Baekhyun wasn’t the type of person to follow a routine. There was no set time for him, no absolute order to go about his day, no fixed schedule scribbled neatly in the margins of his agenda. He liked surprises, good or bad, and took everything in stride while setting his own rules.

So when a young man looking blatantly out of place entered the bar on a dull Wednesday night that rarely welcomed business, Baekhyun simply observed him from the side as he cleaned a wine glass. His short-trimmed hair and formal attire stood out in the relaxed bar atmosphere, like a shiny red Ferrari parked in the backstreet lot of a run-down gas station.

The man scanned the room and hesitantly took a step forward. He spotted Baekhyun standing by the counter with his uniform on and strode purposefully towards the worker.

Baekhyun’s automatic work smile slid on smoothly, “What would you like, sir?”

“Is Jongdae here?”

“Jongdae?” Baekhyun raised his eyebrows in curiosity. No one ever came looking for his boss before. “No, he left early so I took over until closing time.”

The man dropped his head, muttering, “So he knew I was coming.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing,” The man slid into the high stool. His fingers drummed the countertop absent-mindedly. “I’ll have iced tea.”

“Alright.” Baekhyun swiftly pulled out a drawer of glasses, chose the closest one, and grabbed the amber pitcher. While he poured the drink, he said in an attempt to start a casual conversation, “Most people don’t order iced tea at a bar. Or wear clothes like that-” His eyes flickered to the suit. “-around here. I take it you work at a high-end kind of area?”

“Something like that.” Minseok nodded in thanks as Baekhyun slid him his glass. He took a sip before continuing, “I’m one of the King’s advisors.” His voice held nothing short of weariness, not a single drop of pride detected.

“Ah… That must be a hard job.”

Minseok chuckled dryly, “Especially with the royal brats, I assure you,”

“Prince Sehun, is it? The one with the bride search.” Baekhyun recalled one of the two princes. He never paid much attention when the royals visited their village, as he usually had his head in the books studying like his parents wished. He only remembered Prince Sehun because of Luhan.

“That child… He doesn’t understand the concept of sacrifice and its importance. Can’t blame him, at that age,” The older man sighed, shaking his head. “I know he despises me, but it’s for his own good, for our country. In his position, there’s no other option than to learn how to grow up.”

Baekhyun thought, That’s not something you can learn, but was distracted from voicing it when Minseok rambled on.

“The other one, Prince Chanyeol... He’s a good kid, considering he got the worst end of the stick.”

Just as those words tumbled from the advisor’s mouth, the last of the remaining customers had left the bar with the definite jingle of the bell signalling their exit. The silence pounded against Baekhyun’s eardrums. Did I hear that right?

“Prince Chanyeol?” Baekhyun echoed, mouth forming the words reluctantly.

“That’s his name. Sometimes he disappears randomly, and only God knows where he goes. It’s fine, though, since he never makes mistakes. Then again, there’s not much liability in that area.”

Baekhyun set down the glass he was cleaning before he could drop it. It couldn’t be… “Tall, large ears, huge smile?”

“Sounds about right.” Minseok cocked his head, thinking. “He doesn’t really smile in front of me, though.”

How could I have not known? It was as if Baekhyun’s entire world sharpened to a crystal clear filter where he could even make out the thin strands of fabric in Minseok’s blazer. Everything slid into place with a deafening click as he rewound to all the times Yeol - no, Chanyeol - had visited this bar. Baekhyun wanted to cry and laugh. The former he couldn’t do right in front of a respectable person like the advisor, so he settled with letting an ugly chuckle escape his lips. “Of course… Just my luck.”

“Hm?”

“Nothing, just thinking out loud.”

“Ah…” Minseok smiled. “You know, you’re alright for a new bartender.”

Baekhyun returned the smile, not belying his real emotions. “Me? Nah, my mixing skills still need a lot of work.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” The advisor laughed and set down his cup. He winked cheekily at Baekhyun, “Don’t tell Jongdae I came by, yeah? Thanks for the talk.”

By the time Baekhyun replied with a slow, stretched-out, “Sure,” Minseok was long gone, unaware of the damage he had left behind.

¤¤¤

The following day brought around a new test in different means of media, with flashing lights, bobbing microphones woven around powdered hands, and heavy cameras. People were rushing around the standing girls in the middle of the banquet hall. The frantic chaos was a vast contrast from the empty room that held their previous dance. Some girls were gently tugged away to fix their make-up, for this time, they weren’t only showing their face to the Castle residents.

They were being interviewed live for the whole country to see.

