Chapter Text
“Oh! Gracious, it says here in the paper that our old friend Mr Emmett is now married to a Miss Riley, and that they are to settle in Nightingale Park!”
“Emmett is in possession of a great fortune, is he not? - What an advantageous marriage for his wife, then.”
“Oh, because of course they should only marry for fortune, and nothing else. -- We should do well to not intrude on something so taboo and private as the matters of their personal lives and matrimony.”
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It was this unspoken musing, too, that every family far and wide would entertain; so much that any vague mention of anybody in possession of wealth and fortune spreading fast throughout towns and cities whilst families excitedly prepared their youth to present to such wealthy people. For it was a great thing, of course - a great achievement, even - to marry your children off to rich families. Of course, it was even a thing done by other families to their friends’ children, once their own children had been happily married off; once your own are married, what else should one focus on than getting their best friends’ children married just as happily?
No matter the status of a new person in town, every mother and perhaps father considered anybody with a good income a rightful partner to their child. No matter how… uncomfortable… this may make their children, and even their potential suitors, it did not stop their parents from thinking so.
After all, they felt it was their duty to marry their children as best they could.
“In other news, the new Lee family have moved into the Evergreen Mansion on the Stratder estate just this week,” Chan, a curly-haired brunette who was the eldest son of the Kim family, announced to the table, removing his wired glasses and setting a letter down onto the breakfast table in favour of picking up his teacup to drink slowly from it. “They are famed for their wealth, are they not?”
Seungmin, a younger man who was but one-and-twenty, snorted into his toast, crumbs flying everywhere as he attempted to smother the sound into a handkerchief. “Of course the first thing that interests you is their wealth and status, too. Why, they could be the most horrid people in the world but the one thing people would ever discuss would be their fortune. Is not there anything else to talk about in regards to them?”
“Now now, Seungmin,” Chan replied patiently, “you must remember we know nothing of these people but their wealth - it only makes sense for us to speculate on it. They have had no scandals, nor great achievements, of which word has spread; therefore it only makes sense that the only thing we can appropriately discuss is their money. However… I do believe the family has a few young boys around our age? Perhaps one of us may have the good fortune of marrying into the family.”
“You are worse than mother and father,” Seungmin commented blandly, having quite recovered from his laughing fit and was now enthusiastically eating the toast he had used to cover it up with. “Marriage is always on the mind these days, it seems. I cannot bear to think that one of us will marry into such a high-up family, it must be dreadfully prim and proper; I should be content to marry for love, and love only.”
“Always sensible, Seungmin,” their father walked into the room, using his walking-stick to aid his journey as he sat down at the head of the table, giving the son in question an affectionate pat on the head on the way past, to which the younger scowled at his hair being untidied, but smiled afterwards nonetheless. “You do seem to have more sense than some of your other siblings, in any case.”
Beaming, Seungmin stood to load his father’s plate with toast and eggs. “You flatter me, father.”
“What news about the Lee family have we had today?” the mistress of the house, Seungmin’s mother- Mrs Kim floated into the room with grace, taking her seat at the opposite end of the table to their father. “I do believe Chan has read our letter before we ourselves have had a chance to!”
“You would be correct, mother,” Seungmin interjected as he buttered another slice of toast. “The Lee family have moved into the Evergreen Manor; I believe they are in possession of a large fortune.”
“Oh, how wonderful!” their mother cried, clapping her hands together with glee. “I wonder if they shall hold a ball. No doubt they will; they will be wanting to mix with society here in the countryside! I do hope we shall be included in their invitation; one of my lovely sons may catch the eye of one of the Lees!”
Seungmin barely held back a groan as Chan giggled into his hand and kicked Seungmin under the table, none too roughly, causing Seungmin to suppress another groan; this time being one of pain. “It seems marriage is on everybody’s minds today. I shall go to find Jisung; he seems to be the only person in this house who does not talk ardently of marriage day and night.”
“Good luck in your endeavour, Seungmin,” his father called after him in good humour, nodding in acknowledgement as Seungmin's second-eldest brother, Changbin, came downstairs and joined them at the table. “And while you are up and about, I pray that you will awaken Jeongin and Jisung for me. I can now safely burden you with the task of waking them both today, and check one more item off my to-do list!”
