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The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the hand tangled messily with mine. My heart nearly stopped as I took in the way our fingers were interlocked. How this happened? I don't know. I had no memory of ever inviting Hoshi into my room (much less the bed) and yet here he was lying next to me and snoring up a storm. Lifting up our still connected hands with a frown, I also wondered who had been the one to initiate the hand holding in the first place.
Before I could tear my eyes away, Hoshi suddenly rolled over onto his side. My eyes widened as he scooted closer to me, his breath practically tickling my nose with every exhale while mine stayed permanently lodged in my throat. I could feel the sudden rush of heat rising to my cheeks as I tried inching away slowly. The next thing I know, I'm falling off the side of the bed towards the floor and pulling him with me.
"Fuck! My nose!" Hoshi hissed in pain while reaching up to cradle his nose. I brought a hand up to my forehead where his nose had aggressively banged into, cringing as I glared at Hoshi.
"More importantly, mind telling me what the hell you're doing here?"
Instead of answering me, he rolls off with a groan and stumbles to the bathroom. Of course I chase after him because one does not simply invade my bed and get away with it. Not even blonde boys with bleeding noses.
"Hoshi," I started, but of course he cuts me off.
"You asked me to stay with you last night." He said, frowning as he tried to stop his bleeding nose. "And before you get the wrong idea, it wasn't like that. Wonwoo told me about baseball at Doyoon's and then you came home and you were crying and shit and I just didn't know what to do, okay? Plus it was the first time that you openly admitted that you weren't okay...even if you don't remember." He grumbled that last part before throwing a wad of blood soaked tissues in the trash can.
And here's the part where I feel like a huge jerk.
"Hoshi..." I started, but look he shot me made me instantly shut my mouth.
"Don't apologize." He said. "I get it, it's hard to talk to people and it wasn't any of my business or whatever, but, like, it's just been bugging me."
My brow furrowed at this. "What's been bugging you?"
Hoshi set down the tissue he'd been holding and turned to face me. His expression was all pinched and strained like he wasn't sure whether or not if he should say it.
"What is it?" I try again, but he keeps giving me that same look. "Hoshi, please."
For the longest time, Hoshi just stands there with his brows furrowed and his mouth sealed shut. But then, so fast that if you blink you'd miss it, he smiles. It's a small one, the corners of his mouth barely turn up, but no doubt it's a smile. His gaze is no longer on mine, but lowered down to my neck. Subconsciously, my hand flies up to my neck where I feel a small charm. It's the necklace that Hoshi gave me a couple weeks ago.
"Eunji, or Shuri, um yeah, look, I just..." He gives me a smaller smile. "I just...wanted to know why you have two phones in your pocket."
"What?" I walked out to where Jisoo's jacket was and reached into the pocket. Only one phone came out. I turned to look at Hoshi when the phone suddenly vibrated. That usually wouldn't be surprising, only I definitely remembered shutting mine off last night. I swiped left to open the phone and found a bunch of texts from someone named Jeonghan.
Jeonghan: Shuri?
Jeonghan: Eunji?
Jeonghan: It's Jisoo
Jeonghan: Hey I think I left my phone in my jacket
Jeonghan: Sorry I know you're probably busy with family but could you possibly stop by the café later today?
Jeonghan: Please?
Jeonghan: Or just call this number when you get this
Before I could finish reading all of the texts, the phone begins ringing in my hand. It's Jeonghan.
"Hello?"
"Eunji!" The unmistakeable harmonious sound that is Hong Jisoo's voice filled my ears.
"Sorry, um, I left my phone in my jacket last night and I kind of need it back? Could you possibly stop by the café and give it back to me?"
"Yes! Yes, of course. Sorry for taking your jacket and your phone, I just-"
"Babe? Who's that?" I froze. "Pfft. Don't tell me it's the kid who found your phone." Kid?
"Eunji? Yeah, about the phone, don't worry about it. Really, it's no big deal. Hey but call me when you get here, okay?" Jisoo said.
"Uh yeah...see you." And with that, the call ended. I lowered my hand, the phone slipping out of my grasp and falling onto the carpet. Babe. There was someone there with him who called him babe.
