After asking the butler to prepare Se-yul’s bedding, I stepped into the bathroom to wash up. Standing under the warm water for a long time, I let my mind drift until my eyes began to close on their own. That was when I finally finished my shower.
There was a bathrobe, but I hesitated before deciding to wear it. It felt like a hassle, and besides, once I stepped outside, the butler would dress me anyway. After some deliberation, I put it on. Se-yul might be there.
“Oh, Vin.”
Vin, who had been making the bed instead of the butler, lifted his head to look at me. His face, which had appeared somewhat tired, brightened instantly. Dropping what he was doing, he rushed over to me.
“You washed up?”
“Yeah. Time to sleep now.”
Good thing I came out wearing the bathrobe. I didn’t mind being unclothed in front of the butler, but it was different with Vin. It would’ve been a little embarrassing.
“I’ll bring your pajamas.”
“No, I’ll do it. Just finish what you were doing.”
I stopped Vin as he was about to head toward the wardrobe. He raised an eyebrow at me before taking the towel in his hands and snatching it away. Then, he grabbed my wrist, led me to the bed, and made me sit down.
“Then I’ll dry your hair first.”
“I can do that myse—”
“No. This is my job, remember?”
Since he wasn’t wrong, I obediently lowered my head. A towel that smelled like sunshine covered my hair. His hands, carefully rubbing the towel over my damp strands, were both gentle and meticulous.
“You’re getting pretty good at this.”
The first time he’d done it, he used so much force I thought my hair would be ripped out. But now, he had improved significantly. It hadn’t even been a month. That was some impressive progress.
“I learned from Mr. Connor.”
“He teaches you this kind of thing too?”
“He said I need to learn if I want to serve Seo-yul hyung properly. So I’ve been learning how to do this, how to make the bed, how to fold clothes… Oh, and lately, I’ve been learning etiquette too.”
“You’re learning a lot.”
“Yeah, I know a lot now.”
Vin beamed. His smile, brighter than the flickering gaslight, left me momentarily dazed before I quickly snapped out of it. Just now, the scent of flowers had been overwhelming. Was it just my imagination? The fragrance was gone now.
“It’s done. Just wait a moment. I’ll bring your clothes.”
After thoroughly drying my hair, Vin went to the wardrobe and brought out my pajamas. To put them on, I’d have to take off the bathrobe—but the problem was that the person standing in front of me wasn’t the butler. It was Vin.
“Vin.”
“Yes?”
“Can I put on my pajamas by myself?”
“But this is my job—”
“No, I can handle getting dressed on my own.”
I took the pajamas from Vin and went back into the bathroom. Making sure to close the door tightly, I slipped off the bathrobe. Putting on pajamas was something I could easily do by myself. Han Seo-yul was thirteen, not a baby.
“I’m exhausted.”
I had just finished dressing and opened the bathroom door when I saw that Se-yul had arrived at some point. I was about to ask when he had come in, but something about the atmosphere between the two standing in front of me felt off. It was tense—like a fight could break out at any moment.
“Don’t ever call me ‘Shining’ again.”
“No. What’s wrong with calling a Shining by their name?”
“I told you not to.”
Vin spoke in a low voice I had never heard from him before. I couldn’t see his expression since his back was turned to me, but Se-yul, facing him, looked slightly intimidated.
They weren’t actually going to fight, were they? I was debating whether to step in when Se-yul suddenly spotted me emerging from the bathroom. He deliberately raised his voice.
“Hyung!”
Se-yul ran straight to me and hid behind my back. Vin slowly turned his head, and for a brief moment, he looked a little surprised. But his expression wasn’t much different from usual. He didn’t seem angry—just a bit tired.
“Hyung, why is he here?”
“He came to bring the bedding instead of the butler.”
“Then tell him to leave. I don’t like him.”
“Han Se-yul.”
Se-yul only stopped spitting out harsh words after I called his name. What the hell had they talked about while I was gone that made their relationship even worse? Not even a full day had passed, and if this kept up, the rest of the week was going to be exhausting.
‘I really don’t want that.’
I gently pushed Se-yul away from behind me and walked over to sit in the chair by the table. Even in the brief moment I turned my back, the two boys were still glaring at each other like they were out for blood.
“Vin, come here.”
“Hyung, I told you to make him leave!”
“You too, Se-yul. Be quiet and come here.”
The two reluctantly stood in front of me. Though they were side by side, their sharp, wary glances at each other were anything but friendly. But the moment their eyes met mine, their expressions softened. Maybe it was because they were the same age, but their behavior was eerily similar.
