Archive of Our Own

“Jaehwan,” the old King says.

“Yes,” Jaehwan replies, rocking back on his heels a bit.

“My loving son,” the old King continues.

“That’s me,” Jaehwan says, flashing his winning smile.

“My youngest, most carefree, spirited, cutest child,” the old King adds, and Jaehwan immediately tilts his head and holds his cheeks and sticks his lower lip out, batting his eyelashes cheekily. He can hear the maids sighing in adoration in the hall behind the thrones.

“I think it’s time you found a princess to marry,” the old King reveals, and Jaehwan chokes on his own spit.

“Father,” he splutters. “Say what?”

“We think you’re ready for it, our son,” his mother, the beautiful, kind Queen says, smiling down at Jaehwan. He pouts up at her.

“But I don’t want to get married! My life is only just beginning.”

“You were born more than two decades ago,” the King points out.

“Shush dad,” Jaehwan stage-whispers, glancing around frantically. “As far as the public knows I’m only four years old!”

“A common mistake to make,” the cranky advisor mutters from the side, glaring at Jaehwan. That’s okay, he’s probably only annoyed that Jaehwan left another whoopee cushion under his chair at the board meeting this morning. Again.

“We knew you’re not the sit-down-and-research type of guy,” his mother says. She reveals a large, ornate scroll from the sleeves of her gown and Jaehwan goes up to take it from her, curious. “So your father and I took the opportunity to compile a list of the top five princesses from neighbouring kingdoms for you to meet!”

“Aw, mom!” Jaehwan whines. “You guys set up playdates for me. I’m too old for those.”

“These are not just any playdates, my son,” the King scolds lightly. “You’re almost twenty-four! You’re a man now. So, you must do your best to win the hearts of these princesses.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?” Jaehwan asks. “I mean, I could sing them a song.”

“No,” his father says, ever so patient. “You must defeat creatures and obstacles of all kinds to show your strength and skill!”

“But my skill is singing.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” the King sighs.

“Why do I have to do this?” Jaehwan groans. “I just want to snack in the kitchens and sing to the birds.”

“You’ll have plenty of time to do that after you meet the princesses,” his mother says, patting his arm soothingly.

“Besides, your older brothers all went through the same challenge when they turned twenty-four,” his father adds.

“But I don’t want to be like my older brothers! One of them became a doctor and the other is a businessman with seven kids. I can’t have seven mini Jaehwans; I’ll get run over.”

“Actually, eight,” his mother corrects brightly. “They’re having another child.”

“Alright!” Jaehwan exclaims joyfully, punching the air in his excitement. “I’m gonna be an uncle for the eighth time already!”

“Why don’t you try being somebody’s princely boyfriend too,” his father prods, and Jaehwan droops, sighing.

“Fine,” he groans, weighing the scroll in his hands. “I’ll give it a shot.”

+

The first princess listed on the scroll lives in the heart of the Dark Forest, in a little cabin obscured in the deepest part of the woods, and is rumoured to have a singing voice as lovely as Jaehwan’s. He doesn’t know if his mother made that part up to appeal to him, but it makes him perk up hopefully. The two of them could start singing duets in the shower together, or something. That could be fun.

He left the castle early in the morning, riding his noble steed, Chopper, through the kingdom and out into the wilderness. He got quite a bit of attention on his way out too, but that was probably less of his smashing good looks and more like he accidentally dyed Chopper’s mane a pretty, pastel pink the other day. But Chopper is a good sport, and they make it through the gnarled trees and upturned roots of the Dark Forest to the little cabin in no time.

“Well, here we are,” Jaehwan says, dismounting his horse. He brushes the dust off his shoes and pulls out the scroll, squinting at the name on the top of the list. “We’re gonna look for a... Snow White.”

Chopper neighs in confirmation, and the two of them wander up to the cabin. Now that he looks up close, it’s actually quite small. The door is set so low in the house that Jaehwan has to stoop to knock on it.

“Hello? Snow White? Anybody home?” he calls. There’s no response.

“Bugger,” Jaehwan frowns. “Did they move?”

Chopper suddenly snorts, drawing Jaehwan’s attention from the house, and he turns to see the horse looking somewhere off into he distance, behind the cabin.

“What is it, buddy? Did you find something?”

Chopper only snorts louder, and when Jaehwan steps around the house, he’s nearly blinded by an onslaught of light.

“Crikey!” he shouts, covering his eyes. “I’m burned!”

“Good!” someone suddenly shouts. “You look funny anyway.”

That makes Jaehwan look up again, but this time he’s smart enough to look away from the spot of light. “Who said that?” he demands.

“Me,” a voice says, from somewhere around his waist, and Jaehwan looks down to see a grouchy-faced dwarf in a brown hat.

“You’re rude,” he informs the dwarf, who scoffs.

“And you’re trespassing.”

“I’m a prince,” Jaehwan huffs. “I can do what I like.”

