𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐤𝐲 ☾︎ binwoo

C H P - 32

"But first, I should get everyone started."

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In less than an instant, servants came bustling down the stairs, into the corridor from outside, and even in from small doors Moonbin hadn't realized existed. A few of them rushed past him, jerking his body from the left to the right. The vibrations of their feet hitting the floor made him dizzy. He had to grab onto his mother's arm just to keep himself stable. "What...?" The footsteps faded out as he said this, and he realized it was because the servants were no longer bustling about, but lined up in front of the little commander man.

The pinkette's eyes widened in awe as the small male went off, ordering people around with ease. "Rubin and Yunho, you're taking care of Father's bathroom today. Afterwards, you'll tend to the horses, got it?" Two decent sized males stepped out from the line of people, bowed, and rushed up one of the staircases. They whispered angrily amongst themselves the whole way up, and Moonbin could only guess they were complaining about having to scrub toilets. Then again, if he was stuck cleaning the toilet of a sick man, he would be unhappy, too.

"Next," the short male announced, continuing on, "Yoongi, Yonghee, and Wonpil, it's your guys' turn to tend to the garden. Make sure it's done before five o'clock. Yongsun and Byulyi want to see the flowers at some point today; you know how much they love them." He jerked his thumb to the right, signaling to them that they needed to get moving. The three of them immediately sped away, smiles on their faces. After all, it would be great to spend a day with flowers. 

"Changmin, Kihyun, and Renjun, well, you know what you have to do." The four nodded in understanding and quietly excused themselves. They seemed to be more lax than the other servants, considering they took the time to actually wave to Moonbin and his parents as they exited the front door. "And last, Youngjo, Hyungu, Hyunggu, Seokwoo, Felix, Jongdae, Dojoon, and, well, the rest of you, the majority of you will be preparing dinner, while the others will assist Soobin and Daekwang in taking care of Chandong's twins. Decide amongst yourselves who will do what, and for those of you that are stuck taking care of the little devils, do not, by any means, let your guard down. You know how rowdy they get." He sighed as the last of them scurried away. The pinkette was sure it was a sigh of exhaustion; that was an awful lot to say.

Moonbin's father did not give the short male time to catch his breath, as a decent human being would have, and immediately started in on him. "Is that it? We should really get talking." He tapped the face of his white watch a few times. He seemed impatient to get his child off his hands, and if that didn't fuel the pinkette's hate for him, he was sure nothing else would. "Really, we have to--"

"I get it, I get it," the dark-haired male interrupted smoothly. Any signs of fatigue disappeared within the softness of his voice. "We'll talk up there." He gestured to the right staircase with his hands and took it upon himself to lead them up the steps. One foot in front of the other, up they went. "I'm Lee Jihoon, by the way. And, before you start wondering why my last name isn't Kim, I was married into the family." He held up a finger to keep anyone from speaking just yet as he continued on, "And I'm the one conducting this meeting with you because Father is sick. He doesn't have any sons, so, seeing I'm the one that is set up to inherit everything, this is my responsibility." He finished explaining right on time, as they had taken the left path and were now standing before a polished, wooden door, one that loomed over them like a mother would loom over her child's bed. He reached for the handle, twisted, and opened. "This is my office, feel free to sit wherever you would like to." 

Jihoon silently entered the room. It was illuminated only by the sunlight shining through three large windows, but the sun today was bright, so it didn't matter that he hadn't lit any of the lamps. He wiped his hands on his pants and sat down at his black desk, of which was stuck right in front of the windows previously mentioned. He slid into his cushioned grey chair and let out a breath of air. "So, before we discuss the terms, I would like to asses the situation." He straightened his spine, as to seem more proper, and Moonbin had to stifle a chuckle when he realized that the male's feet were having a difficult time reaching the floor. "You," he started, eyes landing on the pinkette's father, "messed up with one of your clients, and because of that, they stole a... lot of money from you. You had no way to make up that amount of money, so a brilliant idea struck you. You thought you could sell your son off to a rich family in exchange for the amount of money you foolishly lost. Am I understanding this correctly?"

"Yes," the male responded. The word 'foolish' must have gone over his head, as he didn't appear to be offended in the slightest.

"Wow," Jihoon laughed breathlessly, head tilting to the side. "What a great father you are!" He clapped his hands, like it was some great feat. It was only then that Moonbin's father caught onto the sarcasm. "Still--"

The pink-haired male blocked out everything that was said next. The initial shock of the way things were at the mansion had worn off, and the events of the day started to flash through his mind. Dongmin... I'm sorry. He looked down to his lap, not just because the sun was blaring in his eyes, but because they had glazed over for what seemed to be the hundredth time that day. He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, getting carried away in the sorrow that haunted him only hours before. He wondered how Myungjun and Jinwoo were doing. He told them what was going on long ago, and they had promised to stay away from him in his last days to allow him to be with Dongmin. They understood. 

Thoughts of Sanha and Minhyuk struck him next. Their smiles shone in his mind, forcing his heart to crack even further. They were smiles he would never see again, they were smiles he wished he had taken the time to pay attention to. What are they doing, now? he thought. Are they just as torn up about this as I am?  Tingles shot down his back at the thought of just how much crying Sanha must be doing. Minhyuk was probably there comforting him, just as he always was. Moonbin and Minhyuk were really the only people who were allowed to see past his 'sassy, loveable, always happy' exterior, and now that one of them were gone... Tingles shot down his back again, and this time he realized it wasn't just casual tingles he was feeling, but it was regret manifesting itself in such a way that it couldn't be ignored.

He tried to block out the thoughts of Dongmin that came afterward, as he knew they were the thoughts that would hurt him the most, yet they charged at him mercilessly. The boy's smile, his laugh, the curve of his nose, the texture of his lips, the color of his star graced eyes... Moonbin regretted memorizing his features all at once. He was foolish to think that they wouldn't hurt him quite as much as his friend's absence. 

In what other world would the lack of a sweet smile hurt him as much as it did now?

The pinkette was pulled out of his thoughts when his mother jabbed him in the side with her elbow, and other times he would have been thankful, but as of now, he couldn't have been more upset. 

"What do you think about all of this?" Jihoon questioned him, not in a soft voice, and not in a voice that would have scared him away. "How do you feel about this situation?"

Moonbin eyebrows furrowed, yet not out of anger. No. He was just trying to keep from crying again. "Does is really matter?" he asked quietly. "I mean really, it doesn't, does it?" He dared glance up at the male, forgetting about the sun completely. He expected eyes of pity to be looking back at him, or even eyes of greed, but the expression on the short male's face left him speechless.

"Thought so," Jihoon concluded instantly, pushing back in his chair. He turned his head away and hastily pointed to the door. He wanted the father out. Just seeing the way he could smile so freely while selling off his son made him sick. "Mr. I'm-a-horrible-father, you can get out. You'll get your money. Just get out. I don't want to see you here again." 

The father, although confused, stood up from the chair. "Whatever," he grumbled, and that alone showed everyone just how immature he really was. A smirk tugged at his lips, however, as he walked out the door. "Just as long as I get my money." 

Then the door shut loudly behind him, and only then did Jihoon turn back to face Moonbin and his mother. "I am so, so sorry that you are stuck with him." He found himself smiling sadly, yet he didn't know if it was out of pity or out of empathy. "But, Moonbin, trust in me when I say..."

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I'm stretching it out for you guys :)))

-Author 🖤