royal blood | sim jaeyun

fifteen🩸

Later in the evening, Miyeon and Jaeyun found themselves inside the castle's common room. A quiet atmosphere surrounded them as they sat by the large windows, the dim light from the setting sun casting shadows across the grand space.

Miyeon broke the silence first. "You know, I've never met your brother's wife. I didn't see her when we arrived." Jaeyun glanced at her, his expression unreadable. "She's abroad at the moment."

"Abroad?" Miyeon tilted her head curiously. "What's she doing there?" Jaeyun paused for a moment, then shook his head dismissively. "It's not important. She has her reasons."

Before Miyeon could ask more, the door to the room swung open and a group of six men strode in, their presence immediately commanding attention. Miyeon glanced over, her eyes widening in confusion she had no clue who these men were.

They all looked like they belonged, comfortable in the lavish surroundings of the castle. But before she could ask, Jaeyun's expression brightened, his usual reserved demeanour softening as he casually stood up and greeted them like old friends.

"Heeseung, Jay, Sunghoon," Jaeyun called out, clapping one of them on the back. "It's about time you all showed up." The oldest one, with bambi eyes and a calm confidence, nodded back. "We were beginning to think you were avoiding us, Jaeyun."

Jaeyun chuckled, shaking his head. "I've been busy." He then gestured to the group, making the rounds as he greeted each one of them in turn. "Sunoo, Jungwon, Ni-ki."

Miyeon sat quietly, watching their camaraderie with a growing sense of curiosity. Who were these men? They clearly had a history with Jaeyun, and judging by the casual banter, they were close. She felt a bit out of place as they exchanged greetings.

Realising her confusion, Jaeyun finally turned back toward her and gestured to the group with a smile. "Miyeon, these are my closest friends, Lee Heeseung, Park Jongseong, Park Sunghoon, Kim Sunoo, Yang Jungwon, and Nishimura Riki but we just call him Ni-ki."

The men all turned their attention to Miyeon, each offering polite nods, though their gazes were curious. They seemed to be sizing her up, not in a hostile way, but as if trying to figure out who this new presence in Jaeyun's life was.

Miyeon managed a small smile, trying to hide her nervousness. "It's nice to meet you all."

Heeseung, the tallest of the group with a quiet air of authority, stepped forward first. "Pleasure to meet you, Princess. We've heard a lot about you."

Miyeon glanced at Jaeyun, feeling a bit embarrassed. "All good things, I hope."

Sunoo, who had a playful gleam in his eyes, grinned. "Mostly good. Though I think we might've caught him smiling a bit more lately."

Jaeyun rolled his eyes. "Alright, enough of that." He shot them all a look, though the corners of his mouth were twitching in amusement. "Let's not scare her off. Now let's go and have dinner."