She's Mine

Khuna

‘HRH Prince Nichkhun Horvejkul, first in line to the throne and most sought after bachelor not only in Thailand but also, in all of Asia… in search of a bride.’

‘…dubbed a notorious playboy and heartbreaker did not stop the prince’s long list of applicants’

‘He was born and raised in his mother country but later educated in the United States…has earned him quite a reputation amongst the ladies…’

For the first time in so many weeks Yoona got a whole day off. All she wanted was to sit in the couch and watch TV, like a true couch potato. So despite Fany being very vocal about sticking to her ‘diet’ and Sunny’s disagreement about having a very, very messy lounge, she does exactly that.

She flicked, munched and flicked the TV channel and to her disappointment, yet again, it was all about that smug looking pretty boy that everyone wanted to marry. For weeks, his face has been plastered all over the magazines and papers. Even documentaries about the Thai royal family has been endlessly replaying.

Apparently, his father is poorly and he needs to pass the crown to the next in line which is supposed to be Nichan, but the latter refused. Instead, he is somewhere in Africa, volunteering. There’s also that rumour of him being ordained; a man of God. In simple terms, a priest. This news was not taken lightly. Tears were shed, petitions raised and to no avail, the man of the moment became centre of attention.

Her fellow members, sans the taken(Jess, Tiff and Seohyun), follow news regarding the prince. If she hadn’t known better, she’d think they were professional netizens and certified fan girls that had license to stalk. To this, the rest of the morning was spent enduring her Sunny and Fany(despite being taken!) swoon over the Thai prince. ‘Thank heavens the others have morning schedules’ she thought, ‘or I’d have 8 girls bickering over who gets to be Cinderella.’

She must admit he was attractive. It was not a secret that she liked pretty flower boys, but she was not much of fan girl, definitely not of his. Yoona preferred to play little boy antics towards her members, and would laugh ever so boldly at their squeals.

At the break of dawn, the girls were woken up by their manager. All schedules were cancelled as they’re invited to perform the royal ball. Apparently, the prince has taken a liking to one of the girls. After much spasms, major swooning and a lot of squeals, they finally managed to get to the airport.

Upon arrival, men in suits greeted  and lead them to a limo. After a few minutes, they stopped.

"We’re here?" asked a bewildered Yoona. "Babo." replied an overly excited Sunny as she stepped out of the limo. Still looking confused, Yoona was last to step out. A few feet away them was a white jumbo jet, with what seemed to be the family’s crest on its tail.

"The Thai royal family’s house is located on an island."Seohyun offered her knowledge. Yoona, on the other hand, was still digesting the whole owning a private jet thing when Sooyoung added, "It’s a private island right?"

The palace; was as expected, very private too. It was located at the heart of the island, and whoever planned to travel by land would probably never see tomorrow. As Sunny knowingly put it, ‘the forest was very much alive’. Jess also added, "one of the main reasons of moving was because of the rich wildlife it offered."

"And to have lesser encounters with stalkers." Hyoyeon continued, snickering.
 

***

The head of events organiser did not waste any time welcoming them. She was a stern lady in her fifties, who was constantly on her phone. She lead them towards the grand ballroom, passing by a long hallway of marble floor and walls filled with life-sized paintings, and a grand staircase with golden lining. Yoona asked if it was real gold, the old lady, to be referred as Ann, only looked at her in disbelief as if trying to convey a great big ‘DUH’.

They rehearsed Run Devil Run and Gee once, after which, Ann offered the girls of a tour on the ‘mini safari’ just outside the palace balcony. Everyone was a tad bit skeptical, but Ann assured them it is safe and when she mentioned the prince being there, all the doubt faded.

As much as Yoona loved animals, she decided to stay. She felt really tired, and to her defense, she experiences the worst of jet lags. But, Thailand wasn’t very far from Korea; so it may be, then, the cause of that bacon and egg sandwich in addition to two quarter pounders she consumed right before boarding the plane; ‘Ah. That must be it’ she laughed at herself.

Ann specifically told her to stay in the entertainment room- it was either this, or their offered bedroom- because she was not taught the customary way of greeting the royals and also, their performance is supposed to be a surprise to the guests, others may misunderstand if she freely wandered on her own.

