The night was young, granting many opportunities for CL and Daesung to around with the clueless couple. ChaeDae rubbed their hands together, slyly chuckling at the many possibilities that could spawn from their fingertips.

                “Argh, I’m so excited.” Chae Lin whispered, continuing to watch the couple. “What should we do?”

                “Oh, gosh, I don’t know. There’s so many things to choose from. Aish, but we can’t do anything to alter their feelings. Then the true love won’t be… true.”

                “That’s true…” CL pouted, crossing her arms. “Man, this is no fun.”

                “Hey. You’re the one who made up this spell.”

                “Shut up, it was the spur of the moment. ” she hissed, piercing her eyes into Daesung’s soul.

                He chuckled victoriously and flicked her forehead. “Then deal with it. I’m actually curious to see what they’ll do without our help.”

                “Tch. At this rate, they’re just leisurely dancing to this soft music. So anti-climatic.” She grumbled.

                “Hey. That’s all they’re given: soft, easy going music. Unless the choice of song changes to I don’t know, salsa, nothing will happen.”

                Her eyes brightened up like a child’s on Christmas morning. “Salsa.” She said slowly, the ends of her lips curving upwards, forming a sly smile.

                “…You can’t be serious.”

                It was too late for Daesung to stop Chae Lin from doing anything, so he sighed in defeat as she snapped her fingers, bringing the music to a halt. He whipped his head over to the musicians and sighed at their confused expressions, their fingers unconsciously adjusting themselves to begin a new number. Hot salsa music began blaring throughout the ballroom, causing the crowd to gasp in surprise.

                “Those poor musicians…” he mumbled, facepalming. “Now you made them think that they’re being possessed.”

                “Oh, hush up. It’s not gonna traumatize them for the rest of their lives.” She smiled, watching the crowd begin to sway and dance at a quicker and more exciting pace. “Awww, yeah. That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” she whooped, beginning to dance along to the music. Taking his hand, she led him as they danced, occasionally looking over their shoulders to see what the two were up to.

                “WHAT THE HECK IS THIS MUSIC DOING HERE?” the boy cried, watching the other couples beginning to dance livelier, brought to life from the music that held so much zest, so much love for life.

                “I don’t know!” Seunghyun cried as well, confused as ever. “I thought this was a masquerade, not a Spanish party from hell!”

                “I don’t know how to salsa!”

                “I do.”

                Jiyong looked into the beast’s eyes with a panic, not knowing if the beast’s skills were going to prove as useful or downright life-threatening. Seunghyun smirked again, glad to have been given this opportunity to show his other side, one that has been dormant since his transformation. That dancing earlier was just a warm up, now the real fun begins.

                He suddenly pulled the boy close to him, feeling passion fire up within him. Seunghyun knew that he wasn’t going to lie to himself anymore. There was no one around that could love him anymore. The world around him is only focused on a beauty of the outside, not the inside. Because that beauty is easier to fall in love with than beauty on the inside.

                He knew that.

                So this side of Seunghyun will probably be gone forever after this night. With that said, the prince will do all that it takes to relish this night in his heart.

                 Okay. Jiyong. Tonight, you’ll be a woman for me. Just this one night. Please dance with me, for this may be the last time that I dance with someone on the floor like this. He pleaded, gazing in the boy’s eyes with such meaning, such desperation, such passion, such… love?

                Was it love?

                Probably not.

                He didn’t know what thoughts were coursing through his mind at that moment. Maybe there was a small sliver of love in there, almost unseen. Almost invisible. Perhaps it was there, perhaps it was drowned out by the blaring music and confused feelings that swirled around in his mind.

                But there was hope, right?

                There was hope embedded in Chae Lin and Daesung’s heart’s, that’s for sure. They slightly gasped as they saw the two become lost in each other’s eyes, not knowing what will happen next.

                Boom boom boom. Pow pow pow. Seunghyun began to dance as if a beast were locked up inside him for so long, finally coming out to wreak havoc. Such fierceness, such fire. He led the boy with such experience and such movement that both became ungodly on the dance floor. A flick of the head, the beautiful twist of the boy’s dress, boom boom. Pow pow.

                Was Jiyong enjoying any of this? One couldn’t be too sure about it. He wasn’t too sure about it either. But whatever ungodly thing that Seunghyun did, it brought such a strange side of the boy outwards, causing people to gasp and stop dancing.

                “ing Seunghyun is tainting my little boy…” Daesung breathed, gawking at the couple with wide eyes. “Ay caramba, what the hell have you done, choosing this kind of music?”

                Chae Lin also had her jaw dropped, eyes bigger than dinner plates. “I-I… didn’t realize that…”

                “…they would dance so passionately, so heatedly…” he finished for her, clutching his chest. “Ay, papi.”

                The boy’s body began dancing on its own, reacting to its wants and needs against the other’s body. Seunghyun almost let himself become lost to the boy, almost becoming into the alluring hypnotism until he accidentally locked eyes with a creepily smiling Daesung. Having fun out here? Daesung’s eyes seemed to say, his eyebrows wiggling up and down.

