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It was a normal morning for Mingyu as he walked alongside his friends on the hallways of his school, Hyo Academy, a private institution and an exclusive boarding school for the sons of families coming from the 1%. It was located just outside of Seoul and offers a western approach when it comes to teaching. It is only right for the Crown Prince’s brother to be enrolled in such school, following the footsteps of his older cousins, Junmyeon and Jongdae.

 

The halls of the school were empty as most of the boys were already having their meals. Mingyu and his friends had been asked to stay after class due to reasons concerning to their club. It was their laughter and jokes that echoed through the walls but something had become louder and louder: somebody’s footsteps.

 

“Oh, Soonyoung hyung. What’s the rush?” The prince asks in confusion seeing his friend running towards him. 

 

“Guess… Guess who I just saw.” His senior asks the group between his panting.

 

“Jung Soojung?” Seokmin asks as if there were any posibility that the actress would spend some time to drop by with her busy schedule.

 

“Oh, how I wish. But it’s somebody much bigger!” Soonyoung beams with excited but his colleagues were not. They were too hungry to bother with his jokes so when his friends started to turn their backs on him, he quickly spills the beans. “Okay, fine. It’s Prince Jongin!”

 

They all looked back to him, and then to Mingyu, who looked more surprised than anyone else. “He’s here?”

 

“Yeah, with your cousins. Princess Doyeon is also here-”

 

By the mention of the youngest member of the royal family, the boys cheer, much to the annoyance of the older brother himself. Even though he was one of the youngest in his group of friends when it comes to his sister he forgets that fact. “Don’t even dare talk to her!”

 

“Not if I go there first!” Soonyoung mischievously runs first, followed by the rest of the gang. Mingyu was a second late as he had been thinking of a particular reason why would his family suddenly visit him.

 

Either way, Mingyu didn’t have any difficulty to catch up, being an athlete and having long legs and all. Also, his friends suddenly stopped when they reached the second floor. Confused, he pushed himself to the front only to see his family on the floor above theirs. While the princes seemed to have a conversation with their headmaster, Doyeon, who was wearing her own uniform looked unsurprisingly bored as she looked around the school, eventually catching her brother looking at their direction.

 

“Hurry up!” She mouths to her brother, but he puts his index finger on his mouth to shush her.

 

“I don’t always pull out the ‘I’m-A-Prince’ card but can I just ask a huge favour this time?” He puts out a cheeky little grin and faces his friends. “Can we, for once, pretend like I’m a hotshot around here?”

 

 

Doyeon wondered where her brother has disappeared into after catching him a floor beneath theirs. She desperately wanted someone to talk to as her brother and cousins were discussing whatever they’re talking about with the academy’s headmaster. Suddenly, something catches her eye. At the other side of the corridor, Mingyu leads his group of friends to where the royals were, looking like an army marching band as they walked in unison.

 

The princess rolls her eyes and looks away. Her brother was such a showoff. She was definitely not amused.

 

“Ah, here he is.” Jongin beams after noticing his brother and his young friends strutting towards his direction as if they were in some kind of Korean drama. They stop just right in front of him, and with Mingyu leading the group, started bowing one by one.

 

“Brother.” Mingyu greets him, finally standing right up. “I must say, I’m quite surprised to see you here.”

 

Though he had a smile on his face, Jongin’s eyebrows raise. “But you knew I was coming to Seoul.”

 

“There must be a miscommunication as I wasn’t expecting you to visit me. Any-who, may I introduce my friends?” Mingyu changes the topic and starts naming his companions, except for Seungcheol who introduced himself confidently, in Spanish.

 

"Soy Seungcheol." Seungcheol states, offering his hand to shake. It was something that none of his friends dared to say, but Jongin took it and shook his hand.

 

Without a doubt, the prince was confused. But he didn't show it. Instead he just smiled at him and replied, "Es un placer. He oido muchas cosas sobre ti de mi hermano. Pero no te preocupes, son cosas buenas." 

 

Stunned, Seungcheol blinks at what the prince had just said as he had not understand a word.

