Lover's Tale
Cupid at Heart
That afternoon, Seulyi and Sunjong went off to search for a horse. They were aided by Hoya who sneaked them out of the castle without posing any question.
“Return before dinner time,” was all he said, opening the gates towards the forest.
Seulyi had never mounted a horse, not being given such privileges when she was only a servant. Sungjong was a cat. He had no usage learning how to ride a horse, though he regretted it today. Four times they had nearly fallen of the horse, and three times they almost lost the horse itself.
They didn’t remember the trip taking several hours, but the blame was mainly placed on their lacking sense of direction. Every tree was monogamous, and they had only soared across the sky before. Who would remember the way?
“Oh! I-If it isn’t Miss Nightgown and the cat.” A voice chimed from a distance.
The two helpless soul looked at their savior, never before feeling such joy at the sight of the hyperactive, coffee addicted March Hare.
“Sungyeol!” Seulyi called out to him, trying to direct the horse to his direction. She kicked the animal, but it had more interest eating the flower bed below its hooves.
Sungyeol laughed, approaching them instead. His black stallion had no problem obeying his will. “Why are you two out here? Where is the Princess and Cupid?” He asked, gazing at his surrounding.
“It is just the two of us today,” Seulyi answered. She stared curiously at the humongous sack over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“I- I have come to c-collect my coffee beans. There is an entire plantation nearby,” Sungyeol beamed from ear to ear.
Sungjong remarked the march hare’s familiarity with the area. “Say, could you show us the way to the hatter’s place? We have been lost for the past few hours.”
“Most certainly. I am certain the hatter would be delighted to see you too,” Sungyeol said, seemingly much calmer today. He obviously hadn’t taken his daily dosage of coffee yet.
The way to hatter’s place was very nearby, but required passing through certain hidden paths to arrive. How could anyone have memorized the route?
Sungyeol got off his horse, opening the door without knocking first. “Myungsoo, you’d be delighted to see whom I picked up in the middle of the forest.”
“Hm?” Myungsso was playing with the broken pieces of an unfortunate teacup, his legs stretched out and leaning against the wooden table. He lazily tilted his head to the door, seeing two familiar figures enter his place. His lips shimmered into a smile. He retracted his feet and stood up immediately to offer them a warm welcome.
“Cat! Miss Nightgown!” He called out, approaching them with open arms.
“My name is Sungjong,” the cat answered. He was in his human form, but his purple cat ears and long cat tail were still visible.
Seulyi had gone quiet when Myungsoo greeted her with a hug, giving her a peck on both sides of her cheeks. Perhaps it was a customary way to greet one another, but considering it was Myungsoo, her face heated up with a red blush.
“To what pleasure do we owe your valuable visitation?” Myungsoo asked, clueless to the change in Seulyi’s color. He could’ve kissed her on the lips and still not understand if she were to faint.
“Uhm… Cause I missed you,” Seulyi mumbled under her breath, grinning at the thought of being kissed by Myungsoo. But when Sungjong nudged her arm, she remembered a much greater importance. “An antidote! Hyunmi tasked me to come and retrieve the antidote to a love potion.”
Myungsoo and Sungyeol stared at one another, cocking their head in confusion.
“Has someone been given a love potion? I don’t recall Woohyun saying anything about it. They seemed so reluctant when I mentioned it last time,” Myungsoo pondered out loud, humming a low note.
“It is quite an emergency. We can’t provide the details for now,” Seulyi tried. She couldn’t possibly confess she had drunk the love potion, neither could she speak of Hyunmi’s suspicions. Yet, they needed that potion.
“If you refuse to help us out, I could always report back to cupid and the princess about your lack of cooperation,” Sungjong spoke, smirking at the hatter who remained stoic despite the threat.
“That shan’t be necessary, my dear feline friend. I am more than willing to help out,” Myungsoo spoke, retrieving a small crystal vial from his pocket. It contained clear liquid inside that brimmed with the reflection of a sparkling diamond. “I do require a certain price.”
