"Hello, Kibum?"

"Oh my God," he answers with a sigh. "I can't believe you left me out to dry like that. I'm too tired to even be mad at you right now."

"I'm sorry! You saw how crazy it was..." Taemin replies, regret in his voice. He hated not being there for Kibum but he really didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Ok, ok, I get it. Every single person that came in was asking about you. If you had shown up, it would have been a complete riot. You little brat," he says with a chuckle.

"Did any of the reporters try to get to you too?" Taemin asks.

"YES," he says emphatically. "My only saving grace was that I was busy working... And that Jonghyun and I went home together. I'll have you know that I love you so much that I refused exclusive airtime on national television. The whole nation missed out on seeing my face. You owe me."

Taemin had always known that he could trust Kibum with his life but this was the first time he had seen it in action. Every other person in his life seemed to have sold him out for their five minutes of fame, but not Kibum... It meant the world to the young man.

"Where are you, anyway? I haven't talked to you since the Ball? I'm choking while I say this but I miss you," Kibum says, fake gagging over the phone.

"I'm in the Palace... They said it's the best place for me to be safe for now..." 

"Well, I agree... Besides, it's better that you get used to your new home..." Kibum says.

Taemin looks around at the beautiful interiors of the room that he was in. The tea room was the only place in the whole Palace that kept him calm--the place where Jinki and he had their first date. He sits at the bench of the piano as he prepares to give his best friend the biggest shock of his life.

"Listen... I have to tell you something," Taemin says. "It's really important."

"What is it?" Kibum says, worry coming through in his voice.

"The wedding is going to be sooner than expected..." he says.

"Wha--? What do you mean?" Kibum asks, surprise already dripping from his voice.

"I mean, like... A week from today?"

"A WEEK?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!" Kibum screams. Taemin pulls the phone away from his ear to keep from bursting his ear drum. He knew that it would shock his friend.

"No, I'm not. It has to be this soon, or else the Palace can't do anything to protect me or my family... The media is kind of getting out of hand. No one expected it to become this crazy," Taemin explains.

"I can see that, Lee Taemin, BUT A WEEK?! That's hardly enough time to plan anything!!" Kibum frantically says.

"We've started a bit... Jinki and I have already decided that we're going to have the ceremony in the church next to the Palace, where his parents got married and have the reception here... I chose the cake this afternoon... And my family are on their way back to the city as we speak," Taemin says.

"YOU CHOSE THE CAKE WITHOUT ME?!" Kibum screams. "Lee Taemin, I swear to God, if you make one more move without me I'm going to skin you alive!"

"That's why I'm calling!! Look. Tomorrow, Jinki and I are going to have to pick the flowers and the place settings, and I need to choose the design of my tux... I am asking my best man to be there with me. So can you?" Taemin says.

The other end of the line suddenly became silent, as Taemin hears faint sniffling in the background.

"Kibum... Are you okay...? Are you... Crying?"

"No. I have allergies," the older man says, blowing his nose into a tissue.

"Aww... I love you too, Kibummie," Taemin says, his heart overwhelmed with love for his friend. "So I'll see you tomorrow? I'll have a car pick you up."

"But what about the cafe?" Kibum asks, still sniffling.

"I'll call our boss. I need to tell him I can't continue to work there anyway... I have a feeling he won't mind," Taemin says.

"Okay... I'll see you tomorrow then," Kibum says softly. "Taemin?"

"Yep?"

"Congratulations. I'm so happy for you..."

*****

It was hard for Jinki to stay put in his room when Taemin asked for a moment alone. Ever since the engagement, all he wanted to do was stay beside his beloved. He realized that once you've decided that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. It almost pained him to restrain himself from pouring all his attention to Taemin, but he did his best to keep busy. 

Some of the country's most prominent designers have sent Jinki sketches of potential tuxedos for the wedding and he was going over them quietly one by one, when he hears a knock on the door.

"Come in," he says, expecting it to be Minho updating him with his progress about the media frenzy.

"Son..."

Jinki's body stiffens as he hears his father's voice calling out for him. He immediately stands up and bows towards his father, completely surprised at the visit. His mother does this with him all the time, but his father... This was the very first time in his adult life that he was visited informally like this. Jinki's heart starts to race as his father comes in the room and gestures towards his couch.

"May I?" the King asks.

"Of course, Father," he answers, as the two sit comfortably next to each other.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing with all of this... I imagine that everything has come as sort of a shock to the both of you," the older Lee asks.

"Yes, Father... A little bit... But it's a good kind of shock. We're quite excited," Jinki says.

The King smiles as he shifts uncomfortably in his seat. The relationship between father and son had always been loving, but cordial. The King wasn't the type of father who easily expressed his feelings, although Jinki knew in his heart of hearts that he could count on him for anything. A talk like this was highly unusual, but the King was trying very hard to connect with his son in a different way. It was important to him to have this conversation. He clears his throat as he speaks.

