sɴᴏᴡ ʙʟᴀɴᴋᴇᴛ ☑

1. Christmas Ball

The bell tolled to request everyone to the hall for the initiation of the royal ball. Every year, the king opened for everyone the mansion doors for the Christmas celebration as a gesture of goodwill and gratefulness. The crown prince was coming to the age of consent for marriage this year, so the ball was special too. All the acquaintances with their daughters were invited just so they could catch the prince's eye and become the princess of the kingdom Nichnaneun.

The king also wanted the prince to choose a potential partner before enthronement.

But the prince, Jeon Jungkook, didn't want such a thing. He waited for the snow, looking through the glass window like he did every year. Whenever he spotted the blue flakes, he would run to the big glass casements.

Three years ago, he vividly remembered a stranger visiting him. The man had bewitching eyes, an angelic voice, blue hair, and shiny teeth that the prince only accidentally saw once in the dark after the gentleman's mask fell off. His body was lean, yet muscular and delicate. Jungkook also noticed his pink tongue that complimented his plush and similar-toned lips. His cheeks were mounted above strong bone structure, but it was only a glimpse that he had caught. The prince wasn't entirely sure anymore if what he saw was the depiction of the truth, because the mysterious stranger would only come to visit him in the dark on the mansion's tower, and once a year, or if his mind playing tricks on him.

Jungkook had found himself ogling the gorgeous man, but his blues were, he couldn't make the stranger stay with him for long. He would come as a fog of winter morning - thick and persistent - and disappear like a puff of evaporating camphor - nowhere to be found, only leaving a lingering fragrance around.

And since then, Jungkook waited for him to come to see him every Christmas. "What's your name, handsome?" Jungkook had asked him innocently.

"I have no name, but you can keep calling me handsome if you want," the man's eyes had twinkled behind the mask as answered. Jungkook found it pesky, and also, extremely... Tantalizing.

Pesky - because he wanted the man to take off his mask one more time.

Tantalizing - because... he didn't know why, but he was willing to find out.

Although he was sure that the man's lips would have been stretched underneath his black silk mask every time his eyes twinkled, he couldn't be too sure. "I have to refer to every young non-royal as 'handsome.' I can't call you just 'handsome', you know, I want a name for you," Jungkook had griped.

"Then call me Dara. Although... I like it when you call me handsome," the stranger had replied, his shiny eyes had glittered.

"Jungkook-ie, the guests are waiting, honey."

Sighing, Jungkook turned to see his mother. "Can I please wait for three more minutes? I feel that snow is on the way." He responded timidly, looking at a distance at the glowing and carved pumpkins.

The man had visited Jungkook every year since then, but this year, it seemed that both the beautiful stranger and the snow were angry with him.

"Kookie, no more," the mother barged into his airy room and held his hand. "It is rude to make our guests waiting, honey. We should be good hosts. Everyone is excited to see you." The beautiful woman held her son's wrist and began to walk.

Jungkook spared the last dreaded look back at the window and soughed in disappointment. His face paled as he descended the stairs. The shrieks of "oh my god! He is prettier than the last year" and the murmurs of "I will ask him for the dance this time" reached his ears as he kept his eyes on the carpet that glowed, but to him, everything looked dark and grey. Without smiling, he kept walking and stopped before his father.