Chapter Text
It finally arrived. The letter.
Han Yoojin was lucky he got the mail before his little brother otherwise it would have been ripped up before he could have read it. Yoojin had been anticipating the letter since the Report last week. He took note of the official seal on the outside of the envelope as he slit it open with a butter knife.
To the House of Han:
The recent census has confirmed that a single individual between the ages of twenty-five and thirty currently resides in your home. We would like to make you aware of an upcoming opportunity to honor the great nation of Illéa. Our beloved king, Sung Hyunjae has decided to begin the Selection process. As he ventures into this new part of his life, he hopes to discover a partner, to marry a true Son or Daughter or Illéa. If your eligible child, sibling, or charge is interested in possibly becoming the bride or groom of King Sung Hyunjae and the adored Royal Consort of Illéa, please fill out the enclosed form and return it to your local Province Services Office. One individual from each province will be drawn at random to meet the king. Participants will be housed at the lovely Illéa Palace in Angeles for the duration of their stay. The families of each participant will be generously compensated for their service to the royal family.
Yoojin sat down at the kitchen table and picked up a pen. He glanced down the small hallway and saw the light on in the third bedroom which had been converted into an art studio. Hopefully that meant Yoohyun was working on a project and wouldn’t get up for awhile. Yoojin looked at the form and quickly filled it out. The information was quite basic such as his name, height, weight, and caste. Under languages spoken he wrote down English, French, and Spanish, and for special skills he listed the instruments he played.
When he finished, he took another look towards the studio. There weren’t any signs that Yoohyun was done working, so Yoojin resolved he probably had enough time to drop off the application. He walked to the Province Services Office, but when he was a block away, there was already a long line of young men and women waiting.
“Yoojin,” a voice called out from behind him.
He turned and saw a young girl named Shin Yoosung. With her was an older girl with black hair pulled into a ponytail.
“Hello, Yoosung,” he replied.
“Are you entering your name, ahjussi?” Yoosung asked.
“That’s right,” Yoojin answered, “Might as well try, am I right?”
“This is Jihye,” Yoosung explained, gesturing to the older girl standing beside her, “She’s entering her name too.”
The girl, Jihye, scowled at Yoojin, but he managed to give her a friendly wave. “She doesn’t seem very happy,” he commented.
Yoosung laughed and replied gleefully, “She’s not! She lost a bet, so she has to enter her name as a punishment.”
“By the way, Yoojin ahjussi, why aren’t you dressed up more?”
Yoojin frowned at the question, “What do you mean?”
Yoosung looked around as if checking if anyone was listening then said conspiratorially, “I heard this when I was working at the house of some Threes. They’re going to be picking out the contestants. If this was really a random lottery, why would they care how many languages you can speak?”
Yoojin did think that part was weird but had written it off. Now as he looked around he could clearly see who knew and who didn’t. Up ahead there was a girl, obviously a Two or a Three, wearing a fancy dress and practically drowning in jewelry and makeup. However, about a few people behind the girl was a young man. He was wearing work clothes, and, judging by the dirt and dust on his face, he was a Seven.
Yoojin just shrugged. He didn’t care that much. He looked very plain, but at least he was clean. Even if he wanted to dress up, there weren’t many options. He only really owned a few nice suits for when he was working, and everything else was simple, everyday wear.
It took about an hour for him to get through the line. He handed in his form, and they took his picture, and that was it. Quite anticlimactic.
He waved goodbye to Yoosung and Jihye and hurried home. It had taken a lot longer than he had expected, and by this time, Yoojin guessed that Yoohyun would probably have noticed he was gone. He stepped into the house. Yoohyun was sitting at the small kitchen table.
“Hi, Yoohyun,” Yoojin said casually, “How’s your painting going?”
Yoohyun ignored the question and asked pointedly, “Where’d you go, hyung?”
“Oh, you know…just some errands.”
“Hyung, you’re a really bad liar,” Yoohyun frowned, “Did you enter your name?”
Yoojin sighed. He really was a bad liar, and he hated having to hide things from his younger brother. “Yes. I did.”
“Hyung!” Yoohyun said crossly.
Yoojin sat down at the table across from Yoohyun and took his hand. “There’s probably no way I’m getting selected, so I thought I might as well put my name in.”
“But you might! Besides, if you don’t think you’ll be selected, then there’s no point!”
“Well, you never know unless you try,” Yoojin answered calmly.
“Hyung, why?” Then as if a thought struck him, Yoohyun made a face and spoke with disgust, “Don’t tell me you actually want to marry the king?”
Yoojin laughed at that, “I’m pretty sure that statement could constitute as treason, but no. I have no interest in marrying the king. But Yoohyun, think about it, if I got selected, even if I stayed there for a day, we would be compensated for it.”
Yoohyun sat quietly as he thought over it.
The truth that Yoohyun didn’t want to admit was that the money could help them. It was nearing summertime, and also the most unstable time of the year for them.
Yoojin and Yoohyun were Fives, and Fives were artists and classical musicians. Yoohyun was an artist, primarily a painter, and Yoojin played the violin and piano. In the winter, holidays like Christmas and New Year’s took place. For that part of the year, Yoojin would often have at least five jobs lined up during those weeks, and Yoohyun would have patrons purchase his art as gifts. However, the rest of the year, the only things they had were the occasional birthday parties or business events.
Yoohyun knew this well, and he sighed, “All right, I get it.” In a smaller voice he said, “But, hyung, I don’t want you to leave me.”
Yoojin smiled. Their parents had passed away, and the only family the boys had was each other. “
Well, it’s like I said. There’s no chance I’ll be chosen.”
