Chunhwa sat on a large white stone by the river where the Hwarang men wash their clothes the next day. She had advised the Hwarang General this morning to supervise the training for today as she was not feeling well and that she needed to take a rest. Damyi had asked Chunhwa if she could accompany her to the river at least but she shook her head and told her maid that she wanted to be alone for a while. Worried but obedient, Damyi had granted her request to be alone in order to give some time for herself.

She couldn’t help but think about the dream that she had last night. It has been seven years ever since the last time she had that nightmare. It felt as real as it always had been before and up until now, she still couldn’t point out to whom the voice belonged to.

Lost in her thoughts, she did not realized that someone had came and sat beside her.

“A penny for your thoughts?”

Chunhwa immediately snapped her head to the left at the voice and sees Jidwi sitting beside her.

“Master Jidwi.” she says, blinking at him in surprise.

“Sorry, did I startle you? I just observed that you seem to be preoccupied these days and I realized that you were not present during our training.” he tells her with an apologetic yet worried smile.

“Is there something troubling you?”

She immediately shook her head, “Not really, I was just thinking about this and that.”

“And what could ‘this and that’ might be?” he asks her, raising an eyebrow.

Chunhwa did not answer him and turned her head towards the river ahead of them. She remained silent for a while that Jidwi thought that he had said something wrong as he continued to look at her. He was about to open his mouth to apologize but she suddenly spoke once more.

“Master Jidwi...”

“Hm?”

“Do you believe what that scroll said a couple of days ago?”

She turned her head towards Jidwi to look at him in the eye.

“That the King is within Hwarang.”

Jidwi looked at her for a moment, before a nonchalant smile reached up his lips.

“Who knows?” he shrugs, “How about you, do you think that the King is within Hwarang?”

“Maybe.” Chunhwa shrugs, turning her head back at the river and Jidwi does the same as well.

“Maybe not, I’m not sure.”

 The both of them watched the water as it flows through the river while the wind was gently blowing the leaves of the trees around them.

“The other Hwarangs think that Master Sunwoo is the King.” she speaks after a few moments of silence. “At some point, I did think that he was too.”

“But...?” he couldn’t help but probe as her words felt lacking to him.

She turned to look at him once again and he does the same as well.

“But something just doesn’t feel right, you know.”

Jidwi tilted his head a little to the side, confused. “How could you say so?”

“Sam Maekjong...” she starts but shook her head as if saying his name without any respect was a mistake, “I mean, the King and I were childhood friends, you see.”

“My grandfather was a rank one ministry official and a supporter of the Royal family back when he was still alive.”

Chunhwa averted her eyes away from him as she looked ahead of the river and continued.

“My grandfather once told me that my mother died after giving birth to me and that my father was always at the borders. That’s why he always had to bring me whenever he goes to the palace. Although I was always with him, I was often asked to stay in the playroom with my personal maid when I was younger.

Until one day, the Queen introduced me to the King. That is how we became friends and soon after, I became friends with the princess as well. So basically, the three of us grew up together and were close like siblings.”

Jidwi couldn’t help but look at Chunhwa with an affectionate smile as he reminisce some of his memories as well. Yes, he did not know that she was the late Lord’s granddaughter as his mother had only brought her to his quarters and introduced her to him as his new playmate since he was feeling lonely that Sookmyung cannot play with him yet. He remembered playing with Chunhwa in the secret courtyard where his sister was finally able to run around with them a year after.

“However, the night the late King died, the Queen decided to send me far away together with King Jinheung to hide from the Royal family’s enemies. To be honest I don’t really know why I have to be sent together with him but to cut the story short, I grew up with him until I had a serious illness and had to go out of the country to find a cure when I was 10.”

Chunhwa turned her head to him and found out that he had already been looking at her the entire time as she tells him her story.

“That was the last time I saw him.”

Jidwi nods at her in understanding, but a question popped out on his mind so he curiously asks her.

“But, if you are childhood friends with the King and you grew up together, shouldn’t you know what he at least looks like?”

“I know right,” she chuckles, looking up at the clear blue sky this time.

“I don’t know what happened but unfortunately for some strange reason, I can’t remember what he looks like.”

She turned to look at Jidwi and grins.

