Modern Prince (Chapter 7: Fault)

Chapter 6 recap: Jordan arrived at Phelia's house after she tucked Craedon in. She argued with Jordan that Craedon was a human, but Jordan snapped back that Craedon/ Joo Yoon was a book character. She told him to leave and wouldn't want to see him again. Days passed, she got to know Craedon more. He even get to try new food including Phelia's Subway sandwich. Phelia took him to Long Beach where they had fun chasing each other till they got wet. Phelia confessed that she'll always be Craedon's and Craedon felt the same way. She made a move, enjoying that moment. Everything turned out well when suddenly she read an unknown chapter near the end of the notebook and realized that it was from Craedon himself. She saw Craedon's hand disappearing, grabbed it but went back to normal once he woke up. He hugged her, telling her that he was okay which hurt her. 

Modern Prince
Written By: Michele Hii
Chapter 7: Fault

"Oppa..." I breathed.
He had been holding me for about two minutes. He planted a kiss on my head which made my heart ached even more. If he wrote those lines in my story, he had changed the whole thing. Because since I was the one who created him to love Seul Eun, I had to carry on with my purpose of making him falling in love more with her. Unfortunately, I ditched my responsibility as a writer of that novel and made him as my own instead.

"Do you want to sleep with me tonight?" his husky voice was like music to my ears but poison to my heart. I looked at his chest exposed from his shirt and then back at his face. His eyes hypnotized me once more and his lips urged me to kiss him. I wanted to forget the pain and just cuddle in his arms, or just to make love with him if I were brave enough to break my oath of not losing my V-card till after marriage. However, anxiety still pushed its way deep down in me. I wanted to make him live. I wanted him to be in the right place.
"Phelia?" he lured me again with his oozing hotness. He brushed hair off my eyes. I could feel my eyes getting cloudy. I imagined him rocking me like a baby as I bawled my worries off.
"I'm sorry." I finally stammered, "I have to go."
"Go? Go where?" he exclaimed. I couldn't stand seeing his furrowed brow.
"To somewhere nearby." I replied, "Don't worry, I won't be out for too long."
"Oh...okay." he said, "You sure you okay?"
"Y...yeah." I held back my tears and caressed his right cheek. I then scrambled back on my feet, grabbed my purse, and walked to my car.

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As I looked through the store window, it was pitch black. Only a small candle was lit up at the front.
The flickering flame showed a black hoodie with no face. I was surprised to see that the door was still opened.
"Madame Cyprine?" I called.
"Who's there?" a stern voice bellowed. I shivered as it reminded me of the Red Queen's 'off-with-his-head' order from Alice in Wonderland.
"I...it's me...Phelia."
"Oh!" the flame showed the person pulling the hoodie down and the lady's surprised face appeared, "Phelia dear! What brings you here at this hour?"
"Things get worse, Madame Cyprine!"
"What do you mean?"

I opened the notebook and flipped to the page where the mysterious paragraphs were printed and handed it to her.
"Somehow these appeared on paper without me knowing."
She scanned the oddly neat handwriting with her reading glasses before looking back at me, "You've been dragging him with you all along, haven't you?"
"I didn't mean to! I just can't leave him alone. I just want to help him to fit in here."
"Phelia, you know that if he's influenced by the 21st century, he'll create his own memories. And he'll lose his personality as your fiction character."
"I forgot all about it until I found this. I wonder if there's a way to stop from continuing this story."
"There's no other way, Phelia. The only way to break the spell of Joo Yoon is to finish the story."
"But I don't want to finish the story! I mean I don't want him to go back. I want him to be a human here. If I want him to disappear, how am I suppose to finish it once these new paragraphs are formed here? It's not part of my story."
"Exactly!" she slammed her hands on the table, "It's too late for you to complete the story the way you want because he's taking over. He's now dominant because he has blossomed into someone different. Someone who is no longer a prince but a commoner."
"He's not a commoner. He's..." I paused, "my first love."
"You have no idea what you've turned him into, young lady."
"I know." I panicked, "That's why I need you help."
"There's no way I can help you in a situation like this, Phelia." she shook her head.
"But you know magic, right? You've got to have some sort of spell to remove these lines or something."
"I'm sorry, I don't know a single spell."
"Then what can I do?"
"Well there's only one way...Stay away from him."
"But I can't."
"And why do you say so?"
I looked at the notebook, "Because I don't want to leave him alone."
"So you would rather stick with him till he writes more of his feelings in your story? Till his memories as a prince is erased away?"
"Well...I..."
Before I could find words to argue back, her hands crept over a cloth which she pulled down to reveal a crystal ball. As I spotted the clouding sphere, I watched as it revealed Craedon sleeping.
"What...what is that?"
"This," she stated, "is my spy gadget. I've been watching you and him the whole time."
"You did what?" my eyes widened.
"I've been making sure that you don't involve him in your life, and I thought you're a trustworthy girl. But I was wrong." she waved one hand over the crystal ball and it revealed a film of events from that moment I drunk-kissed him to the unforgettable kiss we shared at Long Beach. All I could do was stare at it in shock.
"You stalked us this whole time?" I exclaimed, "Why would you do that?"
"To keep an eye on whether you use the notebook properly. It seems that you've underestimated the conditions of using the notebook's magic."
"I...I just...."
"Hush." she stopped, "This is the final warning. Stop hanging out with the prince. Even with these new lines, you have no choice but to finish the story and bring him back into the fiction world...before more of his new memories appear in the notebook. If not, he'll won't be a fiction character any longer of even survive here in the human world."
"No..." I stammered.
"Oh yes," she nodded, "The notebook has powerful magic, sweetie. It can go out of control if you don't know the conditions of using it."
She pushed the notebook back into my grasp, "Complete this novel of yours, or you'll be sorry."
I opened my mouth but I didn't speak. My feet automatically turned back to walk out of the store. I could feel hair sticking out on my skin as I sensed her glaring at me.

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"You okay, Jagi? You looked upset." Craedon asked. His face was super close to me. I could tell that he wanted to kiss me to wipe my frown away.
"I'm okay." I mumbled, backing a little.
"You sure?" he came even closer till his lips briefly brushed against mine. I gently pushed him away, "I'm just not in a good mood right now, okay?"
Craedon sighed. He rubbed my shoulder, "Can you tell me what happened? Whenever you're ready."
I want to tell you, but I can't...I don't want to get you in any more trouble.
"Phelia?" he looked at me like I was really sick.
"Oppa." I gave a small smile and dragged his hand from my shoulder. I held it tight while looking into his eyes, "Now's not a good time to talk, okay? I promise I'll tell you when it's the time. Just give me a moment, okay?"
"Okay." he nodded.
"Come on. Bobby is waiting for you."

We held hands as we made out way to the front doors when suddenly a lady approached opposite us. She tripped and fell on the floor. The stack of files she was holding scattered all over.
Craedon and I looked at each other and then back at her. We hurriedly went to help her.

"Are you okay?" Craedon asked as he squatted down.
I collected the files when suddenly I recognized the fiery red hair and the sly green eyes. Her face lit up when she saw Craedon helping her to get up.
"Oh! I...I'm okay." she stammered.
I winced when she wrapped her arms around his neck as he helped her up. She batted her long fake eyelashes at him, wanting to tease him with her dolled up face.
"You're so kind, cutie. Thank you." she said sweetly.
"Your welcome, ma'am. And uh...you can let go now." he pointed out.

She still wouldn't release her grip. I could feel steam coming out of my head.
B****, hands off my man, will ya? 
Close to a minute, and she was still glued to him. I stepped in and pushed one of her hands down. She switched her gaze to me. This time, she eyed at me with a scowl.
"Oppa." I announced with my best aegyo voice and grabbed his hand. Tight.
His face softened as he pulled me into a hug. I peeked at her who seemed to be breathing hard like a bull, but instead of storming off, she calmed down in an instance and took the files where I had arranged them back on the floor.
"See you around." she smiled and walked away.
I could picture myself attacking her with lighting bolts. Thank God she left!

"Well well well! Here comes Mulan and Shen!" Bobby beamed.
"Cut it out!" I laughed.
"Sup, Bobby!" Craedon smiled.
"Hey! Sup, prince!" he fist bumped with him, "Someone's speaking like a normal American right now."
"Well it all thanks to my girl." he chuckled, putting his arm over my shoulder.
"Let me guess. You want me to keep an eye on him again?" Bobby asked.
"If it's okay for you? I'm just gonna attend the meeting."
"A meeting? For what? I thought you guys have finished working the film."
"It's Jordan's orders. I obviously can't ignore it."
"Okay. Just leave him to me, Miss Song." he nodded, "Come on buddy!"
"I'll see you later okay?" I reached out to ruffle Craedon's hair.
"Okay." he smiled.

