Forbidden // Yeongyu FF

26. Believe In The Prince!

Beomgyu looked at all the people that had already arrived. The Hall was packed, and people were still coming in! Every single time a new face walked in, Beomgyu's nervous-level rose. Was his Father crazy? How was any mannerism lessons going to help him convince this amount of people!

'You can do this, Choi Beomgyu. You can do it.'

"Prince, we have closed the doors now. Everyone has arrived, and now it's time." Beomgyu flashed a very forced smile at Hueningkai, before walking up the stairs to the stage. He could hear the whispers coming from everyone, as he walked slowly to his place. 

From the corner of his eyes, he could see his Father pacing back-and-forth. No matter what he said, Beomgyu knew that whatever happend today would be how they live for the rest of their lives. That put even more pressure on his back, as he cleared his throat in the mic.

"Hello, I am Prince Choi Beomgyu. I thank everyone for coming here on such short notice." At that, Beomgyu smiled at the crowd, making sure to make eye-contact with as many people as he could before speaking again,

 "I-"

"Prince, explain to us what your relationship with Choi Yeonjun is!"

Before Beomgyu could even start his speech, someone in the crowd shouted out. He had originally wanted to slowly transition to talking about that, but now people were really waiting for him to speak! He could hear all the whispers coming from every side of the room.

"Prince, please answer our question!"

"I- Choi Yeonjun...what started off as a risky friendship, led to something more. When I first met Choi Yeonjun, I had no idea that his true identity was this. I did it for friends, I did it so I wouldn't be lonely anymore. Then when I found out that he really was Choi Yeonjun, no matter how risky it was, I still wanted to stay with him. When I ran away, he was my source of shelter. I had no one, but him, on my side! I'm with Choi Yeonjun, and I will make sure he proves that he's safe to be with, to every one of you! 

There, he had led it all out. The weight rose from Beomgyu's shoulders, as he watched the reactions of the people. For the most part, they showed expressions of pity, and sympathy. There were some, who still didn't look like they were convinced though. 

At the same time, someone in the back of the room raised their hand. It was so noticeable, that Beomgyu couldn't help but call on them, "Yes, question from the back?" It looked like the person next to the one raising their hand was trying to put their hand down. Beomgyu found it funny how the guy next to him was really trying to pull down the other's hand.

"Ah, Prince, so is Choi Yeonjun actually nice to you?" 

"Wooyoung- I mean, uh." Hey, that name sounded awfully familiar to Beomgyu. Where had he heard that from?

"Yeonjun, don't worry, I'm just curious-"

"You dumb-"

The crowd immediately threw their heads back, and gasped at the people in the back of the room. Some were trying to run for the doors, as the guards quickly surrounded the people in the back. Beomgyu heard one of the guards talking to the King, "We've found that Choi Yeonjun and a few other criminals have made it into the hall, should we arrest them, your Highness?" 

"No! Please don't, I'll be responsible for anything they do, just let them stay!" Immediately, Beomgyu ran down the stage steps to answer for his Father. In return, his Father replied, "If that's what my son wants, let them stay."

Beomgyu went back onto the stage to find some people were trying to move closer to the front, to avoid making any contact with the criminals behind them. The people in the front were whispering to each other, clearly shocked that Choi Yeonjun was actually here.

Beomgyu spoke into the mic again, "Yeonjun, come up here." Yeonjun wore a surprised look on his face, and pointed to himself to make sure that the person Beomgyu wanted to come up was actually him. The guards took it as permission, and held on to either side of Yeonjun as they forcibly moved him to the stage.

The latter was given a mic, and told to go on stage, the Prince's orders. Now, Yeonjun was fine with talking in front of others, but right now was a different story. It didn't help that he was dressed funny, too. I mean, grandparent-clothing, and spray-painted grey hair wasn't the best look for standing next to the Prince.

Yeonjun made eye-contact with Beomgyu, as he slowly made his way to where he was standing. Meanwhile, Wooyoung was shaking everyone around him, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. His best mate, on the stage with the Prince? How much more shocking could it get?

Beomgyu started speaking again, "Yeonjun isn't what you think! I promise, every single one of those criminals in the back, will go straight to prison if they harm my people! Right now though, I'm willing to give them a chance to be better, and I hope you all feel the same way!"

Yeonjun watched as Beomgyu shouted at the crowd, unable to hold it in. It felt unreal to him, how much had changed in his life. He went from being unhappy, and low, to now finding the one person who made him feel loved. 

At that moment, Yeonjun finally got the courage to speak, as he rose the microphone up to his mouth. "I hope no one blames the Prince for what has happened. You all would do the same, if what you believed was freedom was right in front of your eyes. I'm not a good person, but I will try my hardest to be one, with the help of the Prince. I'm not asking anyone to forgive me, or automatically feel comfortable around me, but just to analyze my actions from afar and figure out your true feelings about me."

Beomgyu looked to the side, at Yeonjun. He unknowingly smiled, because the two of them were fighting together. They both wanted the same thing, and they both just wanted everyone to understand them.

"Give him a chance! Believe in the Prince!"

Someone in the crowd started shouting out the same phrase, over, and over again. Soon the whole crowd was shouting out the exact same words, over, and over again.

"GIVE HIM A CHANCE! BELIEVE IN THE PRINCE!"

Beomgyu couldn't believe what he was hearing at that moment. Were the people finally siding with him? Did they now, really, believe in him, and trust him with their lives?

Beomgyu broke out into a full smile, as he embraced Yeonjun in a tight hug on the stage. The two swayed around the stage, hugging each other in warmth.

 Finally, the two of them had gotten what they had wanted, from the moment they'd laid eyes on each other.