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Today was Advisor Jung’s birthday, and for that reason, the King called for a special dinner. The Lords and Ladies of the land along with their children were invited and Advisor Jung’s own family was given an invitation as well. Seeing as the weather had been nothing but calm and warm, the dinner was held outside.

Yoongi has great respect for Advisor Jung, he really does. This man had worked with his father since he became King and had accomplished many great things while in that position. Advisor Jung was a great guy, so Yoongi felt bad that he was having no fun at all at this dinner meant for him.

It’s not that the food wasn’t great or anything like that. The seating arrangement was the problem. 

The Prince was seated to the right of his father, the King, who was sitting at the head of the table. Next to Yoongi was his Advisor, Kim Namjoon. Advisor Jung was to the King’s left, and next to him was his wife. Normally, on a typical occasion, Hoseok, the son of Advisor Jung, would be sitting next to his mother. That was not the case this time, however.

Hoseok was further along the left side of the table sitting next to Young Master Kim and he seemed to be having a grand time sitting over there. From where Yoongi was sitting, he had the perfect view of the two. He did not know if that was a blessing or a curse. 

The two were laughing throughout the entirety of the dinner. They were involved in the conversations of others sitting around them, but Yoongi could not help but notice how they often got caught up in their private conversation more than anything. They seemed close.

Yoongi knew he was staring. But he didn’t know how caught up in staring at Hoseok and Young Master Kim he was until the King called his name rather loudly. The table quieted down rather quickly. Everyone, including Hoseok and Young Master Kim, turned to look at the Prince.

He looked away. Yoongi was embarrassed. He quickly apologized to his father for having zoned out. The King only laughed and accepted his apology. The table went back to its murmur of conversations. Hoseok and Young Master Kim went back to talking and laughing amongst themselves.

“They’re a perfect match, aren’t they?” The King mumbled quietly to Yoongi. “They look good together. Can’t think of anyone more perfect for Hoseok.”

Yoongi looked back over at them and stared at him, at the man his father had just said to be perfect for Hoseok. The man was physically remarkable, he had to admit. He was a tall, broad-shouldered Alpha with plump lips. His facial features were nowhere near unfavorable. He seemed to have a sturdy build and if his title didn’t already make it obvious, his clothes made it clear that he came from a wealthy family.

On a superficial level, Yoongi had to agree. This man was perfect for Hoseok. Hoseok himself had physical qualities that were so captivating. He has a beautiful side profile and his hair seemed to glow. His eyes were always sparkling and his smile was one of his best features. In a picture, they would look perfect. 

However, when he took into consideration other aspects, Yoongi found nothing in Young Master Kim’s favor that deemed him worthy as a husband for Hoseok.

Yoongi could not hear the two as well as he could see them but based on what he picked up, Young Master Kim didn’t say much that was impressive. Some eye-brow-raising remarks left his mouth, but not in a good way. 

Nothing but nonsense left the man’s mouth. Joke after joke would fall out from it and not one was even remotely funny. Those who were sitting around him seemed to be enjoying them though, which bewildered Yoongi. They must’ve felt pressured to laugh. That is the excuse Yoongi came up with for them because he refused to believe that anyone could find what the man was saying funny. Yoongi did not laugh at his jokes not once.

An Alpha like that, Yoongi thought, is nothing but trouble. 

“I don’t see what makes him so great for Hoseok,” Yoongi told his father. “He looks extremely average to me.”

The King laughed at Yoongi’s remark. Loud and booming was his laugh. He beamed at his son and slapped him on the back. Yoongi knew his father thought what he had said was a joke.

From the other side of the table came a laugh just as loud as the King’s, but not quite as booming. It was the sound of happiness. It was Hoseok’s laughter.

Yoongi looked back over at Hoseok. He watched as his friend’s beautiful smile spread across his face and how it gave way to his loud, contagious laughter. Young Master Kim’s laughter was loud as well, but it was more like he squeaked than laughed. Hoseok’s laughter was far better. It eased the uneasiness inside people.

Hoseok briefly glanced at him and Yoongi quickly looked away. He caught his father looking at him when he did this. His father had a soft expression on his face. Yoongi looked down at his food.

“Hoseok’s clothes are quite beautiful, are they not?” His father asked.

Yoongi glanced over at Hoseok and examined the top of his hanbok. They were green with pastel-yellow accents. It was obviously made of fine silk. Perhaps Advisor Jung had a new robe made for Hoseok recently for this occasion? There were embroidered flowers on the chest part of the hanbok and they seemed to glimmer in the light the moon cast down on them. 

Yoongi nodded his head and made eye contact with his father. “Yes, they are beautiful.”

*

“Prince Yoongi! It’s time for your lessons! Your tutor insisted that you be on time today!” The old nanny cried.

Soft giggles could be heard in the courtyard, but no matter where the nanny turned to look, she could not find the owners of the laughs.

“Prince Yoongi, please!” She cried out again.

In the branches of the large tree at the center of the courtyard sat two boys, hiding in the leaves. The older one was five and had on a blue hanbok with the shoulders embroidered in white. The younger one was four and had a simple green hanbok with no major embroidery on it except for on the hems and sleeves.

The two boys watched as the old nanny finally took notice of them in the tree.

“Oh! Prince Yoongi! Hoseok-ah!  Do come down from there! Oh! You’ll get hurt! Both of you!” She cried out, walking frantically around the tree.

She extended her arms and tried to coax the boys into coming down.

Yoongi giggled as he watched the old nanny do this. He turned to look at Hoseok, expecting him to be laughing as well but was surprised to see tears welling up in the younger’s eyes.

“Why are you crying Seok-ah?” Yoongi asked.

Hoseok sniffled and whipped at his eyes with the sleeve of his robes. “I’m not crying, hyung.”

“Who’s crying? Hoseok-ah are you crying? Don’t worry I’ll go get your father! Your father is coming, Hoseok-ah!” The nanny said as she called over one of the servants to go fetch the King’s Advisor.

Hoseok began to wail.

“I’m scared, nanny! I want to come down!” The small boy sobbed.

Yoongi, alarmed at how loudly Hoseok was crying and at how much he was shaking, grabbed on to his friend and held on tight.

“You said you weren’t scared, Seok-ah!” Yoongi exclaimed.

Hoseok only kept on wailing.

Advisor Jung eventually arrived with the King following behind him. Yoongi’s hands began to sweat.

“Hobi,” Advisor Jung’s voice was strong but reassuring. Hoseok’s wailing quieted at the sound of his father’s voice. “I’m here son, dad is here, Hobi.”

Hoseok reached out for his father and Yoongi loosened his hold on his friend as Advisor Jung grabbed the small boy and got him down from the tree. Hoseok was still crying, although more quietly now and not shaking as badly as he was before.

Advisor Jung stepped back with Hoseok in his arms and the King stepped forward.

“Come down, Yoongi.” He said.

Yoongi wasted no time and scampered down. He bowed his head at his father and stared at his shoes, not daring to look back up and into his father’s eyes.

“Get to your lessons.” The King said. He began walking away without waiting for Yoongi to say anything, and the Advisor followed behind him with Hoseok still in his arms.

The old nanny took Yoongi to his lessons where he had to do thirty minutes extra of reading for showing up late again.

Later that evening, during dinner, Yoongi approached Hoseok and asked why he had started crying in the tree.

“Nanny looked so scared, Hyung,” Hoseok mumbled as he fiddled with one of the cords on his robe. “So I got scared. It was really high.”