I made my way to the conference room and sat at a far end of the table. It was only 20 seconds before the meeting started, but to my surprise, Jordan entered in. He had the cold expression like the last time I saw him, but this time his eyes were a strange tint of red. Like he was possessed by a devil. At first I was wondering if he hadn't had enough sleep these few days.
"I have this idea," he began, "of making a new film."
"Already?" I could see the entire staff's eyes bulged in shock.
"But we haven't even released "The Sapphire Key" yet." I raised my hand.
"So what? I'm thinking of replacing it."
"WHAT???" we all stared.
"Replace with what?" Lilly, the sound technician asked.
"What if," he tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table, "we make a movie about a fiction character who is turned into a human?"
I almost choked on the saliva I just swallowed. The rest continued to stare in confusion.
"And I know a person who would be the perfect star for the role, Craedon," he suddenly turned his gaze on me. My whole body was not only fidgeting with fear, but also with rage.
"Why would you come up with such an idea?" I stood up and shouted.
"Why not?" he shot back, "I thought it would be a great idea if people get a documentary of a prince from a novel who is brought alive by magic."
"Jordan, I object." I marched forward and glared at him.
"Why? You have no right to oppose because I'm the director."
"But I've known you for years, and I know that you'll never do something as reckless as this."
"What's going on?" another one of the staff frowned.
"Silence!" Jordan boomed.

No one spoke a word. The humming of the air-conditioner filled the room.
"Why can't we just release 'The Sapphire Key'? We've worked so hard on it for about two years." I said.
"It's a piece of s***." he snickered, "Plus I no longer have interest of investing a movie of a boy saving a kingdom. That's boring."
"What are you talking about?" I shook my head, "We've been dreaming on working on this movie since we were in college remember?"
"I don't care." he laughed, "That was the past, Phelia. I care about money. And money comes from extraordinary, exciting stories. Like when you know, the guy you're currently dating, is from the novel you're writing in your notebook."
My head was whirling with insane thoughts of stabbing him with a pocket knife or something. How could he ever expose one of my secrets? Or even so, a big part of my life?

"Jordan, for the love of God, please..." I said calmly, "Don't do it."
"I'm sorry, are you confronting me again?" he raised his eyebrow. He stood up and folded his arms, "Guess the only way to stop you from talking is to kick you out."
"Huh?"
"I don't want to see your face anymore. Get out of the studio." he pointed to the door.
"W...what?" I blinked.
"You heard me." he said, "You're fired."
Those words hit me like a cannonball. I couldn't explain the way he acted in front of me. Everyone in that room just stared at us like dummies. No one dared to defend me.

"Everyone." he announced, ignoring me who was still standing a few feet away, "I would like to introduce you to a new colleague who will be joining us for this new film project. Cynthia, come on in."
The door swung open and the lady with red hair swooped in like a queen. I watched as she stood next to him with a wide smile.
"Cynthia will be joining us as the new animator and scriptwriter for the film." he continued, "I hope she'll be a good addition to our team."
"Nice to meet you all. I can't wait to work with you all." she flashed her white teeth.
I couldn't believe my eyes. He just ditched me and had this lady who had been flirting with Craedon twice as an "upgrade" for his team. And to my surprise, she even clung onto Jordan's arm and kissed his cheek. What the hell....

"Jordan..." I uttered.
"Why are you still here?" he snapped, "Get the f*** out of here!"
"Jordan, " I wouldn't budge, "Why are you doing this? Do you hate me this much?"
He looked at me for a moment before spilling out, "Guess you've got a taste of your own medicine."
I looked at him blankly.
"Don't you get it?" he continued, "I can't stand seeing you being with your prince all the time. You ignored me for so long, and so I thought I would give up on liking you or even being your friend."
My jaw dropped.
"Besides, I saw you with him several times. You were so happy with him. So happy that I thought you've forgotten about me."
"Jordan," I said, "That's just silly. Just because I'm close to Craedon lately, doesn't mean I no longer wanna hang out with you."
"I don't wanna hear your excuses." he scoffed, "Just go and be happy with your puppet."
"He's not a puppet!" I growled.
"Oh yeah? He was born in the flesh by magic, not naturally. Why don't you just leave and live happily ever after with the man whom you don't have the courage to tell him the truth? That you merely buy that notebook just to create your little fantasy of a spoiled prince who happens to fall in love with a pathetic helpless romantic like you."
My right hand was formed into a fist, urging me to punch him. And I didn't even care that I would do it in front of my colleagues. Suddenly, I heard running footsteps from the door. The room was quiet but clomping of a pair of sneakers echoed from the hallway. As I opened the door, Bobby Allen was standing in front of me.
"Bobby?" I gasped.
"Miss Song," he gulped, "Craedon...uh...he was here and ...he heard your conversation."
Oh no....he did not...
"He ran off seconds ago. I was about to call him when you opened the door."

I poked my head out. Panic rose throughout my entire body.
"Oppa..." I murmured.
Without looking at the others, I grabbed my stuff and sprinted. And I didn't care if my heels started to form red marks around my feet.
This is all my fault...

Modern Prince (Chapter 6:Love Triangle?)

Chapter 5 recap
Phelia realized that she was late for work and the prince begged her to take him with her. She gave it in and asked the bodyguard of the studio, Bobby Allen to keep an eye on him. She was surprised to see a cold, scolding Jordan in the meeting and the whole staff was ordered to fix the animation even though they had finished polishing. After the meeting, she saw a never-before-seen employee flirting with Joo Yoon but he skipped to Phelia. Phelia took him to shopping for a new makeover, dinner, and a talk under the stars. She even gave him a new name, Craedon. Craedon reached out for a napkin when suddenly he was leaning super close to Phelia and his lips brushed against hers. Phelia was shocked and locked herself in her car. 

Modern Prince
Written by: Michele Hii
Chapter 6: Love Triangle?

"Phelia? Phelia?" Craedon's voice muffled through the window.
"Huh?" I snapped my thoughts away.
"Are you okay?"
"Y...yeah." I nodded vigorously.
He gave a small smile. I fumbled my hands on the controls. As he got in the car, I could feel him looking concernedly at me.
"You have uh...whipped cream on your chin." he said. My eyes widened as he reached his fingers towards my face.
"It's ok...I...I can do it myself." I stammered.
But as I was about to push his hand away, his long, slender fingers stroked a tiny dot of cream off my chin. It sent chills under my skin. He wiped his finger off with a napkin from my napkin holder. He put the holder back into my purse which was at the back seat. The way he turned to the back seat got my heart pumping because I could see his sexy jawline. Did I make my character this attractive?

"Oh! And uh..I'll throw these two cups as soon as we get home." he flashed a bigger smile. Now my cheeks were heating up.
I focused on the view in front of me and cleared my throat, "It's getting late."
"Yeah, I better get some sleep anyways." he yawned.
As I drove up the hill, I couldn't help but glancing at him who held the two empty cylinders. He looked back at me but I focused on holding the wheel.
Stop looking at me! my head yelled.
But he wouldn't look away.

"Ah! Finally!" he got out once my car parked in the garage. I breathed deeply and got my purse. Sure enough, I spotted him dumping the cups into the black can nearby. He then waited at the front door for me to get my keys.
"Do you want a glass of water?" I asked as I turned the kitchen light on.
"No I'm good, I'm just gonna go to bed." he replied.
"Hang on, I've left sleepwear for you on your bed." I called.
"Yeah I saw it, I'll get changed right away."

As I helped myself with a glass, I couldn't stop replaying the kiss in my head. It wasn't exactly a kiss but his lips touched mine, so that was still considered a kiss...right? Gah! Why I can't erase it away?

"Craedon?" I poked my head through the bedroom door. I looked ahead to see him snoring lightly with his newly-bought oversize T-shirt and loose cotton pants. Gosh, he looked cute with the soldier position he was in. I pulled out a blanket and laid it on top of his body. Tucking and smoothing the fabric over him, I found myself gazing lovingly at his countenance. I could just look at him like that all night. No joke.

BUZZ
"Who in the world texts at this hour?" I whispered and took out my phone.

Jordan: I'm here. Outside. 

What is he doing here?I thought. I walked downstairs and opened the front door. Behind a silver Nexus was a poker face Jordan. On his hand was a long list of messages on his phone.
"Hey, Jordan! What's up?" I put up a friendly smile.
"Where the hell were you?" Jordan frowned.
I stared at him in surprise.
"I...uh...I was with Craedon."
"Who?"
"Joo Yoon. I named him Craedon."
"Oh, really?" he folded his arms, "Why would you give him a new name?"
"Why can't I?" I raised my eyebrow.
"All this time, you hang out with the prince who happens to be the fiction character you created, and I've been waiting for so long for you to give up on him for a while."
"Give up on him? For what?"
"Hello? For me?" he waved his hand in front of me, "I thought we're supposed to hang out tonight, but you didn't text me back on what movie you wanna watch."
"I forgot to text you back, okay? And I'm sorry!" I raised my voice.
"Is it because you got distracted with that guy?"
"What's wrong with sticking with Craedon anyway?" I barked, "Can't I know him more?"
"Why would you?"
"Because he's a friend!"
"But he's not human!"
"He is! He's turned into a human!"
"But still he's not!"
"Don't say that!"
"Phelia! For God's sake! Wake up! Joo Yoon is a book character! He's not a living being!" he yelled till his voice rang through the whole street.

