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"AS A REPRESENTATIVE FOR the Gangsan Kim Clan, Kim Hee-joon!" A voice announces, surprising everyone in the hall, especially Krist and the other brotherhood leaders.
Joon steps inside with his usual cold expression. He was wearing a black and gold suit, which was inspired by a hanbok, also known as Korea's traditional clothing. Everyone starts clapping for the honored guest. They knew that he was personally invited by a family member because of the seal on his invitation, but unlike the others, Joon didn't even bother to wave or smile back. He really put justice on his title as 'ice prince.'
"No fucking way," Krist says in shock as he watches Joon walk amongst the crowd who couldn't remove their eyes off him.
"Kim Hee-joon rarely attends these kinds of gatherings. Heck, his entire family lives in seclusion," Hans explains, which was true. Joon rarely goes out in public. Even before Paradox, when they were still members of C1A, Joon was already secretive about his personal life.
"I haven't really spoken to Hee-joon before, but now that I'm seeing him outside of J.S High, he really embodies his title as royal simply by the way he moves," Cindy shares.
"What did you expect from an actual prince? Gangsan Kim Clan are the distant descendants of a royal family from the Silla kingdom during the Joseon Dynasty. But Hee-joon is different. If I remember correctly, he's like a direct descent, which is why the clan protects him so much. If Korea is still ruled by Monarchy, he'd probably be next in line for the throne," Cj explains, surprising Cindy because this is the first time she's heard of this.
Cindy has known about the clan for a long time, especially since it's similar to the Lin Dynasty. But she never knew that Joon would be directly related to an actual royal. Now it seems like the title of prince is more fitting.
"Shall we approach him?" Cindy then suggests, instantly making the leaders shake their heads in disagreement.
"As much as I want to mingle with everyone, Kim Hee-Joon isn't particularly the friendliest person to approach," River explains.
"He might as well spit on us if he was given the chance," Cj adds.
"You guys are being ridiculous," Cindy then comments. "Leigh probably invited him. And the fact that he came to the party means that he's interested. We should use this opportunity to know him better."
"No, thank you. I'd rather—" Before Krist could even finish his sentence, Cindy and Gavriil were already walking toward Joon, making Hans and the others sigh in frustration.
"Seriously...those two..." Hans says, massaging his temple before following behind Cindy. Krist, Cj, and River then look at each other before being forced to go after them.
Kim Hee-Joon was walking around the hall, ignoring the other guests who were greeting him. But as he was about to approach the waiter who was handing him champagne, Cindy and Gavriil suddenly stopped in front of him, making Joon stop as well.
"Kim Hee-joon, it's a pleasure to see you here," Cindy says, expecting Joon to give her the cold shoulder. Surprisingly enough, Joon takes her hand and gently kisses it.
"My queen. The pleasure is mine," Joon replies, instantly putting a smile on Cindy's face, surprised by the leader's formal greeting. He then turns to Gavriil and bows his head to him as well, making Gavriil do the same. At least Joon knows how to be civil in public.
"Oh please, we're not in J.S High. Cindy would be fine," Cindy says, making Joon nod his head in understanding.
Cindy was about to say something to him, but then Hans arrived with Krist and the others, and in that moment, the neutral expression on Joon's face turned into annoyance. He looks at the leaders for a quick second, but afterward, he turns around and walks away.
"Hey! That's so rude!" Krist complains.
"He seriously thinks he's better than us," Cj adds, instantly making Joon stop on his heel.
Joon clenches his fist, and then he turns back around to face the leaders. "Good evening, gentleman," he replies. But before anyone could say anything to him, Joon quickly turned around again and finally took his leave, almost making Hans laugh at how forced that greeting sounded. He should have just ignored them completely.
"Told you, Cindy. That man isn't worth your time," Cj explains, making Cindy furrow her brows in confusion because Joon didn't seem so bad. Cindy has been queen for a long time, and she can tell if someone's full of shit or not. Joon wasn't one of those people at all. And if you look even closer, he definitely isn't an ice prince. There was a fire in his eyes. Cindy could tell.
Now the question is...why is he hiding it beneath that ice?
"It seems like Max really did invite him here," River says before giving an impressed smile. "Even when we're not with him, I'm glad Max is already moving with his plan. Hopefully, this will help Max understand Kim Hee-joon better."
"Well, I wish him luck," Krist says, staring at Joon's back before he could disappear from the crowd. "Joon would definitely want to cooperate with Max so he can help him return to the House of Kings, but to make friends with him or even make any sort of connection as we have? I don't think so. Joon is faithful to only one person, and that's—"
"Viktor, right?" Cindy finishes for him, and Krist takes a deep breath and nods his head to confirm it.
"That's right, Viktor. If he tells Joon to shoot someone, he'll do it with no hesitation. If he tells Joon to jump off a cliff, he'll definitely do it. His loyalty to him is unmatched. Even I'm somehow impressed by it," Cj then adds.
