𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲•𝐣𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐧

twenty four

YUNSEO ELEMENTARY, year 2002.

jisoo always felt bothered by the countless children who would crowd around the prince's desk, and in front of his dorm room sometimes—but would avoid him when he comes to school. he realized, at a young age, that there were some people who were just nosy and fake.

personally, jisoo didn't feel the need to care. he had his own set of friends that he loved and he wouldn't trade them for a prince or for a thousand other friends.

though, even if others consider jisoo smart at his age for having that kind of mindset—he was oblivious. to jeonghan, jisoo was his best friend. even if they've interacted only four times: when they were groupmates in science, when there was a meeting in the common room in the dorms, when they sat together in the dining hall one rainy night, and when jeonghan made jisoo laugh with his princely vocabulary.

jisoo didn't know that jeonghan felt so attached to him. it was a big deal for jeonghan to have a friend besides his cousins who are future-oriented and are always talking about archery or sparring.

jeonghan wanted to talk about sceneries. beautiful gardens, beautiful sunsets, beautiful beaches. jeonghan loves nature, and jisoo seems to like looking at pictures of different sceneries too. jeonghan liked to think that they were the same.

"okay, class, the cookies we made an hour ago are ready!" their homeroom teacher cheerfully announced. most of class 1-A were excited. "remember my instructions, kids! once you get your cookies, share one to your best friend, or friends!"

the prince, who was covered in flour and unidentifiable stains, waddled to line up with his classmates to recieve his cookies. jeonghan baked four, two for himself, and two for his best friend.

"hong jisoo-ssi!" jeonghan exclaims, after receiving his cookies that he worked hard for. you can see the effort just by looking at his current state: he looks like a pastry chef who got in a food fight in the midst of making cookies.

"yes, prince jeonghan?" the other boy addressed, turning his back to his three other friends who currently had their own world. "do your cookies taste too sweet? mine is too sweet. i don't know if i like it or not."

jeonghan shrugged, offering jisoo a smile. "i don't know, but here!" jeonghan gives jisoo two of his cookies, leaving the other boy clueless and blushing. "because you're my best friend!"

"ah! prince jeonghan! i can't have this! it's too embarrassing! i don't have any left for you since my friends gobbled mine all up!" jisoo turned his head away in shame, making jeonghan laugh. jisoo blushed even harder.

"it's ok! try to see if my cookies taste good." jeonghan pointed to the two cookies on jisoo's hand, in anticipation. what would his cookies taste like? would his friend like it? what if it tastes bad?! oh no!

jisoo takes one bite, and immediately, he pockets the two other cookies into his slacks. jeonghan was frenetic—what did that mean?!

"i'm saving it for later. if my three friends find out how yummy your cookies are, they'll steal it from me." jisoo states, giggling a little.

to the prince's relief, he laughs and puts a hand over his chest. jisoo giggled and giggled meanwhile, not caring if he was being too loud—which the mannered prince thought as well.

from then on, they were closer as friends. in first grade, they were a little awkward—but when second grade came, they had sleepovers, they shared stories that they never told anyone else. they were the best of friends, indeed.

(and yet, jisoo refuses to consider jeonghan as his 'best friend' since he says he's not 'choosing favorites'.)

it was the typical childhood jeonghan dreamed of. he was happy to finally have a close friend who dropped the honorifics when he told them to, who didn't judge him and who felt comfortable with him. jisoo did nothing to try and impress jeonghan, they were just naturally attracted to each other.

but then, all good things come to an end.

one saturday, as second-grader jisoo snuck around the dorms, trying to find jeonghan—he eavesdropped on the principal, jeonghan, and the queen. jisoo was terrified when he heard the queen's voice—but he was beyond mortified when he heard what they were talking about.

"if not too private, your majesty, may i ask why prince jeonghan is changing schools?"

"he's being too casual now. he's slowly losing all his manners and he's starting to get rebellious; he's the next king of bellezia, and he should act accordingly, so i'm moving him to the academy where his cousins are studying."

"eommeonim, i love it here! i have a friend and his friends are my friends too, and—"

"from now on, all connections to your friends in this school are going to be cut off, they are influencing you badly! no more word from you, jeonghan."

so.. should jisoo just stop making friends? was he a bad influence? were his friends bad influence to jeonghan too? jisoo hoped for jeonghan to at least say goodbye and explain the whole thing—but then again, that conversation wasn't intended for jisoo to hear.

but still, they were friends, right?

jisoo guessed that jeonghan didn't give him a resolution since his mom was scary. jisoo tried so hard to avoid thinking that jeonghan ditched him, but the sad idea still stuck with him in the end.

so much for a friend. so much for wanting to stay with him. so much for liking him too much.

present

"what? so, did you just fucking come here to tell me about your love life?" king jisung cussed, making the two other princes from bellezia wince.

"why are you cussing, your majesty?" his prime minister asked—and jisung actually apologized.

"no, uh, we already told you about the whole traitorship thing, and jisoo-ssi just told his backstory with the king of bellezia to kill time as we wait for further instructions...?" seungcheol asked. as jisung was reminded of the whole wonwoo ordeal, he nodded and laughed nervously.

"do you still like him?" hainya's prime minister, minho, asked. jisoo sighed, and with a defeated expression, he nods. "understandable."

"i mean, you've been with hyung for such a long time, and he's being such an arse to you but yet...." chan trailed off. "i think that's the definition of love."

"i don't know. i don't want to love him." jisoo replied, carding through his hair. "i still see him as the jeonghan who was my best friend in elementary. sometimes, as the—ugh, charming jeonghan who was on the run because he was apparently 'dead'."

"your feeling showed up on the wrong time. this is not the time for feelings. we are in risk of having a war, we don't know what jeonghan's verdict will be, we don't know what wonwoo-ssi is up to." jisung scolds, suddenly turning into a witty love-adviser. "but..."

"but..?"

"but that's beautiful. how can you see someone so divine and kind even if you know all his dirty secrets? it must be nice to know how to love someone." jisung remarked, smiling and giggling in admiration.

chan gave seungcheol a small glimpse, realizing that his feelings, too, were untimely.