she hated the disdain in his words, how he spoke like she lived and breathed by his word, his command. his arrogance was like an iron, scalding, infuriating, a marked flaw that would never cease to exist. he would never be rid of it, as destined by his ancestors. was it his birthright that gave him this undeniable poise or was he just an asshole.
she hated it.
the way he made her feel like she was some ornate piece to a game only he played. ( but it was true — outside of his command, what yihwa held was but a facade of her name and a pristine reputation kept clean by the quick cut she had made to her parents’ mess through san’s help ) but she would never allot him the satisfaction, not when bitterness was so heavily bore in her veins. a bitterness of having her life uprooted and taken from the very place she had thought she was finally living and breathing for herself. how had she ended up right where she once hoped she would never be — tucked into his palm as helpless as a pawn.
“ return the life i once had then, return me to the life that was mine. ”
her freedom would never be so easily granted, she would never really be free – he may grant her her freedom, but she would still be chained to a life undesired by her. the life she had before him was no longer, this last year had proved that years of hard work, of achievement after achievement had burnt to ash the moment her name had become an insignificant article beside his own – a wife-to-be, an imperial doll to be paraded around.
she stands, she didn’t want to be in his insufferable presence any longer. “ i know you may not think it significant, but it was to me. i don’t live for you san, in fact, you have ruined me. ”
was it right to fault him like a child in the midst of a tantrum ? was this how she was left to be perceived as she ran away to her room in the midst of anger – so be it. he wouldn’t care, either way, he never did.
“ if i had the choice, i wouldn't have allowed this engagement to happen. ” a lie. “ my life has changed just as much as yours. ” another lie. he's making himself to be the victim, refusing to claim any responsibility, especially not when she's accusing him of being the one to destruct her life. she storms off like a child and he follows her.
“ all you’ve done since joining the programme is sit and wallow about how sad your fucking life is. you had opportunity to make something out of yourself, time to find something to do or reinvent yourself. instead you go around telling all your fucking friends how i’m keeping you here against your own will. i don’t have that kind of fucking control over you, yihwa, you were always free to fucking leave whenever you wanted. you’re not the only one going through a shit time. you’re acting as if you were the one on the hijacked plane. ”
it's obvious, she despises the person he's become — and so he thinks, does he like the person she's become?
she's different from the yihwa he knew, the yihwa he loved. she's hard to please, never satisfied. he's at a constant loss for words and he's always saying the wrong things. his gestures are short-sighted and each time he messes up, she strays farther away. it was foolish of him to hold onto her from the love they shared in distant memories and what their relationship was and not what it is now.
“ i never thought your life was insignificant. ” his voice is low, just enough for her to catch his words. her life now could be categorized as such, however, the life she had before? it was a far cry from the very word and its definition. “ did you ever find out who sent you those flowers during your first performance as principal dancer? ” he doesn’t wait for her answer. this time, he’s the one to walk away. the urge to slam the front door behind him is fought by the smallest fraction of sanity he has left. it’s too late in the night to give the neighbours something to talk about in the morning.