No one had seen it coming. Their normal morning rituals were abruptly interrupted with servants ushering them into the banquet hall, which was evident in some of the girls’ bed-hair and pajamas. Luhan barely managed to yank his wig on and hide under the covers when a young female servant knocked before barging into his room. Now he was staring in confusion at the scene occurring around him, detached as if he didn’t register yet that this was actually happening to him.

“Ji-eun, this way, please!”

His half-awake self was blearily looking around to see who was calling for him when he felt a gentle but firm grip on his arm yanking him into the shadows, away from the focusing lenses of cameras. The woman calling out his name led him to a change-room. He was awake enough to firmly shut the door behind him and lock it before she offered to assist him.

Turning around, Luhan found himself face-to-face with an entire rack of dresses of every kind. Ruffles, gems, and flowers could be seen peeking out from a rainbow of silk. How much did this all cost? They were really milking it and blowing it up full-scale. Not caring about colour schemes, Luhan quickly ran his fingers over the fabrics, finding the most comfortable one and slipping into it in one swift move.

After exiting, he was only given a second to breathe before another curt voice called him over.

When Luhan managed to open his eyes again, he found himself staring at a jaw-droppingly gorgeous girl. Her tousled locks were curled into light bounces that framed her rosy dusted cheeks, her innocent lips outlined in salmon-pink lipstick. Her bright, huge eyes never left his. Only when he reached forward to graze her cheek to instead meet a cold, sleek surface did he realize that the girl was him.

Luhan blinked once, watching the long eyelashes flutter against his fair skin. When did he start looking so translucent?

The make-up was like a second layer of skin, loaded skin. It felt like a chore to move his facial muscles and every time he blinked, it felt like glue was sticking his eyelashes together. It was scary, almost, that he didn’t even recognize himself at first. That’s the difference between professional and amateur make-up, Luhan thought, before a certain wide-eyed chef invaded his mind.

Those are huge changes, Ji-eun… I don’t recall you telling me your real name?

The frantic morning of brushes and camera-work didn’t allow for much time to think about the issue with Kyungsoo, but when Luhan watched his own slender hand tug the neckline of his dress, he understood a little of what the chef was thinking. In this get-up, Luhan looked so different. He barely remembered what he was like back in his hometown, who Luhan was. Huge changes, indeed.

“Ji-eun, you’re on in ten!”

Hurrying out, Luhan winced at the bright lights. Everything seemed to be giving him a migraine today, all the vibrant colours and noise. A girl wearing a headset held onto his arm and ushered him to a set where Prince Sehun was awaiting him with a comfortable grin. Another woman stood up from her separate leather chair and held out a hand to shake. Luhan grasped it firmly.

“I’m Im Yoona,” She introduced herself with an easy smile. Yoona was pretty, in the way where you could tell from a mile away, just from her posture and physique. She was so pretty Luhan had to avert his eyes before he stared for too long.

“I’m Lee Ji-eun.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ji-eun. Please have a seat.” Luhan looked around, and his eyes landed on the classic loveseat Sehun was currently perched on. When he glanced up at Yoona, she simply smiled again and gestured for him to sit down.

“The camera’s not rolling yet, loosen up,” Yoona’s voice was soothing, and Luhan could hear the ever present smile. “The purpose of this interview is to get to know you better. We citizens need to know our future Princess, don’t you think? So just be yourself. You never know who the audience will fall in love with. Ignore the camera, if you can. Think of it as talking to a new friend. Don’t worry.”

That’s not what I’m worrying about, Luhan thought, clenching his teeth as Sehun’s fingers brushed against his for the third time since he sat down. The heat radiating off the Prince was suffocating. Sehun certainly didn’t help at all when he leaned over to whisper, hot puffs of breath brushing against Luhan’s ear, “Smile. No one can resist your smile.”

Luhan elbowed him away, but Sehun just snickered. Yoona signalled for the interview to start.

“Where are you from, Ji-eun?”

Luhan smiled a little, but it felt strained, like an invisible person was tugging at his cheeks. “I’m from Bucheon.”

“Ah, so I take it you can sew quite well?”

“Sewing…” Luhan fidgeted. The smile was getting a bit painful. “Sewing’s not my specialty. I’m more of a tomboy, you could say.”

Sehun cleared his throat and cut in, “Ji-eun actually likes playing soccer. We have a field about fifteen minutes away from the Castle and sometimes, she walks there to practice.”

“Wow, how long have you been playing?”

“Ever since I could walk,” Luhan let a chuckle slip when talking about his favourite sport. He looked up to see Sehun smiling encouragingly at him. Weird. The shorter boy felt Sehun squeeze his hand, the dress shielding the contact from the camera, but not from Yoona’s surprised eyes.

