Chapter Text
The Byuns lived in a lavish eight bedroom estate just off the Busan Country side. Its large mahogany doors and spanish style arched veranda was something Baekhyun had grown used to for as long as he was alive. It was going to be his last time he saw the plush gardens and his childhood horse Goldie. He wanted so badly to turn around, change his mind and beg his father to let him stay at the palace, but he realized his decision to do university in the city came with its downsides. Baekhyun didn’t realize how much it would affect him.
He really didn’t think anything of the outside world until he had too.
At first, it was difficult to convince his father, the King, to let him study in the city as this would compromise his safety as the crown prince, but after Baekhyun had explained to him why education was important primarily for their political image, his father couldn’t resist. He knew that if Baekhyun tried to portray himself-someone expected to be attending posh private school- as a citizen of their country-their family would gain a favourable opinion in the public. Right now, they needed all the positive press they could get.
It wasn’t like he’d never gone to school, he had-just in the confines of the palace. He imagined his father was stressed that his fragile son was going to enter an unknown world and right up until now, Baekhyun hadn’t realized what that truly meant.
He was standing here now, outside the university main admissions office, tapping his foot restlessly as he waited in line. He was going to be assigned his room today so he made sure to arrive at 8:00 am sharp. Little did he know, the students at Yonsei University were just as meticulous and driven as him. There stood a long line, along the wall of the admissions office up until the gate.
“Hey! Look out!” Someone exclaimed from behind him.
The Prince turned his head at an unfortunate time as a group of boys, maybe his age or less-had thrown a brown almond shaped ball right at his nose.
“Tsk.” Baekhyun covered his nose as it stung in pain.
The rest of the students in line looked at the scene in confusion.
“Whoops!” A boy came rushing to him, red in the face, “God, sorry-” He let his hand rest on Baekhyun’s shoulder.
Baekhyun swatted his hand away.
It wasn’t because he was particularly annoyed, but because he wasn’t accustomed to people outside the palace touching him. He’d been advised since the day he was born by nannies that if outside people were to lay a finger on him that he should retaliate. That’s why at the ripe age of fourteen they also trained him on how to use a handheld automatic weapon. He understood this stupid was harmless so he decided not to throw him into a judo-flip.
“That is fine.” He said quickly, straightening his posture and continuing to wait in line.
The boy who had hit him looked confused by the Prince’s sudden composure.
“Come on Chen!” His other friends yelled at him from afar, “We’re going to be late”
“Alright, alright!” He jogged away from Baekhyun.
Eventually, Baekhyun was given his key to his new dorm, a toiletry bag with all the essentials he might need, including a toothbrush and lotions.
He had to admit, he did wander around a few times in circles trying to locate his room number 405, but on his third visit down the fourth floor hallway, he found the room hidden in a corridor that he hadn’t checked before.
He looked at his room number and sighed. The gold plate that had the number 405 was badly rusted and scratched off a little. He lightly touched the cold metal plate with his fingers and wondered how many memories he was going to make and how these three numbers were going to be engraved in his mind forever.
Sure, he had told his father that the purpose of him attending public university was for his role as the Prince, but really-it was something he’s almost always wanted. He wasn’t blind to the outside world, he saw movies and TV shows and knew of a life outside the palace. He saw people who had their own jobs, people who studied in school, made life long friendships, and found the person they loved. This wasn’t just some fantasy he’d seen in movies and books, but what he’d heard from his tutors and nannies. Were they blessed with the riches of the royal family-maybe not, but their life stories were things that kept them going. Baekhyun had become envious.
He promised himself his next four years here, he would not hesitate to try new things, he’d go out of his comfort zone little by little and he’d prioritize his studies.
The metal plate also had some scribbles on it. When Baekhyun leaned in to take a closer look he was met face first with the wooden door that flung open on his face.
“Oh my god!” A boy said trying to figure out what he was to do after hitting someone in the face with a door.
Baekhyun couldn’t focus on who had just hit him full force in the face with a door, because his mind was going numb and he could see stars. His nose felt like it had been broken to pieces and his eyes started watering from the pain.
After a few seconds of recovery, Baekhyun looked up groggily and was met with a pair of the same mischievous eyes.
“Oh-it's you again.” Baekhyun said in disappointment.
“Ah…yeah” Chen said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, “You must be my roommate.”
“Pleasure to meet you.” Baekhyun tried to sound happy.
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After meeting his roommate Chen, he was surprised to learn that he’d brought all his other friends at the school inside their dorm. They were sitting on the floor playing card games when the Prince walked in.
Everyone looked up at him then at Chen with questions.
Kyungsoo, new to the city and much like him, quiet, short and observant. Then there was a taller one- Tao. He was loud, boisterous and opinionated and of course, Chen who’d been courageous enough to hit him twice in the face introduced the two of them. He explained that they were all childhood friends and had decided to come to the same University together as a pact.
They spoke with each other with ease, which Baekhyun hadn’t been very accustomed to. He watched them in eagerness, trying to catch on to the slang and terminology they used-ones he hadn’t even read in my novels.
“So, which high school did you go to?” Chen asked him.
