Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Han Yoojin was never the one to bother with necessary dirt. He endured the grime, soldering on with layers of dust as they cannot be helped. It came hand in hand with hard labor, it was something to show his efforts of trials and errors. Still, dirt was dirt, something to be scrubbed or washed off, a pain in the ass, and also a hassle.

Dust in your eyes is just as annoying as sand in your mouth. Fortunately for him, he had a pleasure to experience both.

With his eyes shut tight, he endures the strong gusts of wind that tries to knock him off of his feet. The only reason that he is still standing is because of Peace, snuggling close to him, wrapped all around him. They are standing a good kilometer away from the action yet he still grinds sand underneath his teeth. He feels Peace whipping his ears back and forth every now and then to shake off the residue of dirt, but all over he doesn't seem all too bothered by it. The noise that comes with the far away fight is bearable, not too loud to harm his poor eardrums, but not too quiet either in case something needs to be heard by him. It's not like Peace couldn't jump in in his stead, or just outright refuse him to engage, but still, he is here for a reason- no, actually he is the reason that everyone is here — could be here — so let's not restrain him for no reason.

He is starting to get a bit tired, too. He knows he is pushing it a bit — with so many skills active at once — but anything for his dongsaeng. He can drink mana potions now and he can rest later. Results are important, it can't be helped.

He sighs, rueful with his limitations, Low ranked life is hard, he thinks as he stumbles with another gust of wind. He doesn't want to risk opening his eyes and getting god-knows-what in it, so he blindly pets Peace's fur for his diligent effort of keeping him standing and the Horned Flame Lion accepts his pats with a few satisfied noises. At that, he wishes he could see the adorable sight that Peace is probably making, but safety first.

Diarma's skill takes a lot of effort to uphold regardless of how many accepted the offer to join the mindscape. He learned from the fight that he had with Sung Hyunjae and then with Yoohyun-ie last time. He can conjure up enough mana to uphold the space and participate in a conversation that happens, but engaging in the fight that will most definitely happen — and is currently happening — is out of question if he doesn't wish to shorten his already limited life span. Still, it seems like Yoohyun-ie is enjoying the fight with the annoying ahjussi pulling up various skills and appearances from their past experiences.

If Young Chaos were to know of this fight happening he would chew him out, asking if he has a death wish or something, or if he thinks that the mana inscription can do miracles if he keeps testing its limits.

Anyway, what he doesn't know can't hurt him.

It will be fine anyway, Han Yoojin is just creating a possibility for the two strongest S Rank he has in his reach to let off some steam. No harm done, plus! he gets to collect data, so does Sung Hyunjae, for future reference for his Combat Foresight, it's a win-win. It is.

So why does he keep butting in?

[Time to go home!╰⁠(⁠*⁠´⁠ ︶⁠`⁠ *⁠)⁠╯]

It's not even a dungeon dungeon, how does he keep sending notifications? Albeit very cryptic ones… Just say what you want to say.

[No time to waste, really! ( •̀ ω •́ )✧]

[Perfect timing! (☆▽☆)]

…

He has been ignoring them for a while now as they weren't anything important. None of them said anything specific so he just thought Newcomer just wanted to put him to work again — as if he didn't have a lot on his plate already! — by sweet talking him. But at this point it's making him question his judgment as the notification list just goes on.

Peace hasn't shown signs of distress so there's nothing nearby that would cause Newcomer to fuss around. The two S Ranks are in a safe distance too. They must have gotten the notifications too, but they are still at it, fighting without end in sight, so they mustn't be too bothered by the ushering either. Well, if they would be then that would mean there is a reason for Han Yoojin to fret, but since they aren't he lets the pop-up notification be and sigh as he feels a layer of sand already gathering on him like a second skin.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to head home.

[Wishing you a safe trip home! (╯▽╰ ; )]

He did not say that out loud, so buzz off.

[Please! No more sweet potatoes! (；′⌒`)]

Oh, well. Hm. It's uh… He is getting desperate, isn't he? Maybe he should ease up on him a bit.

Uh, Newcomer has his work cut out for him as well. Though, Han Yoojin has it worse, but still.

[Home, sweet home! Honey! (╥﹏╥)]

Ah, whatever.

He awkwardly clears his throat and scratches at his neck. They can put an end to it now, he guesses.

He blindly pats around for Peace, who bumps his head against his palm as if to help him out, "Ready to go, Peace-ah?"

The noise that would have been an answer from the Horned Flame Lion is drowned out by the loud wind, but Han Yoojin understood him regardless.

He turns towards the source of the harsh wind and sand. He somewhat measures out where the other two might be and braces himself for a mouthful of dirt that will land on his teeth and tongue.

"Yoohyun-ah!"

It's unfair to distract his dongsaeng in midst of a fight, but it is all more worth it once the noise cuts right off signaling that Han Yoohyun's attention snaps right back at him, and without a second thought he brings out Azure Willow Leaves to abandon Sung Hyunjae and settle by his side in no time.

"Hyung."

Though the sand storm has settled, Han Yoojin dares not open his eyes yet. He feels his dongsaeng put his hands on him as if to look for any signs of injury, then gently pat the dirt off of him. His fingers swipe over his face gently clearing the residue sand that could have fallen into his eyes.

His dongsaeng is so great.

"Hyung," he repeats oh so gently and Han Yoojin can't ignore him and lets his eyes open. His vision is a bit blurry, making his dongsaeng a bit hard to see. He hopes he can blink it away soon, but until then he can sharpen his ears. He sounds somewhere between worried and excited, as someone who has yet to calm his heart from a fight. Well, Han Yoojin can understand.

By the time he opens his eyes again after a quick rub from his own hands, Sung Hyunjae made it as well. He doesn't stand all that far away so he still hears him when he speaks, but Han Yoojin can guess that there is a Peace and Yoohyun-ie sized wall in between them, "Not a fan of sand, Han Yoojin-gun?" Though he doesn't sound so phased by it.

The question — or rather the man himself — irritates him enough to rub his eyes a bit too hard. It causes him to see stars behind his eye lids, but while his vision recovers he turns his head towards where Sung Hyunjae should be standing to glare at him, "There's nothing to like about it. One speck leaves me all teared up. A mere S Rank couldn't relate to such trouble."

As the stars from his vision dissipate, but the general blur still remains, he holds a hand out for his dongsaeng — who takes it eagerly — and adds before Sung Hyunjae can irritate him further, "Now let's go! I still have an afternoon to spend with Yoohyun-ie."

He deactivates Diarma's skill and it leaves him a bit disoriented. Nausea hits him and he feels the world spin under his feet, but the discomfort soon fades as he arrives back to himself on a soft couch.

"Hyung, are you okay?" is the first thing he hears, and Han Yoojin can not help melt under his dongsaeng's careful words, but a quick headache is quick to trample over him to ruin the moment all together for him.

He feels the harsh light above before seeing it, thus he keeps his eyes shut to avoid worsening the headache. "I'm fine, Yoohyun-ah. Can you-"

"Drink a mana potion!" Han Yoohyun says before his hyung could even ask for it. How nice.

"Han Yoojin-gun."

"Go away."

"Ah, it's fine," Han Yoojin says — though, he shares the sentiment — as he takes the potion from his dongsaeng and gulps it down in one go. It doesn't do a lot, but enough for his brain to stop hammering against his skull. Now he can just lean on his dongsaeng's shoulder and wrap things up and be done with it. It's important to spend time with your family after all and as far away as possible from work, but also from Sung Hyunjae.

He turns his head on Han Yoohyun's shoulder, his forehead rubbing against the material of his shirt, as he looks at the waiting Sung Hyunjae with a scowl.

Well.

Look is a strong word, perhaps. He soldiers on all the same, without a hitch, ready to send the Seseong Guild Leader home.

"Now that all is-"

"A second, Han Yoojin-gun," Sung Hyunjae cuts in and Han Yoojin scowls harder at him, he can only hope that he is looking convincing enough. He sits up straight, waiting for whatever the man is going to say.

Han Yoohyun surprisingly leaves his side the second his head rolls off of his shoulder and he is already missing the warmth that it gave him. Peace is fast to curl up in his lap instead, filling the void, he almost flinches at the sudden appearance, but he settles on petting him nonetheless.

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"None," he says, without any hesitation at the sudden (and suspicious) question and morphs his expression into something unimpressed as possible.

He is not stupid. He is not going to play into Sung Hyunjae's little games-

"I'm going to burn your damned fingers off! How dare you show hyung that finger?! You-"

Fuck.

So he did hold up fingers for him, that bastard. So much for that.

"What's wrong with that finger? If I change fingers and make a circle too, then it would-"

"Are you a fucking pervert?! I'm going to kill you! Do not get near hyung!"

Even with the lack of sight and the intervention from his dongsaeng, Han Yoojin got the gist of what Sung Hyunjae could have been signing away with his fingers. Pervert, indeed, and old one at that. But if it weren't for the all consuming flames that will soon destroy the building in retaliation Han Yoojin would berate Sung Hyunjae for showing his dongsaeng such a vulgar sign, but alas he still needs this building to stay intact.

"Yoohyun-ah, Yoohyun-ah don't let him get the rise out of you," he says, blindly reaching for his dongsaeng. This sucks. He doesn't know where he is, but at least his dongsaeng is fast to gravitate towards him once addressed. He soothes him as his anger towards the bastard turns to worry for his hyung. He cannot see it, but he can feel it. His dongsaeng runs a bit hot.

So, instead of addressing the burning question that he knows Han Yoohyun wishes to pose, Han Yoojin changes target. He whips his head up where he last heard from Sung Hyunjae and says, "And you. Act your age, ahjussi."

