(Night time, Haesoo was the last to leave the tea house, once she’s made sure all the maids have gone, she went to Eun and Soondeok’s room)

Haesoo: ‘Is everything alright, Your Highness? Do you need anything else? Did anything unpleasant happen today?’

Eun: ‘No, we’re good, thanks for asking, Soo ah.’

Haesoo: ‘Then, good evening to both of you, the maids have retired to their quarters now so feel free to move about.’

(Haesoo leaves, but Soondeok follows her out and calls out to her)

‘Haesoo.’

‘My Lady, how can I help you?’

‘Is it possible that you take me to the West gate now?’

‘Well, I suppose so, there’s a row of storerooms there that I go often so the guards know me well. The sun is setting so we better hurry or we won’t be allowed to go. Ah, carry a notebook and follow me, pretend to be someone to help me out with the stock charting, I’ll lead you there without people suspecting you.’

‘Thank you.’

-------------------------------------

‘Over there, there’s the West gate.’

‘Yes, there it is, My Lady.’

(Haesoo and Soondeok looking out from behind a wall)

‘There are a lot of guards there, My Lady, more than usual.’

‘I know, just as Jung said. See that storeroom over there, third from the left, I need to go in that one.’

‘Sure, follow me.’

(Both of them walk to the storeroom in a normal manner, trying not to raise suspicion from the guards just a few feet away from them. Haesoo gives them a polite nod and they nodded back with a smile – all the guards like her, that’s one thing no one can deny, Haesoo’s got the beauty that no man on earth can resist. Soondeok keeps her head down, afraid that one of the guards will recognize her, but she didn’t need to worry, all of them had their eyes on Haesoo, they barely noticed her following behind. They enter the store room without any trouble.)

‘My Lady, what do you have in mind?’

‘Remember this place, Haesoo. This is Plan B.’

‘Plan B?’

‘If I ever tell you to bring the prince to safety, this is where I mean.’

(Soondeok walks Haesoo over to a corner and lifts the straw mat)

‘See here, there’s a trapdoor underneathe.’

‘Lady Soondeok.’

‘Haesoo, if anything goes wrong…be sure to bring the prince here and have him go down the tunnel, he’ll be able to leave the palace this way.’

‘But…why didn’t you two leave this way then?’

‘It’s a risky route of escape, as you see back then, there’re a lot of guards nearby. We barely made it into the palace without getting caught in the middle of the night.’

(Soondeok makes her way down)

‘My Lady, where are you going? Be careful! You’re with child!’

‘I need to make sure this tunnel is still in a good condition. Last time we entered the palace, some soldiers were following us, I don’t know if they’ve blocked the tunnel or not. I’ll be back in a minute.’

(After some time, Soondeok makes her way back out)

‘Thank goodness the tunnel is in good shape, so yes, should anything go wrong, bring the prince here.’

‘But…the guards will definitely spot us. I mean, with you, you can disguise as a maid, but for the prince…’

‘I’ll handle the guards.’

‘My Lady…you don’t mean…’

‘I’ll distract them and lead them away from this storeroom for you to bring the prince in here, then when I get the chance, I’ll escape too.’

‘But there’ll be too many of them, you can’t possibly handle them all by yourself, My Lady.’

‘I can try, the key is to not let the prince fall into their hands.’

‘My Lady…’

‘If that time does come, there will be no time for sentiment. You must bring the prince here and help him escape, understand?’

‘Of course I will help…but I don’t think the prince will run away on his own while knowing you’ll be here holding the guards off.’

‘That’s why I’m asking you, Haesoo.’

(Soondeok holds her hand)

‘You’re his first love, and frankly, there’s still a place for you in his heart, he’ll listen to you if you insist on coming, I’m sure.’

‘My Lady…’

(Soondeok smiles)

‘Since it’s you, I have nothing to worry about, I know you’re someone to be trusted, and I know that even if I don’t make it, the prince won’t have a hard time since he’s with you.’

‘But-’

‘Now, let’s get out of here. Oh, that bag of tea in the corner, I’ll carry that out with you so the guards won't find things odd.’

(Haesoo looks at Soondeok like she’s got something to tell her. In fact, she’s got many things to say to her, about her vision of their death, how the 4^th prince will see that none of them leave the palace alive. But in the end, Haesoo swallows those words and leads Soondeok back out.)

-------------------------------------------

(Night. Eun screams into his pillow.)

‘Oppa, what’s wrong?’

‘I can’t take it anymore! I need to go out! Out of this room! This prison! I need to go out.’

‘I never stopped you, Oppa, you could always go out at night, it’s you that’s too scared to even open the door and step out.’

‘I’m not scared, okay? I’m just…playing safe, I mean it’s my life we’re talking about here!’

‘Well, are you going out tonight or not? I mean, it’s the last evening for us, may as well walk around and say goodbye to this place.’

(So Eun and Soondeok walks around the teahouse, hand in hand.)

‘Remember these stairs? I was there on top wearing that bear fur while you and Prince Jung was standing here. Boy I really scared you back then, didn’t I Oppa?’

