[fic] Goong - Chapter one (YunJae, JaeMin)
Title: Goong (Palace) - Chapter One
Rating: PG (for now)
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong, Junsu/Yoochun, Jaejoong/Changmin and others.
Summary: Crown Prince Yunho is made to marry a man he's never met.
Notes: This is definitely a new style of writing for me, so it feels kind of unnatural. Hopefully as I write it'll sound smoother :D
Prologue
The limo that picked him up probably cost more than his house and the things in it, Jaejoong supposed, because it looked armored and a bit too long for just one person. It parked outside of his house and it took about an hour before Jaejoong could even step out of the door to get to it. With the wedding planned in a month's time, the telltale signs of matrimony filled the halls of the palace. Of course the media knew about it a minute after Jaejoong heard the news. Arrangements were being made to crown a princess. And that would be Jaejoong.
They crowded around his house and took pictures of everything. He wasn't quite sure how interesting the side of his house was, but people were weird sometimes. When the palace guards were finally able to push everyone to a safe distance, Jaejoong was allowed out of the house.
A man dressed in a suit stepped out of the limo, introducing himself promptly with a deep bow. "I am Park Yoochun, a servant of the royal household." His eyes crinkled as he took in Jaejoong's appearance. "You do realize you can't use that to the palace, right?" Yoochun said and Jaejoong lifted an eyebrow in challenge.
"They didn't say anything about what I could wear." Which was partially true. They had specified something comfortable and he was very comfortable. He wore the most blazingly pink shirt and rainbow colored colored pants he could find. His future was on the line here. If he couldn't make the prince hate him, well, then he'd be stuck. Stuck in a marriage with a guy who was probably the biggest jerk on the planet.
"Jaejoong-sshi. This may be the first time I've met you and you may be my future queen, but those are the most hidious articles of clothing I have ever laid my eyes on. And that's saying something since I've seen the meat dress up close and personal."
"You don't know how hard it was for me to find these." Jaejoong snorted. "Especially when hiding from a bunch of cameras."
"You'll get used to it," Yoochun motioned to the opened door. "Shall we be leaving?"
"You're not going to make me change?" Jaejoong questioned, climbing into the limo.
"No, they'll make you change at the palace." Yoochun snickered, closing the door on Jaejoong before the other could protest.
The ride to the palace was mostly silent as Jaejoong watched the buildings pass by. "Hey Yoochun-sshi?"
"Yoochun is fine."
"Well, then you can just call me Jaejoong."
Yoochun chuckled and Jaejoong found it oddly comforting. Yoochun sounded and acted humanly. Not like any of the other 'royal' officials that had come to talk to him in the week since he learned of his fate. "I cannot do that. You are my future employer. It would be rude of me to refer to you in such a familiar manner."
"Well, what if you just don't tell anyone?" Jaejoong smiled at the other. "Oh, and you can also drop the formal language. It's kind of hard for me to understand you when you speak like that."
Yoochun's chuckle broke into a full laugh. "Well, it will certainly be interesting when you finally meet the prince," Yoochun grinned. "So what is it that you wish to ask me?
"Well," Jaejoong felt a blush rise on his cheeks. "What is the prince like?"
"The prince?" Yoochun's expression turned thoughtful. "The prince used to be fun-loving and headstrong. Caring, too."
"Used to be?" Jaejoong questioned, confused.
"Well, things happen." The edge in Yoochun's voice seemed to cut off any further question on the matter. "And now Yunho...Well, he's not the Yunho he used to be."
***
Yunho looked bored as he lounged around outside the heavy doors that lead to the place he'd be meeting his betrothed for the first time. There wasn't much that he hoped for in this man that he was being forced to marry. He'd heard the standard things. His grandfather's promise and the reasons behind his future wife's acceptance. Apparently they were poor. Yunho rolled his eyes. A money grubber. And this is what the elders were insisting on him marrying? He didn't understand the reasoning for just letting some commoner become the future queen. It was an insult to him and the nation.
