Chapter 39:

Queen Shinjeong throws an afternoon tea in her pavilion with her two sons, Yo and So. Jung didn't bother to show-up after he walk out from their lunch this afternoon.

So sits in front of his 3rd brother and the queen, quietly watching his mother pour a cup of tea for him and thinking twice of accepting the drink. He had come to excitedly anticipate these invitations from his family since he first had meal with them a few weeks ago.

"Jung-eun eo-di-e iss-seub-ni-kka? (Where is Jung?) Is he not joining us today?" So asks, wondering what's wrong with his youngest brother these days.

"Jung is a little under the weather so he went back to his quarters after having lunch." Queen Yoo gracefully settles upon her folded legs into the mat after pouring a cup for So.

"I heard you are leaving with the crown prince this time." Yo lifts his cup of tea and test its temperature before sipping a little.

"Yie hyungnim." So answers as he watches a thin smoke rise up from his cup, enticing him to lean in and inhale its warm scent. It's temperature perfect for this cold weather.

"Johda. (That's good.) Then it would be easy for you to stage an accident for the seja." Queen Yoo nonchalantly comments, as she too tastes the cup of tea she poured for his two sons and herself.

So stills, lifting his eyes from the cup to his mother, wondering if he heard the queen correctly.

"Wae? Have you grown a conscience in the course of a year you've stayed inside the palace?" Taking the tea from her lips, Queen Yoo catches his 3rd son's gaze, casually asking, "You never thought twice of clearing the temple of those hired assassins before, won't you kill for your mother again. I'm only asking one this time."

"Eomeonim…"

"If you get rid of the seja then your brother here," Queen Yoo turns to Yo, "will be next in line for the throne. Our clan will regain its honor and we will be more powerful than your adoptive clan. Will you not choose us over them? I'm giving you a chance to come back to us, isn't that what you want?"

"I see… you were only inviting me to these family meals to ask me of this." So's expectant face falls into a disappointment. He had sensed from the beginning that his family would ask something in return for these meals they share with him, still, he had dared to hope and his expectations were met greatly with a heartbreaking favor.

"My dear son, Lady Shinjuwon is only using to get to the throne, will you not abandon her and come with us instead. We are your birth family, your true family. My own blood runs deep in your veins." Placating the 4th prince, Queen Yoo appeals to So's filial side.

So holds his cup of tea by its body, feeling it burn his skin, hurting himself physically so as not feel the pain in his chest, "If I kill the seja, wouldn't it be natural for me to take the throne instead of my 3rd brother here? I did the work, should I not be rewarded of the throne."

Annoyed that the 4th prince dares to ask for the throne, Queen Yoo drops the pretense as a sympathetic mother, "For a mere dog who is tasked to kill the seja, isn't the throne too much of a reward? Again, your brother here will inherit the throne and not you. I will take you back in our clan and that will be your reward. A dog shouldn't be biting the hand that feeds it."

So cracks to a bitter laugh, loud and dark, putting up his walls once again to defend his self, "and why would I revert back to a mere leashed dog for a clan who had abandoned me when my adoptive clan had already given me the highest position in the court. Eomeonim, I think I'm not the only one whose missing the point here."

"Ya inom! How dare you talk to our mother like that?!" Yo goes on defensive for their mother, "Just because you've got a few nods from our father doesn't give you the right to be insolent to our mother. You are just a mere pawn."

"Ne, I'm a pawn and everyone treats me that way." So holds back the anger threatening to come out of his chest, "but at least Lady Shinjuwon is willing to give me what I want in return for getting her that throne. You, emeonim, on the other hand, is asking me for a favor and degrading me in return, why should I change masters when clearly Lady Shinjuwon is offering me better terms?"

So carefully puts down his cup once more, reigning his disappointment. He becomes more quiet, a sign that that he's reaching a dangerous level of anger, "I've been leashed and trained for years eomeonim but even as I am treated by everyone as their pawn and forget that I too, can also feel something, I can still think for my own."

He lifts his eyes, talking to his mother straight, "I refuse to become anyone's dog anymore. I will take that throne for myself if that will make me above all of you who inconsiderably steps on me every chance you get. Watch me eomeonim. I will show you how far I can go."

Abruptly ending their ugly tea session, So stands-up and walks away, anger boiling upon his veins. He breathes deeply the moment he leaves the queen's vicinity, lifting his head to look at the sky and feel the warmth of the sun on his face, refusing to crumble into tears. He sees the sun getting low in the sky, remembering he should be meeting Hae Soo by the lake now. He trudges forward, seeking his Hae Soo to comfort him.


Ha Jin hurries to the top of the sky tower taking two steps at a time.

Ji Mong is browsing a scroll by his bookshelves, when he hears Ha Jin coming-up. Thinking twice of talking directly to Ha Jin, he steps back, shuffling to his feet to make himself scarce but Ha Jin had already seen him and has nowhere to hide, "Hae Soo Ssi, Mu-seun il-ro u-syeoss-seub-ni-kka? (What brings you here?)"

"So wangjanim…" Ha Jin struggles to catch her breath, clasping at her chest.

From the window, Ji Mong can see the orange sky with the sun hanging low, "Weren't you meeting him at the lake today?"

Ha Jin stills for a moment, holding by the railings, "I didn't… come for him today."

Pretending to be reading his scroll again so as not to scare his little queen away, Ji Mong leans back casually to the shelf, "The seja isn't here too if you're looking for him."

He looks up a bit, wanting to offer a seat. From where he stands, he can see the urgency in his little queen, a little pale and a hint of fear in her eyes.

"I…" Ha Jin doesn't know where to start. She is certain this is the same ajeossi she met before she drowned at present times and yet this is also the same ajeossi who told her, he drowned Hae Soo and will not hesitate to get rid of the 14th prince if she continues seeing him.

Sensing the hesitation from his little queen, Ji Mong opens a conversation on his own,

"My mother use to tell me that when I was five years old, I was struck by a severe illness that made my heart stop. The physician who looked after me declared me dead for a day. They were getting ready for my burial when I abruptly opened my eyes and was completely healed. They said it was a miracle and since that day, I kept having this dream of a different land, a city with tall buildings, higher than this tower. People cruise the sky through this large steel bird. I saw doors that move vertically and stairs that go up and down on its own. It was a sight to behold. Inventions I doubt we'll ever see in this lifetime but there was a sad thing about it, there were no longer stars in the sky, only blinking lights from the magnificent skyscrapers and steel birds that populate the sky."

I wasn't wrong? Did he also came from the present like I did and is now trapped in this lifetime.

"No one could tell me if it was a vision or another lifetime but whatever it is, in all of these, there are these two people I always meet. A girl who is like a daughter to me and a boy who loves her deeply…" and Ji Mong couldn't say darkly, obsessively.

