute before letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding before nodding his head. “Very well, then.” He turned his position on the cushion he was sitting on to be face to face with the other, sitting lazily compared to the proper posture his servant had. “Come here,” he motioned for the other to move closer as he tapped the floor with his pointer finger.Hoseok did as he was told and move to sit until their knees were barely grazing, the contrast of their green and black hanboks appreciated by Yoongi as he inspected the garments closer. Yoongi made eye contact with his servant’s eyes as he spoke, “Have you ever held someone before?”“Held? Do you mean when I help you dress?”“No. I mean it in the biblical sense,” Yoongi explained. When the other looked at him confused he continued. “…have you ever laid someone on your bed, Jung Hoseok?”“Laid? No, sir. Only I have ever slept on my bed.”“…Hoseok, do you remember the place I dragged you from when you were fifteen?”“Yes.”“What was it called?”“A brothel, sir.”“Do you remember anything from it?”“Not much. Just the people that worked there.”“Do you remember what they wore?”“…not enough clothes, sir? Some were even bare chested.”“Indeed. Do you know why they were like that?”“No, sir.”“A brothel, Hoseok, is a place of sexual comfort. A place where men and women go to find pleasure in the company of another without commitment.” As he finished explaining, Yoongi smiled when he saw Hoseok processing the information before a pretty shade of pink tinted the boy’s cheeks.“Oh,” was all Hoseok said as he finally understood, lowering his gaze to his lap when he finally felt embarrassed. Yoongi couldn’t help but laugh wholeheartedly at the action, not even stopping the deep chuckle when his servant glared at him.“You really are innocent.”“It is not my fault I was never taught such things.”“I know,” Yoongi smiled, admiring the blush that has moved to the boy’s neck. “As for what you asked earlier. If I was not feeling well. I lied to you…but the reason as to why I feel unwell is due to those carnal instincts I just explained to you.”“So…the reason why you have been acting differently is not because you were mad…but because you wish the comfort of another?”“That is correct.”“I see.”“You do not look surprised.”“There is nothing to be surprised about. You are at a prime age to want such things, Master Min. Marriage is also something you should want.”“Marriage is not in my cards, kid,” Yoongi scoffed.“Why not? You would make a great father.”“What makes you say that?”“You are smart, caring, loyal, and loving,” Hoseok pointed out. “If I was a woman and you wanted me, I would have loved you back,” he added right after. The comment itself made Yoongi blush and turn to look at the tea cup sitting on the table.He didn’t know how to continue the conversation after a comment like that so they sat in silence until Hoseok cleared his throat. “I did not wish to make you uncomfortable, Master Min.”“…you did not,” Yoongi responded, looking down at their laps as he ponder over the comment. “Jung Hoseok.”“Yes, Master Min.”“Considering that I had to explain this subject to you…could it be you have never laid anyone in your life?”“…I have not, sir.”“Not a single person?”“No, sir.”“A woman?”“No?”“What about a man?”“A man?”“Yes. A man.”“Men can lay with each other?”“I am taking that as a no,” Yoongi muttered loud enough for Hoseok to hear him, earning himself a nod from the other. “Have you never had a desire to touch and be touched? To let loose and be loved by another? Any type of carnal urge?”“I never thought about it.”“You never had sexual urges?”“…not that I can remember. But…once in a while do want to be touched and touch.”“Is that so?”“I just do not think it the same as a carnal urge.”“How do you want to be touched?”“I want to be able to hug another person…to be kissed with love but I never once thought about it as a sexual need.”“Hug and kiss…how innocent,” Yoongi smiled as he looked at that blush reappear on the other’s face and neck. “Do you want to try it now?”“What?” Yoongi smirked when Hoseok’s blush deepened.“Come here,” he gestured for the other to get closer, grabbing his hands when the other refused. He pulled the other unto himself a little stronger than necessary, Hoseok stumbling into his open arms, head smashed into his chest as Yoongi wrapped his arms around his waist.Yoongi heard the small gasp that came out of those heart shaped lips right above his heart, the warm breath sending a shiver down his spine as he moved to press the boy closer to him, carrying him by the waist until the boy was sitting on his lap.“Master Min?”“Yeah.”“…are we…am I…I mean…I”“Speak properly and finish your sentence, Jung Hoseok,” Yoongi teased, his hand rubbing at his servant’s lower back.“Am I allowed to touch you like this?”“You are. Do you not like it?”“I like it,” he confessed, making Yoongi smile into his hair.“You know, when people hug, you usually need to wrap your arms around the person that is hugging you.”“I cannot wrap my arms around you like you are doing with me, Master Min,” Hoseok answered, trying his best to wrap his arms around Yoongi’s waist but stopped by the arms holding him tightly.