Chapter 18 - I Am Not A Prince Here!

Clearing his throat and calming his heated skin, he thought about home. Closing his eyes, he tried to remember what it felt like walking barefooted on the grass and hiding in the gardens. He tried to remember what the smell of his mother's was and the curl of his father's hair. He tried to remember his siblings and the way they spoke.

His heart grew heavy the more he thought about home, his kingdom, his family. Placing the pen to the paper, he began writing.

*Task completed. Earned points.*

==

Quang Zhi was grinning so wide, it made his cheeks heard. Glancing at his fellow co-owner, he could not help but be thankful for the woman. Somehow, she did it and now they have not 1 but 3 to represent them! His brown eyes looked at Ping, Shun, and Kiki. Each trainees had a good enough following that would help promote their studio well.

"You're scaring the kids," Ling Mei laughed pushing him lightly.

"Shun, Kiki, and Ping, come here," he called out and the boys came to them, "Listen. You will be heading to the preform against the other trainees from the other studios. Do you best and win for us!"

"What he means is to enjoy yourself and be respectful. We know you are capable in reaching high. Do not feel bad if you lose. We will still be here to welcome you back," Manager Ling said and Shun smiled at her.

"Are you guys still creating a group?" He asked and they nodded, "Awesome! When we get in the group, maybe we can do a collab with the group you create with Wen Dong in it."

"…"

"…"

Shun continued to smile and then he heard the laughter from the managers.

"I see. You are confident, Shun. I must be honest. You surprised me. From doing well to fainting to being a wet noodle, to doing well again," Master Quang cupped his shoulder, "Keep your confidence, Shun. That goes for all of you. Now, go practice before you leave."

He waved them away from him and looked over at Ling Mei who also looked at him. They shared a smile and a nod. Things were working out and he never felt so full of hope before. Looking over at Wen Dong, he had to admit the boy had grown in his singing ability.

'Maybe…'

Later that day, Shun was at Suu Jin's house for last minute singing lessons before he goes to the competition and Jin goes on a promotional tour for his new album. Currently eating the meal Shun made, Jin was watching the recorded video. Nodding, he looked over at awaiting eyes.

"You've definitely had gotten better, Shun. You must really want to be an idol."

"Yes! I want to be like you, Jin. Kind, perfect, and skilled in everything. I mean, I don't think I will reach perfect status like you, but I hope to reach close to it," Shun explained.

"I'm not perfect, Shun," the idol stated and turned to look at his meal, "I just have a good team that make it look like I am."

"Well…" Shun got up and brought their plates to the sink to wash, "A team can only make you look as good as you are. If you were not perfect, there would be no way they would be able to hide your flaws from everyone for so long. I mean, from what Ah Ping said, you've been an idol star since you were 14."

Shun finished cleaning, placed the dishes on the rack, then returned to his the bar stool under the island.

"I always had a bunch of people tell me how to behave, how to act, and how to speak. But there was no way they would be able to hide the fact that I would run away and avoid everyone," Shun explained with a small laugh.

"I see…" Shun saw green eyes narrowed slightly and he found his smile slowly fell.

'Was I… oh my gawd, I am not a prince here! I keep forgetting when I am with him!'

"I mean, you are truly a perfect prince, Jin," Shun continued quickly, "You are a true gentleman, respectful, and so pure."

"Hm…"

"Like who could-"

Fingers covered his lips and he blinked wide brown eyes into green ones. There were amusement in them and he relaxed slightly. The fingers pulled away and he heard the soft laugh from the idol.

"That is enough compliment. My ego will be bigger than my body if you continue."

Shun laughed and they moved to the piano room to practice his singing and dancing. He was very grateful to Suu Jin. When the time came for them to part, they kissed softly. He still wasn't sure what their relationship was, but he enjoyed the idol prince. He was learning a lot from him and he hoped he could continue working with the pinkette.

Suu Jin went to his piano when the young man left. He played a melody he had been working on. He smiled softly and looked down at his fingers and sang gently.

"There are no words that I could say, no labels that would make sense."

==

Today was the day. It was time for them to head to the idol competition. Shun had posted on Weebo and posted a picture of himself in InstaMe. With a pair of extra clothes, he entered the car that pulled up. Pulling out his phone, he was about to go live for his fans, but a man who was driving him told him to put his phone away.

"No phones from now. You will be filmed 24/7."

"What?" Shun found his eyes widened and he could feel his skin crawling. Being filmed 24/7?! He… He would have to be perfect 24/7?!

"Oh… okay."

He was quiet as he looked around the car to see if there were cameras around. He held his bag close to him as he just stared out of windo-