At the sight of his favourite person’s back walking down the open-walled, outside corridor snaking towards the garden, a smile immediately snuck onto Sehun’s face as he quietly jogged up behind her, following her steps. Suddenly, Ji-eun stopped in her tracks, nearly causing Sehun to bowl into her. Thinking fast, he slipped his arms around her slim body in a back hug. He felt Ji-eun stiffen in his hold before wrenching herself free and stomping on his toes, inciting a loud yelp of pain from the Prince.

“Prince Sehun?” Ji-eun asked, hands covering as she faced the Prince who was clutching his foot in pain.

The Prince smiled weakly, “That’s me.”

“Oh, I’m really, really sorry about your toe. But honestly, what were you thinking? Sneaking up on me like that?”

“That was, again, a mistake on my part. I was trying to surprise you.”

“Which you obviously accomplished,” Ji-eun scoffed, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I'll be going."

Despite her attempt to end the conversation and escape, Sehun jogged to catch up to her and tilted his head in front of hers to try to get her attention once more. You think I’ll give up that easily? He gave her a winning, gummy smile. “Where are you going?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“Can I join you?”

Ji-eun paused before asking, “You’ll still follow me even if I say no, right?”

“Of course,” the Prince grinned back. Sighing, Ji-eun shook her head, which Sehun took as her giving him permission to tag along.

By the time they reached the tall borders of the hedge maze so close that Sehun could simply reach out and graze the green fern, someone was exiting the shrubbery. Ji-eun straightened her back when she recognized the person as her brother. She didn’t miss the way the Prince’s face practically lit up like a star in a genuine smile. Nor did she ignore how Sehun deflated, physically sinking back down, when Jongin stepped out from behind the hedge to follow Luhan.

Ji-eun blinked and jerked back to attention when she realized Luhan was waving at them, having already seen the two of them. She wasn’t too sure given the distance between the two, but Jongin didn’t look very happy with the two’s appearance - or rather, intrusion on his and Luhan’s little outing.

She was further taken aback when the Prince suddenly left her side to run up to Luhan and Jongin. Cocking an eyebrow, Sehun asked, “How did you make a new friend so quickly, Jongin? From what I remember, you were more introverted than this.”

The Prince’s sharp tone contradicted his almost mocking smirk. Luhan looked visibly uncomfortable, shooting looks at his sister, as, even though the question was directed to Jongin, Sehun was staring at Luhan the entire time. Jongin just rolled his eyes, probably used to this kind of behaviour from Sehun. The butler replied, “I see you’re spending valuable time with Ji-eun. But isn’t your voice a bit too curt? It’s almost as if you’re jealous.”

“Jealous?” Sehun blinked, before breaking down into laughter. He shifted, turning away from Luhan to wrap an arm around Ji-eun, as if to make a point. The Prince didn’t see Luhan look away from the scene. “Why would I be jealous? Who would I even be jealous of? I’m the Prince!”

“Really now?” Jongin looked unconvinced.

“Jongin,” Luhan warned, tugged on the hem of Jongin’s suit and shook his head. Sighing, Jongin got the message. The butler held out an arm for Ji-eun to hold and smiled charismatically up at her.

At the sight of Jongin giving in so easily to Luhan, something hot and ugly reared in Sehun’s chest. He quickly squashed the feeling, eyes widening. Sehun shook his head, trying to convince himself that no, it was definitely not jealousy, Jongin’s words were just getting to him, just tiredness and crankiness erupting from his Ji-eun withdrawal. Throughout his revelation and denial, Sehun hadn’t even noticed Jongin and Ji-eun leaving until Luhan nudged him in the side.

“What’s up with you?”

“Ugh, why does Jongin have to ruin everything?” Sehun whined instead. I only held it in before because I knew Jongin wasn’t the slightest bit interested in Ji-eun - though, I had my doubts at times. But now he’s going after her twin brother?

“He’s your butler. He’s just trying to help. And I thought you two were best friends.”

“Yeah, but - but he’s so insufferable sometimes!”

“Aren’t you describing yourself?” Luhan laughed at Sehun’s offended expression. “Joking, joking.”

Sehun pouted, “You’re so mean to me.”

