It was festival day—rare and joyful. The Empress Dowager had granted access for a few noble guests to stroll the outer gardens of the palace.
Seoryu, in a soft blue hanbok, was people-watching from behind a curtain, Kimchithe cat tucked in his arms, when a voice called out: "Excuse me, young lady? You dropped this."
He turned.
And nearly choked on his soul.
Standing before him was a noble family… and among them: Minjae.
His next-door neighbor.
His childhood best friend.
The guy who once helped him cram for anatomy midterms.
Minjae—taller now, but those soft brown eyes and sarcastic smile? Unmistakable.
"Ah... thank you Oppa" Seoryu managed to say.
The noblewoman beside Minjae smiled warmly. "You resemble someone we knew from the capital. A clever boy named... Han Seoryu. Strange, isn't it?"
Seoryu fake-laughed. "H-HAHA! Just a coincidence! Maybe we're distantly related or something!"
Minjae leaned in, squinting. "You have the same eyes. Same… smartass smirk."
Seoryu's mind: 'I'm gonna pass out. Why does everyone look so handsome!? Even guards is handsome too!'
"Would you walk with us, Lady…?"
"Y-Yura. Han Yura."
They walked through rows of blooming cherry trees. Seoryu fought every urge to scream.
Minjae kept talking.
"You remind me of Seoryu, you know. He used to climb trees, prank our teachers, and lie with a straight face like it was an Olympic event."
"Haha! That doesn't sound like me at all!"
"You're even doing the lip-bite thing he used to do when he was caught lying."
"EXCUSE ME?!"
Minjae smirked. "Cute. Like a squirrel pretending to be innocent."
The kids laughed. The adults smiled.
Seoryu wanted to vanish into the earth.
Then—
"Lady Yura."
That voice.
The Crown Prince stood by the stone archway, robes sharp, expression unreadable.
Minjae bowed. "Your Highness."
The Prince's eyes lingered—first on Minjae. Then on Seoryu.
"You have guests?" he asked flatly.
Seoryu panicked. "Ah! They were just returning something, po! A handkerchief!"
"Is that so?" His voice was ice.
Seoryu's mind: 'Oh no. Not the jealous boss music.'
That night, Seoryu was summoned.
Inside the Crown Prince's chamber, the lights were low. Tension heavy.
He stood by the window, facing away.
"You were laughing," he said.
"H-Ha?"
"In the garden. With that man. You smiled. You touched his arm."
"It wasn't intentional, po—"
"Do you like him?"
"Wh-What kind of question is that?!"
The Prince turned slowly, gaze sharp as a blade.
"You smile too easily for others. But never for me."
"Maybe it's because… you're intimidating? Like an oral exam?"
He stepped closer.
"You keep secrets from me, Lady Yura."
Seoryu's mind: 'Yeah, because I'm actually a guy from Gangnam and none of this makes sense, but okay.'
"I'm not angry that you lie," he murmured. "I'm… frustrated that you run."
Seoryu's back hit the wall. The Prince leaned in, close enough to steal breath.
"If you laugh for others… then laugh for me too."
Seoryu's heart stuttered. "W-Why do you sound like a jealous boyfriend?!"
"I am not jealous."
"Then why does your aura feel like a thunderstorm?"
He reached up—tucked a loose strand of hair behind Seoryu's ear.
"I don't like sharing… what I haven't even held yet."
Seoryu literally screamed in his mind : 'POONGSHIN LORD ABOVE. THIS MAN IS FLIRTING LIKE HE WANTS A DRAMA OST TO START PLAYING.'
Just as tension rose—so did Kimchi.
"MEOW!"
The tiny cat yeeted herself onto the Crown Prince's shoulder.
The Prince flinched. A wine jar toppled. Seoryu screamed.
"S-SORRY! She's just… excited!"
The Prince blinked. "She… has timing."
Seoryu snatched Kimchi, bowed aggressively, and ran out the room like his hanbok was on fire.
Later that night, Seoryu sat by his window, Kimchi purring in his lap, moonlight casting long shadows across the floor.
Why had his heart beat so fast?
Why did he… feel bad for making the Prince jealous?
Why did part of him want to stay in that room?
Seoryu: "God help me. I think I'm starting to like him. It's okay right? I am a bisexual anyway."