*********************
"Jaehyun-sshi..."
The girl called his name softly. She sounded so weak; it successfully made the man raise his concern to a much higher level. He quickly lowered his head to her face, so he could hear her clearly. "Yes, Naeun. I'm here." He whispered, "I'm here."
"Jaehyun-sshi..." She called his name again, but this time, Lee Naeun's eyes fluttered opened, Jaehyun could see some tears pooling in the corner of her eyes, her lips were trembling.
"Jaehyun-sshi, I'm so sorry..."
"Naeun, what are you talking about? What's wrong?" Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows, staring at Naeun with a concerned look on his face. When he heard the girl breathing heavily, he quickly pulled her up gently so she could breathe properly.
He didn't know what kind of nightmare she was having in her sleep. People would have weird dreams or nightmares when they were having a high fever. But whatever Naeun had that night, it had something to do with him.
Instinctively, Jaehyun pulled the girl into a hug. One of his hands were caressing her back gently. For once, he patted her on her head that was rested on his shoulder.
"Sshh... it's alright. It's alright." Jaehyun softly whispered, hoping it would help to comfort the girl.
"Jaehyun-sshi..."
"It's alright. I'm here. I'm here. You're safe with me."
"I'm here."
After a couple of minutes, the girl finally drifted off to sleep again in his embrace. Gently, the Crown Prince lowered her back to the bed and let her sleep. He pulled up the blanket to her shoulder and caressed her cheek once more.
The fever was getting better than when he first saw her in the room. However, he was still concerned about her condition. So, he immediately fished out his phone from his pocket and unlocked the screen. His finger tapped on the contacts and typed in name "James."
It didn't take long, even less than 2 seconds, the man he was calling already picked up the phone.
"Hello, James. Please get the doctor to our suite to check on Naeun. Immediately. Thank you."
*********************
[+ 110] [-92] LOL. Look at this lucky b**tch touching the Crown Prince with her filthy hands!! Get off our prince, you b**tch!
[+10] [-89] Why did they let this b**tch marry the Crown Prince? Like what for?
[+405] [-34] All of you are mad! Stop being mean! Why are you all attacking this innocent woman?!
[+56] [-76] Come to think of it, does the Crown Prince really love her though? There are a lot of women out there that are more beautiful and more suitable for the Crown Prince. But here she is, ruining the Crown Prince's life.
Naeun's hands were trembling as she read the posts from the Korean netizens. She knew, she was not supposed to do this herself. She had promised herself to follow Jaehyun's advice, to not give too much attention to the internet and social media for the time being.
Yet, there she was in her hotel room, scrolling through the media, reading those comments. When she finally had enough of it, she quickly locked her phone screen—even turning it off. She didn't care if she was unreachable that evening. She needed a break.
She had finished her dinner, and she also already had her medicine. Since there was nothing left to do, the girl quickly pulled up the thick blanket up her head, covering all of her body, and cried herself to sleep.
*****************
So slowly, Lee Naeun was waking up from her sleep. Her head felt so light, unlike yesterday when she felt as if her brain could explode anytime soon. So did her body, she felt so light like a mere feather. Now that was what a good quality sleep could do for your body.
The girl stirred in her sleep, letting out a small squeal as she stretched her feet under the blanket. She felt warm and comfortable.
What kind of beddings do this hotel use? She wondered.
Hold up. What is wrong with my hand?
She hissed as she noticed a weird feeling on her left hand. Her eyes weren't fully opened as she was still gathering her consciousness with her eyes closed. As she felt something—uncomfortable—sticking on her hand, she immediately opened her eyes. As the light inside the room filled her vision, her eyes squinted. She spent some seconds to adjust her vision with the light until she could clearly see her surroundings.
The first thing Naeun saw was an IV drip, hanging above her on a pole next to her bed. It confused her since she didn't remember getting herself injected with an IV catheter before she slept last night. Where did it come from?
Her pupils slowly moved around, exploring more of her surroundings.
Yes, she was still in her room, on her bed, and under the comfortable blanket. The only different things she noticed in the room were the IV drip next to her bed, the needle of her left hand, and the Crown Prince—
"Jaehyun-sshi!" The girl left out a small gasp as her eyes caught the tall man, on a white formal shirt tucked into long black pants, sleeping on a chair next to her bed and his upper body leaning on his arms placed on the bed.
What happened here?!
Naeun was about to jump out of her bed and check on the Crown Prince seated by the bed. His back was rested with some pillows but his head and arms on the side of her bed. Why was he sleeping there? His back might get hurt. He should had slept at his room, on his bed!
The girl finally managed to push herself up so she was seated on the bed. The blanket still covering half of her body. She was about to move her legs down to get her slippers, when the bedroom door was knocked, then followed by a familiar voice.
"Your Highness?"
It was Johnny.
The knocking sounds woke up the Crown Prince from his sleep as well. The man then slowly shifted from his sleeping position, grunting as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Come in, Hyung." Jaehyun said with his hoarse voice, as he proceeded to seat up properly and walked himself to the door.
