It was a sweltering, muggy night. Hwi ignored the rivulets of sweat running down the sides of his face as he stared unflinchingly at the South Gate of the palace. It had to open this night or the next. If it did not, the painstaking plan that Bang Won and Hwi had come up with would go up in flames. Bang Won had given Hwi some of his best soldiers to support him in their upcoming mission. They could not afford to fail. The king was out of the capital on a temple visit and would return in two days. Bang Won and Hwi needed to make their move before the king could call for reinforcements.
"Are you sure the gate will open? We have been waiting for a few days but nothing was happened so far," Moon Bok grumbled as he fanned himself with his hat. "It will open. It has to open," Hwi stated determinedly as he observed their surroundings. The marketplace, which Hwi had secure the rights to, was eerily quiet with the exception of a few shabby eateries that operated through the night. "I should be at Ihwaru drinking wine and enjoying good food with my Hwa Wol…" Moon Bok whined.
"Your Hwa Wol? Whoever said I belonged to you?" Hwi and his friends whipped around and found Hwa Wol, Gyeol and Hee Jae walking towards them. Hwi's eyes darted around, checking to see if there was anyone suspicious observing them from afar. The coast looked clear but it was still dangerous for Hee Jae to be seen with Hwi and Bang Won's army. It would be assumed that she was openly siding the infamous grand prince, which was as good as opposing the current king. While Moon Bok and Hwa Wol bickered noisily, Hwi tugged Hee Jae's hand urgently, "We need to talk."
The couple headed to a hidden spot nearby. Hee Jae extended a folded document to Hwi, "The king is on his way back to the capital. He decided to leave the temple early. I had men trailing him from the second he left the palace. Whatever you wish to do with Bang Won, you should do it tonight. If you don't, you'll lose your opportunity."
Hwi could barely focus on her words though he understood the information she was conveying to him. At the moment, he was more concerned about her safety above everything else. "You shouldn't be here. A battle could break out at any moment. You could be caught in the crossfire, "he rapped out sharply. When she simply stared at him calmly at him in response, he continued, "Get Gyeol to pass these kind of messages. It's too dangerous for you." Hee Jae admitted, "I wanted to see you. What you and Bang Won are planning to do… there is no turning back. I just wanted to see you one more time. Now that I have, I'll leave." She flashed him a sweet smile before turning away from him.
Hwi instinctively reached out to grip her hand strongly with his, "I'll come back soon." Hee Jae's gaze travelled to their joined hands. She wished she never had to let him go. Deep inside, she was terrified of losing him and she knew there was a chance that she could in this upcoming confrontation with the king. His hand tightened on hers and he repeated firmly, "I'll come back soon." Hee Jae raised her eyes to meet his determined gaze. She squashed her fear and replied assuredly, "I'll wait for you." At that, Hwi nodded, released her reluctantly and walked away.
Hee Jae read the missive and tore it up immediately. The king was going to reach the capital within two hours. She knew Bang Won and Hwi needed more time. She glanced at Gyeol and instructed softly, "Gather a few men. We have to go somewhere now." Gyeol frowned, knowing what his mistress intended to do, "Miss Hee Jae… this is the king we are talking about –" "Now, Gyeol," Hee Jae issued firmly. He nodded and dashed off to round up his men.
Hwi stared listlessly at the sea in front of him. It was over. Nam Jeon was dead, Seon Ho had disappeared, Bang Won had killed the Crown Prince. The latter was scheming what to do next but Hwi wanted nothing of it. He had his avenged the deaths of his father and sister. "What are you thinking about?" Hwi turned around at the sound of Hee Jae's voice. He knew she had helped delayed the king's return to the capital by setting a fire to deliberately block his route. It was an incredibly brave act and only one she could execute so coolly without fear. Hwi knew the king would not let this issue pass without punishment. It had caused him his Crown Prince and elevated Bang Won to more power. They all had to lie low and leave Hanyang for good soon.
He sighed lightly as she settled next to him, "Nothing much. I can finally spend more time helping the boys with the tavern." She laughed, "You would be spending more time breaking up their arguments." Hwi took her hand and squeezed it tightly, "Thank you." She covered his hand with hers and eyed him thoughtfully. After a few seconds of silence, she admitted, "I knew your father. He saved my life when I was young." Hwi cocked his head in surprise, "Why didn't you say so earlier?" "I didn't want you to think I was helping you out of gratitude. My heart… it wholly belongs to you," Hee Jae confessed, holding his gaze. Hwi swallowed painfully as he pulled her into a tender hug. "Let's live the rest of our lives peacefully together. You and I," she whispered. Hwi nodded and hugged her tighter.
Hee Jae exited the modest residence that Hwi was temporarily staying with his friends. It was located in the outskirts of the capital, near the sea. She halted when she saw Bang Won standing outside, below a huge tree. He turned when he heard her footsteps, "My father will get his revenge. On me, on you, on Hwi… all of us." Hee Jae ignored his statement and clipped, "Let Hwi go." Bang Won stiffened, "Did he say he wanted to leave?" "Stop using him to achieve your grand ambition. The man who caused the death of his family is dead. He has gotten his revenge. Let him go." Bang Won observed her shrewdly and murmured, "Why don't we let him make that decision?" With that, the prince snapped his fan shut and entered the residence.
