Previously....

(Soondeok begs her husband to let her go. Eun doesn’t respond, he’s too angry for that – it’s pouring outside but Eun pulls his wife all the way out into the rain, onto the streets, speeding back to their residence)

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‘Your highness! Let go! You’re crazy! How can you just barge in like that? What will they say? What if they find out you’re a prince? What’s gotten into your mind?’

(Eun remains silent. Eventually they reach their home, soaked from head to toe – Eun pushes Soondeok into their bedroom and locks the door. Now, he can explode.)

‘Oppa! You out of your mind? Why did you do all this?’

‘Why? Why? WHY?! You’re asking me WHY?!’

‘Yes, why?!’

‘WHY? Why did you write that letter, huh? Why are you trying to leave me? ANSWER ME FIRST!’

‘L…letter? What letter?’

‘Oh don’t give me that, Deok ah. You know exactly what I’m talking about! The letter with your ring in it! That letter! THE letter!! THE LETTER WHICH STABBED MY HEART! THE LETTER THAT MADE ME RUN AROUND ALL OVER THE CITY LOOKING FOR YOU! THAT LETTER!!!’

‘How…I thought I told them to…’

(Soondeok tries to hold herself together)

‘Even so, what now? Yes, I did send you the letter, and yes, I will leave you – I’m even more determined now after seeing what had happened.’

(Soondeok turns to leave. Eun pins Soondeok on the wall, his face only inches away from Soondeok’s)

‘You dare leave me? After all I’ve done for you?’

‘What exactly have you done for me?’

‘Everything, Deok ah, everything!’

‘I see you’re too blinded by love right now, your highness. But sooner or later, you’ll come back to your senses and you’ll thank me for the wise decision I’m making today.’

‘Wise decision? You call this wise decision? Leaving me suddenly is wise decision?! Forgetting about US is a wise decision? Forever staying away from me just so I can marry someone else and have her produce babies for me is a wise decision? You have no idea what you’re doing, Deok ah! Is there really no love between us?’

‘It’s this love that has driven me into making this decision, your royal highness.’

‘So you expect me to just let you go? JUST LET YOU GO?! You expect me to allow myself to live with a broken heart for the rest of my life?!’

(Soondeok starts to yell)

‘It’ll pass, you’ll stop loving me one day anyway!’

‘That’s what you think. Have you ever asked for my opinion then? Did I give you permission to leave? You promised, didn’t you? You promised you’ll never leave me! You promised!’

‘And I also promised I’ll take good care of you, now I am! Besides, you wouldn’t have cared if I did leave!’

‘Ya! PARK SOONDEOK! I wouldn’t have cared?! I DO care! I care about you! I care about your feelings! I care about your health! I care about your everything, Deok ah! Because I care about you I kept myself from making you into my woman even when I had the chance to! I could’ve just slept with you if I wanted to force it, Deok ah, but because I love you I didn’t! Ha! After all the times we’ve spent together, do you still doubt my love for you? DO YOU STILL DOUBT MY LOVE FOR YOU?!’

‘Enough, Oppa! No matter what you say, it won’t change my mind! You’ll thank me one day for leaving.’

(Soondeok tries to walk away, Eun grabs her arm)

‘Oh no, I’m not done yet, Park Soondeok!’

(Eun presses Soondeok firmly against the wall the second time, Soondeok looks away, dodging his eyes and answered coldly)

‘Please let go, 10^th prince.’

‘W-what? 10^th…10^th prince?! Ha! First it’s ‘your royal highness’ now it’s ‘10^th prince’? Oh, I see! You’re trying to make me hate you now so I’ll let you go! Is that why?’

‘No…I really…have got nothing else to say to you.’

‘Indeed. Even when we were at the hotel you had nothing to say! NOTHING!’

‘H-hotel?’

‘Just then! Why can’t you say it? Why didn’t you say it?! In front of everyone, in front of all those people, why can’t you say it?! Why can’t you say it loud and clear?!’

‘Well, what did you expect me to say?!’

‘“That man is MY man!!!!! That man is my lover!!!!! That man is my husband!!!!!” WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY IT?’

‘HOW CAN I?!’

(Soondeok doesn’t hold her tears back – she lets them fall, she lets Eun look into her watery eyes)

‘How can I…how can I say it…when that is what I regret the most?’