This room had all the necessary things to keep her entertained. It was like a cinema house, with a mini bar, a pool table and of course fair choice of movies. She did not feel like staying in, as she preferred to do these things with her members- it was their bonding thing.

She sneaked her ways outside, being in this new environment excited her. She couldn’t help but snoop around so she walked the almost endless hallway and found herself staring at the eldest prince’s portrait.

"It’s a shame isn’t it? I would have squealed as hard as Sunny-unni if I knew you were looking for a bride…Instead you’re in some forsaken land doing good deeds." She started bantering. She had a light childhood crush on the charming prince. She met him briefly at a museum opening where she was the CF model. Nichkhun was also there but he was heavily entertained by girls left and right that they were not formally introduced.

She clicked her tongue in playful disapproval and said,"So you’ve become a priest now, huh?" she rested her hands on her hoodie pockets and continued, "Well, it’s not really that surprising, you seem to be the nicer brother."

Her seclusion made her feel liberated, so she pursued her banter. "Unlike that younger brother of yours…geez." Unbeknownst to her, she was a source of entertainment to a pair of watchful eyes. He smirked knowingly. Although he was of Thai decent, he was fluent in 7 other languages, including Korean. ‘This girl…’ he thought. ‘Where have I seen her from?’ His train of thought was interrupted when she said, "Not too long ago, that smug looking royal pain in the--"

"Ah!" the prince had a eureka moment, which gave him away. Yoona turned around, looking surprised. She froze upon the discovery of who it was. ‘Dammit’ she thought. ‘I’m gonna get banished!’ Unconsciously she stepped backwards, and again, and tripped.

Being the drama fanatic, she imagined the prince catching her, his arms around her body, and cradling her head. She shut her eyes expecting these, instead, she felt her head hammered. A loud thud filled the hallway. Next thing she knew, she was lying in bed. She blinked a couple of times and rubbed her eyes. Her body felt stiff. With no one on sight she sat up straight and tried to remember what happened.

"Prince…portait…OMG!" she hurriedly looked for her phone and looked at the time. 9PM. She has been sleeping for 8 hours. "Oh no. Does that even make sense?" She asked herself.

‘No. No it doesn’t.’ came a reply.
"It doesn’t does it?" she replied back. "I need to hurry, what time does it start again?"
‘seven’
"Seven? Seven!" she exclaimed, looking for clothes to change into. "That must have been quite a hit! I’m even hearing voices!"

She was about to take her top off when a voice from behind said

‘You’re a bit bold, aren’t you?’

Yoona, all too familiar with the voice saying the very same phrase all those years ago, turned and looked at the source.

***
Nichkhun, who was hiding from his body guards and the boyfriend of this girl he met at a bar, went inside the very first room he found. Somehow, he always ends up in this sticky situation. The escape was always perfect; all he needed was to find a really crowded bar to lose his bodyguards. It was the girls that proved to be unlucky. He heard mutterings outside and saw the door handle turn. In panic, he managed to fit all 6 ft of him into a small corner behind the clothing line. The door opened, and to his relief, it wasn’t the mafia, nor his body guards. Instead, it was this strikingly beautiful lady. She looked like she was on a hurry, she was mumbling ‘…audition…Cinderella Man…late…’ She began taking off her coat and ran her fingers through her long brown locks. The prince’s heart skipped a beat. As much as he wanted to stay for the full show, he knew he was being intrusive, so he said ‘You’re a bit bold, aren’t you?’ in a playful tone. The girl blushed and pointed at him. He thought he was recognised, so he admitted, "Yes. I’m Nichkhun Horvejkul, prince of Thailand." The girl looked even more confused, so he took off his hat, and his classic Ray Ban’s. He looked like a shabbier version of himself but it’ll do. He’s still recognisable and it will save him explaining himself. ‘ert.’ the girl mustered. ‘If you’re the prince then I am the queen of England.’ she said boldly. Surprised and then amusement painted the prince’s face. ‘How adorable’ he thought.

‘She's mine.’ he declared to himself.

