"I think I like Seokjin."
"About time Joon! We both are waiting since forever to hear that", Hoseok replied patting his back as a smirk appeared on Taehyung's face.
"You both knew?", he asked puzzled. "Of course we did", Taehyung replied nonchalantly. "How?". "Really hyung? We understood that ages ago. For starters you smile so much when Jin hyung is around, you keep calling him cute, you blush when he gives you hugs and get shy around him. Also do you remember the time when when you guys fell on top of each other? You should have seen your face......"
"Yah. YAH! I get it okay", Namjoon interrupted him, face reddening at the revelations. Turns out he really did do a bad job hiding his emotions.
"Have you confessed your feelings to him yet?", Hoseok questioned. "No", Namjoon replied with a sign. "I don't know if he feels the same way about me".
"I think there is a way to make him confess on his own", Taehyung said, his lips forming into a smirk, eyes glinting with mischief. Namjoon narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously, though this idea might be helpful, he wasn't exactly sure, because Taehyung somehow managed to come up with bizarre ideas almost all the time. But then again, he was also someone who was trying to confess his feelings slowly too.
"How?"
"Make him jealous". "I'm not sure if that's a good idea Tae". "Oh stop worrying so much would you hyung?". "It'll work like magic. Believe me". Namjoon looked towards Hoseok who nodded his head in agreement. "What if it backfires?". "It won't hyung".
"Okay then, how do I make him jealous?"
"Start ignoring him a little from now on, give reasons and postpone your meetings, don't talk to him much and the strongest weapon of this strategy, show interest in some other omega", Taehyung responded, lips stretched into a wide grin.
"The rest is okay, but I'm not going to pretend pay attention to another omega". "Come on Namjoon you can do it! It's pretty easy and considering how Seokjin is possessive over you, I don't think it will take long for him to notice and talk to you about it".
"This is a bad idea Tae", even though the plan seemed okay to him, he was still unsure about the result. He did not want to end up causing a misunderstanding between them. " No it's not Namjoon, I'm sure this going to work", Hoseok assured him. "Fine. I'll do what you guys say", Namjoon said with a sign.
"What have you gotten yourself into Namjoon?"
A few feet away from the place where the men stood conversing, behind a bush, sat Jimin and Yoongi, covering their mouths, trying their best to suppress the giggles which were threatening to spill from their lips. "Want to tell Jin hyung about this?", Jimin asked. "Nah, let it be. Let the drama unfold itself in front of us", Yoongi replied, bursting into a fit of giggles just after. "It's going to be fun to watch".
XXX
Taehyung and Namjoon walked back home after their talk with Hoseok. "You seem quiet today. Is anything bothering you?", Namjoon inquired. Taehyung seemed present, yet absent in his thoughts, something he often did when he something was bothering him. "It's just the prince hyung....", he replied with a sign. Namjoon raised an eyebrow at that, "What about him?".
"He's at it again hyung. Same old habits of asking his men to spy on innocent and unsuspecting omegas. He had promised to stop when he last talked to his majesty, and I thought that he was improving. But it seems like he hasn't changed at all. Just today, I overheard him giving orders to one of his men to find information about a certain omega. It disgusts me so much. He literally treats them as things.
This is not the prince I knew. As days pass by, it looks as though the prince is turning against his majesty, he does not treat him with respect, and has begun ignoring his orders. Moreover, his decisions are based on what the head of the Cho Clan tells him, which is a huge problem as that clan is always up to no good. I'm worried that if this continues, the kingdom and the royal family will be in danger".
Namjoon signed at that, "He has been like a friend to you for a long time Tae, you should try talking to him about it. Maybe then, he would reconsider his actions". "You know that me talking to him is not going to help. Why don't you talk to him? You were childhood best friends hyung, if not his father, he would at least be willing to listen to his old friend's advice", Taehyung urged him.
Namjoon's face hardened immediately, "I'm not going to do anything of that sort", he replied, jaw clenching and eyes blazing in anger. "But why hyu-". "I said no Tae. And that means a no", Namjoon answered firmly. "At least tell me what happened between you two. I remember, you both were best friends a few years ago".
