There was a ruckus throughout the Palace as soon as it was confirmed that the future King was shot. Yunho was brought to the infirmary, being handled by a group of military doctors.

Jaejoong wanted to wait outside but he himself was brought to another room to be treated. He winced when he felt the alcohol in the small scratch on his left cheek.

“It’s not a deep wound. Just a graze of the bullet.” The nurse said, placing a bandaid over it.

“How is the Prince?” Jaejoong asked, worried about the man.

“He should be in the operation room right now. You can wait here if you want.”

“No, I want to be near him.” Jaejoong replied, hopping down the bed. He was about to sit at the waiting area when Donghae had approached him.

“Yunho is out. He is in session with the King.”

“What? So fast? But I was inside for only a few minutes.” Jaejoong said in confusion.

“Military doctors tend to work very fast during an emergency. Like this one. You should rest in your room. His Highness said he will meet you before going off.” Donghae said, sending the message he had from the Prince.

Jaejoong reluctantly nod, following Donghae and the entourage of guards surrounding him. He sat down in his room before choosing to pace up and down the royal bedroom impatiently.

In the throne room, Yunho sat down as he waited for the King to come. He pressed the wound, still feeling some blood coming out from under his stitches.

“His Highness Prince Yoochun is here for the session.” Yunho looked to the covered entrance.

“Come in.” He said, choosing to relax again.

“What happened?” Yoochun asked as soon as he was inside. His face showed the worry but Yunho was not one to sway so easily.

“Where were you?” Yunho questioned, wanting to be straightforward.

“What?”

“I said where were you.”

“I was out for an interview. Didn’t I tell you that just now?”

“You told us that you were going to wait outside. Who said you could leave first?” Yunho stands up, choosing to corner Yoochun into one side.

“Stop.” Yoochun stated.

“Just so you know, I didn’t bust my shoulder so I can still punch you if you want me to. Tell me where were you.”

“Even if I say anything, you won’t believe me.”

“Correct so tell me the truth.”

“What is going on here?” Ilwoo asked. He was just back from a meeting with the Parliament and here were his two sons fighting in front of him.

“He is the cause of everything, Father.” Yunho accused.

“Son, I suggest you don’t start pointing fingers at anyone. Especially your own brother.” The King motioned for the two to sit with him instead.

“We were ambushed yesterday right before your press conference. Today, we almost died and it was the same ammo. The weapon was a motion-sensored gun. If he left first, he is supposed to be shot down but only when I come out of the building did the weapon starts to shoot. That is not how motion-sensored guns work, Dad. Yoochun insisted on waiting for us outside but he left first. It’s clear that he knew what was going to happen. He planned everything.” Yunho explained.

“Don’t be so paranoid, Yunho. Yoochun was on his way to an interview just now.” Ilwoo said.

“Jaejoong was almost killed. Again. I am not going to rest until I find out the truth and I can be assured that my royal consort won’t be in danger again.” Yunho insisted. Ilwoo sigh, seeing the resolve in his son’s eyes.

“Can we stick to why I called for this session?”

“Isn’t it clear? His treason acts towards the royal family.” Yunho stated.

“Oh, what about his qualifications for being the heir to the throne?” Yoochun answered back.

“Nobody asked you. Shut up.”

“You shut up.”

“Silence the both of you!” Ilwoo screamed, feeling the headache inside his head.

“This is the reason why I didn’t want to bring you into the family, Yoochun.” Ilwoo said.

“In the first place, you shouldn’t even think about coming in.” Yunho said bitterly.

“Yunho please… being the one with more experience than Yoochun in this, you should be guiding him not pushing him away.”

“Yeah it up brother.”

“Language!” Both Ilwoo and Yunho corrected, glancing at Yoochun.

“Wow...no wonder everybody said you two are alike.” Yoochun mumbled, looking away.

“I called this session to talk about your coronation and discuss on your trip to the military camp.” Yunho lightened up immediately when he heard that. After all, there was a possibility of cancelling the trip altogether.

“First things first, the trip to the military base. There will be tighter security around you two. Initially, I wanted you two to sleep with the other soldiers but seeing that you have been attacked, you will be based in the headquarters.” Yunho’s heart dropped slightly when he heard that.

Now, there was no way he can run from the trip.

“I hope you two will be able to learn something from this trip. When you come home, we can talk about it.”

“Of course,  Father. That should be all, right? If that is it, I will be leaving first. I have someone to look after.” Yunho said, adjusting his sleeveless top.

“Stay seated. I haven’t even started on your coronation.” Yunho scoffed when he heard that.

“I believe I’m mentally prepared and ready to succeed you since I finished my military studies a year ago. What else do you need to talk about, Your Majesty?”

