CHAPTER 2:

The Offer

 

IN FRONT OF THE GATED ROSE PALACE

Heechul goes around the people rallying in front of the gated Rose Palace with him.

“Anyone needs a drink?” He asks the people resting.

“No, Sir, we’re fine.” The crowd says.

“Oh, okay…thank you so much for joining us here in this peaceful protest.” He smiles at his supporters.

One man suddenly raises his hand.

“Me, I need a drink sir.” He looks at Heechul.

“Okay, here’s some bottled juice.” The activist now hands it to him.

“Look out!” One of the activist Heechul supporter’s shouts.

DAISY HOTEL, PRIVATE ROOM, PRINCESS’S BEDROOM

“Who the leaked that photo again!?” Wendy shouts in the bedroom as she entered, while talking to Seulgi.

“I don’t know, but most probably people now really want to earn from your coming out and-“

“Seulgi yah…I’m not worried about me, I’m worried about Jennie what if she gets hate comments again? What if people will say she was two timing Lisa with me? When I’m the one who actually stole that kiss from her?” Wendy now complains to Seulgi.

“Well…in that case-“

“Excuse me! Just who the hell are you?” The princess now shouts.

“I’m sorry, P-Princess, I can explain!” Joohyun now kneels in front of the Princess.

Wendy realizes by her uniform that she is a hotel staff…

Hotel Staff…

Just like the one who took the photo of her kissing Jennie and leaked it in the media…

“Okay, what do you want?” The wet haired Princess, now stares coldly at Joohyun.

“Um…n-nothing, I just have to retrieve my watch…Princess…” The beautiful cleaner was still kneeling on the floor.

Wendy scoffs at the answer of the woman, and now sits on her sofa chair, she crosses her legs which makes Joohyun stare at her, since The Princess, looked so alluring and scary at the same time.

She notices that The Princess took something out of her bag, a mini looking booklet and a fancy pen.

“What’s your name?” The unbothered now very cool and alluring showing of her legs, Princess now asks.

“J-Joohyun…Princess.”

“Joohyun…last name?” The Princess was asking her last name.

“Bae.”

“Oh that’s a cute last name, Bae.” The Princess says her last name, with an American accent.

She finishes writing on the booklet, and rips it off. It was a check, she now hands it to the kneeling Joohyun.

“Stand, here’s your check.” She tells the beautiful hotel staff member.

“W-What?” The puzzled Joohyun now asks.

“Come on don’t pretend, I know the likes of you…Princess I lost my id, Princess I was just passing by, Your Highness I was just trying to take a photo of the scenery…and I gotta say, a watch? Ms. Bae, that is so unoriginal.” Wendy laughs, because she thinks the beautiful hotel staff member was pretending not to know what she was saying.

Joohyun didn’t expect the “Friendly Princess” she saw from the various clips and photos, would be so different in real life…well Joohyun can’t judge her in just one meeting, since she did enter The Princess’ bedroom without her permission. But still The Princess didn’t look friendly at all.

“Come on, this amount I’m offering should be enough to support you for many months, treat yourself with a  “new watch” and please don’t say anyone about what you heard during my conversation on the phone.” The Princess now smiled as she stretches her hand to give the check to the glaring beautiful commoner.  

“I’m not gonna tell on you, Princess or not, whatever the conversation you had, it is YOUR business, I’m sorry I entered your bedroom without your permission Princess, but I was just really looking for my watch, which happens to be very important to me.” Joohyun now apologizes to the woman who was just staring at her, who was still holding the check in the air.

Wendy stood from her sofa chair and now approach the beautiful staff member to face her closer.

“How about I raise the amount, will that make you honest and happy?” The unconvinced Princess asks her.

Joohyun just stayed silent and glared again.

“I hate lowlifes like you…glaring at me as if I am THE ONE insulting you but the truth is the moment I turn my back, you’ll jump to the opportunity to sell any info about me to the media who’s willing to pay any amount for it.” Wendy was smiling as she expresses her hate on Joohyun and what she represents.

