Bihyeongak is the romanized name of the Crown Prince’s Study. Housed in Donggung in Gyeongbokgung Palace, the study is the place where future King’s learn to conduct business. Bihyeongak, to the current Korean Crown Prince, was a refuge for himself and his siblings (when the chance arose). Or, on a certain day, a place for a lot of yelling and some dramatics.

 “I swear I am going to punch you so hard-“

Sehun ducked to miss the fist that shot out towards his jaw. He knew better than to stay in a room with an extremely angry Jong Dae. Plus, he really did deserve all of the rage that was being directed at him. Too bad he had made the mistake of visiting his brother’s study when his brother was away – but his brother’s advisor was very much around.

“It was just one time Jong Dae. Just one-“  Sehun never finished his sentence. Thankfully Minseok entered the room and presented a golden opportunity (in other words Jong Dae was momentarily distracted) to duck out of the place without having to speak another word.

“What is going on?” Minseok looked from his angry advisor, all red in the face, to his fleeing younger brother.

“That little used my credit card.”

Minseok shouldn’t have laughed, but he did. After Luhan left, Jong Dae was as close of a friend as he had. He was a very comfortable person, kind and blunt and always ready to help. They had dropped the honorifics in private a long time ago, now only relying on titles in public settings.  Unfortunately for Jong Dae the royal siblings had become perhaps too comfortable with him – comfortable enough, apparently, to swipe his credit card.

“Don’t laugh! He went on a shopping spree!” Jong Dae threw his hands up in disgust “For more than just himself apparently. Jesus Christ, I don’t know how I am going to explain this to my Dad.”

Minseok took a seat. The palace servants that had dutifully followed him here were outside. He liked Bihyeongak for this reason, no one followed him in unless he told them to. On the same note, three people never asked if they could enter and treated the place like their own – his two brothers and his advisor Jong Dae. Which could be good, depending on the day.

“Are you going to tell Soo Man?” Minseok asked. Soo Man was to the King what Jong Dae was to Minseok – his right hand. Soo Man, however, possessed a personality that was not unlike that of a tyrant. At least as far as the royal brothers were concerned. He would forever be the first to report their behavior to their parents, and the one that would least tolerate their actions if they strayed anything beyond the staid behavior a Prince of Korea should possess.

Jong Dae let out a frustrated sound.  “I should”

Minseok knew that he wouldn’t. Jong Dae would probably find Sehun at some point, hit him, and then forget it. That was his personality.

“Yeah, you probably should. But you won’t”

Jong Dae didn’t argue with Minseok’s statement, because it was completely true and they both knew it. Instead he took a seat across from the Prince. He was, after all, at Bihyeongak for a reason.

“Your little of a brother aside, we have some things to discuss. Like your marriage”

Minseok crossed his legs and shifted in his seat. It had been two weeks since the announcement, but it still made him nervous to even hear of it. Jong Dae noticed the Prince’s tensed body language, but business was business.

“The Chinese party will arrive on the 21^st. I am sure I don’t need to stress how important this wedding is based on our current ties with China.”

Minseok nodded. Korea and China had been on less than stellar terms in the last three years due to land disputes as well as economic policy differences. While the two neighboring countries were not enemies they were not exactly best friends either. Minseok’s marriage to a Chinese Princess was the formal state event that could go a long way to more serious political diplomacy as well as boost the citizen’s perception of the other country.

It was important for China and Korea to mend fences, because the economy of both countries had started to lean towards a deep recession. In the last three years protectionism had killed the trade between the two, and the populous of Korea had begun to view China like an evil step country (and vice versa), waiting to grab up everything for themselves.

Jong Dae was in full advisor mode – explaining any little bit of information that Minseok may have missed regarding the historical significance behind the wedding and the future benefits supporting the marriage. Minseok nodded and periodically asked questions amidst the information overload.  Jong Dae droned on.

“There is word that they will be sending at least one other higher ranking royal with the Princess. Precedence dictates-“

“Who?” Minseok did not want his voice to sound alarmed, but it did. He cleared his throat and asked again, “Who will be coming with the Princess?”

“There is no confirmation from the Chinese, but it seems that it will be a Prince of blood” Jong Dae answered. He took the interruption lightly and dove right back into the details.

Minseok stopped listening. He was well aware that Luhan was Nauen’s cousin. He knew it all along. He had tried not to think about marrying Luhan’s cousin, or what Luhan thought, or why Luhan had never once reached out to him in 9 years. He tried, but with the little bit of news that Luhan may be coming to Korea, Minseok’s brain was flooded with all of the unanswered questions he had tried to bury.

“I should hit you too! You aren’t even listening”

“Huh?”

Jong Dae shook his head at the Crown Prince.

Minseok swallowed. His mouth was suddenly very dry.

“Please continue” He gave his full attention to Jong Dae, pushing thoughts of the Chinese Prince out of his head. He resumed his mask of indifference, because it was instinctual. Too instinctual after all of his practice.

***

Sehun had dodged one first today, he was not really all that interested in receiving the brute force of another. Too bad he had that type of luck.

“Hey- I think it is a treason or something if you hit him” Kyungsoo would be lying if he said he was not amused by the spar that was occurring in the middle of his favorite rundown club. A complete lie. He was smiling while Jongin shoved Sehun. Maybe he shouldn’t have even suggested it was a treason?

“Yah!”

Kyungsoo’s smile faded. That was sure to break up his entertainment.

Heechul’s shout was as good as a command to drop down and give a formal bow. There sure as hell would not be any more fighting after his interruption. Sure enough Jongin stalked back to the bar and Sehun smirked at the sudden peace.

