Minister Gi rolled his eyes at his grandson, trying to persuade him to let go of the past. "Enough of this foolishness, Kwan. What's done is done. Come with me, and let's see how you performed today." He wrapped an arm around Kwan's shoulders, attempting to guide him away from the lifeless body.
Kwan shrugged off his grandfather's touch. "See how I performed? It's all about the money for you, isn't it? Have you even bothered to cry for my father?" he asked, yearning for a sign that his grandfather felt any sorrow.
"Leave the past behind, boy; this is the final time I will ever reach out to you. I will disown you and your mother if you don't follow my orders! You can both starve for all I care!" Minister Gi declared fiercely, his eyes burning into young Kwan.
With concern in her voice, Mun-He interrupted, "What did you do then?"
Kwan looked at Mun-He with an annoyed look "I was about to get to that"
"Sorry please, go on" Mun-He grinned ridiculously
Kwan smiled and continued with his tale, "I told my mother everything I had learned, and we decided to keep our distance from my grandfather. But he's a vengeful man; he used his connections to destroy my mother's business gradually. In just two years, we lost everything." His voice was tinged with sadness. "We ended up in a small hut, and I enlisted to have a reliable income. My mother fell into a deep depression after that, and her health quickly declined."
"Grandfather, please! My mother is gravely ill. I only need a little to buy her medicine and help her recover," Kwan pleaded, kneeling at the entrance of his grandfather's estate.
Minister Gi chuckled coldly at the boy. "You should have accepted my offer when you had the chance." He signaled to his bodyguards, who seized Kwan and tossed him into the street.
Desperate, Kwan crawled back on his hands and knees, clinging to his grandfather's leg, tears streaming down his face. "Please, Grandfather! I beg you! Save my mother! I will do anything you ask!" Kwan cried, but as he looked into his grandfather's eyes, despair washed over him.
"Anything at all? Is that what you're asking?" Minister Gi said with a sneer, watching as Kwan nodded eagerly, hoping for assistance.
"You should know that your betrayal cost me a fortune to fix. Be thankful I'm not demanding those coins from you. Now, get out of my sight; I do not need a peasant like you." With a swift kick, Minister Gi sent his grandson sprawling onto the street and shut the gate firmly. "If I ever lay eyes on you again, I won't hesitate to end your life."
Kwan rushed back to the gate, pounding his fists against it in desperation. "Grandfather, please! Open the gates! My mother is dying! I need your help!" He cried out, his voice breaking as he pleaded through the night, but Minister Gi remained silent, refusing to show himself.
Kwan ultimately gave in and made his way back to his mother, attempting to enter quietly so he wouldn't disturb her. "Kwan, is that you? Why did you stay out so late?" his mother inquired weakly.
He rushed to her side, carefully helping her settle back into bed. "Mother, you know you shouldn't be out of bed. Please, go back to sleep and rest."
When Kwan's mother coughed harshly, he gently rubbed her back to soothe her. "Where did you go? Why did you come home just now?" She noticed his puffy, red eyes. "Did you cry? Why would you...? You went to visit your grandfather, didn't you?"
"No Mother I didn't" Kwan immediately answered back
"Really? You did not cry and begged him for anything?" His mother fired back "Then why are your eyes puffy?"
"Uhm, I went to see this girl, and she rejected me" Kwan awkwardly replied
Kwan's mother coughed several more times "A girl? What's her name?" she asked
"Kiara?" Kwan simply replied
"Kiara? Really?" His mother skeptically asked, Kwan simply shrugged his shoulders as he tucked his mother back into bed "I know what you are trying to do, but please don't go and humiliate yourself just for me, I have lived a full life and I have no regrets. Please my son don't give me something to regret or be sad about"
"I lost my mother not long after that moment". A single tear slipped down his cheek, and he pressed his lips together, fighting the urge to break down. "I laid my mother to rest in a quiet spot beyond the city, for my grandfather, in his so-called wisdom, insisted she should not be buried within the city limits."
Kwan inhaled deeply, steeling himself to share more of his tale. "As I stood there, watching the earth cover my mother, I heard a voice behind me."
"Now you understand the consequences of defying my wishes," Minister Gi said, his tone eerily calm, as if imparting a lesson to Kwan.
Kwan kept his gaze fixed ahead, refusing to acknowledge his grandfather. "What is it that you want?"
