Back to Jonseong Era

At King’s Chamber

“where is Sungmin now?”. Kyuhyun asked Eunuch Kang where the queen was. As usual, Eunuch Kang calmly bowed to him and informed about the Queen’s visit to her mother grave in early morning.

“But has she gone  too long? This is already afternoon”

“Yes. I think she take a rest in Lee’s family house. Do you want to meet her, Phea? I will ask Ryeowook to inform her”. Kyuhyun sighed “Yes. Tell eunuch Ryeowook that this is important. I will go to her pavilion soon”

“Yes, Phea”. Before eunuch Kang excused himself to get out from King’s chamber, another eunuch from outside announced someone’s arrival. “The Concubine has arrived!!” the voice was heard from outside. King Cho gave eunuch Kang a sign to let Lady Seohyun in.

She looked gorgeous as always, not only her appearance but also the way she walked tenderly. The red ribbon that Sungmin had given on the day she decided the lady to become his concubine intertwined prettily on her hair. “I heard the news about your meeting with Lord Shin, you did well Hyun” he smiled to his concubine before he gave her a signal to sit. She bowed to the King “Thanks, Phea. I tried my best eventhough I was not as good as Queen Min”. The King lifted his eyebrows “Hm? You know?”. She smiled “Yes, Lord Shin told me a lot”

“I am sorry to make you do this Hyun. I don’t want to force you but Min…”. After mentioning of the Queen’s name in their conversation, a bright smile from the concubine was slowly fading “it’s okay Phea. I am happy I can help you”. Knowing the female since years, he knew something wrong about her “Is there something bothering you? You must rest now. It’s good for the baby”

Lady Seohyun shook her head “I am fine, Phea”. Kyuhyun knew the latter was lying “Hyun… Tell me”. She glanced at the King straightly. She knew she couldn’t hide this feeling anymore since she became his concubine “Phea, am…am… I your wife?”. He frowned “Hmm? Of course you are my wife”

She took a breath to gain her strength then said “So… do I have a right to feel jealous?”

“Hyun…”

“I…I… am sorry. Please forget what I have said” she said nervously.

Kyuhyun shook his head “No, tell me all now. Since you become my concubine, I rarely see your cheerful side. Hyun, do you regret to become my concubine?”

“No. Phea. Please don’t think like that.  I am so happy but I feel I am becoming greedy ever since becoming your concubine. I feel jealous over small things” she chuckled forcibly to hide her nervousness.

Kyuhyun sighed “with whom? Hyun”

“Queen Min”

Kyuhyun eyes grew wider “Hyun, how come you…. ? Min.. ”

Seohyun cut his words “I know. I know this isn’t right. I don’t have right to be jealous with her because I am the one who receive your love. But I can’t find the answer why I am jealous with your way to call her by nickname. Why I don’t like your way of acting cold toward her. Why I prefer you to not feel anything instead of hating her. And why the happiest moment I have is when I was still as a Special Gungnyeo?”

Kyuhyun came to her and brushed the tears that silently breaking down without the concubine realized “Finally, you speak it up Hyun. I am sorry if you're feeling like that and I also forgive you for feeling like that”

She caressed the King’s hand that rested on her left cheek “Thanks for your consideration to hear my childish protest, Phea. I feel better now. I think I am too tired so I get so emotional nowadays. This is not the usual me. I promise I won’t do this again”. Kyuhyun sighed in relief  and smiled to her “ That’s good then. Now I must go. I will accompany you toward the gate”. After they reached the gate, she noticed they walked to the opposite direction.

“Phea, can I know where are you going?”

“I will meet Sungmin”

The concubine held her breath for a moment and Kyuhyun noticed it immediately “Lord Shin want to meet the Queen, right?”. As the well mannered lady as she was, she wouldn’t ask anymore question toward the male. She nodded and waved a goodbye to him. He smiled back to her but after turning around, he sighed. He felt guilty toward the female as he whispered to himself “I am sorry, Hyun”

As for the concubine, she was still standing in front of the King quarters, watching the male walked toward Queen Min’s pavilion. “Now I understand why she hates me as much as she wanted to kill me back then” she mumbled.

Courtlady Taeyeon who stood behind her didn’t hear clearly what she had said “Excuse me, your highness. What do you mean?”    

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Flashback

*********

It was the time when Jonseong Kingdom held a hunting competition. Prince Kyuhyun ignored Crown Princess Sungmin who came to hunt together with him. He chose to teach Lady Seohyun how to shoot the target and left the crown princess alone. 

“Lady Seohyun, watch out !!!”

Captain Yonghwa screamed to warn Seohyun. She didn’t have a chance to move even a bit. Her eyes had been locked with Sungmin's intense glare. Sungmin pulled an arrow and targeted it on to Lady Seohyun. She was frozen. Her body was shaking in fear. She was never afraid of anyone in her life. But it was the first time she saw Sungmin looked this scary.  She heard the arrow making a noise, cutting the air toward her like a light speed. She could only close her eyes desperately and chose to give up.

But nothing was happened to her, instead she heard a shrieked sound from a wild boar. She opened her eyes, she only saw a strand of her hair got cut and flew to the air before her eyes. She fell to the ground. Still shaking. She took a glance to the lifeless wild boar. An arrow was stuck deeply to it’s chest. Prince Kyuhyun approached her “Seohyun, Are you alright?” then he turned to the crown princess Sungmin and glared at her.

“What have you done suddenly, Sungmin?”

“I hate that pig. Because of it, my rabbit got scared and runaway”

“You didn’t do it purposely, did you? You scared her!!” 

Princess Sungmin shrugged “She got in the way. Next time, look around before you walk Seohyun-shi”

At that time, Prince Kyuhyun decided to end the hunting and escorted Lady Seohyun back to her pavilion.

