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Prince Yechan hated royal balls. I really really hate it.
He hated the stiff collars, layered clothes, the endless greetings, the way noble ladies fluttered around him like brightly dressed birds, and most of all, he hated standing still for hours.
Tonight was especially unbearable, and he can't escape it.
The grand ballroom of the castle glittered with gold chandeliers and crystal glasses in honor of the king’s birthday. Noblemen laughed too loudly, ladies swirled elegantly across the polished floor, and musicians played graceful melodies that Yechan found painfully dull.
As the youngest and fourth prince, Yechan was expected to smile, bow politely, and stand quietly beside his family to show the royal image to the noble. But Yechan had never been very good at doing what was expected.
At twenty-one, he was still known throughout the palace as the spoiled, stubborn prince who disappeared whenever court life became too boring. While his elder brothers discussed politics and responsibilities, Yechan dreamed of climbing rooftops, visiting hidden village markets, and seeing the world outside the castle walls. His parents never give attention to him since they adore his three brothers so much.
And tonight, while everyone celebrated in the ballroom, Yechan had no intention of staying, he already planned out his adventure action. The moment the nobles were distracted by the king’s speech, Yechan slipped quietly out of the ballroom with a grin.
His expensive royal coat was abandoned in a corridor, his polished shoes were swapped for softer boots, and within minutes, he was hurrying through the quiet castle gardens toward the outer wall.
The moon was bright overhead, casting silver light over the stone walls as Yechan rubbed his hands together excitedly.
Freedom.
He had planned this all week. While taking the stroll around the castle, he saw the thick vines around the wall behind the castle, which definitely can handle his weight. For this week, he tracked down the map that the wall also connects to the small village behind the castle.
With practice determination, he grabbed the vines climbing along the stone and began to climb. He's so excited that the first 3 steps didn't make the vines break.
“Almost there,” he whispered to himself, pulling himself upward.
One leg over. Then the other—
But then the vine slipped from his hands.
Yechan gasped as his balance disappeared. His body tipped backward, and for one terrifying second he thought he was about to crash onto the stone path below.
Instead, he landed in someone’s arms. Strong arms. Yechan’s eyes flew open in panic.
“Oh no,” he whispered, staring up in horror. “Please don’t be one of my brother’s knights—” Yechan tilted his head and opened only one eyes
A familiar face looked down at him.
“You really should be more careful, Your Highness.” That voice is also familiar..
Yechan blinked. “Sangyeop?”
The young royal guard sighed, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
Sangyeop is his childhood friend that grew up together with Yechan. Sangyeop looked different from the boy Yechan remembered is taller now, shoulders broader beneath his royal guard uniform, dark hair neatly tied back, but his eyes were the same. Calm, warm, and quietly amused.
Yechan stared at him for a moment before wriggling out of his arms.
“What are you doing here?” Yechan asked.
“I’m on duty, my prince” Sangyeop replied, folding his arms. “Unlike certain princes that attempt to fall off castle walls.”
Yechan crossed his own arms stubbornly. “hey, I was not falling. I was escaping that's different.”
“Yes, I noticed that.”
Yechan grinned. “Then please help me.”
Sangyeop raised an eyebrow. “Help you with what?”
“Help me sneak out.”
Sangyeop gives a straight face “No.”
Yechan stepped closer, pouting dramatically. “Come on, Sangyeop.”
“No.”
“You owe me.”
“I owe you nothing.”
Yechan gasped in a mock offense. “When we were children, I shared my desserts with you.”
“You stole those desserts from the kitchen, and I'm the one that got scolded by the Head chef”
“but I shared them,” Yechan said proudly.
Sangyeop pinched the bridge of his nose. “Your Highness—”
“Yechan.”
Sangyeop hesitated.
Yechan softened his expression and looked at him pleadingly. “Please? For your friend”
Sangyeop looked toward the brightly lit castle windows, then back at the prince standing before him with messy hair that still had some gel hair, shining eyes, and that same reckless smile he’d had since childhood.
“Princ— no, Yechan. One day...” Sangyeop sighed, “you’re going to get caught.”
Yechan shrugged. “It's okay, I’ll deal with it.”
“You are a prince.”
“The fourth prince,” Yechan corrected. “The youngest prince. The one nobody expects anything from.”
Sangyeop frowned. “That’s not true.”