“I did not attend public high school.” Baekhyun explained as he began to unzip his suitcase and luggage.
Usually, there would be maids and bodyguards at his side at all times, but he’d told his father it was unnecessary. He was also hoping that no one would catch on that he was the crown prince and they’d consider him a normal person like the rest of the population.
“You went to a private high school-talk about being rich.” Tao joked.
Baekhyun hadn’t found it funny, but he answered them nonetheless. “I was homeschooled.”
“Damn,” Kyungsoo’s eyes widened, “What do your parents do for work-oh…”
The three of them had been peering over Baekhyun's shoulder as he was taking out his clothes and personal belongings from his suitcase.
“Is that…” Tao pointed at the logo on the side of the luggage, “The royal emblem.”
“My roomates a fucking prince, guys.” Chen beamed.
Baekhyun quickly grew anxious. He’d been so foolish to think no one would figure out who he was. He’d lived in a palace for ages, all his belongings were palace related. He may as well have had “Prince” tattooed on his forehead.
“Shh…” Baekhyun held a finger up to his lips, “It’s not something I am fond of advertising.”
“But you’re on T.V and stuff,” Kyungsoo pointed out surprisingly smartly, “Well-I mean when you were a kid, but then didn’t your parents remove you from the public eye-”
“Yes,” Baekhyun tried to end the conversation because he didn’t like the direction it was headed.
“Well?” Chen looked at him shaking his head.
“Well…what?” Baekhyun asked.
“Why did you disappear for like years!” Tao said it was a matter-of-fact.
“I’m not…obliged to answer.” Baekhyun said.
“Right…right,” Chen narrowed his eyes, “Dude… you left a life of lavishness and luxury to come here and study. You could be kickin’ at your palace-doesn’t it have like twelve bedrooms.”
“Eight.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “And I requested to come here.”
The group of boys looked at the prince in shock.
“You wanted…to come here?” Kyungsoo scoffed.
Growing up in a gated palace wasn’t the peak of one’s life. It’s terribly lonely and restricted. While Baekhyun had almost everything he needed, it wasn’t living as much as it was existing and trying to remain optimistic that he’d one day leave.
“I did…” Baekhyun said honestly, “I want to study literature. I love reading and hope to write my own novel one day.”
“I hit the prince in the nose twice today,” Chen had suddenly become conscious of that, ignoring what Baekhyun had just said.
“You did,” Kyungsoo nodded, “That's messed up man. The royal guards are going to put you in jail,” He snickered, earning a laugh from Tao.
“Shut up,” Chen rolled his eyes, then his attention came back to the Prince, “What class do you have first?”
“Political science. My elective,” Baekhyun answered.
“Are you taking any social studies or history classes?” Chen asked.
“He’s a history major,” Tao said about Chen. “Me and Kyungsoo we’re fine arts majors.”
“I see.” Baekhyun would have been more interested if he hadn’t been irritated by the three of them for many different reasons.
“I’ve decided!” Chen got up all of a sudden, “We’re all having lunch together.”
“Oh I-” Baekhyun wanted to interject, but Chen stopped him.
“I’ll see you in the dining hall at 12:30 pm sharp!”
Baekhyun sighed wondering if it wasn’t too late to go back to the palace now.
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He was told he needed to take an elective in my first year. Political science wasn’t his first choice, but it worked perfectly with his schedule so he could end the day earlier.
Baekhyun walked into the classroom just on time and looked around for an empty seat. There was one on the right side of the lecture room that was perfectly in the middle such that it wasn't too close such that he had to crane his neck to see or too far to squint to make out the words on the board. He’d misplaced his glasses before packing for University-his new set was to arrive at the palace tomorrow and then one of his fathers men would deliver it to his dorm.
Baekhyun could feel a few of the students' eyes were on him. As Kyungsoo had predicted-some people might recognize him. Also, since he was a child his appearance hadn’t changed that much people would surely recognize him. Most people who attend this university know each other, which high schools they went to etc, so it wasn’t strange that they looked at the fresh face that walked in.
Especially a new face that seemed to walk differently and hold his head up differently.
Shortly after he got settled in his seat, the Professor walked in. It was the first day of class so he explained they weren’t going to start with anything too serious.
“One of your main assignments this term will be to write about a political reform. It could be anything- voting systems…maybe something about the incarceration system, human rights-its up to you guys to really find something you’re passionate about and research what you would do to change a certain aspect of it.” The professor explained.
The next hour of class proceeded with the professor asking the class some ideas they were thinking of already. Several controversial topics like abortion and immigration lead to heated debates. Baekhyun watched his classmates, wondering how they had stored so much knowledge of today’s world in their brains and how effectively they were speaking to portray their agenda.
Baekhyun remained silent and for the most part, mildly interested in the topics at hand but unable to contribute.
“Let me ask you this…students. In your opinion, name something in this city-in this country that has no place in today’s society and why? What should we abolish?”
The class grew silent upon such a question and I watched in anticipation for someone to answer. For the most part, people’s political reforms revolved around making a new law, or changing it-rarely did it have to do with getting rid of it.
