•|•|•
Hae-nim, Liwen and Lu were on horseback riding around the forest. Princess Sook Myung ordered a hunting training for the Hwarang. She was there to make sure no one wasn't hurt.
"Your Majesty."
Hae-nim turned to see Princess Sook Myung approaching her on her horse and smiled in greeting.
Liwen and Lu bowed respectfully bowed to her. "Your Highness."
Princess Sook Myung bowed to Hae-nim. "I greet the Empress Hae-nim." she said and looked at her confused. "What are you doing here, Your Majesty? Should you be in the infirmary at the Hwarang House?"
Hae-nim smiled. "I am the physician. If any Hwarang is injured, I can help them right away." she explained.
Princess Sook Myung nodded in understanding. "Then, be careful, Your Majesty. It is dangerous in the woods." she said in concern and glanced at Liwen and Lu. "I trust you to keep her safe."
Liwen and Lu smiled and bowed to her. "Of course, Your Highness, with our life."
Princess Sook Myung bowed to Hae-nim before leaving. Hae-nim smiled as she turned to Liwen and Lu.
"Let us go find Jinheung."
Hae-nim found Jinheung and saw he was with Sun Woo, Soo Ho and Ban Ryu. She smiled as she, Liwen and Lu approached them.
"Why are you four just standing there?" she asked in confusion.
Jinheung, Sun Woo, Soo Ho and Ban Ryu turned to see Hae-nim smiling at them. Their hearts fluttered and their faces warmed up at the sight of the woman they all seem to have feelings for.
"Lady Dal-nim." Soo Ho happily greeted Hae-nim.
Hae-nim smiled at the four Hwarangs. "Whoever catches a deer first wins, right? If Princess Sook Myung catches one first, you will all look like fools in our eyes." she teased.
Jinheung, Sun Woo, Soo Ho and Ban Ryu's eyes widen in horror and quickly ran off, leaving a chuckling Hae-nim.
Liwen smiled as she turned to her. "Must you tease them?" she asked in amusement.
Lu grinned. "It was funny though."
The hunting training wasn't a success when no one found even a single animal and everyone returned to the Hwarang House.
Jinheung, Hae-nim and Sun Woo turned around just as a scroll rolled down from the gazebo above the entrance. The Hwarang gathered around with their eyes widen in shock as they look up at the scroll.
THE KING IS WITHIN HWARANG
"The King is within Hwarang. Does that mean what I think it is?" Yeo Wool asked and turned to Ban Ryu.
"The King is within Hwarang?"
"What?"
"The King is among us?"
Jinheung and Hae-nim froze as they look up at the scroll in mixture of shock and fear.
"That makes no sense."
"Why not?
"The King is here?"
Wi Hwa ripped the scroll in half and threw the other half to the ground. "If this is a joke, I will forgive it just this once. However, if there was a motive behind this, I will not forgive it. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Master."
Everyone left, excluding Jinheung, Hae-nim and Sun Woo.
Hae-nim glanced worriedly at Jinheung as she grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. She turned to Sun Woo and saw his face was expressionless, but his eyes held resentment. The memories of his deceased friend and Ah Ro's real brother, the thought of revenge came rushing back to him.
•••
Liwen and Lu closed and locked the doors of the infirmary as they stood guard outside, while Hae-nim and Jinheung were inside.
Hae-nim sat beside Jinheung on the couch and handed him a cup of tea.
"Drink this. It is rose tea. It will calm you down."
Jinheung grabbed the cup and slowly drank the tea. "I imagined this moment countless of times, but it is not that big of a deal." he said and looked at Hae-nim. "Could it be because of the tea, or because you are here?"
Hae-nim grabbed his hands that were holding the cup. "No matter what happens, I will not leave your side. No one will find out about you. No one will know, unless you want to." she said, earnestly.
Jinheung smiled. "Ah, that sounds relieving." he mumbled and looked away. "If people find out, it would be one or the other. I will die in the hands of the assassins, or become a real king. Die, or become king. I thought about both over again everyday. Now that I am faced with it, I fear more about becoming a king rather than dying. I really don't know what to do."
Hae-nim grabbed his cup and placed it down on the table nearby. "Jinheung."
"Is it not funny? A king is afraid of becoming king." Jinheung said, mockingly.
Hae-nim gently cupped his face with her hands and force him to look at her. "Jinheung, it is okay to be afraid." she said, comfortingly. "Honestly, you are not the only one. I am afraid too. I am afraid to become Empress to a powerful country. I mean, who would not? Who would not be afraid to rule a country on your own and be a good ruler that your people expects you to be."
•••
Hae-nim laid unmoving on one of the beds and inside the infirmary with Han Sung beside her.
"Who would know that Sun Woo is the King? You do not know either. He likes you, but he never told you about it."
Hae-nim turned her head to look at Han Sung. "You are wrong. Sun Woo is not the king." she told him.
"How can you be so sure?" Han Sung asked her and Hae-nim went silent. "See? You cannot even explain."
Hae-nim frowned. 'How can I explain it? I will go back to China before I will blurt out Ji Dwi is Jinheung to anyone!'
