Chapter 5 - [1790]

Dirty, pond water held in a decent sized bucket was thrown against Inpyo’s face—the foul liquid forced its way up his nostrils and woke him immediately with gasps and coughs, as well as sending cold shivers down his body once the water traveled downward. Inpyo was tied up to a wooden chair that creaked under him at his every moves, even the slightest budge could be heard.

The blurry sight of the once dried hay and ground, that was now drowned from the water that failed to enter Inpyo’s body, had began to clear underneath his shoes. His mind wasn’t in its best condition in fact even his eyes wandered with a hint of drowsiness. “Come to your senses!” The voice of an angry male demanded, knocking some senses into the sitter. Inpyo glanced up, lifting his heavy head with wobbles. “Hey! Yeo Inpyo!” Just a few feet from him, Inpyo could see the outline of an armed man.

Whether Inpyo was temporarily struggling with a poor memory or just absent-minded at the moment, he was let down himself for not being able to identify the stranger. So instead of searching his mind for hint of the man’s identity, Inpyo diverted his interest to the location he was held. “W-where am I?” Inpyo breathed, his lips and throat was dried, making it difficult to speak clearly and loudly.

“The Palace’s prison.” The unknown man answered.

“P-palace prison? W-why?”

The stranger inhaled sharply before continuing. “Yeo Inpyo listen carefully to what I’m about to say from this moment onward.” Silence conquer the room for a split second before the sound of paper being handled was heard. With his heaviest and most hatred tone the man dictate the words from the scroll in his hand, “Warrior Yeo Inpyo who has recently rose in rank in the King’s nation has abused his power and took the chance to slaughter his majesty on this cold night! With the Crown Prince Heo Minho’s power and permission, Warrior Yeo Inpyo has been demoted to that of a mere citizen. As for his punishment, Yeo Inpyo is sentenced to be beheaded tomorrow afternoon for the crime of murdering this nation’s healthy leader! Yeo Inpyo, you dare slay his majesty cold-heartedly when he raised you with his own hands. You’re even lower than a criminal who women and children. A punk like you should prepare yourself and be ready to meet death tomorrow.”

Inpyo’s knees shook and his heartbeat raced. He couldn’t believe what was being said. He was involved in such a ludicrous case? Since when?

“Me…? Murdered his majesty…?” Inpyo forced the words out of his mouth, the words he never thought he would have to ask in person.

“Breaking into his majesty’s room, poisoning him, and even cutting him until he bleeds to death. Are you saying you’re innocent, you traitor!?”

Inpyo scoffed at the ridiculous accusations that was thrown at him, “Who said I did it? Just who saw me!? His majesty was doing so well, just who framed me for this tortuous idea that I would bring his majesty any harm!?”

“Her highness the Crown Princess Yoomi did!” The man responded leaving Inpyo speechless.

Yoomi? It can’t be my Yoomi, why would she…? Inpyo thought to himself.

“Beheaded?” Jungook questioned the male before him.

“Yes. It looks like he was accused of assassinating the King.” Taeyo said. Jungook held Taeyo’s eyes with his own. There Jungook’s subordinate saw a growing grin on his stiff face.

“In this world other than me no one else may share the power to determine when Yeo Inpyo die. Do whatever you must to stop his head from falling tomorrow, even if it means killing whoever that gets in the way.” Jungook ordered, earning a nod from Taeyo.

“Understood.”

Before Taeyo could leave, the powerful stopped him. “Also, if you fail to bring him back, I suggest you don't return at all as well.”

Taeyo was Jungook’s most trusted and reliable. But after hearing the last words of his boss, he knew for a fact that he has been replaced. He was no longer the half-blooded man’s favorite. Yeo Inpyo has taken over. “Understood.” With that Taeyo stepped out with his followers.

Jungook breathed through his nose at his leisure and wore an unreadable expression. Then to himself, he spoke softly, “Some death are meant to happen early. However, there are those whose deaths will or has been delayed or prevented by stronger people. And that is the purpose of my existence and my only excuse for wanting to live even longer.”

Inpyo, alone, was kept in a cold cell where only the ground and wall dared to come into contact with him. Because in the meantime no beings would want to approach him, a traitor and murderer of the King—the nation’s most respected and worshipped person. The uninvited sound of a heavy door coming to an immediate shut caught Inpyo’s attention. He peeked over to the entrance way when he could hear the light and easy footsteps. From his sitting position, he pulled himself forward to prepare himself for what’s to come and when it did he was almost crushed by it.