“It’s a shame I can possibly remember everyone here in Silla but not him.”

He did not answer nor gave any reaction and continued to stare at her. Chunhwa, however, had finally noticed the way he was gazing at her and she blushed in embarrassment. She clears and looked away.

“I talked too much, did I? I’m sorry, I don’t usually talk about myself with anyone but here I am blabbing them to you—“

“But what if the King remembers you?” Jidwi blurts out, making her snap her head towards him in surprise.

“What do you mean?” she blinked at him, perplexed.

“What if the King remembers you?” he repeats his question, “What would you do?”

Chunhwa furrowed her eyebrows at that, shifting into a crossed legged position while placing her chin over her palm as she look up, thinking. She turned towards Jidwi after a few moments with a frown on her face.

“I don’t know.”

She shifts and stretched her legs this time and looked at the river. The Hwarang did not comment on her answer and remained silent.

“But if he remembers me, I wish that he will come to me and tell me that he is Sam Maekjong.” she continued, smiling softly.

“I wish that he still remembers me and that he will come and look for me.”

Jidwi, who never took his eyes off her the whole time smiled sadly at that.

‘I still do.’ he tells himself silently, ‘I’m here by your side, looking at you right now.’

Chunhwa suddenly pouts, her eyebrows furrowed.

“And when he does find me I’ll whack his head even if he is the King and chastise him for not finding me the moment I came in the capital when it’s him who arrived here first.”

“Won’t you get imprisoned for that?” Jidwi couldn’t help but shiver in fear towards his childhood friend knowing how strong she is now compared when they were still little children.

She deadpanned at him. “No, he won’t. I’ll make sure he won’t because that is his fault for not looking for me sooner.”

She suddenly darted her hand out to catch a falling dry leaf from the tree above them.

“But most of all,” her face turned into a soft expression as she looked down on the dry leaf resting on her palm. “I will tell him how much I missed him.”

Chunhwa turned to him with a soft smile.

“That even if he doesn’t have the throne right now, I’m still proud of him.”

“You’re a good friend.” he tells her and she did not answer him but her smile widened in return before looking away.

Jidwi watched her turn away from him to admire the river once more.

‘I missed you too...’ he thinks with longing. ‘...And I’m also proud of you.’

He finally looks away from her to also admire the river ahead of them.

‘But I can’t tell you who I am right now. I have to make sure you are safe first from my mother’s plans.’

The much awaited day off had finally arrived in Hwarang House the next day. The Hwarang men were walking out the Hwarang House gates with smiles on their faces as the day was clear and the weather was good.

Banryu and Sooho walked down the steps together and Yeowool suddenly cling his arms around their shoulders from their back the moment they have completely reached the ground.

“We finally got to have a break.” Yeowool sighs with relief as he looks at the both of them.

He turned to Banryu with a smile. “How about we all go to Okta?”

“Do not act like we are close.” Banryu says coldly at him. “We are not close enough to go there together.”

He sharply tapped Yeowool chest with his knuckle before shaking his arm off his shoulder and walked away from them— Sooho and Yeowool looking at his departing back with an amused expression.

“Did he just dump me?” Yeowool scoffs to himself in disbelief. He turned to Sooho who was smiling towards the direction Banryu went to.

“I’m heartbroken. Comfort me.”

Sooho looked at him and his smile turned into a frown.

“You go alone.” he says coldly as well. “I’m not in the mood to go there.”

Just like what Banryu first did, Sooho sharply tapped Yeowool chest with his knuckle as well before shaking his arm off his shoulder and walked away to the other direction.

The rejected Hwarang puts his hands over his abused chest and scoffs again in complete disbelief.

“Did I just get dumped by two men in a row?”

“I told you Damyi, you don’t have to follow me today!”

Yeowool suddenly perks up at the voice and turns around to find Chunhwa together with her maid standing on top of the stairs in the Hwarang House gates— the Hwarang men who were passing by to go out were looking at her as well.

Chunhwa was dressed up into her unique looking hanbok, which was refreshing to see her wearing once more as she had been wearing her male-like clothing for so many days now. Her maid was fussing at her and she looked so close to getting annoyed on the other hand from the fussing.

