Chapter 69: What Happened at the VVIP Social Gathering (2)
After that, Crown Prince Bin Mukh and I continued drinking and chatting about various topics.
Fortunately, we hit it off really well—what you might call having great chemistry.
Our senses of humor aligned perfectly, and our conversation styles meshed well.
He seemed to take quite a liking to me too.
“I apologize, but I need a moment alone with my friend to discuss something important. Please understand.”
He even sent away all the guests who had come to curry favor with the Crown Prince of Dubai just to continue our conversation.
Before we knew it, we’d slipped into an easygoing Hyung-Dongsaeng dynamic.
Crown Prince Bin Mukh was practically a character straight out of a fantasy novel—unrealistically perfect.
He had graduated from the London School of Economics (LSE), won a gold medal in Olympic equestrian events, and had over 10 million followers on Stargram.
For a moment, I felt a bit of a disconnect.
What’s more, Crown Prince Bin Mukh was someone who knew just how great he was.
“Apparently, Forbes recently ranked me as the second sexiest royal in the world. Hahaha. A bit disappointing not to get first place, though.”
If it had been anyone else saying that, I might have thought they were being obnoxious.
But when someone that perfect boasts about it, it just comes off as… well, perfectly natural.
He was full of self-confidence and self-love, but he didn’t come off as arrogant.
He was just… genuinely likable.
“Ahu-nim, what kind of life have you lived? If it’s not too personal, may I ask?”
Crown Prince Bin Mukh asked politely.
Since I didn’t have any reason to hide it, I gave him a brief but honest rundown of my life.
Surprisingly, he found my story fascinating, listening intently with genuine interest.
“Oh… Debt, huh… Is being in debt truly that despairing?”
For a second, he seemed slightly tactless, but seeing him listen with sparkling eyes like a kid hearing a fairy tale made me chuckle despite myself.
“So, you’re saying you sailed the vast Pacific Ocean on a ship? That’s incredible.”
“No, it wasn’t really like that. I was just out catching tuna…”
“Ah, so you were adventuring across the Pacific while catching tuna! That sounds incredibly romantic.”
He interpreted it his own way, but his enthusiasm made it enjoyable to keep talking.
“You’re truly a strong person, ahu-nim.”
“Pardon?”
“Honestly, I’ve never experienced that kind of hardship. When the sky falls and people hit rock bottom, most people just crumble. But you overcame it magnificently and grew stronger into the man you are today. That’s truly remarkable.”
Whether it was Sulayman hyung or Crown Prince Bin Mukh, both of them seemed like they’d taken some kind of master class on how to touch people’s hearts.
I had to bite back the surge of emotion and took another sip of my drink.
“Hearing such words from someone as incredible as you, hyung-nim… It’s really comforting. Thank you.”
“Hahaha. Don’t mention it. I might seem like someone who just says whatever comes to mind, but I’m not the kind to give false compliments. I simply don’t see the point. Those words are my genuine feelings.”
Well, when you already have everything, why bother with insincere praise just to impress others?
Before I knew it, my fondness for Crown Prince bin Mukh was skyrocketing to max levels.
“Hyung-nim, is there anything weighing on you lately?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re undoubtedly in a position that people look up to, but you’re still human. I’m sure you have your own struggles that you can’t easily share.”
“HAHAHAHAHA.”
The booming laughter that echoed through the banquet hall momentarily drew everyone’s attention to us.
“Hahaha! How refreshing. Now I understand why Sulayman hyung took such an interest in you.”
Wait. All I did was ask if he was going through anything tough—why did he react like that?
It was the kind of expression you’d see in a Cinderella drama: “You’re the first person to ever ask me something like that.”
“Hahaha. Sorry for laughing so much. You’re the first person who’s ever asked me that. Shall we have a drink?”
Crown Prince Bin Mukh raised his glass with eyes that shimmered like rippling waves in the breeze.
After downing his tea in one gulp, he began to speak as if he were confiding in me.
“You’re right. I admit it myself—I’ve lived a blessed life. Born into royalty, I’ve always lived in luxury. And unless something unexpected happens, I’ll succeed my father as Vice President of the UAE. However, even I have had my share of pain.”
“Was it so?”
“To be honest, I never cared about being Crown Prince. I just enjoyed being around people, traveling the world, and broadening my perspective. My dream was to build a happy family and live peacefully until returning to Allah’s embrace. I always thought that’s how my life would turn out.”
There was a deep sense of regret in Crown Prince Bin Mukh’s eyes.
“I had an older brother. Someone I truly admired and respected. Although he was frail from birth, he was more hardworking than anyone else. Naturally, I always thought my eldest brother would become Crown Prince. But Father was adamant—he excluded him from succession, saying that a weak ruler was unacceptable and appointed me instead.”
“That’s…”
“We had no choice or right to refuse. Whatever Father commanded, we had to obey. So, I hurriedly started training as the heir, and inevitably, my relationship with my brother became strained.”
A bitter smile tugged at Crown Prince Bin Mukh’s lips.
“Afterward, my brother moved to the United States and passed away suddenly from a heart attack—or at least, that’s what was announced to the public. In truth, it was a fabrication to protect the royal family’s honor. The real cause was that he fell into despair, turned to drugs and alcohol, and ultimately destroyed himself. When I carried his coffin at the funeral, I made a vow—to become the true Crown Prince, bearing the weight of his loss as well.”
Though I didn’t have siblings, I could feel the profound sorrow and longing in his words.
