The King's Man III
Title: The King's Man
Pairing: Chanhee/Byunghun
Rating: PG
Genre: AU
Previous Chapters: One, Two
Disclaimer: They belong to Andy, not me.
Minsoo woke Byunghun before the sun rose; Chanhee had rolled off him sometime during the night, and the boy had ended up curled on his side, face buried in one of the pillows scattered all around them. The guard gently shook Byunghun awake, holding a finger to his lips when the sleepy eyes opened and looked up at him.
"You're to leave his chambers before daybreak," he whispered, taking the boy's hands and helping him up. His clothes fell open and he wobbled on his feet; Minsoo braced the boy, letting him lean against his side, and deftly wrapped his clothes back around him. "Come. There's a boy outside to take you back."
He helped Byunghun out the door, past the guards who looked at him with distaste, and handed him off to the waiting attendant. Byunghun was slightly more alert by then, his eyes blinking rapidly, and a blush rushed his face as he realised his clothes were slipping again.
"You'll adjust to this soon enough," Minsoo murmured, securing Byunghun's top again and nodding his head. "Sleep well."
With that, he disappeared back into the king's chambers, leaving Byunghun standing with the young, sleepy-faced attendant. He looked at the boy and wrapped his arms around himself, making sure his clothing didn't fall open again.
"Changhyun," the boy said by way of introduction. He touched the small of Byunghun's back, making him jump in surprise, and gave him an innocent smile. "Let's go."
The pair made their way through the grounds, Changhyun waving to guards whenever they passed them. He was a personable child, younger than most Byunghun had met so far. But it was obvious he knew that Byunghun was here against his will. If he slowed his walk, Changhyun slowed with him. If he stepped to one side, putting more space between them, Changhyun shifted as well, closing the gap.
It was a little frustrating, but at least they seemed to trust him enough that they didn't send armed guards with him now.
"I've been assigned to take care of you." Byunghun stopped on the steps of the pavilion and looked back at the boy; he was staring very resolutely at the ground. "If there is anything you ever require..."
Byunghun bit his lip, hand immediately jumping to scratch the back of his head. It was already strange enough to him, what with Jonghyun having taken care of him the first few days, and servants bringing his food. He was used to doing everything by himself...
"Please, go inside. Sleep well." Changhyun bowed his head a little and watched Byunghun until the door slid shut.
It was Jonghyun who woke Byunghun next, later in the morning. Sunlight had filled the room they shared, and the younger boy had waited impatiently for the sleeping man to wake. When he could no longer stand it, he gently shook him, whispering in his ear for him to wake up.
"Are you well?" he asked as Byunghun blinked awake. His hands fidgeted in his lap, and several times he had to stop himself from stripping the blankets away to examine his body. "Are you in pain? I have medicine, but I'm afraid it might not help much..."
Byunghun's mind was still too cluttered with sleep to fully understand what Jonghyun was saying. He shook his head and waved a hand at the boy as he sat up, trying to quiet him and his embarrassing questions.
"I'm fine... you were worried about me?"
The boy made an annoyed sound in his throat and tugged at Byunghun's clothes, looking down as they came open easily in his hands.
"Of course I was... tell me what happened."
Byunghun bit his lip and rubbed his inexplicably sore eyes, the night replaying in his head. The beginning... the beginning had been cold and cruel.
"He... he told me I'm his until I die," he whispered, and he could feel Jonghyun frowning at him. "And he took my top off, and laid on top of me, and... he slept with his head on my chest."
He touched the spot where the king's head had rested the night before, and he could feel his heartbeat through his skin. Absently he rubbed his skin, sure he could still feel the warmth of his cheek and the tickle of his hair somehow. Jonghyun rested his hand on Byunghun's arm to stall the movement.
"He didn't make you sleep with him?" Byunghun shook his head, and Jonghyun stared at him in surprise. "Why not?"
"I... he said it was obvious I was uncomfortable with him. He was afraid I wouldn't come willingly in the future if he... if he made me do anything." Jonghyun just blinked slowly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You cried."
"I did not."
