KING

一 23

A soft whirlwind of doubt and curiosity clouded her mind as Rina's eyes followed the lone figure of Hendery in the shadow dimmed streets.

Narrowing her eyes, she pressed herself against the wall, feeling the rough texture of bricks and peeling paint come away under her fingers, watching as Hendery looked around, looking far more disheveled than he had the last time she'd seen him. He looked almost normal.

Except nothing about this was really normal, was it?

Hendery, the man beside Jaemin, she thought. Someone with a position high in the Court, she was guessing. Yet here he was, standing in front of the borders where the peasants lived beyond.

"Yangyang, Dejun." His voice rung out clear in the opening. No movement occurred in response. Rina squinted, attempting to see if the figures on the wall had disappeared or not.

Just when she came to the conclusion they had left, a small rustle caught her attention, eyes widening as she stepped back, slightly startled.

"Kunhang." The gravel voice boy leaped down from the wall. Slanted eyes, a defined jaw, a sharp nose - he was beautiful, she realised, delicate but dangerous way, a gentle yet dominating aura similar to what a sleeping dragon might exude.

Rina blinked, registering the name the man called him. Was it a second name, similar to how Youngho gave himself a new name?

"Is Yangyang not going to come down?" Hendery looked up, smile widening when the second boy leaped down, having a broader face with larger eyes and pursed lips, light auburn hair catching streaks of light. A light scowl was painted on his face, which softened when Hendery looked at him properly.

"Hi." He said softly, and Hendery's eyes crinkled at the edges as he smiled at the other boy.

"It's been a long time." The black haired male said, and Yangyang looked at him apprehensively, before nodding.

"Yeah, heard you made it big in the Palace." He replied, arms crossed over his chest loosely.

Rina's eyes narrowed, crouching lowly to shift the angle, peering at Hendery's expression. His smile faltered, before he nodded. "I did." He said. "I heard you made it big too."

Dejun's eyes narrowed, and he tilted his head ever so slightly, a questioning look on his face. "Kind of." He blinked. "There's a lot of angry people out there who want revenge."

"And you give it to them." Hendery finished. Rina watched as Dejun shrunk back lightly, a crease appearing on her brow.

Was he... scared?

The dragon-like boy and Yangyang both stared at him silently, a subtle awkwardness blending with tension in the air.

Clearly, Hendery could sense it too, a soft sigh leaving his lips as he ran his fingers through his hair, messing up the strands that had been combed back.

"You're... you're not upset?" Yangyang's voice dropped lower, clenching and unclenching his fists slowly, skin taught over his bones of his knuckles.

Hendery was silent, eyeing him features schooled into a neutral expression, before shrugging lightly. "You're doing what you have to do." He said simply. "And I understand that."

A mix of relief and surprise spread over Yangyang's face, lips parting after a few seconds, but Hendery cut the boy off before a single word could escape from his mouth.

"What I don't understand," He said calmly, "Was why you pushed me away."

Silence.

Rina learnt that silence was sometimes more powerful than words. Silence allowed emotions that remained hidden to reveal themselves in the vacuum without meaningless syllables that could be lies filling the air.