21

Reality Leaves a Lot to The Imagination

"Do you think Dongju got home alright?"

Nokdu's soft voice pricked Danho's ears, which was unsurprising as Nokdu was currently perched on his back as they headed back home after his treatment. Danho was just glad he agreed to be carried in the first place; part of him felt an ache knowing that the fact that he was actually able to convince Nokdu was a testament to how bad he was hurting.

"Home isn't that far off and she can take care of herself," Danho muttered.

"That pub she had walked into… why does it never get raided?"

"It does, I know of the place. But when the Government shows up, everyone escapes out the back," Danho explained as calmly as he could considering he was again reminded that Nokdu had put himself in danger.

"It's so unsafe, how could Dongju just go there?"

"You shouldn't have been there either!" Danho scolded him, stopping for a moment to turn and glare at Nokdu before continuing on.

"Well, Dongju owes me so she can't disappear without meeting me," Danho heard him mumble under his breath. They moved in silence and quite some time passed before he spoke up again.

"I'm hungry."

"We'll eat when we get home," Danho responded shortly, actually relieved that Nokdu was ready to get some food into his system. He however, was still trying his best not to let his emotions show after what had transpired a short while ago at the physician's place.

"There you go."

That was all he recalled saying before the reality of the situation had dawned upon him while tending to Nokdu's wounds. He remembered the pleasant prickly sensation he felt all over his body, from his chest to the ends of his fingers that were still resting upon Nokdu's bare waist.

Seeing Nokdu's injured beautiful face up close again regrettably revived those annoying feelings he had had to tuck away for the thousandth time. When the doctor finally arrived, he truthfully didn't know whether to be thankful or disappointed.

"Let's go get some soup and rice," Nokdu insisted, sounding a little more like his old enthusiastic self.

"What, are you suddenly feeling rich?"

"Look inside." Nokdu pointed at his bag that Danho had slinging by his side. Frowning, he took a peek into it and his eyes widened on seeing that it was full of coins.

"Where did you get this?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at Nokdu who was looking back at him with an innocent pout.

"I wasn't going to let those gamblers who were trying to scam Dongju just get away like that…"

"You're crazy," Danho shook his head and continued to walk.

"No, I'm hungry! Let's go!" Nokdu whined, playfully punching Danho's back.

"Stop yelling in my ear!"

"Having a lovers' quarrel so soon?"

Both Danho and Nokdu's faces snapped to the new voice and Danho froze as he saw the King in his Nobleman disguise stood looking at them. He coughed and Nokdu slowly slid off his back, grimacing slightly.

"We were just going to get some food," Nokdu said, clearing his throat and happily oblivious to Danho's tense demeanor. "Would you like to join us?"

Danho silently hoped the King would decline. Unfortunately for him, he smiled in agreement and a short while later, the three of them were seated at a table and sharing a meal together.

Danho maintained his blank façade, unable to freely enjoy his food while the King was seated across them but he was happy to see Nokdu's appetite was back as he watched him stuff spoons full of rice and soup into his mouth.

"So, what is it that changed your attitude toward your friend, soldier?" The King suddenly addressed him and Danho instantly swallowed the half-chewed food that was in his mouth.

"Oh, err…" he began with a short laugh, trying not to be intimidated by the fact that this was indeed the King questioning him. "It's nothing, I just worry. If he doesn't come home at night, I can't sleep," he said. The words came easily, probably since it wasn't completely a lie. Nokdu continued to eat, not seeming to have heard him and the King smiled.

"Ah, I see." He nodded at Danho. "Well, it's almost a relief knowing I'm not the only one plagued with insomnia." That somehow caught Nokdu's attention and he looked up.

"Sir, I have a suggestion that could solve that problem."

x-X-x

"I told you, this is not going to happen! Not on my watch!"

Jung Yunjeo shook his head and turned away from the Premier, who wasn't planning to let it go so easy.

"How do you not see? The best solution we have now in order to overthrow the King is to get your boy to take the crown," Yoon insisted.

"I don't care what you do but you need to find someone else," Yunjeo muttered.