“Why, you little sh—” the dwarf snaps, actually rolling up his sleeves, but there’s a patter of footsteps, and to Jaehwan’s astonishment, a second dwarf runs up and cheerfully restrains the angry one.

“Don’t start fights now, Ilhoon,” he scolds. To Jaehwan, he says hopefully, “Are you here to kiss the princess?”

“Kiss who?” Jaehwan repeats.

“Rude and an idiot!” the dwarf named Ilhoon shouts.

“Shut it, grumpy,” Jaehwan says, and steps around them. Now that he’s moved closer, he can see that there is a large, glass case sitting in the middle of the forest clearing, positioned right where the sun could reflect off the surface and sufficiently set his poor eyeballs on fire earlier. Gathered around it are five more dwarfs, all watching him curiously.

“Hello,” a dwarf with glasses says politely, walking up to Jaehwan. “Are you here to kiss the princess?”

“I was not informed of any kissing happening on our first meeting,” Jaehwan frowns, consulting his scroll. The dwarf droops visibly.

“Oh no,” he says sadly. “That’s a shame.”

“Why does the princess need a kiss anyway?” Jaehwan asks.

“Because they’re in an enchanted sleep,” one of the dwarf pipes up from the back. When Jaehwan looks at him, he blushes bright red and hides behind another dwarf, who’s dozing on a tree stump chair.

“...and why is the princess in an enchanted sleep?” Jaehwan prompts.

“Dunno,” another dwarf shrugs, and immediately sneezes a huge, whopping sneeze. “Might’ve been because they ate the apple Sungjae accidentally spilled the sleeping potion onto the other day, that dopey fool, but who knows.”

“Uh,” Jaehwan says. “I think that’s probably the case.”

“But can’t you help us out?” the first dwarf in the specs asked, tugging on his sleeve. “Not a lot of people travel out into the Dark Forest, let alone a prince. Please, we’ll be really grateful.”

“‘We?’” Jaehwan repeats, and the dwarf gestures around.

“Us dwarfs. We’re friends with Snow White. I’m Eunkwang, but you can call me Doc. The bashful one is Minhyuk, the sleepy one is Peniel, and the one who always sneezes is Changsub. Hyunsik is the one who’s smiling, Sungjae is the dopey one, and Ilhoon... well, you’ve met Ilhoon.”

“If you don’t help, I’ll ram this stick up your—!” Ilhoon yells, but the latter of his sentence is muffled by Hyunsik slapping a hand over his mouth.

“Moons and suns,” Jaehwan sighs. “Fine, I’ll help you guys.”

“Oh thank you, thank you!” Eunkwang gushes, immediately pulling him over to the case. “Please, the princess is just here.”

Jaehwan steps forwards as the dwarfs carefully lift the glass off, revealing a beautifully carved bed and white silk draped everywhere. He’s not really sure what he expected— perhaps a princess with ebony dark hair and skin white as snow, as his mother wrote on the scroll. And the princess definitely does have dark hair and fair skin, but—

“The fuck,” Jaehwan says. “That is a boy.”

“Yeah,” Changsub sneezes. “Your point?”

“You didn’t say the princess was a boy!” Jaehwan exclaims.

“Who says boys can’t be princesses?” Minhyuk ask curiously, peeking through his fingers. Jaehwan pauses.

“Fair enough,” he shrugs, and leans over. He reaches over, placing his hand on a warm cheek, and gently brushes his lips over a soft, cherry-pink mouth.

For a moment, there’s a suspended pause, where the seven dwarves and even Chopper leans forwards, eyes wide with anticipation.

And then, Snow White grunts and lets out a rip-roaring snore right into Jaehwan’s face.

“Fair dust and sparklers!” he shouts, and without thinking, shoves the princess right off the bed and onto the forest floor.

“Hey!” Sungjae says, but he’s interrupted by a yelp of surprise. A second later, Snow White sits bolt upright, leaves and twigs stuck in his hair, and looks around wildly.

“What the heck,” he yells, and a moment later his gaze lands on Jaehwan.

“Sorry,” Jaehwan says sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. “Your snoring scared me.”

“Oh,” Snow White says, but then he’s tackled back onto the floor and out of sight by the seven tearful dwarves.

“You’re awake!” Hyunsik cries.

“You’re alive!” Eunkwang sobs.

“Duh,” Snow White chuckles, letting the dwarves help him to his feet. He brushes off his bright yellow trousers and pushes the sleeves of his white balloon shirt up to his elbows. “I only swallowed a sleeping potion, I would’ve woken up in a week or something, or I could have a prince shove me off my bed.”

“Uh, my bad, Snow White,” Jaehwan says. Chopper snorts beside him, but he does his best to remember his manners. “My name is Prince Jaehwan. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”

His parents would’ve been proud.

“Snow White? Call me Sanghyuk,” Sanghyuk says, clapping Jaehwan on the shoulder. “Anyway, what brings you here to the neck of the woods?”

