✰ *. | 양준 !

Chiko wondered how she ended up standing infront of the Yang residence in the first place. It started as soon as she finished helping somebody out with their order of flowers to send off, taking a deep breather since they just left maybe she can finally catch up on other stuff that needed to be done around the store. Before she could even get started the owner came over towards her with two set of flower bouquets in her arms, what was she about to do with the both of them anyway? or maybe she was about to do a delivery for somebody.

“Chiko I need you to take this delivery to the Yang household for me.”

“A-Are you sure you want me to do it?”

Chiko asked, though she was in shock by the request that she was given, this is her first time ever doing a delivery. The only thing she do around the store is place orders, and water the flowers the owner never asked her to do a delivery before ever since she started working at this place. Taking both of the bouquets Chiko let out a small sigh, looking down at the address so she can drop the flowers off and head back towards the store.

That’s how she ended up in front of the Yang’s household. She don’t know if she could knock or what she only seen pictures of the house but she never knew that it was this beautiful once standing infront of it. Knocking out the door, Chiko took a couple of deep breaths waiting for somebody to answer the door. Watching the door opened she didn’t expect one of the princes to open it, staring at him Chiko didn’t know if she could break the ice and talk first or wait. A few minutes has passed with silents between the two, Chiko decided to break the ice first since he wasn’t going to talk first anyway.

“U-Um..I was told to deliver these flowers to this household….”

          the sunlight shone through the windows, illuminating the mansion's elegant hallways so early in the morning. if you brought a stranger into the house, you'd immediately think that you were inside a castle and not a mansion— it appeared regal, and surely anyone passing at this time would take the time to stop and stare, bask in the beauty of such a home. unfortunately, he was not that person. he's lived in this estate for nearly eighteen years, and to him, it was nothing special anymore. he used to find pleasure in playing and running around it, but now he wanted nothing more than to escape as quickly as he could. no one bothered to even try stopping him anymore, as he always managed to find a way out even if all the exits were blocked; he knows the estate like the back of his hand— there was no point in really stopping him.

          but he knows the first palace lady and his parents would try their best, anyway.

          the hallways were seemingly empty, which made it easier for the boy to leave without much trouble. he hoped the staff were busy with preparing breakfast so that they wouldn't go off and tell riah or his parents, but even if that managed to happen, he would be long gone by then; unfortunately that would not stop them from hunting him down. as soon as he made it to the foyer, he slid his hood on as he pulled his face mask on, ready to leave without much recognition. as soon as he touched the handle on the doors, knocks resonated through the room, causing him to step back with hesitation— should he answer it? didn't this person know using the buzzer was more efficient? he waited a moment for another staff member to come around, but when he realized no one was going to appear, he took his hood and mask off, reluctantly opening the door to reveal a stranger.

          at least, he thinks it's a stranger. he's not that great with faces.

To most people, a vacation to Sweden would’ve probably been exciting and an adventure. For the Yang family, it was their parents way of forcing them to bond together. Sungjae really didn’t mind it much but he wasn’t as close to all of his brothers as most people would think. Sometimes Sungjae feels more connected to his friends than his own brothers due to this disconnection they seem to have. There is always a part of him that would love for them to take the time to bond and actually grow stronger as a family and brothers. It’ll probably take a while for a lot of it has to do with individual personalities and how different each of them were. Growing up, they all had different experiences and that molded them into completely different people. They hardly had any real similarities that they could latch onto to help with this distance between them but it didn’t make Sungjae love them any less. 

Skiing really wasn’t Sungjae’s thing. He was more into snowboarding but he was always up for new things. Throughout the day, he was gradually making his way up to bigger slopes. Weaving through people and trying not to bump into them. It was nice to be away from Korea and just be able to go out without people knowing who you are. It was a lot more peaceful but it was only the start of it. He knew, at some point, he was going to have to face his brothers. Especially the youngest— Jun. Jun seems to be a lot more closed off than the rest of them and it seemed to be an obvious reason why but no one really spoke on it. Maybe it was a good thing to keep acting like it didn’t bother Jun when it obviously did but what was one to say? There wasn’t much which is why people just kept quite on the matter.

Sungjae was finally heading up to the ski-lift and noticed Jun heading to the same one. Maybe it was some odd twist of fate that he was just thinking about him to be headed in the same direction or just coincidence but he didn’t touch on the subject any longer than need be. He just sauntered on over and got inside with him even though he expected the awkward silence that weighted in the air almost immediately once he sat next to Jun. He didn’t know what to say. What do you say in awkward moments? He guessed some sort of greeting would’ve done fine the moment he got on but too much time had breezed by at that point to think of anything now.

He watched the people below fly down the slope they were currently being brought to the top of but it wasn’t until Jun spoke that he realized that the lift had come to a dead stop right in the middle of it.

