royal blood | sim jaeyun ✓

nine🩸

The next morning, Miyeon awoke with a pounding headache, her head throbbing in pain. She groaned, pressing a hand to her forehead as she struggled to open her eyes. The sunlight streaming through her curtains felt like needles piercing her skull. Everything around her felt too bright, too loud, and her body ached as if she had been tossed around in her sleep.

She sat up slowly, the room spinning around her. She felt nauseous, her mouth dry, and a dull ache spread across her body. Everything after her kiss with Jaeyun was a blur, a hazy mess of emotions and confusion that she had tried to drown out with wine. She vaguely downing glass after glass of wine hoping to numb the chaos inside her.

She remembered her father and stepmother trying to pull the goblet away from her, afraid she would ruin their image, but she had been too caught up in her own spiralling thoughts to care. The rest was a complete haze. She couldn't recall how she had made it back to her room, or if she had spoken to anyone after that.

With a groan, she leaned back against her headboard, closing her eyes to block out the painful brightness. Her mind swirled with fragments of memories, the kiss, Jaeyun's intense eyes, his lips against hers, the way he had pulled back so suddenly. And then... nothing. Just a deep, all-consuming blackness.

She tried to piece together the fragments, but everything felt disjointed and out of place. She was left with more questions than answers. What had she done after the kiss? Had she said something to Jaeyun? Had she made a fool of herself in front of everyone?

Whilst her head was clouded with a thousand questions, a soft knock came on her door, followed by the concerned voice of Harin. "My lady? Are you awake?"

"Yes... barely," Miyeon managed to croak out, her voice raspy. She heard the door creak open and felt Harin's presence as she stepped inside.

Harin took one look at Miyeon's disheveled state and sighed. "You look awful," she said, though her tone was soft and filled with concern. "Do you remember what happened last night?"

Miyeon shook her head no.

Harin sighed, her expression a mix of concern and amusement. "Well, you were certainly busy last night. After that kiss with Prince Jaeyun, you were quite vocal about your feelings. Or rather, your complaints," she said, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Miyeon blinked, her headache momentarily forgotten. "Complaints? What do you mean?"

Harn nodded, crossing her arms. "Oh, you were quite the talker. You were complaining about how Jaeyun kissed you and then just left you standing there. And you kept repeating how confusing he is and how much you... love him."

Miyeon's eyes widened, her face flushing. "I said that? Out loud?" she stammered, her heart racing. She tried to recall the fuzzy memories, but the alcohol-induced haze made it difficult.

Harin chuckled softly. "Yes, very loudly, in fact. You were upset that he kissed you, then walked away as if nothing happened. You kept going on about how he gets under your skin and how you can't stand him... and then somewhere in there, you slipped up and said you loved him."

Miyeon's face went from pink to beet red in an instant. "Oh no," she groaned, burying her face in her hands. "What have I done? What if he heard me? Or worse, what if the others heard?"

"Luckily for you, I don't think Prince Jaeyun was around to hear that part. But everyone else? They heard you loud and clear."

"They didn't believe it though, right?"

"Oh they did for sure. I mean they saw you kissing him and then later your parents announced your engagement with each other so yeah they definitely did."

"How great," she muttered, still horrified at her behaviour. "But... did I really say I love him?"

Harin gave a half-smile, placing a gentle hand on Miyeon's shoulder. "You did, Miyeon. And honestly, I think you needed to hear yourself say it out loud. Maybe it's time you figured out what you really feel about him."

Miyeon bit her lip, her mind swirling with confusion.At first, she thought she hated Jaeyun—or at least, disliked him for his arrogance and cold demeanour. But now, she had no idea. Seeing how terrible Jaeyun's parents treated him. Seeing their favouritism with his brother despite him being such a shitty person. How could she hate him?

A sudden knock at the door made Miyeon jump, her heart still racing from the conversation she'd just had with Harin. She shot her friend a panicked look, and Harin nodded in understanding, moving to open the door.

When Harin pulled it open, Jaeyun was outside standing in the doorway.