“Well, you see, I’m on a mission,” Jaehwan coughs. “My parents are sending me out to meet princesses so they can figure out who I marry.”

“Who’d want to marry your ugly mug?” Ilhoon asks, and the worst part is, he sounds genuinely curious.

“Hey, I was voted Most Handsome four times in a row in Prince Weekly!” Jaehwan shouts, and Ilhoon sticks his tongue out at him.

“Uh, cool bro,” Sanghyuk says, looking him up and down. “But I can’t get married to you, sorry.”

“Damn,” Jaehwan says. “Are you already betrothed to another?”

“Nah man, I don’t have time to get married,” Sanghyuk says matter-of-factly. “I run an independent business with my pals out of the cottage. Unless you wanna pitch in on it, and I think you most likely wouldn’t, being a prince and all.”

“... do I want to know what kind of business you’re running here?” Jaehwan squints, and Sanghyuk grins at him, boyish and cheeky.

“Let’s just say the mushrooms growing in this forest aren’t only used for sleeping draughts,” Sanghyuk hints, and Jaehwan stares.

“Right-o,” he says. “Drat. You were my mom’s top pick too.”

“Really? I’m flattered,” Sanghyuk laughs. “Well, best of luck to you with your marriage and princess-finding, Jaehwan.”

“Thanks,” Jaehwan grins. “Don’t eat any more apples from now on.”

Before he leaves the Dark Forest with Chopper (along with a bag of delicious cupcakes, biscuits and cakes from Sanghyuk and the dwarves’ legitimate business in thanks), he borrows a quill from Eunkwang and strikes out the first name on the scroll.

“Right,” he says, looking towards the path in the trees. “Onto the next princess, I guess.”

+

The next princess doesn’t live smack in the middle of some forest in the middle of Nowhere-ville, thankfully. Instead, they live in a secret tower located beside some waterfall in the next forest over, which, in Jaehwan’s opinion, isn’t really that much of a secret if his parents could find it out.

Still, he makes approximately nine wrong turns before Chopper finally gallops into the right meadow.

“What in the world,” Jaehwan says, shading his eyes from the mid-morning sun as he dismounts. The tower, well, towers over him with a beautiful waterfall in the backdrop. He would’ve taken the time to admire the scenery if he weren’t so concerned over the fact that the tower has no stairs.

“How the heck does this Rapunzel get their damn groceries up there?” Jaehwan demands, squinting up at the open window at the top of the tower. He unravels the scroll again and consults his parents’ notes for him.

“‘Princess Rapunzel is very shy,’” he says out loud. “‘If you want to get their attention, you have to shout confidently to let them know you’ve arrived. Only then will they let you into the tower.’ Okay then,” he hums, and rolls the scroll back up, dropping it inside his satchel. Turning, he cups his hands around his mouth, and bellows up to the tower.

“OI! RAPUNZEL! ARE YOU HOME? MY NAME IS PRINCE JAEHWAN AND I’M TURNING TWENTY-FOUR IN A FEW DAYS AND I GOTTA MEET SOME PRINCESSES AND GET MARRIED OR MY ASS IS SUPER GROUNDED. I’M AN ARIES AND MY BLOOD TYPE IS AB AND I’M A FOUR-TIME WINNER OF PRINCE WEEKLY’S MOST HANDSOME—”

Without warning, a huge braid of jet black hair flies out of the window and tumbles down the tower, coming to a swaying halt right in front of him.

“River trolls holding sticks,” Jaehwan stares. “You can’t be serious.”

After bidding Chopper to stay and not run off (though the horse doesn’t seem to mind in the slightest as he grazes in the perfectly green meadow), Jaehwan rolls up his sleeves, seizes the braid of hair, and begins to climb up the tower. He knew all those late night, sneaking-out-of-the-castle escapades with a tied-up bedsheets being his escape route would come in handy one day.

Still, he’s panting heavily and sweating a little at the temples when he crawls through the window of the tower. It’s a little dim inside, but his eyes only took a moment to adjust. There’s a tall, lean figure standing off to the side, eyeing him with a decidedly unfriendly look as he pulls his long, braided hair back up into the tower.

“Golly gee,” Jaehwan says. “You’re not a princess either.”

“Well spotted,” the man scoffs, dumping his hair onto the ground. He’s got the pale pallor of someone who probably hasn’t seen the sun in a very long time, and he’s dressed in all black— black shirt, black pants, black cardigan. Jaehwan even thinks he spots a bit of black eyeshadow too.

“Are you Rapunzel?” he hazards to ask, and the man grunts.

“No,” he says. “Those are the vegetables that grow around this tower. My name is Taekwoon.”

“Oh,” Jaehwan blinks. “Well, nice to meet you, Taekwoon! My name is—”

“I know your name,” Taekwoon interrupts, a long-suffering expression on his face. Jaehwan gasps.

“How?! Are you telepathic? Or did my parents send an express pigeon post—”

“You screamed it up to me seconds ago just now,” Taekwoon deadpans, and Jaehwan stops.

