A Night-Long Lament

reconcile

(Your POV)

As you get up for the morning, you roll yourself in your wheelchair around the large hallways and reminisce. You missed the simple times, where you could smile and play around with the guys, not be scared of every step you took.

"Hey, get your head out of the clouds loser." An oh-so-familiar voice kicks you out of your thoughts. You turn your head to see Yuna approaching you.

"Not in the mood Yuna." You sigh, already fed up with her.

Yuna scoffs. "I don't care if you're in the mood or not. I heard about your whole situation and getting stabbed."

You say, "Yea..." Yuna stares at you, wanting more. "Uhm, it just happened; I'm not sure who it was or anything."

"Imagine the headlines when the breaking news hits the press. 'The Princes of Seoul tried to kill a bitch!'" Yuna laughs hysterically. "Wow! Just imagine that. Really. Let it sink in." Her eyes burn through your head. You never knew Yuna could be this... creepy. But the thought did bother you.

"It looks like you don't know them as much as I thought you did. Especially after all of that flirting." You straighten your posture and pivot on your right foot, swiftly leaving the room.

You felt right this time; you felt like you finally stood up to your bully.

Later that day, you and the rest of the castle come down for breakfast. To your dismay, this means the king as well. After what he said to you the other day, you couldn't even look at water; it somehow repulsed you. The fact his words alone made such an impact on you scared you.

"Good morning, Y/N!" The King trots towards you with open arms. He pulls you into a tight hug. The atmosphere suddenly becomes darker. "You've built quite the team, haven't you? You turned my boys against me." He releases you but squeezes your shoulders tightly.

"You're not the only one building, Y/N." A smile creeps onto his face, making a chill run down your spine. You push off of him and cross your arms as you roll next to Jin.

"What was that all about, Y/N?" He leans into your ear, tickling you.

You shrug. "He was just informing me on some stuff." Jin returns to his usual posture but keeps his eyes on you suspiciously.

"...If he did anything that scared you, you know that you can come to me right?" His hand reaches for yours under the table, and he squeezes. An odd feeling grows in your chest, but you choose to ignore it.

"Of course."

As breakfast resumes, Jin releases your hand and clears his throat.

"Uhm, today we are going to separate into groups of two and cook dinner for all the maids and servants..." Namjoon announces hesitantly. "You can begin to draw your sticks now."

As the last sticks leave the cup, you see a division in the groups: Hoseok and Namjoon, Jin and Jungkook, Taehyung and Jimin, and...

"Yuna..." A nervous smile makes its way onto your face.

She hands the stick over to you with an over-top smile. "Let's just get this over with, alright?" She giggles and makes you follow her to the kitchen.

You reluctantly follow her. "Hey, slow down." You yell at her.

Yuna suddenly stops making you bump into her. "Just shut up already. We're alone now, so you don't have to put up that stupid goody-two-shoes act, ok?"

"It's not an act." You sigh. "We're making kimchi, so let's just head to the pantry." You roll past her and to the narrow hallway leading to the darkened room.

Yuna doesn't fall far behind, noticing that she is suddenly frightened of the dark atmosphere. Looking around, you see down the hall is the hallway to the King's quarters. You grow cautious as well.

But it didn't hit you until you opened the heavy iron door: Why was Yuna so scared of the King? He adored her.

"Uhm... You know what's down that hall don't you?" You question to her awkwardly.

Yuna stumbled backward. "W-What makes you think I know what's behind that stupid door?" She shouts defensively.

Rolling your eyes, you step into the icy room and search for your ingredients. Yuna cautiously steps inside behind you, sticking close to your arm.

"Let's just get this over with, I don't like the vibe around here." Yuna shivers whilst grabbing the cabbage.

"Just suck it up, Jin's counting on us."

Yuna grabs the sugar and mutters bitterly, "Counting on you, you mean."

You turn to face her, ginger in hand. "No, I meant US."

"I don't know what you're getting at, but we're not friends, nor will we ever be. So stop being nice." She shouts suddenly.

"What are you talking about? I've done nothing to you!" You shout back in confusion.

Yuna stomps. "Really? Nothing? I know the outcome of the votes, you know. I know that I wasn't voted for by any of the princes! Ever since you got here, they've been so infatuated with you, they totally forgot about me!" She huffs and continues. "No matter how hard I try, they never pay any attention to me! And guess who's the only person who noticed me. The gross KING!"

Her shouts echo throughout the halls, at this point, everyone can hear her. "Yuna, calm down." You hold out your hand and wait for her to grab it. "If the King heard what you said, you might be--"

"Shit." She whispers as a tear runs down her cheek. Yuna tries to run out of the pantry, but the door shuts and the lock clicks. "NO!" She slams her fist against the iron.

Yuna begins muttering illegible words. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Please let me out." She slides down on her bum and starts to sob.

"Yuna..." You come closer to her, trying to console the crying girl.

"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" She screams.

You sigh. "I'm sorry for what I've done. I didn't mean any harm to you in any way, and if that disgusting king ever bothers you again, please come to me." You try to smile encouragingly.

"Whatever. It's not like I was actually chosen in the first place." She spits. "The King just chose me because he knew I'd get on your nerves and he'd thought that would drive you away."

"How... How do you know all of this?" You ask quietly.

Yuna gives you a look that says 'duh', and replies, "I told you. All that time you spent with the princes, I was stuck with that old hag. He told me everything to make me hate you even more. I gotta say, it worked."

"Let's just get outta here." The two of you bang on the door until a soothing voice calls from the other side.

"Y/N? Yuna? Are you in there?" The door swings open and you see Jin and Jungkook on the other side.

"Thank goodness." Jin brings you into a hug as you watch Yuna stare at you.

"Y--" She smiles weakly at you and walks out of your sight.

You stand there thinking, 'Maybe she's not as bad as I thought.'