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Scroll 37

Kicking the stones away in his path, the King slowly walk by Buyongji pond alone.

It's a calm night. The moonlight brightens up his surrounding as the full moon seems to be following the King as he walks. Clouds scattered in the dark sky, but away from the moon. The moon held high in the sky as it cast shadows of the trees and structures nearby. In the nightfall, the usual clear green water turned darker. It remained still with no ripples created from the creatures living in it. What a clear and beautiful night.

There's a stone pathway at the side of the pond, leading to the Buyongjeong pavilion. The King walked onto the stone pathway and stood in the middle. Under the full moon, he turned and looked out at the calming waters.

As a kid, he loves standing at this exact spot. It soon became a place where he escapes to whenever he felt overwhelmed by his responsibilities. He looked at the reflection of the moon as his head becomes occupied with lots of things. He thought of his childhood, he thought of his mother, he thought of Joy.

They say that the position of the King is a very lonely position and they are right. There are so many people living in the palace with him and he has so many people under him, but he still felt lonely. The King looked at his own reflection in the water. Being the King, he is meant to be lonely. That's the price of being the ruler of this land.

"Your Majesty."The King turned when he heard someone called him. Realising that it's Little Choi, he gave her a nod as an acknowledgement of her presence.

"Why are you here alone, Your Majesty?" Little Choi asked politely. "Where's Eunuch Kim?"

The King smiled faintly. "I wanted to have some time alone."

Understanding that he wants to be alone, Little Choi nodded. "I shall take my leave then, Your Majesty." she bowed.

"It's okay, you can stay." The King said before turning to look out at the calm waters. Little Choi did the same. On the white stone pathway, the King and Little Choi stood in the middle, quietly facing the lake.

Little Choi glanced at the King's side profile. He looked as though in deep thoughts. "Are you missing Agassi?" she turned her head and asked softly.

Without turning, the King chuckled softly. "Always."

Little Choi smiled as she turned back to face the waters. She misses Joy too. They shared a piece of silence afterwards. A small breeze gently blew their faces.

"That lady, she never fails to amuse me," The King suddenly broke the silence. Little Choi turned her head again. She listened attentively to what the King has to say. "She always has many weird things going on inside her head." He said.

He held up his hand mid-way and looked at it as he thought of the handshake action that Joy had taught him when they first met. Turning to face Little Choi, the King held out his hand as though initiating a handshake. Little Choi looked at his hand curiously, her own hands remained by her side. "She told me this action is a form of greeting."

"And just the last time I met her, she had her hair tied up high in a funny hairstyle." The King chucked. "It's weird but somehow it looks nice on her."

The King smiled. "I wonder how she comes out with all these weird actions."

Little Choi knows where Joy learnt all those actions, but she didn't say it to the King. She just smiled as she continues to listen quietly. She can clearly see how the King's face suddenly lit up at the mention of Joy. At the thought of Joy, he gets excited talking about her.