 

"He spends five weeks in Valencia and now he thinks he speaks fluent Spanish," Mingyu says in a whisper behind his brother's back but he just hushes him.

 

 

"Seriously, am I the only who was not informed? Now I feel anxious!" Mingyu complains as soon as his brother told him that he'll be coming to the formal dinner at The Blue House that night with the rest of the family. Not that he hasn't met the Prime Minister before, but he was suddenly nervous.

 

"Read your emails next time," Doyeon utters as she sipped her orange juice. The siblings were currently getting ready, with Jongin getting his hair done while Doyeon's nails were being painted.

 

"Who even reads emails? Secretaries?" Mingyu huffs out a sigh. Jongin remains quiet, watching as his younger brother got annoyed and flopped on the couch. He'd tell him off but was as equally anxious as his younger brother. It's just he was good at hiding it.

 

Junmyeon had already told him the things the Prime Minister was keen on, but he was still having second thoughts. Prime Minister Bae's opinion about abolishing the monarchy was very strong back then when he wasn't in power, and he was pretty sure his thoughts wouldn't just change that easily even if his daughter was quite close to Junmyeon. As a joke, Jongin told him that he wishes Junmyeon could do his duties instead, but the older just laughed dryly.

 

Jongin guesses that nobody really likes his duty as the Crown Prince.

 

"I'm kinda excited to see Joohyun noona though." He hears his brother utter, ruining his thoughts.

 

"Oh please, you're way out of her league, brother." Doyeon counter backs, laughing.

 

 

Even when it was just his back facing the camera lenses, the flashes that came from the press didn't stop as soon as Prince Jongin came out of his car and walked towards the top of the stairs where the rest of the royal and first family were. He receives a tight handshake and a big smile from the Prime Minister, but he wasn't very sure if it was a genuine one.

 

While in the background of all the spectacle, Jongdae nudges his brother, whispering into his ear quietly how it should be him on the spotlight. Junmyeon hushes him.

 

"It's nice to finally meet you, Prime Minister." Jongin politely tells him, returning the smile back.

 

"Likewise, your highness." Bae Kyungmo replies before introducing his family one by one. Though he seemed in good spirits, his smile was different when it came to his daughter. "My pride, Bae Joohyun. I'm sure you've heard of her."

 

The woman shakes her head at the words of her father, and yet she had a small smile when she approached the prince. "Welcome to the Blue House, Prince Jongin."

 

"Thank you very much. I have heard such good words about you from my cousin." Jongin playfully teased which cause her to chuckle. Though it was the Crown Prince in front of him, her eyes turn to her close friend just behind Jongin. He hasn't said a word nor smiled ever since she saw him that night.

 

 

The entourage then moves to the dining room where their formal dinner was to be served. The dishes were specially made for the Crown Prince, a mix of European dishes with a Korean twist. The Prince was impressed, to say the least. But he wasn't there to be impressed. On the contrary. He was there to impress the Prime Minister. They looked like they were in such deep conversation that it annoyed Jongdae for not being able to know their topic. Who even decided to make him sit at the opposite end of the table anyway?

 

To make it much worse, he was seated next to his talkative younger cousin Mingyu, who is trying so hard to gain the attention of Bae Joohyun. 'The audacity of this young man!' He'd think to himself. 'Isn't he like sixteen?'

 

Mingyu was actually eighteen, but he should have known that he was no match for the older woman. Not when all she's been looking at was Junmyeon opposite where she was sitting. She was genuinely getting worried for her friend, who doesn't seem like him at all. Sure he wasn't the type to speak a lot, but he wasn't the type to sit quietly and stare at his plate all night either.

 

As soon as he felt someone kicking him under the table, Junmyeon didn't need to lift his head to look. He knew it was Joohyun, worrying and wondering what has gotten into him. He smiles at her. But he knew that won't stop her from questioning him later.

 

 

After the dinner, the moment Jongin had been waiting for finally comes, which was a proper talk with the Prime Minister. Sure they did have a conversation during dinner, but he felt like the older man wanted to speak more now that they're not in front of the rest of their families. Now in the garden with some bodyguards walking around but not too close, Jongin hopes he can change the opinions of Bae Kyungmo towards his family.

