CHAPTER 3 : Be my cure

◊Goryeo Empire, 1034

“Lee Sung Jong… stop pursuing that impossible goal!

“We have no money to sacrifice for the sake of your hopeless dreams!”

“Grow up already, Sung Jong. It’s about time you face the music. Embrace reality and it all up.”

It had been nearly 3 years since his father’s death. Yet he remembers each and every detail of the funeral’s day like as though he had recorded the ceremony in his mind. He figured that he could find comfort amongst his relatives but they had never liked him. They didn’t want him. They didn’t care if he was hurt by their inconsiderate, cold words. Unfortunately, Lee Sung Jong cared for them. He tried to abandon his feelings towards them. He tried to rejuvenate himself into the person he visualizes himself to be. To his dismay, the voices never left him up till now. They continuously taunt him. Haunt him like chains gripping onto his skinny ankles. He couldn’t help but remember those painful words. Those painful words that repeat themselves like a broken record. Bashing him physically and mentally as he lies hopelessly in the bathtub filled with cold tap water. Those words that spill out of familiar faces that he once adored and showered with affection.

Regrettably, Lee Sung Jong discovers that those words that chewed up his heart, his abdomens and his persona, can never, ever be forgotten.

Sung Jong sinks lower into the dark abyss. He lets the water fill in his mouth, his throat, his eyes, his stomach and devour him whole. His chest tightens and his eyes ache. He wants to scream but it seems as though his efforts are pointless. However, Lee Sung Jong wants to breathe, smile and live like any other human being would. He doesn’t want to be kept on the ground but he wants to fly off to a warmer and safer place. A place where someone will always accompany him through bright and dark times. A person who will always welcome him with arms open wide. Somebody who’d give him food, shelter and love when he needs it most. Somebody like… Hwang Myung.

Myungsoo… Myungsoo?

“MYUNGSOO!” Sung Jong gasps as his eyes abruptly flutter open. He quickly sits up but flops back down onto what seems to be a pillow as soon as he feels a strong force pulling him down to the mattress.

“Calm yourself!” Then, he realizes that he is held by the arms and legs by two different men dressed in armor. Another elder man touches his face and begins to examine his eyes and his throat.

So it was a dream?

“Woah! Hold on a second. Who are you?”

The men are silent but his questions are answered by a familiar looking man, “He is the palace’s royal doctor and those two other men are my subordinates. You are safe in our presence so please continue resting.”

“Oh… I see. Did something happen to me?”

“The night the emperor discharged you out of your cell, you collapsed due to fatigue and hunger. How do you feel today?” The man smiles brightly in his direction.

“Ah, I guess I feel energized? And, who are you? Aren’t you the one who seized me by the arm on the day I crashed through the Geunjeongjeon’s second level!?”

The man quickly kneels down and places a fist on his chest as he lowers his head humbly, “My apologies. It was for the sake of the emperor’s safety… and I have guarded the Geunjeongjeon ever since I started my duty as vice general of the emperor’s military unit. I admire its architecture and treasure it. I was very aggravated when it was violently abused by an unknown foreigner.”

“Um, you know, I’m not a foreigner. My hair color is due to dye. But anyway, where’s the emperor?”

“His Highness is currently busy. He would not be able to come see you personally for a few days. That is why he has assigned me to keep a close watch on you. My name is Jang Dong Woo. From this day forth, I am your knight.” With the help of the men, Sung Jong slowly sits up and drinks his medicine given by the elderly man.

“I see. Jang Dong Woo, is it? I am Sung Jong! Lee Sung Jong!” Sung Jong shoots out his hand towards the kneeling Vice General, urging him to shake it. After several long minutes of observing Dong Woo staring back at his hand with a confused expression on, Sung Jong decided to keep his hand back by his side.

“Um…  So? Did His Highness tell you about the post I am currently appointed to?”

