As the days continued to pass the weather had gotten warmer and not only was the heat becoming a bother, but Minster Joo too. The continuation of his vulgar comments and radiating glares never stopped. Not once. Whenever the opportunity came, he grabbed it with both hands. Soojin endured it, but it wasn't as if she didn't know how to or wasn't used to it. Enduring torment was nothing new. Nonetheless, she still needed her time of tranquillity and so she continued to sneak out. 

Nothing stopped Jongin from coming to Soojin's hideout. Every time she went there he would always show up. It was a routine. Questioning the thought as to whether or not he went there everyday to see if Soojin would turn up. Either way from Jongin’s consistent comings Soojin had started to anticipate his arrival.

Unlike before where she had tried her best to avoid every possible thing that could start up a conversation with Jongin, Soojin had grown to open up more, but she didn't let her guards fall too far down. It was nice for her to have someone else other than Jung ah to converse with or more like listen to as Jongin did most of the talking. It was probably his outgoing character what made her feel somewhat more comfortable to share a word or two. 

Not keeping count but Soojin suspected a total of 3 months passed. 

“So Tofu…it’s been quite some time since we have been seeing each other…you know meeting here like this and I still don’t know your name. You know mine so don’t you think we’re on terms for me to know your name now...I mean if you want to...” 

Jongin stared at the face that held little emotion. Not expecting to receive an answer he dismissed the fact, not wanting to push the boundaries. 

“It’s alright, I understand if you don’t wa-“ 

“Soojin. My name is Soojin.” 

Right there Soojin had revealed part of her identity, she knew the consequences of revealing her name, but with Jongin she felt that there was no need to worry. After all this time nothing happened, she could somewhat trust him. 

“Soojin?”

"Yes."

“Beautiful name.” he muttered under his breath.

“Pardon?” 

“N...nothing, it’s a nice name.” 

“Thank you” Soojin murmured as she turned her direction to the lake before them, the water being bluer today.

“Sooooo...” Jongin drew out breaking the silence.

Soojin turned to look at Jongin before returning her gaze back to lake. She cleared ensuring him that he had her attention.

“I sort of told my friends about you”

Colour drained from Soojin's face. She instantly turned to face Jongin with widened eyes, scanning his face in search of a justification.

D…don’t worry,” he spoke trying to soothe Soojin, realising her alarmed face “I didn’t tell them anything about you in detail or our place. You haven't really told me much to tell.”

“Our place.”

“Yeah, our place.” Jongin returned as if what he had said was completely normal.

Soojin simply stared at Jongin’s face. He had called the place, their place. And it made her heart beat pace up, just a little.

“Come, let’s go into the village.”

“The village!” Where the people are. Soojin never imagined going to such an extent, meeting with Jongin was risky enough. “I can’t.” She replied as she tucked the non existing stray hair behind her ear.

Jongin raised a dense brow, “You can’t or you won’t?”

Soojin wondered her sight elsewhere from Jongin's face, “Both.”

“You don’t reveal much do you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Well I was only asking because you always seem to come here without nobody and I’ve never seen you in the village. To me it looks like you don’t have much friends or anyone to talk to.” 

Soojin's breath came to a halt. Did she really look that pathetic? 

“You can meet my friends, you seem somewhat…..lonely”

Friends. Jung ah was her only friend but Soojin thought of her as a sister. So did that mean she had no friends? She already had problems conversing with one person but with multiple beings. 

“It won't be where all the villagers are, we have a place where we hang out. So it will be just us if that makes anything better.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to reason with her to take on his proposal.

A quick sly thought skimped through Soojin's mind, whispering to her inner self. She was already breaking the rules, what more could happen if she took one more step. Soojin felt a pumping energy inside her telling her to go and so she did, pushing back the voice that was telling her that she was taking a huge risk.

“Lets go.”

Jongin faced her in disbelief releasing a small chuckle from Soojin as she watched his stunned state. 

“Are you sure? I mean just a while ago you were…I don’t want to force you into anything you don’t want to-”

“I want to go. You yourself said I was lonely and needed friends. Unless you don’t-“

“No no no, I really want to introduce you. Really!" Jongin released a boyish smile that could only make Soojin smile back.

“Ok.”

***

The walk wasn’t as long as Soojin had expected. However, as they were on their way she couldn't forget the way the old man looked at her who passed by them. It was more than a simple glance and calling it a stare was an understatement. It made Soojin feel like he knew that she didn't belong there, she was starting to think that coming to the village wasn't such a good idea. Being away from the palace for too long wasn't making her feel any better about her decision.

“Hey, are you alright?”

Soojin looked up to Jongin's concerned face. “Yes, I’m fine thank you.” 

“You always seem to be deep thinking, what is it that seems to taking you away from the world? 

