In the cozy and well-lit chamber of Geoncheonggung, Sungmin sits solemnly at his table reading a letter.

"The surviving members are all taking shelter at the Temple down near the foot of the mountains. Some have left the sect. An estimate of 30 people died in the fire, but we have not been able to return to the mountains to check whether there are more fatalities. More than 100 people were injured in the attack, and we are still taking care of the wounded with the help of Doctor Shin. Don't worry, Doryeonnim, our Master is fine. He was slightly injured, but the wounds were not fatal. He is healing well and busy with investigating the attack. The guards have caught some of the attackers, who seem to be hired mercenaries by the Queen. I will keep you updated on any further development, Doryeonnim."

The letter is short, but has provided Sungmin with all the details he needs to know. Two days after the attack on Bukhansan, Sol sent him a letter to notify him of the events that had happened that night. Despite Kyuhyun's unwillingness to involve Sungmin in the matters, Sol felt deeply in her heart that he would want to know.

"Jongwoon."

Sungmin calls out to his servant. Usually, he would hear a gentle opening of the door, followed by a soft "Yes, mama" from him immediately. But this time, weirdly enough, he hears no response from the other.

Sungmin decides to go out to look for the servant. He has something he needs Jongwoon to check immediately, and only Jongwoon can do it. Outside his room, a few court ladies ask if they can help him with anything, but Sungmin only nods in response and asks them if they have seen Jongwoon around.

"I've seen him around the storage this morning, mama." One of the court ladies recalled.

"Thank you, Chi-eun, I'll go look for him there."

The storage in Sungmin's gung is a small space mainly used to store firewood and miscellaneous things. Normally, even the servants hardly ever set foot there, so Sungmin would never expect Jongwoon to be there. But he still checks out the storage in case Jongwoon really is there.

The storage is hidden at the back of the residence, so it takes Sungmin a few minutes to walk to the place. As he approaches the small room, he can hear two people whispering discreetly inside the storage space. His instincts immediately tell him to hide in a corner behind the door to listen to the whisperings closer.

"Do you know his schedule?"

Sungmin hears a familiar voice speak at his lowest volume. It takes him a few seconds to realize it was the voice of one of the four guards from Bukhansan that Kyuhyun had put in the Palace, Himchan.

"He will go to the hunting grounds next week."

This time, Sungmin hears Jongwoon whisper lowly under his breath. 

"Good. Just follow the plan. This way, we can really hurt her."

Not letting them finish whatever is being planned, Sungmin immediately barges into the storage room.

"Mama!"

"Mama!"

Both of his servants have the most panicky look that Sungmin has ever seen on their faces. Even during the attack in Yangjae, facing the deathly darts and the poisonous fog, they look calmer than they do when they see Sungmin's face when he kicks the door in.

"What are you two talking about?" Sungmin asks sternly.

"Mama, we are just..." 

"Don't even lie to me. I heard everything!" Sungmin hears his own voice getting louder and firmer. As he gets closer, he can clearly see a bunch of needles in Himchan's hands. Not the kind used in sewing, but in attacking and assassinating others.

"Mama..."

"Are you... Are you planning to get back at the Queen?"

At these words, Jongwoon and Himchan can no longer utter another word. Nor can they look directly into Sungmin's eyes. But a lack of denial is the most effective admission of guilt. Sungmin can tell everything from their attitude, and instantly, he can see everything as clearly as day. 

"Himchan, did something happen to your family in Bukhansan?" He asks carefully.

Himchan continues to keep his head down. Sungmin could not see his expression, but he can tell Himchan is shivering out of control. On the face that he cannot see for the moment, he can feel the other biting his lip as hard as possible.

"Himchan..."

"So what if that is our plan, mama?" Sungmin suddenly hears Himchan's voice as clearly and determined as ever.

"What... do you mean?"

"We did have a plan to get back at the Queen, mama. We still do. And so what if we do? She deserves it. She destroyed Bukhansan and Seowangmyeong. If not stopped, she will pose a much greater threat to everyone, even the innocent ones." Himchan says while looking directly into Sungmin's eyes. His words are the most coherent and determined that Sungmin has ever heard him speak. 

"Maybe we cannot be as righteous as you, mama," he continues, "but we cannot stand by watching our loved ones get hurt and our community destroyed. She has to pay for what she has done to us. That's just karma."

"Tell me," Sungmin looks at him sternly, "what are you planning to do to her?"

Another silence fills the room. 

"Tell me!" A sudden raise of his voice makes both Jongwoon and Himchan startle. In the three years that they have served him, never have they ever seen their young master raise their voice like this.

"Mama..." Jongwoon's gentle voice seems to slightly calm Sungmin down.

"We would only do to her what she did to us." Himchan blurts out, which instantly prompts Jongwoon to throw him an angry look.

"What does that mean?" Sungmin feels his voice getting dryer the longer he talks with his two servants.

"Mama," Himchan suddenly takes a step closer to Sungmin, "the Queen hired thugs to harass students and teachers at Seowangmyeong. More than fifty students and teachers were injured in the attacks. Jongwoon's brother was even permanently paralyzed. After that, she hired attackers to ambush the Children of the Mountains in the middle of the night. Hundreds of people were injured, more than thirty people died, including... including my ahjuma and ahjusssi next door. They took me in and raised me since I was left at the temple by my mother when I was only a little boy. They were like family to me. And now they are gone because of her! She took away everything and everyone that we ever loved, so wouldn't it be fair if we take away the one thing that she loves?"

"The Crown Prince?" Sungmin asks in horror, "are you planning to do something to the Crown Prince?"

Himchan remains his sharp stare at Sungmin.

"Himchan, Jongwoon, why didn't you tell me about your families? I could've helped you."

"Mama, with due respect, but there's nothing you could've done for our families. Dead people can never come back to us. The only thing left to do is make sure that they get their justice." 

"But, Himchan," Sungmin takes a step closer to the other, "revenge is not justice. Nothing good can ever come out of revenge. So what if you take your revenge on the Crown Prince today? Nothing will have changed. Your family still can never come back to you. But now one more innocent person will be dead. That's not to say that the Queen will take further revenge on you if something ever happens to the Crown Prince. And we would go round and round all over again."

Himchan falls silent for a moment, then, suddenly, he kneels down in front of Sungmin, his hands punching the cold floor as hard as he could: "Then what am I supposed to do? I can't let my family die in vain! What am I supposed to do!?"

Sungmin has also been asking himself that question constantly for the past few weeks. What is he supposed to do in the current state of affairs? Growing up, he always wanted to change Joseon for the better by passing the state examinations and working in the Royal Court. But when his father needed someone to enter the Royal Palace, he gave up his dream to become the King's concubine. He thought he could help his father's dream this way, being his eyes and ears in the Palace. But four years have passed, and he has not made any progress with the Mission. Then, he wanted to clear Minister Jun's name and bring justice to Kyuhyun's family, but as a consequence of his actions, so many people at Seowangmyeong and Bukhansan got hurt. Even Ryeowook was poisoned in the Palace. It seems as if everything he has done is wrong for some reason, and he cannot be sure if the next thing he does will not hurt anyone else in the process.

For the past few days, he has been contemplating a way to put an end to this whole mess without anyone else getting hurt, and out of all the solutions he has come up with, there is only one that can truly protect everyone from getting dragged into a further mess. A tear suddenly rolls down his cheek. Doing that would also mean that it will be the last thing that he ever does.

"Don't worry," Sungmin gently taps Himchan's shoulder, reassuring him of something that even he himself could not be sure of, "I'll make sure they did not die in vain. I promise."

Even if it is the last thing he ever does.