This plot bunny actually ended up longer than I thought it would.

Also, it's cute, fluffy, silly nonsense... my specialty. ;D

Again, blame Noda for planting this idea in my head!

---

My Prince(ss)

 

Myungsoo’s life revolved around an orderly regimen, built upon facts, figures, trusted intelligence, and his own observations of the world. He never really had reason to question what was being presented in front of him--what he saw, heard, said, he meant it and so did the others around him.

 

No one dared to lie to a prince.

 

~*~

 

South Korea shocked the world with its decision to not embrace full-fledged democracy almost 50 years before. With the fall of Park’s authoritarian regime, the Korean populace feared the rise of another leader claiming to be a “democratic” and “leader for the people”, much like the former leader--so they sought a solution to avoid this possibility.

 

The transitional government agreed to keep the country’s Senate as it was, with elected representation from each province as determined by population, as the previous Senate had been organized. However, to dissuade elected officials from falling to the corruption and influence peddling so common in the capital, the government also agreed to form provincial monarchies, where each province was ruled by one influential regional family--chosen by the people for lifelong service to be passed through the generations. These nine provincial royalty formed a special government house, allowing them to debate and present laws, much like the elected Senate--however, provincial royalty had final consensus and decision in all laws passed, allowing these rulers to check one another to keep power from falling into the hands of only one family.

 

The system continued to work seamlessly once each royal family was in place. Lawmaking power passed through the lines of succession in each family, with all children able to join the discussions and policy-making sessions while training for the time when they would take over their family’s seat in the Royal Court.

 

With the government centralized within Seoul, many royal families split their living time between their ruling province and the capital city. Seoul’s schools and universities always had royalty within their classes, along with the children of Senators, political aides, and other prominent government figures. It was no surprise either at the size of the political science departments at Seoul’s top universities.

 

As the second son for the Gyeonggi royal family, Myungsoo knew the responsibilities that laid ahead for him. While his older brother already served in the Royal Court with their father, the younger prince was only in his second year at Seoul University. All members of the royal family automatically enrolled as Political Science majors--a way to ensure that all members of the court were educated in basic public policy and government--but many also took on a second major, allowing them to pursue their own interests, Myungsoo choosing to also add a visual arts degree to pursue his lifelong artistic talents.

 

Despite society’s overall acceptance and comfort with the royal structure, Myungsoo remained very guarded about those he allowed to stay close to him. While he knew that most would never dare to try and take advantage of a provincial prince, the young man still did not want to risk causing harm to his family name. As such, he tried to keep as low a profile as he could on campus--the boy’s intellect, talent, and handsome looks did not make this task a simple one. Slowly though, he found a few close friends among other political families, mainly senators’ children, providing him with as close to a normal life as a prince could get.

 

~*~

 

“Myungsoo! What’s up with you today?...YAH!”

 

Myungsoo snapped out of his thoughts at the rough shove into his bicep, glancing to his side to face the wide eyes of his best friend. “Ow! Lee Sungjong!”  

 

Sungjong flicked his wavy silver bangs from his eyes, his wide eyes looking straight at the young prince. “You’ve had this dazed look on your face all morning. Did you stay up late marathoning dramas again?”

 

“I slept fine!” Myungsoo snapped back. “And not any later than usual. I just went to the drama department’s show last night for class…”

 

Sungjong merely hummed before turning away from the prince to watch the students wandering along the courtyard in front of them. “Then what’s on your mind?” he asked.

 

“I’m still thinking about the show,” Myungsoo replied. “I have to write a reflection on the performance and I’m still trying to figure out what to say.”

 

“Oh right, I heard some of the design majors who were assisting with costumes talking about it,” Sungjong mused. “All they would tell me is that the theme is illusions?”

 

“Things Are Not Always What They Appear,” Myungsoo answered. “That’s what the show was called. Every scene had some sort of hidden meaning or something you didn’t expect to see…”

 

“Sounds like you got enough of it to figure out what to write your paper on,” Sungjong said.

 

“Yeah,” Myungsoo sighed. “I guess I do. I just have so many other questions...”

 

“If you really want to, I’m sure you could go to the show again,” Sungjong said. “It runs through the end of the week, right?” Myungsoo nodded. “Well, let’s go tonight then. I’ve wanted to see it and you can get some answers to your questions.”

 

Myungsoo nodded in the affirmative. “Yeah, let’s do that...”

 

~*~

 

Later that afternoon, Myungsoo found himself wandering around the campus courtyards, the iced tea in his hand moving from cold to lukewarm as the prince lost himself in his thoughts once more. HIs thoughts hadn’t left the show the night before, still running through the various scenes over and over again.

 

He remembered a few reveal-type scenes, almost like those from old detective mystery plays and mystery theater stories. There were a few other scenes--the surprise reveals of hidden motives for some characters through monologues, role-reversals, ending scenes that just left the audience with questions--that were memorable to Myungsoo. But there was only one that truly made Myungsoo not only question what he saw, but why it was included in the show at all.

