Chapter Text
“Thank you, have a good evening!” Jin calls out as the last customer exits the cafe right on time. The alarm on his phone rings, shrill beeps signifying that it’s now five o’ clock. He surveys the area, sighing loudly as he grabs the disinfectant spray and a cloth. He walks over to the furthest corner of the seating area, beginning the motion of wiping the tables clean. Other than his own shuffling, it’s quiet and Jin doesn’t think he’s ever going to get used to it. Despite having worked at Omelas Cafe for over four years, he is so used to the hustle and bustle of the day that, come closing time, it feels eerily quiet.
Swiping the cloth on the last table, he lifts the stool and places it on the plastic surface. By now, his movements are almost rhythmic, moving on autopilot as he pulls the vacuum along with him. He welcomes the white noise, humming a soft tune that had been playing on the radio earlier. Sometimes, though, he wishes magic wasn’t just something only royals had permission to learn - it would make mundane tasks like this so much easier and quicker.
The sun’s setting by the time he’s finished. He pulls his apron off, smoothing out the wrinkles, though it doesn’t do much, as he pulls his coat on. He makes one final look over the cafe, picks up the paper bag of treats he’d slipped away. He takes the keys out of his pocket, locking the door and switching the keys out for his phone, smiling when it starts ringing at half past five exactly.
The lip balm he’d applied a couple of hours ago has been wiped off from Jin biting on his lips so much. It’s a habit he knows he should try to get rid of but hasn’t been successful in so far. Besides, he doesn’t have the time to do that right now. “Hey, Minhee. What’s up?” he greets, swiping the stick of strawberry flavoured balm over his chapped lips.
“Oppa!” The tinny voice squeals through the phone, “When are you coming home? It’s about to start!”
Jin laughs softly as he begins walking, “I’m on my way now.”
“Remember that it starts at six exactly, so you better be home before that!”
Turning the corner, Jin replies, “Don’t worry. I’m almost there.”
“I have your crown ready and everything. You have to wear it, okay?”
“Okay,” Jin promises, “How’s Eomma today?”
“She says she’s okay. And the healer said she’s ‘comfortable’ but-” Minhee sighs audibly, “I don’t know how much I believe it.”
“It’s okay. She’ll be all better,” Jin assures, “I just have to keep working harder.”
“But it’s not fair that you have to do all of this just so Eomma can have a healer who can help her.”
Jin sighs. He knows it’s not fair, and for the hundredth time, he wishes he was allowed to do magic. It would give him at least a shot at helping his mother. Whether it would be successful or not would be a matter to consider after that. “I know, but that’s how it is. We just have to try our best.”
“I know.” There’s static coming from his phone as she shifts, the crinkling of paper reaching his ears. “Come home soon, oppa.”
“I will. Take care of Eomma for me until then.” When he hears an affirmation, he hangs up the phone, putting the device into his pocket again. Just as he’s about to pull his hand out, he feels the metal of the rings he had taken off in the morning. He wraps his fingers around them and pulls them out, admiring the intricate designs. One goes on the index of his right hand, another on his left.
Then, he looks at the last ring he has. It’s different to the other two, clearly much more expensive and well-made. It’s a rose gold colour, the band shaped into leaves and vines coming to the middle where a small rose quartz is resting. No one, not even his mother, knows where it came from, only that it was found in his closed fist when she first found him on her doorstep along with a letter with the short sentence ‘please take care of our Jin’. At least, that's what they could make out. Most of the paper is torn and charred, the handwriting barely legible and most likely written in a rush. Other than this name, the ring is the only physical reminder he has of the life he could have led had the events that he doesn't even remember not happened. He doesn’t know much about it, or anything at all, really. He was barely a year old when Kim Chohee found him and adopted him. Sometimes he wonders how different he would be if he hadn’t been found on her doorstep.
He shakes his head, getting rid of the thoughts. It’s not the first time he’s gotten lost in the ‘what ifs’ but he knows he shouldn’t focus on them, knows they won’t do him any good. He slides the ring onto the middle finger of his right hand and shoves his hand back into his pocket, pulling out the key to their apartment. He turns the key in the door, pushing it open only to get tackled into a hug immediately after. “Jin oppa!”
