15

In Chaos, One Finds Their True Selves

Hwang-tae would have preferred to be spared the responsibility of telling Nokdu about his true identity; a secret that he had only put the pieces together to and discovered recently. Instead, here he was, revealing the truth, one that he had inferred based on the events that had followed them ever since the attack on the island.

Thinking back now on the differences in the way he and Nokdu had been treated both by their father and mother, it couldn't seem more obvious that there was something that set Nokdu apart. His father was stricter about him going out or being seen anywhere even though he maintained that the need for secrecy was due to the fact that their father used to be a criminal. Their mother, however, had an evident bias against Nokdu that he denied then to console his little brother.

He wasn't sure about how Nokdu was going to take in this information but he could see his eyes had gone wide and he was unmoving, like time had stopped around him.

"What?" His voice croaked out.

Right outside, Danho had the last surviving guard on his knees before him with the tip of sword at the man's throat. Just as he was about to finish him off, Yulmu appeared by his side and put an arm on his.

"Spare him," he instructed. "Someone needs to live to be able to relay our message to the Premier." Danho then slid his finger along his sword, flicking any excess blood off the edge of his shiny blade before sheathing it. He and Lord Yulmu watched as the survivor hurriedly got to his knees and ran away as fast his injured body could.

Meanwhile, unknown to them, Nokdu was inside the house and still speechless from shock. Seeing that he wasn't in a state to say anything more, Hwang-tae spoke up again.

"Ask the King yourself if you don't believe me," he said flatly, trying not to show any attachment for the man who had grown up beside him as his brother.

Now, all he saw when he looked at Nokdu, was his mother at her deathbed.

Hwang-tae was about to open the door to their house when he heard his mother scream.

"You're not Yihyun! You're not my son!"

That made him pause. He heard Nokdu try to calm her down but she continued to yell at him.

"My family could have had a normal life if it wasn't for you!"

At the time, he wasn't sure about what he had heard and brushed it off as their mother being delirious in her last moments of pain. But with everything Prince Neungyang had relayed to him, it all made sense now.

The Prince's guard, Park Danho had found him in the mountains and taken him to safety when he was being chased by the same assassins that came for them on the island. Prince Neungyang welcomed him, nursed him back to health and told him with the story about the King having sent his son away.

"This might be difficult to believe," Neungyang told him one evening at his office. "But based on the information we have collected so far from our sources… there's a good chance that you or your brother might actually be the King's long-lost son."

Suddenly certain things in their childhood pointed towards the fact that Nokdu was the odd one out. Based on that alone, Hwang-tae told Neungyang upfront that he couldn't possibly be his Majesty's heir and that it had to be Nokdu.

He could have just as easily told him that he was the King's son but he had no interest in going near that title.

"All of this… is because of Nokdu," he gasped. "My family and I have been living in hiding all our lives because he was around!"

"Because your father chose to save him," Yulmu pointed out.

"No, my father had no choice," Hwang-tae shook his head. "I just want to be free from all this and live my life as a free man."

"And you shall," Yulmu assured him. "If you stay as a witness and support me as the next King."

It hadn't taken him too long to respond.

"I promise."

"Why…" Nokdu trembled as he spoke. "Why are you acting this way?" Hwang-tae could see tears starting to well in Nokdu's eyes and felt a prick in his chest that he decided to ignore.

He needed to be strong in order to get what he wanted. Sacrifices would have to be made.

"Don't you understand? Everything that we've been through is all because of you," Hwang-tae insisted. "Once Yulmu is in charge, he has promised me that I will get back everything I've lost.

Nokdu looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Hyung…" Nokdu cried softly, his voice truly pleading now. "If you, my own brother won't support me then how…"

Memories of all the times they had each other's' backs growing up together on the island flashed before Hwang-tae's eyes and he felt his throat tighten. He needed to get this over with before the Prince returned.

'This is all I know," he said plainly and pointed to the back door. "Now get lost before you get killed. And don't call me hyung."

Nokdu whimpered on those words and Hwang-tae could feel his own tears threaten to fall. He immediately turned away and waited, until her heard soft footsteps rush out the door.