The silence ensued for a moment and one brave individual, sitting right in front of Baekhyun raised his hand.
“I think we should abolish the royal family.” He said.
Baekhyun could hear his heart beat out of his chest. Suddenly, his face felt hot and he wasn’t sure where to look-how to breathe.
“And why is that Mr…” The professor squinted at his name plate on his uniform, “...Park?”
“It’s simple. Taxes. As the middle class seek to provide and pay more taxes for our country they are being wasted on ceremonial and traditional things like the royal family. I think we should take the money that the monarchy has been keeping from the people of this country and disperse it towards things like child care and education.”
“Intriguing thought.” The professor raised his eyebrow.
Whether people knew that the prime beneficiary of said royal family was sitting in their class room or not-Baekhyun felt flushed and embarrassed. He couldn’t help but turn to look at the man who’d just-as his father would probably say “said something blasphemous against the royal family”. He was wearing the same uniform as Baekhyun, but when he looked closely at his name plate it read “Park Chanyeol Third Class.”
Baekhyun understood then that this boy either hadn’t seen him walk in or had no idea who he was. There was no way someone would say that in the presence of a royal. Mr. Park was an upperclassman. Baekhyun tried to feel offended, it didn’t seem like Mr. Park’s tone was intentionally targeting or rude. It just seemed like he was trying to participate in his class. Why then had Baekhyun unintentionally seized in his chair. Some students glanced over at him and snickered.
He wanted to dig a hole and hide from these people. He considered not showing up to this class.
“Well, I think we need the royal family as they contribute to our economy.” Someone began a debate.
“How so?” Park Chanyeol asked, churning the pot.
This time he turned his face to the voice, revealing his side profile. Baekhyun was surprised to see a younger looking face, a sharp nose and large eyes that didn’t match the deep voice nor the fact that he was an upperclassman.
“Because tourists want to go to the palace and take pictures. They even have a fanclub. I say we keep ‘em…” the other student responded.
He was right. For some reason his family had garnered a huge audience in small European towns. It was strange, but was good press for the royals.
“I doubt the revenue made from tourists contributes that heavily to our economy. I mean-we’ve got a huge food industry, transport and farming-”
The bell suddenly cuts off his words. He looked a little irritated, like he was getting to a good part in his speech. Some people are eager to get up and go to their next class while others probably wanted to escape the debate.
“We’ll continue next class! Please see the syllabus and read it thoroughly online!”
Baekhyun packed his things, but he was still looking at the back of the boy's neck, wondering who on earth he was-and where he learned to be confident. If anything, Baekhyun was more overcome by envy of this outspoken student. He’d been advised by his staff that there would be no mention of politics-nor anything related to the royal family. This guy had broken all the rules in the first ten minutes of class.
“Can I…help you?” The boy suddenly turned around.
“S-sorry.” Baekhyun’s eyes met with his larger, more confident ones.
“It’s just that- I could feel your eyes burning into me this entire time. You need to be more subtle.” He explained.
“I wanted to say…you had a good argument.”
“Thanks, I guess.” He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
“I-” the prince stopped him from walking, “I’m Baekhyun,” He smiled.
The upper class man looked at him in confusion before tipping his head slowly, “Park Chanyeol.”
Then, he hurried out of the class.
Baekhyun then understood that that boy had no clue he was the prince. And yet, he didn’t care about it. In fact, he found it endearing to know that not everyone knew his face. It gave him a little more confidence that he wasn’t making a huge mistake coming here to a public school. At times he thought his father was probably right. He shouldn’t be in the public eye. Their family had too many enemies and it wasn’t safe for Baekhyun. He’d heard about assassinations, security breaches, and dangerous rumours that could be spread, ruining their reputation for good.
Baekhyun walked back to my dorm, unlocking the door and setting aside his book-bag on the hook he set up as soon as he’d got in. He felt different walking into his dorm this time and not just because his rowdy roommates were gone. He immediately walked over to his bed, noticing how clean and ironed the sheets were. He saw the curtains which he hadn’t even put up yet, already hung up and steamed. He looked around, suddenly confused by the way his dorm looked. On his side table, an envelope with the royal emblem was placed.
The prince stormed out of his room and walked over to the call booth just outside the living quarters. His hands shook as he punched in the number.
“My son-”
“Father I told you no royal interference,” Baekhyun didn’t want to sound angry, but he needed to put his foot down early.
“I was just trying to make you feel comfortable son, and I know how you like your room clean. The offer is still on the table if you’d like a private suite. I can talk to the headmaster-”
“No!” Baekhyun then realized he was raising his voice, “Sorry-its just seriously dad, cleaning my room? Like I’m at some hotel? I need to fit in, and you're doing the opposite of that.”
“Sorry, son…” He trailed off.
That made Baekhyun’s heart twist in regret, “Listen, thank you. But in the future I’ll clean and set up my own room.”
“Alright. As you please.” He sounded sad.
Baekhyun held his tears back and hung up the phone, almost dropping it in the process.
He stood there, watching the phone, debating if he should call his father to apologize more profusely. His father had given him almost anything he wanted in life-including this opportunity to enter a public university, but he had advised him that the general public wasn’t going to like him if he even the slightest looked like a snob.