“Awh, is our widdle pwince mad?” Luhan teased, nudging Sehun’s side again. When the Prince just looked away with a hmph, Luhan tilted his head forward. “I’m in a good mood today. Should I make it up to you? I’ll treat you to something.”

Sehun couldn’t deny the burst of happiness and excitement at Luhan’s proposal, but he had to keep his cool so he settled with a tiny smile on his lips as he asked, “Is that a promise?”

“Promise? What’s with you and promises?” Something flickered over Luhan’s face, a moment of hesitation and doubt, before he carelessly shrugged. “I’m not too good with promises. But this one, I’ll keep. Just for you.”

Just for me? Sehun smiled even wider. I like the sound of that.

¤¤¤

From a distance, Ji-eun and Jongin were well on their way to the dining hall to eat their breakfast. During the entire walk, the butler was silent, not in his usual easy-going way, but a brooding, upset manner.

Clearing , Ji-eun asked, “You okay?”

Jongin started, snapping to attention as his dark eyes flickered to meet Ji-eun’s. “Yes, Miss.”

“You just seem out of it. If there’s something on your mind, I’ll listen.”

“Have you ever fought over a toy with your brother?” The butler asked randomly. “Let’s say the toy was a doll, and it was strange because little boys usually didn’t play with dolls. You had your eyes on that doll first, but your brother would always find ways to snatch it from right under your nose. You’d even find him another doll to play with that was identical to the first, but he was greedy and indecisive and he wouldn’t let go of yours.”

Ji-eun tilted her head, confused as to why Jongin would be thinking about something like this. “No, Luhan and I always had different tastes.” Jongin looked displeased, and Ji-eun laughed awkwardly, “Did you expect another answer?”

“What do you think about a situation like this? Who should get the doll in the end?”

“If those two can’t share, then the person who treats the doll the best and loves it the most should keep it.”

Jongin nodded, approving of Ji-eun’s answer. “And?”

“And what?”

“Why does the boy not like the new doll?”

Ji-eun shrugged, “I don’t know, maybe he had really nice memories with the original doll. Maybe the dolls weren’t actually identical and the first one had a loose button, or a stain, or frayed clothing, and the boy thought it charming.”

“The dolls were identical. Everyone mistook them as so,” Jongin insisted.

“Well, I guess the boy still recognized the differences. I don’t think he would have taken the doll just because he didn’t like his sister.” Ji-eun smiled. “It must have been a really beautiful doll for them to fight over, right?”

When the butler didn’t reply and only continued staring at Ji-eun in that curious, intense way of his, the girl asked self-consciously, “Is there something on my face? You keep staring…”

“No, it’s not that. You just - you really look like him.”

Ji-eun furrowed her brow, wondering about Jongin’s habit of changing the subject spontaneously. The way he randomly brought it up caught her off guard. Usually when people commented on her and Luhan's similarities, she would have seen it coming and prepared herself. But Jongin, with his matter-of-fact manner of speaking, managed to bring up how out of place she was, in knowing the fact that Luhan had originally taken her place, but now it felt like she was the one replacing him.

¤¤¤

Luhan marvelled internally at how easy it was to escape the Castle before realizing that there was no reason now for him to be chained any longer. He had originally brought a baseball cap and baggy hoodie to hide his frame, as well as mapped out other exit routes, including the one Sehun showed him that night - no, he wasn’t supposed to think about that night. It was only in case the main entrance soldiers didn’t let him leave. He remembered, when he was still Ji-eun, how they hadn’t let him leave the grounds unless he had an accompanied guard. Now, he was prepared.

But his planning was for nothing since they simply greeted him and let him be. This is too easy, Luhan thought as he warily eyed the three guards and inched him way through the enormous, towering doors he recalled entering when he first arrived here with an equally awestruck expression. The reason for his amazement was different in both cases, however.

His previous plans to move out of the Castle was derailed after a call to Baekhyun. They had arranged for a meeting - which Luhan was heading to now - to discuss the rent, when he was going to move in, how long he estimated to stay, and the other details. Luhan had brought an overnight bag along because he was serious when he agreed to only one more day at the Castle. He had never expected to prefer sharing an apartment with two other guys over a castle, but here he was, dreading to spend another second longer in this oddly vast yet stifling mansion.

