How To Avoid Doom Flags? : A Guide By Lee Felix

Felix was avoiding Hyunjin, and Hyunjin didn't know what to do about it.

Unless Felix was escorting him to and from diner hall in the evenings – during which the freckled man was outright ignoring him – then they wouldn't cross paths at all, Felix staying in his room all day and more or less abandoning his duties as Hyunjin's personal guard (which definitely wasn't good for their cover, but that would be an issue to address later).

He knew he'd made Felix upset. Again. He'd put his foot in his mouth and let his prejudices do the talking. Again. But who could blame him, truly? He'd always been told to avoid the red-light district at any cost, and the one time he'd gone against the warnings, well, he'd paid the price for his foolishness.

(He'd been kidnapped and ransomed to his family. It had caused a lot of trouble, and a lot of trauma, and he hadn't been allowed to leave the palace on his own for years, following that particular incident.)

He'd genuinely been trying to help, but he'd obviously gone about it the wrong way. Not only had he unknowingly insulted Felix, but he'd also somehow found a way to upset the young man further by insinuating he had no responsibilities in regards to the living conditions in the district.

It's true, though! I've never been involved in these affairs before, and surely Chan would have interfered if it was such a problem, he thought, frustrated. He still didn't understand why Felix was blaming him for all of this. I'm not at fault, am I? it's not like I could do anything about it even if I wanted to.

... right?

This wasn't leading him anywhere. It had been a few days since the incident, Felix was still avoiding him, and Hyunjin was losing sleep and braincells trying to think over the entire incident. Something told him that merely apologizing again wouldn't be enough this time around, and he genuinely wanted to understand why Felix was so mad in the first place... so he was forced to the turn the last person he wanted to speak with.

"Oh? What brings the mighty Prince Hwang to my humble abode?"

"I'm not in the mood for this, Prince Han," cut Hyunjin, rubbing his temples tiredly. "I come seeking... advice. Would you please let me in?"

Jisung quirked a brow, obviously unconvinced, but Hyunjin's plea was unconventional enough that he opened his door and welcomed him in. Soon enough, the two were settled at a table with cups of tea, and it didn't take too long for Hyunjin to delve into the matter at hand. Once he was done explaining the entire situation, Jisung stayed silent, obviously thinking it over. After a minute or so of silence, he finally spoke up.

"So... not only did you insult Felix's upbringing in the most callous and ignorant way, but you've also implied that you didn't see anything wrong with the way things are in the red-light district?"

"Well, I'm aware the conditions in the district are... poor, for a lack of better term. But surely my brother would have done something by now if it truly was such an issue," insisted Hyunjin.

"Except King Bang isn't an all-knowing being. Though he has Queen Lee by his side, King Bang essentially shoulders the entire kingdom's affairs on his own, and he's quite the busy man. You couldn't possibly expect him to be aware of every single issue," pointed out Jisung. "And you know how court officials can be. If most of them benefit from the red-light district's current state, then they certainly won't take it upon themselves to bring it up to His Majesty."

"I- I suppose you're right on that front... but Felix was talking as though I'm the one to blame for it all," huffed Hyunjin.

"I don't think so. Rather than blaming you as the source of the problem, I believe he was upset by your lack of involvement and your ignorance that encouraged these conditions," explained Jisung, sipping his tea. "In the past, the royal families had many more children amongst whom the kingdom was divided, so to speak – each child was responsible for different affairs, which they'd report to the King, and then they'd rely on the court officials to get things done. As it is, however, you and the King are the only royals at the moment, and since you've refused any involvement in all affairs related to the kingdom..."