diadem | hyunho

7. public confession

JISUNG:

"I don't wanna have mashed potatoes again," I whine to Chan, who was laughing at my misery. We were quick to get along ever since I moved in here, but I was still in the process of making friends.

We move ahead in line with our empty trays, waiting for them to be piled with food when a loud voice is suddenly heard.

"HAN JISUNG!" The voice roars, and I notice that everyone immediately goes silent and get on their feet to bow. They sit down after a few moments and only then do I realize that it was Prince Felix they had greeted. I too bow along with Chan.

"Let me take you out to dinner!" He yells all the way from the other side of the food hall. I widen my eyes.

"I'm sorry my Prince, what?" I ask, not believing my ears. Even Chan was covering his mouth.

"I said, go on a date with me!" He exclaims with a wide smile. Everyone in the hall audibly gasps, including me.

"Wha- wait- now?" I was all over the place.

"Yes," he says. "Hurry up!"

"O-oh okay." I look to Chan for permission to be off duty since I assumed this would last longer than our break, and he eagerly nods.

"It's not everyday that a Prince asks a commoner on a date. Go get your man," he says, winking at me as I set aside the empty tray and leave the place. I barely speak a word the entire ride to the restaurant, still processing the situation.

"So, the reason I've brought you here is because I wanted to let you know that I have feelings for you, Jisung. I'll accept whatever your answer is, but please, I just want to ask you to give me a chance," Prince Felix says, breaking the silence as we enter the fine dining restaurant. Is this real? This must be the first time a Prince is begging a peasant like me to 'give him a chance.' What kind of dumbass would say no to that?

"I mean, I obviously like you too and all but what if someone sees and it becomes a problem and your parents get mad at you and I get fired and I have no job-" I start rambling, panicking at the sudden confession.

"Don't worry about that, I'll handle it. Besides, Minho has more power now than my parents over who gets fired and he'll listen to me. The only thing that matters is whether you feel the same way too."

"I-of course I do!" I exclaim, turning red. This is not the way I thought I'd tell him about my feelings.

"Shall I take that as a yes, then?" He asks with a smile, holding his hand out. I reciprocate.

"Yes."

*

"And then you grab the shoulder and push them backwards with all your strength," I explain. Felix and I were in the gym and I was showing him some commonly known self defense moves.

"Eh, I don't understand how it works," he says, scratching the top of his head in confusion. I think for a moment.

"Can I demonstrate? I think you'll understand better that way," I ask and he agrees. I carefully grab his arm, doing the moves slowly and gently so that I could emphasize the key points. Then, in a swift motion, I trip him and he falls. I place my hand behind his back to cushion his landing, since I was obviously not doing it with full force. We were in a position where I was somewhat on top of him.

"You looked hot when you did that," he looks up at me and giggles, and I swear it took everything in me to not kiss him right there. I wanted to, but I didn't know if he wanted it. He looks me, eyes wide and shining.

He grabs my collar and pulls me down, making our foreheads touch and noses brush against each other lightly.

"Can I kiss you?" Felix asks in that rich, deep voice of his. Even a blind person could fall in love with him solely by his voice.

I nod, and he closes the gap between our lips. It was a soft kiss, gentle but passionate. Our lips moulded together perfectly as if they were made to fit each other. He smiles through the kiss.

"Ahem," a voice suddenly interrupts us. I quickly separate from him, afraid that someone might see us and say something.

"Can't you two go do this somewhere else? You better be glad it was just me and not someone else who saw you," King Minho says, standing at the entrance of the gym.

"You interrupted our first kiss, goddamit!" Felix says, agitated. A look of guilt washes over his features.

"Sorry, my bad."

"Why even are you here in the first place?"

"I was looking for Hyunjin. I thought you would know where he is," he says, turning to me.

"He's boxing in the North gym. It's about time he finished, though," I say, and he looks at me in surprise.

"Hyunjin? Boxing? When? I thought he said he's not 'into violence' or something?"

"He's been doing it for almost a month now. I thought you knew? I convinced him to do it since it might come in handy if he ever reaches a situation where he has no guards or weapons," I explain and he nods in understanding.

"Okay then, I'll see you guys later."

MINHO:

So he's been learning how to box. That's new. How did I never see him go once in the span of a whole month? I find the door to the gym left ajar and I push it open to find the place empty except for Hyunjin, who was punching the life out of that sand bag.

He wore shorts and a long tank top, exposing his perfectly built arms. His black hair was tied into a high ponytail and strands of hair stuck to his sweaty skin. You could almost see through his top from the sweat, a faint outline of well defined abs visible. He was a literal work of art. He notices me standing near the door.

"You look like you've seen the most gorgeous person in the world," he says arrogantly, piping in a bit of self flattery. I wouldn't blame him.

"The sexiest, actually," I correct him. He scoffs and walks away, removing his boxing gloves and gulping down some water. I watch as the sweat rolls down his neck, his Adam's apple bobbing rhythmically with each gulp.

And then, he does something unexpected. Hyunjin takes off his tank top, leaving him with nothing underneath. When I say it is terribly difficult to control myself, I mean it. Greek gods literally had nothing on him. He had perfectly toned abs, chiseled to perfection. His arm muscles only added to his appearance and it was really fucking hard to not look. Either he had great sex appeal or I was just horny, no in between. He wipes his sweat with a towel and slips on a t-shirt. He sees me staring and smirks.

"I need to take a shower," he says, placing his hand under my chin to close my mouth and walking past me. I didn't even know my mouth was hanging open.