Day Thirty Two

(23 days later... (3 weeks and 2 days))

"On the news today! Princess Seo Joohyun is officially engaged to Prince Zhang Yixing of China and their wedding celebrations have been confirmed to be on the 1st of July. It will be a closed ceremony and only those invited will be able to attend. On behalf of MBC, we congratulate the Royal couple and wish them the best from all of us. On other news..."

Sehun woke up to the news on his radio. With a roar, Sehun hammered his strong fist against the radio and broke it into hundreds of pieces. He had also cut his hand. The blood was trickling down the side of his hand. Sehun went back to sleep.

***

He woke up again three hours later to a hand covered in bloodied scabs. He shrugged and washed it off in the bathroom and wrapped a bandage around it. He looked in the mirror and noticed he needed a shave. He had skipped school and hadn't been back since the day Seohyun had been taken away. He hadn't spoken to any of his friends- especially Luhan. He had ignored his mother and father who begged him to behave appropriately. The only other person he could speak to was Wufan. He decided to dial Wufan's number. He wanted to speak to someone. Wufan answered pretty quickly.

"What's up?" Wufan answered with his thick, deep, sleepy voice.

"Heard the friggin' news?" Sehun anxiously replied back. His voice betrayed him. He had wanted to sound casual.

"No." Wufan waited leaving Sehun to explain. His eyes rolled back sarcastically almost like he used to.

"She's getting married on the 1st of July." He forced the words out. Wufan's silence echoed back for an eternity before he answered.

"Oh." He replied. "...To who?" He asked back slowly. Sehun took a moment before he replied. He realised who it was. It hadn't occurred to him before. It was...

"Zhang Yixing. Prince Zhang Yixing of China." Sehun repeated reluctantly. Wufan cut the phone off. Sehun was left feeling numb. The same Yixing who saved her before... perhaps he was doing it so his future wife could be protected. If he knew of the bet he must have been against it. Everything seemed to make sense to him. Yixing was a sly snake.

***

Sehun finally decided to go to her old house and was standing in her bedroom, over her diary. He wanted to read through it but stopped himself. He realised he didn't want to. He could imagine that she wrote about her damned bet. He wasn't fully ready to read the truth about it. So, instead he rummaged through her room until he found a folder called 'Princess Seo Joohyun'. He picked it like it was poison and found unopened envelopes. They all had their seals on and there were instructions, saying she couldn't open them till she was married. Sehun scoffed and ripped them apart. He thought to himself, forget the damned rules: they're pointless now. He read the first letter.

Joojoo,

You're one years old and I love you so much! Your eyes are so beautiful, I never knew babies could be this perfect. I wonder what I looked like. I must have been a handsome baby, too I suppose. I mean, look at me now. I'm engaged at 17 and I guess that . I wonder how life will be like for me as I get older. I'm so handsome as it is and I guess it'd be logic to be like, I'm the most beautiful child and you may be beautiful but you'll never be an equal to me. I don't want to get married. Imagine raising a child like you- cute from a distance, a crying nightmare up close. You really piss me off at times, crying at night. I don't know why mom and dad put you in my room... Joo Joo I'm joking. One day I want to see you read this and laugh a lot. I can't wait to see you grow up. I want to have sophisticated conversation. Talking to Jongdae but he seems to cuddle you more than I do. I'll cuddle you more this year, okay? I love you so much my Joojoo. 

Your eldest brother,

Wonbin~

Sehun rolled his eyes and threw the paper across the room. It was pure bull. Wonbin loved to talk about himself, he thought angrily. He didn't want to talk about her, even when she was one. He was so self-focused, absorbed in himself. Sehun let the memory of Prince Jongdae and Prince Wonbin slapping her rewind in his mind. The image of Wonbin about to kick her stopped his heart. He felt like he was ready to destroy the two of them, even if he was below them in terms of class. He didn't care.

He picked up another paper.

Seohyunnie~~~

You're sitting next to me right now telling me what to put. You're telling me to write that Mommy and Daddy aren't being very nice to you and that you hate the red ribbon in your hair. Well, that was quick. You've already run away crying. It's not unusual seeing you, now, aged 6, running and crying. I don't know where you go but I think you're with Nayoung. You love her and she loves you I guess.

Anyway, you're pointlessly suffering so much now. I hardly have time for you since I'm travelling so much with Wonbin. Mom and Dad don't have time for you, but that's expected. You've got to realise, one day, that that's the life of a royal person. People envy us but we don't get the love from our parents that normal people get. We don't need that to be respectable Princes and Princess. We need a strong image for our country. When the royal families of the rest of the world come together, we've got to be strong. I guess you can have tantrums now, you're young. But you embarrassed our country in front of Japan's royal family. You probably don't remember but Mom didn't let you wear your hand-made leaf bracelets. I guess your Maid made it with you but it's not acceptable. You need a rich image not a petty image, Seohyun. One day you will completely understand. You can't live like an idiot. I'll make sure you read this.