"This behavior is well within my age range," the answer comes from the other side of the room.

It surprises him, but he still tries to glare as he turns his head, "Then do better."

He hears the obnoxious smile in his voice as he answers, "I shall."

It goes downhill from there.

A conference room in the kiseungsu rearing facility is filled to the brim with its director's bodyguards — a safety hazard thing if the media gets a wind of one too many S Ranks gathering in one place — just under an hour after Han Yoojin's loss of sight was discovered. Damn you, Seseong ahjussi!

In Han Yoojin's humble opinion — which, of course, went unheard —, this is too much. There's no need to beat the big drums and gather everyone just for his sake, he can take care of himself just fine, and if not (god forbid he is rendered that useless) his beloved kids are still here, thank you very so much. They have been pestering him about his health, day and night, enough for him to get used to it and let them get their way as they hand him vitamins and schedule his days as they pleased.

Though in all seriousness he kind of understands. Well, he tries. He is an F Rank, he is weaker than all of the people gathered here, and he is, to some extent, a goldmine waiting to be kidnapped and exploited once eyes are averted. Sure, he admits to all of that with a light heart, there's no reason he should say otherwise. But damn, he is an adult too at the very least! He lived alone for most of his life — even if not for so long in this one — and took care of his dongsaeng by himself.

Navigating his living quarters blindly for a few weeks should be a piece of cake!

Alas, he is the only one with that opinion.

"As the Young Miss has said—"

"I don't need superv—"

"—the Young Master will be out for a week or so due to his Guild Leader obligations. That was the very reason why we scheduled the previous appointment for today."

Ugh, that damned bastard. At least hear him out! "I said, I don't need—"

"I can cancel it. Hyung is more important."

In any other cases Han Yoojin would be jumping in delight to spend time with his dongsaeng, but now it is just overbearing. He tried to convince him that he is fine, he will get better in no time, and that loss of vision is a relatively normal thing and had happened before, and he too knows it doesn't leave permanent damage. Well, it didn't leave any last time.

Unfortunately, Han Yoohyun was far from persuaded. Though, Han Yoojin was able to talk his brother down from locking him away in his room for the time being. Small mercies.

Thus, the conference room it is, where he is being spoken over as if he wasn't even there. His only audience is Peace in his lap, purring away. Though, he is more than sure if the Horned Flame Lion had the chance to vote, he too would be against Hay Yoojin's solo stay.

"With all due respect, Guild Leader-nim, but you cannot just cancel it. You have an S Rank dungeon to raid and all preparations have been made for you to leave with your team in due time. Besides, journalists who have registered for pre- and post-raid interviews have been picked and approved as well. You can not cancel."

"You heard him, Han Yoohyun! Ahjussi will stay with me! And Peace! Myeongwoo oppa is always in the Forge so might as well him too!"

"Yerim-ah, there's really—"

"Bak Yerim-ssi, you also have obligations with your current team, an A Rank dungeon to be precise, to practice your dynamic. Moreover, Peace has to accompany Guild Leader-nim as well."

"Ah, damn."

"Can we just not—"

"Yoo Myeongwoo-ssi on the other hand is a potential candidate. We just have to wait until he is done in the Forge, he shall not be disturbed until that."

Seok Simyeong is as diligent as ever… Though, he is kind of doing him a favor here. If no one slips through his filters then he is truly left either with Myeongwoo or with himself. He truly doesn't wish to bother Myeongwoo as he is rather busy these days, and also, he is a bit scary when it comes to Han Yoojin's health…

"While it would certainly be amusing to take care of Yoojin-ssi and spend some time together, the Breaker Guild is loaded with work! Though, I can come by from time to time, if my schedule allows it."

"Thank you, Moon Hyuna-ssi. Your words will be considered."

"No problem."

Han Yoojin can trust no one. Not even Moon Hyuna, who he thought was a considerate friend and would tell everyone to stop babying him; not Seok Simyeong, though he was never really interested in trusting him over Han Yoohyun; but not even his kids — especially not his kids! — who are now ganging up on each other and butting heads as if Han Yoojin's company was a price to win.

As he can't see his surroundings, Han Yoojin sharpens his ears. When he was led into the room he was sat down at the center. The position would be really nice if he was actually the one conducting this conference and not everyone else around him. But he takes this as an opportunity to listen in on everything.

He is sure that the kids are to his left and Seok Simyeong is in front of him — burning a mark into the rug while making rounds inside of the circular conference table — as they make up most of the noises inside of the room.

Noah is absent, he went back to France with his big sister for some "bonding time." Han Yoojin is a bit worried about how that will turn out, but at least he doesn't have to worry about being left with Noah to care for him. He is a good kid, he knows that, but a kid regardless, he should have no business taking care of an adult like him. Though, knowing Noah he would still jump at the opportunity like Yerim-ah…

Anyway.

Han Yoojin has Moon Hyuna somewhere further away to his right. She probably chose a seat closer to Yerim-ah, but an even closer seat to the exit. He doesn't blame her for the distance, though it has been a while since they had spent time together. They should go out for a drink sometime. Otherwise, it's no surprise for him that she is not bidding for him as Moon Hyuna has always been confident in her tasks and duties. She learned to choose her battles wisely even if the battle is a small fry like him. (Han Yoojin hopes that if not him then Moon Hyuna will teach Yerim-ah the lesson of knowing when to take part in something and when to abstain from them. He thinks Yerim-ah would benefit a lot from that sentiment in the future.)

Song Taewon-ssi is absent as well, he declined the conference offer the second it was proposed, but he is sure that Sung Hyunjae will bother him with the details that he missed out on. So Han Yoojin doesn't have to worry about him—

Wait. Wait. Wait, pause! Sung Hyunjae.

Han Yoojin feels himself sit up straight, rocking Peace in his lap. He looks around- well, fuck, he whips his head around, searching.

That bastard has been suspiciously quiet ever since he brought up Yoohyun-ie's dungeon raid.

He sits awkwardly now, keeping a perked ear for any noise from the man. From left to right he shuffles his weight on the chair, rocking the now complaining Peace as if the poor thing was on a rowdy boat, just to release some stress that comes with the inevitable doom of Sung Hyunjae's interventions.

He is planning something, he knows it. He cannot see the bastard's ugly smirk that never bodes well, but he can feel it. Something in his bones is just telling him to run, consequences be damned, just do not let him get his way or he will be getting the short end of the stick. As he always does.

He needs to bolt. He doesn't care that more than one S Ranked is within an arm's reach from him. He had escaped a Chinese military prison before (more or less), he sure can get away from here too. They will notice his absence within a second or even less, sure, he doesn't expect less from them, but it still would be a head start for him. Knowing his dongsaeng though, him running away would not result in softening his stance on the matter and letting him be until he comes back, but rather tighten it and make sure his hyung really has supervision as he likes to play Houdini.

Though, that's just speculation and there's only one way to find out.

"May I suggest something?"

And there it is, the voice that he did not want to hear. The agitating, grating voice of his downfall finalized. Everything he had planned for his escape is now up and gone with the wind.

"Of course, you may, Seseong Guild leader-nim," says Seok Simyeong.

Alright, that's just too much formality, even for Sung Hyunjae. There's no need to suck up to him this much. It isn't like he is the blind one here — at least not in this timeline, he isn't.

"No, he does not. This is a matter that me and hyung can handle between ourselves. This meeting was nothing but a courtesy, keeping everyone informed."

Han Yoojin knows well that his dongsaeng is a guild leader, but seeing him act like one is still so foreign. Assigning commands and telling people what to do and not to do suits him well, like a CEO or a doctor he could have been if not for the dungeons. But he is none of that, nor can he command a handful of S Ranks as he pleases.

"The Young Master cannot handle this by himself as it has been proved previously by his schedule," Sung Hyunjae says with ease as if he was ready for this fight, and he has no intention of losing. "I mean no ill will when I say that I do not trust any assigned Hunters that your Guild would provide in your absence. The chances of Han Yoojin-gun slipping past high ranked Hunters grow with each attempt of kidnapping and imprisonment. I'm afraid he is building up a rather impressive resume in that experience."

Damn this man, just damn him.

Unfortunately for him, Sung Hyunjae is building up a good argument here, but he is using Han Yoojin's rare talent of getting out of trouble and avoiding violence of any kind in captivity! Which is usually a good thing! Now he is making it sound as if it was something to be cautious of!

The silence that seizes the conference room is not something comforting either. Han Yoojin hears his dongsaeng's hesitation in that silence. Though he also hears something akin to a choked down laugh… That was probably either Moon Hyuna or Yerim-ah.

The second he hears a deep sigh he knows it's lost cause, and Sung Hyunjae won his dongsaeng over.

He tries his damnest to look over at his Yoohyun-ah and plead his case, but all in vain. He feels his eyes moving around frantically in their sockets but he is still no closer to seeing the blinding lights in the room, let alone his dongsaeng. He tries reaching out with his hand, clasping one in his, but his dongsaeng only tightens his grip and says nothing.

"As for my suggestion," Sung Hyunjae starts up again and Han Yoojin feels his neck snap with the urgency that his head turns towards the voice. He holds his dongsaeng's hand in his own still as he tries to narrow his unseeing eyes at the man in the distance. He is no Daredevil but he swears that he hears that small laugh that comes with a smile on Sung Hyunjae's face when something peaks his interest. "I would like to reassemble our contract about the supervision of Han Yoojin-gun that we made in the past. I would oversee and protect Han Yoojin-gun mostly from himself but of course possible threats too in the Young Master's and the Young Miss' absence. The details can be arranged due to the special predicament of the situation, but it would not be anything that he has not experienced before in my house before the Ruler of the Fog Sea visited so unkindly."

