heart of gold // t.k.

ii.

Jungkook woke up the next morning feeling like complete and utter shit. He slowly sat up, peeling off his old gray blankets. He stretched his arms above his head, letting out a humongous yawn. He blinked to clear the bleariness in his eyes and stood, although he would like nothing more than to stay in bed and rot all day.

Needing fresh air, Jungkook swept open the curtains and undid the latch on his window, letting in the bright morning sunlight and the warm spring breeze. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, savoring the sweet scents of the cherry blossoms and flowers. His stomach growled mournfully when he caught a whiff of the fresh-baked bread from the bakery down the street.

Jungkook lived in one of the poorer districts of Caéllin, a small sector called Dayton. It was nothing impressive, but it was home. Sure, everything was old and rusty, but it had a special charm to it. Dayton was... antique, Jungkook would say; the older it is, the more it's worth.

Jungkook loved all the greenery around, like the deep green ivy climbing up the ancient looking brick building across the street, and the line of cherry blossom trees by the creek. In the tiny strip of grass outside their house, Jungkook and his mother had planted a variety of flowers, from daisies to tulips, and the little garden was Mrs. Jeon's pride and joy. They didn't have much, but it was enough.

If only we had chicken last night, Jungkook thought with a groan, rubbing his stomach.

He left his room and headed to the bathroom, glancing at himself in the mirror.

Not only did he feel like complete and utter shit, he looked like complete and utter shit. Jungkook pouted at his reflection and splashed some water on his face to try and combat the dark rings around the undersides of his eyes. It worked, at least a little bit.

Jungkook returned to his room and threw on some different clothes before walking in to the kitchen, finding his mother already at the table, reading the newspaper.

"Good morning," Jungkook said, opening the fridge and furrowing his eyebrows when there was nothing but an overripe apple and leftover cabbage from the night before. I guess that's my fault, he thought dejectedly.

"Good morning, Jungkook," Mrs. Jeon replied, reading a certain article in the paper very intently. "How did you sleep?"

"Not great," he said, his expression brightening slightly when he found some dry cereal in the pantry. Jungkook poured some into a bowl and sat down across from his mother.

"Have you heard about this?" Mrs. Jeon asked a few minutes later, handing him the paper. Before he read the headline, he glanced over at her, raising his eyebrows.

"Where would I have heard it from? You know I have no friends."

That was not entirely true. Jungkook had one friend, a boy by the name of Jung Hoseok, but he had left to work in the palace a year or two ago. They hadn't really kept in touch, as Jungkook couldn't afford his own phone. Jungkook didn't think about him very often, even though they were practically inseparable when they were younger.

Mrs. Jeon gave Jungkook a look. "Well, read it. You might find it interesting."

Jungkook shrugged and skimmed the headline, nearly choking on his cereal.

The article stated that it was time for the prince of Caéllin, Kim Taehyung, to look for a partner. It said that all young men and women eighteen or older should come to the palace to meet the prince. If they wanted to, of course.

"Do you want me to do this?" Jungkook spluttered, still slightly choking on his breakfast.

Mrs. Jeon smiled. "Well, not if you're against it, but I think it would be a great opportunity. What if he likes you?"

Jungkook sat back and crossed his arms. "Mom, he's the prince. He's probably a spoiled asshole."

"You've never met him, you don't know that," she pointed out.

That was true. Jungkook had seen Taehyung on TV every once in a while at the flower shop, but he really didn't know anything about him.

"What do you have to lose?" Mrs. Jeon asked, getting up from the table and taking Jungkook's empty bowl. She winked. "He's pretty cute."

"Mom!" Jungkook exclaimed, covering his face to hide the rising blush in his cheeks. He really was, though. Prince Taehyung was completely, positively gorgeous.

"Just saying," she said. "By the way, everyone's supposed to be there today at noon. If you want to go, you might want to get ready."

Jungkook immediately hopped up from the table, banging his knee in the process. He nodded slowly.

"I guess I'll go," he said, earning an excited squeal from his mother. He rolled his eyes. "Don't do that. Nothing is going to happen. He'll send me away because I have no chance, and everything will go back to normal."

"If you say so."