You're a beautiful young child and you don't know but you're engaged to that boy Zhang Yixing. Even I didn't find out till I turned 15, a year ago. You're not going to find out any time soon. I guess you're happy with him at the moment. You met him last year and you're learning Chinese so when you're older you'll be able to speak to him fluently. It's good we got you a Chinese maid. She only speaks Chinese to you so she can teach you Chinese properly. I guess it's worth it but sometimes I can't understand you. So don't be stupid like that when you get older. Don't forget how to speak Korean when you move to China. I guess I'll miss you but we haven't spent enough time together and it's been 6 years together already.

I can't believe I'm 16 and you're only 6. I feel like a father not a big brother to you. I have to cuddle you when I can. It's so rare its saddening but obviously there's nothing I can seriously do. Okay, Seohyun it's time I have to be honest. When you're old enough to understand, you'll love me for it, okay? I swear.

I'm being harsh to you because I have to be. I'm sorry that I yell at you, that I slap you, that I shove you from me, push you away. It's what I really have to do. I have to make sure you don't become emotionally attached to us as you grow up. You can't be reliant on your brothers. We're not always going to be there. You're born alone, you live alone and you'll die alone. That's life, okay? I guess I hope in your next life you're a duck. So then you can be happy with Mother Duck. See? I want to leave this on a lighter note for you. Learn how to smile now. You frown too much at the age of 6.

Your loving brother,

Jongdae.

He didn't know what to think. Jongdae seemed like a heartless bastard. Sehun scrunched up the letter and threw it to the floor. He then stamped on it before picking it up and re-reading it. Then he walked to the kitchen, put the gas on and burned the letter. If she read the letter, she'd cry, he imagined. He thought of the Seohyun he knew and imagined her crazy attitude, her spontaneously antics. She was probably the happiest person he had seen and could not see her frowning all the time. She didn't need to read these crappy letters. He left the burnt letter on the floor and went straight back into her bedroom and picked out yet another, written by her mother. This one was the only one that had already been opened. It was crumpled yet soft, a worn out paper with tear-stains on it. Or perhaps it was someone's dried saliva. He cringed as he read.

Princess Seo Joonhyun, my cursed daughter.

I see you're 8 now. A miserable child who has no sense of virtue and honour. It's a shame, really. I expected more from you. You disappoint me greatly as my only daughter, a wretch, really. Why won't you realise that life isn't fair? You can't always get what you want. Your life isn't yours. Your life is Korea's life. The people. Not yourself. You selfish brat.

Enough of my spitefulness. It's time I told you how I really feel about you. As you're going to be gone and married when you read this, I want to say that I'm glad you're gone. I never wanted a filthy daughter. I always imagined three sons. It's going to be funny when you read this, my ugly child. I can see you sobbing alone in a country you don't know. I guess you're God's punishment to me. Your father is long dead, your father isn't Wonbin's and Jongdae's father. Ever wondered why there's such a huge gap between yours and their's ages? My husband became infertile so he told me to get pregnant with another man, so we could have three sons. That man was killed after I was pregnant with you. Maybe it'll make sense why we never have time for you. We never wanted time with you. Such a shame you came as a pathetic girl. I couldn't even abort you because the moment the doctors told me I was pregnant was the moment it came out into the press. So, you're frowning a lot. Good on you. You'll be frowning and hoping to die for the rest of your miserable life. And you'll never be able to die. Because you'll be married. You'll have to keep this to yourself.

I wish I had killed you accidently. Perhaps fell down a flight of stairs. Perhaps drank too much alcohol on accident- frame someone. But I was too scared. My life is valuable. I can't risk that. Shame you had to live. Rotten child.

I wish you were never born.

Everything clicked into Sehun's mind. He remembered hearing that the young daughter of the royal family had disappeared. He remembered because he had been her age and he had thought about her a lot. He realised she must have read the letter at 8. Maybe because her mother handed her a letter, she must have been too excited to keep it for later. From those other letters, he realised how excited she must have been that her mother spared some time for her. She must have opened it. At the age of 8, when she disappeared. She lived with it. Through all the crap he put her through in a week, it was nothing compared to her life. How horrible it must have been to run away.

