He opened his eyes in shock when he found himself lying on the ground instead. Then he recalled the incident yesterday.

Great. He’s now a married man. And he totally had no idea how to act like one. Plus he doesn’t even know if he can stand his yeobo’s obsession in becoming the Queen.

That mixed feelings that tormented him last night refreshed in his mind. He totally had no clue of how to treat her, how to interact with her. After all, it is his first wedding, first wife, though the words do not imply the possibilities of having a second one. After all, no one knows what the future holds. His marriage was just to delay/wreck General Choi and his dad’s plan on rebelling. Now that he’s considered done with his duty, he doesn’t know what to do anymore.

She saw her shift in her position. His eyes widened. What if she wakes up now? He started praying “please don’t let her wake up now…” which he will totally regret if he knew the truth because truth was, it were his prayers that disturbed her sleep.

“Morning…” Jinri muttered, and then, “who are you?!” she exclaimed.

Did she seriously forget everything that happened yesterday? Like amnesia? Taemin thought to himself. Seriously…this girl…

“Ahh!” Jinri then exclaimed loudly, which shook him back from his thoughts.

“What happened?” The reflex action would be to ask that.

“I remember you! That Lee…Lee something…” Jinri stared at him blank-faced. “Sorry…I cannot remember…”

Taemin inched closer towards her with a dangerous aura. “Yeobo, my name is Lee Taemin. Your yeobo’s called Lee Taemin.” He repeated. “Should you forget my name again…” He inched closer towards her, leaving her almost breathless in her spot, “you will receive your due punishment.”

He left the room.

What the heck just happened? Jinri thought to herself, her palms to her chest, feeling the beat of her heart that skipped a moment ago.

Due to the recent 2 marriages that caused a storm to the Chosun dynasty, King Taein specifically requested the 2 wed couples to enter the palace for some normal greetings. And yes, the second marriage was the plan by King Taein to wreck the rebel plan, putting 2 families with massive grudges together: the union of Choi Minho and Jung Sooyeon, who was later replaced with Soojung, after Sooyeon eloped with Crown Prince Heechul a day before her due marriage.

“Choi Jinri, get ready. We’re heading to the palace.” Taemin informed.

Palace? That’s totally her plan.

Choi Jinri’s 5 steps to become the Queen:

1. Get to know a royalty or anyone who is capable of succeeding the throne
2. Seduce him with Choi Jinri’s unique and brilliant charm
3. Convince him to marry you
4. Make him WANT to be the King, your influence alone is not enough, make him DESIRE for it
5. Aid him in his plan
And Ta-Da! Before you know you are already the Queen, Choi Jinri.

“I’m coming!” Jinri replied in a delightful tone.

Taemin and Jinri left for the palace in a sedan chair.

“Taemin, I want you to divorce Jinri right now!” Lee Teuk demanded.

“Sorry, I cannot do this.” That was Taemin’s curt reply.

“I don’t have such an unfilial son like you!” Lee Teuk shouted.

“Taemin, why…” Jinki questioned.

“Mianhae, this is my duty as King Taein’s subordinate.” Taemin replied.

“King Taein…King Taein! Have you ever regarded me as an appa?” Lee Teuk exclaimed.

“Have you ever regarded me as a son, then?” Taemin stared at Lee Teuk in his eyes.

“GREAT. Since you have said that, I shall no longer see you as a son.” Lee Teuk threatened.

Taemin gave out a long sigh. Since the marriage, his relations with his family had worsened to another level. He would be lying if he said that didn’t affect him.

“Yahh, what’s wrong with you?” Jinri questioned in curiosity.

“Just troubled,” Taemin replied, not willing to reveal more details. Yet Jinri wanted more.

“Troubled over?”

“Having an overly curious yeobo,” Taemin replied while hiding a laugh.

“Oooh…” Jinri replied, then “Yahh!” when she realized that he was referring to her. She stood up in the sedan chair in displeasure when all of a sudden, the sedan halted. Inertia made Jinri fall in her position and luckily Taemin was just in front of her and caught her in time.

“Thanks.” Jinri replied, and when she looked up, Taemin was just centimeters away from her. Such close proximity made her blush unknowingly.

“No problem.” Taemin replied and called out to the front “What’s happening?”

“Sorry Master Lee, we’re continuing now…” One lifter replied.

However, just when Jinri had gotten up and was going to return to her seat, the sedan moved and once again Jinri fell into Taemin’s arms.

“What is this? Such an unlucky…” Jinri complained and was about to get up once again when she slipped on her footing and her lips crashed onto his. Taemin’s eyes widened in absolute shock and so did Jinri. Taemin pushed her aside instinctively.