 

The applause continued as the scenes shifted once more during the show. Myungsoo sat comfortably along the aisle of the fifth row from the stage, allowing him a perfect close-up view of the action. The prince had seen a few of his fellow visual arts majors in the theater before the lights had dimmed at the start of the show, all there for the same reason Myungsoo was.

 

The show so far was intriguing. Each scene was played brilliantly by the drama students--surely, this performance had to be a significant portion of their grades--and Myungsoo marvelled at the students’ abilities to shift from character to character as they acted out each new scene.

 

The stage was currently half-lit, the office-style set pieces being cleared from the scene before, as stage hands moved swiftly yet methodically around the set. Myungsoo noted the lack of furnishings on the stage before the theater was plunged into complete darkness. He then heard footsteps--a large group of people, seven, eight for sure--make their way onto the stage. Still in darkness, a low buzz sounded before the bass kicked in, surrounding the theater in a rhythmic buzz.

 

Myungsoo finally recognized the pattern--

 

~Pick me, pick me, pick me,

Pick me, pick me, pick me,

Pick me, pick me, pick me~

 

As IOI’s familiar Pick Me anthem continued to play through its introduction, the stage background lit up in the girl group’s familiar pink color. The backs of seven people, all dressed in the familiar grey school uniform jacket, pink skirt, white knee-socks with pink stripes, stood on the stage. Once the singing began, Myungsoo noted that the girl in the center--noticeably taller than the other dancers--was the only one singing.

 

She wore the same costume as all the other female dancers on the stage, but something was noticeably different about her. Her long dark hair fell past her shoulders, two buns twisted on top and the last few inches of her shoulder-length hair dyed navy blue, her face shaped beautifully, her skin flawless…. Myungsoo also noted her full lips, moving in time with the music, her long limbs perfectly executing the choreography.

 

Myungsoo was absolutely mesmerized.

 

The girl continued to complete each choreographed move precisely--Myungsoo even noticed a few winks she threw to the audience. Each time her arm rose above her head, Myungsoo could also see a silver bracelet adorning her thin wrist catching the stage lights.

 

The girl moved to the point moves in the choreography, turning with her arms outstretched and pointed almost directly at Myungsoo. The young prince could feel his cheeks heating up as he met her alluring gaze from the stage. The girl smiled coyly, sending a wink right in Myungsoo’s direction, her tongue peeking out from her full lips teasingly.

 

And that was all it took for Myungsoo to fall.

 

Sure, it may have been all part of the act, but Myungsoo felt like something had definitely happened during the moment their eyes met. The whole act just would not leave Myungsoo’s mind as he continued to replay the scene long after the show had ended last night. He tried to say that he was curious--honestly, he was probably more desperate than anything-- to know who exactly the girl was and what even was the purpose of that scene.

 

The department’s show followed the illusions theme flawlessly, all up until that scene. Myungsoo couldn’t figure out what the illusion was, what the unexpected was in that performance… all he saw was a very talented, beautiful girl perform a popular song onstage. Where was the illusion?

 

The questions continued to plague him alongside his desire to learn who the girl was. The program for the semester’s show was unbelievably sparse. It didn’t even list the names of those performing, only the classes and years participating, making it difficult to even figure out exactly how many performers there actually were. And with only his memories to go by, Myungsoo felt he honestly could write that paper for his class judging by what he saw.

 

But her.

 

The young prince had to know who she was, what her scene was about, what the purpose of it was… he wanted to know everything about that moment and this girl who had overtaken his thoughts over the last 24 hours. That was the one reason he agreed to give up another night of his week, just to see her and that scene one more time.

 

~*~

 

A loud thud snapped Myungsoo out from his thoughts and he finally noted where he was--near the back entrance of the theater. Glancing over towards the noise, he saw a tall, skinny guy surrounded by boxes and bags, tossing them one by one into the large dumpster behind the building. The boy wore dark skinny jeans and a red graphic t-shirt, with sweat already slightly coating brown locks.

 

Myungsoo watched the guy toss a few other boxes into the dumpster and then start to tug at one box near his feet. The box obviously had something in it--and something heavy--as the man tried once to unsuccessfully lift it from the ground. Seeing the man struggle once more to get only one end of the box off the ground, Myungsoo quickly made his way over and took hold of the other end. “Let me help you with that--”

 

The guy grunted, but showed a painful smile. “Oh thank God!” The two young men moved in sync, finally lifting the box upright and tossing it over into the dumpster. As the loud thud resonated, the taller wiped the sweat from his bangs on his forearm. “Thanks, man; I really appreciate it.”

 

“It’s no problem,” Myungsoo replied. “You looked like you needed a hand.”

 

“I needed better luck when we made that bet on who’d take all this crap out here,” the guy answered. “Anyway, thanks again.”

 

Myungsoo noted the guy’s wide smile and bright copper eyes as he met his gaze. “What is all this anyway?”

