In the bustling streets of Seoul, a beautiful girl looked into the mirror beside her.
Instantaneously, she slammed her palms with a loud thud against the glass panel, staring wide eyed into her reflection.

Long brown hair with a simple white hairband, paired with a plain white short dress.

She glanced at her reflection from head to toe.

Who is this girl?!

“Did you see a girl running this way?”

The girl broke her gaze off herself, turning to see a police officer and the shop owner shouting and dashing towards her direction.

!

She her heels immediately and ran down the streets, stealthily dodging the evening crowd like a professional thief in the movies. Maybe it was the dress, her legs felt free, or the fact that she's running away from getting jailed or fined or reprimanded or the possibility of expulsion.

She sprinted as fast as she could, heart beating as hard as her steps hits the ground until she was down a deserted house alley.

She did not know where she ran, all she knew was that she had to escape.

"Ha..haha...ha!" She puffed while letting out a pained laugh. It just felt so funny and fun.

“Ah!” She touched her head. completely halting her steps.

Not again!
Dang it!

She had forgotten she can't run too much.
And to have run so far…

She turned back to make sure they had lot sight of her before she leans against the walls, catching her breath, her chest lifting high and low at an abnormally fast rate.

"Hahahahaha!" She laughed. "This is exhilarating! Haha...haha!" She takes out her phone and called her best friend.
"I did what you told me to do! It's really fun! Hahahaha! You owe me that treat." She puts down her phone, trying hard to catch more breaths, as dry and hoarse from receiving too much air.

Her eyes popped open when she finally looked up to the streets before her. "Gyeh..."

There, a tall standing male student...from her school.
"W...W...Wu...Yi Fan...Kris..."
Reaslising her words came out of her mind, she quickly cupped , breaths still beating the lungs out of her.

In a distance away, watching her was the school's student council president.
The rumored cold-blooded Ice King.

The tall student stared down at her. The girl gulped.

And as soon as she decides to turn tails and run before Ice King Kris actually looked deeper into her face, the world started to spin and suddenly, everything faded away to black.

-----------------------

She woke up.

In a place so foreign, she wondered if she had been transported to England.
There she was on a huge bed, her whole body almost sunk in, in a huge room that was decorated with English-like antique brown-gold furnitures...

She got up immediately, checked her dress (still intact) and wig (still intact). wait what...wig?

"Good morning Miss."

She turned her eyes towards the door where a group of cosplaying maids came into the room.

"Er...erm...where am I?" She asked.

"This is the royal house of the Wu family." The presumably head cosplaying maid replied with a bow. She had a black headband compared top the rest behind her who wore white ones. "We have prepared your outfit for the day. Please feel free to change into it, breakfast is also ready in the dining room."

Her jaws dropped.

Wait wait wait.
WU FAMILY? ROYAL HOUSE OF THE WU FAMILY?

What the heck did she get herself into?
She recalled her last memory and...
OH ING LORD.

"Err...erm...it's okay. I...er...need to leave right now." She adds on a nervous laugh and gets out of the bed. The morning lights hit directly into her eyes like yea-you-passed-out-for-the-entire-night-I'm-here-to-tell-you-this.

"Please refrain from moving around too much. If not for Young Master Wu's kindness, you would not have been carried back here safely for your condition." The head cosplay maid said.

Carried?
She looked at the cosplay maid, what kind of style does an Ice King carries a girl? Okay, maybe not a girl...

"Argh!" She shook her head. "Nevermind, I'm going home! Tell him thanks!" She ran passed the group of maids in quick seconds to push open the crazy big door and out to the corridors.
 

"Up so early?"

She squeezed her eyes and stopped on her foot steps.
Turning her head around, there was the culprit's voice.

Dang it!

"G...G...Good morning." She squeaked.

"Lay Zhang Yi Xing. Age, 18 years old. Class 3B, basketball club member, grades average, personality, near playful, known for being a rebellious troublemaker with Anemia. Ran away from the cops yesterday for stealing video games." His eyes fixed seriously with crossed arms at him. "Gender, Male."

