Chapter 52: Good Guy

I shake my head, smiling. “That was possibly the worst joke I’ve ever had the displeasure of hearing.”

Jay feigns offense as the elevator dings and the doors slide open. We step out onto my office floor. “You used to love my jokes.”

“Yeah, when I was like twelve.”

As we round the corner, still bickering, we find Tao standing at his desk with a file tucked under his arm, waiting for me, as per usual. He bows deeply to both Jay and I. “My Queen. Mr. Park.”

“Nice to see you again, Tao.” Jay greets with a friendly smile.

“Any messages for me?” I ask as my assistant straightens up.

“Yes, your majesty. A representative of Shao Incorporated left this for you.” He answers, extending the file to me.

“Shao Incorporated?” I question, thumbing distractedly through the pages. “I thought we were meeting them for the negotiation tomorrow morning?”

“Ah, yes but-“

Tao is cut off by my office door swinging open suddenly. I look over in surprise to see Michelle glowering at me, and Donghae standing sheepishly behind her, his arm, much like Jay’s, in a sling.

“Miyoung.” Michelle’s tone is firm and tight in an attempt to control her temper. “We need to talk. Right now.”

I close the file in my hand slowly, looking between Michelle and Donghae in confusion. “What-“

“Just get in here.” She says icily. “The both of you.”

I glance at Jay who shrugs, just as clueless as I am. “Sorry about this, Tao.” I apologize.

He shakes his head, acting as though it’s normal to witness members of a Royal Family squabbling with one another. “Not at all, Your Highness.”

Michelle stands aside as we enter. She closes the door with a final click. The tension solidifies. “Where were you?” She demands.

I furrow my brows, confused at her random bout of anger and walk over to my desk to lay the file down. “Jay and I went out to-“

“A Chinese restaurant?”

My brows draw to together, my level of confusion heightening. “Yeah, how did you-“ I turn around, as Michelle shoves her phone into my face.

“Because every media and news outlet spotted you, not only today, but for the past two weeks, gallivanting around town as this idiot’s arm candy.” She fumes, throwing her arm back to gesture at Jay standing, dumbstruck, behind her.

“What?” I snatch the phone from her hand to read the article properly. The headline of “Country’s New Queen seen on Lunch Date during Family Crisis” stares back at me, and panic begins brewing in the pit of my stomach. I scroll down frantically and see similar headlines and fuzzy, but unmistakable, pictures of Jay and I on our outings.

“It’s all bull.” Jay says, sliding his hand into his pocket and leaning onto the armrest of the sofa. “The media will find anything to latch onto-“

“And boy have they!” Michelle interrupts angrily. “Do you either of you understand how this looks on us?” Her gaze switching between us, fury ablaze in her eyes. No one responds. “Are you not aware that Taeyeon, your husband, is still missing?” She hisses, whirling around on me.

“Of course I’m aware!” I spit, pushing the phone back into her hand.

“Then you should’ve thought about how this would look. Taeyeon is missing. You should be seen making inquiries, giving speeches, comforting your country, not going on dates-!”

“We’re not dating!” I defend. “We’re friends. Can I not have friends?” I run my hands through my hair in frustration. “And what else am I suppose to do? Dad’s banned me from going anywhere near the case, no matter how much I try to reason with him.”

“Well, you’re not exactly proving him wrong, are you?” She counters with a coldness I haven’t felt from her before.

“Okay, everyone just needs to calm down.” Donghae intervenes, stepping between us just as I open my mouth to make a rebuttal. “This is a very stressful situation and no solution or compromise is going to come like this.”

We both take a deep breath. “He’s right.” Michelle says, taking a step back as I move to sit at my desk, my head thumping angrily.

I massage my temples, inhaling deep and collecting my scattered thoughts. I glance around my desk and see the file Tao had given me on my way in. “Why did Shao Incorporated leave this for me?” I ask breaking the silence, lifting the papers up. “The meeting is tomorrow, why would they give me this now?”

Michelle sighs in frustration and crumples down onto the sofa, and I notice how much more pronounced her baby bump is. “They rescheduled last minute to this afternoon, because Shao’s CEO had an emergency appointment to attend tomorrow. We tried to call you, but you didn’t answer. You missed the meeting.”