"They were destined for each other yet they never end up together in any lifetime…"

Ji Mong lifts is eyes and looks straight on Ha Jin, "What is't do you want to know Agassi?"

A girl and a boy destined to be with each other but never end up together? How contradicting is that?

Hae Soo left the 4th prince after he became a king. I… would leave him after he becomes a king, why?

"So wangjanim will own that throne one day, will he not?" Ha Jin's eyes quiver, asking a different question, uncertain as to how much she can trust him, "Which one will he become?"

"Does it matter my lady?" Though Ji Mong's goal is to bring the lovers together, a crack of distrust starts to make its way on Ji Mong's resolve because of the many secrets So are keeping from them.

"He's not Taejo or Hyejong, he is either Jeongjong or Gwangjong." Ha Jin slips, thinking out loud, unfocused on Ji Mong, "Jeongjong and Gwangjong were not known for their kindness."

"Shhhhh!" Ji Mong exclaims, warning Ha Jin of her slip, "Agassi, it is treason to talk about another king while the present one is still sitting on the throne. Please be careful of your words."

Every nerve on Ha Jin's face tightens at the mention of treason, coming to her senses once more and refusing to stay uninformed anymore, "Who will So wangjanim be?"

There is always a doubt in Ji Mong whether he should acknowledge that he knows it is Ha Jin and not Hae Soo of whom he is talking to. Acknowledging it might lead Ha Jin to hope or even ask his help to come back to present times, a probability that he absolutely doesn't want to happen and yet he gives in just this once if it would help her come to terms with her fate,

"Does it change anything if he is one of those king you have just mentioned? Agassi, you should know already, there is more to these people you once saw as just mere names to memorize for your exam in school. They are people, real ones and the decisions they make everyday are big enough to impact a nation, a future and you are here with them. You might only be realizing just now how much stake is at cost with every action you have carelessly taken for the past one year so I hope you would be more careful from here on out."

"Have I… am I only repeating what has already happened?" Ha Jin voices what she fears.

"Honestly? I do not know." Ji Mong looks to the scenery outside his sky tower, "I do not recognize this lifetime anymore."

A thousand years of memories are enough to make a person go insane yet being blind in this lifetime is both exhilarating and scary for Ji Mong. For the first time since their original lifetime, Ji Mong begins to hope that they could all break free of this vicious loop he had condemned them with, "If you live out what was destined for you at the beginning, will it be so bad?"

But without the knowledge of the original lifetime, Ha Jin doesn't understand the destiny Ji Mong is talking about. She thinks he is pertaining to Hae Soo's fate in this lifetime, the one where Hae Soo left So for a reason that is still unknown to her.

Is he telling me to leave So wangjanim too?

Why? Why is everyone telling me to leave him?

"What if I can change it?... If I stop him from being a king… he told me he doesn't want to be a king." Ha Jin argues, remembering the many conversation she had with So.

"Ha jima (Don't do that!)" The only way for So to protect her is for him to have the throne so Ji Mong pushes So to take the throne no matter what but the throne had always been a double edge deal. Whenever So takes the throne, it becomes the kiss of death for both of them. "So wangjanim had always been destined to become a king in every lifetime. You can't change that."

Contradictions like these make Ji Mong mad and this is where he always fails, reconciling the prince destiny of becoming a king and the daughter of the moon's acquired fear of the throne.

Ji Mong walks by the balcony, turning his back to Ha Jin and tries for honesty, "The only way for him… for us… to protect you is for him to become a king. Please don't begrudge him of his ways to get to the throne. He only wants it for your sake."

"And yet no one has acquired that throne peacefully, has it not?" Ha Jin becomes paler as more information comes to light.

Ji Mong nods, "And no one has maintained that throne without deaths. It's the most dangerous place in the world, the most coveted one. It is hard enough to acquire it, it is all the more harder to retain. Please understand, it is all for you."

"I don't want it!" Ha Jin's chest tightens and she is having a hard time breathing. Her vision blurs and she zooms in and out of consciousness, a flash of memory threatening to engulf her. She shuts her eyes and clasp at her chest, struggling to stay in the present.

She's seeing red, a lot of red. There are blood everywhere and dying soldiers at the courtyard. So is at the middle of it all holding a bloodied sword.

So turns to where she is standing. A look of madness and a crackling painful laugh emanates from him.

Ji Mong turns in time to see Ha Jin sliding in the floor and he walks fast to help her, "Hae Soo Ssi! Hae Soo Ssi! What's wrong?"

Ha Jin pushes his hands away, grasping for air. She keeps backing away and has reached the landing of the stairs.

So turns up at the tower, worried that Hae Soo didn't show up at the lake. As he goes up a few steps, he sees Hae Soo and Ji Mong on the top, "Soo-ya!"

Ha Jin turns to where her name was called. She sees So coming-up and So notices the wide-eye panic at her eyes.

He stops.

This is the first time he saw her look at him with fear and he hates it more than the sympathetic look he once got from her.

Ha Jin tenses. She isn't ready to face So after everything she learned. Calming herself, she acts as if everything is alright. She stand-up and bows to Ji Mong to say her polite goodbye. She wonders if she could avoid So by the stairs. With no other way to leave, she takes an unsure step down.

When she reaches him, she bows curtly, "So wangjanim, joesonghabnida, I misunderstood our conversation yesterday… I thought we were… meeting here. It's late… so I'll go now."

"Geo-jit-mal (You're lying.)" So doesn't hesitate to call out on Hae Soo's bluff.

With anger and hurt still coursing in his veins and Hae Soo's look of fear at him, So pulls Hae Soo by the wrist, away from where Ji Mong can see them. He takes her by the corridor at the base of the sky tower.

Jung is on his way to the sky tower to see his 4th brother when he saw So and Hae Soo scuffling by the corridor. He steps behind one of the post and hides.

"Neo-do anida (Not you too!) You can't do this to me!" So shouts at Hae Soo, the fear making him lash out. His anger stemming from his argument with his mother a while ago, making him volatile.

Ha Jin steps back from the force of So's anger, flattening her back to the wall and inching away from So, "Do what?..."

So extends his arm to the wall beside Hae Soo so she can no longer move to the side. She tries to empty her face with any expression but So's anger is not helping, she really is afraid of him right now.

"That! you're afraid of me… you're looking at me as if I'm a monster who would burn this kingdom to the ground." Anguish consumes So. He was expecting a warm Hae Soo to comfort him and found a stranger whose trying to get away from him instead. "You can't look at me like that… Not you too…. Jebal… I can take it from anyone but not from you…"

Reeling from the flash of memory and all the things she had learned of So today, Ha Jin's trust on So waivers for a bit. She needs time to process it all and So's misplaced anger is suffocating her. In her confused state she asks one more question she wants to be confirmed, "Where is Chae Ryung?"

The question catches So off guard, "Chae Ryung?"