she sniffs, her eyes don’t flinch as she lifts her head to look at him. “ i didn’t say i wasn’t upset, but i know better than to cry on your shoulder. ” their last conversation had very much taught her so. “ your friend was also taken, was he not — are you upset ? ” she wonders if her words sound menial, as if she’s asking about the weather, or if they sound aggravated — like she was pained to be having this conversation with him. it was probably the latter, even if her expression reflected the former. she hums in response to his sentiments about her mother, she was the last person she wanted to talk about especially when sihwa was still stalking about. she didn’t even want to bring her up to him lest she grow more irate. “ it was fun, you would have hated it. ”
what is he supposed to say? he was never going to offer his shoulder and he only asked out of courtesy. he wasn’t all too interested on what happened to her friend because it’s not his friend. plus, she’s english. “ yes, he was. ” she’s so unnecessarily bitter. will she ever mature beyond having spite as her only personality trait? it feels like he’s babysitting her at this point. “ do you want to be here? ” he knows the answer. he’s been holding her here against her own will for how long and maybe, just maybe he should offer her the option to leave. maybe if she goes back to korea she’ll realize how good she had it under his protection. “ this isn’t a trick. if you want to leave. you can. i’ll grant you your freedom. ”
he sets down a huge teddy bear. “ this... — this isn’t from me, it was sitting outside your door looking sad. ” he places a bag on the table. “ now, this is from me. yihwa made it. ” some sort of pasta dish he didn’t bother trying before packing it. “ if it tastes bad, suck it up and eat it. don’t waste food. ” ( @beaudebelgique )
“ she is. ” not that any friend of hers had ever been a cause of concern for him. “ and i’m fine, i wasn’t the one who was kidnapped. ” she doesn’t understand where he’s going with his questions. “ how was korea ? ”
he doesn’t know what to say. she doesn’t seem open to talking and he didn’t feel like pretending to care, yet he says — “ you can still be upset for your friend. ” the only similar quality they share is their ability to hold a grudge. the hostility radiating from her must be because of valentine’s day. she’s always been so sensitive and short with her words when something doesn’t go her way. “ it was fine. i saw your mother. she says hi. ” she didn’t. her words were much more harsh and aggressive. he’ll withhold that information until she’s less aggravated with him. “ how was brazil? ”
he stares at his sister. he can’t help but wonder if she’d humble and smarten up a bit if she were the one kidnapped instead or would she use it in her favour to garner publicity... “ is there something you wanted to accomplish here? i know i asked you to come — is there anything else you wanted to do? ” ( @jiihyes )
“ glad you made it back safe. ” and he means it. maybe not in the way sihwa will interpret his words — regardless, she’s safe and back in one piece. “ how was brazil? ” ( @kwonsihwa )
he always plays this card. otherwise known as yi san’s only trump card. quite literally his only claim to fame. because what was it that separated them beyond the meat hanging between his legs? what was it that made him worthy and jihye otherwise? absolutely nothing. yi san, had not for the extra pound of meat of his, would have no right to bark orders from that high standing pedestal their parents placed him on. and though it’s unlikely that her brother will ever realize his worth stems only from that thing he loves to swing around, jihye at least hopes he knows that the days of ordering her around—about as soon as she gets what she wants from him—are fucking numbered. “i think our sisters make the conscious decision not to talk to you.” she’s quick to correct, not to lose face in what was already a losing power struggle.
“fine.” she hisses her defeat, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “it still won’t kill you to check in with her—don’t be dense, kwon sihwa’s exceptionally easy to please when it comes to you.” jihye waves a dismissive hand. “send her a text every once in a while—if you really want to keep her happy.”
if jihye wasn’t such a fucking idiot, he wouldn’t have to resort to threats. he’ll have to rethink her involvement in this. this pattern of behaviour is insufferable. he welcomed her into something he could have very well done without her. areum was enough, sihwa was enough. it’s his fault for holding onto some false hope thinking he could shape jihye to fill the void he felt after his falling out with seonhye. her reputation would be nothing without him. he shaped her worth in the south korean court and in the eyes of their parents. she owed him. “ it’s reciprocated. ” it doesn’t take a fucking genius to figure it out. she looks pathetic trying to say the last word.
“ i do talk to her. last time i checked, i don’t have to tell you who i talk to and when i talk to them. ” he talks to sihwa more than he talks to any of his sisters. he stands up from his seat. he’s decided he overstayed and has more important matters to tend to. “ next time i see you, you better clean up this fucking attitude. ”
“and what do i gain from that?” there’s simply no merit in dragging kwon sihwa around town, especially since every other thing that comes out of her mouth is poorly disguised probing about whether or not san is truly going through with the engagement. but at least here and now, she can enjoy the vexation that crosses her brother’s features. he’s right though, at times, being this difficult is just a small bit of retribution. “yeah, and how are you not used to that with four sisters? you’re going to make someone a miserable wife.” though, sihwa would probably still volunteer for the cause. “the answer’s no. i can handle a meal or two or even one shopping trip but i’m not going to be responsible for her entire time here—i’ve got better things to do.” eat sand. watch paint dry. “just give her something meaningless to do while you’re gone and call her every two days to check up and she’ll be fine. jesus, it’s like you don’t know how to handle women at all.”