"You did. I can see it around your eyes. The colour I put on your face has lines in it." Jonghyun cupped Byunghun's cheeks and rubbed his thumbs under his eyes. Byunghun sat very still, closing his eyes, jaw tensing a little. "The king must already be very fond of you..."
"It didn't feel as if he was." The younger boy chuckled and Byunghun felt him shift closer; he jumped a little when he felt the puff of cool air against his eyelids. "His bodyguard scared me."
Jonghyun stroked Byunghun's hair down against his forehead, and Byunghun opened his eyes to catch a curious look on his face. It was strange how the boy managed to look much older and wiser than he was.
"Byunghun, I know you don't want to be here... your being here is as a wild animal being caged." He bit his lip and met Byunghun's eyes. "It's natural to despise the cage, and everything that comes along with it, especially the one who put you there. From your point of view, the king may have been heartless last night... yet from mine, as a man who knows him well and has been with him much longer? He was kind, maybe even loving. You saw a gentleness few have seen."
Byunghun wasn't so sure about that. He had heard the king could be merciless, of course. Everyone had. Which was why his continued survival had been so surprising, until he'd been told why he'd been kept alive. Maybe the king wasn't as ruthless as he'd believed, but he certainly wasn't loving or gentle. What loving person would make a man into a wonchung as a punishment?
When the conversation had tapered off, Jonghyun decided that they were going to walk around the grounds. Byunghun was going to be here a long time, as unhappy as he was about it, and Jonghyun felt that he needed to know where things were. He called on Changhyun to bring water for them to wash up, and when Byunghun's face was finally clean and he'd gotten dressed properly (with the impatient Jonghyun's help), the young boy dragged him outside into the sunlight.
"There are places that are off-limits to us," Jonghyun murmured as they walked, gesturing toward a building with chest-high walls around it, "and we're not to go to the place where the king and his ministers meet and discuss policy, or the queen's chambers. But there's many places we are allowed... the gardens are nice, and it's fun to watch the king at his archery range."
Changhyun, trailing behind them, murmured something and grabbed the back of Byunghun's jeogori; Byunghun stopped immediately, and Jonghyun grabbed his hand to try and pull him back a few steps.
"Byunghun. Byunghun, come..." there was tension in Changhyun's voice, and Byunghun was stepping back to them when something tripped him and he tumbled backwards with a soft yelp.
"Oops," the man standing over him said flatly. It was another servant, a large middle-aged man with a dour face, followed by several other men. "You seem to have stepped on my foot."
"You did that on purpose. Apologise." Changhyun knelt down next to Byunghun, shooting a dark look up at the man. "Are you injured, Byunghun?"
Byunghun shook his head, sitting up and rubbing his elbow as he muttered that he was fine, and Changhyun moved to help him up. The large servant, however, just laughed and pushed Changhyun's shoulder, knocking the boy over as well.
"Stop doting on the whores, boy." He looked down at Byunghun coldly before turning away, calling over his shoulder. "Decent men would rather kill themselves than do what they do."
Changhyun rolled to his feet and took a few steps after the servants, his hands curled into fists at his sides, expression livid. Byunghun, shocked by what had just happened, just stared at him. It was Jonghyun who stopped him, grabbing his arm and clinging to it to keep him from following the men.
"Changhyun... Changhyunnie, don't..." Jonghyun whined, tugging on him as he tried to squirm loose. "Let it go. They're not worth it."
Byunghun reached up and took Changhyun's hand, tugging it gently.
"Changhyun, please..." he murmured, and the boy let out a frustrated growl and stopped fighting to follow them. Jonghyun hesitantly let go of him, and Changhyun squeezed Byunghun's hand in his own. "It's okay..."
The small boy turned and took his other hand, pulling Byunghun to his feet carefully. He kept his eyes averted, but the stormy expression on his youthful face didn't leave much to the imagination. Jonghyun brushed dust off of Byunghun's back and sighed.
"Some of the servants... don't care for us," he muttered. "That one especially. He doesn't feel the king should have us around... a lot of the guards are the same, though most are less inclined to do anything about it as they're younger and more afraid of the king."
Changhyun cleared his throat, and the two boys looked at him. With a jerk of his head, he turned their attention to an approaching group of people, and Jonghyun tugged Byunghun's sleeve.
