Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Just as Kim Jong-Seo had anticipated, at sunrise the next morning a rider came with a letter for him. Only it did not contain the expected information. Instead, it was a missive from the court. As soon as he finished reading the letter, he called for his son. Jun-Ho entered his father's room five minutes later, wearing a slightly worried expression on his face.

Kim Jong-Seo was sitting on his mattress, with his feet crossed underneath his robes. His face was serious, and a small crease was forming on his forehead as he perused a large sheet of paper. In front of him laid a small wooden table containing papers and books, stacked neatly on one side. The other side was occupied by brushes and writing materials.

"You called for me, father?" Jun-Ho asked quietly, taking a sit on the floor in front of his father.

"Yes, I wanted to talk to you about something." Kim Jong-Seo said, placing the letter he had just read on the small table.

"Did something happen?" Jun-Ho asked, trying to ignore the tightening of his chest.

"I am afraid we will have to push forward our trip to the capital." Kim Jong-Seo said with a heavy sigh. "After I refused Prince Suyang's proposal, unrest has been brewing at the royal court. The Chief State Councilor has been able to keep things quiet until now, but rumors of treason may have reached the King."

"Treason?!" Jun-Ho cried out in shock. "Who would dare to think of such a thing?"

"You know very well that Prince Suyang isn't going to sit back quietly and leave his nephew to rule the country. Why do you think he wanted to marry his only daughter to you?" Kim Jong-Seo said with a knowing smile on his lips.

"He wanted to have control over you." Jun-Ho concluded, a crease forming on his forehead.

He had heard about the proposition Prince Suyang had sent his father a month ago but did not want to trouble him by asking for more details. He knew his father would tell him everything when the time was right. Now that he knew, Jun-Ho did not regret the outcome. He had never seen the girl himself, but she was the daughter of Prince Suyang, an enemy of his father, so there was no way in hell he would unite with her.

"I am afraid the King might try the same thing." Kim Jong-Seo said quietly, arousing Jun-Ho from his thoughts.

"What do you mean?"

"My boy, you are the son of the Left State Councilor, a fine young man who got first place in the Literary examination and a brave warrior. It is only natural that he should would want you as a son in law!" Kim Jong-Seo finished, laughing at the gawping expression Jun-Ho was giving him. "I am even considering the possibility of you entering the royal household, but…" he stopped, a frown appearing on his face.

"But you are hesitating." Jun-Ho supplied.

"Yes. It would be a wonderful opportunity to stop Prince Suyang's attempts at gaining the throne, but at the same time it could mean less power for our family. Based on the Confucian rules of the state, the royal family cannot involve itself in politics, and cannot hold positions in court. Even though they can work from the shadows, that is not something I would like for my son. You were born to shine, Jun-Ho, and that is what I want you to do."

"Then what have you in mind, father?" Jun-Ho asked, then after a second he added quickly "Surely you are not thinking about marrying Jung-Hee to the Crown Prince?"

"Of course not." his father replied, shaking his head slowly. "It could have been something possible, under the right circumstances, but now I wouldn't prefer it. The Crown Prince is barely twelve years old and he is weak."

Jun-Ho breathed out a sigh of relief. Nothing good came out of entering the Royal household and Jun-Ho had dreaded having to give up his sister to those people. Not many Kings and Queens managed to survive long on the throne, and he wanted his family to be safe.

Kim Jong-Seo remained silent for a moment, brushing his goatee slowly. His pensive look moved from his son to the letter.

"I will accept the King's proposition to have you tutor his son." Kim Jong-Seo finally said after a while, raising his eyes to his son.

"Me? But wasn't that role supposed to be…"

"Mine, yes." Kim Jong-Seo interrupted his son briskly. "But you see, I am old, and you are young. The King agreed it was best to have you take the role." He stared down his son with an intense gaze. "Many will be jealous of you for having received this honor. Every move you make, every word you say will be listened to and scrutinized. Remember that."

Jung-Ho nodded, a shadow spreading across his face.

"When are we leaving?" he asked quietly.

"Be ready to leave in two weeks' time. I might have to travel ahead, though. I need to have a private conversation with the Chief State Councilor before you enter the court."

Just as Jun-Ho was about to reply, the door burst open and Shin appeared in the threshold with Kim Jong-Seo's servant at his shoulder. The poor man was berating Shin for the improper manners he was displaying, trying desperately to push past him and apologize to his master.

"Shin what in heaven's name has happened?!" Jun-Ho asked, springing to his feet, his eyes widening at his appearance.

Shin's eyes looked wild; his beautiful features twisted in anger.

"She's gone!" Shin said in a furious whisper. "That crazy woman has run away." He added louder, seeing both Jun-Ho and Kim Jong-Seo's puzzled expressions.

***

After finding out about the meeting planned for next morning, Yoon-Yi could barely sleep that night. She couldn't even lie down and rest her body due to nerves.

'Why would he want to talk to me? What will happen to me? Oh, I am sure he will tell me to go. Now that I am feeling better, he will tell me to go my own way.' She thought frantically in a burst of irrational thoughts.

Taking deep calming breaths, she pondered more on the subject. It was possible that he simply wanted to meet the girl his sons had saved. Surely there could be nothing more than that. She nodded slowly and in the darkness of the room she waited for the sun to rise.

The morning light brought back all the fears from the previous night, all the anxieties and thoughts filled her brain with a buzzing sound. Then, an idea formed into her mind, slowly taking shape, and gripping at her heart tightly. She will escape. Before anyone comes to take her to the master of the house, she will be long gone.

With this new resolution, Yoon-Yi waited for the perfect moment. It came when a young servant girl brought her something to drink. The girl was just about to leave when Yoon-Yi stopped her.

