‘Awkward’ isn’t enough to describe what they feel current. Ho-pil and In-young don’t know how to react other than turning back and pretending that they didn’t see anything that happened and trying to forget that something like that happened in the first place. But the sound of breathy grasp and tiny sound of smooching is not ignorable. So Ho-pil shut off his ears and pretend that he didn’t even hear anything, mind trying to recall something that can distract him from the scene behind.

 

But sadly it didn’t work for him…

 

Because he always is a curious cat. And couldn’t leave his habit behind. After a long minute or maybe almost a minute, that he felt like hours, he heard a few steps back. So finally it ended ho-pil thoughts. Suddenly he starts to think about how he should act in front of the king and Captain. Should he pretend nothing happened? Before he could think anything more, he heard their King exclaim, filled with surprise, like he didn’t realize that they had an audience. Ho-pil and in-young didn’t turn to face their bosses.

 

After a few seconds, Captain Jo clears his throat.

“You two are dismissed, you can wait in the palace,” Yeong said to them with a side glance, and with a salute, both sub-captains left them in the forest alone.

 

 

 

 

As soon as he confirmed his subdeaneries are left, Yeong turns to the king with a worried gaze.

“Pyeha,” Yeong voices, with a tiny voice that contains a lot of questions.

 

Lee Gon was staring at his captain’s lips, in a daze. Like he didn’t just kiss the younger in front of their guards. Hearing the younger’s voice the king looks into his eyes. He saw Yeong looking at him, and he can see him questioning the reason behind the earlier action, without words.

 

“Yeong-ah.” Lee gon said. Looked at the younger and let out a sigh.

Hearing the older sighing, Yeong put back what he wants to ask from his king and straightened his posture.

“Pyeha, Let’s go back. It’s getting cold.” The Captain Voices and gestures for the king to walk back to the palace. The king looks at the younger and nods, before starting to walk toward the palace.

 

 

 

As they near the forest border, King looks at younger again.

“Yeong-ah.”

 

But Yeong didn’t let him talk, with a small hand gesture, he looks at the king.

 

“Don’t say anything Pyeha. Nothing happened in there. It was a mistake” the younger said without a beat. Making the king looks at him with surprise. He didn’t think Yeong will act like this.

 

“Yeong-ah, No.” Gon said hurriedly making Yeong looks at him with wide eyes.

“It's not a mistake. I wanted to kiss you. But I didn’t know there were ho-pil and In-young. I am sorry about that.” Gon adds.

 

“w-why?” Yeong asks, with a small shutter.

 

“I wanted to confirm something, myself.” Gon replies. And it made Yeong sigh.

 

“Did it work?” The younger asked, his voice a bit hurt but his expression didn’t give away anything he is feeling right now.

 

Lee Gon didn’t reply too quickly and the captain took it as a negative answer.

 

“Pyeha, please don’t do anything like that again,” Yeong asks with a small voice before turning to look at the two horses that his sub captains had left for them. He gets both reins into his hands and walks them toward the king who is looking at him with an unreadable expression.

 

 “Let’s go Pyeha,” Yeong said handing him the reins of one horse before climbing onto the other one.

 

The king nods and did the same before riding toward the palace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~

 

Other than ho-pil and In-young no one cannot see the tiny difference in the change of air between the king and captain. And both sub captains knew it had to do something with the incident that happened in the forest. But they didn’t mention it to anyone or didn’t talk to each other.

 

‘Ho-pil, In-young, report to the king’s study.’ They heard their name called in their commas and with a nod, both rush to the said location.

 

With the captain’s permission, both of them enter the room and stand in front of their bosses.

 

“Pyeha, captain.”

 

“We need to talk.” The King said as he stands from his study chair and walked toward the couch before sitting. The king looks at the captain he sits beside the king’s chair and gestures to both sub-captains to take a seat as well.

 

After getting seated in front of both their bosses, the ho-pil was a bit nervous to hear what their king had to talk with them. With the way the king’s voice sounded earlier, he understand that it was something important.