“You two just met today.”
“I know.”
“I know.”
Their responses were perfectly in sync. If I could, I’d smack them both on the forehead and tell them to make up already. But I could tell that a simple exchange of apologies wasn’t going to fix this.
“What exactly do you dislike so much about each other?”
“Because he’s a Shining.”
“He’s just annoying.”
That was all they had to say, at the exact same time. One hated the other because he was a Shining, and the other just found him irritating. So, essentially, their first impressions were bad, and instead of trying to talk, they just growled at each other every time their eyes met.
Letting out a deep sigh, I stepped down from my chair and stood in front of them. Then, with my left hand, I grabbed Se-yul’s, and with my right, I took Vin’s—forcing them to hold hands.
“Hyung!”
“Seo-yul hyung!”
Both of them recoiled in horror, immediately trying to pull away. When I was little and fought with my registered sibling, my mom always made us do this. Back then, I hated it. But looking back, there really wasn’t a better way to make peace.
“Look each other in the eye and apologize.”
“No.”
“No way.”
“If you won’t, then forget about seeing me and get out.”
I played my final card, and their eyes widened in shock as they looked at me. Tightening my grip on both their hands, I made a move toward the door. The moment I did, they both panicked and blurted out at the same time.
“Hyung, I’ll apologize!”
“I’ll apologize!”
“…Really?”
They both nodded furiously and finally held each other’s hands properly. I let go, still watching them with suspicion.
“…I’m sorry.”
After sneaking a glance at me, Se-yul reluctantly spoke first.
“…I’m sorry too.”
Vin, following Se-yul’s lead, mumbled his apology. Well, I guess this would do. Dropping the intimidating expression I had put on, I gently patted their backs.
“From now on, don’t fight and try to get along.”
Of course, I didn’t expect it to last long. But at the very least, for the one week Se-yul was here, they’d behave—if only because they were wary of me. And that was good enough.
***
Once Vin finished making the bed and left the room, Se-yul, now alone with me, looked as if he had won the whole world. Whenever I glanced at him, he would pretend to be less thrilled, but there was no hiding the way his lips kept twitching into a smile.
“Ah, so soft.”
Se-yul threw himself onto the bed and rolled around on it. I slipped off my slippers and lay down beside him. Just as I was about to pull the blanket over myself, Se-yul quickly burrowed underneath it first, completely taking over my space.
“Se-yul, move over.”
“I want to sleep hugging you tight.”
This was exactly why sleeping with Se-yul was difficult. Because he spent long periods away from family, he was always craving warmth. So whenever we slept together, he would insist on being held.
Most of the time, I gave in, but that meant a restless night for me. If I didn’t sleep properly for even a single day, it showed on my body right away. Which meant that tomorrow, I’d be drowning in exhaustion.
“Mm… How about we just sleep normally tonight?”
“But I want to hug you and sleep.”
The desperate look in Se-yul’s eyes made it impossible for me to refuse. I already knew I’d regret this, but lately, ever since spending time with Vin, I found myself becoming especially soft toward the kid.
“Alright, come here.”
The moment I opened my arms, Se-yul dove into my embrace, laughing out loud like it was the best thing in the world. His bright, delighted laughter was contagious, and I couldn’t help but chuckle as well.
“Let’s sleep now.”
“Mm.”
And just like that, we lay down, holding each other, getting ready to sleep. I was so tired today that maybe I would forget about the discomfort and actually get some rest.
“Hyung, a week will pass quickly, right?”
Just as I was about to drift off, Se-yul’s sudden question brought me back to full consciousness. I blinked sleepily, my response coming a little late.
“It’ll be fast if you think it’s fast, and just right if you think it’s just right.”
“I see.”
Se-yul let out a deep sigh and lifted his head to look at me. I could feel his gaze, but I didn’t have the energy to meet it. When I didn’t react, he wrapped his arms around my waist and whined softly.
“I don’t want to go back.”
“Is school that hard?”
“It’s not really that…”
Se-yul trailed off. It seemed like he had more to say, but the conversation ended there. A wave of sleep, briefly interrupted, came crashing over me again.
“I wish Hyung could go to school with me.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, that way, I could see you all the time.”
“That’s true.”
“Our school is really great! There’s even a festival coming up soon, and I can get cotton candy as big as my face—”
Se-yul’s voice gradually faded into the distance. I think I mumbled a response, but I couldn’t remember what it was. Listening to his rambling chatter like a lullaby, I sank into a deep sleep.
