A few days later, news of a recent fugitive broke out across all of Hanyang. Throughout the streets, wanted announcements are put up for Lee Youngwoon for plotting against the administration and organizing the rebellion at Haeju. The wanted posters detail every crime that Lee Youngwoon has committed, and the fact that he had injured an important government official and completely destroyed his residence. One of the rebel leaders at Haeju was also identified as Kim Heechul, a teacher at his school and one of his confidants. Undoubtedly, Lee Youngwoon at least has some involvement with the events that happened in Haeju.

Lee Youngwoon is deemed extremely dangerous, and people are advised to keep a lookout for him and to notify the authorities immediately if they see him.

Reading the wanted posters put up in the local market, Hyukjae tightens his grip on his sword. What a bunch of fabricated lies! Around him, the local tradesmen and residents are whispering and gossiping about the latest news.

"Another scheming official!" One resident exclaims passionately, "As if they don't have all the money and status, they gotta have all the power too!"

"Isn't he the father of the concubine who just murdered the Queen? That whole family is criminal! The King should have executed all of them when he executed Lee Soui to prevent future repercussions!"

The second resident throws in her opinion as if it was her own family who had just been murdered.

Hearing the comments, Hyukjae turns to both of them and throws them a look of daggers. As if a ghost had just been conjured, the two passers-by immediately shut their mouths.

"What? Are we saying something wrong?" The woman whispers into the other's ears.

But Hyukjae ignores their comment and tears the wanted poster off the wall. Then, with the piece of paper in his hand, he turns around and heads for Bukhansan.

Back at Bukhansan, one could cut the tension with a knife. Sungmin has been missing for three days, and everyone has put their best effort into finding him. Lee Youngwoon has contacted all of his intelligence details to search across Hanyang and nearby provinces for Sungmin. Kyuhyun, on the other hand, has come to every town and village within and near Hanyang in search of the other.

Three days ago, Sungmin disappeared when going out to buy medicine for patients in the village at the foot of Bukhansan. Kyuhyun has asked everyone in the village, and no one has seen him. The only clue he has from talking to these people is that someone who looks like Sungmin got into a palanquin at the market. No one knows where the palanquin went and who Sungmin was going with. But this is the only information he could gather, and so he will lean onto it as best as he can.

Hyukjae and Donghae step into the Headquarter of the Children of the Mountains with a clear heaviness in their hearts. Sitting down in front of Lee Youngwoon, Hyukjae shows him the wanted poster put up all over Hanyang.

"Seonsaengnim, this has been announced all over the capital."

Lee Youngwoon studies the piece of paper for a long while.

"This is Choi Oongshik's doing all over again." 

He says with a clear hatred. Next to him, Kyuhyun slightly nods his head.

"He wants to frame you for the rebellion at Haeju."

"Choi Oongshik is really a snake. And he is always in the shadows, manipulating the puppets in front of him. Fifteen years ago, he influenced Park Jiyun, Kim Yungyeom, and Park Namdul to frame Jun Kihong when he was on the rise to power. Then, when Jun Kihong was convicted, he ordered Leeteuk to execute the Juns in one night."

Then, as Lee Youngwoon finishes studying the poster, something suddenly clicks in him. He looks at the poster another time. This time, the words suddenly have another meaning.

"Choi Oongshik, you snake." His eyes turn darker and darker.

"This is pirates' code. Read every fourth, seventh, and tenth word only. Leeteuk told me that Choi Oongshik used to fight pirates in the Eastern Sea when he was younger. Undoubtedly, he knows pirates' code."

His eyebrows start to twitch as he reads the words decoded.

"Sungmin is in our hands. Surrender yourself, if you don't want to see him dead."