                “ARRIBA!” Daesung shouted, laughing hysterically. “DANCE FOR ME, PAPI.”

                The music slowly faltered away, leaving both of them breathless and back to reality.

                “Wow.” The boy huffed, taking a step back from the prince. “Wow. Wow. Wow.”

                “Yeah.” Seunghyun said airily. That’s all he COULD say. Other than that, he was left breathless by the boy’s skill. “I… didn’t know y-you could dance.” He stammered.

                “I didn’t either.”

                The two laughed, still bewildered by each other’s actions for that short moment. Both still wanted to relish the moment even more but the night won’t wait for them. Jiyong looked over Seunghyun’s shoulder, seeing a shy young woman gaze at the prince. “I think that young lady wants to dance with you.”

                “Hmm?” Seunghyun hummed, turning around. He locked eyes with the woman and smiled, admiring her beauty and friendly appearance. He looked over at Jiyong, eyes hesitant and filled with worry for leaving the boy.

                “Go on, go find your true love!” the boy joked, waving at the prince.

                Seunghyun stood stubbornly and looked at the boy, pouting like a little child.

                “Aish, it’s not like I’m your wife or anything. Go!” Jiyong laughed, pushing him towards the girl.

                “What if you are?”

                “…what?”

                “Yeobo…” he whined, resisting the boy’s push.

                “I am not your wife!”

                “YEOBO PLEASE.”

                “… OKAY FINE. AS YOUR WIFE, I COMMAND YOU TO DANCE WITH THIS GIRL.”

                That shut Seunghyun up, causing him to slump in defeat. “Fine.”

                He slowly walked away from the boy and straightened himself up, completely changing his expression. He bowed in front of the young woman and smiled honestly, studying her beautiful features. “Hello, there.”

                The young woman bowed as well, smiling sweetly. “Hello, Mr. Prince Charming.” She said, lightly chuckling.

                Hmm. This voice sounds familiar… oh well.

                “Would you like to dance with me?” he asked, holding out a hand.

                She gladly obliged without a word, taking the prince’s hand with much appreciation. The two began dancing at a soft, leisurely pace, the dance lighthearted and gentle.

                “You come by often, oh great prince?” she asked, whispering in his ear. That sparked up Seunghyun’s curiosity. Such forwardness. The way she approached him was intriguing.

                “First time here.” He said, twirling her around.

                “Ah~” she hummed, dancing around Seunghyun. “But you seem so familiar, like I’ve danced with you before.”

                “I get that a lot.” He chuckled.

                They continued to dance, locking eyes with each other every once in a while. Seunghyun felt himself becoming drawn to her, finding some sort of familiarity in the girl’s eyes. They chatted softly throughout the dance, having the time of their lives in just a small amount of time. Nonetheless, he didn’t ask for her name.

                “Do you believe in true love?” she suddenly asked in the middle of the dance.

                He immediately froze up, hearing those familiar two words again. True love… do I believe in it?

                “I-I haven’t really been in love before,” he confessed, lowering his eyes to the ground.

                Without another word, she pulled him aside, weaving out from the crowd. She grasped him by the arm, swiftly leading him into an empty hallway of the venue.

                “W-What are you doing?” he asked, secretly breaking out in a panic. What does she want from me?

                “Mr. Prince…” she said softly, looking up into his eyes, pinning him up against the wall. “My heart broke when you confessed that you had never experienced true love before.”

                She pouted slightly, striking a large nerve in Seunghyun’s mind. That pout… that oh-so familiar pout…

                She sighed, lowering her eyes towards the prince’s lips. “And I… believe that I can change that.”

                Those eyes… they look… so familiar now. It can’t be…

                No…

                JESSICA…?

---

 

                “Hmm, where’s Seunghyun?” Daesung mumbled to himself, searching the crowd. “He was JUST in front of me, where could he have gone?”

                “That’s weird…” CL said, beginning to weave through the crowd again. “Let’s split up.” With that said, she disappeared like smoke in thin air. Daesung shook his head sighed, standing on his tiptoes to look for the boy.

                Daesung bumped into the boy, relieved to find Jiyong. “Phew. I thought I lost you.” Daesung sighed, wiping his forehead. “Where’s Seunghyun?”

                “He went to dance with some other girl!” the boy piped up, smiling.

                “WHAT!?” Daesung cried. Oops. He cleared his throat and corrected himself. “I mean, what?” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “He was dancing with you thought!”

                “I know, but the goal for him is to find his true love, right?”

                “Touché. Anyway, I need to keep an eye on him. Do you know where he is?”

                The boy shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t know. He just disappeared after he began dancing with her.”

                “Ah. I’ll go search for him then… it’s getting late.” He said, checking his watch. “It’s already twelve.”

                “Oh, okay!” Jiyong nodded, smiling. “I’ll be in the ladies’ room, fixing up myself!” he joked, flipping his hair.

                “Arasso, arasso. Stay there, okay?”