“You must be good then,” she commented lightly.

“Oh, she’s really good! She can probably score a goal against me with her eyes closed.” Sehun boasted with a proud beam.

“It sounds like you know her quite well. You two must be close, I assume?” Yoona asked.

The Prince laughed, “You can say that.”

“How cute,” Yoona giggled, but Luhan didn’t think it was cute at all. “It seems Ji-eun might actually be our future Princess!”

Luhan widened his eyes in alarm, eyes glancing from Sehun to Yoona. His conversation with Luna in the bathroom yesterday repeated in his head, Not to mention, you’re the Prince’s favourite. Don’t deny it, Lulu. It’s obvious. Was this what she was talking about?

“I, erm,” Luhan felt the need to clear something up. “I actually don’t want to marry Prince Sehun.”

The other two stopped laughing and looked at him in surprise. A flash of hurt and confusion flickered in Sehun’s eyes, but Luhan didn’t dwell on it. He continued, “It’s not that the Prince is a bad person to marry, it’s just that I’m not interested in becoming royalty.”

“Ah, that’s understandable,” Yoona nodded slowly, obviously not understanding Luhan’s opinion. “It’s a pity, though, since I know hundreds of girls who would do anything to be in your spot right now.”

Sehun draped an arm over Luhan’s shoulders, startling the latter, as the Prince said jokingly, “Careful, it’s almost as if you’re trying to get yourself eliminated.”

Eliminated? The corners of Luhan’s lips tugged upward when an idea struck him. Of course! How easy would it be to get eliminated by making a fool of himself on national television? Everyone watching would want him out. Even the Prince couldn’t go against an entire country.

Luhan shrugged off Sehun’s arm and raised an eyebrow. “Were you always this touchy?”

“Excuse me?”

“Remember what I said about personal space?”

“I - just,” The Prince glanced at the camera. “Okay, sorry, but I don’t think this is the best place to be having this conversation.”

“Don’t worry, Ji-eun!” Yoona spoke up, trying to do damage control. “The Prince was like this to all the other girls as well.”

“Oh, really?” Luhan raised both eyebrows now, directing a glare at the Prince.

“Oops,” Yoona covered .

Sehun said placatingly, “I had to for the camera. It’s fanservice in a way.”

“Fanservice? So, you’re doing this to trick the audience into thinking you’re close with all the girls?” Luhan didn’t even have to try too hard to sound annoyed.

“You - you’re twisting my words!” Sehun protested.

Yoona quickly made a waving motion to the cameraman, and soon after, the blinking red light above the camera lens faded. They were off air. She smoothed down her hair, staring hard at Luhan.

“What?” Luhan asked, still acting annoyed.

“Did you forget this is live?” She all but screeched at him, “This is all broadcasting right now. I appreciate you saying what’s on your mind, but you just turned our Prince into a complete jerk in front of the entire nation!”

“It’s not that hard to,” Luhan mumbled.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry,” Luhan stood up and bowed to both of them, “I think it’s better if we cut short this interview before I do anything more rash.”

“Y-you can’t just leave!” Yoona yelled after him as he walked away. The workers stood around him, not sure whether to stop him. “We need more than just ten minutes of your footage!”

Luhan couldn’t stop the large grin from growing on his face. This was too easy. The hard part now was shaking off the persistent little puppy. Sure enough, as he exited the set, he heard pounding footsteps behind him.

“Why did you do that?” Sehun asked, slightly out of breath.

The shorter boy kept walking.

“Ji-eun, seriously,” The Prince grabbed his arm, stopping him. Luhan rolled his eyes. “Are you really that bothered by it? It didn’t mean anything when I touched the other girls, it was just for service. But for you-”

“That’s not why I was acting that way.”

“Then did something happen?” Sehun sounded so painfully earnest and worried, he appeared to be a whole other person from before. A prick of guilt stabbed Luhan’s heart, but he flicked it away as he turned around with a blank expression. Sehun tried again, “Are you okay?”

“Okay?” Luhan laughed humorlessly. Kyungsoo’s accusing expression flashed through his mind. “No, I’m not. But I don’t see how this is any of your concern. You should hurry back to finish your interviews.”

“It is my concern. We’re friends, remember? So if you need anything, just tell me.”

Words couldn’t make their way out of Luhan’s mouth after that, so Luhan settled with a brisk nod. His heart twisted painfully with a mere look at the sincere Prince. Luhan didn’t like the feeling. The older boy knew exactly how to get the uncomfortable feeling out of his system, by being rude.

“Have you seen Jongin? I really need to speak with him.”