“Here,” Yoongi said as he grabbed Hoseok’s arms and wrapped them around his shoulders, his servants face just inches from his. They stared at each other, Yoongi with hooded eyes and Hoseok with widen eyes as Yoongi once again wrapped his arms around his waist. Yoongi is aware that Hoseok is taller than him but right now, as they hugged, Yoongi couldn’t help the need to protect the other. “Better?”“This feels a bit too intimate” Hoseok stated, averting his gaze to look at their pressed chests.“Hugs are an intimate action,” Yoongi chuckled, able to feel the fast palpitations of both of their hearts. “Do you like it or do you feel repulsed by it?”“…I like it,” Hoseok replied, almost muffled out, into Yoongi’s hanbok.“That is good to hear,” Yoongi smiled, patting his back to comfort the boy in his arms. “…do you want to kiss?”At the question, Hoseok’s head went flying upwards, scraping Yoongi’s chin on the way, as he looked up to meet Yoongi’s eyes. There was surprise and shock in the boy’s eyes as he scanned Yoongi’s face but it change quickly to determination and something else Yoongi was unable to read as the boy in his arms nodded his head.Yoongi knew he was taking advantage of the boy’s innocence as he raised a hand to caress his face, earning himself those pretty eyes to flutter shut at the feeling, as he moved to place a chaste kiss on heart shaped lips.The kiss only lasted a mere second, Yoongi doing his best to control himself, when they moved away from each other, Yoongi watched with adoration how the boy’s lips were slightly parted and the blush on his face darken to a red he hadn’t seen before.The urge to pin the boy down and mark him as his increased when those eyes opened up to look at him with something akin to lust. Yoongi had seen that look on many conquests but when it reflected out of the boy in his arms, he couldn’t help to think that he always wanted the boy to look at him that way instead of with respect.“Do you like kissing?” The question came out a little breathless but it went unnoticed when the boy nodded his head, resting it on his shoulder soon after.“I like it,” he answered.They stayed like that, holding each other tightly, arms wrapped around lovingly for long time until Hoseok moved away. Yoongi watched as the boy cleared his throat and wrung his hands nervously before bowing at Yoongi and standing up, taking the tray with him.“Thank you for that, Master Min,” he smiled at him before leaving the room.Yoongi, when he was unable to hear the steps out on the hall, groaned at slammed his head on the table. “Get a hold of yourself, Min Yoongi,” he muttered. He looked to the side and noticed the small plate of rice cakes there. He picked one up and chewed on it, noticing how it was bland compare to the sweet taste of his servant.It took Yoongi a whole season of pushing and pulling for the relationship with his servant to escalate: getting to hug and kiss the boy as much as the other allowed him to. It was strange at first, they would hug most of the time in the beginning, Hoseok always falling asleep in his arms when Yoongi played with his hair a bit too much. Yoongi wasn’t complaining, enjoying himself as he watched the soft features of the sleeping boy in his arms.Normally, Yoongi would have drop kicked whoever slept near him, hating body heat the most. Yet, when he sat there, arms full of the beautiful boy, he welcomed the warmth with opened arms, literally and figuratively. He remembered his father always telling him that loving someone meant changing his bad habits for good ones without his knowing.He never understood when he was younger but as the warm air of the soft puffs of breath coming from his servant hit his neck, he felt like he finally knew the meaning behind what his father said.Their kisses were something Yoongi will always keep in his mind.The touch of the boys lips on his own making him feel tingly all over. He knows he can’t remember the last time one of his one night stands have ever made him feel the same way with just a kiss. Not even the only person he dated in his life made him feel like an idiot in love like the way his servant could. The feelings scared him.Especially when he asked the kid if he wanted to learn how to properly kiss.Yoongi took his time to teach him, starting off with small pecks on the boy’s lips, his cheeks, his forehead, his hands, and his neck. He was always rewarded with little gasps when he kissed the boy behind the ear. He felt superior every time a gasp would escape the boy but he wanted more than just kiss the boy. He never voiced it out but he knew his body was asking him for more every time he would watch the boy moved around during the day.When the kisses turned to tongues wandering into the wet, warm caverns and Hoseok’s gasps started turning to suppressed moans, Yoongi found himself in quiet the predicament. One that he did not wish to be.He was now sitting in front of probably the only coworker he like, scholar Kim Namjoon. It had been a surprised when his servant cut his afternoon meal short stating