Joseon 1608,

In a minister's residence, the sounds of swords and spears tore to pieces the silence that just one moment ago was embracing the large glamorous building. Surrounding the place, the streets and the small commoners' houses were still asleep in the dark. On the courtyard, shouts of conviction and execution by soldiers, mixed with yells of struggles and resistance echoed into the five year-old boy's ears, like a nightmare that refused to leave him. The little boy tried his best to cover his mouth to not let any sounds past, even the sound of his breathing. He was sitting in a large dipper, the kind that the servants would use to get water from the well. And, his father had thrown the dipper, with him inside, onto the water in the well, just moments before those soldiers barged into his home like they were the rightful owners claiming their own territory. The little boy was told to stay still inside and not make any sound, even though the echoing shouts and screams of his parents only made him want to jump up to the ground to run to his parents for safe haven. But his father had told him not to.

The screeching scream of his father, coupled with the mourning shriek from his mother, signalled to him that something horrible must have happened. In a short another second, a whooshing sound of a sword tore up in the air, and the little boy could hear another squawking scream from his mother, but this time, a painful one. After that, all he could hear was silence.

The boy had started sobbing now. He knew that he had to keep calm and strong, not only for himself, but also for his parents who had told him to. But he could not help them. The little warm drops of liquid rolling down his small and thin face. The uneven sniffles that were now audible to him. He could not stop any of them. Just like he could not stop any of the soldiers from marching into his home. Or like he could not prevent the soldiers from hurting his parents. 

His parents...

Where were his parents now? They would be there every time he was crying, very much like he was right now, hugging him, comforting him, kissing him. Although his father would give him a long lecture on what he had done wrong and how to avoid such situations in the future, they would both be there for him. But not this time. He had prayed for the thousandth time now. That his father would come and tell him that all of this was only a misunderstanding, and he was only here for precautions. He had prayed that his mother would come to hold him tight in her warm and soft embrace and kiss him on his forehead. But to no avail. His parents were not here. Not this time. Not anymore. Not ever.

The loud footsteps of the soldiers brought him to silence one more time. He placed his hands tightly on his mouth, not letting any sound get by. The footsteps were getting closer, and closer. They had almost gone when he heard them getting closer again, like they had forgotten something the first time around, and this time, they would do it right. The footsteps had stopped now, and when he looked up to the sky above his head, he saw a dark figure. Just standing at the opening of the well, looking down at him. The soldier stood there for a long moment, like considering his next moves. Then, in the dead silence that had embraced the little boy all night long, the soldier spoke up, his voice as cold as the air down in the deep and dark water well.

- Are you Jun Taekyung? - He asked the little boy. His eyes, the boy saw, were filled with weariness. And for a short moment, he thought he had seen a little bit of sympathy in there, too.

- No. - The boy answered clearly. He did not know why he had to say what he did, but he knew that he would not give this man the answer he wanted. 

The soldier looked at the boy for another long moment. Then, he turned around and disappeared into the dark gray sky that the boy had grown to hate. The footsteps, the talking, the commands, and the clangs of weapons were no longer audible in the boy's ears. Just like how they had come, the soldiers now disappeared. Leaving a five year-old down in the well to speculate about his parent's fates. About his own fate. To sob. And to die.

"Are you Jun Taekyung?"

"No."

************************

Joseon 1615,

Kyuhyun woke up from his nightmare. It had not been just another nightmare, since what he had dreamt about had happened in his childhood. It was more than just a nightmare to him. It was a memory.

Getting up from his mattress, he looked to the two figures that were still asleep next to him. The one closest to him was as thin as a trunk of tree. What Kyuhyun was most impressed with him was his physical flexibility that could make everyone in martial arts and wrestling classes to grasp open their mouths. And, when he smiled with the smile that showed all of his teeth and gum, Kyuhyun thought that he could actually be cheered.

Lying next to the flexible man was a man with a foolish smile. This man and the flexible man, Kyuhyun had seen, had hit it off since the very first day, and never actually were apart from each other. For example, right at this moment, this man was lying facing the flexible man, and vice versa. Kyuhyun wondered if they were seeing each other even in their sleep.