Seungmin granted himself a small snicker to himself at that, for as sensible as he acted outwardly most of the time, he did indeed find the greatest pleasure in waking his brothers in the most obscure ways possible. Maybe this morning he could beg a bucket of fresh water from the kitchen to throw upon his dear brethren.
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“Oh, Seungmin, Seungmin, come into the parlour!” Mrs Kim cried, clapping loudly to herself. Clapping was quite the common sound in the Kim household, for Mrs Kim was of a very excitable nature, and could always find something to clap and shout about. Chan and Jisung were already with her, standing on either side of her chair and trying in vain to peer over her shoulder in order to catch a glimpse of the sacred letter she held between her fingertips. “And do fetch Changbin and Jeongin; I believe they are outside, in the gardens.”
“Do come inside, mother is kicking up a dreadful storm in the parlour and wishes us all to join her,” Seungmin got straight to the point once reaching his brothers in the gardens; predictably right where their mother had predicted them to be. “It must be something serious for her to want all of us there with her at once.”
Each looking up from their activities- Changbin had been pruning the rose bushes and grinned a huge beam at the sight of his younger brother; and Jeongin was sitting writing letters to friends despite their father’s strict instructions to keep the writing equipment inside the house. Both immediately stopped their actions to get up and follow Seungmin inside the house. They had been raised well, of course, to honour their parents and be obedient, so Seungmin had no problem in herding them all inside, even after Changbin had snickered and thrown his palm-sized ball from the grass straight at Seungmin, who had caught it single-handedly without even blinking. It was a small victory that he let himself feel proud of for obvious reasons.
“Oh, boys, boys, do come inside faster, I have wonderful news!” Mrs Kim was saying as the small group of brothers made their way inside. “Come, come! Do sit down.”
“What is it, mother?” Changbin was asking excitedly, not sitting down. After a pointed look from his mother he looked sheepish and sat down after all; patience is a virtue, he knew this after years of the self-same words being drilled into him. “Oh, pray tell us, I might burst if I go another minute without hearing this so-called wonderful news!”
Now, Mrs Kim may have delayed her announcement more just to amuse herself at her son’s expense, but her own excitement and enthusiasm were too much even for herself and she found herself speaking without precedent. “I have just received a letter from the Lee family themselves, telling us that they are to hold a dance in just a fortnight, and we are all, of course, invited to attend! Oh, boys, is not this marvellous?”
Jeongin simply gasped at the news, clearly taken aback by an invitation that had been sent so quickly after only receiving news of the Lees’ arrival that morning, whilst Jisung positively beamed, taking to dancing around the drawing-room in excitement as he hummed a loud tune to himself.
“Indeed it is, mother,” Chan agreed, eyes shining at the prospect of another dance; they had not attended one in weeks! “And which day is it to be held on?”
“A Friday; so it is but sixteen days away,” Mrs Kim gushed. “Oh, my boys! You will all look so fair and handsome. I’ll wager at least one of you will sweep one of the Lee’s well off their feet!”
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Days passed quickly, and soon enough the day of the- now famous- dance had arrived. Mrs Kim had spent all day having the maids do her hair; whilst the rest of the household took decidedly less time to ready themselves, as they all had fairly short hair that did not need so much braiding, pinning and placing.
“Whatever becomes of tonight, I will certainly be very pleased to see my good friend Jisu,” Seungmin exclaimed to Jeongin as they readied themselves in Seungmin’s room. Changbin and Chan were both in other rooms, either together or alone; neither of Jeongin or Seungmin knew nor particularly cared. “I have not seen her in so long, it will be lovely to catch up with her in person and not just through letters, however lovely her letters may be.”
“I daresay I would say you are quite infatuated with Miss Jisu, Seungmin, if I knew not of your preference for men,” Jeongin laughed airily, pulling on his shoes and sitting on his bed in order to lace them up with experienced hands. “Platonically, indeed, I know that you love her very much.”
“She is my most intimate friend without crossing the border into romance,” Seungmin agreed, “and I hope we should always be good friends. But I could never see her in a romantic light; of that you are correct.”
“Then I daresay I await the day that you allow yourself to fall for someone with great anticipation,” Jeongin announced, lacing one of his shoes up.
Seungmin laughed, himself, at that statement. “I am absolutely convinced that nothing but the very deepest, truest love will sway me into entertaining the idea of marriage. No matter their status or wealth, and no matter what our dear mother says; of this I am quite determined… you, on the other hand, brother, are famous for your delicate features and gentle nature, and will surely marry well; although you are our youngest you are sure to bring fortune into this family.”