Lee Youngwoon crumbles up the piece of paper. In all of their eyes, fear and hatred can be seen. The four pairs of eyes look up at each other, but no one dares to say a word.

~~~~~

Hyunsung slowly opens the prison cell. His body is covered in open wounds, but the boy still endures without a cry. Behind him, two guards sit lazily in their seats watching him.

"Doryeonnim," he calls out as he approaches Sungmin, "I'm bringing you food."

Sungmin gives him a gentle smile.

"You can call me ahjussi if you want."

Hyunsung returns his smile.

"Ahjussi, I'm sorry," he looks down as he speaks, "It's my fault that you're kept here."

"Hey, look at me," Sungmin speaks gently, "it is not your fault. If anything, it is my fault that you got involved in this. If you were not there, Hongdae would have taken someone else."

The boy quietly nods his head.

"Listen to me, okay? Just do what he wants, and don't fight back. If you fight back, he will hurt you even more. Don't worry about me. We will get through this."

Sungmin smiles as he speaks. Then, slowly and carefully, Hyunsung starts feeding him the food brought from the tray.

"And try to clean your wounds, Hyunsung ah. Or it might get infected."

Hyunsung nods at him again. Outside the cell, the two guards start banging on the door to rush them.

Without saying anything, both of them understand what the other wants to say. They both hurry up and finish the meal.

Another week passes. That night, Sungmin has just seen Hyunsung leave his cell when he hears the gates to the prison open again. Slowly, Hongdae comes into the prison with an older man in front of him. Sungmin can tell that this man must be in a much higher position than Hongdae by the way he turns into a puppy around him. 

"Is this him?"

The older man approaches Sungmin as he turns to ask Hongdae.

Hongdae nods his head while flashing a malicious smile.

Choi Oongshik grabs Sungmin's hair and brings his face closer to his own.

"Now I see why you boys are all obsessed with him." He nods while studying the other's face.

As if those words have just hit the nail on Hongdae's head, he lowers his gaze to the ground.

"Who are you?" Sungmin says while trying to get out of the other's grip.

"Who am I?" The man scoffs at him, "Never mind who I am. Just know that I used to question my nephew's choice of partners, but now I get why he has been depressed ever since he sentenced you."

"Your nephew?" Sungmin widens his eyes at the other's words, "You... You are Grand Prince Choi Oongshik?"

"Ah, he's got a brain too." Choi Oongshik says amusingly.

Choi Oongshik is the first son of Choi Siwon's grandfather. He was the result of the late King's one drunken night with a court lady. He was always considered an illegitimate son, so he has always been ignored by the King and the whole Royal Family. 

As Siwon once told Sungmin, Choi Oongshik grew up to be an exceptionally bright young man. At sixteen years old, he led hundreds of troops on the northern border to fight off the Japanese. At eighteen, he fought thousands of pirates on the Eastern Sea. He was the first one ever in history to achieve the title of Grand Prince based on his accomplishments alone and not his mother's status and background.

His intelligence and skills far surpassed the Queen's sons at that time. Yet, it was the Queen's first son to become the Crown Prince. His accomplishments did not even gain him his father's love or the Queen and Queen Regent's respect. In everyone's eyes, he remained the bastard nobody wanted, and nobody loved.

The man in front of Sungmin's eyes matched the Grand Prince's age, intelligence, and an indescribable arrogance and darkness in him. It could be no other than him.

"What do you want?"

Choi Oongshik does not seem to be surprised by the question. He gives him a devious smile and pulls out a piece of paper from his pocket. The title of the paper is 'Wanted', and Sungmin can see his father's name on it.

"I want your father's head on a spike, of course," he shows the wanted announcement to Sungmin, "and I want that Jun boy's head too. After that, I'm gonna use you to discipline my nephew. He has really gotten out of my control lately."

Sungmin widens his eyes at the announcement.

Fear starts to dominate his heart, but he does not let it show. What Choi Oongshik said about 'the Jun boy'. Choi Oongshik knows about Kyuhyun's real identity?

After a minute, despite the fear in his heart, Sungmin scoffs at the arrogant man in front of him.

"You wanna use me to lure my father? He is not gonna fall for your trap!"

Choi Oongshik studies his expression for a long while.

"Is that so? Somehow, I doubt that is the case."

"My father has always told me, that if he is ever in the hands of an enemy, I should not risk my time and my life to get him out. And the same goes for me, he would not risk his life to save mine. We have always had that understanding."

For a minute, Choi Oongshik furrows his eyebrows at Sungmin. He tries his best to keep a straight face.

"Daegam," Hongdae suddenly breaks the silence in the room, "is that why Lee Youngwoon has not shown his face even though we have sent him the message for one week?"

"Quiet!" Choi Oongshik scowls at him.

"I don't believe you, Lee Sungmin." He turns to the other, "For fifteen years, I had no dirt on Lee Youngwoon. I have to say, he is careful. And the son that he raised? I have a feeling that he won't be someone ordinary."

"I think you're bluffing, Sungmin." He concludes after another long and good look at Sungmin, "and I have just a way to test the waters."

He gives Sungmin a final look, which sends chills down Sungmin's spine.

~~~~~

A few days later, in downtown Hanyang, news broke out about the arrest of a recent fugitive. Lee Soui, who murdered the Queen and was sentenced to death by poison only a few months ago, was found to have faked his own death and gone into hiding. Today, the Ministry of Justice is escorting him back to the capital to execute him in public.

Sungmin stands on the prisoner's cart, his hands tied to a wooden board locked around his neck and his feet tied to the bottom of the cart. Slowly, the cart is pushed to the public execution area, a place to execute serious criminals in public. On the sides of the street, people are starting to gather to watch the of the criminal and the public shaming before execution.

The public shaming is a period before the real execution when the public gets to express their anger and hatred for the criminals who committed serious crimes. Public shaming is created to deter people psychologically from committing serious crimes, as one of the punishments for these crimes is public shaming.

At the public execution area, the guards force Sungmin outside of the cart and tie his hands and feet to the pole in front of the execution area. The official announces his crimes, and Sungmin is to be left in public for four hours.

Around him, people start to point at him and whisper. Then, from the crowd, a woman wearing nice silk yells out in anger.

"Shameless bastard!"

Somewhere in the crowd, people start to agree with her.

"What a snake!"

"You should have died the first time!"

"The King had so much respect when he gave you poison, and you wanted to die here instead!?"

"His punishment doesn't even fit the crime! This is too easy on him!"

For a while, the shouting and cursing does not seem like it will stop. Then, a hard object is thrown into his face, and broken into a cold and sticky liquid upon impact. Someone has just thrown an egg into his face. Seeing the first throwing, others start to follow in their step. They start throwing more rotten eggs, tomatoes, and vegetables onto his face and body. In the end, someone also throws a stone onto his forehead, he can vaguely taste his blood dripping from his forehead.

Above his head, the sun is burning so brightly it hurts his eyes. His lips are sapped from the heat and thirst. His face and body are covered in rotten eggs, tomatoes, and vegetables. And some of his blood, too. But beyond the physical pain that he feels in his body, he never knew that the hatred in people's eyes could hurt that much.

In the crowd, where Sungmin cannot see, a slim figure in pure white clothes tightens his grip on his sword.