“Mianhae…it…it wasn’t intentional…I can swear!” Jinri tried to explain herself in her stutters, her face redder than before, and her hands raised up in a “swearing” sign.

Taemin rubbed his mouth with his clothes and laughed when he saw Jinri looking all serious in her explanation. Well, he never said that he blamed it on her, but then seeing her looking all jittery because of the accidental kiss makes him want to more.

“You sure that wasn’t intentional?” Taemin leaned towards her, leaving her no space to move away in the sedan chair. Her eyes widened in shock once again. “Stop coming closer!” Jinri exclaimed.

“But isn’t that what you like?” Taemin replied, still moving closer to her.

“I don’t like this, Lee Taemin!” Jinri exclaimed. Taemin moved away from her. “Aha, now you remember my name.” he lightly commented.

“You!” Did he just do all that to ? Gosh what kind of person he is? Jinri thought to herself, and she sensed her heart skipping a beat once again. What’s wrong with my heart today? She thought to herself.

They finally arrived at the palace. Taemin and Jinri went to the grand hall first to greet King Taein, who had been waiting for them for a long time.

At the left and right side of King Taein were the newly appointed Crown Prince Kai and most beloved advisor Jonghyun.

“Great, now I would like to talk to Taemin and Jonghyun in private. Kai, would you leave the hall with Choi Jinri for a moment?”

“Yes King appa.” Prince Kai bowed in response.

Taemin took one last look at Jinri’s back before she stepped out of the grand hall.

…

GREAT! Even luck’s with me! Now it’s time to carry out my plan. Jinri thought to herself.

1. Get to know a royalty or anyone who is capable of succeeding the throne

“I’m General Choi’s daughter, Choi Jinri.” Jinri took the initiative. Of course she would, in front of her is such a potential candidate for the throne. He is the Crown Prince, for goodness sake. Could anything be better than that?

Kai smiled and turned towards her. “I’m the newly appointed Crown Prince, Kai.”

Step one, success. Jinri thought to herself.

2. Seduce him with Choi Jinri’s unique and brilliant charm

This would require some bit of luck and tactics, Jinri thought to herself. With that, she stepped backwards and pretended to fall.

“Ahh!” She exclaimed, hoping to attract Kai’s attention so that he would support her waist to prevent her from falling and then they would have this eye gazing moment that marks the first sign of LOVE.

Well, Kai did notice her, but just when he was about to reach out his hands for her she had already fall down to the ground.

Bad timing, Choi Jinri.

“Ouch!” Jinri winced.

“Mianhae!” Kai exclaimed in shock, his arms stretched out in an i-was-going-to-support-you-but-somehow-things-went-this-way-instead position.

“It’s okay…” Jinri grimaced.

“Here, let me pull you up,” Kai offered his hands.

Aha, here’s your chance. Jinri you better not screw this up. Let him lift you up and you fall into his embrace. Alright, here we go…

She reached out her hands for his. She tugged a little and Kai ended up falling on top on her instead.

! Was Jinri’s first instinct, I mean things didn’t go her way again…but then hey! This looked like a better opportunity. He was putting himself together and his gaze met hers. Jinri made sure she gave out a gentle gaze in front of him.

And he was…mesmerized. I mean, this girl in such close proximity that he would be able to kiss her once he lowers his head. Not to mention this girl is a beauty, on par with the famous “Jung sisters”.

But he was the Crown Prince. Maybe he would have lowered himself on her when he was just a Prince who didn’t have to bother about his image, but he is the Crown Prince right now, and Crown Prince had a reputation to maintain.

“Mianhae…” He stuttered and proceeded to stand up.

Aish! I was so damn close to this! Jinri thought to herself. She saw that he was clearly INTO her.

Jinri cleared her thoughts and stood up as well.

Think, Choi Jinri, think…what else is possible?

Aha! An idea hatched inside her head. And guess what? Tears trickled down her cheeks. YES. That’s how good an actor she is, pity that she wasn’t born eons later or she could have been a rare fine actress.

“Prince Kai,” she sniffed as she spoke.

Now Kai was really shocked.

“What’s wrong?” His heart literally melted upon seeing her tears. Who could have made such a fragile girl cry like this bad? Now he’s starting to worry if he’s the one, maybe because he didn’t catch her in time, or he had injured her when he fell on her.

“Nothing.” Jinri replied. Guys would love to know what exactly happened. So she was confident that he would probe on.

“Oh.” Too bad Kai isn’t the kind that Jinri had expected.

THE END? SERIOUSLY THE END?

“Don’t…don’t you want to know what happened?” Jinri tested him.