(Eun smiles in memory)

‘Yes, yes you did my dear, little did I know how much I’ll fall for you afterwards.’

(Both of them looks around, the place where Eun’s birthday party was held)

‘It’s so empty here now…on my birthday there were maids, dancers, people who played the instruments, my siblings…it’s the same place, but everything’s different.’

‘People change, Oppa, we can’t stop that from happening.’

‘Indeed.’

(Eun holds her hand tighter)

‘And I’m glad I changed because of you, Deok ah.’

(They walk to the kitchen and Soondeok starts looking around for the stove that’s still hot)

‘Deok ah, what are you doing?’

‘If we put it in the stove now, it’ll still burn.’

‘Burn? What do you want to burn?’

(Soondeok takes out 2 books – their diaries. Eun’s shocked to see it in her hands.)

‘D…Deok ah! How did you? When did you? I…my…diary-’

‘I took it away with me when we left in a hurry that night.’

‘You brought that with you even in such a chaos?’

‘I can’t let these fall into the wrong hands, though I’m pretty sure the king would’ve burnt the whole residence to the ground sooner or later, but still, I got them here.

‘How did you know where I put my diary, Deok ah?’

‘How hard is it for me to find out? Oh don’t worry, I didn’t read any of it, I respect you and your little secrets, if you have any.’

‘The thing is…why do you want to burn them, Soondeok ah?’

‘There’s no use keeping them, we can’t carry a lot of things with us when we leave, may as well make sure no one else will read it.’

(Just as Soondeok’s about to throw it in, Eun stops her)

‘They hold our memories, or stories, our love…keep it, we can decide to not bring other stuff, but these is a must for us to keep, a must.’

‘What if we’re caught and someone else reads it?’

‘Trust me, there’s nothing much in my diary that other people can’t read about.’

‘Then why did you write a diary for?!’

‘Whatever the case, I’m not going to burn them, not now, not here.’

‘Fine, if that’s what you want, Oppa.’

‘Shall we go back inside? It’s getting a bit chilly.’

‘Yeah, let’s go back, we have a big day tomorrow.’

------------------------------------

(Laying in bed, both of them facing each other, saying the last words of the day before shutting their eyes and sleep)

‘Oppa…I love you.’

‘You say that every night darling, I know.’

‘Because I’ll never know if it’ll be the last night I spend with you, Oppa.’

‘Well I love you too, Deok ah, so very very much.’

(Eun kisses her on the forehead)

‘Deok ah, you know what I regretted most so far in my life?’

‘When you had to decide to kill our baby in order to save me?’

‘No…I mean, that was a painful decision, but not that, I regretted not loving you sooner…’

‘Oh my dear prince…’

‘I feel kind of foolish to say that now but…I just want you to know-’

‘I know, I know, I understand – so let’s say no more of this, okay?’

‘Okay.’

(Soondeok holds Eun’s hands)

‘Oppa, you must listen to me tomorrow.’

‘I do that now, my dear wife.’

‘No, I mean, you have to listen to everything I say, everything, there will be no time for argument, no time for hesitation, no time for whining tomorrow, understand?’

‘If that’s what you want from me…you won’t ask me to do something stupid though, right?’

‘I’m going to save you, that’s what I’ll do tomorrow, to get you out of the palace in one piece, alive and well.’

‘And with you.’

‘Oppa.’

‘I’m not leaving without you, Deok ah, you know that.’

‘For the sake of us, for the sake of both of us, you may have to go first tomorrow – but don’t worry, I’ll follow right after. So promise me, Oppa, promise me you’ll listen to me tomorrow, please.’

‘You’re asking something tough from me, wife…’

‘I know…I’m sorry…I just-’

‘I’ll try to listen to you tomorrow, Deok ah, I will, if listening to you means keeping you alive. If you die, what point is there for me to stay alive?’

‘Oppa…’

‘I can’t live without you, Deok ah, I can’t, if anything happens to you, I’ll go with you, if we die, we shall die together. We made a vow when we wed, remember?’

‘We didn’t vow to die together, Oppa.’

‘But I vowed to protect you with my life, as your husband, it is my duty to do so, and willingly I shall when that time comes. I know these past couple of days has been hard on you, you never had a decent sleep in fear that something will happen in the middle of the night, I know that darling. Every time I ask if you’re alright, you would say you’re fine when in fact you’ve got millions of worry in your head, I know that too wife…I know…but tonight, at least tonight, I want you to throw all that thought behind you, let us just enjoy this evening without anything to worry about, hmm?’

(Soondeok wipes her tears away)

‘Oh, my dear wife, don’t cry…’

(Eun touches her face and comforts her with is gentle words. He can’t help but feel useless there, he wanted to help, but it’s like there’s nothing he could do much, and he feels sorry that his wife had to carry all that burden for him)

‘What’s wrong, Soondeok ah? Hmm? Tell me, it’s not like you to cry...oh my poor baby.’

‘I don’t know…why I’m crying…I just…I just…can’t help it…I love you Oppa, I love you I love you I love you.’