He laughs again, picking his sister up and spinning her around. “Hey, Minhee. How are you?”
“Good. Great. So great. I’m excited!” She skips over to the middle of the room where her books are laid out but Jin can see that she’s not paying attention to algebra at all. Instead, her eyes are glued onto the TV screen, where the royal crest is flashing. In the centre, a timer is shown counting down ten minutes.
“I’m going to go say hello to Eomma and I’ll be back down.” Jin pulls off his coat, hanging it in their cupboard, and walks over to his mother’s bedroom. “We can watch the announcement together then.”
“No need.” Jin whips his head around to see his mother limping over to them from the kitchen.
“Eomma! What are you doing here? You need to be resting,” he scolds lightly, taking her free arm to guide her over to the sofa in front of the TV.
“It’s okay, Jinnie,” she reassures, “I wouldn’t miss anything that makes Minhee so excited. You know it’s become a tradition to watch the programme each year.”
Jin pouts slightly, unhappy that his mother chose to get up without anyone helping her but he understands, at least a little. She’s used to doing things herself and it’s visibly difficult for her to just sit in bed all the time, especially while Jin’s managing the cafe on his own every day. “Fine. I brought you a blueberry muffin from the cafe.” He brings the dessert out of the paper bag, placing it in her hands as she shoots him a grateful look. “Thought you might appreciate something soft and sweet for tea.”
“Thank you, Jin-ah. I-”
“Shh,” Minhee hushes, “It’s starting!” She reaches into her bag, pulling out a bright pink crown. It’s obviously hand-made, the ends of the pink card are jagged despite the complicated shape it’s oh so carefully been cut into by his little sister and the glitter is everywhere despite Minhee’s best efforts to keep it in a relatively straight line. She hesitantly holds it out to Jin, who takes it and places it on his own head proudly.
"Thank you." It may not be one of the crowns royals wear but, to him, this was worth so much more.
They quieten down, focusing on the TV screen as the timer reaches zero. The royal crest fades away to show the view from a camera panning across Seoul’s most prestigious and famous academy. Two announcers walk up to the middle of the steps leading to the academy's doors, microphones in hand.
The first, dressed in a grey suit, begins enthusiastically, “And welcome back! Seulgi and I are delighted to announce the 144th annual procession.”
“That’s right!” The second announcer, Seulgi, chimes in. She’s dressed in an elegantly flowing red dress tapering off diagonally just above her knees. Her fingers are adorned with heavy rings as she lifts her microphone to speak, “And where is all this happening, Taemin?”
“Why, at Academy Royale, of course!” Once again, the two announcers fade away as the camera shifts to show the academy. The courtyards are almost full now, princes and royals chattering eagerly as Taemin continues explaining. “Every person dreams it, but very few can actually achieve it. For those born to royalty from kingdoms far and wide, Academy Royale offers them a chance to become sophisticated monarchs.”
“And those born commoners have a chance to become their most trusted advisors," Seulgi adds gleefully.
“And now we’ll hear from Headmistress Lee Minyoung.” They walk out of the camera’s view and the headmistress takes their place.
“At Academy Royale, those born to royal life unlock their potential to become princes. Yet, every year, one regular citizen wins a full scholarship to the academy with a chance to become a royal advisor and change their life forever.” She waits for the cheers from the crowd to calm down before speaking again, “This year’s lottery winner will be chosen by Seoul’s own Kim Taehyung.”
“You, of course, mean Prince Kim Taehyung.” Another woman interrupts Headmistress Lee. She’s dressed in an over-the-top, elaborately designed gown. There are white ruffles around her shoulders while the rest of her dress is a lime green shade, the silk draping down her body and clinging to her curves as she saunters to the middle of the area. “My son will soon be the prince of Seoul.”
“Provided he completes this year, that is,” Minyoung counters. “Until then-” She gestures to the student standing tall on the side, just out of frame. "Kim Taehyung-ssi, please pick the lottery winner."