“Ah…” Jeongin smiled bashfully. “I should hope to marry for love too, Seungmin.”
“And so you will!” Seungmin beamed. “Of that I am sure. For I have come across no past potential suitors of yours that have not been absolutely infatuated with your beauty. And your heart is so pure, I am sure that only the purest soul will do it for you too.” Seungmin trailed off slightly, chancing a teasing glance up at his brother. “And that this aforementioned pure soul will be in possession of great fortune, to make for an even better marriage!” he added onto the end of his speech, unable to resist poking a little fun. “I jest… but only partly.”
Jeongin rolled his eyes, and threatened to hit the other with his shoe, if he did not stop talking and digging his metaphorical hole deeper. “And what of you, then, Seungmin?”
“Oh, I shall die a bachelor, just as I am now, I am certain,” Seungmin announced in all seriousness. “But that is of little consequence to me. Rest assured that when your many children need a teacher of archery, I shall be there to stand in and teach them to shoot exactly where they should not !”
“Oh, Seungmin,” Jeongin put his other shoe down and slipped his foot into it, before standing to embrace his brother, taking care not to trip over the long laces that had still yet to be tended to. “I am sure that you will find someone, too. Your soul is too beautiful to not have a match!”
“Perhaps,” Seungmin trailed off, deep in thought as he hooked his chin over his shoulder momentarily before they broke their embrace. “Perhaps - but if not, brother, then do not fret yourself. Rest assured I will be perfectly happy to never marry. Such happinesses in life can be mirrored just as well in the life of a bachelor.”
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“Oh, boys, look around yourselves! Is not this the most beautiful manor you have ever seen, let alone walked in?” Mrs Kim praised Evergreen Manor as the family stepped inside, around an hour or so later.
All around them were beautiful chandeliers and intricate paintings of each member of the Lee family lined the walls; portraits that surely must have been ever-so expensive to make; ornaments and lavish furniture were not lacking either, and Seungmin honestly felt a little out of his depth amidst all the luxury, truth be told. But nonetheless, he held his head high despite subtly linking his pinky finger with Changbin’s as they entered the ballroom, where the rest of the invitees were gathering and talking with great enthusiasm to one another, no doubt about the extravagance of the house, if not to the hosts themselves. Within a few moments, Seungmin had caught sight of Jisu and her family, and had weaved his way through the masses of people to join up with them instantly after assuring Changbin that he was now okay and more acclimated to the extravagant, yet foreign, setting.
“Jisu, Yuna!” he greeted warmly, bowing to each girl and kissing their hands, as was the standard greeting. “I trust you are both well this fine night?”
“Indeed we are, Seungmin,” Jisu grinned, smile bright beneath the chandelier lights as she linked her arm with her sister’s. They had long since dropped any sort of formalities with each other since both families had been close since childhood and were basically brethren themselves. “Now, enough small talk, we know each other too well for that. Have you caught sight of any of the Lee’s yet?”
“Not yet, although I must confess I have hardly been looking,” Seungmin admitted. “There is so much talk of them that I feel quite bored with them already, and most people are only interested in them for their fortunes. It must be incredibly dull for them.”
“Oh, hush, Seungmin, do not talk like that,” Yuna chastised. “I am sure they are a splendid family if one makes the effort to look beyond their wealth. Disregarding that - what have you been doing recently? Do tell us some more stories from your household, I am afraid our lives have been quite boring since the last time we met.”
Seungmin was, of course, happy to oblige, and launched into a riveting tale of the last time he had been practising archery in their garden and had missed his target completely, coming very close to hitting an unsuspecting Chan in the midriff with his arrow- which would have done little harm apart from winding his brother, as the arrow was very blunt and could do little harm- but it was a funny tale to tell, and Seungmin flattered himself to be quite good at storytelling, and prided himself on making even the most reluctant listener laugh at his retellings of tales and memories.
“Oh!” Jisu gasped, looking at something, or someone, behind Seungmin a while later, effectively cutting Yuna off mid-sentence. “Do be subtle, but I think I have spotted one of the Lees…”
Seungmin, who was never one for subtlety and did not believe in hiding anything, let alone looking at somebody (and as a child had come off rude to people for his staring; something he had to learn to combat quite young) whirled around, much to Jisu and Yuna’s amusement and whispered exasperation, and openly scanned the room for an unknown face. The Lee’s would be easy to spot, for when living in the countryside everybody knew everybody and so a new face always stuck out immensely.
