Chanyeol tugged down on his black cap. It was his first time visiting Jongdae's bar in broad daylight and the risk of getting caught was higher. But the adrenaline pooling in his stomach and the taste of freedom on his lips were completely worth it. The moment he shrugged off his intricately tailored suit was the moment he could finally breathe. Expectations and pressure came with his birth - it was always there, suffocating, waiting. Briefly escaping was all he could do to manage through the rest of his bleak life.

He raised a hand above the crowd to catch the bartender's attention. Surprised, Jongdae watched as Chanyeol brushed through the crowd, head ducked down. It was times like these when Chanyeol cursed his height.

"Didn't expect you here this early," Jongdae commented, pouring amber liquid gracefully into the wine glasses lined up neatly. "It's bad enough you come weekly, but now you're coming twice in a row? You're going to get caught."

"Not if I'm careful." Chanyeol took off his hat to brush back his hair, a little sweaty from wearing the hat for so long. He grabbed a glass and downed it in one go.

"Drinking this early, huh?" The bartender shook his head. One raised eyebrow. Chanyeol could hear the question clear as the crystal glass in his hand. Why are you here?

"Baekhyun. Where is he?"

Now both eyebrows were raised, along with the corners of Jongdae's mouth. "Ah, so that's how it is." Chanyeol frowned impatiently. Smirk ever present, Jongdae nodded towards the stage. "He just wrapped up his session. Must be tired, since he plowed through five songs in a row, so don’t bother him too much."

Jongdae watched in amusement as the Crown Prince tried to push past the crowd gathered around the stage. Chanyeol was right - he didn’t regret giving Baekhyun a chance. Their patrons came here to relax, and so they welcomed Baekhyun’s smooth vocals. It seemed as if he even had a small fan club.

The bartender suppressed a chuckle once Chanyeol finally reached Baekhyun's oblivious side and rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to do next. It was so unlike Chanyeol to be lost. For as long as Jongdae knew him, the Crown Prince was raised up to know exactly what he could and could not do. There was not one moment where Chanyeol was not certain. It was almost scary, really, how perfect Chanyeol was made to be.

Chanyeol jumped a little when Baekhyun turned from where he was packing his mic away. The shorter boy widened his eyes, blinking rapidly, and Jongdae caught the brunet pinching himself as if making sure he wasn't dreaming. At Baekhyun's obvious shock, Chanyeol visibly relaxed and slipped into his charismatic attire, similar to the one he wore the first time the two met.

Chanyeol pulled out a chair and sat down, flashing Baekhyun a charming grin. "Hey, stranger."

“Hi, Yeol." Baekhyun gave a small smile. He resumed his work, taking a broom from off the side and sweeping the stage’s wooden floor. The stage wasn’t much to look at. It was a simple lift about a foot from the ground, and it was in the spot with the best lighting in the whole bar. That way, natural lighting could do what Jongdae’s lack of fancy, high-quality spotlights could not.

But Chanyeol didn’t care about any of that. He was frowning, because Baekhyun’s attention wasn’t fully on him. He drummed his fingers on the table, trying to irk a response out of the shorter boy, but all he received was a curious look before the brunet went back to his broom. Furrowing his brows, Chanyeol leaned forward and stared intently at Baekhyun, eyes boring a hole into the brunet.

Finally, Baekhyun stopped and placed his hands on top of the broom, giving a small, relenting sigh. "So what's up with you?"

Chanyeol would have smiled, but he knew how to school his expression into a poker face better than anyone.  "Nothing much."

"C'mon. You’re the one who sat down! You have to have more to say than that." When Chanyeol still wouldn’t give, Baekhyun sighed, a hint of annoyance seeping into his voice. “I basically bared my whole soul to you the last time we met, okay? If you don’t want to embarrass me, you have to give something in return.”

Yeol raised an eyebrow, tilting his head and catching Jongdae's thoroughly entertained eye from across the bar. "Well, I guess it doesn't help that my parents arranged a marriage for me."

Baekhyun let the broom drop, clattering to the floor. “Seriously? That still happens?”