"You've finally grasped the truth; you now see who truly holds the reins of your existence and those around you. Come back to me," Minister Gi said with a nonchalant tone.
"Do you believe this is a lesson, you heartless wretch? You stole my father from me and concealed it for a decade! You took my mother, and you dare call this a lesson?" Kwan's voice trembled with rage as he unsheathed his sword, turning to face his grandfather, the blade aimed directly at him. "If there's any lesson I've learned, it's that you are nothing but a selfish, greedy old man, willing to sacrifice your kin for your gain."
"Lower that weapon, boy, before you bring harm upon me," Minister Gi shouted, his anger palpable.
Kwan let out a bitter laugh. "Even now, in this moment of despair, all you can think about is yourself." He glared at his grandfather, the admiration in his eyes replaced by a fierce hatred. "Just leave. Consider me dead, like your son and his wife, and I will embrace the solitude."
Minister Gi would have charged at Kwan if not for the sword poised at his neck. "You'll rue this day, mark my words. Someday, you'll find yourself begging me to take you back... but I won't," the old man warned Kwan.
Kwan sheathed his sword with a heavy heart. "You've stripped me of everyone and everything, and to claim I have nothing left to lose is putting it mildly." He turned his back on his grandfather. "Just leave... this will be the last form of kindness I will ever show you!"
"Was the prince aware of this?" Mun-He inquired, her expression and tone laced with worry.
"Indeed, the prince was aware. He anticipated that Minister Gi could sink to such depths as to dishonor my mother's grave site. To protect her, he constructed a mausoleum around her grave and marked it with his seal to deter Minister Gi," he replied with a chuckle "You should have seen his face as he squirmed when Prince Young-Sik told him to stay away from me"
"The details may be different, but our lives are similar" Mun-He pondered "From losing everything to standing on our own two feet"
"Like the name your grandfather gave you, you were reborn into an independent and dependable person," Kwan said as he looked at Mun-He and took her hands
Mun-He reciprocated by placing her hands over his "You didn't do bad yourself, from a playful boy to a captain of the royal army"
They locked eyes, and in that instant, having shared a bit more of their lives, they gazed at each other with warmth, feeling an undeniable pull. They paused and exchanged smiles just as their lips were about to meet. "I doubt the prince would be cool with us getting cozy during this mourning period," Mun-He said with a playful tone.
Kwan agreed with her sentiments and smiled "Speaking of the prince, I wonder how Lady Jin-Ri is doing?"
Of all the people who mourned and will mourn the loss of the prince, none was hit harder than Jin-Ri. To lose the person she learned to love weighed heavily not just in her heart but in her mind as well. She locked herself inside the prince's residence, she wanted to stop crying but her heart wouldn't let her go off the prince.
Slumped on the floor, the only thing she could embrace and hold onto was Young-Sik's sword. From a corner of the room, she heard a voice, a voice she longed to hear "You should get ready, we have a long journey ahead of ahead of us" She turned towards the voice, and a sweet bitter smile appeared on her face, it was the prince walking towards her. He was as dazzling as the time she last saw him. The prince knelt in front of her, she reached out, but her hand just passed through his face and the figure dissipated.
She rose from her desolate position, the sword still clutched tightly in her grasp. With a heavy heart, she scanned her surroundings and called out, "Yong?" Her voice echoed in the silence, met only by the emptiness that surrounded her. Her hand instinctively covered her lips as fresh tears streamed down her cheeks. Raising her chin defiantly, she placed a hand on her hip, whispering to herself, "Great, now I'm imagining things." The sobs escaped her, relentless and raw. "Why did you leave me? You swore you would take me with you, wherever you went. You said you would return! How could you break your promise?" Each thought of the prince's absence felt like a dagger, tearing at the very fabric of her heart and soul.
In the courtroom, King Man-Ju has just addressed the ministers and given his final instructions regarding funeral arrangements. "Announce the prince's passing and give the nation seven days to mourn. The prince's estate will be emptied and his assets transferred to the royal vault." The King stood up from his throne "You may all go"
The ministers and scholars exited the courtroom, the King was about to do the same when the dowager Queen stepped in "All of you leave us" the dowager Queen ordered the eunuchs and court ladies. Everyone left the courtroom, except the King and dowager Queen.
Once alone, Queen Eri confronted the King saying "You should not be concerning yourself with funerals"
"What do you want me to do? Pretend the prince's death is trivial?" King Man-Ju replied with an air of indifference.