“Sir Han Yoojin of Allens!”
Two weeks later, Yoojin and Yoohyun were sitting in front of the TV watching the Illéa Capitol Report’s much anticipated broadcast of the selected names. When Yoojin heard his name, he dropped the glass of tea he was holding. As he stared at the screen, he confirmed that it was actually him. The picture of him that had been taken was shown, and his messy hair and lazy posture were evident.
Yoohyun stared at Yoojin and opened his mouth to say something when the phone rang loudly.
It didn’t stop ringing for days.
The week following the announcement was filled with visitors. A tailor came to take Yoojin’s measurements to begin making his wardrobe, neighbors he’d never met before came over to give their congratulations, and an official from the palace came to review everything with him.
Yoojin looked over the forms with the official and confirmed his information.
“As of now, Mr. Han, you are a Three.”
“What?” Yoojin asked, eyes wide.
“Yes, Twos and Threes usually do fine, but Fours and below struggle to get readjusted after the Selection. Your family, however, will remain Fives.” The official continued, “Of course, if you go on to win the Selection, you will marry the king and you and your family will become Ones as a part of the royal family of Illéa.”
He was a Three now. Yoojin barely heard the rest of what the official said, as he processed the information.
“One final thing,” the official said, “Should you marry King Sung Hyunjae you will take on all of the titles and responsibilities of the position as the Prince Consort.”
Despite how heavy that sounded, it was the easiest thing for Yoojin to agree to.
“In a few days, an aide will help you get ready for the flight to Angeles where you will enter the palace and officially begin competing in the Selection,” the official said as he stood and went to the door.
“All right, thank you,” Yoojin managed to say.
As he shut the door behind the official, Yoojin sank to the floor. This was all really happening. He’d been in a state of shock, and he’d barely registered what was being told to him. After sitting for a minute, he stood up and walked to the kitchen table. Yoojin picked up the check the official had brought and held it for a while. This was what made all of this worth it. He’d be leaving, but he wouldn’t have to worry about Yoohyun going hungry.
Finally the big day came, and an aide came and helped him dress for the occasion. He wore black dress pants and a white button down shirt just like all the other Selected would.
The brothers were driven to the town square where a large crowd of people had gathered. Yoojin noticed that there seemed to be a distinction in the crowd. Those of the lower castes cheered for him while people of the upper castes looked at him like he’d stolen something from them.
A band played the anthem, and the mayor spoke to the audience, but Yoojin felt like he wasn’t really there, like he was observing everything from the outside.
Then, it was time to say goodbye.
Yoojin turned to Yoohyun, “Don’t worry, hyung will be back soon.”
Yoohyun’s normally expressionless face was filled with worry, and Yoojin pulled him into a hug.
“What if you don’t?” Yoohyun’s voice was muffled into his shoulder.
Yoojin laughed, “It’ll be okay. There’s no way they’d keep me around when there are Twos.”
“Mr. Han, we need to get to the airport,” his aide said, making a “move-along” gesture.
“I love you, Yoohyun. Make sure to eat your vegetables and lock the doors,” Yoojin said and ruffled Yoohyun’s hair.
Yoohyun answered, “I love you too, hyung.” Then he added in a whisper, “The problem is hyung is the best.”
Yoojin was surprised and confused at the statement, but he smiled.
As his aide pulled him along to the car that would take him to the airport, Yoojin waved to Yoohyun who watched mournfully. The car started, and soon Yoohyun was out of view.
At the airport were three other contestants. He recognized the faces of the Two from Kent, the Four from Clermont, and the Six from Carolina. He somehow ended up in a seat next to the Two.
From his prior experience with the upper castes, he expected the young woman to be snobby and repulsed by his presence, but to his surprise she was the opposite.
When they took off, she introduced herself, “Hello, I’m Kang Soyoung. I’m from Kent.”
“Ah, nice to meet you, I’m Han Yoojin from Allens.”
Then she smiled brightly, “Isn’t this so exciting? I could barely sleep last night!”
Yoojin nodded, “Um, yes. I’ve never flown before.”
“Oh, right. You’re a Five, right?” Somehow the way Kang Soyoung said it didn’t sound mean, as if she was genuinely curious.
“Yeah.”
She moved on as if sensing his reluctance to say more about the subject, “I can’t wait to see the palace. And the king!”
“Right…” Yoojin said, fully aware that he was not doing a good job of participating in the conversation.
Kang Soyoung didn’t seem bothered by the lack of response and was content to talk on and on about the king, what the palace looked like, and the weather in Angeles.
While Yoojin was half listening to her, he also thought about what he knew about the king.
Sung Hyunjae was the current king, and he was 29 years old. The Selection was always a big deal, but the reason this Selection was gaining particular attention was because Sung Hyunjae originally should have done it 10 years ago. The Selection is traditionally for princes when they come of age at 19, but the previous king and queen, his parents, died in a rebel attack a few weeks before his 19th birthday forcing him to ascend the throne. Then, King Sung Hyunjae was busy getting used to his role. Questions had been asked about his plans for marriage and a successor, but he had stated many times that he wanted to focus on running the country. Over the years, there had been speculations that he would marry the princess of France or some other foreign noble. So, it came as quite a surprise when he had announced on the Report that he was going forward with a Selection. The king seemed like an interesting person. Yoojin wondered why he decided on doing a Selection now.
Yoojin leaned back into the plush chair of the private jet. The flight was a moment of calm to catch his breath because soon Yoojin would be in Angeles, the capital of Illéa.