“Your coronation ceremony is in two weeks. Prepare yourself and make sure Jaejoong is in line too. Understand?”

“Yes Sir. Is that all?” Ilwoo shakes his head when he sees how Yunho is trying to leave.

“You can go find Jaejoong now, Yunho.”

“Thank you, Father.” Yunho replied before leaving first.

He looked back slightly, seeing the father and son talking together. Ilwoo had a bright smile on his face, an expression that Yunho hadn’t seen for quite a while.

The Prince turns back, walking away from the throne room. He sees Jaejoong walking up and down his room, teeth biting into his fingernails.

“What are you doing?” Yunho asked, choosing to lean against the door frame.

“Yunho, you're back.” Jaejoong exclaimed, immediately by Yunho’s side. He sees the white bandage on Yunho’s shoulders and Jaejoong’s frown grows imminent.

“Hey, it's alright.” Yunho quickly said, caressing Jaejoong’s cheek lovingly.

“I'm fine. See, I can even move it freely.” Yunho added, swinging his arm around as he masked the pain with a smile. Jaejoong finally smile, hugging the man instead.

“Promise me you won't come out to save me if we are in danger again.” Jaejoong mumbled before Yunho pull away slightly.

“Jaejoong, who are you kidding? I will always be there to protect you. I promised you that, didn’t I? Did you forget?” Yunho asked.

“I know that but our life is so dangerous. I’m scared, Yunho.”

"I’m scared of seeing you die in front of me." Jaejoong wanted to say but he embraced the man again.

Yunho gingerly wrap his right arm around Jaejoong before using his strength to carry the man to the bed. He laid Jaejoong down carefully before lying on top of his royal consort.

“You don’t know how terrified I was when Changmin warned me that someone was going to get shot. I thought they were targeting you.” Yunho revealed, looking into Jaejoong’s eyes.

“What do you mean...Changmin knew about this? But how? Why?” The royal asked, pushing his lover slightly to sit up.

“Jae, I don’t think you should know too much. It’s safer if you don’t know anything. Alright, I need to go.” Yunho hurriedly said, changing the subject.

“Yunho, you mentioned my best friend’s name so you better tell me what is going on. Is he...is he involved?” Jaejoong hesitantly asked.

“We don’t know yet but remember the bottle incident at the theatre hall? That one was on Changmin. The person who attacked me revealed during the investigation.” Yunho explained, only saying the truth. Jaejoong stared at Yunho, clearly not believing the man.

“You never did trust me, huh?” Yunho asked, feeling hurt that Jaejoong was doubting him. He was about to stand up when Jaejoong catch his wrist, stopping the Prince to walk away.

“It’s not that I doubt you. You know how long Changmin has been with me. Even my father knew me shorter than him. I can’t imagine seeing Changmin backstabbing me like that.”

“Technically, he didn’t try to hurt you. He wanted to hurt me. You were just an unlucky item meant to hurt me.” Yunho corrected.

“Show me. If what you said is true then show me. Let me meet that attacker.” Yunho shakes his head.

“He committed suicide a few hours after we left him but I have something that you can see. Come on.” Yunho held out his hand and Jaejoong gingerly reach out.

They walk across the living room, going into Yunho’s bedroom instead.

“Leave us.” Yunho ordered the guards standing by the door before closing it.

“Where are we going? Another secret room? Should I be blindfolded?” Jaejoong asked, giggling when the man pulling him along rolled his eyes at Jaejoong.

“Very funny, Jae.” Yunho replied as they entered his wardrobe. The Prince lets go of his consort’s hand before taking a huge frame off the wall.

Behind it was a safe and Yunho punched in the code before opening it. Inside the safe were files and other precious items but Yunho was more keen to show Jaejoong the video he had stored.

He brings Jaejoong to his computer, playing the video for the royal consort to watch. Jaejoong’s eyes stared intently as he sees a middle-aged man sitting calmly behind a table in the middle of a room.

Yunho had entered the frame, choosing to stand instead of sitting on his seat.

“I know you don’t work alone. Tell me what I want to know and I will give you mercy.” Yunho said and the man sitting down scoffed.

“Only if you give me one night with your royal consort.”

“One night with me? How dare he…” Jaejoong mumbled to himself. Yunho looked at Jaejoong, feeling amused that the royal consort were so absorbed with the video.

“Excuse me?” Yunho’s voice came through the speakers, body leaning even closer to the suspect.

“What? I bet you, as soon as he was married to you, half of the men in Korea want him in their bed. You’re a lucky man.”

“And you’re sick in the head.” Yunho had swing his fist over the man’s face, throwing the attacker off his seat.

“Oh wait, Jae. I don’t want you to see this.” Yunho hurriedly said, wanting to skip the part where he had beat the man up.

