PRINCE TROUBLE
HAN HOO NAN
Why do you always have to get yourself into trouble all the time. Now look what you did Hoo Nan, you're really dead this time around.
No wonder the other students kept staring at me back at the library. Who could have captured that on phone, I mean there was no one there at the moment except the two of us so how come?
Wait did he plan it?
"Hoo Nan…" I saw a hand flash before my eyes, it was Sandra.
" Snap out of it already. The harm has already being done. Oh I cant believe you're done for." She said biting her lower lip and took a seat next to me.
" How many times are you going to tell me that I'm done for, you two should be by my side, aren't you two my friends?" I said to them and they both said beside me, Sandra on my left and Ga In on my right.
" With this, we've got your back but then… You need to fight this fight alone, we'll be cheering for you." Ga In said to me, lifting both hands up…she forces a smile and I nodded.
" So get up and let's leave for class." Sandra said as she stood up, held both my hands and had support from Ga In to pull me up.
" How are people reacting to it on social media?" I asked Ga In who brought out her phone and went through before looking at me.
" It's terrible, negativity…"
" Lemme have a look." I interjected…stretching my hand for her phone but then she pulled away.
" It's best if you don't see it. The bad energy and negativity is already enough, getting more from social media is going to make it worse. Forget about you loosing followers, they'll come flooding in when you hit the dancefloor tomorrow in a stunning gown and become the talk of ROYUS again." Ga In pointed out and pulled me off the bed making me stand on my feet.
" I think I'm going to skip class today… I think I have stomach upset." I said holding my tummy and Sandra paused going through her phone and stared at me.
" There's no way we are going to fall for that trick again. It's been a week now and you've skipped two classes already, there's no way we will allow you to skip a third class. So you better get your butt up and follow us through the door and head straight for class." Sandra's voice was firm and audacious.
" Yes ma'am." I said picking up my bag and following them out the dorm. Ga In swiped our door card against the sensor and it looked on its own. I could feel all eyes on us, others throwing insults at me and some even threw folded papers at me when we stepped out of the dormitory.
"GET OUT OF THIS SCHOOL! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO DARE SPEAK AGAINST THE PRINCE!!!" they shouted at me throwing stuffs at me and all.
" STOP IT ALREADY! IF ANY OF YOU DARE THROW ANYTHING AT HER, I'LL MAKE SURE YOUR NOSE BLEEDS!!" It was Yun Ki. I looked up and he hugged me so tightly, more like covering me up.
" Yun Ki-ah…" I called and he gulped.
" Don't worry Sis, I'll protect you from them." His words were so sincere that tears began to fall down my cheeks when he hugged me while the students surrounded me.
"Yun Ki- ah…"
" You don't need to worry, I won't let them hurt you no matter what okay. Take my hand, I'll take you to class." He said giving me his hand and I took it.
It looked like his words shook them to the core that they just watched him hold my hand and walk me to my class with Sandra and Ga In following behind. I guess this is an advantage of having a celeb as a brother.
" Thank you Yun Ki." I said to him as he sat me down on my desk.
" Anything for my ugly sis." He said as Ga In and Sandra laugh.
" Oh my darling boy was so cool out there." Sandra said hugging Yun Ki's neck.
" He's so my type." Ga In said biting her lower lip making Sandra and I glare at her.
" Alright…alright… I take back my words." She added lifting up both hands signaling total surrender.
" Ya! Can't a gorgeous lady like herself admire my good looks with you two around?" Yun Ki asked and I lifted up a book attempting to throw it at him and…he didn't hesitate to cover his face first.
" Aish, you only care about your face." I said to him with a childish glare.
" That's my fortune don't you know. It's what brings me the cash, oh I had no idea what I would've done if God hadn't given me this looks(looks up at the ceiling) Thank you God, thank you for such a gorgeous face." His words got us laughing out loud and making my side hurt a little from the laughter.
" That's why I don't like pretty men who are aware of their looks. I'll always feel insecure around them." I said shaking my head as if I wanted to shake off all the pretty faces I've seen so far.
" I see…No wonder you didn't bother to get enchanted by Tae Jun's looks and ended up confronting him." Ga In said with a grin.
We were chattering and laughing when the other students joined. Yun Ki glared at most of them before heading for the exit.
" Bye Noona!!" he said waving at me.
" Bye…hurry and get out!!" I said throwing a lollipop at him which he caught and blew a kiss at me through the air.
"That's disgusting." I said looking away and Ga In just chuckled at his cuteness.
Most of the students kept glaring at me with hate in their eyes throughout class making me feel really uncomfortable.
"You are such a shameless bitch…how could you even show up in class. You have no shame."
" Who do you think you are… a low class twerp thinking she can get away with everything."
" Yeon Ah wasn't enough for you so you went after the crowned Prince. Shameless fool!"
" She's not even that pretty."
These were insults coming from my mates.