Namjoon took a deep breath in, as if trying to calm his nerves and prevent himself from exploding, "When the prince was about 19, he was sent to train with batch of soldiers who were from the higher class. We met each other for the first time at that training camp. He was a nice guy back then, friendly, outgoing and insisted that I refer to him by his name, Hanuel, rather then as his highness when we were on our own. It did not take much time for us to become close friends", unconsciously he smiled, reminiscing the bittersweet memories.
"Alongside the ongoing training with us, he was receiving training from lord Ahn regarding the managing of the kingdom. As time passed by, he began to change little by little. When he turned twenty-one, his stopped training with us, though we both kept in touch and even met up once in a while. He just changed after a few years Tae and I don't why it happened. He began to trust people less, never opened up, became irritable. He was no longer the charming, intelligent and understanding prince that I knew".
"How did your friendship break then?"
"It happened three years ago.....
Three years ago
Namjoon walked towards the princes private room, where he had been summoned by him. He was anxious as the manner in which the message that was written raised red flags. His arrival was announced to the prince and he was allowed to enter the room. In the centre stood the prince himself with lord Ahn and the leader of the Cho clan standing by his side.
"Your highness", he bowed in respect. "You may rise young man", he commanded. Namjoon then stood up straight, head held high. But as the prince began to speak, his eyes began to dim, a look of shock and betrayal began to form on his face.
"You are training to become a part of my Hwarang aren't you?". "Yes your highness". The prince took a scroll from his master's hand and read it out in monotone, his face displaying no emotion, "Today, I the prince of Song, remove Kim Namjoon from the eligibility of becoming a Hwarang, and command him to join the military".
Namjoon just stood there, stunned, take aback by the sudden order. "Your highness with all due to respect what have I done to receive the transfer order", he asked. Before the prince could reply, the head of Cho clan stepped in front and turned towards him, "You see the audacity of this noble your highness? He is not only trying to become more popular than you among the subjects but is also disrespecting you by refusing to obey your command".
He was dumbfound on hearing this. Why would I disrespect the prince? "Your highness there must be some misunderstanding, I would never-", he was cut off again by the head, "See what he is trying to do your highness. Do not trust him".
"The prince has know me since we were kids, it is unto him to decide on this issue", Namjoon shot back, turning towards his friend with hope only to find the prince staring at him completely emotionless.
"I would like to discuss this matter with my master, I will present my decision in a few minutes" and with that, the prince walked out of the room leaving Namjoon alone with the head. "Why are you doing this?", he asked him. "You and I both know the answer boy, it's best for you to stay out of the prince's way. Your growing popularity poses as a threat to the prince's claim on the throne. We cannot allow that can we?", the head.
Namjoon raised an eyebrow at that, "Why don't you just say that you are insecure about the fact that the prince might actually listen what I have to say and that it will ruin whatever you have planned?"
The head chackled with laughter, his harsh voice ringing in the room. "You're smart young man, but unfortunately the prince will not take your side today. He cannot ignore the fact that you skills and power are at par with his, not to mention that you are intelligent and the public seems to adore you".
"I would never go against the prince", Namjoon said through gritted teeth. "And the prince will believe you?", he mocked him, cocking his head to one side.
Just as Namjoon was going to retaliate, the doors opened, revealing the prince. "Your highness...", Namjoon began, but he was immediately cut off, "I have decided that my order will not be repealed. Kim Namjoon, you will be transferred to the military by next week".
Namjoon just stood there, looking for any sign of remorse in his friend's eyes, but he found none. "What are you waiting for? Kneel down and accept your transfer order from the prince soldier", Lord Ahn commanded him. He bowed his head in resignation, quietly accepting the scroll from him and without a word, he bowed to the prince and walked out of the room.
He made his way along the silent, muddy trail which took him directly to the town from the palace. It was only used by the people living and working in thee palace. This was the last time his feet would ever step on the secret trail, tonight he would forget about it, about everything that happened in the palace.
