Sunyoung is a little girl with long ponytails hanging on both sides of her head, short legs and a big smile.She's nothing out of the ordinary. When she goes to sleep at night, Sunyoung dreams of magic machines that make her grow tall. She dreams of pavement lands with dust and magic potions with the power to make people become who they want to become. Sunyoung dreams of freedom and fairy blood, so strong and deadly you could die with just one drop. She dreams of giant rabbits that generate hate and need to be defeated by her warrior hand. In all her dreams, she's a warrior who protects the world from danger. She asks herself why she doesn't dream of princes, kings and knights instead, and white horses and rainbows like all the other girls at school. But Sunyoung can't really explain why she dreams what she dreams, she just does.

When she wakes up though, Sunyoung is nothing but a short little girl dreaming of things that don't really exist.

Park Sunyoung is nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, if you saw her, you probably wouldn't stop to look at her twice. Her twin sister Jinyoung, on the other hand, is the prettiest of them both, with her long hair and soft and clear skin that will never equal to Sunyoung's, or so she thinks.  She's shy and innocent and looks like a princess in everything she does. Jinyoung doesn't wear armours and kills dragon in her dreams, she waits for the perfect prince to come.

It's a surprise then when, at the age of twenty one, her twin brings her boyfriend home.

When Sunyoung first sees him, she is not impressed. His hair is light brown and a little bit too long for her taste. His eyes are brown, much like hers and he has plump lips. Sunyoung supposes maybe that's what princes must look like in Jinyoung's mind. Sunyoung greets him with a polite smile and a bow and he bows back, rather awkward, and tells her his name is Jinki, Lee Jinki. At least he's polite, she thinks to herself while she excuses herself and gets out of the house because she's not really in the mood for Jinyoung's chatter about Jinki and princes and kings.

Later that night, Jinyoung tells her how they met, how it was like a fairytale and their love will last forever. Sunyoung ends up dreaming of brown haired bunnies that help her defeat the dragon.

"Sunyoung-ah! Over here!" Amber yells from the end of the cafeteria while waving at her. Sunyoung sees her, sitting there with her other three friends and smiles brightly, approaching them.

"What took you so long? I'm starving!" Soojung retorts, midly angry from hunger.

"I was helping Jinyoung choosing her clothes for an interview, sorry to keep you waiting"

"It's okay, this kid is hungry all the time anyway" Qian laughs.

"No, I'm not" Soojung retorts.

"Yes, you are. And you get moody" Jinri says, picking on Soojung.

"So, Qian, what did you want to tell us?" Sunyoung asks, curious.

All the girls look at Qian, expectantly.

"Well, I wanted to see you guys because... I'm getting married!" Qian beams.

"Oh my god, he finally did it?" Jinri cheers.

"Yes"

"When?" Soojung inquires excitedly.

"Two days ago, that's why I wanted to meet up as soon as I could, I wanted to tell you first myself"

Qian is glowing with happiness. Seeing her like that, Sunyoung can help but smile.

"Oh my god, Qian, that's great" she says, affectionately.

"Also... I would like you four to be my maids of honor" Qian retorts.

"Are you serious?" Amber asks, laughing of happiness.

"Yes, who else but you guys?" Qian says tenderly.

"But... we..." Soojung says, but is cut off by Qian.

"You don't want to...?"

"No! We'd love to! We say yes! yes!" Jinri cuts in, smiling and laughing.

They all laugh and hugh Qian in a group hug.

"Wow, our Qian is finally getting married. Who would have thought?" Amber says, once the embrace is over.

"And you guys, how are you doing?" Qian questions.

"Well, you know, same old same old" Soojung tells her.

"Pretty much" Jinri responds.

"Single" Amber says.

"Sunyoung?" Qian asks.

"Still going to end up as a cat lady, unfortunately"

"Don't worry, one day your prince will come" Qian tells her.

Sunyoung smiles in return, but doesn't believe it, a prince? How does a prince even look like?

When she gets back home, Sunyoung is smiling. Thinking back to what Qian had just said, the thought of one of her best friends being this happy, being able to share her life with the person she loves, gives only happiness on her friend's behalf. Sunyoung starts singing softly:  It feels like my breath will stop, my face blooms in the moonlight. At some point, the past is separating us but in my trembling heart, you sway in my heart like a stream...