The girl gulped.
Of course, student body president...

"In case you hit your head too hard, it's still Summer Holidays, Saturday today. School starts on Tuesday, so why not you listen obediently to my maids. I'll meet you at the dining table in 30 minute's time." He turned around and walked off. "If you don't come down on time, I'll pass these rare photos to Kim Jong In, Kai." The president turns around, without looking back, he raised his hands to a few A4 sized photos of her him.

Other than the fact that Ice King actually spoke more than 2 sentence was a god knows who possessed him...the most important thing right now is...

K...K..KIM. JONG. UN.?!
No wait, what was he saying...
KIM. JONG. IN?!!!
That SAVAGE NEWSPAPER CLUB PRESIDENT?

Lay scampered and was about to run back to 'his room' when he almost shrieked at the neatly lined up calm maids behind him.

"This way." The head maid smiled.

So...they are not cosplayers....
He smiled back uncomfortably.

After repeating "It's okay, I can do it myself." 1000 times, he gave up and let the maids dress him in a freaking exaggerating blue dress.

"This is a couture ball gown Miss." The head maid said.

"I...I'm a...guy!" Lay exclaimed.

"Ah sorry. Mr Lay. Please excuse for my rude remarks, but you look really beautiful in this gown."

Lay stared back at her.
"I'm a guy!"

"My apologies."

----

For a breakfast, it was really quiet.

There were only the sound of utensils and a bunch of servants and maids lining up silently watching just the two of them eat.

What is this?

Beauty and the Beast?
You sit at one end, I sit at one end?
And we eat?

OMG, and is he suuposed to be the 'Beauty'?

Nevertheless, the food was delicious.
Never had he eaten something this good in his life. Not that his mom's cooking was horrible, but this was premium quality and juicy and yummmy...*gobbles*.

By the time, Lay had forgotten he was in a gown and had totally disregarded table manners.
At least, his family doesn't bother about who gets the food, you get it, or you don't.
"This is how wild animals thrive for food."
"Yea right mom, we are not wild animals."
"HA! No meat for you!"
"Dad! That's mine!"

"I've contacted your family." Ice King started.

Lay looked up. Contacted them for what?
Tell them he was crossdressing?

"Don't worry. I haven't expose your to them. I told them the school needs you to attend a last minute camp for 2 days."

"Wha...no! It's not a ! Even if it is, it's just an interest, not a ! And, why 2 days? My parents actually believed!?"

Ice King puts down his utensils, wiped his mouth with the napkin and got up from his chair calmly. " him to my study room after he's done."

"Hey!" Lay called. "Why did you let me dress like this?! Is your watching men wearing dresses!?"

There was no response, just the servants closing the dining room's door after he had left.

Walking in such a long dress which probably weighed 5kg was killing him. Disregard that, there are also this heels that Lay completely gave up and carried them with this hell long of a dress.

Is this how brides feel on their big day? What kind of mental power thrives them to wear even something like this for a whole day?!

Taking a walk down the huge house was fascinating.
Rich people...filty rich people...and their house...no doubt, they are so beautifully deisgned with some parts in Baroque mixed traditional Chinese style.
The floorings are all carpeted and frames of insipirational art pieces pops up here and there.

Is that Mona Lisa?

Lay finally reached the designated room.

Big huge study room?
IT WAS A FREAKING LIBRARY!

Unlike Belle who would be so happy she has another supply of books, Lay felt his anemia coming back.
The side effects of what books can do to him.

Just seeing them, made him shiver.
And a mountain high at that...

"I'll teach you basic ballroom dancing. Master it by tomorrow."

"HUH? BALLROOM DANCING?" Lay looked at this tall Ice King sprouting things he doesn't understand now.

"I let the maid dress you for this."

Ice King walked towards him.

"I'm a guy!"

"It doesn't matter if you are a guy, a girl, an alien or a wild animal." He took Lay's hand and pulled his waist towards him.

Lay gulped.
And what wild animal?
Did his parents really bred out a wild animal?

