Chapter 43:
Late into the night, Jung and Baek-Ah climb the outer wall surrounding the detention where the Haes are being detained. They stay well hidden behind the gap of the gutter.
"There are 8 guards surrounding the whole quarters plus two in the inner gate and another two doing the rounds." Jung crouches with his one knee supporting him while the other kneels.
"So there are 10?" Baek-Ah takes a peak beside Jung.
"Did the guards changed?" Jung observes. "I thought the guards belong to So Hyungnim's platoon? I don't recognize any of them?"
"Chal mol-la. (I don't know.) They all look the same to me." Baek-Ah balances on one knee, following Jung, "How do we sneak in?"
"Let's wait for the guards to change, maybe I can recognize someone from the next batch." Jung makes himself comfortable by the ledge and Baek-Ah does the same, sitting beside Jung.
The soft wind gently plays on the tops of their head, the weather good enough for the evening walks. On a normal night, Baek-Ah and Jung would have hanged-out in the town enjoying their youth, drinking the night out or quietly blending with the ordinary people. Instead they're here, sitting on a ledge, breaking their father's command and waiting to sneak in to see how the Haes are doing.
"Jung-ah," Baek-Ah breaks their silence first, "Are you… I mean… Do you…"
Jung has an idea what Baek-Ah wants to ask but he remains silent, letting his brother finish on his own.
"You seem…" Baek-Ah tries once more, "to have ease up around our 4th brother and Hae Soo, are you alright now?"
"Alright?" A bitter smile raises the corner of Jung's lips, "That's a funny word. Are you alright, too? I mean after Lady Myung Hee… you know…"
Baek–Ah sits on his butt, the ground cold against his hanbok. He rest his back to the wall, relaxing as he considers his brother's question, "Fair point."
"I'm trying to give Hae Soo what she wants, what would make her happy. " Jung leans against the wall.
"And?" Baek-Ah waits.
"Nothing." Jung sighs deeply, as if the next words hurt too much to say, "She made her choice and she chose our 4th brother."
Baek-Ah slings his arm over his brother's shoulder, encouraging, "You're doing the right thing."
Jung chuckles terribly, "Am I? You don't know our 4th brother. The things he could do. The things he had done."
"Whatever it is. He did it to survive." Baek-Ah defends So without knowing anything, "Our father sent him to live in a far away place. Far from you, his family, from us. You know the lady consort is mad. Everyone knows. I couldn't imagine the hell our brother have to live through to make him that way."
"Don't imagine. You wouldn't want to know." Jung's face darkens, the unwelcome memories keep flashing on his mind. He holds his hands together, keeping it from shaking.
"What do you mean?" Baek-Ah listens intently, his arm returning to his side. "You've met the lady consort, right? You came to the Kang's palace. How was it? Was it as scary as the rumors say it is."
"The Kang's palace?" Jung repeats, "Areumdapda. (It's beautiful.) I'd say more beautiful than our palace here, in Songak. It's surrounded by the mountains on the east, the forest to the west, wild flowers that grew only in the north and his mother… Lady Shinjuwon had this garden full of poisonous purple and blue flowers that she personally grows."
"So the rumors about her being mad are also true?" Baek-Ah is all-curious. He had never heard a first hand account about the Kangs of Shinju.
"Mad? I'd say she's more treacherous than mad. Like the poisons she grow on her garden, she's very alluring and dangerous." Jung lowers his voice some more, the vile threatening to rise in his throat again, "And our 4th brother takes very well after her. I did not expect that from him. I do not like So Hyungnim after meeting Lady Shinjuwon. I do not trust him anymore but I have to believe your words that he did all that to survive or I'll go mad, myself."
"What are you saying, Jung-ah" Baek-Ah is surprise to hear it from Jung, who used to look highly upon So.
Jung couldn't say what he had seen that night, "Let's leave it at that. It's not my secret to tell. Come, the guards will be changing soon."
"Jung-ah!"
"Forget it!" Jung leads Baek-Ah to crouch facing the detainees' quarters again, making it clear that their conversation had ended. Against his curiosity, Baek-ah drops the matter at hand, remembering to ask about it later.
There is no change on the grounds they left a while ago. The guards were still on their place except for the two, who's walking around the meter. The moon had risen high above the palace and everyone had gone to sleep.
Two new visitors come in at the main gate. Two unlikely pairing that Baek-Ah and Jung wasn't expecting.
"Ji Mong Seonsaengnim and Wook Hyungnim?" Jung whispers under his breath.
Jung and Baek-Ah look at each other, both sporting the same confuse and suspecting look. They stay low observing until Ji Mong and Wook enter the quarters. The soldiers greet them welcomingly.
Between shadows and light, created by the moon shining upon the fenced windows of the quarters, Ji Mong and Wook walk towards the cell of the Haes at the end of the corridor.
"Seonsaengnim, might I ask," Wook's voice, low and secretive, "What is in it for you whether the Haes die or be freed?"
The blue-ish light illuminating only one side of each of their faces, making them look cold, "Just hedging my bets. There's a sudden change in the alignment of the stars and the sun. Surely, you will not forget me when the owner of that throne changes. Will you?"
"Shrewd. I didn't know you were this ambitious." Wook confidently strides beside him, his back straight, his hands clasp behind.
"Ambitious, yes, I was once that but fate had proven, power is not for me." Ji Mong glances at the 8th prince, "Nor is it for just anyone."
"That is true. I once detested my mother and my sister's appetite for it but you know what I've learned?" Wook casually asks, "The stars could only go as far as deeming your place in this world. You pushed back and stars could fall to or even better, burn their last ounce of light and they are no more."
The scene of their palace buried underneath the grey soothe of ash burns brightly under Ji Mong's eyelids. He's insides shake from the cold that has nothing to do with Spring. He struggles not to cross his arms against his chest, unconsciously being defensive as he remembers their fate in the past.
Silence reigns on their walk once more as they reach the cells of the Haes. The three are huddled to the corner with Lady Sewon in the center, Hae Soo's head on her lap again while Hae Hyeonhu holds his wife's hand. The three of them rise as their unexpected visitor come into the warm light of their cell. They give their greetings together and Lady Sewon pulls Hae Soo a little to her back, hiding her.
Wook notices it and is reminded of how Myung Hee is quite protective of Hae Soo too.
"What brings our prince and the king's adviser here at this time of the night?" Hae Hyeonhu politely asks. His surprise reaction kept well hidden.
"I imagine you and your wife have thought about my proposal the other night?" Wook smiles, looking reliable and gentle as always.
"The 8th prince came the other night?" Ha Jin whispers to her mother who wouldn't answer her.
"I see, you haven't told her. Shall I explain?" Wook offers as he steps further closer to the cell, looking at Hae Soo. His eyes crinkling into softness that Hae Soo hasn't seen for a long time. "Soo-ya… won't you come nearer?"
Ha Jin looks at her parents, imploring what this is all about. Lady Sewon gently squeezes her hand, not wanting her daughter anywhere near the prince but it would be disrespectful for Hae Soo not to come when she is asked to.
Slowly, Ha Jin takes a step near the wooden rods separating her and the 8th prince. Wook takes his time to come a few steps closer to Hae Soo, looking at her left hand. His hand crosses in between the wooden planks, taking a hold of it.
Ha Jin tenses, the cold automatically making her shiver. Wook's thumb explores the lining of her sleeves, seeking the bracelet underneath. As his thumb graces it, he pulls it out. The jade glistening green, a contrast to the red thin band that holds it at the center,
"Na-ruel mu-seo-wo-ha-na-yo? (Are you afraid of me?)" Wook asks.
Hae Hyeonhu and Lady Sewon are inclined to pull their daughter away from Wook but hold themselves back.
"Do-ryeo-wo-ha-ji ma-ra (Don't be.)" Wook holds Hae Soo's hand as his thumb graces the bracelet, "I can free you here, Soo-ya."
Ha Jin shakes and this time she wouldn't be able to hide it. She has an idea what this is all about but she wouldn't ask, fearful of the answer.
"Not just you, but your mother and your father too." Wook pulls her hand so it passes to the cell and closer to him instead of Hae Soo. "They will be free to leave the capital, live in the North once more. You would be able to come with them, meet your older brother and see your family complete again. Wouldn't you want that?"
Of course Ha Jin wants that. They may not be her real family but they are her family here.
"The trial will start tomorrow and your father would be the first one to be interrogated." Ji Mong keeps his eyes averted from the Haes. He couldn't look at them, not when he's ready to betray his little queen for her mother, "He will be tortured. Your mother and you will follow next."
"But we have nothing to do with the charges their accusing us!" Ha Jin finds her voice.
"The witnesses will never recant their words. It will be your words against them and the people's sympathy is woefully on their side. Joesonghabnida, agassi. I failed you." Ji Mong's seeks for understanding for the betrayal that he will commit.
Forgive me, my little queen. Let's be happy on the next lifetime.
"It rests on you, Soo-ya." Wook emphasizes the burden placed on Ha Jin's shoulder, backing her against the wall so she wouldn't be able to say no.
"Marry me," Wook proposes, bringing Hae Soo's hand to his lips and in front of everyone, plants an intimate kiss upon her wrist, "and I'll make all of these go away."
Ji Mong closes his eyes. He doesn't want to see this.
"Marry me, my little queen."
The other prince and the daughter of the moon are standing at the dais of the king's throne. Their servants kneeling, their guards dead. His children, lying on their pool of blood.
The king is on his knees, being pushed down by two soldiers, forced to watch like everyone else as the other prince kisses the daughter of the moon's hand. Unwelcomingly, he puts his arm around her waist, pulling her towards him. He descends further into her presence, about to seal her lips with a kiss.
The daughter of the moon looks away. Her loathing, freely mixing with the tears streaming in her eyes, "Never."
The back of the other prince' hand connects on her face, hard and fast. Bringing her down to the ground, dizzy with bleeding lips. She automatically holds upon her abdomen, enfolding and protective.
"Wangjanim!" The king pleads.
"Wangjanim!" Lady Sewon pulls her daughter's hand from Wook, "My apology. I mean no disrespect. But a man shouldn't be taking advantage of a lady's innocence. You shall not hold my daughter like that again outside of matrimony."
