“Your majesty, it’s this week. Are you sure you’re ready to do this?”

“To be honest, no. But I have to do it. He deserves to know the truth and the country deserves a proper ruler.”

“But sir, you haven’t seen him in years. How can you be sure he’ll be a good fit for this country?”

The king smiled. “If he’s anything like his father, he’ll be more than a good fit. He will be the one to progress our country, and our people, towards a bright future. I have faith in that.”

Taemin forced his eyes open the slightest bit to take in his groggy appearance in the mirror. His newly dyed purple hair was tossed in every direction, his hand lazily dragging a toothbrush against his teeth, and toothpaste was spilling from his mouth to his chin. Congratulations, Lee Taemin. You are the epitome of appeal.

After he had cleaned his teeth, put on his school uniform, and successfully made his hair look like it was not just attacked by a rabid squirrel, he sat across from his mother at their dining room table.

“Morning, dear.” She said from behind her coffee cup.

Taemin grabbed the box of Cheerios his mom had left out and poured it into a bowl. “Hi.”

Ms. Lee took another sip of her black coffee. “So, your birthday’s tomorrow. Do you have any plans I should know about?”

“I don’t know,” he shoved a spoonful of cereal into his mouth and continued speaking, “I’ll probably invite Minho over. Play some video games.” He squinted his eyes in thought. “Can we order pizza?”

“That’s it? You don’t want to do anything…special? You are turning 18, after all.”

Taemin finished off his breakfast by tipping the bowl to his mouth and drinking it in three big slurps. “I’m a simple guy with simple needs,” he shrugged and the milk off his lips.

“Okay, if you say so.” She raised her eyebrows and made her way towards her toolbox.

Taemin pulled on his backpack and headed towards the door. “Bye, mom. I hope you don’t have to fix any toilets today.”

She snorted. “Yeah, wishful thinking. Don’t grow up to be a mechanic like me, Taemin. It stinks. Literally.”

“Riding a scooter to school is the ing coolest, okay. I don’t care what anyone says, I look totally swaggy right now.”

Minho couldn’t decide whether to laugh at Taemin’s ridiculous statement or to disown him as a friend forever. “Well as long as it gets you to school, I guess it’s fine. You still look like a ing idiot, though.”

“Says the guy wearing heelies.”

“Hey, heelies are cool! They come with all the perks of roller blades, but they can turn back into sneakers with no problem. And I don’t have to lock them up against a bike rack, either, because they’re always with me.”

Taemin pretended that Minho didn’t just make a valuable point. “Whatever.”

Minho smiled as they rode next to each other on the sidewalk. They’d been best friends since middle school, when they were forced into band class by the principal and quickly found out that they both at the tuba. But hey, at least they together, and being the two worst musicians in the entire band class brought them closer than any non-y-ness could’ve ever hoped to.

“Hey, I’ll see you at lunch, okay?” Minho called as he heelied backwards towards the school so he could face Taemin, who was locking his scooter up.

“Yes, hyung.” Taemin called back, unenthusiastically waving at his friend while focusing on the lock in front of him.

“Heelies rule, scooters drool.” Minho shouted from the entryway of the school. When Taemin turned to glare at him, he was already running inside.

“You little .”

“By the way, I forgot to ask this morning because of our heated debate, but do you want to come over after school tomorrow? My mom’s ordering pizza.”

Minho and Taemin were sitting on a stone ledge by the school parking lot eating lunch. Technically, they weren’t allowed to leave the building, but as long as they weren’t doing anything illegal, none of the teachers really cared.

“Oh yeah, it’s your birthday!” Minho said after he finished his Go-Gurt. “I have to help my dad out at the shop for awhile, but I’ll be done probably around six. Is it cool if I drop by at like, 6:15?”

“Of course it is.” Taemin replied. “You better get me a really great present, though.”

“Yeah, like my in a box.”

Taemin hit Minho’s shoulders and debated whether or not he should throw his orange right at Minho’s smug face. “Shut up.”

The two seniors rode back to their homes together, like they always did, separating once Minho reached his block.

