Chapter Text
“I think…we should break up.”
Ohyul paused. Did he just hear that correctly? Surely he didn’t. He narrowed his eyes at Suen. His precious Suen that he’d been in love with ever since he first laid eyes on her in private school. She’d just transferred and everyone was talking about her striking beauty, her status being the daughter of the head of Jang Construction.
But he fell for more than that. He fell for her intelligence, her charisma, her kind personality. She was a breath of fresh air in his life full of so much responsibility and duty. She didn’t treat him like just some prince, but someone special she was truly in love with as well. They were supposed to be together forever, the engagement ring on her finger proved that—so what was she saying?
Ohyul cleared his throat and set down his tea. He held her gaze for a moment, taking in her effortless elegance and that long black hair he’d run his fingers through so many times.
“I…I don’t understand,” he managed to speak eventually. Suen raised her hand and carefully slipped off the ring he’d given her, setting it down onto the polished table between them. Ohyul’s eyes widened. “What are you doing—”
“There’s someone else, Ohyul.” She whispered.
“…what?”
“I can’t lie to you anymore. When I told you I went to Jeju Island last month for a work trip…I was actually with someone else.”
Ohyul blinked. Deafening silence fell between them, circulating the opulent bedroom they shared. The bedroom that they planned to make love in on their wedding night. Something he’d been dreaming about since he first met her. And suddenly that dream was cold and unreachable.
Ohyul stood up swiftly, his silk robe fluttering as he paced, trying to make sense of her words. Jeju. Last month. Work trip. Someone else. It was obvious what she was saying, and yet his heart and mind refused to accept it. He paused once more and looked back at her.
“Who is he? Who is this person?” He pressed, barely containing the anger that surged through him.
Suen watched him warily, “our Poetry professor from school…Mr. Min.”
Ohyul’s face twisted. “You’re cheating on me with our old teacher?”
Suen didn’t respond.
“But why? I don’t get it. You said yes when I asked you to marry me—”
“Because I thought it was what I wanted.”
“You thought? What…what changed?”
Suen sighed and the sound of exhaustion made Ohyul tense even more. “I’m sorry; but I just can’t see myself being a future Queen. I know I should’ve said something earlier, but I just got so scared. But your world, it’s too much to handle sometimes, Ohyul. I don’t think I’m ready to be fully a part of it.”
A crushing weight landed on Ohyul’s heart. She wasn’t ready to be a part of his world? He wanted to lash out at her and yell—but he couldn’t blame her. His world was never easy. The duty of being King constantly loomed over him, the weight of upholding his perfect image, being involved in his parents’ politics and affairs, being at the forefront of high class gatherings. And that was just brushing the surface.
Any normal person would easily crumble under that kind of pressure. He could barely handle it himself sometimes. But he promised he would take care of her, help her navigate that new world. And yet he still hadn’t done enough. She thought it was easier to run to someone else than to face the storm with him.
Ohyul clenched his jaw. “Do you love him?”
“I—I don’t know, maybe.”
He cursed and ran a hand through his hair. He turned away from her, blankly gazing out at the view of the lush, colourful gardens from his window. A view he found himself fixating on many times to calm his racing mind.
“You didn’t have to cheat,” he whispered hesitantly, “I would’ve listened to you, let you go…but you didn’t have to cheat.”
“You and I both know that you wouldn’t have let me go that easily, Ohyul.”
“Because I love you!” His voice whipped across the room and he faced her again with wide, feral eyes. She flinched at his tone and his heart stopped, realizing he’d lost control. He almost stepped forward to comfort her—but he stayed firmly in place instead. “If you want to go, then go. I won’t waste another second with you.” Bitter words that he didn’t mean, but he couldn’t stop himself from saying.
Suen looked torn as she stood up from her seat. “I’m sorry. I’ll send someone soon to collect my things.” And then she turned on her heels and left their room.
Ohyul stood limply once she was gone. The conversation kept running over and over again in his head like some horrible nightmare. He moved to pick up her ring, the one he had custom designed for her with a ruby; her favorite gem. He clenched his teeth and whipped the ring at the wall harshly with a guttural groan. And then he curled up onto their bed, bringing one of her pillows to his nose. He just inhaled that sweet orange, vanilla scent deeply. Tears soon welled in his eyes and he buried his face in the pillow, sobbing softly.
1 month later
Ohyul sat quietly outside in the gardens at an ornate metal table. It was drizzling softly and the sound of rain pattered against his umbrella. He stared at a willow tree whose leaves had small droplets clinging to their shells. He and Suen used to sit under the tree all the time to shield themselves from the rain. But they still always ended up getting a bit wet, and he would hold her close so she wouldn’t get cold.
Ohyul gripped the handle of the umbrella tightly as the familiar steps of his assistant and bodyguard, Namjun, sounded behind him.
“If my mother and father sent you to talk to me about finding a new spouse again—I don’t want to hear it right now.” Ohyul spoke with an edge in his voice.
