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Here is an update for today.

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“THANK YOU AHJUSSI!!” Expressing his gratitude loudly as he hops off the horse cart the minute the transportation arrived in front of the palace gates, a hyperactive Junsu is undeniably thrilled to see the all too familiar gates and palace building.

“We will buy all of your firewood!” Announcing to the palace guards who have come forward to check his identity, Junsu sent the soldier to collect the pile of dried up timbers and pay the old man.

The old man had travelled a little faster for the sake of the prince after realising the lad’s identity. The cart and horse is all soiled and tired looking by the time they arrived but it is thanks to them that the prince was able to reach before sundown.

“HYUNGIE!!” Bouncing into the palace hall, anxious to see his brother, Junsu is surprised to find that most parts of the palace emptied of their guards. Only servants were around as they remain in their posts gloomily.

Running up to the royal chamber, Junsu grabbed a whole of the servants there and questioned them, yet all they ever did was cower in silence. Perturbed, the prince barged into the royal chamber to find it still in repair but empty.

The sight of the slash marks all over the pillars stunned the latter and he immediately dashes out. Demanding to know what happened, he only received looks of uncertainty, giving up his interrogation only when the head of the eunuchs came to greet him.

The older man isn’t keen on saying much as he leads a noisy Junsu back to the prince’s long vacated room. “Your highness… we were not expecting you to come back for a visit… We could’ve prepared your bathwater beforehand if you had announced your return earlier…” Helping the prince into clean robes and discarding his torn and tattered kimono, the eunuch appeared highly strung. “Is my hyungie around?! What happened why is he away?!” The prince questioned non-stop. The man does not answer as they sit in silence.

“Your highness… the water is ready.” Hearing the knock on the door indicating the water is ready, the eunuch pulled the prince back while the other continues to wander around, searching for his brother.

“Wait!” Gasping as he assumes that Yunho had gone to meet Yuchun because of his illegal vacation back in his hometown, the prince started to panic. “HAS HE GONE TO JAPAN?!” Asking loudly as he clings onto the man’s sleeves, the prince is getting all worked up before even finding out the truth.

“Your highness. Please take your bathe first and I will explain everything to you later.” Pushing Junsu into the room and shutting the doors, the prince is quarantined inside until he finishes scrubbing himself down. After all, he is looking like a homeless beggar again and Yunho have never liked it when he looks like that.

Bursting out of the bathe room as soon as he is done rubbing himself down, the prince pestered the eunuch all the way through, from one end of the palace to the other end. Finally giving up and settling the prince down in front of a spread of delicious food Junsu hadn’t eaten for what felt like donkey years, the man is finally more inclined to speak at last.

“Your highness… his majesty is met some problems…” The man started.

“Is he alright?! Is hyungie alright?!” Leaping up from his seat before even tucking in, the previously hungry boy clambers over to the man’s side instead, refusing to release the man until he finds out what he wants to know.

“His majesty wouldn’t want you to go about worrying, your highness…” The man digressed and Junsu pouted angrily in response.

“I’m not a kid anymore! Tell me!! Tell me tell me tell me!!” Acting like a big baby, Junsu turned into a whiny brat and the man had no other choice.

“Your highness… please stay calm while I reiterate to you what is going on.” The man started slowly, resting one hand on Junsu’s shoulder.

“His majesty is missing.” The eunuch got straight to the point without hesitation. “The search party is still out there searching since the mishap he met at the cliff this afternoon.” The man spoke slowly, choosing his words. Not allowing Junsu to interrupt until he finishes he sentence.

“WHAT MISHAP!?!” “WHICH CLIFF?!!” Yelling even before he realises, Junsu is now scrambling to his feet, frantic and like a cat on hot bricks. Pulling the eunuch along as he dashes out of his room, Junsu started to search for Jejung.

“Your highness! The… empress is no longer around either.” Stopping Junsu as he tries to intrude Jejung’s chamber, the man is having a hard time controlling Junsu.

“DON’T TELL ME THEY’VE MET AN ACCIDENT?!” “OHMYGOD!!” Junsu gasped and backed away, leaning on the wall for support as he tries not to hyperventilate. Clutching onto the man’s garment forcefully enough to rip it, Junsu dragged the man to the stables, planning on joining the ‘man-hunt’.

“Your highness! Please listen to me first!” The eunuch stopped him immediately and holds onto his hand pleadingly, willing him to calm down. Junsu is already crying by now, face and nose wet and red.

“It’s complicated so you need to stay calm and listen carefully…” “There was an assassination attempt on his majesty and the assassin had taken his majesty to the cliffs and pulled him off…” The eunuch started with a sad expression.

“Assassin!?” Stumbling backwards and shrieking like a little girl, Junsu found his head spinning with the information overload. “Is hyungie alright?! NO nonono!! Hyungie will be alright! Hyungie can fight!!”