Baekhyun wanted to have a commoner as my roommate. Someone he could speak with, share my hurdles and struggles with, talk about lunch and class and things that were trivial to the mind, but felt good. I didn’t care much if my roommate was a commoner or not. I wanted to speak with people and learn about the life that I’d missed out on had he not been born a royal.
Amongst all these rules and restrictions Baekhyun’s father had already set, Baekhyun had requested the one thing-no maids, no guards-nothing. Having a room-though not alone-was the only time he could think like a real human being and not a dutiful royal.
It didn’t help that he felt incredibly home sick too.
“Are you…done?”
He jumped, holding a hand to his chest.
“Oh!” Baekhyun realized he’d been standing, zoned out in front of the landline phone for a few minutes now.
The man behind him looked puzzled at his shock, then his head tilted and eye brows raised. Park Chanyeol looked different in the light outside the classroom.
“I’m sorry, “ Baekhyun apologized.
The prince stepped aside, to let the tall student have access to the phone. Feeling the weight of what was said in class, he didn’t want Chanyeol to think that he was also trying to take away his right to use a public phone along with taking his tax money to fund their family.
“Wait.” Chanyeol called after him, “Are you…crying?”
Baekhyun stood there, unable to respond. He took his fingers and lightly tapped his cheek, feeling the wetness. He hadn’t even noticed.
“Yes, I suppose. I’m just-homesick.”
“Oh? I understand…” He nodded, “I come from a different province. I felt the same when I first started. I can’t even go back to my folks for Christmas” Chanyeol said.
His eyes flickered to the name plate: Byun Baekhyun First year.
“That’s sad, I don’t think I’d bear missing Christmas with my family.” Baekhyun continued the conversation even though he was slightly surprised that Chanyeol was even talking to him in the first place.
“You know…when I was in first year to take my mind off things, I’d go to the grounds.”
“The…grounds?” Baekhyun asked.
“It’s this fun place a couple of us go to after classes…you should come.”
“O-oh, okay.”
“I’ll see you in class tomorrow. I’ll tell you the details.” Chanyeol said, picking up the public phone and punching in some numbers.
Baekhyun waved a small goodbye as he excitedly rushed to his dorm. His mood went from zero to one hundred in such a short amount of time.
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The 12:30pm lunch was as loud and rowdy as he expected. Chen was busy throwing clementine peels at Kyungsoo and Tao was going on about something that happened in his music class. His roommates, he’d learned, were second years so they knew a lot more about the place than Baekhyun. So, when he told them about the grounds, they all jumped in surprise.
“Are you kidding-you got invited to the grounds!” Chen exclaimed, earring a few looks from the other students at the lunch table.
“I guess…” Baekhyun rubbed the back of his neck, “What is it anyway?”
They all ignored his question, talking about the grounds of how it was the place to party, forget about school and meet new people. Baekhyun was surprised that Chanyeol had invited him, but he imagined once he found out he was part of the royal family he might retract the invitation. Apparently they had alcohol at the grounds, music and dancing. None of these things were by any means void at their school, besides alcohol, so Baekhyun imagined people were excited to get intoxicated.
Baekhyun had only had the occasional wine at the dinners his father would hold to meet other royals or when they were networking. Even then, his mother had told him that he could only have a small glass. They drank socially, with high profile guests, not necessarily to get- as people his age would say- ‘lit’. Baekhyun recalled in the many American movies he’d watched, people getting so drunk they would black out, or for him even worse-vomit. He had an intense fear of vomiting. In fact, that was one of his worst fears. A combination of vomiting and in the public would send him over the edge. The prince knew his mind was spiraling, so he stopped his mind and took a deep breath.
“We’ll come with you!” Chen perked up.
Baekhyun half-heardly smiled. He wondered if it was a good or bad sign that Chen was excited about something.
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The next day approached slowly, but surely. Baekhyun ironed his uniform, gelled his hair a tiny bit before fixing his tie. He had always been good at a windsor knot especially since he’d grown up in the royal family where they taught him about etiquette before he could learn his ABCs. He still remembered having to place his butterknife and fork on different sides of the table and having to neatly fold his napkin on his lap and make sure his posture was perfect and his hands were not awkwardly placed. He felt homesick, but at the same time as he saw his classmates fool around in the cafeteria, throw items of food at each other and slouch over the chairs, he realized how much of a different world he’d lived in.
He knew not to judge them, but a part of him couldn’t help it.
The class filled in quickly, opening up their readings, some scanning their papers over as a last ditch effort and others (like Baekhyun) neatly placing his notes on his desk. He had thoroughly read all the preparation materials for this class so he felt at ease.
As he flipped through his notes he felt a shadow cast over him. Someone had taken a seat beside him.
“Morning,” Chanyeol put his back on his chair.
“Good morning,” Baekhyun said back, feeling a little jittery.
He felt like a shy school boy who had finally found a friend, or someone who was finally acknowledging him.
