The Fourth Chapter
The sky, with dark and ominous clouds, produced flashes of blinding light and heavy sound. Sheets of rain slapped the windowpane, making it foggy. She lifted a hand and wiped it clear with the sleeve of her shirt. Sighing, she rested her forehead on the cool glass, looking through the clear patch that she had created.

Rain reminded her of London. London was a beautiful city and probably one of the few places she would always hold close to her heart. Growing up there, after living for seven years in Seoul, was something that, and continued to, confuse her. London was so different from South Korea, the architecture, the culture and the people. It was a country where yelling hello to someone from across the street was perfectly normal and where people of different ages, male or female, were deemed as equals. It was interesting to her how she knew and learned the different ends of the spectrum, but had still wished that she wasn’t in London all those years of her life.

London always reminded her of her station in life. Everyday that she lived there, there was an ache in her heart that wouldn’t go away no matter what she did. It was loneliness. It was something that she always knew would always be with her for the rest of her life, no matter what she decided to do.

“You’re not listening, aren’t you?”

There was a poke on her shoulder.

Taeyeon turned to the person who spoke and had poked her, her forehead red from the pressure of being pressed on the windowpane. She rubbed at it and smiled sheepishly.

Kyuhyun sighed and closed the document that he had been reading and explaining to her. He stood up and placed it on the shelf, along with other important documents, all placed in hardbound covers.

“You don’t have to help me with this, Kyuhyun,” Taeyeon earnestly told him. “I’m studying them.”

He turned towards her, a surprised look on his face. “You are? When?”

“After classes and whenever I have the time,” she answered, standing up and walking over to him. She ran her hands through the volumes then met his eyes.

“But I thought you didn’t want to…” he began to say.

She shook her head, interrupting him. “Just because I don’t want to do it, doesn’t mean I don’t have to, which also doesn’t mean that I won’t,” she elaborated, giving him a small smile.

Kyuhyun pursed his lips and studied his cousin who had moved towards the door of the study. Each time that he visited her in London, he knew that he made her a little happier. It wasn’t a secret to him that she didn’t like being sent there to study. Which was why he thought she would finally get out of her depressed state once she was back in Seoul. But she had already been back for a month and nothing had changed. She was still withdrawn, like she didn’t trust herself or anyone else to speak. It bothered him to know that it seemed she didn’t even trust him.

“Where are you going?” he called just as she opened the door to leave. “You have your etiquette lessons in half an hour.”

“I know,” she told him, looking back with a smile. “I’ll just go and get something from my room. I’ll be right back.” With another smile, she closed the door behind her.

He sighed. He hoped that she didn’t hide behind her smiles so much.

~ * ~
He frowned as he read the day’s newspaper, the steady and barely-there hum of the moving town car echoing in the silence. The South Korean economy had been steadily improving in the past decade, but there were still a lot of people without jobs, which meant that a lot of people were still going hungry. Just the past week, there were two store robberies and one bank robbery. Demonstrations were also becoming more and more frequent in the past months. Actually, they had started becoming more frequent ever since he turned 21.

He let out a breath, folded the paper and threw it on the space beside him. Bending his neck forward, he pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew exactly what the demonstrations meant. It was something that had been nagging at him since he was 12 years old when a royal advisor had talked to him about the effects of his parents’ death and Taeyeon being in London. It was something that kept on making him wish that his uncle, the king, would continue on living forever so that he wouldn’t have to deal with it.

“You should stop worrying so much,” Heechul commented, taking the paper. He folded it properly and slipped it onto the black bag he usually carried with him when he was working.

He had known the young prince for five years now. Kyuhyun was 16 then and he was 21, fresh out of university.

He had studied law in university. Being a brilliant student, he had been accelerated in different grade levels, practically skipping his way to university in hopes of taking after his father who was a prestigious lawyer in the country. These hopes had increased when the king had personally requested his father to take care of some matters for the royal family when he had just graduated from university at 21 years old. His father pulled some strings, which wasn’t really necessary, considering that he was brilliant, and got him a job in the palace.

He started out with doing some clerical work, helping out the king’s assistant with some paper work and administrative filings. But, eventually, the king saw his potential and assigned him to be Kyuhyun’s assistant. Although, deep inside, he knew that the king just wanted his nephew to have a friend, one he could talk to about the burdens that he had on his shoulders.

And that’s what he tried to be for Kyuhyun everyday since then. He made sure that he was there for the prince through anything and everything.

“I’m not worrying,” Kyuhyun sighed, leaning his head back, his eyes closed. “I’m just…thinking.”

“Then stop thinking so much,” Heechul clarified, fighting the urge to say something more. He knew that it wouldn’t help if he said more than he had to. The younger male didn’t need it, after all, especially when royal advisors talked to him everyday. “You know it won’t do you any good. Things will work out.”

“You know that’s not true,” Kyuhyun lightly stated. “It’s only when the people get what they want will things stabilize.” He shook his head as he looked out of the car window, smirking a little. “They don’t even know what it is they’re asking for.”