 

“Ho-pil, I heard you have a science degree?” lee gon's voice made the said man look at him with wide eyes, before quickly replying “yes, Pyeha.”

 

“And you were in physical science major?” the king looks at the woman in the room. In-young nod in reply.

 

“Then I think it won’t be difficult to understand what I am going to say.” Lee gon said as taking a sip of his tea.

 

“Have you heard about parallel universes?” the king started after looking at both sub-captains, and they saw captain Jo looking at the king with a small glare, that others almost missed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After like hour or so, both the sub captain left the king’s study with looks like they had lost 10 years of their life span. Behind them, Captain Jo walks with a subtle smirk playing on his face, like he had enjoyed others suffering.

 

As they near to captain’s office, Yeong turns looking at ho-pil and in-young.

 

“You can leave early.” He said looking at in-young that looks tired and ho-pil that who already had dark circles under his eyes.

“Thank you captain.” both of them were glad to leave early because they are drained after hearing the king’s long ‘parallel universe theory’ and questioning. It was like they had traveled back to school days and had a difficult exam.

 

 

 

 

 

Yeong completed arranging guards’ weekly schedules and checks daily reports in his office. He wasn’t planning to do the night shift tonight, yet after making his sub captains leave early he decide to work a few more hours before getting rest in his room in the palace.

 

Yeong was wrapping up his work when court lady Noh’s servant came and inform him that the elder ask for his visit.

 

 

 

“Mamaniem,” Yeong voices as he sits in front of the elder woman’s low study table.

 

“Captain Jo.” Lady Noh looks at him with a subtle smile, that makes her skin wrinkle near her eyes.

Seeing her smile Yeong relax, knowing whatever reason she want to meet him wasn’t about any danger.

 

“You ask for me?” Yeong adds.

 

“Yeah, yeah, how you have been? You haven’t visited me other than for King’s stuff.” The elder mutters pouring a flower tea into two small cups and handing him one. Its fragrance is rich and made his mind calmer.

 

The younger smiles, taking a small sip before replying. “I am well mamaniem. How about you? I heard you weren’t feeling well these days?” Yeong asks.

 

Lady Noh let out a scoff. “If you heard, why you didn’t come to see me brat?” she said before muttering, ‘ungrateful brats’.

 

Yeong’s smile gets deep. He knew the elder woman had asked for the royal doctor and said she isn’t feeling well. But he had already met the doctor and confirmed nothing wrong with the elder woman and she was just worried and overreacting to the King’s disappearance yesterday.

 

“I see you are fine now, mamaniem,” Yeong replied, making the elder glare at him.

 

“Whatever. Yeong-ah, what happened yesterday? Where had that ungrateful brat disappeared?

Lady Noh asks, making Yeong choke on his tea, remembering what happened in the forest. The captain coughed as put the teacup down. Lady Noh frowns looking at the captain.

“So something really happened?” lady Noh pressed in, frown deepening as the seconds passed.

 

Yeong shakes his head, “Nogh N-nothing happed, m-mamaniem.” He replies still coughing.

But who is trying to fool? Lady Noh is someone he can hardly fool. She had seen the King and him grow up and knew them like a mother knows her children.

 

“Captain Jo, you may be the scary captain to others. But to me, you are still a child and I can see when you are lying.” Lady Noh said sipping her tea calmly. “And you can’t leave until you say what happened yesterday.” She adds with a grin.

 

 

 

“Let go of him, I will tell.” 

Suddenly the door of lady Noh’s chamber opens revealing the king in his navy blue silk pajama and black nightgown. He was holding a small book behind his back.

 

“Well, that’s work too.” lady Noh said looking at the captain and then King. She took another tea cup and start to pour tea for the king, who already took a seat beside Yeong with a grin.

 

 

“I want to marry Jo Yeong.” The King declares looking at the elder woman with a smug smile.

 

Hearing the king’s word lady Noh spills the tea in surprise while the said man choke his tea for the second time.