***

"S-so…so you really are that ert?" she stuttered.
"ert?" he said genuinely shocked. Girls of all types would stick and parade themselves to him. To be called a ert, twice, by the same woman, was enthralling. His declaration never got into fruition as he was, alas, caught by his body guards.
"Once…Twice…Thrice…" he said thoughtfully whilst counting with his fingers.
"Not only is he a ert, he is also a weirdo."
"When you meet someone thrice, it is destiny." The prince smiled, quite pleased.
‘Thrice? Thrice what?’ She clicked her tongue yet again.

"I genuinely feel sorry for this country." she mumbled to herself. "With a king like that~"

"Like what?" he replied with feign innocence.
"Like YOU!" she retorted.
"Like me?" he said, acting shocked.
"YES. Like YOU!"
"You’re cute, aren’t you?" he said pulling her closer. He pinched her cheeks lightly and said, "It’d be nice to have you around. Life wouldn’t be as boring."
Before she could reply, he was already holding her hand, and practically dragged her along the hallway.

"Hey! Where are we going?" she asked.
"Shh… It’s a surprise." He winked. They stopped at a wide door under a marble arch. "You ready?" he asked.
"Ready for what?"
"No matter what I say…Say yes, ok?" He let out a small smile, his affections clearly showing. For a moment, Yoona was in her own world, gazing at his gorgeous features. He noticed the trance she was in and smirked.

She grunted about how deceiving appearances can be and said,  "I can’t believe how smug a person can get. Seriously." mentally punched his shoulder.
Only it wasn’t mental. "Damn." she thought. It was quite firm.
"Damn what?" he said in a tone an octave lower than usual.
"D-damn…you?" she stuttered, mentally questioning her capability to control herself, she let out a sheepish grin.

The prince stepped closer to her direction, and leaned closer. She noticed how he easily towered over her tall stature. Her heart beat uncontrollably as his face slowly closed to hers. She forced herself not to be hypnotised by those round brown orbs that screamed familiarity and longing. She wandered her eyes and  found herself looking at his lips, which was about to say something, but turned into a smile.

He noticed her eyes’ direction and to his surprise, he couldn’t contain himself. He cupped her delicate face with his oddly masculine hands.

Her heard beat even more rapidly at the touch of rough palms. It was a great contrast to his almost feminine face, but rather surprisingly, she liked it. She closed her eyes in anticipation, and twice today, her drama-fanatic brain has lead her on. He chuckled at her reaction, others would have taken advantage but she just stood still. ‘How cute’ he thought. His palms could still feel the heat radiating from her cheeks. For a moment he let go, her cheeks flushed bright red and her lips slightly parted.

Yoona opened her eyes the moment his cold and rough hands left her cheeks. In embarrassment, she covered her face with both her hands.

"Not very bold now, are we?" he said, amused. He leaned once again as he took her hands ever so gently to reveal her face. He caressed her cheeks whilst admiring her beauty. She wasn’t wearing any make-up on but she was beautiful.

'This ain’t working the second time round, buddy' she thought. ‘He must think I’m a fool, geez.’

She was about to scream in protest when a pair of luscious lips locked hers.

It was not her first, but somehow, it made her feel complete. The tingling sensation...The butterflies...It was all there. She wanted it to last longer than forever. The kiss was starting to get deep when gasps filled the silence. The door was opened and they were standing visible to the whole room. Yoona stood nervously, with Nichkhun’s arms around her. She leaned against him for support as he  Mutterings of disapproval increased, apart from her member’s obvious fan girl squeals. They were making thumb-ups and love hearts, whilst jumping up and down.

The prince ignored the crowd and faced to where the throne was. He bowed in curt, and announced

"To your request, I have found a bride. Mother, Father, this is Im Yoona."

He let out an overly confident smile. Yoona could, however, feel that it was on the contrary. His hand held hers like there was no tomorrow.

The king and queen merely nodded, expressionless.

That's it. She was getting married. She didn't even get to say yes--or NO. As fearless as she may be, there were far too many laser glares pointing at her direction to speak up; all the women, young and old, seem to follow her every move... Like a predator waiting to pounce on their defenseless prey. Luckily for her, the prince never left her side,(he seemed to have had a 180 degree turn from the smug playboy of a prince to a loving, adoring and protective fiance). That meant she wasn't able to perform with her group, but also, she was safe from the tigresses and lionesses of the ball.

