Not Quite a Prince || Eric Sohn

~ 11 ~

"I'd advise to try and not look at the reporters and all the cameras," Chanmi told Eric, placing a hand on his shoulder as she started leading him out of the jet. "It might make you scared." 

He nodded, not saying anything, but looking scared already. 

The door opened, and they walked down the stairs and out of the jet.  

Into the crowd of reporters. 

Immediately, they started shouting questions at Eric. She felt his body tense up beside her, and she pulled him closer to her side as she began pushing her way through the crowd with the help of the other bodyguards. In addition to the reporters were tons of fangirls, who'd seen his picture online a few hours ago, and decided to become stalkers. 

The questions they shouted ranged from simple things such as "do you like mint chocolate chip ice cream?" to more serious things like "what do you feel about meeting your parents for the first time?" 

When that question was asked, Eric stopped walking, his eyes widening slightly. 

"Your Highness," Chanmi whispered gently, growing increasingly worried as she took in his lost expression. 

"I'm scared," he whispered, barely moving his lips as he said that. She could hardly hear them over the sound of shouting and the clicks of cameras and had to tilt her head closer to him in order to hear him. "I'm scared," he said again. "I want to go home."

She didn't want to tell him that he was going home. To his new home. 

Chanmi had intended on telling him not to be scared. To focus on her, to focus on the floor, and try his best to block out everything else. To trust her to lead him through the crowds. 

But those words evaporated when the crowd grew larger, people pushing in, trying to reach out and touch their new prince. It was terrifying and frankly, really weird. 

Someone tripped and knocked into one of the camera-people closest to them, who knocked into Eric. 

Eric, who had already seemed disoriented from everything else, crashed to the ground, the camera crashing down with him. It fell on his arm, and he let out a cry of pain. 

"Stop it!" she shouted, anger flaring inside of her. Not many people could hear her, but the reporters and camera-people closest to her seemed taken aback. "I said stop it," she growled, pushing the people closest to her. They stumbled back, effectively pushing back others as well. 

Chanmi glanced at the rest of their guards, sending them a wordless message to push everyone back, this time using force if necessary. 

They formed a tighter circle around her and the prince, and she crouched down beside him. 

"Are you alright?" she whispered, pushing the camera away from him. Far away. She checked his arm: it was bleeding. "Let me fix that," she said softly, taking out a napkin and reaching forward to wipe away the blood. 

Eric grabbed onto her wrist, stopping her as he slowly sat up. His eyes looked lost and afraid. "Can you... can you stop them from taking pictures?" he asked, his lower lip trembling as he fought the urge to cry. 

She nodded, taking off her black blazer and draping it over his head and shoulders so that it would hide his face. "It's okay to cry," she told him. "This is a lot, I know." 

He nodded, blinking rapidly at the ground. 

Chanmi stood up, ready to use her battle training on these reporters, though knowing she wasn't supposed to. She couldn't. 

But still, they'd hurt him. He'd been here for a few minutes, and they'd already hurt him. 

She wished that his parents had let them fly straight to the Palace grounds. She'd asked them, she even called their team right before the flight and practically begged them. It was to no use. They wanted Eric to get used to the publicity. They wanted the public to see him. 

"If you don't stop taking pictures, I'll break all of your cameras," she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth so that she'd be louder. "I'm counting to three. One, two... three." 

When the clicking of cameras didn't stop, she pushed her way to the front of the line of guards. 

"They thought I was joking," she muttered, grabbing the first camera she saw and shoving it out of the man's hands, throwing it to the ground, making sure it landed far away from Eric, of course. After breaking his camera she spun, landing a kick on his stomach and sending him back into another group of camera-people/reporters/fans. Most of them fell to the floor. Her eyes landed on her next target. While some of the people were already starting to retreat, there were also some stubborn people. 

She didn't hesitate to knock them to the ground either, and it only took a few minutes for her to clear the crowd, most people running away before she could get to them. 

As soon as everyone was gone, she ran back to Eric, who was still on the ground. 

"Everyone's gone," she whispered, crouching down beside him again. She hesitated for a second, knowing that she wasn't really supposed to touch him, but then put a comforting hand on his back. "It's okay. Everything is okay." 

He started crying in earnest, all the tears that he'd been holding back finally coming to the surface. 

"Hey, it's okay," she said softly, rubbing his back. 

He grabbed her other hand and pulled her towards him, hugging her as he cried. She felt his cries shaking his body and hesitated only for a second before hugging him back. 

"Shh, it's okay," she said, stroking his hair and holding him as he cried. "You're safe, it's okay. I got you."