They sat in class, Chanyeol participated the most. He was always the first to raise his hand and answer the question. He knew the answer almost every time and his professor, he could tell, was impressed.
The professor handed out new readings to the entire class as a little break to read over. Baekhyun was too distracted, filled with burning questions. He didn’t care for the worksheet. He wanted to know about Chanyeol.
“What major are you in?” He asked hesitantly at first.
Chanyeol turned to him, “Music.”
Baekhyun gaped and then quickly shut his mouth realizing how stupid he probably looked.
“Really?”
“Ha, yeah I know it's hard to believe. I’ve always been interested in politics though.”
“Do you sing?”
Chanyeol covered his mouth to hide his laugh, “Oh god no. I play the electric guitar.”
“Electric…” Baekhyun had heard of it in movies and tv shows, but he’d never seen one in real life.
“You’ll see me play tonight, at the grounds.”
Chanyeol then explained to him that he should be ready for six and that the way to get there would be a bit troublesome since it was off school property. He said he knew a way to get out and that it was a safe method. Baekhyun didn’t want to sound like he was ungrateful nor did he want to make everyone believe he was too much of a goody to sneak out after curfew so he silently grew anxious at the plan. He wondered what his father would think if he found out. He kept telling himself there was no way his father was going to find out. He trusted Chanyeol for some reason.
The third year had a confidence about him that made Baekhyun feel secure. Usually, when making friends, he found himself nervously trying to figure out what to say, or hesitantly thinking about plans and the actions he took. With Chanyeol it was like they’d met before. They’d only spoken a handful of times and Baekhyun already felt this strange pull in his body.
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The dormitories were officially closed and the students were all asked to go to bed. It was a Friday night and without the class the next day, it wasn’t a surprise that almost a quarter of the campus decided to sneak out to the grounds that night.
This group of students included Baekhyun and his loud obnoxious roommates.
They all giggled and tripped over air as they snuck out which irritated Baekhyun because he remembered Chanyeol had told him once he reached the gate they would need to be very silent. He tried his best, but he couldn’t control his hooligan roommates.
“Guys, Chanyeol said that if we’re not quiet…”
“I’m starting to think if that upperclassman jumped off a bridge, you’d do it too, Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo laughed, earning a slap from Chen,
The prince only gave them a sour look, he considered the thought of jumping off a bridge just because someone else did. Would he do it? He hoped not.
“Psst!” Someone hollered from the other side of the fence.
They all jumped, thinking they’d been caught, but he was surprised to see another student, waving his hands in the air to signal that they were in the clear to cross over. Opening the gate for them was a taller familiar frame.
Chanyeol wasn’t wearing his school uniform. Instead he had on a leather jacket and a pair of cargo pants. He looked different, more laid back and approachable than he had in class. He grinned from ear to ear when he saw Baekhyun.
“Move along, slow poke!” Kyungsoo shoved the prince forward.
Baekhyun lost balance and almost tripped over a rock, but was met with a strong and warm chest. He pushed himself back up and looked at Chanyeol red in the face.
“I-I-Sorry he-pushed me, “He glared daggers at Kyungsoo.
His roommate shrugged, “What? You were going slow, princess.”
The rest of his friends chuckled at the joke, but Chanyeol looked a little perplexed by it. Hopefully, he wouldn’t suspect anything about the fact that he was a prince.
Chanyeol helped him to stand on the ground, leading him through the gate to the outside world. Outside of school bounds. The gust of wind suddenly blew through his hair, hiding his eyes. He loved the smell of air at this time, it was so crisp and held so many memories.
“Glad you made it,” Chanyeol awoke him from his dream.
“I wouldn't miss it.” He followed the upperclassman to the grounds.
Baekhyun was met with a mixture of sounds and smells. He heard the music playing from a large stereo system. It sounded…noisy and yet intriguing. Baekhyun had remembered watching camp rock, a popular disney film where the music sounded very similar. He recognized some faces in the crowd-mostly from his classes. There was a wooden stage at the end of the large opening. Lights were adorned and a sign was held up by two logs “The grounds”.
A man was strumming to his guitar as people rolled in. No one was in their uniform and Baekyun couldn’t help but feel giddy at the atmosphere. He was really here. Experiencing something he’d only heard about in books and films.
The smell of alcohol was apparent, but it was masked with other smells like oily french fries, funnel cakes and large potato and squid shish-kabobs. Baekhyun’s stomach grumbled as he watched students walk around with their food.
There were park benches everywhere, probably about 30 of them. Students of all years were howling and laughing with their friends. At one table sat about 10 girls, they had long wispy lashes, pinkish cheeks. They wore crop tops and small skirts. They watched Baekhyun and the rest of the boys carefully raise their eyebrows.
One of the girls in a pink bomber jacket walked up to Baekhyun who was confused at first because he did not recognize her, but then he realized it wasn’t him that she was trying to speak with.
“Where have you been, Chanyeol.” She whined cutely.
Baekhyun stepped back, watching the interaction inquisitively.
The upperclassman gestured at Baekhyun and his guests, “I brought some friends for the show tonight.”
He began to introduce all of them, the girl looked a little unimpressed as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“This is Ji-an, the lead singer of our band.” Chanyeol explained.
