FIB Extra 2 part 1

PR by neji

Three years had passed since SeoMoon had split into Ju.

During this neither short nor long time, various provinces in SeoMoon gradually collapsed. In contrast, the provinces in Ju flourished, so the gaps between the two countries grew wider with time.

“They told me that Unnie is searching for marriageable men.”

Once SoYoon had reached of age, she began to receive offers of marriage.

Although MoonWon’s family had collapsed, because her husband was Heon, the man with the Emperor’s confidence and the titles of royal adopted brother and Duke MyungHyun, many wanted to create ties with the family. Therefore, they were drowning in marriage offers and correspondence.

MoonWon told SoYoon that she’d find her a reliable and kind husband, but she couldn’t bring herself to be happy when she heard the news.

“I said I’m getting married!”

“Good for you.”

Standing in front of the fuming SoYoon, Hong-yeom replied in a cold voice.

When she saw how calm he was, SoYoon’s body began to shake with anger.

Three years had already passed.

Even though he didn’t dislike her, he never showed her his true feelings.

She was trembling with dread at the thought of marrying an unfamiliar man, but Hong-yeom was calm and didn’t seem bothered at all.

“You bad, bad jerk!”

“Step back and objectively think about our difference in status, my lady. And I haven’t done anything that makes me responsible for you.”

“But you like me, too!”

Hong-yeom didn’t know what to say to her counter-argument. His eyes trembled, but his mouth remained shut. His calm, steady demeanor from before was completely lost.

However, he couldn’t let himself be swayed by SoYoon here.

“Then are you saying that you never liked me in the first place? How can you play with my heart like this?”

“That’s not it!”

“Then what is it?! Are you saying it’s okay for me to marry another man?!”

Hong-yeom’s face hardened at SoYoon’s provocation.

Because he knew things would end up like this, he hadn’t wanted to start anything with her. He never expected there would be someone other than MoonWon who could make him waver like this.

SoYoon was going to enter the embrace of another man.

Although his stomach churned and he was filled with rage, he knew these feelings would settle with time.

“I’m leaving.”

Nothing would change anyway.

Even if she was the daughter of a servant, half of SoYoon’s lineage was from nobility. To someone like her, his existence would only bring her trouble.

Now, all that was left to do was to go their separate ways. Hong-yeom turned around without looking at SoYoon and began to briskly walk away.

“Wai… Wait! I’m not… Ouch!”

SoYoon began to recklessly run after him when she suddenly let out a shout.

Hong-yeom didn’t have to turn around to know that she had tripped. If he turned back now, it would only prolong the inevitable.

Hong-yeom closed his eyes and began to walk again. However, before he could take five steps, he bit his lips.

“Damn it.”

How nice would it be if she wasn’t clumsy and did well on her own like MoonWon? Why was she so clumsy that she always made him nervous and concerned?

“Are you hurt?”

Hong-yeom brushed off the dirt from SoYoon’s skirts and looked her over. Thankfully, she didn’t look like she had any injuries, but when she fell, she had lost a shoe.

Hong-yeom helped her up and picked up her shoe.

After brushing off the dirt from her shoe, he placed the shoe in front of her feet.

“If your leg hurts or if you think you sprained something, let me know. I’ll go and get a doctor.”

“Should we run away?”

Hong-yeom was about to put her shoe on her foot when he suddenly lifted his head. Although her eyes were wet with tears, her gaze was calm and steady.

“Let’s run away.”

“Do you want to hammer a nail into the Mistress’s heart?”

When he brought up MoonWon, the tears clinging to her lashes began to trickle down her cheek. She would never be able to break MoonWon’s trust.

Gazing at her, Hong-yeom awkwardly scratched his head.

“Please stop crying like that.”

He hated it when women cried.

But whenever SoYoon cried like this, he felt like he was going to go insane with concern. Whenever she cried, he never knew what to do.

If he had known this would happen, he would never have associated himself with her. But this was a lame excuse. He knew that things would have turned out like this anyway.

“Even though it’s difficult now, it’ll get better.”

After putting the shoe on SoYoon’s foot, he murmured a hollow consolation. He didn’t know who he was trying to console.

In the end, these wounds would fade away with time.

* * *

As the day marched on, it began to rain.

“SoYoon has disappeared?”

After playing with Yuha all day, MoonWon had just put him to sleep. She narrowed her eyes at the report she was given. The SoYoon she knew would never leave the residence without a word. 

