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Chapter 2

What I Did

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Jaejoong stirred to the sound of his bedroom door being banged on the other side. He tried to mute the noise that is being made to wake him and get him to get up from his comfortable futon.

On his side were ruffled cats who were also trying to get a proper shut-eye from all the disturbance in the room.

“Jaejoong! Jaejoong, open the door, please!” he heard Han Geng beg from the other side of the door. “I know you’re awake. Please, just answer so we’ll know you’re still alive!” the voice of his brother sounded desperate that he found himself sitting up from worry.

He had been locking himself up in his room since yesterday, after opening the first of the file. After that, he had simply stayed in his room the entire day, and had sent a servant to notify the prince that he would be postponing their lessons for the rest of the week due to personal circumstances.

Upon them reaching his message, they must have alerted Yamapi, and in turn, the older mage notified Han Geng as well on the situation.

It wasn’t uncommon for Jaejoong to postpone his lessons. What was uncommon was that it would take the rest of the week, which meant that whatever happened to Jaejoong, it was bad enough for him to ask for the rest of the week off.

He was not wrong. The problem was that he was emotionally unstable right now, added to that, he was not really in the mood to teach when he knew his thoughts would only hinder him in educating the Crown Prince.

With another round of knocking (banging) on his door, he had to relent because Koko and Nene were getting antsy, and when the cats are antsy, they will attack the next human they see aside from their master.

Not wanting to get up on his feet, he did the only thing he taught his students not to do when feeling lazy. He used magic on opening the door, startling Han Geng who let out a squeak when the door suddenly sprang open. Upon seeing Han Geng, Jaejoong returned to laying down on his futon, wishing everyone would just leave him be. “What is it? I thought you were supposed to be on your way to China right now.”

Han Geng frowned. “I had my captain do business on my behalf. You’re more important than sailing there, Jaejoong!” he reasoned as he entered the room and sat at the foot of his futon. “What happened? Yamapi said that you postponed your lessons for the rest of the week for unknown reasons yesterday.”

Jaejoong grumbled into his pillow. “You know the reason why. Look at my desk.”

Feeling the weight at the end of his futon disappear, he knew that Han Geng stood up to see the files on the desk. “You only opened the first file?” he asked as he perused the photos.

“I was in too much shock to go on. If I did, Koko and Nene would have been meowing their heads off while they looked for help either because I was having an anxiety attack or fainted.” Jaejoong defended. “And besides I…” Jaejoong started to stutter. “I-I feel so s-selfish.”

Han Geng didn’t need any explanation on the matter. The merchant heaved a sigh sat right where Jaejoong can look up without craning his head up too much. “Jaejoong. Whatever you are feeling right now, it’s only normal. But avoiding it forever will not make it go away, now that you know who you are.” When Jaejoong did not reply, Han Geng decided to give up on the matter.

“I’m sorry if this is giving you a lot to think about.” He started. “We’re sorry if we forced you to find out who you were. We thought it would bring you closure from your nightmares, but as it seemed, we only worsened your state of mind.”

Jaejoong peeked from his sheets to see that his friend had his head down, eyes looking at the floor with the face of regret written on his face. Han Geng was blaming himself that he ever brought up his real identity and investigating it to begin with weeks ago. This was not Han Geng or Yamapi’s fault. It was his for deciding not to pursue his desire to find out who he was, and was content in the life he was building for himself despite his inner want to just get up and leave for wherever he belonged.

Heaving a deep sigh, Jaejoong sat up from his futon and looked straight into Han Geng’s eyes. “No. It’s my fault. I know that now. I was selfish enough to not care about the people of my past. Since I can’t remember them as important people in my life, I managed to convince myself they did not matter, when my mind says otherwise.” He started. “But I know that even if Yamapi hadn’t gotten more leads when he went to the Gathering, my dreams may still have been become more vivid with each passing day eventually. I’m sorry if I accidentally made you feel like all of you were at fault for this…”

A bit happy that his brother was now considering the idea, he hopefully looked at him with brighter eyes, “So…you’ll go through with this?” Han Geng finally asked.

In reply, Jaejoong glanced at the documents that were still on his desk. “If I can live in peace in knowing this, then that would be a yes.”

There was no hesitation, no fear and no reservations on how Jaejoong replied to Han Geng. That was when he realized that yes, he was going to find out what happened to him and how he ended up stranded in the middle of the sea.

He was going to find out what happened in his past.

For the first time, Jaejoong felt assured that this was the best course of action to take.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sifting through the case files, Jaejoong found himself too entranced with the photos while Han Geng was perusing all of his relations in the course of the first twenty-five years of his life. He didn’t want to see anything that would shock him too much, so Han Geng took it upon himself to summarize what he was looking at while Jaejoong was busy staring at numerous pictures of his younger self.

In the photos, he was surrounded by eight women, all of them his older sisters who had now moved on and had married into noble families of their stature. The Kim Clan were prominent producers of scholars, mages and members of the court that had served the crown loyally for five emperors, including the current emperor.

His parents had already retired from their posts in the palace and chose to live a quiet life in Gongju. He seemed so happy in photos with them, especially when they are complete on weddings and special occasions.

While Jaejoong was a member of the branch family, it did not deter him in striving to follow the family and decided to serve in the palace.

Han Geng whistled in amusement, impressed at what he was reading about his adopted brother. It was strange and eye-opening at the same time, and it made him aware as to why Jaejoong was the way he is right now.

“Well, I’m impressed. Born the branch family of the Kim Clan, passed the Civil Service examinations at an early age, then being assigned to the Office of Inspector General, until you were sent to the Office of the Imperial Mage. It seems you were the one who trained the current twelve External Order officers under that office. You then married the then Crown Prince Yunho, produced a biological son through magic surrogacy, and then you went on and became the tutor to the Crown Prince and your son, the current Grand Prince, and eventually, the Imperial Prince Consort. A member of the Order of the Red Pearl responsible for the dethronement of the former emperor Young-min, and eventually the Imperial Consort of the current monarch, Emperor Jung Yunho.” He told him.

“Which might also be the reason why someone wants me dead.” Jaejoong concluded as he looked at the photo with him and the Emperor. The two of them looked so happy being beside each other, as if nothing could tear them apart. Numerous state affairs and occasions within the past couple of years in their marriage proved that they are primarily attached to the hip, even when they were with their friends.

