It was almost one week after Seohyun and Yonghwa officially together. They still didn’t tell their friends and families about that. It seemed that Sooyeon didn’t tell anyone too. And Seohyun felt so relieved because of that.

After that day, in Hwacheon, Seohyun just met Yonghwa once, in the campus cafeteria, like they usually did in second and fourth Friday every month. Their friends didn’t find it suspicious yet. They tried to act normally. They decided to just let their best friends find it by themselves too and wouldn’t tell them directly.

So far, they mostly just communicated by phone. And it didn’t matter for them. They felt that as long as they were together, that was enough.

Yonghwa suggested her to meet regularly in Il Tavolino, Lee Joon’s sister restaurant. At least they could provide a private room for them. Seohyun agreed as she tried to look another safe place for them to meet up too.

He asked her to watch a midnight movie in theatre too once in awhile. And Seohyun didn’t agree yet with that idea because it was too risky, even if she wanted to do it too.

Seohyun didn’t have a good chance to tell that to her parents yet. She was confused and scared by her parents’s reaction. But she intended to tell them before the end of this week. The sooner they knew, it would be better for her.

But what if they don’t like it? Seohyun asked inwardly, but she decided to just get rid that question out of her mind. Besides, her parents’s reaction would not be that bad than Royal’s reaction.

She then took a deep breath as she looked at the mirror and made sure her appearance for the last time before she went out of her bedroom. That day, she and her mother would attend the opening ceremony of DEW’s new project in Incheon.

But suddenly her phone rang. Seohyun looked at her phone monitor, but it was an unknown number. She frowned at first, before decided to answer it as she sat back on her bed.

“Yeoboseyo~”

“Yeoboseyo. Choi Inkyung imnida. May I speak to Seo Joohyun Agassi?” She heard a modulated voice in other line.

“Ne~ This is she.” Seohyun didn’t know who she was.

“Oh geureyo, Joohyun Aggasi. I’m Queen Pilok’s lady-in-waiting…”

THUMP!

The Queen? Oh My God…Seohyun screamed inwardly.

“Ahh…ye~” Seohyun didn’t know how to respond her.

“The Queen would like to meet you. Do you have time tomorrow afternoon, Agassi?”

M – mwo???

Seohyun felt her feet became so weak. It was so fortunate that she still sat on her bed. She really wanted to say no at that time because…God! It is too soon.

But she knew that she couldn’t do that.

She needed to take a very deep breath to make sure she wouldn’t stutter when she answered her.

“Ye~ Lady Choi, I will available tomorrow afternoon.”

“Good to hear that. Okay then, I will pick you up at 4 PM tomorrow afternoon, Agassi.”

“Ahh…but, can we just meet in Bloom and Goûté Café in Sinsa-dong?” Seohyun suddenly suggested her to just pick her up outside her house. Fortunately, tomorrow she and Sooyoung had a plan to go shopping and spent their afternoon in a café like they always did.

“Okay then. I’ll pick you up at 4 PM. See you tomorrow in Bloom and Goûté Café, Joohyun Agassi.” Lady Choi ended their conversation.

Seohyun, who still felt so weak, just sat lifelessly, as she tried to digest what had happened.

The Queen wanted to meet her.

It was too sudden and too soon. She just agreed to be the Prince’s girlfriend in less than a week ago. And she was already being invited to meet the Queen. It was really crazy for her.

But then she tried to take a deep breath. She should calming herself first. There was no point to avoid it because sooner or later she would still meet the Queen.

Let’s hear what she wants to say first…Seohyun concluded to herself inwardly.

The next day

Seohyun felt a little bit stress about her attire that day. She just realized that she might be chose the wrong outfits because she just wear a Mango checkered shirt with Zara beige knitted sweater and black skinny jeans. She would meet the Queen but her attire was just too casual. But it was too late, it was only half an hour remaining before Lady Choi would pick her up.

Sooyoung who just sipped her chamomile tea finally realized that Seohyun was so pale, extremely pale. It was so unusual to see her like that.

“Wae? Are you sick?” Sooyoung ask worriedly.

But Seohyun just shook her head. Sooyoung frowned and was still waiting for her answer.

Seohyun gave up as she took a deep breath. There was no point to keep it from her. Sooyoung might be could give her a warm support because she couldn’t tell about this to Yonghwa or her family. She had not told her family about her relationship with the Prince yet. So, she couldn’t tell about the Queen’s invitation too. And her planning to tell it to her family needed to be postponed, until she met the Queen.

“The Queen just invited me, Sooyoung-ahh.” Seohyun started.

Sooyoung, who was stirring her tea, didn’t absorb what Seohyun had said at first. It took several seconds for her before she shouted, “M – mwo???”

“Yahh!” Seohyun warned her best friend to not make a scene because everyone around them was looking towards them right away.

“But ~ wae?” she asked but Seohyun didn’t reply her. Then she decided to ask something else. “When?”

Seohyun exhaled. “Today. I’m waiting for Lady Choi to pick me up right now. She will come in any minutes.”

“Jinjja?” Sooyoung’s eyes became wider because of that information. “Yahh. This is crazy. But…”

Sooyoung suddenly became silence. She was thinking of something. “Yahh! Don’t tell me that you and him are officially together!!!” Sooyoung shouted again.

“Yahh! Sooyoung-ahh! Sssssttttt….” Seohyun warned her again as she pinched Sooyoung’s hand.

