If tomorrow never comes || Haobin

003: When the sun goes down

The sound of the violin he had been playing for a month in the same castle didn't feel the same anymore. It didn't give him the stress relieving feeling he used to feel whenever he played it. The comfort of it went away and all he wanted to do was smash the object against the stone cold floor instead.

Zhanghao didn't understand why. He had been playing it for 10 years, he loved everything about the violin. The sound and the feeling, it brought him so much comfort when he played it the first few days after he asked Hanbin about the music room, so he didn't understand why it didn't feel the same anymore. It was like something was taken away from him-- as if he was feeling like this on purpose.

It was confusing.

He stopped playing the instrument and let out a deep breath. Zhanghao bit his under lip and sat on the empty chair. Even when he stopped, the feeling didn't disappear for a single second. He was sure there was something wrong with this room. Not wanting to spend a minute longer in here, he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. The room felt comforting, but something was pressuring the feeling of emptiness, and he couldn't explain why. Everything was weird and he was sure it wasn't just the music room.

He was getting the information he came here for, to unravel the secrets of the royal family, yet he wasn't feeling satisfied with everything he found. He felt like he didn't find out enough about Hanbin. It's been longer than a month and he didn't find lots of information about him. Zhanghao was even more curious about Hanbin's past. He told him some things, but he never explained them.

That one friend he talked about, what kind of relationship he had with his old guard, what happened 2 years ago because Dongbin seemed to be angry about the fact that he went outside in the forest without telling anyone, that flower and its connection. Hanbin was like a diary, where the pages have been ripped out, leaving little to no information to read about.

He didn't want to go up and just ask Hanbin about it, yet that was what he really wanted to do. But he couldn't. What could he possibly do? Asking the prince would be risky, but maybe not. Zhanghao didn't why he was even hesitating-- he did know. It was making him nervous.

"Hey, Zhanghao?" It was that knight again, Gunwook. "Mmh?" He turned around to face the younger. "Were you..." The boy hesitated for a second, "in the music room?" Why did he make it seem like it was a big deal? "Yes." "Did Hanbin brought you there?" He immediately asked. Zhanghao opened his mouth, but instead of saying something, he let out a small sigh. "He hasn't let anyone inside that room after the passing of Matthew." Gunwook's voice was somehow cold and warm at the same time.

"Why are you telling me this?" Zhanghao didn't think twice when he asked him that. "You are his guard. That's why." Gunwook didn't look into the eyes of the older for a second. His hair was almost long enough to cover his eyes. He looked at the ground instead. "Hanbin wouldn't show his comfort place to some stranger. He doesn't even show that place to Dongbin. He hasn't brought anyone there other than Matthew."

"Matthew and Hanbin seemed to be really close." Zhanghao said, causing Gunwook to look up at him. "They were very close." He gulped and paused for a few seconds. "They had been together for so long. They were childhood best friends." Zhanghao paused for a second.

Childhood best friends?

He remembered the stories he read about Hanbin and Youngmi being childhood best friends before they got married, but Matthew? Matthew was never mentioned when it came to his best friends. Yes he did read about the close relationship he had with his guard, but it wasn't that much talked about.

"They were inseparable." Gunwook stopped again and looked away from Zhanghao's gaze. "I have to go. Sorry." Wait! He wanted to say, but he stayed silent instead. What Gunwook told him made much more sense now. Matthew wasn't just a side story, he looked like the person that Hanbin cared the most about.