wasn't able to ask this.. but how does the new cover look shskdjs I LIKE THEM!
especially the covers for my park jisung ffs they look so cute together:')

—

      MIN JAEYOUNG。

  . . .  s i x    y e a r s   a g o  . . .

"are you really going to go? you can stay, you know..." i mumbled as i watched seulhyo pack up her things. seulhyo is one of my best friends alongside miyeon. she also works at the bakery and lives with me, hyori, and mrs kang.

"apparently, i have no choice, my parents literally threw me away, injae-ah." i shut my eyes tight as i heard her call me by the nickname she made when we were younger.

we practically grew up together. we were like sisters.

"don't call me injae." i uttered and faced the wall.

"i'll always call you that—"

"don't. it just hurts me more that you're leaving, seul."

"i'm not going to be gone forever..."

"you are... i'll never see you again... you know the palace, they never open the gates for anyone like me."

"come on, injae. you know the royal family is just like us."

"i know that. but why you?"

"i'm going to be a servant, to help them, injae."

"i know... but..."

"injae, i'm going to come back, don't worry. it'll just be for a few years–"

"that's what they all said..." i sighed, remembering our classmates that got chosen to become maids for the palace. what does happen inside the palace anyways? to us on the outside, once you get in, it was hard to get out.

"i'm not like them, injae. maybe they have taken a liking inside the palace?"

"what's so good inside the palace anyways? i believe it's all just chaos."

"chaos? why do you even think like that?"

"not every royal family is like the royal family here in heflorescence, seul. why are they shutting themselves inside that palace? i feel so bad for them, they must've been suffering."

"the palace gates are open to everyone, maybe they are just a bit tighter because of that talk going around." seulhyo said, trying to convince me that nothing bad would happen while she's gone.

"what talk?" i raised a brow, now facing her. i've never really been interested with knowing about heflorescence at all. i knew some details, but they were the basics. i don't even know the royal family at all yet here i am doubting the words of someone who knows heflorescence by her own heart.

seulhyo chuckled, "you really don't care about news don't you?"

"reports said that there's someone from the infamous eastern tribe here in our district."

"eastern tribe... you mean... the tribe where the seven scimitars are from?"

seulhyo nodded and started zipping up her bag, "bingo! that's why the security by the gate is tougher, anyways, the carriage is here."

"a carriage? why a carriage, cars are like a thing now." i chuckled.

seulhyo hummed, "maybe so that we could go slow? enjoy the time we're still outside the palace?" she jokes while i glared a her.

"that's not a good joke. it sounds sad."

seulhyo's eyes softened and she pulled me into a hug, a hug that made me feel so safe. "you have to keep going for me, injae. no matter what, okay?"

"what do you even mean by that, seul." i muttered against her shoulder.

"i just feel like... it would be years until i come back again... i want you to never give up looking for your family, that's what i meant."

i frowned, "please don't say that, it's like you're telling me this would be the last time i'll see you."

seulhyo patted my back and we let go of each other, "i hope that it's not."

and with that, she left the room without another word. i climbed back my bed as i felt hot tears trickling down my face. i clutched onto the soft fabric, "seulhyo..." i sobbed.

i slowly made my way towards the window, looking down as i see seulhyo entering the carriage. she looks up at me and i quickly look away, not wanting to see that sad smile of her.

i heard sounds of horseshoes tapping hardly onto the pavement and i looked back, only to see her going farther away. my eyes trailed up as the huge castle come into view.

those tall walls, those high towers. i always pondered what was going inside of it. to other girls, it was a dream to be sent into the palace, but no. i don't want any of that.

just looking at the palace itself gives me scary vibes. like i was being welcome to a whole new world within those gates.

i don't get it. the royal family... they are villagers like us too, the only thing that separates is from them is their blood, their wealth, their power.

i sighed and dove back right into my bed, staring at the now empty bed next to me.

"would i see you again?"

. . .  present day . . .

i stared at the wall in the kitchen, was it always this interesting?

"you're going to burn that whole wall down if you keep staring at it like that, jae." i flinched at hyori's voice and quickly averted my gaze onto something else.

my head craned down as i felt soft dough on my fingers, right... i was baking...

"what has gotten into you?" hyori questioned as she walked closer to me.

i shook my head, "nothing." i faked a smile and went back to cutting the dough with the cookie cutters.

"you are aware that you're bad at lying, right?"

i groaned at her words making her laugh out loud. "am i really?" i questioned.

"hundred percent, jae."

"lying isn't my forte." i mutter and place the newly cut cookies into the pan before placing them in the oven.

"so, you were crying the other day..."

i pressed my lips into a thin line, "did you know?"

her face perplexed, "huh? what do you mean 'did i know'?"

"did you know that seulhyo died two years ago?"

her confused expression faltered as her jaw dropped in an instant, "wait, shit, s-she... she–"

i sighed, already knowing my answer through her actions. so no one really knew, only insiders or people who experienced that party knew. the palace is a whole new world.

i glanced at hyori and she had this look of pity and disbelief displayed on her face, "i-i'm so sorry... jaeyoung-ie..." she whispered and immediately pulled me into a hug.

i chuckled bitterly, "miyeon just told me... a day ago, actually."

"no wonder you were crying heavily." hyori frowned and cupped my face.

"how'd she die? did you and miyeon talk already?"

i hummed in response, "we did..."

"although we weren't so happy and energetic like we were usually."

"seulhyo died from saving the royal family." i ran my fingers through my hair.

saving the royal family...

she saved a bunch of people that she wasn't even close to. i don't know if i would do the same, knowing me for not even caring about the royal family.

but now...

i knew some of them.

seeing how they act with me, i just knew something was wrong. some were rude while some were sweet and nice. those ones who were rude was like being haunted.

they were holding onto something that had happened, that's why they were acting all over protective about their brothers and friends.

seeing i met quite a lot of them, it was safe to assume that inside the palace is actually chaos. there were things happening inside that us, villagers, didn't know about.

things happening that they all kept to themselves.

they are like us, no doubt.

"she saved a the royal family? wow, that's just, brave." hyori marveled at the thought.

i did too. i guess the times she was there made her act up like that. she must've loved the palace so much that she had the guts to sacrifice herself.

hyori took a deep breath and patted the top of my head, "are you good?"

i nodded, "seulhyo would probably scold me for moping around though."

hyori cackled, "she would! wouldn't she?"

i broke into a smile, "yeah, she would definitely scold me."

"she'd be like: 'yah injae i told you' bla bla bla." hyori mimicked.

i laughed, "i'll miss her."

hyori smiled, "she was a good kid, jae. you too, you're a good kid."

"injae..." i trailed off at the nickname.

"actually, i have a theory that you're a royal–"

i coughed immediately, almost choking on air when she said that. "yah!"

"what?" she stared at me wide eyed.

"that only happens in fairytales." i pointed at her.

"life is a fairytale, only more gruesome and fucked up."

"yeah, but aren't the brothers grimm fairytales are actually disturbing truths behind those sugarcoated fairytales?" i tilt my head, remembering the time i read their books at rhe library.

i had a feeling the true story behind those fairytales would be like that. they were all sugarcoated. it was to implement a fantasy world where everything would always become happy at the end.

but let's face it, whenever we get too happy, bad things always come next, don't they?

"yup." hyori nodded, "by the way, mrs kang's regular has an assigned basket for today, you know the drill."

i chuckled, "of course."

—

its been so long since i wrote jaeyoung's perspective...

edit:

BTW

YO WTH 70k?!

jskddjsjsj omg i love y'all (● ˃̶͈̀ロ˂̶͈́)੭ꠥ⁾⁾

-jibin