"Ah, joesonghaeyo, Lady Sewon. I must have been carried away." Wook apologizes to Lady Sewon. If he is annoyed, it doesn't show. He merely smiles at them once more, "Does a night enough to think about it? Or perhaps you want to see your father endure first? Your parents wasted enough time already. Forgive me if that is all the time I could give."
He steps back, "Kuereom, I shall see all of you tomorrow."
Wook turns his back heading to the door.
Ji Mong looks at the two ladies before deciding to leave after Wook. Guilt traces the lines on his face, drawing a picture of defeated man.
Long after the two visitors leave, Hae Hyeonhu still stands by the door of the cell, looking at the corridor leading to the exit.
Lady Sewon sits at the corner while Ha Jin stares to what little moon she can see through the window that is situated well high above the wooden wall. She starts pacing, walking the whole length of the small cell.
"Hae Soo-ya," Lady Sewon calls, watching her daughter pace. She is terrified of what they have to have to go through yet her face is all compose. Not even a crease shows, "Stop thinking about it. Nawa kat-i anj-ayo (Come sit with me.)"
Ha Jin glances at the lady who had become her mother in a short span of time. Tears start to pool in her eyes but she refuses for it to fall, "Eomeonim, why didn't you tell me?"
"Because there is nothing to discuss." Lady Sewon stands-up and reaches to Hae Soo's arm, stopping her from pacing, "Your 4th prince gave his word. He'll free you. That's good enough for us."
"Is it?!" Ha Jin exclaims, her fears coloring her voice. Of course she trusts the 4th prince but she now understood what his words are, the apology. Save her. Only her. So's promise did not include her family and that's what she's afraid of, "Eomeonim… what about you and abeonim?"
As much as it is painful for Hae Hyeonhu to ask, he asks nonetheless, "Will you agree to the 8th prince' term then?"
Lady Sewon bravely smiles, smoothing Hae Soo's hair affectionately, "You fought your unnie against it. You wouldn't even marry the boy you've once promised your heart to. You don't have to do this. Your father and I, we'll get through this because we're innocent. Don't you trust us?"
"Didn't you hear what the 8th prince said? They will torture you. They will hurt you." Ha Jin touches her mother's affectionate hand, "And you want me to just watch?"
"Hae Soo-ya, if you marry the 8th prince, you will be tying your life to him for whole eternity. The torture will only last for a few hours maybe a day. Our bodies would heal eventually but you… If you marry the 8th prince, he will own you, body and soul. Will you endure that for as long as you live?" Surprisingly, Lady Sewon's voice is calm and steady, comforting even under duress. "I do not want that kind of life for you. You would be living but dead inside."
I'm not the first girl who would marry for convenience. Even in the present day, people do it all the time. At least, I can save lives.
Ha Jin tries to be reasonable about it, not wanting another life be sacrificed for her. She weighs it on her head, the things that have led into this. She searches her history, her flashes of memory, all devoid of any information about her parents' demise. She curses herself for not reading more or knowing the unnamed girl in her history books. For all the knowledge she knows about this period, none could save them.
Trembling, Ha Jin assures Lady Sewon, "It's not so bad, is it? The 8th prince is a good person. If I marry him, he'll take care of me, of you, of our family. Maybe I can learn to love him?"
Hae Hyeonhu closes his eyes. He appreciates his daughter sacrificing for them but it will only bring about war between the 4th prince and the 8th prince. Like a prey, very well caught in a net, they are backed against the wall with every imaginable options leading only to turmoil, "And I supposed your 4th prince will just let you be married to his 8th brother, will he? Your choice of marriage between the 4th prince and the 8th prince has its political consequences that you may not know of but that doesn't mean they don't exist. The 8th prince might have gained favor from the king. He might be able to free us but your 4th prince still belongs to the most powerful clan of the kingdom. If he chooses to wage war, which he surely will, thousands of lives will be lost."
Ha Jin knows. Lady Oh and Baek-ah never failed to warn her. She just never paid attention to it. Now, she's reaping her carelessness.
"Hae Soo-ya, mianhada. It seems we have failed as your parents to educate you of the politics of the royal court. We may have been too protective of you. Forgive us, we shouldn't have sent you to live with your Myung Hee unnie. Maybe this wouldn't have happened."
"Anibnida abeonim, please don't say that. If there is anyone that is at fault, it would be me. I was too stubborn to listen." Ha Jin couldn't hold back her tears any longer, "I'm sorry I don't know what to do."
"Shhhh…" Lady Sewon pulls Hae Soo to her arms, "Hae Soo-ya jal-mut-i anibnida (You're not at fault.) Just listen to your father and me, alright? We'll get through this. You chose the 4th prince from the beginning. Let's trust him till the end."
I didn't choose wrongly, did I?
Early morning, two guards came for Hae Hyeonhu in their cell. They were coarse but he welcomes them with dignity and all the braveness he could muster for the sake of his wife and daughter. They bind his wrist and take a hold of each of his arm but he insisted on walking on his own. His manners putting the rough guards to shame.
And while the courtyard gets busy with the questioning, Yeonhwa and her mother, serenely sit together, having their cup of tea in Queen Shinjeong's quarters.
"Where is your brother?" Queen Shinjeong asks over sipping her cup.
"Probably in the courtyard, watching." Yeonhwa puts her teacup down, straight back and with no care in the world, "I don't understand their penchant for watching this kind of spectacle. It's bloody and messy."
"I imagine they wouldn't be getting any information from him since he knows nothing but if the three of them endures, the court might give them a chance to plead for their lives." Standing-up, Lady Shinjeong walks by the window, looking over to the direction where the courtyard is. "I wasn't expecting your brother could pull this kind of scheming. I guess he is a late achiever. Nonetheless, he makes me proud. Now all we need to do is to tie loose ends."
"Late achiever indeed. He's thinking of doing something stupid once more." Yeonhwa follows her mother to the windows.
"Stupid? Like what?"
"He plans on using his favor to save the Haes and marry Hae Soo."
"What?!" Anger colors Lady Shinjeong's voice, "Aren't we trying to get rid of the Haes? They are finished. What would we gain from marrying into their family? Your brother must really be mad. Have him come here immediately. I must speak with him."
"Yie, eomeonim." Yeonhwa bows in greetings and exits the room, displeased of her brother. As she walks down the corridor, she wonders how she could help with tying loose ends.
So wakes-up a few days later in Lady Shinjuwon's quarters, groggy and tired. He sits up, squeezing his eyes and shaking the dizziness out of his head.
A gungnyeo comes in to deliver breakfast and was surprised to see the 4th prince awake. Slowly, she puts his meal down the table, trying to make herself invincible to no avail.
"Where is my mother?" So's voice is gruff from lack of use.
"At… at… her garden… wangjanim." The gungnyeo stammers, keeping her head bowed. The 4th prince isn't wearing his mask and is not aware that his scar is showing.
"How long was I asleep?"
"Yi…e?" The gungnyeo did not understand the question, "I… don't know… a few days… three… at most."
So smashes the unsuspecting incense holder at the bedside table. It shatters to the floor making the gungnyeo steps back. He roughly stands, purposely looking around.
Lady Shinjuwon comes in to the sight of So turning her quarters upside down. The gungnyeo had recede to the front door and is trembling, "Ah I guess you've recovered seeing as your wreaking havoc in my room"
"Eomeonim! What have you done?" So stops for a second, angrily shouting.
"I merely let you sleep." Lady Shinjuwon nonchalantly answers, taking off her gloves and putting down at the table the basket of blue helmet flowers she had picked on her garden. "You look like hell when you arrived. I was concern you won't be fit enough to do my bidding when the time comes."
"Eomeonim!" So looks murderous.
"Your beloved lady's registration is with Guen Sun. He's waiting for you at the main gate. Why don't you sit down and have breakfast with me before you leave. It's going to be a long ride ahead of you." Lady Shinjuwon sits on the chair as if everything is perfectly normal in her room.
So walks passed her, the minute she tells him where Hae Soo's registration is, not bothering with her. Lady Shinjuwon made him sleep for a few days, hoping he would be late by the time he arrives at the palace. The king had sent a messenger secretly, asking her to keep So for the time being until he does away with the Haes. She did kept him but only long enough for So to be too late to do anything but still be there in the palace in time to see the Haes met out their punishment.
"Don't forget your mask." Lady Shinjuwon calls after So, "Your monstrous scar is showing."
So stops. Remembering his scar. He touches the left side of his face. He had been asleep for a few days, of course the cream would have faded.
"Ah, I have a gift for your father. Won't you give it to him for me?"
Hae Hyeonhu managed to come back to their cell upright but supported by two guards on each side. Lady Sewon and Hae Soo quickly replaced the guards the moment the door to their cell opened. They lay him carefully to the hays Ha Jin had gathered. There's blood everywhere, his nose is broken and there's a large wound on his head. His ribs are fractured and his legs are purple from the many blows he took. Soon, the cold ground became a more comfortable bed rather than the rough and itchy hays. Hae Hyeonhu falls asleep, tired and ill.
Hae Soo and Lady Sewon couldn't do anything other than wipe the blood and clean it with their sleeves. Though tears stems from Lady Sewon's eyes, she keeps it quiet, bearing for her husband.
A little later, Wook comes once again, bringing a medicine with him. He looks worried and full of concern. Lady Sewon and Hae Soo greet him out of politeness but only Ha Jin stands on her own.
"Mianhaeyo, for your father. I did warn you." Like last night, Wook comes near to the cell, close enough for Hae Soo to reach him. "I've brought you a medicine."
Ha Jin warily looks at it, knowing he's waiting for her to reach out for it. Slowly she raises her hand, opening her palm, "I am grateful for it."
"Have you decided?" Wook watches her hand, her face, Lady Sewon behind her, not looking but surely listening.
Ha Jin unconsciously closes her palm.
A war if I choose him.
Death to my parents if I don't.
How much can this period be cruel? Is that how Hae Soo became the unnamed girl who disappeared?
Wook interprets her silence as a no, so he holds her hand, gently and as unalarming as he can. He puts the medicine in her palm and closes it, "Gwaenchanhseubnida, gi-da-ril su iss-eub-ni-da. (It's alright, I can wait.)"
Embarrassingly and afraid, Ha Jin looks away but receives the medicine, letting Wook take a hold of her hand. Lady Sewon refuses to glance, unable to object because they need the medicine. Wook knows this and he's taking advantage of the situation, further pushing them back against the wall where there is no where to go.