I had to get out. I had to get out of here.
I grabbed my clothes and my shoes on the way out of the room, Jisoo's jacket folded and crammed under my arm as I ran. I passed a startled-looking Nana on the way out. Her eyes were wide and confused and I think I heard her call my name. But Jesus Christ, who had time for that? There was this dull pain in the back of my head like a headache was coming on or something. But the worst part was was that I could feel my eyes stinging with tears.
So the guy I liked? Yeah, he might have a girlfriend.
It's almost as if someone planned this. Like, this is a prank right? Or at least some kind of elaborate hoax to mess with me? As I ran down the street (yes, I actually ran), I thought about these things. I came to a conclusion that no, this was not a prank or a hoax or anything of that sort. It was something out of my control, something that had happened perhaps even before I entered the picture. In short, it really sucked.
"Hello? Eunji, are you here?" Jisoo asked as soon as he picked up. My heart sort of swelled the way it did when I saw his familiar mop of black hair. But this time, there was someone with him. A girl with shoulder length red hair and two caramel macchiatos in hand was walking towards him. I saw Jisoo smile as she sat down next to him, his free hand reaching out for hers as they sat waiting - waiting for the kid to come give Jisoo back his phone.
I felt a lump grow in my throat as I dragged my foot forward in an attempt to walk. Every step felt like it took so much effort when really, it was just my heavy heart that was making everything so difficult. Instead of feeling light as a feather, my entire body felt like it was made out of lead.
"I'm here." I said and watched as Jisoo's expression brightened. His head swiveled around, searching for me. I ended the call and forced a smile as I walked over to him.
"Jisoo."
"Eunji!" Jisoo smiled at me. I felt my heart flutter involuntarily.
"Here's your phone." His grin grew wider as I passed him his phone.
"Thank you so much! Oh, by the way," - it became harder to keep that smile plastered on my face - "this is Jeonghan."
I held my breath as the girl turned, only it wasn't a girl. Jeonghan was, in fact, a boy. And not only was he a boy, but he was the boy who Jisoo had listed as his top contact. He was the boy whose phone Jisoo used. He was someone important to Jisoo and for some reason, because he was a boy, I felt even worse about myself.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you. Please excuse my boyfriend over here for being a complete idiot." Jeonghan said with a roll of his eyes. Jisoo blushed.
"Well I don't know about complete idiot..."
Jeonghan scoffed. "Please. You forget your keys like everyday, and today you made some poor kid come all the way here to give you back your phone that you misplaced." I couldn't help but feel upset when I was referred to as 'kid.' My heart sunk even further at this and all I wanted to do was leave.
"Eunji's not just some kid. Remember, she's the girl I told you about?" Jeonghan's eyes brightened at this and when he turned to face me again, he extended his hand out and grabbed mine.
"Thank you." He said. I was stricken by how sincere and genuine he looked.
"I told Jeonghan about our little deal last night. So far, so good." Jisoo said with a wink. Jeonghan squeezed my hand gratefully.
"I kept telling him smoking was unhealthy and he's probably going to die of lung cancer before we get married, but as always he never listens to me!" There was a hint of teasing in his voice, yet he seemed completely serious. Jisoo wrapped an arm around his shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. It's then I notice the silver band slipped on his ring finger. I look down at the hand holding mine and see an almost identical ring. They're engaged.
My smile cracks, splinters, and completely falls apart as a tear slides down my cheek. I bite my lip to keep a sob from escaping as another tear shortly follows. I felt bad for crying like this. The little crush I had on Jisoo began about a month ago? What did I even like about him?
I liked his voice. I liked how it was loud and confident when he sang, sweet and careful when he spoke. It was like every word he sang ripped through me, bringing down every wall inside me before I could patch it up. But besides that...did I really deserve to feel heartbroken?
I didn't know Jisoo. I didn't know his likes, his hobbies, I didn't even know about Jeonghan. Was I always this pathetic?
"Is she okay?" I heard Jisoo whisper to Jeonghan. His gaze flashed over to me, concern written all over his face. I brushed away my tears and pulled on a shaky smile.