"Yunho." He turned, bowing only when he realized that it had been his mother that had called to him. Her Dangui* looked especially well on her. Her head was held high as she regarded him with stealy eyes. "Your bride has arrived and will be joining us shortly. Shall we enter the room before them?"
"As you wish," his answer was quick and clipped. It was the only way he could express his anger. Arguing with his mother wouldn't change the predicaments. He could still refuse to marry the person his grandfather had chosen for him, but without a valid reason his claim of unsuitability would be challenged and ultimately crushed under the heels of his father and the other court officials.
He sat across of his mother at the low table designed especially for this moment. It would be put into the archives as some sort of memento. What a small wooden table would mean for anyone was beyond his guess, but traditions were to be observed no matter his opinion.
The door opened with a loud click and Yunho looked up from his sitting position to see Yoochun walk in. "Your majesty, Prince Yunho," he bowed formally. "May I introduce Kim Jaejoong." Yoochun moved aside gracefully, allowing for the figure behind him to enter the room.
He was dressed in an hanbok, looking hugely uncomfortable in it. He stumbled over the **chima, almost falling flat on his face if it weren't for Yoochun's steadying arm. Yunho bit back a laugh at the glare directed at the offending piece of clothing. Well, at least his bride-to-be was entertaining.
"Jaejoong-sshi. Please have a seat," his mother motioned to the seat free beside Yunho. The other trudged slowly over, Yoochun helping to keep the other upright and not tripping over the hanbok skirt made for women.
He had seen pictures of the man before. His mother had all but thrown the picture in his face when the proposal was announced. He might have not been for the marriage, but he wasn't complaining about his bride. The pictures of Jaejoong were breathtaking.
But the portraits did no justice for the man that sat next to him. He wasn't just a beautiful face. He was gorgeous. Almost flawless if it weren't for the sour look he sported. "Jaejoong- sshi." Yunho nodded his greeting. The glare turned toward Yunho and then softened slightly.
"Um, Prince Yunho..." He fidgeted slightly in his seat, a blush spreading over pale cheeks. Yunho resisted the urge to reach out. Somehow Yunho wanted to touch him. "Um...It is...um...a great honor to meet you?"
"Likewise." Yunho raised an eyebrow at the attempt at formal language. Shoddy at best. He might have looked like a princess, but his speech and manner definitely needed to be refined. Still, Jaejoong was definitely worth looking at. And was entertaining. Maybe a marriage to the man wouldn't be as excruciating as he thought.
"As this is your first time visiting inside the palace walls, how do you find it? This villa will be yours to use," the queen motioned to the room and out the small balcony. "As it within my son's wing of the palace."
Jaejoong nodded hesitantly. "It's...very...big." He floundered around for words. "I live in a small apartment with my family. This is more than I'm used to."
"Of course it is." Yunho's mother dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Your family will be well taken cared of, but you will not be able to see them after you've been admitted to the court--"
"Wait what?" Jaejoong jumped up, startling the others. "What do you mean, I can't see them?!"
"Jaejoong-sshi, please settle down," Yunho heard Yoochun say, but Jaejoong would have none of it.
"I'm becoming this...this...thing for my family and you're saying that I can't even see them?" He motioned at his clothing, at the pins and earings that they had donned him with. They had literally dressed him up as a woman, despite his obvious male traits. It would have been offending to any male but it looked ravishing on Jaejoong, especially with his temper flaring and eyes flashing. Yunho was finding this boy more and more entertaining by the minute.
"You will be a princess, Jaejoong-sshi, as well as a future queen," Yunho's mother looked unperturbed at the sudden tantrum. "You will be busy and the guard cannot block off an entire section of the city just so you can see your family at your every whim."
"But they're my family!" Jaejoong shouted, almost in tears. Yunho's eyes narrowed, suddenly finding himself annoyed at the other. Being so emotional over such a small thing as family; it was unthinkable. Jaejoong would be a member of the royal family. He needed to learn to get over such small things. "I want to--"
"Calm yourself," Yunho's voice was sharp and unrelenting and Jaejoong stopped mid-rant, eyes wide as he looked at the other with disbelief. "Sit down. You are embarrassing yourself."
