Royal Bonds | Y.Jw

| 2 |

Age 8

"Ahhh! Jungwon-ah!" the girl screamed out as she ran through the small forrested path as the boy laughed behind her as he trailed after her, "woah..." the girl stopped in her tracks and marvelled at a small galde in the forrest. A small stream ran out into a pond, the sun reflecting on the surface of the water as the dark green trees surrounded it.

"I didn't know this existed," the boy, Jungwon, muttered as he reached the girl's side.

"Lets eat here," the girl stated and folded out her picnic blanket right by the bed of the pond.

"Here?" Jungwon questioned, "but Jiyeon-ah we-"

"Don't you think it's pretty?" the girl, Jiyeon, looked over at him making him just nod, "it'll only be for lunch. We'll be back before they notice we're gone."

"Okay..." Jungwon nodded before sitting down on the blanket and the girl quickly followed suit as he got out the small basket he had run with, "what do you want first? They packed... oooh, they packed strawberry sandwiches."

"They did?" Jiyeon gasped and tried to look over his shoulder and into the basket.

"Mhm... there's one with cream and one with chocolate," Jungwon nodded at her, "which one do you want?"

"Chocolate," Jiyeon happily replied making Jungwon smile and nod before handing her the small sandwich, "thank you."

"I knew you wanted that one," Jungwon let out a small laugh at her as she began munching on her sandwich.

"Then why would you ask?" Jiyeon questioned, muffled by the food in her mouth.

"Who knows? Someday you might change your mind," Jungwon shrugged at her and grabbed the one with cream. Jungwon quietly glanced at her remembering how she had made him see the beauty in nature over the past four years, ever since she named the garden outside his window as Eden.

"Jungwon-ah... I'll never abandon chocolate," Jiyeon seriously stated as she just stared at him, making Jungwon freeze in his spot.

For a moment Jungwon thought he had made a mistake, scared she'll just get up and leave now. But sintead Jiyeon just smiled at him, very much to Jungwon's confusion.

"So you must be my chocolate as well," she happily grinned making Jungwon cock his head to the side in confussion, "my little chocolate ball," she stated and ruffled his hair.

"Yah... I'm not small," Jungwon complained and patted down his hair after her messing with it, "and what do you mean I'm chocolate?"

"Well... I'll never abandon you," Jiyeon excused making his heart flutter within seconds as he happily grinned at her, "we'll be friends forever."

"Really?" Jungwon's eyes lit up as Jiyeon just happily nodded at him.

"Of course," she happily stated and munched on her strawberry sandwich.

Jungwon glanced at her once more before letting out a small laugh in disbelief and beginning to munch on his sandwich as well.

"Jungwon-ah, we're best friends right?" Jiyeon questioned as she slipped out of her shoes and socks, moving closer to the water and dropping her feet into the cold water, after having finished her sandwich, smiling at the cold sensation that ran up through her body on such a hot day as this one.

"Of course," Jungwon mumbled through the food in his mouth.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Jiyeon questioned making Jungwon frown before hesitantly crawling over and looking at the side of her face. She wasn't smiling anymore, and in a way it looked wrong to Jungwon. How could she not smile?

"Is something wrong?" Jungwon questioned with worry making Jiyeon simply shake her head at him, "did I do something wrong?" 

"No... but I have to tell you something," Jiyeon shook her head before looking over at him and sending him a small smile, slowly settling the worry in Jungwon's stomach. She always smiled so widely, it seemed so out of place for her to not smile that widely anymore.

"What?" Jungwon questioned, his mouth hanging slightly open as he awaited her small secret.

"When we become older we can't spend this much time together," Jiyeon revealed making Jungwon frown at her as the small smile that had stayed on Jiyeon's face slowly faltered and completely disappeared.

"But you just said we would be friends forever," Jungwon stated and Jiyeon just nodded at him.

"But... you'll get more busy with prince stuff, and your dad will come up with new ideas so we can't see each other," Jiyeon stated.

In a way Jungwon didn't want to believe anything she said, but he knew it must've been true because he knew that no matter how smart Jiyeon was she couldn't just come up with this story, there would've been at least some happy element in it if this was something she had come up with on the spot.

"Why would my dad do that?" Jungwon questioned making Jiyeon let out a small laugh before smiling over at him.

"Because he doesn't like me," Jiyeon replied as if it was obvious before she let out a small sigh.

Jungwon didn't even hesitate to squish her cheeks between his small hands, making Jiyeon give him a puzzled look.

"I don't care if my dad likes you or not... I like you and I'll spend everyday for the rest of my life with you," Jungwon insisted making a small smile spread on Jiyeon's lips and a small laugh escape from her lips.

Jungwon smiled slightly at the happy sound that escaped her lips, knowing he was the reason for that small laugh just made him smile so widely. He liked that sound and he never wanted it to stop... especially if it was because of him.

He didn't care what his dad was gonna say or do, he wasn't gonna settle for less than spending everyday with his bestfriend.