Many springs ago , when cherry blossom tree meeting it’s 13^th spring , Kim’s household hold an engagement party with full of music, laughter and happiness for their only child. It wasn’t first time or last time /unfortunately/  someone asked his son’s hand in marriage .This story happened even before Crown Prince came along but now it is only a secret to carry to the grave for many people .  

Heads of Kim’s and Lee’s decided to connect their fate with their blood lines to seal the good relations between two families , wishing happy future for their sons .  

His groom , a boy with small eyes and high cheekbones, who has a freest spirit Jinu learnt to adore. They used to jump around here and there , hands clasped together tightly  not quite understanding meaning of husbands and wedding , only befriending with pure intentions and same curiosity about the wide world  . Not expecting what kind of fate life stored for them .  

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In a summer cherry blossom tree dropped it’s flowers 17^th time ,  The King sent an invitations to the noble families to attend crown prince’s 18^th birthday celebration and both fathers were happy for being honored to attend such special and meaningful event . Jinu and Seunghoon couldn’t wait to discover everything behind the palace walls . And it was only a year before their long awaited promised wedding date  .

 The day Jinu took a step inside the Palace many people’s fate, including his and Seunghoon’s rewritten all over again. Everything just went downfall from that day on. Without his knowing  Jinu’s beauty caught Crown Prince’s attention from the crowd of nobles and royalties , like a pearl on a seashore, sparkling and enchanting .

Birthday celebration continued for hours and finally Jinu’s most awaited event came . All people gathered outside of King’s celebration hall and sky colored with sparkling vibrant colors with booming sounds and  people were admiring the beauty of the fire show in the nights sky. While Jinu lost into the colorful sky, Crown Prince’s attention was only on him,  admiring his beauty .

Jinu tilted his head to the sky , his swan like neck visible to the prince’s hungry eyes, darkness of the night couldn’t hide his pale skin and delicate soft features . Prince admired how his glossy eyes changing it is color , mirroring the colorful sky. And Prince thought he never came across such beauty in his whole life until then.

Even before night air cleared out of the fire smoke , Prince made an sudden announcement that he finally found his future spouse, whole palace and guests falls into  silence and waited with bated breath. Jinu and Seunghoon both exchanges quick look of surprise  and astonishment that they are about to witness a part of history of their country.   The Crown Prince gracefully and confidently strode over between sea of guests followed by his guards and court ladies in Jinu’s direction, all people bow on their knees to the royalty and shows their respect .  Although nobles were curious , nobody dared to lift their head to see whom Prince has chosen .

-Stand up my dear; Prince says . Jinu didn’t know what to do, he could feel Crown Prince is near to him but also other young nobles too. ‘’Prince must be talking to someone near me , it is not me ,it’s not me , I am not,  there is no way he would chose me, he can’t’’  he tried to console himself, but his heart is thumping so much it’s hard to listen other people’s whispers and gasps. Crown Prince lifted him from his elbow and made him face himself.  Crown prince smiles adoringly at his shock stricken face and with a clear voice announced him as his future consort .  The prince’s tone is confident , bold and heavy with power .  Everybody is shocked at the sudden change of an event .  When Jinu finally takes a breath he didn’t know hold and tries to make a sense of the situation, he finds Seunghoon’s eyes in the crowd , a little too far than he remembered  . Looking nothing like Seunghoon he known for years . His always friendly face holds no emotion, all hard angles on his young feature he never found before,  his body stiff and fists clenched . Jinu can’t feel his foot, it was rooted on the stop but Crown Prince already starts to drag him towards where King and Queen and other royal bloods sits , other nobles starts to chant congratulations for future King and his chosen Consort  . He can’t find his voice as if he was drowning under water, all chants and booming music sounds far away .

‘’Someone save me from this nightmare’’he prayed .    

That night his father broke off his engagement with Lee’s son . His father , even Lee’s couldn’t say no to the king . No one could utter the single word about Jinu had promised to someone already , maybe they knew it won’t change anything but greater loss will follow their families. It was a losing battle from the moment Crown Prince laid his eyes on Jinu.  Kim family and Lee’s cut their ties for good and Jinu couldn’t even say goodbye to his one and only friend whom he imagined his future with . Lee’s son was smart, good mannered ,  open minded  and most importantly a warm person . He wasn’t anything like snobbish and arrogant noble  . Jinu counted himself lucky for being engaged with Seunghoon back then.

He was preparing himself for years to welcome Seunghoon in his heart and the new life they would lead. His whole life was planned perfectly and he was prepared for it and ready for it just a day before.  He imagined what kind of life they would lead, what kind of conversations they would have , how many kids and what kind of color their bedroom walls would be decorated, they talked and imagined it so much , it was almost felt real. Their own happy little family, house always full of laughter and understanding and support, nurturing each other through the years.  He thought he had figured out what kind of person he wants to be in the future with Seunghoon’s  help and constant presence and what to expect from it but what now ?

Everything he gotten used to and knew were changing so fast. People treat him with difference and took certain distance from him . Every move, every word  under heavy moral and discipline. Relativities and neighbors, even strangers congratulated him with gifts and blessings . But unlike others his father wasn’t into wealth and power . One’s happiness and peace appealed more than gold and pearls , knowledge and humbleness before power and rule in his household . Whole household was under panic mode . Although his father took care of everything under control like a real noble as he is , sudden enormous wealth and attention made his father uneasy . Old man knew his son wasn’t ready and weren’t prepared for this life . No one expected this fate will be gifted to his only son . Kim always wished for his son a peaceful and normal life , so people won’t pressure his beautiful child into some shape of a perfect groom and noble expectations. Father and son knew under all of this unwanted wealth and power there was bigger responsibilities and danger lays and they weren’t ready for it now, not in the future but it was now their responsibility to shoulder whether they wanted or not . Crown Prince’s wish came before any law and no one can defy it and left alive.  There was no chance if future king wanted something .

Kim always been aware of beauty and grace his son hold and how he affected other people . Kim wanted to protect his son from all of sins, his son took after his mother’s beauty . So delicate and pure , so full of life.  He was always thoughtful of  his son’s future,  it all started when Jinu reached age 8  and his feature developing more , grace and elegance gifted from the god, people couldn’t help but gravitate towards him, eyes always followed his son . Beauty was two edged sword .

Earth is such an beautiful place to live and experience love but it also could be quite dangerous place if you have such a delicate , fresh as cherry blossom and breath taking  beautiful carrier son .  Old man wanted to protect his son from many of evils , sins and lusts .  That is why Kim promised his hand to someone at such an early age. Like an frail flower he wanted to nourish him in his garden, watering with only love and sun without darkness touching it is petals . Lee’s were long time friends and he trusted him his son’s future . But today he learned fate had other plans for his son , he could only pray to his son’s late mother to protect their poor child . He could only pray and hope to the gods and heavens for son’s fate and happiness .