== PROLOGUE ==

I can bear any longing for you, but I can’t bear when I can’t see you again here. I can’t bear when I can’t get you into my touch again. For me, you’re my only one the reason for me to continue this hell-like living. I want to be with you again, I’ll be with you again, even for the next life. I’ll always the one who’ll find you even if you can’t recognized me, but my heart always be know that is you.

(May 18^th, 2017)

 

== CHAPTER 8 ==

6 years ago…

            Today, at the Crown Princess quarters, Crown Prince looks really anxious and also nervous. He really hopes that today he can have a son that can be the next Crown Prince. Meanwhile, at the room, Ji Hyeon’s struggling to give births her third children with the Crown Prince.

            “The baby will come out soon,” said the obstretician. “A bit more…”

            After struggling for almost 2 hours, finally the baby is born.

            “You gave birth to a Princess,” said Lady Song.

            “Take a look, she is really beautiful like butterfly,” said the obstetrician.

            Ji Hyeon even won’t to take a look at the baby that she just gave born to.

            “Take her away!” said Ji Hyeon.

            “Gongju Mama [Your Highness]…”

            “Take her away, it’s an order!” said Ji Hyeon.

            Forcefully, Lady Song took the baby out from Ji Hyeon’s room. But there’s Crow Prince who wait for the baby.

            “Why did you take the baby?” asked the Crown Prince as he saw Lady Song.

            “Joesonghamnida, Joha [Forgive me, Your Highness], but the Crown Princess said to take this baby away,” said Lady Song.

            “Why?” asked the Crown Prince.

            “Moreugesseumnida, Joha [I don’t know, Your Highness],” answer Lady Song.

            “Then, let me hold my baby,” said the Crown Prince.

            Lady Song gave the baby to the Crown Prince. Crown Prince looked at his children.

            “She is…” the Crown Prince was going to asked about the baby.

            “The Princess,” said Lady Song.

            “Princess? Again?” ask the Crown Prince.

            “Ye, Joha [Yes, Your Highness],” answer Lady Song.

            “It’s okay. She’s really beautiful. I’ll name her with Na Bi. Lee Na Bi,” said the Crown Prince.

            The maid and the obstretician came out from Ji Hyeon’s room after they done helping the birth process.

            “How is the Crown Princess condition?” asked the Crown Prince.

            “She is alright,” answer the obstetrician.

            “May I come to see her?” asked the Crown Prince again.

            “Ye, Joha [Yes, Your Highness],” said the obstetrician.

            The Crown Prince hand the baby to Lady Song because the baby need some treatment and process too. Then he entered Ji Hyeon’s room. He saw Ji Hyeon still laying down in her bed and look really weak. Clear enough that she uses so much energy to gave births her baby.

            “Ji Hyeon-a…”

            The Crown Prince comes to her but Ji Hyeon didn’t even care that the Crown Prince, his husband is coming to see her.

            “How is your condition? Is you alright?” asked the Crown Prince.

            Ji Hyeon didn’t say anything and kept silent. She even turned her face to avoid the Crown Prince. She must be really hates him.

            “We have a princess again,” said the Crown Prince.

            Ji Hyeon still ignores him.

            “Do you know that she is really beautiful like a butterfly? She is even as beautiful as you. So I give her name Lee Na Bi,”

            “I don’t even want to see her,”

            The Crown Prince really startled by Ji Hyeon’s sudden statement.

            “Why? Is it because you are afraid that King would blame you because we can’t have a son?”

            “That’s not the case, but I just don’t want to see her,”

            “Ji Hyeon-a…”

            “Just take her away from my sight,”

            “But she is our daughter---,”

            “I will never take her as my daughter,”

            The Crown Prince lost his words. He can’t say anything again.

            “Leave me alone,” said Ji Hyeon.

            “Arattda [I understand],” answer the Crown Prince.

            After Ji Hyeon asked him to leave her alone, the Crown Prince left Ji Hyeon’s room. Now he is understand that Ji Hyeon must be really hates him to death. Even now, she doesn’t want to take their children as her daughter.