"How can you sit there quietly? What if you couldn't see your family--"
"I have not seen my father since he was crowned King," Yunho said, voice void of emotion. The fact brought Jaejoong to a halt and the anger visibly deflated out of him as Jaejoong sat back down, subdued.
"The arrangements have been made and you will be moving here permanently by tomorrow." The queen said before Jaejoong could get in another word.
"Tomorrow?" Jaejoong looked surprised. "But-but the wedding is in a month!"
"You have to get used to the life here, Jaejoong-sshi," the queen responded. "The life of a future queen is busy. Your relationship with everyone you know will change."
"Change...?" Jaejoong questioned hesitantly.
"You will be a member of the royal family and the highest ranking person below my son. Everything will change." The queen stood and Yunho stood as well. Jaejoong followed suit only after Yoochun nudged at him. "I will leave you and my son to become better acquainted. When you are ready, Yoochun will see you out."
She exited with flourish, aloof as always. Yoochun followed her out, bowing at the door and informing the two that he would be just outside.
The awkward silence that followed made Yunho antsy, but before he could break it, Jaejoong spoke up. "Is it true that you haven't seen your father since he was crowned?" Jaejoong turned to Yunho, mouth turned down into a frown.
"Of course. A crown prince and a king cannot be at the same place at the same time. It is forbidden."
"Why?"
"Security risk," Yunho shrugged. "But don't get so worked up. You can invite them here when you want to. And your friends." He moved around the table to sit in his mother's vacated seat in order to get a better view of the other. "Besides, it's not like I have any intention of staying married to you."
"What?" Jaejoong blinked in surprise and confusion. "But I thought--"
"Divorce." Yunho shrugged, lounging back into his cushion as he looked up at his hanbok clad bride with a smirk. "I'll divorce you."
*Dangui - traditional dress for queens during minor ceremonies. i had the queen use it here, since a marriage proposal meeting or WETF would count as a minor ceremony...right?
**Chima - in a hanbok, chima is the skirt that women use. i thought it'd be interesting to see them treating him like a lady instead of a man. We'll find out why later on, of course :D
Rating: PG (for now)
Pairing: Yunho/Jaejoong, Junsu/Yoochun, Jaejoong/Changmin and others.
Summary: Crown Prince Yunho is made to marry a man he's never met.
Notes: This is definitely a new style of writing for me, so it feels kind of unnatural. Hopefully as I write it'll sound smoother :D
Prologue
The limo that picked him up probably cost more than his house and the things in it, Jaejoong supposed, because it looked armored and a bit too long for just one person. It parked outside of his house and it took about an hour before Jaejoong could even step out of the door to get to it. With the wedding planned in a month's time, the telltale signs of matrimony filled the halls of the palace. Of course the media knew about it a minute after Jaejoong heard the news. Arrangements were being made to crown a princess. And that would be Jaejoong.
They crowded around his house and took pictures of everything. He wasn't quite sure how interesting the side of his house was, but people were weird sometimes. When the palace guards were finally able to push everyone to a safe distance, Jaejoong was allowed out of the house.
A man dressed in a suit stepped out of the limo, introducing himself promptly with a deep bow. "I am Park Yoochun, a servant of the royal household." His eyes crinkled as he took in Jaejoong's appearance. "You do realize you can't use that to the palace, right?" Yoochun said and Jaejoong lifted an eyebrow in challenge.
"They didn't say anything about what I could wear." Which was partially true. They had specified something comfortable and he was very comfortable. He wore the most blazingly pink shirt and rainbow colored colored pants he could find. His future was on the line here. If he couldn't make the prince hate him, well, then he'd be stuck. Stuck in a marriage with a guy who was probably the biggest jerk on the planet.
"Jaejoong-sshi. This may be the first time I've met you and you may be my future queen, but those are the most hidious articles of clothing I have ever laid my eyes on. And that's saying something since I've seen the meat dress up close and personal."
"You don't know how hard it was for me to find these." Jaejoong snorted. "Especially when hiding from a bunch of cameras."
"You'll get used to it," Yoochun motioned to the opened door. "Shall we be leaving?"