"Yes, she told me you freed her, that she's leaving town yet I haven't heard anything from her since then. Where is she?" Ha Jin looks So in the eye, trying to read him.

The anger on So waivers, replaced with anxiety. "Mol-la. Chal mol-la (I don't know.)"

Technically, So doesn't know what Guen Sun did to Chae Ryung and his family. He didn't bother to ask since the deed is done and he can't do anything about it.

Ha Jin couldn't read anything on So's face and that makes her all the more afraid that he might be lying to her, "Are you lying to me?"

"Aniyo." So answers quickly, as fast as his beating heart.

"You promised you will never lie!" Ha Jin calls on So for his bluff.

"And you promised you will never leave or be afraid of me!" Back on being defensive, So advances on Hae Soo and Ha Jin has no where to move back to.

So only wants to appeal on Hae Soo but his moving into her personal space feels more of an intrusion to Ha Jin at this moment when she's grasping not to drown on knowledge about who So would be in the future and what he has done so far behind her back.

How well do I really know you?

"Soo-ya… I don't know where Chae Ryung is, please believe me." He raises his hand to gently caress her cheek and Ha Jin looks away, avoiding his touch.

The reaction stings painfully and it only serves to aggravate So's already unstable state.

"She betrayed you!" So grabs Hae Soo by the shoulders, "She was trying to hurt you and your unnie."

Is my parents right to suspect that something happened of Chae Ryung and her family and So wangjanim's clan has something to do with it?

"What are you talking about? She would never hurt me." Wide-eyed, Ha Jin is getting more confused by the minute. "What are you not telling me?"

"Soo-ya I am only trying to protect you, please. I would never do anything that would hurt you. Forget Chae Ryung, she was never your friend." So pleads and Ha Jin pushes him away.

"So you know what happened to Chae Ryung? Do you have something to do with her disappearance?"

"I don't know where she is, will you not listen to me?" So avoids the question, lying by omission and telling the truth at the same time. "Please, let's stop this already."

So tries to touch Hae Soo once again and Ha Jin side steps, her eyes accusing, "I'm afraid of you, don't touch me."

Something inside So breaks. He stills, his anger controlled in his curling fist. He takes a step towards Hae Soo and with his trembling hands, he cups Hae Soo's face, forcing her to look at him.

Ha Jin shivers reaching at So's hands, "Please… So wangjanim, let me go."

"Mot hae-yo (I can't)." So's voice is dangerously low and calm, Ha Jin had never heard him use that tone on her. "Neon nae-kkeo-ya… (You are mine…) You promise to never leave or be afraid of me… Without my permission you can never leave, can ever get hurt, get sick or even die…"

So kisses her hastily, roughly and Ha Jin struggles to get out of his grasp. For the first time since the countless times So held him, this touch feels like a violation to her. Ha Jin pushes at So's hand but So is too strong for her.

In between the forceful kiss, So warns her, "Neon nae-kkeo-ya… until the end of the world, you are mine… for all eternity, you are mine… until I say otherwise, you are mine… so don't ever think of leaving me again…"

So catches her hands that are pushing on him and firmly holds her wrist by the wall. Discarding the fear in her eyes and her trembling body against his, So continues with his onslaught kisses upon her mouth down to her neck and Ha Jin is reduce into tears, sobbing upon So's hold.

She stills, unable to believe So could do this to her. Her body goes limp and she stops fighting him. Her free flowing tears becoming the only indication of her resistance to him now.

In the stillness of the darkness around them, Hae Soo's tears finally reached So's lips, tasting its salty protest against him.

He stops.

As if doused with a pale of cold water, So realizes his mistake and steps back, "Soo-ya…"

The gentleness is back in his voice, tinted with confusion. He releases Hae Soo's wrists, careful to not hurt her any further.

Ha Jin's knees buckle the moment she was released and she slides down to the floor, crying.

"Soo-ya... mianhada... I..." The guilt starting to show on So.

Slowly, ever careful, So lowers himself with Hae Soo on the ground. He scoops Hae Soo in his arms and carries her up. Ha Jin holds upon his jeogori, sobbing on his shoulder. He walks away from the corridor, bringing Hae Soo with him.

Jung comes out of his hiding, stepping under the lantern. He had been watching all this time and like Hae Soo, doubt against his 4th brother is starting to creep up on him too.


The head gisaeng escorts Wook and the Haes to the pavilion at the back of the jumak. The three are looking for Hae Soo who left this afternoon and missed their dinner.

"Does my daughter frequent this place?" Lady Sewon looks disapprovingly around.

"Anibnida," Wook lies, "Myung Hee and I had grounded Hae Soo in the past for visiting this place once."

"Then why are we looking for my daughter in here?" Hae Hyeonhu looks straight to where they are going.

"My 10th, 13th and 14th brother all hang out here every once in a while. They are close to your daughter, they might know where she is." Wook subtly shows the Haes the kind of friends Hae Soo has so they could discipline her on their own. Though his three brothers are harmless, it is not a secret of whose side they would take if they are forced to choose. Better to separate Hae Soo from them as early as now so Wook could have Hae Soo with no resistance when the time comes.

"The 14th prince keeps this kind of company?" Hae Hyeonui's face darkens a bit.

Wook nods, "Yie abeonim."

They come to the pavilion where only Baek-Ah and Woo Hee are drinking alone. Baek-Ah is in his 3rd glass and is still sober.

"Wangjanim, it is not right for you to be here every night drinking." Woo Hee tells on Baek-Ah.

Every night since Myung Hee's death the 13th prince comes to hang-out here after he and Hae Soo spends the whole day at Myung Hee's grave. At first, Woo Hee is inclined to hit the prince for wasting his life away like this but after a few weeks of listening to his drunk blubbering, Woo Hee had learned of Baek-Ah's pain. It was a different pain from hers, a different struggle and a shallow one in Woo Hee's perspective but it is pain nonetheless and Woo Hee had come to realize that pain in every person is unique. It can't be compared or judge as shallow just because you feel your struggle is bigger than the other person.

Baek-Ah refuses to listen, "I heard that after your apprenticeship, your first task is to lead the sword dance at the palace' harvest festival. I can play my gayageum for you so you could practice."

"Kamsahabnida wangjanim but you don't have to. We have our own musician who could play. You don't need to tire yourself."

"Eiiii I want to do it for you." Baek-Ah puts his glass down, "Think of it as my gratitude for staying through my drunk blubbering every night."

Baek-Ah smiles.

A moth flies low upon their heads and falls at Woo Hee's. Baek-Ah reaches to take the insect from her hair, touching the crown of her head with gentleness. Woo Hee blushes from Baek-Ah's action, suddenly awkward with him.

Cough.

The head gisaeng coughs at the entrance of the pavilion, breaking into Baek-Ah and Woo Hee's awkwardness. Woo Hee scuffles away from Baek-Ah and Wook finds the situation amusing. He steps beside the head gisaeng and introduces the Haes to the two.


