Chapter Text
It had been raining for three days, and not just any rain, heavy rain. The kind that makes you want to stay inside by a warm fireplace and watch through foggy windows as the gray clouds cover the once blue sky.
But Yeonjun wasn’t that fortunate. No one was if your title was less than Three. Most were farmers or wanderers who lived day after day looking for work from anyone who would take them.
Then again, he was one of the lucky ones. Having a somewhat stable job as the baker's son, it was common for people to spend their last few pennies on the warm baked goods, especially in cold times like these.
Watching as another person dashed cautiously by the stall, Yeonjun sighed.
It wasn’t a shop, nothing there was. It was simply a shed that had enough room to add a few shelves and a counter. If he had time, Yeonjun would happily clean the inside to make it less grimy-looking, but that was far above his pay grade and he had no energy at the end of the day.
Being the middle child in his family, Yeonjun had to go out and work. His older siblings got married and left, while their younger sisters stayed at home. Most of his days were spent helping his mother with the baking and listening as she gossiped.
His father, being one of the few farmers in the small town, was tasked with going to the Fives and returning with the resources they would need to last them the next month.
When it was clear no other people would be buying bread, Yeonjun packed up the leftovers and decided it would be better to return home rather than be soaked in the unusual rainfall.
It hadn’t taken him long to return home, but when he did he was met with a familiar sight.
His younger sister sitting in front of the small TV screen that they had (a gift from their father one month) hair tossed carelessly into a messy bun as she stared at the dull lights coming from the screen.
His mother was in the kitchen, no doubt making soup with bread, chopping the vegetables carefully.
“You're back early,” she said, eyes remaining on the spring onions in front of her.
“The rain is too bad for anyone to be out there. Even Kai stopped doing his deliveries and went back home.”
His mother paused and thought to herself before continuing.
“It must be bad if Kai stopped. That kid will work through anything.”
Walking into his small bedroom, Yeonjun removed his clothes and changed into something warmer, choosing not to go with his favorite purple sweater for the first time in his life.
Just as he had flopped tiredly onto his bed, a sharp knock startled him out of his brief rest.
“I could have frozen to death out there, you know.” A complaining voice whispered as the figure climbed through the window.
“You know we have a front door, right?” Yeonjun smiled.
If there was anyone crazy enough to walk through the icy rain to visit him, of course, it would be Jung Wooyoung.
“Yeah, but if I go through the door, I'll get the whole three feet apart talk from Yerim, and I can’t go through that again.”
It had only been about a week since their talk about changing the status of their relationship, and yet Yeonjun had no idea how the other kept calm. He could barely quiet his heart watching the brown-haired boy cross his room towards the dresser to change out of his wet clothes.
“Did you hear the rumors?” Wooyoung asked, reaching for the purple sweater.
“What rumors–and, hey! Not my sweater.”
“I bought you that sweater,” Wooyoung huffed back, opting for a gray sweater instead.
“Anyway, my father says the Fives are in an uproar right now. Something is happening in the Ones and it’s definitely going to affect us down here.”
Wooyoung’s father was a businessman. One in charge of trading items to get food for their part of the city, and occasionally he would come across news that he would, of course, tell his family about.
Yeonjun thought to himself, something that would affect the Eights had to be something big considering they were left out of basically every event and holiday that was held.
“Should we be preparing for something?” Yeonjun asked curiously, crossing his legs on his bed.
Wooyoung nodded his head, looking outside the window.
“Just wait until the rain stops, things will begin to change then.”
Two days later, the rain finally let up, allowing them to see some sort of light peeking through the thick gray clouds. Yet something was different.
“It's here,” his younger sister shouted out, running into the house with a flimsy piece of wet paper.
Wooyoung had been right. Shortly after he had left, Yeonjun’s father had returned from his job holding out a piece of brown-stained paper with beautiful gold ink.
“A selection?” His mother gasped, clutching her apron.
“There hasn’t been one in years. Since Prince Taehyung.”
Though it was unusual, it wasn't that much of a surprise that everyone should be in such an uproar.
It was no secret that the prince would be of age soon and would have to marry, but it had been assumed that he would marry into royalty. Not just any random person. Much less an Eight.
“Read it out! Read it out!” his twin sister Yeji shouted anxiously.
Taking a deep breath, his mother began.
“To the Choi household. It has been confirmed by birth certificate that you have an unmarried male child between the ages of nineteen and twenty-two who has been chosen to participate in the upcoming selection process to find our beloved Prince Soobin a significant other.”
The house was quiet; only the dripping of the old faucet was heard as the family tried to process what had just been said.
“Unmarried… male ?” his father questioned, looking over to Yeonjun, who was equally in shock.
“Maybe it was a mistake.” Yerim whispered, looking up.