“Yahh! Yahh! Appaaa…” Sooyoung whined but Seohyun glared at her sharply.

“Just tell me, Seohyun-ahh. Are you and Yo~” Sooyoung was about to mention Yonghwa’s name when suddenly stopped because Seohyun glared at her again. “…him officially together now?”

Seohyun then took a deep breath and nodded in the end.

“Mwo~??? Oh My God!!!” Sooyoung needed to cover her own mouth, preventing herself to shout again.

“Oh God, jinjja Seohyun-ahh. Congrats, my Dear Hyunnie~” Sooyoung was still looked excited as she squeezed Seohyun’s arm. “But…but are you okay?” she suddenly asked worriedly. “I mean, he is…he is not ordinary…your relationship won’t ever be ordinary. You know what I mean, don’t you?”

Seohyun giggled to see Sooyoung’s worry expression. “Yahh! Who was ever tell me about this is 21st century era and don’t need to worry for being a commoner?” Seohyun started to tease.

“Did I ever say that?” but Sooyoung denied it shamelessly.

“I thought about that a thousand times, Sooyoung-ahh. I have considered it all, even for the worst case. But I can’t lie to myself anymore. I decided to try my best. If we’re meant to be, then we’ll find a way…” Seohyun said as she smiled bitterly.

Sooyoung was still looked so surprised, but then she smiled. “Hiks…I’m so proud of you, Seohyun-ahh…hueee” Sooyoung made a fake cry and succeed make Seohyun hit her hand hard. But she didn’t scream like before.

“Does your family know about this matter?” Sooyoung still asked.

“Not yet, I don’t know how to explain it to them. I need to hear what the Queen wants to say first.” Seohyun became so gloomy out of sudden. Truth be told, she had no confidence to meet the Queen but she knew that she couldn’t avoid her.

“Don’t worry, Seohyun-ahh. The Queen can’t find any reasons to not like you. Trust me. Fighting!” Sooyoung cheered her and it succeed make Seohyun chuckled.

“Does Yonghwa know about this? Your meeting with the Queen?” Sooyoung was really unstoppable that day. She asked too many questions. Seohyun can’t imagine it when she told about it to her family.

“No, but I guess he will find it soon because I don’t reply all his messages.” She replied when suddenly her phone vibrated.

It was from Lady Choi.

Seohyun became pale again but answered that call in the end.

After she ended her conversation with Lady Choi who told her that she was already outside the Bloom and Goûté Café, she felt her left arm was squeezed by Sooyoung. Seohyun gave her a weak smile, as Sooyoung showed her fist and whispered, “Fighting!”

***

Yonghwa just finished his meeting with Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Sejong City. He was about to call Seohyun when he finally realized that his last message was not replied by her.

Then he called her, but she didn’t answer it. It was a bit unusual. The last time she did that was when she obviously avoided him, before the mildang. And Yonghwa felt so worry so sudden. He tried again and again, but still, she didn’t answer it. He was about to call Sooyoung, because he remembered that she ever mention about her plan with Sooyoung that day, but suddenly he thought something else.

Could it be…

He suddenly changed his mind and tried to call his mother instead. But he stopped himself before he really called his mother. He exhaled deeply and called Seohyun again in the end.

***

Seohyun sat nervously inside Lady Choi’s car. She who was looked so elegant wearing black trousers pants and black shirt with grey knit blazer. Seohyun felt like she really chose the wrong outfits that day. Ottoke???

Lady Choi asked her some common questions during their way. Fortunately, she could answer it smoothly. At the beginning, Seohyun didn’t think that she needed to ask about their destination, but when she finally looked at the road, she suddenly became panic.

It is…the way towards Gyeongbok Palace…isn’t it?

Am I going to meet the Queen in the palace?

As if Lady Choi knew her panic mind, she suddenly said. “It’ll be difficult to arrange the private meeting outside the palace, Agassi. It’ll be safer if we you to palace directly. That’s why I personally pick you up. At least, it won’t be too obvious. I hope you’ll understand it.”

Seohyun couldn’t reply her right away. She was really nervous. She never imagined that she would set her foot in the palace so soon like this. Oh God, just safe me!

And suddenly, her phone vibrated. It was from Yonghwa.

This is it…she said inwardly as she just stared blankly at her phone, as if she couldn’t remember how to use it.

And then, his call ended. But not long after that, he called her again. And Seohyun still didn’t want to answer it. She didn’t know how to tell him about this.

It was nth times her phone vibrated. Seohyun kept on ignore it.

“You won’t answer it?” Lady Choi asked curiously, before she finally understood. “Ahh…It must be from Seja Jeoha. I guess you don’t tell him yet. Just answer it, Aggasi, or he’ll be so worried.”

Seohyun turned to Lady Choi as she smiled weakly. “Ye~”

“Yeoboseyo~” she finally answered him. But she almost couldn’t recognize her own voice, because it was suddenly heard so strange in her ears.

“Are you going to meet my mother, Joohyun-ahh?” Yonghwa asked to the point.

She took a deep breath before said, “Ne~”

But Yonghwa silenced after that. It took several seconds before she could hear Yonghwa exhaled. “We know that it’s inevitable. Though it’s too soon than I expected. But don’t worry, Hyun-ahh. Just be yourself, okay?” he said in soothing tones.

“Ye~” Seohyun really couldn’t find any words beside Ne and Ye at that time. But Yonghw