“I was there with you though,” Yoongi said.

“I know,” Hoseok mumbled.

“So don't be scared next time.” Yoongi smiled. “I won’t let you get hurt.”

*

Yoongi had no lessons today, so he took to the courtyard to occupy himself. There were a few servants already gathered there doing their chores. The sun was not fully out yet and they were taking advantage of the cool morning breeze before the day got progressively warmer. Summer at the palace could get unbearable at times.

There was no one sitting under the big tree in the middle of the courtyard so he took a seat under its shade.  

He rested his head against the trunk and closed his eyes, relief washing over him at not having much on his schedule for the day. Being the prince and next in line to the throne usually meant hectic schedules to prepare him for his future role as King. He was in his twenty-second year, which meant he only had three more years of preparation for his ascent to the throne. Today though, he was blessed with only having a meeting with his father in the evening.

Yoongi hummed as the cool breeze blew on his face. His eyes were still closed and he listened to the chatter of the servants as they did their chores. He listened as their voices blended in with the sounds of the birds on the tree as they too went about their daily chores, chirping and fluttering about.

He remained sitting there alone for what felt like an hour, enjoying the tranquility the world was offering to him. The sun’s rays were beginning to get stronger and he felt their warmth on the part of the hanbok that was covering his legs, which were extended outwards on the ground.

As he adjusted himself so as to not have the rays burn his legs too much, he heard soft footsteps approach the tree. He opened his eyes and looked to the right, which was where he had heard the sound coming from.

He was met with the sight of Hoseok. The Omega was wearing one of most beautiful hanbokYoongi had ever seen. It was light blue and had small flowers and petals embroidered on the chest and sleeves. It truly emphasized the beauty of the Omega. 

The younger man noticed that Yoongi was looking at him and smiled at his friend. Yoongi offered a small smile in return.

“Can I sit with you, Hyung?” Hoseok asked.

Yoongi nodded and scooted over so as to make room for Hoseok. The younger man immediately sat down and rested his head on the Alpha’s shoulder. He curled up his legs and pressed himself against Yoongi’s side. Yoongi looked around the courtyard and watched as the servants looked away from the tree, their chatter turning to murmurs.

“Hyung doesn’t have any lessons today?”

“No, just a meeting with father later today.”

Hoseok hummed in response. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Yoongi closed his eyes when he saw that nothing else would be said between them. He rested his head on top of Hoseok’s and went back to listening to the sounds of the servants and the birds.

“Young Master Kim was nice, wasn’t he Hyung?” Hoseok suddenly said.

Yoongi opened his eyes. He wanted to sit up straight and look at Hoseok but he felt that would be too strange of a reaction so he remained in the position he was in. Hoseok remained still as well.

“He was alright, but I didn’t notice anything that made him stand out,” Yoongi said, reiterating the comment he had made to his father to his friend.

Hoseok laughed. “He told quite a few jokes though. Surely that would’ve made him stand out to anyone.”

Yoongi shrugged. “I couldn’t really hear them from where I was sitting.”

“Ah.” That was all Hoseok said in response to that.

“You seemed to have heard him quite well though.” Yoongi quickly said. He shifted so that he was now looking at Hoseok. The younger had lifted his head from his friend’s shoulder and was staring back at Yoongi. He was slightly red in the face, Yoongi noticed. 

“We were sitting next to each other.” The younger one stammered out.

“I know.”

“Well then why did you bring it up?”

“I'm not sure.” Yoongi mumbled as he shifted once more so that he was facing the front again.

A weird, awkward tension befell the two of them after that. It was mostly Yoongi’s fault for bringing up such a minuscule detail of the dinner from last night and then making his friend feel weird about it. But he didn’t want to dwell on the atmosphere his actions had created. He was more concerned about how Hoseok had flushed at Yoongi’s mention of his closeness with Young Master Kim.

There was a silence between them as Yoongi thought about what had just happened. In fact, things had gotten so quiet and so still between the two that he thought Hoseok had fallen asleep. The younger had rested his head on Yoongi’s shoulder again and his breathing sounded as if it had slowed down. 

Yoongi stayed as still as possible. He did not want to disturb his friend’s presumed sleep. To occupy himself, he watched the servants as they walked in front of him and went about their chores. All of them avoided looking at the tree.

It was when Yoongi had gotten caught up watching two children running about with a basket of clothes that Hoseok cleared his throat. Yoongi jolted in his seat, startling Hoseok in the process.

“I’m sorry, I thought you were asleep,” Yoongi said.

Hoseok shook his head. “I was awake the whole time.”

“Oh,”

The younger then sat up straight and turned to look at Yoongi. Confused but intrigued, Yoongi copied his friend’s movements.

“He gave me a bracelet yesterday,” Hoseok blurted out. “After dinner.”

Yoongi quickly glanced at his friend’s wrist, to see if this bracelet he had gotten as a gift was on them. Both of his wrists were bare. He looked back up at Hoseok.

“That’s a bit sudden of him,” Yoongi said. “Right after dinner?”

Hoseok nodded. “I was also a bit surprised. He’s never given me jewelry before.”

Yoongi frowned. “What do you mean before? Has he given you other things before?” 

Hoseok had been about to answer when a voice called out for him from the other side of the courtyard. The two friends turned around to look at the owner of the voice. 

It was Park Jimin, a friend of theirs. Jimin was the son of one of the palace’s servants but was also part of the palace dancers along with Hoseok. Right now, he was waving over at Hoseok and calling for him to come over. Apparently, Hoseok’s dance practice was about to begin.

Hoseok got up hastily and apologized to Yoongi, promising him that they could chat again later. Yoongi barely had a chance to answer him as Hoseok was already running toward Jimin and reaching out for his hand, giggling in the process.

Yoongi watched the two run off together. He watched as their hanboks billowed slightly behind them. Hoseok’s hanbok in particular seemed to dance and wave at Yoongi as the younger one got further and further away.

“What else has he given you, Hoseok?” Yoongi mumbled to himself.

*

Yoongi was upset. It was the third day in a row that Hoseok had not waited for him outside in the courtyard. He was especially upset because Hoseok had promised to have a choreography ready for the little song Yoongi had played for the younger boy a week prior. 

He kept asking the old nanny where Hoseok was and she would simply tell him that he had gone to visit his cousins for the week and to not worry about it and focus on his lessons.

The Prince was fourteen now, the prime age at which every child likes to rebel against every adult in their life. He went to his lessons, but he refused to pay attention and do any of the work until he got word back from Hoseok himself.

The old nanny could do nothing but sigh and apologize to the Prince’s tutor for his behavior. 

Yoongi did not know that Hoseok was actually still in the palace but was confined to his room. The thirteen-year-old boy had fallen sick and the palace nurses were attending to him and guiding him toward recovery. After close inspection, however, it was clear that the young boy was presenting.

When news of this had gotten to the King, he called for Hoseok to have no visitors other than beta nurses and his parents in order to not trigger any kind of negative reaction in the young boy. He also called for no one to tell the Prince that Hoseok was sick. Everyone knew that the two boys cared immensely about one another and if the Prince got wind about Hoseok’s state, he’d do everything possible to go and see his friend.

The King would’ve allowed for his son to go see his friend if his son had not already presented as an Alpha a year prior. With no knowledge of what Hoseok could be presenting as and with Yoongi still being a relatively young Alpha, he was afraid of what could happen if a visit was allowed.