"Son... I just wanted to apologize... If I ever made you feel like less of a man by not letting you make your own decisions freely," the King says, looking down at the floor. "You know I just always want what's best for you, in the context of our rule... Being King has incredible burdens, Son... One day, you'll feel them for yourself. I just never wanted you to have any more unneccessary troubles. I apologize if the way I expressed my concern hurt you and Taemin in any way."

Jinki is overwhelmed by the gesture. His father had never spoken to him in this manner... He is to shocked to say anything in return, except for tears starting to form in his eyes.

"I can see why you've chosen the way you have, Jinki... Taemin is a fine young man, with a big heart for the people. I can see his influence on you. You've become brighter and more motivated with him by your side... I feel foolish that I ever doubted you," the King continues. "I am quite pleased at your union, Son. You both will be fine Kings..."

"Th-thank you, Father... I... I really appreciate these words coming from you," Jinki says, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Get ready, Son... Assuming the crown will never be easy... But I'll do my best to help you prepare while I'm still around. Your mother and I love you very much... We hope to extend that same love to Taemin. If there's anything I can do to help with the planning, please let me know..."

The King pats Jinki's shoulder in an effort to be affectionate and stands on his feet to leave. Jinki could see that his father's eyes were red too, as if he was holding back tears. The young Prince stands as his father makes his way to the door.

"I love you, Father..." Jinki says, faintly.

The King turns and smiles, not saying another word as the door closes behind him.

*****

Taemin fiddles with the piano as he gets lost in his thoughts. What a life he is going to lead now... He loves Jinki more than anything but he really doubted himself right now. What if he couldn't handle being in the spotlight for the rest of his life. The thought of the entire world potentially knowing about his every move terrified him. Not only that, he would become a symbol of the nation. People would look to him for strength, and hope, and solutions to the problems around them. Maybe the King was right... Maybe he would never be good enough for this life.

He mindlessly plays a tune on the piano, one of the pieces that he had learned by heart when he was just a young boy. He thinks about all the times that he was so carefree, just thinking about himself and his own path. All of that seemed like a distant memory now. He wasn't just Jinki's... He was now the nation's. A tear falls down his cheek at the gravity of it all, when the door opens and Minho's head peeks in.

"Sir, your family has just arrived," he says, smiling. 

Soon enough the door was wide open and his favorite people in the world walk straight in. Taemin runs into the arms of his mother, weeping loudly.

"Taeminnie, what's wrong?" His mother says, worried sick. The three of them look at each other wondering why Taemin was in such bad shape.

"What if I'm not good enough... The country needs a King... I'm nobody..." he says, sobbing into her shoulders.

His family stands around him, his father reaching out to pat him in the head. Taesun sighs loudly as it pains him to see his brother in distress. This was the exact reason why they had agreed to return to the city so soon. They didn't want the pressure getting to Taemin like it was right now.

"Taemin, it's alright... We're here, sweetheart..." his mother coos. 

For the first time, Taemin allows himself to express all the fears and frustration that was in his heart. He never wanted to share so much of these thoughts with Jinki, as he was afraid that the Prince would think that he was having second thoughts. The only thing he knew for sure was how much he loved the young Prince. Everything else was making his head spin.

"Son, are you sure you want to rush into this? You can still choose to take your time..." his father says.

"But I need this to keep safe... To keep you guys safe... And..." Taemin says, his voice trailing off.

"And...?" Taesun asks gently.

"And I love him... I really love him..." Taemin says, sobbing once again.

His mother his head with tenderness and lulls him into calming down. "Maybe that's all there is to it, sweetheart... Maybe we should forget all the other things and focus on why you've chosen this path... You love him, and he loves you... That's the most important thing of all."

Taemin looks around at his family and they all have the sweetest smiles for him. Taemin felt so safe and secure in their presence.

"Taem, you know what, during the Ball, I came with the intent of knocking the lights out of the Prince if I saw even an inkling of him trying to play you," Taesun says, everyone chuckling at his candor. His older brother has always been so intensely protective of him. "But I've seen the way he looks at you... It's not a joke, buddy. The Prince adores you. I knew it instantly," Taesun says.

"So did I, Son," his father says. "I know he'll take great care of you, like we always have."

"You don't have to know everything about royal life right this minute, sweetheart... But you can learn. Just take it one day at a time. You'll get there. Just focus your eyes on Jinki and how much he loves you...You'll never go wrong," his mother says.

Taemin's tears finally stop to flow as he feels a sense of relief come over him at his family's words. They were right. The most important thing was the pair's love for each other. With the support of their loved ones, everything else would naturally follow.

"Are you done crying, man?" Taesun says teasingly. "We have a royal wedding to plan!"