nytis
as the day of the ball got closer and closer, the people started getting more and more restless. nowadays, it seemed like wherever jihoon went he could always spot large signs advertising suits and gowns.
in the markets, the words "ball" and "invite" could always be heard. wether it be from the sellers or the groups of girls chattering away to their friends asking if they've revived an invitation yet.
to be very honest, jihoon was getting tired of hearing about this ball. sure, at first jihoon was just like everyone else, being just a tiny, minuscule bit excited and hopeful that he would get chosen. but the more he thought about spending a night at the castle with a bunch of stuck up people and the more jeonghan wouldn't shut up about it, the more he didn't want to go.
and plus, there's no way i'm getting an invite anyways... that was what jihoon kept telling himself over and over again. after all, it was absurd to think that he out of everyone would be one of the selected few...
flash forward to a few days later. jihoon was peacefully sleeping when he was rudely awoken by a loud knocking coming from the front door. chan grumbled and tugged the blankets away from jihoon to cover his head.
"ji... go tell them... to shut the fuck up..." chan muffled through the blankets while nudging jihoon off the mattress with his foot. too tired to argue, jihoon yawned and headed towards the door.
jihoon was positive that he looked like shit right now but he didn't care because whoever was continuously knocking at the door was going to be gone the second he opened it.
"fuck off." those were the first words he uttered when he harshly pulled open the door. those were also the only words he said because right after, jihoon slammed the door closed again. "..wasting my precious sleep time."
he was just about to head back to his shared room with chan when the knocking started again. jihoon felt his eye twitch. clenching his fists, he stood by the door and hoped that the person would leave but no. the knocking continued on.
more pissed than ever, jihoon opened the door a second time that morning. "for fucks sake, it's literally the ass crack of dawn. what do you want." he deadpans, squinting at the person standing at his door.
there's a man with a curly mustache holding a piece of paper at his door, looking completely unbothered. on closer inspection, jihoon spotted the royal emblem embroidered on the right side of his chest. he cleared his throat, "i am here to deliver mail."
"there's a little thing right here beside the door called a mailbox." jihoon hissed, jabbing his finger in the direction of the metal box on the side of his house. "in case you didn't know, it's where you put mail."
again, the man paid no mind to him. "is lee jihoon available right now?"
"you're talking to him."
the man nodded and folded up his paper. he then turned to a small bag he was carrying with him and pulled out a crisp white envelope and handed it to him. bowing his head slightly, the man marched off leaving jihoon by the door holding a letter.
closing the door, jihoon stared curiously at the envelope. it was blindingly white. jihoon had never seen paper as clean and pristine as the envelope he was holding. the white made the black words, lee jihoon, stand out even more.
on the back, jihoon's eyes widened when he was the royal emblem on the red wax seal. grabbing a knife, he ever so carefully broke the seal and pulled out a beautiful card from the inside.
the edges of the paper were lined with cutouts of stars and moons and a border of gold separated them from the words in the middle of the card.
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
CONGRATULATIONS
out of all the citizens of nytis, you are one of the special one hundred
picked out by his majesty's right hand man, dojin. we have see your
outstanding work and would like to reward you for your efforts.
°.✩ you are invited to the MIDNIGHT BALL ✩.°
SATURDAY, THE FIRST OF AUGUST
AT TEN O'CLOCK IN THE EVENING
AT THE ROYAL CASTLE
please bring this invitation with you as conformation
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-
jihoon's heart skipped a beat when reading the contents on the card. he couldn't believe it. the boy pinched himself hard on the arm only to make him yelp quietly from the pain. this is all a joke isn't it? there's no way.
he grabbed the envelope and looked at the seal. there was nothing wrong with it. he then looked back at the invitation, looking at the signature at the bottom of the card, this is real, it's all real.
jihoon rooted in place and stared at the card for the longest time. he got an invitation. he got an invitation.
"balls?" kitae repeated, looking at jihoon who nodded his head. "well, you dance... and you watch other people dance. oh! and there's yummy food on the side too." kitae said, laughing.
"what else?"
"hmm... oh, the servants spend weeks decorating the castle so the end results are always really beautiful. balls... are quite romantic as well. they're a lot more fun if you've got someone you like going with you." kitae eyed jihoon, "one day.. you've got to let me take you to one."
jihoon hummed, someone i like...
a small bubble of excitement formed at the bottom of his stomach and a smile slowly stretched over his face. i can't believe one of my childish dreams of going to a ball is actually within reach.
maybe it's time for you to risk something, to try something.