...of water. Finishes a male voice. Sunyoung looks up. There, at her door, is Jinki, smiling.

"Oh, wait, what are you... Jinyoung... here?" Sunyoung manages to blurt out out of the embarrassment of being heard and tries to hide her face behind her black hair.

"I walked Jinyoung home" Jinki tells her.

"Oh, good" Sunyoung answers awkardly.

Jinki looks at her and his smile grows while he lets out a little laugh.  Sunyoung hears that and rises her head.

"Are you laughing at me?" she says more confused than offended.

"Sorry, I thought it was cute" Jinki laughs.

"Oh"

None of them know what to say and Jinki puts his hand on his neck out of the awkwardness that fills the space between them.

"Well, I better get going, tell Jinyoung I'll call her when I get home" Jinki says.

"I will, good night" Sunyoung answers, with a drier tone she would have wished for.

"Good night"

There's a red monster who wants to destoy Sunyoung's armour. But she is stronger than that, and defeats it easily.

"Mom, we're going out!" Jinyoung yells from the front door.

"Ok, have fun, you three!"

Sitting at the back seat of Jinki's car, Sunyoung wonders how on earth Jinyoung convinced her to come along with them just so they could have some "quality time alone" at the beach. At the beach, at the ending of winter, yeah okay. Things with Jinki had remained as awkward as that night, if not more. Sunyoung wonders if that were posible but thinking it deeply, she supposes that yes, it is and the last thing she wanted to do was spend two hours in a car with him and her sister. On the brighter side, she counted on her sister to entertain them both and include them in a conversation that otherwise none of them would start. But Jinyoung is a traitor and falls asleep just as soon as she gets into the car claiming that she was too excited to sleep last night and to wake her up when we get there which leaves Sunyoung pretty much alone with Jinki. Sunyoung doesn't want to start a conversation for the sake of being polite and Jinki look like he has no clue what he could say. That's better, Sunyoung thinks, he should focus on the road anyways. Jinki turns on the radio, from the mirror, he sees Sunyoung smiling at the sudden melody and he draws a small smile.

Jinyoung wakes up half an hour before getting there and Sunyoung is so glad to finally have her awake to make this journey a little bit entertaining. But Jinyoung is all eyes for Jinki and she smiles and laughs for him and Sunyoung feels just as left out as she hoped she wouldn't feel.

"You aren't coming?" Jinyoung asks.

"No, I'll just stay here, reading a book or something" Sunyoung tells her.

"Are you sure?" Jinyoung questions again, sounding a little disappointed that her sister prefers staying at the bar by the beach than joining them at the shore.

"Yes, I'll be fine, have fun" Sunyoung answers.

Jinyoung smiles but doesn't push it. She grabs Jinki's hand and carries him to the water. Sunyoung grabs her ipod, a notebook and a pen.

About an hour later, she has filled three pages with words and scribbles and rectifications. She's deep in thought, looking at it as if trying to find something.

"Did you lose something in that notebook?" a voice asks from behind. And of course, when she turns around, it's Jinki.

Sunyoung closes her notebook as fast as her hands let her and puts it in her bag.

"Where's Jinyoung?" she asks, trying to sound normal.

"She's till inside the water, she doesn't want to come out" Jinki says.

"Why aren't you with her?" Sunyoung questions.

"I'm not crazy enough to get in the water in winter" Jinki retorts.

This statement makes Sunyoung laugh, because really, only her sister can go to the beach at may and have a bath in that weather. Jinki watches her laugh and lets out a little laugh.

"I guess it's a valid reason" she tells him.

"What were you doing?"

"Nothing" she says, suddenly, faster than normal.

"With a notebook and a pen?" he asks, ironic.

"Oh, that... I was studying"

"Right"

From far away, Jinyoung waves at them, smiling happily. Sunyoung returns the smile, happily and Jinki can only stare at her. When Sunyoung turns around to tell him something, Jinki moves his head very fast, hoping he was not caught.

"I wanted to thank you" she tells him

"For?"

"You seem to make my sister happy" Sunyoung smiles.

"I try"

"Good"

"The song you sang the other day..."

Jinyoung runs and hugs Jinki from the back, making him scream from the cold water in his skin.