"They'll be coming for you and your mother next. I would hate to see you go through it. It would be painful and you wouldn't endure." Wook cautions, reading the concern on Hae Soo's face and using it against her, "Or maybe you can endure but will your mother endure?"
"I will." Lady Sewon answers.
Wook continues with his words as if Lady Sewon did not answer, he lowers his voice, stepping closer and appealing to Hae Soo, "Your mother is sickly and so are you. If you go through it, you might survive but it will mare you. And your mother, surely she would be ill for life?"
Wook closes her hand on the medicine and lets it go, "I know you don't care much about yourself but I know you love your mother more than anyone. Think about her."
The corner of his lips turn up a little, leaving a small encouraging smile before he walks away.
Ha Jin knows Wook is right. As she turns, she looks at his mother and her father. In a few days, her mother would be lying next to her father.
Can I really just watch?
She hides her fears and goes through the motion of putting ointment all over Hae Hyeonhu, taking care of his wounds.
"Hae Soo-ya," Lady Sewon touches her hand and momentarily stops it, "You don't have to listen to him. If your father endured, I can endure. Don't worry about us."
She looks at the hand that Wook had just held. She wipes it with her chima and looks at her daughter, "You shouldn't let him touch you so easily."
Ha Jin puts up a brave smile, "It's just a hand, eomeonim."
I have given more than that before. I can give more if it saves you.
By midnight, Hae Hyeonhu tosses uncomfortably in his sleep. He is running with a high fever and his throat is burning with thirst. Ha Jin could only watch, her conscience eating her up. She hugs her legs together, resting her head on her knees.
A little later, she hears a commotion, footsteps coming their way. She raises her head to see Soon Deok, Baek-Ah and Jung coming through the window on the other side of the cell. She hurries to the wooden rods, closing her hand over it,
"Soon Deok-ah! What are you guys doing hear?"
Jung fumbles through the lock of the other cell, opening the door and letting themselves out.
"Is your father alright?" Soon Deok stares at Hae Hyeonhu on the floor.
"Water, he needs water." Ha Jin answer with immediacy.
The three shuffles on their feet, looking among themselves. Of course they don't have water with them. They brought medicine though.
"I'll go get some." Jung volunteers, deliberating among the three of them, "Gi-da-ryeo ju-se-yo. (Please, wait.)"
Baek-ah helps him out of the window again and comes back beside Soon Deok, "Mianhada Hae Soo-ya, I only came today. It isn't easy for me and Jung to sneak in. Your guards outside have changed."
"Changed?" Lady Sewon asks, standing up to greet their new visitors.
Soon Deok nods, "The soldiers used to be under So wangjanim's platoon. So it was easier for me to sneak in. Now we don't recognize any of them."
"But it seems the 8th prince and Ji Mong seonsaengnim have no problem getting in." Baek-Ah adds, "What do they want, by the way? I saw them coming in here plenty of times."
Ha Jin shrugs, pretending it's nothing. She hopes her mother would follow her lead, "Kuenyang, just visiting like you. Wook wangjanim gave medicine for my father."
"Hae Soo-ya!" Soon Deok exclaims, "I warned you not to accept anything from him. We'll bring you anything you need."
Baek-Ah empties something from the inside of his sleeves, "Here, we also brought you medicine. Don't ask anything from them anymore. You don't need them."
"Waeyo?" Ha Jin looks at the bottle of ointment that Baek-Ah is holding. She takes it from him and brings it to her mother, turning her back and exchanging gaze with her mother, pleading for her to not say anything.
"They can't be trusted." Soon Deok insists, "Who knows, what if they have something to do with framing your family."
Woo Hee never betrayed Wook and Yo to Soon Deok for the sake of her people but she did warn Soon Deok about them.
"What do you mean?" Lady Sewon asks this time.
"We just couldn't trust them." Baek-Ah explains, "My brothers are nice people but they are not above scheming if it would further gain them grounds in the royal court."
"Do you have proof?" Ha Jin turns back to them, hoping.
"I was able to get through the prison cell of those men pointing at your family," Soon Deok recounts, "They look badly beaten and dying. They didn't say much but they wanted to apologize."
"They can have forgiveness, anything. Just please make them tell the truth." Ha Jin pleads.
"We're doing everything we can." Soon Deok promises, "And endure, Hae Soo-ya. If your family endures the torture, the royal court will let you appeal for your lives."
"Araseo." Ha Jin nods, worried for her mother, "Have you heard anything from So wangjanim."
"Not yet but I'm sure he's on his way back. Just hang in there, alright." Baek-Ah assures Hae Soo.
Jung comes back with a water bottle and hands it to Hae Soo. Ha Jin helps Lady Sewon sit Hae Hyeonhu up and drink.
The next day sees chaos early morning in the Hubaekje prison cell. All the five witnesses are lying on the ground, their skin had turned blue and gray. It seemed they were poisoned and died in their sleep.
Soldiers run here and there, delivering messages to members of the royal court.
Wook visits his mother's quarter and find Yeonhwa and their mother comfortably sipping tea for brunch. He need not ask anymore. He closes his eyes, his anger contain. For some reason, having the witnesses killed doesn't sit well with him.
Jung storms at Queen Yoo's pavilion and demand to know what's going on. Like Yeonhwa and Queen Shinjeong, Yo and Queen Yoo shrug, tending to the fishes at the pond. The news of the witnesses dying is of no consequences to them.
Mu spends the morning at the Sky tower, discussing things with the general while Ji Mong only stares on the palace ground. Soon Deok had informed her father of seeing Ji Mong with the 8th prince and Ji Mong smoothly lied his way out of the interrogation but Gen. Park begins to doubt Ji Mong.
The news of the dying witnesses reaches the Haes in the afternoon. Their guards were carefully talking about it and the three couldn't help but listen. Jung sneaks in the evening and confirms the news.
Woo Hee wails through her pillows, unable to even come near or mourn her people, her anger only building towards the 3rd and 8th prince. But she still has other people, scattered all over the kingdom that needs to be freed from their slave positions. She can't fall for this or her people would literally vanish from history.
One day more passed and the guards finally came for Lady Sewon and Hae Soo. Gungnyeo(s) who were once trainees with Hae Soo were sent to strip the two ladies with their outer garments and were left with only their Sokgots. They offer apologies and kind words even when they were expressly forbidden to talk to them.
Hae Soo and Lady Sewon walk together to the courtyard, escorted by one too many guards. Two wooden empty chairs seat in the middle and four guards hold a wooden rod each. The king and his children stand by his sides, the ministers in their places, the queens on their smaller thrones and Ji Mong quietly watches. It seem the whole court came to see the trial.
Lady Sewon reaches to her daughter's hand, squeezing it tight. They were separated soon and were seated on each of the wooden chairs. Their wrists and ankles bound by ropes.
"Lady Sewon and Lady Hae Soo of house Haes are being presented to the court under trial for treason against the king." The head guard announces, loud and ominous. The trial starts.
The four guards holding rod, approaches the two ladies and fit rod in between their thighs. Lady Sewon and Hae Soo could only looked at each other terrified. The head guard asks a question and Lady Sewon automatically denies it. The rod fitted on their legs were pulled apart and the pain begins.
Every prince looked away while Ji Mong closes his eyes. He makes himself believe it is bearable but with every groan he hears it feels as if air is being suck out of his lung and he couldn't breathe, suffocating from standing there and being able to do nothing.
Eun turns upon his heels and walks away, unable to stand it. Jung and Baek-ah balls their hand into a fist while Wook deeply inhales and closes his eyes, too. He doesn't want this for the Haes but Hae Soo is keeping her no and is only making him all the more frustrated.
So rides his horse as if a devil is after him. He had no tact whether he had eaten or not for the past few days. He takes to the forest instead of the main road, cutting his time of riding by half day.
Guen Sun, who was tasked to escort So, ditch their private army in their palace since So refuses to ride with any of them. The moment he hand So the scroll of Hae Soo's registration, he took of without any notice. Guen Sun was forced to ride after him alone and now he's beginning to get cramps on his legs for riding two straight days. He curses but So simply wouldn't stop.
The king leaves the interrogation site after a few hours. The ministers and the queens follow through. Jung kneels beside Baek-Ah. He had pleaded with their father to put an end to the interrogation and refuses to get up even after their father left.
Ha Jin and Lady Sewon are pale ill. Both of them wet from head to foot due to the water the guards kept splashing at them. Their sokchima is damp with blood from their legs. Lady Sewon's lips bleed and Ha Jin's right cheek is turning purple from the slap they got.
One more splash on Lady Sewon and Ji Mong rushes beside Hae Soo, coming down to his knees. He keeps his voice low, begging, "Hae Soo Ssi, jebalyo, your mother will not last long. Will you not sacrifice for her just this once."
Ha Jin looks at Ji Mong through heavy eyes, hair sticking out of her bun, her head drooping low. She manages to glance at her mother, who is looking her way and then to Wook. The astronomer is right. Her mother might not survive this if they continue with it.
"Eo…meo…nim…" Ha Jin's tied hand tries to reach to her mother. More than the pain she's enduring, it's killing her to see her mother like this.
Lady Sewon balls her hands into a fist, her daughter as worse as she is, about to faint anytime soon. She pretty much knew what the astronomer is asking from her daughter and Hae Soo appears as if she's ready to say yes.
Against Ji Mong's will, she calls Ha Jin in her real name to make her focus, "Go Ha Jin-Ssi, forgive me if I am asking for too much but how many more people will need to sacrifice their lives for you in this lifetime?"
Ji Mong is aware that what he just uttered is foul and cruel. Ha Jin only wished for her life to change, she never asked to be brought into this period and play the game for him so he could break their curse. He was pulling the strings from the beginning and he passed the burden to an unsuspecting girl, how could he ask her of that.
Awareness knocks on Ha Jin's fleeting consciousness and her eyes open wide weakly. She had never heard her real name for the last two years.
Was I… imagining it?
"You… called… my name?" Ha Jin utters feebly, struggling to stay awake.
"Ne, Go Ha Jin-Ssi." Ji Mong lowers his voice, barely whispering, even Ha Jin is having a hard time making out the sentence from him, "Choose your mother and I promise I will help you out of the 8th prince's grasp. Han beon man, jebal. (Just this once.)"