This was what needed to be done to keep his family safe, he told himself.

x-X-x

Danho followed Prince Neungyang back into the room where his guest had been waiting. He saw the man facing away from them when they entered. He appeared to quickly wipe his face and turn towards them and Danho could tell the man had been crying. At his side, the Prince seemed to have noticed this as well.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, his voice more calculated than caring. Danho watched as the man vigorously shook his head.

"Ah, I just hadn't drunk in a while," he said simply. Danho wasn't convinced by the reason but he could tell those tears were very real. "What's going on outside?" He asked.

"It's nothing," the Prince assured him. "It's safe now, just go to sleep. I have another obligation." With that he nodded at Danho and they stepped out, locking the door behind them.

"What is it that you need to do, my Lord?" Danho asked. He wasn't aware of any 'obligation' that had to be fulfilled.

"Accompany me to Hanyang," he stated as they walked across the compound towards the gate. "At a time like this, I need my loyal swordsman by my side in case things go wrong."

Danho bowed and they stepped out the gate to gather their horses.

Somehow, he had a feeling something bad was about to happen and the first thing that came to his mind was Lady Kim.

He reminded himself that she was safe back at home and away from any of this unfolding drama.

Danho rode next to Yulmu through the forest and they reached the outskirts of Hanyang in no time, arriving at well-known spot – the tree with a swing. He watched Yulmu hop off his horse and walk towards it and he took his horse back a few steps to give him privacy for when Dongju showed up and to have a better vantage point in case of danger.

They had only been waiting a short while before Danho heard a rustle in the bushes nearby and leaped off his horse, drawing his sword and covering any access to Yulmu behind him. But before he could say anything, someone he knew quite well came forth and Yulmu stepped out from behind him, addressing her.

"Madam Cheon," Yulmu asked, his hands still crossed behind his back. "What are you doing here, all by yourself no less?"

Danho had been wondering the same thing; someone like Madam Cheon was usually accompanied by a member of the Muwoldan for protection. What made him more curious was the fact that he could see there was worry on her face.

"Ah, I looked for Lady Kim but couldn't find her so I came alone because I had to ask you something," she responded and now Danho could spot anger as well as anxiety in her eyes. She took a step closer to Yulmu, her rage seeming to grow by the minute and Danho tightened his grip around his sword.

"Did you kill Min Deul-re?"

At the same time that she dropped that heavy accusation at Yulmu, she was completely unaware that a paid group of hooligans had just crossed the border into the Widow Village, ready to burn the place down.

x-X-x

Nokdu dragged his feet as he walked away from the compound feeling utterly depressed. His heart was so heavy he wasn't sure how much time had passed while he was lost in thought as his mind cruelly replayed everything that happened in his head.

Don't call me hyung.

His mind was reeling from the way his brother had acted and more importantly what he had said.

You are the son of the nation's king.

Another tear rolled down his cheeks as he sniffled and wiped it away with the back of his palm. All of this information was starting to become too much for him to take. But what he knew for sure now was that there was only one way he could verify this information and the truth behind everything that was happening to him and his family.

He needed to talk to the Premier.

With a new rush of determination, he hurried on his way to the Premier's quarters in Hanyang.

x-X-x

Danho froze upon hearing Madam Cheon's question. He remembered that moment Min Deul-re died like it was yesterday. He opened his mouth to speak but Yulmu beat him to it.

"She had to die so I could get rid of corroborative evidence," he said without blinking an eye and Danho saw Madam Cheon's eyes widen in shock.

"You… killed someone who risked her life to work for you?" she started, her voice shaking. "If that's the case, you could easily abandon the Widow Village and the Courtesan House!"

Danho couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt despite all these years of being an assassin hardening him to these things. Maybe the fact that he was feeling something was a sign towards changing for the good.

Maybe Lady Kim was right and there was hope.

He lowered his sword slightly as Yulmu took another step closer to Madam Cheon and gave her a smile.

"I have already abandoned the village."

Wait… what?

Madam Cheon gasped and this time, she wasn't the only one caught by surprise. Danho tried his best not to show it on his face but Yulmu continued to speak, clarifying things before he could have the chance to wonder what he was talking about.

