Chapter Text
PRINCE HONG JISOO never ever dreamed that he would ever be a king in the future. That simply was just never a prospect for him, and he was fine with it. He had no qualms about living a privileged life without the added responsibility of looking after a whole kingdom. He was fine.
Jisoo Hong lived as the only son of a prince, whose 3 elder brothers all ruled their own separate kingdoms. While his father felt as if he pulled the short end of the straw, not having a kingdom of his own, Jisoo thought of this as a blessing. He couldn't speak for his other cousins, but he grew up with 2 loving and ever-present parents who doted on him and raised him a true, princely gentleman.
But when his father's brother died with no heir, the kingdom was left to his father, and ultimately, to him.
There was no choice but to leave his beloved land, and his beloved friends. He would have to leave the comfort of his life behind for a new life he expected to be overcome with classes and lessons for him to learn to be prim and proper, suitable for the future king. Jisoo wasn't dumb. He knew without words what was expected of him now that he was the heir apparent to a kingdom.
But Jisoo Hong never imagined you would come along with it.
"Jisoo, this is Hansol and Y/N," his father's new chief counsellor introduced, "They were protégées of your late uncle and your dear aunt, but Hansol is also the son of the Chief Advisor while Y/N is the daughter of the Chief Warrior. Having grown up in the palace, Hansol and Y/N will assist you and help you in learning the ways around the palace and train you in this kingdom. They have a wealth of knowledge we wish you to gain, as well."
You bowed deeply towards the prince in sync with Hansol, your best friend, and Jisoo stutters over his words as he tries to tell both of you that a bow so deep was not necessary. The Chief Counsellor quickly made his way out of Jisoo's new study to leave the three of you to be acquainted.
Jisoo quickly found out that Hansol was 3 years younger, while you were only a few months behind him. Within minutes, he established to himself that the two of you were incredibly nice and likeable and that maybe, he would have friends in the palace with him.
And suddenly life didn't look too bad.
-
"Ji" you hum in a slight daze as his shadow covers the light seeping under your lashes. With a hand in front of your eyes, you open them and squint, "You're blocking the light."
"Well I'm sorry, your highness," he drawled sarcastically, "Can you move over? I want to sit down."
You arose from your laying position on the hammock and scooched to give the prince some space, "You're done with your calligraphy lesson? I lost track of time since I accidentally fell into a nap."
"Y/N, you know you're not meant to fall asleep in the sun! That may harm your skin!" he scolds in concern, "But yes. Can you believe that is a lesson? I suck at it! I've been taking it for 3 years and I barely improved. Who even cares when my declarations and laws will be recorded by someone else anyway?"
"That's just your life, Ji" you leaned your head against his shoulder, "How many more years do you think until you become king?"
"A long time more, I pray. Me being king depends on the health of my Father and I sincerely hope he can hold out for a long time more," he sighed, almost shuddering at the thought, "I'm in no rush for the day I sit on the throne."
"Did you ever want to be king?"
"It was never a thing I thought of, since my father was never supposed to rule any of the 3 Kingdoms of Hong, but I have to say no. I would rather have lived a life of freedom- maybe travelled around the Kingdoms that didn't belong to us. I met two faraway princes once, Minghao and Junhui, and though they said their kingdom was painstakingly far, they said it was one of beauty and tradition. I would've liked to visit," Jisoo recalls dreamily. You like listening to his voice, "But I have responsibilities to assume and the advisors and counsellors would not like it if their prince disappeared for the months it takes to travel and back."
"You're a free spirit, Jisoo. I like that about you," you praised him, "In a different life, you can live your desires."
-
Jisoo can't exactly pinpoint the moment he fell in love with you, but maybe he could recall a few instances when he fell a little bit more each time.
One year after settling into the kingdom, Jisoo was comfortable enough to call you his best friend. Hansol was too, but a little less so since Hansol was not around as much as you were. Hansol was incredibly popular in the nearby village by the castle and he had so many friends, but it felt like you and Jisoo really only had each other.
"Can you pull tighter?" you growl at him in frustration a few feet away, "How are you the man here, Hong Jisoo?"
"I regret telling you my frivolous birth name," he utters, tugging on the knot around the tree tighter til the palms of his hands turned white, "I think it's fine now."
You quirked an eyebrow, letting go of the fabric and watching in joy as the hammock the two of you constructed in the rose garden remained hanging in mid-air.
"Okay, here's the test," you approached the middle carefully, "Ji, can you stand behind me and catch me in case I fall?"
