Baekhyun had known since childhood that he wouldn't be marrying for love. He'd been raised in opulence, in wealth that few ever get to experience, and this was the price he would have to pay for his lifestyle -- his marriage would be a corporate deal, a trade-off with some company. Baekhyun was a pawn in a game, but he'd known it his entire life, had accepted it. 

So when his father calls him down to his study and finally announces that Baekhyun will be getting married, it's not a shock that Baekhyun has never met his betrothed. His mother makes a pitiful face at him and his father smiles grimly, tired eyes seeming to tell him the same thing they always had: love and marriage are not mutually exclusive. 

Baekhyun accepts it easily and nods along, offering a small smile to console his mother. She had always hoped that maybe something would change and he'd fall in love before his father found him someone, but Baekhyun had never even tried to fall in love. What was the point, when, at the end of the day, it's all down to a contract? 

Baekhyun lays on his bed, silk sheets feeling oddly itchy and uncomfortable under him. He doesn't want to admit it, but maybe he's a little frustrated at the thought of signing his entire future away to some business partner. But then he thinks of the bed he's laying on, the watch on his wrist, the view from his window. He knows why he's allowed to have all of this -- his father is a businessman, a good one at that, and Baekhyun is another successful business deal. 

He sighs and moves to sit on the sofa next to the window, staring absentmindedly out at the dimming light spreading across Seoul. It's all glittery pinks and oranges dusted over ancient homes, over skyscrapers. It's jarring, Baekhyun thinks, to imagine moving away from his windowsill, away from his home, away from the warm skies and city sounds. 

His phone buzzes, screen lighting up his dark room, a chirping tone stirring his senses. Baekhyun checks it, but it's nothing besides an update from Twitter about celebrities he follows. Baekhyun's mind flashes back to the serious voice his father had addressed him with earlier, the name he'd used when he talked about his intended: Park Chanyeol.

Baekhyun has never heard of them, but his father assured him earlier that Chanyeol was a perfect match in status and wealth and opportunity -- which was all Baekhyun's father could hope for, really. 

He sets to googling his future spouse's name out of pure curiousity, a spark leaping in his chest at the thought of what he might discover. He can't drive the thought out of his head that Chanyeol is too boyish of a name to be an heiress, but he hesitates on assuming.

He's always liked both girls and boys, but he'd never told his father, never even confided in his mother. There's no way they would know, but Baekhyun can't help the constricting feeling in his chest as he thinks to all of the casual insults thrown towards the LGBT+ in Korea and, occasionally, in his very own household. 

His mind refocuses as the phone completes the name search, a wiki page popping up as the first result. Baekhyun's mouth drops as he clicks it and reads the first word: royalty.

He reads on, intrigued, and discovers that Chanyeol is a boy, is somehow a prince, and will never be king. He's ninth in line, behind an entire set of cousins and then some. His country is a small island close to Korea, close enough that they share the same language. Baekhyun looks at the map and statistics, noting that Chanyeol's nation is incredibly self-reliant and only exports goods -- they can stand on their own and still earn money. Baekhyun thinks he sees the appeal his father had noticed. 

Chanyeol is only twenty-three. Baekhyun feels a little old now, but he scrolls on, searching for a picture of the man; there's none.

The most information he actually learns about Chanyeol is from the short personal life section: Park Chanyeol has two older siblings and has never attended a photographed event. He is known to be handsome and generous, but no one outside of his small island nation knows anything about him. It is reported that Chanyeol studied abroad in Paris but never revealed himself to the public as a royal. He has never been in a public relationship. 

Baekhyun is suddenly a little shaky, scared of the possibilities of Chanyeol. He was some guy, two years younger than him, who has seemingly never been photographed in his entire life.

What if there was a reason they'd concealed Chanyeol like that? Was Baekhyun going to be okay in this agreement? Baekhyun's stomach churns a little, but he reads the fun fact section to calm himself, if only for a minute. 

Park Chanyeol is fluent in three languages: Korean, English, and French. He is well-loved by the public, seen as a perfect prince to his people, and has been given multiple awards for contributions to charity. He is classically trained in piano and cello. 

Okay, impressive, Baekhyun notes, although he feels a sort of bitter pang in his chest at how accomplished the younger is. 

Baekhyun sighs and throws his phone to the other side of his bed. He doesn't want to read about this perfect, perfect prince anymore. He wants to take a nap and act like he isn't going to sign his life away in a few weeks. So that's what he does. 