“If you two have so much energy why don’t you build a house for Heebum or something? F-ing Christ” Heechul sauntered (he never walked, he sauntered) into the club and approached the bar. Heebum, the aforementioned, purred contently in Heechul’s arms. Kyungsoo hated Heebum (mostly because of his allergies to cats) but never failed to admire how imposing Heechul was when he walked around with that dang feline.

Jongin grinned at the new arrival.

“Boss” He lifted up a glass and drank it in one shot. Jongin and his salutes. Kyungsoo shook his head.

At one in the morning Club M1 was in prime form. In as much as a gang hangout could be.

“What brings our prince here?” Heechul took a seat at the long bar (which was always sans bartender- this was more of a DIY place).

Sehun rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. The fight with Jongin had been half serious, half drunken fun. Which was another reason Sehun found M1 and its band of ragtag street thugs, so damn entertaining. Impromptu fights weren’t exactly part of the schedule of the palace.

Three years ago, after a bit of an adventure at a bar, Sehun had run into Jongin. The two had hit it off, and Sehun had followed him to his neighborhood hangout. At the time Jongin never mentioned that he was a small time thief, but then again Sehun never mentioned he was a Prince. The third time they hung out involved large amounts of Soju and ever since they have been completely clear on their own positions in life. Their friendship endured.

“Bored”

Heechul laughed. Heebum had found a spot to lie down on the bar. Kyungsoo sneezed.

“Why is it that you are always bored?”

“Because being a Prince is boring”

It was true. It was boring being a Prince. With the freedom that came with being the third in line, Sehun could leave the palace that so confined his elder brother and break the structured hell he had grown up in. Of course he was followed by security but he had discovered how to bribe them to look the other way a long time ago.

Jongin laughed.

“You are a funny one” The voice rang out. The metal door to the club had opened again.

“I am, aren’t I” Sehun agreed, smiling at the two men that were currently stumbling into the bar.

Taemin and Baekhyun were the other half of the M1 gang. Sehun had often thought that Taemin was far too good looking for his own welfare, he often ended up in fights – all because some guy decided he had been after his girl. The truth was, at least in Sehun’s experience, Taemin was often in fights for no reason whatsoever besides his presence. Baekhyun was a different kind of man all together. If Baekhyun was getting in a fight he deserved it. Instead of being punched for looking at a girl in the wrong way, he was usually getting punched for intentionally stealing someone’s girlfriend.

“Being a Prince is boring? So I guess all of the money raining from the ceilings is a joke?” Baekhyun walked over to Heebum and began petting the sleeping cat while Taemin gave Heechul a serious look.

“Yeah”

“Drinks?” Jongin asked as he was already pouring. It was a useless question.

Sehun watched as Heechul, without a word, got up and walked into the small club office with Taemin. The rest of the group was too focused on their drinks to pay attention, but Sehun thought he noticed a familiar looking envelope sticking from Taemin’s front pocket.

Sehun never asked any of them about their business. After all he didn’t want a reason for his only friends to kick him to the curb. However he had noticed a tone of seriousness about the place of late. Something was happening, but he was not sure what.

If Taemin was meeting with Heechul privately it meant something. Taemin, despite his youth, held a position in the gang second only to Heechul. While Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, and Jongin indulged in their own activities (Sehun knew enough through dropped references to pinpoint Jongin as a thief, Kyungsoo as a hacker, and Bakehyun as a glorified gigilo) Taemin and Heechul seemed to direct the resources that kept the group of them away from 9 to 5 jobs and stocked with their favorite whiskey.

“And you are getting a sister in law” Baekhyun downed the amber drink that Jongin handed to him and proceeded to ruffle Sehun’s hair.

“Yeah. Chinese” Sehun swatted at Baekhyun’s hand and tried to ignore what he had just seen, but something seemed so dire about the scene.

“Chinese!” Jongin slammed his drink down with a thud. His exclamation had no apparent point. Sehun sighed, why was Jongin always drunker than he was?

“Interesting” Kyungsoo sneezed again. “When is your big day?”

“When will you marry me?” Sehun asked sarcastically as he grabbed at Jongin, letting the whiskey help him forget what he had just seen.

“F off” Jongin grabbed the collar of Sehun’s shirt and dragged him towards the middle of the room again.

Kyungsoo smiled. His amusement had returned.

***

The news was abruptly delivered with a slap on his behind. Chanyeol woke him up with a smack – shaking him out of the self-imposed pity party he had upon his life since he heard the news of his cousin’s engagement.

“Yah! Get up little deer - you and I are going to Korea”

Luhan blinked rapidly and then reacted swiftly – he threw his pillow at his secretary. Chanyeol dodged the projectile and put up his fists in a mock fighting stance.

“What are you talking about?” Luhan wondered if he was dreaming. Was he? Why in the heck would they send him- of all people- to Korea?

Chanyeol dropped his fists and smiled his wide toothy grin – half mocking, one hundred percent in your face.

“His Highness has given the order – looks like we are going with Princess Naeun and staying until the wedding is said and done. Not sure why, considering you are only likely to cause trouble-“

Go to Korea? To see Minseok? Why, after being so unceremoniously kicked out from the Korean royal palace, would they see him aback again 9 years later? Why, after his half assed covered up scandals, would he be sent with his cousin, who by all likelihood was essentially being married off on a goodwill mission?

 “Why is he sending me?”

“Beats me, but we are going” Chanyeol answered, crossing his arms in a pose that spelled out his annoyance, “And you better f-ing behave while we are there”

Luhan bit his lip, what kind of game was this?