“Has she just gone out for a short walk? SoYoon is rather quiet, but…”

“They said that all her belongings are gone and the closet is empty.”

MoonWon’s heart sank. After leaving Yuha with Yeori, MoonWon ran to SoYoon’s bedchamber without bothering to cover herself from the rain.

Nervously pacing back and forth in front of the room in the pouring rain, Yuhwa looked up when she saw MoonWon and rushed over.

“Mistress, SoYoon…!”

SoYoon had never acted out in her life, so this was very shocking. Of all the times this could be happening, it had to happen when Heon was not in the bamboo grove. MoonWon’s vision went dark. What if she had been kidnapped?

However, no one here would ever do something like that to SoYoon.

“If something happens to SoYoon…”

“That won’t happen, Yuhwa. It will never come to that.”

Now wasn’t the time to stay still. The rain was starting to come down harder, and the sun would set very soon.

She didn’t want to burden Heon with the matter regarding SoYoon. She wanted to fix this before Heon came back. MoonWon called for Yusun.

“M-Mistress! Over… Over there!”

MoonWon turned her head.

Hong-yeom was completely drenched in rain and entered SoYoon’s room. The person on his back was definitely SoYoon. When Hong-yeom paused, SoYoon climbed off his back.

“Hong-yeom, wh…”

The moment she saw the two of them, MoonWon didn’t have to ask.

When Hong-yeom met MoonWon’s eyes, he closed them. He hadn’t wanted to disappoint her like this.

If it wasn’t MoonWon, he didn’t know if he’d still be alive. He received so much from her and would never be able to repay her during this lifetime. But he had repaid her like this.

“I’m sorry, Mistress.”

“Unnie, I can’t get married. No, I won’t.”

“Stop being unreasonable, my lady.”

“Why am I being unreasonable? Am I being unreasonable by myself? Then why did you bring me back?! Why did you drag me back here?!”

“Enough!”

Unable to take this any longer, Yuhwa shouted at SoYoon. SoYoon looked up at MoonWon. The teary-eyed and brazen SoYoon was nowhere to be seen. SoYoon’s eyes were determined as she stared at MoonWon. Then she bit her lips.

She wasn’t sure about anyone else, but when it came to MoonWon, she knew she shouldn’t act like this. She knew how peaceful her life had been under MoonWon’s care and protection.

However, this had to do with a decision that would affect the rest of her life.

“I don’t need a good family, and I don’t want someone with good character. If I have to get married, I want to do it with Hong-yeom.”

“SoYoon! Enough!”

“I’m a concubine’s daughter, anyway. Half of me is the same as Hong-yeom.”

“I said that’s enough!”

“I wanted to run away, but… he said I couldn’t. He said I mustn’t do this to you, Unnie. But the thing is, Unnie… It’s my life. I don’t want it. I said I don’t want it.”

“Enough, my lady.”

Even Yuhwa hadn’t been able to stop her, but with Hong-yeom’s one word, SoYoon shut her mouth. Completely shocked, Yuhwa tiredly closed her eyes. When Hong-yeom saw MoonWon’s pale face, he went on his knees.

“I’m sorry, Mistress. I was trying to forget everything quietly… I’m sorry.”

“I can’t get married to anyone else. If I’m forced to do it, I’d rather die. Unnie, please…”

One never knew what lay in store.

MoonWon could no longer feel the icy rain.

When it came to the trustworthy Hong-yeom and her precious SoYoon, MoonWon didn’t know what to do.

“Yusun.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

“Why don’t we all change into some dry clothes for now.”

“Unnie!”

“Let’s talk later.”

MoonWon knew better than anyone that the heart never did as the mind wished.

However, she didn’t know what she should say in this situation. MoonWon turned around and didn’t look at them as she walked out of the room.

* * *

The next day, Heon returned to the bamboo grove.

After hearing a brief report from Yusun, he began to head towards the inner residence.

“You’re back?”

MoonWon did her best to smile as Heon approached her. After handing her his clothes, Heon silently hugged her. With her lips still stretched into a forced smile, she buried her face against his chest.

“You should go and see Yuha.”

“Yuha is still young and won’t know any better.”

He didn’t ask her what she was going to do or if she was okay, but that was why she felt that she could lean on him even more. While Heon was away, countless thoughts went through her head. If it was her own problem, it wouldn’t have been this difficult. But this was about SoYoon.

“I must have been too neglectful with SoYoon.”

