My Birthday, a present for you guys. Don't worry, writing for you guys is my happiness. It's been a while since I updated. I wish I could be more regular. My exams are around the corner, my stress levels are high and I can't even start with my schools and coaching stuffing my face with exams. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this update and I will see you guys on my next one🌸

"Where are you going?" Chan asked, his eyes wide with astonishment.

It was rare to see Changbin out of bed before 10:00; yet, here he was. 9:00 am in the morning dressed in dark jeans, a white turtle neck and a black leather jacket. "I have to go out," He stated, very focused on choosing a granola bar from the breakfast. "Be home before dinner Bin, it's Christmas Eve." Momo reminded, looking up from her waffles. "Of course, I will be Noona," He smiled at the woman, heavily contrasting with his dark outfit and rough exterior. That's just how he was. Tough on the outside, and a massive cutie on the inside. 

"Ah, where is she?" He looked up at the stairs, tapping his foot against the marble floor.

"Who..." Before Han could finish his question, Hajun ran down the stairs in a black oversized t-shirt and black skinny jeans. "Finally ugh!" Changbin groaned, "What took you so long?" "Whatever it was, I'm here now. Let's go!" 

"What-" Wooyoung exchanged glances with San, rather puzzled at his best friend's antics. "Where are you two going?" He asked, not sparing anyone the time to even try stopping him. "Uh....shopping? Anyway, I'll see you guys later!" With that, the two were out the door.

"Okay, can someone tell me what in the world is going on?" Han had finally collected himself enough to finally voice his astonishment and confusion. "When did these two get so close? What have I missed?" "Ughh soo nosy!" Chae gently slapped the back of his head, giggling. "Let them be guys," Sana laughed. "Changbin and Hajun have been friends for quite a long time and they might just take some time to reconnect, leave them alone." "Makes sense," The rest went back to their breakfast without another question.

"So aren't secretly hoping this outing turns into something else?" Yun Hyeok lifted a soapy hand to do the air quotes as she and Chae helped Sana and Momo with the dishes. "No, not at all," Sana promptly denied, the corners of her lips struggling to stay still. "Is that sooo?" Chae wiggled her eyebrows, bumping her shoulder with the older woman. "Ughhh, why am I friends with you guys again?" The kingmaker whined, shaking her head. "Because you can't live without us," Momo jumped into the conversation; making Sana whine even harder. 

"Hyunnnnng~" Felix waved his hands in front of Chan trying to snap him out of whatever daze he was in. "Nothing?" Yeosang asked from beside him. "Nah, you?" A shake of the head and they both collectively sighed. 

"Leave them be, they're love-struck!" Lee Know teased, making Yunho laugh along with him. "True that they are," "SEONGHWA HYUNG!" Jongho suddenly grabbed his shoulders and gave him a vigorous shake and God bless his vocal cords; the two oldest finally snapped out of it.

"What do you want?!" Seonghwa snapped back, his hair dishevelled. "We need to put up the trees for tomorrow," "And? You're stronger than me!" He was rather salty that he was rudely interrupted. "As much as that's true Seonghwa-yah," Hong Joong barely even suppressing his laughs. "He alone can't drag a tree so can we please get to work?" "But-!" "Hey guys, are the trees up? We need to start decorating them!" Chae walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands. 

"Just on it," Seonghwa was up in a flash and dragging Jongho away with him. "You could slow down I guess...What happened to you?" Chae noticed her best friend in a daze, mid-sentence. "Yeah?" Chan looked up, snapping out of it fully. "Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Jeongin-ah, come with me! Let's get to work!" The oblivious youngest who was then busy unloading trinkets and ornaments with Seungmin was also dragged away, leaving a very confused Chae behind.

"What in the world has been going on with him?" She turned to Lee Know with sheer confusion on her face. "Trust me, it's better if you don't know," Lee Know burst out laughing, making the others let out some snorts too. Chae raised an eyebrow before walking whilst muttering something like 'Testosterone, I swear-' under her breath.

"How long before they finally crack?" Yeosang laughed, "A while, these two are stubborn as heck!" Hong Joong laughed, thoroughly enjoying the state of the two oldest;

"YOU GUYS, STOP LAUGHING AND COME OUT AND HELP!" It probably was Jongho or Jeongin who yelled but the point is, it did the trick. All the boys were up and about in a flash; it was Christmas after all. Everything should be perfect!