that the man was there to see him. Yoongi never liked meeting with other scholars but there was always exceptions when it came to people like Namjoon.The boy was younger than him by four years, barely turning twenty-five but held his ground firmly when he was ascended as a scholar. Yoongi admired the boy’s ideology of what a proper working kingdom should be and if he was born into royalty like Kim Taehyung, Yoongi would have pledged his loyalty to the boy instead.But here they were now, sitting face to face with only a desk separating them. Namjoon had said nothing to him, only speaking to his servant to thank him for the tea and snacks they were indulging themselves at the moment with, but never once speaking after that. Yoongi was nervous around the boy and he knew the reason as to why he felt like that was because he respected the boy just like the other respected him.“You seem to be nervous, Scholar Min,” he finally spoke as he placed his empty tea cup on the table, the cup not making a sound at the movement. Yoongi looked up to see the boy staring directly at him, the eye contact making him feel small even though he was much older. “There is nothing for you to feel nervous about. I come here with good intentions.”“Usually, people that say they come with good intentions are the ones that do not, Scholar Kim.”“I apologize if I am making you uncomfortable but I promise you, I only come here to speak about a matter that has been fluttering during the meetings you keep refusing to come to.”“A fluttering matter? You mean a rumor.”“Not a rumor per say, but more of a controllable situation.”“What do you mean?”“This is about your servant, Jung Hoseok,” Namjoon said matter-of-factly. “There is a rumor about you favoring a servant over your own class members. Some have even spoken of you bedding the boy and refusing to allow him to regain his class position due to that fact.”“Do you know who started these talks?”“I first heard it from Scholar Kwon and Scholar Choi but after dissecting the information and the way it spread, I believe it might have been a member of the royal family.”“Royal family...the prince?”“I thought as much.”“That good for nothing brat—”“Careful, Scholar Min,” the other chuckled at his fury. “If someone heard you, they might say you are attempting treason.”“Would you turn me in?”“I have nothing to gain,” Namjoon shrugged. “You are one of the smartest man I have ever had the honor of befriending. It was hard to even find you, so I would lose than gain, do you not think?”“You are not mistaken,” Yoongi smiled before turning the cup on his hand. “I do not know when the talks started but they are not correct. I have wanted for Jung Hoseok to be a free man since the beginning but the boy refuses to listen to reason.”“It was his decision to stay as your servant? What an unusual request from the son of a general.”“You said it, Scholar Kim.”“But if the boy decided that he wished to stay your servant, then as gentlemen, we should give him what he wants,” Namjoon smiled. Yoongi stared at the dimples that appeared there reminding him of the ones his servant had.“I cannot say much in the matter, but if he is happy with his life then that is all I can do for him.”“That is good to hear.”“You have something else to say,” Yoongi narrowed his eyes at the shift in the man’s position. The movement barely visible but he was able to catch it.“You have feelings for the boy,” Namjoon stated. Yoongi raised his eyebrows at that, taken completely by surprised at the comment. Namjoon laughed at his reaction but continued. “The rumors might be false, but your feelings for the boy are real. I have seen the way to carry yourself around the boy…the way you look at him. There is light in your eyes whenever he is present. You also become quiet tame when the boy is the main topic of conversation. You fight the scholars less to not bring the subject back to light.”“This is the reason why you were made a scholar. You are too observant even for your own good.”“So I am correct? You like the boy?”“You are not wrong.”“Push and pull, I see.”“He does not see me in the same light.”“You want him to?”“I do.”“Why not confess then?”“The boy is too innocent.”“No man is too innocent. We were born as sinners and will die as sinners,” Namjoon commented. “The boy might actually appreciate it if you told him the truth. Instead of you acting like a fool and making him as yours.”“What?”“There was a bruise on his neck. When I pointed it out, his face became a pretty pink.” Yoongi heard the teasing behind the comment but only groaned in response.“I hate you sometimes.”“I will take that as a compliment.”“I beg you to not tell anyone.”“Where is the fun in that?”“Scholar Kim!”“I was just joking. No need to raise your voice.” The knock on the door made both men turn to look at it. Hoseok open the door slightly and bowed at them both before another man popped his head through the door.“Master Kim, I apologize for the interruption but his highness, Crown Prince Seokjin, is waiting for you at the royal palace. We need to leave now, sir, if you want to make it in time.”