{Year 1998: Shinkyu aged 7, Jiyong and Kyuhyun aged 10}

“What?! Kyungmi bullied you again?”

Jiyong sat opposite of Shinkyu across the huge tea table the three of them (together with Kyuhyun) had managed to drag out from the house. Shinkyu looked down on her empty teacup and sobbed softly.

“Actually, she just wouldn’t talk to me, but she made the whole class desolate me as well!” Shinkyu wailed.

“That is bullying!” Jiyong said, banging his fist onto the table. “If only we’re in the same class, Shinnie! I would have protected you!” He then spotted Kyuhyun from afar. “Kyuhyun! Come over here!”

“What is it?” Kyuhyun said breathlessly. He immediately ran over to the prince upon hearing his call.

“Shinkyu is bullied at school!”

“What?? Who’s that?” Kyuhyun questioned.

Shinkyu just shrugged. “Some kid in class: Kyungmi. She wouldn’t talk to me, and she didn’t let anyone else do so either!”

“That’s stupid!” Kyuhyun exclaimed as he balled up his fists. “No one ever bullies our Shinnie. Right, Jiyong?”

“Right! You know, we could easily ask umma and appa to call their lawyer.”

“Lawyer?” Shinkyu repeated, blinking twice. “What’s a lawyer?”

Jiyong lifted his shoulders and dropped them after a few seconds. “I don’t know for sure. But whenever appa was angry about someone he would tell umma to call the lawyer!”

“Ooh! Cool!” Shinkyu said.

“Lawyer needs money, Jiyong. Do we have any?” Kyuhyun asked.

“We will have enough, Kyuhyun!” Jiyong answered him confidently. “We won’t let anyone bully our Shinnie!”

“Really?” Shinkyu probed innocently.

Jiyong and Kyuhyun both nodded in sync. “Of course! Shinnie is our little princess. We must protect the princess!”

“Thank you, Jiyong oppa and Kyuhyun oppa!” Shinkyu smiled gratefully. “You’re my best friends!”

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{Year 2010}

“What do you want, Mr Cho?” Jiyong said to Kyuhyun in a mocking manner. “I have my Music History lecture now, and as much as I hate it, you have the same class as me.”

“Quiet, Kwon Jiyong!” Kyuhyun shot back. Now that they were alone in the rooftop garden, he felt no need to address the jerky prince as ‘hyung’. “You should know what you did, and what are the consequences to your actions.”

“If I were you, I’d get straight to the point,” Jiyong said curtly. “What are you trying to say here?”

Kyuhyun marched towards Jiyong furiously and pushed him against the wall of the greenhouse. “I thought I made it clear to you about what would happen if you ever hurt Shinkyu again? Why did you still inflict emotional pain on her?!”

Jiyong shoved Kyuhyun’s hand away and glared at him. “What is your problem? This is between us as a married couple! I see no need in you coming in between! Shinkyu is MY wife.”

“Well, she’s not going to be when your plan is made clear to the whole nation,” Kyuhyun said. “I told you, Jiyong. If Shinkyu is hurt emotionally or physically, you shall pay. You are not ready yet to say goodbye to your life of pure luxury, as Prince Jiyong; we both know that too well.”

Jiyong kept quiet and fixed his glare at Kyuhyun.

“One wrong action could take everything away from you!” Kyuhyun continued. “Now, are you ready to tell me why you told on Shinkyu to the principal?”

Jiyong stared at him in surprise. “What??”

“Don’t act dumb in front of me, Kwon Jiyong! I can see through you, and I don’t find it amusing at all,” Kyuhyun said. “How do you think the Shinkyu would feel when I told her about that heartless plan you have behind that sweet mask you put on in front of her? One more strike, your highness, and I promise: I promise you will lose her.”

As he walked away, Jiyong clenched his fists in anger and gritted his teeth. Slowly, he began to smirk.

“Well, Cho Kyuhyun… You think you’re the so-called predator in this game of prey-predator, huh? You’re not! I am! You are all my prey! And may I remind you: in this pathetic game of chase, the preys don’t touch the predator. Only the predator will catch and kill the prey. You wanna play, don’t you? Let the game begin then…”

Then, Jiyong looked at the roses to his right. He walked over to the plant and sighed dramatically. “Ly Shinkyu, you’re the one that should be afraid the most.”

No matter what Kyuhyun said, there was no way Jiyong would soften his heart, his warm heart, which had turned into stone 10 years ago; all thanks to Shinkyu.

Because of that wrong choice she made, he had to suffer alone for years.

It was also because of that choice that Shinkyu herself would have to suffer as well.

The choice that even after so many years, Jiyong still failed to forget.

That choice, was Shinkyu’s wrong choice of choosing Cho Kyuhyun over Kwon Jiyong.

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{Year 2000; Shinkyu aged 9, Jiyong and Kyuhyun aged 12}

“Hey Shinkyu,” Kyuhyun began. “Do you love me?”

The princess looked stunned for a moment. However, she didn’t even need to think twice to answer him. “Of course, oppa! Just like how I love Jiyong oppa.”

“Yah! How can you love two people at the same time?” Jiyong protested playfully. “That’s wrong!”

“Hah?” Shinkyu was suddenly worried. Her gaze shifted from Kyuhyun to Jiyong, and then to her toes. “I love umma and appa too! Is that wrong?”