If-, if he says it like that it sounds like an offer that he would be stupid to decline! Also, is it not him that Sung Hyunjae should be addressing and not Yoohyun-ah!? He is the guardian not the other way around! He is not only a cargo to be taken care of until he is safe for another send off? Hello? He, too, has an opinion about this! This is affecting him! He could spend a week with the bastard, sure, he had already done that before and he lived and was well taken care of against all the odds, but that doesn't mean he wants to! This is absurd!

"Seok Simyeong. Call off the guards. Supervision has been taken care of, but not yet finalized."

"Understood."

"Breaker and Haeyeon Guild abstain from the supervision until further notice. If the media catches wind, tell them it was a need-to-know meeting concerning the Facility," Yoohyun-ah says and Han Yoojin finds himself needing to catch his breath instead of him. "If Moon Hyuna-ssi agrees she still will be assigned as a possible contact in case of emergency."

"That's all good with me. If Yoojin causes any trouble with Hyunjae I want to be there. I could use a good fight."

"Let's hope there will be no need for that," Seok Simyeong says and while Han Yoojin cannot see it he feels the man's stare on him. As if it's on him if S Ranks decide to duke it out! He just… always happens to be nearby, swear!

Moon Hyuna shares no burden with him of Seok Simyeong's lawfully lethal gaze and agrees without a hitch, "But of course!"

"As for Seseong Guild." In the end his dongsaeng finishes this whole thing at last. But not without a sigh as he addresses Sung Hyunjae. It's a sentiment he — and a few other people — can share. "We will be in contact."

"I'm looking forward to it," the bastard says and Han Yoojin knows that his fate is sealed.

While his tomorrow is determined and set in stone, there's still today to be conquered. What remained of it, that is.

He was escorted home by the kids after the "meeting" was adjourned. They talked all the way home, making plans for what they would do, while he absentmindedly patted Peace in his lap. His low purrs fit well with the kids' argument ringing in his ears from both sides. It grounded him.

The whole blind thing sucked, if he is being honest. He was already an F Rank surrounded by one too many S Ranks, now he was useless in the eye departments as well. Another thing he can put on the ever growing list of what he lacks in. Though, lucky for him this isn't permanent. Although, it's true that he can only thank himself for this setback. Though, it would have been better if the consequences were not Sung Hyunjae.

In any case, you reap what you sow, and he still has a night to spend with his kids. He is going to enjoy that to the fullest, eye sight be damned. It's not always that they all have a free afternoon.

However,

"Is this really necessary…?" he asks after standing in the living room for more than ten minutes, told not to move a muscle or else.

"Don't be stupid, ahjussi!" Yerim-ah says from his left as she passes him by. She takes his hand, turns it counter clockwise and places something in it before she is gone again. It's only because of her voice that he knows where she went. "You could get injured at any moment. We need to make sure if you end up bumping into something you will not get hurt just, I don't know, surprised."

"Yerim-ah," he sighs because this is ridiculous. "I know the layout of our home like the back of my hand. No need to baby proof the place."

He hears the shuffling stop then. Maybe that's a win.

"Really?" she asks, hesitant.

He tries to locate her, offering a hand in her general direction. When she takes it, he reassures her, "Really."

"Alright, ahjussi," she giggles, "Where's the coffee table from where we stand?"

Shit. Okay. That should be easy. He cannot be further in the room than a few steps and due to Yerim-ah's pacing from left to right the coffee table should be on his left. He tells Yerim-ah the same.

"Good guess, ahjussi!" she says enthusiastically, but doesn't correct him.

"Was I correct?" he asks just to be sure.

There's another giggle and Han Yoojin now feels like he just chose another losing battle. "You said you knew the layout. Shouldn't you know if you were correct or not?"

He doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. Yerim-ah has always been smart but using her sass on him is something to get used to. Yoohyun-ie never did this to him. Though he was a rather mature teen… Maybe he is not a comparison in this.

"So what did you hand me, anyway?" he asks instead. Yerim-ah doesn't seem bothered by the diversion as she squeezes his hand before letting go and backing away to continue her work.

"Protective wear," she says flatly, but he knows her well enough to know she is close to bursting out laughing. Then she adds, "Yoohyun bought it."

Well. It cannot be helped then. He should wear it if his dongsaeng bought it for him.

"Where is he anyway?" It's odd for Yoohyun-ah to wander off, especially since they wanted to spend the day together. He has to go to a dungeon tomorrow. He expected him to attach himself to him and never let go until the day ends, but apparently he thought wrong.

"Oh, he is safe proofing the bedroom. Sung Hyunjae ahjussi told him a few pointers."

"Why would that bastard do that?"

"He said he had experience with ahjussi in his bedroom. Before and after the encounter with the Jellyfish, too." Yerim-ah says as she continues to do whatever she was doing without a hitch and it leaves him gaping.

That- that! Saying such a thing to his kids! "Yerim-ah. Stay away from that bastard."

"What? Why-? Ahjussi what's with that face!"

"Hyung."

"Yoohyun-ah. You stay away from the Seseong bastard as well."

"Okay, hyung."

"You won't even question it, Yoohyun? Or why did ahjussi say it?"

"I believe in hyung's judgment." Yoohyun-ah says and Han Yoojin couldn't be happier. He hears his dongsaeng padding closer to him — probably making all the noise he usually wouldn't so he knows where he is — and takes him by the elbow. He starts to guide him somewhere as he says, "Hyung what do you want to do? Are you hungry?"

As far as distractions go, it is a rather comfortable one. Yoohyun-ah sits him down on what seems to be their couch as he thinks of his answer to his questions.

Also. The coffee table was in fact not on his left. But whatever, he already lost that fight to Yerim-ah.

"I'm not hungry yet," says as he makes himself comfortable. He feels Peace jump on too next to him, then slowly make his way into his lap. It is becoming a habit, one he can't say he minds. Yerim-ah must have jumped too as the couch dips heavily and the springs scream in protest and Peace's tail whips him in his annoyance.

"Don't hog ahjussi all to yourself, Peace. Sharing is caring," she all but wines into Peace's fur then settles down beside him, putting a pillow behind his head. "Comfy?"

From the other side Yoohyun-ah sneaks on the couch as well, but not as close as the other two before him. He knows he is there, even with the distance. Only half of his weight rests there though, as if he is ready to move and get up from the couch if Han Yoojin says so. He would get him anything if he asks.

Both of his arms are full with Yerim and Peace, but he manages to turn his head towards what he hopes is the location of his dear dongsaeng. "Are you hungry, Yoohyun-ah?" he tries with a small smile.

He hears a soft scoff, something close to a laugh but not quiet. "No, hyung."

"Then I guess we will make something later together."

"Ahjussi, you didn't ask if I was hungry! Unfair!"

"I know when you are hungry, Yerim-ah. You would have told me without being asked."

"Still!"

He laughs then. "Alright, are you hungry, Yerim-ah?"

"Nope!"

"What are you, a kid?"

"Says you, who smiled so weirdly when ahjussi asked him the same thing!"

A weird feeling surges in him now that he knows that he missed something important like that, his dongsaeng smiling at him. He recovers fast though, before the battle of wills escalates. "Alright, no fighting. I can't see but I can still hear. Don't burst my eardrums please." He suppresses a laugh when they both quiet down immediately. "So, what happened to that list on the way back home? No more plans? Already checked them without me?"

The protest comes in unison. Yerim-ah even leans away from him in a fast motion to slap on the couch cushion as if she was furious with the thought alone. Yoohyun-ah on the other hand scooted closer, now both legs on the couch.

"Then, what to do?" There aren't a lot of fun things around here that don't require you to have two fully functioning eyes. Maybe it is slowly sinking in for him that how important his sight is for him. He depends on it a lot, apparently. Maybe this will be harder to get used to than he initially thought. If this were to happen again he needs to be ready. He will make sure to have some contingency plans. Though it would be better if it wouldn't happen again. But even he is well aware that's a big thing to ask as someone with one too many high ranking skills stuck in a weak body.

"We could listen to the radio!" Yerim-ah is the first to break the dwelling silence.

"Is there any station that plays something this late in the afternoon?" he asks. He had the unpleasant experience of sitting a whole hour of DJ-ing with terrible remixes once the radio hosts were out of the studio. He is sure truck drivers have ears made of steel for all the long distance they drive through with the radio on. Or maybe they listen to audio books?

Yerim-ah only hums in consideration, probably searching something on her phone to check. This is clearly something she is not well versed in, so it's doubtful she would even like listening to the radio. So he asks a follow-up question, "Wouldn't you rather watch a movie instead?"

"No, because ahjussi can't see that. There's no point in that. Beats the whole purpose," she says and continues to — now furiously — tap away at her phone to find some alternatives. Or so he thinks.

She is a good kid, very considerate. But he really doesn't want to listen to the radio right now. And he is all good at listening to what is happening in a movie while his kids watch, he tells her the same.

"No, ahjussi! You are missing out like that!" Yerim-ah groans as she shakes her gently. "Yoohyun! Speak some sense into ahjussi!"

To his surprise, Yoohyun-ah doesn't shut down Yerim-ah automatically, and actually ponders over it. "What about those closed captions? The ones that detail the scenes out loud? If hyung wants that movie that bad we can make it happen."

"Oh, that might work! There's a lot of accessible tools as well!" She agrees and moves away to fumble around with the TV remote. "There has to be some kind of subscription with that in mind."

While she does that Yoohyun pats him on the shoulder, getting his attention. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather listen to a podcast or an audio book? Whatever you like."