“If they don’t say anything, you will never know what they’re thinking.”

“I never expected this.”

Unable to show him her face, MoonWon kept it buried against his chest. Heon stroked her back and placed his chin on the crown of her head. Because she knew what would happen to them, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

“If the two of them bothers you, I can always do something.”

Unlike MoonWon, who always took other people’s comfort and happiness into consideration, Heon only cared about her. He didn’t have the capacity to care about other people’s difficulties.

“No, I’m not bothered by Hong-yeom’s status or SoYoon’s situation. That’s really not the case.”

MoonWon pulled away from Heon and let out a deep sigh.

She had spent a long time debating what to do, but in the end, she always came back to one answer. The problem wasn’t whether her decision was the correct one. It was the fact that so many problems would arise afterwards.

“If SoYoon takes Hong-yeom for a husband, I’m fine with it. I think I’m okay with that. One of them is my precious little sister and the other one helped me through so many hardships while I wasn’t with you. If I could, I’d like to smile as I give them my blessing. But…”

“But?”

“The problem isn’t their marriage. It’s what happens after.”

MoonWon stood in front of Heon and closed her eyes.

Her head hurt and her chest felt clogged up. MoonWon knew better than anyone what it felt like to get married without any preparation and the consequences that came with it.

“SoYoon is the daughter of a concubine, and Hong-yeom doesn’t have any status. In addition to that, he carries the stigma of being blue-eyed. It doesn’t matter to me, but there will be many people around them who will point and stare at them.”

SoYoon was especially sensitive, so she might not be able to handle it. However, MoonWon couldn’t shake off the image of SoYoon firmly declaring that she’d marry Hong-yeom. If they both wanted this marriage, MoonWon wanted to give them her blessing.

“What if my reckless decision makes it harder for them?”

“They are the ones who made the decision.”

“But I must give them my blessing. Yuhwa also said she’d follow my lead.”

MoonWon let out another deep sigh.

She had wanted to live and worry only about small matters, but it seemed that life never went as planned. She was now stuck in such an unexpected situation.

“I really don’t know what I should do.”

Although it was selfish of her to think this way, she didn’t want to lose SoYoon or anyone else. But her decision might make her lose both or one of them. Because of this, she couldn’t come to a decision.

“What would you do in this situation, Husband?”

“I’m not sure.”

“They must be waiting for my decision, but I don’t know what to tell them.”

A dark shadow was cast over her face. Heon held her hand and pulled her into his arms.

Feeling her soft skin and warmth, Heon kissed MoonWon’s forehead.

However, unlike the darkness in MoonWon’s expression, Heon’s eyes remained calm.

* * *

As he approached Heon, who was standing alone on the gazebo, Hong-yeom bowed. Even though Hong-yeom was there, Heon did not look at him and continued to look out into the distance.

Instead of asking Heon why he called, Hong-yeom remained silent.

Although he was MoonWon’s husband, Hong-yeom was still scared of him. He was a man who remained steadfast and steady in the face of any adversity. Although Hong-yeom was scared of him, he also respected him.

“Tell me your intentions.”

Something that both MoonWon and Heon had in common was that they always checked before they made a move. They never acted recklessly.

Standing behind Heon, Hong-yeom crouched to his knees.

“If you can give me your blessing, I would like to marry her.”

“Are you saying that you’re willing to have my sister-in-law take on your burdens as well?”

Although he knew he should stay composed, his body began to tremble and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. However, Heon’s piercing words weren’t wrong. Even though Hong-yeom had feelings for SoYoon, the reason why he hesitated was for this exact reason.

He could not burden SoYoon with a marriage to the family’s servant. Not only that, but Hong-yeom was also blue-eyed.

It was a burden he should have to carry alone. He did not want to share it with SoYoon.

However, he couldn’t stop the way he felt.

“What should I do?”

If Heon had planned on killing him, he wouldn’t have called him out here like this. He would have done it already. To Heon, his top priority was MoonWon, and if something bothered her, he would eliminate the source of it without hesitation.

“SeoMoon will begin to move again. His Majesty said we can let them be for a little longer, but SeoMoon will not be able to handle it for long. This might be the last one.”

For some odd reason, ‘the last one’ continued to ring in his ears.

Although he didn’t know what Heon was going to say, he felt that he was giving him a chance.

A first and last chance.

“If you cannot get rid of your blue eyes, then rise in status in spite of it. Then won’t everything work out?”

Did Heon know what he was saying right now?