“Oh, I see,” Seungmin whispered, leaning back to be within earshot of his two friends, but nobody else’s. “Indeed they are beautiful, as everybody had rumoured.”
“I flatter them, they are,” Yuna agreed, taking out her fan and hiding her mouth with it; an easier way of being subtle whilst talking. “It seems one of them has already taken a fancy to your brother, Seungmin!”
“Which brother? Where?” Seungmin’s words came out short and incomplete in his haste to look around for the source of Yuna’s words. “Oh, indeed. I see, I see. That did not take them long!” he jested, beaming at the sight of Jeongin being approached in earnest by one of the Lee’s; still unnamed until Seungmin would have the pleasure of being introduced to him. The young man had brown eyes and freckles, they were close enough to observe, and average height; blonde hair that he wore quite long considering the current fashions, in a peculiar yet fitting overgrown style, and he wore it loose, looking admittedly soft, not braided or pinned back as the ladies did to their, much longer, hair. One side of Seungmin wanted to walk across the room to reach out and touch it; it really did look so soft, but of course that would be every level of improper. Perhaps if Jeongin ever did marry this Lee man, he could ask him to run his hands through this man’s hair and report back to Seungmin himself.
“I do wonder how he keeps his hair looking so soft,” Jisu voiced Seungmin’s exact thoughts, “for mine is healthy but does not look nearly as soft as his. I should like to be introduced to him, and so I could ask him upon better acquaintance.”
“Maybe once he and Jeongin are better acquainted, Jeongin could introduce us all, and we can endeavour to find out the secrets of his hair together,” Seungmin remarked. “Where is the rest of the family? I have quite lost sight of them.”
“I think… ah! Over by your left, dear Seungmin, I spy another,” Yuna giggled quietly behind her fan, inclining her head in the direction of another two young men- that, at least, concluded the three Lee brothers. These two seemed most different in their mannerisms and ways; for one, who was slightly smaller than the other, had black hair and looked incredibly pleasant in his features; a smile graced his lips and he was looking about the room merrly, smiling at the guests who dared meet his eyes and shaking hands warmly with the people he was introduced to. On the other hand, the slightly taller, brunet man beside him, certainly looked gentler in some aspects; his features soft and almost catlike, and the way he moved graceful and fluid, but he did not smile nearly as much as his brother, although he did still engage in conversation with those he was introduced to.
“I daresay the smaller young man looks friendlier than the taller, although we do know better as to not make judgements based on what a person looks like,” Seungmin commented in a whisper. “He certainly seems gentle in his apparel.”
“They are all so very handsome,” Jisu sighed, pulling out her own fan as well to hide behind.
“Indeed,” Seungmin agreed, eyes widening as he caught sight of Jeongin pointing him out to his new acquaintance, and the two beginning to make their way over to the three. “Hark, here they come.”
“And may I introduce one of my brothers, Kim Seungmin, and our good friends, Misses Choi Jisu and Yuna. And to you all, this is Lee Felix, a friend of the Lee family,” Jeongin formally introduced, as appropriate. The revealed Lee family friend - Felix - bowed to the three, expressing warm regards and delight upon meeting them all.
Seungmin hid a look of surprise. Only a friend of the Lees? How strange, that he should share their surname, if he was not related to them. A strange coincidence indeed.
“I do hope you will all find our residence comfortable tonight, and that your needs shall all be acquainted for,” Felix smiled charmingly, “and, Mr Kim,” he said, singling Seungmin out, to which Seungmin laughed easily and assured the elder that he could just call him Seungmin- for there were so many of his brothers here that it would surely cause confusion among them all to be called by Mr Kim.
“Ah, I thank you. Mr Seungmin,” Felix corrected himself, “I have already reserved the first two dances with your brother here, but I was wondering if you would do me the great honour of dancing the third with me?”
“Why, it would be my pleasure,” Seungmin agreed, eyes widening in delight, for he did love to dance. “I look forward to it, and I thank you greatly.”
“The pleasure is all mine, for I look forward to getting to know your family better,” Felix told Seungmin warmly, before he and Jeongin left to take their places in the middle of the room, where people had already gathered in preparation for the first dance. Jisu let out a great sigh once they left, and squeezed Seungmin’s arm in excitement, barely holding back a quiet squeal.
