The Ugly Duckling [Jinkook, Minjoon, Taegiseok]

12: Not So Subtle Flirting

Ages at the moment:

Jin and Yoongi: 19

Hoseok and Namjoon: 18

Jimin and Taehyung: 16

Jungkook: 15

~~~~~

Yet again, another prince from the three kingdoms was having their 18th birthday. Kim Namjoon, from Seoul.

Of course that meant the push for him to get married was even greater than before, and he would be given a proper coronation within the year he gets married, as tradition goes.

But Namjoon planned to push off dating for as long as he could, because he didn't have eyes for anyone his parents introduced him to. He only had eyes for Jimin, the servant boy from the kingdom of Daegu.

So there he was, all dressed up in a nice suit, walking to the ballroom knowing that everyone else was there waiting for him, much like Yoongi's dramatic entrance to his birthday like a year and a half before.

He walked into the room as the announcer called out his arrival, posture perfect and hands in his pockets. Confidence radiated from his being, as if that was his sole purpose in life. Whether it was real confidence or not, no one would ever be able to tell. He was taught to fake confidence for years during his royal lessons growing up. A king had to be confident, after all.

"Introducing Kim Namjoon, the crown prince of Seoul."

Namjoon bowed politely at everyone in the ballroom. "Hello."

As his parents finished talking about random things, he looked around for his group of friends that always seem to meet up near the dessert table at a party. He smiled as he saw them wave at him, and Taehyung made a silly face.

Once everyone started clapping Namjoon realized his parents finished their boring speech about how they were honored to raise such a brilliant child, and how he was sure to walk in his father's footsteps as king, etc. He smiled and started making his way to his friends, only for his parents to hold him back.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To see my friends?"

"Sweetie, you're an adult now. You don't have to hang out with those children anymore," his mother said.

"Jin, Yoongi, and Hoseok are all adults," Namjoon frowned. "That makes more than half of us adults."

"But honey, don't you think it's time to move on? Being best friends with your brother is a bit embarrassing, don't you think? And besides, it's time for you to start looking for the perfect girl."

"Your mother is right, Namjoon. It's time to stop spending time with friends and start building a family. We're counting on you to have an heir." His father added.

"What if I don't want to?" Namjoon fought back, for the first time in his life. "What if I don't want to date any of the girls you send my way? What if I like males?"

"Namjoon, surely you are joking, right? We need an heir."

"You set Jin up with a boy. Why can't I have a boy, too? What kind of double standards is this?"

"Sweetie, it's because you are better than Jin. It was okay for him to be a f*g, because he was already a disappointment anyway. You're better than this," his mother tried to reason by insulting his brother.

Namjoon stepped back. "Did you just call my brother a f*g? He is your son! I can't believe I'm related to such close minded idiots!"

And with that, Namjoon turned away and went back to his friends, ignoring his parents demands for him to come back and reason with them. He didn't want to listen to them anymore. What was the worst they could do? Postpone his coronation? That would happen after his marriage, so it's not like that was going to happen anytime soon anyway.