*** Chapter 2: The (Usual) Beginning ***

"What the he..."

Messy.. It was really messy.

Princess Changjo woke up almost everyday with a real mess of her living room as her view every morning. That place should've belong to her only because she's the only princess in the kingdom, yet her palace was the most packed corner in the entire palace -well, except the servants' houses of course- Why? Because all of her six brothers pretty much spent their night there, right in front of her bedroom, almost every single day. And six boys? Don't ever hope to see the living room in clean and tidy state.

"Oppadeul... wake up..."

She's so cold-hearted she didn't even squat, instead she used her leg to kick Junjin's butts.

No responses.

"Oppadeul... It's morning already.. We need to go to school..."

It's Eric's butts this time. And still, not even a single groan.

"Oppadeul~~~" she's still trying to be nice. The only movement she saw was Minwoo clutching deeper into the cushion.

She let out a deep sigh before shouting, "Princes of Korea if you do not wake up before I finish counting into 3, I will drop buckets of ice blocks on your bodies immediately!!" With those words she signaled her court ladies to find some ice.

"One!"

Dongwan snorted, eyes still closed.

"Two!"

Hyesung sniffed.

The court ladies stepped back into the room with cold buckets in their hands.

"Thr..."

"Okayokayokay..." Andy cut her and stood on his feet at once, but he's still sleepy that he stomped on Junjin's feet and stumbled back into the floor, crashing his hyungs' bodies beneath him.

"Andy-ya..." she heard some grunts.

"Three!" yet she shouted the last number anyway.

Upon hearing buckets of ice coming, all of them sat up immediately.

"Nononono.. Not the ice..."

"Stop....it's nearly winter already...no more cold..."

"Okay.. Changjo-ya..."

"Wait.. I'm up.."

"Yes yes... I'm awake..."

"How can you be so cruel toward your brothers?"

Changjo grabbed some ice and throw it anyway, "How can you guys destroy my living room everytime? Don't you have your own bedrooms? What's the use of that magnificent Prince's Palace?"

"Because we love you so much and we do not want to be separated from you, my lovely sister.." Eric just uttered any words made sense to him, arms were spread wide, but eyes still half-closed.

"Next time I'll make sure to lock every door and window or any opening to Princess' Palace, and mark it 'No Prince(s) allowed!'"

"Don't be like that, our sweet little orange," Minwoo had stood up and unknowingly hug her from the side, "We do love you so much and feeling safe with you around." He closed his eyes and hug her tightly like a giant bolster.

She rolled her eyes. "You guys really make no sense in the morning." She waved her hands, coding her brothers' personal security details, who stationed themselves around the room, to take their respective prince and them out of her palace. But their gazes met the princes and they knew very well that they better not stepped any closer if they want to stay alive.

"No good morning kisses?" Junjin put his best pout-begging face.

"Good morning kisses my !"

"Ouch.. Our little princess shouldn't use bad words.." Dongwan squinted.

"Who do you think I learn it from?"

"Not us, right?" Hyesung daringly answered.

"Yeah, absolutely," Andy added unconsciously, still rubbing his head.

She put her hands on her waist and stared unbelievingly to her pathetic half-brothers.

"Do you guys even need breakfast?"

And with those words, this time, all the princes immediately stood on their feet then run for dear life to their respective bathrooms in the Prince's Palace on the southern side of Eastern Palace. They love their sister's cooking and they will do anything to have it everyday, including stop teasing her and making her mad.

******

“Why do I always have to sit between Eric oppa and Hyesung oppa?”

They were in their van, on the way to their school. They rode on a black van that’s pretty much the same with the vans that famous celebrities use. A guard sat on the front, next to the driver. There were three rows for passenger seat. Junjin and Andy at the first row, Minwoo and Dongwan the middle, and at the back, there she was, sat between her 1st and 4th brother.

“Can’t I sit somewhere else?”

“No!” her two brothers next to her answered in unison.

“It will be too crowded if a boy sits next to us,” Eric added.

“But I am a chubby girl, and pretty similar in size and weight and height with Minwoo oppa! I even have bigger hip than almost all of you!” She turned her head to face Eric.

“But Minwoo’s body is stiff and hard with muscles, while yours is tender and soft and very hugable,” he ignored his baby sister’s glare and placed his head comfortably on her shoulder.

She heaved a long sigh. “Andy oppa, could you switch seat w….”

“No,” Andy replied even before she finished her sentence. “I don’t wanna be sandwiched between those hyungs.”

“Jinnie op…”

“I always love to sit next to the door so I can just jump out.”

“Minwoo?”

“I prefer to sit next to Wannie…”

“Dongw..”

“You heard what Minwoo said.”

“Aigoo…” she slapped her head.

“Don’t hurt your head, my baby dear…” Hyesung took her hand and rubbed it gently.