End of flashback…

***

 

            Na Bi walks alone to her room, but on the way to her room, she meets Ha Rin, Ha Na and Dae Hwi.

            “Waeyo [What’s wrong], Na Bi-ya?” asked Ha Rin.

            “Eonnideul [Sisters],” greet Na Bi.

            “Why do you look so down?” asked Dae Hwi.

            “Gwaenchanhayo [It’s okay],” answer Na Bi.

            “Did your mother left you again?” asked Ha Na carefully.

            “No, she never left me though,” answer Na Bi with her smile.

           But Ha Na, Ha Rin and Dae Hwi already know about that, about the fact that Ji Hyeon treats Na Bi coldly. So they asked Na Bi to join them for some strolling at the city.

            “Na Bi-ya, how about you join us for some strolling?” asked Ha Rin.

            “Yes, we are going to the city to take a look,” said Dae Hwi.

            “But---,” Na Bi hesitates to join them.

            “It’s okay, I’ll talk to the Crown Prince later for you,” said Ha Na.

            Na Bi agreed to join them. Ha Na, Ha Rin and Dae Hwi take her to go outside the palace, with some maids and their personal royal lady as their guardian. They came to the libabry at Ministry of Education Office. They came to read some books. Accidentally, Minister of Education Chae is also there. He knows that they’re the princess but he didn’t say anything, especially when he saw Na Bi, her grand daughter also came to his libabry too.

            When they take a read to some book, there’s a scene that caught their eyes.

            “Wow, who’s them?” asked Ha Na.

            Ha Na, Ha Rin and Dae Hwi stare at 3 boys who sort some books and put it in a rack.

            “I’ve never seen them before,” said Ha Rin.

            “Maybe they’re the sons of some nobleman,” said Dae Hwi.

            “Then, can we be friends with them?” asked Ha Rin. “They look like a good friend too,”

            “Let ask them, then,” said Dae Hwi.

            Ha Na, Ha Rin and Dae Hwi forgot that Na Bi was there with them. Instead, they come to bother the 3 boys who busy working.

            “Annyeong [Hi],” greets Ha Na to the boy who looks older than her.

            “Nugushibsio [Who are you]?” asked the boy.

            “Ah, I am… Ha Na,” answer Ha Na.

            “What do you want? Do you want to read some books?” asked the boy.

            “Yeah… I want to read some books… but I can’t find them,” answer Ha Na.

            “Whick book?” asked the boy.

            “Jamkkan [Wait], do you guys worked here? Isn’t it illegal to have underage worked here as a bookkeeper?” asked Ha Rin.

            “No, we are not,” said the boy who looks younger.

            “We came here to help our father who works here,” said that boy’s twin.

            “Ah, is that so…” said Dae Hwi.

            “Then, may we ask your name?” asked Ha Na. “Maybe we can be friend since we don’t have that much friend at---,”

            “We don’t have that much friend at our neighborhood,”

            Ha Rin cut off Ha Na’s word before she tells them their real identity.

            “I am Dae Hwi,” she introduced herself.

            “I am Ha Rin, I am Ha Na’s younger sister,” said Ha Rin.

            The boys only looked at each other.

            “Hwa Rang,” said the older boy.

            “Hwa Rang? Is it your name?” asked Ha Rin.

            “Yoo Hwa Rang,” said the boy.

            “What a pretty name,” said Ha Na.

            “This is Yoon Gi and Yoon Jin, my younger brother,” said Hwa Rang.

            “Then from now on, we are friends, right?” asked Dae Hwi.

            “Yeah,” answer Yoon Gi.

            Meanwhile, at another place in the library, Na Bi looks so lost. Because her sisters lefts her and focused with their new friends and forgot about Na Bi. But then she meets Ki Hyun who put some book in a rack.

            “Ahjusshi [Uncle],” said Na Bi.

            Ki Hyun startled because there’s a children who came into the library and she looks so lost.

            “Waeyo [Why]?” asked Ki Hyun.

            “Can you help me?” asked Na Bi. “I think I am lost here because I can’t find my sisters,”

            “So you came here with your sisters?” asked Ki Hyun.