 

"I've been sensing your need to talk to me, and I suppose it's because you've heard all about my opinions." The older man states as he led the way. "Let me get it straight, I do not hate anyone from your family. Hate... Hate is such a strong word."

 

Jongin tries to hide his confusion, but it was evident on his face. "Hate?" It was such a random word. He wasn't even thinking of that. He just knew he wasn't very keen on the Korean monarchs.

 

"May I be honest with you?"

 

"Absolutely, sir."

 

Though practically alone, Kyungmo still seemed sceptical of the words that were about to come out of his mouth. "Your uncle... I firmly believe he is not fit to be a leader. He is... ego-centrical, arrogant. He is everything a leader shouldn't be." This time, Jongin didn't try to understand what he just said. That didn't sound like his uncle at all. "I know he is your father figure, probably. But I've known your uncle since high school. We were companions when we went to universities, we were in the same gentlemen's club after that. And still after all that image control you parents had him do after having your cousins, he hasn't changed one bit."

 

It was noticeable on his expression that Jongin was getting offended. How is the Prime Minister criticizing his uncle so easily like that when he's pretty sure they don't even see each other a lot? "With all due my respect, Mr Bae, but you're forgetting yourself. My uncle is the King of this country. Sure, it is a free country, we can say whatever comes through our thoughts, but you're in no position to speak those words about the King like that."

 

Kyungmo sighs. Perhaps he should have waited a little bit more. "Speaking like a true royal, I see. I do not mean to offend, Jongin-ah. I am only saying what I've been seeing when you weren't here in this country." Jongin turns away from the older man. "The world is modernizing. You could only count with your hands the countries that still have Kings & Queens. This country is not of those countries. We do not need a monarchy, much less a monarch like Kim Junyoung. And I'm not saying I'm very fit to lead this country. I have had my own share of sins and troubles, but if we continue having your uncle as a ruler, then we have no reason to continue having the monarchy."

 

 

"That should be you over there talking to the Prime Minister, you know." Junmyeon rolls his eyes. Without turning his back, he already knows that it was his brother so he didn't even bother replying. They were out in the balcony that was overviewing the gardens so they could actually see their cousin and the Prime Minister engaging in their conversation, except Jongdae had his back on the view. He was not uninterested with whatever the conversation was. He couldn't hear anything anyway.

 

"The Primer Minister looked very serious throughout the dinner. If it was you he was talking to, he'd be throwing jokes here and there."

 

"With Jongin's wits and charms, he'll easily win him over."

 

"Yeah, right." Jongdae snickers. Junmyeon finally turns to him with a serious expression.

 

"I will not tolerate your constant lowkey insulting of our cousin, Kim Jongdae. We were not raised this way."

 

"My goodness, can you chill a little bit brother?" The younger Kim lets out an amused laugh. It was always nice to see his brother get mad. To other people, it might be impossible to make him frown, but for Jongdae it was as easy as pushing as a button. "Even Joohyun noona's noticing your long face."

 

With the mention of her name, Junmyeon sighs. "You think so? Did she ask you about me?"

 

"No." Jongdae notices how Junmyeon looked much lonelier due to his reply, causing him more amusement. "I see that you want her to ask about you."

 

"I mean, no because that just means that she has to-"

 

"Well, too late. She's on her way here." Jongdae states, seeing that Joohyun has finally seen where Junmyeon was and is walking towards where they were. This causes panic to his brother.

 

", are you kidding me?" Junmyeon looks back at the scenery of the view. He couldn't bear to face Joohyun now. Not when his mind is all messed up.

 

"Damn, language brother." Jongdae laughs.

 

"Help me, Jongdae. You need to distract her. I can't talk to her right now." He pleads quietly, careful that she doesn't hear. He doesn't even know how close she was to their position.

 

Jongdae looks at his brother, and back to Joohyun who was just a few steps away from them. "Uh, I think this my cue to leave."

