The way back to Bukhansan seems longer than ever for Lee Youngwoon, Sungmin, and Kyuhyun. Somehow, their footsteps feel much heavier, as their hearts are filled with sadness, grief, and sorrow. Sungmin walks by Kyuhyun's side, one arm behind his back, one arm leading the other step by step.

As they pass a hill that overlooks parts of the city, all three of them stop by and take one last look at the place that has become too dangerous for them to stay. Leeteuk knows all of their secrets. Even if he does not seem to have disclosed any of them until now, they have to be cautious of any imminent danger. Perhaps, they will have to stay away from Hanyang for a long, long time to come.

For the next few days, Lee Youngwoon locks himself in his room and refuses to speak with anyone else. Today, since early in the morning, Sungmin gets up and dresses himself in his plainest white clothes. Under the circumstances, they can not give Heechul and Dongchun a proper funeral and burial, so he thought he had to at least look the part. Dressing in plain white clothes is his way of mourning the remarkable and fiery teacher whom he had admired since he was young.

Sungmin quickly heads to the kitchen to prepare medicine for Kyuyun, and then to Kyuhyun's room to change his bandages. That night, when they confronted Leeteuk at his residence, Kyuhyun was injured in his arms and shoulders. Doctor Shin examined his wounds and concluded there was nothing fatal. But every day, Sungmin himself prepares medicine and helps Kyuhyun change his bandages, although this is something his servant can do well.

As Sungmin carefully takes off the bandage, Kyuhyun's old scars appear before his eyes, each scar like a blade piercing through his heart. He subconsciously frowns at the scars.

"What are you thinking about?" 

Sungmin's frowns cannot go past Kyuhyun's eyes.

"Nothing."

"Tell me."

"Just that, you were always there in my moments of need. When I was in Yangjae forest. When I was given the death sentence in the Palace. But I was never there for you."

Those scars were the most apparent proof of that fact.

"How bad of a friend am I?"

"Not at all."

Kyuhyun looks straight into his eyes, his voice warm and clear as ever.

Sungmin gives him a gentle smile, and for a while, he focuses on cleaning the other's wound.

"I have made myself a promise today," he speaks up again when finished changing the other's bandages, "from now on, I will always be there for you when you need me. Whether to talk to you, to drink with you, to accompany you when you are lonely, to change your bandages when you are injured, to take care of you when you are unwell. I will be there, Kyuhyun. I promise."

Kyuhyun is stunned at the other's words. In front of him, Sungmin gives him the brightest smile he can, his eyes form two dreamy crescent moons on his face. For a second, he is at a loss for words. All he wants to do is reach out and pull the other in for a kiss and caress that lovely, flawless face. But he resorts to reaching out and wiping away a little stain on Sungmin's face, probably from spending too much time in the kitchen. Kyuhyun clears his throat and plants a gentle tap on the other's forehead.

"Okay, remember what you promised. I will hold yourself to it."

Today is not the day.

Someday, when this storm is over, when the clouds are clear.

Someday, they will both be free to do whatever they want.

That day, he will confess his undying love to the other.

That day, he will tell Sungmin that he is the person that has his heart.