"Did you really think getting the Muwoldan out would be enough?" Yulmu's voice suddenly turned cold, sending a chill down Danho's spine. "I can build another village anytime; a bigger, fancier courtesan house too." Danho's grip on his sword wavered slightly as he saw Madam Cheon, someone who he trusted with his deepest secret at the courtesan house, put her palms together and pleaded to Yulmu.

"Just give us a little time," she began, "I will make sure none of them are witnesses against you before the King. Let me at least shift the widows out of the village."

"Why do that when there's an easy and sure way to ensure this?" Yulmu said with a shrug and the feeling of dread began to rise with Danho.

Was he really going to… destroy the village?

That's when he remembered the group of men that Yulmu had seemingly assigned some work to in the woods where he had found him.

Oh no…

Danho's mind did a quick check – he had left Lady Kim home and Dongju had left for Hanyang. The Master and little Aengdu weren't at the village. He had already moved his friend out of the Kisaeng House.

But the courtesan women…

He felt worry start to etch itself into his face just as he saw Madam Cheon's do the same. She made eye contact with him for a brief second and they both knew.

The Widow village was in trouble.

"Madam Cheon," Yulmu said coolly, turning to walk away from her, gesturing at Danho to do the same. "Just forget about this and get some sleep. I can get Danho to find Lady Kim so she can escort you somewhere safe for the night."

"No!" Madam Cheon gasped under her breath and before Danho could react, she ran away from them. Still in shock from what he realized was happening, Danho looked towards Yulmu hoping for an explanation of any kind. He simply smiled back at him.

"So, where were we?"

x-X-x

Nokdu's heart was pounding as his eyes remained trained on the Premier from outside his quarters. Quiet as he could be, he made his way inside the room and just as the Premier came to realize his presence, Nokdu wrapped his elbow around the man's neck and held a dagger to it. Nokdu had his mask on but had no doubt that the Premier knew who he was.

"I need you to tell me everything," Nokdu whispered into the Premier's ear, his voice shaking in a strange combination of anger and frustration. "Tell me about my father, my brother… everything." He felt the Premier nod under his hold and was just about to loosen his grip so he could talk when someone burst in through the door and both their eyes snapped towards the commotion. Nokdu's eyes widened as he recognized Madam Cheon who was panting heavily like she had come running.

"The village… is in danger…" she choked out before collapsing to the floor. Nokdu instinctively let go of the Premier and ran to help her. He threw another glance at the man before making a quick decision.

He needed to head to the village.

He rushed out the door and took the horse standing outside to ride into the woods.

x-X-x

Danho swallowed as he waited with Yulmu and continued to stand guard.

He did not want to be here. He needed to know what was happening at the village.

Yulmu however didn't seem to have any intention of filling him in on the details or giving up on waiting for Dongju anytime soon.

"You should go home."

Danho snapped out of his stressed train of thought in surprise.

"Sorry?"

"Dongju is taken longer than I thought. And I realize I should stop taking you for granted as a friend."

"But I can't just –" Danho began.

"I'll wait here… you go ahead."

Danho blinked but didn't need to be told twice. "Thank you, My Lord," he muttered before rushing off on his horse.

As he rode home, he felt an uneasiness build up in his chest. He knew for a fact that Lady Kim had been home before he left and that she had no reason to step out since it was getting late anyway. Despite that, he didn't feel the ache within him get any better.

Arriving at his house, he nearly leapt off the horse before it came to a full halt and barged through the door.

"Kim Gwabo!" He called out as he looked sideways in the tiny room, the rising panic making his voice louder than he intended it to. "Kim Nok-soon?" His voice was gentler this time as he peeped into the kitchen. "Nok-Soonah…" he murmured under his breath as he came back into the main room as he slowly came to accept that she wasn't home. He glanced around and saw nothing out of the ordinary except for her mysterious blue box which was now open and empty. And Danho had no idea what to make of it.

Please don't be at the village.

He got out onto the street hoping for some clue that would indicate where she went and he spotted their nosy neighbor.

This would be the one time that a nosy neighbor came in handy.

"Erm, excuse me…"

"Oh, Park Danho, is your wife back yet?"

"What?"

"She left early this morning but I didn't see her come back. Is everything okay?" Danho could tell she was fishing for gossip but he could barely hear her over his heart pounding.

