The Brothers Kim

Chapter 11- You're so Gullible!

Mayu was humming faintly along to a jolly tune when she was abruptly interrupted by the sound of scurrying footsteps and the appearance of a skittish Gyuri.

"Gyuri, is something the ma—?"

"Shh!" she hissed hurriedly as she rushed to hide behind one of the large clay pots in the corner.

Baffled by her conduct, Mayu wanted to question her further when she suddenly heard Taehyung's voice call Gyuri's name. In a few moments, Taehyung appeared.

"Hello, Mayu" he greeted distractedly as he peered into the pantry.

Mayu bowed. "Good afternoon, Young Master. Do you need something?"

Taehyung continued to crane his neck but stopped when he didn't find what he was looking for. "No, I am just searching for Gyuri. Did you happen to see her? I thought I saw her run past here a moment ago."

Mayu turned to look behind her where the clay pots were. She shifted her gaze back to Taehyung as she answered brazenly, "No, I'm afraid I didn't see her."

"Oh. Is that so?"

"Yes," Mayu lied through her teeth. "Is there something you want to tell her? I can pass a message to her if it pleases you."

Taehyung had his lips pursed. "That will not be necessary. But if you do find her, please tell her I wish to speak to her." He surveyed the pantry once more before leaving.

Mayu let out a sigh of relief once Taehyung was out of earshot. Lying had never been her forte but she was glad that she was able to pull it off. As she deliberated whether it was a mistake to lie to the Young Master, the sound of faint rustling suddenly caught her attention. She turned and found that Gyuri had emerged from her hiding place.

"Thank you so much!" Gyuri said gratefully.

Mayu smiled. "No worries." Although, she couldn't help sweating as she mulled over her lie. "Why were you running away from the Young Master?"

Gyuri frowned. "It's because he's been sticking to me like chewing gum lately."

"Chewing gum?" Mayu repeated, befuddled.

"Er..." Gyuri fumbled to explain, "I-er, I mean glue. The Young Master has been sticking to me like glue."

Mayu nodded understandingly. For the past couple of days, she had noticed how the Young Master's demeanour towards Gyuri had changed significantly. Before, Taehyung and Gyuri were like oil and water: they didn't get along. Watching the pair was like a source of entertainment for the maids as the pair would always have covert showdowns. However, nowadays, Taehyung and Gyuri were like two peas in a pod. And no one could understand where Taehyung's sudden change of behaviour had come from.

It was a mystery to them all.

Mayu pondered over what she had witnessed over the past few days and said without thinking, "Maybe... the Young Master likes you?"

"W-what?" Gyuri snapped to attention. "No way! How can you say such a thing?"

"Well, how else can you explain why he's been acting so warm towards you?" Mayu replied thoughtfully. "He's been requesting your presence very often."

"He's just making my life harder" Gyuri huffed. "Why, last time, he made me clean his room twice! And because I didn't finish my tasks set out by Madam Zhou, I had to miss out on dinner."

"Yes," Mayu thought aloud. "I do remember that happening."

"And what's worse" Gyuri continued, "do you know what he calls me?"