Butterflies, Flower Buds and Peonies: Hae Soo's Hairpin
Butterfly: symbol of undying love, transformation, rebirth, freedom, hope, joy and warmth, beauty and elegance
This section of the story is set during Hyejeong (Wang Mu's) reign because I think this was the time when the relationship between So and Soo deepened and blossomed. Unfortunately, the time skip in the drama robbed us of any details regarding the progression of their relationship. I've also wondered how So gave the hairpin back to Soo considering he used it to propose to her, hence this fic. PLUS! They had Wook explain the meaning behind the Jade bracelet, even the color of the thread, while we were left to speculate on how the hairpin was returned to Soo and think about its meaning. I mean, So never does anything without reason. Yeah…I'm still bitter about the editing. I blame the editing and not the writing.
ANYWAY… The story is divided into three parts representing the three elements of the hairpin—the butterfly, the fully bloomed peony and what I am going to assume as peony buds (Soo was holding peony flowers for the promo pics and in Episode 20, the DF translation showed that Jung prepared peonies for her). Please enjoy and review! Constructive criticism is always welcome.
Butterflies—fragile little creatures that could easily break at the slightest pressure, their delicate wings quick to tear at the smallest of touches. Everything about them, their whole existence, spoke of fragility and frailty—the transience of life. The vulnerability at each stage of transformation, from a worm to a cocoon, only to turn into something that was just as feeble and helpless. Butterflies, to him, represented weakness. Weaknesses that he himself had, which was why he hated them, or at least he used to. But not anymore. What used to be a reflection of his personal grief had become something else, something totally new. Now, he had the greatest affection for these creatures because of what they've come to mean to him.
Wang So, Fourth Prince of Goryeo, stood still at the entrance of the Damiwon, waiting for a certain court lady to appear, while a cool and gentle spring breeze ruffled his hair. He knew he was a bit too early but he just couldn't stay put at the thought that she invited him. Today was Hae Soo's day off and she had personally asked him if he could escort her around the marketplace as she looked for new materials to use for her lotions. Being appointed as the head Court Lady of the Damiwon a mere month after King Hyejeong ascended the throne, Hae Soo worked hard to prove herself worthy of such trust. Her new concoctions—creams that smelled like peaches, face pigments that did not fade quickly, masks that brought about a healthy complexion—earned her not only the trust of the king, but the entire palace and the King rewarded her efforts with royally sanctioned days off at the end of each month.
He knew it was a simple request—for him to accompany her on her excursion out of the palace, but it warmed his heart nonetheless. Her days off were the only time when she could be free, if only temporarily, and the fact that she chose to spend it with him, made his heart swell.
Freedom. Butterflies were well known symbols of freedom, and how he wished he could give it to her. Freedom from palace life so that she could unfold her wings and fly as far away and as much as she wanted, and do whatever it was that her heart desired. But he knew he couldn't, and so he hoped and prayed for freedom in her behalf.
The soft sound of her approaching footsteps alerted him to her presence, and he braced himself for the sight that he knew would always take his breath away.
"I apologize for making you wait, Your Highness."
Beauty and Elegance. She will always be beautiful to him—with her big eyes that were as warm as the sun, her comforting and contagious smile, and her beautiful red lips. But the four months she spent being the head court lady at the Damiwon had brought out another facet to her beauty, making her shine more brilliantly in his eyes. A simple but apparent elegance that showed in the gentle dip of her neck as she bowed to him in greeting. Or in the way that she delicately folded her hands in front of her and the carefully measured way she straightened herself to meet his gaze. Yes. Like the butterfly, she is beauty and elegance.
"I wasn't waiting long." He replied nonchalantly. He still had to put up air of carelessness even though he had spent most of the morning thinking about her. He was a prince after all and he had appearances to keep up, but Hae Soo smiled knowingly at his false bravado and he eventually gave in and gave her a shy smile.
"Shall we?" he asked cordially, and with her nod of consent, they leisurely made their way towards the town market. They spent the day first part of the day wandering about aimlessly in between the shops, looking through the newest wares and the freshest merchandise. Once the sun sat in the middle of the sky, they decided to eat and found themselves sitting at a small tea house. They sat amiably, across from each other, with her asking him about his studies and how things were in the court and him asking her about what new potion she was concocting next. The moment he asked her that question, however, Hae Soo started to fidget, something that she hasn't done recently, and he became slightly worried.
"That's actually why I asked you to come with me, your Highness." she said shyly, her eyes looking at him apologetically from under her lashes. "I wanted to try and make a better cream for you, one that wouldn't dry out and flake as quickly. So I was hoping you would come with me to the apothecary and the herbalist so we can try on new—"
"So you mean to say, you invited me to go with you not because you wanted to spend time with me, but because you needed me for something? I am actually truly offended by this." He tried his best to sound appalled and hurt because the way she squirmed was just so adorable.