“You… Jongin?” Some emotion settled in Sehun’s eyes, but when Luhan blinked, it disappeared. Sehun pursed his lips. “I’m not su-”

“Ji-eun!”

Luhan looked over Sehun’s shoulder to find the butler standing there, in his suited glory. He ran over to Jongin, not seeing Sehun mouth a few curses before walking over to the butler as well. Jongin always has the most impeccable timing, Luhan thought as he beamed up at Jongin.

“Ah, they’re looking for Your Highness. Wheein’s starting her interview,” Jongin informed Sehun, who grunted in response and trudged back into the banquet hall. The butler shot a look at the Prince's retreating back, “What’s his deal?”

“I kind of screwed around with his interview.”

“Oh Lord,” Jongin shook his head. “I guess you’re back on track now after our little talk yesterday.”

“Right,” Luhan’s mouth twisted.

“Anyway, let’s head back to the banquet hall. We can talk then.”

Jongin led him back to the room he just managed to escape, and as he expected, all the workers who caught sight of him shot him glares. He bowed in apology to everyone who did so because Luhan did feel bad. He knew how it felt to have your plans thrown off track. But it was still uncomfortable knowing how disliked you were in a situation.

“Here.” Jongin nudged him in the side to get his attention. They were standing by a narrow door, at the very edge of the rushing crowd of people. “No one really uses this, so it’ll be a little dusty.”

“Where…?”

Jongin merely smiled as he opened the door and entered, not checking if Luhan was following. The older boy stumbled at the first step, not expecting there to be stairs. Soon after, Jongin called out a warning to watch his step. The boys climbed in silence up the skinny staircase. It smelled of mothballs and the lack of light made it obvious when they reached the top, as Luhan’s view was gradually washed in dim lighting.

Luhan stepped out onto the gritty floorboards, eyes taking in their surroundings. Heavy, rich-hued blankets barely covered large objects cluttered against the wall, the lighting not enough to see them clearly. There was a balcony off to the side overseeing the banquet hall spread out below, which Jongin walked over to. Luhan joined him.  He draped his arm over the marble railing.

The first person his eyes found was Sehun, which was easy, given he was smack dab in the middle of the gigantic room, a small circle of people carrying cameras lined around him. A girl - Wheein - sat next to him, and the Prince’s arm was circled around her waist. Luhan forced his eyes away.

“He cares about you, you know,” Jongin mused out loud. “He makes it obvious when he likes someone.”

“I don’t think so,” Luhan replied, stare returning back to the laughing Prince in the center of attention, as always.

“I didn’t specify which kind of like. He definitely likes you as a friend, but anything more will lead to something messy. I think he knows that as well. Not because he knows the secret, but because you’re not necessarily lady material. That’s why he’s trying so hard to like another girl.” As if on cue, the blinking red lights on the cameras cut off, and Sehun stood up to give Wheein a hug. Luhan in his breath. Jongin didn’t comment on it.

“I think he’s doing just fine.”

“You’d be surprised. If his mother wasn’t sick in bed, he wouldn’t give a damn what the advisors think. He’d be spending every second of his day with you.”

Luhan let the comment settle, as he probed it over in his mind. He couldn’t tell what to make of it, so he asked, “Why are you telling me this?”

“Treating him as just a friend might not work. Just keep that in mind.” Luhan turned to the butler with furrowed eyebrows. In the gentle glow, the dark circles under his eyes stood out against his tanned skin, his mussed-up hair uncharacteristically left unstyled. Luhan had an idea who caused this minute yet blatant change in Jongin.

“Okay,” Luhan closed the topic and tested out his theory. “But speaking of friends, you’re not the only one who’s having problems with Kyungsoo.”

When Jongin turned to him with a curious eyebrow raised, Luhan spilled the story. He watched as the butler’s eyes morphed from curiosity to shock to worry in a few seconds. Jongin asked right after Luhan finished, “Do you want me to talk to him?”

“No, it’s okay,” Luhan caught onto Jongin’s crestfallen expression, before the butler covered it with a poker face. He was getting better at reading the younger boy. “Sorry, but you’ll probably just make it worse.”

“Got it.” Jongin looked like a hurt puppy now.

“I’ll just go to his quarters after the interviews and talk to him again.”

“He might need some space.”

“But I don’t want to end up like you and Kyungsoo.” Luhan raised a pointed eyebrow, his words cutting and blunt.

He should have known Jongin’s hurt puppy look would have come back, and was about to apologize when a fuss started underneath them. The two of them looked down to see that while they were distracted by their conversation, the camera already started rolling again. Wheein was covering her face while Sehun was shaking his head, laughing. Confused, Luhan let his eyes skate around the premise, until he realized that the surrounding workers were actually chanting something.