“I’m not a baby, oppa. For God’s sake I’m a highschooler now.”

“Still.. you’re my baby sister,” he grinned and kiss her hand, then he put his head on her another shoulder.

“Gosh… and to imagine that all of you are the Princes of this nation… wait.. I made no sense… You ARE the Princes …”

“And you are the Crown Princess…” Eric murmured.

“NO! Hell, No!!” she snapped. “Why must I be crowned when I have SIX BROTHERS and all are OLDER than me?!”

Eric patted her hand, “Because you are the Queen’s only child.”

“And you are the oldest Prince, Junghyuk orabeoni..” There she was, starting to call her oldest brother by his real name instead of nickname, indicating that they shouldn't be joking over the matter.

“Sshhh, baby… Don’t start it here…” out of nowhere, it was Dongwan speaking, “We’re at school already.”

She wanted to shot Dongwan with her laser eyes, but he was right. In matter of seconds, they arrived at their school gate, Sungkyungkwan High School.

As usual, as if they were real celebrities, lots of their fans had been waiting for them in front of the gate. Mostly girls, but there could be seen some boys too.

The funny thing was, those boys were there not for Changjo only. Some went for the Princes too. Some were genuinely admiring them. While some were, well, at times, Junjin and Eric were too manly to be true, and Hyesung were too beautiful to be a guy.

Minwoo and Dongwan were noonas' favorites, but since they were senior already, they didn't have too much trouble in the crowd.

Andy on the other hand, was immediately surrounded by those who wished to borrow his homeworks or hoped he would private-tutoring them before daily progress tests. Well, perks of being the smartest boy in the entire school.

Hyesung and Andy actually thought to ask for more guards to help them maintain themselves -Hyesung could be really scary if he was irritated, he really hate to be called pretty boy, and Andy didn't want to see his brother turned into a demon- but their other brothers seem to enjoy the attention and affection they got, so the thought was washed away.

"Good morning, my lady..."

Changjo heaved another long sigh when the crowd before her parted and a very familiar annoying blonde-haired boy walked gracefully towards her.

"Your Highness... you are so gorgeous as always, and your smile is so bright like the golden sunrise in the sky. You are so fascinating my heart tempt to stop beating..." that boy continued as if he was reciting a poem.

"Let's just say your heart DO stop beating so could you get outta my way now? You and you're useless hencemen are blocking my way," Changjo spit the words with incredible speed since she didn't want to deal with him for long.

The boy, amazingly, keep smiling to her, and didn't move an inch. Instead, he was offering his hand, "May I you to your class, Princess?" He put his best smile that would make the girls in school went crazy, but not this particular Princess.

Andy and Dongwan came to her rescue when the boy was blocking their sister's step even when she's trying to take a detour.

"The Princess has us to her safely to her class, Kang Sunghoon-ssi, your help is not needed," the youngest Prince said sternly to his classmate.

The said boy's smile was not fading from his perfectly fair face, even when soon enough, he was facing six death glares, scratch that, seven death glares. Changjo was very annoyed she wanted to punch that cheesy womanizer but she's glad that she hold herself well enough because she knew very well, that if she punched that boy, her father will be in trouble with the Prime Minister. Well, Sunghoon was PM's only son. Changjo was not afraid of her father's anger for not behaving properly, but she really hate it to see the foxy grin on PM's face everytime she and/or her brothers made some fusses.

"Could you step away? You really ARE blocking our path," Junjin stepped forward in challenging manner. He too was tired facing that annoying PM's son everytime.

"Don't get too tense, Your Highness, all you need is ordering me, and I'll do anything for you.."

"Then get lost!"

With that Junjin kept push forward, making way for his siblings to go through the unwanted crowd of PM's son's supporters.

"Changjo-ya..."

"What now?!" Junjin turned his head vexed, thought it was Sunghoon, but actually it was another boy.

"Sorry, Junjin sunbaenim," the boy startled, "I just need to tell Changjo something."

"What is it?" He didn't lower his guard.

"Jinnie oppa," Changjo tapped her brother's back. "Relax.. It's Suwon. You do remember that he is my class captain, don't you?"

"Sorry, still a bit worked up because of that douchebag," he clenched his fist. "I better go to the gym for a quick jabs. Still got time before first class, right Andy?"

Andy nodded. Then the tallest Prince dashed to the MMA gymnasium.

The Princess turned to her friend, "What is it, Suwon-a?"

"Choi Soojin sonsaeng is looking for you. You better go to her office now," he replied.

"Oh yeah? Well... I'll find her now. Thanks, Suwon-a.."

A moment later, Changjo entered her classroom, went straight to her seat and sat down, with blank look on her face.

"Changjo-ya..." the girl who sat beside her was a bit puzzled to see her bestfriend entered the class without loud greetings like she used to do.

