"You've been doing much better than when we first started, Prince Wooyoung. I'm happy to tell you that this is actually edible," Mingi announces, chuckling after he swallows the bite of the oxtail soup he had Wooyoung make.

Wooyoung hums with a pouting expression on his face, "I didn't mean to give you food poisoning last time... You shouldn't have had me cooking meat when I had no experience!"

"Not only was the meat undercooked that time, but you also burnt the onions. This time, you caramelized them perfectly! I'm very proud of you, I must say... However, your meat still could use some work, it is, in fact, edible like I said," Mingi explains as he finishes up the rest of the soup in his bowl.

Mingi looks to the bowl in front of Wooyoung, seeing he hasn't even touched his own meal he had made, "Nervous to eat what you made yourself?"

Wooyoung smirks and shakes his head, "Of course not, I was just seeing if you were going to get sick before I took a bite myself," he says slyly.

Mingi snickers and takes his bowl to the sink where he washes it and dries it, "How devious of you, Prince, but I suppose your father wouldn't take too kindly if I let you give yourself food poisoning again... He'd have my head, and that's even being generous."

Wooyoung shakes his head as he digs into the soup, "I wouldn't let him get rid of my favorite instructor that easily, don't you worry."

Mingi clutches his heart, acting like he's just been hurt, "Ah, I've been shot by the Prince's kindness once again. Oh, how can I show my face to the others around the castle knowing that I am the Prince's favorite? I'll be able to just feel their jealousy steaming off of them when I pass by."

Wooyoung puts his hand on his forehead, "Oh my, what hardships you must face because of my generosity. Apologies, a thousand apologies, my great cooking instructor!"

They both catch each other's eyes and burst out laughing, Wooyoung almost spitting out the mouthful of soup he had just eaten.

"What is going on here?" A stern voice interrupts the two men's laughter and they both fall silent when they turn to see the Queen standing in the doorway staring Wooyoung down, "You're supposed to be learning. Not messing around."

Wooyoung flinches when she gets closer, noticing how she inspects the bowl of soup he had made and been eating, "What is this mush? It looks horrible," she lifts the bowl up and swirls it around, "Did you even try?" She pauses, holding the bowl in front of Wooyoung's face as she stares bullets into his eyes.

Wooyoung's voice seems to be caught in his throat, choking out a reply, "Yes, mother... It's the best I've done so far, Mingi praised me well for this dish. Would you like to try it?" He attempts to show her kindness like he always does, but deep down he can't help but feel a wave of intense anger and pain.

She turns up her nose at the offer, turning her head away from her son, "I'm not going to chance getting killed by that wretched-looking dish you call soup," she says as she walks around the kitchen, ending up in front of Mingi.

Mingi has had to just stand by and watch the whole time, knowing he's unable to do anything.

"You need to do your job. Stop playing around or you'll no longer have this position, you hear me? Teach him right. Don't praise him for these measly attempts that inevitably turn out wrong. He's to be taught to cook to perfection. What kind of person is going to agree to marry him if he cannot even make a simple soup correctly?" She says, her voice rising in volume towards the end.

"Yes, my Queen. I'll try my best to make sure the Prince will learn to cook all of the common meals perfectly," Mingi replies in a strong voice.

"I don't want you to try, Song Mingi. I want you to do, or I'll find someone else that will."

And with that, the Queen left the kitchen, leaving the two men in silence with Wooyoung's head down, staring at the oxtail soup. Had he really done such a poor job? Mingi is the best cook in the entire kingdom, so he knows he would tell him if he really did such a terrible job.

Wooyoung just sighs and rests his elbows on the table, letting his head fall into his hands. He hears footsteps coming over to him, but he doesn't lift his head up.

"You did a great job, Wooyoung," Mingi reassures, gently placing a hand on his back, "We will make you into the best cook anyone has ever seen, you hear me? I can see it in you, you're only going to keep getting better. I promise you."

Wooyoung makes a small noise in response, not really much like talking anymore.

Mingi stays there for another moment, but then lets out a sigh and walks away to wash the rest of the dishes. When he turns back around after he's done, he sees that Wooyoung has left and that he also left his bowl of soup right where the Queen left it when she put it down.

~

Wooyoung went back up to his room and shut the door, going and laying back on his bed for a while before a quiet knock sounds on the door.