I stared at him with my mouth hung open.
"What is wrong with you?"
"The question is, what is wrong with YOU?"
"Me? What did I do? All I do is taking care of Craedon!"
"Yeah, you've put so much attention on him these few days. It makes me sick."
"Well what does it have to do with you? I've told you everything about him and you should understand and support my plan of accompanying him."
"Accompanying him, huh?" Jordan stuffed his hands in his jeans pocket and sniffed, "I thought you want to avoid him from involving in the human world. Frankly, you're not doing a good job protecting him."
"What are you talking about? I'm helping him to fit in so that other people won't see him as an outsider."
He snickered before taking a few steps backward, "Seriously, you need to wake up. This little...friendship you're building with him, is not gonna last long."
It was like my heart was filled up with volcanic fire. I glared at him,"Leave. Now."
"I was gonna."
"Just go. Please."

He said nothing as he strutted back to his car. I watched as the bastard drove off. I can tell that he's jealous, but he shouldn't act like crap.

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I accidentally lost grip of my pen. It rolled towards the calendar that stood at a corner of my desk.
As I picked it up, my eyes stopped at the days listed under a bold capitalized "July". It had been a week already and I came to know Craedon more. I had written more chapters for Chef of Sun Yang, and after the one I just wrote, Jordan's words stuck out to me like glue.

This little...friendship you're building with him, is not gonna last long.

I flipped through the pages, scanning through the romance between Joo Yoon and Seul Eun. In reality, Creadon was with me. But in fantasy, it's not Craedon but Joo Yoon, the prince, who had an intimate relationship with Seul Eun. Still, I wrote that Craedon...I meant Joo Yoon to keep his relationship with the chef a secret. Seul Eun was the one who begged him not to expose their love to anyone, and he agreed. Besides, every time when the royal staff was around, he would yank his hand away and ordered her for a second round of food. Speaking of food...

"Did you just ate my sandwich?" I exclaimed, staring at bread crumbs scattered on the Subway wrapper.
"Umpphpph...no." he muffled through his chewing. I giggled at his chipmunk cheeks and helped to wipe his mouth with a napkin.
"You're such a devil, guess it's my fault for feeding you with new food."
"Well, don't blame yourself." he smiled, smoothing my hair, "I've tried so many dishes my body feels revitalized."
I kissed him on the cheek and crushed the wrapper into a ball, "Let's go."
"To where, Jagi?" he tilted his head on one side like a confused kid.
"You'll see." I winked.

We made our way to the famous Long Beach. The summer breeze hit me gently once I got off.
I excitedly took off my Crocs slippers and allowed my feet to crush onto the white sand.
"Come on!" I waved to Craedon.
"Why do you take off your shoes?" he asked, surprised, "Don't you get your feet dirty?"
"Even if you wear sneakers, sand can just get into your feet." I giggled, "So take your shoes off! And your socks too!"
"You sure?" he stared in surprise.
I walked to take his hands, "Trust me, Craedon Oppa."
He blushed every time I called him that. He looked at the sunset just to ease his warm cheeks.
"Aww...Crae Crae!" I put on my cutest voice.
"Stop that!" he groaned.
"I'm still waiting for you to take off your shoes though."
"Oh, right."

He finally took them off and lifted his right foot from the grass. Once he stepped on the powdery grains, a smile was immediately formed on his face. He put his other foot down and looked up with excitement.
"Oppa!" I shouted. He saw me standing near the waters. He then ran down like an athlete and dragged me right onto his body. I leaned my head onto his chest and relaxed. His arms wrapped around my neck felt like a pillow. I moved my right foot backwards. It touched the cool water. He noticed and looked at me in surprise.
"Is that how you wash your feet?"
"Yeah, but I also can do this." I smirked and kicked my foot lightly. Water splashed onto his feet.
"What is that for?" he exclaimed, loosening his hug.
"To cool you off." I grinned cheekily. I let go off my hands and ran a few feet away, "Catch me if you can, Craedon!"
"What?"
"Come on!" I laughed and kicked to create sprays off the ocean waves. He shrugged and set his feet onto the water. "Whoa! So cold!" he yelped. He shortly chased after me in circles. We splashed water at each other till our clothes were completely soaked with earth's saltiness. He suddenly snaked his arms round my waist and heaved his body behind me, "Gotcha!" he panted.
I chuckled and sneaked a light kiss on his wet cheek. He reached out one arm under my legs and lifted me off the water.
"Oppa!" I squeaked, squeezing his shoulders.
"Hang on tight, Phelia!" he beamed.
I nodded and wrapped my arms round his neck. Like a bird, I was swooped in midair with his arms supporting my back and legs. We laughed in sync as he carried me on the gentle rolling blue. Minutes later, he stopped walking and watched the sun disappearing into the horizon. I gazed at the light hues painting the sky. I wished I could see this view every day.

"I should have taken you here earlier." I sighed.
"Why? You've taken me to so many places."
"Yeah, but not this," I replied, "You've taken in so much new things. I thought I would bring you here to take a break days ago."
"But this is the right time for me to take a break."
I stared into his eyes, "Really?"
"Yeah," he smiled, "You've raised me to become a real human, Phelia. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have survived in here."
I smiled back. He looked back at the scenery. I noticed his face glowing with freedom. His skin glistened with ocean droplets. I instantly remembered the day I first found him back in the cafeteria, and my mind went to the scene when I dragged him to my house, and then to when he pissed me off for not cleaning up the plate he broke, to the drunk kiss, to when he drove Bobby Allen crazy at my workplace, to when I gave him a makeover, to that night when he almost kissed me fully, and a lot more that happened this unforgettable week.

He was isolated before. Now he had escaped from alienation. He's a part of this world now. For me, I wouldn't have known what love was until I met him. He's cradling me, and I could feel his warmth not only surrounding my body, but also engulfing in my heart.
"Craedon." I whispered. My breath crawled into his ear which caused him to shiver a little, but he looked back at me that made me drown deep into his beauty.
"No matter what, you'll always be mine. Do you know that?"
"I know." he nodded, "And you're mine alone forever."
I could feel my cheeks turned pink, yet I took a deep breath and leaned forward. My lips locked onto his, and he released before kissing me back. He was still holding me, yet I felt like skydiving in a firework-filled sky.

"Saranghae, Craedon Oppa. I love you." I smiled.
"I love you too, Phelia." he smiled back and kissed me again. I sank into his sweet lips, indulging into this amazing feeling. The feeling of intertwining our love together.

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While working on a new chapter of my novel, I tried not to giggle every time Craedon snored behind me. He sure was a heavy sleeper. I didn't know why I got back to it. I even forgot that Craedon was Joo Yoon. Somehow every time he fell asleep, my hand would automatically pointed to my desk, reminding me to finish my story. I felt like a robot when I told myself to write more. Or like a villian cursed a spell on me to do it with no warning.

As I found myself flipping to a blank page, my eyes scanned at a long paragraph. And the words here were not found in my memory. At all.

I think I should tell Seul Eun how I really felt. That I no longer have feelings for her. That I no longer see sparks whenever she made a move. 

That evening, I sat at my usual table with her walking by.
"Here's your sikhye, dear." Seul Eun announced sweetly. 
I looked at the bowl and pushed it away. She looked surprised, "Wae? You're not hungry?" 
"I'm sick of having sikhye. I want to eat something else."
"But all this time you drink sikhye."
"Well, I feel like eating something else other than drinking sikhye." 
"I...I don't understand. I thought this is the only thing you like, Your Majesty." 

I stood up and looked at her, "Are you protesting against me?"
"What?" she stumbled. 
"I say I want something else, and you hesitated. "
"It....it's just that...this is not like you. You seemed to be not yourself lately." 
"Kurom, I feel like I've changed."
"Is something the matter?" 

I took a deep breath and walked from the table. I stood a few inches to her and fixed my gaze on her. She looked puzzled, and I know she'll be upset if I tell her, but I couldn't hold it any longer. 

"I'm seeing someone."
"Someone else?" her jaw dropped. 
I nodded, "Neh. At first I thought I wanted to be with you, but my heart wanders to another person. Unexpectedly, I found this girl whom I cherish for as long as I can remember."
"But...we've been seeing each other for..."
"A week?"
"Yeah."
"But I don't even know you more than I've known the girl I have my eyes on." 
"It's not too late, Your Majesty." she begged, "I'll take a day off. I can tell you all about me." 
"I'd love to," I stopped, "but I can't."
"Why?"
"Because I can't stop thinking about Phelia."
"Who?"
"The girl who I'm in love with."
"So...it looks like...you're no longer into me?" she croaked. I could see that she tried not to cry. 
"What did I do wrong, Your Majesty?" she hiccuped. 
"You did nothing wrong." I mumbled. 
"Then why don't you want me?" 
"Because my heart chooses Phelia. I'm terribly sorry, Seul Eun." 