(Soondeok buries her face in Eun, for the past couple of days, she’s been acting tough, being the person who protects them, who comes up with ways to save them, but it’s tiring. Now that Eun said he’ll protect her, even though he may not have meant it literally, those words comforted her anyway, it made her feel a sense of security in her husband.)

‘You’ve done a great job till now, Deok ah…you must be so tired…thinking about how to escape from here day and night. I’m sorry I couldn’t help much...’

‘Oh Oppa…’

(Soondeok kisses her husband on the lips, first it was for comfort, then she realized she wanted more, it could be the last night they spend together, may as well make it a memorable one.)

‘Honey…’

(Soondeok runs her hand down Eun’s neck before kissing him on the chest – a signal Eun’s too familiar with)

‘Deok ah…do you really mean it?’

‘Oppa…I want no regrets in my life, and if you don’t love me tonight, I’m afraid I’ll go into the grave like a widow tomorrow.’

‘Oh come on, you can’t be serious.’

‘Please…’

(Silence, Eun looks into his wife’s eyes, those sparkling eyes, he answers his wife’s request with a twitch of his eyebrows before he blows the candle out.)

---------------------------------------

Eun's diary

I've got to make it quick, Haesoo will come fetch us soon.

Well, today's it, this might be my last entry in this diary...I hope that when I open this diary again, Soondeok and I would already be out of danger, out of Goryeo, already living safely somewhere. I don't ask for much, just my wife and I making out of the palace and of our country, alive. My dear mother and aunt in heaven, please just answer this prayer of mine. If I must, I'll die and let Soondeok live, let her live if not the both of us. Please mother, please. I love her, and I would rather die to let her live than have us both die together.

Soondeok's diary

My diary, oh my diary, thank you for being with me through the ups and downs of my life so far. I pray that when I take you out again, it'll be when we're already safe and sound. I hope no one else would read this if the prince and I were to die today. I love him, and I'll do anything for him. If I don't write again, it means that I'm dead, but the prince will probably live, right? And I know that the prince will go through my stuff should I die, so I'll just write my last words to him here.

Dear husband,

No word in this world can express my love for you, and not enough books in this world can contain my feeling of gratitude to you. You're my first, my last, my only love and friend, and I thank you for loving me back - though it was brief, it was sparkling and added colour to my life. If you're reading this now, then I'm probably with my mother in heaven, along with Byul, our baby. Don't come find us in a hurry, stay on earth a little while longer, we'll wait for you. If fate allows you to find another love, go for it, because that's what I want for you too. There's no need for you to feel bad, or regret anything that's taken place, if you love me, stay happy and stay alive. I love you, from the bottom of my heart I say these words. If we are blessed with the opportunity to meet each other in our next life, I'd be most grateful. 

Love, 

Your wife - Soondeok

---------------------------------------

(Soondeok tightens the knot)

‘Deok ah…must I wear this? It’s so…tight.’

‘Your life depends on it, Your Highness, you have no idea how hard it is to find this. You should be thankful Bogum was able to find it for us.’

(Eun pouts as he tries to adjust to this new piece of fabric that Soondeok’s fastened onto him before Haesoo comes in to greet them.)

Haesoo: ‘The maids are now busy preparing things in the kitchen, so the main hall is empty, follow me.’

(Haesoo leads them out)

Haesoo: ‘If you follow this path out to the cave, Jung will be waiting outside. He will help you get safely to the boat. Oh, and here, My Lady. It’s some dried meat. Just in case.’

Soondeok: ‘Thank you…very much. Really, for everything. You too must stay safe, Haesoo.’

(Haesoo grins in return)

Haesoo: ‘I will. I’ll pray for you both to get to safety.’

Eun: ‘Soo ah, I’ll see you when I come back. Well…if I ever come back.’

Haesoo: ‘Yes, I’ll be waiting for you.’

Soondeok: ‘By the way, what about my father?’

Haesoo: ‘I left a letter, I’m sure he will meet you on the way.’

(Soondeok looks around one last time, it’s time to leave their safe haven, to head toward eternal safety or instant death. It’s a game of gamble they must play. Eun can see that Soondeok is worried, so he puts his hand on her shoulder and reassures her that everything will be fine.)

Eun: ‘Honey, everything will be alright. Let’s go.’

(Just as they’re about to leave, they hear people screaming, things crashing on the floor in the teahouse – and soldiers yelling. Instantly they take a step back, then Jung appears)

Jung: ‘There you are! Thank goodness!’

Soondeok: ‘Why are you here, Your Highness? Shouldn’t you be at the other side of the cave waiting for us?’

Jung: ‘I was there, waiting for you two, but when I got there, I saw soldiers guarding it, seems like they found out about the cave. So I came here as quick as I could to stop you from going into that cave. But then I also saw the chaos as I came in here.’

Eun: ‘What…then…how can we escape? Deok ah…’

Soondeok: ‘It’s okay, Your Highness, everything will be alright.’

(Soldiers getting closer)

Jung: ‘Hurry! There are royal guards everywhere outside.’

Eun: ‘Jung ah-’

Jung: ‘I will stop them, so run!’

(Soondeok grabs Eun’s wrist and try to run to safety, in hope that they could leave the teahouse without being spotted. But they’re too late.)