However, the man stopped midway as his peripheral view caught Naeun who was already awake, sitting on her bed in her white pajamas with a wondering look at her face, the sight of her made him forget about the older man that was waiting outside of the bedroom. He immediately turned his back from the door, then walked his way back to the bed, approaching Naeun.
"Naeun-ah," He called her softly.
"Jaehyun-sshi," Naeun looked at him carefully before she continued. "What... what happened? What are you doing in my room? And wha—what happened last night?" she picked up her left hand that was still connected with the IV drop above her.
"You had a high fever. We called the doctor in for you last night. She said the medicine you had weren't enough, so the doctor gave you an IV drip." He explained to Naeun thoroughly as he sat down on the bed, next to her. "How are you feeling? Are you still feeling dizzy? Do you feel hurt anywhere?"
"I'm feeling way better, Jaehyun-sshi. No headache. And my body feels so light, nothing hurts. I'm totally fine now." The girl grinned, showing the faint dimples on her cheeks.
Jaehyun didn't move his eyes away from her. The girl was smiling widely, showing him that she was truly fine. But the memories from last night, when Naeun was crying in her sleep and saying sorry to him, it still worried him.
Carefully his fingers reached out to touch some strands of hair that was covering the girl's face, then he placed his palm on her forehead. Her temperature was normal already. That made him leave out a long-relieved exhale. At least, the fever was already gone.
He then hugged her, wrapping his arms around her, shocking the girl. "You made me worried, Naeun-ah." As he let go of the hug and looked at her face closely again, he saw something that made him smile. "Hm? Your temperature is normal, but why are your cheeks red—" Jaehyun tried hard to keep his smile as he noticed both of Naeun's cheeks slightly turned red.
He's so close to her. She could feel his familiar scent in her nerves. And from up this close, she could clearly see every single part of his handsome face. His eyes, sharp eyebrows, and the dimple on his cheeks as he smiled...
Naeun tried her best to avoid his gaze, looking elsewhere, as she answered, "It's... nothing. I'm fine, really."
"Your Highness?" Another knocking sound came from the bedroom door again. Naeun peeked through Jaehyun's shoulder, gazing at the door. "May I come in?" He asked once more from the outside, this time he got his voice slightly louder.
"Breakfast is ready!"
*********************
"Do you want more scrambled eggs?"
Naeun smiled as she shook her head at the man in front of her.
"Sausages?"
"I still have mine, Jaehyun-sshi."
"Baked beans?"
This time, Naeun stopped chewing on the scrambled egg in her mouth, and then stared at Jaehyun who was sitting across her on the round table straightly on his eyes. Her lips pursed together, holding back a cheeky smile. She was giving him a signal with her eyes, letting him know that she was really fine and she didn't need any extra portion for her breakfast. However, then he picked up a small bowl of vegetable soup on his tray and placed it down in front of Naeun.
"More soup for you. It's good to keep you warm." Jaehyun smiled before he picked up his fork again, scooping more mashed potatoes into his mouth.
Naeun on the other hand couldn't say anything. When he opened her mouth to protest, Jaehyun gave her his playful smile. It was rare, even for her, and it was enough to make Naeun's heart flutter.
He looked like an innocent kid.
"Okay. Thank you for the soup, Jaehyun-sshi."
As soon as Johnny entered the room to announce that the breakfast was ready for them, Jaehyun helped Naeun to walk out of her bedroom to the middle room of the suite so they could have breakfast together. As she mentioned, she could feel her body being so light as a feather that morning, so Jaehyun's hand was supporting her back all the time while she's walking her way to the dinning table where the breakfast was served. His other hand helping her pull the IV drip pole along with them.
The menu was a typical English breakfast: hash browns and mashed potatoes, sausages, scrambled eggs, baked beans and tomatoes, and some vegetable soup.
They continued eating their breakfast silently, as Naeun enjoyed the warm soup, she threw a glance outside the window in her bedroom where she could see Richmond Park across the street.
It was 7 am in the morning and there were already plenty of people walking around the park. Most of them wore semi-formal to formal attires, some would have a cup of coffee on their hand while others have their phones. It was still the first week of the new year, yet there were a lot of people there that were still busy with their own works.
The girl scooped another spoon of vegetable soup as her eyes were still gazing outside the window, admiring London's view from inside their suite.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Jaehyun asked her making the girl look back at the man in front of her, before she smiled.
"It sounds fun going outside." Naeun commented making the latter smile.
"Don't worry, Miss Naeun. After we finish the three-day conference tomorrow, let's go out and enjoy our time in London."
Naeun beamed as she heard the Crown Prince's words. She smiled while she had thought of something, "Will you be my tour guide then?"
Jaehyun met her gaze, even smiled when he saw the girl looking so enthusiastic with their sudden plans. "I would happily be your tour guide and personal photographer too, perhaps." He told her with a small grin on his face. "But we still have to make sure you won't get sick anymore."
Naeun snickered as she danced on her seat, and Jaehyun left out a silent chuckle when he saw her doing her things.