"You're not going to make me change?" Jaejoong questioned, climbing into the limo.
"No, they'll make you change at the palace." Yoochun snickered, closing the door on Jaejoong before the other could protest.
The ride to the palace was mostly silent as Jaejoong watched the buildings pass by. "Hey Yoochun-sshi?"
"Yoochun is fine."
"Well, then you can just call me Jaejoong."
Yoochun chuckled and Jaejoong found it oddly comforting. Yoochun sounded and acted humanly. Not like any of the other 'royal' officials that had come to talk to him in the week since he learned of his fate. "I cannot do that. You are my future employer. It would be rude of me to refer to you in such a familiar manner."
"Well, what if you just don't tell anyone?" Jaejoong smiled at the other. "Oh, and you can also drop the formal language. It's kind of hard for me to understand you when you speak like that."
Yoochun's chuckle broke into a full laugh. "Well, it will certainly be interesting when you finally meet the prince," Yoochun grinned. "So what is it that you wish to ask me?
"Well," Jaejoong felt a blush rise on his cheeks. "What is the prince like?"
"The prince?" Yoochun's expression turned thoughtful. "The prince used to be fun-loving and headstrong. Caring, too."
"Used to be?" Jaejoong questioned, confused.
"Well, things happen." The edge in Yoochun's voice seemed to cut off any further question on the matter. "And now Yunho...Well, he's not the Yunho he used to be."
***
Yunho looked bored as he lounged around outside the heavy doors that lead to the place he'd be meeting his betrothed for the first time. There wasn't much that he hoped for in this man that he was being forced to marry. He'd heard the standard things. His grandfather's promise and the reasons behind his future wife's acceptance. Apparently they were poor. Yunho rolled his eyes. A money grubber. And this is what the elders were insisting on him marrying? He didn't understand the reasoning for just letting some commoner become the future queen. It was an insult to him and the nation.
"Yunho." He turned, bowing only when he realized that it had been his mother that had called to him. Her Dangui* looked especially well on her. Her head was held high as she regarded him with stealy eyes. "Your bride has arrived and will be joining us shortly. Shall we enter the room before them?"
"As you wish," his answer was quick and clipped. It was the only way he could express his anger. Arguing with his mother wouldn't change the predicaments. He could still refuse to marry the person his grandfather had chosen for him, but without a valid reason his claim of unsuitability would be challenged and ultimately crushed under the heels of his father and the other court officials.
He sat across of his mother at the low table designed especially for this moment. It would be put into the archives as some sort of memento. What a small wooden table would mean for anyone was beyond his guess, but traditions were to be observed no matter his opinion.
The door opened with a loud click and Yunho looked up from his sitting position to see Yoochun walk in. "Your majesty, Prince Yunho," he bowed formally. "May I introduce Kim Jaejoong." Yoochun moved aside gracefully, allowing for the figure behind him to enter the room.
He was dressed in an hanbok, looking hugely uncomfortable in it. He stumbled over the **chima, almost falling flat on his face if it weren't for Yoochun's steadying arm. Yunho bit back a laugh at the glare directed at the offending piece of clothing. Well, at least his bride-to-be was entertaining.
"Jaejoong-sshi. Please have a seat," his mother motioned to the seat free beside Yunho. The other trudged slowly over, Yoochun helping to keep the other upright and not tripping over the hanbok skirt made for women.
He had seen pictures of the man before. His mother had all but thrown the picture in his face when the proposal was announced. He might have not been for the marriage, but he wasn't complaining about his bride. The pictures of Jaejoong were breathtaking.
But the portraits did no justice for the man that sat next to him. He wasn't just a beautiful face. He was gorgeous. Almost flawless if it weren't for the sour look he sported. "Jaejoong- sshi." Yunho nodded his greeting. The glare turned toward Yunho and then softened slightly.
"Um, Prince Yunho..." He fidgeted slightly in his seat, a blush spreading over pale cheeks. Yunho resisted the urge to reach out. Somehow Yunho wanted to touch him. "Um...It is...um...a great honor to meet you?"