"He is the rightful heir to the throne," Yoon reminded him. "He seems to be smart… and kind. Our current ruler is simply a mad man waving his sword around!"

"No," Yunjeo said firmly. "I refuse to put that on Nokdu."

The Premier sighed. He needed to convince Yunjeo somehow; it was only a matter of time before the King found out about their treason and took some unfortunate actions against them.

x-X-x

"Let's go!"

Nokdu excitedly called out as he practically ran up the hill with his wounds seemingly forgotten while Danho walked behind him keeping a watchful eye.

"Yah! Slow down, you'll open your wounds again!" Danho yelled back at Nokdu from behind him. "Crazy guy has one nice meal and thinks all his strength is back," he muttered to himself.

"Your friend is hurt?" The voice that sounded out of breath came from beside him and that's when he was reminded that the King was also with them.

"Err, yes your Majesty. He…" Danho cleared his throat as he began to come up with an alternative to the truth behind Nokdu's wound. "He had an accident while training for the exam."

"Come on, we're almost there!"

Danho couldn't help a small smile while shaking his head in amusement as he watched Nokdu come back down running with a grin on his face. He came up behind Danho and began to push him upwards to the summit.

"I'm fine! Will you be careful!"

Nokdu seemed to barely pay any attention to Danho's words as he went and supported the King the same way.

If only Nokdu know who the Nobleman really was.

Soon enough they reached the top and Nokdu had been right; the view was completely worth the effort. The three savored it in silence for a few moments before the King spoke.

"The kingdom looks beautiful but I wonder if the people believe that the King is doing a good job of keeping it that way." Danho blinked, feeling slightly nervous as he realized what he was doing.

The King was testing Nokdu to see if he could get him to talk ill of him.

Please don't say anything incriminating.

Fortunately, Nokdu didn't feel the need to comment, being completely mesmerized in the hill-top view. However, the King pressed on, this time directly addressing him.

"Why are you so curious about the King, Yeonsu?"

Nokdu took a deep breath and responded without looking at him.

"It's because I want to prove myself worthy and be successful," he said simply and this time, to Danho's relief, the King seemed to be satisfied with the answer.

While going down the hill, Nokdu seemed to have recharged on energy as he once more ran ahead of them, shouting encouraging words to the King along the way.

"Keep going! After this tiring journey, you're sure to get a good night of sleep!"

Danho stayed by the King's side and the two of them were trailing behind Nokdu. When the King nearly tripped, Danho rushed to his side and helped him out.

"You know I looked you up," the King said suddenly as he began to walk again. Danho kept a straight face while trying to cover up the worry he was feeling within.

"Pardon?"

"You're Neungyang's right hand man. I knew I had seen you somewhere."

So, he does know who I am…

"I…"

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," the King assured him with a light pat on his back which somehow made Danho even more nervous. "Besides, I've gotten quite fond of your friend and wouldn't want him to get hurt."

"Th-thank you… your Majesty," Danho cleared his throat and they walked quietly for a few minutes. "If you don't mind me asking your Majesty, has your insomnia always been bad?"

Danho had asked the question with the intention of steering the subject away from Nokdu but as soon as the words came out of his mouth, he wondered if he had been too straightforward. Lucky for him, the King didn't seem to have a problem in responding.

"Maybe you can imagine it but it's lonely being on top," he explained.

"In my line of work, I see things that would give normal people sleepless nights. And yet, I sleep just fine," Danho said pointedly. "Actually, being awake was more difficult… that is, until I met my friend." He turned to the King, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry, your Majesty, if I'm oversharing."

"Don't be. You might be on to something," he said with a smile. "Having someone I care about by my side might help me sleep better."

Danho nodded silently, looking ahead at Nokdu who had just turned back to wave at them with a big smile on his face. He felt a surge of joy in his chest and it slowly dawned on him how Nokdu really had brought about wonderful changes into his dark life.

He remembered the first time he had made breakfast for him, albeit under the guise of Lady Kim. It was a simple gesture but had meant more to Danho than anything else.

He thought of the day he had cut his arm to cover up for not killing the Crown Prince and how Nokdu had caught on without him having to say a word. He could still feel Nokdu's gentle fingers on his arm as he wrapped the bandage around it.