Hae-nim suddenly realized something and looked at Han Sung in confusion. "Hold on, how did you know Sun Woo likes me?" she asked.
Han Sung tilted his head to the side, mirroring her confuse face. "Wait, but how did you know he likes you?"
"Explain!"
Hae-nim and Han Sung's eyes widen as they quickly sat right up, but they ended up bumping heads. They both groaned in pain as they rubbed their throbbing foreheads. Liwen and Lu, who were standing nearby watching the two, stifled their laughs.
"She and Master Han Sung became very close."
"She spends more time with him than the other Hwarangs."
•••
Hae-nim was carrying two baskets full of medicinal herbs when both, Jinheung and Sun Woo saw her and quickly went to help her. The three were walking towards the infirmary as the other Hwarangs either moved out of their way, or avoid eye contact with them.
Hae-nim glanced around before looking between Jinheung and Sun Woo. "You two are suspected as the King, right?Who do you think they are looking at?" she asked.
Jinheung smirked. "I believe it is Sun Woo."
"Am I attractive enough for men to fall for me?" Sun Woo joked.
Hae-nim quirk an eyebrow as she turned to him. "So, you know how to joke, huh?"
Jinheung and Sun Woo chuckled as they stopped walking.
"If the King is among us, who do you think it is?" Sun Woo asked and turned to Jinheung.
Hae-nim and Jinheung looked at him as they remained silent.
Sun Woo gestured at the Hwarangs nearby. "If you were to choose, who would it be?" he asked again, but Jinheung didn't answer. "Forget it."
Hae-nim faced him as she narrowed her eyes. "Why are you looking for the King?" she asked as Jinheung glanced at her. "Once you find him, what do you plan to do?"
"I will kill him." Sun Woo answered as he grabbed Jinheung's basket and walked away.
Hae-nim turned to Jinheung with a troubled look on her face. Jinheung frowned at Sun Woo for taking his basket before looking at Hae-nim and smiled comfortingly at her.
•••
Sun Woo placed the baskets on the table inside the infirmary as Hae-nim stood behind him.
"Thank you for helping me, Sun Woo."
Sun Woo turned to Hae-nim and smiled. "I am glad I could help you." he said and his eyes widen when he remembered something. "Oh, the rumors, it is not true."
Hae-nim sighed sadly and nodded. "I know. I know it is not you." she said, nonchalantly.
Sun Woo frowned. "What is this? Are you saying I do not look like a King at all?" he asked.
Hae-nim furrowed her eyebrows as she stared at him intently. The more she looked at Sun Woo, the more she realized he does have a face of a King. Her eyes widen at that thought.
Sun Woo smiled awkwardly. "I am just kidding. It is a joke." he told her.
Hae-nim smiled apologetically. "Is that so? I am sorry." she said and sighed heavily.
Sun Woo looked worriedly at her. "Are you okay?" he asked in concern.
Hae-nim forced out a smile. "The rumors circulating around seem to stress me out, that is all. Do not worry about it." she said and turned to walk away.
Sun Woo grabbed her arm and pulled her back before wrapping his arms around her, while Hae-nim's eyes widen in surprise.
"Just for a moment. Let me stay like this for a moment." Sun Woo mumbled.
Hae-nim sighed softly as she stayed in Sun Woo's embrace. "Why are you doing this?" she asked in confusion.
Sun Woo pulled away and smiled down at her. "You must already know, or have you forgotten? Did I not tell you already that I like you. I like you a lot." he answered.
Hae-nim smiled back. "I have not forgotten."
Sun Woo took a step back as he continued staring at Hae-nim with a sad look on his face. "A woman like you is hard to come by, and I am lucky enough to have met you and be this close to you. Someone like you could not possibly like someone as me." he said and smiled encouragingly. "I know a woman like you, you already have someone in your heart. You should be with that person."
Hae-nim forced out a smile for Sun Woo and embraced him tightly as she closed her eyes and tears started running down her face.
'However, I cannot be with that person even though how much I wanted to.'
•••
"It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts."
Hae-nim furrowed her eyebrows as Han Sung kept complaining. She looked at him as she moved his hurting feet again and saw he didn't react.
Han Sung glanced at her and quickly groaned in pain. "It hurts." he complained.
Hae-nim realized he was pretending and decided to play along. "You know what? You need acupuncture." she told him and carefully placed his feet down on the bed.
Han Sung's eyes widen. "Acupuncture? I will be better with a little rest." he said.
Hae-nim shakes her head. "If you leave it like that, it will only continue to hurt." she explained and took a small silver container out of her dress. "If you want to stop the pain, you need acupuncture."
Han Sung shakes his head in protest as Hae-nim took a gold acupuncture needle out of the small silver container and smiled at Han Sung.
"If you get 30 of these needles for 10 days, you will heal completely." she said.
Han Sung fearfully shakes his head. "There is no need." he insisted.
Hae-nim shakes her head as well. "It will be quick, so do not worry about a thing." she assured him.