“See you tomorrow!” Minho waved.

Taemin rode the rest of the way home by himself. Sometimes he considered taking the city bus to and from school, because riding his scooter alone in the big city made him kind of anxious. He could run into a drug dealer, or worse, a Jehovah witness. The thought alone made him shudder.

Finally, he walked through the front door and was greeted by the smell of his mother’s kimchi. “I’m home, mom.”

“Taemin!” She hurried towards her son, eyes wide and mouth open.

“Uh, what is it?” Taemin asked, wondering why the hell his mother literally ran up to him the second he walked through the door.

“I got a call today. Your uncle Jinki is going to be in town and he wants you to stop by his place tomorrow.”

Ah, yes. Uncle Jinki. Taemin hadn’t actually seen the man in over a decade, but he always sent him a load of cash every birthday. The guy was stupid rich.

“He wants me to come over on my birthday?”

“I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but he probably has something planned for you. A present, or something, you know?” She made her way back towards the kitchen. “He left an address; it’s on the counter. You can stop by after school, say ‘hello’, and then ride back home, okay?”

Taemin picked up the sticky note his mom used to scratch down uncle Jinki’s address, eyeing it like it was a bug instead of a piece of paper. “Do I have to go? Minho-hyung’s coming over…”

Ms. Lee glared over her shoulder. “Yes, you do. He’s family. And I’m sure you’ll be home in time to hang out with Minho.”

He sighed in defeat. “Okay, mom…”

“I didn’t know you had a rich uncle.” Minho said. They were at their usual lunch spot, sharing a bag of Doritos.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen him since I was like, 7 or something. But he sends me a ton of money every birthday, so that’s pretty cool I guess…” Taemin trailed off, popping another chip into his mouth. “Anyways, my mom said I shouldn’t be there too long, but if I don’t make it home by the time you’re there, just chill out or something. You’re bringing Smash Bros, right?”

“Hell yeah I’m bringing Smash Bros! Which reminds me, you probably want me to bring my PS4, right?”

Taemin smiled. “Right.”

“Good, cause I just got this really cool game called PT, you’re gonna love it! It’s only a demo, but I swear you’ll your pants. It’s that good.”

“Awesome.” Taemin heard some giggling and saw some movement behind Minho’s shoulder. He didn’t even have to double check to know what it was. “Uh, hyung? I think some of your fangirls are spying on you. Again.”

Minho turned around to see for himself, squinting at a window not too far off. “Yeah, it’s definitely them. I wish they’d leave me alone.” He said, sulking slightly. Taemin didn’t really blame the girls. Minho had a masculine face, and was a star player on the soccer team, but that didn’t give the girls the right to stalk him like he was some idol.

“Come on, hyung, let’s go eat inside.” Taemin said, wrapping an arm around Minho’s shoulder and leading into the school. Those girls got on his nerves.

Minho gave a gracious smile. “Thanks, Tae. And happy birthday.”

Taemin looked back and forth from his mother’s sticky note to the house in front of him. Actually, calling it a house was an understatement. The thing was HUGE. It looked like it came straight from the set of a Hollywood movie, with marble pillars surrounding the building, stone paths snaking through a garden with every kind of flower, which eventually led to the large, silver gate right in front of Taemin. He knew his uncle was rich, but he didn’t think he was that rich.

Reluctantly, he pushed a button on the stone wall connected to the front gate. “Please state your name and purpose,” a man’s voice from the speaker above the doorbell announced.

“Uh, I’m Lee Taemin, I came to see my uncle, but I think I have the wrong address…”

“No, sir. Please come in.” A buzzing noise resounded in his ears as the gate slowly opened. He gradually made his way towards the mansion, suddenly feeling a million butterflies in his stomach. He felt so out of place, being around such intricate decor while he was still in his dingy uniform. Eventually, he was at the front door, which was made out of a shiny dark wood. He turned the golden handle and came face to face with a young man typing at a desk. The man looked up when he heard Taemin enter, and smiled.