"Come in," Wooyoung says, his voice slightly muffled from his face being against the pillow.

He hears the door open and lifts his head up, peeking over his pillow to see who it is, hoping it's just Yeosang. He smiles when he sees his hopes are right, but his eyes trail to the small envelope that is in Yeosang's hands, "What's that?"

"You received a letter from Yunho this morning, my Prince. I was waiting until after your lesson to come give it to you," Yeosang says, smiling and sitting at the end of Wooyoung's bed as he hands the envelope over.

Wooyoung's face brightens up instantly as he sees Yunho's handwriting of his name on the front of the envelope, so he opens it.

Dear Wooyoung,

I've missed you dearly, my friend. I apologize that we haven't gotten to see each other hardly at all since I got married. I'm writing to inform you ahead of time that I'll be coming down to Aurelia to visit you for a few days. I've been counting down the days to when I would finally get to see my best friend again. I'm waiting to hear all of the juicy details that I've missed since I've been gone. You better be ready to tell me everything, Woo. I heard about the King and Queen gathering a collection of suitors for you to choose from. Have you chosen yet? Have you even met them yet? I'm absolutely dying to know. I'll see you sooner than you think.

Sincerely,

Jeong Yunho

Wooyoung cannot hide his excitement any longer the further he reads into Yunho's letter, his body shaking with anticipation of seeing his friend again.

"Do you know when he's coming, Yeosang? The exact date?" Wooyoung asks, this news definitely brightening up the otherwise depressing day he's had. His thoughts about his mother ruining his good mood have faded away, only to be replaced by eagerness of seeing Yunho again.

Yeosang's chest warms up as he sees Wooyoung's eyes go wild with intensity, "Be patient, my Prince. Sir Yunho will be here very soon according to what your father relayed to me. I've already prepared the room for his stay."

"Is it the same one he would always use?" Wooyoung asks, hoping that it is since it's right across the hall.

Yeosang nods, "Of course, we always kept that room vacant in case Yunho or any of his family members needed to stay with us in the castle."

Wooyoung gets up, throwing his covers and pillows aside as he rushes out of his bedroom and across the hall to where Yunho will be staying, pushing the door open to see a perfectly made bed awaiting his arrival.

This high that Yunho's news has given him doesn't seem like it will be going down any time soon, so Yeosang just allows him to let it all out, knowing how long it's been since the two have seen each other. Yeosang has noticed how low spirited Wooyoung's been since Yunho left, but recently, he's gotten that spirit back. Yeosang can only assume it's San that's brought Wooyoung back to life.

~

That night, Wooyoung's been unable to sleep, waiting for the moment that Yunho will come through his bedroom door. The anticipation is killing him.

Wooyoung's life has been quite busy recently, with his final lesson starting to wrap up and his parents continuing to gather all of the suitors they want Wooyoung to meet, and of course, Wooyoung can't forget San. He only comes to see him once a week, but he occupies so much of Wooyoung's mind that it feels like he's there much more.

Wooyoung began to drift off to sleep when he heard a quick and loud knock at his bedroom door, making him sit up instantly getting his hopes up.

"Come in."

The door opens and Wooyoung's eyes go wide at the sight of his best friend walking into his room, but when he sees Wooyoung, he runs quickly over to him and takes him into a big hug, "Woo!"

Wooyoung happily hugs Yunho back, squeezing him tightly, "Yunho, I've missed you so much," He hums, shoving his face into Yunho's neck to take in his familiar scent, "You look much healthier now, has Minho been feeding you well?" Wooyoung looks up at Yunho's face, seeing how rosy his cheeks are from being out in the cold.

Yunho smiles big and wide, his eyes going into little moon shapes as he nods, "We eat big meals every night for dinner, so yes, he makes sure I stay plenty healthy. There's no need for you to worry about that anymore," He releases Woooyung from his embrace and sits back on the bed.

"So, Woo, tell me everything I've missed. I heard you're on your last lesson, too! Gosh, I love cooking... Can I join you tomorrow?" Yunho asks with excitement in his voice. He always did say how Wooyoung needed to learn how to cook, so it's funny how now he actually is and how Yunho is back home for it.

"Of course you can join me, Yunho. I bet Mingi will be much more impressed by your skills than he is mine," Wooyoung chuckles, getting back up into his place in bed, pulling the covers up over him.

"Is he still as breathtaking as ever?" Yunho fake swoons.