Hong-yeom knew that Heon was telling him to fight in this war. However, there was only one way he could rise in rank in a war.

It was impossible.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Master?”

Three years was enough.

Due to Heon and the impatience of being unable to obtain MoonWon, JaeHoon’s lunacy had reached its limit. 

Although the remaining fear in the deepest parts of MoonWon’s heart had long disappeared, this was also why JaeHoon’s very existence was an uneasy one for both Heon and MoonWon.

Heon had no plans of continuing this cursed connection between them.

“If you are determined, then I will give you an opportunity. However, if you do not properly execute this opportunity, if you cannot properly fulfill your duty, do not even think about returning to the bamboo grove.”

An unexpected opportunity had revealed itself. In return, he had to put his life on the line.

Instead of answering Heon, Hong-yeom bowed.

* * *

If MoonWon hadn’t told her to wait, SoYoon would have run to the location where Heon and Hong-yeom were talking.

She wasn’t sure when it all began. At some point, whenever she saw him, her heart would race and her vision would turn white. She tried to avoid him, but whenever she didn’t see him, she’d wonder about him. And if she looked all over and found him, she’d have so much to tell him, but the words wouldn’t leave her lips.

As soon as she realized that her feelings for Hong-yeom was love, everything had turned out like this.

“Ah!”

When she saw Hong-yeom return from the gazebo, she rushed over to him. When she heard that he was going to speak with Heon, she was so afraid that he’d be killed. She was apologetic towards MoonWon, but SoYoon was still very afraid of Heon.

“Unnie said I could come here, so I came. Are you okay?”

Hong-yeom stopped her from coming any closer. The excitement of having received this opportunity had not yet settled. Although the price of this opportunity was his very life, he didn’t want to let it slip out of his grasp.

“If you continue to associate with me, they will taunt you for being the wife of a blue-eyed man. They’ll definitely wag their fingers at you, and they’ll probably curse at you, too.”

“……”

“Those people won’t stop even if you cry. Is that okay?”

He still clearly remembered how his late parents had lived when they were alive. He might even be dragging SoYoon to hell just because of a short-lived love affair.

Because of MoonWon’s consideration and Heon’s supervision, he had come all the way here.

However, if he fumbled this opportunity, he might lose it all.

“It doesn’t matter to me.”

“Think about it for a little longer before you give me your answer.”

“I’m done thinking! It doesn’t matter!”

She answered without any hesitation.

Whenever she behaved like this, it reminded him of MoonWon.

“I’m going to fight in the war.”

“The war? Why?”

“After I return, I can receive their blessing and marry you. But first, I need to go.”

“I-It’ll be dangerous! You might die.”

Once or twice a year, Heon would be deployed to SeoMoon. In front of Heon, MoonWon would smile and tell him to come back in one piece, but when it was late at night, she would be so worried that she wouldn’t be able to sleep.

She heard rumors that the crazed emperor of SeoMoon was waging fiercer and more bloody wars by the day. Sending Hong-yeom into the midst of all that was basically sending him to his death.

“You’ll die!”

“How can you say such an unlucky thing? And why do you sound so sure? I obviously need to return alive.”

“You’re going to die!”

Her eyes grew damp with tears again as she shouted out in a shrill voice.

Whenever this lady looked at him, she’d start tearing up over and over. What was he to do with her? How could he have fallen for such a woman? He only had himself to blame.

“Look, you’re crying again.”

“Brother-in-law is a commander, so he’ll be in the back. But not you. You’re going to the frontlines of battle to die like an idiot! That’s what’ll happen.”

Actually, Heon was at the frontlines giving out orders, but there was no way SoYoon knew that.

Even if he told her it wasn’t true, it didn’t matter. Once Hong-yeom told her he was going to be deployed, she couldn’t hear anything else. But he had already decided to do this, so how could she tell him he’d die? Even though he was afraid, he was determined.

Hong-yeom wiped away the tears hanging from her lashes and pressed a brief kiss on her pale forehead.

Because he knew he shouldn’t fall for her, he hadn’t even properly held her hand. 

“Stop crying. I hate women who cry.”

When she heard him say he hated it, she quickly wiped the rest of her tears with her sleeves.

“I’m not crying. I’m not going to cry.”

She wanted so badly to tell him not to go. But instead of letting those words leave her lips, she held them back. Although she wasn’t as strong as MoonWon, she still wanted to be of some help to Hong-yeom.

“So don’t die.”

