King Kim :: 왕김

장 4 네

NAM-JOON

I follow behind Caspian as we enter the airport from out the gate. He swings a duffle bag in my direction without warning; it hits my chest.

"Here," He says, "Put these on."

I look down at the bag in confusion as Caspian points to the bathrooms. I look at him. "Come on.." Caspian is impatient and motions me over.

I sigh and head towards the bathrooms with Caspian following behind.

I am instantly feeling out of my element. This is so strange.

As I look around the busy restroom, the sounds of flushing toilets, water running, and paper towel dispensers fill the air. Caspian gives me a slight shove nearing an open stall.

I hesitantly go in and lock the door behind me. I look up, observing the stall in disgust. I have never been in one of these. They definitely have a weird aroma.

I look back down at the bag and dig through it. I pull out a pair of jeans and a white tee. I quickly change and walk out to see Caspian waiting for me. He snickers.

Behind him, I see my reflection in the mirror.

The words "I heart N.Y " are written on my shirt.

"Oh my god," I sigh, "You got to be kidding me."

Caspian pulls a smile, "You look good." I walk towards him, continuing to stare at my unfamiliar reflection in the mirror. "Now, you look like an all-American teenage boy, Kai Wu."

I take a look at myself again, and I am stunned. I can hardly recognize the reflection looking back.

Caspian pats my back, "I'll be waiting out here. Need a coffee before we go?"

I ignore his question. He nods and walks out.

I glance back down at my duffel and spot another article. I pull out a plain black cap, facing back at myself. 

I hate what I see. I hate what this has become. Tears begin to threaten at the corners of my eyes.

I am not Prince Kim Nam-Joon of Iskoia anymore. I am Kai Wu, a normal All-American teenage boy.

This is going to be hell.

I run my fingers through my hair, sighing. It flops back down. Thoughts raced through my head.

My identity might have been taken from me, but not my life. I'm still me, a prince who has his royal duties and loyalty to his people. I know what I must do in order to save my father and my kingdom. I will do what it takes to get everything back to normal, even if it takes a little while. 

I wipe a tear away as my eyes linger down to a blue glow. I grab it and tuck it in my shirt. I look at myself one last time.

It's not going to be easy, but I'm ready.

+++

As I shuffle down the cramped and crowded aisle way of the aircraft, I hold my duffel close. Following behind Caspian, I try carefully to make my way towards our seats. 

With being as tall as I am, I trip over a fallen bag, hitting my head onto the overhead.

"Ah," I breathed, followed by a silent curse under my breath. I touch the side of my head from the pain.

 In the mists of doing so, I then accidentally bumped into another passenger.

"Aye, watch where you're going, mate." An older man spat at me.

My jaw drops in shock, "Oh, I am so sorry, sir. Let me help you." 

I sympathetically kneel down to help. He flinches at my gesture.

He bursts with frustration, "You've done enough." He huffs. "I don't need your help, you chink."

Taken back by his words, I slowly begin to stand up. I'm appalled by his racial slur.

I stare for a moment in dismay.

"Nam-Joo—" I heard a voice yell. I glance over. Caspian blurts by accident. "Kai!" He waves me over.

I look back once more at the older man. He shakes his head in disbelief. He is disgusted. I turn away, nearing our section. Caspian motions me into the inside seat next to the window. 

I quickly seat myself and take a deep breath. Caspian sits next to me. 

Squirming my legs into the small legroom, I peer over to find a calm and content Caspian. I look at him dazed.

He wears a pillow around his neck with some earbuds plugged in comfortably. He closes his eyes without a sense of bother.

"Peanuts?" A flight attendant asked, holding a package out. I groaned.

Out of annoyance, I look back at the window, rubbing my head. This was insane.

+++

A couple of hours in, I stare into the night sky.

Caspian is passed out, snoring. I breathe in deeply. Craning my cramped-up neck, I look up at the ceiling of the cabin. I can't sleep. Jet lag hasn't hit me yet, and I severely miss home.

Rubbing the pain out of my neck, my fingers graze over the chain to my stone. I take it off and hold the darken stone into my palm. I stare at it for a moment.

This is all I have left. I think to myself.

I felt an overwhelming sensation of sadness. With a heavy heart, I feel myself begin to tear up again.

The stone begins to light. Stunned, my tears come to a cease. 

I stare at it with curiosity. Suddenly, my hand begins to glow a shade of blue. What is this?

I watch as the glow travels through my veins in the dark. Up my arm, it vanishes.

A sudden calmness overcomes me. I sigh.

I hold the stone dearly to my chest, closing my eyes, hoping this would all end soon.

"Please." I hoped.