It has been several months since Cole's sudden collapse and the death of their mother. Cale slowly and groggily sits up before looking over at his dongsaeng, Cole, who was still in the same position as before. His body is stiff holding himself like he did on that terrible night with his eyes squeezed shut in either fear or pain. It hurts Cale to see him like this, a brother he should protect ending up like this with no way for him to help. He gently moves a few loose strands of crimson hair out of Cole's face before watching his chest slowly move up and down.
'At least he is still alive. How long will he stay like this?'
Cale gets out of bed as Ron knocks and comes inside, visibly tired from overworking these past months yet his benign smile is still on his aged face. Cale looks at Cole before looking at Ron and sighs.
"Good morning young master. Shall this Ron tend to you today?"
"Ron, have you been getting any sleep at all?"
"Ho, is the young master worried about this Ron?"
Cale frowns as he gets off of the bed while Ron lifts up Cole to bathe him.
"No, dongsaeng will be worried if he finds out that you're not getting any sleep. How is my father doing?"
Ron's smile falters a bit, clearly upset with something before putting it on again.
"The count left with the new countess to the summer villa."
Cale looks over at Ron surprised at this new information.
'Did he really leave the county without anyone supervising it? Maybe mother was right, never trust our worthless father.'
Cale lets out a sigh as Ron dresses him in simple and cute clothes after getting Cole situated on the bed better. Cale goes to the bed and pats Cole's head gently before leaving with Ron. While walking in the hall, Cale goes through his memory of the past months: Ron was almost always with Cole to help with his every need, even at night, while the count wouldn't even come to see his child; the count got married to a woman named Violan who brought in a child named Basen; then he leaves to a villa with that woman almost a a year later.
Cale sighs before looking up at Ron, his vicious butler who is an assassin. He was rather pale today making Cale hum in thought while walking to the dining room to eat, Ron will feed Cole himself.
'He needs to get more rest if Cole is going to wake up soon. It's been a little over half a year since that day happened.'
"We are here, young master. Have a great breakfast."
They stop in front of the large wooden doors before Ron opens them and bows towards Cale who just nods and pats the older man's side.
"You too Ron, also, when you are done feeding dongsaeng, go get some sleep so that Vicross hyeong won't worry so much."
Cale the heads in not noticing the gentle look in Ron's eyes before he closes the door and leaves. Basen was already seated at the large table but hadn't touched his food until Cale took his seat across from him.
"G, good morning hyeong-nim! I hope your morning was good."
Cale casually cuts into the sausage and takes a bite before answering.
"It was alright, how about yours, Basen?"
Basen, a small brunet that was conceived between Violan and another noble before being brought here, slightly flinches at Cale's blunt voice before perking up a little bit.
"It was ok, how is Cole hyeong-nim doing? Will it be ok if I could see him after breakfast..?"
The last sentence came out in a whisper, however, Cale's sharp ears heard it as he sipped his water elegantly. He thinks for a moment before nodding, causing Basen to perk up after deflating into his seat.
"I suppose that it would be fine. Just don't try to hurt him as he is in an unknown condition."
"I understand hyeong-nim! Thank you for letting me be able to see him "
Cale sweat drops at how perked up Basen was. Him and Cole look exactly alike so the only difference that can be seen is how they act. Cale has a feeling that he won't be able to understand this new dongsaeng of his anytime soon.
After breakfast, Basen and Cale go to Cale's room, where Cole is, and head inside quietly. Basen moves towards the bed and carefully looks over Cole's fragile figure that lays there covered gently. After looking for a few minutes, they left to go to their classes till it was dinner time. Around dinner, Cale got into the habit of visiting kitchen two to see Vicross and eat there. As he makes his way to the kitchen, he stumbles across a part of the house he has never seen before, a door that is covered with a black veil. He looks away and continues on as an ominous feeling goes through him after seeing that door.
'I don't want to learn something useless, lets just forget that exsits...'
It was familiar, but not at the same time. However, he doesn't have the time to think about such a useless thing as he has been trying to figure out a way to wake Cole up. He sighs as he reaches the kitchen's doors and heads inside where he sees Vicross sitting at a counter reading a cook book while eating some steak, a glass of strawberry milk and a steak with veggies and a salad sits near him for Cale. Cale takes his seat and starts to slowly eat the food as they sit in silence for a bit.
Soon, the silence was broken by Cale tapping the counter with his finger while scrunching his eyebrows together in thought.
'Why did this happen? What could have caused Cole to go into this state? Wait..'
Cale looks at his food before placing his fork down and covering his face with his arms on the counter making Vicross look over silently.
'Cole told me about that nightmare, it was clearly a memory of some sort. If it is, there has to be reprocussions for it by the world. Him being put into a catatonic state and not being able to move might be part of that... Why haven't I thought of this earlier?!'
Vicross pats Cale on his back gently as he peeks his head out from under his arms and sighing. He goes back to eating with Vicross before Cale breaks the silence once again.
"Vicross hyeong, did Ron go to bed?"
"Yes, young master. He went to bed this morning after helping me put away some dishes."
"That's good. Dongsaeng would be worried if he got sick. When would father be back from the villa?"
Vicross scowls behind the book before turning the page and marking some ingredients on a piece of paper nearby seemingly planning the meals for tomorrow.
"I'm not too sure, young master. The count and countess seem like they were going to stay for about two weeks before coming back, but that's if they don't get delayed or anything happens."
