The Brothers Kim

Chapter 52- An Ill-fitting Piece

"Gyuri!"

Gyuri tore her eyes away from the clay pot and turned to Pho, who was on the other side of the storage house.

"Those are for the vagabonds, remember?" She quirked her brow as she gestured at the wooden spoon in Gyuri's hand.

"I know..." Gyuri took a guilty step back as she attempted to conspicuously wipe the saliva that started leaking from the corners of her mouth. "But I'm just so... hungry." She peeked into the pot and swallowed. "Can't I just have a quick bowl before anyone arrives?"

"You can have some if there are leftovers," Pho said with a slight smile. "And anyway, it's your fault for sleeping in."

Gyuri huffed.

Two weeks had passed since they had last ventured to the storage house together and with the sudden passing of the late lord, Gyuri, and the rest of the maids, had been overwhelmed. After all, who wouldn't be after being ordered to clean the whole household from top to bottom?

Gyuri knew the eldest Kim was a tidy man, having once glimpsed into his private chambers, but she couldn't fathom why the maids had to clean to the point of exhaustion. Day by day, the maids rose at the break of dawn to begin their tedious routine. With the amount of cleaning they did, one would think that the household had fallen to disrepair. It was only when Gyuri had mistakenly complained out loud and Madam Zhou had overheard, did she uncover the reason.

"This is how Lord Minseok grieves," Madam Zhou had divulged after scolding her for being loose-lipped. "By focusing on improving the household, he is distracting himself from the pain of losing his father."

Gyuri didn't whine any more after that.

Despite the stinging rawness of her hands and the unbearable ache in her lower back, nothing could compare to the pain the Kims were going through.

Gyuri cast her memory back to the events of last week.

She remembered how Namjoon had thrown himself back to his work in the sanatorium; how Jongin's grief was reflected by the poignant melody his guzheng sang and how Junmyeon seemed more agitated than before. There was no doubt that the Kim household was in silent turmoil— although its walls withstood time's unforgiving course, its occupants did not.

Gone was the source that united the brothers, be it through filial piety, fear, or a combination of both. Like a bridge without its cornerstone, the Kims were vulnerable.

They were lost without Hyesung.

With Minseok as the new lord, things were different. He was kinder, more egalitarian, but it was clear that he didn't possess the tenaciousness that his father had. While Hyseung instilled fear, Minseok did not. There was a quietness to him that cast a shadow of doubt in everyone's mind. Like an ill-fitting piece in a puzzle, Minseok was an adequate substitute, but he lacked confidence. He had yet to prove himself as a leader. And while the rest of the Kims mourned their loss, the unspoken question lingered closely at the back of their minds: could Minseok fill the void Hyesung left behind?

It was only subtle but Gyuri sensed tension amongst the Kims that wasn't apparent before.

"He is my true brother, but it seems our bond is only limited to the blood we share."

Gyuri sighed as her thoughts finally drifted to Taehyung.

It had been a week since she had last spoken properly with him and she feared that he had taken Seokjin's brusque behaviour to heart.

Lately, Taehyung had been uncharacteristically quiet. He had kept to himself even when he knew Gyuri was free from her duties. He no longer met her by the river while she was doing laundry; no longer kept her company while she was sweeping the courtyard, nor pestered her about going to the village. Gyuri had seen so little of Taehyung that she had come to realise how much effort he put in to meet her. Without his persistence, their bewildering friendship may not have existed at all. And as much as she hated to admit it, she was starting to miss him.