Okay no! Not all the boys. Lee Know was about to follow them but he stopped in his tracks when he saw a certain girl skipping down the stairs. Oh, now there was no way he was going anywhere. "Jieun-ssi!" He called and approached the girl. 

Jieun didn't know what to think of Prince Lee Know. All her life, she had to direct her life according to what the world wanted to see from her, and what her parents wanted to see from her. A beautiful, optimistic noble who dominated the room all whilst the angelic smile on her face never faltered. Jieun was the type of noble who smiled at everyone and waved at every little child that waved at her. But what most people didn't know was that she was also a very cautious and sensitive woman. It wasn't like her parents didn't love her but she knew from a very young age that they'd be happier if she had a brother or she was a boy. 

Who said you needed to be a man to rule an estate? Jieun trained herself to become capable enough to prove herself to the onlookers.  

If she had something with Lee Know, that would obviously mean good for her parents and their estate. But what of her? Now she was working tirelessly to prove herself in front of her parents' social circle, if Lee Know chose her, then that crowd would extend to the entire Grey family and Kingdom. And Jieun didn't know if she wanted a life like that.

But it was impossible to stay cautious when of all the people in the room, he gave his attention to her. When he chose to sit in front of her despite the entire table being empty. When he chose to give her a hand when others were struggling. When he chose to smile at her, look at her in a room full of people. Lee Know was the type of person who was capable of making you feel important just by choosing to look at you. 

"Lee Know-ssi," She halted at her steps, smoothing her sweater down. "Going somewhere?" He asked, his voice cheerful and light. She secretly loved it when he was in a good mood. He was less reserved and more playful like that. "Well, it's Christmas eve so I just thought I'd visit somewhere," She explained, "I have something I must do." 

The two fell into an awkward silence, waiting for the other to speak. "Can I-?" "Would you-?" Soft chuckles left their lips, neither breaking eye contact. "You first," Lee Know insisted. Jieun sighed, knowing that it was futile to fight him on that. "Would you like to accompany me, your Highness?" That was the brightest Jieun had seen Lee Know smile and God the way her heart tightened! "Of course, just give me 5 minutes!" 

He raced upstairs, leaving Jieun alone in the large hallway. The second he was out of sight, Jieun's posture faltered. Heaving out a long sigh, she leaned against the edge of the staircase. Lee Know's presence, his smile, and his gestures; made her feel weak and confused. She knew that being with him would mean sacrificing the freedom she oh so dearly wants. Who'd want that? Sacrificing all she's worked for;

"Ready?" Jieun's breathing faltered as he descended the stairs. Loose trousers and a dark long coat over a white thick t-shirt; with his fluffy brown hair falling over his forehead; how on Earth was she able to keep her composure?! "Yeah, let's go," She nodded, still very much in a daze. 

"Can I ask what all of these are?" Lee Know questioned, once they were on their way to their destination. "Oh these," Jieun giggled, arranging the bags of gift boxes around them. "They were gifts for my friends," "Friends?" Lee Know asked, rather curious. "You'll see Lee Know-ssi, relax!" 

It wasn't exactly regular behaviour for Lee Know to disregard everything for anyone but Jieun was just not anyone. She was someone who'd compelled him to go against all his morals and rationality from the second they'd crossed paths. He did not know what exactly was going on in his head but he wasn't complaining. He was willing to let destiny go the way it wants to go.

After all, he knew he could manipulate every single person in this person in this Kingdom and get what he wanted but the plans of nature? He wouldn't dare meddle with that. Not when he knew that he'd like the outcome.

Balance is important in this nature. While Jieun and Lee Know were absolutely high on bliss and amusement, there was another person back in the castle who was seething in rage, jealousy and defeat. Eun Kyung did not like losing and now she was. "God damn it!" She gripped the railing of the balcony, screwing her eyes shut trying her hardest to not let any tears slip. She wasn't one to cry. Or let any vulnerability show. But she was now. It hurt! Losing a fight where she doesn't have any control. She knew that she was fighting a losing battle;

She grabbed the railing tighter as if that would keep her sanity intact. Harshly biting down her bottom lip, she gulped harshly trying to swallow her sobs. She doesn't remember when she last cried and she wasn't going to change it now,

"Aghhh fuck it!" She screamed out, stomping to the room and throwing a pillow against the wall with all the strength she had. It didn't break and so it did nothing to calm her rage down. So she threw a few more; again didn't cut it. Now she grabbed a showpiece on her bedside and threw it against the wall. The glass ornament shattered into many jagged pieces and scattered all over the room. 