“Quick, keep reading.” Yeji urged, eyes wide in disbelief.
“This child, Choi Yeonjun , was chosen through an extremely sensitive process, including one male and one female candidate from each sector. In five days' time, we will be sending down a representative to collect the person named above.”
Yerim had been the first to express her confusion, not that anyone could blame her.
“Why was Yeonjun chosen and not Yeji?” she asked, crossing her arms.
It would have made more sense if Yeji had been chosen after all. Though they were twins, Yeji had gotten the perfect almond eye shape matched with beautiful mocha eyes, her hair was black and waist length and almost as smooth as Yerim’s hair, which was often compared to satin. Not to mention her admirable personality, something that they do in fact share in common.
“If they are choosing one boy and one girl, wouldn't it make sense to take Yeji and choose another boy, such as Jung Wooyoung?”
And though his heart dropped, he couldn't deny his mother's statement that Wooyoung was by far the best-looking boy in town, which was another reason Yeonjun liked him so much.
“What if I don't want to go?” Yeonjun suddenly asked. It would make no sense for him to leave, not to mention he would much rather prefer to stay with his family than travel up to where the Ones lived. He didn't yearn for a more lavish life like his elder siblings, who had gotten lucky and married higher up the ranks.
Yeji scoffed, glaring at him with all she had.
“Look, I know we’re all not happy with me not going.”
“Who said that?” Yerim asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Okay, okay, I would love to go and meet the prince, but you read the paper.” Yeji gestured towards the letter, “There's a reason they chose you and not me. Which means you better go up there and win with all you have.”
Yeji and Yeonjun were not like regular twins who thought alike and clung to each other's every word. They never hesitated to express each other, especially when they disagreed. Yeonjun could now tell she was very serious about the matter."
“I'll think about it,” Yeonjun muttered, grabbing the bread basket and heading out for the day.
Now that the rain had stopped, sitting under the shed wasn't too bad. On the other hand, he now had more things to worry about than leaking roofs and chilly winds. Knowing his sister, she wouldn't let it go until he said yes, but he had a life here as well as a family and a soon-to-be boyfriend. Engagement would definitely affect that relationship in more ways than one.
Sighing, Yeonjun watched as his favorite customers approached the shed.
“Good morning, Yeonjun,” Mrs. Jung smiled as she got closer.
Behind her trailed her two sons.
“Good morning, Mrs. Jung, Jeongwoo, Wooyoung,” he acknowledged everyone with a smile.
He took out the best pieces of bread and wrapped them up in a clean cloth for them to take.
“Did you hear about the selection?” Jeongwoo asked eagerly, leaning against the counter.
“Apparently, Lia, Mrs. Choi the seamstress's daughter, is one of the selected for our town. Can you believe it?”
Jeongwoo was always a bright child, often reminding Yeonjun of Wooyoung in many ways. But he was also a huge gossip, even more than his sisters.
“I hadn't heard, but good for her.” Yeonjun replied, taking the coins from Mrs. Jung and stuffing them inside his pocket.
“Everyone is still looking for the boy who’s going to be representing our town. We’re all pretty shocked Wooyoung wasn’t chosen.”
Of course, they were shocked. Who wouldn't have chosen Wooyoung? There were multiple nights when they walked next to each other Yeonjun would just stop to admire the other's features, and on one too many occasions he’s gotten close enough to confirm Jung Wooyoung was absolutely perfect.
“Don't say things like that!” Wooyoung scolded, lightly hitting his brother's arm.
“I wouldn't want to leave town now, not when all the things I love are here,” he smiled, sending a discreet wink in Yeonjun's way.
‘ He's as bold as ever ,' Yeonjun thought to himself. It was a miracle they hadn’t gotten caught yet, seeing how small this town was.
“That poor girl is in for a rude awakening. I can remember the last selection. It had been rough after Prince Taehyung married Jeon Jungkook, a Four. Imagine what the people would do if an Eight were chosen.”
She was right. It had been a legendary year. Nineteen years ago, to be exact. When Prince Taehyung had held his selection in search of love.
It had been a shocking outcome when he had chosen the shy and weak-looking Four instead of the stronger and wiser Two. It had caused an even bigger outburst when they had adopted the prince, going even further outside of the royal bloodline.
It was a story many families still loved to retell to their young children. Even Yeonjun hadn’t been spared, seeing as his mother had been alive to witness it.
“Well, I wish those two well on their challenges. I do wish to see the look on people's faces if an Eight were to win,” she chuckled to herself.
As she and Jeongwoo walked away, Wooyoung chose to stick around a while longer.
“You okay?” he asked, poking Yeonjun’s forehead.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Swallowing, Yeonjun looked down, unable to meet his eyes.
“It’s me,” Yeonjun choked out. “I’m the other Eight that was chosen.”