"Well..." Hans starts, making the others turn to look at him. "Viktor wouldn't even be king if Joon didn't sacrifice himself. So yes, Joon's obsession with that mad king is sickeningly impressive indeed."
...
"Thank you," Joon says as he's finally able to grab a glass of champagne from one of the waiters. Joon takes a sip and continues walking around the hall, glancing at the chairmans and CEOs whose cheeks already ached because of how much they've been smiling all night.
Joon wasn't the type to attend such social gatherings. He finds it all a waste of time and money. But today, in particular, he finally dressed up and attended one.
The ice prince was having his usual morning coffee when a family member of his called.
"We were invited to the Sinclaire's anniversary party. It seems you were personally invited by the first legal son," they told him, and Joon already knew that the legal son they were referring to was none other than Max. Joon wasn't expecting to get an invite from him, but he also knew the reason why he was asked to come. Max couldn't find the perfect time to talk to him at St. George, so he used other means to get that done.
Joon isn't the type to reject such a bold attempt.
And besides, Viktor also told him to play nice.
"Fancy seeing you here," someone suddenly says as soon as Joon walks out of the balcony. He turns around to check who it is, and to his surprise, it's actually Vesper Hugo Cinna, an ex-member of Crème de la Crème whom Max also personally invited.
"Cinna," Joon says as Vesper walks his way towards him. "You followed me?"
"I was actually supposed to approach you when you made that dramatic entrance earlier, but Cindy Lin and Gavriil Alexeev got to you first. It would be rude to interrupt," Vesper answers as he walks even closer to him, making Joon realize that he is actually holding a can of beer.
"I didn't know they were serving that beverage," Joon points out.
Vesper looks at his drink and chuckles. "Oh, this? Max told one of the waiters to serve me anything I wanted, so they personally got me this specific brand. That kid also planned a grand entrance for me, but I told him I'd rather sneak in the back. He didn't even question it and did just that."
"Is that so?" Joon simply says before turning away from Vesper and walking closer to the edge so he can get a better look at the scenery in front of them.
The playful expression on Vesper changes as he takes another step closer to the prince, staring at his back. Vesper has known Kim Hee-joon since he was a first-year student at J.S High. He knows a lot of what happened to him and why he turned out to be what he is now. If anything, Vesper might even know him more than Krist and the other members of C1A.
"Joon...he's a good kid," Vesper suddenly says as Hee-joon took a sip of his champagne.
"What are you talking about?"
"I mean Sinclaire. He's a good kid, and his intentions are pure."
"I still don't understand what you mean."
"Stop acting like you don't know," Vesper says, now grabbing Joon's arm, forcing him to face him again. Joon accidentally drops his glass, making it shatter on the floor, but his expression still doesn't change. He still looked cold and lifeless.
"I know you, Joon. I know you're only gonna use him so you can return to your king. I know that after you get what you want, you won't give anything in return. That's what kind of person you are," Vesper says, but Joon still doesn't react.
"Stop pretending like you know me."
"I was a Duke once. I've seen what the princes and the kings used to do to you, what they've done to you and Levi. I saw everything, which is why I stripped my title away because I was sick of it. I was fucking sick of it," Vesper then reveals, and the ice-cold facade that Joon had on slowly started to crack.
"Now what? Does that make you noble? Should I bow to you and kiss your feet?" Joon fires back, angering Vesper even more.
"You really haven't changed," Vesper then tells him. "How long will you realize that Viktor will never love you? That everything you've done and everything you're doing now won't be enough to fix him?"
As soon as Vesper said those words, the expression on Joon's face finally changed. And it was an expression that made Vesper realize that he hit the nail.
"What? Do you think you're special? Do you think others haven't tried loving him? For fuck's sake, his childhood friends wanted to hold onto him, but look how that turned out? He's even using Gavriil Alexeev as his rabid dog now, so imagine what you are to him." Vesper brutally says, making Joon clench his fist so hard his nails might just bruise his palm.
"This was what President Grey meant when he said you're not fit to be a prince of J.S High. You love Viktor more than the school or the students you serve. Your sole purpose is to satisfy that king, and now you're—"
"I don't care," Joon suddenly cuts off, making Vesper stop midsentence.
"I don't care what Viktor sees me as," Joon continues while Vesper looks at him confusingly. "I don't care if he sees me as a dog, or a fly, or even shit that he accidentally stepped on. As long as I am by his side, it is enough."
"You're fucking insane," Vesper says as he stares at Joon in disbelief.
"As long as he needs me, it is enough," Joon adds.
"Is that the reason why he gave you back to Paradox?" Vesper then reveals, and Joon finally looks away. "You love him this much because he saved you, right? For you, he's your savior. But why did he give you back to Paradox?"
"Viktor didn't give...he didn't..." Joon couldn't even defend himself or explain his side, making Vesper chuckle at how ridiculous this all was. He thought that these kids had finally grown up, but that wasn't the case at all. He shouldn't have been so hopeful.
"You're no different than Jontell Rosario. Both of you are obsessed with the same man who can't even love himself. It's oh-so pathetic," Vesper says as he finally takes a sip of his beer and walks past Joon so he can stand in front of the scenery instead, making them switch places.
