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No More PrincessKai can't wait to get home. Instead of rushing through the streets, going above the speed limit and racing through red lights, Kai drives normally. He tells himself to be patient, because it won't do anything except get him a ticket, and that will waste time.
He glances at the clock. There's still a while until dinner, and he knows Jihyun will want him to wait as long as possible for the stew to be cooked to perfection, so he has to think of something do to to pass the time. Maybe he'll just suggest TV so he can sit close to her again, getting as many moments to look at her as he can.
Kai speeds up a little.
Just the thought of eating a dinner Jihyun carefully planned to make is enough to anticipate; he doesn't need to remind himself that she'll be there to share it with him.
That's why he's shocked when he gets home.
Jihyun's no where in sight--Kai checks all the rooms to be sure. His first thought (after he pushes the slight panic away) is that she's out getting the groceries she told him she was going to get for the stew. But she also said the stew has to cook for a while, so why would she be getting the ingredients now?
He goes to the kitchen to check if there's anything on the stove at all and answers his earlier questions. There are a couple grocery bags on the counter, and his fridge has some new additions inside, and this is when Kai really starts to panic. Where could Jihyun have gone? Did she forget something at the market and had to go back and got caught up in something? Something dangerous? What--
Kai freezes when he spots the paper on the table. He takes a slow, deep breath, hoping to God she didn't decide to pack her things and leave, not when he was enjoying her company the most.
Hesitantly, he hovers over the letter, both hands gripping the edge of the table. He notices his debit card he gave her at the corner of the paper, but he barely registers that it's there, doesn't care. All he cares about is where she is.
Jongin,
Today has become a really terrible day for me. This morning, everything was so relaxed and fun, and I thought the entire day would be like that.
I really wanted to make that stew for you, and I'm sorry you won't get to try it, but I don't have any time to quickly put it together, unfortunately.
Remember yesterday? When you brought home that newspaper, and I asked if they were looking for me? Well, they found me. I was surprised by how quickly it came, and I was hoping for just a few more days with you before I had to go back, but I didn't think they'd come the next day.
On my way home from the grocery store, I ran into some guards from the castle. They said they had to take me back, no acceptions. So here I am, writing goodbye.
I would rather say goodbye to your face than having you read it.
Hopefully I'll see you again sometime in the future. Thank you for everything you've done, and everything you've given me. I couldn't be more appreciative.
Jihyun
So he does the first thing that comes to mind: he runs. He tears open his front door and runs down the steps, then sprints all the way to Luhan's.
Well, the first thought he had was to call the police, but what policeman would help him in his situation?
Since Luhan chose to live in front of a damn dog park, Kai has to maneuver through the many people who like to take their dogs there before dinner. He contemplates yelling, "Move, this is an emergency!" but the thought is quickly forgotten as he gets to the side door that leads up to Luhan's place, ignoring the owner of the bakery telling him to slow down.
Kai doesn't bother to remove his shoes when he walks in, and sees Luhan emerge from the kitchen when he yells for him.
"What, what is it?" Luhan asks, noticing Kai's panicked state.
"Call Kyungsoo," Kai breathes, his lungs burning from the run. "And Sehun."
"Why?"
"Just call them!"
"I will, but you have to tell me what's going on. Why am I calling them?"
"Because I need help." He answers, pacing back and forth in the living room, trying to calm himself down. "Jihyun's gone, and I need help getting her back."
Luhan stops dialing Sehun's number and looks up from his phone. "Getting her back? What the hell did you do to make her leave you?"
Kai realizes he needs to tell him about Jihyun's social status. Her secret. Their secret. He's already gotten himself into this mess by coming to Luhan for help, and he wouldn't get it if Luhan and them didn't know about Jihyun. And he knows he can't do it alone.
"Okay, you can't think I'm crazy when I tell you this, alright? But you need to know so you can help me. Jihyun's a princess. She's the granddaughter of Alcea's king, and for some reason her castle was threatened and someone put a bomb in it or some and they kicked her out to get her safe and they've been trying to get her back for the past few weeks, and they finally found her while I was at work today and they took her and . . ." Kai struggles to get his thoughts straight. "And I don't want her to go. I love her, and I don't want to go back to that apartment if she's not there."
Luhan stares at him, bewildered.
"Don't look at me like that." Kai orders. "It's true, Luhan, she's a princess. I know how insane I sound, but--" Suddenly, he chuckles, a little sadly. "This must be how Jihyun felt." Looking back at his friend, he sighs. "I know you probably don't believe me, but please just pretend that you do and help me out."
Luhan still doesn't say anything, staring in the distance with a line between his eyebrows, apparently thinking deeply of something. Then, as Kai tries to get his attention again, Luhan claps and a smile breaks out on his face, surprising Kai.
"That's it! That's how I know her!"
Kai stutters, "You know her? How the hell do you know her?"
"Well, I don't know her personally. Last year, when I took that college course on how to be a better leader, we got an opportunity to take a tour of the castle and visit the King so he could give us examples and stuff about how we should handle certain situations, and I saw her there. She gave a small speech on how she manages her zoo or whatever she does." Luhan sighed in relief. "I failed that course. But man, I was wondering why she looked so familiar when you brought her here. Wow, a princess in danger, how exciting."
Now, Kai stared at him. "Are you going to help?"
"Yes."
"Good. Call Sehun, I'll call Kyungsoo. I'm going to need your help convincing them as soon as they get here."
"Convincing them to help or convincing them that Jihyun's a princess?"
"Both."
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