The Brothers Kim

Chapter 23- What a Coincidence!

"That will be all" Jimin uttered dismissively as he shooed the royal maids away. From his desk, Jimin let out a long sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. A throbbing pain pounded at his forehead as he moved his fingers to massage his temples: he had a migraine.

"Are you okay, Your Majesty?"

Jimin looked up to find Zeren peeping through his door.

"I knocked earlier but you didn't answer."

Jimin groaned slightly while Zeren approached him with concern etched on his face.

"It has been a long day" Jimin replied wearily when he saw Zeren's expression. "I am fine, so you need not worry."

But Zeren wasn't at all convinced. "If you were fine, you wouldn't look like a ghoul right now."

"Thanks," Jimin replied sarcastically, "I shall take that as a compliment."

"I'm not joking, Your Majesty" Zeren retorted. "I'm worried about you. You're overworking yourself." He frowned as he flapped his arms in dismay. "You've been locked up in your office for five days straight!"

"I am fine" Jimin repeated insistently but then a confused look crossed his features. "Has it really been five days?"

Zeren arched his brow.

"Did I not see you yesterday?" Jimin continued to ask. "Or the day before?"

"See!" Zeren shouted exasperatingly. "You can't even remember what day it is."

Jimin covered his face with his hands as if to try and wake himself up. "I have just been very busy with everything that is going on in the kingdom" he reasoned. "Frankly, all this," he said while gesturing at the documents, "has been very overwhelming."

"Of course, it's overwhelming!" Zeren exclaimed. "You've done nothing but work from dusk till dawn since the day of your coronation!"

Jimin winced as he signalled for Zeren to lower his voice. "What else am I supposed to do?"

"Rest!" Zeren half-exclaimed. He lowered his voice when he saw Jimin glaring at him for being too loud. "Your Majesty, I understand your position as emperor, but you mustn't forget that you are human too."

Jimin pulled a face as he brushed him off. "I am an emperor before anything else."

"Well, if you are so hellbent on fulfilling your imperial duties," Zeren said as he folded his arms across his chest "then you should try not to neglect your filial duties too."

At this, Jimin was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Zeren sighed. "Your Majesty, the royal staff have begun to notice how you shrink away from female interaction."

"Oh..."

"You are making it too obvious" Zeren hissed after searching around his office. "And don't think I haven't noticed how you spend all your time in here just to avoid them. I know you, Your Majesty. You tend to avoid your fears instead of confronting them."

Jimin snickered at Zeren's words. "Nothing escapes you, does it?"

"It's the curse of being your friend" Zeren replied while shrugging. "But anyway, you must solve this. After all, you will be choosing your empress soon. You have to acquaint yourself with women so that you can produce heirs—"

"Do not pester me about that too, Zeren" Jimin groaned. "You are like my sister."

"But Her Highness is right."

"As my friend, you should be siding with me" he murmured curtly. "And besides, you should understand my position better than anyone else. It is difficult to suddenly undo what the monks had instilled in us back at the temple."