A week went by with no Hoseok and Yoongi was more upset than ever. Why had Hoseok not told him that he’d be gone for so long? Had he not choreographed anything and was hiding because of that? Forget the dance, Yoongi had thought, Hoseok needed to come back. Yoongi was forced to finish his work in his lessons, but he did not put his best effort into it.

It was at the end of the week that Hoseok reappeared again.

Yoongi had just gotten out of his last lesson for the day when he noticed that the servants were crowding around the corridor that led to the Jung’s quarters. Yoongi approached the crowd and tried to peek over them to see what the commotion was about.

Taehyung, the son of one of the servants and a friend of Yoongi and Hoseok, was standing near the front of the crowd. Yoongi noticed him and tapped his shoulder. The boy turned and upon realizing Yoongi was the one who tapped him, grabbed the Prince’s arm and pulled him to the front.

“What’s going on?” Yoongi grunted.

“Hoseok-hyung just presented your Highness,” Taehyung said excitedly.

“What?”

“We’re waiting for the head nurse to announce what he presented as.”

Yoongi focused his attention on the end of the corridor, where Hoseok’s room was located. The crowd murmured in anticipation and was so invested in the excitement of the moment that they didn’t notice Yoongi’s presence amongst them.

Finally, the head nurse walked out. Everyone quieted down to hear her announcement.

“Advisor Jung’s son has presented as an Omega.”

The crowd cheered. This time their voices were loud as they talked amongst each other about the announcement. What a blessing, they said. What a blessing for two Betas to have an Omega as their child.

The head nurse smiled at them and walked back into Hoseok’s room, only to come back out with Hoseok’s parents and Hoseok himself following behind her.

The servants cheered once again at the sight of Hoseok.

As soon as Yoongi caught sight of his friend, he ran toward him. Hoseok yelped as the Prince threw himself onto him and hugged him. He giggled though and returned the hug to his friend.

They were both relieved to see each other after what felt like a long time.

The old nanny, who had been standing in the crowd apparently, exclaimed when the Prince did this and rushed forward to pry him off of Hoseok. Between Advisor Jung, his wife, and the old nanny, the two boys were separated

“He just presented your highness.” Hoseok’s mother had said to Yoongi. “You have to be gentle with him.” 

The King arrived at the scene to congratulate Advisor Jung and his family. When he was done, he pulled Yoongi aside to speak with him.

“Do not do that again, Yoongi. Things are not the same with Hoseok anymore, understand?” The King said.

Yoongi did not understand, but he nodded anyway.

*

Yoongi was walking with Namjoon to the throne room. It was evening now and the meeting with his father was due to start in a few minutes. Hoseok had not come back from his dance practice at all and Yoongi could only assume that it had run later than the younger had expected. It was highly probable that they would not get a chance to continue their chat from earlier today. 

The sun was beginning to set and the servants were finishing up their chores. They were bustling around the castle, many passing by Yoongi and Namjoon as they did so. The two Alphas greeted everyone with a smile and a slight nod of the head. The servants all bowed their heads to them.

When they were a short distance away from the throne room, Namjoon told Yoongi about what to expect in the meeting with the King. It was mostly related to Yoongi’s ascent to the throne in the coming years and certain duties he had to fulfill in the coming weeks. 

There were also, Namjoon mentioned, alliances to be discussed at the meeting.

Yoongi had only nodded.

The two Alphas reached the entrance of the throne room and were let in by the two guards standing in front. The throne room was a grand room, one Yoongi has been familiar with his entire life. 

The entrance was always guarded by two guards and was the only way to get inside. Well, it was the only official way inside. There is a passageway behind the throne meant for the royal family to go through in case of an invasion or attack. Yoongi and Hoseok used to go inside of it all the time when they were younger.

On that same wall where the secret passageway was, there was a large painting of the village. It hung way above the throne, so that when you looked at the King, you saw the village behind him. It had been painted by Yoongi’s grandmother at her coronation ceremony.

As it was tradition, every Min to ascend to the throne had to showcase a talent of theirs to the village at their coronation ceremony. Omegas usually showcased something in the arts while Alphas and Betas showcased more military focused talents.

Yoongi’s grandmother had been an Omega and her talent had been painting. During her coronation ceremony, she sat in front of the villagers and painted the village, with the palace being in the background and one of the smallest things in the entire painting. She had wanted to emphasize the importance of the village by making it the focus of the painting. The villagers loved it.

For his coronation ceremony, Yoongi was planning on playing his flute. Though his father was extremely against it. The King wanted Yoongi to demonstrate his swordsmanship skills. It was more Alpha like.

Yoongi looked at the painting before averting his eyes to the throne. His father was not sitting on it. The King was sitting at the end of a large table in the middle of the room. Sitting beside him was Hoseok’s father, Advisor Jung. 

The table wasn’t usually in the throne room but on occasions like this, when meetings had to be held, the servants would bring the table out and arrange the seat cushions to fit however many people would be in attendance. Sometimes it would be up to thirty people at the meetings and everyone would be sitting knee to knee.

There were only four people at the meeting today though, so only four seat cushions were needed. It looked a bit strange to Yoongi. The way they pulled out such a large table for a meeting of just four people.

“Your Majesty,” Both Yoong and Namjoon said, bowing toward the King. The King simply nodded his head and gestured for them to sit down.

As the senior Advisor, Hoseok’s father was the one to start the meeting and read through the list of topics to be discussed. 

Although not many things were on the list, the King still found a way to make the meeting go on for an extensive amount of time. Namjoon, being the junior advisor, had to take notes and Yoongi felt bad watching his friend occasionally flex his wrist. His father was talking an awful lot.

Yoongi felt like he kept tuning in and out of the meeting. As the Prince, Yoongi knew he was supposed to be listening and paying attention to what was being discussed but it was hard when his father and Advisor Jung started talking about things that felt like they had nothing to do with the meeting. Yoongi began daydreaming about the old nanny’s cooking when Advisor Jung suggested that they start discussing alliances and marriages.

Now that got the Prince’s attention. Namjoon had made no mention of marriages, and neither had Advisor Jung when he went over the list at the beginning of the meeting.

Advisor Jung must’ve noticed Yoongi’s sudden interest and smiled. “All of these are for the members of the court, your highness, none for you just yet.”

He then turned to the King who gave the go-ahead to Advisor Jung to start with the alliances and marriage topic. The Beta then proceeded to take out some documents which must’ve been beside him the entire time and placed them on top of the table. Yoongi and Namjoon both quickly glanced at the papers.

“These are some of the reports regarding issues our Lords and Ladies are having within their lands. There are also a few marriage requests included. I’d suggest we start with those first and get them out of the way.” Advisor Jung said.

The King nodded at this. Advisor Jung then grabbed a small portion of the papers on top of the stack and looked down at them, ready to read the first one.

Advisor Jung cleared his throat. “Young Master Kim Seokjin, son of Lady Kim Youngmi. Twenty-three years of age and an Alpha.” Advisor Jung smiled. “Ah, this is the young man who has given my Hobi a gift...”

The King smiled. “And has our Hoseok an answer yet?”

Yoongi watched Advisor Jung as he laughed and shook his head. “He won’t say but I have a feeling he’ll have his answer soon.”

“Well it’s about time he does!” the King started. “Tell him he has my full support if he were to choose Young Master Kim as his Alpha.”

