I look into the mirror. I can’t believe I’m doing this. I think as I put the dress jacket on. I look sharp and ready. But I don’t feel that way at all. Instead, I feel worthless, vulnerable, and controlled. Like I never really had a choice of my own. I look down at the shoes the prin- I mean, Jiyeon got me. They’re so beautiful and pure like her. But it doesn’t suit such a violent and bad intentioned person like me. I look back into the mirror. I don’t recognize myself. I look like a person that stepped out of a fairytale full of lies. I look like I’m trying to be someone I’m not. Should I really do this? I don’t know. I can’t think. But I need to get this over with. Dazing off as I stare a little longer at my reflection, I see the princess walk up from behind me. Startled, I turn around to just prove that I was seeing things. That she was never there. What’s wrong with me?
~
I step out of my black and luxurious car that YoungJae was able to steal from a Luxus company a couple years back. Of course, all things that were able to make it recognizable has been removed and replaced. This car used to be red but Zelo spray painted over it and made it a pure lustre black. I turn around to face my car and see my reflection to do some last minute fix-ups. I heave a sigh. I can’t believe I’m doing this. I waltz into the grand palace and already, the main entrance was filled with people in gowns, and suits. They all look so glamorous and royal and me, well, I’m just me. I walk up the steps and enter the ballroom. I push open the grand door and already, loud chatter and music from the romantic era fills the room with life and happiness. Waiters and waitresses walk around in butler outfits with one arm behind their backs and the other balancing a tray of food. Off to the side are appetizers and wine along with a bowl of fruit punch sitting at the end of the red clothed table. The room is gold and the ceiling is a domed shaped with numerous cupids painted on it. I walk and glance around at the same time, looking for the old fortune teller. She’s not here yet. People from the main entrance and main foyer are slowly trickling in but no signs of the old hag. Please hurry up. I don’t want anyone I know to see me here. I glance around the room a couple more times and realized that the room’s majority are all men. I suspected something like that was going to happen. I glimpse at my watch and the time is 9:00pm. I put my hand down and shoved both of them in my pockets. I looked around impatiently and considered every second like forever. Then the trumpet sounded to indicate that the princess is going to be making an entrance. The grand doors open on my left and I glue myself against the wall as much as possible to avoid being seen by her. Everyone adjusts themselves to make an aisle for the princess to come in through. First, the King makes an entrance first. Then he stops midway in the aisle to make an announcement.
 “I thank all of you for coming to this year’s annual ball!” he starts, “all of you are all welcomed to stay for as long as you like. as long as you’re all having a good time. And judging by the chattering and laughter I’ve heard earlier, I’m assuming that you already are! But seeing that most of you here are all fine gentlemen, I shouldn’t be hogging the spotlight from the person you're all really here for.” he laughs and everyone else follows with a mere chuckle. “So now, without further ado, please give a warm welcome to my daughter and your princess of New Seoul, Jiyeon!” Then she walks in. The most beautiful girl of New Seoul, of all of Korea. Jiyeon, standing just a couple of feet away from me. She was wearing a long white gown with sparkling beads and feathered shoulders. The dress cutting was made so that the bottom showed half of her left leg and slanted down to fully cover her right. There were no sleeves so it showed her bare but soft, peach arms. Although it was faint, her dress a floral patterned and the light from the above made her dress glisten. To top it off, her hair was curled up and tied loosely, sitting on her left shoulder with a small crown on the top to hold her bangs in place. I saw her walk down the aisle, mesmerized. But this time, I felt more lost looking at her than the many other mesmerizing moments that I’ve been with her. She looks like she’s fit to be our princess, like a dream come true. I have a sudden urge to go up to her, to ask her to dance with me but the other half of me is holding me back, keeping me glued to my wall. Telling me over and over again, you are hear to get the money from the old hag, then you will have no business to stay here any longer. But my mesmerized half wants to have more business to stay here than to just complete some stupid mission. I look at her. She’s smiling and laughing with her guests as the applause from her entrance slowly fades out. Her actions are so graceful and her smile is so sweet and promising but her eyes. When she glances around the room, trying her best to welcome all of the guests tonight, I can see disappointment in her eyes. It pains me to watch her have such a hard life. Her role as a princess. I can understand why she had to get away. Why she left the palace and nearly get herself . Why she didn’t have body guards around to protect her. That’s because I bet out of everyone that works in the palace, not one, not even her own father, noticed that she left. She wanted her freedom as much as I wanted mine. She made me realize how alike she and I can be, but how different our intentions are when we are brought up in two completely different environment and surroundings. I had a painful past. She had a painful past. Her definition of freedom is so clear to me now. Now, my body is slowly peeling itself away from the wall. I walk one step closer to her, but then hesitate and walk backwards again. I look down at my shoes. Her shoes. I look at my reflection in it. Do I really want this future? What do I really want? Do I want to stay? Or do I want to leave?  It’s yes, and it’s no. If I chose to make an appearance for her, I can lose all the hard work that I’ve been planning for the last 10 years. Do I really want to let it go to waste? But if I chose no, then I’m just letting opportunity slip past me. I was supposed to be destined to become the prince of New Seoul. I know I’ve said that I don’t believe the old hag, but now that her telling is slowly coming together, I can understand why now. It’s hard to admit it since I’ve only known her for 24 hours. But I can feel my heart now. Telling me it’s so clear, it’s right in front of me. I place my right hand over top of my heart and feel it beat every second for her. I feel it skip then become steady and then race. My heart was stolen by her the moment I met her, even if she may not know it. I love her. I love Jiyeon. I stare up again, hoping to meet her eyes without actually needing to physically go see her. But she’s too busy with her guests. Jiyeon. Princess. Jiyeon. Princess. These two thoughts ran through my head in a loop. The more I thought about, the more hopeless I became. I’m just a ghetto boy. I’m a no for good idiot. I’ve never been to school. I’ve been a WD member all my life. I’ve been living with regrets and revenge all my life. All these thoughts filled me, making me realized how distant we are. We’re two different people from two different worlds. If she finds out my background, she’ll never accept me. No matter what we had. No matter what I thought we had. But did we really have anything in the first place? Or was it just me all along? Then I stare at my shoes. She gave me these in her way of thanking me. For saving her life. For being nice. She never felt the same way I felt for her.I was thinking too much this whole time. I started to cry. My tears rolled down my cheeks and drop onto the leather shoes. I fall on my back against the wall and slide all the way down into a sitting position with my knees up. I take my hands out of my pockets and rest them on my knees. Daehyun. I tell myself. Stop drawing attention and get up for what you were really here for. Forget about Jiyeon. Forget about her. Then flashes of her smile fill my head. I smash at my temples with my wrist and slowly come to my senses. Find the women, retrieve the money and get out of there. That is your main priority. Don’t let other things distract you from that. So I get up and wipe the tears off my face. I shove my hands in my pockets, kept my head down and made my way to the washroom. I push open the door, locked the door behind me and turn on the faucet. I turned the cold water all the way up and cupped my hands together, continuously splashing my face with icy cold water, waking myself up. I look up into the mirror and see myself again. This time, I see Daehyun. The ghetto boy that I’ve learned to know and adapt to for the last 20 years that I’ve been alive. Find the women, get the money, get praised for, the revenge. I turn the faucet off and take a towel off the stack of many others and wipe my face clean and dry, carefully trying to not destroy the suit. I throw the towel into the towel bin and looked back into the mirror, fixing and reapplying my makeup. That is your main priority Daehyun. I thought closing my eyeshadow box. I looked into the mirror once more, this time full of determination. Don’t fool yourself otherwise.