Taehyung saunters across the frame of the camera, out of view for a few seconds until the camera zooms out to show the soon-to-be prince standing stoically behind a huge lottery box. He’s dressed in the school’s uniform, a white shirt followed by a maroon blazer and black trousers. It’s a uniform that everyone knows well, can recognise even from a distance. It’s extremely difficult to get a place at the academy even as a royal and, for citizens, the only real chance lies in the lottery or having connections. Jin hasn’t even bothered to think about something like that for himself.
Taehyung reaches into the box once it stops spinning, pulling out two pieces of folded paper, one in each hand. He looks at them, contemplating before lowering his left hand and placing the paper back into the lottery box. Everyone holds their breath as he opens the paper, scanning the page multiple times with a slight frown though it disappears almost immediately after, before raising his head. He makes eye contact with the camera, opening his mouth excruciatingly slowly, “Kim Jin?”
Jin drops his half-eaten muffin.
What the fuck? No. Surely there must be another person in Korea with that name. It’s not the most uncommon name, after all. But even as he says this, he knows that’s not the case. Very few people have one syllable names, and that number reduces even more considering the lottery only accepts applicants living in Seoul and its neighbouring areas rather than all of South Korea, which makes sense considering the winner was to be trained to become Seoul's primary royal advisor. At the same time, it made absolutely no fucking sense at all because Jin hadn't even entered so, again, what the fuck?
“I knew it!” Minhee yells, jumping up from the carpet as she starts cheering, dancing around the room. “There’s no way you wouldn’t have gotten it.”
“But I didn’t even ente-” He narrows his eyes, picking up on Minhee’s triumphant grin, her anticipation, her eagerness for Jin to come home early tonight despite the cafe usually closing an hour later. “ You entered for me?” He reached out and grabbed Minhee’s shoulders turning her towards himself to stop her dancing around.
Minhee, for her part, only looks a little sheepish, her joy overshadowing any shame she felt. “Only 5 or 6 times…” When Jin just stares at her, she ducks her head, whispering “... every day. For an entire year!”
“Minhee,” Jin sighs, pinching his nose, “You can’t just do that.”
“Why not? It worked.”
“Eomma!” He spins around, pleading eyes at his mother.
A knock on their door. Minhee gasps. “They’re here!”
“Already?” He isn’t able to stop Minhee from answering the door, inviting the guard in. It’s barely been half an hour since his name had been announced. So royalty works fast fast. Jin isn’t ready. “I’m not ready.”
“Kim… Jin?” the guard calls and Minhee immediately points towards Jin, who’s taking in the guard’s appearance. He’s wearing a grey suit, along with a sash adorned with the royal crest, looking regal and every bit a part of the upper class - not like Jin.
“Yes?” Jin answers, suddenly timid.
“Congratulations on your scholarship. I’m here to take you to Academy Royale.” The guard’s voice remains monotonous, not a hint of emotion showing despite his words.
“I-I’m sorry,” Jin stutters, shifting from one foot to the other, “T-there’s been a mistake of some kind. I-”
“Think about it, Jin.” And that makes Jin stop. He turns around. His mother is no longer sitting on the sofa, instead standing next to Minhee behind him. She’s looking at him so sincerely and he feels guilty, so guilty for what he’s about to do.
“I-I don’t belong with royalty. I’m not an advisor, a prince, a royal anything . I’m just another nobody working at a cafe.” He looks down at his clothes, then at the apron in his hand. “I’ve got spoons in my pockets and stains everywhere. I’m not in a fancy gown and look at the state of my hands.” To prove his point, he raises his hands. Calluses on his fingertips and short, chipped nails, his hands are a perfect indication of his class and it’s very obviously not that of a royal.
