How To Kill A KingCh115 - In Love With A Man Who Can’t Love You Back

. 7 Years Ago .

The prison was full tonight, shivering bodies huddled in their cages. Usually, they’d only have three or four prisoners together, but with the rising numbers of crime, they’d been forced to make do with ten or so in each cell.  djLuhe

“This group was being difficult,” Ji-won said. He carried a bag of torture devices beside him, wearing a red hanbok that hid the stains left by his victims’ blood. He led Cheol to the cell of difficult captives. A dozen prisoners sat together. Picking out the leader was easy. It was a woman with delicate features and shiny, dark hair that hung loosely around her. She seemed to have taken the brunt of Ji-won’s torture. Even with blood trailing down her face, she did not look away from them. 

Ji-won found one of his torture tools hanging on the ground, a strange needle-like device, and bent to pick it up. He spoke in the casual tone he always took when speaking of his victims. “They won’t say anything about the person who sent them.”

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“Have you tried threatening their families?”

“Most of them don’t have families,” Ji-won said. “Seems intentional.” He turned his gaze back to the leader and the man who sat closest to her. “Except for those two. They have a son. One of the others was kind enough to let us know.” Z9dPXx

“Did you threaten them with his life?” Cheol asked. 

Ji-won shook his head, hands on his hips. “No, they’re tough to crack. No amount of torture could get them to speak.”

“And the truth serum?” Cheol asked. That got a reaction out of all of the prisoners, who glanced at each other in concern.

“We ran out last week, remember? With those guys from the Northern Empire.”

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“Right.” Cheol massaged the bridge of his nose. “Let me see if I can talk to them. Though since you’ve already tortured them to a bloody pulp, they might be a little more hesitant.”

Ji-won laughed at the disapproval in Cheol’s tone. “I did try talking first, I swear.”

Cheol approached the cell. Despite the darkness, he noticed her hand clasping another prisoner’s hand. That must be the husband Ji-won had talked about. Cheol lowered his eyes, feeling melancholic. It was unfortunate the two of them would have to die. Even more unfortunate that they had a son to love and care for. 

The woman suddenly sprung from her place, despite the pain she must be feeling. “It’s you.”  R6sUO9

Her voice was small, barely above a whisper, but now they were face to face and he could see the shock plain on her expression. Through the blood and bruises on her face, something in her features seemed familiar, but Cheol did not pay it any mind. Even if they met before, it couldn’t have been an important encounter, or else he would’ve remembered her.

Still, he decided to be civil. “Do we know each other?”

“Do we know each other?” she repeated, almost mocking in her disbelief. “Has a few months completely wiped your memory?”

Cheol arched a brow. That was one accusation he hadn’t heard before. “Memory of what, might I ask?” RdbPlT

“Of Min-jun,” she said. The name rang a bell, but again, the familiarity faded away. 

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

“And who might that be?”

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Cheol began to turn away to speak with Ji-won, but as he did, a hand grabbed at the hem of his hanbok. The guards moved faster than he did, one of them bringing his staff down on the woman’s hand, hitting it hard enough to break her wrist. 

“Enough!” he yelled, spinning back to face the guards and prisoners. The words had escaped him before he could stop them. The guards stared in shock at Cheol, as the woman clutched her wrist, doubled-over in pain. The man who’d held her hand before came forward to hold her, ushering her away, but she struggled away from him. She seemed upset with him, in a different way than most prisoners tended to be.

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“There is no need for this,” Cheol said, lowering his voice back to its even tempo. That was how a King should speak. “I do believe they’ve been through enough now.” 

Why? Why did he feel like he needed to protect these two? Absurd. They’d be sent to the executioner’s block in the next few days, once Ji-won was done with them. Cheol could not afford to be sympathetic toward criminals. What were their crimes again? Arson, theft, three counts of homicide . . . in any case, they were not innocents. YQfId7

“You’ll regret this,” the woman said, still clutching her wrist, her face scrunched up in pain. “I don’t know what’s happened, but we’ve both been tricked. I know the boy I met then.” She said the words with confidence, though her voice was pained. “He would not have forgotten us. He would not have forgotten my son.” 