Sehun decided finally, that he needed to get Seohyun back in his life. He wanted to show how much he loved her. He wanted to hug her, kiss her and protect her. He wanted to show that her life was special to him, that... that... he was in love with her.

***

Seohyun and Yixing were in the same room with their parents and family, staring at each other emotionlessly. Wonbin and Nayoung were seated next to each other awkwardly. Jongdae and Harumi were happily sitting next to each other. Yixing was sitting in between his happy looking parents and Seohyun sat the furthest away from hers. The long, awkward table was filled with lots of gourmet food that shone beautifully under the crystal chandelier. The only people eating were Jongdae and Harumi.

"Joohyun, are you happy with moving to China?" Yixing's father asked with a bright eyesmile. He was a plump, cute old guy whose smile never faded- the very opposite to her own parents who were glum and ugly looking. She had to think of the family and put a fake smile on.

"Oh, yes, most definitely." She said gently whilst hiding her tensed fists. Yixing bit his lip and shook his head slightly with a smirk before turning away. Seohyun tried to take no notice of it. The friend she once loved was being a complete idiot. A fool. She was going to make his life hell. She was going to scratch his eyes out and force him to step on them. She was going to cut him up and boil him and serve him to her parents. She could imagine everything right in front of her and it made her smirk on the sly.

"What age will you give me grandchildren?" Yixing's mother teased. She was a beautiful woman who didn't look aged at all. She looked as young as Seohyun. Every time she looked at her husband or son, her eyes were filled with pure love. Seohyun kept gawping at her future in-laws wondering if she could ever live like that... happily with pure love. She used to love Yixing like a brother, perhaps it was fate that brought them together to love as a couple.

"Joohyun, answer." Wonbin's commanding voice yelled at her. Yixing and his parents glared at Wonbin but he ignored them. Seohyun pouted and continued leaving the room with silence, agitating her family... apart from Jongdae and Harumi who were in a world of their own. Nayoung's face hadn't even changed from its gloomy darkness since the dinner began.

“I don’t know what you asked.” Seohyun was unintentionally rude but her habits from being in normal society stuck with her.

“I asked when are you going to give me grandchildren with my dear Yixing?” The mother asked again just as happily as though nothing had happened. She looked just as excited to hear the answer as before. She wasn’t fazed at all.

“Mom, let’s not talk of that.” Yixing sighed, quietly talking some food with his chopsticks. Seohyun shrugged and decided to answer.

“As soon as we’re married!” She over-exaggerated ecstatically. Yixing looked taken aback at her comment and choked on his food. He drank a lot of wine and sat back, astonished at her words. Wonbin rolled his eyes at his sister and stood up, bringing Nayoung up forcibly with him.

“Sorry your majesties but we are taking our leave. Nayoung is sick.” He lied and pulled her away after the two awkwardly bowed. Jongdae shook his head slightly and Harumi had no change in her eating. Seohyun’s parents both smiled looking just as fake as plastic. Yixing’s parents took this as a sign to leave. They both stood up, said their goodbyes formally and left. Yixing didn’t. He was told to stay to get closer to Seohyun.

Eventually, it was just Yixing and Seohyun in the garden under the stars. They were sitting next to each other on one of the benches. The day before had been their engagement. Seohyun had been told to dress in a glamorous, expensive red, silky dress that hugged her curves perfectly. Yixing had been in a y suit with a red, matching bow tie. The two had been told beforehand to hold hands and kiss the other’s cheek in public after Seohyun’s father announced their engagement. The crowds of people in Seoul had been excited as ever. Though, to the horror of both of them, they noticed Kyungsoo and Minseok in the crowd glaring at him. Seohyun had wanted to sob and cry and shriek. More than ever she wanted to go down to her friends and walk away with them, back to Wufan and Tao and Sooyoung, Hyoyeon, Sunny… and more importantly, Sehun. To put things right. But she had to hold it in and stand there with boneless legs. Yixing gripped her hand hard and seemed to comfort her. She turned to see his expression and saw an emotionless smile. One that Yixing had never pulled before.

So, the two were sitting next to each other, staring up at the sky. It was stunningly beautiful where they were, far from light pollution in the cities and towns. The sky was as clear as a window. It didn’t look so far up. It just looked like a pretty ceiling. It made Seohyun feel trapped and claustrophobic. She just wanted to escape.

“I’m sorry.” Yixing suddenly spoke out in his familiar Chinese voice. He looked at her with confusing eyes. Seohyun couldn’t decipher his feelings. She hated him but at the same time she was relieved. She just felt more lost than ever.

“You are.” It was supposed to be a question but Seohyun couldn’t be bothered to be nice to him. She didn’t want to be good to him.