"Sorry, um," I stammered, struggling to think of an explanation. "I just...you know, like, your ring-"
"I totally understand how you feel!" Jeonghan exclaimed. "Proposals always made me a bit teary-eyed. You know the ones with animals bringing the ring?" He ran a hand through his red hair. "Yeah, like I just saw this one where the guy had a ring attached to the collar and it was just...you get the picture." Jisoo laughed and leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.
"You're so cute when you ramble." Jeonghan blushed as he looked around the café with wary eyes.
"Jisoo, we're in public!" My smile tightened as I got up from the table. I hoped that the expression on my face passed off as apologetic.
"Sorry it took so long with the phone." I said, my voice cracking the slightest bit. "Oh, and here's your jacket. I didn't have time to wash it or anything." Jisoo looked surprised when I handed him the bundled up jacket.
"Oh, um, that's okay." He said. "I mean, you could've kept it if you wanted to." I could feel a small part of myself hanging onto this small strand of hope. He wanted me to keep his jacket, isn't that a sign?
I shook my head and held out the jacket firmly, my conscience never waving. The small strand of hope snapped as he took it back from me. "No thanks, it's yours in the first place. I was just borrowing it. It was nice meeting you, Jeonghan. Um, congratulations on your engagement."
Jeonghan stood and smiled. Then he leaned forward and enveloped me in a big hug. I was surprised, stunned even, that he would do something like this. Why was he being so nice?
"You're a good kid, Eunji. Thank you." He muttered into my shoulder. When he broke away, I was still surprised. Then I was outside, my pace quickened as I ran away from the café, away from where my feelings would surely betray me. At the same pace my heart was racing, I ran to wherever my feet were taking me. I recognized the familiar streets leading to school, the winding road that circled behind, and the small dirt path that lay beyond the garden Hoshi first took me. It was there I took refuge.
On that stone bench, in the back corner of the school's garden where Hoshi first took me, I collapsed and completely broke apart. There weren't any tears this time, strangely enough. All there was...was this guilt. This weird feeling of guilt that ripped apart my heart, squeezed my internal organs, and made me feel like what I did was horrible.
Why was I feeling sorry for myself when there wasn't anything to feel sorry for?
God, all of my worries were so petty and stupid. If I disregarded the fact that I was Inha's dirty little secret, was there anything to really feel sorry for? I was living a life of luxury, I went to one of the greatest schools in the country, and I didn't have any debt left thanks to Jihoon. My first crush didn't reject me or break my heart to bits, he was fucking engaged to a wonderful guy!
Nothing in my life was horrible.
I was the one making things horrible.
Why couldn't I just appreciate everything I had? Why was I so fucking full of myself to act like I was living some kind of tragedy when i should've been grateful that someone adopted me. No relatives wanted me. I could've ended up on the streets or working at one of those sleazy nightclubs like the one I visited that one time, but no. The only worry I had was keeping Inha from thinking that I was a mistake.
Adopting me wasn't a mistake.
I can get Hansol to like me.
Fuck, I could do it right now if I really wanted to. Hansol was looking for the owner of the necklace, right? By the looks of it, he seemed really desperate. Like the prince in Cinderella, he was looking for the girl that completed the piece of that puzzle. He was looking for me.
If I go tell him it was my necklace, then it'll end happily ever after. I'll get my fucking necklace back and Inha will get her fucking deal with the Chwe Group.
I'll be happy.
My life will be worry-free.
So why do I still feel like this is wrong?
I stood up from the stone bench and began retracing my steps back to the secret path towards the back of the garden when-
"Holy shit!"
My head whipped around as I searched for the source of the sudden outburst. It didn't take long for my eyes to land on the boy wobbling around like a chicken with its foot cut off. His right arm was outstretched and waving around like a bird flapping its wings while his other hand was grabbing onto his right foot. Even from all the way back here, I could see the glass sticking out of his shoe.
"Are you okay?" I rushed over grabbed onto his arm, leading him to the stone bench. The boy winced as he sat down, his foot still cradled in his hand.
"Pull it out."
"What?"
"I said pull it out!" He exclaimed, his eyes shut tight as he began taking deep breaths. My hand shook as my fingers closed around the edge of glass wedged in the thick rubber of his shoe. It was lodged in there deep, maybe too deep for me too-
"Take it out!"