Advisor Jung laughed again and continued reading the rest of the marriage requests. Some were for the other Omegas and female Betas of the court but a surprising amount were for Hoseok. None of the ones for Hoseok got as much support and approval from Advisor Jung and the King as Young Master Kim’s request did. Yoongi was unsettled by this. He did not like how everything was pointing to Young Master Kim as the top choice for Hoseok.

When the meeting was adjourned sometime later, the sun had set. All the palace lanterns had been lit. Yoongi and Namjoon walked in the path they lit up.

The taller Alpha was rubbing his wrist as they walked in silence. Yoongi took advantage of this silence to think about the whole Hoseok and Young Master Kim ordeal. Out of all the things that had been talked about in the meeting, this was the most concerning to him.

“I think Young Master Kim would be a perfect match for Hoseok,” Namjoon suddenly mused. “Don’t you, your highness?”

Yoongi turned to look at Namjoon. “Young Master Kim? Hoseok? I’d have to disagree.”

Namjoon tilted his head in confusion, but Yoongi knew his friend was far from confused. “Why’s that, your highness?” 

“I just don’t think he’s great for Hoseok, that's all. And I don’t get why everyone thinks they’re a perfect match.” Yoongi murmured.

“He was the best in his troop during his military training. He’s well studied, heir to over a hundred acres of land, and might I add, a very handsome and funny guy.” Namjoon listed. “What about him isn’t great, especially for someone like Hoseok ?”

“Hoseok deserves someone better is all I’m saying.” Yoongi said.

“I think Young Master Kim is as good as they get at the moment.” Namjoon chuckled. He then turned to look at the Prince and tilted his head once more to show the confusion that he did not have. “I don’t get it, your highness. Who exactly do you have in mind that would be perfect for Hoseok?”

“Watch it, Kim.”

“No, your highness.” Namjoon said rather sternly. “I think you need to hear this.”

The two stopped walking. They were not too far from Yoongi’s quarters. If he wanted to, he could walk away and head straight to his room. But he felt like that wouldn’t be the right choice. So instead, Yoongi stayed.

He turned to look at his friend. “What do I need to hear, Kim?” Yoongi asked. There was no anger in his voice, just general curiosity. And some fear, for he had an idea of what his friend was about to say.

“Let go of Hoseok.” Namjoon said simply. “It’s time.”

Yoongi felt himself go tense. He felt his stomach flip upside down and twist itself. 

“What are you on about, Kim?”

Namjoon sighed and looked at his friend with a soft smile on his face. His eyes however, seemed to be upset with Yoongi.

“I think, your highness, that if you do not wish to ruin things between yourself and Hoseok, you should do something about your very obvious feelings for your friend. Whether that be by letting him go or actually coming to terms with your feelings and acting on them, it better be done soon,” Namjoon said. “I’m saying this as your friend, Yoongi. I feel like you’re only hurting yourself with how you’re going about things, and you’ll eventually hurt Hoseok too. I’d hate to see the two of you fall apart, so I beg you to do something before you do.”

Yoongi remained silent. This conversation felt vaguely familiar to one he had had before.

He sighed and looked up at the sky.

“Good night, Namjoon. We shall talk tomorrow.”

*

Today was the celebration of Yoongi’s twentieth year and the start of his military training. The whole day the Alpha has been kept out of the palace’s main courtyard where his farewell ceremony would take place in the evening. He didn’t have any lessons that day either so there was nothing to occupy him while he waited. 

Hoseok would be performing with the palace dancers at the ceremony, so Yoongi could not hang out with his friend during his downtime. After spending what felt like an eternity in his quarters doing nothing but reading some book he had meant to have finished by now, he remembered that Taehyung usually had duties away from the main courtyard. Yoongi decided to go pay his friend a visit. 

Yoongi made his way to the stables, the place Taehyung was usually assigned to work in. He was right to go there as the Beta was found grooming the King’s horse. 

It was cold outside, seeing as it was the beginning of the year and winter was yet to give way to the spring. Taehyung was wrapped up in burley garments to keep him warm while he accomplished his duties.

The Prince cleared his throat to notify Taehyung of his presence. Taehyung turned around and smiled at the Prince before bowing his head.

Yoongi made his way to Taehyung, not wanting to keep his friend too distracted from his work. Just because he had nothing to do today did not mean that everyone else had a free day as well. On the contrary the entire palace was bustling with preparations for the ceremony. Even the old nanny was too occupied to bother checking in on Yoongi.

“Good afternoon, your highness.” Taehyung said. “Excited for the ceremony today?”

Yoongi laughed. “Yes, I’m excited for everyone’s celebration of my departure of two years from the palace.”

“We’ve all been looking forward to it, your highness, can you blame us?” Taehyung jokes.

The two laughed at this. Taehyung finished grooming the horse and put the supply away. As the Prince watched, he noticed something that resembled beaded work, a necklace perhaps, dangling out of the pocket of one of Taehyung’s garments.

As the Beta moved around, the necklace seemed to reveal itself more and more until, ultimately, it fell out and landed on the mud. Taehyung did not notice that it had fallen out, but Yoongi had. He was quick to pick it up.

“Is this yours, Taehyung?” Yoongi asked, holding it up for the Beta to see.

Taehyung’s eyes widened and he grabbed it from the Prince’s hands, thanking him for picking it up.

Yoongi didn’t say anything and instead examined the necklace in his friend’s hands. It was handmade, obviously. It was nothing like the fine necklaces Hoseok would wear or the ones that some of the Omegas and female Betas of the court would occasionally have on. But it was a beautiful necklace nonetheless. Whoever made it must’ve put quite a lot of time and effort into it.

“It’s for Jiminie.” Taehyung said softly. “It’s a courting gift.”

Yoongi nodded. “I think he’ll love it.”

Taehyung smiled. “I hope he does.”

The two didn’t say anything. Taehyung had to move to another horse to groom. Yoongi followed him to it.

“Aren’t you two a bit…young, to court?” Yoongi commented. “You’re both in your eighteenth year.”

Taehyung shrugged as he began brushing the horse’s mane. “Most people begin courting at this age. And Jimin and I love each other a great deal so it's a given that we’d court anyways.”

“How can you be so sure?” Yoongi asked. “That you love each other that is.”

“I just know I love him. Besides, Jiminie himself told me that he’s never felt so strongly for someone as he does for me. We understand each other so well.” Taehyung smiled.

Yoongi watched his friend move on to brushing the horse’s hair. It was the Prince’s horse that Taehyung was working on. The Prince would be taking his horse with him to his military training, so Taehyung took his time grooming the stallion, making sure the creature looked as stunning as he possibly could.

“You know, your highness.” Taehyung started. “It’s almost like what you and Hoseokie Hyung have that Jimin and I have. It’s a strong bond, an unbreakable one.”

Yoongi frowned. “I think you’re mistaken there, Taehyung-ah. What Hoseok and I have is purely platonic. The bond between you and Jimin is romantic. They’re very different from one another.”

Taehyung hummed. “Are they now?”

“I would assume so. You wouldn't refer to Jimin as your best friend, would you? You would refer to him as your love, your mate, your soulmate even given how close the two of you are.”

“I actually would refer to Jiminie as my friend,” Taehyung said. “It was because of our friendship that we grew close. That's why I fell in love with him.”

“Well, it’s still different from the friendship between Hoseok and me.” Yoongi insisted. 

Taehyung continued grooming the horse. “What makes a good friendship, your highness?”

