'It has been displayed that no girl who is diagnosed with any chronic illnesses of sorts will be fit to enter the Selection, section 98 law of Seoul, renewed 2076. And that includes both mental and physical disease that may bring harm to the royal family and it's descendants.' Secretary Wong read out loud the Seoul Accords at the meeting table. 

The King grunted and nodded, 'Thank you secretary, now we can discuss issues regarding the problem in the Selection. Um, will you do the honors, Governor?'

Governor Park nodded curtly, 'The case brought up to the table concerns the well being of the royal family, and I come forth to say that Irene Bae is not qualified to continue in the Selection. She has been prescribed with a mental illness, and this brings grave danger to the table. It is similar to the one of Wendy Son's case of mental destruction. But while she's completely mental, Irene Bae is still sane which means she is still dangerous to our peace in the city.'

Junmyeon was trying not to get heated about this presentation, he did what he always did, he took big breaths and carried on listening to rebuttals he felt were like rubbish. 'And how does that affect our peace, Governor Park?'

'From what the doctors have said, survivor's guilt comes from only the one's who are locked in their own world of guilt and misery. They believe in eternal sorrow and sadness, a darkness they can't control, and its deceit is irreparably harmful to everything and anything.' he explained. 'Our hopes and visions to build a forever happy and flawless nation will be demolished like mountain of rocks knocked over by a light kick of a child. If the prince were to marry someone who would encourage avenging their late loved ones, and not look forward to nation building; the risks are very high. Your highness, the safety of your family is my top priority, and I'm not being offensive, but having Irene Bae as an addition to your family, is very risky indeed.'

He took his seat, and some of the ministers nodded and applauded. The King was thinking, letting the words sink in. The Governor had a point, a very good one indeed. But it all had to come down to his son's decision, and the majority rule of the table. 

'Thank you Governor, your presentation will be taken into account.' he cleared his throat. 'Although, this is my son's Selection for his wife to be, the person who will give him moral support during his future rule. Therefore, I grant him the privilege to give out his honest opinion for the Council.' he glanced at his son, who was going for his speech without any script.

Junmyeon stood there, his mind calm and clear about what he was about to say. He made a promise to himself and to Irene that he would never let her down, under all costs. 

'I have been taught to know how to seperate between my personal feelings, and my duty as the prince. Father, I know that I have been given the honor to be a part of the celebration of our revival, and that is through deciding my marriage. Like it or not, it is impossible to not involve my personal opinions, for it is the person I am going to marry for the rest of my life. Think about it, rejecting someone who has illness out of the Selection is not just hipocrisy, it's also discrimination to this minority. Regarding the case about Irene, she is a survivor, and that is why she has been affected by the Infected attacks. We are all very clear about the flash attacks all the previous years, but we don't know how many people are still affected by it. How many people have been sacrificed? How many people know people that have been sacrificed? And how many people have been living the way Irene did ?'

'This is not something we can disregard, this is not how we should serve the people. The news has been raging online, and it is going to far.'

'-yes, your highness.' the Governor sounded annoyed. 'Which is why we need to put an end to this.'

'Not by neglecting, but by reaching the people who are in trouble.' he continued. 'Father, we can use this to our advantage. Let one public figure be the spokesperson for these human rights, not us. But someone who has been through all of it to tell her story. That is how we can gain the people's full faith. It's by letting them know we care.'

'Seulgi, I'm nervous.' I said as she stood there perfecting my bow at the back of my dress. 'What if they won't even let me say anything?'

'They will.' she said positively. 'The news is out, all the cameras will be out there to hear your explanation.'

'What if they don't believe me?'

'Irene, they'll believe you if you believe in yourself. Like I believed in you, and I'm standing by you right now.'

'Thanks for coming over with me, all the other girls are avoiding me now. Now that they know my condition...'

'Irene, do not say that.' she said sternly. 'You're my friend, and I'd never judge you at whatever costs. You still are the Irene I know.'

She clutched my hand, and flashed me a comforting smile. She was there for me, even if everyone else was terrified of me. I heard Tessa gossiping about how I could kill them in their sleep, how I was dangerous. What they didn't know I wasn't capable of hurting anyone but myself, that's was what the therapist told me the last few days.

Yes, I went for medication after Junmyeon advised me to. It was something I had to take, and counseling was the only option. And Junmyeon already told me the plan he had in mind. I was going to tell everything to the public, and be honest about what had happened. What he didn't know was I wasn't normal. Though, the only way to lie was insert something very much true to the story. 

I knew what to do, I just hoped my partial lie was believable.

'AND NOW MAY I WELCOME THE NATION'S SWEETHEART, MISS IRENE BAE !' Shindong announced my name and I could hear soaring crowds from outside. Seulgi squeezed my hand once again before letting me go upstage.

As soo as I was up there, I tried my best to not be overwhelmed with the cheering and camera flashing and microphones just aimed at me. I swallowed the saliva in my mouth, my hands were slowly turning stone cold. I managed an empathetic smile, and waved elegantly. 

'Pleasure to see everyone again, it's been a while.' I started off. 'I hope you're doing alright, and that you're in good hands. I hope all of you are honest, because that is what I am going to do today. Be completely honest with you.'

A reporter raised his hand, 'Miss Irene, the news has been spread that you have survivor's guilt, please explain this shortcoming. And does this still validify your participation in the Selection?'