 

“A bunch of crap,” tall guy replied sarcastically. “It’s a bunch of old props and costumes we cleaned out of the theater’s storage area before we started set design for the semester-end show. On top of that, all of us decided to be lazy and never take it out and then just added all the additional trash as we finished all the sets for the show…”

 

“That’s--a lot…” Myungsoo sighed, looking around at all the trash still around them. The young prince glanced back over at the taller boy, the sunlight glinting off a bracelet on the other’s wrist--a delicate silver knot, the only decoration on the band. “Wait, your bracelet--”

 

“Hmm?” the taller perked up, bringing his wrist towards him. “Oh, this? Yeah, it’s got my family crest on it…”

 

“I know that crest,” Myungsoo mused. “You’re a Lee? Jeolla’s royal line?”

 

The taller tilted his head slightly, then widened his eyes as a realization hit him. “I thought you looked familiar! You’re Prince Kim Myungsoo! I knew I’d seen you outside of here before...yeah, I’m Lee Sungyeol, second Prince for Jeolla-do,” the taller introduced.

 

Myungsoo rubbed his neck nervously. “For the longest time, I thought I was the only prince here. You don’t say much in the Political Science department, do you?”

 

“Well, not right now,” Sungyeol sighed. “I’m a third year, so I’m letting myself do a bit more of my drama major before I dive too deep into Politics… I like them both, but there’s no way I could split my time during last year...”

 

“Yeah, I’ll have to do the same for visual arts for me…” Myungsoo sighed. A thought suddenly struck him. “Hang on--so you’re a part of the semester-end show?”

 

“Yeah!” Sungyeol exclaimed. “Have you seen it yet?”

 

“I have,” Myungsoo replied. “I went to the opening show last night. I remember a couple of your scenes actually…. The senior test scene, the depression monologue, and that one about your parents--”

 

Sungyeol smiled, a dusky blush showing up on his cheeks. “Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I had a hand in some other scenes too--”

 

The young prince couldn’t contain his excitement. “Which ones?!”

 

Sungyeol laughed. “I’ve already said too much; the cast all made a pact that we’d leave the illusions theme intact, so no spoilers!”

 

“Ok, fine,” Myungsoo sighed. “Can I ask one question? It’s not even about the theme of this scene; just...why it was included, I guess--”

 

Sungyeol crossed his arms coolly--Myungsoo felt his neck heat at the sight of the taller man’s sculpted biceps and forearms. “Go ahead.”

 

“So, there was one scene in the show where a girl performed IOI’s Pick Me,” Myungsoo explained, seeing a teasing grin forming on Sungyeol’s face. “I just didn’t understand how it fit the illusions-thing.”

 

Sungyeol smriked. “Well, maybe that was the purpose overall--to make you questions why it was there.”

 

“There has to be something more...” Myungsoo whined.

 

The taller laughed. “Why are you so focused on it anyway? Something else catch your attention?” he asked teasingly.

 

Myungsoo could feel his cheeks heating quickly. “No-no! Nothing like that,” he mumbled as Sungyeol laughed. “I have to write a reflection on the show and I just wanted to see if I could figure that out before I finished the paper…”

 

Sungyeol’s grin just continued to widen. “Well, if you’re that interested, just come to the show again tonight. I can let the cast know that they made an impact.”

 

Myungsoo’s cheeks flamed once more. “N-no no! You don’t have to,” the young prince said. “But yeah, I’ll be there tonight with one of my friends who hasn’t seen the show yet.”

 

The prince swore he saw a flash in the taller’s eyes before he spoke. “Well, then we’ll see you tonight at the show then, Myungsoo-wangja,” Sungyeol said, the prince title said teasingly.

 

Myungsoo exhaled, willing his cheeks to calm their blushing. “Don’t make it sound like I’m anything special,” he replied.    

 

“Fine, fine,” Sungyeol laughed. “You never know though, Myungsoo-shi. Something special could happen.” Myungsoo glanced at the taller in confusion, but Sungyeol only sent him a teasing wink.

 

~*~

 

“Ok, seriously; what is going on with you today?!” Sungjong groaned from the seat next to Myungsoo.

 

Myungsoo snapped from his thoughts once again, glancing over at his friend. “Nothing, I promise!”

 

“Uh huh…” Sungjong huffed in disbelief. “That’s why you’ve been spacing out since we were eating in the cafe, chewed a hole in you straw at the table, kept messing with your hair on the walk over, and haven’t stopped bouncing your leg since we sat down.”

 

The young prince glanced down to find that, yes indeed, his right leg continued to tap. Forcing himself to halt the movement, Myungsoo sighed in resolution. “OK, fine. I’ve been a little distracted…”

 

“You don’t say,” Sungjong replied sassily. “Still thinking about that scene? Will you just tell me what it is so you’ll quit bouncing already?”

 

“Fine,” Myungsoo sighed. “It’s going to sound really dumb though, so save the snarky response, ok?” Sungjong merely gave his friend a fake-innocent gaze. “There’s this scene that just didn’t make sense to me. It’s a girl lip-syncing IOI’s Pick Me, choreography and all. I don’t understand why it’s in a show called ‘Illusions’ though.”

 

“Do you know who it was?” Sungjong asked.