Yunho wasn't supposed to be there, this was the girls' living quarters but what was he to do? He wasn't exactly keen on going around looking for Eun Kyung. The more distance they had between them, the better. But Sana Noona asked him specifically to get her down to help all of them with the Christmas decorations. How was he to know that he would see a rare sight of the otherwise cold and harsh girl that he was used to seeing?

She looked like an utter mess; hair messed up, tears streaming down her fiery red cheeks, blown-out pupils, shaking arms and a sound of a large crash against the wall opposite her! Yunho was rather glad that everyone else was busy downstairs. Explaining this was going to be a hassle and for someone reason, he didn't want her to go through the agony of explaining herself. 

Once the adrenaline of anger finally died down, she crumpled down to the floor, utterly exhausted. And as much as Yunho wanted to tease her for her state, he knew that doing that now would be cruel. Sure, he loved seeing her face scrunch up in anger and irritation but he wasn't that mean to kick her when she was down.

And he simply sighed silently before stepping back to the staircase. "Miss Charlotte! You in here?!" Purposely raising his voice, he shortened his usual long steps. He just didn't want to see her in a state she didn't want anyone to see her in. He could give her that,

"What do you want?" She groaned, her voice muffled. He stood in front of the room to find her stepping out of the bathroom with a towel over her face. 'Smart girl,' Yunho smiled discreetly. "What? What do you want?" She snapped, tossing the towel aside. "Nothing that I want with you like I would have anything to do with you," He leant against the door frame, rolling his eyes. "Then?" She shot him a murderous glare, which would be scary but given their size difference, Yunho simply found her adorable. Like an angry little kitten;

"Well, Sana Noona wanted me to get you downstairs. Said that you needed to get your butt moving and help us with the decorations for tomorrow," There it was the look of irritation and anger that flared in her eyes. That's what Yunho was addicted to. He'd rather have her angry than crying.

"Of course, she didn't say that! Those are your words! Whatever," She threw her hands around. "I'm not in the mood, go away!" Now that wasn't what Yunho was okay with. He knew he needed to get this girl away from here or she was going to spiral into something even darker. And he couldn't have that.

"Girl, trust me, I do not care what your mood currently is. I'd be more than happy to leave you behind and shit but I'm not like you. I listen to my elders and I have a request from my Noona to get your tiny ass downstairs and I'd like to listen to it. Now get yourself downstairs!" This wasn't Yunho speaking, this was the inner material girl in him. But who was gonna blame him honestly, he's mad!

"I have been perfectly respectful to my elders thank you very much!" Eun Kyung snapped, still facing away from the Prince, plopped down on her bed. "I am all but 3 years older than you and you freaking crushed my toes in your first freaking meeting!" "It's not my fault you can't step away to save your life...well toes but that's beside the point!" "For God's Sake, just please!" 

And Eun Kyung still wouldn't have listened to him. He could die in a ditch for all she cared right now but seeing the desperation and pleading in his eyes. It was for sure that he wasn't going to leave her alone, not right now. And while she hated that, she was also internally thankful for him. She did not if she was capable of stopping herself from doing something she'd regret. 

"Gosh, you're soo annoying!" She swung her legs to step on the floor and shot the taller boy a glare. "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah, Ms Charlotte, my toes are very well aware of your opinions about me. Now please proceed downstairs and watch your step,"

Now that really made her stop in her tracks, why would he say... The realization slapped Eun Kyung hard across the face. The glass shards! The glass shards from the showpiece she so dramatically broke! They were littered all over the plush carpets. It was honestly a miracle how she hadn't yet stepped on one yet. But how on Earth was she going to explain this to Yunho? Or anyone?!

Cause Yunho wasn't going to shut up about it! God, she'd look soo pathetic! Everyone knows that she randomly just went crazy and threw a showpiece against the wall; she'd rather choke on lego than have that happen;

The whole trip down the stairs, she was trying to find words to beg the Prince in front of her to keep her secret. But what was she going to tell him? And why would he even listen to the girl that stomped on his toes enough to send him to the hospital? She wouldn't have listened to him if the roles were reversed;

"Listen I-" "Go ahead, I have to do something;" He cut right through her as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "But I-" "Eun Kyung! Where have you been?!" Jeeseun towards them, her eyes sparkling with barely suppressed excitement. "Come on! We've been waiting for you!" And before she could get another word, Jeeseun was dragging her towards the main hall.