They all greeted her politely. Baekhyun watched her in awe. Her hair was shiny, nails perfectly done a striking shade of red and eyes large and cute. She would be well suited to join any royal family if she wanted. Poised, prim and perfect. Mixed with her ability to judge people in a way that was borderline offensive, Baekhyun felt like he was being watched by his mother at the palace again.
“I’m going to go get set up,” She said walking away.
Baekhyun swore he saw her roll her eyes.
Chanyeol told Baekhyun and his roommates to sit by the bench near the stage because their performance was about to start. The upperclassman looked busy so he rushed off towards the stage where he began to set up his amp. He threw Baekhyun a small smile before busying himself.
They were seated next to a couple other upperclassmen which Baekhyun did not recognize. He paid more attention to the stage in front of him, wondering how Chanyeol would sound playing the electric guitar. Chaneyol would be talented, he knew that, but he wondered what his style of play would be, how it would sound, how he could look-
“Hey Baek, take a sip,” Chen handed him a green glass bottle.
Baekhyun shook his head in embarrassment “Ah no thanks,” He refused the alcohol, perhaps a little too immediately.
Some of the other people at his table looked confused.
“I-uh I am allergic?” He tried.
“God, you’re a bad liar,” Kyungsoo snorted.
“I’m sorry, I just don’t think it would be very smart to drink today.” Baekhyun reasoned.
“Come on, it's Friday night.” Someone from their table, a broad shouldered man insisted, “The drinks are on me.”
“Joong, stop trying to get first years in trouble,” One nameless guy said.
Everyone looked at him to see what he would say next, but he didn’t know what to say. Baekhyun wasn’t new to alcohol, he’d had it before-obviously in a different context, but they were right that tomorrow was a day off from classes so if he did have a headache tomorrow, he’d have a day to recover.
“Please, I used to be just like him-prim and proper,” He said those last words mockingly, making the corner of Baekhyun’s mouth twitch slightly.
“Don’t pressure him.” Chen interjected.
“I’ll drink it,” Baekhyun nodded.
He grabbed the bottle and took a gulp. It stung, burned almost. He read the contents -Soju. He hadn’t ever had this brand before so he wasn’t acclimatized to the taste. Nonetheless, he took a few more sips so his throat could get used to the bitterness.
The rest of the men around him looked pleasantly surprised by his courage. If there was even the slightest chance people would suspect he was royalty from not accepting this drink.
The music began so suddenly, it made Baekhyun jump in his seat. He watched the stage in anticipation. A chord of the electric guitar sent chills down his spine. He took a deep breath and watched as Chanyeol’s band came into view.
It was as if everything around him stopped and the only thing Baehyun saw was the tall upperclassman, taking the stage and causing everyone else to turn their heads.
They began with a slow song, the drums began and then the base guitar. Slowly, but surely, the keyboard started to pick up and a fairy-tale-like voice began singing.
Ji-an sounded just as she looked, pretty and clean. Then came the part that blew Baekhyun away.
He had to straighten his posture because he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
The electric guitar had a voice of its own. It felt like an amalgamation of all different instruments that Baekhyun had heard before and yet, it tuned and pitched to such perfection, Baekhyun had mistaken it for a singing voice. To add on to that, the man holding the instrument was…mesmerizing.
Chanyeol was wearing a black muscle-t. It showed off each curve and dip of his arms. He strummed the guitar like his life depended on it. It became evidently clear when he started to sweat, his fringe getting soaked, and arms trickling.
Baekhyun gulped.
The music went on for ten minutes too short. Baekhyun yearned for more. Even though Ji-an was center stage, his eyes always found Chanyeol immersed in his electric guitar.
Baekhyun noticed that Chanyeol’s eyes also found him in the crowd. He gave him a slight flash of the eyebrows before he inched closer to Ji-an who trailed her fingers down his chest seductively as she continued singing.
There were loud cheers, claps and whistles when the performance was over. Baekhyun slowly clapped at first, but then he gained the courage to stand up and cheer for his class-fellow. Chen noticed his sudden enthusiasm, nudging Kyungsoo and snickering something under his breath. Baekhyun didn’t pay much attention to it though he was too focused on Chanyeol and his band bowing to the crowd one last time.
Most of all, Baekhyun’s sudden adrenaline was unfound. He hadn’t felt like this before. His heart rate had increased, eyes dilated and lips quivering. He had a funny feeling in his stomach. Not the one that made you sick, the one that got you excited.
He sat down with everyone at the table, wondering if they’d noticed his sudden change in behaviour. The way his face became red hot and palms sweaty.
In an attempt to calm himself down, he ordered another Soju and downed it in one go.
The upperclassmen at his table looked at him wide eyed, “That’s more like it!” Joong yelled.
The rest of the night was incredible. They ate, laughed and drank until they were satisfied. Baekhyun found himself having another drink, but he could feel himself slightly buzzed so he made a mental note to stop himself.
Eventually, Chanyeol came up to their table, greeting everyone. Baekhyun nervously tapped his foot.