The full moon is high up in the sky, casting a bluish glow all over the Donji lake. Several fireflies are group around the tangerines and other bushes, playing around and lending its yellow light, a warm sparkling effect beside the lake.

So paddles at the middle of the lake with Ha Jin sitting at the other end of the boat, separate from him. It's Ha Jin's first time to be riding at the boat and be at the middle of the lake at this time of the night. The whole place looks dreamy and beautiful, soothing her confused mind. This was a different scene from the flash of memory she saw of the boat. It was afternoon back then and the sun dips low behind the 4th prince. It's night now and So is watching her with worry in his eyes. He moves around her with deliberate caution. Other than carrying her here a while ago, he seem to be maintaining his distance and silence, trying to not scare her more.

Have I changed this part of the future?

Ha Jin's wonders if she is able to alter a bit of this flash of memory then maybe she would be able to change the outcome of their future too. Her head hurts, processing all this knowledge without being given time to breathe. She unconsciously rubs her wrist, still red and a little sore from So's hold a while ago. So notices it, feeling guilty of losing his control and being rough with her.

Reaching the middle of the vast lake, So lets the paddle rest by the side of the boat and ruminates how to approach Hae Soo without frightening her.

"This boat was a birthday present to me when I was 13. The seja threw a dinner for me and all my siblings came happily sharing the night with me. Shortly before midnight, the queen came." So narrates the story behind his most prized possession, baring another weakness of his to Hae Soo. He lets her know of his longing for his mother who never thought twice of him after giving him away,

"Ji Mong brought me here and gave me this gift. He paddled me at the middle of this lake and I fell asleep. It was the first time I had slept serenely since I was adopted to the Kang household. I've never forgotten about it since then."

Ha Jin watches So, looking for the man she has seen in her flashes of memory, the one before she had seen that gruesome scene of death just this afternoon, her warm So, her loving So. There are traces of it in his face right now. So doesn't usually have a lot of expressions especially in front of everyone but he shows her his guilt ridden self, the vulnerable one who always seek her touch, far from the boy who was forceful with her a while ago.

He kneels in front of her, sitting upon his folded legs, careful to not rock the boat too much. He looks at her hands, wanting to hold it but he keeps his touch to his self, "Mianhada Soo-ya. Chal mot haess-eo-yo. (I'm sorry, I did wrong.)"

He lifts his eyes brimming with remorse, "There is no excuse for how I act a while ago. It was wrong of me to force myself on you. Mianhada, it will never happen again."

Ha Jin tightens her hold on her wrist, tensing.

"Soo-ya… Please don't be afraid of me." Hesitantly, he tries to reach her hand but stops at the middle of it and asks, "May I?"

Curling her hands, Ha Jin doesn't answer but lets So take a hold of her hand. So gently pries her fingers open, massaging in circles her palm to her wrist, "I have no words. I have hurt you."

Though Ha Jin is still shaking of fear from So, she calms enough to listen to him. There might be a lot of things she still doesn't know about him but she knows him enough to trust that there is rational behind his actions, the way he had explained to her several times in the past.

"Kuende, Soo-ya, I will never regret making you mine. I have never wanted anything in my life so bad, just you, only you and for you, I will do anything. So please, can't you trust me once more."

"I realize… I don't know you…" Ha Jin admits, re-examining how she feels for the 4th prince, doubting once again if what she really feels for him is hers or Hae Soo's.

She wants what she feels for him as hers and hers alone and not because she is destined to fall for him. She wanted her feelings to be her choice and in the light of the many things she had just learned of him, she needs time to settle it with herself.

"Then ask me anything and I will tell you what you want to hear." So readily answers, evading honesty.

"Chae Ryung disappeared after you freed her. Did you have something to do with it?" Ha Jin had known So is capable of killing a person when a situation calls for it.

She had known that it is not just So who could kill a person and in this period, killing a person isn't much of an issue but rather a solution for a given situation. Wook had once explained it to her. Baek-Ah and Lady Oh warned her about it many times. She had easily accepted So even after knowing So had killed a lot of people that night she held him at their courtyard and yet since it is Chae Ryung, someone close to her, someone she knows, who is missing, it suddenly matters to her now. The hypocrisy in her stance doesn't evade her and it only makes her question her decision to trust So again.

"I freed her and she disappeared afterwards. I don't know where she is." So answers once more. He promised to tell her what she wants to hear, not the whole ugly truth that he's hiding from her.

"Why do you tell me she's not my friend? Is there something I need to know about her?"

"She's your servant, a gift from my 9th brother to your unnie. How well do you know her?" So throws back the question to Hae Soo, exasperated, "Do you even know that her sister is of marrying age already to be playing with her? She told you the wound on her face is because of playing with her sister, did she not? Why would she lie to you about it?"

"Huh? What are you saying?" And So is right, Ha Jin doesn't know anything about Chae Ryung other than she has a sister and a mother of whom she was permitted to visit last Seollal.

"Stop this Soo-ya. I have never lied to you about my past actions. I have told you that I had killed in the past and I will not hesitate to get rid of anyone who would try to hurt you but I swear, I don't know where Chae Ryung is. Why do you doubt me? Have I ever failed you?" So appeals to Hae Soo once more.

Ha Jin's walls cracks as her eyes begins to water again, admitting, "I'm so confused. I don't know who to believe anymore."

"Believe in me then Soo-ya." So pulls at Hae Soo's hand, opening his arms for her. Ha Jin tentatively holds her hand back, wavering. Those strong arms who held her against the walls are now soft and familiar again, offering a warm security to settle into. "Come to me…"

Her gentle So is back, the one who looks at her with tenderness yet Ha Jin wouldn't move from her seat. She lets him hold her hand instead and So maintains the space between them, respectful once more.


Close to midnight, So fetches Hae Soo home. Ha Jin sits on top of his horse while he walks beside her, holding the reigns. The cold breeze of autumn blows around them and Ha Jin sniffs through her coat, freezing.

As they turn pass the bridge from the market to the private hanoks, they see Baek-Ah hurrying with Woo Hee towards them.

"Where have you been?" Baek-Ah stops beside So, bowing to his 4th brother and addressing Hae Soo.

"Waeyo?" Ha Jin looks from Baek-Ah and Woo Hee.

"Your parents came to the jumak a while ago, looking for you." Woo Hee answers, putting down her hoody. "They said you left hurriedly this afternoon and haven't been back for dinner."

"They even went to the general's house, asking if you were with Soon Deok." Baek-Ah adds, "Soon Deok couldn't cover for you since your parents walk in on her having dinner with Eun alone."

So catches Hae Soo's eyes, "I'll tell them I was with you all this time."

"Andwaeyo!" Ha Jin quickly answers, "Don't do that."

