Royal Pain | PJM • slow updates

Chapter 19

Eunjae glanced over her appearance in the mirror. The dress Chaeyoung had commissioned for her fit her perfectly, hugging her waist snugly before flaring out a bit until it reached the floor. Her hands rested on her hips as she pivoted to observe the back, where Chaeyoung had added a non-traditional element in the form of a hole that exposed a portion of her upper back. It wasn't all that large, so Eunjae didn't fret much over the revealed skin.

Chaeyoung had been so kind before she left this morning as to braid a sort of hair crown into Eunjae's head that faded into a loose pony tail. Eunjae also applied a light amount of scarlet lip tint, blending a bit of it into her cheeks to add some color. Not wanting to overdo it, Eunjae deemed that she was ready. Who was she trying to impress, anyway?

Eunjae made her way up two floors towards Jimin's bedroom, where he'd told her to meet him. It was bizarre, she'd thought to herself. Jimin claimed no one but himself or his family was allowed in his room, except for the occasional servant to keep his room cleanly, and even then he was primarily the only one ever in it. Why he was so willing to allow Eunjae into his private space was beyond her. She found herself before his door in no time, and with a deep inhale to steady her breathing and a final flattening of her skirts, she knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Jimin hollered from inside, his voice muffled through the door.

Eunjae cleared her throat before answering, "It's Eunjae.."

There was a brief pause before he replied, "Enter."

Eunjae grasped the door handle and nudged it forward slowly, taking a hesitant step into the large room as she gulped nervously. What beheld her was unexpected.

Jimin's bare back greeted Eunjae's eyes once she shuffled inside. The young prince was naked from the waist-up, allowing for Eunjae to take in the sight of the toned muscles that defined his back. From the curve of his spine to his broad shoulder blades, his smooth skin attracted her attention. A pair of suit slacks rested at his hips as the prince weaved a belt through the loops, oblivious to Eunjae's admiration of his physique. He was, to say the least, quite in shape.

Eunjae cleared her throat again to announce her presence. Jimin merely rotated his head to spare her a glance before refocusing on his belt, though a noticeable smirk now adorned his face.

"It's rude to stare." He arrogantly commented.

Eunjae glared at the back of his head and scoffed. "Maybe you should grant me entrance once you're modest, then."

Jimin chuckled. "Even so, you didn't deny it."

Eunjae puffed out a breath. Patience, she reminded herself. What a virtue, indeed. After fastening his belt, Jimin gestured across the room where a tall mahogany wardrobe stood prominently against the wall. A crisp white button-up shirt hung on the outside of it, his suit jacket also on the same hanger.

"If you wouldn't mind grabbing that for me." Jimin politely asked of Eunjae, and she gladly accepted the distraction away from his lean, toned body.

Quickly, Eunjae crossed the room and picked up the hanger, the clicks of her heels bouncing off the walls of the rather barren bedroom. The room wasn't as personalized as one would have expected from a bedroom, though knowing Jimin's demeanor, this was no shock to Eunjae.

As she made her way towards him with the remainder of his outfit, Eunjae was intimidated by the focused gaze he had trained on her while she was turned away. He was now facing her, revealing his front-side which consisted of washboard abs that caused Eunjae to swallow harshly. With careful steps forward, she stopped two feet in front of him and held out his garments, focusing her stare at the window behind him.

"Thank you," Jimin winked at her, chuckling yet again as he plucked the items out of her hand and tossed the hanger haphazardly behind him. He enjoyed making Eunjae squirm; she just made it too easy and too detectable as she avoided his eyes and gnawed on her bottom lip, one of her hands loosely clutching at her skirt.

Sliding the shirt over his head, Eunjae couldn't help how her eyes observed the way his lean muscles strained as he stretched his arms up. Quickly, she caught herself and shook her head. It aggravated her, for she was sure the prince was well aware of his fatal sex appeal, and was used to manipulating women with the power of his allure. She didn't want to fall victim to his charms, as she was certain countless women had before.

Eunjae was broken out of her thoughts as Jimin waved a strip of fabric in front of her face. As she pulled away from his unwarranted proximity, she realized it was a tie. With knitted eyebrows, she glanced at Jimin's outstretched arm.

"Could you please tie this for me?" He requested, coyly ticking the corner of his lips upwards.

Eunjae crossed her arms. "I'm confident you're fully capable of managing that on your own." She was unamused.

Jimin's eyes darkened just a tad as his tongue darted out to wet his lips. Instead of a response, he looped the tie around his neck, closed the distance between them, grabbed Eunjae's hands in his own, and positioned them at the ends of his tie.

"You know I don't like to ask for things twice, Eunjae." He muttered, his voice low and reverberating through his chest so that Eunjae could feel the rumble on the backs of her hands. The said girl was frozen; he was so close, the top button of his shirt still unbuttoned, his breath brushing against her cheek as he spoke to her. His deep eyes bore into her own, piercing right through.

Eunjae let out a shuddering breath before relenting. The sooner she finished the task, the sooner she could release herself from this trance; the musk of his cologne on top of it all was intoxicating. Eunjae let go of the tie to fasten the final button on his shirt, her fingers lightly grazing the bit of skin that'd been exposed. She moved onto the tie wordlessly, bottom lip caught beneath her upper teeth.

At her touch, Jimin felt as though a jolt had run up his spine. Though brief, her smooth fingers left their impression against his skin, cold and soft and foreign. As the shorter girl kept her face tilted downwards and worked, Jimin took the time to analyze her appearance truly for the first time since she'd entered. The gown she adorned was pristine and complimented her figure just enough. Her cheeks seemed a bit rosier than usual, though he suspected the it was due to her embarrassment at their current situation. Jimin grinned at the thought.

His eyes traced her face, his attention honing in on her red lips that, once again, were caught in her teeth. It was a habit that she did often, and one that left him breathless every time. He then observed her hair, which again was in an intricate updo. Without fully realizing, his hand had raised to drag a finger along the delicate strands of her ponytail.

Eunjae's breath caught in her throat at the unexpected gesture as she tightened the knot she'd made, properly settling his tie in place. Her hand resting on Jimin's chest now, she nervously tilted her gaze up to meet his eyes which, unsurprisingly, were already set on her.

"You always wear your hair up." Jimin observed, eyes searching her own; for what, she had no guesses.

Eunjae needed to retreat so that her mind could be clear from his dominating, alluring aura. The physical contact, his scent, his minty breath, it was all muddling her thoughts. With a step backwards, she withdrew her hands and clasped them in front of her, choosing to respond, "Yes, it's practical. Makes work easier throughout the day."

Jimin cleared his throat, though his eyes remained hazy as he examined Eunjae like some fascinating specimen. He hummed, breaking himself out of his trance and quickly reverting to his usual attitude. "That makes sense. Right. Let's be on our way now."

Jimin speedily strutted to the door, opening it and allowing Eunjae to exit first. Once her feet hit the carpeting of the corridor, she let out a relieved sigh. It was as if she'd left a dream and reentered reality. She could now function properly.

Jimin glanced up at the ceiling before following after her, his eyes noticing the portion of Eunjae's back that was revealed by her dress. With a gulp, he joined her side.

Lord give him strength.

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