Okay so, the series of events in this chapter is incomplete. So, expect part two of this chapter in a week or so; 

Happy Reading my beautiful Nobles

"Do you like that one?" Changbin asked, following the line of his best friend's vision. It was a suit with one single button at the waist; made out of a black georgette blazer and matching plans. "No, what I have is enough, let's go!" Hajun attempted to walk away from the store but she ought to have learned her lesson by now. Changbin simply tightened the hold he had on her hand and she was yanked inside.

"Come on," Hajun internally groaned as she let him drag her inside the store. She knew she wasn't going to be able to win against Changbin after bullying her way into paying for her suit and shirtdresses. Now he was going to have his way and boy; was she right?

"Go on, try it on," He smiled, his cheekbones rising under the mask he sported. "You don't have to-" "I know I don't, shut up and get moving," Nothing else was left to be said. She hoped that they would be done when she got the black suit fitted but no! While she was in the changing room, he had wandered off around the store. 

"I'm-WHAT IN THE NAME OF-!?!" Hajun gasped at the rack full of clothes he had ready. "It isn't much, just please try them on," He smiled softly. "But-" "Please, for me?" Damn it! Now that he'd pulled on those puppy eyes, Hajun groaned and obliged. 

What were they doing? She had no idea. She actually stopped thinking after they made plans yesterday night. She was more than sure that he'd turn her down cause who in their right mind would agree to go shopping with a friend as shitty as her. But to her utter surprise, Seo Changbin seemed out of this world happy! His huge smile and excited voice when he accepted painfully reminded Hajun of the days they had together. 

She had coached herself into having zero expectations when she came into the castle, Heck, she'd even expected Changbin to give her a cold shoulder. That's what she would have done if their places were reversed but he simply continued to surprise her. The same smile, the same warm hugs when she had them; it was like the years of distance between them had burst out of existence like soap bubbles; ones they loved soo much when they were young. 

And as much as Hajun was surprised, she was glad as well. After losing everyone she loved over the years, she didn't know if she had the strength in her to try and win Changbin's apology. But lucky for her, she didn't need to. He was still there, still ready to be her friend. 

He was her relief, her break from her unfortunate reality, even back then. As cheesy as it sounds, Hajun felt like she could really breathe around Changbin. His strong frame, his gentle masculinity and his heart; reminded her that not everyone in this world was selfish. Not everyone in her life wanted her to sacrifice her happiness for their own. 

In fact, if Hajun could have a peek into his thoughts, she'd know that this man was ready to endure the torture of his own feelings just to make her happy. She'd know how much her Binnie valued her happiness, her smile. 

"You should wear more colours," The suit was a simple one. With a long blue blazer, that hit the top of her calves, powder blue slacks and a white sleeveless top with minor beading on the neckline. "Says the one whose wardrobe is 99% black," Hajun laughed, moving around. "I'm different, I'm a guy. Black is our default colour. But; you somehow make every colour cool."

"Is that a compliment, Mr Seo?" She wiggled her eyebrows, attempting to cover her flustered state with humour. "Why ask when you already know, my lady?" Even though most of his face was covered with a mask, Hajun recognized the flirtatious glint in his eyes. She knew that if he pulled that mask down, it would have that infamous 'hooded eyes smirk' of his. 

"Are we done here?" Not since he just bought out a covered clothing bag. "Almost just go and try on your Christmas present from me," Hajun was aghast. She didn't know if gasping or protesting would be the appropriate response.  "What are these then?" She asked, her voice in disbelief. "The Christmas gifts for all the years I missed," He shrugged, making Hajun's heart overflow with appreciation. 

This man...what was he aiming to do? Being soo nice and making her feel all sorts of things? Was she going to be able to handle him walking out of her life, once this was all over? It wasn't like Hajun hadn't experienced that, she had but something in her knew that Changbin's departure from her life would be the most excruciating of them all.

"Go, we have to get home before dinner," He smiled, nodding towards the changing room that Hajun had grown very familiar with. Holding in tears, she nodded taking the bag from him on her way back. 

With her back against the flimsy door, Hajun hugged the clothing bag; and screwed her eyes shut in an attempt to collect herself. She wasn't used to this. The affection, the attention, the soft smile and his caring attitude. She was grateful but she was also scared. Terrified actually;

Her whole life anyone who'd shown her that much love and affection had left her, alone. Finally taking a deep breath, she unzipped the bag. Black tulle tumbled out as soon the bag had opened and she was surprised that he had chosen a black premium silk dress. And while Hajun was not dress-girl whatsoever, this one was perfect! 

It had an elegant narrow V-shaped neckline with a draped bodice and a cinched waist. One thing that Hajun loved about this dress was the decorative button-up front. She hugged the material close, loving its elegant and comfortable feel. 

