NEFARIOUS - TAEGYU ??

Beomgyu stops by his family's mansion and finds Ryujin ransacking the kitchen for snacks. Ryujin feels the latter's intense gaze on her and she turns around to see her twin brother judging her from a distance.

"What? A girl can't enjoy chocolate?" Ryujin asks sarcastically.

Beomgyu rolls his eyes and walks to the living room, instantly crashing onto the couch. Ryujin joins and sits beside him with a container of chips.

"Where's your lover?" Ryujin grins.

"Where's your manners?" Beomgyu snaps back.

Ryujin sticks out her tongue. "Sheesh, can't I ask where Taehyun is? He's my best friend too."

"Where else would he be? He's at his mansion."

Ryujin turns her attention to her brother, her face suddenly radiant. "See, I told you my guts were right. The prince studies in our college, heck, he's been right under our noses!" Ryujin exclaims.

"Taehyun still needs a lot of time to process it."

"Who wouldn't?? He lost his memory, was saved by the Yeong-won and turns out to be the son of our dad's enemy, aka the prince who everyone thought was out stationed but turned out to be 'long-lost'. Geez, imagine if word got out about the whole situation. It'll be so messy."

After finding out Taehyun was actually the long-lost prince of South Korea, all the FBIs and police had to sign a contract to not speak up about the kidnapping or how Taehyun used to be a human trafficking victim. But, they're still yet to find the Queen, although Taehyun might be the last person to see her, his memory doesn't want to cooperate.

A thought comes into Beomgyu's mind.

"Speaking of dad, where is he?" he asks.

Ryujin shrugs her shoulders and pouts. "I haven't seen him since I got here."

"He probably went out at dawn." Mrs Choi says as she sets a plate of cake on the coffee table and sits with her children. "Y'know how your dad is, it isn't the first time he left at dawn."

"He didn't call Beomgyu along though?" Ryujin asks.

This time, Beomgyu shrugs his shoulder.

In a split second, the main door of the mansion slams open, and a few men in black raid the house with guns in their hands. Beomgyu stands up in shock, grabbing a gun from below the coffee table and Ryujin grasps a gun hidden underneath the couch and points it towards the men. Ryujin guards Mrs Choi behind her.

"Don't shoot!" A man approaches them and shows them his identification badge. The FBI.

"What the fuck did we do for you to raid our house?!" Beomgyu asks in an angry tone.

The man ignores Beomgyu's question and turns to Mrs Choi who was still hiding behind Ryujin's back. "Mrs Choi-" he calls out. "Are you aware about what your husband has done?" he asks.

Mrs Choi shook her head, panicking. "I-I don't know what you're talking about. He's not here, he's out."

"That's because he's dead." The FBI says.

"What?" Beomgyu asks in disbelief.

"Choi Seojun was found dead 10 minutes away from the mansion at a forest nearby. Cause of death, a bullet to his head. Time of death, yet to be investigated."

"BULLSHIT!" Beomgyu points a gun to the FBI's face, in which Mrs Choi holds his arm, restraining him. "My dad isn't that reckless. He couldn't be killed."

"Your dad is not as great as you think."

"What do you mean?" Ryujin asks.

The FBI pans to Beomgyu's direction and looks him in the eye which Beomgyu doesn't look away.

"We found a 5-year corpse buried behind Yeong-won's warehouse. A lady killed by Choi Seojun, the gun was buried along with her, she was wearing his clothes, drenched and stinks of her rotten blood. What was left were only her remains."

"We don't bury anyone near the warehouse. This is a set up!" Beomgyu shouts, clenching his fists.

"All evidence points to Choi Seojun."

"Who's the lady? The corpse-"

"The Queen of South Korea."

Beomgyu's eyes widen in shock at the name. The queen was murdered? Taehyun's mom?

"Bullshit! This is a set up!" Ryujin defends her brother.

Beomgyu's arms are suddenly being pulled behind his back, he hears the click of a sound and he finds his hands held in cuffs. A man grabs him by the back collar of his shirt.

"Choi Beomgyu, it's only right if you repent for your father's sins"

"Wait-" Beomgyu struggles to move but the two men grabbing both his arms grip them tightly. He watches as his mom and Ryujin are also being ceased and dragged out from the mansion.

Beomgyu feels his blood boil. He knows something isn't right. His dad being murdered too easily, a corpse found behind the warehouse who turned out to be the Queen. Oh God, what would Taehyun think of him and his family now, just when everything was working smoothly between them and he even sneaked into the Royal Mansion just to see his boyfriend, why must everything go downhill? Beomgyu couldn't focus on his words as all he feels is the heat in his core climbing up and spreading across his body, he feels feverish and his eyes blazing flames of anger. Something is definitely off, but he then remembers the feeling of Taehyun rubbing his back whenever Beomgyu loses his temper.

The thought of Taehyun is the only thing keeping him sane.

Beomgyu takes a deep breath before resuming his words.

"Where are we going?" he asks the FBI officer.

"To Byeol Fortress."

+×+

Taehyun was reading a book on his bed but he stops to think about the words Beomgyu said yesterday.

"Shall we run away?"

The idea was so tempting. Escaping from reality, hand in hand with his boyfriend and running away to a place where no one would recognize them. They'd just be content with each other's presence. The thought of it feels like such a fairy tale, Taehyun can't help but feel all mushy as the thrilling and wondrous feeling electrify his body through his veins.

Taehyun hears a knock on his door and one of the butlers enter the room with a worried look.

"Your Highness-" he calls out. Gosh, Taehyun can never get used to the term.

"Yes?"

"You are asked to go to the Royal Fortress immediately."

"Ouh? Why?"

"The King has found out who murdered your mother, the Queen."