“Thank you, Jimin,” Namjoon smiled at the boy before turning to Yoongi. “Thank you for allowing me to come see you. I know it was a late minute situation but you still made time for me, Scholar Min.”“Any time. Apart from that, Hoseok likes to socialize with Jimin, so it was a win-win situation for both of us.” He turned to watch his servant smile at Namjoon’s servant. The smaller yet older boy pouting, not liking that Hoseok was treating him like a mother would. “Do you want me to walk you out?”“No need to,” Namjoon stood up before slightly bowing his head. “It was a pleasure seeing you both, Scholar Min. Jung Hoseok.” He bowed his head at the servant who returned the favor. “Jung Hoseok, you really have grown just as beautiful as your sister. If not more. Do your best to fight off an evil man that tries to tempt you.”“I will to my best,” Hoseok laughed alongside Jimin and Namjoon, but Yoongi only glared at the other.“We are taking over leave now,” Namjoon excused himself. Jimin bowed to both of them before running behind his master and closing the door behind them.“Jimin is cute,” Hoseok stated after a couple of seconds of sitting in silence. Yoongi scoffed at the comment as he took a sip of his tea.“You are much cuter,” he muttered.It took him almost a whole year before he was able to make love to Hoseok. The situation was not how he imagined it to go down on their first night. He wanted to court the other and treat him with the love and respect that he deserved but life didn’t allow his plans to go the way he wanted.He was having the worst day of his life.He was invited to the crown prince’s royal birthday party. And by invited, he was forced by royal guards to show up at the palace to give his respect to the prince and the royal family. But unlike the younger prince, Prince Seokjin didn’t favor Jung Hoseok in any way, refusing to acknowledge him in the same manner.As said, Prince Seokjin refused Jung Hoseok the right to even step inside the palace gates. So now here he was, standing in a room filled with royalty, scholars, and generals, all drinking and eating their fill of traditional banquet food. His highness, Prince Seokjin was standing in the front of the room, the king and queen sitting at their thrones with Prince Taehyung at their side, looking even more annoyed than he did.Yoongi was sporting a glass of rice wine on his hand, refusing the stronger alcohol that the servants tried to provide him. Scholars were surrounding him, their personal servants standing respectfully behind them, as they spoke of their work and their families.Yoongi hated these types of conversations the most. Scholars were traditionally seen as smart and educated more than the average men, but when these people spoke harshly about their loved ones, belittling their wives, cursing their children, and mocking the poor, he felt that it was better to think twice about what it meant to be a scholar.He could see Prince Seokjin speaking to Namjoon at the front of the room, smiling at both him and his servant, Jimin, as if he didn’t insult his own just minutes ago. He noticed Jimin was trying his best to not look uncomfortable when the prince touched Namjoon’s arm as they spoke.It was no secret that the prince admired Namjoon, at least not to Namjoon and himself. But Yoongi couldn’t help but feel anger every time Seokjin cursed Hoseok’s birth and refused to acknowledge the other. He turned his view to look at Jimin again: another exception that Seokjin contradicted himself with.Jimin was a low class servant. Born into a butcher family and birthed by a servant of the royal family. He was by the full definition part of the low class division. It was a shocking action of Namjoon’s part to accept the boy as his personal servant. Jimin was first sneered at by the same scholars that talked dirt of Hoseok, but as time passed, Namjoon dressed his servant with expensive hanboks and teaching him etiquette, the same that Hoseok learned in just a year, he was viewed as a simple servant, the scholars and their wives even praising the beauty that was the boy.If only their wives knew that those same scholars would talk about bedding his own servant, then those women wouldn’t be talking about Hoseok the way they did.“How is that little servant of yours doing?” A hoarse voice cut Yoongi’s train of thought as he looked at the man next to him. It was one of the many scholars that sexualized Hoseok whom had directed that conversation to the topic of his servant. He narrowed his eyes at the men surrounded him, some lowering their gazes to the floor.He also noticed that their servants shifted awkwardly behind them, not liking the topic one bit. He turned to look at the man again before deciding to speak. “What of him, Scholar Lee?”“I heard that he was not permitted to enter the palace, again,” the man sneered. Yoongi wanted to punch the man directly to his ugly mug but only watched the man. “He really is not liked by the royal family. Maybe you should get rid of him, once and for all.”“You always bring the topic of my servant every time we meet,” Yoongi stated. “I am starting to think you have feelings for the boy.”