Weeks go by and Jinki becomes a constant presence in Sunyoung's life. He stays many nights for dinner and is also there most afternoons, watching TV or playing games with Jinyoung. Her parents are already used to Jinki as being one more of the family. The couple seem to be the main point of the family now and Sunyoung feels a little left out which is why she spends less time at home. She finds a summer job at a book store and spends there most of the day, when her shift is over, she goes out with her friends to have some supper together. It also helps a lot that Qian has finally decided she's going to get married on January, so she's started to give them their duties as maids of honor and Sunyoung is able to spend most of her time outside her house.  What hurts Sunyoung the most is that, when she gets back, she doesn't feel like she was missed.

"Okay, tomorrow at 5, right? I won't forget it... I never forget these things, plus, it's cake, who would want to go eat as many cake as you want?... yes, okay, see you tomorrow" Sunyoung says, talking to the phone. The night is already dark, the lighstreets are lit up. It's past midnight when Sunyoung enters her house. She goes to the kitchen and gets herself a glass of water which she drinks in a gulp. Then, she goes to the living room, wanting to watch some TV to relax. It's at this hour where she can be by herself, her family sleeps and Jinyoung and Jinki are either not here or each one in their houses. Tonight, though, it doesn't seem to be the case because, when Sunyoung enters the living room, Jinyoung and Jinki are sitting on the coach.

Her sister is fast asleep but Jinki is awake, looking at tv and switching channels. Sunyoung tries to sneak away without being seen but Jinki looks at her as soon as she tries to take a step back to the kitchen.

"Oh, you're finally here. We were waiting for you" Jinki remarks.

"Y... yes, here I am" Sunyoung says, taken aback.

"Yes, we barely see you anymore, are you okay?"

Sunyoung is confused and uncomfortable. She really doesn't want to have this conversation right now and even if she did, he'd be the last person she'd like to talk to.

"Yes. I'm just busy" Sunyoung retorts, making her way to the stairs that lead to her bedroom.

"Your family misses you, you know?" Jinki says, just as she is going up the stairs.

Sunyoung stops.

"What?" she asks, turning around to face him.

"They miss you, you should come home earlier and spend more time with them"  Jinki tells her, reprimanding her.

"You spend enough time with them to cover up for both" Sunyoung explains with a sarcastic tone and a sarcastic smile.

"Don't blame it on me. You are the one who should be here beside your family instead of not coming home at all" Jinki tells her, still with that reprimanding tone but with a little bit of anger.

"How is that any of your business? you're my sister's boyfriend, you're not even my friend" Sunyoung says, offended.

"I..."

"You don't know me. Stop thinking you do" Sunyoung demands, angry.

"I would like to get to know you, I want to be your friend" Jinki says, trying to sound relaxed.

"Why?"

"Why not? I can't be friends with my girlfriend's sister?" Jinki answers, but his tone is harsh.

"Leave me alone, I don't want to talk right now" Sunyoung says while she continues to go up the stairs.

"I guess you're tired of going out every night, makes sense" Jinki fumes, clearly implying something else.

Sunyoung turns around again, this time clearly offended.

"Screw you. You want to be my friend? Yeah, right, what a bunch of crap" she says, with the coldest voice she's ever heard herself have.

Sunyoung spends the following week at Amber's house while she tries to look for an apartment for herself.

"You know you could always stay here, it's no problem"

"I don't want to be a bother, besides, I think it's time I learn how to live all by myself"

Sunyoung dreams her armour falls and she's nothing but a little girl with ponytails unable to overcome anything. Maybe she never was a warrior to begin with.

When her parents ask her the reason she wants to move out she lies, she tells them she just needs some time to be all by herself, and that she just wants to try living outside the house on her own. Her parents are visibly worried and sad that Sunyoung seems to want out so badly but Sunyoung supposes telling them that she feels replaced by her sister's boyfriend with whom she had an argument with would make them feel worse.

When Sunyoung meets Jinki again, she's working at the book shop, arranging books on the shelves. She sees him entering, and tries to hide as much as she can but her boss is looking at her like she's stupid and gestures her with one look to help the costumer who, by the way, is looking at the books with a very confused expression. Sunyoung gives up and sighing, approaches him.