"Wouldn't want the princess to fall and break a pretty little bone," he teased, positioning himself on the opposite side of you. He knew that you hated it when he called you princess.
Your test on the hammock was successful in that it held your weight without feeling like the hammock was going to give at any point. Excitedly, you had turned to Jisoo, "Jisoo, you try it! I think it could even hold us together!"
He was wary since he was a lot taller than you were, "Fine, but you stand behind me too, okay?"
After confirming you were behind him, Jisoo sat down on the fabric but did so in a rushing manner where all his weight failed to distribute evenly and he shot back. With a cry, you hooked your arms around his body and hauled him up, blubbering about how Jisoo could've died from that.
"For such a well-versed, eloquent being, you sure are dumb," you scorned, looking down at his dazed face.
Your arms were still hooked around him as he looked up to you. A smile conquered his face instantly, "You're worried about me? Cute!"
His eyes were sparkling up at you, and he will forever remember how the look of concern on your face melted into bashfulness, then fondness for the clumsy prince. That was a time he knew he fell in love with you a little bit, in a garden surrounded by blooming flowers with your arms around him.
In his second year with you by his side, he falls in love with you a little bit more when you tend to his every need while he is confined to his bed, running a high fever.
"Y/N, you might get sick," Jisoo croaked out as you scoffed.
"My health is not more important than my future King's," you retorted, "And plus, you're too weak to feed yourself soup, yet your pride is inflated to the point I know you're uncomfortable with having any of the servants hand-feed you. I'm the only one you let your pride down around. Plus, when I get sick, you can take care of me."
"Whatever, Y/N," he tried with all his might to roll his eyes and look nonchalant, "Why do you care so much? And don't say because I'm your future prince. That's ridiculous."
"Because you're my best friend, Jisoo-ah," you say quietly, "And we only have each other."
"And Hansol, sometimes," he smiled endearingly, "What would I do without the two of you? Without you?"
"Let's never think of that," you mirrored his beautiful smile and set down the bowl of soup after he rejected another spoonful. You got up from beside his bed and pressed your lips to his temple, "Get some rest, Ji. I need my partner-in-crime back."
He was pretty sure, at this point, that he was completely smitten in love, in such a way that was irreversible.
-
"You are cordially invited to Prince Jisoo's 21st Birthday Ball," Jisoo knocked at your office just down the corridor from his study, "And Prince Jisoo has come to deliver the invitation himself to you."
"Jisoo, are you dumb?" you deadpanned, "I designed the invitation and I'm literally planning your party as we speak. It would be a grave sin to not invite me."
He narrowed his eyes at you, plopping himself at the armchair in front of your desk, "Here I am, trying to do something sweet and you push me aside without even a single bat of the eyelash. Now, my love, how is the party preparations going?"
"Don't call me that," you whined, "But these preparations are a mess. Ji, you can't just tell me 'Anything you like will be fine by me' because then I don't know where to start and I know you say you're not picky but when you get to the party, you pick and criticize at every little thing."
"Y/N, I assigned you as the chief party planner for my birthday since you know me best, and even if you throw me the ugliest birthday party ever, I will pretend to love it because I know you put your effort into it. Don't worry, you won't be able to tell!" he winked.
Your face contorted into one of horror as you stood up and began to swat him out of the room, "Hong Jisoo, you are a nightmare!"
"Wear something pretty to the party," he winked at you as he left, chuckling under his breath when you slammed the door in frustration.
But even after that, you threw him the most beautiful party that his breath was taken away after he entered the ballroom.
There were floral arrangements of his favourite flowers. There were pianists playing his favourite classical pieces. There were even chocolates imported from his original homeland. In short, it was perfect.
After the trumpeter did his job and the announcer introduced him (as if it wasn't obvious), his first task was to find you among the crowd, who seemingly all wanted to congratulate him. If he didn't wish to find you so quickly, he wouldn't have minded the interactions, but he was adamant in thanking you.
"You must have seemed so rude to all those people," you scolded once he found you at the edge of the room, "You rushed away so hastily! Have you forgotten everything I taught you about interacting with these people?"
"I just wanted to find you and thank you, Y/N," he said, breathless, "It's beautiful."
"As you said, I know you best," you said softly, "Forget about me tonight, Jisoo. It's your birthday and your time to interact with all these people here for you. Look, I even tracked down Prince Junhui and Prince Minghao! I'm here every day. You can go."
With determined eyes, he gripped your wrist and took you to the dancefloor, right in the middle where everyone's eyes cast towards you.
"Jisoo Hong, what are you doing? People are staring!" you hissed, cowering in embarrassment.