He took that photo and handed it to Han Geng for him to see. “As the Imperial Consort, my rank is only second to the Emperor himself, and it is equivalent to that of an Empress Consort. Before Emperor Yunho’s ascension, the former emperor already has a concubine that bore him the Crown Prince Jaehyun, which Emperor Yunho adopted but he never married or elevated the concubine, Go Ara, or Go So-ui. After me, he also married prior to his ascendance, his cousin Princess Jung Sooyeon, Jung Hye-bin in order to become the surrogate for Grand Prince Moonbin and ranked higher than Go So-ui. His fourth and last consort is General Kwon Boa, Kwon Gwi-in, but she is more known as General Kwon.”

Han Geng’s face contorted in confusion. “I’m sorry, what?” 

“Those are the ranking system of the Imperial Consorts and Concubines in the Korean Empire. As it stands, I have the highest title, which is wang-bi, which is normally used for the main spouse of the Emperor, then comes Jung Hye-bin, Kwon Gwi-in and the last is Go So-ui. If we’re going by the order of marriage, it would be me, Jung Hye-bin and Kwon Gwi-in.”

He then looked at the photo of him interacting with the other wives of the emperor. They seemed to be really good friends, especially him with General Kwon. From his early teens and adolescents, he had always been seen mostly with the general, and later, with Princess Sooyeon. But he knew that sometimes, those who wants him dead are the ones closest to him, and he has a feeling that that might be the case of his attack.

Han Geng rolled his eyes, “That empire’s consort system is as complicated as the system back home, honestly.” He stated. 

Jaejoong shrugged in amusement, “It is what it is, I guess.”

“So when it was made certain that you were dead, I can bet that people had wagged their tongues and pressured Emperor Yunho to appoint an Empress Consort with one of the three wives left, huh?” Han Geng asked.

“That might be the case, but the Emperor did nothing with the ranks of his consorts and concubines.” Jaejoong replied. “It said here that the imperial family has a way to know if a member of the house is deceased or not. And that ‘way’ might still show that I am alive, that’s why no one has been replaced or had any of their ranks changed within five years…”

Jaejoong sighed. This case was giving him a headache. No wonder Yamapi was as confused as him when he had perused the files himself. “What about…do they have any other information on the day that I disappeared?” he asked.

Han Geng nodded and picked up a sheaf of papers and read it, “According to this, you were supposed to attend the wedding of Minister Park Yoochun and the Imperial Shaman Kim Junsu. The other members of the royal family went ahead of you since you had some matters with the Imperial Mage Office to attend to. You were scheduled to arrive two days before the wedding, but when the day of the wedding came and you still hadn’t arrived, they feared the worst.”

“Not too far off from the mark then.” He commented.

“Still not ringing any bells?”

Jaejoong shook his head, “None at all, but I do feel like I’ve known them for a long time, but I can’t recall a single memory of ever spending time with these people,” Jaejoong replied as he looked at the photo of Park Yoochun and Kim Junsu. They were in their traditional wedding clothing and looked every bit as regal as any Korean noble families do. Looking at their eyes, it was obvious that they were happy in their step into marriage.

Grunting, Han Geng tapped his chin. “Stupid mind seal. Should it not be there in your head, then you would have remembered them in a heartbeat…” he mumbled.

“But for how long will I be able to be kept under wraps?” Jaejoong wondered. “Now that the one who made my clothes know who you are and what you had in your possession while you were in the capital, he’s bound to tell the family that you have a piece of my belongings.”

“Come to think of it, before I left, I thought for sure the Korean authorities would have stopped my voyage back.” The merchant explained. “I have a feeling this will come to bite me in the back soon.”

“We’ll get there when we get there.” Jaejoong decided. “From all of the information that has been provided, they already caught the culprit, didn’t they?”

Han Geng nodded as he turned to the desk to pick up the paper that identified the criminal that had been subjected to the Gathering. “It was the Imperial Mage Kim Hyunjoong.” He said. “Ring any bells?”

“None at all.” Jaejoong said even as Han Geng handed her the photo of the man. He was quite handsome, and from the look of things, they had been close colleagues when they were newly assigned at the Imperial Mage Office.

“Born from another branch of the prominent Kim Clan, their branch is the one who serves a single noble family for the past five generations. He started out as a mage-in-training in the office and rose to the ranks as the Imperial Mage of the Empire after you became the Imperial Consort. Private investigation shows that he was not at the place where he was supposed to be on the date of your voyage when you disappeared. According to the events of the Gathering, he’s found guilty and is currently in a detainment chamber in stasis. He was replaced by Kim Junmyeon.”

Jaejoong’s head became downcast, a phantom pang on his chest was felt, but he didn’t tell that to Han Geng. In his mind, he knew him and had formed camaraderie with the man, judging from their escapade photo outside of the palace. “His time has been frozen until I am found.” He concluded. “What of the noble family he was serving?”

His brother shook his head as he read through the papers. “You won’t like it, but I expected it from your explanation earlier.” He started. “He is serving the Go Clan. He confessed to having a hand in your disappearance but said nothing more in the proceedings. He didn’t confirm or deny if this was an order from his master, and he didn’t say what involvement he has on your case. It’s like he’s sworn to secrecy.”

“Maybe he was.” Jaejoong concluded. “It’s not too farfetched. A lot of societies and certain families can invoke that kind of vow, to never reveal certain things unless it costs them something. Even their lives.”

“Harsh.” Han Geng protested. The thought of some sort of cult or family doing that to their mages were too evil, but it was necessary if they wanted their plans to never be leaked by the ones who had done the act. While Han Geng knew that the world was not as happy and lively as him, knowing such things was something that he detests.

Jaejoong nodded in agreement, “But that’s how the world is. Whoever invoked such a thing to Hyunjoong meant that they don’t want to be found out at all costs. The noble family he serves must have their lips sealed as well. Either that or Hyunjoong is working for someone besides her masters.”

Han Geng hummed as he looked into the files more, “No one could make him talk during the gathering on whose orders he followed in your attack. He didn’t reveal where he dumped you, so nobody knew it but me, since I was the one who found you. He only confessed that he has a hand on everything.”

The other man looked at the happy family photo of him, the Emperor, Crown Prince Jaehyun and Grand Prince Moonbin. How devastated they might have been and are, even now, upon his disappearance? He didn’t expect that he had children in his past, but now that the physical proof was right in front of him, all he could feel was regret for ever thinking of leaving his past hidden because it deterred him from moving forward.