Yoongi shrugged. “Loyalty I suppose. An understanding between each other as you said. Compassion. Honesty. Patience with one another. There should be respect for each other, but also room to criticize one another when needed. Balance is key, I believe, to a good friendship.”

“And what about a romantic relationship, your highness? What would make a good relationship with your mate?”

Yoongi stayed quiet, a bit stunned at Taehyung’s question. Taehyung kept grooming the stallion.

The old nanny then arrived and told the Prince that his attire for tonight was ready and that he was needed for the final fitting. Yoongi followed her, barely saying goodbye to Taehyung. As he was fitted into his attire for that night, he thought about his conversation with Taehyung.

He had described his and Hoseok's friendship for the Beta’s first question. He had something to reference for it. He had nothing for the second question. Yet, for some reason, those same qualities he had said for a good friendship almost slipped from his mouth for the question about a romantic relationship.

He supposed a friendship wasn’t too far off from a romantic one. That was the point Taehyung had been trying to make he assumed. Yet the Prince remained perplexed about the exchange. Why did it feel like he had confessed something?

Yoongi opted to stay in the attire while he waited for the ceremony to begin. It was a hassle getting it on and it would be a hassle to take off and put it back on.

He sat in his room and picked up the book he had been reading earlier. When the old nanny came back about three hours later to escort him to the main courtyard, he had finished the book.

The courtyard had been decorated beautifully. The big tree in the middle had lanterns hanging from it along with paper decorations. So much work had been put into the ceremony. Yoongi was touched.

The old nanny led him to his seat. It was beside the King. The tables were arranged to face the makeshift stage in the courtyard. The dance performance was to come before the dinner. This gave the dancers a chance to eat with the rest of the guests. This pleased Yoongi. Usually, the dancers ate separately from the guests, which meant that Hoseok would not eat with Yoongi when he did performances. 

Today would be Yoongi’s last proper meal at the palace for some time, and he was grateful that Hoseok would be able to be a part of it.

The rest of the guests arrived and were seated. The King and Prince’s table had Hoseok and his family sitting with them.

It was still cold outside. Colder than it had been earlier. The Prince wondered how the dancers, especially Hoseok, would manage with the current temperature.

Everyone began clapping when the dancers went onto the stage. Hoseok was front and center, as always. He was the best dancer of the bunch. At least Yoongi believed him to be.

The music began and Yoongi recognized it as the song he had played for Hoseok once on his flute. It was the song Hoseok had never been able to show Yoongi his choreography to because he had presented.

He smiled as he watched Hoseok begin to dance. He danced beautifully. The dancers followed Hoseok’s lead. Yoongi was touched. Hoseok managed to turn a beautiful song into a masterpiece.

The radiance of the dancers was enough to keep the audience warm. Yoongi could feel their energy, their passion, from his seat. Hoseok’s presence was the biggest one, and it was the most significant he felt.

When the dance was finished, Yoongi stood on his feet and clapped. Everyone else followed.

He congratulated Hoseok on his performance when the Omega joined them a few short minutes after the performance. Hoseok smiled and thanked Yoongi for his kind words. Yoongi had moved to sit next to Hoseok.

The two friends chatted throughout the entirety of the dinner. Yoongi had seen Hoseok's face saddened when Yoongi mentioned the military training. Yoongi promised to write to him often, and that it would almost be like he never left with all the letters he would send.

Hoseok smiled at this.

“I’ll look forward to it, Hyung. But I’ll look forward to your return even more.”

Yoongi had agreed with him.

*

Hoseok was sitting with Jimin under the big tree in the middle of the courtyard when Yoongi found him in the morning. The two were peeling fruit together, laughing amongst themselves. From where Yoongi was standing, he could see Jimin’s necklace and mating mark adorning his neck. Hoseok’s wrists, on the other hand, were bare. The sleeves of his beautiful yellow hanbok allowed Yoongi to see that.

The two Omegas noticed Yoongi watching them and began calling him over. Hoseok in particular was the loudest and was even waving his arm at him. Yoongi made his way over to them and sat down by their basket. He reached inside it and picked one of the oranges that they had peeled. Hoseok protested but Yoongi pretended not to hear him and ate the orange.

Jimin laughed at the two of them and assured Hoseok that it was fine if they ate some of the fruits. They had picked more than necessary, to begin with. Upon hearing this, Yoongi offered a wedge from the orange he was eating to Hoseok. The Omega refused and opted to eat a peach that neither he nor Jimin had yet peeled.

“Yoongi-hyung, now that you’re here, I was hoping to get your opinion on something,” Hoseok said as he placed the peach on his lap. “Jimin and I were just talking about it. It’s kind of a big deal and both of you would be the first to know.”

Yoongi finished chewing the wedge in his mouth before he spoke. “Of course. What is it?”

“It’s about Young Master Kim’s proposal. I’ve accepted his proposal.” Hoseok said.

Jimin beamed and clapped his hands. “Oh, your highness, isn’t this great news? I told Hoseok-hyung that it was about time!”

Yoongi grimaced. “I don’t think things like these should be rushed. Wasn’t it two days ago that he gave you that present?”

“Yes, but we’ve actually been in contact for longer than that,” Hoseok replied. “Which is why I think it’s best that I accept the proposal now.”

“What do you mean you’ve been in contact for longer than that?” Yoongi frowned. “How long is long?”

“About a year, I believe.” Jimin piped in. “It was a few weeks after Young Master Kim’s military training finished that he came to visit the palace with his mother. Your Highness, you should’ve been there to witness it! It was like love at first sight. Not even Taehyung and I fell for each other as hard as Young Master Kim and Hyung did.” 

Hoseok laughed. “We didn’t fall in love immediately, Jiminie. But there was interest in one another which was why we kept in contact for an entire year.”

“You never mentioned him in your letters,” Yoongi pointed out.

“I’m sure I did once or twice. But I did write a lot to you so I’m sure it slipped past you.” Hoseok laughed again.

Yoongi racked through his memories trying to recall the mention of a Young Master Kim in Hoseok’s letters. He didn’t recall any mention of him in Hoseok’s letters. That was when he realized that it must’ve been in one of the letters he skipped. Hoseok would often send more letters than Yoongi could read during his time in the military, resulting in Yoongi skipping a few and blaming the mail carriers for it never reaching him when Hoseok would ask.

He was filled with instant regret upon realizing this. Hoseok was right, it had, quite literally, slipped past him.

“Oh,” Yoongi mumbled softly. “Forgive me then.”

Hoseok smiled at him and began peeling another orange. When he was done, he handed it to Yoongi.

“So, what do you think, hyung? Of me accepting the proposal?” 

Yoongi accepted the orange but refused to look Hoseok in the eye. All of this information was taking him a great deal of time to process and accept. Hoseok had been considering an Alpha this entire time? And Young Master Kim of all Alphas? Yoongi felt betrayed. He had no right to feel this way though. Hoseok and he had never had anything else other than a platonic friendship between them.

Still, this did not stop him from disapproving of the pairing. 

“You shouldn’t accept, Seok-ah.” He said, peeling the orange wedges off of one another. “I don’t think he’s the right match for you.”

There was an uncomfortable silence amongst the three as soon as Yoongi had said that. He had killed their mood.

“Not the right match?” Hoseok repeated softly. “Who would be the right match then, hyung?”

