prince | park woojin

➸ 04

✧˖*°࿐ four✧˖*°࿐

Woojin was not able to see Jaen for three days, due to the fact that the ball was only a week away. He was overloaded with work to the point where the kingdom forced him to work non-stop in the forests and rivers that he had to create his own shelter. It upset him. Only cause he couldn't talk to Jaen, he missed her. She was the only one that kept him sane.

The exhausted boy was coming back from a request of fishing and had managed to finally get a three hour break before he would have to hunt again. He dropped off the sacks of raw food at the kitchen and entered the lobby of the castle and Jaen was there.

He entered in a messy manner, nearly tripping on the rug and onto a chair which made everyone in the room turn and focus on Woojin. He became embarrassed— his cheeks flushed to a bright pink, he could feel the heat rising up on his ears and cheeks. He hated himself in that moment completely because he made eye contact with Jaen, who looked taken back with his presence.

There was a stingy feeling in his heart that flushed all around his body and hitting his heart as Jaen smiled at Woojin, but not doing anything further. She just went back to continue her conversation with another man. Woojin didn't know who he was, but he knew he was better than him. He could tell by looking at his apparel, the way he carried him. Everything Woojin was not. This guy was royal.

Jaen was dressed in fancier clothes, but still casual. Nothing too over the top. It confused Woojin— he thought she was a villager, like him. But here she was, talking to a prince. Woojin just ignored it, he'd ask her later.

Woojin sat awkwardly in a golden sofa seat by himself. He kept his hands on his lap, trying not to watch Jaen and the prince with the evident three samples on his face. He envied the prince, a bit. The prince looked at her with a bright smile and whatever he was saying was definitely making her laugh. It wasn't the prince's fault— he knew that they had to keep a certain image. It just made him irritated.

He waited for them to finish their conversation which lasted only five minutes before the prince got up and left. Jaen and Woojin automatically their attention to each other, which made the two teenagers laugh.

"Is that a prince?" Woojin questions, trying to hide the obvious bitterness that was on the tip of his tongue.

"It was! I was just organizing a pottery thing with him— he's a funny guy," Jaen replies with her typical bright smile. She was so oblivious, just like Woojin was to her.

"He seemed to like you a lot." Woojin grits his teeth, putting his hands in his pocket. "I also met the princess, did you know that?" Woojin states almost immediately after. He was using his 10 second meeting with the princess almost in a way to get Jaen jealous— a defence mechanism for himself as well.

Jaen almost falls into shock. She gets scared, hoping that he would not find the similarity between the two lives she's been living. But Woojin doesn't say anything else, which leaves her relieved.

"You know how princes can be," she begins, with a chuckle. "And did you meet the princess? Did you like her?" she asks, hoping that he'd say no, but at the same time— yes.

"She was nice, I don't think much of her, she just saved me from one of those asshole princes," Woojin admits, grinning to himself with the thought of the memory. "I missed you, though," the boy admits.

"I missed you too, Woojin." Jaen sighs. She felt bad. She knew that her workers were forcing Woojin and everyone in his area of duties to overwork themselves and she could only watch. It hurt her, deeply. She watched Woojin leave for the night from the top floor of her room and saw him comeback two days later, early in the morning with bags under his eyes. The part that hurt most were the bruises and cuts he had all over his arms and body, even one on the side of his cheek in result of hunting.

It hurt to see, but it made him more beautiful. She was so used to seeing the same old polished up princes who shriek within the sight of a fly. Woojin was easily different, it was not just his status. It was everything about him.

"You have a three hour break? Right?" Jaen inquires. She may have also forced the guards to give her Woojin's schedule as well.

Woojin gets taken back a bit. "Yes I do, why?" He asks, in a bit of a shock but impressed of how the girl was able to find out.

"Oh— I, uh," she stammers. "One of your hunting friends told me."

Woojin mentally facepalms himself. He's so dumb.

"So would you like to hang out? In my room? If not, it's okay. Our time last time got interrupted and I want to see you before you run off again—" She is cut off by Woojin who grabs her hand, a bright smile at her face. He can sense the nervousness she has piled up in her voice. It makes his heart swell up.

"Lead the way, my pottery maker."