*** Chapter 5: Frustration ***

"Father, you must be CRAZY!!!" Changjo unknowingly shouted at the King. But he was kinda anticipating it. "How can you ask me to marry one of my brothers?! And how can you make me the Crown Princess?! There's no way I can ascend to the throne!! People won't accept that!! It's not in our customs for woman to inherit the crown!!"

"Once in our history, there was a woman who ascended to the throne.." the King contended.

"Yes, the legendary Queen Cheonduk. But it was because after the wars period, no male heir was left alive, and the closest relative remained from the previous King was only her. They had no choice back then but to crown her. And yet after her son turned 13, they made him King already and she was forced back into Inner Palace!" The Princess didn't mind to start a nerve war with her father after his ridiculous statement. "While I'm here, having SIX OLDER BROTHERS, how can I.... How can you toss them away?! And on top of that, making me marry one of them?! We are half-siblings.. How can..."

"It also happened in our history, where Prince married his own half-sister. It's not uncommon since the early years of Goryeo Dynasty," King Imho argued.

"But it was centuries ago!!!" Changjo didn't want to back down. "We're in modern age now. Even marriage between cousins are unacceptable!"

"People can have their own opinion, but this thing is not impossible. Besides, I'm giving another choice.. It's not only your broth..."

"But Kang Sunghoon?! Just how in hell I would choose to marry him?!"

"Changjo, mind your words!"

“THE HELL WITH MY WORDS!” The Princess daringly shouted. “I will never marry him, nor will I ever marry one of my brothers! I might as well renounce my title before you do so!”

“That’s enough, Princess!” the King shouted back. “Back to your palace!”

And the Princess didn’t wait to be ordered the second time.

******

“Your Majesty, I guess the things are not going well…”

“I don’t think so," the King gently massaged his own chin. "It’s only Changjo’s reaction that I didn’t expect. The Princes, though, were easy to read as usual. To follow their sister to walk out the room even when I ordered them to stay…”

“Then what would we do about the Princess?”

The King sincerely smiled. “Let’s see how she handle this… Don’t you think she is just like me? I might really put her in line for the throne. Out of my children, it turns out that she’s the one with most similarities with me," he was proud about that. "Don’t you think that I am a good King?”

“You are a good King, Your Majesty, but after tonight, your children might think of you as the worst father ever…”

“They will understand.. eventually…”

******

It’s lunch break in the school. Changjo was at her usual ‘secret garden’ with her friend Hyemi. They were at a corner of the school which was pretty spooky because of the shady trees. She loved to be there, around the pond, because due to the spooky-ness, no other student like to be there. She could spend the time for herself, and her friend, of course.

“I don’t understand what my father is thinking…” she said the sentence for the umpteenth time since the dinner party.

Hyemi gently patted her shoulders. She too was confused about the situation she was witnessing. And at time like this, she usually stay beside her bestfriend. She couldn’t really say anything, but her presence was enough for Changjo. At least there was someone who listened to her problems.

"How can he... I... ascending to the throne is one big problem.. But to add... Why must I marry either one of my brothers or that womanizer Kang Sunghoon??"

"Ssstt.. Changjo-ya.. Don't mention anything about it loudly like that. You know your father ordered that the issue will stay within the Palace's walls," Hyemi reminded her.

"Who cares.. There's no one here but us.."

"But still, Princess.."

"Okay..okay.." Changjo was well aware that her friend could be pretty much annoying if she her nagging mode. But that's what Hyemi needed to have when her bestfriend is the King's daughter who sometimes forget the fact that she's a princess.

“Then.. what will you do now, Changjo-ya.. You can’t let it happen as your father wishes. What about your feelings for...”

“I know, Hyemi-a..” Changjo intercepted. “I’ll think of something. I’m sure my brothers will help me too..”

“Na Hyemi!!” someone was interfering them. But they know who he was. There’s only one person who dared to disturb them just to find Hyemi.

“What is it, Suwon-a?” Hyemi looked at the boy.

“I need your help with something. Class matters,” he replied to his secretary. “Sorry, Princess, I need to borrow Hyemi..”

“It’s okay, Suwon-a…”

“Hey, I’m not a thing to be borrowed and lent,” the skinny girl protested, but she stood up anyway, “You okay alone, Changjo-ya?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” the Princess ensured her.

“I’ll see you at class. Bye…”

After Hyemi left, Changjo was able to enjoy a moment on her own. But it wasn't for long, before someone disturbed her. This time, the uninvited guest was really disturbing.