I chuckled and nodded, 'To answer your question, yes, I have been diagnosed with survivor's guilt. Survivor's guilt is a medical condition that affects the...mental state of a person. And no, I don't go stabbing people or hurting them, I merely feel guilty that I was incapable of saving someone I loved dearly. In my case, it's my mom. And someone I knew who sacrificed themselves to save me.'

'I am sure all of you have experienced the flash attacks in previous years, but not many want to talk about the feelings we have left inside of us. As for me, I got the better of it. I left it somewhere in the corner of my heart, ignoring that someday it would come back and haunt me. That is also why I took sleeping pills, so that nighmares wouldn't come attacking me. Only I didn't know repeating it over and over again would make things worse.'

Another reporter raised her hand, 'Miss, is this why you were landed in hospital the previous week? If so, please tell us more.'

I took a deep breath, 'Yes, I was hospitalized because I had overdose of sleeping pills, and it nearly costed my life. In other words, if not for prince Junmyeon to save me, I would've died.' and I heard a few gasps. 'I am grateful to him, and he made me realize it was time to step out of the shadows. Citizens of Seoul, I, Irene Bae, would like to apologize for lying to all of you. That I was a healthy, and always cheerful person, when I'm not. But I also that's a good thing, to not always have an easy life. I am sure there are more people like me, but don't know how to admit what they feel. My advice, do not be scared to come forth and share your stories. You are a strong human being for being brave enough to walk out of your own panopticon that traps you. You are strong, you are a fighter, and no one can take that away from you. Now I am being one of you people now, by sharing my story to everyone. Yes, I am guilty. But I am also a survivor. So please, fight it. Fight the demon that is trapped inside you, because there is one in each and every one of us. And with that, I beg for your forgiveness.' I bowed to the crowd as they went silent.

I didn't know what to do, I just stood there frozen. Not out of fright, but blankness. I wasn't sure if I was forgiven, or people had to take time to jot down everything I said so they had enough scoop for the news. Then one hand was raised up in the air, people gave way and revealed a young girl in the crowd. Her skin was sickly pale, and she was thin to the bone. Her hair stringy because it was lacking enough nutrients, she looked like a human skeleton covered with skin. 

'But not everyone sees us as perfect individuals, how can we live by that?' she said.

I took another deep breath, I knew how to answer questions like this. 'No matter what we do, the world will always look down on us either directly, or indirectly. But we don't have to be insecure about our flaws, or imperfections. The only important thing is how we see ourselves, and as long as it makes us happy, we don't have to care about how everyone else thinks who we are. There is a hope for you in the dark, and you should know that everyone of us is beautiful just the way we are. We don't have to change or hide any of our scars, wear them with pride.' and I made a daring move and pulled the collar of dress, sending a few gasps out there. 

'This scar.' I told them loud and clear, displaying the ugly scar on my collarbone, letting photographers capture it with flashing cameras. '-is something I was never proud of, until this day, this minute, and this second. Today, I will start wearing this scar with pride. It is as visible as I am as a human being who is living my own partially wretched life to its fullest. This is my scar, to my beautiful self. Same as everyone of you, this scar is to your beautiful selves!'

The crowd applauded, some cheered me on. For all I knew, even the paparazzi took a moment to embrace the amount of energy vibrating through the air. People were clapping, and chanting my name with such force and spectacularity it was touching. I reached out to them, and they supported me.

Junmyeon's plan worked.

'Have you seen the news?' the Governor tapped his fingers on the mahogany coffee table, a habit he developed decades ago. 

'Who hasn't?' Kyungsoo remarked scornfully. 'It has been blowing up the media for the past week. Irene Bae's speech has sparked much attention, I must say.'

He stirred the sugar in his black coffee, it was a rainy day, just like his mood. The governor wasn't much better, he had thrown a tantrum by ripping apart the newspapers in his house, according to one of the maids. Kyungsoo knew him far too well, Governor Park was a man of many faces. One of his specialties was hiding the storm within himself with an easy and calm face with a poised expression. Jiyeon had a similar trait, her poised posture and elegance was a rose garden that hid deadly thorns, a nightmare dressed like a daydream. It ran in the family, he supposed.

'The people are fighting back, they're begining to realize our real intentions.' th governor continued. 'The Liberty Walk, Just Talks, all these are affecting our plans. This is very bad, very bad indeed.'

'Governor, I thought you were doing all this for the people. What is it that you always say ? Serving for the people is the best job I have ever pledged to be a part of?' Kyungsoo chuckled. 'I thought you were serious about it.'

The Governor scoffed, 'The world is changing, my lord. There is no more place for liberty and fairness, we must survive as the best. I am sure you and I know exactly what we want, that is, if I know everything in that quick mind of yours. It's always ticking clockwork.It still confuses me why you decide to be against your own brother at all costs?'

Kyungsoo's eyes turned cold, 'That is none of your business, and do not dwelve into my own intentions. You, on the other hand, should think of a better way to solve this. Or we will all be in mortal turmoil.'

'I believe you have a better impression solution, my lord.'

Kyungsoo smirked, 'We should not dive into solving situations immediately. Every wall has its own weakness, find a way to demolish it.'

'I never expected less from you, my lord.'