"Hwi!!!" Hwi raised his head. It was Hwa Wol. She stood breathless in front of him, her eyes wide with fright. Hwi froze. There was only one reason why she would seek him out at the tavern in bright daylight when they all were supposed to be on their guard. Hee Jae was in danger. He demanded, "What's wrong? Where's Hee Jae?" "Ihwaru… Ihwaru is being attacked!" He heard shouts and whipped his head around. The tavern was suddenly surrounded by men in black clothes with their faces covered, their swords drawn. Hwi took one look at the swords and knew who the men were; the king's personal royal guards. Their swords were custom-made with a distinct emblem carved on the hilt. Bang Won was right. The king had found out who had supported Bang Won and was going after all of them. "We'll handle things here! Go to Ihwaru now!" Jeong Beom roared as he smashed a bowl on one of the men's heads. Hwi sped off immediately.
Hee Jae ran in the direction of Ihwaru's main pavilion, shouting for her workers and the gisaengs to follow her. The main pavilion had a secret underground room with a tunnel that led to the forest at the edge of Hanyang. If they could get into the room, they would be safe. Gyeol was behind her, fighting off the assailants. There was screaming and blood everywhere. Hee Jae knew the men had been sent by the king. He knew that Hee Jae was the one who had blocked his path. She heard a grunt of pain and looked over shoulder – Gyeol lay on the ground, with slashes on his arms and across his torso. "Run, Miss Hee Jae!" he choked out, his fingers straining to reach his sword that lay at his feet.
An assailant pounced towards him with his sword raised. Without thinking, Hee Jae dashed in between the assailant and Gyeol, and tried to lift Gyeol up. She felt a burning streak of pain across her back. Her vision blurred as white-hot pain engulfed her whole body. She tried to stand but could not. Her head spun. She could feel herself rapidly sliding into darkness. "Hee Jae!!!!!" Hwi. With superhuman effort, Hee Jae forced herself to look up. Hwi. He was a few feet in front of her, cutting down the men. She caught his gaze and smiled through her agony. At least she got to see Hwi before she died…
Hwi's blood ran cold when he saw Hee Jae slump motionlessly to the ground. No. Not Hee Jae. With rage pulsing through his veins, Hwi sliced and slashed through his way until he reached Hee Jae. Gathering her into his arms, he yelled frantically, "Han Hee Jae! Wake up!" She did not reply, her head flopped against his arm lifelessly. "Hwi! We have to leave now!" It was Chi Do. He had followed Hwi to Ihwaru. Hwi hoisted Hee Jae in his arms and raced out of the establishment.
Hwi gingerly laid Hee Jae on the cave floor. He had split ways with Chi Do, who was going to distract the king's soldiers. He checked Hee Jae's wound – it was long but it did not look deep. She was still bleeding but not as much before. Hwi tore a strip of cloth from Hee Jae's skirt and bound the wound tightly. She needed a physician soon to prevent the wound from being infected. Chi Do had promised to meet him at the cave after he had lost the soldiers. He gently wiped the sweat from her brow. He had nearly lost her earlier. The absolute agony that overwhelmed him when he saw her being cut down in front of him… he would never forget the feeling for the rest of his life.
Hwi wanted to kick himself for not being more careful with her. She was always so sharp, composed, and fearless that he never once thought something like today would happen. He had taken her safety for granted. It vowed he would never do so again. A soft moan disrupted his thoughts and he looked down. Hee Jae had regained consciousness. "Are you okay?" he asked, brushing a stray lock of hair off her cheek. She whispered, "Ihwaru… I have to go back. I must go back. My people…" Hwi hugged her, "You can't go back now. You'll die if you do." Hee Jae struggled weakly but Hwi held her fast until she quietened, her body trembling with sobs. Hwi prayed for Chi Do to join them soon.
"She'll be fine. She lost quite a bit of blood but she'll recover after a few weeks of bed rest," the physician assured Hwi. They were in Bang Won's residence. To Hwi's surprise, Bang Won had come to their rescue. The latter had heard that the king had attacked the tavern and Ihwaru, and had sent his own men to help. Hwi knew he was being naïve when the thought he could lead a simple life after avenging his family's death. As long as the king was alive, he would make every effort to kill those who had supported Bang Won's uprising.
Hwi gazed at the sleeping Hee Jae and sighed. She had been awake while the physician had treated her and kept asking about Ihwaru. When Hwi informed her that many of her people had died, she had gotten so agitated that the physician had to give her a sedative. Hwi decided they would take one step at a time. The first step was to ensure Hee Jae recovered from her ordeal.
Hee Jae prided her eyes open with great effort. Her lids felt heavy and her head was swimming. Taking a deep breath, she slowly sat up. The door to the room slid open then and Hwi stepped in, carrying a tray with a bowl of medicine and a jug of water. "You're awake. Are you hungry? I can ask the kitchen…" "I'm not hungry. I'll just drink some water and take the medicine," she replied tiredly. Hwi sat beside her, and poured her a cup of water as she drank the bowl of medicine in one gulp. "You'll never escape from Bang Won's clutches this way. He'll continue to use you until he becomes king. If you go against him then, he'll kill you," Hee Jae stated succinctly.
There was a long silence before Hwi answered resignedly, "Better him than the king. This is just my fate." Hee Jae suggested, "We can run away," Hwi levelled her with a hard stare, "No, we can't. The only person who can protect you and Ihwaru until the king dies is Bang Won." Hee Jae bit her lip and looked away. He was right. Hwi picked some bandages from a basket, "We need to change your bandage."
He adjusted his position to sit behind her. Hee Jae did not object or move when he stripped her blouse down to her waist and swept her hair to her front. He carefully changed the bandage and when he was done, he husked, "Now I know how you feel each time you patch me up." He slipped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her bare shoulder, "I'm sorry for putting you through hell all these years." Hee Jae covered his hands with hers, "Hell is living in a world where you don't exist. We'll get over this together. I'll rebuild Ihwaru… you do what you need to do with Bang Won. Just remember you can never trust him fully." "I know. Don't worry." Hee Jae snuggled closer to him. They had each other. That was all that mattered.