He froze as the eyes of Yoomi stared down at him from outside of the cell. “Yoomi?” Inpyo breathed her name with uncertainty and waited as the lass moved closer to him. Inpyo dragged his heavy, beaten, and aching body closer to the bars to close the space between them from inside the cell. “Yoomi.” He called out as he wrapped a hand around one of the wooden bars and lean against it for support. Before she was any more closer to Inpyo’s reach, the lass came to a stop and look upon him. She wore a hood over her head which forced a shadow to mask her always elegant features. Past the bars Inpyo reached out his free hand to her, but she only glared at it as it shook miserably. “Yoomi, p-please run away with me—”

“Can’t you see the state and condition you’re in?" Yoomi's voice was harsh and held no pity, "I heard you are to be beheaded tomorrow, you are right now no one but a traitor to your nation. Why would I run away with you and become a traitor as well?” Yoomi questioned with a sound of disgust. “And now you want to elope with me? The Crown Princess?” Yoomi scoffed, “You’re worse than a beggar.”

Inpyo ignored her accusation because all he could think about was the future he has always dreamed of. The future where he could only see Yoomi and no one else. “Yoomi, please, I-I didn’t kill his majesty. Don’t hate me, I didn’t do it. I—”

“If you didn’t do it then who did? You’re the only one capable of killing his majesty!” Yoomi barked and took a screeching step back as her heels scrap the floor.

Inpyo shook his head mercilessly, “You’re mistaken Yoomi….” Inpyo breathed in heavily when all of a sudden he found it difficult to intake oxygen; the main element that is keeping him breathing, “It wasn’t me….”

Despite Inpyo's hard of breathing, Yoomi pushed on, “Don’t lie! It was you! You poisoned his majesty and put a knife through his heart! It was you!”

For the first time ever since Yoomi’s entrance, there was a moment of silence as Yoomi tried to calm herself down. Inpyo was left numb for a split second before looking up, “How did you know the knife was stabbed through his heart?” Yoomi froze at Inpyo’s question, “Did you…," he quickly collected his thoughts before asking a crucial yet simple question, "But why?”

Yoomi shot her glare toward Inpyo once again, locking eyes with him. Yoomi was aware of Inpyo’s intelligence, there was no use lying to him now that he has caught her.

“I wanted to be Queen.” The look in her eyes were different from before, according to Inpyo’s observation, he has never seen such greedy and pure evil eyes. Even Jungook’s couldn’t compare. Yoomi began pacing the hard ground, kicking hay from her path, “Before that old man died, he gifted me his garden. But what good would a little pathetic garden do me? I learned that the Queen mother has homes she’s eager to present to the next Queen.” Yoomi finally stopped before Inpyo again and squat down to meet his eye-level. “The only way I can become Queen today was to eliminate the King. So the tiny garden he gifted me, I made used of it and created a poisonous drink to give to him. That drink was strong and powerful, it was made and taught by my mother. You remember her, right? She has always wanted to use that drink on my abusive and angry father, but she didn’t get to use her secret weapon. Because the cruel heavens forbid her and instead gave her an incurable disease.” As Yoomi stood up, Inpyo couldn’t help but coughed at the information he had heard. Yoomi wasn’t Yoomi, Inpyo knew then that Jungook was once again accurate. She was not Yoomi but the Crown Princess. A princess awaiting the Queen’s title after eliminating the King.

“Why Yoomi? How can you be so cruel? I never knew you had this side to you,” Inpyo said under a hazy tone.

Yoomi brushed off his emotions with a smirk, “If I must act a certain way to get somewhere then I will do it at any costs. The Yoomi you thought you knew has already died on that very same night. That night where she was lying out in the cold beside the half dead Inpyo. We started on the same boat, but think of it this way, I have decided to board another boat while you drowned with the old trying to keep me afloat. We stop here, former-warrior Inpyo.”

Inpyo’s body sunk and his eyes switched from Yoomi onto the countless stacks of hay beside him. He didn’t have the courage to keep listening and the strength to comment on her reckless decision. Thus he just sat and stared for a long time. When Yoomi had left, Inpyo leaned his head against the wood and shut his eyes. He was ready to accept death, because to him death sounded less painful and the most appealing at the moment.

Taeyo forced the tip of a knife into Jaemin’s expensive wooden table, made of rare red wood. “I’ve carried out your orders, this time it’s your turn to take responsibility and save Inpyo from being punished.” Jaemin wore a smug despite the threat he was getting from Taeyo. Despite the knife's point drilling a hole into his expensive table, Jaemin was rarely intimidated by Taeyo.

“Even without you putting a knife through my table, I am a man who has never neglected a deal before. But, will you keep your promise after I accomplish my end?” Jaemin asked looking into the young assassin's dark pupils.

Taeyo wore no expression, “No assassins were taught to break their promises. But if I don’t get my hands on Inpyo before nightfall, I will assume that you have broken your part of the deal and follow through to end you.” Jaemin chuckled and nodded.