There was, of course, their day-long date with Aengdu and the clumpy flower-shaped rice cakes he had made; he couldn't forget the way Nokdu had panicked when he thought Danho had drowned in the river.

Crazy guy…

x-X-x

Nokdu winced as he laid out his bed; his body was now reminding him that he may have gotten a little too excited taking the Inspector up and down the mountain.

Wearing his body out was reckless since he had other plans for the night. He was finally going to try another method of reaching through to his brother.

He couldn't forget the way his hyung spoke to him the last time they met but he wasn't one to give up so easily, especially not on his family.

He just had to pretend to go to bed and wait until Danho fell asleep –

"Urgh…" he groaned as he sat on his bed and he felt Danho rush to his side.

"Are you alright? Argh… I told you not to stress yourself –"

"Wait…" Nokdu interrupted him when he noticed Danho was still fully dressed. "Are you going somewhere?"

"I've got a night shift again so go to sleep," Danho told quickly before Nokdu could nag him for continuing to be this loyal to Yulmu. "I'll see you in the morning." With that, he rushed out, leaving behind a somewhat relieved Nokdu.

At least I don't have to wait for him to fall asleep… I just have to make sure I get back before he does.

He changed into his black cloak and made his way to the house where his brother was, to put a plan he had come up with his Master into place.

x-X-x

Hwang-tae paced outside the house he was given by Yulmu to stay in; he was mostly cooped up inside reading books but liked to step out late to enjoy some of the cool night air. He was truly grateful to Yulmu for all the help he was giving, even though he wasn't sure he had much to offer.

"It feels strange, just staying here and reading books all day," Hwang-tae told Yulmu who had brought soup for him earlier that day. "Am I really going to be helpful to you this way?" Yulmu smiled at him.

"Of course," he said, like it was obvious. "Think of this as a chance to enrich your knowledge; all that will be valuable to me when I come into power," he explained.

"And my father will be safe from all of this?" He asked again to confirm.

"Yes, all you need to do is sign in this book. I will get you back everything you lost."

Hwang-tae was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a clunk sound next to him. He turned around to see a rock with a note tied to it.

What is this?

He quickly looked around to see if anyone was watching him and unfolded the message. The note was simple, it just had a location to be at tomorrow afternoon.

Is Father trying to contact me?

He folded the note and kept it safely in his pocket.

I need to get to the market.

x-X-x

Danho wasn't sure what he was expecting but he had been ordered to keep an eye on Hwang-tae during the night. More importantly, Yulmu had told him to specifically watch for anyone who tries to communicate with him.

"His brother is who we need to get to," Yulmu explained. "And if there's anyone who is going to reach out to Hwang-tae, it's going to be him."

So when Danho saw that someone had tossed a rock tied with a note to Hwang-tae, he had straightaway gone and reported it to Yulmu.

"Good, he's taken the bait," Yulmu nodded, satisfied. "Now if he attempts to respond to the man, we will be able to find him and confirm things very soon."

"So… we are to let him escape? Or send out a message?"

"Hwang-tae is not exactly the devious type. I'm sure he will simply come up with a reason to get out of the house in order to directly meet whoever contacted him."

"And we will have to make sure we follow him," Danho took a guess.

"Yes," Yulmu agreed. "That will lead us to the one with proof against the King."

The Prince's words served as reminder to Danho that all of this was being done so that Yulmu could actually overthrow the King and take over himself. Things were already past the point where his lust for power made Danho feel uncomfortable but he knew he had a job to do.

That night, Danho got home late and finally settled into his bed. He saw Nokdu fast asleep across him on his own mattress and he smiled to himself. As he lay down and glanced at him in the dark, he found himself silently apologizing again for not taking his advice about working for Yulmu.

"I'm sorry I'm not brave enough," he whispered out loud to his sleeping friend.

He was up early the next morning to see that Nokdu had already stepped out. He got dressed and made his way to the house Hwang-tae was being kept in and almost exactly as Yulmu had predicted, the man had suddenly asked for a trip to the market later that day. The Prince agreed on the terms that he tags along and that Danho would be there to escort them. Danho was still baffled about why the person they were looking for would be someone connected with Hwang-tae.