Back when they were young kids and Yunho was always at the castle spending time with Wooyoung or there because of his parents, Yunho had a small crush on the head cook. Every time they would have dinner and sit at the table, Mingi would bring out the dishes himself and Yunho couldn't help his stares. Wooyoung eventually confronted him about it and it became a running joke ever since. Wooyoung would always pick on him about it whenever they saw Mingi around the castle, telling him he should go talk to him.

Yunho knew he couldn't actually pursue the cook he had a crush on, though. His parents would never allow for him to marry anyone lower class than a Lord or Lady. A cook, even of his high status as one, would never have been accepted, so Yunho admired him from afar.

"Oh, he got even better with age. You'll see tomorrow," Wooyoung winks.

Yunho falls back onto the bed, "I'm a married man now, you know, Woo. But... I suppose a little comment or two won't hurt."

Wooyoung smiles, "I can't wait to see this. It's going to be pure entertainment to watch you finally interact with him, Yun. You never once would talk to him, so what makes you think you'll be able to now?"

"I'm older now, much more mature. Can't you tell?" Yunho tries to sound serious, but he can't help but let out another laugh.

Wooyoung pats the spot on the bed beside him for Yunho to come up, "Oh yes, much more mature. Now come up here, I still can't believe you're really here right now..."

Yunho crawls up beside Wooyoung and gets under the covers, facing him like they would do when they were younger, "Yeosang might fuss if he comes into us like this tomorrow morning. Don't you remember his face when he would see us sleeping in the same bed? I think he thought you and I were lovers at one point," Yunho laughs, covering his mouth to not breathe all of his hot air into Wooyoung's face.

Wooyoung covers his face with both of his hands in an embarrassed way, "Oh goodness, he really did... I remember having to explain to him that we were just best friends. That was a painful talk."

Yunho stops laughing and pokes Wooyoung in the side, "Now, I know we're not lovers, but do you have someone special in mind? I've heard about the whole suitor situation, so tell me more!" Yunho begs, excited to hear the juicier details of Wooyoung's life.

Wooyoung groans and moves his hands behind his head, "Yun, I haven't even met the men and women my parents have chosen yet..."

"That doesn't mean there isn't another special someone you have your eyes on, you know."

The tips of Wooyoung's ears turn a dark shade of burgundy as his mind fills with thoughts of San, something that isn't so uncommon now. It seems like every other second of every day Wooyoung is thinking about him, wondering what he is doing or how he's feeling. He nervously bites his lip to keep from saying anything and shifts his eyes away so he doesn't have to face Yunho. He doesn't think Yunho would shame him for having interest in someone of lower class, but having a small crush on a head cook is much different than having... interest... in a courtesan.

Yunho gets up on his knees excitedly and tickles Wooyoung to try and get him to look at him, "You do! Wooyoung! Who is it? Who is the lucky lord or lady? Perhaps another prince or princess? Oh my, you must invite me to the wedding."

Wooyoung pushes Yunho away when he begins to tickle him, hating being tickled because of how much it tries him out from the intense laughter, "Stop! Stop!" He chants between deep breaths. Yunho eventually stops, allowing Wooyoung to finally be able to catch a breath after all the wind had been taken out of him.

"You know how much I hate being tickled," Wooyoung pouts, still taking deep breaths as he had to sit up. His face has turned a light shade of pink from the exhaustion, thankfully masking the pink of his embarrassment over the topic they were discussing.

"That's exactly why I did it! I have to know who my best friend loves most in this kingdom - aside from yours truly, of course."

Wooyoung pushes at Yunho's chest once again and continues to pout as he lays back in bed, facing away from Yunho this time, "Just go to bed, Yun..."

Yunho smirks and gets back into bed, "Fine, fine, but I'll find out! You know you can't keep secrets from me for long," he playfully pokes Wooyoung's back before turning over and closing his eyes.

Wooyoung feels a sense of anxiety come over him like a wave, but he knows he will never even see San. Yunho doesn't go to places like the Hide, nor would he know who to look for even if he did. Wooyoung slowly calms himself down as he reassures himself that Yunho will never find out. Wooyoung isn't even sure of his own feelings towards San, yet.

As excited as he was for San to come tomorrow, he's now turned into a nervous wreck, having a bad feeling stirring within him as he slowly drifts off to sleep.

End of Chapter Five