𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑,

kijung showing up to a new year’s eve party--or any party, really--wasn’t out of the ordinary for him. even if he wasn’t a model and didn’t already attend a good deal of events for the purpose of networking under the guise of having fun, as someone who grew up in such a rich neighborhood with too many people who had too much free time, he was just naturally drawn to these kinds of things. not to mention, he found comfort in clubs and bars when things were particularly bad for him and he wanted to be alone (but not literally).

what is a bit unusual is the fact that yuri is also attending - only a little though because if he had thought more about it, he’d remember that he and yuri ran in the same circles and thus shared a lot of the same friends. meeting each other like this, at a party where it seems almost everyone was invited (or not, but who knows or cares?) was inevitable but that still didn’t change how excited (and hopeful) he felt when one of his friends told him that the other would be showing up too.

it’s for this same reason--although he might not admit it so willingly--that kijung arrives with a rapidly beating heart and eyes that seem to be overly focused on finding a certain someone. he greets those he knows, talks to them about whatever they want, but there’s no hiding how his gaze seems to stray during a conversation the moment he sees a flash of something that looks so familiar to him.

unfortunately, each time he thinks he’s spotted yuri, the other is gone just as quickly. he started a game of it in fact, because it kept happening so often: take a shot every time he spots his ex but fails to catch up to him in time. kijung’s never been a lightweight and he holds his alcohol well but he can’t help but drink more and more, both as a result of his stupid self-made game and the mere thought of speaking to yuri causing him to feel like he needs every ounce of liquid courage he can get-- if he ever gets the chance to talk to him, that is.

the night continues on like that, yuri seemingly slipping out of his grasp far too often that kijung’s lost count, and the next thing he knows, it’s almost midnight. everyone’s begun to gather in the living room, all waiting to start the countdown, and kijung’s resigned himself to never getting that very chance he’s been longing for. maybe it’s a sign or maybe it’s because yuri knows what he’s been trying to do and is purposely avoiding him (both seem highly likely and realistic, all things considered) but kijung knows when to give up, even if he doesn’t want to.

it’s why he doesn’t expect fate to be on his side once the clock strikes twelve and everyone turns to their neighbor to kiss like it’s normal. kijung follows suit though, also turning to the person next to him and leaning in without warning because he might as well distract himself with something, even if it’s a kiss with someone he might not know. everyone at the party is probably too far gone or drunk enough to not care or remember the next day anyways so why not? only, he doesn’t realize who he’s kissing until it’s too late - and his lips collide with a pair that he’d know the feeling of anywhere.

he startles at the familiar spark jolts through him, his eyes opening wide as if unbelieving. there’s no way, is there? but no one’s ever made him feel this way like yuri has so surely that must mean...? kijung breaks apart, breathing erratic as everything starts catching up to him despite his head still feeling a bit woozy from all the alcohol he’s had. he’s not drunk though, nor is he so wasted that he doesn’t know what he’s doing, and low and behold, he immediately recognizes the face staring back at him is none other than the person he’s been wanting to see all night.

“shit,” is all he can say at first, whispering the word so low as if he’s been punched (although it kind of does feel like he has). “yuri?” he wasn’t drunk enough for this after all.

there’s probably something to be said about how amelie always naturally gravitates towards zeke, whether she realizes or not. there’s also probably something to be said about how he never turns her down and actually means it. no matter how much he says he doesn’t want to do something or how much he hates it, he always ends up agreeing to tag along when she asks him to and that she does realize and makes use of.

(granted, it does take a lot of convincing--and sometimes, bribes--more often than not but he still says yes in the end and that’s what matters, right?)

once again, amelie’s dragged zeke to some christmas party of sorts thrown by a fellow housemate because she didn’t want to be alone during a holiday where couples--both established and soon-to-be--seemed to be aplenty. after breaking up with jaewon recently (not because he was an awful boyfriend or anything; she just realized he wasn’t The One™ that she wanted to be with and he didn’t seem to put up much of a fight either), she lost her usual plus one which meant she really had no reason to not invite zeke to come with her.

he wasn’t a replacement or rebound or back up by any means however. he was just familiar and comforting and what amelie knew the best. he could be confusing and contrary sometimes but she never found herself minding it at all; not to mention, she was never one to back down anyways so if zeke wanted to put up a fight and be difficult, amelie wouldn’t hesitate to argue back. that’s just how they worked though and it seemed to be just fine for them, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to stayed friends for so long.

one glance over at him though from where they’re standing off to the side of the common room (just outside the crowd where everyone seems to be right now) and seeing the look on his face is enough to make amelie laugh. “you look like you absolutely hate it here,” she remarks with an amused twinkle in her eyes, the corners of her lips turned up into a small smirk. the cup in her hand half-filled with whatever the alcoholic drink of choice was for the night--some sort of ‘holiday punch’ or so they called it--is held out to the other as an offering of sorts. “don’t think you can leave me alone here now though. i’ll make it up to you, i swear!”

— 

now that he had forced out basic courtesy, he faces kijung with another smile, one that tells the other just how badly he doesn’t want to be here. his eyes are sharp, tired—he’s realising that he’s being irrational and impulsive yet again, just like when he decided to be kijung’s personal bodyguard all those years ago. still, his glare remains. “your majesty, forgive me for speaking out of line, but you should at least tell me where you’d be going.” no matter how close the two of them were, yuri takes his position very seriously, rarely speaking in such a casual manner when it isn’t just the two of them.

“i wouldn’t ever dream of interrupting… your courtship,” there’s a certain edge to his voice as he utters the last word, easy to miss if you’re not kijung. “but if you could tell me where you’d be beforehand, i’d be grateful.” 