“ do you forget why you’re here? ” he could go on and on too. tell her how incompetent she is, how her inferiority complex toward their sisters has only expanded, how she’ll never be as important in his life as seonhye, how she’ll never be as important to anyone in the world as gahye, how she’ll always be the spare. he knows when to speak and he knows his limits. it’s a quality he wish she’d developed, but she’s only inched closer and closer to the way dahye functions. so irritating. that type of rebellion doesn’t take you far in life and soon you’ll be in your thirties with nothing to show for. “ i don’t talk to our sisters. ” dahye is just there, she doesn’t do anything for san to worry or care about her actions. gahye is the empress of china, she’s probably already suffering through her marriage with jianguo, and seonhye is always under the radar.
“ i told you to keep her happy. to spend some time with her. ” the keyword being: some. “ i didn’t tell you to wipe her fucking ass or feed her. ” classic jihye, always taking his words out of context and dramatizing the situation. “ if you’ve forgotten the importance of everything we’ve built and choose to be fucking difficult about this, i’m making you come back to seoul with me, except you’re staying there. ”
“you’re making me babysit? wouldn’t seonhye be more appropriate for that?” plus, who the hell does he think he’s kidding? “if you really wanted to make her happy, you should consider taking her with you—you know she’ll happily do whatever it is you want of her.” her hand waves dismissively, drawing up quick examples. “pick up your dry cleaning, lunch reservations, coffee runs, y’know—menial matters like that.” her lips curl, “if it’s you that’s asking, i’m sure she’ll throw aside that silly little pride of hers to be the best personal assistant you’ve ever had—gleefully.”
“ who else would? ” why is she questioning his decision? “ you think i trust seonhye to do anything? i don’t talk to her and she’s dahye’s pet. ” maybe not a pet. one of those stray dogs who come and go as they please. jihye can’t be this daft. or is this a tactic for him to validate her by telling her she’s the only sibling he semi-trusts? he rubs the side of his jaw. he didn’t ask for her opinions, why is she still talking. “ holy fuck, jihye. i ask you to do one simple thing and it’s never a simple yes or a no. you have to go on and on and on — if i wanted a personal assistant there, i would have asked you to come with me. ”
“ i know you just arrived, but i’m going back to seoul next week. can you spend some time with sihwa while i’m gone? we need her to be happy. explore tokyo together, go shopping, i don’t fucking know. ” ( @jiihyes )
she goes to see him first — because of course she does.
and the butterflies in her stomach come fluttering back — because of course they do. even after all these years; even when he became more than just something of yihwa’s to covet; when yi san became san and afternoon teas discussing policy bent into fallen light; when the world, in all its disappointments and criticisms, fell silent, and she could only hear the soft cadence of his voice. (and, for the first time, she thought perhaps she was being heard, too).
the bar is barely occupied, their table tucked away in the back. “your highness.” said without the usual irony of those in their social circle or the reverence of those outside it; but instead — low, intimate, as if her breath is hitched on something sharper. as if the title is only a stepping stone; that it could lead to more. a suggestion. or perhaps a promise.
“how do i look?” sihwa spins quickly, though today’s dress isn’t much different than her usual garb; black and structured, never outlandish but also showing enough skin not to be considered boring. sihwa shoots him an ironic smile as she answers her own question, tone light, as if merely discussing the weather. “like someone about to betray their entire family?”