Chanyeol hummed, observing Baekhyun’s actions. He was going to either give himself away or scare the boy off, whichever came first, if he didn’t think of something fast. “I’m being a little overdramatic, I suppose. They’re just urging for me to get married and setting me on dates, and it’s a bit stressful.”

“Honestly, that doesn’t sound too bad,” Baekhyun responded, going back to sweeping the floor. Chanyeol relaxed at the lack of eye contact. It made lying easier. The brunet continued wistfully, “I haven’t been on many dates.”

“Really? How is that possible?”

“The sarcasm, it hurts.” Baekhyun laughed. But Chanyeol frowned. He wasn’t lying this time. Before he could say so, Baekhyun switched topics, “You seem a little young to be getting married, though. Well, each family’s different. Wait.”

Chanyeol sat up straighter at the tone in Baekhyun’s voice. Baekhyun turned to him with a knowing gleam in his eyes, and Chanyeol cursed at having his cover blown so quickly.

“You can’t possibly be…” Chanyeol felt his stomach dropping. “Super rich?”

“I’m not - what?” Chanyeol blurted out in surprise.

“Rich! The only times I heard of arranged marriages is for those really rich families who want their children to have a proper partner, so they can continue the family business respectfully and stuff.” The words tumbled from Baekhyun’s mouth so quickly it was a struggle for Chanyeol to follow along. “I can’t believe I poured my heart out to a future CEO, oh my god. You bought me pity beer! I cried in front of you!”

“You - what are you-” Chanyeol stuttered, trying to wrap his mind around how exactly they arrived at this point. “I’m not a future CEO, and everyone cries. It’s no big deal. But what  - pity beer? That wasn’t - I just wanted to make you feel better.”

“That’s pity, sir,” Baekhyun replied solemnly.

“I know what pity is!” Chanyeol exclaimed. The second half of the sentence hit a second later. “Sir? I’m like the same age as you!”

“Do you need glasses, Mr. Yeol? Because everyone always thinks I look twelve! What twelve-year-old is your height? Tell me, tell me right now, sir.”

Frustrated, Chanyeol swallowed back the urge to just shout because his mind was too scrambled to find any coherent words. He didn’t push off a day’s fill of work and meetings to waltz in here and get in the oddest argument with this little firecracker. It seemed as if everything he said would get twisted around in Baekhyun’s favour.

So, he laughed. Because this was absurd and nonsensical and he was this close to losing his cool - which never happened, for as long as he remembered - over whether or not he was a twelve-year-old CEO. He laughed and laughed, stomach cramping with the force of it all. All the laughter he held back for all those years just bubbled out uncontrollably.

When he was done, Baekhyun was staring at him as if he was the crazy one. As if he was the one accusing random people of being CEOs.

“You’re so lame,” Baekhyun said, shaking his head. “You shattered my first impression of you just now. I thought you were cool, but man, was I mistaken.”

Lame? When was the last time anyone even said “lame” in Chanyeol’s presence, let alone directed to him? That nearly set Chanyeol off again before Baekhyun covered his mouth quickly.

Chanyeol raised his eyebrows at Baekhyun, who shrugged before pulling away his hand. “Thought I stepped on another mine again. Ones that set off laughing-gas, apparently.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong.

“So why are you even here?” Baekhyun asked, placing the broom by the wall before taking a seat at Chanyeol’s table.

Chanyeol couldn’t really say, for you. “I was bored.”

“Don’t you have a job? Wait, no, you’re rich, you’re probably your own boss.”

“Trust me, I do have orders I have to follow,” Chanyeol responded, rolling his eyes, thinking of all the ministers that held consultation meetings over every single little decision. It was better to be overly cautious, Chanyeol knew, but it still was tiring.

Baekhyun nodded, not replying. He looked seconds away from leaving, so Chanyeol blurted out the first thing from the top of his head, “Tell me a story.”

When Baekhyun gave him another look, Chanyeol rambled on, “You’re a good storyteller. You also like the sound of your own voice, I can tell, and I’m bored. Win-win.”

“I was known back home for my way with words,” Baekhyun agreed. The price for one story was a drink, since speaking for so long did have its toll, and Chanyeol easily complied.

And so, stories were told.