“I know it wasn't right of Minhee to go behind your back like that but-” his mother explains, reaching out to hold his hands in her own and Jin notices just how cold her hands are, shaking from exertion as she speaks, “-a chance to be an advisor will-”
Jin remembers the speech the headmistress had delivered, “-will change our lives forever.” If he does graduate (and that’s a very big if), he’ll be working in the palace and he’ll be working under the prince only. One paycheck in that position will be equivalent to months of work at the cafe. It would be enough to get his mother a proper healer, and he’d just said he’d do anything to help his mother. “But what about the cafe?”
“I’ll hire someone. There are always people looking for jobs around here.” And Jin understands that struggle.
Jin doesn’t have any other excuse left. He sighs, resigned. “Fine. I’ll go!”
“I know you can do it!” Minhee encourages. She’s doing a little dance again, arms in the air as she whoops, “You’re going to be working at the palace!”
“Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves yet, huh? I still have to graduate.”
Minhee snorts, “I’m sure you’re going to do just fine.”
The guard clears his throat, gesturing towards the door. “Are we ready to go now?”
“I still have to get my things though.”
“No need. Everything you need will be provided at the academy.”
“But-” He glances down at his clothes. Despite his best attempts, none of his clothes could go the whole day without getting wrinkled and the clothes he’s wearing right now are no exception. Even now, he can identify multiple stains from the desserts and drinks he had been making and cleaning up all day. It’s such a stark difference to the magnificent gowns and elegant suits he’s seen the royals wearing on TV so often that Jin feels ashamed to even have considered this.
“If you don’t come now, you will be forfeiting your scholarship,” The guard warns and Jin looks over his shoulder at his mother and Minhee helplessly.
“Go on, Jin-ah.”
“Are you sure?” His mother nods, smiling wide. It’s the first time he’s seen her so happy since she was first diagnosed. Leaping forward, he envelopes her and Minhee in his arms, sniffling, “I’m going to miss you two.”
“But I’m sure it will be worth it.” Jin hums. He doesn’t know how long they stay that way. Jin doesn’t want to let go but he knows he has to, knows the guard’s waiting. Wiping his tears, he pulls away, kissing his family on the cheek one last time before following the guard. He’s determined to make this work. Somehow.
“Wow,” Jin gasps as the guard opens the main door. There, in the middle of the road, is a carriage. It’s incredibly uncommon, even for royalty, to ride carriages due to their impracticality. As lavish and outspoken as it may be, there is just no need to depend on a horse for travel when other, much faster modes of travel exist. That being said, though, it’s not entirely unheard of. Occasionally, for more mainstream events, royals could be seen travelling in carriages. Even during the programme earlier this evening, the majority of princesses opted to arrive at the academy in their respective carriages.
He doesn’t know if this can be classed as a special occasion but he’s not going to be complaining. The carriage is a sophisticated purple, gold lining its edges. Jin doesn’t want to touch it, fearing that he’ll somehow ruin it.
“Oppa!” He swivels around, smiling softly when he sees Minhee waving at him. He returns the gesture and is about to say something when something flies past him and he hastily calls out a goodbye.
He turns around, catching sight of the hot pink crown and, without thinking, sprints for it. He’s heaving slightly by the time he’s caught it gently in his hands. The carriage has already started to move, albeit slowly and Jin rushes to catch up to it, swinging himself over the barrier and into the seat safely. He practically melts into the cushioned seat, letting out a relieved sigh. Jin remembers the first time he was in a car but even that can’t compare to this carriage.
He sighs. Honestly, this is completely out of his depth. The most he would expect from working harder and gaining a bigger income would be a home of their own. Occasionally, maybe Jin could afford to take the bus instead of walking and they could eat out a couple times a year. That’s what he had concluded just last night after calculating and recalculating numbers upon numbers, working out all the possible ways he could earn more.
Now, though, none of that applies. He’s going to be working in a fucking palace. He’s going to be wearing fancy clothes, riding in carriages and using magic . As in, doing what he had been told he shouldn’t even think about because never in a million years would someone of his class be authorised to be doing magic when it’s so heavily regulated. It’s what sets royals and the upper class apart from everyone else.