She found the leisure to glance back at him, to find him in a conversation with one of the cleaning ladies. The one that was assigned to clean their room. 'Well, shit!' She thought, 'I'm fucked,'

"Oh my God, it's soo pretty!" Haeun cheered as Yun Hyeok finished hanging the final trinket on the huge Christmas tree on one side of the entrance of the castle. "A hand here!?" Wonhan whined from the other side of the tree. "What's going on in here?" Yun Hyeok peeked around the side, the others following.

To be absolutely honest, the sight was hilarious! The beautiful and poised Wonhan jumped up and down like a little sparrow to reach the top of the tree where she could place the beautiful silver star as the finishing touch. "I can't reach it!" She punctuated each word with a jump and the girls were dying of laughter! "It's not funny!" She shot them a brief glare before continuing to jump up and down.

"Like how hard is it to ask for help," No one had expected Mingi to stop whatever he was doing and come to her aid. "Now stop jumping up and down, you're gonna hurt yourself!" He tried reaching for the star, but Wonhan simply moved it back. "No, I want to do it myself," Mingi blinked thrice then let out a tired sigh,

"God, you are an insufferable woman," He huffed, crouching down. "Get on!" "Huh?!" She was confused. "For the love of God, get on my back and I'll give you a lift!" "But I- "

"Would you rather have me, do it?" Wonhan wordlessly climbed his back and securely hooked her legs around his comparatively small waist. "Settled in?" With one nod from her and Mingi rose to full height, making it simple for Wonhan to finally place the star on the top of the Christmas tree. "All done, get me down!" She held onto his shoulders for dear life as Mingi crouched down again. "Thank you," She was blushing. Kim Wonhan! was blushing!

"The next time you have something to put up that high, please don't turn into a bunny and just call me," With that, he was off. Wonhan then finally turned to look at her friends, who looked like they were rather uncomfortable in being there. 

"What is up with ya'all?" She asked, very carefully avoiding eye contact. "Baby, we ain't even here. We're just your imagination!" Haeun declared before promptly walking away from the Christmas tree. "And you say you guys are just friends," Yun Hyeok sighed, wiggling her eyebrows at the girl. "Oh shut up!" Wonhan threw a few extra pieces of wrapping paper at the girl, which did nothing but litter the floor.

"Yun, Won, get in here! I can't handle this much dough all on my own!" Momo called, the desperation evident in her voice. "Coming!" Yun Hyeok wiped her hands on her jeans and set out for the kitchen. "Chae, the dough's ready. Let's go!" She called. "Oh!" The younger looked at the boy she was decorating another tree with. "Yunho, can you finish up here? I kinda need to-" "Noona, go ahead! I can manage," He smiled, placing a star on the top of the tree. "Better still, Eun Kyung, please help him out!" 

Eun Kyung was perfectly content wrapping presents with Jeeseun, Ryanne and Risa. Why did she have to work with him, again? "But I'm working with-" "I'll take her place!" San immediately stepped up, "I think I'll do better with present wrapping than decorating the tree. The trinkets are too small for me," Risa burst out laughing at the comparison. "They look soo tiny in your hands," She giggled, The trinkets really did look like they were micro-sized in San's large hands. "If you say so," Eun Kyung smiled before moving to the tree.

And she had expected Yunho to at least shoot her a teasing glance that royally pissed her off for no whatsoever reason. But much to her surprise, he didn't glance twice at her. And she was supposed to be happy about it right? Finally, some peace and quiet, like she always wanted?!

Then why was she getting irritated every time he interacted with Yukio and Yeseul whilst they worked on the tree? Why was she feeling like her skin was crawling every time he shot the younger girl one of those charming smiles of his? Why was she getting angry?!

"Excuse me there," Seoghwa wedged around the kitchen island where Sana, Momo, Yun Hyeok, Wonhan and Chae were busy making cookies and other sweet treats for the day tomorrow, "Careful there, the whole place is splayed around with flour since someone almost dropped it," Sana threw a teasing glare at Yun Hyeok. "Oh come on! You don't have to tell him that!" Yun Hyeok whined, making everyone laugh. 

"It's alright Noona, I have enough experience with an ever bigger mess!" Seonghwa laughed, unintentionally stepping on a patch of flour and baking powder on the floor. And because he was wearing only some chunky socks; there was ultimately no whatsoever friction keeping him upright;

"Oh my God Seonghwa-" Momo gasped as he was falling, in danger of hitting his head at the corner of the marble counter and everyone's attention was on the kitchen. "Oh my God, you idiot!" Another voice gasped, a bit muffled. "You guys alright!?" Wonhan approached them, her hands still covered in dough and flour. "Yeah, you alright?" Chae heaved, still holding a hand over Seonghwa's head. 