"I… confess!" Lady Sewon gruffly utters, her voice hoarse from screaming. It was faint but powerful enough to silence the courtyard. "I… had connived… with the Hwangbos of Hwangju… to pull the unrest in the… north… The 8th prince and his sister, Yeonhwa gongju had planned… it all… They wanted... to divide the kingdom… so it could easily... fall into... their hands..."
A moment of stillness pass as the account of Lady Sewon sinks upon all of them, then murmurs ensue.
Panic passes over Yeonhwa and Wook as all eyes turn on them.
"Eomeonim!" Ha Jin struggles to reach her mother, "Stop… eomeonim, stop! What… are you… doing?!... Don't do this…"
Lady Sewon softly smiles, fragile like a flower withering. She catches Wook's gaze. It appeared like she had lost her mind, "I will never… let you… have my daughter… If it's the last thing… I ever do… for her."
She turns to Hae Soo, "Mianhada, Hae Soo-ya."
Lady Sewon passes out after.
Mu commands for the guards to surround Yeonhwa and Wook, taking a hold of their arms and apprehending them. It looks like the scene from when the Haes were first accused at the Hoegyeong courtyard but this time it's Yeonhwa who's struggling and yelling at the guards. Wook glares at Lady Sewon, unbelievingly, his mind racing. He didn't expect this from Lady Sewon.
Ji Mong falls to the ground, defeated. His ticket to free the Haes burning up in smoke.
Yo smiles through the mess, amused, "The ladies from the Hae clan are really something. They never fail to surprise."
So barges in to the assembly the next day, having no knowledge of what had transpired for the past few days. He had just arrived, still in his riding attire complete with sword and all. He went straight into the hall to speak with the king.
The assembly is in the middle of a heated discussion regarding Lady Sewon's confession. Everyone is lost as how to go about this. A prince had just been accused of treason and King Taejo's first decree is to contain the news, until he decides what to do. He can't have another scandal for the royal family or they would surely lose the people's trust this time.
"Pyeha," So addresses King Taejo, bowing and kneeling at the center aisle, "I have come to bring you Lady Hae Soo's registry."
He raises his bloodshot eyes to look straight into his father, who just betrayed him.
Ji Mong takes the scroll from So and hands it to the king. King Taejo opens it and pretends to read. He already know what it contains. His son isn't supposed to be back yet. He's not meant to save the girl. As it is, his consort had failed him too. No one's plan is going their way, including his.
King Taejo throws the scroll towards So. It lands precisely in front of him, "The lady of the house Hae, Lady Sewon had just confessed to their treason. Lady Hae Soo will remain with her family and be punished with them."
This comes as a surprise to So but he remains focus on what needs to be done. "She's not a Hae. You promised to free her if I prove that she belongs to another clan."
"The situation had changed. Lady Hae Soo is no longer being tried for being associated with the Haes. She is deemed guilty by Lady Sewon's confession." King Taejo firmly disagrees.
"Might I say a few words, pyeha." Mu speaks-up, "Lady Sewon had confessed to her crime. Hers and her alliance with the Hwangbo clan only. With all due respect, Lady Hae Soo is never mentioned on Lady Sewon's account. She cannot be deemed guilty for a confession that doesn't include her."
Mu is definitely sure Lady Sewon's confession doesn't ring true at all but he suspects, his 8th brother and another person is behind all of it. Why else would Lady Sewon include his name. The Haes are not the scheming type. If they are, they wouldn't be in this mess.
"I am the law of this land." King Taejo raises his voice, a fit he rarely does. He puts his foot down, forcing the unrest in his royal court to an end. "I deemed who is guilty and who is not. Lady Hae Soo is guilty by association with her family and she will be punished by hanging at the garrison in the plaza with her parents."
Each word enunciated with finality, "Anyone who stands with the Haes will be deemed guilty as well and will be stripped of their royal position and will be cast outside the palace."
Silence.
The king's decree a death to everyone's voice. No one moves and everyone breathes the heavy tension in the air. King Taejo lets his eyes pass to each person inside the hall, looking for anyone who would dare challenge him.
"Abeonim…" So stands-up, quiet and calm, "Do you know how far our palace from the north is from here?"
King Taejo watches his 4th son, animosity coming off from him.
"A ride of five days. Three, if you don't rest. Near, I should say." So's voice ringing of danger, "It is not a secret we own the largest private army in the kingdom, one that can outmatch this palace' resources. My clan… also mans the widest territory that serves the gateway from outside invaders."
"Wang So wangja, son of Kang, careful of your words or I might just regard you and your clan a traitor to the throne." King Taejo warns,
"Lady Hae Soo belongs to my clan. A Kang and not a Hae. Forgive us, we tend to be… possessive of what we own, abeonim."
Everyone follows the exchange of words, feeling the situation getting out of control. It is a shocked to know that Hae Soo belongs to the Kang and it is scary to watch the 4th prince openly defy the king.
"Kuereom, if there is nothing. I shall take the lady then." So turns his back, casually strolling out of the aisle.
"Wang So Wangja!" King Taejo calls, his words punctuated with anger, "If you defy me, the King, I will have you and your clan declared as a traitor, your royal title and privileges stripped. Your lands taken back, your treasury confiscated."
So stops mid walk, pulling his height to its tallest, "You can try, abeonim. We can always open our gates to the Khitans, pledged our loyalty to them and have this… kingdom… burned… to… the… ground."
He turns back to the king, standing at the edge of shadow and light coming from the massive open door of the hall. His bangs falls into his mask, covering half of his face. His mask only adding to his frightening aura,
"That is what a treason is."
So comes directly to the quarters where the Haes are being held. He was stopped by the guards, their wooden rods forming an X in his pathway. He looks at them first and with his left arm pulls the first soldier by the collar and knees him, sending him to the ground. His right hand quickly takes his sword out of its scabbard, whirling in 360 and slashes the next soldier blocking him. He then quietly stood back, his sword raised at them, "Make no mistake, I will cut you all to get through that door."
This is the man who had eliminated a whole palace of men who made a blunder of crossing the Kangs. The same man whom everyone feared. The same man everyone calls the wolf-dog and he is out of patience, counting every second he looses of not seeing Hae Soo.
Quivering, the soldiers tighten their hold upon their weapons, observing the 4th prince. The nearest soldier stands back and everyone follows through.
So puts his sword down but not his guard, he crosses them and takes the key from one guard and dashes into the door, quickly searching for the cell where Hae Soo is being held.
As he turns to the corridor to walk it's length, he find Soon Deok standing in front of the Hae's cell, her sword drawn.
"Oh! So wangjanim?!" Soon Deok had sneaked in to visit the Haes when she heard the commotion outside and drawn her sword in defense. She puts it down the moment she recognizes the 4th prince.
So comes to the cell and opens the lock with no hesitation. He comes inside and takes a hold of Hae Soo who is lying on her stomach beside Lady Sewon. He turns her to face him and shakes her gently, ''Soo-ya! Soo-ya!"
Soon Deok comes to the ground and feels Hae Soo's forehead, "She's burning in fever."
She comes next beside Lady Sewon and Hae Hyeonhu, all three of them unconscious, "They are all with fever."
For a moment So draws Hae Soo to him, embracing her. He apologizes for being late and promises he would make things right again. He looks at the pitiful state the Haes are in and he couldn't help but mutter a curse to his adoptive mother and father who caused all of these.
He takes Hae Soo on his arms, carrying her easily, "Soon Deok-ah, I'll carry Hae Soo with me, can you help Lady Sewon? I'll come back for Hae Hyeonhu. We need to get the ladies to the Damiwon and have them treated."
Soon Deok is confused, inclining her head, "Are we allowed to take them with us? Are the Haes free to go?"
"I'm bailing them out." So stands, walking out of the cell.
"Ani…" Soon Deok looks from So to Lady Sewon. The last thing she heard, the Haes are officially condemned for treason, she's pretty sure, what they are doing is illegal.
"Eiiii nevermind!" She slings Lady Sewon's arm on her shoulder and pulls her weight up. She wouldn't be able to carry Lady Sewon the way So is carrying Hae Soo but she can give her a piggy back ride. "That will have to do."
"You better have a plan or I will kill you." Soon Deok playfully threatens So. Years of childhood training with him, lets get her away with her joke.
As they round the corner and about to exit the door, Yo comes through the inner gate with a platoon under his command.
Soon Deok quickly moves back, hiding. So steps in front of the door, blocking Yo's view.
"Impressive my dear brother." Yo smirks at them, "I wouldn't have half of your guts to threaten our father so openly. Though, the king would like to honor his word with you. You are free to take the mistress of your clan, Lady Hae Soo but you're not thinking of taking the Haes with you, are you?"
"I'll take care of the Haes, leave." Soon Deok whispers and walks back to the cell before anyone sees her.
So sounds Soon Deok's movements, making sure she had taken Lady Sewon back to the cell before taking a step in front of him. He warily observes his 3rd brother and his platoon, issuing a challenge with his eyes. He strides in front of them, confidently carrying Hae Soo with him. The soldiers automatically parts for him, forming a wall on each of his side.
"Don't waste your time, I only came for what is promised to me." So calls as he passed at the inner gate, hoping Yo would believe his lie and not search the quarters.
Lady Sewon's confession of conniving with the Hwangbos is a tightly sealed news that the King decreed never to be talked about. So's defiance at the assembly this morning is no different from it. The palace is suddenly brimming of open secrets and scandals making the whole place restless.
So takes Hae Soo up in the Sky Tower, the only place he could think of bringing her. He finds Ji Mong at the top of the stairs, waiting worriedly. Ji Mong saw them coming from the balcony.
As So reaches the landing, he also sees Mu, Jung, Baek-Ah and Gen. Park, all convening at the table. Jung and Baek-Ah crowd over So and Hae Soo, following them inside So's room. Mu calls for a gungnyeo and asks for a basin of water and towel and stands with Ji Mong by the door.
"You were able to get her out? What about her mother, Lady Sewon? How is she?" Ji Mong asks, all worried.
So puts Hae Soo down on his bed, careful not to shift her too much. She was ailing when he had put his arms underneath her to carry her, every little movement makes her moan uncomfortably in pain.
The gungnyeo arrives and the men empties So's room, letting the gungnyeo attend to Hae Soo.