Somehow, Jaejoong feels like he already knew what was going on, but without concrete proof, nothing can be done, unless…

“I need to head there.” He found himself saying before he could stop himself.

“What?!” Han Geng screeched, startling even the cats. Jaejoong has never spoken about leaving the borders of Japan before, let alone suggesting such a thing in the first place. Jaejoong has always been fearful of the other countries, despite being an imperial tutor. “To where? Back in Korea? Jaejoong, the case isn’t closed yet. Someone might kill you on the spot there!”

“But it’s the only way for me to find out what happened.” Jaejoong insisted, ignoring the fact that Han Geng questioned his idea of leaving the capital.

“Not if there’s a risk of you getting killed once they notice you nearing the country.” Han Geng stated. “Unless we go there covertly, I can’t think of anything that would warrant you to enter there without no one knowing who you are, what with you needing an identification and all…”

“And with me having no sort of identity at present…” Jaejoong sighed in defeat as he remembered the reason why he never left the borders of the kingdom.

“Exactly.” Han Geng stated. “Yama and I pieced together what is happening, but even if he tells them that he might have found a lead on where you are, things might get complicated.”

“Credibility and truth is something that the Emperor and his family value the most. No one wants a liar in their midst.” Jaejoong muttered. “I don’t know what to do anymore…” frustrated, Jaejoong ran his hands through his hair.

Not wanting to see his brother this upset, Han Geng clasped his friend’s shoulders, “Don’t worry Jaejoong, I’ll find a way.” He assured him. “And we’ll do that once I finish selling wares here and I can take you along with me for the journey back as a part of my crew.”

Jaejoong could only trust Han Geng. He has no doubt that the Chinese merchant was someone who does what he says.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Han Geng was to stay for three more weeks when things started to happen.

Jaejoong didn’t know how it happened but all of a sudden, after his lessons with Yuta, he was immediately dragged by the said boy to a store just outside of Osaka Castle, fretting like a teenager in love, looking at the numerous pins that were being presented to him while waiting for his actual order to be retrieved by the storekeeper.

“What is this now, Yuta?” Jaejoong asked curiously.

Yuta took his eyes off the pins for a moment before facing his tutor, “My friend are coming over to visit! They’re set to arrive here tomorrow morning and I want to make sure that I get the perfect welcome gift for Doyoung.”

Now that was not new. Yuta had always been pining over his school mate, a young boy named Kim Doyoung, for the first three years of his admission in the Academy. It was only until last summer when the young man had caved in and gave into his advances—at least, that was how Yuta had always worded it in his letter and during times Yuta had the chance to talk about the young man.

It was interesting to see Yuta acting like a normal teenager in love. A match where the couple are of the same gender is of no issue for the Empress as long as the intended had a strong enough magical output in order to produce an heir through means of magical surrogacy.

While that is something that most societies and several straight-laced kingdoms do not practice, it was an acceptable way in securing an heir to those who practice it, especially for the same-gendered couples.

So when the Empress heard from her son’s chatter about the ‘beautiful Kim Doyoung’ more times that she could count, the only qualms she had about it was how in the world did the boy come to like her hyperactive and loudmouthed son.

There was no question about his lineage and his abilities. Being admitted to the Neo-Culture Technology Academy was proof enough of the prestige and intellect of the said young man. Though the Empress had never met him, she already approved as he seemed to have had an effect on Yuta that made him more mature and responsible.

To that, Jaejoong and the Empress were very much grateful.

“I see. And what did you plan on giving the young man, Yuta?” Jaejoong asked with a teasing tone. “Don’t tell me you’re going to give him a betrothal gift without speaking to his family?”

Yuta shook his head with a small hint of pink was on his cheeks, “Not yet! His older brother thinks he’s too young to marry—but I beg to differ, he’s only a year younger than me so he’s just protective—so this is just a normal courting gift.”

But Jaejoong was not convinced. “Really?” he said, and the boy nodded. “So going here, asking for Hana-san to make a custom-made yukata and haori is not a sign of betrothal intent?”

“I-It’s not, I swear! Betrothal gifts takes a lot of planning, and Mother will be damned if she wasn’t the one who arranges them.” Yuta denied with a face so flush it was cute.  

“Alright, alright, I’ll back off.” Jaejoong mused. “I suppose I should make myself scarce while your friends are here for the next few days?”

“Not really scarce, I still need lessons, but yeah. Sorry, Jae-sensei. I can’t risk you popping up on a room unannounced and pulling my ear. That would be embarrassing!” Yuta reasoned.

“You little brat, if you stopped trying to ditch me, I wouldn’t.”

But before Yuta can say another word, Hana came out of the storage room and presented Yuta an ornate box that contained very detailed embroidered hakama that he knew took weeks to get done. Hana must have not gotten any sleep over it.

Not a betrothal gift his behind.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After parting with Yuta who had gone along and returned to the Castle, Jaejoong proceeded in going further in the shopping district to kill time before meeting Han Geng and to stock up on his ink and some treats for Koko and Nene. While the servants in the palace were more than happy to do this for him, Jaejoong preferred to do things for his cats himself, not wanting to burden them further with his cats.

Stopping at a very familiar place, he entered IzumoYujiro’s store, the pet store that Jaejoong frequented to buy Koko and Nene’s necessities. The moment he opened the door, he saw the shopkeeper and owner, Yujiro, who also doubles as the veterinarian for most of his customer’s pets and the ones that he takes care and sells in his store.

“Good afternoon Izumo-san,” Jaejoong greets the shopkeeper who was feeding the lovebirds on one of the cages.

The middle-aged man turned to see him and smiled, “Oh, Han-sensei! I see you’re here for your orders.” He said, “Hold on a moment, I’ll get them from the storage room.” He told him and left for the back room. “Han-sama is causing quite the fuss these past few days,” the old man commented.

“Oh? What for?” Jaejoong wondered. “All I know is that he got his hands on Far Northern wares and they’re selling like takoyaki.”

“Not only that though,” Yujiro said as he came back with a large box that Jaejoong knew contained Koko and Nene’s cat treats and other necessities. “It seems that he’s attracting the attention of the Korean traveler who got here yesterday.”

At the mention of ‘Korean traveler,’ Jaejoong stiffened. “What?”

Yujiro tapped his chin, recalling something, “Well, a young Korean traveler started asking about Han-sama, about what he does here and who his contacts are. Seems a bit stuffy and noble-like for a traveler, though his deer-like eyes make up for it. I told him what I only know in general. He did say something strange though.”