Look how cute his kids are. If he lives to an old age or when the dungeons disappear would they try and take care of him like this as well. He wonders.

"That's sweet, but right now it sounds boring and not much of a group activity," he says as he caresses his dongsaeng's face. He doesn't need to see to commit to a muscle memory he did when he was just a kid. "Anyways, like this we can sit tight and do nothing. You need to rest before the dungeon raid. Yerim-ah too. Team building is no joke either."

"It's like a sleepover then."

"You can say that." He is unsure though. He had never been to one. "Did you find any good movies?"

"Sure! This one isn't that long either—," Yerim-ah says then cuts herself off. "Sorry, I was pointing at the screen." Ah, well. That is something to get used to for everyone. "It's an action comedy. Three older guys on the thumbnail with suits on and all."

"Sounds good, Yerim-ah."

"I'll make some popcorn then we can start," she raps out as she hurries away. Then she adds, yelling through at least four walls, "Yoohyun do not start it without me just so you can watch with ahjussi only!"

"What does she take me for…" he hears his dongsaeng mumble at that, but he hears the remote click on the coffee table nonetheless.

Like a good brother he doesn't comment on it and just makes himself comfortable for the next few hours.

After the movie they will probably won't let him help with cooking either. So he is already resigning himself to the fact that he will be sitting around a lot while others do the work. In any other situation it wouldn't be so bad, but he doesn't like to make his family or friends work.

Sung Hyunjae of course is an exception to that, but he doesn't really fit into any of those categories either. He is his partner. And partners should do work. Though, somehow the image of that bastard doing things for him like that again makes him uncomfortable. He somehow always twists things with his satisfied smirk and mannerism. How can someone look so dignified while doing the dishes?

At the very least he doesn't have to see that, just live through it. Small mercies.

"It's done!" Yerim-ah sings as she jumps onto the couch again and places what feels like a bowl near him. "Sorry Peace you have to move or ahjussi will leave oily crumbs all over you."

"Hey, leave the blind guy alone."

"Wow, ahjussi is already using it as leverage!" she gasps, oh-so falsely. "We should tell Seok Simyeong. Haeyeon could make real good deals out of this!"

"Hyung's temporary loss of vision is a secret—"

"I was joking! Read the room!"

"Let's just watch the movie…"

"Han Yoojin-ssi, please remain where you are. You may wave but do not make any movements that would indicate to the press that you do not know where is where."

He just said goodbye to Peace and Yoohyun-ah. He was made to wear sunglasses because he was told that his eyes look unnatural like this. Well, he can guess that nonfunctioning eyes don't look all that pleasing so he understands. It would also look pretty bad on the tabloids. [Haeyeon Guild Leader's Hyung, Kiseungsu Rearing Facility Director Shows Up To His Dongsaeng's Send-Off With Weird Eyes: Surgery or Hidden Skill?] No thank you. He had enough headlines like these for a lifetime.

Due to regulations Yerim-ah stayed behind for the send-off, because even if from the same Guild, S Ranks are not welcomed hanging out in the same building most of the time. So now he is stuck with Seok Simyeong and some A Ranks who help secure the place.

Not risking the press having a keen eye for gossip he didn't get any assistance or anything of the sort. The white canes were absolutely off limits. Because one, they are pretty easy to identify. It wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out what is up with him. And second, he never learned how to use those as he obviously didn't need them as a person with an objectively good vision. So canes would have been a waste of resources and it would have served no purpose either.

Thus, listening to people's instructions eagerly as he stumbles every third step he takes and hanging off of their arms it is. It's as dignified as it could get, but he had done worse — he will live.

When they are finally out of the press' sight and out of the hangar-like thing that the dungeon materialized in, he welcomes the warm sunlight on his skin. Dungeons make the air weird and humid. He is glad to get away, but the absence of his dongsaeng is felt.

The peaceful sunbathing doesn't last long.

"Han Yoojin-gun."

Fuck. Nobody said that the contract agreement is already in effect!

"I was not made aware that Sung Hyunjae-ssi would be here." The closest he gets to Don't you have better things to do, places to be at? in public. But the bastard seems to understand him just fine as he laughs at him fondly — fondly!

"I have a promise to fulfill to the Young Master, and I do not like to disappoint."

"I'm sure you don't, you are the epitome of fair business," he mumbles to himself but he knows that the bastard can hear him regardless. "Unfortunately I have yet to hear about what is stated in this agreement of yours with my brother, so you are welcome to go and swing by another time, if you must."

"Han Yoojin-gun is really lucky, I have the agreement right here. The ink is still fresh — it was signed just a few hours ago," Sung Hyunjae says as he puts his hand on his shoulder, but doesn't move it further. A way to locate him while they speak if Han Yoojin has to guess. The man always liked to be the center of attention, apparently even if he cannot be seen. "I can read it out loud for you, if you want."

"No, thank you," he scoffs. "How do I know you won't lie?"

"Cross my heart."

"Are you religious?"

"If Han Yoojin-gun doubts my words then we can look over the agreement with the Young Miss. She is very straight forward, she would not lie about the content of the agreement rather just insert herself into it, don't you think?" His tone is sly but genuine as he asks, meaning he is very sure of himself — but when he isn't. Though it's not like he is wrong per se. Yerim-ah would even shake hands with Sung Hyunjae behind Han Yoojin's back just to make sure she is included in something that his dongsaeng wrote down.

"Alright, fine!" he exclaims then lets out a long, suffering sigh. His patience is already being tested. Yoohyun-ah come home soon. "We will look over the agreement with Yerim-ah, but we will go our separate ways."

There's a silence after his small — but understandable — outburst he did not expect. It takes a few awkward seconds but Sung Hyunjae speaks up, "I regret to inform Han Yoojin-gun but there's nobody else around. Alas, your ride home is me."

"What?" he whips his head around, and his body would have followed with that motion if it weren't for Sung Hyunjae's iron grip on his shoulders. Though, the well practiced action is in vain — he can't see shit. Now there's a kink in his neck and the darkness he sees feels wiggly enough that he now doesn't even know which way he is facing.

He swears under his breath as he gets his bearing. When disability disables you, right?

This fucking sucks.

He feels a tentative touch then. A hand on his shoulder coming from behind him. Sung Hyunjae. So, it was only 180°. Though, it doesn't mean he suddenly knows what the layout of the place looks like. So the anchor point is Sung Hyunjae. What a joke.

"Han Yoojin-gun."

"What."

Sung Hyunjae doesn't answer, but it isn't like he was asked a question either. Instead he walks around him, footsteps echoing around them loudly. Well, they sound loud for him — he is becoming kind of sensitive to these things. Sung Hyunjae stops in front of him and- does nothing else.

"Han Yoojin-gun."

"I thought you don't like repeating yourself."

"Your name is not a chore to spell out. Far from it," he says, not rising for the bait as always. His hand leaves Han Yoojin's shoulder all together as if it wasn't even there to begin with, only to be replaced by two on his temples. A weird place to rest one's hand, if you ask him.

"What are you doing?" he asks, because- well, because this is weird, okay?

"Han Yoojin-gun looked in pain. Perhaps a headache in progress. You might not be able to see, but your senses still can be assaulted," he says like he knows all the things there is to be known, and sounds convincing while he is doing so. Infuriating.

"Is Sung Hyunjae-ssi a doctor by chance? Did he finish medical school while I wasn't looking?" Han Yoojin retorts but the bite of his words are lost somewhere in between them. Man, he might be onto something. His head pulses like it has no business to.

"Such a qualification would have not escaped Han Yoojin-gun's attention I fear. You are always keen for scrutiny," Sung Hyunjae replies regardless and as if he had noticed the pain settling in, he began to massage Han Yoojin's temple. "Let's take these off. They are of no purpose anymore."

Han Yoojin lets the sunglasses be taken off of him. He has no idea where they disappear to as Sung Hyunjae goes right back to work after a fast examination of head tilts from left to right with his fingers. He is sure now the sunglasses are in the man's claims and he will not be getting them back any time soon, or ever.

Deciding on not commenting on the thing that is happening right now he just adds, "And you would have boasted about it. The doctorate."

"I might have. It would have been another title to advertise."

That would have been a very on-brand thing to do, so he just scoffs at him.

"So what's the diagnosis, Doctor-ssi?" he asks because he can't stand another moment in this weird not-so silent silence. He would like to just shake this weird feeling that encircled them and be done with it.

"Nothing a little rest cannot fix," and with that the hands are gone.

He feels Sung Hyunjae step back — there's a little air to that motion — and yet he keeps himself close. If he has to guess — and he has to — he would say that Sung Hyunjae is staring at him. Staring with those weirdly gold eyes of his, analyzing him from head to toe, putting him under a magnifying glass to pick him apart detail by detail, to compensate for the lack of information that he was presented with yesterday at the so called meeting.

It is nothing new from him, so he lets him be. Sung Hyunjae always liked to domineer, and he did that with the information he possessed. He cannot aim for the top if he is left in the dark. But with even that natural obsession aside, he just likes to know things. New information is new stimuli. For him that is life. And who gives him new and unexpected information if not Han Yoojin?

That's what partners are for. Now,

"Yerim-ah is waiting. Let's just go and look over the agreement," he says and begins to march to put some distance between them. He even almost bumps into Sung Hyunjae in the process but he ends up barely ruffling his coat sleeve.

After ten or so steps later Sung Hyunjae calls out to him, "The other way."

"Fuck." And he whips around to start walking again. This blindness is doing wonders for his daily steps.

"Does Han Yoojin-gun require some help?" The question comes, but the direction of it is off and it makes him gradually stop in his tracks. He was sure he just heard him from somewhere else.

