The Rose

Chapter 2: Who saved my ass?

The birds were chirping; the skies were blue; the crowd was screaming!

I sat in the Amphitheatre, with IU. It's packed in here. The majority of spectators were female, and there's a dozen of bare-chested, tall, and toned male students sparing in the arena. Hence, the screaming.

A few minutes ago, the lunch bell rang and IU immediately grabbed my hand and pulled me here, disoriented and confused, to snag the front-row seats. 'Let's go watch the boys spar for sport!' said IU then.

The Amphitheatre was humongous. The whole thing was equivalent to six of those lecture classrooms this morning! Rows upon rows of seating radiated from the central arena.

'Rosalie! Do you see that guy with golden hair there? That's Jeonghan, the crown prince! Isn't he such a dream?' IU squealed to me and pointed.

I followed her finger and laid my eyes upon the crown prince. From the back, I could see that he has hair that is like pure golden threads, woven from sunlight. His shoulders are also really broad and dependable. As if summoned by IU's words, he turned around at that instant, blessing our side of the amphitheatre with a good look at his bare upper body. A good-natured smirk, and a jaw-line that could cut, he must have made many female hearts bleed.

'I've got to admit, he's extremely cute. He's the crown prince? The royal family sure has good genes.' I commented, recalling the Empress's exquisite looks and the emperor's sharp yet manly countenance. 'But too bad, he's not my type!' I added. To my horror, upon my words, a certain masked man who likes midnight visits popped into my mind, along with the snarky thought, That's more like it. I instantly waved the thought away. Goddamnit. First meeting and you're in love?!

'That's indeed too bad. But don't worry, there's still many, many hotties in our school! Many fishes in the sea, I'd say. In the meantime, more Jeonghan for me!' IU exclaimed, all googly eyes at the crown prince.

I laughed. We've just known each other for a few hours, but we get along really well. She's so funny and charming in her own way.

Eyeing the other men, I spotted a dark-haired guy with an extremely good physique. He flicked his sword with shocking ease, a bored look on his handsome face. His opponent was struggling to parry his strikes so badly that I felt sorry for him. Admiring his well-formed abdominal muscles, I pointed at him and asked IU, 'Who's that?'

IU gazed at him and gave me a 'he-he' look. 'That's Jeon Jungkook! He is hot. A senior, and heir to the House of Jeon. My advice, don't waste your time on him. He's terribly aloof and inscrutable. Nobody gets anywhere with him. But still, if mystery's your type, which I sense it is, go ahead.' IU winked and smirked.

I smiled back and returned my gaze to Jungkook. He's kind of familiar. Still, I can't seem to put my finger on it!

Still puzzling over the living mystery, a jarring 'crack' right in front of me caused me to jump. 'What the—' I started, seeing a broken wooden sword and the half-dome of a transparent, electric blue shield a feet in front of me. And a half-naked, golden-haired crown prince running in my direction. What a sight. It was frightening. A very toned and hot guy rushing to you does things to your heart, I'm not kidding. You get really excited yet afraid.

'Sorry about that! I hit David's sword too hard and it just flew here – whoosh – and almost hit you! Thank god for that shield.' The shield had vanished by then, which happens when the sorcerer who wields the shield releases it. On a side note, he is even better looking up close. 'Are you okay? It was a huge fright. How do I make it up to you?'

'I'm fine. Just a small fright. No, you don't have to make it up to me! Nothing bad really happened!' I urgently spewed out assurances, wanting very badly for him to go back to his sparring so that everyone would stop staring at me. Everyone! IU is gawking, and even the fighting in the arena stopped. Jungkook is staring! I don't know why I care, but I can feel his gaze hotly on my face. 'Please, go back to your sparring, prince! Your friends are waiting for you,' I blurted.

An amused smile spread across his face. 'No one calls me prince. Call me Jungkook.' Then, he knitted his brows and squinted at me, 'Wait – are you – Jangmi?'