Baekhyun casted a setting with a young boy and his religious, strict parents in the village of Bucheon, where girls made tapestries and boys played soccer, where a magical field resided, reserved for only the curious and lost. He spoke kindly about Yixing, the new kid arriving in second grade who fell asleep on his desk the instant he sat down, and chuckled at the twins whose family became his family. He wove tales from his school and reclaimed random anecdotes from his goofy, misfit friends. It wasn't a particularly exciting life, but it was one Chanyeol wanted to be part of. The Crown Prince wanted to be spoken about like this, with a sparkling light in the brunet's eyes.

"And you know how Prince Sehun had that random search for a bride, right? So Ji-eun was the proper age, being twenty and all-"

"But her and Yixing!" Chanyeol exclaimed, eyes widening. Baekhyun and him were seated at the bar now, in the exact spots they were in the previous meeting. Jongdae was by the side, as always, mixing colourful cocktails in silence, the permanent cat-like smile now gone. It was the longest Chanyeol had ever stayed at the bar, and Jongdae could tell from the looks thrown by the customers the Crown Prince didn't have long. "How did they survive the long-distance relationship?"

"Wait, how did you know she got chosen?" Baekhyun paused. Every little detail, he seemed to notice.

"If she hadn't, then you wouldn't have brought up the bride search," Chanyeol smoothly replied.

"Oh, true." Baekhyun glanced around the room before lowering his voice. "But the thing is, Ji-eun didn't really come to Seoul."

Chanyeol raised his eyebrows. "Wha-"

"You have to leave right now!" Jongdae flashed to their side and pulled the hat onto Chanyeol. He glanced at the whispering customers before shoving Chanyeol out of his seat. “You probably shouldn’t come back for a while."

As Chanyeol sneaked out the bar through the back doors, he realized just how dangerous that had been. He shot one look back at the bar, knowing if he showed his face one more time here, it was over. He could just see the headlines, "Crown Prince Found in Bar!" or "Future Ruler Not Fit for Ruling!" But he couldn't erase the image of Baekhyun's worried expression merging into one of him laughing, eyes twinkling as he remembered his old friends. As much as Chanyeol wanted to come here, he needed to stay away. There was a reason why he couldn't be part of Baekhyun's life and it was the same reason why he couldn't tell Baekhyun who he really was.

¤¤¤

Chanyeol sank down tiredly into his wooden chair. He was late, and received an earful of lectures and sighs from the advisors as well as disappointed looks from his father. Sehun had clapped him on the back, saying things like, "You finally joined the dark side, Chanyeol. It's good to have you." Chanyeol said nothing in reply, only stared at him blankly. Sehun's hand had shrunken away - Chanyeol remembered clearly, regretfully - and his eyes hardened but his mocking expression stayed the same.

His younger brother never referred to him as hyung, always enforced the one metre distance between the two, and rarely chose to speak to Chanyeol willingly, for as long as the Crown Prince could remember. There was nothing he could do to change it, and he would be lying to say it didn't hurt when his blood-related sibling openly showed his dislike for Chanyeol. It couldn't be the throne, Sehun loathed responsibility as much as he loved freedom. So what did he do that was so wrong?

The tall Prince stared at the stacks of papers and books in front of him, begging to be read and studied. He rubbed his temples at going through another round of the excruciatingly boring history of politics. Another smaller pile settled on the corner of his desk drew his attention. Chanyeol picked the stack up and skimmed the pages. Ah, the girls' profiles. It wouldn't hurt to get some background information on Sehun's future wife. But really, the Crown Prince was searching for one name only. Ji-eun.

He quickly found her profile and raised his eyebrows at her picture. Baekhyun did mention how pretty she was, but Chanyeol was still surprised. Chanyeol's eyes darted down to the Family section. "Father: Lee Jun-ki. Twin brother: Luhan."

Luhan? Chanyeol recalled Baekhyun stating the two siblings looked creepily identical. According to the brunet, Ji-eun didn't come to Seoul like she was supposed to. But the glaring red checkmark next to her photo stated that she did, in fact, arrive.

So if it wasn't Ji-eun who came, then who did?

