They were back in the art room.
Just like the other day, Jisung paid attention to the painting of the apple. They had abandoned it for a few days and the due was near before the presentation date yet here the duo were, still haven't finished painting the one apple.
The room filled with silence as the fierce teacher walked towards each groups to see the progress. Eunkyung nervously waited for her to come and give her views of the idea but at the same time she wished the woman won't.
"Done." Jisung muttered. "Is it okay?"
Eunkyung paid a glance and nodded. "That looks great."
"Should we continue until she comes or wait?"
"I think we'll just continue." the girl whispered back and picked the paintbrush. The sketches of the tree was visible so she tried not to mess things up.
Jisung noticed the nervousness in her. Just as when she wanted to put strokes on the paper, he held her wrist to stop her. "Why are you so nervous?"
Eunkyung remained silent. Jisung took her paintbrush and drag the stand back in front of him. "It's alright if you cannot do it."
"No it's not that–"
"How's your progress?" a female voice suddenly appeared behind them. Eunkyung lightly jumped in her seat while Jisung just turned his head and nodded.
"We're doing fine, madam."
The teacher stared at the newly built apple. It was too quiet that Eunkyung nervously fiddled with her fingers on her lap. Jisung on the other hand started to paint the tree, as if the teacher's presence didn't bother him.
Well, she didn't bother him at all.
"Good. Make sure to finish it before the presentation day."
"Sure do." Jisung replied with a smile and the woman left to another group. Eunkyung unknowingly let out the breath she was holding, earning a questioning look from her partner. "Are you okay?"
"Just nervous." she whispered and attempted to take the brush from him but Jisung dodged it.
"You can start for the leaves and apples later." he said.
"But you're already doing so much–"
"You giving ideas is enough." the guy cut her off as he continued doing his part. "I'm finishing this in a bit so you can start soon."
"I'm sorry." she sighed.
Jisung just shook his head as a sign of it's alright. Eunkyung just watched him silently. She couldn't stop thinking about the fact that the unknown man was from Jisung's house. Her mind was in misery.
The princess still couldn't believe that Jisung was related to the man she was chasing the other day. She used to send Jisung home every night after the sword fighting class so she wouldn't get it wrong. The house was surely his. He lived together with the man.
Usually Eunkyung doesn't think about this too much when they are in class but because she wasn't doing anything, the thoughts flooded in.
She saw a blank paper laying on the floor, probably fell out from her file. While Jisung was working on the tree, the girl grabbed a pencil and started to sketch.
Sketching the man, without her realising. She just started with the face shape when Jisung spoke up.
"Are you doing anything today?"
"I have to go somewhere after school ends. Why?"
"Oh... family errands?"
"Not really," she hummed. "Just clearing my mind. I'm fighting with my sisters again." she half lied. Jisung didn't know about the incident in the woods and she didn't plan on telling anything. Not after she saw it in front of her eyes.
The guy nodded in understanding. "Do you think we can finish this today?"
Jisung finally finished his part and Eunkyung took his place. "Of course, of course." she replied without confidence. "I'll try."
He gave her a soft smile. "You seem out of place today so don't stress yourself. We still have a few days."
"You're so kind today?" she stated with a small laugh. Jisung scoffed playfully. "I'm just nervous because I'm afraid if the teacher is mad at us for not doing so much yet. That's all. You worry too much."
"You looked constipated earlier."
Instantly, the brush that had dipped in the green paint planted on his cheek. Jisung's eyes widened at the sudden feeling of the liquid painting his face. He dabbed his finger lightly on the skin to see a mixed color of green and he scoffed playfully. "You're lucky we are in class."
The princess stuck out her tongue and began to paint the leaves. She did it carefully to avoid mistakes but then a paintbrush stroke her cheek. She yelped and her hand accidentally smudge the painting she was doing. Her mouth fall agape.
"Han!" the girl whined.
He silently laughed, as if the painting's failure doesn't bother him. Eunkyung worriedly looked around and went she couldn't see the teacher, she scoot her seat closer to Jisung and cupped his cheeks with one hand before smudging his face with green paint.
"Eun!"
"Because of you, we need to re-do." she said within gritted teeth and laughter. She only stopped after covering Jisung's nose with green. He let out an unbelievable sigh. "There."
"You–" he couldn't help but stifled a laugh at the girl's revenge. Eunkyung was smiling proudly at her so-called art on her best friend. Without saying anything more, Jisung drew a line on her forehead with the red paint. "Fair."