“Oh yeah,” he says, recalling, and Taekwoon covers his face with his hand.

“What do you want?” he demands, and Jaehwan grins.

“Well, I’m glad you asked! As you probably remember, I’m looking for someone to get married to.”

“Not interested,” Taekwoon says immediately, and Jaehwan wails.

“You didn’t even let me finish!”

“I don’t want to hear you finish,” Taekwoon answers, and Jaehwan pouts.

“I come bearing gifts,” he offers, and Taekwoon twitches.

“You have nothing that I could possibly want—”

Jaehwan reaches into his satchel, retrieves the bags of baked goods, and a moment later, he and Taekwoon are seated around the room, with Taekwoon munching happily on cookies and cupcakes while Jaehwan looks around the tower.

“So,” he says, fumbling for something to say. Always keep a conversation going! his advisor had said. That’ll keep your companion’s attention. “Did you always have... this much hair?”

“Not really,” Taekwoon says between mouthfuls. “I grew it out after I began living in this tower.”

“Uh, wow,” Jaehwan stares at the coils and coils of dark hair that circle the floor, hang over the backs of chairs, and goes all the way up to the rafters. “Was it so you could toss it down the tower for people to climb up on?”

“Nope,” Taekwoon replies, helping himself to a cake now. “I lost my scissors by accident and had nothing else to cut my hair with.”

“... right,” Jaehwan says. The snack pile is already significantly smaller. “So, uh, how did you manage to get your food before your hair was long enough to reach the bottom of the tower?”

“I order from the nearby kingdom’s express grocery delivery service,” Taekwoon hums. “They used to slingshot my foot through the window, but sometimes they would miss. It was very annoying trying to clean the walls and floor every week. But nowadays they can send it up with a basket, so I don’t mind.”

“You’re a lot more okay with getting locked up in a tower than I imagine most people would be,” Jaehwan says. “I mean, you’ve got a whole system going on here.”

“What do you mean, locked up?” Taekwoon asks.

“Didn’t somebody put you in the tower?” Jaehwan shoots back.

“No?” Taekwoon blinks, a smear of frosting in the corner of his mouth. “I built this tower for myself so I wouldn’t have to live next to loud, annoying people.”

“Oh boy,” Jaehwan says, getting to his feet. “We would definitely not be good for each other then.”

“I figured,” Taekwoon replies, a surprising twinkle in his eye as he watches Jaehwan gather his things. It makes him look a lot less like a panther that wants to maul him and more like a very large, cute black cat. “Now please go away so I can eat these delicious cakes in peace.”

“Yeah yeah,” Jaehwan tuts. “You’re welcome.”

“Bye, Prince Jaehwan,” Taekwoon says, tossing his hair out of the window. “Please don’t scream up at my tower again.”

“I’ll send a fruit basket instead,” Jaehwan promises, and scales out of the tower like a pro.

+

The third princess on the list lives in one of the most prosperous cities on the other side of the river. They live in a wealthy household, along with their stepmother and two stepsisters, and according to his parents’ notes this princess has looks so stunning Jaehwan will most definitely get starstruck, so please control yourself and don’t drool. Hugs and Kisses, Mom and Dad.

“I don’t drool,” Jaehwan says indignantly as he walks up the cobblestone path in the courtyard, leading Chopper by the reins. “Do I?”

Chopper snuffs at him, chewing on his hair, and Jaehwan sighs.

“Sleeping doesn’t count, everybody drools at some point in their sleep.”

They pass by a series of very artfully cut hedges, several of which are shaped like a person posing in very dramatic stances, and walk around a huge fountain set up in front of the house. Jaehwan spots beautiful, colourfully-scaled fish swimming inside of it.

“Damn,” he tells Chopper as he ties the reins to the fence around a blooming flowerbed. “I might be a prince, but these guys are loaded.”

Chopper looks curiously over at the flowers, ignoring Jaehwan, who sighs.

“Don’t eat those,” he says. “We have to make a good impression. I’m already on the third princess and there’s only two more left for me to meet if this doesn’t work out.”

Chopper neighs at him, like he’s offering support, and Jaehwan gives his pink mane a comforting pat before ascending the stairs. He gives his outfit a quick once over, and bemoans the bit of dirt at the hem of his pants and the grass stains on his knees.

“This princess-finding business is making a mess out of me,” he mumbles, and knocks on the door.

To Jaehwan’s surprise, the door creaks open immediately, but not because somebody has come to open in. It is simply because it is not locked.

“Uh, alright,” he says, and steps cautiously inside.

His gaze sweeps over a wide, grand foyer, the marble columns and polished wood staircase and rails. The floor seems to glow with a glossy shine when he descends quietly from the front steps and into the mansion, looking from the glass chandelier to the ornate mirrors and the paintings hanging on the walls. It’s not a bad place. It certainly can’t compare to his own castle, but if this Cinderella princess is raised in a noble household, Jaehwan can be sure they’ll impress his parents with manners and grace.