 

"Kim Jongdae!"

 

"Kim Junmyeon," Joohyun utters, causing Junmyeon to sigh and turn his head. She didn't look so happy, her eyes filled with concerned as she looked at him. "Since when did you keep secrets from me, hm?"

 

Junmyeon shook his head, "I don't know what you're talking about."

 

"You're not yourself. It's very obvious." The girl walks closer to her. "What's going on in your little head of yours? You know you can tell me anything."

 

"Joohyun... I'm just... not feeling well."

 

"Sure, sure." She says, looking away. He has always been such a bad liar. "You didn't even hug me when you saw me. Didn't even say hi to me. Not even a smile."

 

"Sorry for being so cold to you." Junmyeon was starting to feel guilty. He really should try to separate his feelings from his duties. He looks on his right where she finds her starring at him. Stunned, he was lost for words for some time. "Say... are you free tomorrow?"

 

 

Baekhyun didn't even have to ask how the Prince's meeting with the Prime Minister went. It was evident on his exhausted face that it didn't go well, nor does he want to talk about it. Having known the Prince for quite a long time, he already knows Jongin's preferred ways of relieving his stress, which was by working out. Jongin didn't even say a word when they left the palace early in the morning when the sun hasn't even shined. It just shows how badly he needs to leave and let his mind be free for a little while.

 

The Prince has opted for a gym after hearing from Baekhyun that he knows a really, really good one, which was odd since he never really knew that he liked working out or that he's a gym enthusiast. Either way, he trusts his eunuch so he didn't really think about it twice when he brought him to the gym the day after that dreadful night in the Blue House. He walked in, as if he was a normal citizen, but stopped in his tracks midway, causing Baekhyun behind him to bump into his back.

 

"D-Did you... Did you plan this?"

 

"Plan what exactly?"

 

Jongin didn't say a word. Instead, he looks back at Baekhyun, then back in front of him. He seems to be speechless, so Baekhyun didn't even bother asking him again and just looked to wherever he was looking only to see the Prince's favourite actress running on the treadmill with her workout outfit and earphones on. The two boys exchanged looks.

 

"I didn't do it on purpose, I swear." Baekhyun panicked, thinking that he didn't like unplanned situations much like the almost first encounter at the airport. "I mean, I did have a chat with her manager about which places in Seoul are trendy, but I didn't really think that she'd be here around this time of the day..." Jongin just bites his lip. "Do you want me to tell her to leave or...?"

 

"We can't always kick people out, Baekhyun. Just because I'm the prince doesn't mean I have the right to use public places on my own."

 

Baekhyun watches as Jongin hides a small smile. "You want her to stay and notice you." He states the obvious.

 

"I mean, no... Why would I? Let her workout alone. Much like how I want to work out by myself." Jongin forces a fake frown and starts to walk away from Baekhyun. He heads to the treadmill, but on the opposite end of where Jung Soojung was. "Unless you want to run too."

 

 

From where he was running, Jongin could hear the music that was coming from Soojung's earphones, not that he was paying much attention. He was totally not sneaking glances at her way when he has the chance, and he was totally not hoping that she'd finally realize that he was just there. But Soojung didn't really budge.

 

Looking very serious and into it, Soojung only had her eyes on the screen in front of her. She only needed eight more minutes until she marks an hour of running, and she doesn't show any signs of wanting to slow down. She does feel a little bit nauseous, but she always feels like that so she continued. What did catch her attention was a figure on the corner of her eyes. It was just about to be six in the morning. A little too early to workout so not a lot of people go at that time, which is why Soojung is always there at that hour. Thinking that it was one of her acquaintances, she turned to greet whoever he or she was. But what happened next was too fast, she wishes she had never looked right.

 

She ce and smiled. She goes back to her business and after finally realizing who she saw, turned right quickly once again in a panic. She had thought that her eyes were playing tricks on her, but the prince smiles back at her. In a daze, she suddenly forgets that she was on the treadmill and stops running to stare at Jongin whom she still thinks is a product of her imagination. This causes her to fall immediately and hit her head in one of the handles.