"Not on the forehead!" she rubbed it off using her hand but the paint was still visible, making Han laughed loudly. Without them realising, all students in the art room were watching. Some of them were feeling disturbed, some were amused because Eunkyung had never shown her playful side while some... maybe jealous.
No need to say who's the last one.
"Han Jisung, Princess Eunkyung."
The two friends stopped painting each others' face when the class president stood up. He had a suppressed smile while looking at the weird painting yet keeping his straight face. That's when Eunkyung could see the eyes watching. Her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "I advise you to clean your face before the teacher returns."
Small laughter erupted from a few students. "I didn't know she could joke around like that."
"Jisung always get special treatment."
Eunkyung slowly nodded with her head hung low while Han chuckled. He playfully did a salute gesture towards the class president and grabbed the princess' hand before running out.
The hallway echoed with laughter as soon as the door closed. The two friends ran to the stairs without worrying about people watching them. Jisung's grip on Eunkyung's hand tightened as they ran down the two flight of stairs.
"Han, wait up–"
Before she could finish her sentence, the princess tripped on her skirt. Jisung looked back at the same time to see his friend was falling, and the next thing he knew,
they both fell.
Jisung lightly groaned as his back hit the floor. Luckily they were far enough from the second stairs flight or else they would have fell down to the next level. The guy's hands moved on its own to secure what's on top of him.
The princess.
Eunkyung hissed a bit as she tried to get up but as soon as her eyes met Jisung's, she froze. Even though they had been friends for years, she'd never been this close to him, until she could feel the beat in his chest. This was... new.
And she had no idea what she's feeling at the moment.
His hands fit her waist somehow perfectly, neatly to secure her from falling on the ground. Jisung silently gulped at the close proximity. The feeling of her hands pressed on his chest messed up his mind in a second in the deafening silence. His eyes nervously moved around yet he found himself lost in hers every then and now.
The purity in her eyes caught his interest. He couldn't look away.
None of them dared to move.
That's it, until they heard a drink can falling from the level above them.
Eunkyung immediately got off him and brushed her skirt while Jisung rubbed the back of his head. He was sure the grey coat was already dusted with white dirt from the cement. Getting up, he found face to face with the princess once again.
"You look like a tree bush." was what the girl said before rushing down and disappeared behind the door of the girl's toilet.
Jisung stood there, trying to comprehend what she just said until he remembered the green paint on his face. He lightly laughed, "And she looks like an adorable human sized tomato."
༆
Picking up the empty drink can, Seungmin tossed it into the rubbish bin.
He peeked from upstairs to see Jisung standing there, directly facing him. His heart jumped in surprise but still putting on a stoic face.
"You're following?" Jisung asked with a smirk played on his face. "Worry much?"
The taller remained silent as his eyes stabbed into his. A mixed emotion of anger, jealousy and worry piled up in one file yet he still could control himself from doing anything stupid.
"Kim Seungmin... Kim Seungmin..." Jisung sighed with a smile while shaking his head lightly. "You know she doesn't like being controlled so much. If you keep this up I'm afraid she will leave you."
"I'm not doing this if it's not because of you." he spoke calmly.
"All these years she's safe in my hand yet you're still doubting it," he chuckled with a sinister smile. "Are you sure you're not the danger?"
Seungmin remained silent at that. Jisung just shrugged before leaving to the toilet.
A frustrated sigh escaped Seungmin's lips. He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath to turn off the burning fire inside him.
He couldn't let the princess alone with Jisung, yet he doesn't know how. Even though they were in a school compound, nothing is impossible.
And just by witnessing how the two friends before...
he couldn't help but feel jealousy arose in him.
༆
"I'm so sorry."
Seungmin lightly shook his head with a small smile as the princess appeared with her white horse. "How's the painting going?"
"Since the one we worked on is spoiled... forty five percent almost done, I think." she sighed. Earlier in school both her and Jisung had to stay back for one hour after school ended because of the failed painting. The teacher urged them to restart on the same day or else they wouldn't be able to finish it on time. And because of that, Seungmin had to wait for an hour until the girl get changed after school and went with their plan.
Precisely, Eunkyung's plan.
Seungmin still needed rest and lessen his arm movement as much as he can because he constantly feel pulsated at the injured area but when the girl insisted him to follow, he didn't have any choice.
Guess she's still stubborn, huh?
The guy noticed the small bag that slung on her body and dropped to her side. "Are we going to the village?"
"Not yet. I'm planning to go there next week."
"Alone?"