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End of Flashback

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

The King’s figure slowly got smaller from her view. Seohyun's heart shrunk. So this is the feeling watching the person you love turn his back to see another woman. You must be really hate me since then, Queen Min

~~~*SJ*~~~~

Meanwhile, the person who had to go back to Gyeongbok palace was having a meal with a cheerful yet noisy man named Donghae and a pretty eccentric transgender man who like wearing hanbok. The previous awkward and bizzare moment had been dissolved after a long explanation about Heechul wasn't a ert who disguised himself to kidnap Sungmin and the one who changed her clothes was Heechul's friend, Hyoyeon.

“Sungmin-shi, can you stop staring at me like that?”

The said person was still gapping with a chopstick that still attached to her M-shaped lip. She didn’t touch her food yet. She’s eyeing the man named Heechul with curious look. Since Sungmin had known the truth already, the flower guy stopped faking his female voice. Sungmin wondered if he always talking loudly like that.

“if you don’t want to eat your Ddokbokki¹, I will eat yours all by myself. Seems like you don’t feel hungry after all because you’re already full by adoring my beauty” Heechul said boldly before ready to lean his chopstick to take Sungmin’s rice cake. But he lost in speed as Sungmin hurriedly took a rice cake to . She paused for a moment. Her eyes grew bigger. She looked didn’t breath at all, making the two man stared at her in worry.

“Hyung, I think she doesn’t like your handmade rice cake. Is that tasted horrible? You don’t accidentally put a poison into the sauce, right?”. Heechul hit the younger’s arm “Yah Fish, I admit I am not smart in cooking but don’t underestimate my Ddokbokki’s sauce. You did eat it too”. Donghae shrugged “You know I eat everything that look like food, Hyung”

Then they heard a munching sound from the female. She took another rice cake and chewed it excitedly like she never ate even a single delicious food in years. Actually, she barely enjoyed her food since three years ago. She didn’t know whether she got bored with food from palace or merely because that was the first time in her life she could forget everything in the palace for a moment. “Is the taste good?” Heechul asked. Sungmin nodded a lot and smiled to the older.

“Aaakkh why are you so cute, Agashi? I want to pinch your cheek” Donghae raised his shivering hand, couldn’t hold an urge to pinch Sungmin’s cheeks that still munching the rice cake. Heechul slapped his hand harshly “Take back your hand, you ert fish!! You scared her”. Donghae pouted at him “Hyung, but you are ert too”

“Hello!! I am ert to a man only”.

"But you're not like that to me"

"You're not counted"

Donghae pursued his lip "I am hurt, you know"

"Like I care!!"

Sungmin really enjoyed watching them. She noticed that they really like cursing to each other with some words which she never  heard before, in her life in Gyeongbok palace. Very unappropriate words. She didn’t feel taken aback for hearing them, but instead she felt a little jealous. They cursed each other but in Sungmin eyes, she could feel brotherly love between them. She thought it might be sounded much fun if she and her brother eunhyuk did cursing each other like them. She really missed her brother.

As they finished their meal, Heechul offered her some paper and an ink brush. “Here, please write your address so I can send you back to your home”. But Sungmin didn’t write her address, instead :

Why do you become Gisaeng?

He lifted his eyebrows “Well, I need money. I hate to do work that make me sweaty. A pretty face is all I have. I don’t want my beauty got wasted by the time being. This is my biggest property” he said pointing his face confidently. “Why do you ask anyway?”

You’re so pretty and an interesting guy

He raised his chest proudly “I am beyond interesting, my sweet lady. I am a deadly gorgeous”. Sungmin suddenly blushed as he called her ‘My sweet lady’ . She knew Heechul might be a woman in a man body but she didn’t have a clue why she got blushing with a simple word like that from a beyond normal guy like him.

“So now please write your address here. Please stop asking, my voice is also my biggest property. 20 Nyang²per question if you asked me again” Sungmin chuckled hearing that. He was the one who talking a lot.

“Hyung, why don’t you ask her to sleep here tonight. We can let her sleep in Hyoyeon's room. Sungmin-shi, If you stay here we will bring you to Lampion Festival near this place tonight. It will be awesome and so beautiful”. Heechul stood up and pulled Donghae to the corner. He whispered “Yah, do you think my home is a free lodging? I am not such a kind person. Beside, maybe she has a family who worrying her now. If I send her today, they may give me some souvenir or even a money for saving their daughter. But if I send her tomorrow, they may accuse me as a kidnapper and send me immediately to a jail or ev……..”

A jade ring showed up in the air between their face. When they turned around, they faced Sungmin standing before them, holding the ring in front of their face. She showed a paper that was written :

Is this enough? I want to see Lampion Festival. Don’t worry about my family

Heechul took the jade ring to look at it thoroughly and got shocked. “Is that genuine, Hyung?” Donghae asked him. “This is at least cost 25000 Nyang, fish!!” The older whispered. He slipped that ring to his finger then he glanced back to Sungmin, grabbed her shoulder suddenly then hugged her.

“I like you!!!”

Sungmin startled and her cheeks blushed red again, she really wanted to hide it because that was so embarrassing to her. But suddenly, someone separated them and pushed back Heechul forcibly.

“Don’t touch her!!!” that person warned him.

Donghae asked the stranger. “Woah!!! Who are you? Since when you get in here? Are you a ninja??”

TBC

¹ Ddokbokki : a popular Korean snack food made from soft rice cake, fish cake and sweet red chili sauce.

² Nyang : Jonseong currency

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Finally the real next chapter has released (unbetaed) ^^. Thanks for waiting patiently. I am sorry for the late update. My new school really stress me and my new dorm has a lot of mosquitos TT__TT. Hope you like this chapter too ^^. Please COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBE and Tell Me What You Think ^^ !!!!