“How’s Wufan?” He asked her softly. She turned to him as fast as lightning and her hand struck his face. He broke her with that tiny, short question. He landed on the floor and his hand held his red, stinging cheek. She stood over him and like Wufan would when extremely agitated, she spat on him.

“DON’T YOU DARE SPEAK ABOUT WUFAN WHEN YOU LEFT JUST LIKE THAT! HOW DARE YOU?” She screamed at him. “He knew about me so YOU could have trusted him and TOLD HIM!” She roared. “WHY DIDN’T IT EVER CROSS YOUR STUPID MIND YOU STUPID IDIOT?” She kicked him with her stilettos. He leaned back and stood up, brushing himself down with the same poker face.

“What do you know? You don’t know anything. Don’t make judgements about me when you’re basing everything on theory.” He walked away into the house, leaving her there. She didn’t notice till he was gone but her tears were streaming down almost neatly. She dropped to the floor and leaned against the bench. She dug out her phone from her bag and dialled a number after such a long time. She had not had a chance to be alone till that moment in her life. Alone, ready to contact the one she wanted to talk to. They answered after two rings.

“S-Seohyun…?” The voice shakily asked like she would leave the line any second.

“It’s me.” She answered back tearfully. The voice on the other line wept down the line for a good amount of time.

“I miss you so much…” The voice sobbed through the phone. Seohyun could tell they were drunk out of their minds.

“I’m glad. I feel the same Hyoyeon. Please, answer me, how are they? How’s everyone Unnie? How are you? I miss you more than you know, more than they know.” Seohyun blabbered on emotionally. She was crying down the phone quietly, whispering so no one would easily find her. She knew Yixing wouldn’t come back quickly and the garden was big enough to ensure it’d take at least an hour to find her in the dark. There weren’t any lamps.

“Wufan, Kyungsoo, Minseok and Tao miss you a lot. We miss you so much, too, you fool. We’re all okay, though, surviving. It’s sad that we didn’t hang out before you left, you idiot!” She yelled into the phone, crying hysterically. “Why didn’t you tell us?” She asked, her voice straining.

“I couldn’t. I didn’t want to be different. And I’m glad everyone is okay. H-how about Sehun?” She asked timidly, wiping her tears.

“Sehun? He—” The phone was cut off as Jongdae pulled the phone from her and threw it across to Wonbin who caught it happily and walked off immediately. Seohyun looked up and saw her brother crouch down next to her as Wonbin rushed off, the phone still open, in his hand. He paused and the two siblings watched him throw it into the pond lying near him. Seohyun’s heart ripped into millions.

“Who were you talking to?” Jongdae asked slowly after Wonbin disappeared. He didn’t ask evilly or didn’t sound cold. He sounded genuinely curious.

“My boyfriend that I’m pregnant with.” She lied sarcastically staring at Jongdae who had never heard sarcasm before. He fell back and stared at her.

“Y-YOU’RE PREGNANT?!” He cried out, ripping out his hair with the stress. Seohyun was about to deny it but she realised it could be a way out to get out of her family. She could imagine going back. But then, he continued speaking. “BUT HARUMI TOLD ME YOU HAD BLOOD ON YOUR BEDSHEETS SO I THOUGHT YOU HAD PERIODS SEOSEO!” He blurted out.

Seohyun’s plan vanished with a massive, thick sweatdrop. She stood up and walked into the building leaving Jongdae crying by himself, rocking backwards and forwards muttering to himself crazily.

***

Wonbin and Nayoung were arguing again in the privacy of their bedroom. Nayoung had gone deathly pale and her body had gotten extremely thin. In the past month, her appetite had disappeared along with her strength. Even though Seohyun was back, nothing changed about Wonbin. He was still unlike the man she fell in love with. She didn’t want to live with a monster anymore.

“You make me sick!” Wonbin growled, shaking her repeatedly. “I tell you to eat so you have to eat! I don’t need a sick wife like you! Stop being such a selfish wife!” Wonbin smirked at her, continuing to mock her horribly. She just stared at the ground tearlessly.

“Prince W-Wonbin-ssi just stop, please…” She wearily breathed out with much effort. He continued yelling harsh, ruthless words but none of the words went into her ears. Instead, the words mixed together as one and she couldn’t hear very well. She tried to look at him but her eyesight was blurry and becoming dark around the corners. He pressed his forehead against hers and didn’t notice her eyes roll back. She just felt dead as her body lost energy. She collapsed in Wonbin’s hard arms. Her head dipped backwards and her feet gave way.