The hardworking Joohyun tried not getting sensitive about the insult and stayed silent.

“Pathetic lowlife.” The Princess now scoffs.

But the hardworking woman couldn’t take it anymore and now slaps the beautiful heir to the Throne of South Korea, which makes her fall on the floor, along with the check she was holding.

“AH!” The Princess cried in pain.

“I maybe a lowlife but I am not pathetic! I work hard! As a dishwasher/ waitress in the morning, a cleaner here in the hotel at night and a sales lady in an appliance store in the weekends! How is that pathetic!?”Joohyun shouts.

Wendy was still nursing her cheek when she sees the beautiful employee, crying hard and tries to wipe her own tears that kept gushing.

“My sister’s college tuition, my mom’s h-hospital bills, debts that people passed on me, my electricity bill, my water bill, and all the other crap is what this lowlife only cares about…cause you see not all lowlifes care about your pathetic royal love life, because we are busy working hard to become a productive member of society, you know?”Joohyun spoke while still crying hard as she struggled.

A woman who heard the noises rushes to enter the room, it was the Chief of Staff of the Princess, Bada.

“Your Royal Highness!” Bada now rushes to make The Princess stand.

The personal bodyguard of The Princess enters as well, Shownu.

“Your Royal Highness?!” He rushes to take Joohyun’s hands to arrest but Wendy stops him.

“No! Let her go, it’s fine.” Wendy tells her staff.

Joohyun now walks out in anger out of the Private Room.

“Call the Head of Whatever Staff she belongs to…I want her fired.” Wendy now glared.

DAISY HOTEL, CLEANING STAFF’S BREAK ROOM

Joohyun takes her things out of the locker to empty it, Hyunyi is crying by her side.

“Joohyuuuun…maybe if we apologize to the princess then you don’t have to goooo.” Her close friend of 2 years, now begs.

The hardworking woman just smiles as she finally closes her bag.

“Yah, it’s fine, besides this is hardworking Joohyun Bae, you’re talking to, and I’ll always find a job!” She now flexes her tiny muscle.

Hyunyi now wipes her own tears.

“Can’t you just say what happened? What did the Snotty Princess get so angry about?” She asks now Joohyun.

“Seulgi yah…I’m not worried about me, I’m worried about Jennie, what if she gets hate comments again? What if people will say she was two timing Lisa with me? When I’m the one who actually stole that kiss from her?”

Joohyun remembered what The Princess complained on the phone….

Hyunyi was still looking at her as she waits for her answer, the beautiful ex-cleaner woman now smiled, and shakes her head to her.

“It was nothing, it’s my fault, I did enter her room without any permission.” Joohyun sighs.

Ms. Shin enters the breakroom that only the two friends occupied, the women now bowed to her.

“Ms. Shin, I’m really sorry.” Joohyun bows again for apology.

The older woman frowns, a much unexpected expression for the always cold staring woman.

“Listen to me Joohyun, usually with this stuff, we give atleast a one week’s notice before you are terminated, but because you we’re found at fault especially to the future Ruler and Queen of South Korea, our head manager had to fire you…they also wanted to make an example of you by not giving your wage.”

“What! She just entered that snotty princess’s room! It’s not like Joohyun physically harmed her right?!” Hyunyi shouted.

Ms. Shin and Joohyun looked at each other in shame.

“Right???” Puzzled Hyunyi now asks calmly.

“Ah…But don’t worry Joohyun. I fixed it for you, and they will still give your wage, but…instead of following the expected afternoon handing outs of your wage through your atms…because of the termination process…it will be given to you by next week as a check okay?” Ms. Shin now holds the frowning terminated woman’s hands.

“Thank you Ms. Shin.” Joohyun smiled so politely.

“Okay, I have to go to the H.R. to make sure everything will go smoothly, also don’t worry about your record…I’ll make sure that this incident won’t appear on-“

“Ms. Shin-“

“No, don’t even try to worry.”

“Why?...Why are you being so kind…when it’s my fault?”