“Do not bring me down to his level,” the man growled. “I am just thinking about how it will affect your status if you have such a bad seed around you.”“You do not need to worry about me,” Yoongi seethed. “It is none of your concern what happens in my life. You of all people should be worried about your own status. Sleeping with a maid is considered an insult to your family name, Scholar Lee.”The people surrounding them stayed quiet at the comment, some even choosing to walk away from the group. Yoongi glared at the man, watching as he tried to compose a response in return but Yoongi beat him to it first.“The next time you talk about me in such a way, I will make sure you never have a job, you third rate scholar.”“At least I have no skeletons to hide now,” the man warned. Yoongi chuckled at the comment before moving to stand closer to the man: he might have been shorter, but Yoongi was known to have fought during the war and come out unscathed.“The next time you speak ill comments about my servant, I will make sure you know that even as a servant, he is still allowed to command you around. Keep your mouth shut unless you want the world to see you bow down to my servant, Lee.”The man froze in place, watching behind him to see the people glancing, horrified at them. Yoongi was the first to move away, checking his arm harshly against the man’s and standing in front of the boy standing there. “Leave that post as soon as you can boy,” he warned. “You do not want to be the next victim to be laid on his bed, now do you?” He walked towards the direction to the prince, placing his cup down on one of the many tables holding the large qualities of food on his way.Prince Seokjin raised an eyebrow at him when he stood in front of the other without bowing and then frowned when Yoongi did not move to bow at all. Namjoon was watching the disrespectful display with Jimin as they stood next to the prince.“What is the meaning of your impoliteness?” Prince Seokjin asked, pitch an octave higher than what he wanted.“This is a fair warning, your highness,” Yoongi whispered for only the four of them to hear. “I will not have you disrespect the son of the man that saved your father during the war.”“What?”“Jung Hoseok deserves to be respected more than you, which is a fact that you know with your heart. So the next time you insult him, refuse to acknowledge his existence, or even belittle his human rights, I will make sure that you never become king,” Yoongi warned. Prince Seokjin’s stared agape, unable to talk as he watched Yoongi bow at him but still glaring at him menacingly. “Congratulations on another healthy year, your highness,” he added, before bowing to the four of them and leaving the busy room.It took him ten minutes to leave the palace and find the gate that Hoseok was waiting for him patiently. When he saw Hoseok standing there, puffing out breaths of steam out to the cold air, bundled up on not only his coat but with Yoongi’s as well, he couldn’t help but feel like anger disappear.“Hoseok,” he voiced, watching the boy turn around to smile at him. “Let’s go home.”“Yes, sir,” Hoseok puffed out. He took of the coat from his shoulders and helped Yoongi to wear it again before they moved to walk towards their home. They walked in silence, Hoseok humming to a tune that Yoongi had never heard before and Yoongi just watching the sun be eaten by the mountains in the distance, leaving behind a dark and starry night.When they arrived home, Hoseok helped Yoongi with removing his coat and taking his own off. Yoongi sat on the chair of his dresser, placing his head on his hands as he tried to calm himself, realizing that he threatened a member of the royal family. He was muttering to himself how much of an idiot he was when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see the worried expression on Hoseok’s beautiful face.“Is something the matter, Master Min?” The boy crouched down until his face was at the same eye level as his knees, hand moving to press lovingly to his right knee. Yoongi stared at him, looking at the small mole decorating his lips.“Hoseok.”“Yes, sir?”“If I lost my job…would you still stay with me?”“Of course,” Hoseok giggled. “There is no doubt that I would follow you until the end of the world, Master Min.”“…I might have done something that might either get me killed or make me lose my job.”“Get you killed?” Hoseok’s expression darken at that. “Oh, Master Min. What have you done?”“I threatened a member of the royal family.”“Why would you do something so dangerous?”“He kept insulting you,” Yoongi whispered. “He kept insulting you in my face and I could not hold in my anger.”“Master Min, it has been a long time since the royal family has insulted my presence. Why did you lose your patience now?”“Hoseok.”“Yes?”“Please stand up,” Yoongi commanded, giving his hand for the boy to take. Hoseok balanced himself with Yoongi’s hand, standing up in front of him, between his open legs. Hoseok didn’t know what to expect but Yoongi moving forward to wrap his arms around his waist and press his face to his stomach, was not something Hoseok ever thought his master would do.“Master Min?”