 

“No, I didn’t really recognize her. She had long black hair, blue tips on the end,” Myungsoo described. “She had a round face, really nice skin, these bright sparkling eyes--”

 

Sungjong let out a loud chuckle. “Are you sure this obsession is really about the scene itself...or about her?”

 

Myungsoo felt his cheeks flame at the truth behind his friend’s statement--not that he was ready to admit that though. “N--no! No way!” At Sungjong’s disbelieving glance, he responded, “Ok, maybe that’s a little bit of it--but not all of it!”

 

Sungjong snorted at his clueless best friend--for a prince, Myungsoo’s social awkwardness was surprisingly high. “Fine. Say I believe you,” Sungjong replied. “What will help you get your head out of the clouds? Meeting this girl? Asking her why her scene was included?”

 

“Yes! Wait, no… I don’t know actually!” Myungsoo covered his face in his hands in embarrassment.

 

Sungjong patted his friend’s shoulder, taking pity on his confused state. The young prince next to him probably wasn’t used to unrequited feelings--his political status making him usually the person people threw themselves at--and Myungsoo never experienced being on the other side of a crush. “Ok, tell you what, Myungsoo,” Sungjong said. “Since I am the absolute best friend ever and I know more of the drama majors, I’ll see if I know her and I’ll get you an introduction to answer your questions.”

 

“I already tried asking one of the drama majors,” Myungsoo sighed, sitting back up.

 

“Who?”

 

“Do you know Lee Sungyeol? Jeolla-do’s second prince?”

 

“He’s in the show?!” Sungjong exclaimed. “I know him, met him a few times… cool guy. So what did he tell you?”

 

“Nothing much,” Myungsoo said. “I was helping him with this huge junk pile behind the theater. When we finished, I tried to ask him about the Pick Me scene, but he got really quiet, but like he was teasing me too? Like he knew something I didn’t?”

 

“Well, Lee Sungyeol does like to tease,” Sungjong replied. “The drama majors I know are always telling me about pranks he’ll pull during rehearsals and classes.” The grey-haired man sighed. “But since you got to know him, maybe you can just keep in touch with him. Once the show’s finished after tomorrow’s performance, he’ll probably tell you--I bet the whole cast just wants to keep the show secretive so no scenes are spoiled ahead of time.”

 

“That’s what I figured...” Myungsoo said.

 

“It’ll be fine; a few days of mystery won’t hurt you,” Sungjong said, noticing the house lights dimming around them. “Now chill out and let’s enjoy the show.”

 

For the most part, Myungsoo was able to loosen up throughout the first half of the show. He found himself re-immersed in the mystery and the intrigue built by the actors and actresses, despite already knowing the twists and turns each scene brought. Watching the second time around afforded Myungsoo the opportunity to really watch the actors and the details in each scene. He could begin to identify the actors as they rotated through their roles--he noted Lee Sungyeol in many of the scenes he had enjoyed at yesterday’s performance--but he still could not identify the Pick Me girl from the day before… None of the female actresses had either long enough hair, the wrong dark color, and, the easiest identifier, the blue streaks.

 

As the scene in front of them ended and the scene-change occurred, Myungsoo knew that the Pick Me stage was coming and he felt his body begin to tense. Sungjong glanced over at his friend, noticing the prince’s legs beginning to shake once more. He leaned over to Myungsoo. “Is the scene next?”

 

Myungsoo nodded. “Yeah, but I didn’t see her in any of the other scenes...”

 

Suddenly, the familiar Pick me, Pick me, Pick me chants began from the speakers and footsteps were heard on the stage. Myungsoo focused his gaze squarely on the center of the stage as the familiar figures got into position.

 

However, the young prince felt his heart leap when the first lines of the song began and the girl turned around--yes, still with the same beautiful eyes, flawless skin, and plump lips-- but with much longer black tresses, extending to the middle of her back...without any streaks of blue. She also wore a large tiara on her head, held a jeweled scepter in her right hand as she danced, all with a pink “Miss Korea” sash draped across the front of her IOI stage outfit. Myungsoo found himself once again entranced with her every move, every graceful fling of her wrist, arms lifting above her head throughout the choreography. Her voluminous hair twisted and twirled along with her, curving around her torso in ways Myungsoo could only dream about. Once again, she continued to captivate the audience throughout her point choreography with coy smiles and slight winks.

 

However, tonight, as she turned to her side again and pointed her arm and her scepter towards Myungsoo and Sungjong’s direction, the girl’s eyes seemed to sparkle mischievously at finding the prince’s eye once more. She poked her tongue slightly out the side of teasingly, sending another wink towards Myungsoo. Unlike the night before though, she went one step further in her onstage flirtation--eyes still trained to Myungsoo’s own, she placed one hand to her plump lips, promptly blowing a kiss to the prince before turning to complete the next steps of the dance.

 

Myungsoo’s heart raced. He felt as though he couldn’t breath, his heart pounded so forcefully in his chest. As the song reached its end and the stage darkened for the next scene, Sungjong glanced over at Myungsoo, noting the spaced-out look appearing once again. “So that was your mystery girl?” the silver-haired male asked.