"Why can't I?"

And Ha Jin couldn't say her parents doesn't trust So.

Understanding Hae Soo's reluctance, Baek-Ah volunteers to take Hae Soo home instead, "Maybe it would be best if Woo Hee and I take her home. I'll ride your horse back later hyungnim."

"Aniyo, I'll take her home myself." So disagrees, determined. He looks at Hae Soo again, "I'd like to arrange a dinner with them tomorrow to formally express my intention."

So starts walking again, pulling the reigns with him.

Ha Jin panics, pleading to Baek-Ah with her eyes.

"Hyungnim," Baek-Ah calls, "Maybe its best that they don't know Hae Soo is with you at this time of the night. A proper lady shouldn't be spending too much time with a boy especially at this hour."

"You're a boy." So casually points out, missing the point.

"I'm a friend." Baek-Ah argues, "…You're not."

"Or I'll take Hae Soo Ssi instead." Woo Hee reads between Baek-Ah and Hae Soo's signal. "I'll tell them I found her looking at dwikkoji in the market, invited her for a dinner and we forgot about the time."

"Why can't I talk to your parents?" So stops walking, turning to Hae Soo. "Haven't you told them about me yet?"

"I... it's complicated…" Ha Jin chews her lower lip, something she hasn't done for a while now.

"Soo-ya, I want them to know that my intentions for you are good. I can't express it if you hide me from them or is it that you don't really want them to meet me?" The hurt in So's eyes is evident.

"I don't think it's like that hyungnim." Baek-Ah takes the tone of an adviser to meddle to what would be another argument between Hae Soo and So, "All parents are always careful with their daughter. You holding the highest sit in the court doesn't make you any less a candidate that would take their daughter away. Of course they would be wary of you. Let's give Hae Soo some time, she'll figure it out."

So watches Hae Soo for a long time, weighing Baek-Ah's words, "Araseo, let's walk her up to their street and let Woo Hee deliver her to their doorsteps. Is that alright Woo Hee Ssi?"

"Keureomyo wangjanim. I'll take her myself." Woo Hee readily agrees, not needing the signal from the two.

So starts walking again and Ha Jin mouths a thank you to Baek-Ah and Woo Hee.


Hae Hyeonhu paces back and forth at the foyer of Wook's library while Lady Sewon sits impatiently at a chair. Wook is nonchalantly leaning on one of the posts.

"Does our daughter always disappear with the 4th prince?" Hae Hyeonhu asks angrily.

"My 4th brother takes her away whenever he wants to." Wook words his sentence in such away that makes So look as if he's forcing Hae Soo to come with her, "and being the most powerful prince in the court, your daughter can't exactly say no even if she wants too. Myung Hee and I have made it clear to the 4th prince many times to be careful with Lady Hae Soo but our appeal falls only on deaf ears. You've met my 4th brother in the north. You know how he is. It doesn't sit well with him whenever he doesn't get what he wants."

And for the Haes, Wook's description of So isn't far from how they saw him. He is formidable, capable of subduing a town with just his presence. His silence is scarier than when he opens his mouth.

Shortly, Ha Jin and Woo Hee arrive by the door pretending to be laughing over some topic they were talking about a while ago.

"Hae Soo-ya!" Lady Sewon interjects rushing to her daughter.

The two girls glance on cue to where Lady Sewon is and Ha Jin greets her mother, "Eomeonim,"

"Where have you been?" Hae Hyeonhu stops beside the two of them, observing his daughter and her friend.

"Hae Hyeonhu, Lady Sewon," Woo Hee says her greetings too, "I found your daughter by the market after you came looking for her."

"I've invited her for a dinner and lost track of time, joesonghabnida." Ha Jin adds.

Their lie would have gone unnoticed if not for how Hae Soo massages her wrist. Wook is observing it the moment they came to view, "What happened to your wrist?"

"I-geo? (This?)... Ah…" Their plan doesn't cover the redness in Hae Soo's wrist, "I…"

"There were kids playing by the alley and they knock into Lady Hae Soo while running away. She used her arm to break her fall." Woo Hee explains.

The three doesn't buy the lie.

"Let's put it under the cold water before it swell. You should have been more careful." Lady Sewon takes Hae Soo away and Hae Hyeonhu dismisses Woo Hee, thanking her.

Wook walks Woo Hee to the gate, sounding her, "Woo Hee Ssi, after your apprenticeship with Lady Oh, what do you plan on doing?"

"Cheo-yo?" Woo Hee's guard is up, not giving away anything. "Probably continue on my path as Haengsu gisaeng, it's what I'm apprenticing for."

"I see. My little birds tell me otherwise."

Woo Hee freezes over and the two of them stop a few steps near the gate. Under the full moon that cast an overly white light at every thing, Wook stands near the massive main gate, which throws a stark shadow upon half of his face. Wook looks calm but at this moment, the play of shadow on his face makes him look menacing.

Woo Hee steps back, sensing danger. She had heard the 8th prince to be gentle and kind, far from this threatening man towering over her at the moment.

"Have you change sides? I was told your allegiance lies to your goal. What is it again…?"

Wook pretends to be thinking for a bit, "Ah… to kill the king that laid waste to your kingdom… isn't that right?"

Woo Hee holds herself from trembling.

"If you stick with us, I guess we'll have your goal realize in a few months time." Wook advances on Woo Hee, leaning further to her ear but not touching, "Play your part well my lady or you might just find yourself the last person of your kingdom."

Woo Hee doesn't answer, the threat as clear as daylight.

Stepping back, Wook is back to his casual manner, "I'm providing a land for your people but they would need to do something for me in return."

"Leave my people be. I'll do your bidding on my own." Woo Hee answers quietly.

"My 3rd brother has a different task for you." Wook starts walking away and then turns back to her, "You're doing a great job with Hae Soo and her friends by the way. If I wasn't warned against you, I'd almost believe you care about them."


The royal council for the week opens with Hae Hyeonhu taking his place at the ministers' position. There are a few murmurs, condolence and greetings to the head of the Hae clan from every minister and the royalties with Wook and Yo standing on each of his side.

The seja and the 4th prince came to greet him in the aisle too.

"Annyeong hashibnikka wangsejanim." Hae Hyeonhu pays his respect to the two first, "So wangjanim."

So nods, "We meet again Hae Hyeonhu. It seems my greetings are late, I should have come this weekend but your daughter tells me you are busy with settling down. I hope you had a comfortable weekend."

"Kamsahabnida wangjanim, it was a nice if only my daughter did not disappear. We were so worried about her." Hae Hyeonhu politely answers.

And the other meaning is not lost on So, "If I could invite you for a dinner, I'm sure we could talk about it better."

"With your mother? I thought Lady Shinjuwon is in the north, had she also come to visit?" Hae Hyeonhu nervously looks for an excuse to avoid the prince.