Vice General Dong Woo nods, “He has notified all of his subordinates, ministers, court officials and maidens of the palace regarding your position. This is to ensure that you experience a comfortable life during your stay in Goryeo, with or without the presence of His Highness. You are the emperor’s tailor and clothes consoler. Oh, before I forget, this room we’re currently in, is your chamber and that door is connected to your workplace.” The elder man slightly rotates himself and lifts his left hand towards a pair of two-sided doors between two tall exquisite vases. Sung Jong smiles and was about to request a tour around the room when his stomach makes a loud, distinct growl. The two maidens who have been watching and listening to their conversation by the entrance doors giggle in embarrassment. However the men didn’t control themselves and let their laughs echo through the hallway from the inside of the chamber. Sung Jong rolls his eyes and turns his back from his audiences, “Very funny. Very funny. Being captive for a night sure is normal, huh?”

“A night, yes. But Young Master Sung Jong, you have been asleep for 3 days now, don’t you know?” One of the maidens speaks gleefully. Sung Jong’s eyes widen in surprise, “3 days? 3 DAYS!”

“I believe that is the reason to why you feel hungry yet energetic. If you wish, we shall prepare your meal immediately.”

Sung Jong nods to the idea. As soon as he agreed, the men left the room. Leaving him together with the two palace maidens.

“The two of you are not leaving too?”

“Hwang Myung purposely assigned us and Vice General Dong Woo to keep you company, as to not leave you feeling lonely or homesick. Therefore, we shall always be by your side.” One of them says. Sung Jong smiles and observes the duo.

Both were wearing pink colored ruqun. They had their hair styled into two buns tied securely with pink frills on each side of their heads. As expected of palace maidens, they do not display any ornaments on themselves nor do they wear makeup. However, these two girls have such natural beauty that Sung Jong could not help but feel proud of his nation.

“Korea… I mean Goryeo sure is magnificent, is it not?”

The girls only giggle in confusion, “What would you mean by that, Young Master?”

Sung Jong shakes his head, “It’s nothing! So, tell me your names.”

The girl on the right bows slightly and shyly smiles, “I am Oh Hye Rin.”

“And I am Noh Yi Young.”

“Oh okay then, Hye Rin and Yi Young, I am Lee Sung Jong…” Suddenly there was a knock on the entrance’s door and another palace maiden shyly pokes her head in, “Good afternoon, Young Master Lee Sung Jong. I am here to request Hye Rin and Yi Young’s leave. The palace kitchen needs additional help to prepare the meals for the palace’s occupants… Will that be alright?”

“Oh, certainly…” Sung Jong grins as he lays himself back down onto the mattress.

“Then, we shall be on our way.”

As soon as they left, the young man peeks around, notes that he is now by himself and quickly tip toes towards the two-sided doors. While he did, he notices his extravagant chamber and stops in his tracks.  Interestingly, the architecture differs compared to the present model of the Gyeongbokgung palace in Seoul. It feels as though he has landed himself in a panel of a historical Chinese comic series instead of a Korean manhwa.

The bed is framed with beautiful, intricate carvings of various patterns. It is decorated with cream colored silk curtains that match the bed sheets and pillows. Directly above the bed was a mosquito net. The chamber itself is filled with soft colors including the fresh chrysanthemum flowers placed in a small vase by his bed. Every little thing reeks of a feminine feeling. “It seems more like a girl’s room compared to a man’s…”

Sung Jong sighs but immediately shoves his opinions to the deepest part of his mind.

Lee Sung Jong realizes how lucky and fortunate he has been up till the night Myungsoo secretly came to the cell to discharge him. Without His Highness, he could have been slaughtered by men in armor or executed publicly. That is why he should not bother Myungsoo nor the other palace occupants with his tantrums and burdensome requests. Let alone begging them to help him return to South Korea, where he rightfully belongs.

“I’ll find my way out of Goryeo on my own… but till then I’ll use this opportunity to be a better traditional clothes maker.” Sung Jong assures himself as he continues his tip toe towards his ‘workplace’.

Sung Jong lightly pushes the doors open and squints his eyes to see through the sudden rays of sunlight shining into his pupils.

The young man’s mouth falls open.

His workplace is a room which as big as the size of the Geunjeongjeon. The ceiling is lower and the room seems brighter due to the drastic increase in number of windows. He could see that a mahogany wooden table is set in the middle while large sized cupboards are placed on the left and right corners of the room. The remainder space is occupied with various beautiful exotic colors and types of cloths, each rolled and wrapped tightly around hollow bamboo stands. The room seems like a field full of flowers embedded to the ground. Though most people won’t be able to experience and see what he does, the avid blooming fashion designer knows what he has to do and what he can produce by observing the materials laid out in front of his bright brown orbs.