And the next thing I knew, she collapsed on the floor and sobbed. I couldn't stand ripping her heart off, so I went to give her a hug.
"I'm sorry, Seul Eun ah." I whispered. 
"Seul Eun!" her co-worker called from the dining room door. I let go off my hands and walked off without looking back. 

"What in the world...I swear I didn't write this." I said to myself. As I flipped some more, I stopped at a page where the notebook almost ended. My heart dropped like an elevator down a skyscraper.

I wanted Phelia to know that she'll always be my one and only love. Forever. 

Not only it was written in first point of view, but the words were also from himself...which means...

I turned my back. Craedon's eyes were still sealed shut. I was about to look back at my notebook when suddenly I noticed his right fingers changed colour. It wasn't dark or bright, but more like a fading translucent. It crawled up to his hand like a snail, but then it started to speed up to his arm.
I rushed to grab it. He moaned before flickering his eyes open.

"Phelia?" he yawned.
I looked up, still trying to calm down from what I just saw.
"Why are you holding my hand?"
"Um...uh well..."
"Is there something wrong?"
I looked back and to my surprise, his hand was visible again.
"I...I thought...I saw your hand becoming invisible." I muttered.
"Invisible?" he raised one eyebrow and lifted his hand, "I don't see it."
"Well...I saw it like seconds ago."

I stared at it in disbelief till I felt a couple of warm arms wrapping round me. He pulled me close to his chest, "I'm okay, Phelia. Really, I am."
I fidgeted a little. He held me so tight I couldn't breathe, but the fresh lavender scent from his half-buttoned shirt beckoning me not to let go. He raised one hand to touch my hair and whispered, "I forgot to say this before but, I'm happy that I have you in my life, Phelia. I even love when you call me by my new name."
I felt my heart crippling. Those were sweet words, but I couldn't take them. Now I realized that he was once in a love triangle. He struggled to choose between me and Seul Eun. And in the end...he chose me...

Modern Prince (Chapter 5: A New Makeover)

Chapter 4 recap: Jordan caught up with Phelia and Phelia decided to tell him about the prince. They went to check on the prince in Phelia's house. Joo Yoon broke one of her expensive plates and didn't wanted to clean the mess. Phelia ended up doing it and had an idea of making the prince to get a taste of his own medicine in the second chapter. She wrote him breaking a plate and he had to pick up the pieces with the new chef. After writing the story, the prince woke up just in time. She took him to the nearest park where they would be relaxing with soju. Phelia felt sorry for Joo Yoon because of his limited memories. As they got drunk, she taught him how to approach to the new chef whom he had a crush on. She kissed the prince and it encouraged him to do the same when he met the new chef again.


Modern Prince
Chapter 5: A New Makeover
Written by: Michele Hii

I woke up with rays of sunlight that nearly blinded my eyes. I suddenly felt a heavy load on my right shoulder. As I turned my head, I almost screamed. The prince's head was resting on my shoulder! 

Wait..what day is today? Please don't tell me I drink soju on the night before a weekday. 

"What time is it now?" I asked myself. I reached out for my handbag from the back seat. I heard him groaned as he almost hit his head on the gearshift lever.

"Wha...what's going on?" he mumbled. 

"Holy s***!" I yelped. I couldn't believe when a text from Jordan was the first thing that appeared on my phone, 

Hey! Whr r u? Meeting's in 15 min!

"Today's Monday??? Oh hell no!" I started the engine. 

"Something wrong?" the prince exclaimed. 

"I'm gonna be late for work!" I replied, driving back home in a race car's speed. 

Jordan, cn u notify d team tat I'll b thr 5 min late? Thx!

I prayed that he received my text. Once I arrived, I dashed upstairs and changed into a white blouse and a black blazer that matched my work pants. Here came multitasking. Gobbling a blueberry muffin while waiting for my detox water bottle to be refilled from the drinking water tank, and then combing my hair while rinsing my mouth with Listerine for 30 seconds. Heck, there wasn't even time for putting on makeup!
"Your Majesty!" I yelled as I put on my heels, "You'll have to stay at my house today, okay?"
"For how long?" he poked his head behind the wall.
"Till 3pm."
His eyes widened as he glanced at the clock from the kitchen counter, "That's too long."
"Well, don't you stay in the palace all you life?" I grabbed my keys.
"But not anymore..." he pouted, "Can I at least go with you?"
"You want to follow me?" I asked in surprise, "But it's work. It's full of people and distraction."
"That sounds interesting."
I twisted the doorknob and opened the door slightly. I felt a tug on my sleeve and winced at the sight of the spoiled man looking at me with puppy-dog eyes.
"Your Majesty, I'm gonna be late for work." I pleaded.
"Please, Phelia! Let me go with you!"
"It's best for you to stay here..." I paused and stared back, "How do you know my name?"
"Huh? I don't know. Your name just came to me."
I shook my head and sighed, "Okay okay fine....but you better not cause any trouble."
"Oh! Thank you thank you so much, Phelia!"
How on earth did he got my name? Gosh...I still can't remember what happened last night. Hold on...drinking soju in the car...at the park...and then I demonstrated a kiss by....OH HELL NO! 
Still, I got in the car with him on the passenger seat.

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Five minutes left! Thank God that there was a parking space at the front row. After killing the engine, I took the prince to the security desk where Bobby Allen, the olive-coloured skin watchdog, would greet every staff with cinnamon rolls. Every Thursday, he would go to IKEA and bought a few plastic boxes of cinnamon rolls before work. And then, he would passed one to every staff who walked through the front doors.
"Ay! Phelia! Good morning!" Bobby Allen waved and handed a box with one last tasty treat.
"Hey, Bobby! Can you do me a big favour?" I gushed and grabbed it.
"Sure, anything for you, friend."
"Great!" I smiled in relief and pushed Joo Yoon to the back of his desk, "I need you to keep an eye on Joo Yoon here. Just for today."
"Is he a relative of yours?" Bobby questioned.
"Well...he's a friend of mine. I just need you to take care of him until I finish work."
"So you want me to be his babysitter for seven whole hours?"
"If that's okay for you."
"Phelia, I'm working for four hours only today. Edith's gonna take over later."
"Oh...Edith huh?"
"Yeah, and you know how much she hated babysitting."
Ah right. Edith's a 50-years-old single with grey hair that tangled a lot when she combed it. She even had the voice of an angry Edna Mode. Well...close enough.
"Okay, how about I can just leave this fellow with you after my meeting is done?"
"Deal!"
"Thanks a lot, Bobby!" I bowed gratefully before charging to the elevator.

One minute left! Fudge!
The elevator doors reached to fourth floor. Running as fast as my freaking heels could lift me off the floor, I passed a few doors before pushing the door of the conference hall open.
The first thing I saw were eyes. Eyes filled with surprise and somewhat disappointment.
I looked at the time on my phone while gasping for air, "Hey! I made it! I did say five minutes late right?"
"You did?" Jordan raised his eyebrow.
"Huh?"
"The meeting is at 8am. We always have a morning meeting at 8am." he stated.
"But...I texted you that I'll be here five minutes late."
"I don't usually check my phone before the meeting, Miss Song." he rolled his eyes.
"Well...I'm sorry, okay? It's just that something happened. I promise I won't be late again."
"You better." he mumbled.
Did he just scolded me for being late? I think he had his boss mode on a little too extreme today...

The meeting was usually smooth and lively with loads of ideas to share. But today, and oddly today, the meeting was as cold as Elsa's powers.
"Are you all ameteurs?" he snapped, "Do you think the audience will like a slight blur or jagged line in the animation?"
We all just zipped our mouths and stared at our clasped hands on the table.
"No, right? Then how come I see this?" he tossed a stack of copies with our finished animation like he was attacking someone with a grenade, "This is crap! I want you all to correct these frames again. Am I clear?"
He then stormed off and slammed the door. We stared at one another, dumbfounded. Jordan was definitely not himself today. I wondered if I should talk to him.