When their eyes met, Baekhyun got that feeling again. It was as if he was on a rollercoaster ride and his organs were moving with the ride.
“You were amazing.” He didn’t mean to sound so incredibly passionate, but it did come out that way.
“Thanks, I better see you next time.”
Baekhyun smiled, unsure of how to respond without sounding desperate to come again.
“Of course,” He resorted to being honest instead.
Before Chanyeol could respond, he was being dragged away by his friends. One of which included Ji-an who threw him a tense look, before sliding her hand down his arm.
Baekhyun didn’t like how he felt when he saw that.
The grounds only got livelier from there. Baekhyun was dragged into a game of truth or dare. Initially excited, he was let down with the ridiculous dares that almost always included kissing some stranger. Baekhyun eventually sat out and watched his friends have fun.
After all that drinking, he badly needed to go to the restroom.
Baekhuyn noticed his friends were too busy so he decided to be independent-like a regular university student and go find out where the washroom was himself.
He wandered around, finally seeing a sign that pointed in the direction of the washroom.
When he walked further, he noticed a group of boys circled around, stomping cigarettes on the grass and lightning of newer ones. They immediately noticed Baekhyun who looked at them in confusion. Why were they guarding the washrooms?
“You’re going to need to pay-up if you want access,” one guy slurred, clearly drunk.
“I don’t have money,” Baekhyun said.
The rest of them laughed, shoving each other.
Approaching closer, Baekhyun realized it was a bad idea since they reeked of alcohol and smoke. He immediately recognized one of them. Joong. He remembered had tried to offer him a drink, and eventually had gotten his way through peer pressure. He looked the most drunk out of all of them.
“C’mon princess, money isn’t the only thing we accept.”
Suddenly, the Prince’s composure broke. His face was burning hot and his fists balled up with anger.
“You’re disgusting.” He spat at them.
Joong raised an eyebrow, stomping over to Baekhyun. That is when Baekhyun felt vulnerable, his hands shaking and heart beating out of his chest. He felt unsafe at that moment, he felt like he needed to cry. Like he needed to escape.
“Well Princess, we pay our taxes- now pay up.” He sneered, inching closer.
The prince landed a punch straight to his jaw then, earning loud howls from his friends at the back and a loud groan from the perpetrator.
“You little-” Joong had his fingers to his red cheek, his eyes inflamed.
But Baekhyun began to run. He ran so far ahead, he passed his friends, he ran all the way back to the fence they had had to climb to get in. He didn’t even have time to turn back to see if Joong and his goons had been following him. He couldn’t hear them. For the most part, most of them were too drunk to run as fast as he could anyway.
The adrenaline rushing into his veins made him so strong that he was able to push himself onto the fence and climb it-something he couldn’t dream of doing. He felt a small scratch on his forearm as he climbed up, but thought nothing of it since it was so dark he couldn’t tell if it was bad. Besides, he didn’t feel the pain. Yet.
After jumping the fence, he jogged over to his dorm, making sure that he made the least noise possible as he wandered the corridors. It was 1am, all the students, if they weren’t at the grounds, should have been asleep.
He slipped into his room easily as his friends were still on the ground. He made his way to the washroom and stared at his face in the mirror. He was red, his eyes bloodshot and dark bags adorned his under eyes.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his arm. He rolled up his sleeve and saw that he was indeed bleeding. He quickly ran his arm in the sink, attempting to get rid of most of the blood-some of which had dried up. He took some cotton swabs and some tape and patched up the wound. It was a pretty big gash, it wasn't enough that too much blood was coming out, but it was enough that it stung.
Then he began to sob.
Looking at his state in the mirror made things even worse. God, what was he thinking going to a public school-thinking that he’d be able to live like a normal citizen. Why did he think everything would be fine, that no one would recognize him. Word spread around fast, people knew people who knew other people. It was only inevitable that he was to be found out. That group of guys specifically knew who he was.
He hated himself for ever thinking this was ever a good idea. His father had been right.
To think that his father had agreed to let him study here because it would uplift the royal image-which Baekhyun had managed to ruin within one night.
He slumped on his bed and eventually fell asleep to these dreary thoughts.
—------------------------------------------------------------
His roommate woke him up as they snuck in through the window at seven in the morning.
Chen, clearly drunk, shook him awake.
“Last night was so crazy, dude!” He yelled.
Baekhyun groaned, throwing a pillow over his head to drown out their drunk voices. The only sober one it seemed was Kyungsoo who told them all to quiet down because the hall monitors could be passing their room any second now.
“Guys he’s trying to sleep!” Kyungsoo hissed.
“Whatever, man.”Chen said. “It’s a Saturday!” He flailed on his arms on the bed, making Kyungsoo who’d been sitting on the same bed jump.
Then came in Tao who didn’t look as drunk, shutting the window behind him quickly. He ran over to his roommate, clearly alarmed by something.
“Oh my god, oh my god,” Tao said, trying to find his phone.
“What?” Kyungsoo asked.
“God, Baekhyun you’d gotten yourself in trouble,” Tao told him.