"Good afternoon, My Princess.."

Changjo closed her eyes. The voice came from her back, but she didn't have a will to face the boy she didn't want to meet the most.

"May I join you here, My Lady?" The boy asked gently with his sweet voice.

Naturally, as the main vocalist of school choir, and also with his handsome traits, the blonde boy would easily seduce any girl in the school. But really, anything related to Kang Sunghoon would make the Princess puke if she could.

"No, I don't need any company, Kang Sunghoon-ssi," she rejected him strongly.

"Ahh.. Don't be like that.." he ignored the annoyed tone of the girl and daringly sat beside her. "Don't you think we should spend more time together?" He grinned, "We'll get married eventually. We should know each other better, don't we?"

"You're too confident, Mr. PM's son," Changjo shot a glare at the over-confident boy. "Who says I'm going to marry you? You'll never be my husband!"

"Ouch.. Don't deny the fact, My Lady. There's no way you would marry one of your brothers. It's biologically taboo."

"Better be them than you!"

"Oh, come on, Princess, don't hate me too much. They say the more you hate someone, the more you'll beg for his love in the end.." he attempted to take the girl's hand in his, but the girl quickly snatch it away.

Sunghoon somehow became irritated when he saw the disgusted look on Changjo's face. He turned impatient. His hand quickly grabbed the girl's hand, and gripped it strongly. The girl was amazed by the boy's sudden strength. He didn't have a look of a strong guy, especially when she knew about his past.

"Let me go!" She shook her hand, but the grip stayed firm.

"Get off of my hand!" The girl attempted to release her hand again when the boy didn't reply. She even used her other hand to take off his hand, but really, she never knew that he was an unpredictably strong boy.

In the end Sunghoon even grabbed her free hand and now his hands are gripping tightly both Princess's hand.

"What do you think you're doing, Kang Sunghoon?!"

"That's enough, Princess!" He daringly yelled at her. "I've been trying to be nice to you since I know you dislike anything about my household! You can diss anyway you like to brand our family as greedy power-seekers. But you don't know anything about that! You don't understand our struggles!"

He pulled his body closer to the girl. "My aunt might have failed to be one of your father's wives. But I.." he drew his face closer, "I'll put everything at stake, not to miss this chance..."

"Then perhaps.." out of nowhere, there was someone else who intercepted the tension between Changjo and Sunghoon. "You should be able to do something about Ko Jiyong.." Jiwon walked calmly, but eyes stared straight into Sunghoon's with challenging manner. 

Sunghoon was startled with the mention of the name. "Who are you? How could you.."

"I'm not a popular boy so you don't need to know who I am. But pretty much everyone in this school know about you and Ko Jiyong," the older boy replied casually, but not decreasing the tension in his look.

"You.. You're the 3rd Year country boy.. There's no way you know what you're talking.."

"Oh, I know.." Jiwon stood right in front of him. "I might come from small village, but I've been here for almost three years, so I DO know about the issue when your father beat Ko Jiyong's father in the election, but he was still afraid of Mr. Ko's powers and influences, until he falsely impeached that man and banished him out of the country!"

Sunghoon's eyes widened. He forgot about Changjo and stood up challenging his senior. "No it's not true! My dad did not falsely impeach him. He was truly at fault!"

Jiwon shortened the distance between them. "You know better, Kang Sunghoon-ssi. You know well about the fact. And even when Ko Jiyong was your bestfriend, you didn't do anything to save him..."

"NO!! YOU'RE WRONG!!!" Sunghoon yelled loudly. If moments ago he seemed proud and confident, now he sounded nothing but desperation. "You don't know anything about it!! NO!! Stop saying anything like..."

"Oh, I see you are truly afraid of your father.." Jiwon grabbed his collar, staring him with intimidating look, then he whispers something right in his ear, that no one but them could hear it. "Perhaps you're afraid that your father will know your real relationship with Ko Jiyong, so you chose to stand still rather than caught red-handed? You can't just abandon the glory your family providing you.." Jiwon snorted, "Am I right?"

"What are you.." Sunghoon still try to deny it, but Jiwon didn't look like losing.

"Perhaps I should tell your father about what you did with Jiyong in Hawaii?" Jiwon was still whispering, Changjo couldn't understand what the nerve-war was for.

Sunghoon eyes went to it maximum size upon hearing Jiwon's statement. "How... How the hell..."