“Oh. My. God.”

He jumps a foot into the air when a man’s voice echo from the other side of the room.

“Jumping jellybeans and cheese crackers!” Jaehwan wails, clutching his chest. “You scared me!”

The man takes no heed; at first glance he looks like a servant, perhaps, wearing plain trousers and a limp button up shirt that looks like it’s been mended several times. He’s standing barefoot in the middle of the open doorway, a large bucket in hand and a large mop in the other. He’s shockingly handsome for a servant, but right now his sleek hair and smooth jawline is a little less noticeable when he looks like he’s about to commit mass homicide.

“Er,” Jaehwan begins, and before he could get another word out the servant charges towards him at breakneck speeds.

He will deny the scream that comes from his vocal chords as the servant sweeps him off his feet to his dying day.

“What are you doing?!” Jaehwan shrieks, latching onto the servant’s neck as he’s lifted, bridal style, and marched across the room towards a decorative table by the wall.

“Moving your disgusting feet off my clean floors, you filthy man,” the servant snaps, depositing him none too gently onto the table before spinning around to survey the damage. “Nooo,” he wails, clutching at his hair. “I just wiped everything down!”

“Uh. Sorry,” Jaehwan says, and the servant turns to glare at him.

“You better be,” he snaps, and whips a rag out of his pocket. He ties it expertly around his head, holding his glossy hair back, and grabs the mop once more. “Now I’ve got to clean everything again.”

“That’s nice,” Jaehwan pipes up. “But, um, could you do me a favour and call Cinderella over? I’m here to speak to them.”

The man arches a perfect eyebrow at Jaehwan before he scoffs loudly.

“What, are you another one of those magic cleaning potion salespeople trying to pawn off your fake solutions? Nice try, but you ain’t fooling this pretty face,” he snaps, gesturing at himself. “People might call me Cinderella but I’m not a fool when it comes to cleaning techniques.”

Jaehwan nearly spits.

“You’re Cinderella?!” he demands, watching this servant-Cinderella character glower at him.

“Who else would I be?” Cinderella demands.

“Not again,” Jaehwan groans, covering his face with his hands. “I’m starting to think I’m following some faulty tips.”

The man plants a hand on his hip and stares at him. “Are you, by any chance, just looking for someone named Hongbin?” he asks. “Because that’s me, too. Cinderella is my nickname.”

“... that’s a funny nickname,” Jaehwan says after a moment, and Hongbin snorts.

“I can start a fire with any material in under a minute,” Hongbin warns, jabbing the mop at Jaehwan. “Don’t test me.”

Great, Jaehwan thinks to himself. He’s a pyrotechnic too. Just perfect.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a princess?” Jaehwan asks, watching Hongbin dunk the mop into the bucket and swish it around.

“Well, I am my father’s only child,” he says. “But I’m not a princess.”

“But you’re a noble?”

“Mhm,” Hongbin nods, lifting the mop. Water drips from it in a steady stream.

“Then why are you cleaning the house?” Jaehwan asks, curious. “I mean, don’t you have servants to do that for you?”

“We only have cooks,” Hongbin snorts. “Who needs servants when I’m the only one that really lives here? My stepmother and sisters all travel. They’re never home. Besides, stress-cleaning is super therapeutic. You’d be surprised how annoying it is dealing with your dead father’s middle-aged business associates and managing the multiple businesses I’ve inherited from home.” Hongbin slants him a look as he plops the mop onto the ground. “Do you have a job?”

“Uh,” Jaehwan says. “Does being a prince count?”

Hongbin squints at him. “No, not really, because that’s a title you’re just born into. Do you have any investments?”

“No,” Jaehwan says, bewildered.

“Stocks?” Hongbin asks, scrubbing. “Home buying? Finance? Anything?”

“I can sing,” Jaehwan pipes up, and Hongbin sighs.

“That’s cool, but it won’t do you much good if you can’t run a kingdom,” he points out, and Jaehwan slumps. “Do you do it professionally?”

When Jaehwan shakes his head no, Hongbin clucks his tongue. “That’ll be hard on you in the future.”

“I know,” he mumbles. “My parents say the same thing too. That’s why they want me to find a princess and get married, so it’ll look like I’ve done something with my life.”

“Well, no offence, but if you came here hoping to get some princess to marry you for appearance’s sake, you’ve got a storm comin’ for you.”

“I figured as much,” Jaehwan chuckles. “I can see you’re already way more independent than I am already. It’ll never work out.”

“Not to mention you don’t take your shoes off when you walk inside a house,” Hongbin says, eyeing Jaehwan’s feet. “Seriously, where are your manners?”

“Hey, I have decent manners,” Jaehwan huffs.

“Yeah okay, prince,” Hongbin snorts.

“I shan’t sit here and listen to this slander,” Jaehwan sniffs. “I’d better leave.”