"Anibnida, my mother is in the north as you said. You need not worry about her." So tries to appease his future father in law.

"Let me keep it in mind then," Hae Hyeonhu doesn't commit.

"The dinner with the queen didn't materialize last weekend, shall we move it to one of these days?" Yo interjects.

"Ah yie, joesonghabnida Yo wangjanim, my daughter had a fever this weekend." Hae Hyeonhu looks at So, "One of her wrist was swollen because some kid run her into the ground and she was force to break her fall will her hand."

So pales. He was rough with Hae Soo but he didn't know he sprained her wrist. Guilt gnaws at him and he struggles to maintain a neutral expression.

"Is she alright? Has she seen a physician?" Mu asks glancing at So.

"Yie wangsejanim. Che Hae Soo-ga geok-cheong-hae jwo-seo kamsahabnida (For worrying about my daughter, thank you.)" Hae Hyeohui doesn't take his eyes off from So.

"Still, let me send a physician at the Damiwon to look at the lady." Mu offers once more and to break the unclear tension, he asks everyone to take their places as the council will start already.

King Taejo sits by his throne and opens the assembly by acknowledging Hae Hyeonhu, "Our assembly is complete today. It is good of you to come Hae Hyeonhu."

"Yie pyeha, for welcoming me, your grace is overflowing." Hae Hyeonhu takes into the aisle to bow and say his greeting.

"Ah let me express my sorrow for your late daughter. Rest assured that I have ask the seja and the 4th prince to look in her case and to put a better security for our people who are travelling from north to the capital. It has come to my attention, that our roads had become dangerous lately and I regret that your daughter has become a victim of it." King Taejo apologizes for Myung Hee's untimely passing.

Hae Hyeonhu answers with an intrepid bitter smile, remembering his eldest daughter and what their own investigation yielded. He watches the 4th prince and the seja, wondering if the two are conniving with each other,

"Gwaenchanhseubnikka pyeha, our clan had conducted our own investigation. We wouldn't want to burden the seja or the 4th prince with it anymore. I'm sure they have a lot of things in their plate already."

"Anibnida, we don't mind at all." Mu quickly answers, "Lady Hae Soo is like a sister to me, looking into Lady Myung Hee's case is not a burden at all."

"Please… we just want our daughter to rest." Hae Hyeonhu ends the conversation not wanting any help. They already suspect the Kangs, all they need is to find the motivation behind it.

Hae Hyeonhu goes back to his position with the ministers and they move to another topic to discuss.

A soldier sent by Gen. Park from the north replaces Hae Hyeonhu, "A strange movement from a group og people were observed in one of the lands from the north. It seems this group of people are spies assimilating with our people and wreaking havoc to raise a civil war. We are still tracing whose land they are inhabiting and who are behind them."

Yo side glances at Wook whose sporting a stoic face. He smirks. His 8th brother finally puts the first phase of their plan into motion.

"Kuereom, Wangseja and So wangja." King Taejo addresses his two highest sons, "I shall send both of you to contain these distress. Get to the bottom of it and make sure to come after those that needs to be punished. These people needs to be taught a lesson to not come after our kingdom."

"Yie pyeha." Mu and So answers together.

"Leave as soon as you can, we can't have our farms in the north burned." King Taejo commands.

And the two are left with no choice.

Wook side glances at Yo and infinitesimally nods.

Jung who had been observing his brothers in front of him catches the signal between his 8th and 3rd brother. Looking at Yo, he comes to the aisle, "Pyeha may I come with my two older brothers, I'd like to see the field first hand."

"Andoeda! (You can't!) Your brothers are plenty and powerful enough to cover this problem." Queen Yoo disproves. "Pyeha, the 14th prince is less experienced when it comes this kind of situation. He might become a burden to them."

"And when will I learn if not know?" Jung refuses to back down. "Shall I pray for a war to erupt so I may be sent to the field?"

Yo balls his hands into a fist. His 14th brother is fast becoming a headache to them. They need to marry him already to keep him down.

"Jung-ah mianhada." So whispers to his 14th brother and turns to the king, "Pyeha, the queen is right, we should keep our youngest prince here while we sort this one out. He will only be a burden to us."

"Hyungnim!" Jung exclaims.

"Jung wangja, I admire your brevity and boldness but your brother and your mother is right this time. Pass your exams this summer and I will send you wherever you want to train afterwards." King Taejo sides with the 4th prince and his queen.

It is dangerous enough to send both of his sons who are holder of the highest position on the court but he trusts his 4th son to protect the seja when the situation calls for it. He can't have another liability for his 4th son to look after.

"Pyeha, jebal…" Jung pleads.

"Anibnida." King Taejo's answer is final.


Visiting his aunt for a tea after the assembly, Ji Mong sits inside Lady Oh's office waiting. Hae Soo was sent to serve tea for the astronomer and finds him alone, drumming his fingers by the table. She greets him cordially and pours a tea for him.

Ji Mong nods, watching his little queen, wondering if he should open a conversation between the two of them. She looks better, calmer, back to her normal self.

Ha Jin finishes pouring tea and walks away without a word. Their last conversation kept her up this past nights and she still couldn't see the path she should choose. As she opens the door and slides it, she turns back to the astronomer and asks, "What does it entail to protect me?"

"Eh?" Ji Mong wasn't expecting a question from his little queen.

"You said, So wangjanim needed to get the throne to protect me. What does that mean?" Ha Jin faces Ji Mong and closes the door behind her once again.

Ji Mong bitterly smiles, "I should be happy that you are seeking me these days agassi but it is better that you know nothing and leave us all the dirty laundry to clean."

Again with keeping secrets from me.

"Please." Ha Jin appeals.

"Please what agassi?" Ji Mong puts up a mask to hide his concern. This is what he was afraid of, that Ha Jin might start asking for things that would put his plans in jeopardy. "What are you really asking? Do you really want to know? Not all knowledge are good and surely you must know by know, ignorance is much better than knowing."

"At least tell me if I can change it." Ha Jin swallows her fear of the astronomer. Only he can address the questions she wants answered.

"I already told you. I don't know." Ji Mong is being honest about it.

This lifetime of theirs, it started familiar and though there are changes, there are also situations they had circled back to. A thousand years of being cursed made Ji Mong wary of tampering with fate but he brought Ha Jin here in the hopes that he can right the mistake he made in their original lifetime.

"Then what should I do?! I don't know what to believe anymore." Ha Jin is starting to be desperate. "I think I'm going mad."

"Hae Soo Ssi, I understand how you feel right now, will you listen to me if I tell you something?" Ji Mong asks, wondering how much he can tell her to make her stay with the 4th prince no matter what.

In this original lifetime, Hae Soo and So's downfall is the fact that Hae Soo couldn't trust So at all. If Ji Mong is changing this lifetime, he better put up a good bridge between the two even when he, himself, is wavering on trusting the 4th prince.