"Hello, may I help you?" she asks with a smile, the one she has practiced for costumers.

"No, thanks" he answers.

"Ok then, I'll be right there if you need anything" she tells, just as she's been told to say.

"Wait, yes, I need something" Jinki says, suddenly.

"Yes, what can I help you with?"

"Can we talk?"

"Huh?"

"I'll wait for you to come out" Jinki tells her, grabbing a book. He buys it and leaves. Sunyoung is not entirely sure of what just happened.

Sunyoung waves goodbye as she exits the store. It's still bright even though it's late. She looks up at the sky, there's not even a single cloud in the sky. She wants to go the beach now that it's summer, she'll tell the girls to go one of these days, they'll have fun. Sunyoung's lips draw a sad smile of tiredness. She doesn't quite know what she's so tired of.

Knights in shining armours don't get tired, never, in stories, in movies, they would rather die than show they're tired. And Sunyoung can't be tired because she's like them, she's the hero in her story, she's the queen who rules above everyone else.

"Are you trying to run away?"

Sunyoung jumps out of shock and turns around.

"You scared me!" she tells Jinki while hitting his arm.

"Sorry"

There's a pause, Sunyoung is trying to look for an escape, some place she can ran to and hide. Damn this city and it's wide streets. She chooses to face the circumstances at the moment.

"So... what did you want to talk about?"

"Yes, about that... I wanted to apologize, for what I said" Jinki tells her, sheepisly.

"Ok" Sunyoung says, dryly.

"Ok?"

"Ok. Bye, then"

"Wait no, that's not it."

"Then? Is this something about you and Jinyoung? Because that's between you two" Sunyoung questions.

"No, well, no... I don't think so"

"O...k"

"I just, I felt very guilty when you left. And you left without even telling m- your sister. I felt it was my fault because of what happened" Jinki says.

"It was"

"It was?" Jinki asks, half surprised half hurt.

"Yes, not entirely, but yes"

"Why didn't you tell me?" the hurt in Jinki's voice increases.

"Why should I have to?" Sunyoung defends herself.

"Because this was concerning me"

"So what?"

"So you didn't think it was normal to tell me what was bothering you especially if it was my fault?" Jinki questions, rather angry.

"Why would you even care?"

"Because I do!"

"You do? Really?" Sunyoung says, with irony in her voice.

"Yes, I do. I do care for you!" Jinki raises his voice, exasperated.

"Save it" Sunyoung answers coldly.

Jinki is frustrated with Sunyoung not wanting to listen to him so he gets closer and closer to her.

"No, you said I didn't know you, but I know you a lot. You love music and singing, that's why you write songs in that notebook of yours"

"No, I don't"

Jinki lets out an exhasperated sigh and grabs Sunyoung by both arms.

"Yes, yes you do. Don't lie to my face, Sunyoung."

"Stop it" Sunyoung squirms under his arms.

"When will you understand?"

"There's nothing to understand"

"Sunyoung... please, I just want you to..."

"No, you always come around expecting me to... what? what do you even want?" Sunyoung interrupts him.

"I just..."

"You just what? What?" Sunyoung says while pushing him but Jinki doesn't back away and holds her still.

Sunyoung thinks that a simple I don't know would have sufficed for an answer and that there was no actual reason for Jinki to be kissing her. He's tender though, going slowly and softly. It's soft but not as soft as to not feel it. Sunyoung feels herself following his lead and feels stupid. As soon as he breaks the kiss, Sunyoung smacks him across the face.

"I don't know who you think I am, but I'd never do this to my sister"

"I didn't..."

"And you shouldn't do this to her either. She doesn't deserve this, you're her prince."

Sunyoung walks away, not looking at Jinki once.

"And you? Who's your prince?" Jinki yells from the distance.

I don't have princes, I have snakes with smiles pretending to be nice, Sunyoung wants to say, but she's already too far for him to hear her.

Sunyoung doesn't tell Jinyoung anything when the later comes crying home, one day, telling her she's broken up with Jinki. In fact, she never tells Jinyoung anything about that encounter, at all. Sunyoung doesn't want to ask her what happened, who broke it and when because Jinyoung is heartbroken and is spilling it all by herself. Sunyoung is relieved in a way.

Even though Jinki is gone, Sunyoung doesn't go back home.