Episode 17: The Truth About Her

“HyoEun! What are you doing here in this rain!”

“I finally found you!” she yelled.

“Found me? Oh, have you been looking for my house all this time while in this downpour? Come inside quickly or you’ll get sick!” SeonHo then walks towards her and pulls her inside.

“No wait! (on her mind: But I planned to humiliate them here outside!) Aish! Araseo!”

“SeonHo closed the gate of his house and then led her inside.

“Oemma! Ahpah! We have a guest!”

“A guest? Who is it?”

When Mr. and Ms. Kim saw who the guest was, they were very surprised!

“SeonHo! I… Is that

“SeonHo! I… Is that our girlfriend?!” asked his father who was half-shouting!

“The nerve of this people! I am not this brat’s girlfriend! I’m here to…”

“Hohoho! I see, I see! Araseo! Mianhamnida young lady!” said Mr. Kim.

“I’ll go get you a hot drink okay? Hmm… Ah! SeonHo, please lead her to your room. The living room is not yet clean you see.”

“Oemma!”

“Kim SeonHo, just do what I say.”

“Neh, araseo. This way.”

As the two them goes upstairs, his mom and dad were both looking at their guest.

“She has grown now isn’t she dear?”

“Yes, and very beautiful indeed.”

“Very true. Let’s go. I’ll clean up the living room while you get HyoEun something warm to drink.”

“So, this is your room?”

“Yeah! So, what do you think?” asked SeonHo as he let her inside.

“It’s smaller than our bathroom. That’s what I think.”

“Do you really have to be like that?”

“Anyway I’ve come to… Hey, where are you going?”

“Oh, I’m going to get my mom’s hairdryer to dry your hair and also, some hot water to warm you up. Be back in a minute!”SeonHo then left HyoEun behind while sitting on his bed.

“Yah! Wait!... Aish! That brat! His parent’s faces, why do they seem so familiar? Anyway, might as well as check his room… Oh I see, he doesn’t have any siblings.” She was looking at a family picture.

“Of course, typical poor stuff lying around, a picture with his loser friends, oh what’s this?” She saw a picture which has Dong Wook in it.

“So I guess it’s true that they’ve known each other for a long time then.”

Then, Ms. Kim suddenly went inside the room holding a tray with two mugs of warm tea.

“Here you go dear. Oh, you’ve been looking at my son’s pictures haven’t you? It’s okay! Don’t worry!”

Hyoeun just smiled back, took one of the mugs and then bowed her head.

“Why’s my confidence dissolving right now?! And why is this woman’s face so familiar?!” said HyoEun in her mind.

“You see my dear, he likes collecting pictures because for him those are memories are treasures which may never be replaced ever again.”

Then, SeonHo comes in with the hairdryer and warm water in a pail.

“Oh SeonHo! There’s your warm tea over there okay? I have to help out your father in cleaning the living room. Keep yourselves warm!”

“Neh!... Here you go! Let’s just plug it here and turn it on… Here! Dry your hair with this! Also,come on, take of your high heels… Woah! I can’t believe you went through this downpour with that!”

“Yeah whatever!”

“Hahaha! Anyway, put your feet inside the pail to warm yourself from the bottom up.” said SeonHo with a smile in the end.

“Why… why are you being so nice to me? After all I did? Why?”

“Well, for me, revenge is something we people shouldn’t do because it’s a double-edged sword! In one hand, you get to hurt back your enemy but on the other hand, you’re also hurting yourself.”

“SeonHo…”

“Would you like me to help you dry your hair? Here, let’s…”

Before he could even point the hairdryer on her hair, the power went out not only in her house but in the whole of Seoul!

“Well this !”

“SeonHo, I… I would like to tell you something.”

“Mwo? What is it about?”

“Why, why I’m like this towards the poor. Why I’m not like my parents who care for the poor.”