The servants had given him a choice to travel by BMW with his very own chauffeur, but Luhan had decided that it would be better for him to become associated with Seoul’s transit early on. He came to regret the decision soon enough as the bus he was on suddenly screeched to a stop. Jerking from the sudden stop, Luhan peered out the window to see a figure in all black hollering and running up to the bus.

As the strange man boarded the bus, Luhan sat up in shock when he realized who this person was, even with his red hair hidden under a black cap. The man pulled down said cap, keeping his eyes on the ground as he slid into the seat across from Luhan.

Luhan waited until the next stop to give up his seat to an old lady and move across the aisle to hold onto the handrail, leaning over his target.

“Hey, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol’s head shot up, eyes widening when recognition hit him. His eyes darted around at the other passengers to see if they heard anything before hissing at Luhan, “Keep your voice down! And what do you think you’re doing?”

“A lot of people name their kids after the Crown Prince, don’t worry. Chanyeol isn’t an uncommon name.” Luhan rolled his eyes, but lowered his volume nonetheless. “And I should be asking you that. Why is the all-mighty, future ruler on a commoner’s transit bus?”

“I asked you first.”

Luhan snickered at the response. It sounded whiney coming from Prince Chanyeol. “No, it’s fine. I already know the answer. You’re visiting Baek, aren’t you? Rebelling for love and whatnot.”

“I’m not rebelling.” Chanyeol pulled his hat down further again, but Luhan could still see the tips of his ears flushing red. He noted with smug interest that rebelling was the only thing Chanyeol denied. “Also, why the hell are you not in your wig and back at the Castle? Even if nobody else noticed your disappearance, Sehun still would. He notices everything about you.”

“Well, there’s no disappearance to notice. My twin sister came for Family Day, remember? Or should I say, I came to visit my sister.”

“Ah,” Chanyeol muttered. Luhan could see the Crown Prince’s brain working through everything, but he couldn’t tell what the Prince was thinking. Finally, Chanyeol asked, “So what are you planning to do now?”

“I’m heading downtown right now to meet up with my future landlord. I’m probably going to pick up some part-time job while I look for universities to apply to.”

“No, I mean, what are you going to do about Sehun?”

“Sehun? I, I don’t-”

“You don’t know.” Chanyeol’s eyes flashed with a sharp glint. “Whatever you do, just do it away from the Castle. Go get a job and go to university, that’s all great. All I’m asking is that you don’t mess with Sehun any longer.”

Words lodged in Luhan’s throat, forcing his silence, which Chanyeol must have taken as affirmation, as the Prince turned away to stare out the window. They rode the rest of the way in awkward silence. Luhan was the first to bolt off the bus, not able to be in the company of Chanyeol any longer than necessary.

Once he stepped out onto the pavement, he stared, lost, at the rushing crowds in front of the giant skyscrapers, their faces blurring until they were unrecognizable. From behind, Chanyeol snickered and brushed past Luhan with bold strides. The shorter swallowed down his pride and hurried to follow the Prince since there was no way he could find his way out of downtown if he was left alone.

Soon enough, the two arrived in front of a quaint-looking store and as they entered, the smell of alcohol hit fast and hard. Luhan blinked in surprise, having forgotten that Baekhyun was working as a bartender. He felt entirely out of his element as he watched Chanyeol bound up to Jongdae, who was wiping the counter, and chat him up. After a few more seconds of quiet whispering, Chanyeol laughed and clapped Jongdae on the back before lifting the separator and ducking into the back, where Luhan assumed the staff room was. It was then that Jongdae finally noticed Luhan standing by the entrance and gestured for him to sit down.

As soon as Luhan sat down, Jongdae pulled out a contract with an amused grin that Luhan was getting used to by now. Staring down at the pages of text, everything became so much more real. There was his roommate sitting across from him. This bar would be somewhere he’d probably frequent a lot. All of this would soon become familiar to Luhan, the novelty edge worn down. This was going to be his world.

He was taking steps towards becoming who he always wanted to be. So why was he so tempted to look back?

¤¤¤

The smell of expired chicken wings and alcohol assaulted Baekhyun’s nose as he dumped the garbage bags into the large trash bin in the back alley of the bar. In return for switching up Baekhyun’s shifts, Jongdae had saddled him with taking out the garbage on a weekly basis for a month. Baekhyun wasn’t sure trading Chanyeol for garbage bags was worth it.