“Jung Hoseok.”“Yes, sir?”“Let me court you,” Yoongi confessed. He felt his servant go stiff for a brief moment before those hands he loved to held, patted his hair gently, undoing his bun as he did.“What are you talking about, Master Min?”Yoongi heard to softness laced to Hoseok’s voice but also noticed a sense of fear in it too. Yoongi looked up at him, watching the boy’s face with much more intensity than before. Yoongi had never wanted someone so much in his life, have never wanted to be loved as much as he wanted Hoseok to love him. Yoongi was determined to follow through, if he was rejected here, then he would do his damn best to live his life without being loved.“Hoseok-ah,” Yoongi started, grabbing the boy’s hand and pulling him until he was fully seated on his lap. “Do you not think it is time that you noticed me as more than just your master? Have I not shown you how I feel about you?”“Master Min, I—”“Will you not call me by my name? Like the first time we met?” Yoongi watched the inner turmoil in his servant’s eyes, watching the boy ponder if he should or if he would get in trouble is he didn’t. When they made eye contact, Yoongi nodded at him, raised his hand to caress the boy’s cheek.“…Yoongi,” Hoseok whispered, afraid that if he was any louder, the wind would betray their secret. Yoongi rewarded the sentiment with a gummy smile, liking the way his name sounded coming from Hoseok and not from annoying scholars.“Let me court you, Hoseok,” Yoongi whispered. “Allow me to love you the way you deserved to be loved. Let me be the one to protect you and adore you more than anyone else, Hoseok-ah. Please accept me: not as your master, but as your equal.”Yoongi watched how his servant changed to numerous shades of pink, his blush reaching the inside of his hanbok, attractively decorating his neck and cheeks. He avoided Yoongi’s gaze looking down to where his hands were grabbing Yoongi’s lapels of the hanbok he was wearing.Yoongi allowed him to ponder over the confession, moving his hands to holding the other’s waist, loving the way the boy squirmed around when he caressed his hip bone over the hanbok with his thumbs. What stopped Yoongi’s actions were Hoseok’s own hands moving to caress his chest before wrapping themselves around his neck, thin fingers coming to tangle themselves to his hair.“Am I really allowed to accept your proposal, Master Min?”“Master?”“Force of habit,” Hoseok chuckled. “Yoongi, do you really want to court me?”“Of course I do.”“Are you okay with someone like me?”“Someone like you?”“Tainted. Unwanted.”“Hoseok,” Yoongi stood straight on the chair, wrapped his arms around his waist again. “You are neither of those things. You are nice, courteous, courageous, and beautiful. But most of all, you are the person I love. You are everything I have always wanted and will ever need. And I think I always wanted you, since the day I met you.”“You are quiet the charmer, Yoongi,” Hoseok teased, leaning down to press his forehead against the other.“Is that a yes?”“It is,” Hoseok whispered. The confession making something inside of Yoongi flutter.Before Hoseok could think twice, Yoongi stood up, taking ahold of Hoseok’s thighs and carrying him to his bed. Yoongi was gentle when he placed a startled Hoseok on his bed before climbing above him, trapping him.“Yoongi?”“Can I have you?” Yoongi asked, looking down to Hoseok’s covered body before meeting his eyes. “I can wait if you need time…but I really want to hold you.”“When you look at me like that, you really are not giving me an option,” Hoseok giggled, bringing his hands to the sashed wrapped tightly around his waist. Yoongi watched with determination as Hoseok undid his on belt before sliding his garments away from his chest.Hoseok was all tan skin and muscle, Yoongi noticed. He knew the boy was fit, if what he saw that night of the servant’s bath served as a reminder. But here, under him, the boy looked soft and vulnerable, almost childlike with unmarred skin. Something else Yoongi noticed is that Hoseok barely had any hair on his body, his pelvic hair barely there when the boy removed his pants slowly, the action teasing Yoongi as he watched him slowly slid his undergarment from long soft legs.Yoongi moved to kiss the boy, allowing himself to indulge in the soft gasps and moans that left those pretty lips. He kissed him slowly, making sure the boy was comfortable with his actions as his hands roamed the expanse of his chest.Yoongi groaned in surprise when he felt Hoseok’s hands remove his belt with expert hands. He shivered and moaned when those same hands slid up his chest and over his shoulders, draping his hanbok halfway off his body, giving up when Yoongi made no move in removing his hands from Hoseok’s waist.“Yoongi,” Hoseok moaned into his mouth making Yoongi feel bothered by how much control the boy had over him. Yoongi slid his hands down to caress his thighs, groping them for a while before he moved to kneel on the bed, watching Hoseok’s sprawled body under him.The boy was a panting mess. His eyes were hooded, sweat was already making his hair stick to his forehead in such an alluring way that it made Yoongi want to break the boy beyond this. Yoongi noticed that the boy was already erect, his manhood standing proudly and dripping with pre-cum. Yoongi had seen men writhe underneath him but nothing compared itself when seeing his servant there.