 

“Huh?” Myungsoo gaped, looking over to his friend. After finally processing the question, the prince stuttered slightly before answering, “Ye-yeah, that was her… the hair and everything was completely different though…”

 

“They must be wearing wigs to hide who it is…” Sungjong mused. “It’s good costuming, that’s for sure. And you’re sure this is the same actor-girl?”

 

“I’m not that unobservant, Sungjong…” Myungsoo whined. “She looked right at me! I know it was her.”

 

“Her...ok,” Sungjong sighed. “And how do you know they were looking at you?”

 

Myungsoo’s eyes gaped at his friend. “Was she looking at you?!”

 

Sungjong just laughed, falling back into his seat giggling. “Trust me, Myungsoo; they were looking right at you.”

 

Myungsoo’s heart soared.

 

~*~

 

The only difference between Myungsoo’s Friday morning and his Saturday morning was that instead of spacing out about his mystery girl on campus, he was able to do so in the privacy of his own bedroom. And there was plenty to occupy the prince’s mind.

 

He didn’t think it would be possible for this mystery girl to capture his heart more than she had that first night… and now he really had no idea how he would find her. Sungjong’s statement about the costumes the night before served to confirm what Myungsoo had already feared--the girl wore various wigs, concealing her true hair from the audience, making it monumentally harder for her to be identified off the stage...no wonder Myungsoo could never find her again, even as he observed all the other actresses.

 

Strangely enough, the only person Myungsoo could even notice a fleeting resemblance to the Pick Me girl was Prince Lee Sungyeol… he noticed that both their eyes and facial structures were similar. He didn’t remember the Jeolla-do line having any princesses; maybe a cousin? Or other close relative? Either way, maybe that was why the prince had been so secretive when Myungsoo was asking about the scene; after all, royal lines were fiercely protective of all their family, even those not in the direct line of succession. Perhaps, Sungyeol was just playing the role of protective cousin?

 

That has to be it. Myungsoo thought the rest of the morning, as he moved through his apartment, cleaning and reorganizing before he returned to campus. Even though it was a Saturday, Myungsoo needed to return to campus to gather some readings from the political science library for one of his classes. The walk from his apartment to the university only took about 10 minutes, and the prince slowly began his trek through the less-populated courtyards leading to the Political Science building.

 

Myungsoo continued scrolling through one article on his phone as he walked until he noticed a figure approaching him from the other direction. Glancing up, he recognized Sungyeol’s tall figure walking towards him--only a far more formal version of the Jeolla-do prince. Fitted dark wash, jeans hugged his slim lower half, while the prince was currently rolling up the sleeves of his tucked-in white button-up shirt to his elbows. His dark brown hair had been tousled stylishly, framing his head nicely, while also lifting his bangs from his forehead. Myungsoo noted the family crest bracelet still wrapped around the tall male’s wrist, a messenger bag slung over his shoulder, and, strangely enough, a small silver crown placed on his head--Myungsoo couldn’t help but find the other prince dangerously handsome in the outfit.

 

Sungyeol finished pinning his sleeves down and faced his eyes forward, meeting Myungsoo’s curious gaze. “Oh, hey Myungsoo-wangja!” the taller called with a smirk at the title.

 

“I should be calling you that,” Myungsoo quipped right back. “You’re the one with the tiara on his head.”

 

“It’s a crown, not a tiara, you jerk,” Sungyeol replied in return. “, my mom’s going to kill me for not giving this back before I left.” The tall male pulled the crown from his head, placing it in the bag at his waist.

 

Myungsoo snorted. “Did you not notice people staring at you with it on?”

 

“It’s not like people staring at me is out of the norm, anyway,” the taller said. “You should know. Even if you don’t walk around in your crown, people still know you’re a prince and act all super-respectable and reverent.”

 

Myungsoo nodded in silent agreement. “So, did you have an event just now?”

 

“Yeah, an opening for a cultural center close to the Jeolla consulate,” Sungyeol replied. “I couldn’t make it back to my apartment and back here in time for tonight’s show prep, so I just came straight over. What is the mighty Kim Myungsoo doing on-campus on a Saturday?”

 

Myungsoo felt his neck heating once again from the older male’s teasing. “I-I need to go to the law library to do some parliamentary review for class, so here I am…”

 

“Ugh, I remember those days,” Sungyeol groaned. “You’d think growing up in politics makes it easier to understand, but policy review just made my head spin.”

 

The younger prince let out a small chuckle. “Yeah, you’d think…”

 

“Well, I won’t stop you from studying, so I’ll just be on my way,” Sungyeol said, waving his hand towards Myungsoo as he began to move forward.

 

As the taller passed the other--Myungsoo catching a nice musky smell from Sungyeol’s cologne--the Gyeonggi-do prince reached out to grasp Sungyeol’s wrist. “Wait!” As the taller turned back to face him, Myungsoo felt his nerves kicking in momentarily at Sungyeol’s expectant gaze. “I have kind of a weird question, but I hope you don’t mind me asking.”

 

Sungyeol stood at his full height, tilting his head slightly. “What’s up?”

