Through the Looking Glass (TXT x Itzy)

twenty two

Yeji was having a massive headache since it had been exactly five days, four hours, twelve minutes and twenty seconds since the princess disappeared. Her parents, who Yeji considered not even that caring, made an attempt to look worried sick, the king quite literally, since he had become rather...sick.

But nothing could prepare her for her phone ringing out of a sudden, displaying Ryujin's number, along with a cheekily taken photo of the said girl.

"Oh man, Yeji, you wouldn't believe what I found." Yeji felt like for the first time in a while, she could breathe properly, hearing the princess's voice through the phone made her forget all her worry and panic. "You idiot, where were you? You know what, nevermind, where are you?"

Ten minutes later, Yeji, Yeonjun, Soobin and Chaeryeong were in the garden, and Ryujin sat there cross-legged on the bench as if she had never left, a boy next to her awkwardly eyeing everyone.

"Ryujin you little-"

"Yeji's just very happy to see you, Your Highness," Yeonjun cut in, holding back a furious Yeji.

"Do you want to go back to your room, Ryujin?" Jisu invited, and Yeji laughed, "Aha, yeah, no, she's not, she's coming with me, and take the boy, we need to-"

"Yeji, don't be so mean," Ryujin said easily, "Take it easy. It's only been ten seconds since this guy-" She pointed to the boy next to her, "-believed I was a princess."

Yeji snorted, "Who doesn't? If anyone in the kingdom doesn't know you're princess, they would be beheaded-"

The boy coughed, "So am I going to be beheaded?"
"Yes-"

"No," Ryujin said quickly.

Yeji sighed, "You have a lot of explaining to do."

-

They stood before her parents, where her father coughed feebly and her mother blinked tiredly.

"Where have you been, Ryujin?" Her father wheezed. It made her heart clench to see her father in such a weak state, despite how much she detested him, so she answered truthfully. "I found something, father, another dimension," She insisted, "And I found another world, just like ours, speaking the same language and everyone looked like people from our Kingdom, just as advanced, only they are not a Kingdom."

Her father looked too tired to entertain the vivid imaginations of the two-year-old child that was still in her. "Ryujin, please. Just tell us you went to the village and-"

"I'm not lying. I found this guy-" She gestured to Beomgyu, who shrank back when everyone turned their attention to him, "-from that place."

The king looked like he was about to respond, but groaned in pain, servants fluttering to his side in panic. "I'll leave you to rest, father," Ryujin said softly, "Take care."

And with that she spun on her heels and left the room, Yeji following closely.