In the King’s courtroom which was led by the Crown Prince, officials filled the seats as usual despite the King’s funeral being just in a few days. Jaemin was standing as he had a suggestion to propose to the worn out and quiet audience. “His majesty’s death did not only shook Korea, it shook the world. Now that he has passed onto another world where he would be better taken care of, it would pleased everyone if we beheaded his murderer, a warrior his majesty raised with his own hands and even promoted. But your highness, I beg to make an offer, your highness.”

Minho flatten his eyes, “What kind of offer, Left State??”

Jaemin inhaled before speaking, “Allow him to live, your highness.” His words raised gasps and chattering among the crowd of unpleased men. Minho too was taken aback and frowned at the older. Despite the growing disagreement, Jaemin continued to persuade them, “Please grant him his life, but ban him from Jongno your highness!”

“Your highness this is unacceptable! How can we—!” Officials were cut off when Minho raised a hand to silence them.

“This is interesting Left State. I never thought I’d witness a high rank official make such a distasteful offer. And I’m aware that you are not blind nor deaf to the activities that occurs in and out of the royal palace. So enligtened me as to why you made such absentminded request.” Minho said, then all eyes in the room were on Jaemin. They all watched the chubby man with hawk eyes, eager to hear his reason.

“Your highness I do not dare to keep a traitor alive, especially that of his majesty’s murderer. But the life that the criminal will live outside of Jongno would be even harder than death itself. Beheading a criminal like him is helping him ease his crimes. He should live and suffer the hatred by your people. Soon his own guilt would be the cause of his insanity. When that day comes and he will not be able to handle anymore of his tortuous days, he will surely resort to self-destruct.”

Minho couldn’t help but agree to the official’s dirty ways, to behead Inpyo was to help him escape the hate that many has toward him but never given the chance to show it to him. “You said to ban him? Would the people take it so easily?”

“Yeo Inpyo is an orphan who grew up in the Palace, the world outside of Jongno is a forest to him. He won’t know his ways. I guarantee you, this criminal won’t last a week outside of Jongno. As for the people, many do not know Yeo Inpyo’s face, so we can easily find a replacement for him your highness.” Jaemin said. Minho nodded with a growing smile.

“You’re not to be taken lightly, father-in-law.” Minho said, earning glances from officials.

When morning visited again Inpyo was forced out of his cell, blindfolded.

Inpyo was transported out of Jongno in a small cart with haystack on every side of him as he lay. When he felt the cart come to a stop, he wasn’t sure what was going to come to him next, but he waited and listened. “Pull him out!” A man demanded. Inpyo then felt the stacks of hay being removed from above him then the strong arms of two men haul him off the deck of the cart with force. While still blinded and hands locked together, he could hear footsteps walking toward him with the sound of dirt being kicked. “You’re a lucky guy. Even after killing the King, you’re set free to roam the world that doesn’t even want you around. You’re lucky, but your luck ends here. I’m having a rough morning so I’m going to take it all out on you and kill you.” The sound of a sword being drawn was heard but Inpyo kept still, waiting to be cut into smitten pieces by the angry soldier before him. “Die!”

The sound of fear and swinging of blades in the air washed through the area and ended in a flash. Then he felt the skin of another being seeking its way into the cleave of the cloth that hugged Inpyo’s eyes and deprived his vision. The fabric was pulled down instantly and Inpyo winced when the sun’s light stung him. From the beginning, right when the material was removed from holding him hostile, Inpyo thought to take it step by step and recover his view slowly, but the voice of a familiar man compel him to open his eyes immediately.

“Master is anticipating your return, Yeo Inpyo.” Taeyo said. Inpyo took a moment to observe his surroundings and saw that the five palace guards who had brought him out were now dead and behind him was two men, or rather assassins, dressed in similarly poor fashion. Inpyo managed a breathy scoff before locking eyes with Taeyo.

“Why do you follow a man like your master?” Inpyo dropped an unexpected question and hoped the lad would go along and give him a legit answer, because Inpyo needed it more than anything else at the moment. The one being questioned didn’t blink an eye and kept his expression still, as if his face was truly a work of a statute that is bound to remain the same, forever.

Finally when he spoke, Inpyo's ears perked back, “Because I believe he is the right man to follow.” Taeyo replied, in spite of his seriousness Inpyo let out a chuckle. Then he sighed aloud to show his disappointment.

“Once upon a time, I believed the royal family and the woman I loved was the right people to follow. But now, I’m no longer sure. In this world, I don’t think I can ever find anyone else to follow and believe in,” Inpyo's sad words were immediately countered. 

“If you follow our master, he’s someone who will give you that someone you’re seeking to follow and believe in.” Taeyo said. When Inpyo didn’t reply, Taeyo knew Inpyo couldn’t deny or disagree with him. Inpyo was destined to become an assassin at Woogyu, an assassin who would raised his own party of assassins.  No one knew that better than Jungook himself. A man, worthy of followers due to his limitless powers.

End of Chapter Five.