"She needs to be checked by a physician." So takes his space by the balcony. He stands so still, he could blend with the darkness outside.
"I'll run for our physician." Baek-Ah volunteers.
"Ask for Lady Oh, we can't trust anyone right now." Mu intervenes, taking the side space by the balcony, leaning at the wall.
Baek-Ah nods and look at Jung, who's pacing back and forth the length of the room. He wonders if he should take Jung with him. His 4th brother's anger is filling the atmosphere with tension. It might not be a good idea to have him and Jung at the same room, "Jung-ah, na-rang ka-ja. (Come with me.)"
"I'm not leaving Hae Soo's side." Jung answers firmly.
"What about her mother?!" Ji Mong repeats.
"Ji Mong seonsaengnim, you should come with me. Lady Oh is your aunt after all." Baek-Ah puts his arm at Ji Mong's shoulder. If he can't take Jung with him, he'll take the astronomer instead. Everyone can bring his 4th brother up to date including the matter that they can no longer trust the astronomer the way they used to.
"Andwaeyo, I'm staying here, too." Ji Mong leans by the wooden rails of the stairs, staying put.
Baek-Ah has no choice but to leave on his own. He only hopes that the tension in the air won't push anyone to do something they might regret later.
"Ya! Mi-chyeoss-eo! (Have you lost your mind!)" Mu screams the moment Baek-Ah disappeared down the stairs, "How could you defy our father like that?!"
"How could you let the Haes be tortured?" So quietly asks.
If Mu expresses his anger through shouting, So expresses his with stillness.
Gen. Park occupies his chair at the table and brings So up to date as to what is happening since he left, "The royal court is ready to let them appeal if they withstood it."
"It's torture. It's not designed for anyone to survive it." So exasperatedly argues. "And no one is interested to hear if they are innocent or not."
"It's the way of the palace!" Mu understands So's anger but they are all backed against the wall, they couldn't do anything other than let the Haes endure, "Kuende, since when is Lady Hae Soo a Kang?"
And the matter of Hae Soo being a Kang gets brought up.
"Is that why you are so confident not to marry her?" Ji Mong isn't thinking straight at the moment. He's just angry and desperate.
Jung stills, glancing at So. The news of his 4th brother passing up the chance to marry Hae Soo doesn't bode well with him. He never expected that and wonders if it has something to do with what he witnessed at the Lady Shinjuwon's room.
"Were you really planning to marry her or were you just stringing the innocent girl because she already belongs to your clan?!" Ji Mong relentlessly continues. HIs words cutting.
Suddenly a lot of things happened fast. So draws his sword and reaches Ji Mong in a few second. Gen. Park, whose near Ji Mong, raises his sword in defense of Ji Mong, stopping So's sword from gracing Ji Mong's skin. They exchange parry and Gen. Park succeeds into pushing So away. He's not taking anyone's side. He only reacted accordingly. Jung draws his dagger, too, putting it at So's neck as Mu holds So.
"Kuemanhara! (Enough!)" Mu commands, "So-ya, we are not your enemies here. Let's talk about this peacefully. Ji Mong-ah, stop uttering non-sense things. This isn't the time to fight among ourselves. Jung-ah, put your dagger down."
Everyone gauges each other being forced to calm down. Gen. Park lays his sword down first. Jung followed with his dagger next.
"Do not ever doubt my love for Lady Hae Soo." So throws his sword down, shrugging Mu's hold on him. "If I could live hundreds of lifetime, I would choose to be with her every time."
So storms out, walking to the direction of his room, seeking his Hae Soo to calm himself down.
"You could live hundreds of lifetime and not deserve her." Ji Mong mutters, his voice trembling with anger.
Gen. Park, Jung and Mu exchange glances, disgruntled and shaking their heads.
Wook and Yeonhwa are being kept separately in a different quarter with different guards. This one is not really a holding cell but living quarters far from the center of the palace.
Inside, the two are sitting by the tea table, looking as if they are just home, having tea by the sarangchae. Though, instead of tea, they have a glass of water in front of them.
"Orebeonim, tell me you can get us out of here." Yeonhwa takes a sip of water from her glass. A day inside this holding quarters is making her antsy.
Wook only looks at his sister. She had been pestering him since yesterday and he would very much want to get some peace, "If you weren't so stupid as to poison those witnesses then they would have gotten us out of here."
"They needed to be silenced. Our seja and the general are pulling all means to have them recant. What do you want me do?" Yeonhwa frets.
"And now your plan backfires on us." Wook evenly points out.
"How could you be so relaxed at this time. We've been holed up here for more than a day without any news or visitors? Aren't you going to do something?" Yeonhwa stands-up, fed up with the presence of his brother.
"I'm reflecting." Wook quietly answers.
Yeonhwa stops pacing, "You could use your favor to free us here. It's the only way."
Wook only looks at Yeonhwa, his face turning dark. Yeonhwa fully knows what that favor is for, "You didn't do this intentionally to make me choose between our family and the Haes, did you?"
"Does it matter?" Yeonhwa tenses, "Our family is in danger of losing our position in the court and you're still thinking of that woman?! You could at least pretend to care about our family and choose us."
"I care about our family!" Wook loses it and shouts. He shoves Yeonhwa's glass and it breaks to the floor, loud and ringing.
Their door suddenly opens and in came Yo, visiting them at the dead of the night, "I must say, I really like the ladies from the house Hae. They are their own… wild cards."
He comes to the table and draws a chair, inviting himself to sit on his own. His two siblings warily regard him.
"Not even offering a drink?" Yo observes the broken glass by the floor, his siblings not in the mood to play house with him. Yeonhwa takes to her room, closing the door behind her.
"Hyungnim, can you ask an audience with our father for us, I need to clear things before they put us on trial." Wook seemed to be back on his unperturbed self again. Looking calm outside but full of hostility inside.
Yo smiles, taking a few seconds before answering, "Why would I do that?"
Wook matches his innocent smile, his hostility dripping a little into his facade, "Because who knows, I might decide to tell the truth too, long before those ropes touches our wrists."
"And you think, the court will believe you this time? It will be your words against mine."
Wook chuckles, a scary one, "Hyungnim, don't be like this... Whether it's your word against mine or not, I might go crazy and use my favor to strip you of your place in our court instead of saving ourselves. Don't think you can go unscathed so easily."
Yo laughs this time, "I do like you, my little brother. You know me so well."
He stands up, their little chat coming to an end, "Ja! You'll have your meeting with our father. I'll see to it."
Wook plays with his glass, circling it's mouth with his delicate fingers, "I'll look forward to it… perhaps tomorrow?"
"Alas, my brother! We both know it doesn't work that way but I'll try to make it happen as soon as possible." Yo turns to his heels to leave. He wouldn't be threatened by his 8th brother.
After fetching Lady Oh back to the Damiwon, Baek-Ah walks to the sky tower and finds the living room dim and empty. He decides to go and check on Hae Soo when he passes Jung, sitting on the floor by the shelves, almost swallowed by the darkness if not by the light of a small lantern coming from the table.
"Jung-ah?" Baek-Ah sits beside his brother, "What are you still doing here?"
"So Hyungnim is inside his room with Hae Soo." Jung draws his knees together in front of him, his arm lay in one of his knees while his other hand fidgets on the floor, "Did you also know? He passed up the chance to marry Hae Soo. Why?"
Baek-Ah sighs deeply, watching the pain on his brother's face, "Chal mol-la. (I don't know.) He says it's complicated."
Jung's hand finds a thread sticking out the hem of his jeogeori. He pulls it out as if pulling a thorn at his chest but he only succeeds in unraveling the knot that holds the tears at bay, "Silh-eo-yo. (I hate him.) He has everything and he doesn't deserve it."
He hangs his head low, resting it at the top of his knees.
Baek-Ah slings his arm over Jung's shoulder. There are no words he could say that will make things easier for any of them.
Inside So's room, Ha Jin is deep asleep, moaning uncomfortably in pain every once in a while. So sits by the chair beside Hae Soo, careful not to disturb her in any way. He holds Hae Soo's hand tightly, squeezing it whenever a sound escapes her lips. He brings her hand to his lips, kissing it softly, worriedly. He wonders when was the last time he watched Hae Soo sleep, it's been so long. It felt like it was on a different lifetime. If Hae Soo's legs aren't wounded and sore, he would have taken her into his lap and draw her to his chest, holding her close all night, the way he used to when she was sick and wouldn't wake-up. Now, he prays that she wouldn't wake-up, not for the next days when the king finally puts her parents into their deaths. He hopes Hae Soo wouldn't be able to see it.
After So storms at the withholding cell of the Haes, the guards were once again changed, this time soldiers from the general's platoon. The quarters is no longer heavily guarded. As it was, after Lady Sewon confessed, they are deemed dead, only waiting the day of their hanging.
Soon Deok easily comes and goes to their quarters, bringing them food and medicine. Some nights its Jung and Baek-Ah, on some it's So and Mu. Hae Hyeonhu recovers enough to wake and sit on his own, taking care of his wife with the medicines Soon Deok brings them.
Ji Mong also visits late at night, his presence serving confusion to the Haes. He sits huddled by the door of their cell, not saying anything. Just being there.
Once, it was Baek-ah and Jung at the quarters when Ji Mong turned-up for his nightly visits.
"Why are you here?" Jung asks, unable to control himself. He and Baek-ah where standing by the door, "Don't you feel ashamed of what you did?"
Ji Mong takes his usual spot on the corner by the door, "Believe me, I never betrayed any of you."
"Geo-jit-mal. (You're lying.) You might have pass Gen. Park and Mu Hyungnim's questions but you can't fool me. I don't trust you." Jung crosses his arms.
"You were only willing to marry my daughter to the 8th prince." Hae Hyeonhu interjects. He's not angry only resigned of their fate.
"To save the three of you, yes." Ji Mong doesn't hesitate to answer.
"Mwo?!" Jung reaches to Ji Mong's collar and pulls him up.
Baek-Ah automatically holds Jung back. These days, Jung and So are too volatile that they easily anger and lash out. Baek-Ah had learned to meddle before it gets out of hand.
"Your 8th brother could have saved Lady Hae Soo and her parents, wouldn't you consider doing the same thing?" Ji Mong is way passed his anger. He had reached the state of numbness, the kind where he no longer cares. He's just is, existing.
