Chapter 2: “Magic School, Meat Pies, and Minor Identity Crises”

Where Taehyung has a rough day, Jungkook remembers his broken past, and someone definitely almost dies… again.

The first day of class at the Royal Academy was not going as Taehyung planned.

He had spilled juice on his robe.

He forgot his schedule.

And worst of all—he was in the same class as Prince Jungkook.

“Just breathe,” he told himself as he walked into Magic History 101. “You’re here to protect and love him, not embarrass yourself again.”

He opened the door—and tripped.

BOOM.

Right in front of Jungkook’s desk.

The prince looked up, eyebrow raised. “...Are you always like this?”

Taehyung lifted his head from the floor with all the grace of a sleepy cat. “I’m charming in my own way.”

Jungkook stared. And then… the corner of his mouth twitched again.

Taehyung nearly fainted.

Flashback: Jungkook’s Past (Two Years Ago)

The palace was loud. Not with laughter—but with arguments.

Young Jungkook stood in the hallway, watching the door to the throne room slowly close in front of him. His parents—King Hoseok and Queen Jackson—were always busy.

Too busy for birthdays.

Too busy for meals.

Too busy to see the sadness in his eyes.

But it wasn’t their fault, he told himself. They were ruling a kingdom. They had duties.

Still… it hurt.

And then came her.

Rosé, a noble from the Black family. Beautiful, smart, and—at first—kind. She was Jungkook’s first real friend. She made him smile again.

Then… she betrayed him.

She used his trust to gain power. Spread lies. Stole from the treasury. Even tried to poison him. And when she was caught, she laughed.

“I never cared about you,” she said coldly. “You were just a lonely little prince. Easy to fool.”

That day, Jungkook changed.

He stopped smiling.

He stopped trusting.

And he started building walls no one could break.

Until now.

Back to the Present

“Mr. Taehyung,” the teacher said sharply, “Would you kindly stop daydreaming and try not to burn the classroom with your terrible spellcasting?”

Taehyung blinked. “Wait—I’m what—?”

The small spark on his fingertip exploded.

BOOM.

Papers flew. Jimin screamed. Suga sighed. Jungkook pulled Taehyung down and shielded him from the blast.

“Are you trying to die again?” he asked flatly.

“Maybe a little,” Taehyung groaned from the floor. “Did I at least look cool?”

“You looked like a confused chicken.”

Later in the cafeteria, Taehyung was dragging his body to the food table like a war survivor.

“Is that meat pie?” he gasped.

“You’ve been alive here for a week and still act like a lost puppy,” Jimin said, chewing on a strawberry tart.

Suga patted his back. “You’ll get used to it. Probably.”

“Where’s Jungkook?” Taehyung asked, trying not to sound too obvious.

“Probably off brooding on a balcony somewhere,” Jimin teased. “Why?”

“No reason,” Taehyung mumbled. “Just... wondering if he’s okay.”

Meanwhile, outside…

Jungkook stood near the academy garden, watching students laugh and eat together. His eyes landed on Taehyung—covered in crumbs, laughing too loud, waving at a butterfly like a five-year-old.

He was… strange.

But somehow, comforting.

Jungkook didn’t understand it yet, but something in him—something locked away for years—was beginning to stir.

Hope.

Where Taehyung survives a magical mess, Jungkook remembers a painful past, and hearts begin to shift.

The sun rose over the Royal Academy, painting the tall towers in soft gold light. Taehyung stood in front of the mirror, dressed in his crisp Academy uniform… staring at himself like he was about to enter battle.

“Okay, you can do this,” he told his reflection. “Don’t explode anything. Don’t drool over the prince. And maybe—just maybe—try acting normal.”

He pointed at himself.

“Today, you are a main character.”

The moment he walked out, he tripped on his own shoelaces and fell down the stairs.

So much for normal.

In Magic History 101, Taehyung sat at the back, doodling tiny crowns and hearts in his notebook while sneaking glances at Jungkook. The prince sat at the front—straight-backed, silent, and unreadable. He looked like he didn’t belong in a classroom full of teenage nobles. He looked like he belonged on a battlefield or a throne.

Taehyung sighed dreamily.

Then he got hit in the face by a flying book.

Flashback: Jungkook’s Past (Extended Version)

Two years ago, Jungkook was a different boy.

Still powerful. Still serious. But there had been warmth in his eyes. Kindness. He used to sneak into the kitchens to bake cookies for the palace staff. He wrote poetry and left flowers in the garden for his sick tutor.

He loved deeply, even though he rarely showed it.

His parents—King Hoseok and Queen Jackson—were good people. Loving. But very busy. They trusted that their son would grow strong on his own.

So when Rosé entered his life, Jungkook clung to her like a lifeline.

She was charming, sweet, and seemed to understand his loneliness. She would read books with him under the stars. Listen to him when he talked about his dreams for the kingdom. She even said he could be a great king—better than any before.

But behind his back, she was working with Lisa and Jennie—ambitious noble girls from the Black family. They fed false rumors to the court. Lied to the staff. Faked letters from Jungkook. Until finally, they tried to poison the Crown Prince at a banquet.

He survived.

But barely.

And when he saw Rosé smiling in chains—cold, unapologetic, and mocking—something in him cracked.

“You’re a fool, Jungkook,” she said. “You let yourself love. That’s always your weakness.”

After that, he didn’t cry. He didn’t speak for weeks. He threw away every flower in the garden. Burned the poetry.

The Jungkook the kingdom once knew was gone.

And in his place stood a prince with iron in his veins.

Back to the Present

Taehyung was now lying on the floor after a minor spell accident.

Again.

“Is your goal to destroy this school?” Jungkook asked, standing over him with arms crossed.

“I’m doing my best,” Taehyung mumbled. “Unfortunately, my best is terrible.”

Jungkook sighed and held out a hand to help him up.

Taehyung stared at it like it was the Holy Grail.

“Are you going to take it or just keep drooling on the floor?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

Later, in the garden, Taehyung was complaining to Jimin and Suga while eating a meat pie.

“I don’t get it. One moment he’s cold. Then he helps me. Then he glares at me. And then he saves me from my own spell.”

“That’s called being in love with a tsundere,” Jimin said casually.

“I am not in love,” Taehyung lied loudly.

Suga raised a brow. “You wrote ‘Mr. Kim Jeon’ in your notebook.”

“THAT WAS A JOKE!”

Jimin leaned in, smirking. “You blushed when he smirked at you.”

“I have a skin condition!”

“You tried to smell his hair during sword practice.”

“…okay, I regret telling you that.”

Meanwhile, alone in the tower balcony…

Jungkook stared down at the Academy courtyard, watching the students laugh and joke together.

His eyes found Taehyung again. Laughing loudly. Holding his stomach like something was too funny to bear. Completely carefree.

So opposite of the world Jungkook lived in.

He didn’t understand him.

But part of him wanted to.

To Be Continued in Chapter 3: “I Think I Accidentally Challenged the Prince to a Duel”

(Spoiler: He did.)

Ready for Chapter 3? It'll bring some real chaos and comedy, including Taehyung causing a misunderstanding that lands him in a very intense (and awkward) duel with Jungkook!

Let the chaos begin! Here's the hilarious and heart-fluttering continuation:

---

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***