Cheol glanced at Ji-won, who shook his head. Even if Cheol did not remember, surely Ji-won would’ve. 

“Who would have tricked us both?” Cheol asked. He kneeled down in front of her. “If they are a common enemy, perhaps we should fight them together.” 

She shook her head, fear entering her face for the first time since he’d met her. A person more terrifying than the King? “I cannot do that.” v4NQjO

“Why not?”

Her lower lip trembled, and now he realized she was not only frightened. Tears glistened in her eyes. The man rubbed her back, though he seemed equally panicked. 

“She’ll kill him before we could get to her,” the woman said. Now she glanced back to the other prisoners. They seemed ready to tear her to pieces if she spoke. Perhaps he should give her a private audience. 

“She’s holding your son hostage.” So it was a woman. Cheol stood up from his place and placed a hand on Ji-won’s shoulder. “I’d like you to bring her to my office for further interrogation. She can bring her husband if she’d like.” waF Td

. . .

Cheol still wasn’t used to the office his father had once spent his days in. The lanterns were lit to cast the office in a warm glow. The transition from living on the streets to living in luxury was jarring. He found himself hating everything about it. The expensive screens, the polished ebony furniture, the scent of incense wafting in the air. All he could taste was the blood on his hands. The blood of his parents, the blood of countless prisoners he’d sent to die. It felt as if his father’s spirit was forever following him, criticizing every move he made, mocking him. 

“Enjoying yourself,” his father asked, sitting in the place that now belonged to Cheol. “Is it everything you ever dreamed it would be?” 

“I never asked for this,” Cheol murmured, staring into the empty space behind his desk. His father’s spirit had passed on. Cheol’s worst enemy had fallen. What was the point in continuing on? Cheol had only ever truly wanted revenge. He’d gotten that now.  jDML7Z

“Running away?” his father’s voice mocked again. Cheol rolled his hand into a fist. “Just because you got your hands a little dirty.” 

Cheol could not run. He had an obligation now, as the Crown Prince and the boy who killed the previous King. 

“Your Majesty, Lord Ji-won is here with the prisoners,” the court lady announced. 

Cheol sat down on a gold cushion behind the desk. Two more had been placed on the other side, where the prisoners would sit. “Let them in.” bg92Up

They were both limping as they entered, two guards on either side of them, and Ji-won in front. The guards forced them down on their knees on the cushions.

“Thank you. The rest of you may leave,” Cheol ordered. They did so, and the court ladies slid the doors shut. 

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

He offered his question to both of them: “What can you tell me about her?”

Their injuries had been tended to, heads and arms bandaged, and their clothes changed. They could not step foot in the King’s office trailing blood, after all. They hung their heads. The threat to their son’s life kept them silent.  daoqxi

“Very well,” Cheol said. He had hoped the absence of the other goons would help loosen their tongues. “Do you know what her goals are in all of this?” 

The woman seemed to decide this question was safe to answer because she raised her head and spoke clearly, “She’s a secretive woman, but from what we’ve seen . . . her goal is to spread chaos.” 

“For what purpose?” 

“To dethrone you, Your Majesty.” byk9G6

Cheol smiled, leaning back in his seat and laughing lightly. “So, you’ve been burning down government offices, murdering, and stealing, all for the sake of dethroning me?”

The man grimaced, meeting Cheol’s gaze without fail. “Many of those people see it as no different than what your family has been doing for generations now.”

“I am not planning on following in their footsteps if that’s her concern,” Cheol said, placing an arm on the table. “You forget that I have lived most of my life outside of the Palace. I have more in common with all of you than with my father.” 

The woman let out a breathy chortle. “Yes, I can see that.”  wEnr1z

And they had been tortured by his own men. Cheol could not blame them for not wanting to work with him. Most of the time, even he could hardly bear to look at himself. He met the woman’s gaze again. Her determination had not faded after all this time. They had both been through interrogation, torture, and yet Cheol was the one who felt like giving up.

“I cannot force answers out of you,” Cheol said, clasping his hands on the desk. “I can admire that. Though, I hope you understand that if you cannot cooperate with us, we have no reason to keep you alive.”

