To avoid the summer heat Lee Howon had to beat sunrise, and while he did, he was chopping away logs for the soon-to-visit winter when sweet cold sweat trickled down his exposed chest. However, the obvious beads did not slow him down even when they were making their way down his well-defined abs. With his deceased father’s axe clutched in between both rough and dry hands, he continued to severed the bodies of logs into two, three, four firewoods pieces with no mercy. Then with the glowing bright colors of the sun, a man on a horse showed up at his gateless fence. “Lee Howon,” the being had called.

As the stranger’s voice travelled to Howon’s ears, the lad put a pause to his morning labor before looking toward the familiar voice’s direction, “Oh,” he sounded before adding, “what brings you here so early Sir Jang?”

Mounted was a man with a grand smile, his full lips and granted wide-flexible mouth revealed a line of great white teeth, “I’ve come down to rely Lord Lee’s wishes. He wants to see you in person and that it is an urgent matter,”

Ten years ago, twenty five year old Howon would have thought Lord Lee to be his father’s name. Unfortunately this Lord Lee was his father’s best friend and the parent of Howon’s very own good friend. Howon wore a smile, “Tell him I will come after fixing my mother’s breakfast,” his words earned an understand nod from the messenger.

“Then,” the mounted said as he fasten the rope around his hand, “until we meet again, please be in good shape,”

Howon returned the kindness with a nod, a gesture that sent Sir Jang on his way. Quickly Howon returned to his task at hand, not worrying about what Lord Lee may have to say. Before the sun could get too high, Howon had built himself a hill of timber that will keep him and his mother warmed through the whole cold season. After laying out a variety of bamboo sheets over to blanket the wood from bad weather, he easily got a fire going with boiling water set over the flames.

Warm drinking water with any dish was a set Howon got going for his mother every morning, for her to beat her morning cold as she gets them regularly. While the water boiled, Howon had scoped rice out of a pot and some soup into a clayed bowl ready to serve. Inside the one room, strawed home Howon rested the dish and now cup of warm water onto a low wooden table slowly. Lying on blankets near the table was his mother, coughing and breathing heavily in her half-asleep state.

Carefully Howon approached the woman from behind while on his knees, “Mother, I’ve brought you your meal,” he gently called to her. Upon hearing him, she sat up, there he reached his hands out and placed them on her covered arms, tenderly he led her to turn around and face him as he moved to scoot the table closer. Then grabbing onto her hand, he directed her toward the bowl before handing her a wooden spoon, and the other toward the cup. “The bowl is here mother, the cup is on this side like usual,”

“Thank you my son,” she said, her pupils foggy as she stared directly at him. Howon examined as his mother dipped the utensil into the bowl before pulling it out for a taste, swiftly she smiled, “Is this seaweed soup my son?”

Howon nodded even when he knew his mother couldn’t see, “yes mother, is it alright? I didn’t put in any salt,” the grey haired lady smile deepen as she hummed.

“It’s delicious,”

The latter forced on a smile. He was aware that she had been lying to him about his food being good, not too salty, not too sweet, not to spicy, and just right. He knew his mother no longer has the same taste bud she did ten years ago. In fact she can’t taste anything at all. “I’m glad,” he whispered for only her to hear, “mother,” he said louder to capture her full attention, “I’m going down to the big city to pay Lord Lee a visit. Is there something you want?”

“No, all I want is for you to come back safe and sound. Tell Lord Lee I will visit him some other time along with you,”

“Sure mother,” with that Howon left his mother to her meal as he went to change at a corner. After asking his neighbors to check in on his mother from time to time, the lad finally set off to the big city on foot. With some time to himself, the lad then begin to wonder what urgent matter must Lord Lee had in mind. In his raggy peasant fabrics and torn shoes, the lad did not expect today to be any different. Lord Lee have always and only asked two things of Howon:

One, persuade the young master Lee to change his mind and to do as Lord Lee has asked.

or,

Two, go hunting with Lord Lee as he needed a real ‘son’ to enjoy his hobbies with.

Howon has known young master Lee ever since the young master was a toddler, Howon being two years older treated the young master like a younger brother he never had. However, with the younger being spoiled, Lord Lee claimed the then young adult is nothing but complaints and a rebel. And all claims were even truer when Howon arrived and stood in front of Lord Lee just to hear the shocking news himself.

“Sungjong eloped in the middle of the night…?”

“The rascal saved me no face and had ran away in the middle of the night with that villein he’s so in love with,”

Howon tried to recall the one worker under Lord Lee who Sungjong had potentially fallen for, “You speak of…, ah Kim Myungsoo?”

“He even told you about their relationship?!” the older man was taken aback yet angry at the same time, “You knew and did not come to tell me about it?” Notwithstanding the elder’s anger, Howon quickly respond with a playful tone.

“Sungjong and that Kim Myungsoo has been steady ever since he comforted Sungjong from that heartbreak with Lord Seo’s youngest son. I’m more surprised that Kim Myungsoo held on for so long despite the way you treat him,” Howon trailed off muttering, knowing it’s a matter of time before the other lashed out at him. But to his surprise, the older only sighed before leaning back in his chair.

“You know I’ve always cared for you as if you were my son, right?” his sudden question held Howon from reacting immediately. Wasn’t it obvious? Why was the elder bringing up the fact anyway? Howon quickly dismissed the other’s sudden, depressed question as disappointment in him.