“Hoseok,” Yoongi grabbed the boy by the throat and forced him to look straight into his eyes. He was met with mewls of his name when the boy noticed the lust in his own eyes. “Hoseok-ah, I love you,” he whispered the confession to those lips he adored so much, kissing him soon after.He grabbed the boy’s legs, wrapping them around his waist and feeling them tremble at his side. He groped the skin there and a shiver traveled his spine when he realized they were as soft as he imagine them. “Yoongi,” Hoseok’s plead got him staring upwards, There was tears on the boy’s eyes and Yoongi wanted nothing more than to kiss them away. “I have never…”“Finish your sentence, love,” Yoongi demanded.“I have never laid with another person,” Hoseok muttered, barely audible when he gasp at the sudden hands touching his inner thigh. Yoongi smiled at the confession, already aware of the boy’s innocence compared to the rest of the men of his age. He moved down to kiss the boy again, this time even slower and gentler than the rest of the kisses they shared.“I am aware,” Yoongi said after moving to hug the boy, hiding his face on the boy’s shoulder. “I promise you to take care of you, so please trust me.”“I have always trusted you,” Hoseok said as he petted Yoongi’s hair down, giggling a little when his hair puffed back out of place. “…I love you,” Hoseok kissed the words to Yoongi’s forehead. “I love you, Min Yoongi,” he repeated the confession when Yoongi picked himself up to look at the boy. His lips forming a heart when he smiled at Yoongi’s reaction. “Why are you crying?” He giggled the question as he moved to clean his master’s face.Yoongi did not respond but went to hug the boy again peppering his neck and chest with kisses as he moved down to take the boy’s manhood in his hand. He moved slowly, making sure the boy didn’t feel any pain or discomfort: he watched with excitement when he watch the boy arch off his bed, eyes tight shut and mouth wide open as the boy moaned with pleasure.There was only so much he could do for the boy to prepare him and he knew it was going to hurt the boy since it was his first time, so he stopped pumping the boy and kissed him before standing up and walking towards his dresser. He could feel eyes following his every move but this time he enjoyed it, unlike those times with the scholars.He grabbed the only bottle of lotion, a gift from Prince Seokjin, and walked back to his servant. He noticed the hungry eyes taking in his form as he walked and knelt once again between the boy’s legs. He removed the cork of the bottle and spilled the content into himself and the boy indulging in the way the boy jumped at the feeling as he threw the empty bottle to the floor. With his hand, he massage the boy’s entrance as he removed his pants in with his free hand.Hoseok was a mess under him, moaning pleas of his name in unfinished sentences and pressing his legs to Yoongi’s own as he did his best to not panic at the feeling of having fingers pressed into him. He pried open his eyes and cursed when he watched his master’s manhood standing proudly next to his own. He let out a whine from the sight of his master smirking up at him.“If it becomes too much for you, let me know,” Yoongi stated as he pushed into his servant’s tightness. It had both of them moaning at the sensation: Hoseok at the sudden intrusion and Yoongi at the heat.“Master…ugh,” Hoseok was unable to finish his sentence when Yoongi moved deeper into him. “Yoongi.”“Yes, love.”“It feels weird,” he huffed.“I know,” Yoongi stated. “I need you to relax as much as you can.” Hoseok nodded, stilling and trying to relax as much as he could, given the circumstance. He opened his eyes to stare at his master and watch as the other bit his lip, smiling when he realized he wasn’t the only one feeling too much at the moment. To show the other he was okay with their action, Hoseok moved forward, reeling in the stretch when his master’s manhood was deeper in him.“Lord,” Yoongi groaned, moving his hips slowly in and out of the boy. He smirked when the boy clasped his hands on his mouth in a failed attempt to muffle his moans when he would move his hips a certain way inside of him. “Hoseok-ah. Remove your hands, love,” Yoongi moaned. When the boy didn’t respond, he grabbed the hands and pressed them to the sides of the boy’s head. The action made him tilt inwards, allowing even more friction to their connected heat. The action having Hoseok arch off the bed completely and pressing his body completely into his master’s.“Ah…hm, Yoongi, please.”“What is it, love?”