The woman pursed her lips, as her husband lowered his head again. They’d accepted their fate the moment they were arrested. They expected nothing less of the rumored boy King and his cruelty.

He gestured toward them with both hands. As a final act of kindness, he would show them he wasn’t really so cruel. “As we are at an impasse, I will honor your final requests.” m7jRoJ

“A letter,” the woman blurted out, her hands clasped in her lap, her back rigid as if she was certain Cheol would refuse. “I wish to write a letter to my son. He will seek you out eventually, so give it to him when he does.”

“Your son. The one being held hostage?” Cheol asked. “Will she not kill him as soon as she’s gotten rid of you two?” That was what he would’ve done.

The woman shook her head. “He’ll survive. I’m sure of it. She doesn’t kill people without reason, and . . .” She trailed off, mouth hanging open.

“And?” D7tkd

The woman blinked rapidly, surprised at her own train of thought. “It’s nothing.” 

It was unfortunate Cheol did not have any truth serum. He could’ve wrung every last secret out of them. 

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“Court Lady Chung, bring an ink set and paper.” 

. Present Time . JuTSBr

Cheol had sent Min-jun’s parents off to their deaths and hadn’t even given them the dignity of remembering their faces. All this time, he’d been trying to woo his way into earning Min-jun’s forgiveness. He did not deserve anything from Min-jun, much less his love and mercy. 

The letter. He’d put it with the rest of the letters criminals sent to their loved ones. If he could find it, perhaps it would bring Min-jun peace. 

Or destroy him completely. 

Min-jun had nothing outside of vengeance. He would not react well to having that taken away from him. In all likelihood, Min-jun would take one look at the letter and claim it was faked, falling even further into his hatred of Cheol. L7uU2j

Exhaling, Cheol turned his face up to the canopy, letting the rain wash down his face. If only he could bear the brunt of Min-jun’s anger. Perhaps he could atone that way. 

Cheol stood up from his spot, his body feeling numb, as he began to walk back to the river, his boots sinking in the mud, the leaves mixing with the wet earth. Rain trickled down his back. 

There is one thing you can do.” And it scared him far more than any of the other options. “Let him go.” 

I can’t. I won’t. Even if Min-jun could not love him, Cheol loved Min-jun. He loved him so much that his heart ached at the thought of being parted from him. How could he ever let him go again? e1xDuK

“This is the same type of selfishness that got you into this mess in the first place. You could not deal with leaving him the first time, so you banished your memories and feelings. Now you can not allow him to leave, even if that is the only way for him to thrive. It’s always about you, isn’t it? What about him? Do something for him, just this once.”

“You really are your father’s son, aren’t you?” 

The boat and its owner were resting on the shore as promised. In a stupor, Cheol walked over without even a greeting and sat down in the boat. This was not what he’d hoped to find. He’d hoped that it would give him a clue to Min-jun’s heart, or to the death of Min-jun’s parents, or to Cheol’s own psyche. Oh, it did help him understand himself better. I am a coward. A coward in love with a man whose life I have left in ruin.

A/N: Hello Min-jun Protection Squad. A bit of a late update because the weekend turned out busier than usual. I hope you enjoyed this chapter where everyone made all the wrong decisions again. I might edit this later a little because I’m not really fond of how it turned out. If you liked this chapter, leave a comment down below. tb M2J

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13 comments

  1. It is a redeeming look at Min-jun’s parents, who we all knew hadn’t been evil. Cheol chose to lose his memories because they were a threat to his plans, presumably. But maybe they still are. Min-jun is looking very strong for surviving the memories when Cheol had to lose them just to go on.

    • Min-jun also had a nice support system in his parents before they died. Cheol’s friends are great and all, but they weren’t very good at dealing with the fact that the person they wanted to put on the throne was only a teenager.

      Thank you for commenting! I always love reading your comments!

  2. sigh how I hoped cheol wasn’t the one that killed min jun’s parents.. but turns out he did, tho it seems that the mother played a big part but still, the fact that he’s the one who killed them feels unforgivable…

    Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️

  3. Oh no so the truth of Cheol and Min juns parents finally come out. The situation is really not looking good for Cheol. Thanks for the update!