He frowned down at his hands, impatient to thoroughly wash down the dirtiness with clean soap. Baekhyun glanced around for anything to wipe his hands with, and only then did he notice that he wasn’t alone.

“Chanyeol?”

“Hey,” the taller replied and pushed himself off the wall that he was leaning against. Slow, lazy steps took him directly in front of Baekhyun, who stared nervously back. Baekhyun wasn’t sure whether to bow formally or run away. “I missed you. I haven’t seen you recently. It’s almost as if you’re avoiding me.”

“That’s because I was avoiding you.”

“Why?” At the look on Baekhyun’s face, Chanyeol frowned. “Did you… Did you find out?”

“I’m surprised I didn’t find out sooner. Why didn’t you tell me you were the Crown Prince?”

“Because you - well, you never asked. And I didn’t think you needed to know.”

“Who the asks their boyfriend, ‘Oh, are you the future king of our country?’ This is big, Cha - Prince Chanyeol. Ugh, I don’t even know what to call you anymore.”

“Just call me Yeol like you always did. Like before.” Chanyeol stepped closer, as if making to hug Baekhyun, but the shorter quickly backed away.

Even at Chanyeol’s hurt expression, Baekhyun resolutely said, “I can’t do that. We can’t do that. You don’t get it, do you? We can’t be close like we were before.”

The Prince’s face stiffened, and Baekhyun couldn’t help but think that the back alley next to a garbage bin was not the ideal place for them to be having this conversation. If they were caught, Baekhyun wouldn’t be surprised if he was arrested on the sole crime of tarnishing the Prince’s reputation in a filthy place like this. It was this moment that the Prince’s fair, bright complexion stood out against the dark brick walls under crude graffiti the most. We really are from two different worlds. He doesn’t belong here.

Baekhyun was dragged from his thoughts when Chanyeol suddenly burst into laughter and threw an arm around the shorter. “You’re scaring me, Baek! Don’t be so serious. You’re my boyfriend, right? You wouldn’t stop loving me just because of something like this.”

“Prince-”

“I’ll see you later,” interrupted Chanyeol. He pecked Baekhyun on the cheek and flounced back into the bar, probably proud of himself for “resolving” the problem.

“Argh!” Baekhyun shouted out in frustration and kicked the unlucky garbage bag closest to him. Luhan was right when he told him to be careful of those “prince” types, but he hadn’t expected that it would result in his boyfriend being an actual prince.

Lifting up his hands, Baekhyun couldn’t see the grime from the garbage anymore, but he could still feel it. It was there, under the surface. Just like Chanyeol was a Prince through and through; if Baekhyun had paid closer attention he would have noticed. And a Prince really didn’t belong in (and with) garbage.

¤¤¤

“And that’s the last of it,” Jongdae just managed to say before Chanyeol barged through the bar, phone pressed to his ear as he argued with someone about rescheduling a meeting. Baekhyun exited a few minutes after, making a beeline for the sink. Scrubbing hard at his slender hands, the brunet had an almost frightening pokerface on, eyes void of any readable expression.

Jongdae cleared his throat, dragging Luhan’s attention away from his friend. “You can take your time moving in, since we have your room emptied out and everything already.” Luhan thanked him and Jongdae waved it off. “How about we grab some dinner? We’ve been talking for a while already.”

“Sure-”

His phone chose that moment to blare, cutting them off. Luhan started, still not used to hearing the automatic shrill ringtone from his new phone that his father had given him earlier today. Apparently his sister was the one to suggest buying him a phone, saying how he’ll need it in the city. There wasn’t much use for cell phones back in their small town. Luhan shuffled through his bag, trying to find his phone while shooting Jongdae apologetic looks. The bartender just smiled patiently back.

“Hello?” He answered the call.

“Luhan?” A familiar, warm voice called out. “I’m calling to make sure you kept your promise. I’m hungry and I need someone to treat me.”

Sehun? Luhan’s eyes widened, glancing at Jongdae to check if the bartender could hear what he was saying. “How did you get my number?”

“Oh. I asked Jongin. Since he apparently knew your number already. Because you guys are so close and all.”

