Joseon Era: The Kim Empire

 

Woohyun's POV:

 

I carried the tray of different kinds of food, entering the royal meeting hall of The Kim Empire. The king was sitting on his golden throne next to his beautiful queen along with higher ranking officials on either side of them, whose seats were arranged according to their rank.

 

I felt a little uneasy when a pair of eyes looking at me and I have never seen that man before. He was not that bad-looking but not good-looking either unlike a man sitting on the right side of him, who happened to be Kim Sunggyu, the leader of the soldiers in Kim Empire.

 

I walked closer before crouching down while placing down the food on Sunggyu’s wooden table following by the next table, belonged to the stranger.

 

“Hey. A cute one, aren’t ya?.” He didn’t just talk alone but his disgusting fingers ran on my hand slightly, making it shaking while placing the food on his table.

 

I didn’t reply at all, but hurriedly prepared the food, wanting to leave as fast as possible.  I bowed to him after I finished and began to walk away but panicked when I saw his hand swirled behind me, perhaps trying to grab my . I was about to throw the tray at him, not afraid to be punished by the King for a disturbance in palace meeting with other empire’s officers who came here to discuss and negotiate something that I didn’t really have interest to know. I bet this stranger was also one of them.

 

I grabbed my tray hard but before I could take any action, I felt my never being grabbed at all but a little winched sound was heard. I turned around immediately and saw Sunggyu’s hand was holding on that man’s arm firmly until I saw his face grimaced in pain. I was about to say something but Sunggyu’s hand travel down in order to just shake that man’s hand like nothing ever happened earlier.

 

“Get out from here, I want to have a friendly talk with officer Jang.” I quickly bowed to both of them and fled from the scene with my heart racing so fast.

 

Did he just help me?

 

 

 

The whole night I couldn’t really sleep at all. I might just be considered as being crazily overexcited with this kind of help. But to me, it meant the most.

 

Kim Sunggyu was a son of the only princess in Kim empire whose big brother was a king holding an absolute monarchy. Basically, Sunggyu was also considered as a prince in this empire along with other princes and princesses, sons and daughters of the king. Due to his excellent martial art skill, he became one of the potential warrior whose job was guarding the palace and royal-blood-members. He was also well-known of his ruthless behavior and being heartless despites the fact that he was born with a handsome, good-looking face. He was a son of a brave warrior Kim who led every warrior in Kim Empire. He and former king led the all the armies and brought a lot of victories back to Kim Empire, and to reward his honesty with the king, the eldest princess whom the king treasured the most was arranged to marry Sunggyu’s father. They happily lived together until the last war which Kim empire encountered with other powerful states took Sunggyu’s father’s life as a led warrior and my father’s life too.

 

Sunggyu was capable enough to be a high ranking officer in palace helping the king with political improvement but he chose to follow his father’s path to become a brave warrior. I didn’t really know why either. He was intelligent, no doubt. He could be able to sit in one place and be prized for his knowledge instead he chose to be just a warrior which not everyone would fear him especially those higher ranking people. 

 

He was probably respected because of his royal position as a prince rather than his martial art skill because he was still young to make people acknowledge him when he hadn’t gone to the serious war yet since now all citizens were living in peace.

 

But I wished he won’t. Probably, his mother wouldn’t allow him either. I always admired his modesty even he was a royal member unlike others who were likely to exercise their power over the low ranking people like him. In Sunggyu’s case, he just pretended that no one existed in his world. He was kind of weird though, wouldn’t talk much, always put on a serious face and ignored his surroundings. 

 

I didn’t know but I did have a special feeling for him.

 

And I knew clearly that I had grown up liking man.

 

******

 

In the morning, I wanted to jump into one of the ponds in the palace when the main chef asked me, once again, to deliver food to those officers from other Empire. I didn’t really understand why she liked to boss me around to do this to do that when I wasn’t the slave, maid, or even eunuch at all in this empire. I was just living here with my mother as one of the main chefs and father was a soldier who had sacrificed his life in the war to protect the empire a few years ago.

 

That was also the reason why the family of scarified soldiers would be granted with a few wishes or as long as it wasn’t out of the line or we had another choice to be provided by golds or money. My mother wished to work in the palace and tag me along with her passing the test of being a chef and me, living here, but studying literature outside the palace at public school. Royal school was only for higher ranking officers’ sons or daughters and royal family members.