 

The next thing she knew, Jongin was in front of her, looking very, very concerned.

 

 

For the first few minutes, Soojung has been using a cold water bottle for her small lump from her fall when Jongin comes with an ice bag. She doesn't even ask where he got it and mutters a quiet 'thank you', too embarrassed to say anything else after what happened. He sits right next to her in silence, not quite sure how to start a small talk in their situation.

 

She then starts chuckling. He looks at her, puzzled. "Are you... Are you okay, Miss Jung?"

 

"How come I always embarrass myself whenever I see you?" She shakes her head in amusement. "I swear, I'm a cool person normally." This causes him to chuckle.

 

"I'm sorry for startling you." He apologizes. 

 

"No need to apologize. It's my own stupidity that caused this."

 

Once again, silence surrounds them.

 

"You say that you're cooler normally?" He asks her suddenly. She nods, hiding a smile to make it seem like she was serious. "Mind showing me how cool you are for some breakfast?"

 

The playful glint in her eyes disappears. This time, she was actually serious. slightly opens, as if she was hesitating what she was about to say. "Well... I do know this place that makes the best coffee... But, I need at least an hour to get ready."

 

 

When somebody had sat down in front of him with bulky clothes, Jongin was frightened, to say the least. For some reason, he had thought he was about to get kidnapped until Soojung started to remove her disguise. Seeing how confused he was to see her all hidden only for her to remove everything when she got to the empty café, she couldn't help but laugh. Before he could even ask her, she had already somewhat said the answer to his question.

 

"I have to go incognito. You know, to avoid people recognizing." She tells him as she draped her coat on her seat.

 

"Ah. So that's why..." He mumbles. "Maybe I should do the same."

 

"Definitely. Especially if you feel like escaping sometimes. But I'm not encouraging you to do just that. Oh my God, please don't think-"

 

This time, it was his turn to laugh. "You look so cute when you're panicking." They both blush. Even he didn't think he'd say that out loud.

 

Soojung clears awkwardly. She still had a faint of red in her cheeks.

 

 

The empty café was filled with giggles and laughter coming from the pair who was clearly enjoying themselves with their cups of coffee and danish pastries. Soojung was in her comfort zone. Apart from the fact that the café was one of those places where she and her celebrity friends hangout, their breakfast was so pleasant. It was as if two friends were catching up after not seeing each other for quite a while. It was odd because they've literally just met just some time ago. Either way, Jongin was in good spirits seeing how much Soojung was laughing at his dumb jokes. 

 

"Not that we eat a lot together, but how come we always see each other at the weirdest time?" She asks as she wrapped her hands on her warm cup of coffee. She smiles before having a sip of it. 

 

"This wouldn't have happened if Baekhyun had not dragged me to the gym. Imagine if I didn't come. You wouldn't have had that lump on your head." He joked. 

 

Soojung laughs before asking, "Sorry, but who is Baekhyun?"

 

"Have I not introduced him to you?" She shakes her head. "He's a dear friend of mine. The best eunuch a prince can have. He's sitting there in the corner."

 

As if on cue, Soojung glances at the corner of the café and sees the eunuch with a newspaper. He shoots her a quick salute with his fingers, and she bows slightly at his direction as a sign of her greeting. "Has he always been there? He should have had breakfast with us."

 

Jongin smiles to himself because he knew exactly why. While thinking of the reason in his head, Baekhyun lets out a loud cough, an indication for him to finish up soon due to his schedules that day. He had no choice but to be straight to her. "You said that we always see each other in the weirdest time."

 

"Definitely. We ate street foods at like 2 am, breakfast at 1 pm, but actually, you know, this is perhaps the most normal time."

 

"Well, Miss Jung. I was hoping to see you more in more common hours if you allow me."

 

"Allow you...?"

 

The Prince's cheeks turn red as he hid his nervousness with a grin. "I know we've just met but I've been thinking a lot about it. I would like to know you better, not just by the interviews that you give or by reading things on the internet. I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me... Officially."