"My Y/N, let them stare. You look beautiful tonight, anyway. You really do."
With your heart-melting, the two of you swayed together to the soft, melodious noise of the instruments. The two of you existed in your own little bubble for a while, not caring about the whispers of the prince and his non-important acquaintance. The two of you existed there until your bubble of bliss was popped.
"Jisoo," you whispered in his ear, "We need to talk. Come outside with me for a little moment."
-
"You've been silent for a minute, Y/N," he chuckled nervously, "Is something wrong?"
"I was going to do this tomorrow, Jisoo. I wasn't going to ruin your night like this, but I can't keep it in," you began to shake and sob.
"Y/N? Why are you crying? What is this about?" he latched his arms around you, in a way to comfort you, but you pushed him away.
"The princess from three kingdoms over. I saw that you met her," you began, "I had to keep it a secret from you but your parents told me one week ago that you have already been entered into an arranged marriage with her. Your parents were going to introduce the two of you tonight and tell you about the marriage tomorrow. I'm leaving tomorrow, Jisoo."
"W-what?" his voice was meek and small, "What are you talking about? No! I refuse to marry a stranger, Y/N! And no, you cannot leave me!"
"That's not a luxury you can have, Jisoo," you cried out, "And I was given two options: to work in the kingdom of one of your parents' acquaintance or be dismissed with no help and a bad reputation. Frankly, Jisoo, I can't stay here and watch you get married. That's a heartbreak I'll endure from far away."
"Y/N, I love you."
You cupped his face and smiled through your tears, "And I know you do, and I know you know I've loved you back for years, but I saw this coming. I am not of noble status and I would never have been your wife, but we had 3 years together, Jisoo. You gave me 3 beautiful years and I will forever be in your debts for brightening up my life the way you did."
"3 years is not enough, Y/N," he pressed his forehead to yours as tears began to slip out of his eyes and onto your stained dress, "I want to be with you."
"Jisoo, you don't have the luxury to choose who you're going to marry, but you had the luxury to choose who you loved. Thank you for choosing to love me for these past 3 years. If I could do this all over again, I would've told you the second I fell in love with you so I could have spent all these years in your arms and not pining after you. Jisoo, I chose to love you too. I do, with all my heart. In a million lifetimes, I will choose over and over again to love you, but in this one, I have to leave you. There's no way about it," you professed.
"Can I not come with you?" he whispered, fearing his voice would break as much as his heart was breaking in that current moment.
"Jisoo, you have to stay," you stroked the side of his face gently like he was the most precious thing in the world, "You can't abandon a whole kingdom."
"And in turn, I have to abandon you?"
"I'm choosing to go," you said softly, "I'm choosing the easy way for us."
"Any life with you will be easy, Y/N!" he tried to argue.
"You're just saying that," you uttered, "Please be happy here, Jisoo. I want you to have the life you deserve, so I'm willing to leave."
He continued to shake in your arms, crying and staining your beautiful gown. Your heart was torn in pieces for the boy you loved, yet were forbidden to love.
Jisoo wiped his tears after a while, standing straight in front of you and reaching to take a box out of his pocket, "Before my grandmother passed away, she gave me her wedding ring because I was her favourite grandchild for me to give to the love of my existence. My parents don't know about this ring. She told me that it was for the girl I was destined to be with, in lifetimes beyond this one. You are that girl for me, Y/N. In our second life, I will find you and I will fight for you even if it cripples me."
You watched frozen as he slid the ring onto your finger and pressed his lips upon it, "How do you know that this isn't already our second lifetime? And that in every life we aren't being separated again?"
"Because the next time I have you, I know I will never let you go again," he let the tears flow again as he pulled you closer, "I love you and I wish I could've told you this earlier. I wish I knew we had a ticking clock counting down in this lifetime."
"Having you for 3 years beside me, in any way, was a privilege, Jisoo," you whispered, "I'll count on you, okay? To find me in our next lifetime?"
He aligns his eyes with yours. He has the most beautiful eyes you’ve ever seen and you won’t be quick to forget them. With a sense of longing and finality, he pressed his soft lips to yours and you move with instinct until he pulled away.
"In our second life, if I am aeons away from you, I will walk every step in time to you again. The world will stop when I have you in my arms again because in our second life, I'll have you forever and you'll have me too. If I pass you by the street and not know your name, I'll still remember you in the back of my heart and mind," he told you, dripping in love, "Because if we carry nothing else but our souls into the next life, your being is engraved into the heart of my soul."