No.

"Oh yes, she must be busy working," he waved her off with a dry smile and mounted his horse again. "I'll go bring her home." He hurried off to the village, trying not to imagine what bad things could be happening there that Yulmu had planned.

x-X-x

Dongju packed the last of her workshop utilities and looked back at the cave that had become her second home for a while. It was bittersweet letting it go.

But she was now ready with her weapon and it was time to follow through with her mission. She would have to find her way into the palace first and that somehow brought Lord Yulmu to mind. Her conversation with him earlier that day hadn't been an easy one.

"I'm leaving," she told him. "But I need you to promise not to hurt him." She need that Yulmu would be well aware who she was referring to. She could tell from the anger in his eyes.

"Even now you want to protect him?" He scoffed in disbelief. "Do you love him?"

"I left him without saying goodbye because I wanted him to forget me. What's the point of loving someone who doesn't plan on being around for long?" She hadn't realized that tears were now dripping onto her cheeks. Yulmu stepped forward and wiped them with his thumb.

"Your words say you don't care," he said grimly. "But your actions just admitted your strong love for him."

Dongju just found it strange, how it took someone else to bring to her attention that she was in love with the man who had played the role of her roommate, a woman and her mother when she first met him. In fact, she realized she didn't even know his real name and had to ask Aengdu what it was.

"I'm sorry, Nokdu," she whispered to herself.

Dongju took a deep breath and walked through the woods, hoping to catch one last glimpse of the twinkling lights in the Widow Village before she left and that's when she noticed something.

Is that… fire?

x-X-x

Nokdu barged through the entrance of the Kisaeng House to the make his way to the Widow Village, where to his horror, everything was going up in flames. The widows and kisaengs were scrambling to head for safety while a large group of thugs created havoc. He spotted one of the Yeolnyeodan and without another thought, whipped out his sword and blocked a blow that had been coming at her from one of the men. That caught the woman's attention and she glanced at him in surprise but luckily for Nokdu there was no time to ponder over who he was and the village's women needed all the help they could get.

Nokdu fought his way through the crowd, trying to make sure as many of the women could be led away without being harmed. Just as he knocked another one of the thieves out cold, he spotted a woman in the distance at the bridge was being held up by her neck. His eyes widened as he realized who it was.

"Dongjuya!" He heard a voice yell from a distance and looked across to see Yulmu standing further away looking horrified.

What was he doing here?

x-X-x

Danho's worst fears had been confirmed when he arrived at the village to see it was being set on fire by a large group of thugs.

Kim Nok-Soon, please don't be here.

With that silent plea, he navigated his way through the throng of people fighting while keeping his eyes open for Lady Kim. In moments, he could sense that a few of the men had already spotted him and his body tensed into battle mode as they began to approach him. Without batting an eyelid, he whipped out his sword and proceeded to take them down one after the other. He was halfway through wiping them out when his head snapped to the sound of a familiar voice yelling out a name.

Lord Yulmu?

A loud bellow resounded as another thug leapt at Danho trying to use the brief distraction to his advantage. But Danho hadn't gained the title of 'best swordsman in Joseon without reason; he was too fast for them and easily dodged the attack, managing a neat slash across the man's chest along the way. With that he rushed towards Yulmu's side, wiping blood spatter off the side of his face.

"My Lord?" He asked, genuinely surprised to see Yulmu here, considering he had just gotten confirmation that he was responsible for all the chaos that was unfolding around them. Yulmu, who's gaze seemed fixed on something, turned to Danho, looking equally startled to see him.

"Park Danho?"

The question in Yulmu's voice was what brought Danho to the realization – he didn't have a reason to be at the village either. He cleared his throat.

"My Lord, what are you doing here? You're not safe," he said, hoping that being Yulmu's bodyguard was a good enough excuse.

"I…" Yulmu started, still looking dazed and turning away again. Danho followed his line of sight to see Dongju in the distance and that explained Yulmu's concern. Luckily, he spotted another man saving her from her attacker; Danho was about to point out and assure him that Dongju was fine when he spoke again. "Dongju never showed up and I found out she is here. I have to save her and I need you to cover me."