He looks down at the paper crown still in his hand. It doesn’t seem to be damaged. At least, not much more than it already had been. He and Minhee made the crowns years ago, back when Minhee was still refining her motor skills and, sure, it would never compare to the crowns that royals, proper royals, wear but there’s a sentimental value that Jin’s not willing to part with. He misses them already.
He wonders if he’ll be able to see them soon. He’s heard about how intense the year royals spend at Academy Royale is and Jin has a feeling it’s going to be even worse for him, considering he’s starting from the very bottom.
He shakes his head. This isn’t how he should be thinking. He’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. There’s no way he’s going to get another chance at this, another chance like this.
“We’re here.” Jin snaps his head up, taking in the sights around the carriage. It’s- It’s magnificent. The footage shown on TV doesn’t do the real thing justice at all. He realises the carriage has stopped and the guard is looking over at him impatiently.
“Thank you for the ride!” He climbs out hastily, bowing as he shuts the door. “I wondered if you could show me ar- or not.” He backtracks, seeing the guard pulling on the reins and the carriage reversing. “Guess I’m on my own, then.”
He takes a deep breath, turning around to face an intimidating set of doors. They’re the same ones shown on TV and Jin concludes that it must be the entrance. At least, he hopes so. He tentatively walks up to them, pushing on the handles. They open slowly, revealing the halls of the academy little by little.
Wow.
Jin is so out of his depth. The corridor is overflowing with students. Royals of all kinds are walking across the area but they all carry an air of sophistication built from years of practicing, one Jin can only hope to muster. Most of them are also wearing the famous uniform, with a few people here and there who are still dressed in their regular clothes. At least, Jin assumes they are. They don’t look like anything Jin could afford to wear even on the fanciest occasion. Silk, chiffon and is that cashmere? He remembers his mother ranting about them back when she used to work part-time at a high-end retail store. She always complained about how ridiculously expensive everything was, how, even with her salary and employee discount, there was no way she could afford even the cheapest of clothes.
He’s still contemplating whether he should just stand where he is and hope someone notices how, well, how lost he is or walk towards the staircase in front of him when something tackles him. He stumbles and manages to catch himself on his hands. When he finally gathers his bearings again, he sits up. One hand is still resting on his head while his other is placed on the floor behind him to steady himself.
When he looks up, he comes face to face with a dog. A… very, very large dog. And it’s not that Jin has anything against dogs, or animals; he loves animals. This dog is just so big , like, abnormally big and he has a collar. Curiosity piqued, Jin reaches out for the tag, reading the letters slowly.
“Jjangu? Is that your name?” The dog, Jjangu, responds by licking Jin’s hand enthusiastically and Jin can’t help but start laughing hysterically. This is definitely not how he thought his first impression of Academy Royale would be.
“You must be Kim Jin.” He looks up sharply, twisting around to see- oh. Headmistress Lee is walking down the staircase, hands folded in front of her as she speaks and a blush forms on Jin’s face. “We don’t usually find our future royals sprawled on the floor.”
Jin scrambles up quickly, but doesn’t remove the hand ruffling Jjangu’s fur. “Sorry.”
“It’s quite alright. I’m Headmistress Lee Minyoung, though I’m sure you already knew that.” She laughs softly and Jin joins her, albeit hesitantly.
Even then, it comes out slightly high-pitched because he’s scared half to death about fucking everything up somehow. Knowing him, it won’t take long. In fact, he’s probably already fucked up somehow but he doesn’t let his anxiety show, instead stuttering out a quiet, “T-thank you.”
“Should I take you to your locker?”
“Academy Royale was founded on the principles of instilling those that qualify for a position in royalty with character and confidence. We have been preparing them for the royal life for nearly five centuries.”
“Wow,” Jin gasps, admiring the corridors as they walk. “Minhee would love this. She’s always wanted to come here.”
That makes the Headmistress pause. “Minhee?” she questions.
“My little sister,” he elaborates. His hand subconsciously slips into his pocket, fiddling with the crown he had folded and placed in it for safekeeping. “She’s the one who entered me into the lottery. I never would have come here but it’s a chance to make a better life for her, and Eomma.” He doesn’t really know why he’s divulging all this information to a complete stranger but there’s something about the Headmistress that makes him feel at ease.