"For ladies, put your left hand on my arm."
Lay puts it awkwardly on the tall man, still sinking this sudden dance thing.
HECK, he woke up in Ice King's den, had a great feast of a breakfast in a freaking COUTURE gown and now he's suddenly holding on to this man like a lady learning how to dance?
"Right feet a step backwards in the count of 1, 2, 3."

Lay listens nevertheless, looking down at his leg.
What could he do? Someone has his shameful photos, ahh, his man pride thrown out at the streets since yesterday evening.

"Good, but your eyes should look at me."

Lay takes a moment to process that.
"I'm a guy..."

"If you feel so awkward, then think of yourself as a puppy or a dog. It's not awkward if you are not a human male."

Lay almost coughed out 'disbelief'.
So now he's a dog in his eyes.
OH OKAY.
STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.
I'LL PROVE YOU I'M A HUMAN MALE ALRIGHT, YOU WATCH HOW LONG I'M GOING TO STARE AT YOU!

Ice King's left leg followed his right. "Now, left diagonally one step back."

Lay felt his legs, but still fixed his eyes at Ice King Kris.

Ice King followed again.

"Right feet follow my feet diagonal."

Instead, Lay's left feet stepped on Ice King's foot. "Sorry." He looked down uncnsciously when his chin gets firmly lifted.

"No matter what, look at me."

That's...
Even though, Ice King has these sharp features staring back at him intimidatingly enough.
OKAY, NOTHING WRONG WITH A HUMAN MALE LOOKING AT A HUMAN MALE!

Their session went on and on until it went 2 hours later that Lay was spared.

"Tea break. After this, you will learn about turns."

He leaves the room and the same maids and servant guided him to a garden with tea and cake and a huge greenery view of his big garden.

To be honest, he was surprise his anemia did not take over. Needless to say, wearing this heavy dress somehow felt lighter when he was learning the dance steps.

Lay wanted to take this chance to talk to him about what this was all about but the blisters on his feet for dancing bare feet, his tiredness was taking over.
All he could think about was rest and who cares if the cake tastes so ABNORMALLY DELICIOUS!!!

There was another long quiet break when Ice King suddenly appears, giving some instructions to the maids/servants before taking his leave.

Lay watched his back disappear then started asking the head maid about him.
"Why did he cage me here for 2 days?"

"Mr Lay. Please do not wory, Young Master Wu has only good intentions. Although it may be a trouble for you these 2 days, but please believe it is a good cause for himself. Please relax and enjoy your 2 days stay here."

Lay did not know how to retaliate that.
She sounded so sincerely indirect it was hard for Lay to further ask towards the root of this whole waltz lesson.
But it was for his PRIDE.

"Please sit back while we attend to your blisters."

"Eh? How did you know?"

"Mr Lay, you were walking rather painfully. I hope your feet will feel better after this dip in warm water."

Mr Lay honeslty felt like Mrs Lay out of a sudden.
What kind of princess life is this?

"But Mr Lay. I know it may be a burden for you to cope with our Young Master Wu for these 2 days. I hope that you will be able to adhere to him while at the same time put your guard down around him. He may seem cold and disregardful of others, but he's really a nice person."

Ice King puts down his book and got up. "Wear your heels for this session."

Lay frowned. "C...Can I not...?"

"Sit down."

Lay followed as ordered while Ice King went to pick up the blue heels he was supposed to wear.

He bent down and held Lay's feet which shivered upon his touch because of its ticklishness.
"Stay still."

Lay tried, he tried to held back this ickly tickly feeling while Ice King helped him wear them both.

"Tell me if you find it too painful. Now, let's continue."

"O...kay."

He wasn't sure what that gentleness and small caring side of Ice King was, but it definitely changed his perception of him.
As did the head maid said, he might really be a nice person...

He looked down at those heels.
Well, they aren't that high, just an inch or so.

-------------------------

Lay woke up feeling groggy.

Of course, the whole day yesterday was full of hardcore tedious practice but for some reason, after tea time, everything went smoothly and well.

He picked up turning and other little tricks well.

But he was still curious what this waltz was for.

"What am I going to learn today?"

