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"what's your favorite color?"
"what?"
by now, the two were walking back to the palace in complete darkness, playing a game of 20 questions.
"what's your favorite color, jisung?"
"what kind of question is that? i don't know i've never thought about it," jisung finally answered, still not used to talking to the girl next to him.
"hmm okay. mine's is green!"
"and why is that?"
"oh... no idea," chaewon chuckled at her awkward answer.
their walk was surrounded by silence again, the both of them not knowing what to say and it being much too late for people to be walking around. the full moon was shining from above, lighting up the path in front of them.
chaewon was humming softly, a small spring to her step and jisung listened quietly next to her. the atmosphere was still awkward, but the tenseness radiating from jisung's side wasn't as intense as before.
they were nearing the palace, so the scenery changed from apartments and shops to neatly trimmed gardens and statues. littered on the path were rose petals, blown off their stem by the evening breeze. the fact that she was walking here was sort off baffling to the girl, considering she had always seen it from afar or through a screen.
"what's your favorite part of the palace?" chaewon asked, feeling jisung slightly flinch from the breaking of silence.
without responding, he motioned for her to follow him through a side path away from where they snuck in and out from the place in the past week.
'you'd think this place would have tighter security...' chaewon thought as she walked through a door jisung was holding open for her.
as if he could read her mind jisung spoke, "don't worry, we have good security. i've just been sneaking around since i could like, walk"
chaewon nodded her head, taking in the room she was in. it was circular, a simple spiral staircase starting on one side and climbing up to somewhere she couldn't see without her glasses.
"normally i'd use the elevator but we have to use the stairs. sorry."
the two started climbing up the flight of stairs, their breaths starting off steady but getting more uneven as they climbed higher up. the room smelled like wet pavement on a rainy day, and so far chaewon couldn't tell why jisung liked this place other than the light coming from above.
"how much longer, dude? i feel like my legs are going to evaporate. i think i should start working out..." chaewon breathed out, leaning on the stone wall.
"we've only climbed one story. how are you already tired..." he paused to chuckled at the offended face the girls was making, "we'll be there in like five minutes if we walk slow, come on."
just like jisung said, a few minutes later they were finally at the last step of the tall building. atop the tower was a large glass dome, opening to a view of the palace grounds and capital city.
the best part was bright stars could be seen through the glass material. from up here, away from the streetlights the star looked bigger, brighter even. a completely unique view that only jisung and chaewon would see.
"it's so pretty! do you come up here often?"
instead of replying, jisung gestured for her to look into the telescope he was fumbling with while she was admiring the view. a smile was set on his face as the girl looked into the device, her mouth agape in concentration.
"woah... uh, what am i looking at?" she quickly snapped her head back at jisung, who didn't have enough time to remove the smile from his face. to his luck, she already shifted her focus back onto the image inside the telescope.
"that's venus. it's the closest planet to earth so you can find it through a telescope. it looks like a regular star to the naked eye," jisung explained, moving to the railing at the edge of the glass where it opened similar to a balcony.
"how do you know all that?"
"just always had an interest in astronomy, i guess. that's why this is my favorite place in the palace. i don't think i've even brought the boys up here."
"do they not know about your interest?"
"i don't think i've ever brought it up," jisung shrugged, pushing against the railing to stretch.
♚
"your majesty, is this really necessary?" mr. lim was concerned as he faced the king he worked under for decades. "i'm really sure that jisung hasn't met his soulmate."
"don't lie to me, hyunsik. i'm positive it's happened."
"but i would've kno-"
"my son could be keeping things from you just like he's been keeping them from me." the middle-aged man remained reserved, but irritants could be felt from his expression and overall demeanor.
"but how'd you come up with this idea?"
"word goes around the palace. turns out we hired a bunch of gossipers," the king scoffed, both proud and disgusted at his employees. "we either find this soulmate of jisung's and deal with her or we arrange a marriage between a suitable lady. that's really the only two options we have."
"but can't we-"
"do you even know where my son is? go find him, i need to reference that mark."
the second he was out the king's office, mr. lim let out the heaviest sigh since caring for young jisung. he was put in quite the predicament, already in huge trouble if he was caught lying to the head of the country.
he couldn't let jisung's father find chaewon, could he? who knows what the outcome of that would be. informing jisung wasn't an option either, as that led chaewon closer to being found.
either way, a country-wide search was being held to track down the girl who was actually hiding just at the back of their hands.
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SCHOOLS OVER YAY also while writing this i realized jisungs fandom name kinda fits omg edit: astronomy and astrology is confusing 😭