Hoseok was never one to cover up his emotions well. At that moment, his face said it all. He was upset, with Yoongi in particular. Yoongi briefly made eye contact with him and looked away when he realized this. Jimin was silent, but Yoongi knew that the Omega must be sensing the argument that was about to break out between Hoseok and Yoongi.

“Someone who’s respectable. I’m afraid that when I met Young Master Kim two nights ago, he did not leave that kind of impression on me.” Yoongi said.

Hoseok huffed. “You made no effort to talk to him the entire night, hyung. You kept staring at us the entire night but you not once made a move to make conversation with him during or after dinner. You’re simply judging based on what you saw.”

Jimin began moving around. “I think I should…”

“I’m just trying to tell you that you deserve to be with someone better than him, Seok-ah.” Yoongi insisted. “Someone you’ve known longer than a year. What if he’s been pretending this whole time and as soon as you get mated he’s an entirely different person? I’m trying to look out for you.”

Hoseok scoffed and got up, helping Jimin up in the process. The peach, which had remained forgotten during the course of the conversation, fell from Hoseok’s lap. The Omega made no effort to pick it up and instead grabbed the basket from off the floor. 

“And this someone who’s better than him and that I’ve known longer is you right?” Hoseok spat. “Is that what you’re trying to say?”

Yoongi got up as well. “I never said me, Seok-ah.”

“Well, you didn’t need to, hyung. Not when it’s so obvious.” Hoseok said. 

“Look, Seok-ah, I -”

“No,” Hoseok remarked sternly. His tone shocked both Jimin and Yoongi. He had never used a tone like that before to address anyone, much less the Prince. “Hyung, I’m done waiting around.”

“Hoseok...” Yoongi began.

Hoseok shook his head. “I need to go.”

The Omega lifted the basket up in his arms. Jimin reached over to help and stuck his own arm through the loop of the handle. The two Omegas adjusted the basket between them so that neither carried more weight than the other.

Yoongi was shocked when Hoseok turned to him and bowed his head. Hoseok never bowed his head to him. Jimin followed.

“Your highness.” Hoseok softly said. 

*

Yoongi came back to the palace in his twenty-second year with Namjoon, an Alpha he had met during his military training that he had found incredibly brilliant and wanted to appoint as his advisor. He had written to his father ahead of time to let him know of his decision and his father had encouraged Yoongi to bring Namjoon to the castle after their discharge from the military. 

Namjoon had been extremely honored at Yoongi’s interest in making him his advisor and agreed to go with the Alpha to the Min Castle almost instantly. The Prince had been rather pleased by this. He was eager to have his friend, an intelligent individual, working alongside him from now on. 

However, nothing measured to his excitement at the thought of being reunited with his true best friend, Hoseok. The Omega had written to Yoongi shortly before he and Namjoon left their training base and had told him that the entire village and palace court were awaiting his arrival. Hoseok mentioned how the palace dancers had even planned a dance that they would perform at his welcoming dinner that same day. 

Having that in mind, Yoongi smiled extra hard as he waved at the villagers who gathered around him and Namjoon as they rode through the village’s entrance. The two Alphas rode carefully through the crowd, greeting everyone and accepting their gifts. The crowd followed them all the way to the gates of the palace, cheering for Yoongi and his safe return.  

When the two Alphas entered the palace walls, they were greeted by a smaller, but still impressive crowd. They were gathered in the courtyard, with the King and the Jung family standing at the front and center. Hoseok was standing in between his mother and father, and was smiling brightly at Yoongi, waving happily at the Alpha. 

Perhaps it was because they had not seen each other in so long, but looking at Hoseok made Yoongi’s brain short-circuit. He looked taller, more lean, and his hair had grown even longer. He was wearing an upgraded version of his ceremonial hanbok. It had been altered so that it fit his now mature body, accentuating his waist and making the Omega appear more elegant than he already looked. 

Yoongi directed his smile specifically at Hoseok before directing it to everyone else. He got off of his horse, signaling for Namjoon to do the same. Two stable-boys rushed over to take the horses away before the King stepped forward and embraced his son in a hug.

“Welcome back, son.” The King said softly. He then turned around to face the crowd, his arm still around Yoongi and called for a celebratory cheer for the safe return of his son, the Prince. Everyone did as he said, and Yoongi smiled as the servants and members of the royal court alike applauded him and cheered. 

The King then turned to look at Namjoon and pulled the tall Alpha forward. Namjoon laughed nervously and the King simply patted his back before calling for another celebratory cheer, this time for Namjoon. 

After everyone was done cheering, the King asked Yoongi and Namjoon to meet him in an hour in the throne room to discuss the topic of making Namjoon the Prince’s royal advisor. The King then turned to look at everyone again and dismissed them, reminding them to be ready for the celebratory dinner that night. Everyone went about their ways upon the King’s request, all except for Hoseok. 

Hoseok made his way over to Yoongi and Namjoon, a big smile still adorning his face. Yoongi hugged his friend, laughing as the Omega whined about Yoongi being gone for so long before letting go. 

“You look lovely, Hoseok-ah.” Yoongi told his friend. 

The younger one seemed to blush and pushed Yoongi playfully. “Thank you, hyung. You look lovely as well.”

Yoongi smiled at the Omega’s compliment and was about to run his hand through his friend’s hair when he sensed Namjoon move around next to him. The Alpha probably felt awkward watching the exchange between the two friends.

“Ah, Hoseok,” Yoongi began, extending his arm towards Namjoon to bring the younger’s attention towards the taller Alpha. “This is Kim Namjoon. I told you about him. I expect to have him serve as my advisor going forward. Namjoon, this is my friend Hoseok.”

Hoseok, being the ever so polite person that he is, turned to smile at Namjoon and did a quick bow. “Nice to meet you Namjoon-ssi. I’ve heard so many great things about you.”

Namjoon chuckled softly and bowed to Hoseok as well. “Nice to meet you too, Hoseok-ssi. I hope I’m able to live up to all the great things you’ve heard.”

Hoseok laughed. “I’m sure you will, Namjoon-ssi. Otherwise, hyung will be rather disappointed.”

Namjoon laughed again, but this time Yoongi recognized it as his ‘flirty laugh’. It was the same laugh his friend would let out whenever he was chatting up the Omegas from the village near their training base. It was a handsome laugh, and it would always make the Omegas he would direct it to smile and blush. Always making him ask if he was available later.

Yoongi watched Hoseok intently to see if he would have a similar reaction.

Hoseok simply smiled at Namjoon again, a polite smile, one that didn’t insinuate Hoseok having any kind of interest towards Yoongi’s friend as far as the shorter Alpha could tell. The Omega then turned his attention back to Yoongi, his smile seeming far more warmer than the one he had directed towards Namjoon. 

“I’ll leave you two now. I have to get ready for the performance later.” The Omega said.

Yoongi nodded and Hoseok did not waste time in bowing once again to the two Alphas before walking away from them and making his way to the quarters of the palace dancers.

The older watched his friend walk away, entranced with the sway of the long fabric of his hanbok and how the material looked as soft as his hair probably was. 

Yoongi looked away to ask Namjoon if he would like a tour of the palace before their meeting with the King but he found that Namjoon had also been watching Hoseok. He too, no doubt, entranced with the physical appeal of the Omega.

“Would you like a tour?” Yoongi asked his friend rather sternly. 

Namjoon turned to look at him and nodded. “I’d like that.”

Yoongi signaled for Namjoon to follow him and the two walked through the courtyard and onto the raised walking platform that served as the palace’s hallways. 

