Chapter Text
Seokjin would never forget when he moved to the palace, his mother packing up all their stuff while his father was at work, telling him they were going somewhere better. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it, too young to understand properly, but that also meant he didn’t see what was really going on. So he went along with it, letting his mother take him wherever they were going.
His eyes widened when they’d approached the gates, the guards talking with his mother for a few minutes, her handing over pieces of paper. Seokjin stayed where he was, always listening to what he was told, not wanting to make trouble for himself or his mother. He could see the palace from there, standing tall at the end of the long road, seemingly endless land surrounding it.
Nobody was ever allowed near here, not unless they had important business, or were looking for trouble. But he knew better than to ask questions just yet, staying silently even as his mother took his hand again, leading him through the gates that had been opened. “It’ll be better here, I promise. We’ll be okay here.” She’d said quietly to him as they walked down the road, but he hadn’t replied, not sure what to say.
The palace seemed even taller up close, so much bigger. The stairs leading up to the door were intimidating, new, he didn’t know why they were here. He tugged his hand back a little before they could walk up the stairs, his mother turning to look at him. He could only stare up at her with wide eyes, questioning, innocent.
She let out a small sigh, putting down the bag on her arm to be able to crouch down in front of him, so she was level with him. “Hey, baby.” She said, one hand resting on his arm, the other reaching up to brush a strand of hair out of his face. “I’m sorry. I know you’re a big boy, and I haven’t explained much, but we just… needed to leave quickly. We’re going to stay here now, yeah? Mama got a good job here, I’m going to cook for the people who live here. You like my cooking, don’t you?”
Seokjin nodded enthusiastically, always loving to watch when she was cooking, trying anything she made even if they couldn’t always afford to make the most luxurious things. “Well, that’s what I’ll be doing here. They’ve said you can come, as long as you’re well behaved, and I know my baby is always good.” She said, reaching up to cup his cheek, smiling softly at him. “It’ll be nice here, even if it’s a little scary just now. Trust me, okay? I know you’re super brave.”
He giggled as she pinched his cheek, swatting her hand away. “I’m brave.” Seokjin agreed, puffing his chest out a little. “I’m eight. I’m really big. And I promise I’ll be super good, always.” He told her confidently, giving a grin, one of his front teeth having fallen out just a few days ago.
“Mmh, I know you are.” She said, leaning up to kiss his forehead, before standing up. “Come on, baby.” He took her hand again, both of them making their way up the set of stone stairs. There was a pause when they reached the top, a few seconds of silence before his mother took a deep breath and reached out to knock on the door.
It seemed to echo inside the building, Seokjin squeezing her hand slightly. After a few seconds, the faint sound of footsteps came from the other side of the door, heading towards them. He took a breath, holding it as the door opened as if there would be something scary on the other side. But it was just a man in a neat uniform, looking between the two of them before back to his mother. She quickly rushed to explain herself, showing the papers that proved the request of her presence, proof she had gotten the job there.
The rest of it was almost a blur, so much happening for his little mind, mostly just focusing on following behind his mother and not getting lost. It wasn’t long before they’d been led into a room, pretty small considering the size of the building but still bigger than the rooms they had back at home. His mother was taking some of their stuff out of the bag she’d packed, Seokjin still hovering near the door.
“Come on in, baby, it’s fine. This is where we stay now, okay? This is your bed, over here, see?” She moved to sit on a small mattress in the corner, patting it gently. Seokjin made his way over hesitantly, sitting on the mattress, leaning against her side. She gave a small smile, lifting a hand to gently brush through his hair. “How about we get ready for bed, and get some sleep soon? And tomorrow, you can have a big day of exploring. Carefully, of course. No getting into trouble, or getting lost.”
Seokjin still didn’t understand completely, but he gave a small nod. He loved his mother, and he knew his father was a bad man. As long as it made his mother happy, he’d go along with whatever she wanted. Hopefully, he got used to his place quickly and hopefully, it wasn’t so scary during the day when it was light out. “Okay, Mama.” He said softly, waiting as she got up to gather his sleepwear.
It wasn’t long before he was settled on the mattress, thin blankets pulled over himself, his mother sat up beside him. They always did this, where she’d sit at his side until he fell asleep, telling him made up stories, and he loved nothing more than hearing a new tale every night.
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When he woke the next day, his mother wasn’t in the room. He was a little afraid to go venturing himself, sitting up cross-legged on the hard mattress, wondering just when she’d come back. The place looked so big and scary, he didn’t want to get lost.
Luckily for him, it wasn’t long before she shuffled back through the door, looking over to the young boy, giving a small smile. “Ah, Jinnie. You’re awake.” She cooed at him, moving over to ruffle at his hair. “I’m sorry, I had to be in the kitchen early, to make breakfast.”