                The boy nodded, leaving Daesung to find the troublemaker before he gets caught in something else. Scanning almost every nook and cranny for the prince, he ran into CL again with no luck.

                “Find him?” CL asked, sighing.

                “Nope… Have you checked the hallways yet?”

                She shook her head, huffing in frustration. “I don’t wanna use any magic right now… We’ve used a considerable amount tonight…”

                “That’s true. Let’s check the hallways.”

                The two began to make their way to the almost-empty hallways, searching for Seunghyun. Suddenly, they heard some shouting.

                “Mr. Lee Seungri!” one voice shouted.

                Both CL and Daesung froze. They both knew the name well, and that name did not sound like good news. . Both thought, exchanging glances.

                “SHH! You mustn’t say my name here!” another voice hissed, scolding the first voice. It WAS Seungri. What the hell was he doing here!?

                “Sorry.”

                “Anyway, did you find them?”

                “It’s hard to find them under these masks, sir.”

                “I know, I know! Just do your best to find the boy. I want him.”

                Daesung’s stomach churned uneasily as he knew well what Seungri wanted with the boy. He began to lunge towards the source of the two voices behind the wall that stood between them.

                “No, Daesung!” CL hissed, pulling him back with all her might. “You mustn’t interfere!”

                “What the hell do you expect me to do!?” he fumed, rolling up his sleeves. “I cannot see Jiyong be harmed again. I’m going to do something about it.” He said, preparing to chant a spell that will wipe the bastard off the face of the earth.

                “NO! DAESUNG! You know full well what can happen to you if you kill a human.” She said dangerously, looking into his eyes.             

                He in a breath, trying to hold back the frustration and fury that built up inside of him. But, the dirty image of Seungri’s intentions added oil to the fire. It deemed impossible. Disobeying her words, he made his way towards Seungri. He chanted a malicious spell, dark words spewing out from his mouth. To his dismay, CL clasped her hand over his mouth before he got to the darkest part of the spell. “STOP.”

                To her relief, a tiny patch of fire caught onto the sleeve of Seungri, causing the kid to break out in a panic. He began freaking out, running around in circles. “HELP ME! PUT THIS FIRE OUT!”

                “Unbelievable…” CL whispered. “You were planning to set this kid on fire!?”

                Daesung said nothing, huffing with such a fire burning in his eyes.

                She shook her head, closing her eyes. “You MUST control your temper. It clouds your thinking and can put everyone in danger, including yourself.”

                The two watched Seungri spiral down in a panic, running towards the fire alarm when the fire spread to his shoulder.

                “Oh, this can’t be good…” both of them said slowly in unison.

---

 

                “So… may I begin the first step by asking for your name?”

                Seugnhyun’s heart began beating quickly in panic, unsure of the consequences of revealing himself. He felt his throat tighten up as he shuffled to the side, trying to escape the girl.

                “What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?” she cooed, raising her hands to reveal the face behind the mask that covered the beast.

                 , I’m done for. That’s it. I’m dead. It’s all over for me. Seunghyun thought. “I-I…” he started, trying to buy more time. The girl looked up at his eyes expectantly, waiting for his reply.

                Then, a miracle happened. No, seriously, a miracle happened. Like, there IS A GOD. IT WAS AS IF THE GATES OF HEAVEN HAVE BEEN OPENED. The fire alarm sounded, piercing everyone’s ears with a shrill alarm. The two broke out in panic as the sprinklers of the venue , beginning to drench everyone wet.

                “JESSICA, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? LET’S LEAVE!” A voice shouted, causing her to immediately disappear.

                Seunghyun began to run around aimlessly, trying to escape the sprinklers. For some reason, he felt his vision blur, causing him to panic even more. It seems like the word ‘panic’ was the only appropriate word to describe this situation.

                Then, that feeling again. It’s that feeling of the beast dying to break free from the confines of the prince. And it was not going to back down until it was satisfied.

                Why am I feeling like this? His mind screamed with every last bit of sanity left. He felt his stomach clench again, trying to fight back the ever-growing urge to succumb to the powerful beast.

                But no. He was not going to let that happen again. He’s hurt so many people the last time he did that. No.

                I can’t.

                He used every last bit of his willpower and fought the beast down, groaning as it took a large toll on his physical well-being. He succeeded, gaining a silent victory within himself.

                Finding this new adrenaline within him, he began to run out, looking for Jiyong.

                Jiyong.

                For some reason, he was the only one who popped up in the prince’s mind. But it’s alright. Right now, that was the only comfort for Seunghyun. He ran past a bunch of drenched people, trying to weave through the chaos that ensued.

                “JIYONG!” he shouted, looking frantically around for the boy. “JIYONG, WHERE ARE YOU?

                PLEASE… I NEED YOU.

                I…

                need you.”

                Accidentally knocking over many people, he finally found the boy, drenched from head to toe. “JIYONG!” He was terrified, the boy. Without another word, he pulled the boy close to him, holding the boy in a tight embrace.

                “Don’t ever leave my side anymore.”