“What did he ask?” Jaejoong dared ask.

“He asked if Han-sama has anyone travelling with him that is a foreigner. Korean, they asked specifically.” He recalled. It was unnoticeable to the eye, but Jaejoong is shaking slightly at the mention of the nationality, and only paid minimal attention to what Yujiro was saying next. “I told him his crew is made up entirely of Chinese, so I doubt if he had any Koreans in his crew.”

“Oh…” Jaejoong muttered.

“But I did tell him about you,” Jaejoong froze in his place, but it seems that Yujiro didn’t notice it as he was packaging his orders, “How you came here to Osaka with Han-san since you are his adopted brother, and helped you settle down here five years ago. He seemed to be interested in you, so I told them that I only know that the two of you are brothers. I didn’t disclose that you’re Yuta-ouji’s tutor, of course. They didn’t need to know that.”

“Nothing else?” Jaejoong inquired, not really trusting his voice to say anything more than that in fear that Yujiro might suspect something was not right. Of all things, he might suspect him as a criminal.

“Nope. After that, they asked for the nearest inn and left.” Yujiro finished as he handed Jaejoong his orders. “That will be six hundred yen.”

Jaejoong paid the due and left with his usual goodbye, and left for the Merchant docks to find his brother. He had to tell him what Yujiro had encountered.

Coincidentally, Han Geng was in the middle of leaving the rest of his wares to his staff while he goes on to meet him. His place was in the busiest part of the market, and that was something that Han Geng had always liked to be. The center of attention, not to mention the center of gossip. It would seem that in every port he docks to sell his wares, everyone knows his name and adores him to no end.

The moment he saw the taller man, he immediately ran towards him. “Geng-niisama!” Jaejoong called out.

Han Geng turned from his stall’s manager and smiled, “Oh Jaejoong! You’re here early.” He greeted.

Jaejoong was trying not to sound panicked, but from the morphing worried look on Han Geng, it seems that it was not working. “I have news. Let’s head to your cabin.” Han Geng was about to protest, but the sense of urgency in Jaejoong made him follow him anyway.

After sending word to his staff that they are to take care of his wares for the rest of the day due to something urgent, they headed back to Han Geng’s vessel and went straight to his office/bedroom. After locking the office and Jaejoong casting a soundproofing spell on the room, he sat down on the bed at the far right of the room.

“What’s going on?” Han Geng wondered.

“I talked to Izumo-san today while picking up the cats’ food and other necessities.” He stated.

A raised brow was all the Chinese man did, “And…? I don’t think talking to Izumo-san is big news, considering you’ve been coming in his store for the past four years for Koko and Nene’s things.”

“Geng-nissama, he told me that there was a Korean traveler asking about you.” He went straight to the point.

“So what? Everyone keeps looking for me for trades.” Han Geng reasoned with a raised brow.

“No. I mean a Korean who is asking if you are traveling with someone of Korean origin.” He stressed.

Han Geng was still not getting it, something that frustrates Jaejoong from time to time. “Come on Jaejoong, the only one of Korean origin I have traveled with was…oh…oh!” Han Geng immediately understood as he revisited his words. “Oh .” He muttered.

“Indeed.” Jaejoong said with a frustrated sigh. “Tell me, was no one really following you the last time you were in Seoul?” Jaejoong asked.

“No one. At least, not that I did not notice, which is impossible.” Han Geng reasoned, “Nothing gets past me.”

“Maybe this time, someone did get past you.” Jaejoong concluded, “Because they’re here looking for us. The two of us.” He informed. “Izumo-san said that they asked him if you were traveling with a man of Korean descent, so of course, he said no. That was until he said something about me being your half-brother who settled here.”

Han Geng winced at the information. “Holy hell…” he heaved a sigh. “Two theories: one, they might be an envoy from the royal family to make sure that whatever the tailor told them was true and are following me in hopes to find a trace of you, and two, they’re the ones who are involved in your attempted disposal and caught sight of me with the said tailor and decided to follow me in hopes to find you and to silence you permanently.”

Jaejoong groaned. “Tell me what happened in Seoul. Now.”

At the commanding tone of Jaejoong’s voice, Han Geng knew better than to disobey.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Three Weeks Ago

Seoul, Empire of Korea

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The climate in Seoul, Han Geng has found, was colder than Osaka. It was the Far North area, so he figured it was bound to be colder, though not really as cold as Beijing.

He may be a merchant from China, which is in a much higher location geographically, but he had only gotten the license to operate in Korea with their stringent rules in trading. To think that back in the day, being a merchant was beneath the yangban, the nobility, and now they were now perusing his wares like magpies because he only brought high quality wares from different places.

He was glad that this was his last day in Seoul before moving onto his next port-of-call in Macau where he had to meet with the Wong brothers, so he needed to hurry up and finish up the last task in his Seoul escapade. Finding the origins of Jaejoong’s dalryeongpo.

Which was why right now, he is approaching the clothing shop which is, according to the locals, was the most famous clothing shop that has been presented by the Imperial Warrant by the Imperial Family. The Kim Tailor.

From Han Geng’s research within the past few days of being in Seoul, the Tailor Kim, or Kim Heechul, as most of the people know him by, is known for his beautiful design of clothing that had garnered him connections to the princesses, concubines and the wives of the nobility. What was more, the tailor seemed to advocate fashionable clothing not only for the nobility, but for the commoner class as well. He also has a large gisaeng clientele and always used them as his experiments on designs. Kim Heechul is also known for designing most of the clothing of the royal family, especially the princesses. Han Geng had to admit, looking at the clothing of the nobles and middle-class that the family had sold their clothing and accessories to, Tailor Kim has been doing a wonderful job so far.

Heaving a sigh of composure, he entered the establishment and greeted the woman at the counter. It would seem that it was a slow day, what with it being the lean hours of the afternoon, so he was the only customer in the shop right now.

“Hello young sir. What can I do for you?” the young woman greeted.

Han Geng bowed slightly in greeting, “Good afternoon. I was wondering if you could help me with something.”

“That would depend on the help, sir.” The woman returned.

Han Geng smiled good-naturedly and casually took out Jaejoong’s dalryeongpo that was settled on its lacquered box. “I was wondering if you recognize this fabric and the embroidery done. I asked around town who might be best to ask on this and it led me to this establishment.”