“ sihwa. ” he smiles. he almost forgot what it felt like to be around a kwon who doesn’t despise his existence. sihwa is the kwon who’s easier to manage, the kwon who actually listens. and for being his ( current ) favourite kwon, he rewards her by meeting her in a public setting. yi san doesn't like to be seen, doesn't like venturing out of his idea of comfort. this reward is to purely intensify the blind loyalty she has for him. this is strategic. “ you don’t have to be so formal. ” he appreciates her maintaining respect. with sihwa everything's always been more seamless.
he’s stumped. does her question imply something else? he’s not one to offer compliments especially on something so superficial, but as she speaks again his expression eases. ah, she’s teasing. he should know better than to assume sihwa would outwardly request such a vain praise. his head shakes in response with a smile. “ not so loud. ” his tone is stern enough for her to hopefully understand such jokes should not be spoken in public. “ areum said you’ve done a good job with everything. she’s not one to praise, you should be proud of yourself. ”
she feels herself stunned into silence. the ring weighing heavier in her hand than ever before. was this supposed to make her happy ? “ the ring i wanted when i was still in love with you. ” she corrects him in near exasperation. how could he not see what was wrong with this ? “ no – i wasn’t expecting anything. but this, why would you give me this when you don’t even mean it. ”
“ yes, but it’s the ring you wanted...? ” what’s the difference? “ you’re putting words in my mouth. i never said i didn’t mean it. if you want to take it that way, by all means. ” it’s what she’s good at. taking everything out of context, being overly emotional and sensitive to every gesture and every word. he would consider them as friends, after everything. yes, it’s an arrangement and they were inevitably forced to see each other again, but things were going well. he was starting accept their differences and how much she’s changed. i guess she was only learning how to tolerate his existence. “ i don’t get why you’re being so sensitive over this. we were kids when we were together. ”
“ don’t tell me to shut up, you asshole. ” his words were the ones that hurt the most. the same way she escapes when the weight of it all is too much to bear, san uses blunt words fueled by an endless stream of repressed feelings. she staggers in place, right in front of the door. “ why can’t you fucking go to an after party with me? why are you always fucking pushing me away, too? why do you always pull this fucking bullshit? ” she scoffs, not giving him enough time to answer. “ oh, of course. your highness would never stoop to his sisters level, right? ”
if she knew him at all, she would know he doesn’t party. this has nothing to do with pushing her away. it’s late and the last thing he wants to do is trail his sister around tokyo nightlife especially when they’re not on good terms. “ what the fuck are you talking about? ” he’s in disbelief. he could blame it on her inebriation, but this is completely absurd. this is not the time nor the place to be hashing out the deep rooted issues in their complicated and twisted relationship. “ it has nothing to do with stooping to your level. i don’t party. ” fucking idiot. she makes it so difficult to show a sliver of compassion.
이태우, yi taewoo — former crown prince of south korea
이인우, yi inwoo — prince of south korea
이인하, yi inha — princess of south korea
& YI TAEHA ( fc. hong suzu )
there’s a saying, that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. in taeha’s case, it’s only just a little too true. not only did she get san’s tact, she grew into his work ethic, too.
methodical, calculative and far too cunning for her own good. taeha had always been the picture of poise and composure since she was a youngling. where most kids begged to be coddled, taeha jumped at the chance to be independent. she was
the daughter that made her parents proud. the only fault in her life was the primogeniture law that passed her over to take her rightful place after her father.
however, she doesn’t dwell for long, a creature of thorough planning and execution, she is ambitious and knows how to work for what she wants. she perseveres through her own excellence. by the time she is twenty-three, a bachelor’s in electrical engineering and master’s under her belt, she becomes the functioning ceo of her great-grandfather’s company, hwoi corp., while subsequently working as taewoo’s advisor.
unlike her youngest siblings, taeha bottles her feelings too easily. the mask of her indifference and well-worn facade that could only be reminiscent of yihwa’s younger years as a doll to her parent’s greed and san’s ambitious tendencies. she didn’t have time to get caught up in emotions, it was better to not have them. some may call her callous and cold, but taeha is simply indifferent and blunt to the matters that are unimportant to her.