Kyuhyun chuckled softly and Jiyong joined in. They both knew that they shouldn’t confuse the young Shinkyu who was only nine years old then.

“No, Shinnie! I mean, you’re not supposed to love two boys at the same time,” Jiyong explained.

“Hah?” Shinkyu was still confused, which was obvious by the way she scratched her head. “What should I do then?”

Kyuhyun exchanged glances with Jiyong. “Just choose one!” He said.

“Only one?”

“Yes!”

Shinkyu gulped. “Wouldn’t that be unfair?”

“It’s okay, Shinkyu. We’ll respect your choice fully,” Jiyong reassured her. “Choose the one whom you like more!”

The princess closed her eyes. Kyuhyun and Jiyong waited anxiously. And then, Shinkyu inhaled deeply and made her choice.

“Kyuhyun oppa!”

“Yay! She chose me!” Kyuhyun cried out happily, punching the air. Shinkyu giggled shyly.

Jiyong laughed along as well. However, growing deep inside him, was dejection, hurt, anger and then finally…

… Vengeance.

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{Year 2010}

“So… You and Jiyong hyung were close friends back then?” Seungri wanted to know.

Shinkyu nodded twice.

“But how did it end up like this?”

“I don’t know, Seungri!” the princess moaned, burying her face in her cold palms. “I really don’t know…”

Surprisingly, Seungri was more understanding that Shinkyu ever expected him to be. He placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled encouragingly. “Well then, if you’re given a chance to clear up the fog between the two of you, are you willing to do that?”

Shinkyu smiled back faintly. “You know what? All these years, that was what I had always wanted: to talk to Jiyong like when we were still young, not just shouting at each other over trivial matters. But he’s just so… impossible! And now, he actually told on me to the principal--”

“Actually, Shinkyu… I think maybe Jiyong just needs you to make the first move. He’s always been so big headed and egoistic, after all.”

“You don’t understand, Seungri.”

“What I do understand is that, you’re jealous when he’s with Sohee, and he’s jealous when you’re with Kyuhyun,” Seungri said. “Sometimes, we wouldn’t know how much our actions hurt the other party. When we do, it’s usually too late.”

Shinkyu stared at the maknae in disbelief. Seungri, sensing the princess’s thoughts, said, “I know, I can be full of meanings!”

As the two stood up and got ready to go back home, Shinkyu flashed him another smile. “Hey… Thank you.”

“What for?”

“For accompanying me.”

“It’s nothing! Jiyong hyung asked me to!”

Shinkyu thought for a while. Finally, she said, “Jiyong really wanted you all to protect me, huh?”

“Yeah, he made us promise,” Seungri said. “He said you’re afraid to be alone--”

“And do you know why?”

Seungri stared at her with a clueless expression. Looking at his reaction, Shinkyu continued, “He left me alone, when I needed him the most.”

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{Year 2000; after Kyuhyun left Korea to the US}

“Jiyong oppa, umma and appa are not home. Can you come over? I’m scared,” Shinkyu said into the phone.

Jiyong sighed at the other end of the line. “Of course, I’m coming.”

A few minutes later, he really did come to Shinkyu’s house. She was lying on the sofa, her eyes glued to the television screen. As soon as she saw Jiyong, her eyes lit up. Almost instantly, she ran to Jiyong, who was a head taller than her.

“Oppa! I’m glad you came!” Shinkyu said with a smile. “Will you stay here with me until umma and appa come home?”

“Sure, Shinnie. I promised I’ll be here for you to protect you, right?”

“Yay! Thank you, Jiyong oppa!”

Jiyong switched off the television as Shinkyu snuggled up to her huge teddy bear on the sofa. She cooed softly as she began to drift off to sleep.

“Good night, oppa,” she whispered.

Jiyong smiled and replied her, “Good night. Sweet dreams.”

“I miss Kyuhyun oppa. I wish he’s still here,” Shinkyu said.

The young prince could feel his blood boiling at the mention of Kyuhyun’s name. Just a few days ago, he was really fired up when Shinkyu said she loved Kyuhyun more than him. And now, when he was gone, she missed him?

Jiyong said nothing. He watched as Shinkyu fell asleep. “Of course. Let’s see how could Kyuhyun save you now, eh?”

{About half an hour later}

Shinkyu shivered a little. She stretched her arms wide and yawned. Still rubbing her tired half-closed eyes, she began to call for Jiyong.

“Jiyong oppa?” There was no answer. Shinkyu called out again, “Oppa?”

The air remained silent and still. The princess was starting to be scared. She tightened her grip on her teddy bear. Thunder was heard from a distance, and it soon became louder. A few seconds later, rain started to fall from the sky.

In a blink of an eye, the whole room went black, and Shinkyu could see nothing. She gasped and yelled at the top of her voice.

“Ahh!! Jiyong oppa!! Jiyong oppa!!”

Shinkyu wrapped her arms around the stuffed bear and began to sob uncontrollably, her tears wetting the fur of the toy. “Jiyong oppa, where are you? I’m scared, where are you?”

As thunder was sounded once more, Shinkyu’s helpless cry got weaker.

“Where are you, Jiyong oppa?” She cried softly. “You said you’ll be here. Where are you?”