                        (  ✉  ) — letter to han kijung, @heartbrewlcves

being royalty isn’t so bad, kijung thinks. there’s some cons to it, like the fact that his parents keep on insisting he mingles with every available princess in the hopes that he clicks with one of them and decides he wants to get married with her. he loves the king and queen, he really does, and he more or less does what they ask of him without hassle because again--being a prince isn’t terrible and he quite likes it actually--but some time between the 10th and 20th princess he’s been set up with in this year alone or told to ‘talk to’, he began to grow tired and impatient. not because he hates all of the girls he’s met (although some were obviously stuck up or only humoring him because of his status) but because his heart was already set on someone else so there was no hope for him to fall for any of them - he just couldn’t tell his parents why or who.

so instead, he puts up with the arranged meetings and dates, the not-so-subtle nudges and ‘suggestions’ to converse with certain royals, and all with a practiced smile. it’s only worked out fine so far because somewhere along the way, he’s found a way to enjoy the forced conversations so he hasn’t truly become frustrated or blown up at his parents yet.

and would you look at that? he makes eye contact with the very source of this newfound entertainment and an idea is already forming in his mind. he’s not sure when this all started but kijung quickly realized he found amusement in teasing yuri in any way he can and jumped at any opportunity to do just that. tonight was no different of course so the moment he could, he slipped away from his personal bodyguard when the other had turned away, most likely to inspect their surroundings, as good bodyguards do. he wasted no time in weaving through the crowd, doing his best to blend in with the other party-goers despite his absurdly tall height.

there was no reason for him to give yuri so much trouble aside from the simple fact that it was fun. he loved seeing the other’s reactions to him messing around because even though he was always completely exasperated with kijung and is quite vocal about it too, he was always there. no matter how much he complained or grumbled, yuri never left kijung’s side and when he did, it was never long until he was right there again. he knows part of it is because he has to, considering it’s his literal job to protect the prince and that means constantly being around him, but the royal is pretty confident in his belief that yuri is also dedicated to keeping him safe because he likes him. maybe not in a romantic way but it’s okay, kijung doesn’t need him to. they could never work anyways; he knows that well, thanks to their status.

it’s for all these reasons and more that he’s not surprised in the slightest that it doesn’t take much time for the bodyguard to notice he’s disappeared and find him already. when he spots yuri making his way over to him--annoyed, he notes, but the observation doesn’t deter him from the giddiness he feels seeing him worked up--his vision is suddenly obscured by a very pretty face. “hello?” he says, half in greeting, half in confusion, as he stares at the princess now standing in front of him.

he recalls her as being the one his parents had wanted him to meet at some point tonight so he thinks this is probably perfect timing - especially once another idea is planted in his mind. “do you want to get some fresh air with me?” he asks her before she can say anything else. seemingly caught off guard by the suggestion (but apparently not turned off by it, considering the faint blush dusting her cheeks), she does nothing more but nod and smile. kijung smiles back and holds his arm out for the princess to take, before leading her out onto the balcony-- but not before taking one last glance behind her and making sure that yuri had noticed him and his new companion. when he confirms he has, if the look on his face is any indication, kijung holds back a smirk and turns his attention back to the girl.

once out on the balcony, it’s just he and the other royal now but he knows it won’t be long until yuri joins them. until then, he engages the princess in general chit-chat, talking about whatever comes to mind. it’s not anything particularly interesting but he doesn’t mind because the real excitement only starts once his bodyguard has arrived, which he does quite dramatically, he might add, but he supposes it’s warranted after kijung purposely got closer to the girl when he saw yuri was approaching them (the brief glance and smirk he throws his way is just the annoying icing on top, he’s sure, but it's so satisfying to watch yuri’s face when he does it).

the apology that follows after his aggressive entrance only makes kijung more giddy, the laughter he so badly wants to let out right on the tip of his tongue. he has to forcefully push it down with a bite of his lip and making sure they’re sealed tight or else he’s certain he’d give in - and that would ruin all his hard work so far. instead, he quietly clears his throat just as yuri spins around to turn his glare on the prince but it doesn’t instill fear or (much) guilt in him, his desire to tease and poke at the other’s limits overriding any other feeling. all he does is grin like a cat who caught its snack, although he tries to at least feign innocence with his eyes like yuri won’t see right through him (he always does and kijung knows this; it’s why he doesn’t try hiding).

“sorry, it must’ve slipped my mind,” kijung replies all too easily. they’ve been through this so many times, he lost count pretty early on. he doesn’t even bother attempting to sound like he means it when he apologizes because he knows they both know it’s just for the sake of appearances. “i’ll be sure to tell you next time if i ever need to go somewhere - but can you blame me when such a pretty princess enters my line of sight? i had to talk to her right away.” he does feel a little bad dragging an innocent girl into their constant bickering but it’s just so easy to rile yuri up when it comes to his so-called dating life (which really, is just him pretending to be interested in others then telling his parents he doesn’t think they ‘click’). it always brings out intense reactions from the other and kijung would be lying if he said he didn’t find some joy in it - but he swears it’s not because he likes being mean to yuri! he just--

he likes yuri. like, like-likes him. and purposely flirting with others in front of him always draws his attention and-- well. kijung’s always been a sucker for attention, but more specifically, he prefers the kind he gets from choi yuri. he knows what he’s doing is manipulative in a way but he can’t help it. he’s selfish when it comes to yuri and he doesn’t want him to look at anyone else but him - so whenever he says he wants to quit being his bodyguard or if another royal so much as comments that they wish they had someone like yuri, kijung gets defensive and when he’s defensive, he acts like a child.