unfortunate. | 연준 √

twenty-eight

"She was a poem, but they 
stopped him from reading it."- Unknown

"When were you all going to tell me..." He stares at the ground, soon meeting all our eyes.

"That I am a male concubine's son?"

You could see the hurt in his eyes. He crumples the note as his knuckles turn white. He looks like he's about to hit someone. He points at Eunwoo, who tries not to look as scared as his eyes do. He's never seen this side of Yeonjun- I don't think anyone has. "You are technically the youngest yet you knew. Why didn't you tell me? Why!?"

"Yeonjun," I sigh out, grabbing his shaking hand. The boy softens and looks over at me, his eyes showing pure pain. Going numb, the letter falls to the floor, his head dropping as he chuckles harshly. "Please understand. Give them time to talk to you-"

"You knew too, right?" He interrupts, meeting my gaze. "You had to know, right? Out of all people... you... why didn't you tell me?"

"There was a reason we all couldn't tell you when you were a prince," I reply, shaking slightly. I was afraid of him, gosh, I was. However, I will not let my fear get in the way of telling him the truth. "It's better you know now." He simply shakes his head and pulls his hand out of my grip. Betrayal consumes him and narrows his eyes at all of us, sparing us one last glare before he darts out of the palace.

Chanyeol sighs in distress, leaning against the closed doors. "At least he knows now, right? He'll understand eventually," Chanyeol speaks, picking up the note from the floor. "However, I'll go give him this. If he's going to truly understand why he became the Wangseja, he'll need it. Farewell." Chanyeol bows, following Yeonjun's path.

Seungcheol and Seungwan separate from us without a word, leaving Eunwoo and me alone. Gazing up at his distraught figure, I elbow him slightly. He turns my way, smiling awkwardly. "Shall we go get some tea?" I offer, making him hesitantly nod. We exit the palace, slowly walking to get some kettle. (Is that correct? I don't know at this point. I'm trying to sound sophisticated.)

"Are you... seriously going to give up on Sana?" I ask, making him nod hesitantly.

"It's time I give up," He chuckles, shaking his head. "I never understood her. She was a crystal butterfly- fragile yet she fluttered to her heart's content. I don't know how... or why I fell in love with that butterfly. Was it because she gave me a fluttering feeling? Was it because she accepted me? I can't understand her whatsoever. Nor... could she ever understand what I go through."

"Is it about the...?"

"Yeah, about the rumors for me to become the King-slash-Crown Prince instead," He replies, sighing. "Even if Yeonjun was a pure-blooded Choi, I don't want to be the Wangseja. I've accepted being the Grand Prince at my youngest age. I just... I don't want to be given the chance to rule and suddenly break it by my misfortune."

"You have misfortune? I doubt it," I chuckle, shaking my head. "I'm the one with true misfortune. I always seem to hurt people around me. I was always called Ms. Unfortunate when I was younger because people would pity my mother for having a child like me."

"Have you ever believed that you are unfortunate?"

"Always."

"That isn't a very good mindset," Eunwoo smiles, laughing slightly. "Misfortunate and Min Youra do not go well in the same sentence. You should believe that you are the luckiest person alive!"

"What will that change?" I chuckle sarcastically. "I'm still cursed with bad luck."

"'To see is to believe,'" He quotes, causing me to turn his way. "Seungcheol hyung taught me that one."

"I can tell."

"Well, you get what I'm trying to say, right?" He asks, crossing his arms. "If you believe you're more than just a heart of bad luck then you won't be. It's like countering bad feelings."

"Bad vibes."

"Ye- what- what is bad 'vy-bess?'" I keep forgetting I'm not in 2020. "Is that an emotion?"

"...Sure," I reply, scratching my nape. "It's like bad feelings but cooler to say- vibes."

"Vibes..." He thinks, tapping his lips. "That's a nice word indeed. I'll use it more often." Nodding, we walk into the tea place, taking a seat in a large, private room. It's like a fancy restaurant with a bamboo structure and no proper chairs- just an interestingly small pillow cushion as the chair.

He pours the tea for me, causing me to subtly thank him under my breath. I let him do all the ordering and what-not, knowing nothing other than green tea. "Anything else you'd like to talk about? You seem very distressed after the big event that happened near the throne room."

"Yeah..." I chuckle awkwardly, taking a sip of the sweet tea. It had quite the taste. "Why do people... want to make you the Wangseja instead of Yeonjun?"

He snickers, shaking his head. "I forget you knew about that," He replies, pouring the tea into his own cup. "Well, besides me being the youngest pure-blooded Choi, people trusted me. I have always been traveling around Joseon with Chanyeol hyung- so people have gotten used to me; for that, some people wanted me to rule. So, Sana took advantage of that and caused this chaos."

"Sana loves you, you know?" I say, sighing. "It's just that love has grown to selfishness."

"I agree," He retorts, sipping his tea. "It's upsetting she took it farther to try and kill Yeonjun- so I deeply thank you for your sacrifices. I just don't understand why she's so power-hungry..."

"Because she wishes to be wanted, Eunwoo," I reply, taking another sip. Damn, this tea is good. "She just wants to feel like she belongs- you heard her in the hallway. She was poor but she wanted pity. That's why she became a gongju- not only because of her beauty but also to counter those horrible feelings she's had because she's poor. I'll say it again and again- she just wants to exceed her family's expectations."

"But to compose a plan to kill someone? That isn't very lady-like."

"What is lady-like to you, Eunwoo?"

"Prim and perfect. She can play instruments, she can-"

"So the girls who have no fun?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows. "That doesn't sound very fun. Besides that, don't think every lady is lady-like. Some can assassinate, some can be writers, some can be just so unimaginable."

"Are you lady-like, Youra?"

"Hell no!" I chuckle, making him shake his head. "I would hate being lady-like. Having to smile everywhere you go, going through so much hidden pain... Sana is very lady-like, it's just that her pain will consume, consumer, and consume- until her pain has spoken for itself."

"Pain can consume someone?" He asks, sighing. "That's quite the phrase. I"ve never heard of it before." Yeah. I know- you're from the singular thousands. Not 2020. He needs to stop acting so wise to make me feel dumb. I know I already am. "Anyway, again, Sana is someone I have no control over. The best thing we can do is let her do whatever she pleases-"

"Even if it's bad?" I narrow my eyes, crossing my arms. "Why, Eunwoo, now it seems like you're becoming the bad guy."

"Of course not the bad things!" He exclaims, sighing. "I mean... just let her sulk in misery. She wants pity- but she shall not get it. However, if she does something wrong, I will handle her."

"What will you do?"

"...Tell her the thing she hates hearing the most-"

"That she isn't real royalty."