***
The party ended on a happy note, as the eldest prince, Nichan came back. He announced that he was still first in line, despite not having a bride. And cleared the rumours of him becoming a priest. He was, in fact, in Africa to meet with other Royals to widen their alliances. He was, again, centre of attention.

Hearing his announcement, Yoona came to the conclusion that the engagement was off. She was slightly relieved to know that her 'engagement' was broken off and thought with much sarcasm, 'It was good while it lasted.' Four hours of being engaged was not really the most idealistic time frame, so she was thankful that no press nor paparazzi were present. Her conclusion was, however, on the contrary.

Nichan announced that because he does not have a spouse, Nichkhun will need to produce an heir seeing that he has found his princess. Once again, murmurs of disapproval were heard from fangirls, and fanmums alike. Yoona suddenly felt her heart beat faster than usual, as her jaw dropped. Embarrasment was written all over her cherry-red face as Nichkhun released his hold from her hand and put his arms around her, positioning himself on a comfortable back-hug. He couldn't be too pleased with his brother's announcement as he smiled ever so widely and gave him a thumbs-up.

"I suppose i gotta call you my baby-omma now, jagiya." he suddenly whispered to her ear, making her blush even more. She didn't like to admit but, she was starting to like his antics. The back-hug definately a top contender.

"J-jagiya?...baby-omma??" she stuttered. The prince, as if knowing what  his scent alone causes to her fragile heart, leaned his head on hers, his nose touching her cheek. "omo..omoya.." was all she could say. She was getting comfortable...too comfortable for her own good. She was starting to like the back-hug. His warmth... 'Oh my gosh.' she thought. She was speechless.

She was completely and utterly speechless.

What in the world is going on in this little brain of hers? She questioned herself, and her sanity. She's falling for the prince!

Damn.Damn.Damn.

***

Despite all the attention, Nichan managed to sneak out to have a word with Yoona who was still slightly confused. It took him quite awhile to convince Nichkhun to let them talk alone. He had to resort to the 'older brother', and ofcourse, the 'being first in line to the throne' authoritative tone so that Nichkhun couldn't do anything but comply.

The younger prince, however, did not leave without saying,

'Your highness, She's Mine.'

***

After the formalities, Nichan got down to business...

The information has left Yoona even more dumbstruck than she already was. 'Too much information.' she thought as she sat down by the fountain. She let out a small sigh at the ironicalness of the situation.  She saw a shadow approaching, she chuckled at the sight of who it was. She looked in admiration. His dashingly good looks, his angelic features…She mentally slapped herself for forgetting.

***
He approached her slowly and said, "Must have been hard for you, huh."
All she could hear was Nichan’s voice ringing in her mind. Constantly replaying, like an endless loop…

"I can see that he has finally taken courage to be with you." he began. "Seeing how confused you are, maybe I should start from the very beginning?" Yoona nodded.

"You see, Khun was a poorly child. He probably got it from father. The stresses of the limelight was only making it worse, so we decided to move here... but even then, we could not get peacefulness. So our parents decided to send him to Korea. He was about 9, maybe 10." he continued, smiling. Yoona still could not understand her relevance to this, and voiced her confusion, but Nichan continued. "He went under the name Kim Nam Goon." he chulcked. "Ann chose the name. She’s a fan of Kim Nam Gil."

‘Khun, Goon, Khun, Goon’ she repeated precariously until her brain eventually came into a realisation. Fireworks exploded in her brain, as she had this eureka moment.

He was that smug prince that everyone loved...

The smug prince that stole her first real kiss.

Thrice

He was that ert she couldn't stop thinking of.

Twice

He was Goonie, her first love.

Once

***

‘Goon-ah.’ she affectionately called.

He was the angel that she thought to be long gone.
She was the being that made him cling for every breath.
He was her destiny.
She was his.

‘Khun-ah’ she repeated, with much longing and affection. He smiled as he pulled her into a tight embrace.
 

THE END.