“B-but, My Lady! It’s my duty to tend to your needs and if you are going out of the  Hwarang House on your day off then I shall accompany you!” Damyi says, eyebrows furrowed in worry and the female teacher couldn’t help but sigh.

“Damyi-ah, it’s a day off today which means it’s your day off too!” she tries to convince her with a frown.

“Besides, I’m capable of being by myself. You have been watching me for a few days now and you should use the day off today to take some rest if you must.”

“I know that, My Lady.” her maid says, “But I can’t rest knowing that you’re going out of Hwarang House especially when your—“

Chunhwa shushes Damyi with a slightly panicked look, cutting off whatever she was about to say.

“I’ll be okay, I can handle it. You don’t need to worry—”

“I can accompany her for you, if you’d like.”

Both Chunhwa and Damyi turned around towards Yeowool who had actually made his way towards them without them noticing.

“Master Yeowool.” Chunhwa blinks in surprise at seeing the Hwarang.

Yeowool turns to her with a smile.

“This is the first time I’ve actually seen you going out on our day off. So I was wondering if you would like me to accompany you instead.”

The female teacher and her maid looked at each other at that and then they looked back to him.

“But, wouldn’t I be a bother?” she says a little embarrassed. “I mean, this is the only free day that you’ve got before the sparring competition.”

Yeowool found her hesitation amusing.

“I know, but I just got dumped by two men in a row a few moments ago.” he shrugs, “I was hoping a woman won’t dump me from my offer this time.”

The Hwarang looked at her with his mysterious smile and she started to think about it, looking at Damyi who was carefully looking and waiting for her response towards his offer.

“Alright, I’ll let Master Yeowool accompany me in the capital.” she sighs after a few moments and turned to Yeowool with a nod.

“And you, take a rest. Okay?” she turns to her maid. “Stop worrying about me, geez. I’m not a kid anymore.”

Despite still feeling worried about not accompanying her mistress, Damyi turns to Yeowool and bows.

“Thank you so much Master Yeowool! I’m so sorry for the trouble but please take care of Lady Chunhwa for me.”

“Don’t worry.” the Hwarangs says reassuringly towards the maid before turning his eyes to Chunhwa.

“It’s my pleasure to spend my day off with this beautiful woman. I’ll take care of her.”

“What.” she blushes at the sudden compliment. “I’m not beautiful!”

“Well, you are.” he says with a mysterious smile. “But I’m still prettier than you, though.”

She glared at him.

“Yah.”

Yeowool laughs and stretched his arm out towards the direction of the capital.

“Well then, shall we?”

Chunhwa nods, now smiling softly at him.

“Let’s go.”

“I heard a scroll was up at Hwarang House.” Minister Youngshil says, looking down at Banryu from the platform where he is standing at.

Banryu looks up at him— his wide, almond eyes staring hard at the old man’s smaller ones.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” the minister says, sounding offended.

“I know it was your work.” Banryu tells him straightforwardly. Minister Youngshil smiles a little at that, not confirming nor denying the younger man’s accusation as he walked down to his adopted son’s level.

“How is that Master Sunwoo?” he instead asks, “What do you think of him? Does he look like a King?”

Banryu refused to answer and only looked at his adoptive father.

“Get me the answer to whether he is the King or not.”

Minister Youngshil turns around to walk back into his room when Banryu speaks up.

“Why should I do such a thing?”

The old minister turns around to look at him and pointed his index finger down towards him.

“I plan on making you a King.”

To say Banryu was shocked at his adoptive father’s words was an understatement and Minister Youngshil looked grimly at him.

“There must be no King so that I can make you a King.”

The young man looked down in disbelief but his adoptive father’s next words made him look up to him once again, appalled.

“I’m thinking of getting rid of Heo Chunhwa as well— she will become a big hindrance in our plans to make you a King in the future.”

Author's Note:

I'm so sorry for not updating for like, more than a week I guess?
I'm really busy right now with a lot of stuff going on in my life.
I'm also experiencing this weird writer's block so it was hard
for me to write down my ideas in this chapter so I really apologize.

Still, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
I apologize for the grammatical mistakes if there's any. 

I hope I could update sooner as well.

- flyingjunmyeons [20170608]