where she differs from san is her lack of ruthlessness when it comes to her family, taeha wishes for nothing more, even if it means silencing her desires for a position that doesn’t belong to her – that is until the crown is suddenly dropped right before her feet.
other info.
born within san and yihwa’s first year of marriage.
hardly cried as a kid, it was scary.
she and taewoo are bffs.
doesn’t want to disappoint san.
too independent for her own good.
doesn’t have time for love, but if she did marry, it’d be someone of equal footing who’d be fine being her emperor consort but never emperor.
workaholic.
was the ceo of hwoi corp. and taewoo’s advisor
is now the crown princess after primogeniture law was overturned due to taewoo’s incompetence.
& YI TAEWOO ( fc. jung jaehyun )
he is a boy, told to be a man with a mountain of pressure on his shoulders. he is told to look up to his sister, her gleaming example is something to envy. his only relief is the law that would pass her over in favor of him for the throne. and forevermore, at least for the
next twenty-five years, he is the crown prince. a blessing, a burden, an agonizing pressure standing on a shaky resolve.
some part of taewoo knows he isn’t good enough, but he still tries. perhaps this is the pride he inherited from his father or the stubbornness from his mother, but the worst he fears is disappointment. not from his father, nor his mother but disappointing taeha. after all, she was the golden child. and how could he taint even a bit of her shine.
no, he must shine brighter. and for the next twenty-five years, he tries to do just that.
in his own way, taewoo is just as calculating, just as cunning, but possesses a bit more ease, a handful more suave and persuasion. becoming a man who holds many hearts in his hand but closes his own in favor of the greed for power. but despite all this, he still falls short.
incompetently so that it makes san impatience, that the child he is grooming for the place after him is falling below the curve of his expectations. so much so, that an ultimatum is thrown taewoo’s way: do better or taeha will become crown princess.
in the end, his shine could never out do his sister’s.
other info
two years younger than taeha, the stress of yihwa’ pregnancy w taeha urged them to wait a bit before trying again.
before the primogeniture law was overturned, the plan for another kid – mainly a boy – was granted with taewoo.
san’s carbon copy.
isn’t looking for love, he just wants to fuck around, but has the tact to cover it up.
doesn’t want to disappoint taeha.
abdicated the throne because he couldn’t handle the pressure.
took time off, years of the pressure mounting on his shoulders surely left him without much time to enjoy life as it was, traveled to europe and even spent some time in america to visit his cousin in new york.
& YI INWOO + INHA ( fc. na jaemin, yoo jimin )
some say they’re the spare of spares, yihwa would say they’re the crumbs of her sanity.
there are no surprises when it comes to the yi kids, until san and yihwa find out that their last kid is not just one on the way – but two. inwoo is the eldest by two minutes, having been evacuated from the womb by a very enthusiastic inha (who was already wailing by the time the doctor had fished her out); they almost didn’t make it to the hospital, inwoo was already crowning en route.
growing up, like similar spares of their situation, inwoo and inha were no different in the stretch of freedom that being spares allowed them. they were welcome to explore their interests (for inha it was figure skating, and for inwoo, idk he was just there), cultivate meaningful relationships and were under a less harsher spell of expectations than their elder siblings. the twins couldn’t be more different than taeha and taewoo, where they were a picture-perfect set of calculative and poise, inwoo and inha were expressive to a fault, clingy and far more rambunctious – traits that neither of their parents saw coming. what set them apart further from their elder siblings were their relationships with san and yihwa.
as the youngest, they were arguably doted on the most. yihwa spent the longest time nursing both inwoo and inha; where yihwa didn’t have the time to spoil taeha and taewoo due to their independent streaks, inwoo and inha ate up the love their mother had to give. because of this, the twins would grow to be spoiled but also open-hearted and more receptive to their relationships, unlike taeha and taewoo who were only too eager to hide such things.