" Ya! Bae.. talking about prettiness, you look like your face was stuck in cow dunk, and you(pointing towards the tallest girl among them)you call her a bitch…who was the one who was willing to give herself to Ben(the top nerd in school) just to get cheats and better her grades. You are the shameless ones. Hoo Nan is better than all of you!" Ga In said with anger. The students gasped at her statement about the tall girl who afterwards went "That's a lie!"
"Do you want prove cause I've got it!" Ga In said out loud and everyone stared at the tall girl with disbelieve.
She was raging with anger and so was Sandra. I held their hands and asked them to calm down and that I didn't want them getting involved.
" Oh poor Hoo Nan, see how everyone turned against you, all those who tagged you as their super girl are now throwing insults at you." It was Yeon Ah…what is she doing in my class.
" I told you I'll make your life miserable…this is just the beginning you filthy rag." She said with a devilish smirk.
" It's sad how happy you are thinking you'll stop me by playing a cat and mouse game. So it was you who uploaded the video wasn't it?" I asked and she smirked evilly.
" What if I did? What are you going to do?" She asked with a grin as Hannah joined her.
" Don't you think it's childish and immature of you going around and intruding in people's life, looking for faults and videoing them? I thought you were smarter than that "Yeon Ah"." I blurted out, stressing on her name.
" Oh so you still have the courage to talk back at me me in that manner?"
" Oh yeah I do. I told you that this won't keep me down or helpless. It's so sad how you went through such trouble." I said with an annoying smile that I could see her form a fist with her hand and trying to hold back her rage.
" You think it's over don't you? Wait till Prince Tae Jun gets a hold of you…no one, not even Ga In will be able to save you from his clutches." Hannah added and they both giggled.
" It's pathetic how you all try to fight for him when he can't even confront me on his own. Which kind of king will he turn into? A king who has his subjects defend and stand up for him? That will be pathetic. You all are, lowering yourselves just because you think he can make and break your future?" I said angrily.
" Stop already Hoo Nan." Ga In and Sandra tried to stop me from talking back but I couldn't take it any more as the other students threw stuffs at them and I.
" You all should stop it already, I'm the one who talked back at your Prince, stop it already! You all tend to just back off and turn against people you once call friends just because of some rich Prince, you tend to go crawling on his side when he can't even stand up for himself.
Which kind of Prince does that, A Prince who tolerates injustice keeps gaining power and molesting the weak and making them weaker?
Which kind of society is he going to create when he watches as his subjects poke their noses into something that isn't their concern. Yes I did it, I confronted him! I talked back at him because it wasn't my fault for bumping into him on the stairs.
It happens all the time, people bumping into each other and he had no right to tell me I was careless like I did it on purpose so you all should back off!!!"
They all stepped back as I heard someone clapped from the distance. I turned only to find Tae Jun standing in the door way and he approached me while he clapped his hands slowly.
"Bravo!" He said as he halted right before me and pocketed his hands.
" You are one brave young lady and I like that in a woman." He said smiling at me.
Is he trying to show off or something? Does he think everyone likes him because he's the crowned Prince?
You must be kidding me.
" You all heard her didn't you? What sort of Prince am I to make his subjects fight on his behalf and tolerate the weak being bullied by the rich? All of you should stop it. If I even hear that any of you touch even a strand of her hair, I'll make sure to deal with you. I hope I made myself clear." He ordered with seriousness and they nodded, murmuring to themselves.
" Besides, why will I want to hurt a friend of Ga In… I'm not that heartless am I?" He asked as he tried to stroke my hair but then I pulled away.
I just looked at him and the others, I was getting angry and I had no idea why I was getting furious… I turned away and stomped out of the class. I could hear Sandra and Ga In call my name but I paid no attention and ran off.
I just kept running until I was almost out of breath, I stopped and sat on the crafter stone bench under a nearby tree.
" Do you have any idea that this place is haunted." I heard a male's voice as I tried to catch my breath. I lifted up my eyes to see whom it was but then the sun's rays blocked my vision and his face was as bright as the sun as he bent over I could see him clearly little by little his smile was what got me gasping for air, it's one of the most charming and warmest smile I've ever seen. I marveled at the way the sunlight streaming through the leaves onto his hair and glinting off his lashes. How can a man be this beautiful?
He got closer, that was when I realized who it was. It was Prince Gi Tak, the mean Prince's younger brother.
" No one comes here due to the rumors about this place." He said as he sat beside me on the bench.
" Tell that to the girl who's read three horror stories within a week . I do not get moved by such stuffs as "haunted houses" and "ghosts". I actually like to know more about it. If I may ask, why are you here if you know about the rumors?" I asked and he chuckled.
" Here, you must be thirsty." He said handing over a bottle of water to me.
"Are you expecting someone?" I asked as I took the bottle of water.
He shook his head sideways in response. " I just bring a spare just in case." He said with a chuckle and I nodded.
" I just love the quiet and peaceful nature of this place. Away from all those people, I love it here and now my secret hide out has been invaded." He said smiling at me, I found myself smiling back.
" It's a nice hideout though. I might be visiting here often. I hope my presence wouldn't be a bother to you." I suggested and he just smiled.
