Chapter IV
1700 Words
네 번째 왕관 (4)
“WHAT?!” JAE KYUNG COULDN’T HELP but gasped, her voice raised an octave. “What did you just said?!”
The Crown Prince’s brows creased. “Are you deaf or what? I said, starting today, you’ll work for me as my personal assistant, Kim Jae Kyung.”
“I know you said it and you don’t have to repeat it. Ugh,” Jae Kyung said. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Do you really think that I, Yi Eul, the Crown Prince of South Korea is just joking around?” his voice became serious. “I appointed you as my personal assistant and whether you like it or not, you’ll gonna work for me.”
Jae Kyung pursed her lips before stretching it into a fake smile. “I beg your pardon, Your Highness but I’m a journalist. I’m working for a newspaper that brings people news and information about what’s happening in our city, in our country. I just couldn’t leave my job just because you want me to be your personal assistant and just because you ordered me to do so.”
“Is that so?” Yi Eul muttered. In a split second, he smirked. “Even if I’ll pay you double, triple than your usual salary?”
Jae Kyung shook her head. “I may admit that I need money to pay my rent and my needs but I love my job. As I said, I could leave—”
“Even if I’ll tell you that I will help you getting your book debut?”
Jae Kyung’s mouth agape as she frowned in disbelief. “How did you…?”
“I don’t gamble without my ace cards, Miss Kim,” Yi Eul crossed his arms. “Of course, I want to know everything about my personal assistant. You want that, right? That book debut? I could help you on that once you’ll accept the job.”
“Why are you doing this?” Jae Kyung couldn’t help but ask. “Why do you really want me to be your personal assistant? You already have your bodyguards, your secretary, every official, or every person under you. Why do you still want me to work for you?”
“Bold of you to defy and question the Crown Prince’s decisions,” Yi Eul shook his head in amusement.
"Uh, because I have my own right to actually turn down an offer of work, you know?"
"How dare? Aren't you thankful that of all people in South Korea, you're the one who was chosen His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince?" Prince Yi Eul scoffed. "Neon jeongmal mideul su eobseo."
“Just answer it. Maybe you could convince me by that,” Jae Kyung responded, crossing her arms.
“I just feel like it. Any problem with that? And besides, you should be grateful that I wanna hire you as my personal assistant. Isn’t it amazing that the Crown Prince, of all people, will offer this job to you?” he simply answered.
Damn, he's so persistent. Giving me the same damn reason.
If I could publish a book then maybe I'll be thankful.
Jae Kyung creased her brows. And he's an actual conceited jerk! “Is it me or I just felt like you have hidden agenda up your sleeves? Anyways, I still don’t.”
Yi Eul frowned. “You—”
“I have something to finish on my job. Give me time to think about it,” Jae Kyung bowed her head and walked towards the door.
“Tonight,” Jae Kyung stopped and looked at the prince once again. “You only have one night to decide, Miss Kim. I’m an impatient man. So I’ll give you one night to decide.”
Jae Kyung didn’t respond and just left the hospital room.
You’ve got to be kidding me, Wangseja.
“Who wouldn’t thought you’ll be the Wonder Woman of South Korea for just one freaking night!?”
“Ugh, shut up Hae In. Enough of that,” Jae Kyung rolled her eyes as she kept on hearing her best friend’s hysterical laugh on the other line. She threw the newspaper she’s holding on the carpet and sat on her bed. “It’s not even funny.”
“And to think that you turned down the Crown Prince’s offer, wow. You really have the guts. You really didn’t fail to amaze me Jae Kyung-ah,” she could her best friend clapping on the other line that if it’s possible for her to pull her best friend’s hair from her phone then maybe she already did it. “Wanjeon daebak.”
“You don’t have to be sarcastic, Hae In. He still couldn’t accept that I’m trying to turn down his offer. He’s still kept on pushing the thought of me being her personal assistant like seriously? Of all people? Of all people around him, why me?” she scratched her hair then proceeds to open her laptop to finish the article she was assigned.
