My Treasure//Bang Yedam

민 친매

Junkyu sat alone. The concrete bench beneath him was cool against his burning skin, the hot summer rays hitting down on him. The soft green grass had turned hard and yellow as the weeks passed. It was just a few hours before the royal family including Junkyu, Chinmae, and Mashiho would leave for JYP Kingdom for their summer festival. 

The birds chirping put Junkyu's mind at ease. Temporarily, at least. His eyes were closed, his hair waving along with the wind as it passed by occasionally. Soft footsteps stopped beside him. "The nature is very calming," they started, their hand caressing the concrete bench before taking a seat beside Junkyu, "which is why I though you'd be here."

"Princess," Junkyu turned to look at Chinmae, who gave him a serene expression. "how have you been feeling?" She could only smile weakly at the question, her heart lingering with the pain and aching she had been feeling since the day before. 

Chinmae set her hand on his shoulder, gaining his attention before speaking softly, "I should be asking you that, Kyu." Junkyu noticeably tensed at the nickname she gave him, but he soon relaxed. He could only smile, shaking his head, causing the young princess to frown. "Kyu, just because you're my servant doesn't mean you brush off my care for you. You're my friend soulmate, at least cut me some slack."

There was a silence that filled the air around them, something that they knew they had to break, but wasn't sure how. He sighed, "Princess, were you ever taught about people not being able to have a soulmate?" Chinmae slowly nodded her head, recalling her lesson with Taeil about soulmates when she was younger. 

"Yes, why?" she turned her body, making her body face him as a perplexed expression sat on her face. Junkyu avoided her gaze, shifting his body a bit away from hers. Just from that action, it dawned over her of what he was getting at. "You don't...does the Prince know?" 

Junkyu shook his head vigorously, finally turning over to look at Chinmae in the eyes. "NO," his mouth hung open, noticing how he spoke a bit too loud. "No," he spoke softer, his expression deflating, "The prince has no idea..." The servants voice trailed off. 

Chinmae's lips parted, wanting to say something but she wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to say. As much as she wanted to comfort him, she didn't know how. The lingering pain in her heart shot a pulse of pain as she sat in silence, watching her first soulmate suffer. 

Junkyu continued on, "He doesn't know, but he promised me that he'd marry me if his soulmate sucks and he wasn't in an arranged marriage." He chuckled dryly, stuck in his own world as he let down his walls to Chinmae. "I guess I'll never have a lover."

There was a pause before Chinmae began to speak, "Wait, aren't you and Yedam Kin soulmates? Doesn't that mean incest?!" She exclaimed lightly, looking at him bewildered. Junkyu laughed melodically, something Chinmae was proud that she was able to get out of him. 

"I guess you can think of it that way, but we aren't blood related so it wouldn't be considered as incest," he explained to the younger, a small smile playing on his lips. It was the first smile on his lips that appeared for a while, which is surprising for a man who smiles almost every minute. The two began to change the topic, believing that it would be better to lighten up the mood. 

As they spoke about whatever came to their minds, two young boys ran down the garden pavement. The orange haired boy held a phone high in his hands as the other yelled, "Mae!" in hopes of catching the young Princess' attention. 

"Ji! Lele!" she called back, turning to look at her servants. Jisung panted slightly as he handed Chinmae her phone. Chenle breathed in a deep breath before speaking. 

"The King and Queen wants to send us back home because a predicament in the palace arose," Chenle explained. "They don't want you to come with us as they want you to focus on your wedding. Apparently, as of right now, no one knows about the male and female soulmates nor about Prince Yedam having two soulmates."

Chinmae smiled gratefully at her friends, nodding her head. "Got that, but why the phone?" Jisung let out a breathy chuckle, taking Chinmae's hand and setting the phone into her hand. 

"It's time for your daily call, you haven't called them in a week. They probably need someone to brighten up their mood, even if it's just for a second," Jisung's breathing had finally paced itself. She nodded her head, smiling gratefully at her friends. 

"Thank you Ji, Lele. I'll call them right now so go ahead and start packing for your leave," Chinmae waved her hand to shoo Jisung and Chenle, knowing that if she didn't they would have stayed by her side the whole time. Reluctantly, the two began walking away, leaving Chinmae and Junkyu alone on the bench again. 

"Should I leave you alone for your call, Princess?" Junkyu asked, getting ready to get up from his seat on the bench, but a hand held onto his wrist before he could leave. 

"Stay, I'd like you to meet my friends," she momentarily looked away from the phone, shooting Junkyu a sweet smile before moving back to the screen, calling her old servants. The phone didn't even ring before they picked up, nineteen boys sitting in front of the screen. Incoherent screaming and yelling came through the phone, but Chinmae knew they were greeting her...in their own special way. "Hi!~"

"Mae-jesty, who's this with you?" a deep voice resonated through the screen, shocking Junkyu a bit. Chinmae laughed a bit from Junkyu's reaction but answered his question immediately. 

"Lucas, boys, this is my friend and first soulmate. He's a servant in YG Kingdom," Chinmae nudged Junkyu's arm, shaking the phone a bit as she mentally told him to introduce himself. Getting the messing, he smiled before bowing to the phone. 

"Hello, I'm Kim Junkyu," Junkyu heard a chorus of 'hello's come from the phone, the group of men waving their hands happily. They soon began to talk, again, about random topics. It didn't take long for Junkyu to learn all nineteen names, catching onto their personalities quickly too. 

As Renjun talked about his missing water bottle, which earned many eye rolls and chills from the boys, Chinmae couldn't stop glancing at Junkyu. Her strange colored eyes flickered across his face, a proud and satisfied smile written on her face as his lips curled up higher and higher each second. That smile, sadly, didn't last long though. 

"Princess Chinmae, Junkyu," his voice was small and hesitant, like a weak dying kitten meowing for care and attention only to be ignored again. "W-we're about to leave to JYP Kingdom soon..." Chinmae refused to look at the boy in the eyes, leaving Junkyu to speak up. His brown eyes averted to his sharply, a dead stare shot right into his eyes as a shot of pain hit his heart. Ignoring it, he took Chinmae's hand into his before standing up. 

"Thanks but we're fine on our own," he spats, "We don't need you to tell us, Mashiho." He walked passed the boy, brushing shoulders with him before leaving the garden completely. To say Mashiho was crying was an understatement - he was bawling his eyes out, sobbing everything out from his heart - as he leaned against the concrete bench Chinmae and Junkyu sat on. Their warmth leaving the seat and him.