The young woman nodded and opened the box. Her eyes widened at the sight of the clothes that Han Geng knew she recognized, especially when he saw her eyes trail at the embroidery. When the woman looked back at him, Han Geng had to act innocent and as if he did not see her shift in emotion. “Oh dear. This looks too worse for wear.” She stated in shock, looking quite appalled that someone would allow such damage to a beautiful clothing. “Would you happen to know where this came from?” the woman asked.

Han Geng nodded. “I found it in one of my trade routes. It was being sold by a traveling dealer, if I recall.” He lied. “He had a lot of wares on him, but this was the one that caught my eye since the design was so unique and not seen in my country, so I had to have it, but before I decide to do anything with it, like doing a restoration, I had to at least know where this one is from.” He explained.

He could tell that the woman was on the verge of demanding questions to him, but Han Geng had already made her see that he knew nothing of where the clothes came from. With a stiff nod, she motioned at the back, “Wait for a few moments sir, I’ll need to inform Master Heechul of this. He might know something.” She said as she scurried away to the back of the shop.

With a sigh of relief, he decided to act casual about the whole ordeal, wanting to look like he knew nothing about the owner of the dalryeongpo. This was the first step into finding out about who Jaejoong was, and he would gladly be arrested should that be needed.

He only needed to wait for a few minutes before a man in scholar robes appeared at the back of the shop to the counter, the woman earlier nowhere in sight. The man was someone he could very much consider as ‘beautiful,’ and on his left lies a simple circular brooch of a large sapphire gem. He was then reminded of the advice that was given to him by the locals when it comes to the people wearing gems in their left . Those people are the ones who are tasked to maintain the prosperity of Emperor Yunho’s rule. 

Pearl Red in the service of the Emperor

Pearl Sapphire Blue in the service of the Arts and Politics

Pastel Rose Pink in the service of the Society

Pearl Aqua in the service of Fate

Pearl Light Periwinkle in the service of Medicine

Cosmic Latte in the service of Magic

Pastel Coral in the service of Justice

Pearl Neo Champagne in the service of the Future

And for Tailor Kim Heechul to possess the brooch…well. Han Geng can count himself in trouble with one wrong move.

“Sungkyung says you have brought something that might be from us?” the man asked.

Raising a brow, he replied, “I was only told to wait here. The young lady earlier did not say that the piece I brought might have belonged to your store.” He replied casually, knowing that he was trapping him with words. “May I get your name?”

Stiffening like a nobleman would when he was caught off guard, he answered. “I’m Kim Heechul, the owner of this establishment.”

“And I’m Han Geng. I’m a merchant from the Chinese Empire.” He introduced. “I came here to find out where this item came from, and who made this.” he said as he slid the box to his attention where the clothes lay. “I found it in one of my travels and trades and am curious of its origins.”

Heechul looked at the box and opened it. Han Geng did not miss the widening of his eyes as the tailor picked it up. He ran his hands to the elegant silk and the patterns of the fabric and rubbed the seams. “The intricate weaving and the tell-tale signs of handmade fabric and stitches. Yes. This came from this very shop.”

Now they were getting somewhere. Han Geng decided to press more into the matter. “Are you certain?”

“Of course.” Heechul assured. “I remember every shoes, clothing and accessory I ever made, and the choice of pattern and color is definitely of my choosing. In fact…” the man then went silent when he flipped over the bottom of the dalryeongpo, right where Jaejoong’s initials were located.

All of a sudden, the room turned colder than the ice storm, as far as Han Geng could tell. The eyes of Heechul turned glacial, and he knew why.

“Where…did you get this?” Heechul muttered.

“Excuse me?” Han Geng dared to ask back.

Big mistake, as the next thing he knew, the man was grabbing his collar and was forcing him to look at him in the eye, which was close to scary, if Han Geng says so himself. “I’ll ask again. Where. Did. You. Get. This?” he stressed.

‘He knows something.’ Han Geng thought instantly.

Not being one to be daunted by a stare, Han Geng grabbed Heechul’s hand that was holding his collar and tore it away from him. “I don’t like the tone you are using on me, nor do I think that even in this country, such an act is not desirable, but to enlighten you on the subject, I found that with a traveling dealer who was getting rid of some of his things.” He replied. “Again, I came here to find out who owned it, because I found it strange that he was willing to part with this type of fabric that is not equal to its actual quality.” He fibbed again.

Tense silence followed soon after, the Korean noble (from his guess) looking at him in the eyes, as if searching for something deceitful. Han Geng knew well enough to hide the fact that he knows something that he cannot trust Kim Heechul to be aware of, and he was not taking his chances.

He was only taken out of his thoughts when Heechul backed off and heaved a heavy sigh. “I apologize.” Heechul stated as he looked back at the handkerchief that now shows the back, where Jaejoong’s embroidered name was on. “This dalryeongpo…what did the owner look like?”

The Chinese merchant decided to act like he was recollecting his memories of the day. “Well…he’s a bit…I don’t know, built? He’s about six foot two and has a weird accent. He said that he has been travelling for the past fifteen years and that he had too much stuff going around and prefers to travel light.” Han Geng misled him quickly. “He needed more funds to travel, so he sold that to me.”

At the disappointment showing in his eyes, Han Geng knew that something was coming into light. “I need answers. I’d like to know who owns this.” Han Geng said, gesturing at the forgotten dalreyongpo.

Heechul looked back at the item once again and held it gently, “Like I have said, I remember every item I ever made. This one in particular, I knew the person well.” he told him. “I take commission embroideries, and most of them, I use my signature pearl sapphire blue as homage to my order, the Order of the Pearl Sapphire.”

“But this is red.” Han Geng pointed out.

“It’s not just red. Let me finish.” Kim Heechul snipped. “I do most of them in pearl sapphire blue, but for pearl red embroideries such as this, I do them for the Imperial House of Jung.”

Han Geng didn’t need to read too much history to know that Heechul was referring to the Royal Family of the empire. “The Imperial House of Jung? How could you tell? I don’t see any characters that reads ‘Jung’ in it.” Han Geng pointed out.

Huffing as if his feathers were ruffled, Heechul continued, “I forget you are not from around here.” He said. “I made this dalryeongpo as an everyday wear for one person in the imperial family that I have been close with since my childhood. His name was Kim Jaejoong who married into the imperial family sixteen years ago.”

That was it. Han Geng got his full name.

The first thing that sprang into his head was, “Jaejoong is ROYALTY?” but he quickly shoved the thought for later. He had to act like he knew nothing.

“Was’?” Han Geng then raised a brow.