-- 

He can only sleep so many days away before it's the night before he's to be married. Well, not married, really, just signing a paper, but it will still be official in less than 12 hours. Apparently, Chanyeol will host an actual ceremony for the satisfication of his citizens, but Baekhyun ignores the thought of that for now -- he has to focus on surviving the courthouse debacle first. 

Baekhyun checks his hair in the mirror, makes sure the black eyeliner he'd put on was smudged in just the right way to make him look mysterious. It was his last night as a single, unmarried, free twenty-five year old. He needed to take advantage of it. 

And so he's out the door, warm spring air lifting his spirits and tousling his already (intentionally) messy hair. He's going to go out and club and get drunk and maybe hookup with someone. It's the last chance for him to have a good time without being legally tied to someone, without feeling guilty for betraying someone. He could never cheat on his husband, he's sure of that, and so he decides to have a party one last time, if only to have a fling for once in his life. 

He'd texted a few of his friends, the kind he only socialized with to go out and drink, and he's still waiting on a response when he walks in the club. It's dark, he notes with a sigh, fumbling through the crowd to get a drink. There are twinkling red and pink lights all around the room, a cherry tint to the entire building. He can feel the bass of the song in his bones, can feel the beat turn his legs into jelly for a split second.

Maybe he's nervous, maybe he's never gone out with the sole purpose of getting drunk and doing whatever he wants. Maybe he's kind of regretting this. 

He doesn't have too much time to ponder, though, because before he can finish his first drink, he spots a familiar face in the crowd. He bustles over to her, shouting an excited, "Yuri!" 

The woman turns to meet his gaze, glittery eyes widening and scarlet red lips parting in happiness. 

"Baekhyun!" she squeals, hobbling over to him in her high heels. She's very obviously drunk, but Baekhyun likes the way Yuri smiles and jokes when she gets like this. Her dress is a tight gold material, diamond belt wrapped around her waist, matching jewelry adorning her neck and earlobes. She's extravagant and beautiful, and Baekhyun laughs when she turns a dramatic 360, making a show of her beauty. 

"You're really dolled up," Baekhyun compliments, smiling when she makes a shocked face and slaps him lightly on the shoulder. "Beautiful, Yuri." 

"Baekhyun, don't flatter me too much," Yuri giggles, but he can tell that she loves the attention and his company.

She's the daughter of a conglomerate in the jewelry industry and she's been at every function Baekhyun can think of since he was a kid. He'd always looked up to her like an older sister, a glimmering, gorgeous girl to hang out with him when he was bored to death with the business talk. 

"Why are you out tonight?" Baekhyun makes conversation around his half-full glass. Yuri raises a perfectly manicured nail to point across the room at a ridiculously excited pair of dancers in the middle of the floor. The two are hooting and dancing on each other in a way that makes a smile break across Baekhyun's face out of fondness, despite not recognizing either of them.

"My friends. They wanted to party," Yuri downs what was left of her drink. "And here I am!" 

Yuri raises her arms above her head and shakes them, diamonds shining in the dim, rosy light. "Let's dance, Baekhyun! Isn't that what you came to do?" 

Baekhyun finishes his drink and nods with a smile, allowing the older woman to drag him toward the middle of the room, to where her friends are making a scene and screaming along to each word of the rap song blasting out. They're loud, obnoxious, and kind of give Baekhyun a headache, but he likes the way they're having a good time so blantantly.

"Tae!" Yuri yells out, hand reaching out to wrap about a small blonde girl's wrist, pulling her. "Say hi! It's Baekhyun, you know him." 

Baekhyun belatedly recognizes Taeyeon, a friend of Yuri but no one fantastically rich, and it dawns on him that the boy a foot away must be Heechul, a loud boy whose father owns half of South Korea. 

"Hi, Baekhyun!" Taeyeon screams back, voice high pitched and happy. Then she's drawn back in by the music, pushing towards Heechul in order for them to perform choreography in sync. Baekhyun is shocked, but he watches their fluid steps in amazement; they're not amateur clubbers, he realizes. 

"Dance, Baekhyun!" Yuri commands with a pointed finger. "I'm getting us more drinks. You need to loosen up and dance." 

Baekhyun sways with the music, awkwardly joining in with Taeyeon and Heechul for one song, before he's back to hopping on his own. The alcohol he'd chugged earlier is hitting his system, giving him a sudden rush of endorphins. The sights and sounds send energy rushing through his veins, adrenaline high and expectations higher. He is going to have a good night, he tells himself. 