As I walked out, my peripheral vision caught the prince looking uncomfortable. A lady with bright red curls talked to him with a flashing smile. She looked friendly, but he was stepping a few inches away. She tried to consult him again by coming closer till her body almost touching against his.
"Phelia!" Joo Yoon waved and sneaked away right before she ....
"What are you doing here?" I asked, eyeing the lady who looked back at me with a frown.
"Miss Song!" the security guard ran towards us. His whole uniform was stained with sweat.
"What did he do, Bobby?" I asked.
"Oh, Phelia!" he stopped and panted, "You have no idea! This dude keeps asking me for this thing called shikhigh because he's starving."
I noticed the prince rolling his eyes and mumbled, "It's pronounced sikhye."
"And I offered him one of my muffins but he refused to take a bite of it. I even ordered him pizza because well, who doesn't like pizza? He didn't want to eat pizza either, I forced him a little by holding a slice close to his mouth but he shoved it away and it fell on the floor. He wasted one of the goodness of life!"
Joo Yoon swept dust with his feet as he stared down guiltily.
"I see," I sighed.
"He then yelled in the lobby for your name for I don't know how long. I gave up and told him that you're in the conference room here but I warned him to wait near the door. Good thing he obeyed me this time." Bobby continued.
"Thank you, Bobby. You've watched over him, that's all I asked for." I smiled and fished out a 10 dollars from my purse, "Here."
"Oh my God! You don't have to!" Bobby shook his head and stepped back.
"Please! Just take it, Bobby. It's a hassle to take care of this guy, anyway." I giggled.
"Well...if you say so." he shrugged and took the bill.
"You've worked hard, Bobby." I smiled again, "See you tomorrow!"
"Thanks a bunch! See you!" he waved.

"You look upset, Phelia." Joo Yoon observed.
"Huh?"
"Did something happened?"
"Oh...I just had a bad meeting."
"How bad?"
"It's just that Jordan scolded us. It's no big deal."
"The guy with blonde hair? But he's a nice guy."
"He's just not himself today." I gave a sad smile, "You know what? Come on!"
"What?"
"We're going out."
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I couldn't help but laughing softly at Joo Yoon who spun around slowly like a revolving door as he looked at the racks of clothes.
"What is this place?" he asked.
"This, Your Majesty, is a clothing store." I winked.
"Never heard of it before." he mumbled.
"It's not a bad thing, Your Majesty."
"Bad? I feel like my eyes are going to be blind by all these...whimsical...colours..."
"Look," I put my hands on my hips, "The reason why I brought you here is to give you a makeover."
"A what?"
"A makeover. You know, giving you a whole new look."
"Why? What's wrong with my clothes?" he exclaimed, smoothing the silk of his hanbok.
I lifted a part of his right sleeve and dropped it like a banana peel, "No one wears a hanbok normally, Your Majesty. Especially here in America. Besides, people think that you're dressing up for Halloween every day or something."
"Halloween?"
"Never mind. Just...try this on!" I sighed and shoved a pair of black pants and a biker jacket right onto his hands.
"You want me to put...these...on?" he cringed.
"Come on! Just go!" I ordered, dragging him to the dressing room area, "I'll be waiting here outside."

While waiting for the prince to change, a notification popped on my phone.

Jordan: Hey! What movie you wanna watch tonight? 

Huh...he sounded normal now. Maybe I should ask him what caused him to act like an ogre this morning.
As I was about to reply, I heard a groan behind the wooden door.
"I look ridiculous!" he whined
"Just come out! If you don't look good it that outfit, I can give you a new one."
"Nothing fits me except for the hanbok! I look empty without my own clothes!"
"Your Majesty, trust me, when you find your new look, you won't feel empty at all."

I tapped my foot on the floor for ten seconds. The door slowly creaked open and out came him in badass black, like a warrior. Unfortunately, it didn't suit his baby face.
"No." I shook my head, "Hold on, Your Majesty."
He sighed but folded his arms as he leaned back against the wall.
I searched at the right section and spotted a Warbler-style jacket that came with a white collar shirt underneath. And then alongside the next rack was a row of light brown trousers.
"How about this?" I asked, tossing the set of clothes to him. He said nothing but closed the door. Minutes later, he walked out as a Blaine Anderson doppelganger. However, I wouldn't want him to look like a student since he's around my age.

I was about to give up looking for more when suddenly a dark blue tee sticking out from a shelf hidden in a corner. And from my peripheral vision, I found a pair of white khakis sandwiched between a row of yellow and grey ones.
"Try this, Your Majesty!" I said, handing the shirt and pants to him. I was distracted by the posters that accompanied the beige wallpaper when suddenly a handsome Joo Yoon appeared in front of me. I was pretty much frozen right at the spot. His face was practically glowing with the soft fabric of the shirt and loose pants.
"This...is what I'm talking about." I smiled.
"What?"
"You look good in this!" I showed two thumbs-up.
"Really?" he exclaimed.
"Go look in the mirror!" I pointed to my left.

Joo Yoon walked to the reflecting glass and a small smile crawled on his face.
"I...kind of like it."
"Great! So do you feel empty now?"
"Surprisingly...no."
I smiled bigger than before and grabbed onto his hand, "And this is just the beginning of your transformation."
He looked puzzled once more, but nodded in excitement.

After I selected a few more of this style and paid proudly with my credit card, we set off down to first floor where restaurants and cafes awaited us. When looking at them, his face was like a kid seeing the shooting star for the first time.
"Anything that stuck out to you, Your Majesty?" I asked.
"I don't know. There's so many!" he answered.
"Hmm..." I squinted further ahead to see an In-N-Out restaurant.
"Just leave it to me." I smiled and he nodded.

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It was only a few hours after our meal, but I couldn't get one scene out of my head.

"Hot dog? How could people even eat it alive?" he gasped with a priceless shocked face.
"Well, we don't really kill a dog and cook it. We just call it 'hot dog' for this sausage in bun. You know, like a nickname."
"And what's that?  A ham...hambaagah?" he stared at the menu above the counter.
I bit my lower lip to keep myself from laughing. I calmly replied, "It's a hamburger."
"Oh." he nodded and turned to a worker at the cashier, "Servant, make me a beef burger if you please. And if it's not bulky enough, please add kimchi."
The lady looked back at him in surprise, "Sir, we don't have kimchi in our menu."
"You don't?"
"This is not a Korean restaurant, sir."
"Well then what in a Sun's core is this?"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I burst out  laughing which caused Joo Yoon to almost choke on his first Starbucks drink.
"Something the matter, Phelia?" his eyes widened.
"Sorry, Your Majesty." I waved my hand vigorously, "I just thought of the way you ordered your burger."
"Oh," he giggled and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"So how's your mocha cappuccino?"
"I have no words." he smiled, "It's like the best drink I've ever had."
"Better than the tea you had back in Sun Yang?"
"Well duh!" he threw his head back, "This drink is sick!"
"Well would you look at that?" I winked, "Someone's speaking our language now."
"Guess you've influenced me." he grinned.

I finished my drink and laid on my back to look at the stars. The little jewels were twinkling, just like the refreshed mood I was in at this moment.
"Guess today was not a bad day after all, thanks to you."
"Me? Why?" he asked, slurping his cup.
"You caused trouble at the studio this morning..."
"Phelia, again, I'm so sorry that I..."
"Hey hey! It's okay!" I held out one hand, "You were just anxious, that's all."
"It's just...I shouldn't have come with you."
"On one side, yes, I shouldn't have let you come along. But on another side, I've never felt a new kind of happiness."
"What do you mean?"
"Well...when I met you, I thought that you're my new responsibility besides my work and other things. But today, I realize that I've made a new friend. You're my new happiness, Your Majesty."
I felt him laying down beside me with hands clasped together on his stomach.
"I felt the same way."
I looked at him briefly before looking back up.
"After I met you, I've never felt so...free in my life." he said.

Silence filled the air as both of us watched the decoration in the obsidian sky.
"Oh! That reminds me!" I cut the gap, "Shall I give you a new name?"
"Huh?"
"You know, a casual name. An English name."
"You don't like calling me "Your Majesty"?"
"Well, that's so yesterday. I mean, I want to call you with a better name that suits in this century."
"I guess it's fine." he shrugged.
"I've been saving this name for quite a while actually."
"Really?"
"Yeap." I chuckled, "And it's not a common one either."
"Well, what do you want to call me then?"
"Craedon."
"Cray what?"
"C-R-A-E-D-O-N."
"Sounds unique. I like it."
"Alright!" I pumped my fist in the air.
Craedon laughed and reached out for a napkin. He was leaning to my direction and suddenly stopped super close to my face. We stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds. And before I knew it, his lips crept even closer and touched mine.
I froze for what seemed like forever and cleared my throat, "I...uh...I'm gonna get my water bottle."
I got up and locked myself in my car which was a few feet behind us. As I sat still behind the wheel, my heart pumped a thunderstorm. First we drunk kissed which was an accident. And I was going to apologize to him until he...he...he kissed me...

The Day The Fan Project is Delivered (my time at Kyuhyun's cafe)

Hey, all! It's been a while since I post a personal post so this is it! I'm gonna share with you my time visiting the top place on my Korea list. I'm now in Seoul, South Korea and I'm super excited of bumping into anything Super Junior in the origin place of K-pop.
I had planned the fan project of collecting messages from fans and converting them into letters/cards for Kyuhyun from Super Junior since this past April or May. I still couldn't believe that I did it, delivering voices to a celebrity. It may sound impossible but I've seen Super Junior being so kind and open of hearing from fans.