“Price?” Seulyi asked, biting her lips with fear. “Money and gold I do not possess. There is nothing of worth I could offer you.”
“Yes, there is, Miss Nightgown. I require a simple price of your time.” Myungsoo smiled as he approached her. He took her hand in his, placed the vial in her palm, and directed her fingers to wrap around it. “I’d like to spend more time with you.”
Seulyi was at a disbelief, too petrified to say anything in return. Her heart jumped with ecstasy. The idea of being with Myungsoo made her feel giddy inside, like fireworks blasting in her mind.
“I shall take your silence as your agreement,” he whispered lowly, releasing his hand from her. His touch left a warmth she wouldn’t forget.
“Come back soon! We’ll be hosting another unbirthday party,” Sungyeol told them, waving his hands as the two left. Then he took a cup of coffee, and returned to his usual crazy self.
Ascending the staircase needed more effort and energy than finding the way to hatter’s lair. Sungjong had transformed into his cat form, demanding Seulyi to carry him up. He should’ve known she would much rather leave him at the foot of the stairs. So they both had no choice but to climb up.
“Hyunmi!” Both called out at the same time, pushing the wooden door open with sweat dripping off their forehead. They panted heavily, snatching a gasp of fresh air, before stomping inside.
The princess was baffled seeing their state, unsure whether she had to show sympathy or take it in a positive light and chuckle. “Did Myungsoo give you the antidote?” She focused on their mission instead.
“Most definitely. He also asked me to spend some time with him,” Seulyi spoke, handing the small vial to her friend. Then she laid down on the bed, letting her heart rate calm down.
“That is wonderful. You do not need my permission to go and meet him,” Hyunmi told her. She held the vial against the light from the window. The night was getting darker—the starlight illuminated through the crystal glass, creating glittering sparkles against the clear liquid. The drink was seemingly harmless, but bore the fate of her heart.
What if she lost her entire feelings for Woohyun? Had she been trapped in a maze of treachery, entirely blinded by love? What if her feelings remained after all? Would it showcase her lack of faith in him? Whatever emotion was spiraling within her, it was strong enough to verbally attack and embarrass her father. The guilt beckoned her to consume the antidote.
“Wait,” Seulyi quickly said, halting the princess from doing anything she would end up regretting. Though it was the princess’ emotion at stake, she felt the anxieties on her friend’s behalf. “What if you’ll lose your feelings? What will you tell Woohyun?”
Obviously, Hyunmi hadn’t thought that far yet. There were too many problems connected to one another—being able to solve at least one would lift a big burden from her shoulder. Honestly, she had no idea what to expect and heard her heartbeat drumming loudly in her ears.
“I suppose there is only one way to find out.”
She stared at the vial in her hand, taking a deep breath before making a commitment she did not know the results of. She had to confirm Woohyun’s innocence. She couldn’t live with doubts and suspicions roaming around the corner of her mind. She wanted to trust him entirely. She needed proof of his genuinity.
In one swift movement, she gulped the entire drink.
Sungjong and Seulyi watched in anticipation, waiting for a change to happen. They had expected something extravagant, preparing for the worst possible scenario, but all it did was causing the princess to cough rather dramatically.
“Hyunmi, are you okay?” Seulyi asked worriedly, wanting to approach her friend. Before she could move a foot, a dark shadow appeared, covering the moonlight’s glow radiating through the window. Her heart sunk in fear, looking up to the window to see the arrival of cupid.
The princess continued coughing, finding support when she clenched her hand against one of the bed’s pillar. The strength momentarily flowed out from her body, and the vial dropped down on the floor with a loud cling. It caught everyone’s attention, including Woohyun’s.
He stepped down from the window sill, a look of confusion suffused his face. His main concern should’ve been his lover’s coughing, but something about the vial pried for his attention. He closed in to her, the coughing muting itself in his mind. He bent down, retrieving the vial in his hand. It was opened and empty. To a normal human being, the liquid was odorless. But to a god of love and affection, he immediately knew what it was.
His eyes reflected his state of perplexity as he stared at the princess. “Did you drink the antidote?” he asked, his voice unstable and laced with fear. He held the vial out to her as a fatal evidence to his question.