“Heh, yeah, can you give me a second?” Luhan pulled his phone away from his ear and directed his next words to Jongdae, “I’m sorry, but something just came up. We’ll have to postpone lunch. I’ll contact you soon.”

“Sure, see you around.” Jongdae walked Luhan to the door, all the while having a wide, knowing grin on his face. Right as Luhan was stepping out the door, the bartender called after him, “Have fun on your date!”

“Date?” Luhan looked back, but Jongdae already closed the door behind him.

Sehun’s voice crackled over the speakers, “Did you just say date?”

“What? No! I was talking to someone else,” Luhan said, flustered.

“If you say so.” Sehun sounded so smug over the phone Luhan wanted to throw his cell against a hard surface, preferably the Prince’s face. “So where are we meeting?”

“How about, um,” Luhan looked around the streets, only seeing expensive restaurants and clothing stores that would empty out his wallet at the speed of light. He walked down the block a littler further, catching sight of the colourful convenience store sign. That’s not very romantic, though… Luhan froze. Wait, I’m not supposed to be romantic! It’s just two guys hanging out for fun. A convenience store’s good enough. “Okay, how about you meet me down at 7-Eleven by Godeok Station?”

Sehun laughed, “A convenience store?”

“They have the best slushies.”

“Fair enough, I’ll be there in twenty.”

Luhan let the phone drop down to his side, breathing out. Here he was, standing in front of the new life he wanted so badly, yet he kept going back to the living proof of his bad decisions. It wasn’t okay to keep walking the same path, making the same mistakes, yet Luhan couldn’t stop the grin spreading on his face as he made his way to the crosslight. Maybe he could be okay with it.

¤¤¤​

By the time Sehun arrived at 7-Eleven, Luhan was waiting for him in the parking lot of the convenience store sitting on one of the numerous parking blocks with two large cups of slushies. Luhan almost didn’t recognize Sehun in his sweats. Sehun had at least tried to look good in front of “Ji-eun”. He said he was comfortable around me. Of course he wouldn’t dress up when he’s just hanging out with a friend. The Prince, flustered, jogged up to Luhan, who jokingly looked at his bare wrist and said, “You’re ten minutes late, Prince. It’s a miracle I didn’t leave already.”

Sehun held up his hands in front of his face apologetically. “I’m so sorry, there was traffic and-”

“Woah, you took the bus here?” Luhan widened his eyes and handed the rainbow slushie over to Sehun, who plopped down beside him.

“Yeah, it was either that or a Ferrari.”

“Yikes,” Luhan laughed, watching Sehun drink his slushie gleefully. “I’m guessing it was your first time taking public transit.”

“Do they wash the seats? Like, I swear some of them had STDs or something.”

Laughing, the two sat peacefully side by side and chatted about everything and anything under the sun until there was not even a drop left in either cup, and after that, they still found even more to talk about, ranging from their childhoods (Sehun’s had mini-tuxes and Luhan’s mini-soccerballs) to favourite celebrities (Sehun’s was himself and Luhan’s was Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney - they argued for a few minutes over whether either of their choices counted as celebrities) to eventually, even their greatest fears.

“Getting drunk,” Sehun said grimly, “I hate not having complete control over my actions and behaviour, and hangovers are the absolute worst.”

“You’re such a wimp,” laughed Luhan, “Who in the world is scared of getting drunk?”

“Shut up. It’s not like you’re any better. Water? Really? How do you even take a shower, then?”

Luhan shoved Sehun to the side none-too-gently, while protesting, “Hey, aquaphobia is a common fear, okay? Plus, I’m just scared of large bodies of water, and I have a perfectly good reason for that. When I was a kid, I almost drowned in a ravine because of a stupid dare.” For some reason, an image of a young Jongin standing in a dripping suit in the middle of a small village with an equally wet boy at his feet sprang to Sehun’s mind. Before he can say anything, Luhan joked, “I bet your reason is that you made a fool out of yourself after getting knocked out once.”

Sehun shrugged. “I’m a prince, I’m not supposed to make a fool out of myself.”

Luhan’s eyes softened at the words, and after a beat of silence, he ruined the moment by snorting, “Well, you’re doing quite a brilliant job at that, aren’t you?”

“Whatever.” Sehun’s eyes suddenly lit up and he excitedly hit Luhan’s leg. “Okay, how about we conquer our fears right here, right now?”