Once I arrived here where Kyuhyun's parents worked at (Mom House+Deete Espresso), excitement rushed through me like wildfire. I couldn't even describe the happiness I had that time. I immediately took the elevator which was on my right and went up to the sixth floor. There was a sign on my left that led me to the rooftop.

The rooftop was a big garden with a shelter at one corner for special events (I think), a plateau with Kyuhyun's hand figurine, and a red mailbox.

I felt not only my hands shaking, but also my heart. As I filmed a Snapchat video of myself slipping the envelope containing the fan project, I laughed when it didn't exactly fit right through the slit. But after a couple more tries, I was able to slip it in. Now I just have to hope and pray that Kyuhyun will receive it! Since there were a few more letters in the mailbox, there shouldn't be a problem.

I then took the elevator down to first floor and I was overjoyed to see the big display of Kyuhyun's fan gifts and merchandise that decorated the entire cafe. I was literally snapping every good angle of the stuff as I could think of. And then, I decided to buy myself a green tea frappe...because I'm a Matcha addict. XD It was delicious! <3

To my surprise, as I watched the big screen that showed music videos on my right, I didn't realized that Kyuhyun's mom was sitting right behind the screen until I looked down. She was there....in front of me...and I hadn't noticed her till that moment.

I was gonna approach to her when suddenly I saw that she was chatting with two other women at the same table. She looked engaged with the conversation so I decided to let go off my anticipation of taking a selfie with her.
She suddenly spotted me staring at her and smiled with a slight bow. I smiled back and bowed too. :)
I also noticed that she kept glancing behind a few times to watch proudly at her son doing so well in "A Million Pieces" MV and his drama OST video.
The chatting never stopped because after I explained to my family who sat next to them ( at the circle of couches) about Kyuhyun's mom, one of my youngest sisters saw another girl coming in and pointed out that Kyuhyun's sister who was that girl was literally there as well.
And stupidly, when I thought that I had lost my sunglasses, I decided to go back up to the rooftop to search for it. After looking around, I still couldn't find it, so I went back down. But as the elevator reached to the fourth floor, a man in a business suit and glasses came in. I said hi and walked out. But he called me back and said that it was not first floor yet. He must had noticed the button I had pushed. I walked back in the elevator. He smiled at me before answering a phone call. Kyuhyun's "A Million Pieces" ringtone bursted out from his Samsung phone and it hit me like a rock. Was it just me of was it Kyuhyun's DAD was in the elevator...with me????
OMG! I'm such an idiot! What is wrong with my eyes??? And brain???
I didn't talked to him because he was on the phone till he walked out of the elevator and off the building. T.T

But seeing his parents showing these little gestures off camera...I can see why Kyuhyun is lucky enough to have such a wonderful, supportive family. ^.^
Sigh...tough luck huh...even though Kyuhyun was obviously not there because he has a busy schedule ahead of him, I still hoped that I could at least take a picture with Kyuhyun's parents..but in the end...I didn't...</3

Oh well...hopefully I can come again next year, Because the atmosphere of the cafe was just warm and inviting that I wanna come over often! I'm not even kidding!

Anyway...I'm glad that I've done the fan project and again, I hope that it'll be in Kyuhyun Oppa's hands.
I've visited the cafe...and I'm happy. :)
You can share this story if you want, btw. XD

Modern Prince (Chapter 4: Care For Some Soju?)

Modern Prince 

Written By: Michele Hii

Chapter 4: Care For Some Soju?

Chapter 3 recap: Phelia forced Joo Yoon to get into her house. Joo Yoon only wanted sikhye from his new chef which was the girl he encountered in the first chapter of Phelia's story but Phelia decided to give him a taste of her own homemade sikhye. As soon as she was about to present him a bowl, he was fast asleep. Leaving the bowl of dessert in the fridge and driving her way to Madame Cyprine's store, she hoped that she would be given a hopeful answer to bring Joo Yoon back into the story. However, she found out that the only way was to finish the story and keep the prince away from her activities. As she went out of the store, she bumped into Jordan...

"There you are! How come you didn't answer my calls?" Jordan asked.
"Huh?"
"I've called you five times, but you didn't picked up."
I quickly pulled out my phone and saw missed calls flashed on the screen.
"Where the hell were you, Phelia?" he frowned. He crossed his arms and looked at me with an icy blue glare.
"I...uh...I was at home...and then I came here." I stammered.
"Came here for what?"
"Just to see Madame Cyprine." I took a step backward, wanting to run away before he attacked me with more questions.
"Phelia, I know there's something else. Please, can you tell me?" he asked, fixing his gaze on me. 

What should I do??? I was so distracted by this whole Joo Yoon situation that I hadn't checked my phone since I pulled him out of the mental hospital. I wouldn't want to expose him to anybody, including my close friend, Jordan. Besides, Joo Yoon was not a real human. He's a fiction character. He's only brought alive by magic, and he shouldn't be known by the world or be involved in anything here.

Jordan's lips were in a thin hyphen. I swore I could hear the persuasive speeches from the angel and the devil in my ears.

Angel: Tell him the truth! He's your friend right?
Devil: No! Tell him that you're just looking for something else! He's probably jealous because you take the prince with you.
Angel: You've known Jordan since college. He can help you with your problem.
Devil: Oh please! He warns you not to buy that magic notebook in the first place. He's annoying. You can handle this on your own, right?

Argh...what the heck...

"Okay fine...it's Joo Yoon. He's actually telling the truth."
"Ah yes..that lunatic we took him to the mental hospital?"
"He's not a lunatic. He's actually a fiction character."
"A fiction character eh? Then how come he's human?" Jordan raised his eyebrow.
I shoved my notebook right into his face, "Because of this."
He pushed the notebook down and looked at me with a confused look, "Can you be more specific? It looked like someone accidentally added a shot of espresso into your drink back at the cafe."
"Well remember when I bought this notebook and Madame Cyprine said that it's a magic notebook?"
"Yeah, and I warned you that it's expensive."
"Not helping!" I snapped.
"Hey! I'm listening!"
"Anyway, I wrote a story in it and I wished that the prince in my story would come to life. And guess what? He's the man in the hanbok! The notebook has cast a spell on my story!"
"So you're saying that the notebook has magically transformed your 'prince' into a man and...what else? What are you gonna do about it?"
"Well," I clutched the notebook on one arm and my other extended to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear, "Madame Cyprine said that all I have to do is to not let the prince to be involved in this world. Get him away from human activities and events. The only memories he has are from my story. If he creates new memories here in LA, he'll be in big trouble...and so will I..."
"Wow! That's a lot to take in!"
"And the worst part is that in order to get him back into the story for good, I have to finish writing it..." I sighed, "There! Happy?"
"I am, and I want to help."
"Well...if you want to help, then come with me."

                       *                                  *                                *
"You just left him in the house?" Jordan exclaimed once we arrived.
"So? There's no other way! He fell asleep right before he was about to eat."

Once we went through the door, the coach was empty and the blanket was dropped on the wooden floor.
"Joo Yoon? Your Majesty?" I called.
CRASH!
"What the hell?" I gasped.
"Did someone broke into your house?" Jordan's eyes widened.
We charged into the kitchen and saw him standing close to the cupboard at the top left corner. In his right hand was a half-broken pearly white Corelle plate. He stared right back at me and tossed the broken half into the sink like he's making a basketball goal. Another loud crash was heard as I pictured the glass shattered into cookie chips.
"Doesn't that kind of plates cost you more than a hundred dollars?" Jordan whispered.
I just stood there, deadpanned.

"Ahem!" Joo Yoon cleared his throat, "Servants, clean this up please!"
Jordan and I kept on staring at him. The prince tried again, "I say, clean this up please!"
"What are you talking about?" I spoke, "You're the one who made this mess, so you should clean it up."
"Princes don't do cleaning. Servants do." he sniffed.
Why you little...
"Phelia, just do it." Jordan nudged me.
"What? Why?" I turned back to hiss at him.
"He doesn't want to clean up, so you should do it. Besides, you're the one who bought the plates."
I glared at him but I found myself doing it.
"I better made him do chores in the second chapter." I mumbled. As I got up, I spotted an empty glass buried in the broken pieces of the other half of the plate in the sink. Well at least he drank my sikhye.

