“WE CAN’T DO THAT! BLOOD MIGHT SPILL IN THE CAPITAL FOR DAYS!”

The sudden surge of emotion, stress and disbelief playing together made the usually composed Prime Minister to lose his temperance at his right hand man and spoke in a louder voice than he intended it to be. Realizing what he has just done, he immediately apologized for his actions.

“Don’t you think it’s too late now, Min-jun. We’ve been travelling and investigating for days.  I think you must take some rest,” Lee Jun-seo suggested to his troubled friend. “The stresses are now conquering my mind. To push for planning to the best move right now might be counter-productive,” he added.

Min-jun can’t talk back to that. His head is throbbing in pain right now. He has to massage it by himself as temporary first aid to the pain. The tea they are now drinking meant to relax tensed muscles is proving itself ineffective right now. However, as what the King has said, they are running out of time.

“If only we can point out which of the business clans based in the Capital right now is or are connected with Song Yangban of the South, who has the possible connection with the Second Minister, then we can limit our surveillance so that we would not resort to the plan you presented. Otherwise, I’m afraid we have no choice,” Min-jun sound defeated.

“No matter, I’ll have the Geum-,” Jun-seo stopped when he heard some noises right outside the door.

“Who is tha—“ Min-jun halted as Jun-seo told him to hush as the latter approach the door. As he has his sword ready in case an enemy was able to sneak past through the security, he opened the door quickly. A figure in blue hanbok fell down into the room while she squeaked like a rat due to shock.

“Agassi? What are you doing here?!” Jun-seo then looked at the man who remained in the dark outside.

“Jonghyun-ah, what are you doing down there?!”  The young man who was sitting on the floor, immediately tried to find his composure before answering, “Abeonim. I am accompanying my lady here.” He exhaled heavily. Lucky that his voice didn’t falter and betray him by revealing that hiss his heart is pumping so fast right now.

“Are you sick? Why is your face so flushed?”

Jonghyun felt a drop of cold sweat slid down his neck. “No, father. I-It must be the light.”

“You are Nari’s son?” Seungyeon interjected in what is supposed to be father and son conversation. Now regaining her dignity by standing upright, showcasing her beautiful white-plated blue hanbok, she sounded so surprised, she has forgotten the situation they are in right now.

“Yes, Agassi. This is Lee Jonghyun, my third child and only son.” Lee Jun-seo replied.

“But what---“ Seungyeon is about to ask questions she’s been meaning to ask since this morning when she heard her father’s voice roar.  

“Seungyeon-ah!” The lass froze on her position and her eyes flinched. Her father is so pissed, she’s so definite about it. Turning her body towards is direction, the fast beating of her heart is not the same as the one she had earlier when Jonghyun held her. This time, her brain senses danger.

“I believe, you have some explanation to do for me, Young Lady. Why are you here?”, the enraged Prime Minister asked her eldest daughter.

Because she can’t look directly to her father due to the guilt she felt, Seungyeon answered with her head bowed and her hands, hidden underneath her handbook, joined to release the pressure.

“We came here to ask you to get rid of Jonghyun as my personal guard. You see, Father, there’s no ne-“

“Can’t it wait for tomorrow. We have more important things to discuss here.”

“Sorry Father.” She may cry, she doesn’t want to lose her dignity. Afterall, she has an interesting theory in mind that may help ease her father’s worries. “About that father, I think I have an idea which business clan you should put a surveillance into.”

The two adults froze, looked at each other and became alert with what Seungyeon is about to say. Taking their silence as a sign of their willingness to listen, she continued. “I believe it’s the Kim Yangban, Father.”

“Why did you think so, Agassi? Kim Yangban is just a small time business clan here the Capital.”

“Yes, but, I have heard that its manager is not really the owner but an affiliated person to the Song of South.” Seungyeon explained which must have caught the adults’ attention. Her father got up from his sitting position.

“You sure about this Seungyeon?” Min-jun asked.

