𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇. enhypen

twenty-five

SUNOO STRUGGLED WITH ADMITTING HIS FAULTS.

His personality could very easily be mistaken for condescending or conceited from his way of reacting to situations he ended up in the wrong. Which happened often despite his constant efforts in aiming for perfection.

If Sunoo had committed an error of any sorts and he was present to witness it, his father would constrain him to either apologize or offer redress. Without his impel, Sunoo would simply resort to avoiding the repercussions like a plague. The reasoning behind it- from a very young age, Sunoo had developed a sense of inferiority towards most.

Surrounded by Royal born and Aristocracy, Sunoo had always felt like a rotten apple poorly painted gold. His father had barely been given the title of Royal Advisor a year before Sunoo's birth; his mother abandoning them both a month after Sunoo's first breath. In the eyes of the upper class society, Sunoo and his father were nothing but lucky peasants.

They all knew very well that he was only allowed to even be in their presence because the King felt some kind of sympathy and gave his father the second highest position of the East Kingdom.

Admitting he was in the wrong was like proving to them he would never measure up. Real Aristocrats did not need to apologize, because they couldn't never screw up. And Sunoo couldn't afford to either.

He had always liked to believe he was as strong-minded as Jihye when it came to the public's scornful eye. But while Jihye never gave a second thought about what others had to say, Sunoo collected each piece of their stringent criticism and continued to ruminate about it for a concerning amount of time.

Sunoo was an anxious moldeable clay whose decisions were based entirely on what society expected to be shaped into. Cold and calculative.

Though Niki in no shape or form deserved to be treated the manner Sunoo did. And Sunoo had no right to act unfriendly simply because he felt threatened by Jaeyun at the moment.

Shame and regret flooded his senses all throughout dinner upon realizing Niki hadn't made an appearance at his usual seat across from him. Sunoo couldn't even hold eye contact with Jaeyun as he silently ate, assuming the Prince was speaking ill of him in his mind.

Guilt was gobbling him up until he couldn't take it anymore and with Jihye's encouragement, Sunoo became resolved in apologizing to Niki.

"Am I really doing this?" Sunoo mumbles as he wiped the perspiration that dampened his palms on his pants.

He had stalling time by standing outside Niki's door, simply building up the courage to brush his knuckles against the wood. It was a rather easy task, but for Sunoo it was taking every ounce of resolution not to turn and hastily leave to his room without a word.

Sunoo knew he looked quite pathetic fidgeting from one foot to another after the third maid had passed by and gave a silent but strange look. Sunoo couldn't believe he was struggling so much in apologizing, he did so easily whenever he and Jihye fought. There shouldn't be a difference with someone like Niki.

Before he could be seen by anyone else, Sunoo gives two quick knocks. Sunoo stares intensely at the door, holding his breath as he listens intently, waiting for a sign of life from the other side, but when seconds ticked by without him hearing or seeing or sensing anything out of the ordinary, he decided he'd find another time to apologize.

"Yes?" Came Jaeyun's voice, completely different from Sunoo's expectations to hear.

Sunoo reeled back in surprise. "Oh... I thought this was-" He turned to check if he had mistakenly knocked on Jaeyun's door instead of Niki's, but after confirming he hadn't, Sunoo realized that Jaeyun simply had been simply lounging with Niki. "You know what, never mind. I just wanted to apologize to Niki about what happened earlier today but I'm starting to think he doesn't want to see me at the moment..." He trails off, glancing to the apparent empty room behind Jaeyun.