Cale nods and sips his strawberry milk, humming at the sweetness that the strawberries give it, before going back to eating the juicy steak. They sit in silence together once again, only the noises of dishes clanking, the turning or pages, and the sounds of someone writing touches the air. They sit like this for a few more hours till an ominous sound, like someone falling onto the wall or floor over and over again disturbed the peaceful silence.
"Young master, please stay here while I go and check."
Vicross gets up and grabs a knife from the drawer in front of him before heading towards the door and opening it. The sight in front of him made him drop the knife in shock. There on the floor panting heavily was Cole, who was now awake and smiling brightly at Vicross before reaching him, curled against the wall.
"Vicross hyeong! Oh, how I missed you so much!"
Tears roll down his plump and rosey cheeks as he tries to grab onto the chef who was too far away. Vicross snaps out of the shock and lifts Cole up carefully, noticing the bruises along his right arm from trying to control his weak legs to take him here. Cole nuzzles close to his large chest and smiles as he sees his hyeong who drops his fork in shock.
"Dongsaeng! You're awake! How do you feel, does anything hurt?"
Cale runs over to them and clutches onto Vicross' clothes as he looks up at his dongsaeng, his eyes holding so many emotions that got the best of him at the moment. Cole practically beams down on Cale, almost like the sun, before reaching his hand out and holding one of Cale's.
"A bit weak and tired. Also really hungry, but other than that I'm ok! Vicross hyeong could you make me some food if it's not too late at night to do so?"
Vicross nods and sits Cole down in a chair besides Cale's before going to make some food for the weak young master. Cale gives his salad to Cole, who eats it slowly and happily as a cup of strawberry milk gets set next to him from a gloved hand. Cale stays right next to Cole and helps him hold the fork as his muscles are very weak from not using them in months. Cale watches Cole closely taking in his paler and skinnier appearance before continuing to eat his steak. He might not be showing it, as he got control over his emotions, but he is very happy that his twin is awake now.
After a few minutes, another steak gets placed in front of Cole, it is a smaller steak as to not upset his stomach from over eating, making the young child beam in happiness and eat it while praising his hyeong's cooking. Vicross sits back down after cleaning and watches the two children eat, completely forgetting about the cook book in front of him. Once the two were finished and clean, thanks to Vicross who cleaned their faces as they ate, Cole looks up at Vicross with a bright smile as he childishly pats the counter in excitement.
"Vicross hyeong, how has father been? And Ron-nim? I haven't seen him anywhere on my way here."
Cale frowns before hugging Cole as Vicross sighs and looks out the window next to him before looking back at the innocent young child.
"Father is asleep since he has been a bit over worked the past few months. The count hmm."
Vicross looks out the window again, thinking about how he should word how Cole and Cale's father married a woman he has never seen before and then took her to a villa, but he doesn't want to hurt his dongsaeng's feelings. He looks back and gently pats Cole's head, ruffling his messy hair making the child giggle and hold his hand gently on his head while smiling.
"The count... He remarried so you have a dongsaeng that's three years younger than you. The count and the new countess is currently on an outting for about two weeks."
Cole's smile falls and he looks up at his oldest hyeong before looking at Cale who nods. Cole frowns as Vicross' hand moves and pinches his cheek lightly, trying to brighten the mood a bit, making Cole break his thoughts and slightly smile at the motion.
"Vicross hyeong, can we go and play for a bit?"
"Of course, young master-"
"Dongsaeng, call me Cole dongsaeng!"
Cole surely pouts, winning Vicross over in an instant, whil Cale sweat drops at how Vicross, a torture expert, has a soft spot for not only them but probably for children. Vicross nods and pats Cole's and Cale's hair before getting them down from the tall chairs and carefully helping Cole stand to help strengthen his legs.
"What shall we play dongsaengs? We can't play for too long or it will get too late and my father will catch us."
"Catch you all doing what, my son?"
Vicross looks up at the doorway and then back at the twins in front of him. Ron was in the doorway smiling before heading over and kneeling in front of Cole fixing his wrinkly night shirt.
"My, my young master Cole. I'm very surprised to see you awake but even more so to what I found in front of the doorway."
Vicross and Cale raise an eyebrow, wondering what he found until Ron pulls out a knife making Vicross look at a wall, his ear slightly red being embarrassed at his mistake of leaving the knife on the floor. Ron chuckles as Cole hugs him smiling.
"I'll let it go this time, son. Just be more careful where you leave your knives, you are twenty and not ten."
Ron lightly scolds Vicross while picking up Cole who cuddles to Ron happily before Cale tugs on Ron's clothes having Ron put his twin down. Cole beams up at Ron while holding onto the butler's hands to stay standing.
"We were about to play a game, Ron-nim! Would you like to join us?"
"Ho, of course, young master. I would love to play a game with you three, however it's been a few years since me and Vicross have played."
Cole gasps, with Cale nodding in understanding.
'They both are adults and adults don't really play much with their grown children so it makes sense.'
"What?! We have to fix that, right hyeong?"
Cale gets taken back by how serious Cole is before sighing lightly, something he has been doing these last few months.
'What is going on?'
----------🍄🌻
It's a bit longer than the first chapter and I have left you all on a cliffhanger! Sorry about that, but if I didn't I would have just kept going for far too long and I don't want to bore you. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!