¤¤¤

A sharp stab of pain shot into Luhan's finger, causing him to wince as he watched the red bloom onto his tapestry. He shook off the fabric and stuck his finger into his mouth, on the metallic blood. Looking around the room for any servants, Luhan noticed how every girl was focused on their tapestry, every stitch carefully sewn. All of them were seated in plush chairs in a circle inside one of the many large rooms in the castle. Regal mahogany curtains hung from the ceiling, draping to the floor. Sunlight fought through the clear pane windows to shine on flickers of twirling dust. Luna, sitting to his right, had woven Prince Sehun into her tapestry. The boy glared down at his own measly work and scowled at the ugly brown colour and messy stitches.

"Hey, do you want me to teach you?"

Luhan glanced up to see Luna leaning over and holding up her needle with a bright grin. He passed over his needle and string and watched as she threaded the needle quickly, tied the knot, and sewed the first diagonal for him. Handing it back, she gave simple instructions of sewing an easy pattern.

"Thank you so much," Luhan returned her beam with a grateful smile. He could always rely on Luna to help.

After a few more minutes of sewing, the casual conversation turned into hushed whispers and fingers directed to the door. Curious, Luhan looked up. Entering the room was Prince Sehun, head held high, with Jongin and Miss Bom one step behind. Luhan quickly averted his gaze to the ground.

Miss Bom stepped into the centre of the room. "We will see what progress you girls made during this entire morning. Sewing beautiful tapestries showcases your ability in the arts, but is that so important?"

She paused, obviously expecting a reaction. One of the girls nodded their head hesitantly. Luna, on the other hand, declared loudly, "Not really. It won't help you lead a kingdom."

"Ah, I like this one." Miss Bom grinned at Luna. "A princess needs a sharp eye and clear head to point out mistakes, as well as her own faults so she can improve. Now, we will have you all stand up and find the best tapestry in this room. The lady who sewed that tapestry will win a walk through the garden with Prince Sehun and sit by his side during dinner."

The girls slowly stood up one by one, none of them making a move. Miss Bom raised an eyebrow. "You can't choose your own tapestry."

Still, the ladies stayed in their spots and stared at each other. Finally, two girls - Hyuna and a girl with strange hair - switched spots. It was the icebreaker needed for the rest of the girls to move. Luhan had no clue which tapestry was the best, so he decided to wander over to Luna's. To his credit, there were already around six girls standing there. Luhan glanced back at his own station, and flushed when he saw no one standing there. Of course. I'm really the worst at this.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a girl trying to strike a conversation with Prince Sehun, who flirted back openly. Jongin stood a couple feet away, observing the tapestries. He turned, meeting Luhan's eye, and approached the boy.

"Which one's yours?"

Luhan felt himself flush again. "Promise you won't laugh. Sewing's not really my thing."

"Oh, it can't be as bad as that one." Jongin nodded towards Luhan's tapestry, half finished. At Luhan's silence, Jongin widened his eyes. "Wait, that's yours?"

Luhan pursed his lips and nodded. Jongin covered his mouth, but his shaking gave away his laughter. Luhan glowered silently as the butler tried to redeem himself by patting Luhan on the back and apologizing. "Sorry, sorry. You did a good job! At least someone voted for you."

"What?"

"See? Smiley over there." Luhan turned to find Luna standing by his work. A warm feeling blossomed in his chest and he couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his fair face.

"Her name's Luna, not Smiley."

"Smiley sounds better." Jongin's chuckling was stopped short by Luhan's punch to the arm. "Wow, you sure pack a punch in that skinny arm of yours."

After another punch (or two), Luhan looked up to meet Prince Sehun's hardened eyes. His jaw was clenched, even though the brunette by his side was trying to get his attention by flipping her chocolate locks and giggling. Luhan broke away from the intense glare. Does he look upset, or is it just me? When he looked back at the Prince, he had an arm circled around a brunette's waist and a sleazy smirk on. Luhan watched as the Prince leaned in to whisper something in her ear, causing her to giggle and fan her red face.

Yeah, it's definitely just me.