“I daresay that went marvellously well, Seungmin! Mr Felix already seems quite taken with your brother,” she commented, and who was Seungmin to disagree at the sight of Felix having eyes for only Jeongin at that moment? Of course, at first it could only be through pure attraction, for the two hardly knew anything about each other past their names and appearances, but even a blind man could see that the attraction was definitely mutual between the two. Seungmin grinned to himself quietly, failing to notice a pair of catlike eyes following his movements from the other side of the room as he watched the two begin to dance.
Lee Felix was indeed a graceful dancer, making even the most basic of steps look fluid and delicate as he danced the first two songs with Jeongin, never failing to smile and make what looked like lively conversation with Seungmin’s brother whenever possible. Sitting on a wooden chair near the dancing, Seungmin sat and quietly observed everybody else, much preferring to watch than partake in events such as these. He watched as people danced, and conversed, and laughed; smiled a secret smile to himself at the sight of Chan fluttering from group to gathering of people to talk and catch up with them; ever the social butterfly; and at the sight of Changbin sipping wine from a crystalline glass as he conversed quietly with his own close friends. At times, Seungmin envied his brothers’ sociable skills, but other times like this, he was content that he did not possess the particular ability to march up to people and converse; for if he, too, possessed such an affinity for socialising, then he would certainly miss out on the little details that one only spots when particularly observant.
He can safely warrant that Chan is as observant as Seungmin himself is, at times, socially inept.
The second song ends, and as promised, Felix sidled up to where Seungmin was sitting, and kissing Jeongin’s hand before leaving him next to Seungmin’s chair before offering Seungmin a hand instead, which was gladly taken.
“It is so good to dance with you, Seungmin,” Felix beamed as they took their places opposite each other, waiting for the starting notes of the next song to begin.
“And you, Mr Lee,” Seungmin returned easily, “And how did you find dancing with my dear brother?”
“Oh, he is beautiful, is he not? I must confess to be quite taken with him already,” Felix’s eyes positively sparkled. “I hope that it is not indecent of me to say so. But enough about that - I am dancing with you to speak to you; and not about any other subject.”
“Well then, what do you wish to talk about?” Seungmin laughed easily, side-stepping before back-stepping, as per the step pattern for this dance. “I beg that you ask to your heart’s content.”
“Well, your interests perhaps? I, for one, enjoy reading immensely, and have become rather proficient in shooting as of late.”
“I also enjoy reading, and have scarcely gone a week without devouring a new book where possible. I flatter myself to be rather a dab hand at archery, too.”
“Archery!” Felix exclaimed as they spun around each other, pausing for a moment for them to weave between people before rejoining, “We do have some rather wonderful archery spaces within the grounds of Evergreen. I insist that you visit sometime and try them!”
“That is a generous offer indeed. Thank you. And whilst we are here, I should like to ask - and I hope that I do not come across as rude - but you were mentioned before as simply a friend of the Lee family, and yet you share their surname. May I be so crude as to ask why?” Seungmin’s cheeks set aflame with embarrassment at his own nerve to ask such a personal question upon first acquaintance, but his curiosity burned brighter, getting the better of him before he could monitor the words escaping his lips. To his immense relief, Felix only laughed airily, letting go of his hand again to weave back between their company before they met again in the middle of the ballroom, slipping back into hold.
“Why, it is a perfectly acceptable question, worry not! I just so happen to have the same surname as the Lee family; I have been staying with them for a few years now. It is indeed a strange coincidence, but it feels fitting to me, for I feel as at home with them as I ever did with my own family, if not more so.”
Seungmin did not press further, knowing enough of etiquette to not pry into Felix’s past life story; his curiosity sated. The two talked for the rest of the dance; things of little importance but that offered a stronger bond of friendship to begin to formulate between them, and once the music ended Seungmin found himself with a new kind of smile on his face: the one brought about by familiarity and good company. He rather liked it.
“I have promised my sister a dance too, so I will take my leave now, as she is only in town tonight, and will surely eat me alive if I neglect her before she leaves tomorrow,” Felix bid Seungmin goodbye before disappearing back into the crowds, presumably to find his visiting sister. Seungmin instantly whirled around, eyes flying about the room to find Jeongin, or rather any of his siblings, although Jeongin was certainly preferable due to his new… affections regarding his dance partner. Luckily, he could single his brother out quite easily due to a stroke of fate allowing them close proximity, and Seungmin crossed the room at once, with eyes only for his youngest brother.