The others did not understand why he had tensed up, why he looked so broken and fragile in that moment.
“I did,” Hyunmi answered, feeling the oxygen returning to her lungs. She regained her usual composure, staring at Woohyun to test the condition of her heart. And indeed, there was still a furtive happiness to see him, an eagerness to be with him, and the unconditional desire to love him. Her feelings were genuine. Woohyun hadn’t tricked her. The confirmation made her smile, not realizing the falter in his expression.
“Woohyun, I—”
“How could you do that?” Woohyun shouted, interrupting what she had interpreted as joy. His eyes bore into her with shame, disbelief, and anger all at the same time. The eyebrows furrowed into a frown, an understatement to the overwhelming sense of betrayal he felt.
“W-what?” Hyunmi questioned, silencing her voice a little. She had never seen him this angry. In fact, she had never seen him in his angered state. This image was a new side of him, and she hated the fact she was the reason for it.
“Why would you, out of all people, need to drink an antidote to the love potion?” Woohyun continued asking, shutting his eyes as if he could read the answer in blind darkness.
Hyunmi stared at her friends who were equally silenced, if not, more frightened than she was. They didn’t have an answer for her, she brought this upon herself.
“I heard rumors,” she confessed quietly, trying to maintain eye contact even when he looked murderous. “People told me you gave me a love potion in order to fall for you.”
Her reply was the worst possible answer she could offer. He exhaled a loud and deep sigh, shutting his eyes, running his hand over his hair in disappointment. He then opened his eyes, staring right into her soul. He parted his lips, delivering his heartbroken misery in a short whisper.
“And you believed them?”
Hyunmi parted her lips, replying his statement with a deafening silence. Realization hit her right then and there, registering how foolish she had been. She had professed of her undying love towards him, yet got easily swayed away by little words of skepticism. She declared her faith for him, yet believed others when they spoke of cupid’s ill intention. She should’ve trusted him. She should’ve trusted her feelings for him. She loved him.
“Woohyun, I am—”
Her sentence lingered midway when she noticed something amiss. Woohyun slowly crouched towards the floor, clutching his chest with one hand, gaping his mouth in pain. “What happened to you?”
He quickly held his hand up, stopping her from reaching him. He panted heavily, every single exhale filled with excruciating pain that tortured his entire body. His eyes flickered to the princess, twitching with remorse.
“Remember when I told you gods do not perish?” he questioned, exhaustion in his voice.
“You said gods fall eternally ill instead,” Hyunmi recited, remembering that night.
“A condition far more terrifying than death,” Woohyun said, softening his glance, showing the rawness of his desolated emotion. “To a god of love, the worst damage one could inflict against me, is the absence of trust.”
Hyunmi batted her eyelids, each movement bringing forth the tears. Her heart clenched with unbearable pain, afraid of his words.
“And you, my love, has shown me the greatest act of distrust.”
“Woohyun, it was a mere potion. I only consumed a little. I… I wanted to trust you, and now I do,” Hyunmi spoke, watching in fear when Woohyun started stepping away from her. She started chasing after him, only to tangle her feet against her gown, falling against the floor like the pathetic faith she spoke of. “Please, I never should’ve doubted my feelings in the first place.”
Woohyun leaped unto the window sill, crouching down as he gazed at her with longing in his eyes, and a quiver to his lips. “And yet you did,” he whispered, flashing her a smile she would only remember in her memories.
Because the moment he jumped out of the window and flew away, Hyunmi knew he wasn’t coming back.
Oh, how I adore the drama~
I'm happy I won the bid, so hello to new readers. Thank you also for those who have been commenting or decided not to be a silent reader anymore. I really appreciate it when you take the time to leave a comment. Whether this story is good or bad, read or not, I am determined to finish it. )But I hope you can support me by leaving comments). Hehehe.. thank youuu!
Yay! Won the bid today! I hope you will enjoy the story~ Would love to know your thoughts, so please do leave comments too~ Thank youuu <3
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