Ha Jin waits with all ears.

"Everything you heard about So wangjanim and his life before he came to the palace is mostly true. He didn't grew-up in a loving family like most of his siblings did. I don't know the details of his life in the Kang household and he refuses to talk about it even now. I guess we could all agree that the Kang's are not exactly the best people in the kingdom. His adopted mother, Lady Shinjuwon is known as mad and the many scars you saw on the prince's body are confirmation of being abused. I doubt if those abuses are only physical. I'm sure you've witness once how he is when he loses his temper."

Not only once. But twice now.

Ha Jin remembers the first in the market. The second is the other day.

"But ever since he met you, So wangjanim is changing little by little. He sees you as his hope, his home, his everything. You are his light and without you he won't hesitate to plunge this kingdom to darkness." Ji Mong asks, cementing the bridge,

"Won't you show him a little more faith? He loves you more than you can imagine and I believe you do too. You can't change his already dark past but you can shine your light in his future to guide him. He needs you and all you have to do is hold his hand."

All I need is to take his hand...

Ha Jin thinks about it some more, her resolve starting to take shape.


So comes running quickly to the Damiwon after he and the seja talks about their assignment to the north. He finds Hae Soo walking by the corridor alone. Her head bowed, lost in thought.

"Soo-ya!"

Ha Jin turns around, recognizing So's voice. She smiles at him like their argument the other day never happened, "So wangjanim."

"I…" So stops in front of her, looking at her left wrist worriedly, "Your father said, you had a fever last night because of… "

So wanted to reach at her hand but stops himself, certain that Hae Soo wouldn't appreciate being touch after what happened the other day.

Ha Jin notices So's hesitation.

All you have to do is hold his hand…

Ha Jin hears Ji Mong's word repeatedly on her head.

All I have to do is hold his hand and I can change him… our future…

"because of my sprained hand?" Ha Jin raises her left wrist, twirling it in front of So. "It's not sprained."

She lowers her hand and takes So's, intertwining her fingers with his, "I only said I was sick because I didn't want to have dinner with the queen."

"Soo-ya… Mianhada." So apologizes for a hundredth time, raising their intertwined hands to examine it and look at her eyes, "I promise it will never happen again… I won't even touch you without your permission."

Ha Jin gives a kind smile, determined to have a different future with So, "Can you promise me one thing?"

"Anything for you." So readily answers.

"Please don't ever lie to me. I know you're only trying to protect me but I don't want any secrets between us from now on. Can you promise me that?"

"I promise to protect you, that comes first. I will try to tell you everything but that is all I can do. Try." So cautiously promises, "Not everything you want to know will be good to hear. Can you at least trust me on this?"

"Can you make me be the judge of what I can handle and what I can't?" Ha Jin poses a difficult question for So.

"Will you be able to tell me everything too?" So challenges, knowing no matter what Hae Soo did in the past, it will not be worst than what he had experienced.

Ha Jin couldn't answer.

Can I really say I'm not Hae Soo,.. that I am not of this time?

Anxiety lines her forehead as her heart beat races double time. So demands their promise of honesty to work both ways and Ha Jin isn't exactly clean in that department too.

"Soo-ya…" So is contrived to give Hae Soo anything she wants but not this, "Let's not fight today. I miss you."

He raises his other hand, about to put it at Hae Soo's waist but stops midway, "Can I?"

Ha Jin takes her time to step closer to So's hand, her waist almost touching the tips of his fingers. She looks him in the eye, seeking

We'll be okay, right?

She makes-up her mind, choosing to be with So.

Hae Soo is not here. It is I who is in here now. If Hae Soo is bound to leave him then I will choose to stay no matter what.

I can change this… I can change us…

She bridges the gap in his finger and her body, letting So encircle his arm around her. She leans her head to his chest, calming her doubts in time with his heartbeat. Tightening his arms around her, Hae Soo's hair that smell of tangerine with a hint of vanilla dances underneath So's nostril, welcoming him to inhale.

This is how Hae Soo's parents spy them from the end of the corridor. Lady Sewon and Hae Hyeonhu arrived at the Damiwon only a minute later than the 4th prince and are looking for their daughter when they walked in on the two.

Now the Haes are confused. What they are seeing is simply the opposite of what they heard. Their daughter and the 4th prince seem to be locked in a world where only the two of them exist, intimate with each other.

The two break their embrace and walk in the different direction, unaware of their audience. They round the corner and disappear, going into the back garden.

"Soo-ya, I need to tell you something" So purses his lips, nervous.

Ha Jin looks up at him, waiting.

"I'm leaving. I have to go to the north." So avoids her gaze.

Ha Jin lets go of his hand, "Mwo rago? Waeyo?"

His cold hand feels empty, hurrying with his words. "There's a palace matter I need to take care off."

"When are you leaving?" Ha Jin looks hurt. "For how long this time?"

"Only for a few weeks." So looks scared of Hae Soo.

"Ya! the last time you left, you said you'll only be gone for a month and you disappeared on me for half a year. If Ji Mong seonsaengnim didn't drag you here, you wouldn't even come back." Ha Jin doesn't bother to hide her anger.

"Arayo but I promise it would only be for a few weeks this time." So tries to reach at her hand again, "I'll send a messenger if I take more than a few weeks. I swear."

"If you take more than a month, forget that I am your home!" Ha Jin avoids contact, "You won't have someone to come home to."

She walks away.

"Eh?" So comes after her, "I… Soo-ya,… jamsimanyo. (wait.)"

So stammers, something he doesn't do. He looks like a lost kid. Everyone warned him Hae Soo would scream at him if he ever asks for permission but at least he asked this time.

She abruptly turns back to So, "When are you leaving?"

"I… naeil? (tomorrow?)" So hesitantly answers, bracing his self for more screaming.

"Naeil?! Wah… and when were you planning to tell me this?"

Similar to every boy, So doesn't understand Hae Soo's outburst, "We were fighting these past few days, when do you expect me to say it?"

Ha Jin squint her eyes, her left eyebrow twitching. So has a point but she's irritated nonetheless. She takes a step away from him, turning her back once more.

"Soo-ya…" So sighs exasperatedly, changing his tone to a sweeter one. Though Hae Soo is clearly angry, So is amused, finding Hae Soo's annoyance, endearing. "Soo-ya, I'm leaving tomorrow… Can you not walk out on me?… "

"Kkeo-jyeo! (Get lost!)" Ha Jin shouts back. His sweet talks not working.

"I'll ask Baek-Ah to sneak you out tomorrow." It's not a question but a statement. "Please see me at a place where I could take some tea."

A smug smile appears at So's lips as he watches his Hae Soo walk away.


At the Kang's palace up north, Guen Sun is at the center aisle, kneeling in front of Lady Shinjuwon's throne.