Him, and him alone. Forever. Always. Only him.

~~~~~

The next day, Sungmin puts on his disguise and heads to the local market at the foot of Bukhansan to buy ingredients for Kyuhyun's medicine. If he has to stay one more minute in Bukhansan without doing anything, he is afraid he will go crazy.

The market seems more crowded than usual. On the street, people are gathering around two people and chattering with each other about something.

"Yah, give her back her money!'

Sungmin hears the voice of a young boy, probably around five or six years old.

"I don't know what you are talking about," this voice belongs to a middle-aged man, "get out of here, before I call the local guards!"

The man's voice is rough and commanding. Immediately, the boy knows he will not get anywhere arguing with him, and turns to the crowds.

"Everybody, listen up. This guy is a cunning businessman! He buys clothes and materials from that old lady over there with the cheapest price possible, then advertises them as the most luxurious silk at his shop and sells them at a price as high as the sky! So everyone, please tell me if that is fair! Should he continue doing this unethical business, or should he stop and give the lady some of the profits?"

The boy speaks with a daring attitude. The crowds start to exclaim in agreement when the man roughly kicks the boy to the ground and starts stomping on him.

"Stop telling lies about me, you little rat! I knew you were the one who broke into my shop and stole my money and materials last night!"

The boy used his two arms to defend the kicks to his head, while his legs start kicking the other in return.

"You deserve it!" He mutters in between the kicks.

"So you admit it was you!"

The man's kicks become rougher and faster. At this point, the crowds start to thin out due to the man's violence. 

"I'm not letting you go until you give me my money and materials back!"

"You are the one who has to give the lady her money back!"

Sungmin quickly rushes to the boy's side. The man's kicks accidentally land on Sungmin's back, but he holds onto the boy to defend him from the kicks. 

“Goddamnit!" The man exclaims in anger, "who the hell are you and what do you want?"

“Stop this,” Sungmin looks at him calmly as if the kicks had never touched him, “don’t you think beating a defenceless child is wrong?”

“I can beat whoever came into my shop and stole my money and my stuff! This little brat obviously does not deserve to be treated like a human!”

“Seonsaengnim, everyone deserves to be treated like a human even if they have done the most horrible crimes. If this child has stolen your money, I am happy to pay you back with my own money.”

Hearing the word ‘money’, the man’s eyes start lighting up. He stops his kicks and looks at Sungmin like a puppy looks at his food.

“You will pay me?”

Sungmin nods at the man and gives him the rest of the money he has left in his pocket. After the man seems to be satisfied, Sungmin helps the boy up and leads him out of the crowds. The boy does not forget to turn one last time to give the man dirty looks.

“Yah, you should not have given him your money!”

The boy says to Sungmin when they are far away from the shop and from the busy streets.

“If I hadn’t, he would have beaten you to death.”

“I’m not afraid of getting hurt, and I’m not afraid of dying for justice. That man did something wrong, I cannot let that slide!”

Sungmin gently smiles at the boy’s stubbornness. He can suddenly see himself in the young boy. A little bit of innocence, naivety, self-righteousness, and stubbornness. But there is something else. In him, Sungmin can see a little bit of Kyuhyun’s wild and feisty side.

“But it might also hurt the people around you,” he explains slowly, “you cannot argue with someone like that man. Sometimes, life is unfair. If you want to bring justice, you have to be much better, much stronger.”

Sungmin feels a slight ache in his heart as he finishes speaking. Life is unfair. Unlike the boy, he had to learn that the hard way. Not all good intentions can turn out well. Not all favours will be returned. A well-meaning, kind heart can still be broken. Sometimes, no matter how hard he tries to protect them, the people around him keep getting hurt. No matter what he does, it all seems like a needle in a haystack.

Sungmin turns to the boy and gives him another gentle smile.

“What’s your name?”

“My name is Hyunsung.”

Sungmin smiles at the name which has both of his and Kyuhyun’s name in it.

“Hi Hyunsung, my name is Sungmin.”

“Hi Sungmin.”

“Yah, I’m older than you. You have to use honorifics when you talk to me.”

“Okay, hi ahjussi.”

“Yah I’m not that old!”

Hyunsung starts giggling at Sungmin’s protests. The boy’s mischievousness definitely feels familiar to him.

At the end of the market, Sungmin turns to say goodbye to the boy, “don’t get in any more trouble, okay?”

The boy smiles and nods at him, although Sungmin has a feeling, just like the young version of him, staying out of trouble for him would be impossible.

They quickly get back to their day, not noticing an inquisitive pair of eyes looking at them from a hidden corner of the street.

~~~~~

In a small room within the building that does not exist on any official maps, a young man sits opposite a stern and solemn-looking man in his sixties. The older man sits comfortably in his seat. Occasionally, he takes a sip out of his teacup. His eyes show a sense of ownership of everything that surrounds him.

"It is an honour to be here," the young man speaks with the utmost respect, "how have you been, daegam*?" (*daegam: an honorific to address a Grand Prince)

"Stop beating around the bushes, Kim Hongdae**," the older man speaks in an indifferent tone, "What are you really doing here?" (**see again Kim Hongdae's appearance in Chapters 3, 8)

"Daegam, you really are a direct person."

"Just get straight to the point."

Hongdae shows him a malicious smile and pulls out a picture from his pocket.

