The Next Prince, Chapter 6 pg3
The Next Prince, Chapter 6 pg3
Oh, it's me, number 7. Lucky me.” Kim showed his card with number 7 to everyone. The Korean guy got up, grabbed a beer bottle from behind, and sat down to chug it casually, as if the order from King Paul was relatively easy.
“Next person...” The amateur king didn't wait for Kim to finish his beer. Paul started looking for a new target, his eyes gleaming with the excitement of increasing the intensity of his orders.
“Numbers 1 and 5, pick your noses and twerk, then post it on Jimmy's
Instagram story right now.”
“Paul! Damn it, there's someone I like in Jimmy's IG story!” Samantha showed a number one card before folding it away and then gave the middle finger to the one who gave the order, but she knew there was no other choice.
The order from the king was absolute, so in the end, the only girl had to reluctantly turn to call Charlie, who got number seven, to dance and twerk together to upload on Jimmy's IG story.
“If the next order isn't as daring as mine, I'll scream in your ear, watch out.” As Samantha sat down, she gave a threatening tone to Paul, causing nearly everyone in the circle to burst out laughing.
“Okay, this time I'll make it more intense.” Paul swept his gaze over the remaining people who hadn't yet received an order from the king. “I think this round someone should drink that nasty liquid.”
“But you can't order anyone to drink that from this game.” Charlie protested, the half-Thai young man who was the guardian of the rules, still performing his duties diligently. “Even if you are the king, you still have to abide by the rules.”
“I'm not ordering them to drink, but to compete. This round will find a loser... Winner...” Paul began to show his cunning, mimicking a soccer player asking for time out on the field before running into Samantha's room for a moment and then returning with a box of long, strawberry-flavored Pocky sticks that the hostess liked to eat.
“Pocky?”
“Yeah, I'm going to have you guys play a Pocky game. The losing pair will share that nasty liquid, each drinking half.”
“Isn't this kind of cheating?” Khanin, who had been sitting quietly, commented. “If you order like this, there will definitely be a losing pair, or if there's one pair who doesn't dare to play this game, they'll have to compete against each other to determine the winner and loser and drink that liquid anyway. Either way, the king is safe this round.”
Everyone who could read the situation in front of them groaned in unison. Khanin felt that it was an overly clever, cheating way to escape, but his close friend with golden hair didn't seem to hear him.
“I just have to find a scapegoat, I'm not breaking any rules, right? The king is still under the five rules.”
“But it's making them compete to force someone to lose.” Khanin's words were of interest to Charan, who admired the young man's quick-wittedness in reading the game, and thought highly of Tattanai for his skill in teaching such a talented student.
This kid had observant skills and a quick mind. If he could add some negotiation skills, he would be good for managing people, but even so... Charan thought that the manners deducted would still be there and saw it as a separate matter.
Give what is due.
Deduct what is to be deducted.
Can't be used to cancel each other out...
“Charlie didn't set a rule that the king can't indirectly pressure others.”
“Okay, next time I'll set that rule.” Charlie conceded, realizing that what Paul said was something he hadn't thought of himself.
“If I have to drink that liquid, you're in big trouble next round, Paul.” Someone spoke up.
“If you don't know which number
“If you don't know my number, what can you do to me? Everyone knows this if Khanin is the king of games. I'm a pro in maintaining a poker-face.” Paul laughed and leaned back in a repulsive manner. “Next round, I'll order...”
“...” This time, the whole group was even quieter than the first time. Everyone looked at each other's faces, knowing that someone in this circle, except for the person who has already lost, will have to drink from that trashy glass.
“I order number 3 to pair with number 4 and number 9 to pair with number 6 to compete in a Pocky eating contest. Whoever has more remaining on the stick loses, and they will have to share the trashy drink. Ha, ha, ha.”
The one in the king's position spoke to himself, holding his hand loosely like a microphone. The playful British guy made a sound effect with his own voice, and then swept his gaze around to wait for the four unlucky ones.
It can be said that Paul's order is not too cruel. If it weren't for the intention of the higher-ups to tease each other, this tense situation would never have occurred...
“I'm number 3, and Jimmy is number 4.” Seymour announced before the whole group cheered. Fortunately, unlike Khanin who held number 9 tightly in his hand, those two were dating, so the Pocky eating thing was no different than feeding each other bananas.
Both Jimmy and Seymour seemed to have taken a step towards the finish line. Meanwhile, Khanin felt himself seeing the door to salvation, and it became even clearer... as someone reluctantly uttered the sentence he least wanted to hear.
“Hey, Charan, what's your number?”
“Number 6.”
“Don't tell me Nin is number 9!” Paul, the good friend, almost laughed out loud when he saw his best friend's troubled face.
Although it happened only momentarily and quickly disappeared, it was enough for Paul to feel like a successful prankster who managed to make Khanin stand in the risky spot of being punished.
“I am number 9.” Khanin admitted without a choice. He quickly glanced at his opponent before noticing that the doctor blinked more frequently than usual.
Guessing that he didn't want to play this game... But anyway, Khanin didn't care. No matter how much he disliked Charan, he would never give up his position as the king of games and admit to drinking that trashy drink.
“Wow, this is starting to get more fun, isn't it?” Samantha and Paul exchanged glances, their smiles tempting Khanin to feel a headache on the right side of his head.
“Do you want to withdraw, Nin?”
“No, but if anyone doesn't dare and wants to withdraw, please do so.” he refused Charlie's offer and turned to look at the person next to him who had been staring at him before.
“Shall we play right away? I badly want to find the loser.” Seymour picked up the Pocky in the middle of the group and bit it in a challenging manner, forcing Khanin to quickly turn and give a serious look to the person who was forced to be his partner in this game.
“I warn you beforehand, I don't plan to lose. If you don't dare, it's better to withdraw.”
“Why withdraw... when we have the same goal.” Charan remained calm with a serene expression, managing his emotions well. Khanin frowned as he takes a deep breath before signaling the start of the game.
“3, 2, 1, start!” As the countdown moves forward, Khanin thinks of many things, knowing that Jimmy and Seymour's only obstacle is their speed. The two are used to teasing each other, so their closeness isn't a significant problem.
This is different for him and Charan, though...
They don't look at each other as they try to bite the long Pocky stick to reduce its length. Everything progresses at a breakneck pace for both sides until the stick is only one centimeter apart.
Khanin glances up at his opponent almost immediately, following his instincts. The dark pupils of his eyes widen as his senses become alert, reading his opponent's reaction. Charan was about to bite the Pocky, and his slightly open mouth reveals his anxiety, which increases significantly...
One centimeter is too much... if it ends here, they will lose.
I can't give up... I can't lose.
As quick as his thoughts, Khanin extends his slender hand to support the strong end of the Pocky, moving his face closer until their noses touch. Their closeness intensifies as Charan's sharp eyes widen...
The desire to win pushes his soft lips to touch gently on the warm lips, eliciting a chorus of cheers from the crowd, so loud that he can't hear himself think.
Their eyes meet in close proximity. Khanin remains calm, unlike the older man, who is caught in a whirlwind of emotions.
As Charan freezes, nothing can erase or change the reality that their lips touched.
The truth... is that their lips met.
And that is Charan's first kiss.
A first kiss that the people of Emmaly cherish deeply because of the legend that says when an Emmaly person gives their first kiss to someone...
That person will become their one true love for eternity...
“Holy Shit! Nin, you're the real deal.”
.
TBC.
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