Baekhyun shot up from his bed, his eyebrows furrowed and arm still aching from last night, “What are you talking about.” Even though he knew exactly what he was talking about.
“There’s this video going around on X that you punched Joong.” Tao explained, finally finding his phone, he was too busy trying to find the video to care about the Prince’s subsequent questions.
“W-what? Who was filming that-I was-”
Kyungsoo covered his mouth, “Oh my god, Baek I didn’t think you had it in ya,” He laughed.
“I’ve always known,” Chen laughed, running over to give Baekhyun a drunken high-five.
“Look!” Tao held up his smart phone, letting the video replay over and over again.
Baekhyun felt his body shake, and hands tremble as he took the smart phone from his hands. He didn’t get to have one in his life-had it not been for his roommates he probably wouldn’t have known about this video. He scrolled down, looking through some of the comments that were coming in.
Comment: The guy who punched him looked familiar, didn't he?
Reply: ↪That’s because he's the prince, he hasn’t been in the public eye for a while.
Baekhyun’s heartbeat began to speed up as he continued to read each reply.
Reply:↪No way is that the Byun family prince?
Comment: So not only is his family living off our taxes he's also a bully.
Comment: This is disgusting. Shame on the royal family!
Baekhyun dropped the phone, his mind going fuzzy. A million questions crossed his mind, but he didn’t know the answer to any of them. For example, who had been there to film this? Was this the only video out there? It was cut up to make it seem like he’d just decided to punch Joong when in reality, he’d only gone there because of what he and his friends had said. There were thousands of views on this video, people were commenting and his mind was spiraling.
“I’m going to-”
He stood up suddenly, running over to the washroom and leaning over the toilet, vomiting all the contents of last night. His head was pounding and mind was unable to stop thinking.
His roommates followed him in a concerned manner, “Baek, what’s wrong?”
“I’m-my father’s going to kill me.” was the last thing he said before a knock on the door stole all their attention.
—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baekhyun found himself in the headmaster's office when he received a knock on the door from his assistant. He was sitting in front of a large mahogany desk, surrounded by a library of books. The headmaster's chair in front of him was empty. He tapped his foot restlessly, waiting for him to show up. Surprisingly he wasn’t too scared of what the headmaster had to say-it was his parents that he had to face.
“Good morning, Mr. Byun.” The headmaster closed the office door behind him.
He was an older gruff man. He had round glasses on, a medium beard. He didn’t look terribly authoritative. In fact, Baekhyun recalled seeing him somewhere on his first day, but thinking he was another professor.
“Good morning,” Baekhyun said shakily.
“Thank you for coming down so early. I’m sure you’ve heard about a certain video being spread around.”
“Y-yes Sir I-”
“Now, you don’t have to say anything to me. I received a call from your mother this morning. Usually we handle this pretty simply, with some restrictions and curfews, but your mother wanted something else. I do however still have an obligation to tell you that you will be restricted from any extra curricular activities for this month.”
Baekhyun tensed. He wasn’t close to his mother. It was unlike her to call him. In fact, she’d been the one to reject the entire idea of him leaving the palace for school. His father had been the one to see that this choice was highly important to him. His father had been the one born into the royal family, and yet, his mother who was connected to the royals through marriage was the one obsessed with their royal image.
“I’m sorry sir. It won’t happen again.”
The headmaster raised an eyebrow, “Please, Mr. Byun you are a straight-A student who had a little too much fun. It’s not uncommon. Really, you should be worried about your mother. She would like for you to issue an apology to the family affected.”
“The…family,” Baekhyun said slowly, as if saying it slower each time would make him comprehend the statement better.
“Yes…indeed. The family have accepted you into their home tomorrow afternoon and they are expecting you and your mother.”
The silence was piercingly loud. Baekhyun didn’t know what to say. His brain's neurons were firing in many different directions. He hoped what he heard was wrong.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------
When Baekhyun rushed into his dorm, he was met with the concerned eyes of his roommates. They seemed eager to hear the results of his meeting with the headmaster.
“Well?!” Chen ran over, shaking his shoulders, trying to read the Prince’s expression, “Don’t tell you got expelled,”
Baekhyun closed his eyes and shook his head, “No, no.” He ran to his bed and put his hands on his temples. His head was pounding from all the alcohol last night.
“Then what’s the matter?” Kyungsoo asked, narrowing his eyes.
“I just-that Joong guy I punched yesterday, how do you guys know him?” Baekhyun asked, feeling the acidic feeling creep into his throat once again.
Tao, Kyungsoo and Chen looked bewildered by the question, but wracked their brains to answer this apparently very important question.
“Uh…I don't, I guess in one of my classes? I mean he’s a popular guy.” Tao said.
“Yeah, he’s just a well known guy, a fourth year so pretty popular…” Kyungsoo explained, “Why?”
“Well…I met him through a mutual friend,” Chen said, still slurring his speech a little.
Baekhyun frowned and then nodded for him to go on.
“His brother…come on guys this isn’t news. The Parks? He’s Park Chanyeol’s brother!” He said.
Baekhyun put his head in hands and squealed.
Oh god, this was terribly bad. This situation was worse than he could have ever imagined.