“Jin?” He lowers his hand from where it’s gliding across the spines of the hundreds of books on the shelves, turning around and meeting her eyes.
“Yes, Headmistress?”
“Only twenty seven percent of lottery winners make it to graduation. Even last year’s candidate didn’t make it. Do you really think you have what it takes?”
And that makes him pause, makes him consider. Does he? He’d been against it from the start. Even now, he’s only doing it for Minhee and his mother. Will that be enough to get him through to graduation? Through to a proper job with a stable, high income?
“I’ll sure try.” Headmistress Lee is examining him with an expression he can’t quite place but before he can ask, she’s already striding ahead and he scrambles to keep up with her.
“This is the original Academy Royale.” She indicates the area they’re in. “However, most of your classes and the student dorms are in our new section.” She pulls out a set of papers and hands them to Jin, who takes them wordlessly, shuffling through them. “And here we are at your locker.”
That makes Jin look up, stopping abruptly just behind the headmistress. He opens the door, staring with his mouth open. “This is all mine?” he asks.
“Fully equipped with the basic necessities Academy Royale provides. You are, of course, free to customise it how you desire. Once you are more proficient in magic, you will have more opportunities to customise this how you desire.” She looks down at her watch. “I’ll leave you to get used to the academy for now. Good luck.”
Jin watches her walk away and, once she’s blended in with the rest of the students, faces his locker again. Before he can even begin to figure out what’s happening, though, a voice interrupts him.
“What are you wearing?” Jin whips his head around, trying to locate the voice and comes face to face with someone he recognises. He’s wearing the uniform and Jin remembers his own clothes, blushing bright red when he does, eyes shifting to the end of the hall, looking anywhere but at the people in front of him.
“Sorry?”
The stranger scoffs. “Do you expect to work in the royal palace in that attire?”
Jin looks down at his clothes, embarrassed. “I-”
“Ah,” he says, “You’re the lottery winner, aren’t you?” He brushes a hand through his hair, ruffling his meticulously styled curls and Jin can see the intense stare in his eyes clearer.
Oh God.
It hits him. He recognises the other man, a prince, from somewhere and gasps, “You’re-”
“Yes, yes. Prince Kim Taehyung, the first to be crowned ever since the queen’s death.” Taehyung rolls his eyes. “I know .”
“Then you understand th-” Jin begins to say but he’s cut off and what’s up with the prince not letting Jin finish his sentences?
“I understand that the lottery is a joke,” Taehyung sneers, “Isn’t it obvious? Commoners like you don’t belong here.”
“Tae? We have to go if we want to be on time.” Taehyung clicked his tongue, glaring at Jin once more before sauntering away, someone else trailing behind him.
Jin sighs. So much for making a good first impression. He starts skimming through the stack of papers Headmistress Lee gave him, trying to figure out what he’s supposed to do next. He doesn’t even want to touch the locker yet. Not without knowing what can happen and certainly not when anyone can catch him messing up, because he’s sure to.
He’s about halfway through the stack, standing awkwardly to one side of the hallway as he tries to remember the information he’s reading when he comes across a map. He flicks through the plans and lets out a sigh of relief once he locates the dorms. They’re not too far from where he is right now, if he’s reading correctly and he assumes his uniform will be there. Well, he hopes so. Right now, his main goal is to get out of his work clothes and into something a little more presentable.
“Fourteen, sixteen… eighteen,” he whispers to himself, sighing in relief. He’s almost there. He reads the number printed on the paper once more before looking at the corresponding door. “Twenty. Finally.” He takes a deep breath, fingers curling around the handle, pushing it down and-
It doesn’t move.
Why doesn’t it move? It’s supposed to be unlocked. How else is he supposed to get inside? Frantically, he flips through the papers again, trying to find something that indicates what he’s supposed to do. He wasn’t given a key, just the room number but that’s not going to be helpful if he can’t even enter. He removes his hand, looking carefully at the handle. Just below it, there’s a space, almost like a keyhole except there’s no way a key of any kind would fit in a hole that big and, well, not key shaped.