"Likewise." Yunho raised an eyebrow at the attempt at formal language. Shoddy at best. He might have looked like a princess, but his speech and manner definitely needed to be refined. Still, Jaejoong was definitely worth looking at. And was entertaining. Maybe a marriage to the man wouldn't be as excruciating as he thought.
"As this is your first time visiting inside the palace walls, how do you find it? This villa will be yours to use," the queen motioned to the room and out the small balcony. "As it within my son's wing of the palace."
Jaejoong nodded hesitantly. "It's...very...big." He floundered around for words. "I live in a small apartment with my family. This is more than I'm used to."
"Of course it is." Yunho's mother dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Your family will be well taken cared of, but you will not be able to see them after you've been admitted to the court--"
"Wait what?" Jaejoong jumped up, startling the others. "What do you mean, I can't see them?!"
"Jaejoong-sshi, please settle down," Yunho heard Yoochun say, but Jaejoong would have none of it.
"I'm becoming this...this...thing for my family and you're saying that I can't even see them?" He motioned at his clothing, at the pins and earings that they had donned him with. They had literally dressed him up as a woman, despite his obvious male traits. It would have been offending to any male but it looked ravishing on Jaejoong, especially with his temper flaring and eyes flashing. Yunho was finding this boy more and more entertaining by the minute.
"You will be a princess, Jaejoong-sshi, as well as a future queen," Yunho's mother looked unperturbed at the sudden tantrum. "You will be busy and the guard cannot block off an entire section of the city just so you can see your family at your every whim."
"But they're my family!" Jaejoong shouted, almost in tears. Yunho's eyes narrowed, suddenly finding himself annoyed at the other. Being so emotional over such a small thing as family; it was unthinkable. Jaejoong would be a member of the royal family. He needed to learn to get over such small things. "I want to--"
"Calm yourself," Yunho's voice was sharp and unrelenting and Jaejoong stopped mid-rant, eyes wide as he looked at the other with disbelief. "Sit down. You are embarrassing yourself."
"How can you sit there quietly? What if you couldn't see your family--"
"I have not seen my father since he was crowned King," Yunho said, voice void of emotion. The fact brought Jaejoong to a halt and the anger visibly deflated out of him as Jaejoong sat back down, subdued.
"The arrangements have been made and you will be moving here permanently by tomorrow." The queen said before Jaejoong could get in another word.
"Tomorrow?" Jaejoong looked surprised. "But-but the wedding is in a month!"
"You have to get used to the life here, Jaejoong-sshi," the queen responded. "The life of a future queen is busy. Your relationship with everyone you know will change."
"Change...?" Jaejoong questioned hesitantly.
"You will be a member of the royal family and the highest ranking person below my son. Everything will change." The queen stood and Yunho stood as well. Jaejoong followed suit only after Yoochun nudged at him. "I will leave you and my son to become better acquainted. When you are ready, Yoochun will see you out."
She exited with flourish, aloof as always. Yoochun followed her out, bowing at the door and informing the two that he would be just outside.
The awkward silence that followed made Yunho antsy, but before he could break it, Jaejoong spoke up. "Is it true that you haven't seen your father since he was crowned?" Jaejoong turned to Yunho, mouth turned down into a frown.
"Of course. A crown prince and a king cannot be at the same place at the same time. It is forbidden."
"Why?"
"Security risk," Yunho shrugged. "But don't get so worked up. You can invite them here when you want to. And your friends." He moved around the table to sit in his mother's vacated seat in order to get a better view of the other. "Besides, it's not like I have any intention of staying married to you."
"What?" Jaejoong blinked in surprise and confusion. "But I thought--"
"Divorce." Yunho shrugged, lounging back into his cushion as he looked up at his hanbok clad bride with a smirk. "I'll divorce you."
*Dangui - traditional dress for queens during minor ceremonies. i had the queen use it here, since a marriage proposal meeting or WETF would count as a minor ceremony...right?
**Chima - in a hanbok, chima is the skirt that women use. i thought it'd be interesting to see them treating him like a lady instead of a man. We'll find out why later on, of course :D