Jongin stiffened beside him, and right after, Luhan understood why. They were chanting, “Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!”

It felt like he was submerged under water. The chanting and applause muted into soft gurgles. Sehun moved towards Wheein slowly, his movements like an underwater diver, as he leaned in and kissed her. And Luhan was drowning.

He didn’t realize his breath was coming out in short gasps until Jongin grabbed his arm. “Luhan? You feeling alright?”

Luhan tore his gaze away from the scene and met Jongin’s eyes. His lungs burned, and he knew he couldn’t ask for air because it was he who dunked himself under the surface.

“I… I think I-”

“Lu-”

“Jongin, I can’t do this,” Luhan shook his head, the searing pain in his chest all too noticeable now. “I can’t. He’s… dangerous. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“What are you talking about?” Jongin furrowed his eyebrows.

“I think I - I love him,” Luhan breathed out. The butler widened his eyes in alarm, but Luhan couldn’t - he had to get out. The laughter from below drowned out any logical thoughts as he backed away and did the thing he was best at: escape.

¤¤¤​

Luhan realized that he was never great at solving problems. Whenever he encountered a conflict, he’d run away and usually avoid the problem for as long as he possibly could. He imagined filing the issue away in tall, grey file cabinets residing in his brain. But eventually, he’d have nowhere to run to. Either he starts facing his demons or continues to run in circles.

That was how he found himself in front of Kyungsoo’s room - Jongin had given him surprisingly clear directions - with a fist hovering over the door. Before he could change his mind, Luhan knocked. It was Sehun’s turn to be stuffed in a dusty cabinet.

After an extended period of time, Luhan realized that he wasn’t even sure if Kyungsoo was in his room at this time. The chef was probably in the kitchen, or maybe the banquet hall watching the proceedings. He could be anywhere-

“Luhan?”

The older boy blinked. Kyungsoo was standing before him with bleary eyes, ruffled hair, and pajamas.

Time to shine.

“Hey, Kyungsoo. Can we talk?”

Kyungsoo stared at him drowsily. He rubbed his face tiredly and backed away from the door. Luhan took it as an invitation.

“I’m, uh,” Luhan took in the small room. It was easily half the size of Luhan’s bathroom, but he could find pieces of Kyungsoo everywhere. Pictures of food and clippings (of recipes, he realized later) decorated the faded green walls, lace curtains bordered the windows along the side, and a distinct vanilla scent enveloped Luhan. A closet, bed with plain white sheets, desk, and drawer made of the same wood were the only pieces of furniture in the room. It was also noticeably more organized than Luhan’s room, and the chef had been living here his entire life. “I’m sorry for waking you up.”

“It’s okay. Today was my day off.” Kyungsoo gestured for Luhan to sit. “The drawer’s sturdy. You can sit there.”

The chef himself plopped onto the bed. Luhan cleared his throat. “Is it okay that I’m here?”

“You’re in my room, aren’t you?”

Luhan nodded, then started fidgeting with his fingers, not looking up at the chef. “Was a day enough time?”

“No. I actually didn’t want to see you for a while.”

“Then why did you let me in?”

“Because you looked sad,” Luhan’s head shot up. “And I thought you needed a friend.”

“Soo…”

“You must have been lonely, having to hide who you really are,” Kyungsoo’s gaze softened. “And the circumstances don’t allow for much choice, I suppose.”

“I’m sorry I dragged you into this, and that I didn’t tell you sooner,” Luhan apologized and reached over to grab the chef into a reluctant (on Kyungsoo’s part) hug. Kyungsoo resisted for all of two seconds before giving in and patting Luhan on the back.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook! It’s still weird trying to get over the fact that you’re not a girl,” Luhan tugged down sheepishly at the wig. He had given back the dress from the morning’s filming, but he hadn’t managed to wash off the make-up yet. “And you’re still in deep for lying to me this entire time.”

“But,” Kyungsoo sighed, “you’re still my friend.”

A/N:

• THE INTERVIEW SCENE WAS SO HARD TO WRITE OTL
• we're officially halfway through this dumb fic! i planned 24 chapters, and hopefully, i'll squeeze the second half in before 2016
• the start of the end of BIR's baekyeol (dun, dun, duuuun)
• yay soohan's friendship back on track~ 
• ALSO EXO'S COMEBACK /DEAD then big bang's in april and infinite's in may and there goes my grades for this semester orz
• thanks to my wonderful, amazing, awesomesauce beta ♥♥