100 Letters ; kpop oneshots

{M} Kingdom Fallen (seongjoong, ateez)

seonghwa x hongjoong

Mature warning: mentions of murder, abuse, violence, affairs, homophobia, and sex

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Let us enjoy a little tale of two quite peculiar lovers.

Once upon a time in a faraway land, a prince lived in a royal castle. Park Seonghwa was his name, the eldest son and heir of the Park family he was. 

The only peculiar quality of his existence is that rather than living in some lavish royal bedroom, he lived in the dingy, smelly environment of a prison cell deep below the ground. It had been like this for a little bit, ever since his crime.

It was not always like this. He used to be the most loved man in all the land, the kingdom of Twilight. The 23-year-old prince was next to be king, after all. Men and women alive fawned over his presence; they treasured him and adored him. 

One day, in his usual stroll in the village, he noticed a new bakery at the corner where his favorite bookshop resided. Curious, he entered. Not only did he encounter quite the enticing aroma of baked goods, but he encountered a beautiful man working at the counter. The two began to chat. The mysterious baker was Kim Hongjoong, the son of the bakery's owner. Sassy and witty with a kind heart, Seognhwa was immediately interested. When Hongjoong asked for Seonghwa's name, however, the prince said a different name. Jung Mingi, simply a traveler who visits often due to family.

Of course, the bakery boy did not, and could not, know that this was the prince of the kingdom. A regal figure could never go into the village without disguise. Not even Seonghwa's family knew of his afternoon getaways.

Together the two began to bond. The prince always loved his village adventures in afternoons throughout the week, and with this, the bakery boy and the princess created a friendship unlike any other. Every day they were together, they explored the village and embarked on little trips. The two were lovely yet roguish, living this friendship thrillingly. Days turned to weeks into months. Their friendship blossomed over almost a full year. Within this time, however, both realized feeling much stronger than friendliness bubbling between them. Infatuation? Love? Either way, they were falling for one another.

Soon enough, the prince could not deny his feelings. He had fallen in love with Kim Hongjoong, and it needed to get off of his chest. He knew, however, that there would be consequences. Same-sex love was not something the kingdom would like, especially coming from the royal prince himself. But Hongjoong had to feel something too, right? He would accept this.

So, he confessed, but along with that, he decided to admit that he was the prince of Twilight. And that for over a year, Hongjoong had known him by a false name. 

This did not go well. At all.

Not only did the bakery boy flee in fright from both shock and betrayal, but the prince was unfortunately overheard by some castle patron. The prince was arrested for loving a boy. The crime of homosexuality, they said. He was locked away for three months.

However, his status allowed him to be released quickly. With the sworn promise to never act rashly like this again, Seonghwa's parents bailed him out.

A few years passed, and the prince never saw Hongjoong at the bakery again. Rumor had it that the boy moved to a different kingdom, suddenly interested in educational studies. In this despair, Seonghwa was swept into the darkest depths of his mind. He was miserable not only because his love ran away with no reasoning or even a small word, but also because he could never love Hongjoong, or any boy, without consequence.