“Sorry I didn’t come to you earlier, I didn’t think they would abruptly run away without advising you,”

The man who has known Howon long enough to be able to read his thoughts quickly change his tone, “that’s not why I said that,”

Howon peeked up at the other, “then…?” Before answering Lord Lee reached under his table and pull out a rolled up letter, then he placed it in front of Howon. The younger arched an inquisitive eyebrow. “This is…?”

“A royal’s invitation,”

The curious lad was trying to understand the other’s words and actions, “A royal’s invitation?”

“See for yourself,” Lord Lee urged.

Strange enough and with the man’s permission, Howon reached for the scroll where he untie the ribbon and unroll the golden paper out. As he searched for its purpose, he came across the pretty Korean characters lined up neatly forming a direct message to its handler.

To the Lee family,

Lee Sungjong, son of Lee Sung, has been invited to the 9th princess’s birthday event as a suitable suitor. Lee Sungjong is to arrive three days from now at noon in front of the castle’s gates. The princess has come of age and will be choosing her suitor at said ceremony. Suitor, don’t forget your mask.

Sign your King,

Howon lowered the paper in hand and glanced over to Lord Lee for an explanation, “Now I understand why this was an urgent matter,” in Howon’s head, he was cursing at Sungjong. How could the lad just run away? Where was Howon and Lord Lee suppose to find him? And if they do find him, how much time would the youth have left to get ready for the event, if they have any time at all?

“If you understand then you’ll go right?” Lord Lee asked with anxiousness in his voice.

“I’ll definitely find Sungjong and bring him bac—” the lad was cut off.

“No I mean you will go in his place instead, right?”

If Howon was drinking he’d most likely choked or cough out what he was drinking. Not only was he surprised but he was in disbelief. “Y-you want m-me to go?” Howon didn’t know he was stuttering and before he could sink in what he had just heard, the old man bombard him with more shocking ideas.  

“If you go we won’t need to look for Sungjong. Besides you just have to attend and make sure that during roll call you answer as Sungjong,”

“What if I get caught? You’re telling me to lie to the King of Korea!”

“No, no, no, every year suitors has to wear masks. You don’t know because these invitations never reaches lowerclassmen but guests are to wear masks. Only suitors who gets chosen has to remove their masks—”

“What if I get chosen?” Howon asked a little too loud to his surprise. However, he could care less. He was too bothered with Lord Lee’s absurd suggestions to remain calm.

“Howon, you are skilled in all that you do but no princess in all of Korea will ever marry a commoner. If you don’t stand out then you can hide with the other suitors attending,”

Howon processed the elder’s words. It was true, if he just blends in then there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. But the question remain, why must he attend the ceremony in the first place. “My lord, can’t a suitor just pass this onto someone else—?”

“Rejecting a royal invitation will result in major consequences. If Sungong does not attend it will ruin our family’s reputation. Also if capture, Sungjong will be question of his whereabouts, will you be happy to hear that he and that ruthless Myungsoo has been caught in an unbelievable relationship?”

Howon mentally sigh, “It said I should attend in three days right?”

Lord Lee shook his head, a movement that confused Howon, “this invitation came two days ago,”

Connecting the dots, Howon now knew why Sungjong had suddenly up and leave with Myungsoo. The younger wouldn’t risk getting chosen thus had convinced the other to leave with him. “That means I must be at the castle’s gates tomorrow afternoon…,”

“Howon listen to me,” in a mild daze Howon could barely hear all of Lord Lee’s soft voice, “whatever mask you get is important. Choose one that is very feminine or scary. I heard this princess doesn’t like anything scary or not manly,”

~~~~~~~~~

In one ear and out the other, Howon somehow found himself at a shop that sold masks for suitors. It was there that Howon was learning about the royals way. Suitors were like prizes for princesses when she has come of age. For the last decade, the King has been presenting his daughters, those with no chances of becoming queen away to capable suitors. As his last gift, the King then allows the princess freedom to choose whichever suitor they liked during their coming of age birthday ceremony.

Howon scanned the aisle of displayed masks, some more colorful than others. As he studied them, unsurprisingly none appealed to him. He heaved a sharp sigh before stopping at the counter and asking for advice from the shopkeeper, “Pardon, say do you have a mask that won’t look good on me?”

The handsome man behind the fixture gave him an uncertain look, “you mean to say a mask that will look good on you?”

“No, no I need one that is hideous, where a woman sees it and gets scare,” Howon said while leaning over the flat topped block. An unsure smile crawled onto the worker’s face.

“We have nothing like that. Here we only sell good masks for suitors invited to the princess’s event,”

Howon grew disappointed. Of course, why would anyone purposely try to impress a princess with a bad mask? Smoothly he changed his choice of mask, “then how about something plain or blank?” the man gave him a good long look before holding up his index finger, a cue that he wanted Howon to wait for a second. While opening cabinets behind the counter the latter pulled out a plain, white, non-decorative mask.

“You mean something like this where you can decorate it yourself?” the keeper asked, holding the face mask up to show Howon.

“Would this mask keep me blend in?” Howon asked. When he realized that the counter worker wasn’t going to crack a laugh, Howon quickly slipped in, “I’m just playing. How much would that be?”

~~~~~~~~~

Howon gripped tightly onto the mask as he observed his surrounding. For a brief moment he thought about tearing the city down in order to find out if Sungjong was hiding in town or not. But he tried to keep it together for Lord Lee, the man who had supported Howon throughout his late teens and young adult days. With one last glance Howon shot his eyes downward, tracing the outline of the mask in hand.

He then heaved a heavy sigh before walking through the front door to his workplace, only to be jumped by an all too familiar scene. With wide eyes and a hand glued to his chest, the lad hollered, “What is this?!”