"If I am, then why?" she questioned. "You're still injured so I'm letting you go for next week until you're fully healed. Just not for this week."
His eyebrows furrowed, "The king allows you to go there alone?"
"I'm not a child anymore." she shrugged and whipped the lead line. Instantly, Winter galloped through the
way and Seungmin had no choice but to abruptly follow with Jasper. The track they were using was familiar for him yet he couldn't recall when was it.
A few minutes after he could make out the place when seeing uncountable archery boards hanging on the trees. "You don't bring the arrows though."
"Did I not tell you to bring extra clothes?" the princess asked while getting off Winter. With that, Seungmin hit his head. She sighed, "Are you serious?"
"You didn't remind me! I literally am not holding any bags."
"Do you think I'm gonna check your body if you have a bag on you?"
"You've done that before. That's not a hard thing to do?"
"What do you mean?!" she yelled and Seungmin laughed. Her cheeks dusted with pink. "Please, I would never– ugh nevermind." she threw a weird look and brought Winter into the practice area that led to the river. Seungmin trailed behind her while talking to his horse. What he was talking about, she didn't want to know.
Soon, the sound of waterfall greeted his ears. He let Jasper alone with Winter and went to the riverside. Eunkyung had taken off her shoes and dipped her feet into the water. Her bag was placed behind her, far from the river.
Seungmin joined the princess. "Why do we need extra clothes?"
"I was planning to go there," she turned her head to the waterfall. "Where the twin rainbows were."
"There's no rainbows today."
She squinted her eyes and sighed in disappointment when seeing none. "When do rainbows appear?"
"When it rains."
The girl hummed without detaching her eyes. "It wasn't raining the other day."
"Probably because of the droplets." Seungmin replied as he took a pebble from the water and threw it back a few metres away from him. It splashes.
The princess frowned when the water splashes on her, "But there's none today."
"I don't know, ask the nature."
"You're no help." she scoffed and got up. Seungmin just watched as Eunkyung walked to the waterfall carefully. Her hands grasped the fabric of her outfit to lift it up, showing a bit skin. The guy immediately looked away and continued throwing pebbles.
"I see one!"
"Don't trip." was the only thing he said.
Reaching the waterfall, Eunkyung realised that the river narrowed more towards it comparing to where Seungmin was sitting. So she could got to the other side of the river, where the rainbow was on a rock behind the waterfall.
She took a huge step to the other side while her hand was holding on the rock next to her. The rocks were all slippery, and the water splashing on her was no help, just like Seungmin, she thought. After a few seconds of struggling, she finally reached the huge rock and tightly grasped on it – even though the surface was flat. She was sticking on it like a gecko.
Another problem. There was nothing to step on. Eunkyung had no choice but to climb the rock. At this moment, she ignored what would Seungmin say for seeing her like this (when he's not even looking, actually). All she wanted was to see the end of the rainbow.
If only she knows the truth of a rainbow.
However, when she was about to climb, she slipped. So unfortunate.
Seungmin heard a loud splash from distant. He looked to where Eunkyung was supposed to be but when seeing a substance of blue colored floating on the surface, he couldn't hold in his laughter.
"She's so stupid." he chuckled and went to the waterfall. Eunkyung was holding on another rock with shock painted her face. Her whole body was drenched and water kept splashing to her that she couldn't open her eyes properly.
Instead of helping, Seungmin crouched down from aside and rested his chin on his palm, watching in amusement.
"H..help..." she waved her hand desperately but the guy cocked his head to the side with a small pout. "Seungmin!"
"How do I help you?" he inquired innocently.
As much as she wanted to be angry, she couldn't. Eunkyung blindly stepped on a group of pebbles underwater and lifted her body to sit on the rock. Even so, that took her almost a minute. Seungmin gave her a proud smile when she made it to the side.
"That's my girl."
"Shut up. I hate you."
The guy chuckled while she looked around. There was literally nothing near her to go to the ground unless if she went into the water again. She hopelessly kicked the water and it hit Seungmin's body.
"I don't bring any extra clothes," the male shrugged. "So I cannot go in."
"If only words can kill." she grumbled. Seungmin laughed more.
With that, he took off his cloak and went into the water. His hair immediately drenched because of the depth of the river near the waterfall. He almost fell but got to hold on the countless rocks and made his way to the princess.
Eunkyung just watched in silent until he stopped in front of her.
Oh how she hates the way he looks with his hair wet.
It looks insanely attractive. She didn't sign up for this. She just wanted to see the rainbow, not this Seungmin.