Yuri is back in a few minutes and Baekhyun downs another drink, fully relaxed. He's almost forgotten why he was stressed enough to come clubbing in the first place as he screams the lyrics with Yuri and her friends, hopping violently and shaking his like there's no tomorrow. Maybe this was a good idea, he thinks, giggling into Heechul's shoulder as an old pop song vibrates through the club. 

Upbeat songs pass and soon it's slow and sensual, which prompts the friend group to go and sit back down, too grossed out to be stuck in the middle of couples groping each other on the dance floor. It's better to go and drink, Baekhyun decides, than to stand in an ocean of sweaty bodies and hormones. He shudders as he takes a sip of another drink, this time a bright blue concoction. 

Baekhyun is laughing at something that Yuri slurs out when he feels a pair of eyes on him and looks up, noticing a tall boy walking toward their group. He has sideswept black hair, is wearing an expensive watch and an even more expensive suit. His face is chiseled but still kind, paired with big ears and pretty lips. He looks soft to the touch but visibly handsome. He's attractive, Baekhyun notes, and he watches in amazement as the man makes his way closer to the table. 

"Who's that?" Taeyeon whispers, noticing Baekhyun's open-mouthed stare. Baekhyun glances to her, embarrassed, and shakes his head to communicate that he has no idea -- really. Yuri turns and to ogle the man too, quirking her eyebrows and her lips. Heechul starts to search for the object of the trio's attention, but when Baekhyun follows his line of sight, he's surprised to see that now he's close to them. 

They make eye contact for a split second and goosebumps break out across Baekhyun's arms, the look in the man's brown eyes giving his entire body a sudden thrill. It's probably the alcohol -- Baekhyun knows this, truly -- but he knows that he's enchanted, if only for tonight. Then the man has walked past, long legs and sloped nose slipping into the crowd. He's headed to the bar, Baekhyun realizes, and he has a primal urge to follow him. 

He feels himself standing up, gravitating toward the tall man, leaving a bewildered table of friends hooting after him. He feels so weird, but so utterly compelled to talk to the man, to at least make his interest known. It is his last night before he's married -- it's not like he has much to lose, after all. 

"Hello," Baekhyun says confidently, sliding beside the man at the bar, acting like he needs another drink. The logical side of his brain tells him that he doesn't need another one, but why not, if he's already at the counter? 

The man's head turns to face him, features more gentle from up close. He's still extremely attractive, but Baekhyun now realizes that it's a boyish charm set off by his aura of grace, his obvious wealth and intelligence.

, Baekhyun realizes, it's not even a gay bar -- he has no idea if this guy would even consider him. Too late to back out now, he reasons, and he flashes the younger guy a charming smile, nose scrunching at the way the man naturally smiles back. 

"Hello," the man responds, voice deep and laced with sweetness. Baekhyun likes it. A lot. 

"Getting a drink for your girlfriend?" Baekhyun asks casually, testing the waters.

"I don't have one," he says in a voice that suggests maybe Baekhyun has a chance. The shorter boy takes this hint and scoots closer, enough that he could easily glide into the man's arms if he wanted to. He wants to, but that's besides the point. 

"Oh? Me neither," Baekhyun smiles again, this time small and wicked and flirty. The man notices, gulping visibly and mirroring Baekhyun's advances. 

The bartender is heading toward them and Baekhyun panics because, , he's going to interrupt and end the conversation before anything starts. But the tall boy senses it too and, thankfully, pipes up in his baritone voice: "Do you want to dance?"

"Yes," Baekhyun responds immediately, letting the taller wrap a large hand around his waist and lead him towards the floor. Baekhyun notices in a drunken stupor that he dropped off his suit jacket at a table, now only in a black dress shirt -- and he's even more attractive. He gulps, thinking about the blood rushing to his head and cheeks and everywhere else. 

The song is still slow, but the beat is fast enough that there's something to move to, something to hold the man and whisper sweet nothings to. 

Baekhyun feels himself go a little light headed and they mold together on the dance floor, bodies pressed close and large hands softly roaming his arms, wrists, cheeks, hips. It's a lot to take in, especially when the song suddenly changes to something fast and the crowd heats up, pushing him completely flush against the taller man. 

Baekhyun bites his lip when he feels how hot his skin feels, feels the warmth transferring from the man to him, feels something like lust drifting between them. He registers that the man's lips feel as pretty against his as they'd looked from across the room, that his hands are rough and warm and all over him. 