“Don’t worry about it, they’ll have it up and running—” Sungjae was turning towards him as he was speaking but stopped when he noticed that Jun seemed very uneasy about the entire situation. At first glance, he thought it was because of him but then it clicked, “Are you scared of heights?” It was a bit shameful that he, as the eldest, didn’t know much about his younger brother but it was the best time to learn. 

          he knew it would be a bad idea to go out today, but who would've thought that he would be right? he usually wasn't one to vocalize his inner feelings, but he was ready to scream at the top of his lungs right now. he didn't like being in terrible situations, and although this may seem harmless to everyone else, red lights were going off in his head and all he could hear were sirens— to him, this was the worst possible situation he's encountered in his life. ( he hasn't experienced many bad situations involving other people due to the protection forced upon him at all times, so this was most likely the worst on the scale. )

          as much as he tried convincing himself to just ignore his older brother, he knew that right now doing so was not an option. this was one of those rare situations where the youngest would have to tear his walls down, the invulnerability he tried so hard to hide showcasing itself so that he wouldn't need to suffer at the current moment. the other part of him was hesitant, pushing to convince him otherwise so that his confidence wouldn't plummet as much as it already has over the past years. of course his older brother would know nothing of his acrophobia— it was something he has been ashamed about for many years, and he didn't want his brothers to see him as a weakling for having a fear at all. he idolized his brothers, so he didn't think they had any fears, which only prompted him to so desperately hide his own.

          but for once in his life, he had to show the real him.

          reluctantly, jun met the gaze of his older brother, lips pressed in a thin line as he slowly nodded his head to confirm the other's suspicion. even in a moment of weakness, he was going to attempt to hide how pathetic he felt. he knew his brother wouldn't know anything about his phobias— yet he was hoping the other wouldn't need to ask. just hearing him ask made him feel stupid, and he didn't like it. despite keeping strong gaze, his fingers were fiddling with each other and his lip was threatening to move as he almost bit his lip out of nerves. ❝ ever since i got stuck in that tree when i was seven. ❞

          finally diverting his gaze, he honestly wished he didn't have a fear of heights, or a fear of dying altogether. as embarrassment flooded his system, he only tried backing up more into his seat, doing what he could to make himself smaller and smaller so that there was less of a chance of him falling to his death, but ultimately there was just nowhere left to go. maybe talking ( something he wasn't particulary good at, but needed to do to calm his current anxiety, ) would help— even if the conversation needed to be held with someone he absolutely loathed.

          thank god it was a friday night. the desire for a late night escapade has been weighing down on haeun’s shoulders since monday but she knew doing it on a school night would just be a bad idea ( as if what they’re doing right now isn’t already a bad idea ) and the teen wanted to eliminate any chances of going to class with a hangover. the last thing the two royal maknaes need is that kind of negative gossip circulating the school and damaging their reputations, especially with other adults and high-ranked officials around to hear about it.

she stumbled as the male pulled her aside, and to be quite honest, the girl found his nervousness rather adorable. ❛ calm down, rookie. i’ve done this a million times before, both by myself and with other people. we won’t get caught, i promise. there’s only staff walking around at this time anyway. ❜ haeun slipped her arm out of his grasp, brushed off the imaginary dust on her jeans ( she’s not wearing a skirt or a dress !! what a look ), and gave her best friend a pointed look. ❛ if you’re really that nervous, here—- ❜ she slipped her hand into his. ❛ feelin’ okay ?? alright, off we go. ❜ they used to hold hands like this all the time as little kids; there’s no harm in doing it now !!

❛ i’m gonna set aside a drawer in my dresser so you can keep your stuff here. you’re over all the time so you might as well have a toothbrush and stuff. ❜ she continued the pull him down the corridor, making a right turn then another towards the kitchen. technically she’s not allowed to go inside while there are people cooking, but it should be empty since it’s pretty late now. ❛ alright, so stick to the plan. i got the beer, you got the snacks. if anyone asks, we were just hungry and i thought the beer was soda because it was too dark to see the labels. ❜

          with a roll of his eyes, the prince disregarded the teasing with a wave of his hand. of course he was nervous, on his property, no one bothered to approach him so he never really had to worry about anyone questioning him on his whereabouts. they knew he had his own agenda and avoided all conversations made as much as he could, so after a few years they've given up on trying to treat him like a little kid. he did, however, keep a clean streak as well, so no one had any reason to suspect him anyway— he was not the yang prince that everyone needed to worry about. despite being the youngest, he probably had the most freedom out of all of his brothers. both a blessing and a curse if you asked him.