“No no. I want to see you beat the man up.” Jaejoong mindlessly said, eyes still stuck to the screen.

Hearing that made Yunho chuckle, letting Jaejoong see how Yunho had continuously beat the man up until Donghae had came in with the other guards.

“Tell me who you’re working for or I swear I’m going to kill you!” Yunho shouted, still struggling with Donghae’s hold.

“Let go of me.” Yunho said, breaking free before grabbing the attacker by the collar. Yunho slammed the man down on the table.

“Tell me!”

“Shim Changmin. He told me that if I throw the bottle at you, he will pay my debts.”

“Say that again.”

“What?”

“Say it again! Who was it?”

“Shim...Shim Changmin. I don’t know who he is. He said he was referred to me by someone he knows. That’s all I know.” Even though the royal consort had expected it, he let out a gasp once he heard his best friend’s name being uttered by the dead man.

“Impossible.” Jaejoong mumbled, finding it hard to believe it.

“I have the financial records. Somehow, Changmin wasn’t smart enough to cover his financial tracks.” Yunho explained, fairly certain that Changmin had something to do with his misery.

“He must have been framed. That’s it. The Changmin that I know never like to use his money to do...to do these kind of things!” The consort exclaimed, much to Yunho’s surprise.

“Kim Jaejoong, are you telling me that even after I show you proof that Changmin was the one, you don’t even trust me one bit?”

“I trust you but I also trust Changmin. He won’t do this without someone telling him to do it.”

“Changmin is smart enough to top the class. What makes you think he won’t be able to plan this alone?” Yunho questioned, getting furious by the second.

The Prince have started to pace up and down, trying to calm himself down.

“Look into this a little bit more. Maybe you’ll find someone else.” Jaejoong said, this time holding on to Yunho’s hand.

“I should have charged him with treason instead of letting him off because he’s your friend. At least, by then, there will be a court trial so you can open your eyes and see clearly.”

“I know you won’t do something like that to hurt me.” Jaejoong said, forcing Yunho to look at him.

“Give him one more chance. I doubt he is the only one in this. Please, Yunho.” Jaejoong place his hands gently on Yunho’s face. He smiled when he see the Prince rolled his eyes at him.

“I’ll look into it again but promise me when the truth does come out, you better stay away from him.” Yunho replied and Jaejoong nod in agreement. In return, Yunho pecked Jaejoong’s lips before the two smile at each other.

“Don’t mind me. Go on and continue.” Yunho’s frown immediately appear the moment he heard that.

“What do you want, Yoochun?” The Crown Prince asked the man not ashamed of sitting down on one of the seats.

“Dad told me to go over the programme for the army base visit with you.” Yoochun said, flinging around a thin piece of paper. Yunho groaned at the thought of it.

“For the last time, it’s Father. If you need to discuss anything, meet me in my office. There was no need for you to enter my bedroom.” Yunho gave Jaejoong an apologetic smile before leaving after kissing his cheek slightly.

Jaejoong sigh, seeing Yunho’s back walking away from him. He heads back to his own room, just in time to catch a phone call.

“Hi Dad.” Jaejoong greeted, sitting down on the couch.

“There’s my favourite son, my Jaejoongie.” Jaejoong’s eyebrows raised immediately, knowing that his adopted father wants something from him.

“You need me to cover you in the office, don’t you?”

“What nonsense. I didn’t say that. Did I say Jaejoong has to cover me for a meeting tomorrow after lunch, Heechul? Yeah, no I didn’t.” Jaejoong rolled his eyes, hearing his father babble instead.

“Dad, stop. I get it. You need me in the office. When is the meeting?”

“At 3. Can you do that, darling?” “Sure. I don’t think I have a schedule tomorrow. Aren’t you supposed to be back tonight?” “I was but there were some postponed meetings so I have to stay here a little longer.”

“Why can’t you postpone tomorrow’s meeting then?”

“I can’t. These are potential investors for a new venture of mine.”

“You do know that investing in a new thing will mean more work for me in the future, right?”

“When did I say I will hand over the company to you?”

“Oh then I’ll tell your future investors that my father is unavailable and no one is able to cover him.”

“No no...Jaejoong, come on. You know I’m kidding, right?”

“Yes I know Daddy. Don’t worry about the meeting. I’ll sit in for you.”

“Great. Thanks honey.”

“Bye. I lov-” By then, Kangwoo had hang up.

“He must have not heard about me yet.” Jaejoong told himself, choosing to watch the shows playing on the TV.

It was only an hour later did Yunho came to meet Jaejoong, dressed in an army general’s uniform. Jaejoong had slept on the couch, exhausted from the adrenaline he gets during the gunfight.