The queen was out in front. The boys backed away from the path, and Jonghyun reached to grab the back of Byunghun's head and push it down. He'd been staring, which was generally discouraged. Byunghun grumbled and pulled on Jonghyun's sleeve as the queen and her ladies drew closer.
The group went quiet as it approached, all eyes on the three young men. It didn't take long for the whispers to start, however. The handmaids hid their mouths behind their hands as the queen stopped and turned to the boys.
Byunghun couldn't even see her eyes, but he could feel how cold her gaze was.
"Lift your heads."
Jonghyun straightened up immediately, eyes averted as the queen looked at him, and Changhyun did the same. Byunghun bit his lip, hesitating, and Jonghyun gently smacked his thigh.
He lifted his head, and without a word the queen started walking again. Her followers lagged, several forgetting themselves and staring at Byunghun with their mouths open before Changhyun directed their attention to the fact that they'd been left behind.
Jonghyun grabbed Byunghun's arm and dragged him all the way back to their home without a word.
The queen was silent as she and her ladies continued on their walk, her hands folded in front of her. Though she nodded along to what her servants were saying, her expression showed that her mind was far away.
She'd only looked at the boy's face for a moment, had barely let her gaze linger, and yet he seemed burned into her mind. As she walked, she found herself obsessing over the soft features of his face, the shape of his eyes and the way his hair fell into them...
"Who is he," she said finally, not looking at her matron as she addressed her. "The boy."
"Wonchung. He was with the other one and their attendant." The older woman's voice was calm and even as she spoke. "He is the thief the guards caught in the palace. This was the king's punishment for him."
She stiffened, and her eyes took on an even colder stare as she stalwartly continued walking.
"I see. I was not consulted... do the King's Laws no longer apply to the king?"
"Your consent is only sought for the women, my lady. There are not any laws in regards to the men."
The queen pressed her lips into a thin line, merely nodding in response. Her husband had taken in another boy as a lover without her knowledge, and a thief no less...
A beautiful thief. She'd have to keep her eye on this situation.
She pressed her nails into her palms and tried to force the image of him from her mind.
Pairing: Chanhee/Byunghun
Rating: PG
Genre: AU
Previous Chapters: One, Two
Disclaimer: They belong to Andy, not me.
Minsoo woke Byunghun before the sun rose; Chanhee had rolled off him sometime during the night, and the boy had ended up curled on his side, face buried in one of the pillows scattered all around them. The guard gently shook Byunghun awake, holding a finger to his lips when the sleepy eyes opened and looked up at him.
"You're to leave his chambers before daybreak," he whispered, taking the boy's hands and helping him up. His clothes fell open and he wobbled on his feet; Minsoo braced the boy, letting him lean against his side, and deftly wrapped his clothes back around him. "Come. There's a boy outside to take you back."
He helped Byunghun out the door, past the guards who looked at him with distaste, and handed him off to the waiting attendant. Byunghun was slightly more alert by then, his eyes blinking rapidly, and a blush rushed his face as he realised his clothes were slipping again.
"You'll adjust to this soon enough," Minsoo murmured, securing Byunghun's top again and nodding his head. "Sleep well."
With that, he disappeared back into the king's chambers, leaving Byunghun standing with the young, sleepy-faced attendant. He looked at the boy and wrapped his arms around himself, making sure his clothing didn't fall open again.
"Changhyun," the boy said by way of introduction. He touched the small of Byunghun's back, making him jump in surprise, and gave him an innocent smile. "Let's go."
The pair made their way through the grounds, Changhyun waving to guards whenever they passed them. He was a personable child, younger than most Byunghun had met so far. But it was obvious he knew that Byunghun was here against his will. If he slowed his walk, Changhyun slowed with him. If he stepped to one side, putting more space between them, Changhyun shifted as well, closing the gap.
It was a little frustrating, but at least they seemed to trust him enough that they didn't send armed guards with him now.
"I've been assigned to take care of you." Byunghun stopped on the steps of the pavilion and looked back at the boy; he was staring very resolutely at the ground. "If there is anything you ever require..."