"I am the man everyone at the palace is looking for."

Nokdu's words played back in his head and Danho wondered if his friend was mistaken. He was tempted to ask him if he knew Hwang-tae but he remembered that Nokdu was in bed when he left last night and fast asleep when he returned.

He couldn't have been the same man that sent that message.

He remembered when Nokdu confessed back then that he's the missing man, he seemed unsure about it himself; it gave Danho hope that there's a good chance all of this is a misunderstanding. He decided that today's mission would provide the answers he needed so he could finally let Nokdu off the hook once they find out who this person really is.

Didn't Yulmu mention the man being Hwang-tae's brother? Pfft, Nokdu and him look nothing alike.

Because Nokdu has a special kind of twinkle in his eyes that no one else has. The corners of his consistently rosy lips curve down in the most endearing manner whenever he pouts in order to sway Danho's decision on something. And his collar bones at the end of his long neck just…

Danho shook his head; this was not helpful. He took a deep breath, hoping to rein in his thoughts from wandering again.

And yet, all he could see now was the image of Nokdu smiling at him while a wayward breeze gently teased his bangs out of his face and cherry blossoms floated all around him.

Oh! He has his Military test today!

Danho had some time before heading out to the main market with Yulmu and Hwang-tae so he excused himself with something about running errands, figuring he could catch Nokdu after the test to congratulate him.

With that in mind, he bought a small bag of the candy that Nokdu seemed to like and started towards the gate where he could see the exam givers were spilling out. He spotted Nokdu and was about to get closer when he abruptly stopped in his tracks; he saw Aengdu, Master Hwang and Yeon Geun excitedly cheering as they welcomed and cheered for Nokdu, who had a bright smile on his face. Danho was suddenly hit with a sad reality.

I don't belong in that happy world. Nokdu deserves this happiness and I shall let him enjoy it.

He turned around and walked away. He spotted a child on the street and handed him the candy before setting off to the main market where he had said he would meet Yulmu and Hwang-tae.

Danho left in a hurry and the child ran, happy with his unforeseen stroke of luck having left him with a bag of candy. So distracted was he that he didn't realize he walked straight into someone and tripped, a few of his striped candies rolling out of the bag. A man bent down and helped him up, grabbing a sweet off the floor in the process.

"Ah, you must have been excited to eat this," he smiled at the boy. "This is my favorite!"

"The scary man over there told me it's mine!" The boy snatched the remaining candy that had slipped out of the bag and ran, leaving behind a suspicious Nokdu, who immediately threw a glance in the opposite direction.

Danho?

Meanwhile, Park Danho was now in the other side of town escorting the Prince and Hwang-tae as they walked the busy street. If Yulmu was right, Hwang-tae would really use this as an opportunity to reach out to the one who sent him the message the other night and that would lead them to the person that the Prince seemed so desperate to find. If the man they were looking for really is the King's son, Danho wondered if he could look into leaving his dark life behind on that note.

Maybe he could use this big find as the opportunity to retire from all this business.

The image of a cheerful Nokdu surrounded by his loved ones from earlier flashed across his eyes and he had to remind himself to stop going back to that possibility for comfort.

That's never going to be your reality.

"My Lord, I'd like to look for some books to read," Hwang-tae suddenly spoke and Danho's eyes briefly darted to Yulmu's. "I'd prefer to go by myself if that's alright."

"Of course, we'll be around if you need us," Yulmu smiled and glanced at Danho, who nodded in understanding.

Unbeknownst to him, they closely followed Hwang-tae to see where he was going and when he eventually walked into a suspicious looking pub, Danho remembered it being the same place Nokdu had mentioned to him the other day.

Why was he coming here? Who was he planning to meet?

He felt a strong arm blocking his way when he noticed the people at the entrance weren't letting him inside.

Peasants. Who did they think they are to stop me?

Few seconds and a couple of hard punches later, both he and Yulmu had entered the dingy place. It was loud with low visibility from all the smoke but Yulmu seemed to have spotted Hwang-tae. Danho saw him talking to someone but couldn't tell who it was. Just as he moved to draw his sword, there was a commotion at one of the tables.

