How To Kill A KingCh21 - Learn About Your Past And Future

The King handed him a piece of paper. It had been rolled up and, going by the slight yellowing of the fibers, had to be at least a few years old. Several theories arose. Maybe the King had found out about his past somehow, about the brothel and about Mother? Maybe Yun-seo had told him.

His hands unrolled the scroll, fingers shaky and stiff at the same time. It was like looking in a mirror. Now his hands shook even more. A detailed portrait of his mother stared back at him, her hair loose, her eyes colder than he’d ever known them to be. Careful brushstrokes formed her face, her black hair, her neck, shoulders, the beginnings of a hanbok that had been painted dark blue. He’d almost forgotten what she looked like, his memory of her slowly blurring, until one day he wouldn’t remember anything. Not the color of her eyes, or the sound of her laugh. rQ4N7z

“Do you recognize her?”

There was no point in denying their resemblance. The King had already made up his mind. “Do you?” Do you remember those you sent to their deaths?

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“I do,” he said. “She was almost as rude as you.”

It was one thing to be near his parents’ murderer when said murderer was unaware and inoffensive. It was another entirely to hear him insult his parents, who died at his hands. VIuD87

The King managed to stop his fist before it made contact with his face. “I also remember how she died.” The King’s voice sounded quiet, secretive. “What possessed you to do this? To marry the person who killed your parents?”

Why was he acting like Min-jun was the one in the wrong? He pulled his hand back. Damn the King’s quick instincts. “My purpose is none of your concern.”

“You’ve come to kill me.”

“What will you do?” It would make sense to kill him. He was a threat, after all. Min-jun preferred to die trying than to be sent home. He didn’t know what would happen if the King sent him back.

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“I’m not sure yet,” the King said, pensively. “You’re trying to kill me, yes, but somehow, I feel it would be a waste to exile or execute you. Besides, I use those methods sparingly.”

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“What did my parents do to deserve such a fate?”

“They conspired,” the King replied. “They would’ve turned to ashes what I’ve just begun to rebuild.”

There was an undercurrent of steadfast belief in the King’s voice. The ends justified the means in his eyes. Of course, the King would be the type of person to reason his way out of guilt. hzWokH

“You’re a murderer. Nothing that comes of this will ever change that.”

“What about you? After you’ve killed me? And Sun-woo.”

His injured arm drew Min-jun’s eyes back to it. Mother always told him to kill anyone who stood in his way without remorse. That remorse would only lead him off his path.

“It would not have been just,” he told him. “I feel no pride in my path. It’s simply what I must do.” ducPsl

“Destiny is a scam.”

“Bold words from the one whose entire birthright survives on it.”

The King tilted his head to the side, eyes moving, taking in Min-jun’s face. “I’ll change your mind, then.”

The gall. The King didn’t take him seriously at all. pHa9u8

“You’ll regret it.”

“It’s the second time you’ve told me this. My answer remains the same. I really don’t think I will.”

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He wanted to cut him down then and there. When he’d taken on the burden of killing this man, he’d been ready for an endless barrage of frustration and fury. He didn’t expect that frustration to come as a side effect of his own impatience and the King’s unwavering confidence.

“Jeong-eun,” he called as he got up from his bed. “I’m heading out to meet with Consort Eui. See to it that the King finds his way out. I will not be escorting him.” 2YbW5x

The portrait of his mother, he gingerly placed on the drawer near his medicine. One good thing came of this interrogation. He no longer had to rely solely on memory.

. . .

Yun-seo’s villa was much larger than his, probably to showcase her higher status. She’d decorated it with brightly colored lanterns to commemorate the arrival of summer. All around it, shrubs, trees, and flowers of all sorts bloomed, circling around the villa. The stone gate which surrounded it had been lovingly maintained, not a crack to be seen. Every inch of her home seemed polished. He supposed that was true for his own quarters as well. They all lived in such opulence, abundance, even if all of their inner lives were empty.

Stepping inside, he let his hand glide over the carvings on the pine walls. The building smelled of spices – coriander, cinnamon, ginger – and it reminded him of his childhood home in the fall and then Su-jin’s hanok whenever she got the urge to bake something. PlYcIr

A gathering of maids greeted him in front of Yun-seo’s door. They announced his arrival and then ushered him inside. Yun-seo sat on a gold and blue cushion, dressed in a dark violet hanbok with gold embroidery, a silver phoenix pin adorning her hair. Her room had been filled with little trinkets. Little wooden dolls with terrifying faces stared at him from their places on her bookshelf. A screen depicting a valley full of wildflowers spread out behind her. In her hands, she held an embroidery loop and the sliver of a needle.

“Min-jun!” she said, cheerful as ever, not a trace of hangover on her face: No dark circles, no gaunt appearance. “What has compelled you to visit me so soon? People will start to talk.”

His naivete must’ve blinded him, or was it just arrogance clouding his judgment? “You looked at my memories,” he said, his tone more accusatory than he’d intended.

She pulled the needle through the cloth, unbothered. “It’s your own fault for being so suspicious. Sit down. You’re making me nervous.” mqWAJ2

He sat down across from her, crossing his legs. “How was I suspicious, exactly?”

For a moment, she glanced up at him, brown eyes unreadable, veiled. She pushed the needle through without looking down and sighed. “I’m only telling you this because I like you. I want us to be friends, all right?” She paused.

Oh, she actually wanted him to answer. “Yes.”

“My power only works when a person is open to their own memories. You’re not. I’ve never met someone so closed off from his past. When I watched you from afar, I only saw snippets. A girl working with embroidery. A few memories of your parents. And then, just sounds, voices.” z4Cn56

“That’s why you brought the wine.”

“I didn’t expect you to be such an alcoholic,” she said, her humor returning. “The others took a few sips while you were downing bottles. You should really talk to someone about your dependency on it. Your liver will shrivel up and die before you’re thirty.”

“Can you see the future?” he asked. He knew his past. The future served to be much more enticing.

She nodded, all too casual about such a vital point of information. “I can.” dABfv

“And?”

“Nothing,” she said, simply, “I can’t see anything in your future.”

Chrysanthemum Garden.

“What does that mean?” he demanded.

“That you’re undecided.” A small smile curved her lips. “You’re not sure what you’re going to do.” vxjr6p

So much for destiny.

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8 comments

  1. Ok, i don’t know how much I can support the ML since he is the murderer of Min-Jun’s parents. Unless they were evil beasts in human skin I’m gonna have a hard time with Min-Jun falling for the emperor.

    • It’s definitely a complex issue, but hopefully i’ll be able to do it justice. The circumstances around the deaths of Min-jun’s parents will remain murky for some time.