"And perhaps you should look for Jiyong as fast as you can.. Before he hates you for good..."

Sunghoon couldn't counter anymore. No one knew about his secret with Jiyong. No one. But if somehow, the boy before him could knew it, then his secret must be leaking.

"No..Jiyong-a..." Sunghoon really forgot about Changjo, and he ran away just like that.

The Princess was left alone with her senior.

"Sunbaenim, what was that? What were you talking about? He could you make him frightened like that?" Changjo stood up and bombarded him with questions, but he stop her.

"Next time you were harassed by a boy..." he's speaking as he grabbed the girl's hand and raised it for them to see the apparent red marks left by Sunghoon strong grip. "You should slap, or punch or even kick him with all you might. Even if the boy looks thin and fragile, don't underestimate him. You never know what man can do against woman!"

"It's not that I don't want to punch him!" Changjo knew she was overpowered by Sunghoon just now, but she was too embarrassed to admit it. "But I have my reasons."

She told him a totally different story about why she never hit Sunghoon. She wasn't scared of the Prime Minister, but the last time she slapped his son, he got her security detail to be beaten. The old fox stated that his reason wasn't to repay the hit his son got, but to punish the guard herself because she made the Princess laid a hand to anybody herself. It should had been the guard's duty, he said, with a wide grin spread across his face. Changjo really hated it when he twisted his tongue, and she knew that deep in his head, he just couldn't take anyone hurting his precious spoiled son.

"But still, Your Highness," Jiwon was waving their hands up between them, "You can't let things like this happen to you! What if he intended to do something bad to you? Where is your security detail? You can't tell her.."

"What do you think you are doing?"

Again the Princess' tension was interfered by someone else. But she widened his eyes this time. It was her most temperamental and strong brother, Junjin, who came walking slowly to them. His face clearly told that he was not happy to find a boy holding his dear sister's hand with intriguing tension between them.

"Oppa..." Changjo quickly drew her hand from Jiwon's grip. "It's unlike what you're thinking."

"Oh yeah?"

Changjo quickly stepped in front on Jiwon, blocking him from Junjin's furious glare. "He was just saving me, oppa, from Kang Sunghoon," she explained hurriedly.

"Really?" Junjin was listening to his sister, but not lowering his stance for Jiwon.

"Yes, oppa, please.." she pushed her brother. "He did nothing to me.."

"But as a savior or not.. He shouldn't be holding your hand as he wishes like that.." Junjin's arguing.

"I know, Your Highness," Jiwon admitted, "I'm sorry for being impolite."

"Sunbaenim.. you're not being impoli..." Changjo argued, but she was cut by the oldest boy.

"No, Princess, your brother was right."

"Sunbaenim.." Changjo's insisting.

Jiwon ignored Changjo and turned toward the tall Prince. "I believe Princess Changjo is save with you, Your Highness. But if I may suggest, perhaps you could teach Her Highness some defense techniques, to lessen her chance to be harmed by anyone."

"I will. Thank you for the suggestions, sunbaenim.." Junjin grabbed his sister shoulder and gently force her to come with him, leaving Jiwon alone with some twisted grin in his face.

******

"Oppa.. We still have classes to attend..." Changjo was prostesting when Junjin dragged her into MMA gym.

"I won't let things like this slip again, Changjo-ya. Eun Jiwon was right," he raised both Changjo's hand that still showing some faint red marks left by Sunghoon. "I and Hyesungie hyung always teach you to be strong. But look at this! What happened? Where is your self-defence? What is it with Sunghoon? Were you still in your policy not to lay any hands on that foxy boy? You should just kick his ! We can deal with those old men later. Your safety is first! Who knows what will happen if no one stop him? You want to make me worry till death? Where's Aejong? Why do you ask her to leave you alone at school? You know there are dangers..."

"Oppa, please, Stop!" Changjo had to shout a bit, unless she want to let herself being bombarded with Junjin's countless nagging.

Junjin, miraculously, wasn't even panting after spurting a train of sentences just now. He glared at his sister, in silence.

Changjo knew her brother is waiting for explanations. She briefly told him about what happen in the garden, but that's enough to make this temperamental brother of her wanting to find Sunghoon right away and make some counts with him.

"Oppa, please, don't.." Changjo stopped him. "I...well... There's something about Sunghoon that I don't understand.. He looked really terrified after his talk with Jiwon sunbae... Maybe the rumours are true."

