One.
Half a StrangerIt happens on a seemingly ordinary day. Kyungsoo had woken up early, as he always did without fail when he had work to do.
It was also, coincidentally, the first day of the month. Kyungsoo's first order of business, then, was to drop by SM to discuss matters regarding his full schedule for the next thirty days.
When he arrives at SM Building, he greets all the staff and a few hoobaes scattered around the lobby. Kyungsoo, receptive as ever, notices something else entirely - like a tension in the air.
He promptly looks for his manager to find out exactly what is going on.
"'Morning, Kyungsoo," Manager Hyung greets him as soon as he enters one of the conference rooms. The older guy's face is solemn, Kyungsoo notes.
Kyungsoo bows politely to him. "Good morning, hyung." And after a beat, he says, "Am I the only uncomfortable right now?"
Manager Hyung shook his head. "We are all uncomfortable, Kyungsoo. It's... the crown prince..."
Crown Prince? What Kyungsoo knows about the young heir to the Kim Dynasty is that he is around his age. The Crown Prince is known for his rebellious ways. The media nicknames him "Royal Bad Boy" after photos of him smoking outside a prestigious nightclub in Gangnam were exposed to the public. Kyungsoo had no interest whatsoever in following royal affairs so that was the end of his knowledge about the young prince.
"What happened to him?" he asked.
"There's this law he mandated. It's taking effect today."
With one eyebrow arched, he asks, "What is this law?"
"All single people from ages 21-29 must be married by the end of this month."
"What?!" Kyungsoo has never heard of such a preposterous thing in his life. "Can he just do that?"
"As a matter of fact, he can," Manager Hyung replies, dejectedly. "The King is gravely ill, and thus has officially entrusted his royal duties to his only son, making the crown prince the most powerful person in South Korean right now. The whole nations must follow his orders."
Nothing is making sense to Kyungsoo. "Why is he doing this?" he asks, rubbing the top bridge of his nose.
"Simple. To marry the woman he loves."
"And why can't he do that without pestering our lives?"
"Well, she's a commoner. And before you say, that's not a big deal since it's happened before, you are right. It's just that the crown prince is legally bethroted to another royal when he reaches the age of thirty. His birthday is next month. He did this to supercede that old law... which brings us to the matter at hand, we must fi
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