My life. “Nothing.” 

***

“Everyone, this is...Soojin. She comes from Korea, South Korea to be exact” Jongin grinned. 

“Wow Jongin, you’ve never introduce us to her before.”

“I know that's why I’m doing it now.” Jongin clarified as he rolled his eyes.

“Who’s this beautiful girl? I’ve never seen her around her before.” Another pitched in.

Jongin turned and inspected Soojin’s face “She’s beautiful? Never really noticed.”

Soojin turned to look at Jongin who analysed her face, their faces inches apart. Should she be offended? Their eyes met and locked, both starring at each other cutting out their surroundings.

“So is this the girl that’s been sweeping you off your feet” another spoke gaining their attention.

Jongin frantically flashed his hands, the statement made clearly having an affect on him. “Yah yah yah, what are you talking about?” he turned to Soojin, “ignore what he's saying.”

Soojin nodded not understanding why he had gotten so flustered over the comment. She stared around with flat eyes and if it wasn’t already uncomfortable enough she suddenly felt a heated stare as if they were piercing holes through her body. She turned to look at the radiating presence and became faced with a girl.

Her dark brown hair was tied back into a braid that ended just above her hip, a few loose strands falling around the perimeter of her forehead. The girls face was fair and all her features were soft, delicate with the exception of her muddy brown eyes that discharged a penetrating icy glare. Soojin offered a small smile to decrease the tense exchange but it didn’t stop the girl from looking so intense. 

“YoonJi!” 

The girl detached her stare from Soojin to Jongin who made his way over to her, a dimple pressed into her left cheek as she smiled at him. 

“YoonJi this Soojin, Soojin this YoonJi”

The girl looked back to Soojin and offered a weak smile. 

“Is YoonJi the only one you’re going to introduce your friend to?” A voice interrupted the trio.

“Didn't I introduce you already. Anyways, Soojin these are my other friends”

Soojin converted her attention to the boys that stood in front of her and felt uncomfortable; they were all staring at her. But they were friends of Jongin so they wouldn’t do no harm. Right?

 “Hi” Soojin barely breathed out as she fumbled with her clammy hands.

“Why are you so shy we’re not going to bite unless—ouch!”

“Keep your provocative thoughts and word to yourself.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything along the lines you were thinking.” 

“Sure you wasn't. Sorry about him he can be rather forward sometimes, a handful to manage if I must say. I’m Minseok, nice to finally meet you.” a boy with plumped cheeks spoke.

“I’m Baekhyun. The one who is supposedly a handful to manage” he gave Minseok a dirty look before he smiled a boyish grin to soojin, one similar to Jongin’s.

“I’m Chanyeol” his voice was deep something Soojin wasn’t expecting to come out from such a happy boy. “You can call me yeollie if it suits you better” He really was the definition of tall Soojin thought.

“Aye aye already on pet name basis, Jongin you better make a move before yeollie does.” Baekhyun laughed.

“Will you shut it Baekhyun, all of you call me that. If you’re going to speak, speak sense.”

Leaving the two bickering the other made themselves known.

“Hi I’m Sehun, ignore them” he smiled and his eyes formed two crescent moons, “And I’m Kyungsoo, we’re quite a bunch aren’t we” a wide eyed boy spoke. The two seemed more composed than the others.

Overwhelmed by their greeting Soojin was lost for words, so she offered a warm smile. After the introductions Jongin ushered her over to take seat. She took a seat in front to him with Minseok to her left and Kyungsoo to her right. Yoonji sat next to Jongin her eyes never averting Soojin. 
 
“So where did you guys meet?” Sehun enquired. 

Soojin could have sworn that her heart had stopped. Her brows drew together and slightly curled, a wrinkle appearing in-between, she was sure her face showed how nervous she was. She looked up to Jongin who gave her a reassuring smile. 

“We met when…wait why do you have to know how we met?”  

“We want to know how you became friends with such a pretty girl” Baekhyun put in.

Jongin looked down to analyse himself, “what’s wrong with me?”

“Yah Byun Baekhyun! What’s wrong with Jongin? Why should he have any problems making a new friend. I think you need to open your eyes a bit more. Are you any better?” 

Baekhyun held his hands up in defeat to YoonJi’s sharp response. Soojin couldn’t help but notice the twinkle in her eyes as she defended Jongin. 

“YoonJi calm down, it's alright,” Jongin chuckled at the girls protective behaviour.

“Yeah YoonJi. Calm down.”

Yoonji shot Baekhyun a look that shut him up before he could continue. 

The question was forgotten about when Baekhyun started to talk about how this morning he had experienced a revelation whilst the others got down his throat for his nonsensical mentality.