“How, exactly?”

“They sell everything at a convenience store.”

Luhan cocked an eyebrow. “Uh, no, they don’t. We can get a couple of bottles of beer but where in the world are we getting a lake?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. C’mon.” Sehun pulled Luhan to his feet and practically dragged him into the convenience store, with the latter rolling his eyes non-stop.

But Sehun’s enthusiasm was contagious, and eventually, Luhan was smiling as he helped Sehun search for water bottles and balloons - water balloons were the best the Prince could come up with. Soon after they checked out the items at the cash register with a starry-eyed cashier unable to believe her luck at seeing two handsome boys at this late hour, they quickly filled up the balloons with water, somehow managing to get themselves wet after filling only four balloons.

At ten o’clock, the two found themselves with sixteen water balloons and four-and-a-half soju bottles. With the moon up in the sky and barely anyone on the streets as any average person was already home at this time, their water balloon fight began. Cue shrieks and totally-manly-screams (mainly coming from Sehun) as the two chucked the balloons at each other in a frenzy. It wasn’t certain who won, since both at aiming and tossing water balloons.

Once all the balloons were popped and both of them were drenched to the bone, they plopped back down onto their parking block side-by-side. They couldn’t stop laughing, as Luhan whipped his wet hair out of his eyes and Sehun finished off yet another soju bottle.

“I don’t think this was the greatest idea,” Luhan managed through his snorts as he swiped the bottle from Sehun’s hand and took a gulp. They were down to their last bottle already, and it showed from their flushed red faces and loose limbs.

“We’re twenty! We need to experience these kinds of things to call ourselves youths!” Sehun shouted.

Luhan clamped a hand over Sehun’s mouth, still laughing, “Oh my god, shut up! You’re so loud, you dork. You’re gonna wake everyone up.”

“Just blessing them with my beautiful voice,” Sehun said as he grabbed Luhan’s wrist to pull his hand away.

The contact sent shivers through Sehun, and he felt himself quickly sobering up as he took in Luhan’s beautifully pink cheeks and long eyelashes framing sparkly eyes (how is it even possible for eyes to be that sparkly?). Maybe it was the late night breeze, but goosebumps appeared on his arm as Luhan cluelessly smiled at him, tilting his head slightly. A filter was removed from Sehun’s sight and everything about Luhan was in crystal clear quality, every detail noticed. Sehun felt that tightness in his chest he always felt whenever he looked over at Luhan. Ropes were thrown over his heart, twisting and tying a knot so tight Sehun couldn’t even breathe.

It’s because he looks like Ji-eun, right? He even has the aura she gives off. The way he talks, the way he moves… It resembles her so much. And I’m just projecting my ideal view onto him because I miss her. That’s it, for sure. Nothing more.

“Sehun?” Luhan asked, pulling Sehun out of his turbulent thoughts. The younger belatedly realized that Luhan had dropped the “prince” title, but he couldn’t bring himself to correct the older. “Did you know that your skin’s very warm? Very warm and smooth.”

“Is that bad? Or good-”

Sehun’s next words lodged in his throat as Luhan’s hand suddenly shot up to graze his cheek. The Prince reacted as if the touch burned him and jerked back, the sudden movement sending him flying off the block and landing on his back on the hard gravel. During his fall, he managed to grab onto Luhan’s hand and accidentally pulled the older down with him.

When Sehun regained his senses again, he opened his eyes to find Luhan mere inches away. This scene echoed the one he recalled many times before with when Ji-eun had fallen onto his chest and made him the promise. His body was hyper-aware of every place Luhan was touching him, starting with the latter’s hands pressed against Sehun’s chest to the way Luhan’s legs were wrapped around Sehun’s midsection.

“Se - Sehun,” Luhan’s voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. Sehun could see the older sobering up, too, as Luhan tried to get up.

Sehun’s hand shot out to grab onto Luhan’s wrist, effectively stopping him. Luhan’s questioning eyes never left Sehun’s as the Prince slowly brought his hand higher and higher until it landed on the collar of Luhan’s shirt.

“What are you doing?” Luhan whispered, even though there was no one around them to see.

“Clarification,” Sehun said before yanking down Luhan’s collar, and Luhan along with it, until their lips met.