The One for Me

I escorted Hana-ssi to her carriage the next morning. She apparently had some duties to settle outside of the Kingdom and would be gone for two days. Key had decided to ignore my letter and my constant banging at his door. I had barley slept a minute and I felt irritated and drained. Kyun waited by the double doors for me as I trotted back to him. He had seemed rather eager to spend time with me. I guess he noticed my foul mood and decided he could magically make it better.

“Ready to go?” he asked anxiously. We had packed a lunch for our outing and we were having my father’s maids carry them. I didn’t understand why we just didn’t take a carriage there. I nodded. We set off in to the forest. Kyun wanted to hike and get some exercise in.

“Why are we doing this?” I whined. It was extremely hot and I hadn’t been walking for ten minutes before I began to sweat. “Do we have to go so far?”

Kyun cracked a wide grin and ran a hand through his unruly blonde hair. “Are that much of a girl that you can’t take a simple walk through the woods?”

I shrugged but followed him nonetheless. It was nice to see him smile. He used to do it all the time when my mother was alive. It seemed that everyone was somehow affected by her personality. She was indeed loved by nearly everyone in the Kingdom. Kyun whistled a familiar lullaby and turned to give me a smile.

“We’re close,” he chuckled. The look on my face must’ve have looked unconvinced because he sighed and grabbed my wrist to pull me forward. I saw a small cabin and flat land as we emerged from the trees. The grass was up to my shin in height and the cabin was smaller than a poorhouse.

My nose turned up in disgust. “Why are we here?”

“To eat lunch here,” he replied simply. My eyes widened. The maids seemed calmer than I was. How could they? They lived in the castle just like I did and they were used to the luxuries and large amount of room from living there. How could they be so calm? Or okay with having lunch in such a… creepy place?

“We couldn’t just eat in the courtyard?” I asked wistfully. We trudged over the mile of grass and finally arrived to the miniature cabin. It was smaller than I thought it was up close.

“You’ll see why I brought you once we’re inside,” Kyun grinned eagerly. He unlocked the door and ushered me inside.

I admired the cleanliness of the place. It was dusty but organized. The entire cabin was made of wood and it was one room. In the corner was a bed and a small table beside it. A book laid on top and it looked as if it had laid there for a while. In the middle of the floor was a table where the maids sat our lunch basket. There was a small fireplace with a pot hanging over it and there was a bookcase filled with books.

“What is this place?” I asked.

Kyun sat at the table and I followed suit. “Your mother’s cabin… she loved this place.”

“She stayed in this dump?” I gaped.

Kyun sighed. “This was your mothers at least respect it by being nice.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled. The maids sat our food in front of us and waited for orders. I smiled at them. “Thank you… why don’t you join us?”

“No we couldn’t sir,” one of the maids bowed. “Thanks for your kindness.”

“I insist,” I urged. “I demand you join us.” Reluctantly they did. Kyun stared at me with awe
for several moments. I guess he never thought that I would acknowledge the help. My mother did her share of being kind to them; I thought that maybe I should follow in her footsteps.

“You’ve changes since she died,” stated Kyun.

“How would you know that?” I retorted.

He wiped his mouth with the cloth and returned it to his lap. “You were so attached at her hip that you had no freedom… I’m sure you could’ve gotten it if you asked but you always wanted to be around your mother. But since she died you have been so… rebellious.”

“Rebellious?”

“It’s not really a bad thing, but I know that sometimes you feel like everyone is against you when really we are just trying to help you make the right choices,” he sighed. “I guess forcing you to marry Hana-ssi is… barbaric.”

I shook my head. “I’m doing it to save my country and my family. I know that if it were any other way to save them my father would have voiced it to me a month and a half ago.”

“You’re so brave,” Kyun beamed fondly. “Your mother would be so proud of you… if she saw you.”

“She’s watching over me,” I sighed letting out a smile. Kyun nodded in agreement. I liked it when he was so supportive. He always had my best interest at heart even when I didn’t think so. “Thanks. For showing this place I mean.”

“No problem,” he chuckled. “She would have wanted you to see it.”

**********

I knocked on the opened door and leaned against the doorway. “Dad?”

My father looked up from his desk and took off his glasses and smiled at me. He ushered me in and I walked in and took a seat in the leather chair in front of his workspace. “What is it Jong?”

“Can I ask you something?” I leaned forward and sat my elbows on the top of my knees as I stared in to my father’s dark brown eyes.

He nodded. “Of course,” he replied solemnly.

“Was I always sick as a child?”

“Yes,” he sighed. “You hung around your mother a lot because you felt safer… just in case you had a fit she always knew what to do.”

“H-how sick am I?”

“There are times when it’s serious… like that week you were out. And there are times when it’s mild, to the point where you can still walk around and have fun.”

I sat back and covered my mouth with my hand. I thought hard about what he had said. “So why do you all treat me like I’m going to die?”

“You’re not going to die Jonghyun,” he said sternly. “I promise.”

*********

I pounded on Key’s door for the hundredth time. He refused to open it. I shook my hand and circled the hall with my hands on my hips. My mouth curled in to a sly smile as I thought of a way to get Key to let me in.

“Saying "I love you", I should have waited more!” I belted in front of his door. “Now, how should I express my feelings? Although everything changes, I will love you with my true hea-”

A pale hand covered my mouth and pushed me against the opposite wall. “Do you ever shut up?” Key hissed angrily. I grinned despite the fact that he was covering my mouth; I knew it felt my lips turn up. His anger melted as he removed his hand to caress my lips with his. I ran my hands down his sides. His body was slim and curvy. He had more curves than I had seen on most girls. I groped his butt and he moaned in to my mouth. That was the type of thing that put me on edge.

“I’ve missed you,” I whispered huskily in to his ear.

“I’m not letting you in,” he smirked. He quickly entered his house and before I could force myself in the door was in my face.

I groaned and slid down the door. “Why are you torturing me Kibum?”

“Because I love you!” His voice was muffled through the door. I wanted to hold him. I still had no idea why he ran out on me yesterday.

“Why did you leave me? That was rude especially with the King there,” I grumbled. Key fell silent. I knocked and waited for him to answer but no answer came. I sighed. What was wrong with him? It felt as though he was keeping something from me. Had he been to the Tavern to see that guy I caught him with? I glowered at the door. “A-are you cheating on me?”
The door opened and I slammed against the wooden floor. “WHAT?”

“Well you have been avoiding me… you won’t answer my questions and you won’t let me in,” I mumbled sadly. “I-Is he in here? In your room?” My chest felt heavy as I looked up at him. My eyes felt warm and I didn’t like the feeling of Key having someone else. It may have been selfish but I wanted him all to myself.

Key scoffed. “Seriously? You’re getting married and you want to know who’s cheating?”

I stood. “You know what I mean Kibum.”

“No unlike you I have been a fateful spouse,” he retorted with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Yeo-bo,” I hummed. I wrapped my arms around his waist and tugged him close. He stared at me with little to no interest and I poked my lip out to him.

“Don’t call me that,” he mumbled as he averted his gaze.

I pecked his neck and smiled. “Why not Yeo-bo?”

“Jong,” he sighed and pushed me away. “Really you should leave.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “You really are cheating on me huh?”

“No I’m not!”

“I’ll leave you alone then,” I bowed. I turned to leave and ignored him as he shouted my name.