Stepping outside the room, Kyuhyun let his mind soak in the little memory that he had made himself remember the very day it happened. He had been used to be woken up in the middle of the night, sweat flooding his mattress and blankets, himself calling out to his father and mother in vain. He knew for sure one thing, they did not come for him then, and they would never come now.

Kyuhyun also knew in his guts what had made him relive the most painful memory that anyone had had to experience. It was nearing that day again. The day seven years ago that changed his entire life. The day that he lost his past, present and future. The day that he lost his innocence. The day that he lost everything. The day Jun Taekyung died.

Staggering unsteadily into the forest, Kyuhyun let out a long sigh. He did not seem to notice a pair of eyes that had glued onto him since the moment he opened the door to his room and stepped outside the patio, and now into the dark and mysterious forest.

**********

Sungmin kept his eyes glued on the taller boy before his eyes. He was cautious enough to keep his distance from the boy, moving at the same pace as him and trying to keep as quiet as possible. He had been catching up with his homework out in the patio, when he heard the steps in another hall of residence, two blocks from where he was sitting. Curious, he slowly stood up and moved closer to the building where the other was standing to get a clearer look of whoever it was. Hiding behind the closest building to the other's hall of residence, he realised who the other was. The strange boy that was now standing in the moonlight in the middle of the night, when everybody else was already halfway through their sleep. But it was also the strange boy that had come into the training hall when Sungmin was practising martial arts by himself that day. And, it was undoubtedly this strange boy who had also finished his sketches when he fell asleep in the hall a few nights later. Although Sungmin had somewhat felt grateful towards the boy for what he had done for him, he could not stop himself from taking precautions with his intentions. 

Sungmin was startled when the boy suddenly turned around and scanned his surroundings with his deep and sharp eyes. With swift movements, he immediately took shelter behind a large tree trunk on his right. Putting his hands on his mouth and nose so as to not let any sound out, he stood still for a long moment. When he failed to hear more footsteps from the other boy, he turned his head to look at the track that the boy had been walking on. But the dark moving figure had disappeared from his sight. He could no longer see or hear him. He stood there, waiting, for another long while, but the forest remained dark and still like one of the paintings hung on the wall of his residence.

Disappointed, Sungmin turned around to the path where he had come from. He did not know what made the other boy help him so many times the past few weeks. Nor did he know why he was out and about in the middle of the night like he was right now. But there was one thing he could be sure of. The man was not just wandering around in the woods for fresh air. He was sneaking around. And, he was aware of Sungmin's presence, and he had made sure to cut loose his tails. Whatever his reasons were, Sungmin swore he would make sure they never get past him.

**********

There had been two or more occasions after that night in the woods. But every time, Sungmin lost him when they were starting to get deeper into the woods. And every time, the other boy had approached the woods from a different path, making Sungmin lose track of his positions the last times. But Sungmin had the feeling that wherever it was that he always lost the boy, it was almost the same position. The woods would begin to get thicker with larger trees and fewer paths. Sungmin had even come here once all by himself in broad daylight. But he quickly realised that the woods looked like a different landscape when it was lit up by the sun, compared with when there was only the soft and mysterious moon.

As much as he wanted to discover what the other boy's reasons for sneaking around in the forest in the middle of the night, Sungmin could not make it his full-time job. His literature assignments were starting to pile up, and he had promised his father that he would not neglect his literature subjects if he were to take wrestling and martial arts classes. Hence, for the time being, his secret mission with the strange man was buried under the loads of homework, assignments and classes.

It was the end of the week again, so he was to visit his father at home. Although his family's residence was just a forest's walk away from the school, his father had made his stay away from home sound like a diplomatic trip overseas for months on end. He could not deny, sometimes, it had felt like it, too. And Sungmin had missed his father numerous times when he was at school. His father was the only one who had truly understood him and his beliefs. He was the only one that had always made Sungmin feel safe. And he was definitely going to share what was bothering him about the strange boy to his father.

Until he saw him. That boy. In his home.