"Stop right where you are! You are all under arrest!"

The police are here.

He needed to find Yulmu and get out of there without being seen but to his horror, the Prince had vanished. When he looked towards the table where Hwang-tae had been seated, both he and the mystery man had disappeared too.

Damn it!

x-X-x

"Missed me?"

Nokdu sneered at Yulmu as he landed another punch on him. "Have you been well?" He went on as Yulmu returned his attacks with vigour. Nokdu wasn't worried; he had dragged Yulmu out into the bamboo forest so no one would be able to come save him. The man looked back at him and flashed a smug grin.

"I thought it might be you… Now, I just got the proof I needed."

THWACK!

Another blow and Yulmu was on the ground. His face was bleeding but it's not like Nokdu hadn't received his share of hits from him.

"I was the one who worked out the raid with the cops earlier," Nokdu stated and watched Yulmu slowly get to his feet as he attempted to fight back. Another exchange of a blows and Nokdu was still able to hold his own, until he suddenly felt a sharp pain slice across the side of body. He glanced at the spot to see fresh blood staining his clothes.

My old wound has opened up again.

With a heavy grunt of pain, he pinned Yulmu against a bamboo tree.

"What do you know about me?" He demanded. "And what about my brother?" Yulmu simply stared back, his face now wearing a bloody grin. "You…" Nokdu growled under his breath, trying to mask the shortness of breath from pain, "You killed all those innocent women at the Widow village… and bad things have to be paid for."

With a loud yell, he used his dagger to stab Yulmu in the side of his chest and at that very moment, someone appeared out of nowhere and shoved him away to the side. Nokdu was back on his feet quick enough but his eyes widened on seeing who it was. His face however, was nothing compared to the surprise on the face of the person looking back at him.

"You?" A shocked Danho stared at a now weakened Nokdu, who was struggling to stay on his feet with all the blood he was losing. But he didn't care, all he wanted right now was to get Yulmu.

"Stay out of this, Danho," he said plainly.

"What are you doing here?"

"This man needs to atone for what he did!" Nokdu cried out and Danho was momentarily silenced. He took a quick look at Yulmu who had passed out on the side and turned to him.

"You… you're hurt," he began, taking a step towards him. "Just let me…"

"Don't!" Nokdu exclaimed, wincing as his wounds stung. "Are you still going to continue protecting him? The man who ordered the burning of an entire village and the people in it?" Nokdu felt his eyes well up and he wasn't sure why.

"My job is to protect this man at all costs…" Danho replied sheepishly.

"Why?! What is this blind loyalty you have towards him?" Nokdu cried out. "Are you… are you in love with him?"

Wait, is he?

He winced again and his hand flew to his side as it began to throb from the freshly reopened wound. He slowly looked up to see a Danho silently staring back at him with no expression on his face. Nokdu gathered what little strength he had left and tried to lunge at him to fight but the pain was too much, making him fall back.

"Don't," Danho said plainly, his face unchanged. "Anymore and you'll bleed out." He paused before speaking again. "You didn't answer my question."

"What?"

"Why are you here? You can't be –"

"Urgh!" Nokdu's groan interrupted Danho's questioning and he could now feel the warm blood soaking through his outfit.

Aish.

He looked up to see Danho lifting Yulmu, who was still unconscious, on his back.

"Just go home," he instructed Nokdu. "I'll fix your wounds and we'll talk then –"

"I'm not coming home!" Nokdu yelled, in a rare moment of his frustration and anger getting the better of him. That seemed to get Danho's attention.

"W-what?"

"Just go…" Nokdu said resignedly. He was beyond arguing with Danho about Yulmu and was feeling too frustrated to stay in the same house as him right now.

"You're hurt. I can't just –"

"I said LEAVE!"

Danho frowned, worry crossing his face again before he ran off carrying Yulmu on his back. Nokdu took a moment to catch his breath, stewing in his annoyance as he watched him go.

To make things worse, he got home and found out that his brother hadn't come along with his Master as they had planned.

