Author's Note: So I said I had no idea how long it was going to take me to write this but I had a sudden inspiration. It will take some time to get things going, and the characters will progress much faster than they normally do, but I'm sure you won't mind. It just means there are more things for you to read and more often for you to read them.
I'm sitting in front of the heater as I write this. I got a cold chill so I turned it on. The dog started barking right in my ear. Then he licked it. I hate that the most. He doesn't care because he is a big oaf but he seems to watch what I am doing rather intently. I think he may want to help write this.
For the record, if I throw boy group members into the BoF world I try to change their family names. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn't. This time it didn't because of Jonghyun, but it doesn't really matter. As long as you know who you're reading about that's all that matters.
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Taemin felt like he was being undressed by everyone around him as he walked across the campus to the car waiting for him. Minho strode beside him, head down as he watched for those who would want to harm the Crown Prince.
They had completed their first full day at Shinhwa University as students living away from their families. It had been quiet but Taemin could feel every eye turn to him as soon as he entered a room. He hadn't wanted to cause any trouble but it seemed his mere presence was enough to cause everyone to stop their studies. He had felt embarrassed and pressured as he had sat through all of his classes.
Somewhere in the middle of the day he had received a text from his dad asking how he was doing. He had answered in his obvious tone: he was doing fine but he was getting weird looks from everyone. He had known it would happen but it still bothered him. His dad had told him just to keep his head up and keep on keeping on. It really hadn't been an inspiration.
Ever since he had been name Crown Prince, everyone had thought highly of him even though he was a normal guy on the inside. He didn't even want to be in this situation. He would rather be at home in Daegu with his friends than living with four men around him at all times. He loved Onew, Jonghyun, Key and Minho but he needed time to himself every now and then. Which was why he had suggested he live by himself.
When he had done that, he had hoped his dad would let him go off like normal college students did. But no. He'd had to find a suitable place for him to live and stay while in school. And of course his guards had to come with him. He couldn't be alone in the house or out and about and he had to check in if he was away from the guys. He was a prisoner instead of free.
If he had a choice he would have walked away a long time ago, but his sister was ten years younger than him. If something happened to his father, she wasn't old enough or ready to take the throne. She probably would never be because she didn't have the inclination to run an entire country, not that she would anyway. But it was still the principle. So he had stayed when everything in him told him to run.
Because of that decision he had been tossed into a gilded cage and commanded to stay still until the door was opened. He was okay until people started asking him things like when he was going to get married and start a family. That was the furthest thing from his mind. He just wanted to finish college and maybe start a career before he had to take his father's position.
There was enough speculation that he was already engaged when no such arrangement had been made. He would have a say in whom he was to marry if he even wanted to get married. His family wasn't audacious enough to push that on him. Now they may have discussions with the intended family but in the end it was his decision. So far that hadn't been the case yet.
The car pulled up to the curb and Minho opened the back door. Jonghyun looked in the rearview mirror as they climbed in. He had just recently obtained his driver's license so they wouldn't have to use a driver and had been taking them to and from school. Onew and Key would sometimes accompany them but most of the time they stayed at home and made sure the domestic things were taken care of. The system actually worked ninety percent of the time.
Taemin looked at his phone. It was Tuesday and close to five in the evening. He had a couple of hours to kill before he was supposed to go to his art class. He understood why Minho and Onew had made the decision to put him in extra classes. It would keep him busy and in their sights while he was there, but the man in question was well aware of his attention span. If he was bored he wasn't going to pay attention.
He had heard of So Yi Jeong but he had never met the man. He was an acclaimed potter who made a steady living not only off his fortune but also by teaching people pottery and art. He had helped fifteen artists already reach critical acclaim and was looking to give another budding artist a chance. Taemin had been signed up simply to keep him busy, not because he wanted to be famous. He was already famous because of his linage.
No one said a word as the car pulled up to the curb and Minho bailed out first. He did his usual thing and looked around the area before he allowed Taemin even out of the car. Jonghyun parked and with the men on either side, the maknae, or youngest man, was led inside the building.
He heard the music before he even got to the studio. It was well-lit and warm while the outside of the building was cold. It was a cozy place to be during the winter it seemed.
Looking around the room, he didn't see anyone at first, but then his eyes fell on a beautiful woman sitting behind a potter's wheel. She was dressed in coveralls that were zipped up to her waist with the arms tied around her hips. Her upper body was covered by a tank top but he could see the muscle definition in her arms. She was covered in clay and water as her hands moved through the miry mess in front of her, but it didn't take away from the fact that she was an exceptional golden bronze color.
Taemin had never seen anything like her. He had seen foreign women before but they had been on diplomatic missions as liaisons. He had never been face to face with one who didn't know who he was. She had obviously never been told that he was coming. Anyone who knew who he was knew what he was bringing when he came through anywhere.
The song changed and she shifted her feet. She stepped on the pedal and slowly the wheel stopped spinning. She grabbed a piece of twine and gently pulled it through the base of the clay. The mold popped off cleanly and she swung her leg over the stool and stood.
She finally realized she wasn't alone when she turned around from placing the soon-to-be-fired bowl. She wiped her hands on towel she had pulled from her pocket and looked at them. Her curly hair framed her face even though it was pulled back in a loose ponytail, and she looked at them with an open and curious look.