“Jeongin, Mr Lee is indeed quite lovely, is he not? The dance we shared was much more than agreeable, I must say,” Seungmin exclaimed as soon as he managed to disentangle Jeongin from his present conversation with another. “What are your thoughts on him? He seemed rather taken with you, I daresay.”
Jeongin blushed, redirecting his gaze carefully back to the dancing. “He seemed very pleasing.”
“You always were one to hide your true feelings, Jeongin,” Seungmin observed fondly, patting his shoulder in solidarity. “Whatever it is you are thinking, you have my full support behind you -- oh, heavens above, he’s coming back.”
“Jeongin, Seungmin,” Felix greeted again, nodding at the two. “I was wondering, Jeongin, if you would give me the highest honour of yet another dance?”
“Of course,” Jeongin accepted the proffered hand graciously, and together the two walked back into the middle of the room, taking their respective places beside one another. Seungmin sank into a nearby chair - thankfully, this one was more comfortable than the wooden one he had previously occupied - and allowed himself to relax into the worn cushioning, watching the dancing once more.
It was not until the next few dances had passed that Seungmin stopped people-watching and instead decided to eavesdrop on nearby conversations. With all of his family and close friends otherwise occupied at different points of the manor and consequent party, there was nothing else to do! Or at least, this was his excuse for doing such a thing.
The first conversation he heard was simply tedious ; he could not bear to listen to more than a minute of it. It was then that he caught sight of Felix, slightly out of breath from dancing and good company, walking up to Lee Minho, who was standing but a few people away from Seungmin and appeared, too, to be watching the dancing.
“Why, Minho, you should join the party!” Felix exclaimed, exuding friendliness and ease. “At least ask one of the Kim brothers to stand up with you. I have danced with all bar one; they are pleasantness incarnate!”
“I have no wish to stand up with anybody,” Minho replied shortly. “I have no acquaintance with anybody here as of yet and have no wish to make so.”
“I have never heard of such silliness in my life! Would you not at least wish to make one friend here?”
“Absolutely not. The company here is almost common.”
“You may think so, yet I have never had the pleasure of such lively people in my life, Minho.”
“That is because you are hopeful and optimistic.”
“Oh, do lighten up!” Out of the corner of his eye, Seungmin saw Felix lean a little closer into Minho, and Seungmin himself could barely conceal a grin, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from breaking character as he stared straight ahead, acutely aware of Felix subtly pointing Seungmin out to Minho. “See, that is Kim Seungmin over there - Jeongin’s elder brother. He has nobody to dance with as of now; you should go and ask him!”
Seungmin bit down on the inside of his mouth to keep from reacting as Minho’s head turned, too, to study him.
“He has an air of beauty about him, I suppose. I can see why his family has a reputation for their looks here, compared to the rest of the folk… but he is not intriguing enough; nor beautiful enough, to convince me to stand up with him.”
Unable to contain himself, a tiny snort escaped Seungmin’s mouth and he stood abruptly, brushing past the two as he held his breath, not wanting to break down laughing in such a public spot. Waiting until he had rounded a corner, he caught sight of Jisu and Yuna, and made a swift beeline for them, begging that they hide him whilst he laughed his heart out.
“Dear lord, what has gotten into you?” Jisu asked, little giggles escaping her too as she watched her friend try in vain to contain tears of mirth. “What could have possibly happened?”
“You will never guess, my dear friend, what I have just overheard,” Seungmin stepped closer, a hand on both of his friends’ arms pulling them closer, “I happened to be sitting by the wall just there, watching the dancing and observing the lack of dance partners for the people waiting sadly to dance. Lee Felix himself exits the masses and heads straight for Lee Minho, who was waiting idle by my very chair - and when I overheard Mr Felix telling Mr Minho to ask me to dance, he-” Seungmin had to stop there to let out another barely-contained shriek of laughter. “He - he said, he is not intriguing, nor beautiful enough to convince me to stand up with him !”
“He did not ,” Yuna whispered loudly, sounding utterly scandalised at Seungmin’s words. “Did he really say those words?”