It was surprising that he wasn't given a gown that day.
He was given a normal white shirt and pants and finally off with the wig!

He had only realised the whole day yesterday, he had been wearing that same old long wig!
Must be Anemia causing him to lose some sense of touch up at his head.
Not that he would want to wear it nor the gown after wearing a whole day yesterday, but won't there be another waltz session?

"We'll continue after dinner. Today, just rest in this mansion. If you need anything, feel free to tell Irene."
Irene is the head maid, the lady who had been communicating with him since yesterday whom Lay learnt after finally asking her name.

"Oh. I don't have to do anything until then?"

"Would you like to practice more?"

"No. It's okay. I will go have my...erm, freedom."

Ice King got up from his meal and left.

Lay blinked.
For the rest of the time, he explored the mansion, went out to the big garden, admired about 4 luxurious cars and went for all its facilities such as spa, arcade, karaoke, moveis etc. this place was like a Hotel + Entertainment + Gallery all mixed in one!

Holy!
If he lived in a house like that, he wouldn't go out.
He won't even bother stepping a foot out or breathe the air outside.

JOLLY ALL HIS HOLIDAYS COULD BE PACKED HERE.

Come to think of it...
Lay asked Irene again as he sat down for a glass of coke at the garden.

"Where are his parents? Are they not living with him?"

"Both our Master and Lady are working overseas. They will come back tomorrow to attend a big event." She smiled.

"A big event? Has this Waltz practice anything to do with tomorrow?"

"Yes, Mr Lay. It is an important annual ballroom event. A tradition among the rich to find a fiance for their child through this event. Only the prestigious are invited."

"B...B...But I don't have a Rolls Royce, nor a huge mansion or a big bedroom...and, I'm a guy. Why am I attending too?"

Irene smiled, signalled the other maids who came with an opened big box, a sequin made white laced ballgown sits inside. "Please let young master explain to you in details later."

"A...Are you going to sell me out to those rich guys?"
Was the first question that he uttered, albeit scared.

Ice King looked at him and burst out into a light chuckle.

It was the first time he sees him let out an expression like that.
A new face per se and Lay momentarily had a better impression of him.
An Ice King so well known for throwing colder shoulders around could actually have a face like that...

"I'm sorry for not telling you this earlier." Ice King came forward. "In a gown, you are a lady. For tomorrow, I would like you to become my, stand in 'fiance'."

Lay's eyes flourished wonder.

"I'm a guy! A guy!"

Ice King folded his arms, scanning him from head to toe before taking up the photos on his desk, another hand taking out his phone.

"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT! I'm a full fledged gorgeous pretty lady."

Lay was crying inside.
Tomorrow is a Monday, school starts on Tuesday and his last few days of Summer holidays just got spent on a huge event.
What great wrong has he done to have his holidays burnt like that...

He looked up a bit and swear he saw Ice King throwing another feat of lighter chuckle before noticing Lay's eyes and coughed lightly, back to his default dead Ice King face.

"My parents will come tomorrow. All you need to do is keep quiet and hold my arms and smile at other guests. Right now, just focus on practice."

Lay gulped. "Alright."

---------------

Easier said than done!

Sweat was already breaking out like acne, and all these guests he overheard were HIGH POSITION PEOPLE.
At least for some familiar company names, it was making Lay dripping nervous freely but the air-conditioner in this ballroom countered them.

His grip on Ice King tightened.

"Mom, Dad." Ice King greeted.
Lay immediately bowed at a well-dressed fashionable pair.

"This is Ms Zhang. The lady I told you I want to get married to."

His parents did not look pleased. "It's been a while, and you are still breaking this news to us. Which family does she come from?" His father asked.

"Like I've said. She is from a middle class family."

His mother looked really annoyed. "Look at all the ladies here, Ms Jang, Ms Choi, Ms Lee, they are all talented and beautiful with so much qualifications. Why would you choose to live a tiring life with a girl who has no class and no qualifications? Which part of her could live up to my son?"