“Don’t you dare,” Hongbin says immediately, halting Jaehwan from getting off the table. “I will get you.”

“This is humiliating,” Jaehwan whines, but allows Hongbin to pick him up off the table and walk him across the foyer to the front of the house. He wonders if Hongbin’s bulging muscles come from hours of stress-scrubbing things clean around the mansion. “I’m supposed to be the prince picking up his princess and riding off into the sunset.”

“Buddy, you probably can’t even tell the difference between disinfectant wipes from wet wipes,” Hongbin says, not unkindly, as he sets him down on the doormat.

“I know,” Jaehwan nods, even though he has no idea how wet wipes might correlate with fairy tale princely duties. “It was nice meeting you anyway, Hongbin.”

“Good luck with your princess-finding,” Hongbin replies with a pretty, dimpled smile, and he closes the door behind him as Jaehwan descends down the front steps again.

“Let’s go, Chopper,” he says, hopping back up onto his horse. “We’ve got two more options left.”

+

There has to be a mistake on the scroll.

Elegant, kind, and a budding flower princess, his parents had written on the scroll. Sword-wielding, bow-using, arrow-toting hunter was written nowhere on that list.

“This is awkward,” Jaehwan says, staring the guy up and down while Chopper snorts and snuffs at the soldier’s own horse curiously. “I had no idea you were off to battle.”

“I’m the youngest and most capable-bodied in my family,” the man replies, examining the edge of his sword with a critical eye. “I’m best suited to lead the hunting party through the woods.” He’s got an interesting accent, but that’s probably because Jaehwan’s gone up north, all the way to another part of the land. Here, in the strange forests, will-o’-the-wisps and cackling witches brewing options are rumoured to live deep in the woods, along with bloodthirsty bears and funky trolls.

Jaehwan checks the scroll again. They said the princess was the sweet, outdoorsy type. There is nothing about hunting.

“Anyway, what are you doing so far up north, foreigner?” the man asks, sheathing his sword as he looks at Jaehwan in turn. The wind ruffles the soft hair framing his handsome face. “You’re dressed way too nicely to come from any neighbouring clans up here.”

“Well, yeah, I’m not local,” Jaehwan says, shivering when a gust of wind blows by. “I’m Prince Jaehwan. I’m looking for a princess to marry.”

The next thing he knows, he’s staring down the tip of the man’s wooden bow, held between them like he’s trying to ward Jaehwan off.

“Oh no,” he growls lowly, shaking his head. Dark eye narrow at him. “I’m not getting married to any prince. Did my parents put you up to this?”

“You don’t want to get married either?” Jaehwan asks, surprised, and the other blinks at him.

“Not at all!”

“Thank the gods,” Jaehwan groans, slumping onto the ground. The grass is soft and damp beneath his hands and knees, and at this point he doesn’t even care that he’s getting his pants wet with mud and dirt. He’s exhausted.

“Well aren’t you a sorry sight,” the man says, lowering the bow. “Aren’t you supposed to be a noble prince in search of a bride?”

“Yeah, but I’m starting to get sick of it all,” Jaehwan groans, sitting back onto his heels. He looks up at the sky above the trees. The sky is turning orange and red in the late afternoon. He’s been travelling all day. His butt hurts from bouncing up and down so much on Chopper’s back. “All of the princesses I met aren’t even princesses, and they all lead much more interesting lives than I do. I’m just some boring dude in a castle who sings.”

“That can’t be all you do,” the man says, sitting down onto the grass next to him. He looks curious now that it’s apparent Jaehwan isn’t here to press for marriage. “Isn’t there anything else you’re good at?”

Jaehwan thinks for a moment, pulling up bits of grass. “I can act,” he finally says. “I took drama classes when I was little. I also like to read and write plays.”

“Well, there you go,” the man grins, patting him on the back. “That’s something, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Jaehwan admits, smiling in return. “You’re right.”

“I’m the youngest son in my whole family, and the only one who’s not married yet,” the man chuckles. “My parents think hunting in the woods for demon bears and spirits isn’t a viable career.”

“Uh,” Jaehwan starts, but stops himself. “They’re probably just concerned?”

“True,” the man nods. “But it’s something I like to do. Don’t you think you could do something with all the singing and acting you like if you put the effort into it?”

“Fair point,” Jaehwan nods. “Maybe that’s what I should focus on.”

“If you fail and get kicked out, you can always join my hunting troupe,” the man adds brightly. “We’re the best hunting clan all over the kingdom, ask anyone. One of my top hunters, Hyerim, took down a wolf the size of a small dragon with just her broadsword the other day—”

“I’ll consider it,” Jaehwan interrupts, feeling a little faint at the idea of facing a wolf already, and the man chortles, offering a calloused hand to help Jaehwan back on his feet.

“So where are you headed to next?” he asks.

“I guess I’ll visit the last princess my parents told me about,” Jaehwan says, looking at his scroll. “They did take the effort to find a lot of people for me to meet. I shouldn’t waste their efforts.”