“Oh…” A lump grows in my throat, feeling guilty. “I had my phone turned off….”

Michelle watches me for a moment as I avoid her judging eyes. “Could you two give us a moment?” She asks, looking over at Jay and Donghae, who nod silently before leaving without a word.

The door gently clicks shut. “Miyoung.” She sighs quietly, getting to her feet. I hang my head low. She moves around the desk, pulls my chair to face her and kneels down in front of me. She takes my hands in hers. “What’s going on with you, huh?”

I stare at our entwined fingers – it’s rare for Michelle to show such affection – before a sudden bout of annoyance emerges at the pity in her voice. I wrench my hand away. “Do you think I wanted any of this?”

She stands up straight, her expression suddenly hard. “Why would anyone want any of this-“

“Because you’re making me feel as if this is all my fault.” I cut in quietly and swallow down. “I get it. I’ve made so many ing mistakes. But Taeyeon going missing wasn’t by my hand.”

“Stephi, I know that, but the way you’re dealing with this isn’t right. It’s not what’s expected of a Queen.”

“Then you take the crown.”

“What?” She splutters. “Don’t be stupid-“

“I’ll step down from the throne, and you and Donghae can become Queen and King, like it was supposed to be.”

She stares at me calculatingly. “Father crowned you and Taeyeon for a reason. I trust his judgment.”

“I think I’ve made it clear that I’m just not cut out for this. You said it yourself, I’m not dealing with this like a Queen should.” I rub my temples, defeated.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t turn it around.” She says gently. “Mother insulted the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, spilt champagne on the chancellor of finance, and accidentally punched the President’s wife all within a span of 4 hours at her Coronation Party.”

I soften, recalling my mother speaking of that exact instance on many occasions.

“It made headlines for weeks.” Michelle continued. “The country basically hated her at the start.”

“But they loved her in the end.” I finish quietly.

“Exactly.” She smiles at me softly. “It’s not too late. And…” She glances at the door, as if to double check that no one is listening, and lowers her voice to a near whisper. “I know father had his reasons for banning you from the case but…” she hesitates for a moment. “…legally, he has no right to do so.”

“What are you talking about?” I furrow my brows questioningly.

“Think about it, Fany.” She urges. “Dad stepped down from his position as King months ago. You and Taeyeon stepped up, that means, in terms of the hierarchy, you hold more power than dad right now. You could easily overrule any decision he makes. Really, dad can’t make any official decisions – all he can do is advise.”

I facepalm myself. “Why the didn’t I realise that?”

“It’s hard to see the whole picture when you’re standing so close to it.” She replies softly, gazing at me. She grips my forearm in encouragement. “You have more power here than you think. Use it wisely.”

“Thank you – for everything.” I inhale deeply, grounding myself and my emotions. “I’ll try and do better.” And as I stare into Michelle’s familiar face, a sudden idea occurs to me.

* * *

A chilly gust of wind passes by as I stare out into the palace grounds, blanketed in the night’s darkness, from my balcony. Taeyeon and I had spent many evenings out here, stargazing and talking. It all comes rushing back to me, flooding my chest, my throat with anxiety, worry – sadness.

“We’re going to have to pull through it.” My mind travels back to the night before we were crowned, where I aired my worries to her, and she so kindly resolved them like she always did. “I know it’s a lot of work, but we don’t really have a choice. We can’t change your father’s decision.” I inhale shakily, remembering her face under the star-flecked sky, holding me just right. “But no matter how hard it gets, we’ll go through it together.”

“Your Highness,” I jump slightly and spin around to be faced with a palace guard, standing by the balcony’s open doors. “Prince Donghae is here, as you requested.”

I collect my thoughts. “Thank you. Send him up.”

He bows and disappears back into my quarters to collect Donghae. I wait patiently for a moment, listening to the steady thud of his oncoming footsteps.

“You wanted to see me?” He pokes his head out uncertainly.

I smile, small. “Yeah…I, uh…I just wanted to talk to you about earlier, you know…with Michelle and Jay.”

“Oh, of course.”

A harsh blow of cold wind bustles by, sending shivers down both our spines. “Maybe we should head inside?” I suggest.

“Gladly.” He chuckles slightly.