 

I looked at the tray one the counter in kitchen where I was alone now, trying to contemplate whether I should go or not. This kitchen here belonged to my mother who was in charge of food for officers in the palace while the main chef ordering me earlier was responsible for royal members’ food especially king and his queen. She came here to make sure that the food was ok for higher ranking because based on the rule, food must be checked clearly in advance before they delivered to officers. 

 

I didn’t tell my mother what happened last night and now I couldn’t because she wasn’t here as she went along with other maids to deliver food to different officers in Kim empire.

 

Those men dared enough to make a move on me even I was in the center of the eyes with my king sitting there as well. Now I was just like walking into the pack of wolves. I walked back and forth in front of the door then suddenly my gaze landed on the man walking across me on the sidewalk. I knew it was a part of his job to guard around the palace and he came at the right time for me. I ran as fast as I can until I reached that man, grabbing his arm with my two hands together.

 

“Sunggyu sshi.”

 

“What?” Sunggyu tried to pull my hands off him which succeeded in just a few attempts.

 

“Can you.. er Can you accompany me to guest chamber? I need to bring food to them.”

 

“Why? It’s your job not mine.”

 

“B-but you see what happened yesterday in the meeting hall, I-I don’t want to go to their place alone.”

 

“None of my business.” I wanted to cry when he just walked away from me without sparing any glance.

 

Probably, last night he happened to really just want a friendly talk with that erted man. Not helping me.

 

I was walking in a slow pace like a turtle but no matter how long I wanted to delay time to reach there, I still eventually stood in front of the wooden door in guest hall. I seriously was about to walk into the mouth of the tiger. I couldn’t do anything besides wishing not to see that man from last night again. I heard they came to Kim empire around 5 of them and really wished to at least meet a few good human beings out of the 5.

 

However, it still couldn’t stop me from shaking my hands. When I raised my hand, biting my lower lip with my eyes closed, about to knock on the door, the tray on my hand wasn’t there anymore.

 

“You are so ing annoying.” My eyes shot up in excitement when I saw Sunggyu was carrying the tray. He didn’t look at me but knocked on the door and entered the hall in one go, leaving me alone outside.

 

I smiled like an idiot knowing that the reputation of being a heartless man was not true at all for Sunggyu. And I felt pretty much flattered.

 

I was waiting for him to come back and a few minutes later, he appeared right in front of me while pushing the tray back to my hands.

 

I huffed slightly because I hadn’t thanked him yet but he already walked pass me. I trailed after and stopped in front of him, the frown of his face was clearly seen.

 

“What else this time?”

 

“Did you eat?”

 

“What?”

 

“I’ll treat you a special dish.”

 

“I don’t want-”

 

Did you ever hear that sometimes your words were betrayed by your actions? The slight growling sound from his stomach proved in this case.

 

I snatched the sword from his hand while he was busy embarrassing because of the sound and ran toward my mother’s kitchen direction.

 

“Yah. Give me back my sword.” A sword was like a best friend to a warrior. I wondered if he didn’t follow me.

 

 

I entered the kitchen and felt relieved not seeing anyone coming back yet. I hid Sunggyu’s sword at the corner of the kitchen where a few baskets were placed there before just a few seconds of Sunggyu walked in.

 

“You brat I said give me back my sword.” He grabbed my collar slightly pulling me next to him. My eyes went a little wider than usual when our faces were just inches away from each other. He looked directly into my eyes unreadably which also quickened my heart rate. He quickly released me in a second and coughed a little.

 

“Where is my sword?” I didn’t reply because I kept looking at the man in front of me. A small smirk appeared on my face when I saw a little just only a little blush on his handsome face. I stepped closer to him little by little and I mentally laughed when he stepped back away from me also little by little until he landed his on one wooden chair next to the table where different kind of vegetable, meat and ingredients were put there.

 

“Y-yah Get away from me.” He was a great warrior yet he stammered his words because of me being closed to him. His fighting skill was not a joke since I used to see him practice with other warriors or princes, but no one won against him. Me? A little brat, slightly shorter and smaller than him, I believed just only a slight push would make me land my body on the ground for sure, but he didn’t.