¤¤¤

Sehun didn't move a muscle as he stayed by his mother's unconscious side. After lunch, he had made his way to her bedroom and sat down in the chair at her bedside. She looked worse than before, much to his growing worry. Her complexion was almost transparent; the veins painted on her papery skin. Even though he came to check up on her, just sitting here hurt as much as breathing hurt for her. But it was also the only quiet, alone time he had for himself ever since the chaotic, stupid bride search began.

"Sehun?"

The tall boy turned and bowed to his father who just entered. "Hey, Dad."

"How's she doing?" King Junmyeon perched himself on the edge of the bed and reached out a hand to brush aside a few stray hairs from Queen Krystal's face gently.

"Not so good." Sehun in a breath. "W-where's Chanyeol?"

King Junmyeon lifted his head and peered into Sehun's eyes. "You know he can't handle this."

"So you still didn't tell him." Sehun deadpanned, not bothering to hide his annoyance. "He's twenty-two, Dad, not getting any younger."

"He's learning how to rule a kingdom, Sehun. Give him time. I'll know when he's ready."

King Junmyeon averted his gaze to the window, and Sehun knew the conversation was finished. The Prince let out a loud sigh but followed his father's gaze outside. Miss Bom let the girls have the afternoon off to do whatever they wanted. It was a way to help the girls relax and make friends as well as showing the Royals what their personalities were like. Hyuna and Dara became close friends after the tapestry test and were sitting underneath the tree shade, nibbling on pastries. Six girls were touring the Royal Castle and striking conversation with the servants - mainly the cute male ones, Sehun noted. Luna, on the other hand, was playing with a few children by the garden.

Sehun couldn't help but notice the absence of the one girl he was searching for.

¤¤¤

Life in Seoul was really different from Bucheon, Luhan had realized. Everyone in Seoul had money. It flowed in the silky fabrics, danced into affluent buildings and shops surrounding the Royal Castle, and presented the regal, cold airs carried by even the servants.

But it amazed Luhan, lured him farther into the lair. Ever since he was little, he studied hard after hearing tales of the magical capital overflowing with surprises and opportunities. Luhan dreamt of going to university and finding a job in Seoul. But it was a dream for a reason. Reality waited for him patiently to come back down to his father's shop to sell fruits and vegetables. His future was already planned out. Farming was for him, even when he received a scholarship given to only the top student in each city to attend university.

He remembered that moment as if it happened just hours ago. Eighteen-year-old Luhan was absolutely ecstatic after flipping through the mail to find the creamy letter addressed to Mr. Luhan. That's me, he had screamed to Ji-eun as she tackled him, laughing giddily. University! I, Luhan, am going to university! The two of them were planning to break the news to his father after he came back from work, but when the twins found him passed out at their doorstep from working too long in the heat, Luhan folded away the letter along with his dream. He knew he made the right decision when his father handed him a soccer ball and told him how proud he was to have such a great farmer as a son.

That same soccer ball - albeit worn and stained - was in Luhan's hands as he stared down the open field before his eyes. The fresh grass resembled the Bucheon meadow, striking a chord of longing for home in his heart. The sun was still high in the sky, the rays painting the green grass with clementine splashes. Wind teasingly ruffled his caramel hair and brought a melancholy breeze dangling past. Seoul is a whole new level, Luhan thought. In a flash, the ball flew into the air, leading Luhan zigzagging down the field, dodging imaginary opponents as he faked a pass and scored a goal in his mind. 1-0, goal by Luhan!

It was the best experience so far in Seoul, even better than the mouth-watering delicacies whisked in during meals. Time ran away from Luhan dribbling the ball up and down the field until he finally collapsed on the ground in a mess of sweat. He blew the fake locks out of his face. Ugh, how do girls deal with this? It's so annoying. Where can a guy get a hair tie around here?

"Found you."

Luhan blinked, wondering if he was hearing things. But why would I be hearing his voice? Then a familiar, chiseled face leaned into his view and Luhan nearly head-bumped him scrambling up. "W-what are you doing here?"

"You play soccer?" Prince Sehun looked too amused. Luhan gulped and regretted his choice of a remote location. "Interesting."

The Prince picked up the ball from the ground and smiled the smile that made Luhan fidget. "Walk with me."