“Hello, sir. I’m assuming you’re Mr. Lee Taemin?”

Taemin nodded sheepishly.

“If you’ll please take a seat,” he gestured towards a red, velvety chair, “his high- I mean, Mr. Lee Jinki, will be here in a minute.”

Taemin nodded again, sitting down and letting out a huge breath. His uncle even had a secretary? What kind of person was he?

The young man continued typing, and Taemin took a better look at the inside of the house. The floor was a slightly reddish wood, polished so fine Taemin could see his own reflection (and his reflection told him that he needed to fix his hair, pronto). The walls were covered in a floral design, and it appeared to be hand-painted. Lastly, the ceiling held a large, crystal chandelier. Just like Phantom of the Opera, Taemin thought. The idea made him smile, and his nerves were calmed ever so slightly. He turned back to look at the young man, only now realizing there was a nameplate on his desk. It read Kim Kibum.

Just then, an older, balding man appeared in the side hallway. “Hello, Mr. Taemin. I’ve come to you to Sir Jinki.”

? ?! This was way too fancy for Taemin’s liking. He was starting to regret coming here. “Please, just call me Taemin.” He managed to say.

The older man gave a gentle smile. “Wouldn’t dream of it, sir. Now please, follow me.”

Taemin followed the man through a hallway that was just as ornate as the first room he was in, with doors lining each of the walls. At the end of it was a very bright room with marble floors. The reason it was so bright, Taemin saw once he entered, was because there was hardly any walls, only large windows, allowing the occupants of the room to see outside. In the middle of the room was a glass table surrounded by light green chairs and sofa, and sitting on the sofa was, as Taemin remembered, his uncle Jinki. When Jinki saw Taemin, he smiled and put his tea down. “Taemin! Come sit by me!”

Well, that was a lot more casual than Taemin expected. Also, his uncle had a really dorky smile, like it was trying to take over his entire face. Taemin also thought he looked oddly young, and then realized he didn’t even know how old Jinki was. If his father were still alive, he would be what? 43? And since Jinki’s the younger sibling, he’s probably around 35… Taemin shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and sat next to this man who was basically a stranger, trying his best to reciprocate the warm smile.

“Happy birthday!” Jinki said, reaching behind him for a small, purple box. He let out a small laugh. “Look at that, it matches your hair!”

Taemin gratefully took the gift from his uncle, struggling to untie the bow.

“Sorry about calling you over so suddenly. Must have been quite a shock!”

“It’s not a problem. But to be honest, I am kind of intimidated by your house.”

Jinki laughed. He had a really warm laugh that filled the entire room, but wasn’t loud or obnoxious.

Taemin finally opened the present, and opened it to find a silver watch. “Woah, is this real?”

“Indeed it is. It belonged to your father,” Jinki said, still smiling.

“Th-thank you…” Taemin said, putting it on his wrist. It felt awkward receiving a gift that he knew was super expensive, especially since the person who gave it to him was staring at him excessively. “I’ll wear it everyday.”

“Great. I’m glad you like it.” Jinki said. He finally stopped looking at Taemin, turning his head to take a sip of his tea. While Jinki drank, Taemin watched, biting his own lip in nervousness. He wasn’t sure what else he should say.

“Uh, would you like some tea, Taemin?” Jinki asked.

Taemin shook his head. “No thanks, I’m fine.” Actually, he was rather parched, but he honestly just wanted to leave this house. It was so elegant, and HUGE, it was making him dizzy. The younger man cleared his throat. “Well, um, I actually have to go meet my friend, so…”

Jinki suddenly looked very urgent. “No! I mean, uh, please. I came here to tell you something really important.”

Taemin lightly grabbed his slacks. “What is it?”

“So, uh, you know…the country Aellyn, right?”

“Yes?”

“Well, um, you see…there’s really no way to tell you this besides saying it outright.”

Taemin tried to nod in understanding, but in reality he was confused as hell.

Jinki pushed his bangs out of the way before speaking again. “Taemin, I am the king of Aellyn, which makes you a prince.”