"Oh? Yes, my Lord."

Danho watched as Yulmu made his way towards Dongju who now appeared to be lying unconscious in the arms of her rescuer. Danho couldn't see who he was but assumed he was one of the men who volunteered to work at the Kisaeng House. Yulmu looked like he was having a serious conversation with the man before Dongju was finally handed over to him and he made his way out, carrying her with him and leaving the village behind him to burn.

Did Lord Yulmu, the man he practically worshipped most of life, really not care about the rest of the people here dying?

He shook his head in disbelief and barely caught the axe swinging at him out of the corner of his eye before he managed to block it with his sword. The bulky man stared and growled at him for a moment until he suddenly began to choke. The pressure against his sword lightened and the man collapsed to the ground, revealing the person who had stabbed him from behind. He looked like the same man who had rescued Dongju earlier, based on his uniform. His face was masked but Danho couldn't help thinking that there was something familiar about him.

There was barely another second to ponder over that thought when another round of attackers circled them and almost instinctively, Danho and the man had their backs against each other, teamed up to fight.

Danho had been fine fighting off the assailants without trouble on his own so far but this… was different. He had always been the lone soldier all his life so a situation where he had a partner to fight alongside was a pleasant surprise. Moreover, as he and the masked man moved about swinging their blades at the enemy in an almost unprecedented unison, Danho was once more hit with a sense of déjà vu, like the man's defensive technique was familiar to him.

One final swoop of his sword had the last of the attackers around him falling back and he turned around to look for his teammate, who to his dismay, was nowhere to be seen.

But he had no time to worry about that; he needed to find Lady Kim.

Taking a chance that she might be hiding at their old quarters, he rushed towards the Kisaeng House, only to the Widow Village's Administrator and some of the Yeolnyeodan women being cornered by some of the intruders.

"Kill the widows, take the courtesans alive," he heard one of them say. Danho tightened his grip around the handle of his sword and moved forward to attack when out of nowhere a bottle came crashing over the man's head, making the attacker fall to the ground. His eyebrows raised and his gaze along with the others there moved to the person who had been responsible. Danho saw a drunken older man shuffle towards them whom he instantly recognized from having met him the other night.

Master Hwang?

"Don't worry," he assured the others there in a slurred voice, "Drinking makes me even better at fighting." Danho walked up to him and Hwang addressed him, "Oh, you're here?"

"Where's Lady Kim?" Danho asked, "Is she with you?"

"Kim Gwabo… ah, right," Hwang shook his head. "Don't worry, that boy will be fine," he mumbled and moved to take on the other attackers.

"What? No, you're mistaken, I'm talking about –" Danho barely got his words out before a club came flying at his face and he dodged out of the way of his assailant's attack. A couple of swings of his sword and the man was on the ground. Danho looked around to see Master Hwang and the Yeolnyeodan fighting the remaining intruders off.

Figuring that the group of them would manage on their own, he rushed off to continue his search.

Lady Kim, where are you?

x-X-x

Dongju was slowly starting to come to but her vision was blank.

Am I dreaming?

She remembered seeing the Village was on fire and how she had rushed to help using the modified bow and arrow that she had designed. She could sense her eyes were closed and her throat felt strangely sore. That's when she remembered fragments of a scary looking man grabbing her by the throat and…

"I hope you'll wake up," she heard someone say.

Another jarring memory of the Widow Village burning flashed in her head suddenly and she knew she had to get back and help.

She recognized the speaker's voice as Yulmu's and figured he must be talking to her unconscious body. She didn't move, deciding that she would wait for him to leave before she made her way back to the village as he was most likely bound to keep her cooped up there otherwise.

Almost like her wish had been granted, she felt Yulmu stand up beside her. "Just wait, I will bring a doctor," she heard him say and she waited for the sound of his fading footsteps before she finally sat up. She hopped to her feet and burst out the door.

And then she ran as fast as she could.

x-X-x

Nokdu wiped sweat and blood off his forehead as he continued to fight the village's attackers.

The appearance of Danho a short while ago had puzzled him slightly; he was honestly not sure what to make of his presence at the village tonight. On one hand if he was working with Yulmu and knew that this was going to happen… Nokdu didn't want to think that despite Danho's background he was capable of that.