Yunho grabbed a blanket and sat down beside Jaejoong, placing the blanket over his royal consort. Feeling the warm sensation over him made Jaejoong wake up.

“Hey…” Jaejoong weakly called, still drowsy from the sleep.

“Hey you. Tired?” Yunho asked, letting his hand softly caressing Jaejoong’s cheek.

Jaejoong nod as a reply.

Yunho look to the television, wanting to turn it off when he sees the news covering about the incident in school.

“Hey look, I’m on TV.” Yunho exclaimed, pointing at the scene where he was shot.

“You know, for someone that was shot, you are really excited.” Jaejoong said, forcing himself to sit up.

“It’s not everyday I get to be on the news and being called a hero.” Jaejoong look to the TV screen as Yunho turn the volume up.

“It was a classic case of the knight in shining armour saving the damsel in distress. A shooting accident turned into a show of bravery when the Crown Prince Jung Yunho saved his royal consort in a rapid fire right at the entrance of the St. President’s Academy.”

“And of course I’m the damsel in distress.” Jaejoong mumbled, seeing the footage where he was seen hiding behind the car while Yunho charge out unarmed to save Jaejoong.

“At least you are my damsel in distress. I will save you every time we are in danger.” Yunho replied, trying to lift Jaejoong’s spirits up.

“You know what, it’s not fair. You had a safety vest on. I didn’t. Not fair.” Jaejoong said, punching Yunho in the shoulder as he released his anger.

“Ah!” Yunho cried out, immediately keeping quiet as he tried to get himself together from the blinding pain.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry.” Jaejoong immediately said, remembering about the fact that Yunho was injured.

“It doesn’t mean that if I wear the vest, it will make me invincible. It gives more reason for people to hurt me. That was the reason why I didn’t issue you one too. If somebody gets shot, I want it to be me getting pummeled by bullets than having to see you take it. Understand?” Yunho questioned and Jaejoong immediately nod, hugging his lover immediately.

“Be safe, I...just be safe, Yunho.” Jaejoong said, fingers in Yunho’s neatly tucked hair.

“I’m going to miss you.” The latter said, closing his eyes as he brought his hand over Jaejoong. The couple stayed that way for a while before Donghae came to get Yunho.

“You be careful. Don’t go running to Changmin the moment I’m gone.” Yunho joked.

“Depends. Since I’ll be sleeping alone at night, I might need someone beside me.” Hearing that made Yunho frown.

“Screw the visit, I’ll come back tonight.” Yunho said, determined to be the person that Jaejoong would call instead of the other best friend. Jaejoong laughed when he sees how Yunho looks so worried that Jaejoong will be taken away from him.

“I’m kidding. Geez...you’re so jealous of Changmin.”

“Hey, I’m battling for your affections against your best friend since childhood. I should be allowed to be a little jealous about him.” Yunho argued. “God knows what kind of things you’ve been through with him.”

The royal continued grumbling before Jaejoong shuts him up with a kiss. “Go. Donghae is going to get mad if you’re late.”

“Already mad!” The butler waiting by the door interjected, causing Yunho to roll his eyes.

“I love you.” Yunho said before finally leaving. Jaejoong followed the man out to the entrance of the East Palace, choosing to lean against the door frame. The guards stood by him, restricting Jaejoong’s movements.

“I told you all to guard him, not trap him. Give him some space.” Yunho scolded the guards and immediately, Jaejoong smiled as the guards move away slightly.

“Thank you.” Jaejoong mouthed at his lover and the latter nod curtly, portraying his authority. Yunho took one long look at Jaejoong before climbing on the armoured car. The entourage drives off, leaving Jaejoong alone in the East Palace.

“Your Highness, I suggest you return back inside.” The guards said and the royal nod, choosing to go to his studio rather than his room. Right before he went in, Jaejoong turned to the six guards following him.

“You can leave. I will be here for awhile.” Jaejoong requested and the guards left after reminding Jaejoong that there is an emergency button installed under his workstation. He entered the room, sitting down in front of his table.

There was a post-it note pasted on his file.

I knew you would come here the moment I leave.

Don’t stay up too late. I will be back soon.

Love, JYH.

Jaejoong instantly smiled, his fingers tracing the royal’s initials. His phone buzz from an incoming message. Giving it one quick check, he realise it was sent by Yunho.

Sender: Jung Yunho

Time: 31/03/2015 17:20:15

Already in your studio?

Sender: Jaejoong

Time: 31/03/2015 17:22:38

How did you know? Are you spying on me, Mr JYH?

Yunho chuckled, seeing the reply by Jaejoong. Donghae looked at his charge, taking a short glance at the message before turning back to face the window.