Byunghun bit his lip, hand immediately jumping to scratch the back of his head. It was already strange enough to him, what with Jonghyun having taken care of him the first few days, and servants bringing his food. He was used to doing everything by himself...
"Please, go inside. Sleep well." Changhyun bowed his head a little and watched Byunghun until the door slid shut.
It was Jonghyun who woke Byunghun next, later in the morning. Sunlight had filled the room they shared, and the younger boy had waited impatiently for the sleeping man to wake. When he could no longer stand it, he gently shook him, whispering in his ear for him to wake up.
"Are you well?" he asked as Byunghun blinked awake. His hands fidgeted in his lap, and several times he had to stop himself from stripping the blankets away to examine his body. "Are you in pain? I have medicine, but I'm afraid it might not help much..."
Byunghun's mind was still too cluttered with sleep to fully understand what Jonghyun was saying. He shook his head and waved a hand at the boy as he sat up, trying to quiet him and his embarrassing questions.
"I'm fine... you were worried about me?"
The boy made an annoyed sound in his throat and tugged at Byunghun's clothes, looking down as they came open easily in his hands.
"Of course I was... tell me what happened."
Byunghun bit his lip and rubbed his inexplicably sore eyes, the night replaying in his head. The beginning... the beginning had been cold and cruel.
"He... he told me I'm his until I die," he whispered, and he could feel Jonghyun frowning at him. "And he took my top off, and laid on top of me, and... he slept with his head on my chest."
He touched the spot where the king's head had rested the night before, and he could feel his heartbeat through his skin. Absently he rubbed his skin, sure he could still feel the warmth of his cheek and the tickle of his hair somehow. Jonghyun rested his hand on Byunghun's arm to stall the movement.
"He didn't make you sleep with him?" Byunghun shook his head, and Jonghyun stared at him in surprise. "Why not?"
"I... he said it was obvious I was uncomfortable with him. He was afraid I wouldn't come willingly in the future if he... if he made me do anything." Jonghyun just blinked slowly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You cried."
"I did not."
"You did. I can see it around your eyes. The colour I put on your face has lines in it." Jonghyun cupped Byunghun's cheeks and rubbed his thumbs under his eyes. Byunghun sat very still, closing his eyes, jaw tensing a little. "The king must already be very fond of you..."
"It didn't feel as if he was." The younger boy chuckled and Byunghun felt him shift closer; he jumped a little when he felt the puff of cool air against his eyelids. "His bodyguard scared me."
Jonghyun stroked Byunghun's hair down against his forehead, and Byunghun opened his eyes to catch a curious look on his face. It was strange how the boy managed to look much older and wiser than he was.
"Byunghun, I know you don't want to be here... your being here is as a wild animal being caged." He bit his lip and met Byunghun's eyes. "It's natural to despise the cage, and everything that comes along with it, especially the one who put you there. From your point of view, the king may have been heartless last night... yet from mine, as a man who knows him well and has been with him much longer? He was kind, maybe even loving. You saw a gentleness few have seen."
Byunghun wasn't so sure about that. He had heard the king could be merciless, of course. Everyone had. Which was why his continued survival had been so surprising, until he'd been told why he'd been kept alive. Maybe the king wasn't as ruthless as he'd believed, but he certainly wasn't loving or gentle. What loving person would make a man into a wonchung as a punishment?
When the conversation had tapered off, Jonghyun decided that they were going to walk around the grounds. Byunghun was going to be here a long time, as unhappy as he was about it, and Jonghyun felt that he needed to know where things were. He called on Changhyun to bring water for them to wash up, and when Byunghun's face was finally clean and he'd gotten dressed properly (with the impatient Jonghyun's help), the young boy dragged him outside into the sunlight.
"There are places that are off-limits to us," Jonghyun murmured as they walked, gesturing toward a building with chest-high walls around it, "and we're not to go to the place where the king and his ministers meet and discuss policy, or the queen's chambers. But there's many places we are allowed... the gardens are nice, and it's fun to watch the king at his archery range."
Changhyun, trailing behind them, murmured something and grabbed the back of Byunghun's jeogori; Byunghun stopped immediately, and Jonghyun grabbed his hand to try and pull him back a few steps.