“And if that doesn’t work out either?” the man tilts his head.

“I’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

“So you’re just gonna wing it.”

“Basically.”

The man bursts out laughing, a loud, bright laughter that makes birds flutter into the sky. “Well, do your best, Prince Jaehwan. Send me a pigeon post sometime so we can catch up.”

“I will, er,” Jaehwan begins, and the man smiles.

“Hakyeon,” he says, extending a hand for a firm, bone-crushing shake. “Just Hakyeon. Now, if you’ll excuse me, prime hunting hours have just started. If we’re lucky we’ll snag one of the forest oxen for the feast tonight!”

“Yum,” Jaehwan grimaces, mounting his horse as Hakyeon climbs onto his.

“Don’t think too much about it, Prince Jaehwan,” Hakyeon teases, readying his bow. “You don’t seem like the type to settle and have a dozen babies in five years anyway.”

“P-preposterous,” Jaehwan splutters, turning red at once, and waves as Hakeyon turns his horse around and gallop towards the forest. There’s a rumble as a group of half-dozen on horsebacks join him on the path leading into the woods, and a moment later they’re gone, with only the sounds of a hunting horn echoing through the air.

“Alright, who’s left?” Jaehwan mumbles, unfurling the scroll for the last time. “A beauty who lives in a secluded castle in the moors... and breeds hunting dogs bigger than our carriages? Huh.” He rolls the scroll back up and tucks it away into his bag. “And my parents wonder where I get my dramatic flair from,” Jaehwan sighs, and urges Chopper forwards.

+

“I am so sorry,” the man keeps on repeating, over and over as he drags a panting, disheveled Jaehwan through the halls of the castle and into the kitchen. “I am terribly, terribly sorry, it’s been a while since anybody’s visited and my dogs— they just got really excited.”

“It’s fine,” Jaehwan groans, heaving himself into a seat as the man fusses over him, helping Jaehwan out of his coat, which is totally dirtied by paw prints and dust.

“Let me get you something to eat and drink,” the man offers, hanging his coat up before puttering through the large, spacious kitchen. Candles floated after the man, clearly enchanted in some way, but Jaehwan’s too tired to ask. He flops onto the table, turning to rest his cheek on his elbows, and he jumps when he sees a group of giant dogs poking around the doorway. When they noticed him staring, they all sat down and began wagging their tails at breakneck speeds, tongues lolling and eyes bright.

“Um, good doggies,” Jaehwan says weakly. “Please stay.”

“Don’t worry, they’re trained to stay out of the kitchen,” the man says, returning with a tray of food. There’s cups of hot tea, a plate of sandwiches, and some strips of meat. Jaehwan’s stomach lets out an embarrassing growl, and he accepts the food eagerly.

“Thank you.”

“Not a problem,” the man nods, grabbing the seat opposite him. “My name is Wonshik, by the way. I’m guessing you’re Prince Jaehwan?”

Jaehwan chokes on his gulp of tea, and it takes a few hard whacks on his back to clear his airway.

“How do you know my name?” he gasps. “Is it telepathy? I didn’t scream it into your castle.”

Wonshik looks at him in confusion. “Your parents sent me an express pigeon post,” he says, and then grins. “What, do you normally shout your name at people from the outside before knocking?”

“Urgh,” Jaehwan groans, and covers his face with both hands. “Don’t ask.”

“I won’t,” Wonshik chuckles, running his hand through his surprisingly white hair. “But yes, your parents sent me a letter, explaining who you are. I guess they were worried I would think you were some weirdo or something, going around randomly asking princesses to marry him.”

“Hey, they’re the ones who sent me on this quest!” Jaehwan cries indignantly around a mouthful of rather tasty sandwich.

“I’m guessing you’ve been unsuccessful so far?” Wonshik asks, and Jaehwan sighs.

“You’ve no idea,” he answers wryly. “It was fun, though. I met a... special pharmacist slash baker and a recluse and a business owner and a bear hunter, so it wasn’t a complete flop.”

“... and your parents picked these people out for you to meet with the intentions of getting married?” Wonshik asks slowly, and Jaehwan shrugs.

“I guess they thought they’d match my personality.”

“Are you sure they weren’t just trying to lose you in the wilderness?” Wonshik jokes, and dodges a piece of lettuce Jaehwan hurls at him. “I’m kidding! Kidding.”

“My parents love their baby prince very much,” he sniffs.

“I’m sure they do,” Wonshik laughs. “And I’m sure they want the best for you too, which is why I’m going to tell you right now that I’m not going to be a good match if you ever want to get married.”

“No kidding?” Jaehwan says, taking another bite. “Well, that’s cool.”

Wonshik blinks at him. “You’re... you’re not mad?”

“Why would I be?” Jaehwan asks, grabbing his cup of tea. “I’m not gonna force you to marry me. I’ve been turned down four times already today, and for pretty good reasons too, so I can’t really complain about that.”