“Please let me touch you,” the boy cried, failing to free himself from his master’s grasp. Yoongi let go of the boy’s hands immediately and wrapped his arms around the boy’s waist, moving slow and deep into him. Hoseok’s hands went flying to his hair and tightening there and once in a while pulling his head up when Yoongi pushed into a bundle of nerves inside him. “Yoongi. Yoongi. Yoongi! Ah! No…please.”Yoongi watched as the other came undone, allowing himself to watch the boy release unto himself and collapsing into the pillows adoring his bed. He kept thrusting into the boy until he himself allowed himself to release his seed inside the boy. They stayed like that, connected and their high sedated, for a couple of minutes before Yoongi moved out of the warmth and sat next to the boy.Hoseok was gasping for air, eyes closed, as he did his best to come down from his high. He only opened his eyes when he felt Yoongi caressing his hair: he whined and moved away from the hand. He sat up and turned to look at Yoongi’s face, appreciating the blush decorating his master’s body. He moved to press a hand to his chest and slid his hand over his shoulder until he was holding to his master’s forearm.Yoongi smiled at him,
“Rest here, love,” Yoongi pushed the boy back down to the pillows before lying down next to him. He watched when the boy started to hesitate but closed his mouth when Yoongi pulled him into his chest and wrapped his arms protectively around the boy. “Hoseok.”“Yes?”“You did well for your first time, love,” Yoongi complimented and watch the blush reappear on his servant’s face. “You might be hurt by tomorrow, but I will take care of you. I promise.”“You have no experience in cooking or cleaning,” Hoseok teased, nuzzling closer to him and wrapping his arms around his waist. Yoongi chuckled along at the truth behind the comment but chose to ignore the fact.“I can start learning,” Yoongi offered and Hoseok laughed at the thought of making his master learn to cook.“You will do no such thing,” Hoseok giggled. “I will be fine. I have been in physical pain before and was still able to take care of you. You need not to worry so much.”“I love you, Jung Hoseok,” he murmured into the soft hair and petting his servant’s back lovingly.“I love you as well, Min Yoongi,” he smiled into the sweaty chest of his master before looking up and kissing him. “Sleep now, sir. You have to work early tomorrow.”“What a way to kill the mood,” Yoongi joked. “Good night, love.”“Good night, Yoongi,” he heard a yawn of his name.They closed their eyes soon after and allowed themselves to sleep the rest of the night in the comfort of each other’s warmth.Yoongi woke up feeling completely relaxed even though he still vividly remembered threatening Prince Seokjin. He could care less at the moment, as he turned around on his bed to notice it empty of a pretty servant that was there last night. He raised himself to sit up and blinked away sleep as he turned to look around the room to find it empty.He groaned, feeling disappointed that Hoseok was not there at all. He looked down at himself and noticed that he was dressed in his robe unlike how he thought he went to sleep. “I must have imagined it,” he muttered to himself as he kicked the duvet away and stood up. As he was making his way to the bath, a knock interrupted his grumbling and he turned in time to see his servant enter the room.“Good morning, Master Min,” his servant smiled at him before shutting the door behind him. “I see you woke up early once again.”“I have. I feel refreshed for the first time in a while,” he added. He removed his robe and let it drape over his chair as he made his way to the bath. “I will be taking a bath now.”“Would you like me to join you?”Yoongi froze in place at the question, trying to analyze what he just heard. Panicking, he turned around and noticed the smile on his servant’s face. He was confused: did he hear correctly or did he imagine it.“Repeat what you have stated,” he demanded.“I ask if you wanted me to join you, Min Yoongi,” his servant smirked. Yoongi gaped at the comment and blinked a few times trying to depict if this was another dream. When he was about to protest, his servant spoke. “Could it be that you forgot what happened last light?”“Last night?” Yoongi repeated. His servant nodded at the comment: Yoongi realized what he was talking about and his whole body flushed in embarrassment. “That was no dream, was it?”“No,” Hoseok shook his head to confirm.“We held one another.”“Yes.”“It was real.”“It was.”Yoongi stared at the other and noticed the light marks in his servant’s neck. He also noticed the blush tinting his cheeks but made no comment about how pretty it looked. Yoongi after realizing what the statement meant, smiled at Hoseok, all teeth and gums, before moving to kiss the other.He ignored the fact the he was completely naked but at the moment it did not matter.Hoseok loved him.And he loved Hoseok.“I love you,” Yoongi confessed into heart-shaped lips before hugging the boy to himself. He appreciated the giggle the other let loose as he wrapped his own arms around him. Yoongi watch the blush travel to his ears before he was kissed, this time barely a peck.“I love you too, Min Yoongi,” his servant confessed before moving to manhandle him towards the bath. “Now as for my suggestion in joining you.”“As if I could refuse,” Yoongi smirked as he closed the door behind them.Fin