Namjun cleared his throat and moved to stand beside him. “They didn’t send me to be their messenger. I just came to check on you.”
Ohyul tilted his umbrella slightly to glance up at him, studying those sharp but calm features. Sometimes he wished he looked as stoic as him, instead he was more delicate. He let out a breath. “I’m okay.”
“Are you sure? You’re sitting in the rain again.”
“I happen to like the rain.”
“You could catch a cold.”
“Nothing some medicine couldn’t fix.”
Namjun shifted on his feet. “Daegun jaga, a lot of people are concerned about your well being. You have not stepped outside the palace grounds in a month. It is not healthy to stay in one place. Your parents can only lie about your condition for so long.”
Ohyul’s grip tightened once more. Just by his words, he could tell Namjun was lying about his parents not sending him. What did they want him to do? Act like he didn’t get his heart ripped out of his chest? He didn’t feel like doing anything but think about Suen, think about where he went wrong. Meanwhile, she was probably happy somewhere with Mr. Min and not having a care in the world.
“Let me take you somewhere. How about barbeque? We can order something spicy. It will cheer you up, I promise.” Namjun insisted with a warm smile.
Ohyul’s stomach growled at the thought of eating barbeque and braised kimchi somewhere. He had nice meals in the palace, but they were mainly healthy, bland, meant to keep him in shape. He missed having delicious foods.
He hesitated then as the memory of their breakup slammed into him another time. His appetite suddenly wavered and he hung his head, trying to collect himself. Namjun’s hand gently gripped his shoulder and Ohyul looked up at him in surprise.
“You deserve to be happy again, daegun jaga. Do not let one mistake dictate your whole life,” he said softly, “and I will protect you from anyone trying to interfere with this outing. Tonight is for you and you only.”
A lump rose in Ohyul’s throat and he nodded shakily at Namjun’s words. He knew he was trying to comfort him, but he’d gotten one thing wrong. Even though Suen crushed him completely—she was never a mistake.
A few moments later, Ohyul sat in the back seat of his transport with Namjun steering quietly ahead of him. The car glided through Seoul towards a restaurant where Namjun rented out a private room so that Ohyul could eat in peace. Ohyul gazed out the window as the city life passed him by, and he saw people busking, walking, catching public transportation. All things he could never do normally without some kind of a disguise or plan.
He’d always wondered what it was like to do certain things with others too. He barely had time to make friends and when he did get any, they’d usually take advantage of him to feed their greed. It became easier just to be alone. But being alone meant that loneliness would eat away at him like a silent plague.
Having Suen by his side took that away just for a moment. But at the end of the day—she was just like everyone else.
Ohyul shook his head and adjusted his tie.
“Stop thinking about her.” He thought; but it was useless.
The sleek car slowed to a stop at a red light and Ohyul glanced out the window again. He looked up boredly at the skyscrapers that towered over the city, holding large LED displays that advertised different products. One of them was an energy drink commercial. It showed a man dribbling around a football with practiced ease and precision. He did a couple tricks with the ball, flicking it up in the air with his cleats before the camera focused on him.
The man had on a familiar crimson red jersey. His dark hair was spiked with frosted tips, exposing his forehead and a sharp set of eyebrows accompanied by piercing black eyes. His features were masculine, alluring and he had a lopsided but confident smirk on his face that accentuated his visuals. Ohyul stared at him in a daze, his heart stuttering slightly.
What in the world? Since when did a man affect him so severely? No, it wasn’t just any man—it was him. He actually made him stop thinking about her for a second. How was that even possible? The car lurched forward then and Ohyul quickly twisted his body to glance back, desperate to get another look at the athlete. But he was gone. He froze then. What was he doing? He shouldn’t be interested in someone else, not after what happened. But still, he wanted to know—
“Namjun,” he spoke up.
“Yes, daegun jaga?”
“What sports team here wears a red jersey?”
“I believe you might be talking about the Red Devils. They are our national football team. They’re very strong players.”
Yes, the Red Devils. He’d heard about them before but the name slipped his mind. “Who is the men’s team member with the spiky hair, crooked smile—”
“Kim Ryul? He is the captain of the team. Why do you ask?” Namjun inquired curiously.
“Kim Ryul,” Ohyul tested his name on his tongue and his heart fluttered once more. He was the captain, that title suited him perfectly. His broad, strong shoulders signified he was someone who could carry a lot of weight. How had he never heard about him before? Ohyul cleared his throat, trying to remain composed. “I want to meet him.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Yes, find a way to contact him and have him come to my residence by tomorrow.” Ohyul said firmly and then he pulled out his phone. He typed in Ryul’s name and more photos popped up. He clicked on one of him on the pitch, smiling with his other teammates. That lazy smile and cool, boyish charm—it stirred something deep inside him.
Ohyul's swallowed thickly.
He was going to be his new downfall.