"No! No! That's not true at all!" she exclaimed, trying to appease him and remedy the situation.
"It's alright! Don't worry. I was only making fun of you. I will let myself be your test subject." He said gently, and she visibly relaxed at this, the worried crease in her eyebrows disappearing and she smiled back at him.
"But, you'll have to let me give you something in return..."
Smooch!
He motioned to take something from his sleeve when he suddenly changed his mind and instead, leaned across their table to give her a quick peck on her lips. His attack obviously worked as she remained startled and frozen on the spot. He took advantage of her momentary confusion by paying for the bill and starting to leave. As he slowly walked away, he counted to three and waited for her to recover and come running at him, shaking her tiny fists at him while making threats—slightly alarming but adorably, harmless threats. And sure enough, at the count of three, she was already at his side, reminding him of his promise to ask for permission and threatening to never invite him out again. He started to lengthen his strides and she had to run to keep up with him, which made for an amusing scene. He laughed and promised that he wouldn't do it again while trying to evade her as her hands tried to hit him but failing spectacularly. They were attracting a bit of attention, but he didn't mind. As long as he can take her mind off of work and enjoy herself for a little bit then that was good enough for him.
They reached the apothecary and the herbalist with their breaths coming out in puffs, but laughing nonetheless. After he had straightened up and uttered a decent apology, he let himself be dragged into the shop and have his face be her canvass. As she applied a new shade of cream onto his scar, he looked at her face and smiled. She had brought so much into his life. She had given him freedom from the horrid facial deformity that he had tried to hide for so long, and even added a bit of beauty and elegance to his otherwise abhorrent face. But what he was most grateful for was the joy and the warmth that her mere presence gave him. His life had been one big prison of misery. He had been trapped in a cocoon of lies and treachery, of rejection and hate, of sadness and loneliness which he fought so hard to break free from but was unable to do so until a beautiful butterfly emerged from her own shell and showed him the beauty and strength that came from a painful transformation.
When he asked the jeweler to fashion the hairpin according to his design, he only thought to use the butterfly to signify her beauty and elegance. In hindsight, it was a shallow and selfish representation of her because there was more to her than just her looks. Although she has always been and always will be beautiful to him, her determination to break free from the chrysalis of her painful past, the patience and quiet strength with which she endured the transformation from noble woman, to a water maid and then finally to a respected court lady were all characteristics that would well represent the butterfly on her hairpin. A hairpin that he had been carrying around for precisely one year and four months.
"There, all done!" Hae Soo said as she brushed off the excess powder from his face. She handed him a mirror so he could look at her handiwork.
"I see no difference." he said with a shrug.
"Would you like to see a more obvious difference, your Highness?" she replied with one fist on her hips while the other dangled dangerously close to his face.
"Can I pay for these her materials now?" he asked the merchant while giving Soo a sheepish smile.
It was nearly dusk when they made it back to the palace. The sky was already painted red and night blue with wisps of white clouds and the brightest stars have already begun to twinkle in the distance. He carried her purchases for her and helped her bring them inside the Damiwon.
"Your Highness, please let me carry those! What kind of example will I be setting if I let the other court ladies see that I'm using a prince as a workman?"
"You were hitting a prince earlier. In public and in broad daylight nonetheless, and you're worried about this?" She rolled her eyes at him for a moment but held her protests at that and proceeded to make tea for him with her usual smile as he placed the basket on the table.
"By the way," she started while placing a warm cup of fresh leaf tea in front of him. His favorite. "You said I have to let you give me something in return. You were reaching for something in your sleeve before you pulled that sneaky stunt of yours."
Days like this, when it was just the two of them, walking, teasing each other, without having to worry about the dangers of palace life, were days that he wanted to have for the rest of his life. Having her around gave him hope for a peaceful future, where his heart can be at ease. Hope that he can live without nightmares about his past. Hope that he can be forgiven for his crimes. Hope that someday, this woman, this beautiful butterfly, can give him the one thing that he had wanted from her all along. Her heart. But he knew, it was too early for her, too soon. But he can wait. Now that she was here, he was willing wait for her, no matter how long it took, because he had hope, that even his one sided love can transform into something more between the two of them. As he carefully felt the hairpin, safely nestled inside his sleeve and turned to look at her.
"It was nothing. Just part of, as you say, my stunt, whatever a stunt is." his eyes twinkled at her teasingly.
Today was not the day to give it back to her. Not yet…
Reviews are highly appreciated.