diadem | hyunho

6. day one

MINHO:

This is it. This was the moment I've been preparing for my entire life.

My father places the gold crown set with diamonds and sapphires on my head. As the heavy object touches me, I feel the weight of the responsibility that it comes with. Hyunjin and I had taken the oath just moments before and now we were officially the rulers of the largest kingdom in Asia. The thought made me shudder inside, as exciting as it was.

"Relax, you got this," Hyunjin whispers from the side with a slight squeeze of my hand, noticing my slightly shivering figure. Thousands of people were watching us. I gently nod in appreciation.

It was a pretty long and busy day, starting from the wedding ceremony to the coronation. There was an after party at night for close family and friends which wasn't televised, but we barely made it through without falling to our feet. We'd been running around since the break of dawn, learning our oaths and perfecting our appearances for the broadcast.

Hyunjin and I make our way to our room, absolutely exhausted. He immediately gets into the shower and I use that time to take my shirt off and walk into the balcony to be free. I've been switching between robes and suits the whole day and my body hasn't been able to breathe at all.

I hear the lock of the bathroom door click open. I turn around to see a wide-eyed Hyunjin staring back at me, completely forgetting the fact that I was shirtless. He enters the balcony looking a little red.

"You looked a bit lost today," he says.

"I guess. I'm having this realization that we're going to be responsible for handling such a big kingdom from now on. I'm nervous about whether I'll be a good king or not," I say, showing my vulnerable side to him for the first time. I know we bicker a lot, but I've come to trust him.

"Do you want to know something? The first day I met you, I secretly thought you'd make a great king because of how maturely you handled the whole wedding thing. I bet it's going to be no different now too. You just need to believe in yourself a little," he says with a shrug. I give him a small smile.

"What about you? How are you feeling?" I ask. This was probably the first time we've talked like this without being at each other's necks.

"A little overwhelmed. I can't believe we're married and we're kings. This feels so unreal," he says, rubbing his arms. I nod, completely getting what he meant.

"Are you cold?"

"Just a little. Shouldn't have worn these shorts. How are you even standing here without anything on?" He questions me while shaking his head, and I laugh. I go behind him and wrap my arms around him, trying to give him some body heat. I think I just needed a hug.

"Wh-what are you doing?" He asks, flustered. A few moments of silence pass and he eases into my touch, leaning his head back on my shoulder and relaxing himself. Suddenly, he gets back up.

"You're hot."

"I know," I joke.

"No dumbass," he says, bringing his hand to my forehead. He gasps. "You're running a fever."

"Fever? But I don't feel sick. Maybe your hands are just warm."

HYUNJIN:

"Thanks," I say, sticking my palm out to Jisung to hand over the thermometer which he had just picked up from downstairs. I'm about to take it when he suddenly snatches it back.

"Not so fast. Are you ever going to explain what was going on the other day? What was so unimportant that I missed it?" He interrogates with folded arms. I instantly understand that he's talking about the kiss.