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Chef of Sun Yang
Written by: Phelia Song
Chapter 2

The prince finished the last drop of Soju from his shot glass. He was about to put it down when suddenly...
"Oh no!" a cry made the new chef jump. She turned back to see the prince standing in front of broken China.
"That's the third time someone broke a plate since I work here." she shook her head.
The prince said nothing. He watched innocently at her kneeling down to clean up the mess. As he was about to leave, he felt someone grabbed his hand.
"Where do you think you're going, Your Majesty?" she barked. Her eyes were like fiery coals that sent shivers to his spine.
"T...to the throne?" he stammered.
"You may be royalty, but you need to do what's right." she said, pointing at the shattered pieces.
"You want  me to pick up these?"
"You're the one who broke it! So you should clean this up!"
"But I don't know how!"
"You've got to be kidding me." she rolled her eyes. She then held a triangular piece, "See? You can gently hold the glass like this and throw them into the garbage can here. Just be careful though. Don't touch the sharp edges."
The prince reached his hand and slowly picked up a smaller piece. He then dropped it into the can.
"Like this?"
"Yeah! There you go!" she smiled.
The prince smiled back. He suddenly felt his cheeks grew warm. Even his heart was pounding.

Still, he continued on. There was this strange feeling that stirred within Joo Yoon. He peeked at her velvety soft black hair and her serious but gentle face. He wondered if it was alright to know her more.

"There! Done!" she smiled, tossing the last piece.
"That's...kind of fun." the prince blushed. He suddenly noticed a bleeding scar on her left wrist.
"Omo! Y...your hand!" he gasped.
"Oh!" she immediately ripped off a piece of cloth from the kitchen cupboard and covered it onto the blood.
"I'll call the doctor now."
"No, it's fine. I can just rub ointment my mom got for me and then I'll put a bandage."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Don't worry about me." she smiled and walked off.

"Wait!" he called out, "I realized that I haven't got your name."
The girl turned back and smiled again, "I can't tell you my name, Your Majesty."
"Why?"
She held onto the frame of the door and replied, "'I'll tell you later, but not today."

The prince watched her walking away. He placed the can at the corner and headed to the throne. For the first time ever, he couldn't get the girl out of his head.

I'll talk to her more...hopefully soon, he thought.

*

Alright! I've finished writing the second chapter!
I placed my pen down and stretched my arms. Suddenly, I heard a yawn and a rustle of the bedspread behind me.
"You're still up?" Joo Yoon asked.
"Yeah." I nodded, "Can't sleep well huh?"
"I woke up like five minutes ago but I can 't fall back to sleep."
"Hmm..." I looked at my right where a plastic bag filled with a couple of green bottles sat near my handbag, "Your Majesty?"
"Yes?"
"Do you drink Soju?"
"Soju? Well I remember I drank it before I broke a plate. Wow, that was the second time I broke a plate."
I chuckled, and grabbed both things, "Come on! Let's go!"
"Go? Go where?" the prince asked in surprise.
"To relax." I winked.

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"What is this place?" the prince asked. He squinted through the window at the empty rectangles of the parking lot. Beyond us was a lake surrounded by pine trees. I smiled at the moon that cast its silvery shadow on the waters below.
"Hello?" he waved his hand in front of me.
"Oh! We're in Rosewood Park."
"Park? What's a park?"
"It's like a backyard but bigger." I  unbuckled my seat belt.
"How so?"
"Well, you can jog around, play fetch with your dog, and play Frisbee. Basically you can get some fresh air here."
"I've...never heard of those things before."
"Don't you do those things when you were little?"
"I...uh...I can't remember. I can't think of any childhood memories."
Oh right...I haven't included any young memories of him. 
"The only things I remember are when I hire my new chef and...I also know that I started to have strange feelings of her when I picked up broken pieces of a plate I broke." he stared straight ahead, "I wonder why I have such limited memories."
Because you're a fictional character. You just don't know that.
"Well..what are we doing here anyway? How are we supposed to relax here? It's dark and deserted."
"That's the best part." I winked as I handed him a bottle of soju, "When no one's around, you can have all the peace and quiet. It's like a remedy, you know."
"That sounds boring." he pouted.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm a prince." he said as he gripped hold on the bottle cap to pull it out, "I'm not allowed to go outside of the palace. I don't even have memories of going out."
I tried not to giggle as I watched him struggling with the metal circle.
"Why is this so tight?" he groaned.
"Here." I put out my hand.
He looked at me blankly, "Huh?"
"Give me your bottle." I said.
He did as he told, and I twisted the cap and opened it with ease.
"H...how did you do that?" he exclaimed.
"Strength. And also practice." I winked, handing him the opened wine.
"Wow, you're lucky. I usually have my servants to open the bottles for me." he remarked.

I opened mine and took a big gulp. Oddly, I didn't hear him chugging his. I stopped and looked at him, "Aren't you gonna drink it?"
Joo Yoon stared at the scenery gloomily. His pale fingers wrapped around the bottle's neck. From the dull hues in his eyes, I could tell he's thinking of something negative.
"Your Majesty, is something the matter?"
He settled his bottle on his knee and sighed, "I feel like...I'm in the midst of two worlds."
He finally drank a bit before sighing again, "I only have memories from a week or so in Sun Yang, and then I'm...stuck here in this strange city, this strange era."
"You mean, Los Angeles?" I chipped in, gulping another shot.
"Yeah whatever that is...I don't know why I'm here. I wonder if the sun gods send me here for a purpose."
I stared down at my blue Toms as I waited for him to finish his second gulp of the alcoholic drink. I felt sorry for him...and guilty too. When would be the time for me to tell him the truth? Never? He's the lost puppy here!

"I just...don't know what I'm supposed to do here." he continued.
"Your Majesty, maybe you have...uh...something or someone in your life that you are interested in?"
"Hmm..." he drank more and thought for a moment, "You know the new chef I've told you about?"
"Yeah, I remember." I nodded as I took in another dose of the drink.
I immediately noticed red blush automatically painted his cheeks. He got drunk that fast?
"When I'm around her, I feel like my heart goes mad. I wanted to tell her this feeling but I had many doubts just thinking of doing it." he explained, "I just don't know how to show it to her."
I nodded and took in some more. My head spun a little and my eyes felt heavy, but I fixed my gaze on him, "You know what you have to do?"
"What?" he slurred.
"Spill it. Tell her how you feel like a real man." I replied, "and when she said yes, you have to make a move."
"Make a move?" he drank some more, "What do you mean by that?"
"Uh...you know...hold her hand or give her a hug or...kiss her." I chugged my bottle.
"Well...that might be a problem." he groaned, "I don't know how to do those kind of gestures."
"Your Majes...Majestyyy..." I started to feel tongue-tied, "It's n...not...as hard...as y...you think."
"Really?"
"Yeah...here....let m...me show you how...it's...done."
I dropped my bottle near the pedals and cupped my hand on his left cheek. Suddenly, I leaned forward and smooched right on his lips. I let go three seconds later. He looked stunned at first before nodding sleepily with a smile, "Ahhhh...I get it now."
"See?" I showed a thumbs-up, "It's not...so bad right?"
"I'll do it when I see her next time." he replied.
"Well, I wish you all the best." I raised my bottle.
"Thanks...uh...I don't know your name...silly me..." he hiccuped.
"Phelia." I replied.
"Phelia...that's a pretty name." he giggled.
"Why thank you, Joo Yoon." I laughed.

We clinked our bottles and continued on drinking. When we reached our last drop, I suddenly saw a realm of darkness. I couldn't even remember anything.

Modern Prince (Chapter 3: Overwhelmed)

Chapter 2 recap: While waiting for Jordan, Phelia thought back to the college days when she and Jordan worked on their dream script and talked about their dream of working for Disney Pixar. Back to the present, Phelia got annoyed when Jordan asked her about looking for a boyfriend. She even refused his recommendation of an English man he met at a golf club. Suddenly, they spotted a man dressed in a hanbok fainted on the floor of the cafe and thanks to Jordan's cup of water, the man was brought back to life but was immediately sent to a mental hospital because of the "Sun Yang" kingdom he kept asking. After hearing further details of the last time he remembered before he passed out, Phelia dragged him to her car and drove off...

Modern Prince
Written by: Michele Hii
Chapter 3: Overwhelmed

"This is the strangest carriage I've ever seen!" he exclaimed. He pressed one of the buttons and lifted his hand off quickly when he saw the window automatically rolled down.
"Um...can you roll the window back up please? I've turned on the air-conditioner." I asked.
"Air conditioner? I've never heard of that! And how to roll it up? I don't know which of these little thingies to press!" he panicked.
"Just press the same button, sir." I replied calmly. I tried not to grip on the steering wheel a little too tight while driving. To my relief, he did as I told him to. Unfortunately, I couldn't help taking short glances at his anxious look. He looked like he had absolutely no idea where he was. What if everything he said back then was true?