"But your 4th prince would have waged war if he loses my daughter. You may have saved us but you would have condemn our whole kingdom and I wouldn't want that blood on my daughter." Hae Hyeonhu speaks of logic and sound reasoning. When he puts it that way, it is easier to look at his wife and not think of the unfairness of fate. He's as torn as Ji Mong is. He wanted his wife saved too but he settles for having their daughter saved instead.
Ji Mong laughs, loud and mad.
"How ironic of our fates. She already has the blood of a whole kingdom on her hands in another lifetime, what difference does it make?"
Ji Mong doesn't make sense to the three who can hear him. He sits once more, unmindful of the 14th prince eyeing him with daggers, "A war is inevitable between the 4th and 8th prince anyway. I could have at least saved the three of you."
"Why do you want us saved? Do you owe us anything?" Hae Hyeonhu asks, holding Lady Sewon's hand. "I don't remember meeting you and doing you a good will but I am grateful for deeming us worthy of your time."
Baek-Ah succeeds in pulling Jung away, sitting him down on the other far corner, "Let's not do this, eoh?! You might wake Lady Sewon."
Baek-Ah turns to Hae Hyeonhu and bows thrice apologizing.
Hae Hyeonhu smiles and nods, letting Baek-Ah and Jung be. He turns to Ji Mong once more and repeats, "What were you saying seonsaengnim?"
Ji Mong stares far away, "Kuenyang… I once had a sister. She was as lovely as your wife."
Jung and Baek-ah were told Ji Mong was an only child.
"She died giving birth to her daughter." Ji Mong breathes the pain of his memories, looking older than his present age.
"What happened to her daughter?" Baek-Ah couldn't help but ask.
"Murdered by her adoptive father who had gone mad at the sight of his kingdom burning to the ground."
The story suddenly sounds familiar to Hae Hyeonhu who is a son of the north and to Baek-Ah and Jung who heard the story of the daughter of the moon while staying in the north and from over hearing it from Myung Hee. They eye Ji Mong with careful observance. Ji Mong is known to be an odd one but Baek-Ah and Jung never experienced him like this.
"My apologies if you feel like I betrayed you. I was merely saving three lives instead of one." Ji Mong stands up brushing the dust from his clothes. When he reasons that way, his excuse seems sound.
"But marrying my daughter to a person she doesn't love will be like burying her alive." Hae Hyeonhu goes back to the basic reason of letting his daughter be happy. It's the last thing he can gift her, a wish of happiness and hoping they didn't chose wrongly, "She will suffocate and die."
"Maybe." Ji Mong shrugs, "But I do care about your daughter more than you will ever know. I'll take care of her once more. Thank you, your family seemed really happy by the way. Forgive me if I ever overstepped my boundaries."
He comes to his knees, bows once and wishes Hae Hyeonhu and Lady Sewon a happier life on the next lifetime. He walks out of the quarters, feeling his heart overwhelmingly breaking. Soon, he could no longer walk straight and falls to his knees, looking at the waning moon that will soon enter its new moon phase.
Are you even watching?
Having been summoned plenty of times and not answering, So turns up at the royal assembly the next day, forced by Mu. Their father, eyes him with fury unlike anything they had seen.
"My insolent son finally showed himself." King Taejo stands from his throne and takes his time coming down from it, "You, who calls me father but defies me and threatens me with your mother's power."
He reaches So at the aisle, kneeling before him. Taking So's chin by the tips of his finger, he raises his face to look at him, "You're not wearing your mask today. Good."
Slap.
A loud crackling sound tears at the thick heavy silence at the hall. King Taejo's hand connects with So's bare cheek, drawing blood on his lips. So merely breathes, silently enduring the slap and the humiliation. It's no worse than what he usually gets from his adoptive mother while growing up at the Kang household.
"Have him tied at the garrison and give him 30 whips." King Taejo commands.
"Pyeha." Mu interjects, pleading on behalf of So. "It would kill your son to take that many whippings. What will we tell the kingdom if they see a royal member being whipped?"
"50 then." King Taejo adds, angered by the seja's intervention, "Whip him inside the courtyard. I don't care."
Mu would have argued more but Gen. Park holds him back.
"Have my 8th son come next." King Taejo announces still at the aisle, looking ominous and threatening. He didn't win this kingdom by mere politics. He was once a commanding general, ruthless and harsh.
A soldier brings in Wook with his hands tied behind his back, a rope encircling his chest. He kneels to the aisle next to So.
Queen Shinjeong reacts at the sight of Wook being drag, looking all worried but not saying any word, lest his son be punished more.
"Such a disgrace to the royal family." King taejo looks at Wook with disgust, "What does my 8th son plead to the treason being accused of him."
"My sister and I know nothing of it pye…"
Wook wasn't able to finish his sentence as he receives his father's slap too. Unlike the 4th prince who bore the slap well, Wook falls to the ground. With his hands tied at his back, he has no way to support himself.
"Do you know what punishment is met to a prince found of treason?" King Taejo asks, "Death by hanging, my dear son. Like the punishment for the Haes who confessed to your sins."
Queen Shinjeong holds upon the armrest of her throne, her anger showing with the violet and blue green veins coming out of the pale skin of her hand.
It takes time before Wook comes back to his knees again, as calm as collected as So beside him. He raises his eyes upon his father.
"Abeonim," Wook dares to appeal at the king's fatherly side, "will you not take pity of your son who had once gain your favor in this court."
King Taejo shakes with anger at the reminder of his once promised favor, "And what does my treacherous son want in exchange of his favor."
"Freedom, abeonim," Wook bows his head. Like the case of the Haes, the court will not be interested to hear if they are innocent or not. To many other ministers and clans, they all wish for any of the clan to fall so they could take over. No one would help them or speak foe them. "Though my sister and I are not cohorts with the Haes as they accuse us to be, I would like my sister and I to be freed from our prison and from any punishment regarding the treason we are accused of."
Cornered by the favor he had bestowed upon his son, King Taejo has no choice, "I shall think about it."
"The heaven's will is not thinking back on his words, is he, abeonim?" Wook maintains his dignity even through his pleading.
King Taejo would like nothing more but give Wook another slap on his face but he holds himself not wanting the royal family to be humiliated more.
"Pyehaaaaa…." A eunuch opens the door and calls upon the king after giving his greeting.
Everyone in the hall turns to the servant who had dared to interrupt the assembly. From the open door they could hear a faint voice of a lady, calling upon the king.
"The lady from the house Hae…" The eunuch fidgets on his feet, stumbling on his words "I mean of the house Kang… I mean adopted daughter of the house Kang… is doing a formal pro..protest at the steps, pyeha…"
Murmurs abounds the once quiet hall.
"What the hell is she doing?" Ji Mong curses under his breathe.
Ha Jin woke-up this morning with Woo Hee by her side. She was dizzy and confuse as she remembers the day of torture and how it ended. Woo Hee fills her up to what happened while she is asleep, recuperating, and Ha Jin insisted on standing up and seeing her parents, paying no mind to Woo Hee's telling her that she is now a Kang instead of a Hae. The soldiers won't let her in so she recklessly so she comes to the courtyard of Hoegyong Hall, limping her way into it to protest for her parents' innocence. Woo Hee had no choice but to follow her around, worried that she might only do worse with her condition.
Against Woo Hee's adamant request of her to come back to the Sky tower, Ha Jin tremblingly kneels by the floor, unmindful of the pain in her sore legs, "Pyeha, please hear the plea of your humble servant…"
So quickly stood up, heading for the door. Jung, Baek-Ah and Eun follow immediately. The hall empties to see the commotion outside.
As they all pile up at the steps, King Taejo raises his voice stopping the princes from approaching Hae Soo.
"Jeong-sin cha-ryeo-ya hae! (Get a hold of yourselves!)" "Whoever stands with the lady shall be punished accordingly!"
Jung balls his hands to a fist as Baek-Ah pulls him and Eun back to their places.
So stops for a second, long enough to hear his father's warning and take no heed of it. He continues down the steps alarmed of Hae Soo's condition.
"Hae Soo Ssi, let's go back, please." Woo Hee insists, fretting beside Hae Soo as the steps of Hoegyong Hall are starting to be filled by the royal court. "They will never hear you."
She drops her voice to a whisper even if no one can hear them, "How about I help you run away instead? Let's go back, you'll be in more trouble if you keep at this."
Ha Jin looks at Woo Hee confused. She then continues with her plea, "Pyeha, my mother isn't in her right mind. Please, hear your humble servant. We are innocent."
"Soo-ya!" At So's anger he forgets to be gentle with Hae Soo and pulls her up but it only served to hurt her more. Ha Jin pushes him away and comes back to kneeling.
"Soo-ya, please don't do this." So takes more patience this time seeing how much Hae Soo is fragile, he begs with her. "Let's go back, you're ill. It will only worsen your condition."
Ha Jin looks at him with resentment, "How… how can you save me and let my parents die?"
It was like a slap on his face. More painful than what his father had just bestowed upon him. So has no answer for that. It was unfair of Hae Soo to say such hurtful words, "Soo-ya…"
"Let me be." Ha Jin insists, she's aware her resentment is misplaced but she's desperate. She turns back to the direction of the king, repeating her words once more.
"Go back, you've done enough." So addresses Woo Hee, "I'll take care of her."
With the command coming from the king that no one is allowed to approach Hae Soo, Woo Hee has no choice but to leave Hae Soo's side. Only So stays beside her.
"Ka. (Leave.)" Ha Jin tells So, "Jebal ka! (Please leave)"
"Will the 4th prince defy me again?" King Taejo asks it to no one.
Mu and Gen. Park approaches So together, trying to get him to leave. It starts with a plead and then coercion until they result into warning him, "So-ya come back to the hall and plead with the king. You staying beside Hae Soo will only anger the king. He might punish her too if you keep doing this."
Ha Jin keeps her sight to the direction of the king, heedless of So begging with her to put a stop into this. Mu and Gen. Park position themselves to each of So's side, dragging him with them before the royal guards come and take him away.
Soon the night falls and little cauldrons of wood are ignited one by one to illuminate the path to the steps of Hoegyong Hall. Ha Jin's voice grow weaker as her health starts to waiver. She hasn't eaten or drunk anything since she woke up and the fatigue is starting to get into her.