“Hmm…you said nothing, so I chose to leave it as it is.”

FACEPALM. Kai the Crown Prince, why are you like that?

OKAY THEN. Jinri thought to herself in frustration. She is going to tell him everything…that she made up, of course *smirk*

“Prince Kai…” *sniffs*

“Erhm yes? You have called my time twice…” Kai responded in puzzlement. Why can’t girls just get to the topic and not keep calling the person’s name. He thought to himself.

“It’s not a good thing to be married…” *sniffs more*

And may I know why? Jinri thought to herself. That is something that she was waiting for him to ask.

But she waited, and stared at him. No words came out from his mouth?

Kai stared back at her. Another problem with girls: they don’t freaking complete their sentence, and she looks like she’s waiting for something. Like what? For the world to end?

*Stares more*

Until.

*Cough cough*

They turned to the sound of the cough. Aha, that’s right, the yeobo’s standing there, as if watching a drama.

Jinri’s eyes stared wide at him. Urghhh…did he really have to appear at the wrong timing? She was soooooo close to seducing Prince Kai.

And that was exactly Taemin’s intention. He isn’t blind or anything. He could sense the *sparks* coming from the two of them even when he was a distance away. Of course he would not allow that, as much as his marriage was an order by King Taein, a marriage is a marriage. He would not allow his yeobo, aka this Choi Jinri to go around and attract other people’s attention, especially a guy’s, and even more especially a guy as eligible as Crown Prince Kai.

And to think that Kai is my best friend. He thought sourly.

Call it jealousy? He flatly denied. It’s just the basic duties of a married couple. He argued in his head.

“Yeobo!” The intimate calling.

Which sent shivers up her spine. What is he up to?

A hug enveloped her. He was showing his rights. In front of Prince Kai.

Back off this woman. She’s married. That was the message. And Kai received it clearly. He knew he was courting for trouble, but something told him to challenge this best friend of his.

“It’s not a good thing to be married…”

Sorry friend, you know I always put ladies in front of buddies. Kai thought.

“Taemin, Jinri was complaining that married life is not great. So what did you do to her?”

“Oh…Why Jinri is there anything that you’re not satisfied with?” Taemin turned to her with puppy eyes.

Gahhhh this faker! Jinri thought to herself. Now he’s pushing everything back to her. What can she come up with…that he can’t deny, of course.

She couldn’t possibly say because he screwed her marriage with Jinki, that would ultimately blurt out her desires to be the Queen, and that would turn Kai off.

She couldn’t possibly say because he threatened her about her plans, because that would still lead to the same thing.

“Because…you didn’t fulfill the duties a husband should do.” She blurted out in anxiety.

“Oh~” Taemin thought for a moment. “Like what? You want me to hug and kiss you now?”

THAT’S NOT HER POINT! Jinri went into a flustered mode.

But before she could reply anything, Taemin continued in a sly tone.

“Like what we did in the sedan chair just now?”

Kai widened his eyes. From Jinri’s flustered response he knew that Taemin was not lying.

“NO!” Jinri denied in shock. What is this Lee Taemin trying to do right now? Sabotage her plan again?

So they are a sweet couple. Kai thought to himself. Then what is this Choi Jinri trying to say just now? Married life is not good? It sounded better than ever coming from Taemin, he thought bitterly.

“I’m going first.” Kai responded and walked away, despite Jinri’s constant calling of his name.

“Yah Lee Taemin! Why are you always sabotaging my awesome plan?” Jinri yelled at him, after Kai was an inaudible distance away.

“Choi Jinri, act like a married woman please.” Taemin shouted back. “Don’t think I don’t see you trying to flirt with Kai.”

“So what? It’s not your business!” Jinri argued back.

“I’m your yeobo for goodness sake! What face do I still have if words of that spread?” Taemin argued, at the same time trying to explain his actions to himself.

“Yah! You don’t even have a face to begin with!” Jinri argued incoherently. Like what? Taemin has no face? What argument is that?

“So what if I have no face? At least I…Choi Jinri I have a freaking face here!” Taemin argued brainlessly until he heard the weirdness in the argument.

Jinri laughed. “You lose.”

Taemin laughed along. “Fine I lose. Stop flirting with Kai.” He said.

“I win, so I get to choose what I want!” Jinri replied, running away from Taemin, just in case something happens again.

“Yah! Where’re you going?” Taemin asked.

“Back!” Jinri shouted from ahead.

“Pabo! We’re living in the palace from now on.” was Taemin’s reply.

GREAT! If she’s living in the palace, she would have more chances to see Kai.

And she can leave the rest of her 5 Steps technique to their next meeting.