“Through and through, word for word,” Seungmin confirmed, unable to hold eye contact without laughing some more. “There is a proud man if ever you saw one! The absurdity of it - I am so amused by the event that I cannot even find it within me to be offended.”
“Be sure that if I had heard them come out of his mouth the event would have gone much differently,” Jisu threatened, lips pursed. “To draw such a conclusion about you after laying eyes on you once!”
“At least we know now not to waste our time being curious about him and his personality,” Seungmin concluded, having finally calmed down to an extent. “Some wealthy people truly are simply a pretty face and seemingly nothing else.”
“Normally I would disagree, but I must draw agreement on this occasion,” Yuna agreed. “Hark - is that him just there, through the door?”
“It is indeed,” Seungmin replied, and the three of them eyed the man walking through the door frame, seemingly looking for somebody. It really was a shame that he was apparently so stuck-up and prejudiced, or else Seungmin might have found intrigue in him , ironic as the fact is.
His blue coat brushed against the door as he passed through it, eyes flitting about the room before ultimately landing on Seungmin, Yuna and Jisu, causing the former of the three to immediately panic and duck behind his friends.
“Hide me, with your fans or similar,” Seungmin whispered frantically, “for I fear I am not yet quite composed following my laughing fit! What a spectacle I should make of myself if he were to come over here and talk to us.”
“I am afraid there is nothing we can do, Seungmin, for he is coming over already,” Yuna breezed, fanning herself instead of hiding Seungmin. “Do stand up straight; you will surely embarrass yourself even further if you are caught slouching so.”
“But he has not been introduced to any one of us! It is improper!” Seungmin nearly squeaked, face pink and eyes wide. “Surely a man of his elevated status must know as much.”
“Perhaps he simply does not care - oh, no, here comes Mr Lee,” Jisu hid her mouth with her fan to whisper hastily, “he is joining the other Mr Lee and they are both walking straight towards us. I insist that you stop squeaking before they hear us! ”
“But -- oh, lord, they’re here.” Straightening up, Seungmin bowed formally as Jisu and Yuna nodded towards their two newcomers, and Felix smiled jovially, gesturing to Minho, who stood on his right side. “Seungmin, I do believe these are your friends! I am Lee Felix, and this here is my good friend Lee Minho. Minho, this is Kim Seungmin, and his friends…?”
“Oh, forgive me - Miss Shin Yuna and Choi Jisu,” Seungmin introduced, and the two ladies nodded in acknowledgement, letting Felix bow to them in greeting.
“Splendid. If it’s not too much of a bother, I came over here in the hopes of introducing Minho here to Seungmin - I do believe it is within his best interests. ” The last two words were lightly emphasised, and Seungmin could have sworn he saw Minho bat at Felix’s elbow with a swat of his hand.
“Really?” Seungmin asked, before he could stop himself, “are you sure that I am intriguing enough for introduction?”
Minho froze minutely, and Felix laughed, the sound steeped in uneasiness as the air thickened with tension. Seungmin did not miss the way that Jisu and Yuna’s fans flew to their noses in an attempt to hide their shocked delight, and Seungmin stood his ground personally, not ready to back down from a petty form of rebellion in the face of insulting strangers.
“I must apologise, Seungmin, on behalf of what you overheard,” Felix immediately spoke, “my friend was out of line. Regardless, it is his personal and particular wish that you both be introduced so that you may know each other better.”
“Thank you, Felix, for your kindness. But I would rather hear an apology from the perpetrator himself, if he so wishes to become acquaintances,” Seungmin deadpanned, looking down at his feet in lieu of making any more eye contact. Suddenly he felt tired, frail; wanting nothing more than to immediately turn heel and not stop walking until he was safely back home and curled up in his bed, watching the silhouettes of the trees outside sway in the wind through the thick glass of his bedroom window.
Although he was not fully expecting an apology, none came from Minho, and after a sizable few seconds of awkward silence passed Seungmin heard Jisung calling him from across the room; looking up to see his brother beckoning him enthusiastically.
“If you will excuse me, I am needed elsewhere,” he sighed, and left his good friends with an apologetic Felix and ever-silent Minho; taking with him a slightly heavier heart than before and a social battery so drained that he would not be surprised if he were to drop onto the floor within the next minute, if not millisecond.
He does not notice the brown eyes that follow him like a magnet for the rest of his stay at the manor that night, nor the regret that filled them.