He was no longer a Hwarang, he was a soldier now and his duty was to serve his kingdom in the military. To be honest, he wasn't upset about the transfer, he was upset about the fact that how easily his friend had been manipulated. "Why did he listen to the head? Is there someone from the palace who is involved in this?", he thought.
He shook his head hoping to remove the thoughts plaguing him, but he could not shake of the bad feeling that came along with them. His gut told him that something was definitely wrong.
"Namjoon!"
He turned around to see his friend running towards him, "I- I'm sorry but I had to do it Namjoon, I ho-hope you understand", he said out of breath.
"Understand what Hanuel?", Namjoon scoffed. "Understand that you do not trust me enough not to betray you? Understand that after all these years of friendship you are pushing me away just because someone who does not know you, told you too?", though he seemed composed, his eyes gave away the feelings of hurt and exasperation that he felt.
"Come on Namjoon, it's not a big deal. I just did what my master told me to", Hanuel remarked. "Exactly my point! You are the prince and decisions on topics that concern you should be made by you and not someone else", Namjoon reasoned.
"Don't getting angry Namjoon. I did take the decision on my own, my master just guided he through it". His eyes darkened, eyes turning crimson, his wolf threatening to take over, "You did not take the decision by yourself Hanuel. Your master did not guide you, he told you what to think".
"Stop it! My master did nothing of that sort, you must be mistaken Namjoon", the prince stated, his patience waning. "Do you realize what is happening Hanuel? He is manipulating your thoughts and decisions. If this keeps going on you will become a puppet in his hands and he will turn you against all your well wishers, like he did to me. It is clear that this is a trap. And I'm sure that this is not only his doing, there must be someone who has been helping him all this while-"
"Shut up Namjoon! How dare you speak about my master like that! Don't show me your face again. It is best for both of us to forget that we were ever friends", the price exploded. "From now on, I never knew you and you never knew me".
"As you wish you highness", Namjoon agreed, giving up on trying to explain the situation to his friend any longer. "Just to let you know before someone tells you otherwise, my loyalty lies with the royal family and this kingdom. I will not betray the royal family not matter what and I hope that you keep this in mind", he said bitterly.
He then turned on his heels, making his way back to the town, never once looking back.
Over the years, the thoughts about this incident popped up in his head, but he brushed them aside, not wanting to dwell on them.
But removing Namjoon from the Hwarang did not affect his popularity in any way, rather, he became more popular as his public interactions escalated. Meanwhile the head and the master continued to increase their hold on the prince to the point that they even managed to turn him against his own father. He was nothing more than a puppet in their hands who was easily influenced by their words.
XXX
Seokjin plopped down on his bed, eyebrows furrowed and lips set into a pout. He glanced over to Jungkook who said in the verandah sharpening his sword. He signed loudly, totally not trying to attract his attention. Jungkook finally looked from his sword and sat next to him. Gently pulling him into a hug, he placed a kiss in his soft hair and questioned, "Hmmm.. What has been bothering my hyung?".
Seokjin's signed again, "Namjoon". "Namjoon hyung!", Jungkook exclaimed increduously, "Well that's new". Seokjin whined as he buried his face in Jungkook's chest, "He's been ignoring me Kookie".
"That's it?! Hyungie you know he a commander, he must be busy with something". "For two weeks? Kookie he has never ignored me, before, even when he had important missions he always made sure to let me know beforehand. Why would he ignore me?"
"Hyungie have some patience. I'm sure it'll soon be over before you know it hmm?", Seokjin just huffed at his words. "And what about the fact that he has been talking to Hyolyn a lot not a days? They seem a lot more buddy-buddy lately". This prompted a laugh out of Jungkook, "Don't tell me you're jealous of her". "I'm not it's just... ".
"Hyungie you're getting worried for no reason. Give it time and everything will be back to normal okay?". "Okay", Seokjin reluctantly agreed. He just hoped it would be over soon or he was going to explode on Namjoon one day.
Thank you for reading guys!
I hope you enjoyed it! Do share and vote :))
💜