The shorter Alpha was upset, he knew that. About what precisely he didn’t know yet. The exchange between Hoseok and Namjoon had been nothing but uneventful but still it had made him feel uneasy. He walked rather quickly through the castle, almost forgetting to give Namjoon the names of what certain rooms were and barely explaining why he was showing him the rooms in the first place.

Just as Yoongi turned a corner rather briskly, Namjoon spoke up.

“Hoseok-ssi was nice.” The taller breathed out. 

Yoongi stopped and he heard his tall friend skid to a stop behind him.

“Yoongi?” Namjoon called out to his friend in confusion. Yoongi turned around abruptly to face his friend. The unease he had been feeling the whole time now turned into anger upon hearing his friend’s words. He should not have introduced Hoseok to Namjoon.

“Don’t get any ideas about Hoseok.” Yoongi spat. “He’s not for you to toy around with.”

Namjoon was taken aback by Yoongi’s outburst. Yoongi almost felt bad for lashing out at his friend so suddenly but he had to put the taller one in his place. He could have any Omega he wanted, but not Hoseok. Hoseok was different.

“I wasn’t…” Namjoon started before shaking his head and bowing to Yoongi in apology. “I’m sorry, Hyung. I’d hate to be overstepping and causing problems already.”

Yoongi looked away and grunted. “As long as it doesn’t happen again.” He paused before adding. “I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

Namjoon looked at him and shrugged. “It’s fine. General Shin was worse.”

The two laughed and continued walking. Yoongi finally felt relaxed. He had really needed to get that out. Though he wasn’t exactly proud of how he had let it out. At least Namjoon hadn’t taken it too personally. 

Yoongi took his time with the rest of the tour now that he wasn’t so tense anymore. The air between him and his friend was now more calm. He was sure Namjoon was glad at this change of atmosphere. The taller had probably had trouble with all the quick walking and quick turns Yoongi had been making during the first half of the tour. This time, Yoongi actually told Namjoon the purpose of certain rooms and which ones he was and wasn’t allowed in. 

They had reached the quarters of the palace dancers when Namjoon deviated from palace talk to something else. That something else being Hoseok.

“How long have you and Hoseok been courting?” Namjoon asked. 

Yoongi stopped walking again. They were standing mere feet from the entrance to the dance quarters. He frowned at Namjoon.

“I’m not courting him.” Yoongi replied.

Genuine surprise spread across Namjoon’s face. Yoongi didn’t like that. Why was he surprised?

“Oh,” Namjoon said rather awkwardly. “I thought…”

Yoongi’s frown deepened. “What?”

“Well, I thought you two were courting. I thought that was why you had gotten so upset when I was talking to Hoseok earlier.” Namjoon said. “Are you two already mated then?”

“No, we’re not.”Yoongi said. 

“So you’re going to start courting soon then?”

Yoongi sighed and turned away from his friend, continuing with his walk. “I’m not.”

“Why not?”

Now Yoongi felt irritated. Now Namjoon had really upset him. Why has everyone always made such a big deal about his and Hoseok’s friendship? Why did his father not let him visit Hoseok when the younger one had presented? Why did Taehyung insist on him being in love with Hoseok? Why was Namjoon assuming he wanted Hoseok simply because he was looking out for the Omega?

Could people not be kind and caring towards one another without being in love with one another? Yoongi wasn’t in love. 

“Why should I?” Yoongi snapped, turning to look at his friend and his shocked expression at Yoongi’s change of tone. “Why should I court Hoseok?”

Namjoon sighed. “Because you like him.”

Yoongi scoffed. “I don’t. I don’t like Hoseok.”

The two heard a door shut behind Namjoon from down the hallway they were in. The two turned to see what it was about and saw Hoseok standing there, a small smile on his face. He was dressed in his practice clothes. White, loose fitting robes that allowed him and the other dancers to practice comfortably.

“Sorry,” the Omega said sheepishly. “We ran out of refreshments. They sent me to get some.”

Hoseok rushed past Yoongi and Namjoon, murmuring another apology when he bumped into Yoongi’s shoulder. The two Alphas watched the Omega rush away. The robes flapped against his legs as he rounded the corner and out of their sight.

He had definitely heard them speaking, Yoongi realized. Hoseok had definitely caught what Yoongi had said. 

And as Yoongi stared at the corner from which Hoseok had disappeared behind, he thought of how maybe he could be wrong. Could he ever care for another as much as he does for Hoseok? 

Yoongi was not not in love. He was just in denial. 

But what was even worse was that he was in denial of that too. 

*

It was the summer of Yoongi’s twenty-fifth year. The summer of his coronation. His father was stepping down from the throne to make way for a new era of the Min Dynasty. King Min Yoongi’s era.

Many people were coming to witness the coronation. All the Lords and Ladies and Young Masters and Mistresses. The village people. The servants. Everyone was coming to watch the new King ascend to the throne. Everyone was eager to see the new King and all that he would bring forth during his rule. They were all eager for this new era of prosperity that they would have at his hands.

Yoongi was eager to have the ceremony over with. It was too hot to be wearing all these robes his servants had forced him into. Even inside his quarters, where two servants were diligently fanning him, Yoongi was sweating profusely. He could only imagine how it would be even worse outside, where the sun would be hitting him directly. How, paired with the heat, the stares of the village and palace would make the ceremony even more unbearable.

The old nanny handed Yoongi a cold cup of water. He allowed her to dab at his face with a cloth as he sipped at his drink. He was glad he still had her. A reminder of his childhood. All the happiness that had come with it was gone though, but the old nanny was still a nice reminder. Simply looking at her allowed him to briefly relive that happiness he had once felt.

After Yoongi had finished his water, the nanny ushered the servants out of the room, telling them to fetch the Prince’s sword. Yoongi would be showing his swordsmanship in front of the crowd during his coronation ceremony. It would be a demonstration of his strength and ability to care for and defend that palace. It would not be a demonstration of who he was.

“Your highness,” The old nanny whispered loudly. Yoongi looked at her and saw that she was holding a small case in her hands.

“Yes?” Yoongi replied, looking rather confused at his nanny.

“You will become King today.” She said.

Yoongi nodded. “I will.”

“I have a gift for you.” She continued. “For your coronation.”

Yoongi smiled. “Thank you, nanny.” He bowed his head and extended his hands. He felt her place the small box in his hands.

“Open it, your highness.”

Yoongi did as he was told and gasped when he saw what was inside. It was a replica of the flute he had once owned when he was a child. It looked just like the one he would play for…

“Do you like it, your highness?” The old nanny asked.

Yoongi smiled sadly. “I love it. Thank you, nanny.”

The old nanny nodded slowly.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. The servants were here with the sword. Yoongi let them in.

They told Yoongi that they should fasten the sword onto him now, that the King was about to make his way over and that the ceremony was minutes from the beginning.

Yoongi moved his arms to allow the servants to fasten his sword into its holster. He would do it himself, but he knew the servants had to make sure his holster belt was adjusted correctly so that it would stay put throughout the entire ceremony. They wouldn’t want it slipping off of the soon-to-be King for some reason before the swordsmanship portion even began. Even if it were to have been Yoongi’s fault, it would be pinned down on them. No one wanted that.

The booming voice of the King was heard as it neared Yoongi’s quarters. Yoongi realized he was still holding onto the flute the old nanny had given him. He quickly slipped it into his belt, next to his sword so that his robes would cover it. The servants stopped briefly at this but went right back to work finishing up with the adjustment of the belt. The flute was secured properly by one of them.

