you're so golden! || minsung ||

18

Minho said they would see each other at dinner, but the prince is not present in the dining room. The queen enters alone, while they all wait standing behind their chairs. All the selected gently bow as the queen sits, only then it’s their time to settle down.

Jisung scans the dining room subtly looking for an empty chair, assuming the prince's absence is justified by a date, but all competitors are present.

The purple-haired boy had spent the entire afternoon mentally repeating what he had said to Minho. It was no wonder Jisung had no friends, he was obviously terrible.

Then, Minho and the king enter the hall. The prince had put his coat back on, but his cloud of almond hair was still charmingly disheveled. He and his father continue to talk as they approach, even though everyone hastily got up to greet them.

Their conversation seems lively; Minho was gesturing to underline what he was saying and the king mechanically nodded, listening to his son, but looking a little fed up with the subject, whatever it is. When they reach the table, king Bon-hwa, with a stern expression, pats his son firmly on the back. As soon as he turns to the selected ones, his face suddenly fills with excitement.

"Oh, please, ladies and gentlemen, have a seat," the king kisses the queen's forehead and takes his place.

However, Minho remains assertively standing. "Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry to delay our dinner but I have something to announce," he declares. All eyes turn to him. "I know you were all promised monetary compensation for your participation in the Selection," his voice carries a tone of commanding authority that Jisung has only heard once: the night he ordered the guards to let Jisung go to the garden. The purple-haired boy couldn't deny that he was much more attractive when he used his status for some purpose. "However, there was a new allocation of funds. If you’re from caste Two, Three or Four, you will no longer receive the funding. I know that there are no longer any competitors from the caste Five, but the ones from caste Six and Seven will continue to receive the compensation, although at a slightly lower value from now on."

Jisung could see some of the competitors with their mouths open in bewilderment. The money was part of the deal. Yejun, for example, looks like he is ready to explode. Jisung thinks that when you have a lot of money, it's normal to get used to wanting more and more and even more, and the very idea that someone like the purple-haired boy could gain something while the Three didn't, must drive Yejun completely crazy.

"I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. On Sunday, I will explain everything during the Official News. I would also like to add that this is a non-negotiable situation. If anyone is dissatisfied with this new agreement and does not want to continue participating in the Selection, they can leave after dinner," Minho finishes, sitting down and resuming the conversation with his father.

This could only be related to their conversation earlier. It made sense, at least. It was too much of a consequence. Jisung tries to concentrate on the food, but inevitably, he spends most of his time questioning what it all meant. And it wasn't just him. There were murmurs throughout all the dining room.

"What do you think this has to do with?" Felix, who is sitting beside him, asks.

Jisung remains silent, unsure if it would be safe to mention his conversation with the prince from earlier. Probably not.

Fortunately, Woojin hears the question as well and ends up answering instead, "Maybe it's a test. I bet some people are here just for the money."

While listening to him, Jisung sees Yejun elbow Mi-Suk and tilt his head towards him. Jisung turns his face away so no one realizes he's noticed. He feels sad that they think he was here only for the money, even though, in a way, the payments were really helpful.

The selected continue to suggest hypotheses and Jisung gazes at Minho several times throughout the dinner. Even though he wanted to get the prince's attention by poking his mole, Minho never looked back at Jisung.