𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇. enhypen

twenty

MAYBE IT WAS THE MOONLIGHT AND STREET LANTERNS THAT MADE HIM LOOK WASHED OUT COMPARED TO HIS USUAL SUN-KISSED TAN.

But as Heeseung scrutinized his altered reflection on the window of a closed haberdashery, he realized gray really wasn't his color. Especially when it was sprouting out of his head in unruly tufts.

While it was a good thing he couldn't recognize the person staring right back at him for his own protection, Heeseung still worried over his appearance. In fact, a bit of him prided over his attractive features and knew he was in no way unappealing to the eye.

It's been multiple weeks since he's last properly basked in warm sun rays, which could also be a factor as to why Heeseung was paler than the last time he was in the West Kingdom. But what bothered him most was the height at which he now stood, it felt as if his legs had shrunk by half and his torso was lower than where his fingertips rested.

Heeseung exhaled loudly as he attempted to comb back his disheveled gray hair, tucking the longer locks behind his ear. At least he wasn't immensely plain-looking.

"Are you done gawking at yourself?" Asked Jaeyun, his raised voice booming through the noise of nightlife diversions.

Heeseung's hand halted in his hair as his body tensed. He spun on his heels, cheeks growing warm as he realized he's been staring at his reflection for longer than he intended- and with all three of them right there to witness it. Them being Jaeyun, Sunghoon, and Jihye.

He cleared his throat, his gaze not meeting Jaeyun's as he answered. "Sorry, I had forgotten where we were."

"How do you forget where we are when you can barely even hear your own voice over this crowd." Sunghoon says as he pushes himself off the window's surface he was leaning on, and his point is proven as Heeseung can hardly decipher his mellow words.

Heeseung knew how overcrowded the streets of Hadal- a city fueled by tourism and markets, could get especially after sundown. If it weren't for them being huddled by the haberdashery, they would have been constantly shoved and pushed by wandering tourists and natives for standing on the street.

And although Heeseung was raised near Hadal and had the latitude to visit the city many times before, he has never been in a situation where no one was able to recognize him instantly. It would usually take no more than a few seconds and a quick glance for commoners to know who he was. If his carefully tailored outerwear wasn't a clear indicator, his eminent appearance was sure to light the match inside their heads.

But thanks to Jihye's transmutation spell, Heeseung was no longer the Magicless Prince of the West Kingdom, instead he was now a Magicless nobody with unflattering gray hair. Heeseung supposed it was refreshing to not worry about being deluged by a multitude of people wanting to speak with him while invading his personal space as well, but he wasn't pleased with the sacrifice that came to make him unrecognizable.

"It's not Heeseung's fault he isn't used to this hair color." Jihye was quick to step in and defend. "Just give him a second and he'll be fine."

"I would be too if I looked like I've aged fifty years." Jaeyun laughed at the unimpressed look Heeseung offered him and reached out to tousle his hair, but Jihye stopped his fingers from ever touching the annoyed boy.

"Don't listen to Jaeyun." Said Jihye, forcing the gray haired boy to look at her, a permanent frown imprinted on his face. "You look fine, Heeseung. He's just jealous that he could never pull this color off."

"I beg to differ." Jaeyun huffed in protest, his voice coming out almost like a whine.

Ignoring him, Heeseung turned back to the large display window. "It's just strange looking at my reflection and not being able to recognize myself." Heeseung said as he shifted uncomfortably under their stares.