"I'm sorry, but could you please tell me where the bathroom is?" she asked, trying to smile a bit.

'There is nothing suspicious with me wanting to go to the bathroom, after all. I am human, just like everybody else and I have a right to deal with my own personal needs.' She said to herself, gaining more courage from this thought.

The servant girl hesitated for a second, but maybe Yoon-Yi's smile and calm posture convinced her there was nothing amiss. After all, the young miss hadn't gone to the bathroom since the day before, she was well aware of that.

"Come with me, miss. The bathroom is outside. I will take you there." The servant girl said, gesturing with her head for Yoon-Yi to follow her.

They walked through the corridors and halls, taking them at least two minutes to exit the house. Yoon-Yi was impressed with the sheer size of the property. Nothing, however, had prepared her for what was outside.

A large inner courtyard spread from the front of the house all the way to a beautiful pond covered with lotus flowers. Trees were scattered all around this courtyard, all in full bloom. From time to time, a gust of wind would sprinkle the air with petals, making it look like snow was falling in… spring.

It is springtime. What the hell happened to summer? I am sure it was summer when I went to visit my family's graves.

Ogling at the trees and turning her head in all directions until it was hurting, Yoon-Yi followed the servant girl around the house. On the other side there was a kitchen, where numerous servants were preparing breakfast for the members of the family. Opposite it, there were many dark-brown jars, of various sizes.

Wondering what they could contain, Yoon-Yi tried to keep up with the servant girl.

They quickly passed the entrance to the kitchen and went further back along the house, where a small shack-like structure was situated. It was isolated from the rest of the building and the smell coming from there told Yoon-Yi they were at the right place. Scrunching up her nose and gathering up her skirt in one hand, she turned to the girl with a shadow of a smile on her face.

"Thank you very much. I will be alright from here."

Yoon-Yi had hoped that her words would dismiss the girl, but she did not count on previous orders being given never to be left alone. The servant girl shook her head vigorously and crossed her arms.

"I am sorry, miss, but I was told not to leave you wondering about the house unaccompanied. You might get lost." She finished simply, staring at Yoon-Yi with her small, beady eyes.

Trying for a different tactic, Yoon-Yi sighed deeply and went to grab the girl's hands into her own. This time, she would try to appeal to her female understanding. Surely that would work, right?

"Please, I beg of you. This is all very new to me and I… Well I would like a little bit of privacy at least when I am in the bathroom. It wouldn't feel comfortable knowing there is someone right outside the door, listening to me." she finished in a quiet voice, looking down in faked shyness.

Yoon-Yi had hit a sensitive spot. The servant looked at her in indignation, as if she had been insulted, accused of listening to her masters doing their humanly needs. Every servant had been taught to give their masters the privacy that they need, while still being near enough to attend to them when called. That was the rule and the better you were at it, the better servant you were.

"Alright. I will be waiting for you in the kitchen, miss. Make sure to call out when you are ready to go back into the house." She said with a huff, turning her back to Yoon-Yi and going for the kitchen.

'Perfect!' Yoon-Yi thought with satisfaction.

She proceeded to the bathroom, all the while trying to breathe as little as possible. When she finished, she came out and took deep breaths of air, as if on the verge of suffocation. She had a nasty feeling that the smell had impregnated her clothes and hair as well but didn't linger around long enough to prove that disturbing idea.

Raising her skirt higher with both hands, Yoon-Yi ran towards the gates, bypassing the kitchen and pushing every servant she met out of her way until she reached her destination. She wrenched the doors open and stepped onto the busy street. Without thinking where she wanted to go, she took the first path her eyes laid upon and ran as if her life depended on it.

Soon afterwards, Yoon-Yi got tired from all that running and stopped to catch her breath. That is when she allowed herself to look around properly, taking in the scenery before her. A market was opening in front of her eyes, with stalls settled on either side of the street and people bustling about, talking, and buying products.

It all would have looked normal and familiar, if not for the strange vibrant colors that assaulted her eyes, the shrill noises coming from the children playing on the street and, most obviously, the clothes they were wearing.

The people in front of Yoon-Yi were common folk, and therefore were wearing clothes made of a simple cotton. Some looked like rags to Yoon-Yi, but that was because most of the men's clothes seemed dirty and worn out. The women wore the same type of dress she was, but the colors were less vibrant, and they were most definitely not made of silk.

If anything was to be a confirmation of the place she was now in, the marketplace surely would represent the best of proofs. A startling thought entered her head, as she watched the people running about their business. She really was in Joseon.

Unless she somehow got dragged to a historical looking village where they usually filmed dramas, then the only possible explanation of what she was seeing, was that she truly had travelled through time to Joseon.

"This is madness." She whispered to herself, earning a few strange looks.

Yoon-Yi was indeed a curious presence there. Not every day a noble lady descended in the market and walked around all by herself. Soon, many people stopped from what they were doing and instead turned to stare at her, with a mixture of curiosity and resentment.

Feeling their intense stares, Yoon-Yi backed away slowly. Turning her back on the people and the market, she ran along the same path she came from. Stopping at an intersection, she looked around and saw there was a river to the left, flowing outside the city.

Her heart started to beat faster. What if that river was the answer to her problems? She had come here through a river, so who was to say she would not be able to travel back the same way? Using this newfound hope, Yoon-Yi tried to push out the desperation that was threatening to engulf her mind. The very thought of having to live there, away from everything she knew, made her choke on air.

Therefore, being bent on trying anything in order to get back home, she did not take one small detail into consideration: spring was looming in the air and the waters of the river were icy cold.