“It’s not like I think you’re a bad person or anything,” Wonshik says, rubbing his wrists in agitation. “It’s just that I’m really dedicated to raising and breeding these hunting dogs out here, in this bit of the wilderness, and I know it’s not for everybody. They’re such big breeds of dogs people mistaken them for savage beasts, so I think it’s safer and better for them to live somewhere where there’s space and forests for them to run through. And I’ve been doing it for so long I can’t give it up.”

“Understandable,” Jaehwan nods, and smiles when he sees Wonshik sag in relief. “I only wish I had something I could dedicate my life fully to like you. It’s still in the works, but I’ll get there someday.”

“Oh? What’s your hobby?” Wonshik asks, propping his chin up on his hands. He’s quite handsome, Jaehwan notices, with cute droopy eyes and a winning smile. He’s starting to see why some people call Wonshik the Beauty, unintentionally misleading it might be when you initially run into some guy raising gigantic beasts masquerading as dogs.

“I sing,” Jaehwan says proudly. “And I’m going to try and make a proper career out of that.”

“I wish you the best of luck,” Wonshik smiles in reply. “Hey, if you ever put on a show, let me know, okay? I promise I’ll only bring one dog to see the show.”

“Deal,” Jaehwan grins, and the two of them pinky swear on it.

+

It’s nightfall by the time Jaehwan stumbles out of the castle, one of Wonshik’s cloaks draped around his shoulders and huge, lumbering dogs bounding around him as he leads Chopper out of the stables.

“C’mon, old pal,” he says, climbing up onto his horse. Chopper neighs and shakes his bright pink mane. “Let’s go home.”

+

“But why?” his mother asks, worry evident on her face when Jaehwan meets them in the grand hall the next morning, still a little tired but happy to be home nonetheless. “None of the princesses liked you? None of them want to consider marrying you?”

“You didn’t drool at them, did you, son?” the King asks anxiously, and Jaehwan stomps his foot.

“Father! I do not drool,” he complains. “And besides, I think it’s for the best. All these princesses— they’re not really princesses, mind you. It might be a title and all, but they’re all so smart and so sure of themselves in this world, it doesn’t make sense for a guy like me who hasn’t even achieved his dream yet to ask them to marry me.”

“What is your dream then?” the King says, stroking his beard.

“I want to sing,” Jaehwan says without hesitation. “I really mean it. Singing makes me happy. And I want to make other people happy with my singing as well.”

His parents look to each other, surprise evident on their faces. A wordless conversation seemed to pass between them, and then they turn to look back at Jaehwan.

“Very well,” his father says. “I will try and contact some vocal coaches and acting teachers to help you out. You must try your best, though, and not give up halfway, alright?”

“What?” Jaehwan says, flabbergasted. “You’re— you’re okay with this? With me pursuing singing?”

“You’ve gone all over the kingdom, visited so many people and seen so many extraordinary things,” his mother says fondly.

“It only took a day,” Jaehwan says. “It felt like I was going through a very fast-forwarded life lesson, to be honest.”

“If you still want to sing after all that, then I believe you are determined to see your dream to the end,” the Queen says, smiling, and Jaehwan feels huge tears pooling in his eyes and his lower lip wobbling.

“Thank you, mother, father,” he cries, bounding up to hug his parents and to soak the front of their gowns with big baby tears. “I won’t let you down!”

“Oh, my son,” his father chuckles, patting him on the back. “You’re a twenty-four year old prince. Don’t you think you’re too old to cry over your parents like this?”

“Never! I’m only four,” Jaehwan grins weakly, wiping at his eyes. “I won’t let either of you down.”

“Well, we already have a doctor and a businessman for sons, and nine grandchildren,” his father chortles. “I think I’ll be happy to have a singer in the family too.”

“Wait. Nine grandchildren?” Jaehwan repeats, frowning.

“Oh, yes! It turns out, the eighth child isn’t just one child, it’s twins!” his mother says happily. “We’re having nine grandchildren!”

“Oh, joyous news!” Jaehwan cries, throwing his arms up into his air. “More mini-Lees to run the castle over! I’ll bet big brother is proud to be a dad to another pair of kids.”

 “Just as we are proud of you as well, Jaehwan,” his mother smiles. “Now go up to your room for a wash, you smell horrid.”

“Aye aye,” Jaehwan salutes cheekily, and skips out of the hall. Once he’s clear and the doors have closed behind him, he does a running leap and whoops loudly, punching the air in excitement.

He thinks about Sanghyuk, Taekwoon, Hongbin, Hakyeon and Wonshik, and smiles to himself. To think his simple journey to meet these pretty people would open his eyes to much more talented individuals that inspired him in the end.

“One day,” he sighs dreamily. “Maybe I’ll invite them to a show, once I’m good enough, and if I can drag Taekwoon out of his tower. But first, a nice, hot shower is in order.”