He gave a small pout, remembering that was why they were here, for her new job. “Oh… I forgot.” Seokjin mumbled, before looking up, almost hesitant. The mention of breakfast had made his stomach pang in hunger, but back at home, there wasn’t always something to eat in the mornings. “...Mama, um- hungry.” The boy whispered.
She looked over her son, feeling guilty at how even as just a child, he realised that they often couldn’t afford even the bare essentials. “Oh, baby… It’s okay, come on. Let’s get you dressed, and we can get some food.” She told him. It wasn’t a full breakfast, but the staff did get a small amount each morning, and sometimes any salvageable leftovers.
Seokjin’s eyes lit up and he was quick to get out of the bed, letting his mother clean his face and hands up with a cloth, before getting dressed. He clung to her skirt as they walked down a hall, entering a kitchen where a few mother ladies his mothers' age were scattered about.
A few turned to look at them as they entered and cooed at the sight of the young boy peeking from behind her legs, having been told about him when his mother had introduced herself that morning. “Say hi, Jinnie.” She told him, always trying to teach him not to be rude.
“...Hi.” He said shyly, his round cheeks tinted pink at all the attention. It wasn’t long before he warmed up to them as they fussed over him, bringing him over to get him seated at the rickety table in the corner, a plate of food being brought to him.
It wasn’t much at all, a couple of broken pieces of pastry, a bit of egg, a little meat at the side. But to him, it was a feast. They rarely had meat back at home, he couldn’t even remember the last time they got it. He was maybe… six? And his mother had got it for an extra special surprise at Christmas!
Seokjin was definitely a charmer, even if he wasn’t used to all the attention. He sat at the table long after his food was done, talking to the ladies in the kitchen all about the super cool bugs that he used to find in his garden. He soon grew restless though, a growing boy with a full tummy for the first time in a while meant energy, and sitting around grew boring.
They seemed to notice this, and it was nearly time for them to get started on making lunch anyway. Despite breakfast having been served not all that long ago, the prep and cooking time of all the food took quite a while. And they didn’t dare run late for mealtimes.
“You have to stay in the small corridors, angel.” One of the older ladies told him, as they sent him off to go and explore. “If you see any fancy decoration, or there is a nice red carpet on the ground, you’re not allowed there.” She told him, not wanting him to get into trouble with the guards, or worse, the royals. “There’s a way to a small outdoor area from these corridors, but if you somehow end up in a super big nice garden, come back. That’s the wrong way.”
With further instructions and a firm nod to show he understood, despite having been too impatient to listen to all of it, he was sent off with a kiss to the forehead by his mother. The halls in that area of the palace didn’t have many windows, lights on the wall lighting the area up, though he was just happy he could see, unlike last night. They probably turned them off at night.
Even though the corridors and hallways dedicated to the staff and workers were limited and quite small, they felt endless to him. Just one of them seemed bigger than his whole old house! He found himself going in circles, or maybe it was a square, trying to navigate his way. He was having too much fun exploring to care about getting lost, the halls seemed endless with how tiny he was.
Soon enough, he came across a new corridor, one he hadn’t seen yet. He stopped in his tracks, eyeing the halls up. If he went to either side, there was a red carpet rolled out across the floor, like he’d been told to avoid… But if he went straight ahead, and only quickly crossed the carpet, there was just the same stone floor! And small steps up to two big looking doors, which just begged for the curious boy to come and investigate.
He stuck out his tongue in concentration as he stood at the very edge of the red carpet, giving a grunt at the effort as he took a big jump, trying to leap right over. He didn’t quite make it, but he only touched the carpet for a few seconds, nobody would know. Proud with himself, he padded on forward towards the doors, grabbing the large handles that he could just reach, pulling them open with only a small struggle.
When it opened to reveal outside he let out a small gasp. It looked so pretty and so big! He vaguely remembered that he was told if it was big and nice to come back, but he was too distracted by how nice it looked. He slowly stepped outside, following the small path out to the grass.
He walked around, looking at the decorations, and the pretty flowers and plants. Eventually, he’d seen everything, slowly making his way back, looking over everything again with fascination. Seokjin paused as he neared the path to the doorway again, not having expected anyone to be there.
There was a small boy sitting on the steps, blue shorts held up by suspenders that rested over the front of his white shirt, collar folded nicely and his wavy hair long enough to rest in small curls just over the tips of his ears. He was playing with something in his hand, a toy it seemed, pretending it was walking about on the step beside him.
Seokjin hesitantly walked closer, knowing he wasn’t meant to be there, but the boy looked like a baby! He couldn’t give him into trouble. The stranger soon looked up at the sound of his footsteps, wide eyes settling on him, a confused pout forming on his lips. “Oh.” The boy said, and Seokjin didn’t even know babies could talk! “Hum… Who are you?”
“...Seokjin. Or Jinnie, that’s what Mama calls me.” He answered, rocking on his heels briefly, receiving no answer from the other. “What’s your name? And how old are you? You look like a baby. I’m eight.”