"The Haes are reportedly at Songak already and is residing at their daughter's household. They had conducted their own investigation regarding Lady Myung Hee's death and even the servant, Chae Ryung's disappearance was look into."

"I'm sure they didn't find anything?" Lady Shinjuwon looks bored at her throne, playing with her glass of berry wine.

"Of course my lady." Guen Sun assures the consort.

"And those people burning the farms just below the Hwangbo's territory?"

"Are only posing as Khitans. I've had a talked with their general already and they are keeping their allegiance with us for as long as we stay true to our deal with them of not taking back the lands of Goguryeo after the 4th prince ascends the throne." Geun Sun reports.

"Johda. And my son? Isn't he heading to that land to investigate? Extend our formal invitation to my son's party. I miss him already. The palace had been quiet since I have no one to play with anymore." Lady Shinjuwon puts her glass down, resting her head at her hand.

"It shall be done my lady." Guen Sun bows and says his leave, preparing to send a messenger to So's party.


By late afternoon, Wook comes to the Damiwon to ask for his hair to be washed. Lady Myung Hee used to do it for him but now that she's gone and he needed an excuse to be alone with Hae Soo, he asked specifically for an apprentice to serve him.

Since Lady Oh is at the king's chamber, the second ranking gungnyeo assigns Hae Soo the task and sends her immediately.

Ha Jin walks in the door arranging towels in her hands expecting So trying to steal a few minutes with her and is surprised to see the 8th prince when she looks up.

"Wangjanim..."

"Hae Soo?" Wook pretends he wasn't expecting her.

"Kuereom, I probably should ask another apprentice to do it." In her panic, she unsubtly expressed her avoidance of him.

"Kaji mara. (Stay.)" Wook commands.

Ha Jin has no choice but continue with her assigned task. She turns back to Wook and quietly prepare the half bath, putting away the shampoo she concoct herself.

Wook comfortably lies down, letting his hair out of his bun. It's luxuriously dark brown, a different shade than Hae Soo's mahogany. Unlike So's tangle strands, Wook's is soft and smooth, the kind that had been taken cared off for a long time. Ha Jin proceeds with the task, silently.

"Hae Soo-ya, you don't have to be uncomfortable with me. I'm inclined to ask for forgiveness but I rather not." Wook closes his eyes as the warm aromatic water cascades in his hair, "I'm sorry for kissing you but I'm not sorry for feeling this way towards you."

"Wangjanim, it might be that you are only depressed with losing my unnie and I'm the only one you feel comfortable with so you think you like me..."

"I don't 'like' you Hae Soo-ya," Wook interrupts Hae Soo's sentence, catching her hands and pulling it towards him, making Hae Soo descend upon him, "I'm in love with you. I was only holding back because I know you don't give a glance to married men, let alone to your unnie's husband but I am free now, won't you give me a chance and open your heart?"

Ha Jin tenses, struggling against Wook's hold. Remembering what history had already recorded, Ha Jin tries to appease Wook, not wanting a repeat of bloody war for the throne because of the unnamed girl who happens to be her now, "Wangjanim..."

And Hae Soo is lost for words.

What do I say to prevent the bloody war that is to come?

"I understand. It's only been a few weeks since your unnie passed away. Mianhada for burdening you with this but I have been feeling this way towards you for a long time now. Please know that I am willing to wait if you promise to give me a chance." Wook lets her arms go. "You don't have to say anything. I can wait for the answer when you are ready."

And Ha Jin holds her tongue, afraid to say the wrong words.

This must be how it felt, to hold a future of a kingdom in your hand in the form of someone else's heart.

It's heavy and burdensome.


Before sunrise, the three apprentices are up in their hands picking vegetables at the Damiwon's vast garden of herbs. Ha Jin and Soon Deok's eyes are half closed while Woo Hee pushes both of their backs towards the herb patch they have to work on.

Baek-Ah suddenly comes out of the bushes surprising the three, "Ya! What took you so long?!"

He addresses Hae Soo, not bothering with the greetings, "Do you know how long I've been waiting here? I haven't slept all night."

Ha Jin wrinkles her nose, "What are you doing here? You reek of alcohol."

"So hyungnim threatened to kill me if I don't bring you to him. Pal-li! (Make it fast!) Before Lady Oh finds out I'm here." Baek-Ah is sober enough to pull Hae Soo in urgency.

Shortly, they arrive by the side of the river where So and Hae Soo hang their lantern last lantern festival. The fireflies had dispersed already and streaks of pink and orange line the sky.

The two walk with their hood drawn on their head. So waits by the tree trunk, his black coat starting to come out of the shadow as the place lights up little by little.

"You have…" Baek-Ah looks at the sky, "…more or less half an hour before the sun comes out."

"Kamsahabnida Baek-Ah." So claps his brother's shoulder, "Kaseyo. (You may leave.)"

"I'll come back in half an hour." Baek-Ah nods at the two and leaves, making himself scarce and looking dead sleepy.

The two waits for Baek-Ah to be out of site before facing each other.

Ha Jin fusses over So's coat, smoothing it over him, "Exactly how long will you be gone this time?"

"I chu. (2 weeks.)" So watches over Hae Soo, memorizing her face once more.

"and if you don't come back in two weeks?" Ha Jin flattens her palms at So's shoulder, a little playful threat in her voice.

"I will come back this time." So promises. He puts his hands on his back, stopping his itching hands from touching her.

Ha Jin steps closer, sighing. Her worry starting to show, "Is't dangerous?"

"Geok-cheong haji ma (Don't worry), you threatening to leave me is far more dangerous than any other enemies I've encountered in the field." So pulls a joke to make the situation light.

Ha Jin busies herself with arranging So's coat once more.

"Come home to me… safely and fast." Ha Jin is serious now, lifting her gaze to catch So's.

So unexpectedly smiles and leans in to steal a peck at Hae Soo's lips, breaking her seriousness.

"Ya! You promised you won't touch me without my permission!" Ha Jin is abruptly stunt, withdrawing her hands on So's chest and So is quick to trap her in his arms, unable to hold back anymore.

"I lied." So steals one more quick kiss, "Kamanhi isseo, (stay still) I want to hold you for awhile… please."

He pulls her to a tight embrace, "My Soo-ya, my beloved moon. I have something to tell you when I come back. Will you wait for me?"

"Don't keep me waiting for too long then." Ha Jin burrows inside So's coat, more nervous to let him go this time. The future she saw feels slightly more bleak without So on her side. She needs him to hurry home to her, her radiant sun that keeps the darkness away.


PREVIEW:

Let's have a few weeks time jump or maybe a few months. One of So's trusted siblings will meet Lady Shinjuwon and will become privy to the secret inside the Kang household. Wook and Yo will execute the next phase of their plan. Let's say goodbye to another character(s).