"Hi, my name is Lee Taemin."

The boy was standing in front of the mirror. His clothes were everywhere in the little room. The fresh, spring air came in to the bedroom, and the wind moved the light curtain.

"No... I need something more" he thought about it again, as he scratched his nape.

His parents said it would be the most important afternoon of his life, what could save the Lee family's name and honor. Taemin thought it would be too early, because he was only sixteen years old, but after a little family fight he decided to accept his fate, and  he would do, what his parents had said.

"Oh!" he became happy because of another idea, and turned back to the mirror. "It's nice to meet you. You're so beautiful like... like the cherry blossoms."

He heard a growl behind himself, and looked at the dog, who was laying on the bed, eating a bone.

"What? Won't it be good? Mom said I'll have to compliment her."

The spotted dog took the bone, and ran out of the room. Taemin put his hands on his hips, and ran his fingers through his too long, raven black hair. His mother said a man would not let it grow so long, but Taemin did not care.

"Thanks, Little Brother! Thanks for your help!" he shouted after the dog, who was probably chasing the chickens by now, so Taemin was alone with his reflection.

He was a child, when he named the dog, because he always wanted a little brother, but his parents told him he should be happy to have an older brother. After that the eight years old Taemin brought a spotted dog home from the street, and introduced him to his family as Little Brother.

Suddenly he heard the chickens' voice again, and he realized he should have fed them, but he was too nervous because of the afternoon, he completely forgot about it. As he stormed out of the room he almost fell in the corridor, but he could go to the garden, where he started to looking for a bag full of seeds for the chickens. He looked at the sky, where the sun started to go down, and Taemin knew he didn't have much time.

"Little Brother!" he shouted, and the dog, not so heatedly, came out of a bush.

He took the bone out of the pet's mouth, then he tied the bag to his body, and made a hole on it. Taemin stood up, and threw the bone away as far as he could. It was enough for the little dog to go after it, leaving stripes from the seeds after himself, what immediately became symphatic to the chickens.

The old Lee Chulgi was sitting in the family temple, and started to pray for his family's future. He always did it since his sons were born, and because his eldest son made everything he could to bring honor, he hoped his prays would help Taemin, too.

He saw the signs since their childhood. Taemin and Taehoon were like fire and water, ground and sky, light and darkness. Their personalities were nothing alike, but the boys' appearances were really similar, though Taemin's features were smoother.

"Oh, Little Brother! Don't go there!"

Chulgi came back to the present as he heard his youngest son's voice, then their barking dog appeared with a lot of chickens.

"Oh, dad, I'm so sorry!" Taemin arrived too late, but tried to chase the chickens away from the temple.

"Taemin? You should be on your way to your mother. Or the plans have changed?" The man asked after Taemin helped him to stand up and gave him his stick.

"The time flew away, but don't worry, I won't be late. Where is Taehoon? I haven't seen him today."

"He's with his doctor. He said he's better day by day." Chulgi said happily, while they were walking back to the house. "But you have to go, or else we will be scolded by your mother."

"Alright, dad. I won't disappoint you" he grabbed the old man's hand and bowed.

He left the house with a big smile on his face, but he almost fell through the sleeping dog. Taemin laughed awkwardly and only felt the pain, when he was out of the house.

"I think I should pray more" said Chulgi, and turned to the temple.

Taemin was walking on the dusty road, where were chariots, the wendors were shouting to make more customers, the happy songs were heard from the inns, and Taemin saw his mother and his grandmother in the crowd. He wanted to go to them, but he heard a crying sound. Taemin quickly looked around to see what happened, and he saw a little boy. He could not be more than ten years old, and his tears did not stop. There were another two children with him, holding wooden swords, and they were pulling a sewn doll-like toy, laughing, what made the third boy cry more.

"Boys don't play with dolls! Or are you a girl?" The two boys laughed at the crying one, who was sitting on the ground.

Taemin saw himself in that boy. He was like him once, but then he had his brother, who could protect him, although as he could see this boy had no one. He cleared his throat, and approached the boys, who stopped laughing as they saw the big shadow, and turned around.

"Does your mother know you're hurting others?"

"We're not hurting him, ahjussi!" said one of them. "He doesn't want to play with us the soldier game."

"Then leave him alone, and give it to me" he took the doll easily. The boys looked at him with angry eyes, but then they ran away. "Here, take care of it" he leaned down to the sniffling boy, and gave his doll back.

"Taemin!"

As he heard his grandmother's voice Taemin turned around, so his long, black locks went on to his chest. The old, wrinkled, short woman went to his grandson happily, who leaned down, so the woman could pinch his face.