My mind went blank for a moment. Jangmi? There's only one person who would call me 'rose'. 'Cheonsa?' I said, tentatively. Jeonghan's eyes' brightened, nodding his head eagerly like a little boy. 'Cheonsa?!' I repeated, this time in astonishment and recognition. 'You're Cheonsa? You're so tall now and...' I paused, trying to find the right word, '...old!'

'Old? I'm old?' Jeonghan, or Cheonsa, 'angel', made a face of mock-hurt. He smiled warmly, 'I just grew up. You kind of sound like my aunties after my growth spurt, saying that.' He grabbed my shoulders and held me at arm's length, looking closely at me. Wistfully, he said, 'I'd recognize those green eyes of yours anywhere, Jangmi. Long time no see! Twelve years, in fact.'

My mind flashed to the imperial garden I used to play in when I was around five, before the move from Lumera. My father was the headmaster of the Imperial University of Medicine and part of the Emperor's project to reform the healthcare system in the Empire. He used to attend meetings for that in the palace all the time. Bored at home, I would tag along and roam the gardens because I loved the pretty flowers and endless butterflies to chase after. And of course, one of the highlights was a friend there, a cute, small, little boy whom I loved – Cheonsa, who is actually Jeonghan. I never knew he was the crown prince! He just told me to call him Cheonsa, for 'angel'. His cheeks and clothing used to be smeared with dirt, so I really thought he was the gardener's son.

'Cheonsa. I never thought I'd see you again. God, I –' I was cut off by Jeonghan's friend, probably David, yelling, 'Come on, Jeonghan! What's taking so long?' from a distance away.

'Jangmi, they need me. I'm so happy that I've found you again. Don't move from this spot, I'll catch you later!' Jogging away, he waved at me.

'YOU KNOW JEONGHAN? AND YOU CALL HIM CHEONSA? AND HE CALLS YOU JANGMI! That's so cute! Is he some kind of childhood friend or something?' IU's eyes were as wide as saucers as she pummeled me with questions.

'Yeah. I used to play with him when I was five. I had no idea that he was the crown prince, though!'

'Only you,' IU muttered under her breath, shaking her head. 'Only you would have the chance to see Jeonghan in baby form and forget about it! I'm so jealous!' Despite her words, her eyes were sparkling in a way that I know that she's actually happy for me. I was really happy too, to have found a precious part of my childhood in Lumera, when I thought this place had nothing good in store for me. It was wonderful to see Cheonsa.

IU shifted into a more serious face, 'By the way, did you cast the shield just now? That sword really scared me.'

My mind conjured the image of the electric-blue shield and the broken wooden sword. 'No, it wasn't me. I was startled, too. Maybe some kind onlooker did it. What's wrong?'

'Nobody can just cast an advance repel offence shield that can break stuff just like that. You need clearance for that, here in school. And only a handful of people have clearance. Did you forget that there is no sorcery is allowed within school grounds? Stupid rules, if you ask me.'

'Oh, you're right! I totally forgot. So just I'm really lucky that some kind-hearted advanced sorcerer saved my ass? Or is this serious? Is someone targeting me?'

IU made a face, 'I don't think any of those advanced sorcerers are that kind-hearted.' Softer, she continued, 'I just think you should be careful here. Most people wouldn't help you out of the pure goodness in their hearts. There's always politics, power play, or some kind of favour involved.' She saw the look of alarm on my face and quickly added, 'But not me. Don't worry. I'm just a poor scholarship student trying to finish my education here, so that I can get a good job to support my family and make them proud. I'm not into all that scheming.'

I saw the genuine panic in her face and gripped her hands. 'Don't you worry too. I trust you. You're my first friend here. Thank you for the word of caution.'

Relieved, she smiled at me, and I at her. Patting her hand in assurance, I turned back to the arena, only to find the dark-haired enigma watching us. Jungkook met my eyes, and turned away, leaving me flustered and confused.

Who do you think casted the shield? Tell me your speculation in the doobly-doo!

VOTE to save MY ass! Love you.