"Leave the funeral arrangements to his servants; your focus should be on the future," Queen Eri advised the King.
"Future? Are you suggesting I'm at risk now that the prince has passed?" King Man-Ju asked, eager to grasp the Queen's implication.
"With the prince dead, your weapon has vanished. It would be best if you cemented your authority as King. You ought to be devising ways to command respect and fear, not worrying about a burial," the Queen asserted passionately.
King Man-Ju pondered the Queen's counsel and recognized her wisdom. With the prince gone, the ministers were acutely aware that he could not evoke the same fear and intimidation that Young-Sik commanded. He understood that he must either cultivate that same terror among the ministers or seek out a figure who could. "What are your suggestions?"
"Maintain my supremacy, and I shall protect you. I will ensure that no one dares to challenge your authority and sway," Queen Eri declared fiercely to the King.
King Man-Ju smirked at her, "What if you are the one who poses a threat to my reign?"
"Every action I take, past and future, is for your advantage and our security! You would not even sit upon that throne were it not for my efforts!" Queen Eri reminded her son.
King Man-Ju chuckled at his mother's words, "Are you certain it's for my sake? Or is it for your gain?" Queen Eri's confidence faltered, replaced by shock. "From the look on your face, Mother, I'd say I'm doing quite well!" With a snicker and a fierce expression, the King walked away from the Dowager Queen who was visibly shocked.
Later that day, Yeng had just arrived in their rented hut, when she noticed Jin-Ri slowly shuffling her way towards her. Concern immediately appeared on her face when she saw how puffy her eyes were, she dropped what she was doing and quickly ran toward her friend. She wrapped an arm around Jin-Ri's shoulders and slowly led her to sit by the doorstep. "Are you...are you alright? You look terrible, what's wrong?"
Just then Yeng heard a soldier announcing something "Let it be known to all that our beloved Prince Kim Young-Sik gave his life to defend our country from invaders, let it be known so the nation can mourn"
"That" Jin-Ri answered, her voice on the verge of breaking
Her heart sank for her friend, despite her objections she knew how much the prince meant to Jin-Ri. "Are you okay Jin-Ri?" She delicately asked
Jin-Ri shook her head her lips clenched; tears started to fall from her eyes as she began to cry again. Her breathing became rapid and shallow as the sorrow and sadness took over. Yeng embraced her friend and Jin-Ri hugged her back.
With a tender touch, Yeng caressed her friend's hair, attempting to soothe Jin-Ri's anguish. "It's all right, it's all right, you must find your strength," she whispered.
Jin-Ri pulled away, shaking her head in despair. "It's not all right! How can it be when he's not here with us?" She grasped Yeng's arms tightly. "We have to search for him; he must be alone, cold, and frightened."
"Jin-Ri, he is gone. I know that you love him but, the prince is dead; you must come to terms with it," Yeng urged, her voice heavy with concern for her distraught friend.
"No...no...no! Please don't say that. He's alive; don't say that he's dead, don't say he's gone," Jin-Ri implored, her heart aching with every mention of the prince's demise. "I must be there for him. Please, Yeng, help me find him."
Yeng held her friend close, her embrace a fragile shield against the harsh reality. "He is gone, he is gone. You must wake up from this dream, you must accept... that the prince is no longer among us," she tried to convey gently. Jin-Ri fell silent, and in her eyes, Yeng saw only the depths of sorrow and despair.
The words from Yeng are like daggers that pierced her very soul. Jin-Ri suddenly felt dizzy, her breathing became erratic, her eyesight became dim, and she fell to the ground unconscious. Yeng quickly cradled the unconscious Jin-Ri "Wake up! Wake up...common Jin-Ri wake up"
Along the windswept western coast, a little girl sat in a tent, her laughter mingling with the sound of the waves as she played with her doll. Suddenly, a loud thud shattered her joy, and she whirled around, her heart pounding. A man, wrapped in frayed blankets, struggled to rise, his moans a haunting melody of pain. Without hesitation, she bolted outside, her voice ringing out, "Papa! Papa! The soldier is awake!"
A tall, bearded man entered the tent in a heartbeat, the little girl trailing behind him. They hurried to the side of the wounded soldier, kneeling in a show of urgency. "Finally, you're back with us...your Highness!" the man declared, his tone a blend of astonishment and relief.