“Joohyun, I won’t be working for The Daisy Hotel for 15 years if I’m not a good judge of character, even your friend, Hyunyi, here who can be clumsy at times won’t be here for 2 years if I didn’t have the patience with her….I know you had your reasons…just make sure you won’t meet the Princess in that manner again okay?” The head of the cleaning staff now smiled.

Joohyun pouts and finally embraces the cold yet kind Ms. Shin.

“Thank you Ms. Shin.” She cried.

“O-Okay stop with the hugging I gotta go.” The awkward with hugs, Head of The Cleaning Staff finally leaves.

Joohyun exhaled so happily while Hyunyi taps her shoulder.

“Yah, Joohyun want me to lend you my wage for a while?”

“What?! Why?” She laughs.

“Don’t you have those pesky loan sharks who keep harassing you and your family around your house?”

“Eyy, Hyunyi I’m fine, besides don’t you send that money to your parents and 5 younger siblings, in the province? Come on stop it.”

“But-“

“I’m fine, don’t worry…I’ll always find a way!” Joohyun now smiled.

 

DAISY HOTEL, PRIVATE ROOM, PRINCESS’S BEDROOM

A photo of Jennie Kim that the Princess is staring on her phone.

“You can’t defend me to the press, you can’t even defend me to other people, or even your grandfather! So why are you begging me to wait and stay?”

“For once can you be true and brave!”

“Coward Seungwan how about that?”

Wendy now stops looking at her phone that had Jennie’s photo on her screen and wipes the tears flowing from her face.

SANDARA PARK, JENNIE KIM’S MANAGER

8:32 PM: Hello, Ms. Sandara? I know Jennie blocked me from all her social media accounts
and I can’t even reach her through her phone number now.
But can you please tell her I’m sorry…for the leaking of the photo again?
I’ll make sure that this won’t affect her future married life and her
career. I’m really sorry.

As Wendy finally sends the text she tosses her phone on the other side of the bed, it falls on the ground but she didn’t mind. For she suddenly remembered the cleaning staff she got fired for entering her room unannounced and even hit her, The Princess now holds her own cheek that was slapped by the beautiful woman a while ago.

“My sister’s college tuition, my mom’s h-hospital bills, debts that people passed on me, my electricity bill, my water bill, and all the other crap is what this lowlife only cares about…cause you see not all lowlifes care about your pathetic royal love life, because we are busy working hard to become a productive member of society, you know?”

“Was I too harsh with her?” Wendy now asks herself and pouts as she remembered Joohyun crying as she shouted at The Princess.

The Princess who was now so sorry for acting too much on the situation, hears her phone ringing from the floor and now rushes to get her phone.

“Woah!” Wendy falls on the floor but lands safely on her and now she checks on her phone.

SEUL

8:38 PM: Look at that cat Seungwan! Isn’t she cute? KEKEKEKE.

Wendy who was anticipating for a reply from Jennie’s manager, now groans and now proceeds to lie on her bedroom floor, when she notices a black leathered worn out watch below her bed.

DAISY HOTEL, PRIVATE ROOM, HALLWAY

“Shownu?”

“Shownu where are you?”

Shownu runs to enter the hallway, he was outside of the private room guarding but as he hears The Princess calling for him, he rushes to her side.

“Your Royal Highness! I’m here!” He shouted.

He sees The Princess dressed in a gray hoodie with jeans, and now wondered what’s with The Princess’ outfit.

“Your Royal Highness?” Bada entered the hallway too, now dressed in her pajamas.

“Good you’re awake Ma’am Bada, can you ask our staff to search for the whereabouts of Ms. Joohyun Bae right now?” The Princess now asks.

ROSE PALACE, THE KING’S OFFICE

The King was sitting in the middle as his staff are discussing for the recent events that has happened for the past few hours.

“Your Majesty, the activist Heechul Kim, was rushed in the hospital an hour ago, he was stabbed by an unknown assailant.” One of the cabinet members tells the King.