"Changjo-ya..." she called again, tapping Changjo's shoulder since the Princess showed no response still. "Suwon told me Choi sonsaeng was looking for you. What happen? I don't think that Arts teacher has any reason to scold you.."

"She didn't scold me, Hyemi-a.." she replied, but still with blank look.

"Then, is there a problem?"

"Yeah...big problem..."

"What?!" Hyemi made her friend turned to face her, Changjo's blank look was making her anxious. "C'mon, Changjo-ya.. Tell me.."

"I... Choi sonsaeng told me... I'm to dance solo.. for graduation ceremony.. with... accompanied with... only.. Daegeum solo..performed by.." she gulped "Eun Jiwon sunbae..."

A moment of silence.

Before it was broken by Hyemi's scream, "What?!!"

And Changjo started to feel like she's hyperventilating. 

"Omoo Changjo-ya..."

"What should I do, Hyemi-a? Choi sonsaeng and Nam sonsaeng will let us try to create our performance ourselves.." she frowned. "I..will spent lots of time...with Jiwon sunbae...alone..."

Hyemi clapped her hands and start smiling, "That's wonderful!!! Choi sonsaeng, Nam sonsaeng, Mansae!!!"

"Hyemi-a..." Changjo shot a pleading look to her bestie.

"This is great, Changjo-ya.. Finally you can spend more time with your Prince Charming... Aigoo... I'm happy for you..." She was genuinely blissful.

"I'm afraid I couldn't control myself.. What if I'm just going to be numb because of nervousness?"

"Just prepare your heart, dear," she took her friend's hand and hold it tightly. "Finally you will have time and clear reason to spend time with your crush without your brothers' interference."

"My brothers will still be interfering everytime any boy comes closer to me.." the thought snapped her back to reality.

"But this time they have no right. They don't know about your crush to Jiwon sunbae, right?"

"I guess they still haven't notice. It's better this way. I can't imagine what will our Princes do to that country boy."

Hyemi crossed her arms in her chest, "It's very funny, you know..your brothers.. I can understand if they intimidate the boys who come to you. But if it's you who want the boy, they still have to inspect him too?"

"You tell me... At times I'm upset about it, but actually I kinda understand their intentions. I too will want the best girls for my brothers."

"Then what about me? Am I qualified?" Hyemi's eyes sparked for some hope.

"Ya! How many times do I have to tell you to express your feelings to Eric oppa? You have to do it quickly before other girls snatch him."

"But I'm afraid. What if he doesn't like me? What if he has a girl he likes? Tell me Changjo-ya... Does he.."

"Even if I know I won't tell you," Changjo cut her quick, and then smirked.

"Ya! Lee Changjo!"

"Ssshh.. Teacher is coming..." the bells indeed rang minutes ago, their teacher stepped in the class right after Changjo pushed Hyemi back to her seat.

"You better wish I never go near Arts gymnasium when you two were practising," Hyemi whispered, "Coz I will lock you two inside and then call your brothers."

Changjo just stuck her tongue out because she knew her bestie would never do it, but the realization -again- that she will spend times alone with the boy of her dream, made her heart beat faster, she couldn't really concentrate on the lessons that day.

And she felt like she was struck with lightning when later after school, the black-haired boy that kept roaming in her thoughts, was standing there, outside her classroom. Obviously waiting for her. Because he strengthened his body from leaning against the wall when the Princess came out of the class.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness," he greeted politely.

"G..Good afternoon, Jiwon sunbae.."

"I believe Choi sonsaeng had told you about the performance."

"Yes..."

"I'm thinking that we should start to prepare it immediately, like tomorrow after club's activities finished, because approximately we have only three months left," he said firmly and a bit demanding, but his way of delivering it was somehow assuring and guiding.

"To..tomorrow?" She's fighting hard for her heart not to burst.

"Yeah, are you okay with that?"

"Well.. That'll be nice.." she's gathering her confidence, "Me too, I want to prepare it well because it's my brothers' graduation," she tried smiling. "And yours too.. So it must be special for you too," she added in hurry.

"Yeah," he smiled, clearly satisfied. "I'll be looking forward to our practice tomorrow then. See you, Your Highness."

She couldn't really speak anymore so she just nodded and the boy turned and walked away from her.

Tomorrow? Oh, God.. Really... Lee Changjo... Prepare your heart....
Hey, my lovely heart... You're still beating, right?

*** to be continued ***

For those who need it :)
* Daegeum is  a large bamboo transverse flute used in traditional Korean music.  It has a buzzing membrane that gives it a special timbre.
* sunbae: senior
* oppa: older brother
* oppadeul: older brothers
* sonsaeng / sonsaengnim: teacher
* mansae: hurray

a/n. Chapter 2 might take a little longer. Sorry, please bear with me. Thanks for the subscriptions and comments :)