Yechan smiled faintly. “My brothers will inherit all the responsibilities. They’ll attend the meetings and lead the kingdom. Me?” He looked toward the walls beyond the garden. “I never get anything. All I get is just getting scolded because I'm not perfect like my brothers. I just want to live while I can. I want to see everything. I want some adventures.”
He looked back at Sangyeop, eyes bright.
“By the way, I have a bucket list.”
Sangyeop blinked. “A bucket list?”
Yechan nodded eagerly. “Something that I want to do before I become 25 years old. Sneaking out during a royal celebration was on it.”
Sangyeop scoffed “That is an incredibly reckless list, especially since today is the King's birthday”
Yechan grinned. “So will you help me?”
Sangyeop groaned softly, already knowing he had lost.
“You are impossible.”
“And yet you’re still here. If you're cruel you will call another guard here”
Sangyeop muttered something under his breath before motioning for Yechan to follow.
“Come on, then. The back gate will be easier.”
Yechan lit up instantly. “Really?”
“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” he sighed
Yechan hurried beside him through the moonlit gardens, unable to stop smiling. Sangyeop led him through narrow stone corridors and quiet servant pathways until they reached a small gate hidden behind ivy at the edge of the castle grounds.
Sangyeop unlocked it with a sigh.
“There,” he said. “You have exactly two hours before anyone notices you’re missing.”
Yechan beamed. “You’re the best!”
Sangyeop leaned against the gate, arms folded. “Just don’t do anything dangerous. Try to hide your faces if something suspicious happens"
Yechan nodded, though the mischievous sparkle in his eyes made Sangyeop doubt that promise immediately.
For a moment, Yechan just stood there instead of leaving. He seems like thinking of something.
Sangyeop noticed. “What? Already changed your mind?”
Yechan looked oddly shy now, rocking slightly on his heels.
“Actually...” he said slowly.
Sangyeop frowned. “What?”
Yechan stepped closer.
Before Sangyeop could react, Yechan reached up and kissed him on the lips.
It was quick—soft, warm, and gentle—but enough to leave Sangyeop completely frozen.
Yechan stepped back, his cheeks show visible pink blush under the moonlight.
Sangyeop stared at him in shock. “Why... why did you do that?”
Yechan smiled sheepishly, suddenly looking far less like a bold runaway prince and far more like the mischievous boy Sangyeop remembered.
“That was on my bucket list too.”
Sangyeop’s face turned red.
“Was kis-kissed me on the lips is on your bucket list?”
Yechan tilted his head innocently. “Well... I’ve wanted to for a while. I am always wondering what kissing you would feel like,”
Sangyeop blinked.
Yechan looked away, smiling awkwardly. “I mean, if I’m sneaking out and trying new things, then I thought maybe—”
Before he could finish rambling, Sangyeop stepped forward.
Yechan looked up just in time for Sangyeop to kiss him back.
This kiss was slower, steadier, and far more deliberate. Sangyeop held behind Yechan's neck to support him.
Yechan’s eyes widened before he melted into it, hands clutching lightly at Sangyeop’s guard uniform.
When Sangyeop pulled away, both of them were breathless.
“That,” Sangyeop said quietly, “was not on your list, right?”
Yechan smiled so brightly it nearly outshone the moon.
“No,” he admitted softly. “That was better.”
Sangyeop shook his head, though he was smiling now too.
“You are going to be the death of me, Your Highness.”
Yechan grinned. “Then come with me.”
“What?”
“Come with me tonight,” Yechan said, taking Sangyeop’s hand. “Just for a little while.”
Sangyeop looked behind him, looking at the castle “I’m on duty.”
Yechan squeezed his hand. “Please?”
Sangyeop looked at their joined hands and sighed in defeat. “Three hours,” he said.
Yechan practically bounced with excitement. “Really?”
“Three hours,” Sangyeop repeated. “And if anyone asks, I will say I was forced into this.”
Yechan laughed and pulled him toward the open gate.
“You weren’t forced.”
“I absolutely was.”
“You kissed me back.”
Sangyeop muttered, “That was a tactical error.”
Yechan laughed so brightly that Sangyeop couldn’t help smiling.
Together they slipped out through the hidden gate, disappearing into the moonlit roads beyond the castle walls.
For the first time that night, Prince Yechan felt truly free. And with Sangyeop’s hand in his, he thought perhaps some adventures were even better when shared.
As they walked into the sleeping city, Yechan smiled to himself.
Because somewhere between escaping the royal ball and kissing the royal guard, his bucket list had gained a brand new wish:
To do this again with Sangyeop.