“He disappeared five years ago, and none has found him since. Though I don’t like using ‘was’ most of the time, it is what it is…” Heechul explained. “He was the Emperor’s husband. The Imperial Consort, the third man to hold the title of Wang-bi that is usually reserved for the Queen Consort.”

At that point, Han Geng’s jaw was about to drop. “Wait, the Emperor? As in…?”

“Yes. Our Emperor Jung Yunho.” Heechul confirmed.

‘Well, now…this is a pleasant surprise.’ Han Geng thought to himself as he calmed himself down. “What happened?” he dared ask.

Heechul sighed as he looked around his store except for him. “Tragedy. The Imperial Consort was on his way for a wedding in Jeju when someone we thought could be trusted had done something. That person was very close to all of us.” He said plainly. “I’m sorry, but the wounds are still fresh. One cannot simply erase the past five years of grief and pain.”

Han Geng didn’t buy his reason. Judging from the tears that are threatening to spill from his eyes, he could tell that it was very personal on his side. He sounded like he grew up with this person, as far as he could tell.

“Interesting story.” Han Geng said. “I can consider myself fortunate finding something like this, an item with a story to tell.”

“More of a history.” The tailor corrected him. “Now that you know the origin of the dalreyongpo, what do you plan to do with it?” he inquired.

Smiling calmly, Han Geng replaced the clothing back in the box, “I’m going to keep it, of course. I’m a collector of unique items, and this one might be the best one I found yet, and that is saying something, as I have an Ancient Egyptian relic in my collection.”

“I see…” Heechul replied lamely.

He then looked back at Heechul who was trying and failing to make it look like he was not being emotional about the item. “For a moment, I thought you were going to take it away, considering that you did create this.” Han Geng stated.

Heechul shook his head, “You paid a price to attain the item. I have no right to take it from you even though I made it.”

“I’m glad you know the rules.” Han Geng said fondly. He looked around at the store that showcases the beautiful creations of the tailor. “On my next travel, maybe I will find the chance to do business with you. You have very beautiful creations.” He stated. “But for now, I think knowing the origin of this clothing is enough.” He then went on to take the box and bowed to him in thanks.

Lips twitching a bit at the compliment, Heechul nodded. “I hope so too.” He stated. Han Geng just turned to leave when he spoke again, “Another thing, merchant,”

“Yes?” the man asked as he looked over his shoulder.

“Should you return here and the Emperor requests for you to return that item that you have, what would you do?” Heechul inquired.

‘Ah. I see.’ Han Geng thought. He simply smiled at him and answered as simple as he can, “I’m a merchant, Tailor Kim. I think you know what I require to let go of this.” He said as he left the store entirely, and as he left, from the corner of his eyes, he saw two people go past him and enter the store. He paid no mind to it and turned the other way.

He tried to walk as normally as he could, but the moment he was a few blocks away from the store, Han Geng felt himself sprint away to head to his ship. Thoughts going to his head, he slowly put the pieces of the puzzle together to get one conclusion.

Jaejoong didn’t get washed ashore because of a simple storm accident. He was dumped in the middle of the ocean to die. Slowly.

And that was not the worse part.

Jaejoong might be a victim of political intrigue, which could only mean one thing: once they see him again, they would not hesitate to finish the job.

It only took him mere minutes before he could see his captain, apprentices and his crew loading the last of his merchandise on the ship.

When the captain saw him, Han Geng deemed it good to mask his panic at the thought of his best friend being in mortal danger in his husband’s country.

There was no doubt about who he was now.

He needed to speak to Yamapi when he gets back from wherever he is.

The moment he got on the ship, he immediately told the captain to remove the gangway and to set sail to move on to their next port of call.

None of his crew paid no heed to his actions as they knew from experience that Han Geng was a very random man.

And that was how Han Geng masked his panic at the thought of the situation that had gotten Jaejoong to where he was five years ago.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“And that’s what happened.” Han Geng finished.

By then, it was almost sundown when he finished recounting his tale.

Jaejoong could only stare in disbelief at what had transpired in Seoul, but there was something missing. “Then if that’s all you remember, how someone is looking for you?”

Han Geng huffed. “Most probably, his assistant at the store went on to warn the Emperor, and sent someone to track me, which might not be too far from the truth. From the rumor mill and the social butterflies I talked to there, Kim Heechul is a close friend of the Emperor, and from his words, yours as well. He must have instructed her to inform him immediately.” He concluded.

“And we’re not saying he’s the villain because…?” Jaejoong asked.

“Jaejoong, he technically told me that the two of you are close friends, and he was close to crying when he was telling me all about you. What the former Imperial Mage Kim Hyunjoong had done to you had broken him too.” Han Geng explained. “I’m no shrink, but I’ve seen a lot of situations that involves close relationships not to decipher it properly.”

Softening eyes at Han Geng, Jaejoong sighed, knowing that he might be right.

“What are we going to do now, I wonder?” Jaejoong muttered. “With them looking for me…how much longer before they realize that I’m residing at Osaka Castle?” he turned back at Han Geng, “What if because of this, the Empress’ reputation would be in danger?”

The Japanese Imperial Family and the country in general has always been very neutral and rarely associates with other countries, born from their three-hundred years of lockdown. They are only mingling with a few countries that has ever landed in their ports, but even then, their reputation could be on the rocks once it is found out that they were unknowingly hiding the lost Imperial Emperor Consort of the Korean Empire.

If that gets public…then it would cause unnecessary uproar.

“Then all we have to do is to tell the truth.” Han Geng said. “In our defense, we only knew of who you are for just a few weeks.” He reasoned. “Knowing them, I’m sure they will understand.”

“I hope you’re right.” Jaejoong said with a tired sigh.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Three days have passed since then, and Jaejoong’s life felt like whirlwind. Telling the Empress, and then keeping it a secret from the Crown Prince, and keeping watch about the Korean traveler running around the capital that had asked about him the other day.

The Empress seems to have taken things in a stride, but what was surprising was that she had decided to keep him in her employ as her son’s tutor despite learning the truth and the possibility of being accused as keeping a kidnapped fellow monarch.

When asked why, the Empress simply raised her brow and said, “Why must I fire you for the reason of finding out who you are? You have done a lot of good for the empire for the past five years, and I could never be grateful enough for what you have done to my son. Besides, if I fire you, how on earth will I find another person to put up with my rambunctious heir?”