Ice King looked at Lay in the eyes who is already feeling guilty, it was all a lied set up. She He wasn't going to marry him, and his parents are so right.
A nobody like him, even if he is a girl, is so incapable of getting married in to such wealthy households.
Needless to say, he doesn't even have a talent, can't play piano as well as Ms Park over there, nor boast about huge projects she is working on like Ms Chen there, or just walk with sass and class ily like Ms Du. So much competition, so much pressure, Lay was starting to get curious why Ice King would choose a commoner over even better ladies.

He turns his eyes off Lay and back to his parents with a firm voice."She has something that the ladies here lacks of. Despite having anemia and never doing something before, she could endure pain and hours to learn. There are many talented and skillful ladies here, I recognise, however, none of them could go through pain. They've lived a life full of comfort and luxury, having things the way they wish to be that if they were to land in a painful position, they would have words to say about their situation. If there is a lady who could prove me otherwise, I will take her hand to the wedding, until now, my heart is with Ms Zhang."

Wait wait wait, what? Wedding?
This is also a lie right? Yep, a lie right?
Don't sprout words out so recklessly.
It was hard to tell when this is a lie with Ice King uttering in such a solid voice.

You know I have a bad oxygen flow already!

Ice King took Lay's hand and walked away from his angered parents.

"I'm sorry you have to witness that sight." Ice King said over a glass of champagne at the balcony alone with him.

"It's alright. I understand what you are trying to do."

Ice King Kris remained silent as usual until Lay stirred in another topic. "Why didn't you choose a normal girl?"

"What I've told my parents...it's a lie."

Lay's eyes bulged. "What you've just told your parents, they are all a lie?!" Great, the Oscars award has a new nominee.

"I'm more than honored to marry a lady from the prestigious family regardless if they could take 'pain'. Once they have married in, their life is in my hands to protect and make sure they don't live a bad life." Ice King turned to Lay. "When I saw you, it took me awhile to register that you were that troublemaker with Lu Han and Chan Yeol. I thought if I could, not estrange a girls' hopes with me, I'd best avoid it. And since you are a guy and dressed relatively well as girl, I picked you."

Lay thinks for a moment. If he was in Ice King's shoes, it did sort of make sense to pick a guy than a girl.
He kept quiet.

The dance session began and in the hall, there were as many other couples.

Lay registered what Kris had told him back then at the balcony.

The tall man bowed, handing out his hand invitation that Lay took but in surprise when he kissed it.

To be honest, I know what I say would hurt my parents.
If I could, I just want to save any lady and my parent's time.
Because, I'm...

Knowing that, it was harder for Lay to concentrate on the dance and Ice King even kissed his hand!
In all hope, he had better not blow his cover as a lady now that he knew so much.
So many people are watching them!

Of all prestigious, Ice King had to be from a top notch of the Elites family with that high an expectation as a candidate for the other ladies! Which means, the he had his own show lined up for the event, and that was to Waltz with Mrs Lay (he fianlly accepted that title).

As if sensing his uneasiness, Ice King held his waist close and whispered. "You'll never feel lost if you look into my eyes."

Lay nods, it was not as cheesy as he thought but with still a little bit of awkward tension, he was still a guy by nature hearing it was...until the music starts.

As if his feet moved by itself magically, his body started to relax as he looked into this tall student body president's eyes.
It made him felt like this was just a normal practice session, he was just learning, pacing to the beats, trying to enjoy the moment while he could as Irene mentioned.

Ice King was really as Irene had said, he is indeed nice and truly had no bad intention.
It was rather more like a really innocent kid who probably decided that the best solution then was probably to take away a guys heart instead.
Not the best way but Lay could understand where his rationale lies.

He had a nice face to look at, the moment he stepped into the ballroom, many ladies fell their eyes on him, was about to come forth when they noticed him instead and their faces changed dramatically. Evidently, he was as popular as he was in school depsite being called the Ice King, Kris, really had a warm heart inside, beneath the ice berg.

A little change?

Perhaps Beauty and the Beast was fitting for his current moment now.
A person whom he thought was bad and cold, is so much more than just that facade beneath.
He wasn't forced into this, but rather accepting of the surrounding because of the maids and Kris himself.