Unsure of what to do, he knocks. And then he waits. And waits. He’s debating whether he should attempt to make his way to the headmistress’ office to ask for help when the door opens.
“Hey!” A head peeks out from behind the door. “Are you our third roommate?”
Jin startles, taking a few seconds to calm down and collect himself before answering, “I think so.”
The other student smiles, cheeks lifting and eyes forming crescents as he opens the door wider, “Come in then!” He holds his hand out for Jin, who takes it as he walks into the room, his jaw dropping instantly as he takes in the place.
“All of this is for us?” he marvels. The room is huge. He’s pretty sure it’s the size of his whole apartment back at home.
“Yeah.” the boy shrugs. “It’s not as big as I’m used to but I don’t mind sharing.”
“Not as bi-'' And it’s then that Jin realises the other student must be a prince. He must be used to living in these grand places, used to living in luxury. Academy Royale must be like any other place to him.
“Have you never seen a room this big before?” But before Jin can reply, the boy gasps, “You’re the lottery winner, aren’t you? Of course, you aren’t used to this.” Before Jin can get another word in edgewise, the boy is already speaking again, “Prince Jimin of Busan. I’m to be crowned at the end of this year.”
He picks up one of the (numerous) pillows scattered across his bed and throws it across the room and it’s only then that Jin notices someone else in the room. He’s sitting quietly with a pair of headphones. His head is bobbing to whatever he’s listening to and his fingers are flying across the keyboard as he stares intently at the laptop screen.
“Yah! Introduce yourself!”
Without even flinching, the other student grabs the pillow, throwing it back at Jimin, who yelps and throws out a flurry of curses that Jin would never expect to hear from someone of his status. The other roommate then takes off his headphones, scowling at Jimin before turning to Jin. “Prince Yoongi of Daegu.”
Oh, dear God. Jin’s expected to be living with two princes for the rest of the year. Two princes. He’s going to make such a fool of himself. Naturally, the first words out of his mouth are, “Why couldn’t I open the door?”
He squeezes his eyes shut, silently berating himself and just waiting for Jimin and Yoongi to start laughing at him for asking such a stupid fucking question except it doesn’t come so he opens his eyes and looks at Jimin but it’s Yoongi who answers. His laptop is closed, placed on top of his drawer and he’s sprawled across the bed lazily, headphones discarded as he listens to Jin and Jimin converse. “Because we’re supposed to use our wands for it.”
Jimin must see the puzzled look Jin sends to Yoongi because he’s quick to explain, “Obviously we don’t have them yet so we’re supposed to be using these cards-” He grabs a slim, rectangular piece of plastic from his table and holds it up for Jin to see. “-to open our dorms until then. Once we start using magic, the doors will recognise our signatures and respond to our magic. Isn’t it cool?”
“Wow.”
Yoongi snorts. “That’s one way to put it, I guess.”
“We have the rest of the night to get used to our rooms and the rest of this place.” Jimin says suddenly, fiddling with his phone. He looks up at Jin. “We have the headmistress’ opening assembly tomorrow and then classes start on Wednesday.” He beams. “That gives us plenty of time to get to know each other.” He points to the empty bed in the corner of the room and Jin realises that it’s meant for him. At this point, he’s given up on being shocked, just accepting that he’ll never be used to the luxury of the higher class any time soon.
“Ah.” Jin cringes, looking down at his clothes for the nth time that evening. He’s really not used to being this self-conscious. It somehow feels wrong to be sitting on that bed in these clothes.
“You can look in the wardrobe for something to wear for now,” Jimin pipes up and Jin feels like crying because the past few hours have been a rollercoaster and so out of the ordinary for him. He’s used to working his eight to six shift at the cafe and then coming home to take care of his mother routinely and this is nothing like that.
“Thank you.”
Jimin waves it away, “No need. Now hurry up and get changed so we can talk. I wanna know
everything
.”