"Daegam, I don't know if you have been to the Royal Archives recently. But ever since my father was convicted and exiled to Jeju Island, I was demoted to work at the Archives. Every single day, all I did was look at books, records, pictures. And look what I came across."

"This," Hongdae puts the picture neatly on the table, "is a picture of Jun Kihong when he was a Minister. As you know, we keep pictures of every minister and official in the Archives for documentation."

"And this," he pulls out another picture and puts it next to the first picture, "is a picture of an old classmate of mine, Jo Kyuhyun, when he entered the Royal Court."

Choi Oongshik takes a look at the two pictures and widens his eyes in surprise.

"They look like they were shaped from the same mold, don't they?" Hongdae asks contently.

"This old classmate of mine excelled in everything. He was at the top of every class, from poetry to painting to martial arts. He was the First Rank in the Gwageo four years ago. He was then the Captain of the Royal Guards for only half a year before he disappeared off the face of the earth."

"Sounds like someone you know? As I heard, Jun Kihong also ranked first in the Gwageo of his year, didn't he? I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"Are you suggesting...?"

Choi Oongshik looks at the pictures, then turns to look at Hongdae again.

"As far as I know, Jun Kihong had a son around my age before he died, didn't he?"

"Everyone in the Jun family died that night. I made sure of that."

"Maybe he survived somehow. Or he may have escaped from the house. Either way, you cannot deny the resemblance there."

"Could just be a similar-looking man."

"Are you willing to take that risk, daegam? As my sources tell me, Jo Kyuhyun is also close with the Lee family, just like his father was. If he is really Jun Kihong's son, you will be faced with another dangerous enemy, just like fifteen years ago. Wouldn't you want the chance to destroy Jun Kihong when he was still a wide-eyed nobody?"

Choi Oongshik stays silent for a long while.

"Daegam ah, daegam ah, I definitely do not envy you. Always having to look over your shoulders. Enemy after enemy keeps coming for your head. Your enemies are everywhere, both inside and outside of your clan."

"Careful your mouth."

"Daegam, I'm only here to help. I heard you have been watching Lee Youngwoon ever since you executed the Juns, but he never made any slip-ups. You never had any dirt on him."

"Are you through?"

"And I heard, the King is also not listening to you as much, is he?"

Choi Oongshik turns to shoot Hongdae a look of daggers.

"But don't worry, daegam, I'm here to suggest a solution."

Choi Oongshik raises an eyebrow.

"Your three enemies have a common weakness," Hongdae continues.

"What is it?"

"Lee Youngwoon's son, Lee Sungmin."

"Lee Youngwoon's son? Isn't he dead? The King gave him a death sentence by poison when he killed the Queen and her Head Courtlady."

"I beg to differ, daegam," Hongdae says firmly, "otherwise, I might have seen a ghost downtown the other day."

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me, daegam, I had my eyes on Lee Sungmin for years. I can recognise him even in a sea of people."

"How is he their common weakness?"

"The King's favourite concubine. Lee Youngwoon's treasured son. You may not know this, daegam, but when we were still in school, Lee Youngwoon wouldn't even let him practise martial arts so he wouldn't get himself in danger. Lee Youngwoon would never sit still if he knew his son was in trouble, even if he had to sacrifice his life. And, on Jo Kyuhyun's part? I went to school with both of them. I can tell you that there was definitely something going on between those two. They were best friends, if not more."

"Then, what do you suggest?"

Kim Hongdae flashes him another malicious smile, this time, with more confidence.

"You know your enemy's weakness, and you control your enemy. You don't have to do anything, daegam. Just give me a few troops, and I will bring Lee Sungmin to you. You have Lee Sungmin in your hands, and you have all the leverage you need to deal with Lee Youngwoon, Jo Kyuhyun, and the King."

A hint of cruelty can be seen in Choi Oongshik's eyes. He flashes Hongdae half a smile.

"And I assume, you want something in return?"

Hongdae gives him a confident smile, his eyes filled with maliciousness and ambition.

"I only want a small position in the Ministry of Taxation, daegam, just like my father. Nothing out of your capacity."

Choi Oongshik smiles quietly again and speaks in the most reaffirming voice.

"Bring Lee Sungmin to me, and we'll talk about that position of yours."

Kim Hongdae returns his smile.

Outside their window, the wind starts screaming. A storm is about to start.