"Hwang-tae was cold and distant…" Hwang recalled sadly to Nokdu. "He said he wasn't captive and asked you to leave him alone." He looked at Nokdu with concern etched on his face. "What if you get arrested because you messed with that man, someone who is close to the King?"

"I'm not worried about that," Nokdu shook his head. "I know about his treason."

"Why don't we just get away from all this?" Hwang suggested kindly, placing an arm on Nokdu's shoulder. "You are badly injured and need to recover too."

"No…" Nokdu insisted. "I need to get into the palace and find out the truth to be sure."

Not much later, Nokdu was packing the last of his things from Danho's place.

I wonder how much Yulmu really knows about me.

He left a note and sighed, taking one last look around the room before exiting out the back like Danho always told him to.

x-X-x

Danho sat by Yulmu's side as the physician tended to him. He was sure the Prince was going to be fine; other than the blow to the head that knocked him out, there had appeared to be no pressing injury other than a couple of bruises here and there.

Nokdu's state however had him worried; not only had he noticed fresh wounds but he could tell that the old ones had reopened.

But why was he there? He had already ruled out the possibility of him being the person who reached out to Hwang-tae.

And in all their conversations, Nokdu had never once mentioned having a brother.

Danho couldn't bring himself to believe that Nokdu would go this far in order to take revenge on Yulmu for what happened in the Widows' Village. Hurt him? Perhaps. But the determined look in Nokdu's eyes made it seem like he had darker intentions, maybe even killing him. Unless…

Dongju. This had to be about Dongju.

Was this really just him and the Prince fighting over a girl?

He heard the sliding of the door and saw Hwang-tae walk in to the room. He looked apologetic seeing the Prince in his injured state.

"My Lord…" he began, "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Hwang-tae continued to apologize profusely and Danho saw Yulmu finally nod his head.

"It's fine."

"This is all my fault, my Lord."

"At least you came back to me," Yulmu pointed out. "That is what matters most." Hwang-tae seemed to calm down after that and sat before him.

"I swear I didn't know it was Nokdu's doing…"

Danho froze.

Nokdu? He knows Nok–

"It's alright," the Prince waved it off. "You returned and with that you have also confirmed that he is indeed the King's son."

Danho thought he would pass out any moment.

The King's son.

The King's son.

Nokdu is the King's son.

Yulmu's words echoed in his head and it took everything in him to steady himself and stay calm. But what puzzled him was the fact that Hwang-tae looked almost as surprised as he felt.

"My Lord? You know Nokdu already?"

"He's actually someone I've been looking for," the Prince explained as things slowly began to become more evident to Danho; everything he overlooked, pretended not to know, ignored and keep himself aloof of had led to this. "Actually, I've been wanting to kill him," the Prince continued. "And you will have to help me."

Danho glanced at Hwang-tae, who looked like he had been unaware of this particular condition when reaching out to the Prince for help. He wondered if he would really agree to do that if Nokdu was truly his brother.

"Of course, I will help," Hwang-tae responded after a heavy pause. "I already promised to do so." His words seemed true but Danho noticed his fists tighten, something he knew to look out for when someone was hiding their true feelings; it was something he had experience with.

"Good," was all the Prince said with a smile.

Later that night, Danho walked home lost in his thoughts. And the Prince's single statement kept playing over and over in his head.

Nokdu is the King's son.

He had always heard rumors that the King may have killed his own son to stay in power many years ago but he never expected that the person would actually be alive, let alone happen to be the person he was in love with.

Wait… I'm in love with Nokdu?

I'm in love with the King's son?

Danho rubbed his forehead as he realized he had clearly been in denial about Nokdu being the missing person with information about the King, now that everything seemed so obvious.

"I am the man everyone in the palace is looking for."

Nokdu had quite literally told him the truth and he hadn't let himself see it.

This meant that Danho hadn't been hiding the man with proof to bring down the King.

He was the living proof.

He needed to get home and talk to Nokdu.

"Noksoon?" He called out of habit as he entered his home. He was greeted with silence and was about to call out again when a note on the table caught his eye. He picked it up to read and that was when he remembered their last exchange.

"I'm not coming home!"

"W-what?"

Danho sighed in disbelief.

Nokdu had actually left.