How can a human have such a heart warming smile, I could just look at him smile all day.
" Of course not. You are welcome anytime. Especially when you want to get away from those mean girls." His words made me chuckle.
" I'm sorry for my brother's behavior the last time and today too." He apologized and I pursed my lips.
" I know he can get irritating sometimes but then I don't usually blame him for that(stares at something in the distance and throws a stone at it) he's actually a very nice and fun guy when you get to know him. He isn't who the other students presume him to be. He just has that cold nature and outward look. He's a whole different person when you get to know him." He explained.
" But it's a whole different thing from what I've seen. He's more like what the say he is." I replied and he smiled as he turned to look at me.
" He just has issues when it comes to girls standing up to him. You're the first girl to talk to his face that way for the first time and felt fearless about expressing yourself about his behavior. Don't worry, he'll begin to work on it soon." He stated placing a hand on my shoulder.
" I guess you really care about your brother." I replied and when he realized his hand was still on my shoulder, he pulled away.
" Who wouldn't…he's one of the best things that ever happened to me even though I end up getting him into trouble sometimes." He said with a chuckle and I smiled.
" Hey you just smiled." he said pointing at my lips and it was like everything froze, I could feel the breeze in my hair and with him staring at me, he leaned closer and my heart began to go thump thump thump.
" I got it." He said pulling away and holding a small branch in his hand.
" It was in your hair, it has thorns on it. " He said observing the branch before throwing it away.
" Do you have a date for tomorrow's ball?" He asked me and I gulped out of surprise.
" Oh about that, I don't even know if I'll make it after what happened today."
" That means you have no date right… be my date tomorrow night for the ball." He just said that out loud without hesitating.
" Huh?" I asked out of surprise, not that I didn't hear him the first time but I wanted to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
" Yeah, I've been thinking whether to go or not, since we are in the same shoes, why don't we keep each other company tomorrow at the ball?" He suggested and I didn't know what to say at that moment.
" Well I won't pressure you to say yes but then I'll be patient and wait for my reply.(takes my phone from my hand and enters his number and gave it back to me.) That's my number, lemme know when you make up your mind." He said to me and winked at me.
"Ummm…okay sure, I'll let you know."
" Sure… I think we should get going because it's getting dark." He said rising to his feet and taking my hand, he escorted me to the entrance of my dorm , waved me goodbye before leaving.
"No wonder you weren't picking my calls."
"You scared me!" I said jumping out of shock.
" You got yourself with Gi Tak, girl how do you do it?" Ga In added as they both pulled me into our room.
" So what did he say?"
" How was it being alone with him?"
" You got us worried and found yourself with a Prince charming."
" Come on give us some gist."
Ga In and Sandra asked one after the other.
" Sorry I got you two worried." I apologized and they patted my shoulder.
" Well it was best you ran away. Things got hot after you left." Sandra said to me and I nodded.
" So how was it spending time with a Prince alone?" Sandra asked.
" Actually…(fidgeted my shirt) he asked me to be his date at tomorrow's ball." Their jaws dropped when I informed them about it.
They were about to talk when we heard a knock on our door.
" Who could it be?" Sandra asked as she headed to answer it.
" Are you Ms. Han Hoo Nan?" I heard a female voice say from the door.
" No, but this is her room and I'm her friend." I heard Sandra reply.
" I was asked to give this to her in person."
" Okay…but she's not feeling well at the moment, I'll hand it over to her."
"Please sign here."
Sandra locked the door and returned with an envelope in her hand.
" Here…it's yours." She said handing over the envelope to me.
I opened it only to find a beautifully designed gift card in it and when I opened it and read…
" Will you be my date to the ball tomorrow? I'd like to know your answer. I'll wait patiently for your reply. Prince Tae Jun"
Ga In and Sandra gasped as they saw the name beneath the writing.
" No way!" Ga In said astonished.
" Is this really his handwriting?"
"Yeah, that's Tae Jun's handwriting. I have no doubt about it, and that signature is his." Ga In replied still astonished.
" What's he up to? Could it be a prank or something?" I asked.
"I don't think so, he might really be serious because he's not the type to pull pranks on others." Ga In replied.
" So now what are you going to do? Both brothers asked you to be their date?" Ga In asked and I sighed.
" Awwwn, I wish I could be in your shoes right now. You're so lucky." Sandra said cheerfully.
" I wish I wasn't in this situation, no I can't be in this, why is he asking me to the dance when his brother already did. Could they have planned this?" I said out loud.
" I don't think so. They barely make the same decision not to talk of them planning on pulling a prank on you." She replied.
" Maybe Tae Jun is trying to get the other kids away from bullying you. Maybe he wants to find a way to compensate for what they did to you." Sandra suggested and I sighed.
She might be right though, but what I'm I to do?
Who should I say yes to? I'm so confused right now because Tae Jun might take this opportunity to make the others stay away from me or could he be up to something silly? No I don't think so.
Gi Tak is so cool and nice to be with…what if I decline Tae Jun's invitation and he decides to destroy me for real?