“So is this why people are now violently rallying outside the Rose Palace?” The King asks.

“Yes, they believe it was your ploy to get him assassinated…since Heechul Kim is fighting for his life in the emergency room right now.” Shindong tells The King.

“Tsk, really…then what are you all doing!” The King who can’t believe how the situation is getting worse and worse, now slaps his hand on the table.

“Well…we are actually thinking of using a diversion tactic, Your Majesty.” The bit plump head of staff Shindong,tells The King.

“What do you mean?” The King now stared at his staff eye to eye.

One of the secretary hands The King a paper, he reads what the paper contains.

 

The Princess gains a new following from the South Korean public and even internationally after her interview with rude A.B.Z. anchor, Chorong. Poll shows she gained the trust of the people more since she came out, which is tallied to be at 89% of South Koreans who would gladly support her becoming the new Queen and Ruler of South Korea, and will be the first ever Gay Queen to do so. Congress are now deciding to push for the gay marriage more and the public are in full support of it. LGBTQIA communities are thinking of doing a parade in honor of The Princess coming out today.

“Other than the study we gathered, it also shows Your Majesty that because of the shocking news The Princess announced a while ago, the rally is not getting much coverage, because people are too hooked on The Princess’ love life.” The Head of Staff, Shindong tells the king.

The King glared at his cabinet.

“You want me to use my own granddaughter as a diversion tactic?” The King asks while gritting his teeth.

“But Your Majesty…Princess Seungwan is very likeable and popular to the crowd, if we make it official now that you are in full support of The Princess’ decision, then this would likely cover Mr. Heechul Kim’s attempted assassination plus even your fiasco with the shipping tycoon-“ Shindong tells him.

“Get out.” The King cuts his head of staff.

“I’m sorry Your Majesty-“

“Get out, all of you get out!” He shouts to his staff.

The King is left in his office, and now sighs heavily, he stares at the insignia of the Son Family hanging by his office.

“Byeongho, my son, there is only one thing I will tell you, one thing you must learn…is that…”

“A ruler must understand, the need to sacrifice.” King Byeongho now whispers to himself as he remembers the words of his father told him when he was younger.

 

OUTSIDE THE SMALL CONDO UNIT

Joohyun walks back home dejected, she sighs and keeps thinking about their debts as she is almost makes it near the condo complex.

“Where’s the money!” A man shouts as he drags a mother and daughter with his crony.

The older woman falls to the ground, her daughter now bites the other man who was holding her.

“AHH!!” The man now cries in pain with his hand that the young girl bit.

“Mom! Yah! If you have to hurt someone do it to me! Leave my mom out of this!” She shouts.

“Yerimah! I told you to stay in the house!” Her mother shouts.

Yeri who was mad with what they did to her mother, now glares at the head debt collector who made her mother collapse to the ground.

“You are ugly!” She shouts in anger.

“What did you say? How dare you to shout at me you arrogant late paying girl!” The head debt collector now tries to slap Yeri when Joohyun shouts.

“Hey! Stop it! That debt was my dad’s not ours! Just be thankful we are paying for it!” Joohyun now runs to help her mother stand.

“Tsk, yah Joohyun-ssi, where’s your monthly payment? You know you are already a week late for this month.” The head debt collector glares.

“Um…can we please have a week more? I can’t pay you tonight...I got fired from my job today.” She now bows in forgiveness.

The head collector now laughs and starts poking the small elder girl’s forehead.

“You are so arrogant with the way you shouted at me, now you can’t even back it up with a payment? Pathetic.” He stares at Joohyun.

He sees a wine bottle on the garbage can and now breaks into two.

“How about I just punish you, by scarring that beautiful face?” He smiles at Joohyun, who doesn’t step back at all with his threat.

“Please leave my daughters alone, it’s-“

“Shut up, I’m not talking to you.” He cuts off the Bae Matriarch.

Joohyun stared and now her sister and mother are behind her small back.

“Unnie.” Yeri grips on her arm.

“How about it? Just slitting that pr