Sung Jong in deep breaths as he slowly makes his way towards the table. “Am I supposed to work as a tailor here?”

Unexpectedly, Jang Dong Woo pops his head in and flashes an ear-to-ear smile towards Sung Jong, “Of course! The emperor, himself had made the selection of cloths since you will be the one who is going to make his royal yiseyi from now on!” It gives Sung Jong a sudden jolt but he quickly manages a smile, “I see… I guess I will be busy with multiples of things during my stay in Goryeo.”

“Why, Young Master Sung Jong, that goes without saying. His Highness had left a thick log book in one of that table’s drawers for your own personal use as the palace’s royal tailor. If I am not mistaken, he had already jotted down several requests. Therefore, Hwang Myung strictly stated that you shall start as soon as you recover from fatigue.”

Sung Jong grimaces and sighs.

“Ah, that’s right! You meal is prepared!”

◊

Days and days passed by in a blink of an eye as Sung Jong spends his time locked away in the confines of his workplace from day to night. He sketches various different styles of traditional yiseyi with reference from the books he had brought together with him from South Korea, cuts suitable cloths and sew like as though there is no tomorrow. He rarely steps out of his chamber and workplace to do anything else other than eat, bath and sleep. Even his two palace maidens and appointed knight would quickly become sleepy just by watching him move around his work table doing nothing but sew, sew and sew. Sung Jong didn’t mind it though. He has always loved heavy work. As long as it consists of him touching beautiful fabric and keeps his mind off different troublesome matters. Plus, it gives him comfort in replace of his relatives’ missing affections.

However, something has been knocking on the back of his mind. His mood would become sober and his spirit will decrease drastically.

Has Hwang Myung ever thought of me during these past few days? His mind speaks.

Though Sung Jong has been busying himself with the tasks he has been given from the log book, the young man could not help but make himself wait patiently for Myungsoo’s arrival every single day. He admits to missing the said individual. He wishes to see him in person, not by descriptions by the palace maidens. He wishes to speak to him from face-to-face, not by scrolls. Sung Jong sighs as he finishes off the last yiseyi from the log book. He then rests himself against his chair and lets his gaze wander off far out of his workplace’s open window.

It could not be helped since Myungsoo is the only one who knows of his actual situation and makes him feel comfortable to the bones.

He shakes off the lonely feeling and gets up from his chair to place his work into one of the cupboards when he suddenly spots a strange man in a black hooded cloak peeking at him from the open window. Sung Jong ignores him and continues his task.

As soon he is done with tidying up the table, he peeks again. Oddly, the man has not even moved an inch from his original spot.  Though Sung Jong is unable to see his face clearly due to the hood, he knows that the man is smiling. Creepily.

“Excuse me… Do you have something to talk to me about? Because if you do, you better do it properly or I’m going to call the palace guards!” Sung Jong abruptly rises from his chair and marches towards the window. Surprised by the younger man’s actions and words, the man quickly turns away and runs. “Wait up!” Sung Jong hops through the window and chases after him. Strangely, when they turned a corner at a dead end, the man was nowhere to be found.

◊

After the strange event that had taken place early that afternoon, Sung Jong decides to close every window that he has opened. Since he had finished the requests from the log book, he felt too free that he starts a new task on his own.

“If the emperor is only abide to wear traditional Chinese costumes… he should be allowed to wear his nation’s unique robes, too right?” Yes. Lee Sung Jong craves to create a royal hongryongpo for His Highness. After nights of dreaming and visualizing, the young man realizes how suitable and good it would look on a respectable man as Myungsoo. Thus, he starts to sketch a blueprint, choose silks and sew the outfit. He was too focused on his task that he did not realize that night has come. He only did when Noh Yi Young came in to give him a basin filled with hot water and a wet cloth to wash his distinct sleepy face.

“Ah, thank you…” He takes a short rest to wipe his eyes clean and lights up a candle lamp situated on his table. Then, he continues his endeavor.  Without realizing it, he falls into a deep sleep, with his head buried in the incomplete robe. He snores and snores till his ear catches low rustles in the dark.

“Who’s there?” He murmurs.