“Oh…”

“You see, back then, before I met JoonSe, me and my family was still middle-class people but, I wasn’t like this before. I had a best friend who was poor back then. His name was Jung Yunjae and though I hate to admit it but, when I looked at one of your photos, he looks a lot like you when we were little. Also, your mother looks familiar to me.”

“What?! Really?!”

“It’s true. His name was Yunjae. Geum Yunjae.”

“Hmm… Yunjae… sounds familiar…”

“Whatever. His family was poor, like you guys you see. Anyway, we were the best of friends back then before he and his family moved somewhere without letting us know. Ever since then, I’ve hated the poor. He promised me that he’ll always be with me. The por doesn’t keep their promises. They always don’t.”

“So that’s the reason.” Sudden;y, he remembers something.

“Only JoonSe Oppa knows about this because we both knew him back then.”

“Oh! Hyung? Hmm, I see now. But, HyoEun, do you miss Yunjae?” asked SeonHo whose face seems to be worried for some reason.

Somewhere in Seoul…

“We have the results and they’re all positive Your Majesty.”

“I see. Mr. Kwon, my son Tae Hoon and his foster parents here now.”

“Yes Your Majesty.”

“Of course I do. I… I just want to see him for the last time but what he did to me, the effect of that is preventing me from wanting to see him. And because you look like him, I was very mean to you… I’m sorry.”

“HyoEun… It’s alright. I forgive you.”

“Really? Gomawo SeonHo… Wait! Since, Yunjae’s your cousin and I don’t know why he didn’t mention you or maybe I’ve forgotten he told us back then, where is he now? Do you know?”

“HyoEun, please don’t look for him anymore because I’ve just remembered something.”

“What is it? HyoEun, don’t be shocked or anything but, Yunjae, Geum Yunjae is dead. He died because of an illness which I can’t seem to remember, eight years ago. Also, you said a while ago that my mom looks familiar to you right? Well, Yunjae’s mother, my Aunt Geum was the sister of my mom. They are identical twins you see. She and her husband is now in the US ever since Yunjae died. He’s buried at the local cemetery not far from here.

HyoEun’s face became white. She couldn’t move nor talk. She was really devastated to hear that her former best friend she has missed for so long was now gone.

“Yunjae… Yunjae… It can’t be…” She quickly removed her feet from the pail of warm water, slipped into her high heels and then got out of the room quickly with SeonHo behind her.

“HyoEun! Wait! It’s still raining outside!”

“I don’t care!”

Once they were both downstairs, Mr. and Ms. Kim were surprised to see HyoEun going out already.

“Dear! Where are you going?” asked Ms. Kim.

“The rain’s still pouring down outside! Come back here!” shouted Mr. Kim.

“Thank you so much for your hospitality.” said HyoEun as she bowed her head, got her umbrella and went into the rain.

“HyoEun please come back!” SeonHo shouted as he put on his raincoat and dashed after her. In order for her to be able to move faster, she took off her high heels, carried it with her and then made a run for the nearest bus station. SeonHo wasn’t able to catch up with her because, he lost her in a four-way intersection. Then, from his street, he turned around to go back when he saw a car arriving in front of their house so, he immediately went back.

“I guess that must be HyoEun’s car then.”

He sees both of his parents coming out of the gate and he joins them. The door of the car opens and a man in a butler uniform comes out while the driver also goes out with an umbrella.

“Annyeong Haseyo! Is this the house of Kim SeonHo?”

“Neh and we are his parents. What do you want from him?” asked Mr. Kim.

“Good then! His Majesty the Emperor is requesting to see him in Changdeokgung Palace at the next hour. He would also like to meet you two, his foster parents.”

“Wait! What do you mean foster parents?! We are his true parents!” shouted Ms. Kim.

“All shall be explained in due course but, there’s one thing certain that I would like to say: we have finally found you at last Imperial Prince Tae Hoon.” The butler as well as the driver both bows their heads.

“… I’M THE MISSING PRINCE?!”