Ardour | The Boyz

Mask [JuNyu]

Chanhee had never been one to actually enjoy his father's social gatherings, he'd pick sitting in his bedroom over parties any day. But as the Kings son and only heir to the throne he had his duties. And attending these fancy parties was unfortunately one of them.

But today was different. Today the Kings main purpose was to find Chanhee a partner. One to marry. Now of course Chanhee was less than interested, but he couldn't do anything about it.

The theme was a masquerade ball. In which whoever wanted to be Chanhee's lifelong partner would have to find him in a sea of masks. This would prove who truly knew who Chanhee was, thus resulting in them being his perfect match.

So far nobody had discovered him, which didn't surprise him. He rarely left his room long enough for people to be able create a mental image of him.

So there he stood, swirling his drink in his hand. He looked over the ballroom, silently laughing to himself. None of these men looked even remotely like him, and no one else knew that.

The women twirled and danced in their gowns, hoping that they've found the prince.

Another rule the King put down, the mask doesn't come off until midnight. So nobody knew who they were actually dancing with.

Just for perspective, here are the Kings rules:

1. The prince is not allowed to interact with the King until mask off
2. The masks do not come off until midnight
3. Do not ask if you're dancing with the prince
4. Men are not allowed to reveal their identity, even if they're not the prince

Chanhee was actually enjoying himself, no one had approached him all night. He was quite small, and everyone seemed to think the prince was this tall, buff, muscular man. But in reality he was quite petite.

And no one in the room so far caught his attention, so he stood by himself in the corner.

Then something glared in his eyes, the way a shard of glass would in the sun. He scanned in the direction of the glare, only to find a man with a ring. Now this wasn't a marriage ring, as the stranger was wearing it on his middle finger.

Chanhee's eyes trailed up very slowly from his hands to his face. He was wearing a black velvet mask with some gold detailing to compliment his accessories. He looked to be just slightly taller than Chanhee, definitely with a better build. He was lean, he didn't quite stand out physic wise.

But there was something about him, something that made Chanhee curious about him. He was standing alone as well, so it couldn't be that he was doing anything extraordinary.

He was standing a mere five feet from Chanhee, so it wasn't hard to make out his features. Through the mask he could tell the stranger had sharp eyes, almost like a cat. His hair was parted to the side, like a comma.

The stranger suddenly caught eye contact, making Chanhee feel almost...nervous.

He'd known for a long time that he was attracted to both men and women. But he'd accepted that he'd probably end up marrying a woman, as that was his fathers wish. His father had told him many times that he wanted Chanhee to marry a nice woman, but that if he one day found a man that suited his fathers expectations he could. But Chanhee knew good and well his father wasn't exactly easy to please.

The stranger's lips slowly curved up into a smirk, he put down his drink and started approaching.

Chanhee avoided his gaze, feeling his heart pound against his ribs.

"Looks like you're having fun." The stranger commented.

Chanhee chuckled.

"Wanna dance?"