✓ the hooded princess • kim seungmin

t w e l v e

"He doesn't care about it," she waved the villagers with a gentle smile. Then there was a small boy running towards her direction and hugged her legs, chin pressing on her knees. The girl patted his head. "Hello young man."

"Pretty princess!" the boy squealed, making her laugh. The mother of the boy was a bit scared when her son suddenly did that but sighed in relief.

Eunkyung squatted down to match the boy's height. She didn't care about her dress touching the ground. "What's your name, boy?"

"Minhee!" he jumped a bit and put a finger up. "Mama says my name is Minhee!"

"What does Minhee mean?"

He put a finger on his chin, humming as he tried to remember. "Bright! Mama says I'm cheerful and bright that's why my name is Minhee!"

The villagers around them cooed at the cuteness. Eunkyung giggled, "You're right, it means brightness. So keep smiling and don't hurt people around you, okay?"

The boy nodded firmly with his hand raised up on his head to make a salute sign. Eunkyung got up and brushed her dress before bidding goodbye with the boy.

Seungmin, who was witnessing the whole interaction had a smile on his face. Without realising he continued to watch her interacting with the others.

Maybe with adoration is his eyes.

"What are you looking at?"

But that didn't last long. Eunkyung noticed that and immediately glared, killing the smile off his face.

Damn, she's nice to everyone but me.

"The King is already far ahead, Your Highness." he spoke calmly. Eunkyung turned to where his father and the other royals were. The villagers also had left the entrance, leaving both of them alone there.

The princess turned to the other way round, "Let's go."

Seungmin's eyes slightly widened, "Where?"

She didn't reply as she walked to the rows of houses. They were all wooden, not bricked or cemented like they had up there on the hill. Very contrast. Seungmin couldn't detach his eyes from the poor houses and feel bad. He never knew there's people living in this state.

How do they survive?

He kept following the girl to the end of the village. This time, the voices of the villagers were completely blocked out. They were too far away.

Stood in front of them was an old house but it looked better than the wooden houses the villagers had. It looked firm, as if the wooden was furnished into a stronger one and there's leaves decorating the roof and on each sides.

It was a small cottage.

The trees had grown on the house, if he looked at it properly. Even so, the windows were still in a good condition, there were no scratches or broken glasses. Everything seem fine.

"Whose house is this?" he asked after observing it.

"My old house." she said while peeking through the dusted window. Then she took out a key from her hidden pocket on her dress before pushing it in.

But then she froze.

The door was already unlocked.

Seungmin stood next to her and immediately checked around before pulling her hand off the tomb. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"I... I don't know." her heart beat started to get faster than before. The house was always kept locked because there's no one living there. Sonia, as in her grandmother passed away before she moved to the castle. Only Eunkyung has the key to get in.