I arrived at the dinner table and found everyone seated there. Min-Cheol was also there, giving scrutinizing eyes at Jin-Yeok.

He had taken off the brace, and seemed to be moving his neck just fine. Thank God.

"Where have you been, old man?" He asked, but Jin-Yeok gave nothing but his fake smile.

On the other side was Seo-Jun, smacking the food in his mouth, chewing aggressively as he also looked at Jin-Yeok with scrutinizing eyes.

"He appears out of nowhere and swoops Jo-Pil off his feet. How sufferable." He complains.

Of course, that’s the only issue he has, haha.

The only one not giving Jin-Yeok eyes or arguing to his face was Ki-hoon. I’m not even sure if that’s a good thing, because I can’t read his thoughts when he’s so quiet.

Teehee...

I giggled quietly just thinking about everyone being in one place at the same time.

It was nice. I didn’t like the estranged feeling I felt not knowing where Jin-Yeok was or what he was getting himself into. I was worried that I had asked him to do something impossible, something that would be uncomfortable for his reputation, but it all worked out in the end.

He did a great job and even got the government to approve the petition for abolishing slavery.

How could I not feel at peace at heart?

"You guys seem to be having fun without me," I said, walking out and they all turned to me.

Min-Cheol’s face lit up as soon as he found me.

"Hyung!" He got up, his chair scraping back.

"Hi, Little Min, didn’t see you today," I said walking up to him.

He smiled giggly and lowered his head. I assumed he wanted a pat, and so I reached out and stroked his pink, soft hair.

He snuggled into my touch and I smiled softly.

"I like Hyung’s touch," he said, his blue eyes meeting mine, and I blushed a light shade of pink.

"Well, I like you too," I responded and felt my heart swelling. This should be enough, right?

But then I noticed the silence that had suddenly fallen. I raised my head and found Min-Cheol looking at me, stunned.

Even the rest were looking at me with that shock in their eyes, like I had uttered the most unexpected thing from my mouth.

Was it actually... Too much?

No, it shouldn’t be, right?

He already told me he loved me, same with Ki-hoon...

I haven’t had the chance to hear it from the other two but I’m certain they feel the same way.

So, I didn’t want to withhold my thoughts for too long.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked, my hand brushing over my neck and ruffling the hair reaching my neck. "Don’t you know how I feel by now? Or rather..." I slowly dropped my hand and looked at them, making sure they all saw the expression on my face as I said what I was about to say. "Haven’t you all done so many things in order to get to my heart? Well, it worked out." I chuckled. "I like you all, and not because you’re my masters or because you bought me out of that slave house, gave me a nice bed, food, treated me softly..." My voice lowered into a whisper and I could feel my heart racing at my confession. "Treated me with affection, love... You adored me."

My gaze fell softly to my hand as I fumbled them together shyly.

"With all of that, how could I not like you all?" I asked and then raised my head again. "How could I not love you?"

I felt a general confession would be a better way to express my feelings and let them know how much I appreciate what they had done for me.

Besides, they love me... I love them.

Was there anymore reason not to confess?

"Jo-Pil," I heard Seo-Jun’s voice and looked at him.

He stared at me with disbelief. I could vividly remember how he was so confident that no one would love him because of what he was.

And then how he confessed that I meant the entire world meant to him and if he had to choose, he would definitely let the world perish in order to be by my side. I felt so happy in that moment that I got scared.

"Seo-Jun," I called. "You asked what you meant to me, right? I’ll consider myself in a dark room and a path glows up in front of me." I clasped my hands together. "That glowing path is the fire that you all light in my heart. It helps me, guides me... Without you," my eyes grew teary but I smiled regardless. "I am lost."

I didn’t expect myself to cry in this moment but I did. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

"It’s beautiful, it’s warm, it’s all of us together. So, I would love to be with you all forever. Even if you get tired of me, I won’t go away. Even if you want to be alone, I will evade your space. And if you’re feeling sad, I’ll be there to put a smile on your lips. In that sense, we’re stuck together for the rest of our lives, got it?"

They watched me cry, smile, and confess all at once, and they couldn’t move from where they stood and sat.

It took them by surprise and it definitely hit them where they least expected.

"Even if you can’t spend every waking and sleeping moment with me, even if you have to work, it doesn’t matter. I won’t be bored or unhappy because I know you’ll come back to me in the end."

"Jo-Pil,"

I tried to smile even brighter but my tears rolled down just as much, falling onto the polished floor I was standing on.

None of this fully erases the mental and emotional trauma pulling at my hair but it’s not like I wish to be pulled around by them either.

I can’t not fall for them when they’ve done so much for me.