Up till his life till now, there was not a day he lived an extraordinary life.
Boring books, daily dose of trouble with his childhood friends to make them better, and it was still rewarding somehow.

Crossing over to another world, a rich world, with fanciful food, fancy dresses, big houses, big rooms, rooms that are not even rooms, a mountain of library (headaches), huge garden...it was like he had traveled to another place.

Dressing up as a lady, dancing in a major event, even drinking expensive champagne made him felt incredibly magical.
Having a handsome man as his lead, somehow, somewhere, he had thrown his man pride away (of course, he's going to pick it up later).
Surprisingly, he actually enjoyed this moment.

The music went on and on and by the time he realised, turns, tosses, some skills he picked up in Waltz came so naturally.

He looked into Ice King's eyes, they were as serious as before.
But the same comfort he had practiced with, reflects so much asssurance together with charm in him.

HAHAHAHA.
It didn't matter if he could fall for a man in a state like this now.
He was a lady.
Ms Zhang for the night!
 

The music finally came to a stop.
There was a huge crowd and both were in their final pose where Lay bends backwards on Ice Kings' big hands.

Perhaps it was the atmosphere, or it was to show his parents, or perhaps, maybe perhaps...

Under the spotlight and cheering clapping encouragements, Ice King leaned his lips towards Lay's.
It completely baffled Lay off guard.

His big soft lips sent out butterflies from his heart straight, he thought he saw them flew towards the light.
Savouring this moment, afterall, he was a lady that night, he slowly closed his eyes too.

It was a world just him, and Kris' warm sweet lip.

---------------------------------

[The next day]

Everything did felt like a fairytale.

After the dance, his parents seemed to let off some heat about him and let him date this supposedly non-existent girl.
But then how is Kris going to explain to them about this 1 night lady?

Either way, he actually got paid USD1000 + the video games he stole (bought later by Ice King) for this.

"Where's my breakfast?!" He shouted as soon as he opened his eyes unconsciously.

"You are up too late, dad and I finished them." His mother called. "Go get ready for school."

Lay whined and gets out of the house, his two childhood friends, Chan Yeol and Lu Han greeting him at his gates.
"Was there really a school camp?! How come you didn't tell us?"

"It's...a private school camp." Lay replied. "Sorry, no cellphones allowed."

Reaching school, he sees Kris right on the opposite end of the corridor.

"I hope this will just be a secret between us. Tomorrow, in school, everything will revert back to normal."

He passed by Kris without greeting, as if they hd never interacted or spent time together.

Albeit a little heart breaking(?) for Lay, but that will leave to another story.

"To be honest, I know what I say would hurt my parents.
If I could, I just want to save any lady and my parent's time.
Because, I'm...gay."

Lay stopped in his track abruptly.

He turned his head around, maybe, just maybe, he looked at the back of his Waltz partner.
 

Maybe, he had chosen Lay from the start.
Come to think of it, how are the measurements for the dress and heels so fitting?

Kris turned around, gave a smile too and paced back on his tracks.
 

Well, it doesn't matter.

Lay turned back to his friends.
"I'm never doing anymore dress dare! Why not you do it next time, Lu Han? You won't have to treat me."

"Shut up. My man pride is thicker than yours."

"By the way, have you completed your holiday assignments?" Chan Yeol asked.

"ARGH! I FORGOT THAT EXISTED!"

"Don't worry, Lu Han and I didn't touch them either."

"Okay, so our strategy to avoid this is..."

Planned or not, it was a wonderful experience.
It may not have magic, fairy godmothers, a big palace, horses and dragons or an apple but it was still magnificent.

A fairytale with no title, only those two, and maybe you, will secretly know.

-The end-

A/N: I honestly, did not plan that the story would suddenly have Beauty and the Beast slotted in at all.
Unexpectedly though, it just came as I typed and typed.

HAHAHAHA.

Ohh well, not a lot of people sails FanXing ship as much as Baekyeol or Hunhan or Kaisoo, so they were easy to plant characterizations (no fixed sort of romance style in my mind).

Thank you all for reading! ^^