Smiling, he went forward, Jonghyun and Minho trailing behind at a slight pace. She didn't back up as he stepped right in front of her. They were almost the same height; she was maybe half an inch shorter than him.
She tilted her head and that made him smile. She didn't care who he was whether she knew him or not.
He bowed his head slightly, which she returned. "Hello. My name is Taemin. Are you one of So Yi Jeong's students as well?" She shook her head but her eyes never left his face. They were an amazing color.
"Are you deaf?" Jonghyun asked.
"Hyung," Taemin scolded. He looked back at the woman scared. "I'm sorry. Sometimes he doesn't know when to use tact." She shook her head as if waving it all off. "Is So Yi Jeong here?"
She turned and walked away from him, disappearing into another room. During the time she was gone, Taemin looked around the room. It was messy at the moment because she had been working but he figured it was usually kept clean. So Yi Jeong must be a stickler about his studio.
He heard a voice and he turned around. The woman had returned with another man. He was reading something on a phone to which he replied. They stopped right in front of him and the man talked.
After a moment, the man turned and bowed. "Hello. Welcome to my studio and your first day of lessons. I'm So Yi Jeong. I hope you enjoy your stay and your lessons."
Taemin bowed in response and he knew his friends behind him do the same. "Hello. I'm Jeon Taemin. Please take care of me. These are two of my guards Lee Minho and Kim Jonghyun. The other two are Shim Onew and Lee Key."
Yi Jeong made a face. "Onew and Key?"
"They're nicknames. I'm not even sure I know their real names." Taemin nodded behind him Yi Jeong. "Is that your girlfriend?"
The woman looked shocked and Yi Jeong laughed when he looked at her. "No. My wife would kill me. This is Storm Montgomery. She's an artist building her portfolio with me until I can get her a showing set up. You'll be working beside her until then." He glanced back at her and she nodded. "Oh, and one other thing. She's not deaf or mute. She just doesn't talk. I don't know why but your best bet would be to get her number and text her because she won't answer your phone call. I know that for a fact."
Taemin looked at her again. So her name was Storm. It would something completely different in Korean, but it suited her. They watched each other for the longest, only stopping when she broke away to go work on something else.
"Storm," Yi Jeong said as he followed her across the studio. "I ordered the supplies you'll need. There may be days when I need you to stay overnight so the furnace won't burn down the studio." She held her hands up in a questioning manner. "I'll figure out a place for you to sleep."
Taemin watched the exchange in fascination. They were having a full on conversation without one of them talking. He wondered how that even came about.
Not too long after, Yi Jeong started giving him lessons. It really wasn't a lesson as much as it was a review of what he already knew. He wanted to test and make sure he could really do what he needed to do in the extra lessons.
Taemin thought he could concentrate on what was being said but the woman across the way was too distracting. His mind kept wandering back to why she didn't talk. He wanted know the reason but he didn't know her well enough to ask outright. Besides she was engrossed in the next piece she was working on.
Yi Jeong knew that the Prince was smitten. It was easy to see it on his face. He couldn't concentrate and was staring over into the far corner of the room. Much like the potter, the young man had been caught by the woman. But unlike the older man, the younger wasn't going to be able to let go as easy. He was already losing that battle with his eyes.
"Taemin, if you can't pay attention, maybe we should just stop here," he said after about an hour of nothing.
Taemin looked at him like he was caught doing something naughty. Yi Jeong knew that look. He hid a laugh when the kid got up and headed over to the other side of the room.
Storm looked up when a shadow fell over her. Tilting her head back, she made eye contact with Taemin. She smiled at him and when she turned back to her work, she heard his sharp breathy intake. She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her, but her curiosity was much higher than her humor.
She spun around and caught him off guard by her close proximity. Without caring to who he was, she felt in his pockets until she found his phone. Over his shoulder, she saw his guards steel themselves in case she hurt him. Instead of hurting him, she pulled out his phone and stared at the screen. He had a pass code of his phone.
Taemin's mouth fell open in shock as Storm easily cracked his code and pulled up his contact lists. After a minute, she handed it back to him. He had a message written in one of his texts boxes.
/I'm not stupid enough not to recognize the Crown Prince of Korea, but I won't treat you any differently than I do my brother. If I think you're being an asshole, I will say "You, sir, are an asshole. I saw it on Pinterest one time and I like it./
Taemin couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up at the message. No one had ever talked to him in such a way. He looked up and found humor in her eyes. She knew she was being a snarky brat to him and didn't really care.
Stepping forward, he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger gently. He had never touched someone so intimately like that. But she didn't back away from it. In fact she turned her head, exposing her neck. The scar he had noticed last time trailed from her right eye down the side of her neck down into her shirt. It was bright against her darkened skin.
"Noona." The word rolled off his tongue like molasses, thick and sweet. "I like that."
She took his phone away from him again and typed another message. During the exchange, there was no contempt. He could tell she was very easy going and loved to joke around but you had to understand how to do it.
He took his phone from her for a second time and read it.
/Don't start something you can't finish. I may not talk, but I can chew you up seven ways from Sunday. Keep running that pretty mouth of yours and I'll put it to good use./
Mouth gaping open, Taemin watched her walk away from him. Looking back at his friends, Minho tilted his head in question. Shaking his, the prince realized he had just opened a can of worms that he may not be able to come back from.