"I left J.S High for a lot of reasons, but one of those reasons is because I thought that there was nothing else for me to do there. I thought you kids have finally had it covered, but that's not the case at all. It's sad to see how you're still in the very same position since then," Vesper continues, making Joon remember the similar words he said to Vice President Levi when the two of them spoke.
Joon continued to remain quiet. He knew that it wouldn't really matter if he said something now. It would be bad to lie, especially to Vesper Hugo Cinna.
"I don't care about the other stuff anymore or about how you'd literally sell your soul to that Stepanov, but regarding Max Sinclaire...don't just use him like how you've used others in the past."
"Why are you kind to him? Kindness doesn't fit your character, Cinna," Joon then says, making Vesper chuckle again as he finally finishes his beer in one go.
Vesper wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, and then he looks over his shoulder and answers, "It's because he reminds me of Grey. And I know you and the others feel the same way."
"But he's not Grey."
"I know that too," Vesper answers, turning his head to look at the horizon before giving out a grin. "He's actually way better than him. Just don't tell him that. It might boost his ego."
Joon was surprised by what Vesper said since he never praised anyone like that before. But before he could say anything else to the senior, Vesper turns back around and starts walking away from the prince, acting as if they didn't just have a heated conversation a couple of seconds ago.
Their personalities really do collide.
No wonder they don't talk in school.
"Max declared something amazing earlier. I know you're gonna assist him eventually, so I hope you get to speak with him on a much deeper level. He may seem like an ignorant kid, but he's got so much wisdom it's annoying at times. He's almost like an old man," Vesper tells him with a chuckle.
"Anyway, I'll head out first to look for Memphis. I'll see you around, Kim Hee-Joon," Vesper then says as he finally steps out, leaving Joon standing alone on the balcony as the wind blows on him.
Joon takes a deep breath and listens to the music playing inside the hall. What Vesper said made him remember an almost forgotten memory.
Vesper was right when he said Max reminded them of Grey. When Max first enrolled in J.S High, most of the brotherhoods didn't particularly like him because he was a Sinclaire. They all thought Max was gonna be another Don Sinclaire, a tyrant who would use his name and power to dominate them. But when they got to know him better, they were surprised. He was the complete opposite of what they expected he'd be.
Viktor was also the reason why Max was enrolled in J.S High. Even Max already knows this since Marcus told him about it during their Christmas dinner. But what they don't know is the reason why Viktor asked such a favor in the first place, yet he treats Max the same as the others. There's a reason why Viktor acts differently around him, and the reason is because...this wasn't really his initial idea at all.
The person who really wanted Max to enroll in J.S High was none other than President Matthew Grey Cullens himself.
Viktor knew this even when they were kids, but Max was always Grey's favorite. Grey saw something in Max when the others only saw him as a crybaby. Viktor was annoyed by this once, too, but he eventually saw what he meant. That's why when they only had one year left before graduating, Viktor finally asked Max to enroll in J.S High so he could fulfill Grey's final wish.
"I think it's time I saw Leigh again," Viktor once told Joon.
"Leigh? Your childhood friend?"
"Leigh was like a brother to Grey. When Grey and I spoke, he told me about how he's the only one who can continue his legacy. I laughed at him at that time, but I'm starting to think he's right," Viktor answered.
"Are you sure? Have you not seen the news about him? He's been going to clubs and getting into petty fights every night. I heard he's also been hanging out with Jontell Rosario recently."
"Do you not want me to rekindle my relationship with him?" Viktor then teased, making Joon roll his eyes in annoyance.
"No, I'm just asking about how he'll be different from Don. Do we really need another Sinclaire in J.S High?"
"I think he'll be different."
"I haven't heard you speak so highly about someone."
"Really? Does that make you jealous?" Viktor then asks, standing from the bed and walking towards Joon to gently kiss his shoulder. "I told you, jealousy doesn't suit you, my prince."
Joon closed his eyes, feeling the warm lips that slowly started kissing his shoulder and neck.
"Enough about him. Come back to bed with me," Viktor whispered, and Joon was once again locked in Viktor's clutches like he always had.
Joon takes a deep breath and looks back at the scenery again. He doesn't really care about what Max does or if he becomes the Elites' president or not. If Viktor told him to assist him, he would. If he told him to betray him, he would. Joon's loyalty to Viktor is beyond anything in the world. He became ice cold for him, but why...
Why does he cry whenever he sees Levi?
And why did he give Max his C1A brooch?
Has the ice he built to protect himself started to melt away again before he could even notice?
"Attention honored guests. The Sinclaire family will be arriving shortly," someone inside the hall suddenly announces, snapping Joon back to his senses.
Joon looks at the scenery for one last time before walking back inside to join the others. Joon has a lot of internal questions himself, but such questions have to be unanswered for the time being. He came here tonight for a different reason. And if Max can help him as others claim, then Joon has no other choice but to make this night worth it.
- END -