So tried to reason with the king and only earned 20 more lashes on his punishment. Mu, Gen. Park and Ji Mong did their best too. Ji Mong might have chosen Lady Sewon over Ha Jin but he wouldn't condemn them both to their deaths. He could no longer save Lady Sewon, he could at least stick to his original goal and have Ha Jin and So have their happy ending to break his curse.
Jung, Baek-Ah and Eun, though afraid of consequences, stayed in the Hoegyong Hall steps to watch over Hae Soo. Jung is going mad not being able to do anything. He had already appealed to his mother and to his 3rd brother but they wouldn't lift a finger to help Hae Soo.
Passed midnight, when the palace is asleep, Jung and Baek-Ah approached Hae Soo, who is tethering between consciousness and unconsciousness.
"Hae Soo-ya, please stop this already." Baek-Ah pleads, coming down to the floor with Hae Soo.
Ha Jin only continues with repeating her words.
Jung occupies the space on her other side and offers a water bottle, "At least drink, please."
No answer.
"Hae Soo-ya, did you know our 4th brother threatened our father that their clan, your adopted clan, will burn this kingdom to the ground if our father doesn't free you?" Baek-Ah tries a brutally honest fact if it can reach Hae Soo, "If he wasn't a prince who holds a high position in our court, our father would have put him to death. He and all of your clan. At it is, our father resulted in freeing you but So Hyungnim earned 50 whippings in return."
"Our father is not known for his patience. He might not be able to punish you for protesting here but he can punish our 4th brother for standing beside you and for that, So Hyungnim had just earned another 20 lashes." Jung adds, if pleading wouldn't get through with Hae Soo maybe telling her the consequences of her action will.
"So Hyungnim will be punished with 70 lashes but it will be all for nothing if you abused your health like this. You haven't even fully recovered yet. Are you trying to kill yourself?" Annoyance is slowly sipping on Baek-Ah's voice, worried that Hae Soo isn't listening at all. "My brother's defiance will be all for nothing if you die in this protest of yours."
"What would you have me do then?" Ha Jin addresses them for the first time, her voice hoarse and weak.
"Your protesting will not change anything. Mianhaeyo Hae Soo-ya." Jung tries once more.
"This is better than waiting for my parents to be hanged!" Ha Jin stubbornly insists. She's too dehydrated for any of her tears to come out, "At least I tried."
"They won't appreciate their daughter killing herself for them!" Baek-Ah would like to grab Hae Soo and shake her. Nothing is getting through her.
Ha Jin only closes her eyes, the discussion is closed for her. She will not stand from where she kneels nor will she be persuaded to stop her protest. If she could pull an all nighter for her job for three days, what is a night of sitting on a cold pavement can do to her.
Daybreak comes but it doesn't offer any better warmth. The dark sky is grey and faded blue. The sun hidden behind what looks likes a stormy clouds. The weather is auspiciously cold today, with the rain threatening to pour anytime soon.
Ha Jin is swaying a bit, her head drooping low. Exhaustion had gotten to her battered body and everyone is surprised she hasn't passed out yet.
Hae Hyeonhu and Lady Sewon are being brought into the garrison, stripped to their plain sokgot(s). Ji Mong, Mu and Gen Park could only watch as Hae Hyeonhu supports his wife, who limps through their walk up the raised platform at the center of the plaza. Soldiers heavily fortifies the perimeter of the place while an executioner stand waiting at the lever that will open up the wooden floor where Lady Sewon and Hae Hyeonhu will be hanged.
There was no fear or pain in the faces of the Haes as they stand at the wooden platform, only resignation upon their fates. Lady Sewon scans the people on the plaza, hoping that their daughter is not here to see it. Her eyes fall upon Ji Mong and she smiles warmly, the last bit of her kindness that only serve to burden Ji Mong more.
King Taejo came to the steps of Hoegyong Hall, though the assembly is suspended for a day because of the hangings at the plaza. He simply stood with his first queen beside him, watching Hae Soo who never waivered from her protest.
So walks with a black coat over him, quietly taking the side beside Hae Soo once more. He might not be able to convince her to leave but he could at least keep her warm. He raises his arm over Hae Soo, his coat blanketing her overhead, covering her from the insipid breeze blowing over the place. The scene feels like a déjà vu to him. Like the night Hae Soo held him at the courtyard, her coat offering warmth to his battered soul. This time the situation is reversed. Hae Soo is not the one offering warmth but he is. It isn't night but day and in the greyness of the courtyard, his black hanbok and Hae Soo's white sokgot stands out, a perfect compliment in the midst of griminess.
"Your stubborn son would never leave that lady's side even when punishment awaits him." King Taejo's narrows his eyes on So, their gaze catching each other.
"He is no son of mine, Pyeha." Queen Yoo tightens her coat over her, the cold sipping through her cloths.
Light rain starts to drizzle.
Somewhere a bell tolls.
Once.
Twice.
Signaling the end of execution in the plaza.
Ha Jin freezes, getting paler than she is.
Jung and Baek-Ah fall to their knees, their hearts squeezed by the death they couldn't stop.
The rain falls and Ha Jin couldn't feel anything, her body automatically going into shock. She falls to the ground unknowingly and two strong arms held her together as pieces of her falls apart. So draws her to him, the rain soaking them wet. She had turned numb and tears refuse to flow from her eyes. The sky weeps for her instead, her body wracked with dry sob. Ha Jin feels as if she's not there. Like floating beside Hae Soo's body, watching the scene detached.
If I had known - but that isn't true anymore. The choices and consequences have always been clear. I've known it. Always. Only I didn't want to see beyond it….
Soon unconsciousness claims her and into the darkness she gives in.
For all the confusions and disorder that happened in the royal court, no one is safe from the punishment of the king. Anyone who had dipped their hands to the matter of Haes is punished accordingly.
So met his punishment of 70 lashes the next day and will be sent to China, the later Jin Dynasty as an ambassador. He will stay there until his father deems him fit to come home. Jung will be sent back to the south, to the platoon he had abandoned once. Wook is appointed to check military garrisons all over the kingdom, the king's way of casting his 8th son outside of the palace. Yeonhwa shall prepare to be married to one of the envoys of China and will be ship to live with her new family. Mu, for being a seja, remains at the palace but had lost the favor of his father. Gen. Park will man the north and can never come back until King Taejo calls upon him again. Baek-Ah's stand, that seemed neutral and since his family is not high enough in the court to impact it, King Taejo opt to let his 13th son be but he is grounded to the palace and is no longer allowed to leave anytime he wants. Eun, who was held back by his grandfather all throughout the proceedings, is also safe.
Only Yo, and Won remains unscathed.
As the assembly comes to a close, King Taejo commands for Ji Mong to remain, letting the whole hall to empty before talking to him. Won stays by the door, all ears as always.
"I know my 4th son is keeping Lady Hae Soo in your Sky Tower."
Ji Mong tenses. After Hae Soo's protest at the courtyard, of course it will not go unnoticed.
"Cast her away." King Taejo commands, "Kill her or sell her to slavery. I don't care just put her out of any of my son's grasp."
"Pyeha…" Ji Mong needs to choose his words wisely or the king might give the task to someone else and his little queen might really die, "If I may counsel you, the lady is a Kang now. Your consort might not take kindly to what you're instructing."
King Taejo narrows his eyes at Ji Mong, dangerously reaching a high level of anger once more, "I am the king and my word is the law. If I command for any of my people to die, then it shall be done."
He stands from his throne and leaves.
Ji Mong could only bow his head, pursing his lips and cursing under his breathe. At least, he's the one who was tasked to cast Hae Soo away. He could hide her instead and make sure she's safe until the king is dead and the 4th prince sits on the throne.
The game ends here...
Now how to get rid of these... owners of the throne?
Ji Mong comes to his room, seeking the 4th prince on his bed. So is recuperating from the lashes he had received and is lying topless upon his stomach. He weakly opens his eyes at the sound of the door opening, hoping it would be his Hae Soo, finally awake and visiting.
"Joesonghaeyo wangjanim, you look disappointed to see me." Ji Mong lightly jokes, navigating through the conversation that is about to get serious.
So turns his head to the other side, facing the wall, the effort too painful to reverse again.
Ji Mong informs him of what is to happen to him after he recovers from his lashes and what his other brothers got for toeing the line at the court, "Your father… wants me to get rid of Lady Hae Soo."
That gets So's attention and he struggles to look back at Ji Mong, "If you ever hurt…
"I know," Ji Mong cuts So's threatening words, "I think… If I may say so… the king is overstaying his reign in the throne. Don't you agree?"
So considers Ji Mong for a while, wondering how much he could trust him.
"If you're worried about Lady Hae Soo, I can hide her for a while, whisk her to my hometown. My aunt is not doing well and had asked the king to let her come back home and rest in our hometown for a few months. She could disguise her as one of her gungnyeos. The king will not search her envoy." Ji Mong offers.
"The last time I heard you betrayed me to my 8th brother. Why will I trust you this time?" So frankly asks, letting Ji Mong know, he isn't to be cross again.
"Because you are in my bed, incapacitated and unable to do anything. If I wish to eliminate you, I could have just poison you for the last three days that you are asleep and make it look like you didn't woke-up. Not a highly unlikely scenario." Ji Mong explains casually.
So chuckles, a dark one, "Threatening me will not make me trust you."
"I know but only I could get your lady out of the palace unharmed because I am the one tasked to dispose of her. The king will not suspect me." Ji Mong offers.
"Why are you suddenly on my side again?" So delves deeper into questioning not leaving anything to chances.
"I've always been on your side." Ji Mong pulls a chair in front of So, taking a seat so So doesn't need to look up to him. The movement of looking up is still painful for So. "I've only been distracted for a while but I assure you, I wasn't really going to let Lady Hae Soo marry the 8th prince. Again, I was merely trying to save the three of them but it doesn't matter because it's only Lady Hae Soo, who is left now. So… can you consider trusting me again?"
So doesn't fully trust the astronomer but if Ji Mong could safely hide Hae Soo for the meantime while he's doing his punishment, instead of handing Hae Soo to his adoptive mother, he might as well take Ji Mong's offer. No fate will be worse than having to be lock at the Kang household and he would not want that for Hae Soo.
"What is in it for you?" So asks, gauging the astronomer.