When she realized the danger, she acted immediately. Grabbing a side of his head, she attempted to move it away from the countertop mid-fall. In doing so, she too stepped on the mess on the floor, bare feet and slipped. Seonghwa on his side and Chae on her torso. At least no one was hurt too much,

"Yeah, I'm fine," Seonghwa heaved, still staring at Chae. "She just told you that it was a mess in here, at least look where you're going!" She scolded, her eyes still wide and scared. "I'm fine though!" "You almost cracked your head open! Shut up!" She grabbed the countertop and pushed herself up. "Get up or do you plan on crashing here tonight!" She was mad alright but more than that, she looked worried as she offered her hand to help him up.  "You guys are covered in flour, go ahead and clean up," Sana instructed after calling some of the staff to clean the kitchen. 

"Come on," Seonghwa gently grabbed her hand and led Chae away. "What'd I miss?" Jina walked into the room with Jeongin and Felix. They along with Wooyoung, Jina, Yuriko, Sora and Chaewon and Jongho were decorating the entrance of the palace. "A lot, now come on by the fire. You guys are going to get some severe frostbite at this rate," Chan laughed, steering them towards the couch near the fireplace. "But Chae Eunnie-" "Trust me, she's gonna be fine,"  Haeun simply shrugged at Han's word while he shared knowing looks with Jongho and Mingi, all 3 of them wearing shit-eating grins. 

"Seonghwa, why have you brought me here?" Chae asked, the confusion evident in her voice. Seonghwa had led her into his own room, which he shared with Hong Joong and Yunho. "Are you really alright?" He totally ignored her question and checked her for injuries. "I'm fine but we shouldn't be here alone," She insisted. "Someone could get the wrong idea," Seonghwa smiled softly before exhaling. "You really don't get it, do you?" Chae blinked, feeling stranger to the glint in his eyes.

"Every single person in this castle sees with clear eyes what I feel for you, how much I feel for you. It's neither a misunderstanding nor a secret about how much I like you. Everyone knows that already, it's just you who is clueless." Chae felt like someone had punched her in the stomach.  All air was knocked out of her lungs at his honesty. "I- Seonghwa, you-" She sputtered, not finding words to respond. "Why...?" She asked, her voice dropping down to a whisper. "I'm not-"

"You can push me away all you want," He cut through her, taking her face in his hands. "But just know that I'm not going anywhere. I waited for you for years and I can for years more, so don't say you don't deserve it or you don't understand why you because I can't give you these answers to you. Don't push me away please," He gently kissed her forehead and walked out of the room without a backwards glance, leaving the military Princess speechless and breathless. 

Her legs turned weak as she dropped down to the nearest bed, breathing heavily. Once finally collected herself enough, she noticed that he had left her a t-shirt. "Oh my God, stop!" Chae had no idea what she wanted to stop but she needed to calm down. 

Her heart was going frantic and her senses were working overtime, not being able to just calm down. Once she was done changing and stepped out of the room, she finds him standing just outside the room.

"I-" Her soft words were cut off by a shrill scream downstairs. One look downstairs and another at them, Seonghwa simply grabbed her hand and lead her down only to see Eun Kyung staring at Yunho who was on the ground looking horrified. "What happened?" Seonghwa's voice boomed around the stunned silent living room. "Hyung, I-" "HE FUCKING STUCK GUM ON TO MY HAIR!" Eun Kyung screamed, sounding close to tears holding a side of her hair. Upon Seonghwa turning to look at her, she lowered her shaking hand and everyone gasped at the big chunk of gum sticking to her beautiful black hair. 

Now that's one hell of a way to spend Christmas Eve;

FINALLY SOME PROGRESS ON CHAE AND SEONGHWA'S STORY!!!

And as much as I love Yunho, the gum in the hair was not a good move. But then again, I didn't plan them. Cupid did.

Speaking of who, the 'Halazia' and 'All In' themed banners are made by my dear, TheSassyCupid

I gave her the pictures and she whipped those up out of thin air. Thank you for that Cupid;

Anyway, that's it for this one. I hope you guys enjoy the belated Christmas and New Year's themed chapter and I'll see you guys on the next one.

Love

Fay❤️

30/01/2023