"Is it just me or did I just saw monster-like structures down there?" his eyes widened. I parked my car and helped him to unbuckle but he still had the flabbergasted look on his eyes. I guessed he couldn't get the picture of the LA city out of his head.
"Are you talking about skyscrapers?" I teased, fishing in my jeans pocket for the house key.
"Skyscraper? I don't know what that is!" he frowned.
"Let's just get in." I sighed.
"No!" he shot back.
"Come on!" I groaned, "I'll help you get back to your kingdom!"
"Then take me there now!"
"But don't you want to rest first?"
"Ha! I don't want to step a foot in this...garbage."
"Excuse me?" I raised my eyebrow.
"This is not a palace. This is like a mouse hole for peasants like you." he crossed his arms.
Can I just slap him?
"Joo Yoon...sir..."
"Your Majesty."
"Huh?"
"It's rude of you to call me 'sir'." he cleared his throat, "Call me 'Your Majesty'."
Oh geez...why did I create a character that is a spoiled, rude prince...
"Your Majesty," I said, "I just need to figure something out on how to get you back to your home. If you can just come in and corporate with me, I promise I'll help you."
He looked at me for a few seconds before responded with a sigh, "Very well."

I placed my handbag on the black table I recently bought from IKEA and immediately filled a glass with water. The guest looked around my kitchen with a stoned face, but he suddenly uttered something that sounded more like a compliment. I wasn't sure whether I heard it right but I read his lips saying "Not bad."
"You must be thirsty." I beckoned at him with a friendly smile as I handed him the glass.
"Oh...I am...thank you." he took it and gulped it up.
"Would you like something to eat?" I asked, opening my fridge and closed the door halfway, hoping that he won't see my overloaded storage of leftover lasagna, soon-to-be-expired veggies, and a cheesecake to be thawed for dinner. Heck, I had little time to cook a proper meal! T.T
"No thank you. I would rather have sikhye from my new chef." he shook his head.
"Sikhye? I know that dessert!" I poked my head out.
He looked at me suspiciously before walking towards me, "You do?"
"What? Are you judging me?"
"No, I'm not. I'm just asking you whether you know about sikhye. Or wait...you know the girl who made it?"
Ahhhh....the thing is I haven't written the girl's name yet. I want her to reveal herself later in the story. 
"Well," I explained, "I have no idea who this girl you're talking about, but I absolutely know what sikhye is, Your Majesty."
He continued giving me this I-don't-know-if-I-should-trust-you face.
"Don't believe me? How about if I get some for you?"
"You mean you want to make sikhye for me?" he threw his head back, "Ha! I don't ever think you can make the dish similar to my chef's."
"It's a bet, Your Majesty." I replied determinedly.
"Very well." he nodded.

It was a good thing I had made the dessert earlier. I brought a pot of it to a church gathering a few nights ago and after that I left a jug of it in the fridge. I immediately took it out and smiled at the sight of tiny white grains resting on the surface of the yellow liquid.
"I can guarantee, you're going to love it!" I grinned, pouring a cup and walking to the couch. To my surprise, Joo Yoon was lying on it with his eyes closed, snoring softly.
"Wow..is he that tired?" I exclaimed. I put the cup on the table and walked to a closet at a corner. My eyes stopped in seconds as I pulled a grey cotton blanket from the tower of towels and unfolded it. I thought to myself while I laid the blanket over his body. The world that I live in had scared him. I created a prince living in an ancient Korean dynasty, and now he's trapped here in the 21st century. That's a big switcheroo, and there's no need to activate a time machine.

Maybe...I can go and ask her. She can help me. 

I checked to see whether my notebook was in my handbag. Then, I quickly scribbled a sticky note, pasted it onto the cup, and placed it back into the fridge. He probably will open the fridge and find something to eat since he hadn't eaten anything. Softly, I escaped out of the house.

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"Madame Cyprine?" I called out.
"Oh! Heavens!" the lady at the counter jumped. She nearly dropped the dropper with blueish green fluid inside.
"Sorry!" I stepped back, "is it not a good time now?"
"No no no no no, of course I have time now. Come on in, sweetie!" Madame Cyprine smiled.
I bowed my head slightly and closed the door behind me.
"I was wondering," she closed the cap of  a jar filled with what seemed like a potion and put it aside, "Are you Korean?"
"Huh? Oh...yeah...I am." I replied.
"Ah! I knew it!" she snapped her fingers, "I see you bow when you first came in and now you did it again. Koreans always do that right?"
"Yeah...I guess...wait that's not why I'm here."
"Is something wrong, dear?"
"Yes! Major problem, Madame Cyprine!" I slammed my hands on her counter desk, "I wrote a story last night and then this morning  a man dressed in a hanbok with the same name as my protagonist fainted at the coffee shop Jordan and I were at and then when we took him to the mental hospital after he woke up and then he told the psychiatrist that he was from Sun Yang dynasty which is the name of my protagonist's homeland in my story and then I dragged him to my house and then he told me about the skihye dessert he craved for just like back in my story and then..."
"Whoa whoa whoa!" the lady stopped, "Slow down, Phelia! An old lady like me can't catch up with rants like this."
I took a deep breath and gulped water from my detox bottle. Madame Cyprine looked at me with a reassuring smile. She looked like the only person I could trust for now.
"I wrote a story in the notebook, and you told me that the notebook can grant wishes, right?"
"That's right."
"Well...I sort of wished that the prince, which is the character in my story, would come to life. And to my surprise, it did happened."
"What do you mean?"
"This morning, when Jordan and I were at a coffee shop, we saw a man dressed in a hanbok fainted there and..."
"What's a hanbok?"
"It's a traditional Korean clothing, but anyway..." I breathed again, "We managed to wake him up and we took him to a mental hospital because we predicted that he must have knocked his head on the floor and he thought he was another person. But when he told the psychiatrist there, he mentioned about where he came from and the place he said was exactly the same as the setting from my story."
"And?"
"And then I realized that all he talked about was from my story, and I knew at the moment that he was transformed into a real human because I wished for it last night."
"Ahh...I see."

I sighed and massaged my temples, "What do you think, Madame Cyprine?"
She stroked her chin as if she had a goatie, "That's definitely the notebook's magic. I've seen people doing the same thing years ago."
"They gave fictional character life as well?"
"Well...not really...but they did write their wishes down and they immediately had their wishes granted. One of them wished for her husband to become a merchant, and it did happened the next day when the husband returned with trunks of gold. It just happened out of the blue."
"Oh wow...wait..then how come the notebook is blank when I first bought it?"
"Because it's magic, darling. It erases all pages once it's completed. Besides, it won't be for sale if the notebook still has writing in it, right?"

Madame Cyprine pointed at the magic notebook I was holding, "May I?"
"Oh..uh...sure." I replied, handing it to her.
Her eyes darted like lightning as she skimmed through the pages. I looked at her anxiously but at one point, my mind wandered to a thought of pitying Prince Joo Yoon who was left alone in this bustling city. Since I was the one who created him, I had to protect him. But...how was I supposed to do that? Otoke????

I was interrupted by a sudden slam in front of me. The elder's palm was flat on the cover and she had this serious look printed on her face.
"I knew it," she said, "The notebook must have created your character with memories from your story. If he's in this world, it'll be hard for you to continue with the story."
"What do you mean?"
"If he continues to live in this world by indulging into the routines or events of a real human, your story will go into a different direction. And if that happens, bad things will happen not only to you, but also your character."
"So...what should I do?"
 A chill crawled down my spine as I felt a cold shadow leaned on me that brushed against my cheek, "The only way to make him vanish away from this world is to finish the story. And to make your story the way you wanted, you have to keep him away from all things you do. Don't get him involved in your daily routines. Otherwise, he'll create new memories that is not from your story and he'll be in great danger."
"I can keep him away from my activities but...finish the story?" I stared at her in disbelief, "I just started it! How am I suppose to finish quickly?"
"Then you have to take time to do so."
"It'll take weeks! Or maybe even months!" I frowned, "Is there another way? Is there like a spell book or potion in your store that can break the spell?"
"I wish I do but...I'm afraid I don't have one."

I sighed and took the notebook back.
"I know you don't expect this to happen, dear." she said, "But sometimes magic doesn't go through the easy way. You wished for your character to be brought to life, and it happened, that's it. And if you're not satisfied with the way your wish turns out to be, you have to find a way and go through it to end the wish you don't hope for."
"I understand..." I gave a sad smile, "thanks, Madame Cyprine."
"I wish you all the best, Phelia." she smiled back, "And please, don't hesitate to come by again if you have any questions or concerns."
"I will."

As I stepped out of the "Kaboom" store, the first thing my peripheral vision caught was a heavily-rusted garbage bin a few feet from me. Hmm...if I throw this away, will I forget the story? No...I guess that won't work huh? Besides, Madame Cyprine has made it clear that the only way to bring Joo Yoon back into the story for good is to finish writing the story. But I won't have time to write the whole thing in a short period of time. I still have the film to work on...but I don't want the prince to be stuck here for too long either...arggggghhhhhhhhhh!

I exited the alley with a dark cloud above me and I was pretty sure doom was about to rain on me when suddenly I bumped into a man with a Star Wars shirt and baggy pants that was big enough to cover his puny figure.
"There you are!" a familiar voice said.
I looked back and saw his face lit up.
"Jordan!" I exclaimed.