The smaller boy scowled at him, though it looked adorable on his youthful face, like a grumpy kitten. “I’m not a baby! I’m six.” The other informed him, though six still seemed like a baby to Seokjin. He was six a long time ago. “My name’s Yoongi.”
Seokjin nodded a little at the knowledge of the boys’ name, the two of them just silent after that. It wasn’t awkward, the two of them too young to care. His eyes soon drifted back to the toy that was now firmly clutched in the younger's hands, on his lap. “What’s that?”
Yoongi looked down, loosening his grip a little to be able to show it off, holding it up for Seokjin to see. “It’s a horse.” He said, the wooden toy cut in the shape of a horse. He’d never seen a real horse super close, but it looked cool! “A toy, you wanna see?” He asked, holding it out for the older.
Seokjin hesitated for a second before he reached out, taking the toy from him. He held it up, inspecting it for a few seconds before he started to make it ‘move’ through the air, a smile tugging at his lips. “It’s cool..” He said, continuing for a few seconds, lowering it and holding it back out for the younger. He didn’t have much experience talking to kids his own age, or younger.
“Where did you come from?” Yoongi asked curiously, as children often were, tilting his head at the older. “I’ve never seen you here before, ‘n I thought only old people worked here, not little kids…” He said with a thoughtful pout.
“Oh… My Mama works here! She, hum- she cooks food for the people that live here! So we stay here now...” He said with a smile, just happy he’d found someone to talk to. Maybe they could be friends, and he wouldn’t have to always explore by himself! “Do you stay here too? Does your parents work here?”
Yoongi seemed to pause for a few seconds as if thinking about Seokjin’s words. He raised his little shoulders, dropping them back down in a shrug. “I live here too… I didn’t think any other kids would come to stay here. I’m always by myself here.” He said sadly, which was understandable considering it must have been hard to grow up in such a big place with nobody his own age to play with or even talk to.
Seokjin frowned, he didn’t like it when people were sad. And even if it was adorable the way that Yoongi’s round cheeks puffed up even more when he pouted, he didn’t want him to be sad anymore. “I’ll be your friend!” He told the younger, giving him a wide grin. “If we both stay here, we can be friends, and we can explore together.” He said enthusiastically.
The other looked at him with wide eyes filled with awe. He’d never had a proper friend before. “Really?” He asked, his tone almost shy. And even if he knew the place by heart, he’d happily take Seokjin on adventures to explore. “I wanna be friends, you are very nice.” He said, with a short nod. “We can come here like- every day, and play!”
“Okay.” Seokjin agreed, not able to help bouncing on his heels for a few seconds in excitement. Maybe it wouldn’t be so boring here like he thought! “Um… We can come here every time after breakfast?” He asked, not wanting to miss the meal every morning. Yoongi nodded quickly, but before he could get a word of reply in, the doors opened.
There was a sharp gasp, and one of the ladies from the kitchen earlier made her way over to them, grabbing Seokjin by the arm. His eyes widened in surprise, trying to tug away from her hold, but she held on tight. “I’m so sorry, your highness.” She rushed out, quickly bending into a low bow in Yoongi’s direction. With a squeeze to his arm, Seokjin whimpered softly and moved to quickly copy her. “Lunch will be around an hour, Sir. Again, my apologies, this won’t happen again.”
Before anyone could say anything she was dragging him away, back through the door, and down the hall. He was too scared to say anything to her, or ask what he’d done wrong. It wasn’t long before they entered the kitchen, and the lady started explaining to his mother loudly where she’d found him. The entire room stared at them silently as she led him out, and towards their small room.
He burst into tears when they entered, not even sure what he had done wrong, but he didn’t like getting into trouble or feeling like he’d been bad. Luckily she didn’t seem too angry, holding him close to calm him down until he stopped crying. “Baby, listen to me.” She said softly, soon pulling away so they were facing each other. “You need to listen to the rules, okay? Or you’ll get us in trouble.” She told him, taking in his confused expression with a small sigh.
She went on to explain that the young boy he’d been speaking to was the Prince, which meant he was part of the family they were working for. If he got caught talking to him, he could get into big trouble since Yoongi was meant to be kept safe, and not talk to the staff as they were ‘below’ him. He complained it wasn’t fair, the boy was so nice, and he just wanted a friend! Yoongi wanted to be his friend, too.
With a few firm scolding and more tears, eventually, he agreed with her. He wasn’t even allowed to call him Yoongi, either. Your highness, or Sir, or Prince Min! It was so stupid. But just because he agreed, didn’t mean he was going to listen. If his mother dragged him all the way here, he at least deserved one friend. He’d be super careful, if they only played for a little bit, then nobody would find them.
When he eventually went to bed that night he wondered if the other boy would be there the next day, or if them being caught would have scared the younger out of meeting with him. He could only hope he would be there, his only thought as he fell asleep being how excited he was to have a friend as nice as Yoongi.