            Na Bi nodded to answer Ki Hyun’s question.

            “Arasseo [I know], I’ll help you to find them here,” said Ki Hyun.

            Ki Hyun hold Na Bi’s hand and help her to find her sisters in a big place that full with books. As he heard some laugh sounds, he takes Na Bi to the place where that laugh sounds be heard.

            “Is it your sisters?” ask Ki Hyun.

            Na Bi looks at three girls who chatted with three boys.

            “Yes, they are my sisters,” said Na Bi.

            “Thankfully because we can find them,” said Ki Hyun. “Go there then so that you didn’t lost to your sisters again,”

            “Gomabseumnida, Ahjusshi [Thank you, Uncle],” said Na Bi.

            “Gwaenchanha [It’s fine],” said Ki Hyun while Na Bi’s hair.

            As he Na Bi’s hair, strangely he feels something that familiar to him. The strange feeling that comes into his mind and suddenly reminds him of Ji Hyeon when he Na Bi’s hair, as if he sees Ji Hyeon at Na Bi’s face.

            “Ahjusshi [Uncle],”

            “Hm?”

            “Why did you look so familiar to me?”

            “Eh?”

            “I feel like I am secure when I am with you. I feel like I am with my own father,”

            “How can that be? We just met here,”

            “I don’t know,”

            “Aigoo~ who’s your name?”

            “Na Bi,”

            “What a beautiful name,”

            “And your name, Uncle?”

            Before Ki Hyun answer to Na Bi’s question, the three sisters just realized that Na Bi is there. They totally forgot about Na Bi and focused to Hwa Rang, Yoon Gi and Yoon Jin as their new friend.

            “Na Bi-ya…” called Ha Rin.

            “Eonni [Sister],” said Na Bi.

            “Seems like we should go back now,” said Ha Na.

            “Let’s meet again later,” said Dae Hwi to Hwa Rang, Yoon Gi and Yoon Jin.

            “Kaja [Let’s go],” said Ha Rin.

            “Jamkkan [Wait],” said Na Bi.

            “Why?” asked Ha Na.

            “Ahjusshi [Uncle], we should meet again later too,” said Na Bi.

            “Geurae [Alright], Na Bi-ya…” answer Ki Hyun.

            Ha Na, Ha Rin, Dae Hwi and Na Bi left the library. Ki Hyun and his sons also get back to do their work. But without them knowing, Minister Chae kept watching them and he can’t believe about what was happened before his eyes earlier.

            “Aigoo~ how can that be?”

            He is wondering it himself. He is purposely hidden in some place so that his grand daughter didn’t see him. If his grand daughters saw him there, it would hurt Ki Hyun and his sons. Because it would really cause a great harm to Ki Hyun’s sons if they found out that the one of those girls shared the same mother with them. Not only for his sons but for Ki Hyun too, because if he found out that Na Bi, the girl that just talk to him earlier is his wife’s daughter with another man.

            “Why is it so hurt to bear?” asked Minister Chae to himself.

            He even finds that it’s really hurt to see that painful scene that happened right before his eyes. He can’t imagine how Ki Hyun and his sons must felt.

***

 

            Meanwhile, at the palace, the King order Crown Prince and Crown Princess to come to his quarters. He told them to come because he needs to tell important matter to them personally.

            “You are here?” asked the King as he saw Crown Prince and Crown Princess arrived.

            “Ye, Jeonha [Yes, Your Majesty],” answer the Crown Prince.

            “Anja [Take a sit],” said the King.

            The situation seems to be more serious after the King told them to sit.

            “I have something important that I need to discuss with both of you. It’s related to the next Crown Prince topic,” said the King.

            The Crown Prince looks nervous and anticipates what might the King said. But Ji Hyeon looks really calm.

            “Because the Crown Princess can’t birth to a son to be the next Crown Prince, and as I thought carefully about that too, I think it’s not a good choice to exiled Lee Shi Ma. I planned to restructures our royal custom so it didn’t cause harm to the royal family again. And I think I can consider what the Crown Princess said at the family meeting,”

            “What do you mean?” asked the Crown Prince.