 

“Ok… so, it’s about the Pick Me stage again,” Myungsoo explained, noticing Sungyeol begin to smirk. “Yes, yes, I was watching yesterday. And I was trying to see if I could figure out who the girl was, but I didn’t see anyone with her same hair in the scenes earlier in the show. And then last night, when she came out with the long dark hair and the large crown, I finally realized that she was wearing a wig this whole time.”

 

“She was…” Sungyeol confirmed.

 

“So then, I was left to judge on facial features alone. I tried to see if any of the other actresses had similar features, but none of them did--then I realized that she didn’t match any actress’ features, but she had the same facial features as someone else in the cast,” the younger continued. “You, Sungyeol-shi.”

 

Sungyeol broke out into a large smirk and he glanced down at the ground, a pink tint starting to form on his cheeks. “So you finally figured it out, huh?”

 

“I think so; I still have a few unanswered questions, but I’m pretty confident I know what’s happening here,” Myungsoo replied.

“Sungyeol-shi, it’s your cousin, right?”

 

“Huh?!” Sungyeol’s body froze and the male’s sharply turned his face towards Myungsoo. “Come again?!”

 

“That’s the only explanation!” Myungsoo exclaimed. “She looks so much like you, with the same eyes and the same face… I know how protective you probably are of family, so that’s why you didn’t want to outright tell me, but I promise you, Sungyeol-shi; I just want to meet her. Know who she is…” The young prince ran a hand through his hair as he exhaled softly. “Can you just, introduce me? Please?”

 

The confusion on Sungyeol’s face remained, the taller male simply blinking his eyes as he processed Myungsoo’s explanation… and confession? The Jeolla-do prince took a few more seconds to figure everything out that he heard before meeting Myungsoo’s gaze. “Ok, I’ll tell you what, Myungsoo-shi,” the taller said. “Meet me backstage after the show tonight. You can come meet all the actors and maybe join us for the cast party if you’re interested.”

 

“Really?!” Myungsoo asked, his heart fluttering at the thought. “You would do that for me?”

 

“I can see your intentions are good,” Sungyeol said, his smirk returning to his handsome face. “I’d be happy to help you finally meet this mystery person.”

 

Unable to contain himself, Myungsoo latched onto Sungyeol in a quick hug, a smile widening on his face. “Oh my God, I’m sorry,” Myungsoo replied, breaking their contact quickly. “Um, ok. So, I have to go to the law library and get my readings done and then make sure I look good for the show tonight--oh my God! I need to get going! Thank you again, Sungyeol-shi; thank you so much!” The exuberant prince quickly began his march across campus, moving swiftly towards the Political Science building.

 

Sungyeol stood watching the prince’s back with a smile. “Myungsoo-shi, I look forward to this meeting.”

 

~*~

 

Myungsoo felt his heart pounding as he made his way to the same seat he’d been occupying over the previous performances. As the progression of familiar scenes continued in front of him, the prince could feel his nerves setting in--he was going to finally meet her. He would get to watch her third and final (but surely memorable) performance and then Sungyeol, merciful amazing Lee Sungyeol, would introduce him to her--and she’d find Myungsoo endearing, and sweet, and hilarious, and so cute that she’d have no choice but to date him.

 

The thoughts only served to put Myungsoo in an even headier, spaced-out frame of mind--Sungjong would have smacked the prince by now--but Myungsoo just couldn’t help but get himself excited for what was to come.

 

As the prince continued his daydreaming, he could see the lights dimming once again for a scene change and the stage clearing out. The recorded track began with the familiar Pick me, Pick me, Pick me and Myungsoo could see the backs of the now memorized dancers as well as the scene’s star. The lights brightened, the main lyrics began, and the girl turned to face the audience--

 

Myungsoo felt his face flame and his body shake.

 

The mystery girl had traded in the familiar IOI stage costume for the ever-popular Harley Quinn outfit from Suicide Squad. She wore a long blond wig, pigtails pulled the sides of her head, one dyed bright blue and the other magenta. The red and white graphic tee showed beneath a blue and white NETS varsity jacket with the sleeves stopping near her elbows. Myungsoo saw the delicate silver bracelet adorning her wrist as his eyes continued down her long body, her mile-long legs encased in loose fish net stockings underneath a pair of denim shorts. The ankle-height combat boots, blue bat in her hand, and glittering pastel eyes makeup completed her transformation into the comic universe villainess.

 

Throughout her act, Myungsoo could almost feel the drool on the edge of his mouth, the young prince unable to keep his mouth closed at the sight of this beautiful person moving through the choreographed steps. Her act had even more attitude and power to it keeping true to the Harley Quinn character’s attitude and making the dance even more alluring to watch. She reached the familiar point moves of her choreography, this time using the bat to make her arm extensions appear even longer.

 

Almost as though she expected Myungsoo’s presence, she turned for her final point, bat aimed directly towards the prince. With a wide grin and an alluring wink, she teased Myungsoo once again with her tongue exposed, before bringing the bat back to her body. Before she turned back, she crouched down--facing Myungsoo still--and threw an exaggerated kiss towards the prince.