On the other hand, if he hadn't known, Nokdu wondered what reason he could possibly have for…

Lady Kim.

Could Park Danho be looking for Lady Kim?

Nokdu felt an unexpected flash of warmth on his cheeks at the thought of Danho worrying about him.

No, he's worrying about Lady Kim.

Nokdu knocked another man down and grimaced. He had been trained by his Master to power through pain and fight but he would have been lying if he said he wasn't starting to get tired since it was just him and some of the Yeolnyeodan who were defending the village at the moment. Even the kisaengs were doing their best with what they had but there was only so much they could pull off. Danho had gone missing somewhere and he had to presume he was still looking for Lady Kim.

That's when he spotted Madam Cheon barging with her troop of Muwoldan women ready to fight. He felt a sudden surge of energy on seeing the women join in as he continued to fight the seemingly never-ending barrage of thugs that had set out to burn their village down. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Kim Ssook display her admirable swordsmanship as she combated a man at least thrice her size.

All of a sudden, the man tripped her, bringing her to her knees.

"This wench's bravery is admirable!" He scoffed at her while she looked up him with a deadly glare. "Tell me, who do you want me to deal with first?" He asked, looking around at the women around him.

Nokdu wasn't going to stay still and let this man get away so easily. He took off the fabric covering his lower face and walked up to the man. Even the people around them had stopped to see what was happening as he did so. Nokdu stared at the man.

"Me," he said simply, not taking his eyes off the man. "Start with me."

"Why you little –"

The sounds of sword against axe rang through the air and the battle had resumed again. Kim Ssook even covered him as she joined him and they fought the others together even though he could tell she was wary of this unknown man helping the widows out.

Soon enough with the combined efforts by the Muwoldan, the thugs had been beaten and it was only when things had come to a still that Nokdu realized how badly he was hurt. He had been functioning on adrenaline all this while but now that it was starting to quiet down, he was becoming increasingly aware of all the wounds on his body, particularly what felt like a very serious one on the side of his stomach.

As he stood there, breathing heavily and trying his best to stand straight, he saw the other widows slowly starting to gather and take notice of him.

"Who is he?"

"Why is he helping us?"

The whispers continued as he spotted the Yeolnyeodan women join them from the kisaeng house side, along with Master Hwang and his daughter Aengdu. Nokdu turned his attention back to the group of women before him; Madam Cheon was looking at him with a frown but Kim Ssook stepped forward.

"Excuse me," she started, "Thank you for helping but…" She paused, unsure what to say next and Madam Cheon finally spoke up, coming closer to stand next to her.

"I have seen you somewhere…" Madam Cheon began to say when a scream echoed through the air. Nokdu looked to see little Aeng-du with tears in her eyes run towards him and hug his legs.

"Did they…" she said in between sniffles, "Did they find out that orabeoni is pretending to be a girl?"

x-X-x

Park Danho could tell that the fight was coming to an end with the sounds of battle dimming around him even though the fire still lay waste to the village. There was still no sign of Lady Kim but he couldn't tell if that was a good or a bad sign.

He ran back to the village to see a crowd gathered and wondered what was going on. At the center he could see a man – with the same uniform he had spotted earlier – except this time he had no mask on. He was not close enough to recognize his face but he could see some of the people from earlier including Master Hwang standing beside him. And the strangest part was how the little girl Aengdu was holding onto the uniformed man's legs for life.

He walked a little closer, wincing slightly from his minor injuries while he waded through the throng of frightened women.

As he approached the front of the crowd, he didn't take his eyes off the man who for some reason seemed to be the center of this tableau. He was also starting to look increasingly familiar.

Where have I seen him before?

x-X-x

Nokdu stood in front of the crowd, feeling like he was going to die from the pounding his body had taken. He looked down to see a tearful Aengdu with her tiny arms possessively wrapped around his knees.

"Ah, Aengduya…" he started weakly when Master Hwang came and pulled her off him, grumbling about how the truth was out now. Nokdu could feel everyone's eyes on him and he turned to face the crowd, catching Kim Ssook's eyes first when she asked the question he knew was coming.

"You're Lady Kim, aren't you?"