There's more touching, more heated kisses, and Baekhyun's head swims as they break away from the crowd, headed outside. Baekhyun never lets go of the man's forearm, never stops his soft kisses against the man's jaw, even when they get in a cab. It's a blur of city lights, of deep-voiced whispers against his ear, of intertwined fingers and dashing smiles. 

They're at an expensive apartment in only minutes, fingertips on fire, clothes discarded almost instantly. The only details Baekhyun takes in about the flat are that the man's couch is leather and the countertop is granite -- he discovers these details when he's pressed up against them, mind spinning and hands shaking against the man's strong chest. 

Baekhyun doesn't remember much after, just that the man's sheets are a finer silk than his, that the man's voice sounds melodic when it's strained and , that his own voice is starting to give out. 

--

He wakes up to sunlight streaming from a penthouse window, to the sound of a shower in the master bath. Baekhyun sits up slowly, careful of any hangover-induced nausea, and tiptoes out in search of clothes. He finds his phone and pants but no shirt, and so he settles for stealing a t-shirt folded on a coffee table. It's much too big for him, but it's fine -- he just needs to not be when his hookup walks out of the bathroom. 

Baekhyun is a shocked at himself when the word runs through his mind -- hookup. Despite the constant parties he'd been exposed to, he'd never actually had a one-night stand. They'd all been casual dates that turned into spending the night which then turned into nonchalant dating -- he'd never done anything like this. Especially not the day before he's supposed to be getting married. 

, he realizes, suddenly panicked. The sun was fully up in the sky; it must be mid-morning. He checks his phone and confirms that, yes, he's screwed for time. Baekhyun has less than an hour until he needs to be at a courthouse, looking his best. And here he is, hungover and wearing a stolen band t-shirt. 

He settles for writing a sloppy Urgent business. Thanks for last night! note and leaving it where he'd taken the shirt from. He thinks maybe it's a fair trade and scurries out of the apartment, feeling extremely guilty to that man for the exit and to his future husband for his, most likely, haggard appearance and attitude later. 

-- 

Baekhyun made it home and showered as quickly as possible, pulling on a casual suit and styling his hair in a way that makes it look fluffy and soft. He's looking a little less corpse-y, he thinks with a small smile. Baekhyun worriedly looks out the window of the moving car, noticing that they're drawing nearer to the center of Seoul, to the meeting he's fated to attend in less than ten minutes. 

He tries to convince himself that he can do this, that he's fine, that it's no big deal!

He's almost completely fooled himself into thinking that he'll be okay, that he'll survive this, when they pull up outside of the courthouse. He nods to the chauffeur in thanks, slipping out of the car and heading inside. It's a large, extremely old building. Baekhyun likes the architecture, the way the windows let the sun shine down the halls. It reminds him of the sun hitting him this morning, when he'd woken up in that foreign bed in a foreign situation. 

He shakes that thought off, focusing on finding the correct room, and he takes a deep breath when he's finally standing outside of door 4B. No big deal, he chants to himself one last time, and clicks the handle to the left. 

The room is full -- he recognizes his father, mother, and associates immediately, and then he muses that Park Chanyeol must've brought half of his country along, if the population of the small room is any indication. 

"Baekhyun," his father whispers in relief, obviously annoyed at his not coming home and almost being late. 

"Honey," his mother smiles brightly, her makeup all soft orange hues, making her look young and beautiufl. Baekhyun loves her so much, he thinks suddenly, and then he thinks about the future. He's scared. He's definitely scared. 

"Mom," Baekhyun starts to say, almost pitifully. He's actually considering backing out -- how could he do this? But his mom moves before he can, reaching out a small hand to get the attention of a man behind her. Baekhyun watches, stomach churning, as the man turns and smiles to her, familiar pretty lips and big ears moving with his greeting. 

"This is Chanyeol, your fiance," she says, hand on the man's elbow soft and loving, as if they'd grown close in the last twenty minutes.

Baekhyun feels the shock all the way in his toes, unable to do anything besides gape in surprise at the man he'd met last night, the man he'd held, the man he'd left this morning. 

"Oh, nice to meet you, Baekhyun," he says, knowing eyes and charming smile never wavering, despite the lie in his greeting. "I hope we have a happy life in the future." 

--

ok ok i know i should focus on the story im Actually writing rn (reverie) but i. had this idea and i wanted to write it? so here we are. 

i just really wanted prince!pcy and arranged marriage and yeah lmao 

if you like it, please give me feedback and i'll continue!!!!! thanks for reading? love you guys haha