"These dusty streets were not good for you. But you're lucky we planned everything" she held the boy's hand, and led him to a taller woman, who was waiting for them, clenching her fingers, and looked at the crowd. "Eungi! I found him!"

"Taemin! Where were you?"

"Well... I hurried as I could."

"We'll be late from the tea with the Han family. What impression will you make? How could we ask the ancestors for luck, when you don't do anything for it?" The elegant Eungi led them to a house.

"How lucky can they be? They're dead." The old lady noticed the smile on his favourite grandchild's face, and winked at him, but her daughter-in-law did not find it funny.

"Taemin has to learn he has duties" she knocked on the door.

They heard steps from inside, then a tall, chubby woman opened the door in a colourful dress. Her make up was so bright Taemin bowed his head down, so he did not notice his mother entered the house.

"Believe me, Eungi, the stars are almost sure Taemin and Nari will marry each other before the next year."

"You were sure about it yesterday." Eungi reminded her, while Taemin removed his dusty clothes behind the paravan, and stepped in the bath tub.

He shuddered because of the cold water, but Seongi poured some lukewarm water on him, and he felt as the woman started to wash his hair. The foam caused pain in his eyes, but he could not do anything.

"Why is this water so cold?" Taemin asked after he swallowed some soapy water.

"It would have been warm if you were here on time." His mother noted, then came back to their original topic. "Seongi, why did you say it's almost sure? Maybe... did something happen?"

"Darling, the stars are moving. I tell you, something is coming. I don't know what it is, but it has changed the stars."

"Maybe an important event?" The grandmother asked.

"It can be, Myungok. But it's really rare."

"What do you mean? You say, Taemin and Nari are not good for each other?"

"Not exactly. Something will happen in the future, and everything depends on your son's decision" she poured some water on the boy's hair again, and looked for a towel. "If he doesn't step on this road, Nari and Taemin will be together, but he can have a new, different chance. Anything happens, your son will be happy, and this is the most important thing, isn't it?"

"Seongi, you know how important it is to our family. Maybe Taehoon can never go to another war because of his arm, neither my husband. Our only chance to find great wives for our sons."

"Put these on, darling." Seongi gave Taemin purple clothes, and pushed him behind the paravan.

Taemin did what she said, and thought about what he had just heard. He never thought about being a husband while he was sixteen years old, he just did what his family told him. But now this woman said he had another chance. Taemin was curious what it could be, but once he felt brushes in his hair from both sides, he started to pay attention.

"We stay at our plan. Taemin doesn't need another way, he knows how important this marriage is. If they will get marry this year, maybe there will be grandchildren next year."

He started to cough, while he was eating the apple his grandmother gave to him, so Myungok and Seongi patted his back.

"Mom, why can't I be a soldier like my brother or dad?"

Everything was frozen after this question. The brushes stopped in the women hands, and both of them looked at Eungi, who was shocked by his son's words.

"Taemin, you are too young..."

"I can go to a war after two years. Then the law won't forbid it."

"You are not a fighter."

She always wanted to avoid this talk. She knew while Taehoon was brave, daring and strong Taemin was his opposite, who was always in the garden, drawing, playing in instruments or dancing.

"Let's go, the delay will be taken as a bad thing."

The three of them were standing in front of the city's biggest and most beautiful house. Myungok said she would wait for them outside, but actually she just wanted to play a card game, when she saw two old men with cards.

Eungi agreed and took one more look at his son, who was now so elegant and refined.

"Go" she smiled at him proudly, and knocked.

A servant opened the door, who bowed and showed the way. There were statues and paintings in the corridor, every doorhandles were shining like they were golds. Eungi could not believe maybe once she would live in a house like this.

"Your husband made our city proud." A short, young woman welcomed them. "Welcome to our home."

"It's a pleasure to be here." Eungi was grateful, and bowed before their host. "This is my son, Lee Taemin."

"Your mother told everything about you, and I already know you'll be the perfect man to my Nari" she touched the boy's shoulder gently, and pointed at the pavilion, under the cherry blossom trees. "She's waiting for you. I'll be here with your mother."

Taemin made a smile, bowed and followed the servant who led him to the pavilion. The garden was huge, and everything was green and pink. There were colourful fish in the lake, and the statues were like dragons.

The servant stopped at the stairs, bowed and stayed like this while Taemin walked up to the pavilion. He saw a pink fan, what covered the girl's half face. There were beautiful decorations in her long, brown hair. Her yellow dress had meticulous embroideries. As she removed the fan from her face Taemin gulped.

He was not used to girls' company, but he quickly bowed and introduced himself. He did not get any answer, but the girl pointed at the chair at the other side of the table, where Taemin could take a seat. The table was only for them. Fruits in a bowl, two plates what were surrounded by different kind of sweets and two cups of tea.