 

“I will if you agree to eat my food.”

 

“O-ok ok Go cook whatever you want.”

 

Yeyyy……

 

 

 

“What do you think?” It took me just a short time to cook a simple fried rice for him. I knew he still had his duties to perform as a guard so that I chose a simple dish for him which didn’t take long time me to cook.

 

“Hmm- It’s ok.” I pouted a little when he didn’t really prize my cooking skill. I inherited my cooking skill from my mother which I believed it was not that bad. Sometimes I’d do the cooking duty instead of my mother whenever she got under a weather or me free from school. Actually, I already finished the level of education designed for a normal citizen like me at the age of 18 so that I was now free and my mother wished to have me pass the civil service examination to become the officer in the empire. But I wasn’t ready just yet.

 

“Just Ok?”

 

“Choose between it’s bad and ok.”

 

“Why are you so mean?”

 

Sunggyu didn’t reply instead handed me an empty plate. His hand was still in front of me even after I took a plate from him.

 

I pouted again and walked to where I hid his sword before putting it on his hand. I sulked and brought the plate to the table, back facing him.

 

“Yah…. Those men will leave the palace around mid-afternoon. Don’t go there to collect the dishes until then.”

 

The footsteps already had gone, but a smile on my face was still there.

 

******

 

Sunggyu’s POV:

 

He’d be the death of me, I was so sure once that smaller hands grabbed my arm earlier in the morning. I always hated physical contact with anyone but it sent spark through my entire body at the same time that puppy eyes begged me to deliver the food instead of him.

 

I knew his name was Nam Woohyun, son of a brave warrior of Kim Empire, also the only one person living in the palace without having to serve the royal members or other officers as a slave. I knew him even not so clearly because I was a guard after all and he would leave the palace and came back at the dawn because he was allowed to have education outside the palace. I often saw him at the back entrance of the palace where was the door for other people to enter rather than royal members and officers.

 

I didn’t really take interest in him before, don’t get me wrong. Now I never took interest in him either. I just hated other people be harassed in front of my eyes when I was the one who enforced the law and protection of my people in this empire. That was why I decided to interfere. If I knew from once I helped him I’d end up in this mess, I wouldn’t have done so.

 

I couldn’t control my feeling and even my legs didn’t listen to me when it made its way to the guest hall and helped that little boy again.

 

I was the prince for god’s sake, but I delivered the food to the other people who supposed to have lower ranking than me receiving a wide confused look from them.

 

It was not like having gone through traumatized experience to make me become this emotionless and serious since it was just my human nature after all. I didn’t interact much with other people besides my mother and some of princes and even just talked to the king unless spoken to or called to greet his majesty. My job was to guard and kill the intruders even some of the wrongdoers in the empire assassinated by the king’s order. I was way more capable of killing people without blinking my eyes.

 

I somehow wondered if my heart was still beating like normal people until today I was definitely sure that it beat and even unusually fast when that annoyingly adorable face was closer to mine. He was just teasing me, but I couldn’t resist his unintentional seduction. At that moment, I was doomed.

 

I shook away the thought of that little brat and walked to where I was going to. The mountain outside the town. I was in the middle of market where a lot of people bought and sold stuff but I still felt someone was following me. You couldn’t judge the instinct of warrior like us which could be able to sense the danger quick enough.

 

I walked a little fast until I got a bit far from the crowd and immediately turned into one alley. It was already the dawn so from what I observed, people started to leave the street one by one. The footsteps were closer to my place and once I heard it nearer, I pulled the figure’s arm harshly and pushed against the wall next to me before I placed my sword still in its cover next to the intruder’s neck.

 

I widened my eyes a little at the sight when the one who was following me until here was no one else rather than Nam Woohyun, the one who occupied my mind a whole day.

 

“Sunggyu sshi I-I can’t breathe.” I quickly released him.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“Following you.” Well, this blunt brat. 

 

“You could have been killed earlier.” My voice was stern and deep.

 

“I’m glad I’m still alive.”

 

He still had heart to smile. I was a little angry though I could have really killed him even just strangling him a little, his breath would have been taken away.

 

I walked a few steps away, ignoring the puppy trailed behind my back. I abruptly stopped and he bumped into my back from behind.