“Of course, I can’t be sure. I just heard it from some maids.” Inside her right now, she feels butterflies somersaulting in her stomach. She’s now a big help to her father. She watched the adults discuss something, hoping that they would ask more of her opinion on the matter. Finally, Lee Jun-seo turned to the young ones.

“Jonghyun, bring Agassi out here back to her room.” Believing she heard it wrong, she decided to not move.

“Seungyeon, leave the matter to us. You’ve done enough. Don’t ever try to meddle with things like this, you understand?” And those words shattered all her hopes. She didn’t cry with the poisonous voice his father had, but the feeling of rejection of her skills and concern sapped all the remaining energy that she has.

The walk back to her room is surrounded by deadly silence. With Seungyeon ahead of her, Jonghyun has a good look of how exhausted she is. But it’s not her physical being, he bet. Rather, her mental and motivation spirit have died down. Even without the sunlight at it had set down few hours ago, he knew she’s in tears. He felt a clench in his left chest upon the idea.

“Agassi, you are going the wrong way. We should turn her—“ Jonghyun warned her mistress when they noticed they missed the right turn leading back to her room.

“I know! This is my home. I know the way here better than you!” Seungyeon shouted with her crying voice. He knows she is and it pains me to realize that the only thing he can do is to remain silent.

Few steps more, Seungyeon stopped in her tracks before turning her head a bit towards Jonghyun’s direction.

“I’m sorry but can you just leave me alone?” Without hearing his response, Seungyeon continued walking until she reached a veranda at the Southern-most portion of their home.

The Yoo household is an old and noble house in Joseon. Her father is just one of the significant number of family members who held important court positions. More than that, some of their female ancestors were chosen to become queen to kings and gave birth to succeeding monarchs and leaders of the country. That’s why it would be no surprise that their manor would be huge. There would be places where people seldom reach, just like where she is right now.

 Taking a rest from her long walk, she lighted up the only lamp that is there before seating on the floor crossed leg with her gayageum. Alone by herself, engulfed by the stillness of her surroundings, she finally noticed how bright the moon is. Legends always say that the moon is a woman and the sun is a man.

“Maybe, you are lonely up there too?” Seungyeon talked to the moon. “Sometimes, you might have want to brighten the day sky but you can’t just because the sun keeps on hiding you. It's lonely, isn't?” Tears began to form in her eyes as she looked down at her favourite instrument and began playing. The sound of it filled the night air with loneliness. Every delicate touch and pluck she made with her gayageum releases a tone of downfall and isolation. She closed her eyes as she plays, pouring all the frustrations building up throughout the years.

As she finally opened her eyes, she witnesses a tear fall down on the strings and stopped playing. She touched the part underneath her eyes and felt the wetness of it. She can’t continue. Trying hard to stop the tears made them to flow out more. More than her fingers and feet, it is her heart that is broken.

Finally, she cried out. She wailed loudly like a three year old child. Undignified, she doesn’t mind. She screamed and scream, never minding whether someone will hear her. She wanted to throw to the wind all the questions that she hope to ask yet the river of tears seems to have blocked her vocal organs that she just continued crying and crying all through the night. Her body heaves as she struggles to breath. She held into her gayageum, embraced its cold, wooden body like it’s the best comfort in the world.

She wasn’t aware of the presence of a man, lurking behind the bushes underneath the veranda who listened to her since she got there.

Tilting his head up, as he continues to record in his mind Seungyeon’s sound of crying, he uttered endless apologies to the moon above.

______

Hi Friends,

Here's another chapter for you! Jonghyun's character development here might seem so slow. Please forgive me. I don't like drastic development, especially in love stories that's why I'm still building the momentum for the two of them. Sorry about that. But I think it'll get more interesting in the few chapters ahead.

I'm a fan of fugurative speeches so if there are things you dont understand, please feel free to message me or leave it on the comment section.

By the way, I might not be able to update tomorrow. I'll be going to the city so it might be a whole day travel.

To those who subsribed and read this story, I'm really, really grateful. You don't know how much it means to me. To the people who leave encouraging messages, more thank you's.

Hopefully you'll enjoy

Lovelots,

Kiara <3