No knocking was necessary for the King to enter Yoongi’s quarters. His royal guards opened the doors for him and escorted him in. Yoongi smiled at his father. The King beamed at his son, pride emanating off of him in high doses. Surprisingly, this seemed to calm Yoongi down a bit.

The King wasted no time in embracing his son. The servants stepped back to allow the father-son duo some sort of privacy on what was a sentimental day for both. One of the guards then cleared his throat and told the King that it was time for the ceremony to begin. Yoongi felt his heart accelerate. 

He was not ready for this.

His father pulled away from the hug upon the guard’s reminder. He patted Yoongi’s back and nodded.

“The great Min dynasty continues with you, my son.” The King said. “Try your best to not disgrace it.”

Sometimes, Yoongi wished his father remained silent. 

Yoongi watched as his father stepped away from him and moved toward the guards. He was escorted out of the room first. Yoongi followed shortly after. Compared to his father, Yoongi had more guards escorting him to the ceremony. This, paired with the heat outside and the layers of clothes he had on made Yoongi feel as if he would not make it to the palace’s courtyard awake. 

By the time they had reached the courtyard, Yoongi was a sweaty mess. Thankfully, he had not passed out during the walk but a few guards had given that they were also wearing layers of clothes and many of them had been standing outside in the heat before they had begun escorting Yoongi. The tree that stood in the middle of the courtyard was offering such a tempting resting place in it’s shadow, but sadly Yoongi could not go to it.

He didn’t even have time to process how gross he probably looked as his ears were overwhelmed with the cheering of the crowd that was waiting for him. They must’ve already announced his arrival for them to be reacting this way. The guards moved aside and cleared a path for Yoongi to walk through to greet the crowd. He began sweating even more. The sun was directly above him now.

As he walked down the cleared-out path, he began scanning the faces of the people in the crowd. He recognized some as the servants of the palace and others as some of his fellow soldiers from his military training. Some he knew were his subjects, the people of the village down the hill from the palace, and other surrounding villages. Many had traveled for days to come to see Min Yoongi ascend to the throne.

He reached the front of the throne room at last. This was where the actual coronation would take place. He would step inside that room where his father, his royal advisor, Namjoon, the royal court, the Lords, and Ladies of the land would be pledging their loyalty to the new King, and a couple of guards would be waiting for him. Only they would be witnesses of the coronation of Min Yoongi. Only the members of the Kingdom’s upper class would be allowed to witness the actual coronation of the new King.

Everyone else, the villagers, the servants, and the soldiers who Yoongi had first served alongside five years ago, would wait outside for him to step back out. He wished it wasn’t so hot outside.

Yoongi glanced at the people cheering him on and waved at them, offering them a small smile before the two guards who were standing at the entrance of the throne room opened the doors to let him in. As he stepped inside, he could smell how tense the room was. He looked around and found that all eyes were on him. 

A particular set of soft brown eyes were staring intently at him, calling at him to not look away. Calling for him to look at their owner. It was Hoseok. He was dressed in a white and gold hanbok that had little suns embroidered on the sleeves. Despite the lack of light inside the room, he was shimmering. Everyone else seemed dull and lifeless compared to the radiance of Jung Hoseok.

And next to him, standing tall and with a rather stern expression on his face, was Hoseok’s husband, Lord Kim Seokjin. He was no longer Young Master Kim. From what Yoongi could remember, this change in titles had occurred a little less than a year ago when the late Lady Kim Youngmi had fallen ill suddenly and died a few days later. That was when her only son, Kim Seokjin, inherited all her titles and all her properties. And because Hoseok was married to Seokjin, the Omega had gone up in status. 

That was why he was in the throne room, waiting to see Yoongi get crowned as King.

Yoongi looked away from the Omega. He wasn’t sure how long he had been staring. The entire room was even more tense than before. He was sure that was why Lord Kim had looked quite upset as opposed to his usual calm and happy demeanor.

Yoongi now turned to look at his father, who was waiting for him to approach the throne in order to commence the actual coronation.

He knelt before his father and began reciting the speech he had to memorize for this occasion. It was lengthy and wordy, but he had to recite it perfectly or else the coronation would be put to a halt and he would not be allowed to ascend to the throne for another year. That was why Advisor Jung and Namjoon were standing beside the King with scrolls in their hands. They were reading over the speech and making sure Yoongi made no mistake. 

When he was done, there was a brief pause where Advisor Jung and Namjoon checked amongst themselves to confirm that Yoongi had made no mistake. He hadn’t, and so the coronation proceeded. 

From there, it took about an hour before the crown found its way onto Yoongi’s head. The new King was applauded by the people inside the throne room, congratulated by them and given gifts to prove their loyalty to him and the rule upon the Kingdom that he would bring. 

When Lord Kim and Hoseok had approached him, it was Hoseok who gave him the gift but Lord Kim who did the speaking. Hoseok stared at the ground as his husband pledged loyalty to Yoongi, as he pledged to never betray the new King. Yoongi felt that a betrayal had already occurred between him and Lord Kim.

After all the Lords and Ladies and their spouses were done speaking to Yoongi, he walked out of the throne room to greet his people.

The crowd roared in excitement at the appearance of Yoongi with his crown. They threw flowers and gifts at him. A few hit him but he did not mind. The people seemed to be genuinely excited about his coronation. He smiled at this. He could use some positivity. 

He waved at them as he moved to the platform where he would be demonstrating to the crowd, to his people, his talent. He grazed his fingers over the sword that was still in it’s holster as he climbed the stairs to the raised platform. However, his fingers fell on the flute the old nanny had given him earlier that day. 

It slid out easily from his belt, much easier then a sword would and weighed much less. The crowd stilled as they looked at the flute between the King’s fingers. They didn’t seem disappointed. They seemed intrigued. 

Yoongi quickly glanced over at the entrance of the throne room. His father seemed upset, as expected, but he didn’t seem to be making any moves to stop Yoongi from what he was about to do. He caught a glimpse of Hoseok, who was staring at him already, waiting for Yoongi to play the flute. Though his face looked neutral, Yoongi could see the twinkle in the younger’s eyes as the Omega stared at him. It had been three years since Yoongi had played the flute in front of Hoseok. He could tell the younger was eager to hear him play.

Yoongi smiled and brought the flute to his lips. He closed his eyes and began playing. The song was one that was often played at celebrations, but it was a difficult one to learn and play. It was the first song Hoseok had ever requested Yoongi to play. It was the first song that Yoongi had ever played that Hoseok had danced to.

Hoseok did not dance this time, but Yoongi had expected that. When he had finished playing, the crowd erupted into a cheer and Yoongi bowed to them. He then turned to look at Hoseok. The younger one was no longer looking at him, but Lord Kim was staring hard at him. The couple was standing close to each other, their arms linked. 

A sudden breeze blew past them all, and the branches of the great tree in the middle of the courtyard shook slightly, startling a few birds and causing them to fly away. The crowd took this as a sign of great fortune and cheered for Yoongi once again. Many were now bowing, showing their full devotion to the new King.

Yoongi tucked the flute into its place again. He waved at the crowd once last time and walked off of the platform and made his way back towards the throne room. 

The Min Dynasty had entered a new era. The Kingdom was moving forward. Too bad their new King was stuck in the past.