"I heard you are the great Lee Chulgi's son, and Lee Taehoon is your brother. I heard a lot about them." Nari said finally, breaking the silence. She was like someone who liked to listen to her own voice. "It's so bad what happened to your brother, but I hope he'll be better soon. It would be such a shame for the country and for our city if such a great soldier would stay like this forever. Don't you think?"

"My brother is better now, but the doctor doesn't want him to go to any war in the near future."

"What a shame. I guess he has your father's talent. I don't know much about you, though."

"I don't know much about you, either."

"So you know something" she put her fan down, and took a sip from the tea. "What's that?"

It was time for the compliment. He quickly thought about what he had practiced in front of the mirror, and when he remembered it, Taemin smiled and looked in to the girl's light brown eyes.

"I heard Han Nari is so beautiful just like the perfect cherry blossoms."

Nari blushed, and smiled kindly at the boy, while she was fanning herself.

"And what is your opinion after you saw me?"

"What I heard was true. Now, that we're here in the shadow of the cherry blossom trees, I can see the similarity. If you want I can paint you."

"So you are painting."

"Yes."

"I want it. It could be a wedding present from you, what do you think?"

"Wed...wedding present?"

"Yes. If we will get married, I'll give you a present, so you'll have to give me one too."

"Of course. So... will we get married?"

"You are here because of it, aren't you? But you're right, a proposal would be nice."

The world was spinning with Taemin, this was too fast. In one moment he was at home and fed the chickens, then he had to go on to his knees and propose a stranger. But it was his duty, he had to do this.

Taemin slowly stood up, not taking his gaze away from the girl, who followed his every move. The mothers who were looking at them touched their chests, and Nari's mother took a tissue out, what she shared with Eungi. The boy wanted to go to her, but something held him back. He remembered what Seongi told him. But he was not sure, and if he got married with the city's richest family's daughter, his parents would be proud, and what the most important thing was, they would be happy. But could Taemin live a happy life like them?

"Oh, let me pour some tea for you" he dragged the time, when he noticed Nari's cup was empty.

Han Nari looked down at her cup, too, and agreed, so Taemin reached for the jug, and carefully, with his hands shaking, poured from the sweet drink. He felt the girl's small fingers on his wrist, and then he looked at her. She was beautiful, Taemin could not deny it, and in the city obviously any men would have been happy if he got a look from Nari. But Taemin did not feel anything. As he wanted to look away from the girl's face he stopped at her neck, more precisely at her dress' collar.

"Ohm... Nari?"

"Yes, Taemin?"

He did not know what to do. Taemin put the jug down slowly, and looked at the small, green cricket, what was sitting on the silky cloth, peacefully.

"There is a..."

"What? Where?" The girl asked, and thought Taemin was looking at her decolletage, so she grabbed her fan, indignantly, and hit the boy with it. "What do you think who are you? Disgusting!"

"But it's just a..." he reached for the cricket to remove it from the girl, but Nari hit him again.

Taemin leaned away, brushing the jug off of the table, the tea covered everything, including Nari's dress. Everyone looked at them as the girl started to shout, but the cricket was still there. Taemin used the time, while Nari was busy with her dress, took the little animal off of her, but she slapped him. The girl lost her balance and fell down, pulling Taemin with her.

The shout did not stop, and two guards appeared, who took Taemin off of her, and pushed him down from the pavilion in to his mother's arms, who just looked at them, blankly, just like Nari's mother.

"This man is not normal! He's crazy and criminally! I don't want to see him again, and I feel sorry for the girl he will marry one day. But I promise in this city no one will look at him, I'll make sure of it! And you'll never bring your family honor!"

Eungi tried to save the situation, but Nari's mother pulled her outside of her house, while the guards pushed Taemin out of the street and closed the door.

"Taemin! Look what I won for you!"

The grandmother walked to them happily, grabbing a rein, when she saw her daughter-in-law and her grandson. Eungi could not say a word, and when Taemin wanted to hold her hand, she leaned away.

"Maybe... did something happen?" Myungok stopped at the stairs, and looked at the black horse. "Taemin" she tried to stop the boy, when he took the rein from her, jumped up on the animal, kicked its side with his heels, and the horse galloped away, leaving dust clouds behind them.

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Well, here it is, the first chapter. I hope you liked it, and I promise it won't be exactly like the disney movie, so hopefully it won't be boring for you. :)

And the others will appear soon too, so don't worry about it! ^^

Thank you for the subscriptions too, I was so happy! <3

PS: English is not my first language but I'll try to do my best and avoid the bigger mistakes in the grammar.

Have a nice day! :) :)