Is there an echo in here?

He doesn't fucking know where he is.

He would rather chew his arms off than admit to Sung Hyunjae that he does, in fact, needs his help to get out of this god forsaken hangar, but he is oh so graciously saved from that admission as the man decides to have some mercy on him and take him by his elbow without any further ado before guiding him slowly towards the left.

Fuck, he knew he was facing the wrong way.

After what felt like crossing a room, being guided through a door or two and then told to mind his steps, he breaks, "Are you going to open the door for me, too?"

The answer comes without hesitation and with a hand on his lower back, "Of course."

"Buckle my seatbelt too?"

"If Han Yoojin wants me to," he says but he hears the amusement in his voice. "But I'm confident he can manage that himself."

That's a thought he can appreciate.

"Good to know you don't think I'm fully incompetent." It was meant to be a light joke, more of a jab as everyone keeps handling him like a porcelain doll ever since yesterday. But when Sung Hyunjae stops, and with it he is bound to stop too, he knows the joke might have not landed.

"You are blind, if the guesses are correct then temporarily, Han Yoojin-gun," he says finally, and Han Yoojin feels his back straighten as Sung Hyunjae's sounds rather measured. "Visually impaired was the term your brother used — what the medical professional of Haeyeon said."

"I know that. I was there," he taunts, rather meekly.

"Then I guess you heard it from someone else that blindness comes with incompetence."

That's. That is not correct and they both know it. So he chooses to stay silent as they probably stand in the middle of god knows where, looking stupid for any bystanders. But it doesn't take Sung Hyunjae long to break it again

"What does Han Yoojin think of moles?"

The question is rather absurd.

"Are we really doing this?" When he gets no answer from the man and neither do they move he sighs. "Fine. They are cute. What about them?"

"Most of their species are blind, but I'm sure Han Yoojin-gun already knew that," he says, voice growing back to something smoother. They start to move again, steps aligned. "They are blind," he says, "but they are far from incompetent. They are pretty useful when it comes to the ground they live in. They assist gardeners on a daily basis."

"So you are saying I'm a mole."

Sung Hyunjae laughs at his attempt of getting out of this with false aloofness. But he soldiers on, "No, I'm saying Han Yoojin-gun has his role and duty with or without his vision."

They don't speak again until they reach the car and Sung Hyunjae helps him into the passenger seat before closing the door and rounding the car to get in too.

Before the man can even move — because he knows he was planning to — Han Yoojin speaks, "I can buckle my seatbelt," and then does just that.

"I see," he hears him say, and he hears his belt being buckled as well, even if he doesn't need it. The car roars to life when Sung Hyunjae adds, "Here goes my chance to be a gentleman," and the car starts to roll out.

"It's important! Write that in!"

"Young Miss, the contract has already been finalized."

"Come on, Seseong ahjussi! Nobody will know, just the two of us!"

"Yerim-ah…" Han Yoojin sighs. There's no end to this.

He hears Yerim-ah splutter in her words, whatever she wanted to say next got all jumbled up with the reminder that he was, in fact, still there. Though she is fast to collect herself, she has a point to make after all, "J-just the three of us! Ahjussi understands it. Right?"

"Young Miss," Sung Hyunjae chuckles. To him this is all in good humor. "I doubt it would do any good to my credibility if I were to change the contract without the other party present."

The biggest sigh ever in the history of young girls leaves Yerim-ah as she slumps down next to him onto the couch she has been circling. Unconsciously — Han Yoojin thinks — she is making sure he knows where she is at at all times with all that noise she makes. "You two are no fun," she says, drawling out the 'no fun' part, of course. "It's only about a hang out. With me…!"

He has no choice, really. His hands are bound. "Yerim-ah."

It takes a few seconds before she replies with a voice dripping with gloom and sorrow as if expecting a cold-hearted rejection, "Yes…?" She probably even put her pouty puppy eyes to use here. Too bad it doesn't work on him.

"I'm sure this much could be doable without inflicting a curse on Sung Hyunjae for disregarding the contract he made with Yoohyun-ah," he gives in and pats her hands for another round of reassurance.

She immediately jumps up, radiating enough excitement for him to feel it. "Really?!" she asks and her delighted tone all but confirms his thoughts.

"Of course, just, uh," he stops awkwardly. He looks around uselessly knowing he won't be able to see shit, but the motion is still something he can't shake. "I guess you have to ask Sung Hyunjae-ssi about it," he admits in the end. He really isn't the one who calls the shots here for the time being. God, that even hurts to think about.

Sung Hyunjae immediately jumps into speech at the mention of his name. "If it's good for the Young Miss we can discuss the details when she finishes with her team exercise today."

"Okay! I'll make sure to finish as soon as possible!"

"Don't rush it! Your team and its dynamic—." Aaand she is out of the door. "—Is important."

Silence settles over the room. He leans further into the couch and wishes for this day — and week — to come to an end. He misses his dongsaeng and it has barely been a few hours since he stepped into that dungeon. Han Yoojin had endured enough time without his dongsaeng already in the past, so he thinks it's fair for him to try and make up for the lost times and not to add some more to the lot. But that is nothing but wistful thinking until the next week or so.

"Does Han Yoojin-gun care for tea?" Right. He almost forgot who he is stuck with above all.

"You are taking this care taking seriously, a bit too much even for my liking."

"I am bound by a contract. It would be irresponsible of me not to do as I was asked."

"Oh save it," he groans and throws a pillow where he hopes Sung Hyunjae is standing. When he hears the pillow flop on the hard floor, he sighs. Well, an S Rank's body is solid as a rock, it might have hit him. Though he doubts it.

Something clicks on the coffee table near him that suspiciously sounds like a cup, then something with more of a duller, heavier sound joins in as well. The sound of footsteps follows that, loud and clear, also very close by. Like, right-in-front-of-him close by.

There's a tap on his knee and he jumps a bit as he wasn't expecting it. When there's no repetition with the touch, he asks, "What?"

"Give me your hand," Sung Hyunjae says.

"Why would I give you my hand?" he asks because a hand coming from him could be anything, and Han Yoojin is standing on unfamiliar grounds 24/7 with his vision lost. So, no, he is not taking chances and not giving hands.

"Because I asked you to."

"Not good enough, try again."

He hears Sung Hyunjae scoff at that, though it sounded more amused than annoyed. Doesn't matter, the faster he loses interest the faster he stops doing whatever he is doing, really. There's another click and a sweet smell fills the room. "Because I brought you tea," and yet Sung Hyunjae still relents.

Well. There are oh so little things that can be suspicious about teas. Right? Wrong.

"Did you put anything in it?"

"Tea leaves and hot water."

"No sedative or alike?"

"While I do believe that Han Yoojin is lacking in rest, no, I did not put anything in the tea."

He thinks it over, hums and before he can change his mind he holds out a hand, palm turned upwards.

Sung Hyunjae says nothing and after a few seconds Han Yoojin begins to feel awkward with his empty hand reached out uselessly, but then a warm cup is placed slowly in his palm. Sung Hyunjae's hand is slow to let go too, as if he was fearing that he was going to drop it the second the contact ceases.

No dropping happens and neither does he spill any droplets of hot tea onto his lap. But he does wonder since when did they own any tea cups or a pot to begin with. He lets the thought go even before it even begins to take root in his mind. It's not worth the hassle, Sung Hyunjae works in a mysterious way — he leaves it at that.

He hears him move around a bit more, walking around the coffee table, pouring himself a cup too and settles down with a soft sound from the chair on his left. Probably. God, he is not sure in half of that, he definitely heard the pouring though!

Three sips. That is how much he is able to take in the silence before breaking.

"So, this is it? Sitting around and drinking tea. I could have done that by myself too."

"I'm sure, Han Yoojin-gun. But I'm also sure that the fire proof kitchen doesn't need testing whether it saves you from burning yourself in the process of boiling water."

"I could have used the microwave."

"For what?"

"To heat things up, of course! Water, meals, side dishes — all the things! — without you."

"Han Yoojin-gun," he says and he sounds like he is talking to a petulant child, "Do you know where and what is in your fridge for you to… heat up?"

He doesn't really have an answer to that. It has been a while since he cooked — he is always being cooked for. But it's not like if you ask someone the same question they will know the answer either… but they can also just check if unsure. He still won't back out though, "You don't know what's in my fridge." The 'either' is wholly missing from the end of his sentence, but hell if he will fold right after the first try.

Too bad that there's only a first and last try with Sung Hyunjae.

"But I do, I looked at its content."

Of course he did. Because what else would he do? Not be a creep? Never. He can't even accuse him of shit here as he is 'doing this for Han Yoojin's own good' as the kids like to say it before breaking out in a long tangent about his health and safety.

Been there, done that, not attempting again. So he stays silent and tries to keep his face as natural as possible.

"I have everything set up for home delivered grocery," Sung Hyunjae adds as he is far from finished. Just like the kids. God, he doesn't really pick-and-choose his people, does he. "A thought through meal plan provided by your brother too, that is not take-out. Which you would have resorted to if caring for yourself in the absence of your sight and your children."

And then, for reasons unknown to him Sung Hyunjae's voice dips to a gentler octave, "I'm sure Han Yoojin-gun is aware that knowing how to navigate in the kitchen is of utmost importance."

He feels himself grimace. The tea in his hands stills; he no longer plays with the brim of the cup with his finger. He doesn't like what he implies there.

"I'm not going to be dependent on you," he says, voice solid as stone.

"I don't expect anything less from Han Yoojin-gun," he agrees as if he was anticipating this. "I'm merely implying that you should not make it harder for yourself than it already is. I'm sure it is a frustrating affair as is."