While the thought of leaving with Han Geng to discover his roots heartbreaking, he needed to know what happened to him, and hopefully, he would be able to come to terms with what he had become and what he was.

Everything would be confusing, but he had decided to do this, and he will be sticking to it no matter what.

But that was not to happen for a few more days. The Empress has given Jaejoong until Yuta’s guests leave before setting forth on his journey back to where he came from.

Speaking of the prince…

“Jae-sensei, are parts of the castle haunted?” Yuta suddenly asked in-between his review of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s policies.

This was their routine for the past few days, Yuta coming on the morning before lunch for his lessons, then spending the rest of the afternoon being a good host to his guests.

Jaejoong raised a brow at the teenager. “Aren’t you supposed to be the one to know if parts of the castle is haunted or not?” he wondered. “What brought this on?”

Yuta shrugged and closed the book he was holding, too distracted to pay attention. “When Taeyong, Jungwoo and Doyoung got lost exploring the hallways the other night, they believed they saw a ghost holding a lamp walking around the east wing. They recognized the face, but they won’t tell me who he is.”

At the mention of the names, Jaejoong noticed that Doyoung’s name was included, which may have contributed to his concern. Yuta was not scared of horror stories. In actuality, the boy actually entered an abandoned building rumored to be haunted during his immersion. One could see that the prince was fearless to a point. The Empress grounded him for three weeks though.

“And let me guess, you boys are doing a late-night ghost hunting in the east wing?” he asked.

“Will you tell on me?” Yuta dared him.

“Only if you break something or someone gets hurt. Other than that, the household tends to let you off. You know that.” Jaejoong told him. “I’m in charge of the rounds for tonight, so if you need me, I will be awake.”

The smile on the boy was bright when he told him that.

Later in the night, Jaejoong was the one who was in for a surprise.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jaejoong loved going on his nightly rounds in the middle of the night, as it allows him to calm his mind and also take a walk with Koko and Nene. He knew that he shouldn’t really be bothered to do it, but he wanted to help out after one of the household staff had fallen ill and no one was available to take up his role as a night watcher. What he didn’t like though, was that he had to bring a weapon with him because it was heavy. He decided to just settle for a tanto which is more hidden and lighter than a katana.

As he made his rounds, he could see on the east wing that there were some dim lights going around the second floor hallways’ windows. He smiled knowing that the boys were ghost hunting upstairs.

Since he was assigned to the east wing for tonight anyways, he decided to see if there was anything that the boys will need. There are ten teenagers going around in the hallways after all.

Deciding to head that way, he hummed and instructed Koko and Nene to go on ahead of him. The two cats followed his orders. When Yuta sees Koko and Nene, the boy will know that Jaejoong is around if he needs assistance for tonight.

As he walked past the eastern wing, he could hear two teenagers bickering with a small lamp with them, trying to grapple with its control. They were loud enough for Jaejoong to hear their argument.

“We shouldn’t have parted with Johnny and Winwin, Donghyuck…”

“Don’t be such a baby Mark. Doyoung-hyung and Taeyong-hyung are paired with each other and no one is complaining but you.”

“And Yuta and Jaehyun are happy being paired together?”

“Well they have protection…”

Holding his laughter as hard as he could, he noticed that they were passing in parallel corridors connected by a short bridge corridor, so he decided to move forward and tried to hold his laughter for as long as possible.

As soon as he saw the two, he turned his head a bit to look at them in passing, making eye contact with the shorter boy before proceeding to walk on and swerve to another hallway.

Had Jaejoong looked longer on the boy’s eyes, he would have seen the look of shock, fear and horror that registered upon locking stares.

As he turned to head to the main courtyard, he heard the meows of Koko and Nene at the end of the corridor, and heard voices of two other teenagers in the area as well.

Jaejoong went the direction where he had heard his cats, and decided to make calling whisping sounds to call forth the pair. As he did so, he heard the two voices of teenagers again, wondering where the sound was coming from.

 Deciding to make himself known just to make sure the two are not in any way lost, he walked towards their direction with a turn. At the same time, Koko and Nene went to his feet as he approached the two teenagers who stood there, frozen, as if they had seen a ghost.

Well, they would, since Yuta didn’t really mention that he will tell them someone will be around to help them if they need it. Koko and Nene followed his steps as he approached the two teenagers who were still silent, but curiously, to Jaejoong’s wonder, their mouths were open and they were getting paler by the second. He wonders if there was really something wrong with them.

When he was close enough, he reached his lamp in front of them, and prepared to speak. But before he could, the smaller one of them shouted a name, “CHANGMIN-HYUNG!”

In that instant, Jaejoong heard the unsheathing of a sword and from the corner of his eye, saw a figure jumping towards the corridor and the moonlight allowed him to see the blade that was in the process of being lunged at him. Hands moving quickly, he unsheathed his tanto and intercepted the sword, though his lamp did obscure his vision of the man and himself from the blade. He took a few steps back and lit his lamp stronger for more light to look at the intruding man.

But before he could address the man when it was bright enough, he was beaten to it when his deer-like eyes widened in shock, his hands and sword frozen in disbelief. It took Jaejoong time to assess the man. He wore black Korean clothing and a beonggeoji with beads. On his left is a brooch with a large red gem. A high-ranking Korean Military officer. His face was familiar, but he couldn’t out a finger on it for some reason.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, Jaejoong in wonder, and the other man in disbelief.

He didn’t know how long time has passed, but the man finally managed to let out a word. “Hyung.”

Jaejoong was floored. Who was he?

Before he could reply, more footsteps approached, and he could hear Yuta’s voice. “Doyoung! Taeyong! Are you two okay?”

“Yuta!” the taller one he had met said as he sprang to his side.

“What’s going on?” Yuta’s companion asked, and as soon as he spoke, the shorter one shouted.

“Jaehyun! It’s…it’s…”

“Taeyong, what is it?” the one named Jaehyun said.

And that was where Jaejoong was hit with realization. He didn’t notice because of the facial hair that had grown on his face. The photos had shown him without facial hair, and that sent him a bit off on remembering one’s face. But everything about the man was confirmed when he recalled Taeyong had shouted his name in fright.

This was Shim Changmin, the captain of the Emperor’s Private Guards.

The youngest of the Order of the Red Pearl, and his surrogate brother.

And when he looked behind him, he started to recognize the shorter male with Doyoung earlier. It was Taeyong, Jaehyun’s consort, and Jaehyun himself, his adopted child. Along with them are their friends who had gone with them the moment they heard Taeyong scream.