Once she put it on, she knew she was right to fall in love with it. It hugged her like a second skin, the A-line silhouette emphasized her figure. Her fingers ran through the embellished black floral applique as she took in yet another deep breath before stepping out of the brightly lit store, the long tulle cape sleeves dragged against the floor. 

And Seo Changbin felt like he was sucker punched in his ribs at the sight of Hajun. He had never seen her in a dress and now that he did, he was cursing himself for not forcing her into a dress earlier! Hajun looked stunning, the dress hugging her like a second skin and clinging to her body as she walked out. The crystals that were hidden on the flower applique on her shoulders reflected the bright white lights of the shop. Her long tanned legs were usually hidden under her sweats and her jeans were now out through the long slit at the front of her dress. 

"So....?" She looked at him, her expression queasy. She wasn't one to be really nervous about how she looked in a dress but this was Changbin and as of recently, Hajun herself didn't know where she stood with him. What did she know though? She wanted him to like her in this dress. 

"Changbin...?" Nervousness started taking over her being as Changbin stared at her, his mouth parted. 'That's why I stay away from dresses! Hayeon's right! I'm hid-' 

"Holy Shit!" He gasped, a bit too loud to be considered alright for a crowded store; since it earned them a few glares from the other shoppers which promptly turned into horror since they realized who exactly they were glaring at.

"Changbin you-" "You're awesome!" He gasped excitedly getting up from his seat. "I don't have words Jun, really! You look soo beautiful!" The way he spoke, the bright look on his face and the way he talked about her soo excitedly sent a warm tingling down her spine. For the first in a long while, Hajun felt like she was seen and appreciated. Like someone cared enough to take the time and appreciate her. 

"You're just saying that-" "If my words aren't believable, you really should consider taking my speechless state as evidence cause I still can't form sentences right now," Changbin rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks tinted pink. "Anyway, let's go home!" Hajun shook her head, changing the subject because if he continued talking the way he was; she'd end up doing something embarrassing. "Whenever you're ready," He saluted, a bright smile gracing his adorable features. 

It seemed to Hajun as though she was using the tiny room as a break from the real world. Only this time, it was to hide the overwhelming happiness she was feeling. "Come on!" There was a happy glow around Hajun when she came out of the dressing room for the last time. She was light on her feet and excited. "Before we go back home..." She started once they were in the car, "Can we make a quick detour?" Changbin turned his head to look at her, one hand still on the steering wheel. "Of course, where to?" "My house," 

It was easy to see the way the colour in her face drain slightly. "Are you alright, Jun?" He asked, eyes now fixated on the road. "Yeah I'm fine," And while Changbin did not believe one word, he chose not to comment on it. She would tell him when she was ready to; that much Changbin could believe. So, he kept his silence casting her occasional glances. 

In Yunho's defence, he wasn't at fault. But the issue here was, no one was exactly to blame either. Maybe Wonhan a little bit, for leaving the fluid-like wrapping paper lying around on the ground. He was at fault too, at least a little bit since he had chewed gum on his hand but he was on his way to dispose of it when he stepped on the gum and slipped. When you're as tall as he is, regaining balance is hard. Eun Kyung happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Sure she saved him from cracking his head open against the corner of the glass centre table but Yunho's frantic arms found purchase in her arm and; unfortunately the side of her head. 

Before either of them could register the shock, Eun Kyung recognized the lump stuck to her beautiful black hair and yeah; let's just say the whole castle knew now. 

"JUST HOW-?!" Seonghwa started before huffing a large breath through his nose. "How do you mess up this bad?! Look at her Yunho-yah!" Eun Kyung was currently hunched forward in despair, a hand still covering the side of her face; face stony. 

"Seonghwa, you can't entirely blame him," Sana started. "No one can be blamed right now. It was either he grabbed onto Eun Kyung or cracked his head open. Would you rather have that?!"

Silence. "That's what I thought, so quit it!" "But Noona, he should face the consequences." Hong Jong tutted, "Accident or not, Eun Kyung-ssi's hair is a mess and it's Christmas tomorrow." "I'll fix this," He stood up from the couch.  "Hyung's right, accident or not, I ruined her hair. Just an apology isn't enough." With that, he was off, presumably to grab his keys and coat.

"Go ahead Kyung," Jeeseun encouraged. "I don't want to!" The girl mumbled, holding the side of her hair away from view. "Kyung, he looks sorry. At least give him a chance to make it up to you." 

As much as Eun Kyung wanted to come clean, she opted to keep quiet. It would be like her to be stubborn in this situation, she wasn't feeling that way. Instead, she felt sad. Her anger isn't something that makes a regular appearance but it was vicious. "OH MY GOD, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DO THIS!" The echoes of her own screams made her cringe. "HOW IN THE WORLD ARE YOU A PRINCE?! YOU DON'T EVEN FUCKING ACT LIKE ONE!!" 