Frustrating is an understatement.

But nonetheless, he is correct — and it pains Han Yoojin to admit that.

He is just dragging it out, throwing a tantrum in his old age as if it would change anything. Sadly it doesn't.

He sighs, and it comes from somewhere deep inside of him like he was deflating some old, pent-up issues with that breath. If it weren't for the cup in his hand he would probably have slid down from his seat on the couch. He settles with furrowing deeper into it. Tea tastes good too, it's unnecessary to waste good things. He tells Sung Hyunjae as such.

"I'm glad my taste in tea satisfies Han Yoojin-gun," he answers, probably with his annoying smile in tow. It's in his tone. Han Yoojin can no longer mistake it. Now he just knows how it sounds too.

He almost jumps when the cup is taken from his hands suddenly. He got so lost in thoughts that he forgot to pay attention. He doesn't like this and he is sure that Sung Hyunjae got that much as well as he speaks up, "Apologies."

Then he stops, and adds, "We have a guest," then walks away, leaving Han Yoojin alone and confused.

"What do you mean guest?" he asks as he stands up, patting around the couch as he follows its length to follow Sung Hyunjae. "Who did you call? Yerim-ah doesn't—"

A loud notification cuts him off. A little melody, short and sweet.

He stops.

It wasn't his, that's for sure. Yerim-ah downloads stuff to his phone all the time — knowing well the phones don't really last him months without being destroyed — but none of them sends him a notification like this.

There's only one culprit here then.

"What was that?"

"Delivery," Sung Hyunjae says easily. And before he could interrogate him further — because that was an empty answer — the man continues, "How does Han Yoojin-gun feel about kal bibimmyeon with some chadolbaegi salad?"

He is not going to lie, he is a little bit lost. How did we go from A to B? What is he talking about?

Sung Hyunjae must have taken his silence as a no as he speaks up again, "There are other options as well. Yangpun bibimbap or bugeoguk, for example. Nothing foreign I'm afraid, as your brother is rather skittish about dishes that are not authentic Korean ones."

Han Yoojin stands still by the leg of the couch when Sung Hyunjae finishes. He barely bothers with him too, as he hears him walk away, open the door, close it, and walk some more before coming back to him.

Though, Han Yoojin would still like to keep up the image of being present and following whatever is going around him, even if he doesn't have a single clue in the world.

"Are we going to eat?" he shoots in the dark.

Sung Hyunjae doesn't say anything back to him and just reaches for his hand again. This time Han Yoojin gives it willingly and it earns him something ten times heavier than he expected. He immediately scrambles to hold onto what feels like a paper bag and curses Sung Hyunjae out.

"What is this?" he demands.

"Home delivered groceries. As I told you."

Well he did tell him that, but still.

"And what am I supposed to do with this? I can't see. Remember?" he asks, a bit fed up, he doesn't feel like playing Sung Hyunjae's little games right now.

"I do remember, I wouldn't be here otherwise," the bastard supplies easily as he takes the bag away from him, "And we are going to cook. What, that is still undecided, up to you, Han Yoojin-gun."

He is going to get wrinkles earlier than he is supposed to if he keeps frowning and sneering like this at every confusing thing that Sung Hyunjae throws his way.

"You just said that I should not be in the kitchen," he says, truly aghast, "Now you say we are cooking. Those two cannot be true at the same time."

Sung Hyunjae simply holds him by the elbow as an initial answer before replying in length as they make their way to the forbidden zone, the kitchen. "I did not say such a thing. I said Han Yoojin-gun should not be in the kitchen all by himself as he ought to injure himself by accident."

Then he adds, "Never once did I say that you cannot be of assistance."

Sung Hyunjae lets him go and Han Yoojin's arm falls by his side as he hears him place down the bag on the counter and open a few cabinets. Then he just simply asks, "Does Han Yoojin-gun require an apron?"

He cannot believe this guy.

The least uncomfortable thing of this whole ordeal was the apron if he is being honest.

Han Yoojin never considered how blind people navigate their daily lives — most people don't, so he thinks he is off the hook with this one — but it is very much true that ignorance is a bliss. Now he knows—feels a part of their day-to-day struggles. Cooking is one of them.

"I have the cutting board right here," he says for the nth time to Sung Hyunjae but to no avail, "Give me the knife."

He sits by the kitchen island on a bar stool he was helped onto. He felt most of the things up in arm's reach, but apart from a vase, shakers, and the cutting board there's not a lot of things to work with. He drums with his fingers impatiently, waiting for Sung Hyunjae to come around and hand him something. He does come around and after a signaling tap Han Yoojin shows him his hand to put the item into. The second the thing lands in his palm he grasps around it, but when he smooths a finger over the ends looking for an edge, he only finds a dip.

It's a spoon.

He has a cutting board and a spoon. What a duo.

He is ready to complain when another item lands in his hands. After a thorough inspection he knows it's another spoon but with three fork-like tines. So. A spork. Great success.

"Did Sung Hyunjae-ssi in his old age forget what a knife looks like?" he asks with great exasperation. "I can describe it for you. The image of it is still vivid in my mind."

"You are welcome to do so, Han Yoojin-gun. I have the knife right by my side. I'll check if you remember its shape correctly."

He all but groans out of frustration and slams the utensils down onto the island like a child. By miracle he manages to do none of that, instead he starts spinning slowly with the bar stool.

"Do you even have something planned for me, or will you just bore me to death, Sung Hyunjae-ssi?" he asks mid-spin. This is quite entertaining actually. He could survive listening to Sung Hyunjae cook without him if he gets to do this. But this too can be entertaining only for so long. He gives it ten minutes tops, then boredom can take him, or he might just fall asleep while sitting. Wouldn't be the first.

But then something clicks on the cutting board. Something dull. Definitely not a knife. Though, he still slows in his spins.

He comes to a hard stop actually as hands clasp his shoulders then turn him away a bit more to the right. In a fast motion his hands are placed on the island next to the board with the spoon and spork nearby.

"What is it? Timeout for bad table manners?"

"On the contrary," Sung Hyunjae says. "I placed a bowl of noodles in front of you. There are utensils by your hands for you to mix the noodles with the salad then the bibim sauce."

That sounds doable. And it's something to occupy himself with, so he gives in easily. "Okay. Where's the salad?" he asks as he straightens on the bar stool. He taps around for the utensils, holding one in each hand. Then he thinks better of it and places both in one hand to free one up to hold out for Sung Hyunjae, "Give me the salad."

Another bowl lands on his palm. Huh. He was expecting a bag of premade salad.

"Did you make the salad?" he asks uselessly. Sue him, he is curious. "Different lettuce and cabbage were on the grocery list or did you just open the salad bag and dirtied a bowl for no reason at all? You are the one who will be washing it, remember that."

"A bag of salad… Han Yoojin-gun says such vulgar things."

He refuses to even acknowledge that, instead just turns away from the offending presence of a rich man and pours the — homemade — salad mix into the bowl of noodles. Hopefully he poured it into it and not next to it. He feels pitiful when he turns his head back at Sung Hyunjae even if he can't see him to signal some sort of question he hopes he understands without actually having to vocalize it.

Sung Hyunjae must be feeling rather merciful as he doesn't even deems his actions worthy for a reaction, instead just continues on with the recipe, "I'm going to hand over the sauce next. There's a small spoon in it too to get every bit of sesame seeds and sugar out with ease."

Han Yoojin heeds the instructions and watches out for the spoon when he takes a hold of the smaller bowl of sauce. It smells divine when he stirs it a bit to get some of the sunken finer pieces up from the bottom. He brings the sauce close to the brim of the bowl to make sure he doesn't waste a drop, and when the weight feels lighter he scrapes the sauce bowl's bottom with the spoon. He thinks he did alright cleaning the residue considering Sung Hyunjae didn't comment or jumped into action either.

Mixing is just as easy if not easier than the rest of the steps. He doesn't even feel like commenting on the fact that he was handed spoons instead of chopsticks for the mixing. After what feels like a minute of whacking the utensils back and forth, he deems the salad done. Overall he files this dish away under success.

"Next?" he asks and holds his hand out. He feels like a kid asking for candy as he asks for things to do, but he would take this any time over the helplessness of sitting around in complete darkness.

If Sung Hyunjae surmises any of this he doesn't say anything and lets him be. Well, not entirely and not without a cost. "Not even a taste test?" he asks and Han Yoojin cannot help the way his brow rises.

"Whose cooking skills do you not trust? Yours, or the blind man's who followed your calls?" he asks, and refuses to whiff a smell of the salad. He knows it's good, bibim guksu is very hard to ruin, but if it is ruined then it's on Sung Hyunjae. "Anyways, it still needs some toppings. It's not done without it."

And as if waiting for just that, Sung Hyunjae takes his hand to place a cold plate in it. "Boiled eggs cut in half are in the middle of the plate," he starts, describing the content of the plate without even being asked to. Han Yoojin listens carefully as he puts the plate down near the mixing bowl. "From the top going clockwise there's sliced cucumber and carrots, some chopped purple cabbage, handful of seaweed, steamed shiitake, and at last some kimchi."

He hums when the listing is done. Sung Hyunjae made easy and basic additions to the salad.

Porcelains click on the island then. Three to be precise. He doesn't hear the chopsticks but he is sure that Sung Hyunjae put some of them down too as he seems ready to set the table already.

He hears him portion the noodle mix into the bowls before lining them up in front of him.

"Do you have any preference in toppings?" he asks, turning the options over in his head. "The kids are fine with whatever I pick usually."

"I believe in Han Yoojin-gun's taste too then," the ever so helpful man says as he hands him the tweezers. He wanted to place them with his hands but whatever. The next thing he hands him will be gloves.