They almost finished their breakfast when Naeun suddenly rested her back on the chair, gazing at the Crown Prince silently. Her excited eyes slowly turned into a soft gaze. Jaehyun didn't notice it at first as he was still finishing his breakfast. But as some moments passed, he finally felt Naeun's gaze on him.
When Jaehyun met Naeun's eyes, he gazed back at her, waiting.
As if the girl received the signal from the man, she finally opened her mouth to say something, "This is my very first time going overseas. And London is one of the countries on my Wishlist. You brought me here... so, I'd like to thank you."
Across Naeun, Jaehyun was still listening to her intently since he saw her looking like she was still holding back something to say. So, he remained silent, and his eyes never leaving hers. It was as though he tried to read Naeun's mind through her eyes.
Those eyes, which were flooded with tears last night as he embraced her to sleep. Jaehyun didn't know whether Naeun really didn't remember what happened last night... or she was hiding something that disturbed her. She probably was hiding it.
And in all honesty, it made him curious since one way or another, it was related to him. However, the man didn't want to push her to share anything to him. If she was ready to share it, he would be ready with all ears, and he would do anything he could to keep her safe.
"Jaehyun-sshi, I'm sorry..."
The girl's voice last night was echoing in his head before suddenly, he heard Naeun speak. "You and your family have given me a lot. A lot of good thing that I could never imagine to happen to me in my life. And I don't know how to repay you..." For a moment, she smiled sadly as her eyes turned elsewhere around the room, avoiding his gaze on her. In the next second, she showed a bright smile once more before continuing, "But I will do my best to be your partner, Jaehyun-sshi."
"There is nothing to repay." Jaehyun replied. "Naeun-ah, is there something wrong?"
There clearly is something wrong.
However, the girl shook her head as she gave him a smile before answering, "It's nothing."
She lied.
So, he spoke up. "I was worried last night."
"Hm?"
"I was worried. When you were having a fever last night." He clarified as he decided to not tell her the part where she was crying in her sleep while saying sorry to him for whatever reason it was. "It might be cause by your lack of sleep, or you overworked, jet lag, or... maybe it was because of the weather. But whatever it is, I don't want you to be sick."
This time, it was Naeun who was listening to him in silence, watching the man attentively.
"I don't want you... to be hurt, in any ways. And I want you to know... that I'll always be here for you if you need me. As I said to you before, I want to keep you safe with me. So, if there's anything disturbing you... I'm all ears. And I'll help you as much as I can, and we will find out a way together to handle it. We will figure it out." Jaehyun continued as he looked at her.
Naeun stared back at him as she processed his words in her mind.
How should she say it? She wouldn't want to burden him more than she already din. So, she only said, "Got it, Jaehyun-sshi."
"Good."
******************
Black is totally his color.
Naeun couldn't help but get amazed by the Crown Prince that morning. Jaehyun was all ready for the day's conference. He looked dashing with his all-black outfit, and his hair was styled well.
The Crown Prince was waiting for Johnny to pick him up from his suite, as the older man was in the middle of something with James and his team. It would be quick, he said. So, Jaehyun patiently waited for him at the middle of the room with Naeun.
Naeun was still having her IV catheter on her hand, so she would have to bring the IV poles with her everywhere she goes. Jaehyun said that the doctor would come to remove the catheter later that afternoon since Naeun had felt better and healed from the fever yesterday. But still, it disturbed her.
"Be patient, the doctor will come soon to remove the IV catheter on your hand." Jaehyun told her as Naeun who was seated on the sofa turned her head to him.
"It's annoying." Naeun huffed as she pouted and waved her left hand. "When did the doctor even put this needle on me?"
"You were in a deep sleep last night, I guess."
"But how did you find me in a high fever, Jaehyun-sshi? How did you come into my room?"
Silence.
"I was checking which room I will use during our stay. When I saw you asleep... I just... checked on your temperature and it was so high. So, I called James to get a doctor here. And they gave you that." He nodded at the IV drip. "Thankfully, it really made you feel better."
"Indeed," Naeun agreed with him.
Where is Johnny?
Jaehyun sighed in secret, thanking that the crisis was averted and Naeun wouldn't ask him anymore of it.
"Excuse me, Your Highness. I apologize for being late. There were some matters that need to be handled with James, but it is all cleared now. The car is ready and we can depart soon." Johnny arrived and gave him a polite bow.
"It's alright, hyung." Jaehyun stood up from his seat, and Naeun followed him. "I'll get going, Naeun. James will stand by at the hotel if you need anything. We have also invited someone here to accompany you."
"Huh? Who?"
Jaehyun smiled, "You'll find out later. The doctor will also come to see you soon. Don't worry. Eat a lot for lunch and have some more rest. I'll see you later in the evening." Jaehyun told her as the latter smiled and nods her head in response.
"See you." Naeun whispered as Jaehyun walked his way out of the suite while Johnny was following him from behind.
Before leaving the suite, Johnny gazed at the younger man in front of him, then at the girl who was standing at the middle of the room, and then he smiled.
**********************