‘What…what?’

‘I regret loving you, your highness, I regret that my love towards you has led me into marrying you, that my love for you have moved you at a certain point…that my love for you…will give you endless suffering in your life.’

‘What nonsense are you talking about?’

‘I said what I said back then, because that is what will come true. You will marry her, your highness, you will marry her and she will bring forth a child for you.’

‘Ya! Park Soondeok!’

‘If I don’t leave, you’ll never agree to a second marriage, Oppa…I said what I had to say, I did what I had to do…to make up for the things I’ve done to you, your highness. I’m here to mend things…to bring everything back to its right track…’

‘Soondeok ah! We are on the right track now! We’re married, we’re in love with each other, and we’ll have kids together! That’s the right track!’

‘I can’t have kids, Oppa! How many times to I have to say it?’

(Soondeok once again attempts to break free but Eun fixes her to the wall)

‘Why do you keep saying that?! Why?! We haven’t even tried!’

‘What difference would that make?’

‘Trying makes all the difference! I don’t care if we fail! But at least we should try! Try try try, Deok ah! We can never know what will happen unless we try!’

‘You’ll only get more discouraged after trying, more pain and more suffering! It’ll just fail in the end! Why add more to the suffering you already have now?’

‘Because I believe in miracles, Deok ah! I believe that, if there’s a chance, there’s a chance! Stop being so pessimistic, Deok ah! What’s wrong with you? You’re the one who’ve always given me hope! Why are you suddenly like this?’

‘I’m not being pessimistic, your highness. This is reality! I only realized it now…I’ve been blinded by your love for me that I have failed to acknowledge what lies ahead. This, your highness, is the cruel reality you’ve been trying to deny. You really think miracles will happen in reality?’

‘I believe that if we keep believing and trying, miracles can happen anytime, Deok ah!’

‘Miracle didn’t stop you from marrying me! Miracle didn’t stop Onni or mother from dying! Miracles don’t exist, your highness! 1 year! You really think in one year, a miracle will happen?’

‘I DO! Wait…did…did you just say one year?’

‘I’ve heard everything, your highness, between you and your grandpa – that’s why I must leave you! I can’t see you getting slapped, getting hit, getting scolded on and on just because I can’t give you a child!’

‘If you’ve listened then you’ll understand that it’s MY FAULT! I didn’t make baby with you, Deok ah, that’s MY FAULT! Stop blaming yourself! Stop thinking that everything that went wrong was because of you! I love you, Deok ah, and it hurts me to see you blaming yourself like that!’

‘Because I AM the blame!’

‘No you’re not!’

‘Why did you lie to grandpa? Why didn’t you just tell him that it’s my problem?’

‘Because I was trying to protect you, like every men should, protecting their wife, the wife they love with all they can…’

(Silence)

‘Your highness…the longer we’re together…the more pain I’ll give you…’

(Eun finally lets go of Soondeok. He laughs disbelievingly.)

‘Ha…Pain? Pain…you said… You know what’s real pain, Soondeok ah? A person I know once said, “Pain without love is pain, pain with love is not pain”…’

‘I…’

‘Yes, Deok ah. You’re the one who said it, you said it yourself. How then, will we experience pain if we love each other, hm?’

(Eun tries to contain his emotions)

‘But right now…This, this is real pain, Deok ah… pain of seeing you not loving yourself the way you deserve, pain that you would do anything for my sake, thinking that’s for my sake when actually it’s not!’

‘Your highness…it may be tormenting for  you now, if I leave…but soon you’ll get over it. When your love for me begins to fade-’

‘WHY DO YOU KEEP SAYING THAT?!’

(Eun explodes at his wife, he takes a deep breath then tries to talk to Soondeok as calmly as possible)

‘Why…why do you keep saying that, Soondeok ah, hm?’

‘Because I know it’ll happen. Time changes everything. People change, their feelings change…love changes. As time goes on, you will get tired of me … just like what happened with you and Haesoo-’

‘ENOUGH!!!!!!’

(Eun punches the wall with his fist, it bleeds – but Eun doesn’t care, his heart hurts more than his fist now; their panting echoes around the room.)

--------------------- to be continued