His past went ahead of him and showed themselves in the most unexpected way possible.

“Jae-sensei? What’s going on?!” Yuta commanded, bringing out his prince voice that he rarely uses, and when he does, he was demanding full authority.

Not wanting to look disrespectful to his student, he turned back, “Apologies, Yuta, it seems that I have scared your guests and…their bodyguard.” He told him.

“Wait a minute, Yuta, he’s your tutor?” Doyoung demanded. “How?!”

Yuta, still confused in all of this, answered anyway, “What do you mean how? Jae-sensei has been my tutor for years. He’s only part of the night patrol since last week to fill in for someone.” He answered.

“But…so…” Taeyong trailed off.

“That means…” Jaehyun continued, but didn’t really help in understanding everything.

But Jaejoong knew what they were trying to say. From the story of Yuta earlier when he asked if Osaka Castle was haunted, to their silence on who they thought they had seen the other night, it was quite obvious that he was the ghost.

But before anyone else could speak, a familiar voice spoke up, who was more powerful than Yuta could ever hope to be.

“Yuta. It’s in the middle of the night, why are you all causing this noise? I actually heard you from my wing!”

The voice of Empress Unmei boomed the entire corridor along with her own private guards. The moment she saw the situation, from her son and his friends standing on one side to Jaejoong and Changmin.

Once they realized that the Empress was the one talking, they all stood still and bowed to her in courtesy, and as they held their head up again, she began to speak. “I see what happened here now.” She said simply.

“Mother?” Yuta inquired.

The Empress simply looked at her son and spoke again, “We will explain later. For now, all of you, follow me.”

Jaejoong could only feel so much dread right now that he wished the ground would swallow him up.

There was no delaying it now.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The study of the Empress has never been so daunting before. Usually, he would be at the sidelines, watching everything unfold when he is summoned to check on Yuta’s progress in learning his duties.

Now he was at the center of it all, with Yamapi and Han Geng by his side, having been called by the Empress beforehand. Along with them is Yuta, his friends, and Captain Changmin.

“It seems that tonight has been eventful. There is a need to have everything clarified before things take a turn for the worse due to misunderstandings.” The Empress spoke.

“Mother, what exactly do you mean? What is going on, and why does it involve Jae-sensei?” Yuta, who was beside his mother, asked.

“Patience, my son.” The Empress replied. “Han Jaejoong-san, a day after you disclosed to us your investigation, we have been notified by the Emperor that his son would be arriving with the Captain of his Private Guard, Shim-san, in order to track down Han Geng-san on the grounds of suspicion of kidnapping and aiding the House of Go in their quest of eliminating the Imperial Consort.” Jaejoong clenched his fist at the mention of the master family of the Mage Hyunjoong. It did not sit well with him that the family of Go So-ui was the culprit of everything that had happened.

“Of course, if we refused to allow him to investigate in secret while they carried out their mission, we would also be accused as aiding traitors to their crown. For that, we had to agree and allowed everything to unfold. I had feared that Han Geng-san will be imprisoned, but I didn’t expect that a mere ghost hunt instigated by my son and his friends would do it instead.”

“I am glad that it did not come to that point, Your Majesty,” Han Geng replied with a bow, and faced Changmin, “So you were the one who has been roaming around the town asking about me and Jaejoong.”

For the first time, Changmin spoke, though a bit apprehensive. “Yes, I have. It is curious that the locals would not tell me more about you and your ‘half-brother’ though. To think that they were doing that because the information is closely connected to their Crown Prince and never disclosed any more information for his protection.”

Yuta, now understanding what was happening, turned to Jaehyun and Taeyong who were not looking at him in the eye. “So that’s why you said plans changed in your journey.”

“I’m sorry Yuta, but even the Emperor forbade us from telling you that Changmin-hyung was tasked to come here under private orders.” Taeyong explained.

“If anything, all of us almost had a heart attack when we though that the Imperial Consort was appearing here as a ghost.” Doyoung told him.  

“And I do think it turned out well,” the Empress injected.

“I don’t believe so.” Jaehyun, who had been silent he entire time, looked at Jaejoong, then at Han Geng, and then to the Empress. “I apologize if this comes out as disrespect, but Changmin-hyung came here to retrieve the Imperial Consort. This has gotten more complicated now that we have found out that he has been here the whole time, teaching my friend, your son, while we searched for him for the past five years. We require answers to the questions that have been built-up since coming here.” He told him.

For a second, Yuta thought that his mother was seconds away from ordering Jaehyun whipped for his insolence, international politics be damned, but he was surprised that the Empress simply replied. “That is true.” she agreed. “In our defense, we did not trust you enough to let you in on that information, for there is something that you must know about your father’s lost Imperial Consort.”

“What do you mean?” Taeyong asked.

“Allow me to explain,” Yamapi spoke up, “You know him, but he does not remember you.”

Jaejoong watched as the Korean teenagers let out a confused stare at the Japanese Imperial Mage. “What do you mean?” Jaehyun dared ask.

It was time to face the music. “Crown Prince Jaehyun, I apologize, but…you might call me the Imperial Consort, but for the past five years, I have no recollection of the first twenty-five years of my life.”

And in that second of confession, he could see the face of the Korean Crown Prince go paler than he already is, followed by Taeyong whose eyes widened in shock at the revelation as if he was about to cry like the younger ones.

What Jaejoong saw in the eyes of Crown Prince Jaehyun for the first time since meeting, was shock and heartbreak.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She whispers warm and tenderly

Please come back to me

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

To Be Continued

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Unfamiliar titles and styles based/inspired by the Joseon Dynasty for Royal Consorts and Concubines + my liberties and modifications:

Kim Jaejoong- Wang-bi (technically, but its literal trans is Queen)- I had his rank styled as Imperial Consort

According to the Joseon styles and titles and Royal Consort and Concubine rankings, the Queen Consort was followed by 4 categories of high-ranked royal consorts, with 2 levels each. Level A (jeong, 정) ranked above level B (jong, 종):

Jung Sooyeong (Jessica)- Jung Hye-bin 慧 (hye) meaning "bright, intelligent"- Senior Rank 1

*For the rank of Bin, the King or Queen consort would attach a prefix in association with the character/personality of the Royal Consort

Kwon Boa- Kwon Gwi-in- Senior Rank 2

Go Ara- Go So-ui- Junior Rank 2

You can find out more about the Royal Ranks in the Joseon Dynasty here and here.