Sungmin had only just arrived at his family's guesthouse when he heard chatting inside. It was his father's voice and another boy's voice. That warm and low voice. And before he knew it, the door to the guesthouse opened. There he was. Standing tall in the patio of his family's guesthouse. He was saying thank-yous and good-byes to his father in a friendly way, as if they had known each other for a long time. His father was saying the same thing, while smiling back at him the smile that Sungmin knew his father would only spend on his true friends and allies. Astonished at what he was seeing before his eyes, Sungmin did not notice that the two were now standing facing him. His father was introducing Sungmin to the strange boy. He only nodded and smiled back at his father, saying that they had met at school. And, just like that, they were saying goodbyes and thankyous again. The boy started to walk towards the gate and disappeared into the street, not looking back at a stunned and speechless Sungmin.

Realising that his father was now making his way towards his own study, Sungmin hurriedly followed him. When they were settled and private in the study, Sungmin took a long moment contemplating what to say to his father about the strange boy. As if realising the hesitation in his son's speech, the older man spoke up.

- How's your study, Sungmin?

- Good, abeonim. - He answered the routine question. And as if not wanting to be lost in the topic, he immediately snatched the next questions. - Who was that boy, abeonim?

- Who?

- The boy that was speaking with you in the guesthouse, abeonim. - He spoke quickly again, feeling the unwillingness from his father to talk about the man.

- Ah, Kyuhyun? That's Jo Kyuhyun. A friend's son. - Lee Youngwoon spoke slowly and certainly. - The Jos from Hamheung. You've probably never heard of him since they are so far away.

Indeed, the Jos were good friends of his father, but from a long distance. They resided in a city from the far north. In all of his life, Sungmin had perhaps seen them once when he was very young.

But, despite who the strange boy's family was, Sungmin could not explain his mysterious sneaking around the woods in the middle of the night. What good could have come of sneaking around, the woods and the night, all combined together? Sungmin thought.

- Then what were you talking about with him, abeonim? - Sungmin started up his inquisition again.

- Just asking about their family, Sungmin.

Sungmin could not accept the answers that he was given. From the look that he had got a quick glance of, it did not just look like a friendly family chat. He contemplated for another long moment, then decided to tell his father.

- The boy that you were talking to, abeonim, Jo Kyuhyun, I caught him sneaking around in the woods near the school. I followed him, but he cut me loose every time. I couldn't see where he was going or what he was doing.

His father looked surprised. For a moment, Sungmin thought that his father would be enraged to hear that a friend was being secretive around him, and that Sungmin could not keep track of him. But he was wrong.

- You followed him? Into the woods?

- Yes, abeonim. But I...

- Stop it, Sungmin. - His father interrupted, not letting him finish.

- Abeonim?

- Give it a rest. He's not doing anything worth your suspicions.

- How do you know that, abeonim? - Suspicions rose even more strongly in Sungmin.

- I just know. I know him, Sungmin.

- You said he was only a distant friend, abeonim. How can you know him?

- I said I know, okay, Sungmin. Trust me.

His father was giving him a signal to leave his study now. But Sungmin was not defeated.

- He could be spying on our own school, even our operation. He could be meeting with someone on the outside in the woods. - Sungmin let his imagination run wild.

When he saw that his father did not respond, he asked in a more cautious manner.

- Is he in our operation, abeonim?

No response, again.

- Abeonim!

- Yes, Sungmin. Now you know, okay.

Sungmin was astonished, once again.

- How can you trust him, abeonim? I have only known him for a few weeks at school, and already, he is giving me all kinds of suspicions!

- I said trust me, Sungmin! Trust him!

- How can you trust him that much? Do you know something I don't know?

His father looked up at him again. He let out a deep sigh. Sungmin knew that this was his sign of defeat.

- Tell me, abeonim. Why do you trust him that much? Why is he in the operation? Who is he?

His father looked at his son again and let out another sigh,

- Do you really want to know, Sungmin?

- Of course, abeonim. Tell me.

His father started to inhale, as if trying to in all the air around them. When he was done, he looked at Sungmin with an expression that Sungmin knew he had better pay attention and keep what was coming a secret.

***********

"Kyuhyun's real name is not Jo Kyuhyun, Sungmin."

Sungmin remembered he had looked at his father, confusedly, but curiously.

"His real name is Jun Taekyung."

"Jun...? As in..."

Sungmin remembered himself stuttering, stunned at the revelation.

"As in the traitor Minister Jun. The traitor family that had been purged seven years ago.". His father continued slowly and softly, almost whispering. His eyes showed a clear sadness, as if still mourning the death of the whole family.