"Do you still want to see the rainbow?" he asked while shaking his head from left to right before running his hand through his hair to discard the excessive water.
The princess glanced away and nodded.
"Get on my back then."
"Wait, what?"
"Or drown."
She lightly kicked his body and he giggled. "Your height doesn't match this depth, Your Highness. Don't worry I'll make sure we'll return safe." he reassured her and turned on his back. Eunkyung hesitated. She stared at Seungmin's back for the longest time she could until the guy spoke up again, "Just hold on tight, you won't fall."
This time, his voice was a bit softer. All the teasing vanished as he thought the princess was worried of being swept away.
That's not the problem, stupid. Eunkyung pressed her lips tightly.
Slowly, she put both arms on the guy's shoulders and linked her hands together on his chest. To say the heartbeat suddenly played a whole orchestra was an understatement. Suddenly everything beated faster like a violist playing an upbeat emotional song. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he held her right leg with his one hand while the other hand was sticking on the wet rock.
Like a gecko again.
The stream was going to the opposite way, making it a bit hard for Seungmin to move but he managed to do it nevertheless. The princess felt light on his back. In a minute he got to climb to the upper stream and put her down on the rock where she saw the so-called rainbow there.
He jumped on it with ease despite the slippery surface. Eunkyung has already walked to the bigger area but with a disappointment painted on her face. She looked around to find the rainbow.
Seungmin chuckled while seeing her clueless reaction. "It's obvious you don't pay attention in class."
"What do you mean?" she asked with a small pout while still looking around. Seungmin grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face the other riverside. There, another rainbow was formed near the waterfall. "Why..."
"You cannot see a rainbow up close, Your Highness," he said while pulling her down to sit on the edge of the rock. Their feet dangled above the small yet strong stream of the water. "The angle has to be at least forty-two degree away from you. A rainbow isn't a physical thing but an illusion."
The princess puffed her cheeks with air in disappointment. "I don't know about that."
"Because you are not paying attention in class. We learned this in Science two months ago."
She let out a sigh as she stared at the rainbow across the river. "I just want to see the end of it."
"Another thing, rainbow is actually a circle."
"A what?!"
Seungmin pretended to be shocked as he put a palm against his mouth, "Oh no, another secret being revealed."
"You did not just making fun of me." she prompted her fist and the guy leaned back with a giggle. "Is it true?"
"Your whole life is a living lie." he shook his head in a disappointment.
"I swear, Kim Seungmin–"
"You only see it semi-circle on the ground – not here though – from afar because the earth is not flat," he dipped his hand in the water and drew a circle on a dry area of the rock. Eunkyung watched closely. "Let's say if you're standing here, and you see the rainbow in front of you. Because of the earth's shape, another half is out of your vision."
The girl nodded her head thoughtfully. "Then how do you know it's a circle?"
"We can only see it on a certain distance, right?" she nodded again. "The rainbow I'm seeing now may not be the same rainbow you're seeing. The location might be slightly different because of our angle. That's when we're on the ground. What about for the people up there? The soldiers who use plane and skydive for practice?" he pointed to the sky.
"They would see the arch?"
"No, silly. I told you it's an optical illusion." he lightly flicked the girl's forehead and surprisingly, she didn't get mad. She only rubbed it with a small ouch and a pout. After making sure she's not hurt, he continued, "They would see a complete circle from above."
"Really?!" she exclaimed.
Seungmin chuckled. He noticed how the girl suddenly had her behaviour changed ever since the day he got injured. She seem more open and... kind. However, he's not complaining but happy with it.
"They wouldn't see a semi-circle floating on the sky, that looks funny and out of place. Everything must have an end."
"Sounds logical." she looked up to the sky to see a flock of birds passing by. Her head tilted to the side as her mind was busy with the thoughts of seeing a complete circle from above.
"Funny how an illusion can make us happy..." the girl muttered, earning his attention.
His lips pursed into a thin line. He subconsciously stared at the princess who was extending her hand upwards and faked pinched a small bird flying in the sky.
She looked carefree even by doing nothing here. When the small bird was out of her sight, the corner of her lips curled up, "It escapes."
The guy smiled at the remark.
He hoped the Eunkyung he was seeing right now wasn't an illusion too.
༆
my toxic trait is writing a bunch of fluff until i stray away from the main plot and lost ideas and leave the story unfinished.
just kidding.
it's just i tend to write slowburn in whichever ffs so yeah, it's getting dragged until more than sixty chapters i guess :'>