"Suit yourself," he says in the end, and gets to work. Then he adds, while trying to calculate where the center of the bowl is for the cucumbers and the egg, "What are we making next?"

"Soybean sprout rice."

The only thing on the menu today is bowls? Though he can't complain much. Tasty food is tasty food.

"I wonder if Yerim-ah will eat it," he thinks out loud as he puts some carrots down. He is sure some had fallen onto the floor at some point.

Though Sung Hyunjae of course still hears him and takes his murmurs into consideration, "Should we make something else for the Young Miss?"

Han Yoojin almost laughs at that. Just the thought of that is already hilarious: the big, bad Seseong Guild leader making dinner personally for Yerim-ah in his kitchen just because she might not eat what he cooked.

Actually, no. Pause. That sounds weird to think about — oddly domestic. He is fast to rewind back to the original point of the conversation.

"She will eat it. Just always complains about the sprouts," he settles with that. "They always get stuck in her teeth. I think she actually likes it because she knows there's rice wine in it… She will have any and all forms of alcohol she can get her hands on. Though the meat is also a bonus."

He doesn't quite ramble as he decorates the plates, but he is starting to feel the toll of the day, and the absence of his kids is not making it better. If he thinks of them he is going to talk about them… He hopes Yoohyun-ah is eating well. Dungeon rations are getting better these days.

He snaps around with the tweezers to feel if anything is left to place, but when they come up empty he puts them down.

"So sprout rice," he drawls out. "A very, very easy dish. I'm on mixing duty again?"

Maybe it's that Han Yoojin is funny or just that Sung Hyunjae is easily entertained, but he chuckles at his question. He wastes no time to answer though.

"I'm afraid this dish requires more of Han Yoojin-gun's assistance than just mixing. I was thinking of seasoning and cooking the meat, then leaving the rest up to you and the rice cooker."

"Not very fairly balanced, but sure," he says as he jumps from the bar stool to walk around the island. The rice cooker is somewhere on the right but he still has to wait for Sung Hyunjae with the meat, so might as well just continue sitting around.

He pats through the stools until he reaches the one in the middle in between the stove and the rice cooker. He would still like to be involved, thank you.

He already has one hand planted on the island for balance while the other is on the stool's cushion. It would only take an elevated slide to sit on the stool, but in the midst of all that his heart gets stuck in his throat as the stool stumbles.

He waits for the fall that never comes. Instead he feels himself being held up by his waist then placed down onto something harder than a stool.

When his brain finally catches up to him and categorizes the fall as something that in fact did not happen, he says somewhat robotic, "Did you just place me on the counter?"

"Bigger surface than the stool."

"Easier to fall down from too."

"If Han Yoojin-gun feels like coming down then he should tell me in advance. I'll make arrangements."

"Okay. Get me down."

On a later date at night when he cannot sleep he will be reminded of this pathetic sentence as one of the most embarrassing things he had ever said, but right now he cannot be bothered with that as he literally cannot calculate the distance between him and the ground. And while the counter is not that tall, he can see himself breaking a neck in the process with or without Sung Hyunjae nearby.

"I understand. Though, please wait until I finish with the meat. The pan is already hot on the stove and I do not wish to burn precious meat."

He swears the second he gets his vision back Han Yoojin will get a restraining order against Sung Hyunjae.

For at least a month. Or less. He is still useful — though, he can be useful from afar.

The soybean sprout rice is done in no time usually, if you don't count the preparation that was probably way over thirty minutes for them. He may know how to use a rice cooker but that doesn't mean he knows which button is which when he cannot see the little icons on it. No matter how much he slid his fingers over them, the texture and shape stayed the same and the icons did not jut out just for him to feel them up.

The rice cooker's little chime was the closest he ever felt to any divine presence, saving him from having to suffer through another minute of Sung Hyunjae's means of entertainment in the shape of endless yarns and one too many cups of tea.

"Does Han Yoojin-gun require a hand with that?" he hears him ask as he spoons some of the rice out of the cooker into three small plates.

The refusal sits on his tongue, but when he holds a plate in each hand he changes his mind, "Bring your own plate to the table, would you, Sung Hyunjae-ssi."

It's not the most welcoming feeling to feel up everything that is on the dinner table, but he has to acknowledge some cups and utensils until he knows he is putting the rice bowls to the right place and not somewhere in the middle of the table.

For whatever reason he sits by the head of the table for this occasion. Yerim-ah's seat is on his left, set just in case she arrives home, but otherwise it is a substitute for her absence. Sung Hyunjae's… well he is on his right. The thought of it makes him uncomfortable. He doesn't understand why they have to arrange things like these, but there's only so much he can do about it now. He is not having another back and forth with him. He is only going to lose anyway.

He leans against the table with his head bowed to sigh. It's already exhausting and it's only the first day of this nightmare situation.

Several things click on the table's surface then that makes him raise his head. As he still cannot see he asks, "What are those?"

"Side dishes," he hears Sung Hyunjae say from behind him. God he moves fast. "Five to be precise."

His hand reaches Han Yoojin's upper arm to guide him towards the chair he seemingly already pulled out. He sits him down and even tucks him in. Han Yoojin feels a bit shellshocked at the happenings so he can't quite say what is on his mind, but Sung Hyunjae doesn't seem to mind as he continues on like clockwork, "Clockwise from the left: cucumber salad, pickled radish and onion, some more kimchi, and stir fried potato."

He doesn't remember having any of these ready in the fridge apart from the kimchi, of course, since they have used that already for the bibim guksu. But the rest?

"Was this all in that grocery list too?" he asks as he picks up the cucumber salad to taste.

"Some yes," Sung Hyunjae says as he walks away from behind Han Yoojin and settles in his own seat. "But some others, such as the cucumber salad or the stir fried potato, no."

He is a bit taken aback with that and he is sure his voice carries the same confusion as he speaks, "When did you even have time for that?"

"Here and there," he says, as if that would explain everything, as if he wasn't acting like Han Yoojin's shadow all day. "More than one thing can be done at the same time, Han Yoojin-gun."

Apart from the small unease that he feels about not knowing what Sung Hyunjae really does around him all day, he feels a bit curious as well — which, right now, heavily overshadows his initial distress. What else could he have been up to?

Before he could even start the accusations he finds himself faced first with another unrelenting QnA that feels like more a shaming ritual than anything else.

"Does Han Yoojin-gun need anything else?"

"No. But even if I were to need anything I would get it myself," he grumbles mid bite. The food turned out pretty well. Though, it takes some trial and error to hold things securely with his chopsticks, but he will get the hang of it. If not, he will just use a spoon. "Just eat your food, you don't have to spoon feed me or anything."

"I'll gladly assist you if you change your mind."

"Actually," he says, because what the fuck. He puts down his chopsticks too to show how important this is to him. "You can do something for me. Let's eat separately. There's absolutely no need for us to eat at the same time or even at the same table."

"No can do I'm afraid," is what he gets. "How else would I keep an eye on Han Yoojin-gun?"

"You don't have to watch 24/7!" he almost yells, but Sung Hyunjae stays as nonchalant as ever. "Just- just, I don't know, be present when I need you to. Just do what Yoohyun-ah signed you to do!"

With no hesitation whatsoever a sucker punch is delivered, "I am. Your brother asked for the utmost security and surveillance. Though I may have sidestepped a few rules that I and the Young Miss deemed too much, but now with Han Yoojin-gun's inquiry I'm more than happy to oblige to those as well."

Desperation is a funny thing. It sets in quite fast.

"Wait, wait," he tries but to what end. He may have made a mistake. He really should have taken him up on the offer about reading the contract out loud for him. "You know what, Sung Hyunjae-ssi. I appreciate your—"

"Ahjussi!"

Yerim-ah! His saving grace!

He hears her trampling her way through the house. He turns his head away from Sung Hyunjae for a good measure to 'see' her come in. They will not be revisiting this conversation if it's up to him, thank you.

Yerim-ah arrives with a whole lot of huffs and puffs as if to imitate an annoyed child. But she is also omitting the aura of a strong S Rank who just emptied a dungeon.

"Yerim-ah. You worked hard. Are you hungry?"

"I'm starving, ahjussi," she whines as she flops down on her seat. "I wanted to go out with my team to get something after the dungeon, but they said they are too tired and we should just call it a day!"

He understands her semi-permanent team's hesitancy towards a spontaneous outing after a hard day. So he tries to ease her pain with some homemade food. It's said to be a way to the heart for a reason. "Then eat. Eat a lot."

Yerim-ah moves with the speed of a real starved tiger. He can only guess her movement but he is sure as hell that she just devoured the bibim guksu as if she feared that they were to take it from her. "Slowly, Yerim-ah. No one is rushing you," he can't stop himself from chiding her gently.

To his biggest fear she makes a little choking sound and his hand immediately flies up to her, patting her in the back. He is more focused on her well-being than to be impressed over the fact that he did not miss his target and knocked over anything in the process.

There's rustling from his right, but he pays it no mind in favor of Yerim-ah's fumbling. She is very insistent on comforting him while fighting down coughs as if he was the one who choked on soup.

"Young Miss," Han Yoojin hears Sung Hyunjae's voice from Yerim-ah's side. There's a small conversation in between them that he doesn't understand. They must be having one without actual words as Yerim-ah croaks out a thank you after a few silent moments.

She then moves around, jostling Han Yoojin's hand on her back. He feels like he should back away at this point as the incident was solved without his actual help.

His confusion might have shown on his face as Sung Hyunjae speaks up, "I gave the Young Miss a napkin and some water." Words spoken as if he sensed his need to be informed of the happenings that he cannot see for himself.

