𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆 | ᵃᵗᶻ

VI

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se-ri sighed in satisfaction as she had finished washing her face, getting ready for the day. she slipped on a plain white sundress and tied her medium length hair into a braid, accessorising it with a silk red ribbon.

it had been a few days since she had moved in, and the king had informed her that he would give her as much time as she needed in order to settle in comfortably, and that her work would start next week, which se-ri noted would be in two days.

her fingers twitched in anticipation as she thought about finally starting her job, she was so passionate about being a medic knowing she could help so many people and she could learn more about medicine, just the thought of it brought a grin upon her face.

se-ri stepped out of her room and closed her bedroom door shut behind her. the time was nearing two in the afternoon, and it was going to be time to eat lunch in two hours or so.

she had been in her room ever since early morning, studying books that she had managed to find in the library a few days back. having had enough of the suffocating silence and plain bedroom walls that strangely reminded her of a hospital room, she took small steps to the grand garden of the palace.

she had stumbled upon it a few days before, and upon laying her eyes on the blooming petals of the white lilac flowers, she had fallen into a trance and spent a good few hours admiring the spectacular scenery.

she entered the garden and walked straight to the roses, and she saw an empty patch of soil a few metres ahead of it. i wonder why that's empty, she thought.

shrugging the thought off, she had sat down on a bench that had intricate designs carved into the aging wood, and she analysed the seemingly never ending patterns that adorned leaves and other different flowers, reminding her of vines that you'd find hanging in a large forest.

she let out a relaxed breath and opened her book to continue reading about the cutesy romance novel, where the male lead was in love with a girl even though he was taken by another, and soon an hour passed by where she was completely immersed into the book of conflict, love and adventures all in one.

se-ri would have continued reading had it not been the loud, excitement-filled voices interrupting her and taking her out of her peace.

she looked up with furrowed brows, searching for whoever it was. she could tell that it was a group of people, because she had noticed how often the voices overlapped one another as they continued to jokingly argue back and forth, occasionally letting out a grunt of pain.

then she saw the flashes of colourful hair, one head being an all too familiar red - mingi, she remembered - and another being a pretty shade of pastel purple. before se-ri even knew it, the large group of boys were walking in her direction, with wide mischievous grins on their faces.

she rushed to close the book and place it down by her side, careful to flip it the other way so the cheesy title wouldn't catch their attention.

one boy with light silver hair and naturally flushed cheeks walked up to her with a long arm outstretched in her direction.

with a confident yet cheerful tone, he began to introduce himself, "hi! i'm yunho, the cook of the palace. you're the new medic, right? well, what's your name?" he asked as he was practically bouncing on the spot.

se-ri thought him to be quite adorable, almost like an overgrown puppy, his cute childlike mannerisms further supporting her opinion.

as if on instinct, her cheeks naturally flushed a bright shade or red at the attention once again being placed on her. she introduced herself as she shook yunho's hand, only to let out a squeak of surprise as he tightened his grip on her hand and pulled towards him as he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her into a warm bear hug,

"guys, she's so small! it's like i'm hugging a small animal!" he cooed in joy. se-ri tensed at first, not being used to so much physical contact, but soon let her stiff muscles relax as she gave in. soon, she felt another pair of arms wrap around her, and another, and another, before it turned into a huge group hug and she felt herself giggling as a wide grin took over her face.

sandwiched between the seven boys, she felt herself slowly swaying side to side, and revelled in the feeling of comfort. they slowly began to introduce themselves to her and she got to know them, which was a nice feeling considering the fact that she had been alone in this castle for so long.

yunho checked the wristwatch on his arm before he silently cursed and looked back at the group with an apologetic smile, "guys, i have to go and make lunch now, let's continue this later, yeah?" he said reluctantly. he was enjoying himself so much he didn't know how quick time passed by when he was with his favourite people.

se-ri didn't want her time with her new friends to end, so she quirked up as she came to an idea. wooyoung, who she had grown particularly close to, noticed the sudden change in her so he ruffled her hair, urging her to tell everyone about what she was thinking.

"well, why don't we all help yunho in the kitchen? it'll be like killing two birds with one stone. we'll be together, and we can cook as well!" she finished with a proud smile on her face.

the boys cheered loudly as they listened to her, and she even received a high five from hongjoong and jongho.

her heart fluttered as she thought about how easily this close-knit friendship between her and these boys blossomed. in just the span of a few hours, they had already become like family to each other; and as se-ri and the others made their way to the kitchen with everyone shoving each other playfully and laughing joyously, she thought maybe living in the palace wouldn't be so bad after all.

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💌

okay guys, that's it so far! what did you guys think of this chapter in particular? I feel like my writing's getting worse day by day if i'm being honest-

i had to rewrite this chapter like three times-

anyways, stay safe and stan ateez <3