“I’m not going to die.”

At this rate, people would think he was not going to war to render his services but to die. But when he saw that she stopped crying at his request, he couldn’t help but find her adorable.

Even though he knew he shouldn’t approach her when things hadn’t yet been decided, he couldn’t help that he was still a man.

He grabbed SoYoon’s chin and pressed his lips onto hers.

It only lasted a moment. When he pulled away, he saw SoYoon’s wide eyes. Hong-yeom grinned.

He had properly fallen head over heels for her.

Even though it was just a smile and a small peck, he felt like his heart was going to burst through his chest.

“I’ll be back. So be good and… Mmph.”

SoYoon wrapped her arms around Hong-yeom’s neck and slammed her lips down onto his.

The soldiers gathered. Once Heon received Doyoon’s order, they began to move.

Following behind Heon, Hong-yeom marched to the frontlines.

* * *

Although Heon and Hong-yeom had left for battle, the bamboo grove was far removed from the warzone, so everything went on as usual. Because Heon was often called away to wage war with SeoMoon and always returned with Ju’s victory, rather than feeling nervous, everyone felt at peace.

“Mistress, have you arrived?”

On a rare outing, MoonWon nodded to the shopkeeper as she looked around with Yuha. Although things were peaceful here, whenever Heon was gone, she would be in charge of running the bamboo grove.

“Have you prepared what I’ve asked?”

“Of course. I’ve brought an especially good one, so please take a look.”

With each passing day, more and more people came to Ju from SeoMoon. That meant the number of people that MoonWon and Heon were responsible for increased as well. At first, they only planned on making some room for them, but the people who came over ended up being a great help to them in return.

“This is the new cloth that came in. It was made very well, so it doesn’t rip easily. There isn’t anything like it.”

“Yeori.”

At MoonWon’s call, Yeori approached them. Yeori looked at the cloth that MoonWon gestured to and then at the others with a critical eye. Although the shopkeeper told her that it was of good quality, in Yeori’s eyes, a few of them were not up to her standards.

“I’m not sure about the cotton, but I think it’ll be in our best interest to look around at other shops as well.”

“Aigoo, do you know how difficult it is to obtain these products? If you’re not happy with these, I’ll show you some other ones we have. Please take another look.”

Despite the shopkeeper’s excessive claims, MoonWon touched the fabrics a few more times. Looking around the store with fascinated eyes, Yuha slowly made his way out. Because he avoided everyone’s eyes, he managed to get out without being caught. Once he made it outside, his eyes gleamed.

“Uwaa.”

With every step he took, everything seemed so new. To the small Yuha, the world outside the bamboo grove seemed so wide.

“You look very pretty. What’s your name?”

As he walked through the crowd, someone called out to him. An unfamiliar old woman was approaching him with a hunched back. When he saw her, his small mouth began to move.

“Who are you, Grandma?”

When she heard Yuha’s question, the old woman stretched out her wrinkly hand. Startled, Yuha stepped back. The old woman quickly pulled her hand away.

“You look just like my son. That’s why I asked. Don’t be afraid.”

“Where is your son, Grandma?”

The old woman looked around. Then she looked down with a sullen expression on her face.

“Child, have you seen my son?”

“Yuha!”

They heard MoonWon’s cry just as the old woman finished asking her question. Yuha turned away from the old woman and ran towards MoonWon.

When she saw Yuha running towards her, MoonWon took him into her arms.

“Mother!”

“Didn’t I say that you must not go off on your own? Why did you come out by yourself?!”

“I-I’m sorry.”

While she had been distracted, Yuha had disappeared. Her vision went blank. If something had happened to the child… Her blood ran cold and her hand trembled. She had sent people out to search for him, and she did the same.

Thankfully, she found Yuha right away, but her body still shook with the fear that something might have happened to him.

“Don’t ever do that again. Understand?”

When he heard MoonWon’s angry scolding, Yuha nodded as his eyes watered. Sighing in relief at having found him, MoonWon turned to the old woman.

Her breath caught, and her eyes widened.

“Mistress! Young Master!”

Yeori ran towards them. When she saw the old woman, she gasped.

Unaware of what was going on, the old woman looked at Yeori and Yuha as she grinned.

The wrinkles covering her hands and face had completely swallowed her past appearance. Her grinning lips were so different from her coquettish smile.

“Where is my son?”

No one knew whether this person was dead or alive. The person who had found Yuha was the one and only Consort Yu.