 

Myungsoo’s breath caught in his throat as the last notes of the song finished and the scene changed once more. The young prince felt like his brain was short-circuiting, his thoughts swimming from moment to moment… their eye contact could not have been more than five, ten seconds at the most, but this girl just continued to entrance him. Even after seeing the same scene three times in a row, Myungsoo could not stop thinking about every motion, every facial expression, everything this girl did during just one song…

 

This girl was breath-taking… and soon, he’d get to meet her.

As the final few scenes concluded, Myungsoo felt his pulse begin to race once more. The house lights turned back once the audience’s applause finished with most people scattering towards the exits. Myungsoo made his way out of the theater and into the lobby, waving politely to some of his fellow majors catching the last performance. Once he noticed a few of the cast members beginning to wander out into the lobby, he saw the opening to make his way down the back corridors toward the dressing rooms.

 

He figured the best case scenario would be to meet with Sungyeol for a brief pep talk and affirmation of Myungsoo’s intentions and then the prince could take Myungsoo to meet the girl. As the dark-haired prince came upon the hallway of dressing rooms, he wasn’t sure which one the other prince would be in--Sungyeol was probably getting some of the pale-faced  makeup off his face from his last scene as a ghost--so he motioned to two other actors from the show talking to one another. “Do you know which dressing room Sungyeol is in?”

 

The actor turned to Myungsoo, pushing his glasses up his long nose. “I think he’s in dressing room 3, right?” he asked the other guy in front of the him, who nodded in agreement.

 

Nodding his thanks, Myungsoo made his way down the hallway to the door with a 3 emblazoned on it. Knocking swiftly, he heard a muffled question of who is it. Recognizing the voice, he answered with a smile, “It’s Myungsoo-wangja.”

 

Myungsoo heard a chuckle, followed by a come in, and entered the room. Glancing around the space, he noted a few dressing counter lining the mirrored walls, stage makeup, wipes, and assorted costume pieces resting on the counters and few chairs in the room. Myungsoo paused as he closed the door, not seeing the tall prince within the room. “Sungyeol-shi?”

 

“I’m back here!” Sungyeol’s muffled voice came from behind a curtained partition--dressing area, Myungsoo presumed. “Give me a second.”

 

“Ok,” Myungsoo replied, moving towards the dressing table to look at the chaos lining it. He found the pale foundation Sungyeol had used in two of his scenes to make himself look sickly and emaciated; the colored contact he wore in another; the hat from the 1950s-era who-done-it mystery scene… moving along the counter, Myungsoo also noted a handful of hair in one corner, with hairspray, semi-permanent hair dye, and a brush cluttered with hair on the counter… wait, those were blond hairs.

 

It was then that Myungsoo looked at the makeup assortment next to the brush, a palette of vibrant pastel shades lying open, the blue and pink seemingly the most used. A dark red lipstick tube laid next to it, the hair dye sprays also sporting the bright blue and pink he remembered from the stage… Hearing a small thunk behind him, Myungsoo snapped out of his thoughts for the Pick Me girl and addressed the other prince. “Sungyeol-shi, I really just want to thank you again for arranging this for me.”

 

He heard Sungyeol exhale, already imagining the grin probably apparent on the Jeolla prince’s face. “It’s no problem, Myungsoo,” he said. “And honestly, you can stop with the ‘shi’; I think we’ve passed that stage in our relationship.”

 

Myungsoo smiled to himself. “All right then, Sungyeol,” the younger replied. “I just can’t believe this is happening.”

 

“Promise me something, Myungsoo,” Sungyeol said, still behind the curtain. Myungsoo hummed in approval and the other man continued. “Don’t overthink what’s about to happen, ok?”

 

Myungsoo grabbed one of the hats from the counter and held it above his head as he spoke, “Ok, but seriously, what is there possibly to overth--”

 

Myungsoo could only stare at the reflection in the mirror in front of him. Standing behind him, moving out from the curtain--there she was, Harley outfit and makeup still in place… Her skin looked even more flawless up close, her lithe body on full display in the costume, the silver bracelet, showcasing the Lee royal family crest still glittering from her wrist. Myungsoo could only stare at the beautiful, amazingly familiar eyes gazing into his own.

 

And then a familiar, masculine voice rang out, “Myungsoo. I said don’t overthink.”

 

Myungsoo’s knees gave out and he fell back into the counter to regain his balance. Standing in front of him was the mysterious girl, the Pick Me star, the girl who had obsessively taken over his thoughts… and she was a he? “S-S-Sungyeol-shi?!” the young prince stuttered.

 

“I said we could drop the ‘shi’, now didn’t I?” the taller prince replied, the masculine voice filtering from his lips, not at all matching with the contrasting hyper-y, ultra-feminine appearance. “Myungsoo, I know you probably have questions--”

 

“Wait… it was you? This whole time, it was you on stage?!” Myungsoo sputtered, his face still littered in confusion.

 

“It was…” Sungyeol began. “The theme was illusions after all… I mean, what better illusion than a guy cosplaying and dancing to one of the most famous girl group songs of the year?”

 

“But, the first night,” Myungsoo continued to think it through. “You singled me out?”