“N-Nayoung!?” Wonbin suddenly stopped and realised there was something wrong. She was unconscious in his arms. He carried her to their bed and called her name. There was no reply and her face was as white as ash. He panicked and pressed his hand against her head. It was cold. He began sweating and pressed his hand against her chest. He couldn’t feel a pulse. He couldn’t feel his wife’s pulse. Tears suddenly filled his eyes as he bellowed for some help…

***

Seohyun and Yixing dashed to Nayoung’s room the moment they found out news that she collapsed. They reached the outside and heard Wonbin’s yell of someone breaking apart by something traumatising. Harumi was sobbing outside with a tissue dabbed at her eyes with Jongdae holding her softly.

“What happened!?” Seohyun frantically asked Jongdae who shook his head at her. Seohyun felt her face go pale and she stepped back to feel Yixing hold her carefully. He wrapped his hands around her waist as Sehun would have. She pushed him away and looked into the room to see Nayoung lying on the bed like a dead girl. Seohyun’s heart almost stopped beating as a doctor shook their head at Wonbin.

“You need to care for your wife better. We just found results from the blood test we conducted.” The high-class doctor began. Seohyun felt relieved all of a sudden. Nayoung wasn’t dead. She felt the heat rush back to her face. “Congratulations Prince Wonbin. Lady Nayoung is three months pregnant but from now on you must make sure you look after her better. She must gain weight immediately otherwise she could suffer a miscarriage.” He walked towards the door with his assistant nurses. They walked past Seohyun and walked down the long, swirly steps.

“Hyung!” Jongdae stepped into the room only to be punched in the face by Wonbin. Their parents stood by Nayoung’s bed and shook their heads at their fighting sons.

“You four can go and leave us.” Wonbin ordered. Jongdae scoffed and wiped the blood from his nose. Harumi pulled Jongdae away and trotted off to their bedroom. Yixing took Seohyun’s hand and dragged her to their joint room. But Seohyun pulled free from his grip and marched back to Wonbin.

She stood right in front of him and with a hiss she whacked her hand from behind her back straight across his face as hard as she possibly could. Wonbin didn’t see it coming. He collapsed to the floor and stared up at his younger sister. Their parents cried out.

“JOOHYUN!” Her mother shrieked.

“NO! I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF WONBIN AND HOW HE TREATS EVERYONE! WE’RE NOT TAKING IT ANYMORE!” Seohyun shrieked at him. Yixing went into the room and stood in front of Seohyun as Wonbin bounced back up aggressively.

“How dare you—” He began but was cut off by Yixing’s words.

“Please, Hyung, forgive her, please…” He begged, pulling his hands forward. Seohyun scoffed and kicked Yixing out of her way. If Wufan had been there, he would have been standing tall with Seohyun. Sehun would have beaten the crap out of Wonbin. Minseok would have turned into a ninja and angry Kyungsoo would have been terrifying. Then there was Tao, the legendary kung fu master who would have taught Wonbin a really long lesson. Hyoyeon would have already broken his man-balls. Sunny would have broken his nose with her iron fist. Sooyoung would have gotten Siwon and his friends to gang up against him like a mafia. Everyone else in the whole school would have stood up against Prince Wonbin. Alas, she was stuck with the wimp, ‘Prince Zhang Yixing of China.’

“No, shut up.” She turned back to Wonbin and held his fists tightly with a grip no one else could beat. She was extremely agitated. “Wonbin Oppa. You dare hurt Nayoung again, I swear I’ll make your life Hell.” She warned. She glared at him seriously. “I don’t know what happened to you, Oppa, but grow the Hell up. You’re not a child and you’re going to be a father. You’ve always been such a reckless bone-headed idiot.” She continued stabbing him with her strong words. “I miss my Oppa, the one when I was little. You’re nothing like my brother.” She let him go and ran out the room angrily. Yixing bowed to Wonbin again before chasing after her.

Wonbin turned to his parents and sat on the bed next to his wife. He sighed and lay down, thinking of the words his little sister just said. He felt resentment but… it made sense. It sadly made a lot of sense. He hated her but she was so right. He closed his eyes. He sighed.

***

Dear Diary,

Oh Sehun here again. It’s Day 32. I still haven’t got Seohyun as my girlfriend but I swear to God I will not stop till she’s mine. I’m going against a Royal family but I will win. Zhang Yixing, she will be mine, not yours. With Wufan, with Luhan… (I’ll convince him)… with everyone, I’ll get her back to our town.

From Seohyun’s boyfriend-to-be.

As expected, these newer chapters don't need as much edits as the first lot. So... it's 1am, I am exhausted, the others will be up tomorrow~♥