"Ah, sure."

Apart from Yerim-ah's retelling of her day, the dinner is a quiet affair. He feels Sung Hyunjae's piercing gaze on him throughout the whole dinner, but he ignores it as much as he can.

He successfully sends Yerim-ah to sleep with the promise of spending the day with her and actually committing to her 'hang-out as per contract.'

In the next few minutes he learns to regret that decision. He didn't know what kind of punishment awaited him.

"Is there a reason why you followed me to the bathroom, or…?" He clutches his towel closer to his chest. He is fully clothed, but still. He feels like his privacy is being invaded.

Sung Hyunjae stands a few steps behind him. When Han Yoojin slowly made his way into his room after dinner, leaving the clean-up to Sung Hyunjae, he didn't think he would be followed. But he was, with featherlight steps and a looming presence that stopped him from closing the door in his face.

There's a line to this "Keep watch" contract and this is about to cross a line, he knows, he feels it.

"I'm here to assist Han Yoojin-gun," he says, like there's not a horrendously big problem with that sentence.

"Like hell you are!" he fights back, because this will not be a group project activity. "I can bathe by myself. There's no danger factor here!"

"Is Han Yoojin-gun aware how many people die in their bathrooms by accident a year?"

"Don't come at me with fake statistics to make you look less- less perverted!"

As if he didn't even hear him he continues, "Over two hundred thousand deaths. There's a month dedicated to it."

That stops him. He thinks for a second before asking, "Are you serious?"

"It's in January." Sung Hyunjae sounds dead serious, but his voice stays grounded with a light tone. Maybe because he knows his tactic is working and he is softening Han Yoojin up, lowering his guard.

"Yoohyun-ah and Yerim-ah already made the whole house baby proof," he starts because this fight is not done just yet—he didn't lose just yet. He walks around the bathroom to know what is where and within no time he finds something that wasn't there before. A grab bar. A bit of an overkill, but perfect to counter Sung Hyunjae's argument right now. "See?" he says. "Perfectly safe. We already had a non-slip mat and a stool."

Then he adds, "Anyway, I have washed up in complete darkness before, with no electricity and all. It isn't that hard. It even makes you finish up faster."

And maybe, maybe, it wasn't the brightest idea to say that. Or so he thinks when complete silence fills the bathroom once he stops. He would like to take a look at Sung Hyunjae's face in this nonresponsive state to at least have a hint on what is about to go down, but he cannot even make himself turn his head away from the grab bar.

"Han Yoojin-gun is truly well-versed in the way of survival," is what he gets. He doesn't expect it. It doesn't sound like pity, but neither like admiration. It sounds like he just filed away something factual for himself, something that just is and cannot be overruled.

He doesn't know how to handle that, the acceptance and the clear lack of it. It is just plain understanding. Sung Hyunjae isn't trying to fix what happened in the past with mere words that mean nothing, nor is he listing solutions and how-tos for future reference.

Han Yoojin feels caged in this bathroom. He can't stand it, so he doesn't. He turns fast to march away from here, to leave this moment in the dust. He can always wash up later, it's not that important at the moment.

He hurries as he moves and it's silly as he knows who he is up against, one faster step means nothing coming from an F Rank, but he still does it for his sake of mind, to have a ground to stand on.

And it's like a flaw state, making bad decisions after another. Unbridled emotions, the need to get away, and the painful lack of awareness is never a good mix. He can't really say he is blind with rage, because this is not rage, but he is halfway there as he slips. Because of course he slips.

All that talk about safety measures and the non-slip mat, and he slips. He slips and is ready to bash his head in the sink or whatever that is near he cannot see — but he is caught. Because he is not alone. Because he is proving a point in the argument, it's just too bad he is not proving his own.

"Careful now," he hears as arms hold him upright, and he hates it. He hates it and he fumes. He doesn't want to be helpless.

He groans and flails around just to be let go. It has been building up probably — this hissy fit — even if his blindness has only been hindering him for just two days, and not a second longer.

He cannot help it as it just boils over. He had enough of being treated like a porcelain doll, he had survived in worse conditions before with a fucked up leg! He doesn't need all this pampering and assistance, he didn't lose complete control over his body.

He sinks to the cold ground as he is let out of Sung Hyunjae's grip. He slips down like a pathetic drunkard, wobbly and unsure. And he just stays there, on all four with his head hung.

He heaves his breaths like his lungs are about to give up on him too. He doesn't know whether it's another side effect of using too much mana and his lungs are about to collapse, or if he is just greedy for air.

He doesn't hear a single thing around him either. Everything is just morphed into one big buzz. Maybe his hearing was the next one to be lost. Then speech up next as he can't quite communicate his discovery with Sung Hyunjae either.

Blind, deaf and mute — and out of breath. Maybe it's just a whole body shut down.

He can't have that though. His dongsaeng is in a dungeon — without him again. He needs to see his Yoohyun-ah.

He grips and claws his finger on the ground that lost its coolness by now. He doesn't know whether he wants to curl up or stretch out. And he doesn't really have to make the decision for himself either as he is being hauled up.

There's a warm hand on his back that straightens him. Another by the back of his neck, not choking, but just holding it and it's somehow oddly grounding.

"Breathe," he hears, and it's oh so commanding that he finds himself complying.

It takes a few of these assisted breaths for the buzzing to die down and for his lungs to act like they are no longer running a marathon. And with all that, like a cold shower his situation dawns on him as well.

He starts to frantically tap around and try to escape. It does nothing but worsen the situation as he all but bumps his hands into all different kinds of furniture all across the bathroom and, of course, into different parts of Sung Hyunjae which he chose to ignore as he definitely has a low aim right now.

But Sung Hyunjae is relentless and keeps him down by the back of his neck. And when the fight finally drains out of him he just slumps against him, accepting his fate.

"While I do like it when Han Yoojin-gun is full of life…" he trails off, leaving the sentence unfinished, but Han Yoojin gets what he is trying to say.

"How about a deal?" is what he says next and it leaves Han Yoojin reeling. "I do understand Han Yoojin-gun's refusal about giving up his privacy and the hatred towards the continuity of being assisted with mundane things — if the previous actions were anything to go by," he says but he leaves no time for Han Yoojin to feel ashamed about his actions, "But I do believe there's a middle ground here."

Hook, line, and sinker.

"And what would that be?" he asks quietly.

"Bathing is nonnegotiable I'm afraid, but the assistance can be." He can agree with that, so he nods. He is not that savage to skip out on basic hygiene. "Assisted navigation is a must," Sung Hyunjae continues, "I do not wish for Han Yoojin-gun to crack his skull open for wanting to feel clean. Just think of it as the kitchen, just more humid."

"Everything else," he then adds as a final point, "Han Yoojin-gun is free to do on his own."

After a few moments of thinking it over, he knows this is the best he is going to get out of this. He isn't really left with a lot of choices either. "I accept the deal," he says as if he was the one cutting his losses here. "I really want you to cover your eyes as well but that would only create a blind leading the blind situation in its most literal sense."

"I will be mindful of Han Yoojin-gun's nakedness."

"Please do not say that," he groans and feels as if the previous few minutes had never happened. "Okay, so what?" He throws his hands up after being freed from Sung Hyunjae's neck grip. He feels his touch lingering like phantom pain even after it being long gone. He tries to massage it away with little success. "Are you going to stand guard, or?"

"I will simply help you get into the bath, hand you things you cannot reach or cannot see. It's as simple as that."

And it's really as simple as that.

He sits down on the stool and Sung Hyunjae runs a bath for him. He asks him what bubble bath scent to use and he chooses something that smells the closest to their laundry detergent. The pouring water is a loud contrast of their shared silence, but it fills up the room well just like the warmth that is fogging up the air.

He is guided to the bathtub's edge to sit then. He doesn't move for a while. Though, he turns around and feels the temperature of the water that is shielded by a thick layer of bubbles. It's good enough, almost perfect.

He strips off his clothes. For his own comfort he leaves his boxer on. "Turn around," he says factually.

Without a question he hears Sung Hyunjae turn, his borrowed indoor slippers flapping against the tiles. "I'm turned," the man confirms and Han Yoojin doesn't ask him just to make sure. For some reason, after all of this, he'd like to trust his words.

True to his words it's not hard to climb into the bathtub in complete darkness. He is fast to submerge himself in the warm water and hide himself under the bubble.

This is where past and present clash. The dark bathroom in the past was cold and a fast in-and-out; the present is warm and comfortable against all odds. He sighs deeply and tilts his head against the tub. "You can turn around now," he says.

He isn't sure if Sung Hyunjae even wanted to turn around and will reject the offer out right in the next few seconds, making this a bit uncomfortable. His worries are laid to rest when the slippers slide against the tiles first, then the mat and arrive at their destination beside the tub.

The stool groans a bit and Han Yoojin thinks it's safe to say that Sung Hyunjae made himself comfortable on the poor stool.

He washes up in relative peace. He bites back the urge to not handle things by himself and asks for the rag and the body wash to be handed to him — and they are provided without hesitation. When he asks for the towel it's laid on the edge of the tub and Sung Hyunjae is turning away before even being asked to.

In a blink of an eye he is already ushered to his bed. On one hand he is free to walk by himself and mapping out his living quarters with his palms, on the other hand he is being gently led by the elbow, stopped or pulled back when something is in the way.

When he is in bed he doesn't thank Sung Hyunjae for his care and for his hardships throughout the day even when a small part of him wants to. But Sung Hyunjae doesn't ask for sweet words or gratitude either, and just closes the door behind himself with the promise to come if he needs anything.