The Cold Curse | MarkHyuck

Chapter 18:

"... Why is there nothing to do?"

Haechan says to himself as he sighs, lying down on his bed as he stares at the ceiling. Haechan and Mark just finished their session while Jeno and Jaemin had things planned to do together. Haechan wonders if Jaemin and Jeno were just friends by now because the two of them admit to liking each other and they know they like each other.

Maybe they're just taking things slow but they're definitely going to end up together.

He looks outside of the window, seeing Mark planting with Areum. Mark was the "good guy" compared to Jaemin and Jeno. If he finishes his session with Haechan in the morning, he most likely helps Areum with all of the chores since Jeno most likely is the one who buys the things they need to stay alive with and most likely the one who protects Haechan at all costs.

The guards had already given up in protecting Haechan way before Mark and Jaemin came because they thought that Haechan had passed away in the palace.

Besides, the King already announced that Haechan is dead but he really isn't and is luckily alive.

Basically, everyone that the royal family trusted weren't the exact people Haechan trusts. The only people left with Haechan were Jeno, Areum, Jaemin, and Mark. Haechan will always be thankful that Jeno and Areum stayed with him even in his hardest times.

Even if he doesn't remember Mark, he always knew that he had a different connection with him.

Haechan sees Jaemin walk outside with Jeno, helping Mark with planting the seeds. Originally, it was Jeno's job to help Areum since she is already getting older. This time, Jeno was a bit late because he did things with Jaemin that will make them feel closer with each other since both of them had interests with one another.

"Mark."
"... What?"
"Haechan's out there, watching from the window. Do you want to do what I suggested?-"
"Don't make me do it, Jaemin. Haechan will probably find me ridiculous-"
"The two of you literally like each other! Stop denying it!"

Jaemin tries to convince Mark as he sighs, leaning his head on Jeno.

"Look... I will never do something like that- It's odd. I don't know what came into your mind to suggest that I should do that in front of him!"
"It's kind of a funny thing, Mark."
"... Are you serious right now, Jeno?"

Mark asks with an annoyed look as he sighs, rolling his eyes at the two.

"... We just want to see how the prince reacts-"
"Alright. ALRIGHT!... Fine, I'll do it!"

Mark blurts out in frustration as he takes off his shirt. Haechan, from the window, had his eyes widened as he immediately looked away. He lied down on his bed, his eyes still widened from what he saw outside.

That was all in Haechan's mind and he couldn't stop thinking about it.

Jeno and Jaemin were watching how Haechan reacted as the two of them laughed in complete amusement. Areum didn't even know why Mark would do something like that but she knew it's something Jeno would do to impress women. Mark quickly put his shirt back on, embarrassed because of what he did.

"I can't believe you actually did it!-"
"That's because YOU WON'T SHUT UP ABOUT IT, JAEMIN!"

Mark yelled back at Jaemin who was still amused at how Haechan reacted.

"HOW ARE YOU DOING, YOUR HIGHNESS?-"
"SHUT UP!"

Haechan yells at Jeno from the window, Jeno and Jaemin were literally making fun of the two of them because they just won't admit that they liked each other since the start. Mark sighs as he continues in planting the seeds.

Suddenly, Jeno realizes that he's missing one of the materials that he needed.

"Mother!"
"... Yes?"
"Do you have any spare blades?"
"In my room, son."
"Alright."

Jeno responds as he goes inside the palace, about to get spare blades from his mother's room. Areum has a lot of spare materials in her bedroom because she's dedicated to her work and that she keeps them for the future. Jeno enters Areum's room, looking around to find the spare blades as he sees an odd book inside a chest full of materials.

"What's this?"

Jeno asks himself before reading the book, curious about what the book's about. Jeno reads the first page as it turns out that it was his mother's diary.

"...'I love you, Jeno and Daeji'? Who's Daeji?"

Jeno asks himself once again as he begins reading the diary. He, then, finds out the truth why Areum wasn't that close to him during his childhood. She lost a son during that time. It was her son from the King.

"... I have a brother... Daeji is my brother..."

Jeno tells himself as a tear drops down his cheek, realizing that he lost a brother.

~

After Jisung's meeting with the new royal officials, he went back to his room. He was exhausted with everything that he's planning to do that he wonders if what he was doing is right. Because of his exhaustion, he took time to think if he deserves to have a "coronation ceremony".

He thought about his entire life being dedicated to one thing: Being the New King.

He thought about the possibilities of not being born with this life. He thought about what his mother is like if he even had time with her. He doesn't even know who his mother is and all he knew about himself is that he's the son with only half of the royal blood.

He knew that if Haechan was still on-going as the actual full royal blooded prince, he would be useless.

What could he do? What could he fire back at Haechan when he's only a half-blood? Most likely nothing.

Jisung sat up from his bed as he looked at the mirror in front of him. He sees himself as a blank child who doesn't know the purpose of his life. He even had more special abilities since he had half of the same curse Haechan has and he absorbed half of Renjun's golden aura.

But for what cause? Why does he have these abilities? Does he really deserve having these abilities?

Jisung started to cry and yell in frustration, angry at how his life isn't made to be perfect. He was mad about many things. First, Renjun and Chenle escaped the basement. Second, the way he was born and the way he's living were both made from the same disaster. Third, he feels that he is the villain of everyone's story.

A part of him doesn't want to be the villain. That's why he wanted to be a king, right? He wants to save people... but thinking about how he killed Haechan's mother and numerous servants without anyone in the royalty knowing is horrifying.

He thinks of himself as the most horrifying being ever created but what can he do to change that? He believed that nothing could ever change him, not even himself. He believed that this was his purpose.

He thought Haechan gave away his opportunity in being the king so that he has to be one.

"This is my purpose."

Jisung tells himself as he wipes his tears away, giving himself a smile at the mirror before his eyes darkened once again. He knows he's the villain of everyone's story and there would be no story if there's no villain.