“I think they do,” Heechul corrected him, not able to hold his tongue any longer, his eyebrows raised. “You should really give yourself more credit. You’ve been in this family for 21 years—.”

“So has Taeyeon,” Kyuhyun interjected.

“And you’ve been doing this job for eight years,” Heechul went on as if Kyuhyun hadn’t interrupted him, a knowing look on his face.

“That’s the thing, hyung,” Kyuhyun responded, shaking his head. “It’s not supposed to be a job. If there’s anything I’ve garnered from all the eight years I’ve been doing this is that it’s got to be more than that.”

“Tell me something,” Heechul said, as if humoring him. “What’s holding you back? Do you think you can’t do it?”

“It’s not that,” Kyuhyun said at once.

“So it’s Taeyeon,” Heechul surmised.

“Not her, per se. But…yes,” Kyuhyun muttered. He was quiet for a couple of seconds before he turned to his assistant and friend. “Hyung, it’s not my place.”

“I’m sorry—I love Taeyeon dearly—but she hasn’t proved that it’s her place either,” Heechul countered with a nonchalant shrug.

Kyuhyun chuckled at this. “She doesn’t need to prove anything,” he knowingly told him. “She’s the princess and that’s—.” He suddenly stopped talking just as he looked out of the window. He straightened up in his seat.

“What’s wrong?” Heechul asked, glancing out of the window.

“Stop the car,” Kyuhyun ordered.

The car halted and Kyuhyun immediately got out, despite objections from Heechul. The older male cursed inwardly and told the bodyguard seated in the front passenger seat to get out and follow him just as he followed after Kyuhyun.

~ * ~
“Hey!!!” Ryeowook jovially greeted the people who had just walked into the café, his arms spread open, ready for a hug.

Hyukjae stared at him, feeling a bit weird by his sudden display of affection. Although Ryeowook was an affectionate and huggy person, he was never that huggy with him in particular. Nevertheless, he opened his arms to hug him back.

Ryeowook abruptly stopped in front of him, making a face. “Not you,” he interposed, pushing him aside rather roughly.

Taeyeon laughed as Ryeowook pulled her into his arms. She gave Hyukjae an apologetic look and proceeded to hug him back. “Hey,” she greeted.

Ryeowook hooked his arm with Taeyeon’s and brought her to the kitchen. The two had gotten considerably close since their first meeting, as Taeyeon had become very interested in coffee making. This delighted Ryeowook so much that he thought he’d show her just exactly how it was done.

Hyukjae feigned a frown and made his way to the counter, where Zhou Mi was giving him an amused look.

“Is that the effect of being with her?” Zhou Mi asked conversationally, his eyes on the computer screen. “You look like you’re about to pass out,” he clarified when the other male gave him a questioning look.

“I am not,” Hyukjae emphatically declared.

“So why is she here…again?” Zhou Mi wanted to know, glancing at the door to the kitchen when they heard laughter drifting out from the kitchen.

“You sound like you don’t want her around,” Hyukjae said, looking at him.

“It’s not that,” Zhou Mi replied, shaking his head. “I just think it’s weird that she’s here practically everyday when she’s just met us.”

“Is it so hard to believe that we’re so likeable?” Hyukjae commented, snickering a little. He frowned a bit when Zhou Mi didn’t respond at once. He wondered what it was that was making him so reserved around Taeyeon. She was incredibly nice to all of them. Ryeowook was already making her his new best friend, while Henry hung on her every word. Even Hyoyeon went to the café more often because of her.

“Look, I know you like her—you do,” Zhou Mi insisted when Hyukjae opened his mouth to deny it. “I don’t know what it is and I’m probably wrong but just be careful. There’s something about her that just makes her…different, somehow. I don’t know. I can’t explain it.”

Hyukjae smiled widely, his gums showing. “I can,” he stated with a chuckle. “You care about me. That’s pretty much the long and short of it.”

Zhou Mi’s cheeks pinked. “Shut up.” He wrinkled his nose when he spotted Siwon sitting stiffly by the door. “Why is he always with her? Is he her boyfriend or something?” he asked, changing the subject.

Hyukjae followed his line of sight and shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe,” was his answer. “They’re always together.”

“If it bothers you so much, why don’t you just ask her?” Zhou Mi chuckled. It really amused him to see his friend falling all over himself just because of a girl. When he didn’t get an answer, he joined Sunny and Henry, who had just moved to the back to join Ryeowook and Taeyeon, seeing as there weren’t many customers.

Suddenly, Siwon stood up, almost knocking the chair he was sitting on to the floor, just as the café door opened. A tall and built guy in a dark suit walked in, followed by a shorter male with a fashionably styled jet-black hair and outfit. The two males walked in, as if surveying the place. The shorter male saw Siwon and began conversing with him, a stern look on his face.

Hyukjae, sensing that something was about to happen, immediately left the counter to meet them.

“Good afternoon,” he politely greeted them. “Welcome to…” He trailed away as soon as he laid eyes on the second male who walked in, recognizing him as he met his eyes.