Eun Kyung groaned silently, remembering how his horrified face immediately morphed into a sad one. Like someone had kicked him straight in the stomach and now he was trying not to let the pain show. She feared she had gone too far even without anyone saying anything.

And it was also noticeable how he hadn't looked at her once after the whole ordeal went down. "Get your coat, come on," Yun Hyeok urged gently, helping her off the couch. 

Eun Kyung now knew she had crossed over the line when he didn't glance at her once as he reappeared in the hallway. He simply stood at the door waiting for her to be done bundling up. It was awkward, walking with one hand to your head but it was either this or walking around with chewed gum sticking to your hair.

She dropped her hand simultaneously as another car halted just outside the door. Eun Kyung felt like a bucket of ice water was shoved down her back when two familiar silhouettes appeared in her line of vision. Of all the times, they chose to return now?! When she was at her worst?!

Lee Know's bright face fell the second he sensed something was going on. Watching Yunho stand by the door with a grim expression on her face, he started to look into the house whilst picking up the pace. Sensing the shift in attitude, Jieun too followed his gaze to find Eun Kyung shuffling towards the door, her expression sad. 

"What's-" She fell short of words when Yunho gently placed a simple black bucket hat over the younger girl's head. His expression remained grim but the gesture was enough to make everyone watching swoon and coo internally.  Eun Kyung however was more confused than anything. "Let's go," He quietly urged once the hat was loosely sitting on her head. He had given her the briefest of glances and then immediately looked away. Something inside Kyung cracked. 

And it didn't occur to her until she had passed Lee Know and Jieun by a few steps. She didn't feel the same sickening anger and jealousy that she felt earlier that morning. None of that was there. Even as she buckled up in his car, the only she could bring herself to care about was the lack of words from Yunho. 

And as much as she screamed to herself that she wasn't supposed to care, she really couldn't help but throw occasional glances while he silently drove them across the Christmas-lit streets. At least one thing was clear to Eun Kyung, she didn't like the silent side of Jeong Yunho; even though she had just learnt it really did exist.

"Oh dear, that sounds bad!" Jieun gasped silently as everyone filled her in on what she missed. "Well, now where are they going?" Lee Know asked. "Well, Yunho Hyung said he'd fix so he went off with her," Jongho answered, making the Prince nod. "It was my fault more than it was his;" Wonhan confessed, avoiding eye contact with everyone. "I left the leftover wrapping paper lying around and he tripped on them. It isn't exactly his fault," 

"It isn't anyone's fault really," It was Mingi who spoke up, and that surprised everyone a bit since he had been uncharacteristically quiet since Eun Kyung screamed at Yunho. "The place is chaotic, accidents happen;" He sighed, "Let's just move past this," 

"He's right," Momo agreed, still dressed in the flour and dough-covered apron. "Speaking of which, where were you two?" Instantly all the scrambled attention on Lee Know and Jieun. Lee Know simply smiled knowingly whilst Jieun smiled softly. 

"We went to an orphanage and gave out gifts;" "That was sweet of you Lee Know," Sana ruffled his hair. "It wasn't me, it was all Jieun-ssi. I just went along with her;" Now Jieun was blushing. 

"Really?!" All the girls exclaimed, excited. "Since when have you been doing this, Jieun?" Sana smiled at the young girl. "It's been....almost 3 years now; it's a yearly tradition. Christmas, New Year's and whenever the kids need it, I help out." She admitted, still very red in the face.

"Oh! Oh! Can we come with you too?" Jina asked, her eyes sparkling. "Yeah, yeah! That's a great idea! Can we tag along when you go for the New Year?" Chae asked, jumping on her spot. "They'd like that;" Jieun nodded, smiling. "Can we....uh...come along too?" Jeongin squeaked out. "I mean you took Lee Know hyung so I was wondering if you'd take us too?" He explained as all eyes went on him.

"You want to....come along?" "Of course! We'd love to meet the kids! So can we?" "Of course!" Jieun gasped at Chan's words. "They'd love to meet you all!" "Can we tag along too?" Seonghwa asked the rest of the boys behind him; looking very expectant. "Why ask? Just make sure to prepare gifts for the kids! Otherwise, you don't make a very good first impression;" Lee Know laughed, clapping Seonghwa's shoulder. "I almost got blacklisted but Jieun-ssi saved me!" 

With that, he turned to the girl and shot her a wink. This was noticed by Yuriko, Risa and Jina who gasped like they'd seen another head grow on top of the Prince's head and started jostling Jieun around. 

"What did you do to him?" Yuriko whispered urgently. "Is he your boyfriend? Did you guys kiss? Are you getting married?!" Jina excitedly rambled on making Jieun give her the stink eye. "Can you guys calm down? It's not a big deal! The man has only winked at me!" She scolded with gritted teeth. 