"I-"

"I'm not giving back your ball until you do." Prince Sehun left Luhan staring bleakly at his retreating back. Having no other option, Luhan quickened his pace to catch up. After a few silent minutes, the Prince asked, "When did you start playing soccer?"

Luhan cleared his throat. "Um, when I was five."

"I see..." Luhan could feel his burning stare. "Do you play any other sports?"

"Basketball."

A pause. A sigh. "What, are your shoes better looking than me?"

Luhan finally looked up and stammered, "W-what?"

The Prince frowned - or was it a pout? - and gestured towards the space between the two. "You're a metre away from me and you never made eye contact once. It's not like I'm going to vomit on you or anything."

"Ew." Luhan made a face but quickly morphed it into an apologetic expression. He bowed. "I'm sorry, Prince Sehun."

Another sigh. "Why are you so polite and distant? You might be walking down the aisle to me, you know?" Luhan felt a hand grip his arm and pull him towards Prince Sehun. Stumbling, Luhan let out a gasp. "A metre's too far."

The Prince's arm circled around Luhan's shoulders and settled there. The older boy squirmed and stepped away, causing the Prince to frown. "I'm like this because I'm not comfortable around you, Prince Sehun."

Prince Sehun opened his mouth to say something but stopped when Luhan grabbed his soccer ball out of the Prince's hands and continued, "You're not comfortable around me, either, since you're pretending to be something you're not."

And with that, Luhan left the Prince standing alone in the middle of the path.

¤¤¤

For the countless time that evening, Luhan's right eye twitched. He had arrived back at the Royal Castle just in time for dinner to be served, but to his annoyance, the Prince was already seated. And what was worse was all the girls surrounding him, giggling their heads off, and Luna was right beside him, being the winner of the tapestry test. All the girls wore one of those dulcet dresses while Luhan sported the coarse clothes he played soccer in. King Junmyeon and Queen Krystal weren't even there to lighten the mood. Their eldest son was, though, but Prince Chanyeol had done nothing except stare at Luhan the entire time. Both of the Princes had unnerving stares, Luhan had realized.

A loud, high-pitched giggle pierced the air, causing Luhan to grip his glass and Prince Chanyeol to flinch. Having finished his meal and no patience left, Luhan swiftly stood up from his chair and exited the room. He was aware it was quite rude, but it wasn't as if anyone would have noticed his absence.

Once he was outside, Luhan made a beeline straight towards the crimson rose garden. Even in the darkness, the flowers' unique, bruised colour stood out from the faded emerald leaves snaking on the castle grounds. It was only when Luhan stepped a foot on the gravel path did Jongin catch up to him.

"Tell Prince Sehun I don't need a bodyguard."

Jongin scratched his head, "Actually, it was Prince Chanyeol who sent me."

Luhan flushed, scolding himself for assuming Prince Sehun would have bothered to send his butler. He quickened his pace, but Jongin's strides - curse those long legs - easily caught up to him.

"So why did you leave?"

"It was... suffocating." Luhan breathed in the calming rose scent. He grazed a soft petal. "And I felt out of place."

"Your town wasn't like this?" Jongin walked quietly by his side. Luhan was grateful he didn't try to enter his personal space, unlike a certain Prince.

"Bucheon was mainly farmland. We ate simple food and dressed in clothing like this-" Luhan gestured to his grey cotton shirt with string hemming and brown trousers. "-and played soccer everyday."

"Bucheon?" Jongin stopped and furrowed his brows. "Aren't you known for sewing?"

"That's only for the g-" Luhan widened his eyes. . His fingers found their way to the hem of his shirt and kneaded the fabric. He could feel Jongin's heavy stare on him.

"Only for the girls?" Jongin sounded suspicious. "Are you really a girl?"

Luhan laughed nervously, "Why would you think otherwise?"

"I heard from Sehun you played soccer, and Bucheon's boys are famous for their soccer skills but the girls are known for sewing, and frankly, you're not that great at it-"

"The only feminine thing about me is my face, honestly. I can't help it, it's just the way I am," the shorter boy murmured.

Jongin hesitated, smiling kindly at him. "I was going to say you were just a tomboy."