Sung Jong’s eyes widen as he catches a glimpse of the emperor opening one of the windows with a bouquet of chrysanthemums in his grip. He flashes a charming smile at Sung Jong, exposing two distinct dimples on his right and left cheeks and hushes him.

“How have you been?”

“For crying out loud! Can’t you at least give a knock!?” Sung Jong nearly falls off his chair as soon as he spotted Myungsoo but the feeling is quickly replaced by something warm and fuzzy. His heart slightly races and he could feel his cheeks getting hot and red.

“My sincerest apologies, Lee Sung Jong.” Myungsoo grins as he grabs a small bench near the two-sided doors and takes a seat by the window.

“I simply wanted to see you but I didn’t expect to be able to talk to you like this.”

Sung Jong ruffles his own messy hair in annoyance and smiles back, “Well now that you are, we might as well make good use of this opportunity since I would not be able to predict whether if we are able to meet up again next time.”

Myungsoo smiles but Sung Jong knows that the mood has changed darker. Out of curiosity Sung Jong asks, “What have you been doing up till today? I haven’t seen you around the palace grounds at all.”

Myungsoo sighs and answers, “I was visiting China since the damaged bridge had a speedy recovery…”

“So? How did it go?”

Automatically, Myungsoo shakes his head and lets out a heavy sigh, “I had to drink buckets of rice wine… The Chinese court officials didn’t let me have my sleep.”

“Then what on earth are you doing here? Go back to your chamber and rest!”

Myungsoo throws back his head laughing, “You could say that but I heard from numerous palace maidens how you have been asking around for me.”

The younger man gawks and pouts, “Excuse me but I could only talk comfortably like this with you and not Vice General Dong Woo nor the two palace maidens you have appointed to watch over me.”

“Ah, I guess?” Myungsoo suddenly notices the outfit Sung Jong has in his grips. He touches Sung Jong’s hand and smiles, “May I have a look?”

At first, the younger man hesitates and tries to shove the work out of the window but finally hands it over to the curious emperor.

As soon as he has a better look of the incomplete Korean outfit, he smiles, “It’s a hongryongpo, now is it not?”

“Yes… Its just something I decided to make for fun. I thought it would look good on you… that’s all. I could burn it for you if you don’t wish to see it ever again.” Sung Jong fidgets around in his chair but turns extremely red when Myungsoo suddenly peeks at him and grins, “It’s the most beautiful gwanbok I have ever seen. You even added new features on it… However, I would not know when I’ll be able to display this to Goryeo and to the Chinese emperor…”

Sung Jong shuts his mouth and gulps. He nearly forgets that the emperor would be dip in boiling hot soup if he retaliates or go against the Chinese emperor’s orders. Matters related to the dress code is no exception because it has been clearly stated from year to year that the emperor should never wear his own national clothing unless told so.

“I’m very sorry, Hwang Myung!” Sung Jong sinks his head as low as he could.
“Do not apologize… For years, I have been longing to wear such gwanbok… I wanted to stand up, too. I wanted to rule my own country. I never wished to be a puppet... But that is all too late now. All of my inconsiderate actions have disappointed my own nation. I am nothing but a coward.”

Sung Jong shakes his head furiously, “NO! You are an excellent emperor and I know this fact well enough though I am merely an outsider. The way the palace occupants speak fondly of you… I know how they respect and cherish you. You should not beat yourself to a pulp with your own thorny words like this. You are Goryeo’s new emperor, now aren’t you?”

Myungsoo stops and stares at Sung Jong with his eyes opened wide.

He has a point…

“I am glad you came to Goryeo, Lee Sung Jong. I am an extremely fortunate emperor… Since you came, I am able to breathe a little more than how I used to. The thought of executing something new… feels very refreshing. At least for now, I am able to control something with my own two pair of hands. You are that something.”

Sung Jong blushes, “Uh, I guess I’m glad? But promise me you’ll come visit me more often! I’m lonely too, you know?”

Myungsoo lets out a small laugh and nods.

It’s a promise, my dearest.

◊

The cloaked man places himself on the Geunjeongjeon’s roof and grins as he observes the beautiful full moon above his head.

“Ah… So the prophecy will be fulfilled… The emperor will face death, huh?”

His laugh echoes throughout the palace grounds, yet when the palace guards search for the source of it, there is nothing but crows.