As the week of endless preparation carried on, Jin was growing more restless by the moment. They had been forbidden by The Colle— Abeoji Yeom, from wandering offsite and by now Jin felt he’d explored every inch of the estate perimeter about as far as he could get from the house. Nothing had been said as yet of his frequent and extended absences or newfound freedom, but since Jin didn’t want to prompt any such notice, he’d decided today to stay in the house as much as he could. He was slowly growing more acclimated to the idea of being unleashed on an unsuspecting society, despite the stipulations and rules that came with it. Some freedom, any freedom, from the constant pressure of a wet breath on the back of his neck was looking more and more appealing as he felt the relief of it even just in the limited estimation he had now.

His room was still sparse and the bed still felt blocky and uncomfortable; too lush and too feigned. He’d opted not to wear British attire today and give himself a small respite from the over restriction as he donned a normal hanbok. Both the jeogori and baji were black, like most of his clothes, but they were breathable. At least in this he felt he could move. If he also felt ridiculous with the too-short haircut that Eun-ho had given him, Jin tried not to think about it.

Dusk was fast approaching and Jin found his feet sliding across polished wood boards in the direction of Taesu’s room for reasons unknown. Tae was the softest of his brothers and perhaps it was this facet of his that called to Jin during moments of tension. Or, maybe it was just an intuition that Tae was struggling to adjust. He hadn’t, in fact, seen Taesu at all in the past few days, wandering or otherwise. Whatever the reason, Jin found himself in front of his brother’s door with one knuckle poised to knock. “Taesu-ah?” he called quietly through the frame. “Gwenchana?” The question was gentle, a prompt more than a direct inquiry.

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