 

“Eww.. Is this a human back or a walking rock?” I turned around, unimpressed by his joke.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“To where you are going.”

 

“Are you a puppy?”

 

“Can’t you just stopped asking? It’s already dawn I don’t want to go back alone.”

 

“I’m not going back to the palace.” Until the early tomorrow morning. Well, I didn’t have to clarify much to this puppy.

 

“So can you take me with you?” Damn that puppy eyes again.

 

“Of course..” He smiled and was able to jump up in the air like a kid who just got something new.

 

“NO.” I tried my best to ignore that sulky face after hearing my last word and started walking again.

 

The best adjective to define a little brat like Nam Woohyun was nothing but stubborn. He kept following behind me but I just ignored his presence and jogged up to the mountain across the big forest. I also ignored the whinny sound behind me until we- I reached the top of the mountain.

 

Placing down my sword next to me, I sat down on the grass to gaze at the night view of Kim Empire at night brightened by the full moon above my head. The air was fresh and the atmosphere was enjoyable with natural beautiful scenery until I felt a presence next to me.

 

“I don’t know you are this romantic.”

 

“I could throw you down immediately.” I saw him looking down at the view of the mountain and swallowed his lump before he turned to me, and I quickly averted my gaze straight back.

 

“Meanie.” I really wanted to throw him off from here, like seriously because I hated the way my heart beat strangely and surprisingly fast inside my chest while looking at the pout.

 

“Why did you come here?” Woohyun asked me, and from the corner of my eyes, he just only looked up to the dark sky.

 

“I feel like so.”

 

“Are you often this rude?”

 

“Way more to go if I have to deal with a brat like you.”

 

“Do you like me?” Out of sudden, I just felt a little shocked and turned to look at him in disbelief.

 

“You wanna get killed?”

 

“I stop talking to you forever.” I didn’t reply and paid my attention to the beautiful full moon again.

 

“Hey.”

 

“That’s called talking to me.”

 

“You are like a nagging old grandpa.”

 

“W-what?” Would he be dead if I really threw him from here?

 

“Here.” He grabbed my hand and placed a cookie on my palm.

 

He quickly took out another one and put it into his mouth, chewing it deliciously.

 

I looked at the cookie in my hand and finally decided to taste it. It was delicious like the way this kid chewing it. I didn’t really know how to describe this situation right now. It was silent, only the air blowing I could feel, but I found this silence so comfortable. Even with my mother, sometimes I felt a little awkward if we happened to stay in this long silence with each other, but with him by my side, I felt relaxed and no pressured at all.

 

Staying in the palace suffocated me sometimes so that I often wandered out and came to enjoy my peaceful break here.

 

It was a little late at night. My shoulder suddenly felt a slight weight on it as I tilted my face, my lips almost kissed Woohyun’s forehead. He was asleep on my shoulder and he looked really peaceful in his sleep. I unconsciously brushed his bang over his forehead to have a perfect view of his face.

 

I placed my arm over his smaller shoulder as he snuggled closer to the crook of my neck. I chuckled slightly and placed my head above his before my eyes drifted close too.

 

I thought I was poisoned by his cookie. Obviously poisoned by love.

 

******

 

I was so used to be alone without anyone interfering in my life. However, starting the first day I was bound to Nam Woohyun, my world was completely turned upside down. He was like a shadow, following me either physically or when he wasn’t around at all.

 

It had been a few months away from the night we spent together on the mountain, but he never stopped ghosting around me. Wherever I went to, or whatever I was doing, at least I’d see him pop up from somewhere around me if I was alone, or smiled at me from a far when I was with other fellow warriors or while I trained them.

 

Sometimes he’d drag me to his mother’s kitchen and asked me to try his newly found dishes. What surprised me was that I didn’t reject and simply obeyed like a lost puppy.

 

Day by day, I got so used to having him around.

Day by day, I’d wait to try his food.

Day by day, I’d feel lonely if he didn’t mess around me even a day.

Day by day, I started to smile genuinely at him and wanted to see his smile every time.

Day by day, I found myself falling head over heels for him.

 

That was why I was afraid. I was scared of change. I was scared that if I got used to someone’s presence and he left me like my father, I’d break down at the moment he stepped out my life.