            “I planned to marry you to a daughter of Prime Minister Im,”

            “What?”

            “We can take her as your royal concubine,”

            The Crown Prince really started because of the King sudden announcement.

            “Jeonha [Your Majesty], but I can’t marry another woman,” said the Crown Prince. “I only loved Ji Hyeon and I only can see her as my wife,”

            “Jeonha [Your Majesty], you made a good decision,” said Ji Hyeon.

            The Crown Prince looked at Ji Hyeon.

            “I am glad you can consider my suggestion to have royal concubine so that we can have the next Crown Prince soon. I am also glad that you planned to change our royal custom so that Lee Shi Ma still can be here, at the palace, with us, and she don’t need to suffer outside there,”

            “I think about it carefully and what you said does make a sense,”

            “Gamsahamnida, Jeonha [Thank you, Your Majesty],”

            “Since you are the one who suggest this marriage, I think I don’t need to ask for your permission again to let your husband, the Crown Prince marry to another woman,”

            “I’m sure that I’ll give him my permission,”

            “Very well,” said the King. “Then, I’ll ask the Prime Minister to prepare his daughter to be the royal concubine,”

            “Jeonha [Your Majesty],”

            “It’s an order,” said the King. “If you dare to against my order, then I’ll give you severe punishment,”

            “But---,”

            “The Crown Princess as your wife even gave you her permission to marry another woman. But why did you so worked up about that?”

            The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess left the King’s quarters. But soon as they stepped out from the King’s quarters, the Crown Prince hold Ji Hyeon hand and planned to take her somewhere.

            “Leave us alone,” said the Crown Prince when he saw that his personal maid and Ji Hyeon’s personal maids tried to follow them.

            “Ye, Joha [Yes, Your Highness],”

            The Crown Prince dragged Ji Hyeon to the quiet place at the palace. He takes her to the pavilion behind the main hall.

            “Nwa [Let go of me]!” said Ji Hyeon.

            The Crown Prince let go of Ji Hyeon’s hand.

            “What are you planned about?” ask the Crown Prince.

            “I didn’t planned anything,”

            “Why did you give your permission for me to marry another woman?”

            “What so wrong about that? You should be happy because you can have another woman at your side,”

            “Gongju [Princess]!”

            The Crown Prince can’t hold in it anymore. He is really upset about what was happened earlier.

            “Why did you---,”

            He still tried to hold his anger.

            “You know that I only loved you in this world, so why did you give your permission that easily for me to marry another woman?”

            “Should I explain that when you already known about that?”

            “Mwoga [What is it]?”

            “The King wants you to have a son, so you should marry to another woman since I can’t give you a son to be the next Crown Prince,”

            “I can’t take it as your reason,”

            “It doesn’t matter to me,”

            Ji Hyeon really cold towards the Crown Prince, even more colds and hards than before.

            “Do you--- Do you ever loved me?” asked the Crown Prince.

            Ji Hyeon looked into the Crown Prince’s eyes.

            “Should I---,”

            “Or do you still love that man? Yoo Ki Hyun?”

            “Yes,” answer Ji Hyeon without a hesitant ever for a second. “I am still love that man named Yoo Ki Hyun,”

            The Crown Prince only laughed. He laughed at himself because he finds it funny. He became a laughingstock even for himself.

            “After such a long time and you still loved that man that much?”

            “I will loved him until I die,”

            “Have you ever thought of me? Have you ever thought of my feelings? Why did you hate me that much? Why did you still love that man?”

            “Should I think of you when you never think of me? When you even never think of my childrens out there? When you only care about your own feelings?”

            “Ji Hyeon-a…”

            “Look! How selfish you are!”

            “You always said that I am selfish, but you, yourself, you even never think of me. I am your husband and you know that I loved you since long ago but you even never take a look into my heart. You never care that I loved you so much and I want you to be by my side, forever. You even never care that you hurt me so much when I know that now you even hate me that much. Have you ever thought that I am in pain too? Ji Hyeon-a…”

            “Geumanhaera [Stop it],”

 

To be continued…