“Whenever Ramadan ends and Eid al-Adha comes around, I can’t help but think of Dahouri (A traditional children’s game popular in Qatar and other parts of the Gulf region. It’s a form of wheel-pushing game, somewhat similar to hoop rolling) the game we used to enjoy as kids. Those were probably the happiest moments of my life.”
“Your elder brother, who has returned to Allah’s embrace, would surely be proud of you, hyung-nim.”
Crown Prince Bin Mukh looked at me in silence.
“Many people love and respect you as the Crown Prince. No one doubts that you’ll become a trustworthy and admirable ruler in the future. I don’t have siblings, but if I had a brother like you, I’d be immensely proud.”
Crown Prince Bin Mukh, who had been staring at me blankly, suddenly broke into a playful smile and held out his glass.
“That’s more comforting than anything anyone has ever told me. Let’s have a drink.”
Clink.
The clear sound of our glasses meeting seemed to reverberate gently through both of our hearts.
“Is your father that strict?”
The UAE Vice President, Bin Rashid, didn’t seem like an ordinary person.
“Even as I approach my forties, I still can’t escape his shadow. He’s not just my father—he’s also a leader and an absolute sovereign. Ever since I was young, he’s never shown a single moment of weakness. He always said a ruler must be perfect. Thanks to that, my siblings and I were constantly forced into competition.”
I could somewhat imagine what kind of character his father was—like those iron-blooded monarchs you sometimes read about in books, cold and unfeeling.
Something like that.
“I’m still afraid of him and hold some resentment… but I can’t deny that he’s a great ruler. His strong leadership turned Dubai into a global brand by building the artificial island Palm Jumeirah and the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. Let me tell you an interesting story, ahu-nim.”
“An interesting story?”
“People around the world look at the UAE and think ‘oil money, oil money,’ but in reality, the only place where oil is actually produced is Abu Dhabi. Dubai’s economic growth has come from non-oil sectors like finance, real estate, and tourism. That’s why many oil-producing countries in the Middle East envy Dubai and try to benchmark it.”
“What kind of ruler do you want to become, hyung-nim?”
It might have been a rude question, but somehow, I had the feeling that Crown Prince Bin Mukh had been waiting for it.
“What kind of ruler, huh…”
He stroked his chin for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.
“The UAE and other Middle Eastern countries still cling to archaic, closed royal systems. Because of that, the wealth gap keeps widening, and environmental destruction is getting worse by the day. Do you know how people viewed our country when I was studying in London?”
“I’m not sure… I haven’t traveled abroad much.”
“They called us a rich backward country. I hated hearing that. I’ll be the one to change it—to make our nation a prosperous, advanced country where all citizens can be happy.”
Crown Prince Bin Mukh’s eyes sharpened with determination as he broke into a bright, unrestrained smile and grabbed my hand.
“Thank you. I feel like my head’s clearer now. This is the first time I’ve talked about this to anyone… It doesn’t feel bad at all.”
“No… If it helps, I’m glad to hear it.”
I awkwardly clasped his hand back, unsure of how to respond.
All I did was listen sincerely and nod along, but I didn’t expect him to like it so much.
“Oh dear! I put you two together so you’d get closer, but aren’t you two getting too close? I’m almost jealous!”
Sulayman hyung suddenly appeared from somewhere, inserting himself between us and slinging his arms around our shoulders.
“Don’t leave this hyung out. Don’t go having fun just by yourselves.”
“Hahaha. Who told you to wander around so much? You have no idea how much fun we had while you were gone.”
“Tsk. Is that so? How disappointing. Well then, let’s properly begin. I can’t be left out.”
As soon as Sulayman hyung arrived, the heavy atmosphere instantly lifted, and the mood became cheerful.
“So, what were you talking about?”
“Hahaha, it’s a secret. And I decided to invite him to my house later. Luckily, he said he likes tigers.”
“W-Wait, when did I ever…”
I distinctly remember saying I just liked looking at them.
“Now, now. There’s an order to things, even when drinking water. We already agreed that he’d visit my house first. Plus, didn’t your tiger almost cause a disaster when it bit someone before? And our ahu-nim here said he prefers cheetahs over tigers.”
Watching the two of them bicker over me made me want to slip away quietly.
But the three of us ended up chatting late into the evening, only returning to our lodgings when exhaustion finally took over.
The next morning.
“Ugh… my head…”
A splitting headache greeted me as I woke up, the aftermath of a rare hangover.
I sat up in bed, dazed and sluggish.
Click.
“Oh? You’re awake.”
Fresh from a shower, Song Si-ho came out of the bathroom, his damp hair tousled as he dried it with a towel.
“Ugh… I’m dying. I swear I’m not drinking again.”
“Let’s go grab some breakfast and sober up. I heard the hotel breakfast here is amazing.”
“Yeah, definitely.”
There was no way I could skip hotel breakfast, so I sluggishly got out of bed.
[Lovely Girl~ I Like You~]
“Huh? My phone’s ringing.”
The ringtone—cheerful girl group music that didn’t quite match his image—filled the room.
Song Si-ho glanced at the phone lying next to the TV, his eyes widening in surprise.
“Huh? It’s Mujahid-nim!”
“Who?”
Before I could even ask properly, Song Si-ho quickly picked up the phone.
“Hello…”
It seemed like there was a serious conversation going on.
“Yes… Really? Thank you! Thank you so much. I’ll see you soon.”
His cheeks flushed crimson as his hand trembled holding the phone.
“D-Dae-woon-ssi! This is huge! Absolutely huge!”
“Okay, calm down. What’s so huge?”
“We got in! We can participate in the Middle East Games Con Expo! Hahaha!”
Overwhelmed with excitement, Song Si-ho grabbed my hand and started bouncing up and down on the spot.
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