adorn

chapter 8

he quietly pushed the balcony doors in front. approaching the bed, his heart wanted to jump out of his chest, shattering his already much-exercised lungs or change into the not working mode, causing his death on the spot.

he stood by the bed, halting closer to the side where his target was asleep, undisturbed. he extended both of his hands, the future became apparent, how he grabbed the small frame in between his arms, stifled the screams which were inevitable to sound in the room, and then as the prince passed out due to the scarcity of oxygen, he would hold him tightly and disappear into thin air. run away, fly away, looking for the most beneficial way.

none of these has come to fruition. his hands stopped midway, wobbling in the air.

"how... how could I do this to you?"

the room was softly awash with a golden hue of a candle placed on the nightstand. the flame lighted everything around, the interiors with all furniture, scripts in hanja hung on the walls, the books scattered on the desk standing by the other corner of the room, some of them remained opened, on some pages, wet ink could still be easily erased. 

the owner of this all drowned in the golden ocean. his skin shining, the velvety material of his clothing looked as if weaved from the sheer gold. it was in a cream shade, so the whole image had this meek and gentle ambiance. jihoon's fingers' pads twitched inadvertently, trying to suppress the urge to touch the tender, soft skin. this skin most probably has never been troubled by any work. no wrinkles, no dark spots, no scratches, a perfectly painted, breathing canvas. jihoon scooted closer, bending lower in order to have his face closer to the other. he was minimizing the distance between them, each second an inch forward, and only when a shy, warm puff tickled his lips did he restrain himself.

his eyes now admiring the curled eyelashes, dimples on the cheeks, relaxed lips. since jihoon started doubting whether an art he is seeing right now, the one's breaths he takes in, and the one's fragrance he now revels in really exists, his fingers found their way to the other's face in no time.

his stiff, rigid, covered with dust and dirt fingers stained the other's cheek ever so slightly after barely grazing the other's washed, sparkling skin. jihoon retreated, hiding his hands in a tangle behind his back. suddenly he understood. he was just an orphan, a poor worker who had been on the bottom of everything, serving others, being on others' every command. how did he even dare to breathe the same air as someone like the other? he still had no confirmation about the latter's connections to the royal family but he couldn't have been ordinary, comparable to others.

a feeble whine entailing a stir of a body made jihoon frozen. even if he did think about running away now probably breaking both of his limbs while falling from the high altitude he had had to climb up, it was too late because the boy's toffee eyes have been staring at him for some seconds now.

"I-I..." he stuttered, his knees growing weaker.

"who are you?"

the other was unfazed. jihoon assumed that it might have been caused by the residues of fatigue or drowsiness. albeit the boy still feared that the latter will start shouting for help any minute.

"I-I am..." something in the question he heard was kind, encouraging.

still, jihoon got tongue-tied. the silence prevailed. the one standing nearby the bed had his gaze on the floor for he was too ashamed to look up, all the more look into the other's eyes. the eyes that seemed lost but not afraid, curious and eager to know more.

"you can sit down next to me."

jihoon's body felt a slight ripple. it wasn't an order, the demand that he used to hear all his life. it was a request, a considerate suggestion. he can do it, he doesn't have to. he did obey it not because the other might have turned out to be the prince in the nearest future. he obeyed it because for so many years no one has been so gentle towards him.

"are you... the crown prince?"

was the final sentence he uttered before they locked eyes, and never looked away. for a split-second in the golden hue of the boy's eyes, a flame of the candle swiveled, making jihoon gulp. he wished the answer was a negation. he prayed that the one gazing so fondly at him at the right moment will never be put in danger. if he was pure-blooded any lunatic, any desperate man, any person possessed by greed could have the same notion as jihoon which pushed him to the place he found himself now.

"no. I am not the crown prince."

a relieved sigh flew out jihoon's mouth.

"good. very good."

he might have smiled. the edges of his lips might have involuntarily gone up or trembled, because for some reason the boy sitting cross-legged smiled shyly now, a little uncertain.

"I am park jihoon. how can I call you?"

"yedam."

the first one to introduce himself wanted to extend his hand, intending to shake it with the other but he reflected soon enough not to do anything. the thought of how dirty his whole body was, not only his fingers made him uneasy and nervous again.

"what are you doing in my bedroom park jihoon?"

upon hearing the question, a chuckle escaped the boy's mouth. yedam certainly deserved some reasoning why a mere villager, plastered with ash, mud, and grass was at the right moment spoiling his cashmere duvet.

"I haven't eaten for days yedam." a sorrowful smile was drawn on his face. "I am hungry and probably bound to die soon."

sheets rustled. the hand with a thin golden ring, glistening, white nails and no experience in labor took a hold of the other one – tired, rusty, overworked, wilting. jihoon felt as if a butterfly kissed his palm with the endearment and affection he had never experienced before.

"I won't let you die. I want you to live."

// ✧ //

the main ship finally meets after eight chapters yay 😭❤