 

“Not intentionally,” the taller replied. “I was just going through the choreography at that point; you just so happened to be right there that night.”

 

Myungsoo felt his cheeks heating and burning. “But the next night...and today…”

 

“Well, I’m not going to pretend I didn’t try to...persuade you to come back once I knew how interested you were,” Sungyeol said. “Especially when I had planned the different costumes…”

 

Myungsoo ran his hands through his dark locks, keeping them buried in his hair as he continued staring at Sungyeol in awe. “OK...ok, ok… so, if this was you the entire time, why the secrecy? Why not just tell me it was you yesterday? Or today even?!”

 

“The first day, well, it was the first time you and I really had a conversation,” Sungyeol explained, moving to lean against the counter next to Myungsoo. “But, all of us on the cast really did have that pact to not reveal anything, so that’s why I played coy. Earlier today, I honestly thought you had finally figured out it was me and that’s why you were being all timid...but then I find out that you had invented some female cousin…”

 

Myungsoo laughed in embarrassment at himself, hearing Sungyeol’s slight teasing tone. How could he have invented such an elaborate story, anyway? Glancing over at the taller, he asked quietly, “So, what’s actually happening here? The show’s over; you can tell me the illusion now, right?”

 

“About the scene? I already told you…”

 

“No, not that--us,” Myungsoo said. “What’s going on here, Sungyeol?”

 

Sungyeol sighed, leaning his head back, his Adam’s apple appearing in his profile. Myungsoo couldn’t help but stare at that, as well as the moles dotting his neck, the masculine features blending in seamlessly with Sungyeol’s natural beauty. “Would it be weird to tell you that I might have had a bit of a crush on you?” the taller finally asked.

 

“Wh-what?!” Myungsoo stammered. “But--but how? We’ve never really met until this week--”

 

“I know,” Sungyeol sighed. “But I’ve always been a little cowardly at times when it comes to my feelings. I got to know your friend Sungjong through a couple other cast members--mostly to make sure you and he didn’t secretly have something going on--but I’ve also noticed you the past few years at the Royal Council events. You don’t say much Myungsoo, but you stand out. So much. And I really just didn’t know how to approach you, even if I wanted to--”

 

Myungsoo couldn’t hold in the laugh within him. “You do realize those are the same exact thoughts I’ve had about you since that first show?” he asked, meeting Sungyeol’s eyes.

 

Sungyeol’s soft smile captivated Myungsoo, even more enhanced by the soft, feminine costume he was wearing. “So where do we go from here?” the taller asked softly.

 

“I don’t know,” Myungsoo answered. “I’d like to find out a little more though. Both about this girl who’s been wondering my thoughts for days--” Sungyeol gaped at him wide-eyed, but Myungsoo interrupted his potential complaint, “But also about this amazingly handsome prince I keep having run-ins with everywhere I go on campus.”

 

Sungyeol humphed, but the blush on his cheeks gave away his true feelings. “You better get one thing straight: I may have cosplayed, but I’m an effing prince. Male prince. End of story.”

 

“You have worn both crowns and tiaras around me,” Myungsoo teased. “I think you just give me the best of both worlds. Boyfriend and a girlfriend.”

 

Sungyeol turned to stomp back towards the dressing curtain, hiding the smirk on his face at Myungsoo’s attempted labels of their relationship. “Whatever, I’ll show you just how much of a man I am--”

 

Myungsoo smirked at Sungyeol’s retreating back behind the dressing curtain. “Be sure to bring that tiara on our date tonight!” he called teasingly.

 

Sungyeol poked his head out from behind the curtain, wig gone from his head, pastel makeup contrasting hilariously with his ruffled short brown hair. He threw the blue foam bat towards the laughing Gyeonggi-do prince, Myungsoo managing to avoid the prop. “I told you; it’s not an effing tiara!”

 

“Whatever it is, wear it,” Myungsoo continued to tease. “I wanna show you off.”

 

“Better keep things fair then,” Sungyeol replied, reappearing in his button up shirt and jeans from earlier in the day, a makeup wipe already removing most of the makeup from his face. “You better have a crown to put on your head; I want to show off too.”

 

Myungsoo smirked at Sungyeol’s challenging grin. “Unlike someone, I don’t walk around with mine on my head.”

 

“Well then,” Sungyeol replied. “Good thing you have a cosplayer for your date.” Before Myungsoo could protest, the large crown from Sungyeol’s performance the night before was placed on his head. “Looks perfect on you, Myungsoo-wangja,” Sungyeol admired with a satisfied smile.  

 

“Whatever you say, Sungyeol-wangja,” Myungsoo teased back. “Or is it Sungyeol-gongju?”

 

Myungsoo couldn’t hold in his laughter as a giggling Sungyeol smacked his shoulder. 

 

---

 

"Gongju" = "princess" (Also, the name of our precious Yeolie's second fur-daughter.)

 

So, I actually re-wrote this ending twice... the first one I had, just didn't work. I think I'm happier with this one though. I hope ya'll liked it.

 

Leave a comment on the way out too! <3 <3 <3