other info.
inha is a professional figure skater ( w her godmother being ireti it was basically bound to happen ), inwoo a professional slacker.
five years younger than taewoo, seven years younger than taeha.
they both look up to their older siblings.
for a time, the twins insisted on sleeping with yihwa and san. being clustered around yihwa, leaving a big space beside san – only for all three of them to be sprawled across san come morning.
at first, yihwa was against having a nanny, since taeha and taewoo were so independent but with inwoo and inha, she needed mental health days away from them following her everywhere.
these were the days inwoo and inha got to spend time with san, too!
he’d bribe them with candy to get them to listen.
so their days w san would basically be him in his office doing work, inwoo and inha sorting the mountain of candies they got from him.
HEADCANONS
unsurprisingly, all their kids were meticulously planned ( there were no chances for accidental pregnancies ), level of difficulty for conceiving each pregnancies upped with each one. taeha being the easiest to conceive, having been done on the first try while the twins took a couple of tries. the only surprise was the fact that their last pair of children had, in fact, been twins – an uncalled for occurrence because yihwa said she had only wanted “one” more.
but yihwa had the easiest time birthing the twins, they literally slipped out. she practically gave birth on the way to the hospital.
yihwa had the hardest pregnancy with taeha, her stress levels and blood pressure were out of control.
while yihwa was pregnant with taeha and taewoo, respectively, she could not stand san’s presence. just his scent had her irritated and added to her nausea, for most of their pregnancies they were in separate bedrooms because of this. but for inwoo and inha, it was the exact opposite, she couldn’t be any closer – it was a problem because at times it would really interrupt san’s workflow.
taeha and taewoo were wildly independent from the get-go that yihwa complained, god answered and gave her inha and inwoo who would never leave her side – it was Karma.
taeha and taewoo always trying their Best to impress san.
yihwa insisted family shoots for every important holiday and san did not like the fuss.
it was just an excuse for yihwa to dress inha and inwoo as christmas trees come winter time.
the clarity is like a bucket of ice-cold water over the head ; freezing the veins as it shocks her from her senses and the ruminations of her delusions. how could she have gotten herself so worked up into thinking that there was anything more to this. “ my birthday present … ” she says in finality, like it was the most obvious thing in the world and she still couldn’t fathom it. the smile returns to her face, but the difference in its gleam far differs than the first she had shown him that night. it felt far too reminiscent to the ones she’s used amongst her mother’s peers. fake. “ then return it, ” she doesn’t want a reminder of her foolhardy heartache for an insufferable man who didn’t feel the same. “ the flowers should suffice. ” she stands to hand him the box back.
“ yes, your birthday present. ” he repeats, speaking to her as if she’s a child learning how to speak. he’s hit his limit. concealing his irritation is proving worthless. she’s unsatisfied and displeased either way. she says to return it and he instantly frowns. “ i can’t. i bought it last year. it’s the ring you wanted. ” his overconfidence has blinded him from seeing any other outcomes to the situation. “ were you expecting a different gift? ”
the tremble in her fingertips makes her look away, staring at the box, cradled between her hands. it was like a reminder of her nativity, of all the romantic delusions she had poured into him over the years she’d known him. but because she knew san, she knew he didn’t do things without a purpose – now, staring at the box, yihwa could only shudder to know what means to an end he was trying to achieve. their relationship wasn’t like it was before – the only thing tethering them was a proposal their parents had decided amongst themselves. “ why are you doing this ? ” a part of her feared his answer, another desperately needed it.
if it was any other time, he would be impatiently tapping his foot against the floor, making it known he’s growing impatient. its her birthday, he’s making an effort to not ruin things. “ why am i doing what? it’s your birthday present. ” does she think there’s a motive? this is a nice gesture! a nice gesture he has been painfully overthinking for the past month. “ i told you we could switch it if you don’t like it. ” she’s being so emotional over nothing!