Soojin watched as they all conversed, pausing on Jongin who was fully immersed into the debate. The way his eyes creased in the corners when he smiled or the way his shoulders shook when he laughed, just these simple actions brought a smile to her face. From the corner of her eye Soojin spotted that YoonJi had stopped talking and was blatantly staring at her again.  
 
Soojin shuffled in her seat not knowing what to do under the girls scrutinising stare. Ever since she had met the girl Yoonji gave her a judging stare which made her wonder as to if she had done anything to offend her. The atmosphere had to become even more stuffy and uncomfortable.    
      
“Soojin”

Soojin’s eyebrows shot up and turned to look to the voice that had called her. Hearing such bass behind the voice she assumed it was Chanyeol, "Yes”

"We were calling you for a while now and you weren’t answering."

Soojin looked around to all their faces staring at her and suddenly felt , “Sorry, I was thinking about something.”

“Anyways we were talking about the princess” 

“The princess” Soojin spurted out. How did the topic of the conversation move onto the princess?

“Erm…yes, the princess. Have you seen her before?” chanyeol asked with bated breath.

“We’ve seen the prince before so why can’t we see the princess?”

“They’ve made her existence known so why not her face? Makes no sense really.”

"I heard that her name is Sunwha" Sehun pitched in.

"Really. I heard it was Gayoon"

"Those are just rumours, they've never revealed her name before."

"She can't be that ugly either for them to hide her face because the King and queen have good genes and Prince Yonghyun is proof of that."

She was ugly. That was reason why they hid her? Not ugly but Soojin thought she was decent looking to say the very least. Dowager before she had passed away always told her she was a pretty little girl, and just a while a go one of them had even called her beautiful.

“I mean the princess' life really is pitiful. The King and Queen must really hate her to keep her away like that. I wonder what mistake she had committed to earn such a pathetic life like that.” Baekhyun shared his opinion. 

Soojin could have sworn that she felt physically sick at that very moment. The words which Baekhyun had spoken hit her hard. Small, belittled, worthless were the words to describe how she felt. 

"How can you talk about her like that when you don’t even know her, how she feels. You shouldn’t say stuff like that. Obviously they have their reasons as to why they keep her away. Who are we to judge? She's probably around our age not being able to experience the joys of life. Imagine being sealed away from the world, the least you can do is have some sympathy for her rather than discussing rumours, going round adding fire to the flame by gossiping.”

Soojin looked to Jongin who defended the princess, defended her. He didn’t even know the princess and her situation yet he was ready to defend her from all the bad comments thrown at her. Maybe there where more people in the whole than she thought that cared about her well being. Jongin being one of them.  

“Soojin are you ok?” 

Everyone turned their eyes to her as she continued to look at Jongin.

“Soojin?" he reached out a hand. 

She realised she was blatantly staring at Jongin and cleared , diverting her eyes somewhere else. 
 
“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for your concern. I should be leaving now. Thank you again for your company and for introducing to me to ur friends. It was nice. I really should be getting back.”
 
Soojin stood to leave and felt a familiar rough hand grab hers. Jongin. His eyebrows drew together ever so slightly “Are you sure you’re alright?" 

“Yes I’m fine.” She assured with her back still facing him.

“Do you want me to walk you home?”

Home 

“No!” Soojin shouted out as she turned face Jongin. She had surely gained everyone's attention as they stared at her wide eyed.

“I mean…I…I’m fine, I can get home by myself. Thank you for the offer. I really should be going now.”

“But so soon” Sehun whined, “you only just got here.”

"I need to get back before they found out I'm-"

"They? Find out what?

The anxiety curled into her stomach. How could could she have let such words slip out. This sure was the consequences of taking the huge risk of coming here.

“If she wants to leave, let her. Stop forcing her to stay.” YoonJi declared, clearly having no intentions in persuading Soojin to stay.

"I can take you back to...to urm...you know..."

"Believe me, I'm fine, seriously. I’m sure it would be better for you to enjoy your time with your friends."

“Urm, alright. Safe journey. I’ll see you...whenever” 

"Making dates I see. Ouch!" 

And Baekhyun couldn’t help but to drop the comment. However, it did its job to decrease the stuffy atmosphere.

Minseok tutted whilst shaking his head, "You really can't stop talking can you?"

Soojin bowed to say goodbye. She remembered the route she and Jongin had taken and set on her way. On her journey back Jongin’s words began to play in my mind. What he said, will he be there to defend for her and be by her side if he was to find out the truth? 

 

 

A/N So it’s been almost 3 months since I last updated. *hides face*  
I did write on my blog that I lost my usb with all my coursework, essays and story notes which just stressed me out a bit to redo everything. 
Anyways, I'm basically almost back on track with everything so here's a crappy update.
Happy ready :)