          when her hand grabbed ahold of his, he couldn't help but freeze for a moment, eyes glued on their now intertwined hands. this was such a familiar sight, yet with his own feelings changing ever so slightly, this was entirely new all the same, it almost made him blush, a small smile on his face as his heart skipped a beat or two at the small bit of intimacy— even if it was just platonic on her end. ❝ i'm not nervous, i do this all the time! i'm just being... cautious— your staff are different than mine, how am i supposed to know how they'll react? ❞ he gave her a pout, childishly sticking out his tongue despite trying to be the more mature one between them; it wasn't really working out that well.

rays of sun landed onto her bare arms, the warm sensation nesting under her skin and spreading all over her body. it was finally warm enough to work in the royal pyo family garden without any outerwear - there wasn’t even a single cloud in the sky threatening to hide the sun, and there were too many trees and bushes in the garden for it to be windy. only a chilly but comforting breeze found its way between all of the branches and leafs, messing up her bangs and lightly reddening her nose. but it wasn’t that cold. therefore, dahee was having the time of her life.

indeed, it was a beautiful day. and it seemed like the gardener wasn’t the only one thinking that. the voice of the queen herself caught dahee’s attention and her eyes shot up immediately to look for her. she and a couple of guests were taking mellow steps to the garden, completely indulged in some kind of conversation about the mansion. the appearance of the royals made her shoot up straight from her kneeling positing and bow full ninety degrees when the group was passing her. usually the girl would have at least said a hello, but interrupting the conversation would have been rude. 

dahee watched as the nobles went to sit down. they seemed elegant and radiating grace. but maybe it was their status that made it feel that way. with that thought the gardener crouched down again, looking over the holes she had made and reaching out for the currently potted flowers she was about to place in the pre-made spots. but something felt weird. the feeling of discomfort ran across her body and she couldn’t help but shimmy in place. paranoia made her ears burn and look around frantically. then it all came to place. she saw one of the royals behind the table looking at her with a gaze so intense it seemed it could burn a hole straight trough her.  “what is this?” she whispered to herself, tilting her head and quickly looking away from the boy, who she recognized as the youngest prince in the royal yang family.

          it was obvious that the he didn’t want to be here. with the way his face stayed emotionless and his movements remained robotic, it was clear to the others that he would rather be alone than attending some small get-together between adults, so they left him to linger behind in the back, lost in his own world. he had asked if nuying was available when he and his mother first arrived, but he found himself internally cursing when he was told that she was elsewhere and wouldn’t be back until long after the yangs had left. as bummed as he was, he opted to keep his mouth closed, shutting down conversations with a diversion of his gaze whenever presented with a question or offer to comment. he wanted to be home, and although he was in no position to be rude as he was in the eyes of others, he wasn’t going to give them a masked grin. he was done with those for the week.

          although he knew the mansion pretty well since he’s been over quite a lot since he was a young boy, it’s been awhile since his mother has been over, so he assumed that’s why queen pyo was personally giving her guests a tour of the entire place. she almost sounded like she was bragging, and if he knew his mother well, he could tell she wasn’t exactly genuine with her reactions. she was a proud woman, why would she marvel at someone else’s belongings when her own were nicer in her eyes? jun didn’t see the point in this; he knew they were friends, but his presence wasn’t needed and he sure as hell knew he wasn’t wanted, either. so when they were ready to turn down the corridor, the prince sat down in the garden, not bothering to join the rest of them when they decided to move on.

          good riddance.

          ☆ﾟ. * · 。ﾟ @ryjun // jihye hardly ventured outside of her bedroom. voluntarily confining herself to the four walls, she found it easier than not to just avoid the painful stares and spiteful whispers by just shielding herself under her covers and hoping for the best. ( things haven’t particularly gotten better, but at least they haven’t gotten worse. ) but on a day like this—a day where she was in desperate need of some fresh air and leg stretching—she wandered beyond those wooden doors, being mindful to stick close to the shadows, to explore the mansion she had yet to call home.

          ( who would’ve known that just with a turn of a corner, she was already met with trouble? ) running into the yang family members should’ve been obvious, but that didn’t mean she still wasn’t hoping, praying, that she’d be spared just this once. — how could she ever forget that the world never works in her favor, though? she gulped, registering the other’s face in front of hers for the briefest of seconds before hurriedly bowing ninety degrees before there. “your majesty …” she greeted, her words trailing off. she didn’t dare make eye contact.

          he knew his life wasn't perfect, and he knew that it never would be. being at home was a constant reminder of that, as behind closed doors where the cameras couldn't see them lied a different reality than the picture-perfect family they pretended to be. they weren't exactly terrible with each other, some of the relatives actually got along, but that didn't change the fact that there was some major false advertisement being shown by the yang royal family. the thing was, despite his knowledge, he didn’t like being reminded him of the ugly reality.

          looking at jihye now reminded him of such a thing. he knew his parents weren’t exactly the happiest, but he knew they weren’t exactly experiencing the worst of their years together either.