"True or not, what the hell do we care about?" Junjin snapped. "What do you care? Why do you start to care about him? Don't tell me you're considering to marry him? If the rumours are true, there should be no way he can.."

"Oppa, I never consider to marry him! You know I won't. How can I respect a boy who chose power against friendship?" Changjo cut him before he got too far. "You know how our mothers teach us to put friendship and love above others. We should never deal with anybody like him. He can't be a part of our family. I know that! I am never interested with him anyway."

"But.."

"I'm just trying to see things from his perspective, oppa," Changjo softly continued. "All this time, all we did is hating his family. He is part of Kang family, yes, but what if somehow he wishes that he is not?"

Junjin silently listened to his sister thoughts.

"I did hear Jiwon sunbae mention something about Ko Jiyong," the girl continued. "Now what of the rumours are true? What if he's really a gay, or bi? What if he actually has something going on with Ko Jiyong? Oppa.. Sunghoon might lives in living hell. Back then in the garden, when he gripped my hands tightly, I thought I felt some kind of.. frustration, or desperation.." Changjo thought seriously. "His family... They will never accept him that way.. Perhaps that's why he becomes such a womanizer... To unleash his pent up frustration.."

"Even when he has problems within himself and with his family, he should has faced it bravely," Junjin retorted. "Hiding his true self and sacrificing it.. He's a coward.."

"Jinnie oppa.. This kind of thing is easily said, but to do it...no.. It won't be easy..."

"Whatever then," Junjin raised his shoulders, "Now why are we talking about Kang Sunghoon? We have things to be done here. Come, I really need to make you master 3 basic steps to defend yourself."

"Oppa.. I..."

"One," Junjin was insisting, "Stomp his feet," Junjin spoke as he practice the move, stomping the floor hard.

"Two, punch his nose," and he was punching a shadow.

"Three, kick his with your leg, or knee, whichever possible, but make sure you hit it hard!"

"Oppa..."

"Now practice it!" He gave his order.

Changjo didn't have any choice but to do what he said.

"You have to put all your energy! Now, try to do it to me!"

"What?! You ask me to punch you?" Changjo was really surprised.

"Yes! I have to know your strength so I'll know how to fix and increase it."

"Oppa.. I CAN'T hit you.." she reasoned. "Why must I? I love you and I don't wanna hurt you.."

"Oh, you love me? Then, you wanna marry me?" He winked.

And that earned him an annoyed look from his baby sister.

"Nah.. That's the spirit! You're mad at me, right? Now come and punch me!"

"No," Changjo returned to her usual self. "Still, I won't hit you..."

She turned her body and started to walk away, leaving her brother. Just as she predicted, Junjin was trying to stop her by reaching her shoulder. Once his hand touch her, she grabbed it tightly, and her other hand grabbed his collar. She pulled her brother's arm and pushed all her body weight bowing forward in one direction. Then, surprisingly, she overthrew her heaviest brother over her shoulders.

"Ouchh.." Junjin groaned once his body hit the floor. "Next time, I wish you'll warn me if you're going to use your Judo technique. I'm lucky I realized it quick enough so I have a safer landing!"

"See? I'm still strong enough to overthrow you. You don't have to worry about me that much," Changjo eyes were delighted in her victory.

"Yeah, but that's a pulling technique. We still have to work on your punching skill. Come on..."

This time he's dragging her to a hanged sandsack. He stood behind it and asked her to do anything, either punching and kicking. She's not hitting him directly, but from the impact, he'll still be able to measure her strength.

Actually it wasn't that dissapointing. "You are as good as going back to Judo club, Changjo-ya. You still have the power," he flattered.

"No.. I love dancing more," Changjo replied, still kicking the sandsack. "And you know well I left Judo club in Junior High, I've forgotten lots of techniques. I remember only that one just now."

"Because that's your specialty move," Junjin complied. "But really, dear, your body will remember everything once you're back into it."

"I'll think about it, oppa. But for now, I just wanna dance..."

Changjo continued to hit the sack for few more punches when suddenly they heard the door was slammed.

"Prince Junjin and Princess Changjo... What...do...you...think...you...are...doing...?"

They turned their face to the source of low and slow voice. It's one of their brothers, the one who hated it the most if one of them, especially Junjin, skipped the class. That Prince was staring at them, blankly. But somehow, they could feel dark clouds were hanging above him.

"Omaigod..." Changjo gulped.

Junjin gulped too. "Zomdy..."

*** to be continued ***