I pulled it out in one quick motion that made him scream out a chain of profanities. The piece of glass was triangular and green, the longest side ending in a wickedly sharp point. From the looks of it, it came from a bottle of wine which had no business on the campus of a school. But considering this is Goora High, I wasn't in the least bit surprised.
"Are you okay?" I asked as he ripped off his sneaker. He winced but kept going, slipping off his already blood-soaked soak until the sight of his punctured foot stopped him long enough for him to tell me his name.
"I'm Minghao and I'm going to need you to call someone for help." He said. My stomach flopped when I saw the injury. There was just so much blood and the gash in his foot revealed too much tissue and muscle for me to handle.
"Don't you dare puke on me!" Minghao yelled. "Please, okay, my bag is over there. I have my phone in there, there's no passcode, just please call someone." I hastily got up from the bench and ran over to where he pointed, being careful with where I stepped. Around the area where Minghao first fell, there was a leather bag. I dug through its contents, finding his phone and opening it before looking through its contacts. Should I call 119? Was his injury that serious where he needed a hospital?
"What's taking so long?" Minghao shouted from the bench. I panicked and clicked on the first contact listed under favorites.
The person whose contact was titled 'Hyung' picked up on the first ring.
"Minghao?"
"No! Well, he's here, um, there's been an accident and Minghao got glass in his foot and there's a lot of blood so please come quickly." I rambled into the phone. There was rustling and the sound of someone getting into a car.
"I'm on my way, where are you?"
"Uh, we're in the back garden of Goora High School. It's in-"
"Got it." The line went silent as the person on the other end hung up. I put the phone back into the bag and carried it back to where Minghao sat withering in pain.
"Who's coming?" He asked.
I handed him his bag first before answering with, "Your brother."
Minghao glared at me. "You called my brother?!" He demanded.
"You said to call anyone!" I shot back. The sound of a car screeching to a stop alarmed us both and ended the argument. "Stay here." I said and ran to go get Minghao's brother. He rolled his eyes.
"Not like I can go anywhere!"
As I emerged from the mass of trees, I turned to find none other than Jun standing with a bad case of bed head and a first aid kit tucked under his arm.
"Jun?" I exclaimed. "What are you-"
"Eunji, have you seen a boy around here? Curly hair? Probably dyed some crazy color? He's like this tall?" Him held his hand out next to him, miming Minghao's exact height.
"Yes! He's over here." I said, grabbing Jun's hand and leading him through the hedges. As soon as we appeared through the other side, Jun raced towards Minghao, not bothering to look for sins of broken bottles or shards of glass.
He collapsed to his knees and opened the first aid kit, his eyes focused and concentrated as he patched up Minghao's foot. Minghao frowned boyishly down at him, his cheeks a bit red from embarrassment.
"You're an idiot." Jun said fiercely as he wound gauze around Minghao's foot. "An utterly idiotic younger brother who should've stayed home like I told him to."
Minghao looked unhappy as he was pulled to his feet by Jun. "Yeah, yeah, I get that I'm accident prone. Save the lecture for when we get home." Jun shook his head as he closed up the kit and grabbed Minghao's stuff.
"That's not all, idiot. Don't you have something to say?" I watched in horror and Jun motioned over to where I stood a couple paces back where I wasn't intruding. Minghao grimaced as he hobbled over to me, the beginnings of a lopsided-grin forming as I reached out an arm to help balance him.
"Thanks for helping me, Eunhee? Is that your name? Sorry, I never really caught it back there." He said sheepishly. I smiled as I helped lead him to Jun's car.
"It's Eunji and no problem. I wasn't really that much of a help anyways." I said, equally as sheepish. Minghao shrugged as he shifted into the passenger's seat.
"Whatever, see you on Monday." I nodded and waved as the two of them drove away, down the street. But then I realized that what Minghao said was oddly specific. Monday. He said he'd see me on Monday.
With a furrowed brow, my eyes followed after the boy whose hair was brighter than my future.
Prince 11: Yoon Jeonghan
Prince 12: Xu Minghao
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