“Yeah, I kinda wondered in that part either. I’m also thinking that this was also his way of gratitude towards you since you helped him. But have you really decided to turn his offer down? I mean I know how much you love your job being a journalist and you’ve been working hard in that field. But come to think of it, he even offered to help you on your book debut. You’ve been waiting for that for almost seven years. It’s not really a bad offer, Jae Kyung. I think it’s really the time for you to step up your game. This is already an opportunity coming to you, Jae Kyung…”
“I-I don’t… I don’t know, Hae In…”
She heard her friend sighed. “Think about this carefully, Jae Kyung. I’m just afraid that you might make another mistake again or worst, you’ll lose something important in your life because of your decisions.”
Another mistake…?
‘You never did something good and right, Jae Kyung!’
“Oh! I have to go now. My boyfriend’s here. Ya know, we’ll go on a date today!” Hae In giggled and Jae Kyung shook her head in amusement.
“Okay, okay. Enjoy your night. Send my regards to Jun Myeon.”
“I will! Good night Kyung-ah!”
“Good night,” as soon as she hung up the phone, Jae Kyung sighed deeply.
Should I just accept it?
She turned her head on her laptop. She, then, stood up and sat in front of her laptop and open her account on NovelSpace, an online writing platform that was also known for scouting great novels and publish it into books which she’s been dreaming of for a long time. She’s been writing on this platform for almost seven years, under the pseudonym Snow Moon which is the name of the moon of February, her birth month. She actually did pretty much on her stories which usually garnered hundred thousand and million reads but still haven’t landed the book debut she’s been wishing for.
She sighed. Why am I so unlucky doing the things that I love?
She’s been reading the comments from one of her ongoing novels in which her readers were hurrying her up to update but sadly, she doesn’t have the energy to do so right now so she decided to just post an apology about her update delays on her wall.
But instead of doing so, she suddenly posted a quote.
“Here she is, writing the story of the boy who wears his crown, enduring its weight.”
Jae Kyung frowned after she read her post. “I’m thinking too much about that Crown Prince’s offer that’s why I’m now posting ridiculous things here. I’ll just gonna delete this.”
But before she could do so, comments suddenly popped up and rushed on the said post.
:‘Omo, omo, omo, is this a teaser of your new novel, Snow-nim???’
:‘This seems so interesting!’
:‘This is the first time that Snow-*senpai posted a quote. Is this a teaser?’ (*means ‘senior’ in Japanese)
:‘Sounds so interesting! Looking forward to this!’
:‘So excited for this, Snow Moon-eonnie!’
Jae Kyung stared at the comments in awe. She couldn’t help but feel confused and overwhelmed about her readers getting excited over the ridiculous quote she posted out of nowhere.
She suddenly gasped.
What if…?
She hastily clicked the ‘create new story’ button on her profile and starts typing. It took her around thirty minutes before clicking something and stretches her arms.
“There, posted.”
Dealing Prince Arrogant
“Your Highness, you have a visitor.”
Fixing his red handcuffs, Prince Yi Eul turned his head on the door. “Who is it?”
“Her name is Kim Jae Kyung, your highness.”
“Let her in,” as soon as she heard the Crown Prince’s voice, Jae Kyung bowed her head to one of the prince’s butlers who just opened the double doors for her.
She silently entered the room and bowed to Prince Yi Eul. “Good morning, seja-jeonha,” as soon as she raised her head, she met the crown prince’s gaze.
“So, have you decided?”
Jae Kyung sighed as she nodded. “For the sake of that book debut, yes I will. But don’t expect that I’ll be permanent in this job. I’m still going back to The Seoul Times.”
“That’s not for you to decide,” as if it was a cue, two maids entered the said room, handling the dress they brought for Jae Kyung.
The latter looked at the said dress in confusion. “What is this?”
“For your first job as my personal assistant…” Yi Eul responded. “You’ll wear that one and you’ll come with me to Thailand.”
Jae Kyung’s eyes almost fell out from the sockets. “I’m coming with you to Thailand?! Are you kidding me?!”
- Writer