"Minister Jun was framed for associating with the Russians, without the King's knowledge or permission. Although he had indeed had such open ideas about foreign relations, I know that he would never do such a thing. He had already fallen into the King's disfavour because of his views, and the rest of the Council were only waiting for a chance to push him out.". His father sighed again.

"Only, that chance came too soon. The King authorised the execution of his whole family. He and I were true partners. We shared our ideas, views and beliefs about opening up our country to more opportunities outside. After he died, it took me a long time to regain trust with the King. Fortunately, I had occasionally used my alias in correspondence and business, so some of it could not be traced back to me and our family."

His father stopped for a long moment. His mind was wrapped in something now, and Sungmin knew that it could not be happy. After a while, he started up again.

"After his whole family was executed, I brought his son back to stay with our family for a few days, while looking for some place and someone to take care of him. I believe you had met him, also, during that time. But, he could not stay in Hanyang. It was too dangerous. He could be recognised. They could still be looking for him. So, I contacted our good friends in Hamheung and entrusted them to protect and take care of Jun Kihong's son. They were also our allies, and they were far enough for Jun Taekyung to avoid all eyes, suspicions and dangers."

His father had stopped now. Sungmin had a feeling that telling this story was just as hard as him living the story seven years ago. But, there was still one thing wandering around his mind. He waited for another moment, then started.

"But, if the King had ordered the purge of the whole Jun family, how did Jun Taekyung get out, abeonim?"

His father shook his head.

"I don't know how he had slipped from them, either. I just know that the next morning, I arrived at the Jun residence because I had heard the news, to find him, sitting in a dipper hidden deep down in the well. He had been sitting like that all night. After I found him, I carefully took him to our residence. I figured, even with the King's order, no one would have the guts to actually butcher a five-year-old boy, especially, when he had hidden well down there. So, they let him go, pretending he was already dead or had got away."

Sungmin was nodding his head now. He could not imagine how his father had felt, losing his friend, his partner in a tragedy like that. More than that, he could not imagine, he could not imagine how it had been for Jun Taekyung, watching his own family executed before his eyes, and now, being left all alone in the world. When he was the same age as Taekyung, his life had only revolved around the playdates in the woods, the meals that included pumpkin, and how to make excuses to get out of a tutoring lesson. His eyes and nose felt a burn at the thought. Meanwhile, he was here, suspecting him of being a spy and a saboteur. Sungmin felt a pang of guilt growing inside him for suspecting the boy without getting to know his true intentions. But he did not linger onto the guilt too long, for he knew that Jun Taekyung did not need his guilt. His guilt was worthless and unnecessary to him. What he needed was understanding and compassion from a life-long partner and ally like his own father. Like himself.

"You want to know what he was doing in the woods at that time? See it for yourself."

Sungmin was heading to the woods on his own now.

"Go into the woods. When you see the woods getting thicker and darker, where the trees are larger and their leaves are bigger, get into those trees. The trees will be very close to each other, and there will be no path. It will be very difficult to track from then now. So, follow the purple flowers. I had intentionally planted them there to create a path. Walk along the purple flowers for half an hour or so. There might be some places where the trees are so close and so large that you will have to crawl to get past. Then, you will get out of the large trees, there will be a clearing. It will feel like you are in a totally different world, amidst our very own world. Then, see for yourself what is there, Sungmin. You will understand what he has been doing there. And you will trust him."

Sungmin was finally in the clearing now. He had walked to the large thick trees. He had climbed into their big bushes. He had seen the tall and proud purple flowers next to the large tree trunks, and followed where they were going. He had crawled under the large shades of the trees, where the trees were too close together to get by. Finally, he was there. And, what he was seeing now made his heart twitch a bit.

In the middle of the clearing, there were three headstones, erected hastily by somebody. The two headstones on the left were slightly bigger than the right one. At the foot of each headstone, there were five purple flowers laid neatly on the grass. Without having to guess, Sungmin was certain that each flower was put there each time Kyuhyun had visited the graves. He stepped closer to look at the carvings on the headstones. The one on the far left said Han Minah. The one in the middle, without any doubt, said Jun Kihong. And, to Sungmin's surprise, the last one on the right said Jun Taekyung. The burning feeling in his eyes and his nose were starting up again, until he noticed a tweaking sound like someone had stepped on a branch close to him. And he turned his head around. Jo Kyuhyun was there.