“The assassin is the empress…” The man concluded at last as he watches Junsu walk around aimlessly before squatting down and burying his face in his knee caps. “The head of security believes he is sent by the…” “Anyway, we are glad that you are back with us. The man is dangerous so it’s better that you stay here.” The eunuch ended up ranting on and on while draping a coat over Junsu as the prince as he remains huddled up.

The prince does not say anything and the awkward silence ensued. As much as the eunuch is feeling uneasy about the prince’s sudden reappearance, he knows the prince isn’t in a good enough shape to disclose. Feeling only relief that the prince is back since the country might need him if anything were to happen to Yunho, the king’s loyal subordinates is feeling incredibly lost without their leader.

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POV from Junsu

This is not happening!! A nightmare! Hyungie missing… possibly dead or in trouble…

To think that this happened just as I managed to escape! If only I had escaped earlier than none of this would’ve happened!!

I don’t believe this! The person that they say is the assassin! Who is he again?! How is it even possible!? He seems like an ordinary person and he never fought back whenever hyungie bullied him!! How is it possible!? He seemed like a nice person!!

Am I really being too trusting and naïve?! My judgments have always been flawed!! Why am I so dumb!!!

NO! This is not about me being stupid!!

If HE is the one behind it, anything is possible! That man is pure evil and there is nothing he won’t do!! I should’ve known!!!

Don’t panic Junsu, hyungie should still be alive somewhere! He is a survivor! He has gone for so many battles and always made it home alive!! He is definitely somewhere! We just have to find him!!

I cannot lose hyungie!! He is too important!! This country needs him!! Everyone needs him!! The people need someone to guide them through the hard times during the coming winter. They can’t function without a leader and I am not cut out enough to play the role if he is gone!

I need him too!! He is my only family!!!

I won’t allow this!! I won’t allow anything to happen to him!!!

If the assassin is that person… that would mean that his hyung had sent him to kill my hyung!! Why is it always HIM that is doing all the terrible things!?! Was it something hyungie and I did to him in our past lives?! Unforgivable!!

Is it possible that he wants to hurt hyungie because I ran away? NO! Stop scaring yourself Junsu, it’s not possible!! You are nothing to him!! A small fry!! He can’t be bothered with you!! He must’ve been plotting to get rid of hyungie all this while!!!

Ohmygod!! Stupid Junsu I can’t believe you got this all figured out!!

HOW DARE HE?! I need to confront him!!! I WILL KILL HIM IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO HYUNGIE!! I SWEAR!!!

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Standing up abruptly and wearing a look of determination, Junsu stomped off towards the stables and shrugged off the servants who are holding him back. Mounting the horses rather ungracefully, the latter decided to finally take things into his own hands. No more running away or hiding behind others.

Riding off into the night and headed for the mountains where he used to play, Junsu is met with a few of the soldiers from the search party. A few of them had apparently already descended to the bottom to look for any the two missing persons, but there has been no news of them since then. The cliff is a straight drop and the likelihood of surviving the plunge is not high unless the falling person manages to grasp onto the vines lining the cliff. None of the search team member is hoping to find remains but the situation is not looking too optimistic.

“YUNO!!!” “HYUNGIE!!” Looking down after balancing dangerously at the edge of the cliff with just a soldier holding onto him for safety, there is no stopping the boy from screaming at the top of his lungs.

The darkness arrived full fledge and the search was slowing down, but Junsu wouldn’t give up as easily. Plucking a torch from one of the resting soldiers, the prince started to descend from the sides as well but the head of security guy isn’t about to let him risk everything.

Pulling the boy up and depositing him by the fire they have started nearby, the man assured Junsu he would find Yunho no matter what but the boy is inconsolable. As the night drags on, he only got more anxious and apprehensive.

“SIR!!” A loud voice coming from below the cliff, echoing off the gelid stony walls startled the silent group as they sit together with nothing but frowns on their faces.

Dashing over, both Yunho’s loyal subordinate and Junsu shouted something in response at the same time. Only silence ensued, till the ‘news’ came. “I think we found something!” A single sentence was all that is needed for Junsu to lose his cool. The person sounded scared and somewhat jittery so it is hard for Junsu not to assume the worse.

“AHHHHHHHHHH!!!” Screaming at the top of his lungs, like someone who had gone berserk, Junsu begin running around aimlessly until the group had to stop him, hugging onto him tightly to hold him down.

No matter how hard they try to assure him that there is nothing solid to prove that his brother is dead as yet, Junsu wouldn’t have any of it. Hitting them and scratching them till they have no choice but to let go, Junsu grabbed one of the soldier’s swords and charged back to his horse.

“I WILL KILL HIM!!!” Screeching like a maddened banshee, the prince scrambled onto his horse and dug his foot into the animal’s side causing the stallion to neigh and gallop off with his enraged rider.

“YOUR HIGHNESS!!!” “COME BACK!!” “WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!” Trying to give chase, the rest of the soldiers lost Junsu the instant he disappears into the thickets and dark forest ahead. Thrown into disarray since they do not have their king to lead them, and to add on to it, a very exasperated prince to tackle, the search team is getting increasingly demoralised.