"Yeah and he doesn't wink at anyone! So, it is a big deal!" Haeun shrugged, "Not you too!" The girl groaned, feeling her cheeks heat up again. All while Lee Know cast occasional teasing looks at her.  "Let's get back to work everyone!" Chan announced, "We can pass time until everyone comes back! Come on!" 

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" There was a palpable tension in the car,  with Hajun looking extremely nervous. "I want to, I won't be long, I just need to get something from my room." It was like she was talking to herself more than she was talking to him. In all these years of friendship, this was the most nervous Changbin had ever seen her and while it was supposed to be cute and endearing, the thin sheen of sweat and her panicked expression showed just how nervous she was and it was heartbreaking, to say the least. 

He was used to seeing her happy, flustered, angry, and irritated and all of those emotions suited her well. But sadness and nervousness? Yeah, he didn't like those on her face. "Let's go!" She urged, taking a deep breath. Like the way, people would prepare themselves before diving off a cliff. 

Hajun had finally mustered enough courage to walk through the doors after all this time but Changbin surely had other plans. "Changbin, what?" She exclaimed pulling at the car doors, which were locked, as she guessed. "Let's go! We have to be before dinner!" "We're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on with you;" Her mouth dropped open in surprise!

She had spent all this time trying to gather up the courage to go back into that and now he wants to talk?! "Changbin, fucking let me out!" Although she had invested all her strength in the hits she landed on his arm, Changbin didn't even acknowledge them. 

"You can tire yourself out, I don't mind," He shrugged, eyes fixated on her face. "But something has happened and that has scared you enough to go inside your own damn house and until you tell me what exactly happened, I'm not letting either of us out of this car!" 

His voice was level but there was this edge to it, and that confirmed Hajun the fact that he'd already vocalized. He really was not going to let her out until she opened her mouth. Which was not exactly in her plans but it was either that or defeating the whole purpose of this almost visit. And right now, the latter seemed like a better, easier option. 

"Then I guess we're going home-" "NO WAIT!" She haphazardly grabbed that steering wheel, ready to wheel them out of the street. "Wait, I'll tell you," She caved in, deciding to give in. 

Not only because she really wanted to get that box out of her bedroom but also because she was done covering up mistakes that weren't hers. "I promise, you can trust me," The kind smile Changbin gave her was enough to solidify the decision. "When the letter first came to me, Hayeon wasn't exactly happy." "Why?" Changbin raised an eyebrow, looking rather confused. 

"Because I got it and she didn't. Now don't interrupt me!" Hajun shot him a brief glare. "She threw a huge tantrum, demanding that I decline. Because she thought my declining would direct the invitation to her. And as much as I had no interest in coming to the castle, I didn't want to decline." Sighing for what seemed like the nth time, Hajun finally let the truth out. "I missed you, I missed Sana Eunnie, I missed all of you. And Hayeon was the reason I had to move away. She didn't like that you were soo fond of me and soo..." "Disgusted of her? Yeah, she caused it." 

That earned a snicker from her. "She threw a tantrum, that she wanted to move away. She didn't like the town. No one was kind to her, yada yada yada," Playing with her fingers, Hajun continued. "And your dad listened to her?" His tone was astonished, and rightfully so. A scornful laugh left the girl. "He did. Because he had married her mom and spent the time before doting on me, and felt like Hayeon deserved it right now." Blinking rapidly, Hajun forced the tears to dry. 

"Except mine had an expiry date and hers didn't. I decided that I was done giving up my happiness to make that bitch happy and I ran away. I haven't returned since. And I don't what will happen today," Changbin's heart shattered at the sight of her fake smile and glassy eyes. A tick in his jaw appeared as he silently unlocked the car and got out, opening the door for the girl. 

"Come on," He tugged the surprised girl through the driveway, walking to the one-story house. "Walk into that house and do whatever you need to do. I promise I'll make sure no one gets to hurt you. Trust me Jun, as long as I'm around, you will not have to worry about anyone hurting you." 

What exactly was it? The smile on his face or the fiery look of protectiveness that he had? Hajun didn't know. What she did know was that whatever happened, she had him by her side. And that was enough. 

"You don't-" Of course, a part of her protested. It wouldn't be a part of her if it didn't. "I know I don't. But I want to. And I think I have the right to get angry since it was her antics that kept me away from my best friend of all these years. And you know me Jun, I'm not exactly a merciful man to those who upset me." That Hajun knew. 

She knew him all too well. And maybe that's why the distance didn't feel like it existed. 

I say Changbin, you say HE IS THE STANDARD!

I say Lee Know, you say THE BIGGEST FLIRT!

Also, is that angry Yunho and guilty Kyung we see?

Keep your eyes peeled for the next update. It will be sooner than you expect. 

Love

Fay🖤

07/03/23