“You’re Lee Hyukjae, aren’t you?” Heechul asked, his eyes widening a bit in recognition. He looked around, contented at the fact that there were only three people customers around.

“I…yes,” Hyukjae stammered. “What are you doing here?”

It was then that Kyuhyun walked in.

“Don’t make a fuss,” Kyuhyun immediately but quietly directed as soon as he saw Hyukjae open his mouth to say something, while Siwon made a jerked movement, which showed that he was about to bow. He looked around then turned to him once more. “I saw Taeyeon walk in. Where is she?”

“She’s in the back,” Hyukjae said. He followed after the prince as he made his way to the back. “Is she in trouble? Is she supposed to be working today?”

Kyuhyun paused in his steps and turned to look at him. It was only then that he remembered that Taeyeon had told them about her job as an assistant of Yoona. He glanced at Heechul, who raised his eyebrows as if to tell him that he acted rashly and should have listened to him.

“Yes, she is,” Kyuhyun finally answered. “Princess Yoona is looking for her.”

Without another word, Kyuhyun entered the kitchen.

It amused Kyuhyun to see Taeyeon pouring coffee beans with her own hands into the coffee grinder and operating the machine herself. He watched as she then poured the coffee she had made into a china cup and decorated the surface afterwards.

Taeyeon turned around, her smile wide, to show Ryeowook her masterpiece when she saw her cousin standing in the doorway. She nearly dropped the cup as she gasped in surprise.

~ * ~
“She works in the palace?” Zhou Mi asked Hyukjae, nudging him. “She really works in the palace?”

“Yes,” Hyukjae hissed. He watched as Kyuhyun and Taeyeon seemingly argued at the back of the kitchen.

“Why would you keep something like this a secret?” Zhou Mi wanted to know.

Hyukjae sensed the hurt in his tone and looked at him. “It wasn’t mine to tell,” he told them, glancing at Ryeowook, Henry and Sunny so that they knew he meant them as well. Ryeowook and Henry merely shrugged as if to say that it doesn’t really matter to them.

“At least now I know why she seems different,” Zhou Mi muttered.

“What does she do in the palace?” Sunny casually asked, her back against the counter.

“She’s Princess Yoona’s assistant,” Hyukjae absentmindedly told her, straightening up when he saw Kyuhyun and Taeyeon making their way over to them. He missed the frown that flitted on Sunny’s face.

Kyuhyun slightly bowed to Hyukjae and the others before walking out of the café and getting into the heavily tinted town car. Heechul and the bodyguard followed after the prince, while Siwon waited by the door, his head bowed.

“Everything okay?” Hyukjae asked, glancing at the car still outside the café.

“Yes,” Taeyeon assured them with a nod. “I just have to go for now. I have to work.”

“Are you coming back tomorrow?” Ryeowook asked hopefully. He really enjoyed spending time with her and talking to her. Not only was she interested in coffee and how to make it, it seemed she also was well-versed in music.

Everyone sensed her hesitation before she actually hesitated. But no one said anything as she smiled brightly.

“Maybe not for a couple of days,” Taeyeon honestly told them. She bit her lip as she glanced at the town car. The back window had slightly slid open and a hand slipped out, waving towards her. “I have to go,” she then apologized. She turned to Hyukjae. “I’ll see you in school.”

“Yeah,” Hyukjae agreed, walking her to the door. “Are you going to get in trouble?”

“No,” Taeyeon guaranteed, stopping by the door and facing him. “So don’t worry about it.” She smiled to assure him even more.

Hyukjae returned her smile. “I suddenly wish you didn’t work at the palace,” he said, surprising her.

“Why do you say that?” she wanted to know, the smile disappearing from her face.

“People like you being around,” he explained, gesturing towards the counter, where the others had gone back to work. He shifted in his stance and took a deep breath. “But it seems like even just working in the palace, for the royal family, keeps people from doing normal things,” he then deduced.

She just looked at him for a couple of seconds. “It makes me really curious about what you think about Prince Kyuhyun and Princess Yoona,” she finally stated.

“I don’t know them, even if I have met them. I just know of them,” he said, smiling a bit sheepishly. “And that being so, it’s just hard to get close to royalty. Especially when you’re as inadequate as me.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked, chuckling a little. “You, inadequate? Of all the things you would describe yourself, you choose that.” She shook her head and turned to go.

Just as she touched the car handle, he called her back. She stopped and turned towards him once more, a questioning look on her face.

“What would you use to describe me then?” he wanted to know, a blush spreading to his cheeks because of his sudden boldness.

She stopped and pretended to think for a second then she smiled at him. “Suppressed sunshine,” she finally answered.

“What?” he asked.

“Suppressed sunshine,” she repeated. “You know sunshine that’s suppressed?” She laughed at her explanation. “I’m sure you don’t need me to explain it to you. You know what I’m talking about.” She opened the car door. “I’ll see you in school.”

Hyukjae watched the town car disappear around the curb. He wondered if Taeyeon knew that she had also just described herself.