"Breaking my curse." Ji Mong smiles innocently, telling the truth. "You know, letting a little ray of sunshine in a dark tunnel wouldn't hurt anybody. I'm sure you would love to bask under the light too."
The astronomer is being strange once more but So is passed caring. Ji Mong is offering him a good deal. He's inclined to take it for as long as it doesn't put Hae Soo in danger.
"Lady Shinjuwon sends my father a gift." So quietly tells him, "You can help me with it."
And Ji Mongs smile turns dark, "I thought you'd never asked."
Ha Jin wakes up in So's bed, weak and aching all over. She didn't have a second to process it when all the memories of the past days come flooding back to her, crashing her underneath the burden of surviving her family's demise. She stares at the wooden ceiling above her, unable to grasps what had just happened to them.
A knock on the door makes Ha Jin turn her back from it, pretending she's still asleep. Ji Mong takes a peak inside and finds her back to the door.
He comes closer to her, standing beside the bed, "Joesonghabnida agassi, I know you're awake."
Ji Mong knows Ha Jin is awake because she had never moved even an inch for the last few days. She sleeps like death had kissed her and only the steady rise and falls of her chest indicates life on her body.
He sits beside her bed and lightly touches her shoulder. Ha Jin flinches, sitting-up too fast she's suddenly light headed, "Don't touch me."
Was she imagining it, she heard him say her real name not Hae Soo's name at the courtyard but she can't be sure. She was in between unconsciousness and consciousness at that time, she couldn't separate what's real and what's not.
Ji Mong sighs deeply, taking back his hand, "I know you can't trust me after what I did. You probably can't absolve me but please believe, I only wanted to save you and your mother. Forgive me that I failed."
Ha Jin doesn't say anything.
"I have no right to ask you of this but can you listen to me just this time." Ji Mong continues, his head hanging low.
Ha Jin waits for him to say more and Ji Mong tells her of the fate of all the princes who stood by her side, "The king wants you dead but I can save you if you could only trust me. My aunt, Lady Oh, can take you to our hometown for a while. Hide you there until the king is dead and your 4th prince sits on the throne."
Gripping her blanket tight and shivering underneath it, Ha Jin couldn't believe what the astronomer is insinuating, "You're committing murder and treason to the throne."
"Does it matter?" Ji Mong asks, looking at the huddled form of Hae Soo.
"You're talking about taking someone else's life." Ha Jin looks horrified. "And you want me to be complacent about it?"
What are they expecting from her.
"To save you!" Ji Mong exasperatedly answers.
"I don't need saving!" Ha Jin shouts, her voice rising in anger and then falling into grief. With all the people who tried to save her and sacrificed for her, she thinks twice if her life is even worth saving anymore, "Maybe I should have died in that quarry when I drowned. I shouldn't have been greedy and wished for a better life. This isn't any better. This is just fate killing me slowly until there is nothing left of me."
"Don't say that! I didn't come this far to lose you to fate! Besides, this isn't fate, just consequences." Ji Mong grabs Hae Soo roughly, shaking her to her senses. He will not hear these things from her, "Dying is for the weak Hae Soo Ssi. You are not allowed to be weak anymore nor to lose your life. You will live and see this lifetime through the end or we will just repeat this again on our next lifetime. Jebal…"
Ji Mong's grasp tightens at Hae Soo's stubborn shoulders, "Have you no mercy of me? I have tried to make amends in every lifetime with you and your prince and all I needed is just one… just one lifetime where the three of us are happy is it too much to ask for?"
Ha Jin doesn't understand what the astronomer is saying. She shakes his hold of her and moves back, afraid of him. With everything that happened to her, she could use a little time to process it all but no one is giving her space. She survives one hanging only for her life to be threatened again. She was a nobody, still is. She wonders what she is in this lifetime that everyone is after her. Hae Soo is only an unnamed girl who disappeared in history but Hae Soo's life sure doesn't feel that way to Ha Jin.
I should have stayed away from all of them when Baek-Ah warned me. They're all out of their minds.
"Jebal, Hae Soo Ssi, Ttak han-beon-man, mal jom deul-eo po-se-yo. (Please listen to me, just this once.)" Ji Mong beseeches Hae Soo, madness, anger and despair mixing together, "Come with me while your 4th prince is gone. I will keep you safe or do you want to be hand over to the Kangs? Even your 4th prince doesn't want that for you."
"I'm a Hae, not a Kang." Ha Jin answers in a small voice. She doesn't know what she is anymore.
"Kuere. Then stay as a Hae. I don't care. Just come with me and I'll protect you. I'll wait for you at dawn."
Ji Mong gives the direction for Hae Soo to meet him at the secluded spot, beside the river where she and So first hanged their white lantern.
The walk from So's room to Ji Mong's room is only a few meters apart, more or less ten but with the weak health Hae Soo had for the last few days, reaching the door from her bed is already a fit. She arrives at Ji Mong's room breathless and exhausted, finding So at the same position Ji Mong found him this afternoon. She enters quietly, careful not to disturb So.
The room is dark and all the lanterns are extinguished with only the light from the moon outside the window illuminating the bed beside it. Ha Jin stares at So for a while. A thin bluish rim light traces his slim form dulling the look of his wounds at his back.
From where Hae Soo stands, So looks like he is only sleeping with herbal leaves as a blanket. He lies on his flat stomach with only his sokpaji on. His lean arms spread at the top of his head, his toned shoulder forming a curve at his back. His face lies to its side, eyes closed, facing her. If he's feeling pain, it doesn't show.
Her heart skips a beat. She can't remember the last time her heart did that.
Was it on my birthday? It felt like a lifetime ago.
And then pain on her chest.
It's hard to look at the 4th prince without feeling conflicted. On one hand, here's the boy she had loved and fought for. The boy who would have started a war to have her back. The boy her parents chose over their lives. In a way, So got them well cornered too, maybe not as bad as Wook but cornered still. He made it hard not to choose him. And now Ha Jin is aware of what So is capable of doing for her, she couldn't help but be afraid.
It's ironic, how romantic it is to read this kind of story in history but beyond the pages of the book, it causes unimaginable grief. The kind that is excruciating, tearing her inch by inch until she is no more.
"A proper lady shouldn't be seeking a man inside his room at the middle of the night." So opens his eyes, admonishing Hae Soo lightly.
It reminds her of their first meeting inside his room at her cousin's household, when everything wasn't complicated yet.
"Joesonghabnida, I didn't mean to wake you up. I'll come back then." Ha Jin apologizes, bowing and turning to the door to leave.
"Aniya, kaji maseyo. (Stay.)" So stops her, "Gi-da-ri-go iss-eoss-eo-yo (I've been waiting for you.)
In truth, So didn't want Hae Soo to see him like this. It might only bring more burden to her but he really has been waiting for her all this time. His heart suddenly goes wild on his chest and he couldn't help but turns his head to the pillow, feeling stupid, unable to believe that after what they have gone through, his heart still skips a beat whenever he sees Hae Soo.
Ha Jin looks deathly pale, like the pristine rami white sokgot she's wearing. She slowly approaches his bed, hiding the imbalance in her steps.
He turns to watch her presence come closer, a view he had always been looking forward to see. He tries to move to his side to give her space but it is apparent that his wound is still fresh and sore. He winces.
"Don't move. It might open your wounds." Ha Jin holds the trembling in her voice, anxious that So had to go through this because of her.
"Geok-jeong-ha-ji ma-se-yo, na-neun gwaen-chanh-eul keo-ye-yo. (Don't worry, I'll be fine)." So looks up to her, "This feels like a picnic compared to my training with the general."
Or with the adoptive mother that he never brought-up.
Ha Jin comes down to the floor leveling with So, "Joesonghabnida, I didn't want you to suffer like this for me. You didn't have to save me."
Her tears finally show up, aching to cruise down her cheeks freely and unceasingly.
"Soo-ya…" So reaches out to her, drying her wet cheeks, "It wasn't your fault."
"Chal mot-haess-eo-yo. (I did wrong.)" Ha Jin touches So's hand on her cheek, "Please don't say otherwise. I'm so weak I couldn't save anyone. You were so good to me and all I could do is kneel in that courtyard and bring more harm to you. Forgive me."
"Shhhh… Soo-ya," Unable to move, So draws Hae Soo to him, whispering words to soothe her, "I earned the lashes to win you over. I will bore the scars proud and satisfied, knowing you are safe in my arms."
He brings her hand to his lips, seeing the bracelet still in her wrist. He savagely tears it with his teeth. He hated the sight of it on her, like a binding contract that makes her not his.
Ha Jin watches the bracelet falls into the ground, the last of her memories of the family that took her in. She should feel disgruntled of losing it but she only felt a little burden lifting on her chest.
So kisses her wrist, her palm, intimate and reverent, "Come to bed with me."
Against the pain on his back, So forces his body to move to his side, giving space for Hae Soo. It takes a while to do this and Ha Jin is inclined to stop him but So doesn't want any help, determine to have her beside him.
Ha Jin couldn't say no or yes, feeling the weight of So's sacrifice for her. She decides to lie down. It wouldn't hurt to do this for him. If it's the last thing she could do.
So puts his arms around her waist, his head nuzzling on her ear. He smells her deeply, her lime vanilla scent almost faded.
"Saranghanda, Soo-ya. Hangsang. (I love you. Always.)"
Ha Jin closes her eyes, whispers in response, "Hangsang...? (Always...?)"
So doesn't hear the tiny lilt at the end of Ha Jin's voice, making her sentence a doubtful question. He falls asleep with Hae Soo in his arms, contented and unaware.
Ha Jin wouldn't be able to make it to where Ji Mong had asked her to come. She runs away on her own and disappears.
Editor's notes:
Oh, this feels like an end, isn't it? I have this kinds of chapter where it feels like 'I can end here now' but no. I'm sticking to my original ending. I usually write chapters or scenes ahead then just integrate them to the story when I finally reach that plot but some of them just remains a draft even when I'm passed that arc. What to do with them? Lol.
I actually wanted Lady Sewon to survive. I would have wanted her to fuss some more over our 4th prince, make So feel what it feels like to have a mother, who is really concern about him but she's just not meant to survive.
And Hae Soo still has a brother in the north. His family was unharmed.
Preview:
Let's time jump to 2 or 3 years? Level or up the playing ground for everyone? Shall we say goodbye to the king? Or let's breathe first.