"Oh." Luhan let out a relieved breath he didn't know he was holding. He kept his eyes on the ground and hurried back to the castle, lest he let something else slip.

A hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, gently turning him back to Jongin. The butler had on an unreadable expression. "I'm just wondering... but do you remember being rescued from drowning? Perhaps by a boy in a suit?"

¤¤¤

"I'm from Bucheon, so that explains my sewing skill,." Luna giggled and brushed her dark locks behind her ear. "I'm grateful for all the practice."

"Is that so?" Sehun replied monotonously as he led Luna by the arm through the rose garden, something he had never agreed on but was forced into by Miss Bom because it was "romantic."

"Yes." Luna fluttered her long eyelashes and Sehun had to fight the urge to ask her if there was something in her eye. "You know, Prince Sehun, I haven't met a more handsome man than you in my life, and I just want to let you know I really like y-"

"Do you play soccer?"

"What?" Luna widened her eyes in confusion. "I - uh - do you play soccer?"

Sehun shrugged, frowning. "I want to learn how to."

"Oh, I really love soccer!" Luna gushed. There it was again, that smile. "It's such a fun sport."

The Prince stopped and let out a huge sigh. Luna stiffened, asking quietly, "What's wrong? Did I say something?"

"Yes, you said things. You said things you thought I wanted to hear. You are so fake." Luna's mouth dropped open. She looks like a fish, the Prince thought. "Do you not have your own opinion? I mean, you seem - seemed - like a smart girl but this entire walk here was just you agreeing to everything I said. Yes, okay, so that makes you likeable, sure. But it's not you who people like, it's the Luna you invented to fool them and frankly, it's bor-"

Slap!

Sehun's cheek was now flaming red, but the same, mocking smirk remained.

"You are exactly what I expected. The rich, snobby brat who thinks he has everything. You know, it doesn't hurt to not be an for just one day." Luna's smile melted off her face as she spat out the words, "At least people like me. At least Ji-eun likes me. I've seen the way you look at her. Why - why her? You don't even know what she's really like. The only reason I'm here is for her - I'm her best friend and I wasn't going to let her come here by herself to be some stupid prince's bride. I'm not going back without her and I'm not going to let her marry some egotistical, delusional jerk and get chained to this - this jail with you."

"You done?"

Luna glared at him, panting after her rant. Prince Sehun let out a dry chuckle before holding up one finger. "One. Don't get confused. Ji-eun's distant and weird and honestly, I simply don't like her. Her reactions are merely entertaining when I'm bored. Don't worry, I'm not going to marry her. Trust me. And two. The you right now is way hotter than the you I spent ten min-"

The Prince quickly covered his cheeks before Luna could slap him a second time. Shooting laser beams out her pretty eyes, Luna nodded to their right. "We have some company."

He raised an eyebrow and out of curiosity turned and found - to his surprise - his butler and the very girl they were talking about just moments ago standing a little too close for comfort. Sehun couldn't help but wonder grudgingly why Ji-eun let Jongin step so close to her and pushed Sehun away. Squinting, he could see Jongin's hand circled around Ji-eun's wrist - and why was she staring back at him so intensely? It almost looked like they were about to... kiss. For some reason, a scowl planted itself on Sehun's face.

Luna barked out a laugh, "And you say you don't like her."

A/N:

I'm so sorry for the long wait ;A; I never thought it would end up being this long.

But after the dreaded finals finished, I logged on to find out an anon brought up BIR on the blog, hunhanfics! Thank you so much, anon! ♥ hunhanfics then proceeded to recommend BIR, which really, really made my week. So thank you so much to the anon, and a huge thank you to all the new subscribers, upvotes, and comments! You guys are seriously the best :")

A/N:

I'm so sorry for the long wait ;A; I never thought it would end up being this long. 

But after the dreaded finals finished, I logged on to find out an anon brought up BIR on the blog, hunhanfics! Thank you so much, anon! ♥ hunhanfics then proceeded to recommend BIR. I literally screamed, jumped around, and screamed more at my brother. So thanks so much for that, and a huge thank you to all the new subscribers, upvotes, and comments! You guys are seriously the best :")