"Byunghun. Byunghun, come..." there was tension in Changhyun's voice, and Byunghun was stepping back to them when something tripped him and he tumbled backwards with a soft yelp.
"Oops," the man standing over him said flatly. It was another servant, a large middle-aged man with a dour face, followed by several other men. "You seem to have stepped on my foot."
"You did that on purpose. Apologise." Changhyun knelt down next to Byunghun, shooting a dark look up at the man. "Are you injured, Byunghun?"
Byunghun shook his head, sitting up and rubbing his elbow as he muttered that he was fine, and Changhyun moved to help him up. The large servant, however, just laughed and pushed Changhyun's shoulder, knocking the boy over as well.
"Stop doting on the whores, boy." He looked down at Byunghun coldly before turning away, calling over his shoulder. "Decent men would rather kill themselves than do what they do."
Changhyun rolled to his feet and took a few steps after the servants, his hands curled into fists at his sides, expression livid. Byunghun, shocked by what had just happened, just stared at him. It was Jonghyun who stopped him, grabbing his arm and clinging to it to keep him from following the men.
"Changhyun... Changhyunnie, don't..." Jonghyun whined, tugging on him as he tried to squirm loose. "Let it go. They're not worth it."
Byunghun reached up and took Changhyun's hand, tugging it gently.
"Changhyun, please..." he murmured, and the boy let out a frustrated growl and stopped fighting to follow them. Jonghyun hesitantly let go of him, and Changhyun squeezed Byunghun's hand in his own. "It's okay..."
The small boy turned and took his other hand, pulling Byunghun to his feet carefully. He kept his eyes averted, but the stormy expression on his youthful face didn't leave much to the imagination. Jonghyun brushed dust off of Byunghun's back and sighed.
"Some of the servants... don't care for us," he muttered. "That one especially. He doesn't feel the king should have us around... a lot of the guards are the same, though most are less inclined to do anything about it as they're younger and more afraid of the king."
Changhyun cleared his throat, and the two boys looked at him. With a jerk of his head, he turned their attention to an approaching group of people, and Jonghyun tugged Byunghun's sleeve.
The queen was out in front. The boys backed away from the path, and Jonghyun reached to grab the back of Byunghun's head and push it down. He'd been staring, which was generally discouraged. Byunghun grumbled and pulled on Jonghyun's sleeve as the queen and her ladies drew closer.
The group went quiet as it approached, all eyes on the three young men. It didn't take long for the whispers to start, however. The handmaids hid their mouths behind their hands as the queen stopped and turned to the boys.
Byunghun couldn't even see her eyes, but he could feel how cold her gaze was.
"Lift your heads."
Jonghyun straightened up immediately, eyes averted as the queen looked at him, and Changhyun did the same. Byunghun bit his lip, hesitating, and Jonghyun gently smacked his thigh.
He lifted his head, and without a word the queen started walking again. Her followers lagged, several forgetting themselves and staring at Byunghun with their mouths open before Changhyun directed their attention to the fact that they'd been left behind.
Jonghyun grabbed Byunghun's arm and dragged him all the way back to their home without a word.
The queen was silent as she and her ladies continued on their walk, her hands folded in front of her. Though she nodded along to what her servants were saying, her expression showed that her mind was far away.
She'd only looked at the boy's face for a moment, had barely let her gaze linger, and yet he seemed burned into her mind. As she walked, she found herself obsessing over the soft features of his face, the shape of his eyes and the way his hair fell into them...
"Who is he," she said finally, not looking at her matron as she addressed her. "The boy."
"Wonchung. He was with the other one and their attendant." The older woman's voice was calm and even as she spoke. "He is the thief the guards caught in the palace. This was the king's punishment for him."
She stiffened, and her eyes took on an even colder stare as she stalwartly continued walking.
"I see. I was not consulted... do the King's Laws no longer apply to the king?"
"Your consent is only sought for the women, my lady. There are not any laws in regards to the men."
The queen pressed her lips into a thin line, merely nodding in response. Her husband had taken in another boy as a lover without her knowledge, and a thief no less...
A beautiful thief. She'd have to keep her eye on this situation.
She pressed her nails into her palms and tried to force the image of him from her mind.