Sungmin slightly took a step backward. His eyes did not leave the boy that was getting closer to him. Kyuhyun only stopped his steps when he was standing next to the other boy, facing the graves. His right hand was holding three purple flowers. Slowly placing the flowers next to the lying flowers on the grass, he spoke out to Sungmin, eyes still fixed on the headstones.

- Got what you came for?

Sungmin only nodded his head. He felt an outstanding weight in his heart. He kept silent for another moment, until deciding to speak out.

- Yes. I'm sorry.

The strange boy turned around to look at Sungmin. 

- For what?

- I... don't know. - Sungmin stumbled. - For all of this. For everything. And for suspecting you are a spy in our operation.

The boy slightly scoffed.

- Is that what you think?

- That's what I thought. I know now.

- It's not your fault.

They kept silent for a long time. Sungmin considered for a moment, then decided to speak out.

- Why Jun Taekyung? You're not dead. - Sungmin asked, cautiously.

Kyuhyun took a moment to think about the answer.

- I'm not. But Jun Taekyung is. He has been dead since that night. The boy that only had in his head the excuses to get out of lessons, the pranks and teases to play on the servants and his neighbouring friends. That young and innocent boy is dead. They had killed him, along with his parents on this day, seven years ago. Whatever is left of him, as I am here, is only the shell of that boy. With the same look, the same knowledge, the same beliefs that his parents had taught him. But gone were the happiness and the innocence and the love that had once embraced him. Now the only thing that remains is the desire to avenge his parents' death, and his own death. But, no, that little boy is gone long ago.

Sungmin only nodded his head. He could not possibly feel the pains and sorrows that the other was feeling at this moment. But he understood it. And out of everything, he thought, for Kyuhyun, understanding would be what he needed the most.

- We did meet one time after I was brought back to your residence by Lee seonsaengnim. - Kyuhyun suddenly started up again.

- I don't remember that. - Sungmin said, regretfully.

Kyuhyun contemplated for another while, before softly speaking while nodding his head.

- Maybe that was for the best. Sometimes, being able to forget is a bliss. - This, Sungmin thought, was more said to himself than to him.

Then, they were silent again. Neither of them could think of anything to speak. They were merely standing next to each other, staring at the headstones, and sometimes, shifting their gazes to the horizon that was forever hidden behind the deep and dark woods. But neither of them felt bored or wanted to leave. They had found themselves a new kind of comfort. And, for the first time in years, Kyuhyun no longer felt he was all alone in the world.

*****************

Joseon 1619,

Kyuhyun approaches the three graves at his own pace. In his hands, three purple flowers look as proud and perky as ever.

He is now standing before his father's grave. Around the three graves, the brown shades of dead flowers start to cover the land where it once was the grass. Sitting down to place the flowers in his hands on the ground, he is not surprised to see, amidst the brown of the dead flowers, three shades of purple are already lying neatly at the foot of the headstones. Slightly smiling to himself, he mumbles a single name, loud enough that only he can hear. The name of the person that was here. The person that would be here every year to put purple flowers on his parents' graves. The person that had been here by his side for the last three years. This year, no longer.

- Sungmin. - He whispered.

Looking at his parents' headstones again, he let his mind wander in the chain of thoughts that he had found himself to be lost in so many times these days. And he had known the reason for it. It was no other than the events that took place more than six months ago. The day very much like that day more than fourteen years ago, when he had lost every person that he ever loved. The day that he lost the happiness and comfort that he thought he had regained all those years ago. The day that he lost yet another piece of himself. To that place. To the Royal Palace. 

- Won't be long now, abeonim, eomeonim. - He whispers to himself.

Because this time, he is determined. This time, he has grown up. He is trained. And he is ready. And if he could not take back what the Royal Palace and the King had taken from him, he would destroy it to bring justice to the people that had shed blood because of it. Even if it means he would go down with them too.

The sky is getting darker now, even though he cannot see the horizon at the end of it. He turns back quickly, heading towards the large and thick trees to get out of the clearing.

Because now he has work to do.