We move inside and down the stairs of my two-story room, to the couches in the living area. As Donghae sits, I feel a sudden wave of awkwardness overcome me – this is the first time him and I have ever sat down for a chat, alone. How to make this easier?

“You want something to drink?”

He looks at me, surprised. “I didn’t know you were much of a drinker.”

“I used to be.” I admit. “In my young and wild years, before I met Taeyeon, I could knock them back just as good as anyone.”

He smiles kindly. “How could I forget our young and wild Miyoung.”

I shrug. “It was a while ago.” I say, going toward the kitchen counter, to where we keep our small selection of alcohol. “So, drink?”

“Got any whisky?”

“Glenmorangie suit you?”

“That suits me just fine.”

I pour Donghae his whisky and mix a vodka and cranberry for myself, before settling down on the couch next to him. We fall silent for a moment, awkwardly, sipping our drinks self-consciously.

“I, uh, I actually wanted to apologise,” he starts, moving his glass away from his lips. “you know, on Michelle’s behalf. I’m sure you’re aware of what her temper is like and, well, the pregnancy isn’t exactly helping.”

We share a light chuckle. “Oh, don’t worry – it’s fine.” I take a sip of my drink and swallow. “I know what she’s like. We patched things up anyway. There’s no bad blood. And all that stuff she said about Jay and I was for my own good. I didn’t realise how it looked.” I swirl the red liquid in my glass thoughtfully. “You know, when I saw you earlier, I realized that I hadn’t congratulated you.”

“Congratulated me?”

“Yeah, for becoming a soon-to-be father. You must be elated.”

“Yes, elated. Terrified – but elated.”

“I can imagine.” I smile warmly. “But I’m sure you’ll slip into fatherhood just fine.”

“I really hope so.” He replies, looking down into his glass. “For Michelle’s sake - and the baby’s sake.”

We exchange friendly smiles, and I consider how exactly to ask my next question. “Donghae, uh…” I begin uncertainly. “There was actually something else that I wanted to ask you about – something a little more serious.”

“Oh.” He sets his whisky glass down on the table. “What about?”

“The kidnap.”

His face darkens considerably. He clears his throat. “What about the kidnap?”

I shrug, trying to seem as causal as possible. “Just…your perspective on things. Did anything seem off or strange during the trip? Was there any inclination that something was wrong before it happened?”

“Tiffany,” He sighs, “Your father made it pretty clear that he didn’t want you anywhere near the investigation. I don’t want to, you know, cause any trouble by going against his orders.”

“I know, I know but…” I exhale. “The other day, when Michelle and I had that chat – she pointed out that, in terms of hierarchy, I hold more power than my father currently. I can overrule any decision he makes.”

He nods his head in consideration, rubbing at his chin. “Michelle is right. You can overrule your father. However, he still sees you as his little girl – regardless if you’re the Queen or not. And, not to mention, he still holds great influence in all aspects, even if the crown is no longer his. I doubt he’ll roll over so easily.”

“My thoughts exactly.” I say, drinking down more of my vodka mixer. I place the glass down on the coffee table, and lean forward in my seat slightly, “Even if, legally, I overrule him, I know there’s no way he’ll budge. He thinks that I’m irrational and careless but…but something just doesn’t feel right. I know it. Something is off.”

“Like what?” He questions, expression curious and listening.

“I’m not even entirely sure. It’s just…a gut feeling.”

“I see.” Donghae nods slowly. The look on his face is far from judgmental. “I almost feel the same way.” He admits after a moment.

So, it’s not just me. A small sense of relief washes over my mind. “After some careful thinking, I realized the only way to regain my father’s confidence is to prove him wrong. I need to find some solid evidence, or a witness, or something to prove that Siwon isn’t the one behind this.”

“Isn’t that going to be hard considering you’re banned from the case?”

“Well…yes. But I thought of another way – and I’ll need your help.”

He rests his elbows on his knees, listening intently. “I’m all ears.”

“What if I start my own investigation.” I lean down and pick up a manila folder from under the coffee table and hand it to him. “You’ll probably think it’s ludicrous – but I see no other way.”

He opens it and scans over it carefully, only for his eyes to widen. “The Hashashin…” He lowers the file slowly, his face riddled with shock. “How did you get this information?”

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