"I am fine." Han Sung said quickly and sat up from the bed.
Hae-nim chuckled in amusement as she placed the gold acupuncture needle back to its container. "Why were you suddenly pretending to be hurt? Did something happen?" she asked in concern.
Han Sung glanced at her with a pout. "I did not want to be compared to my brother." he explained and Hae-nim smiled comfortingly at him. "I should have been born as him, and he as me. That would have been better."
Hae-nim placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and shakes her head. "We cannot help but think like that sometimes, imagining ourselves to be someone else just to escape the reality. Whether we like it, or not, there is a reason why we are born as we are, Han Sung. For example, why you are born as a True Bone, why a person is born to rule a country, why I was born as a physician. We each have burdens to carry because we were born this way." she said as Han Sung smiled slightly. "However, we get to decide how to live."
Han Sung stared at her in awe, while Hae-nim smiled at him. The doors of the infirmary opened and Dan Sae came in.
Hae-nim looked up at him and smiled. "Dan Sae." she greeted.
Dan Sae stood in front of her and bowed politely. "Lady Dal-nim." he greeted back and turned to Han Sung. "Come."
Han Sung frowned at him. "I do not want to." he said and moved closer to Hae-nim as he looked at her for help.
"Let us practice sword fighting. I will help you." Dan Sae said, but Han Sung looked away from him and moved even closer to Hae-nim. "Come on."
Hae-nim looked at Han Sung and smiled encouragingly at him as she gently patted his back. "Go on, Han Sung. It will be fine, trust me." she urged him.
Han Sung frowned as he stood up in defeat, while Hae-nim smiled as she watched his shoulders slump. He turned to her and waved goodbye.
"I will see you later, Lady Dal-nim."
Hae-nim smiled and waved back at Han Sung. "Goodbye Han Sung. Practice well."
Han Sung walked out of the infirmary as Hae-nim turned to Dan Sae.
"Do not be harsh with him, Dan Sae. Just as you have been through a lot, he has as well."
Dan Sae smiled. "He always comes here to see you and he always talks about you, he does not get too attached just to anyone. Thank you for looking out for him, Lady Dal-nim." he said, sincerely before bowing to her and turning to leave the infirmary.
•••
That night, Jinheung and Hae-nim were walking around the empty Hwarang House. It was the Hwarangs' day off and they were allowed to leave and relax before their final assignment.
Jinheung glanced at Hae-nim and reached for her hand. He grabbed it with his and tightly intertwined them. He smiled in satisfaction when she lets him. Hae-nim smiled as she stared up the night sky.
"There are a lot of stars tonight." she said happily.
Jinheung looked up and smiled. "You are right." he agreed and looked back at her. "Truly beautiful."
Hae-nim glanced at him and chuckled before looking up at the stars again with a sad smile. "The stars are always up there, twinkling and giving beauty to the sky. They are satisfied, and they do not worry about a thing. They look down upon us, and see that we are doing the opposite, we worry about everything." she said and sighed deeply. "The Faceless King and the Hidden Empress. Both worrying over their people, but could not do a thing."
Jinheung smirked. "We are born this way, we cannot help it." he told her.
Hae-nim nodded in agreement. "You are right."
The two stood in the pavilion as they looked at the peaceful sky, full of twinkling stars. They turned around in surprise when they heard deep chuckles and saw Wi Hwa walking over to them.
"Why did you two not got out on your day off?" Wi Hwa asked.
Jinheung sighed. "I do not need a day off to relax. There is nothing good out there anyways." he said and glanced at Hae-nim. "I am greatly satisfied here."
Wi Hwa smiled as he looked at Hae-nim. "How about you Physician Dal-nim?" he asked.
"I am the physician. If I go out then something happens to the chief instructor, would I not be punished for not doing my job?" Hae-nim told him as Wi Hwa chuckled.
Wi Hwa's expression became serious as he stared at Jinheung and Hae-nim. "I have been curious about something." he told them.
Jinheung and Hae-nim glanced at each other.
"Why are your names Ji Dwi and Dal-nim?" Wi Hwa asked.
"It is not much." Jinheung told him and Hae-nim nodded in agreement.
"Explain so that it sounds much." Wi Hwa told them.
Jinheung looked at him. "Because, I will stab someone in the back. That is the meaning of the name, Ji Dwi." he explained and glanced at Hae-nim.
"It is just a simple name. Dal-nim means the moon." Hae-nim explained.
Wi Hwa smirked. "You both know nobody in the capital. You both have no families. You only have each other. Your names are fake." he said and looked at Jinheung. "Your family is a mess. And, you plan to stab the Queen in the back. However, if you think about it, it is not true that you have no family. Your sister is in Hwarang House."
Jinheung and Hae-nim's eyes widen in shock.
"Your mother is in the palace."
Jinheung and Hae-nim turned to Wi Hwa, alarmed.
Wi Hwa faced Jinheung. "Is that right, Your Majesty?" he asked as he went down to his knees and bowed deeply to him.
Liwen and Lu jumped off from the roof and protectively stood beside Jinheung and Hae-nim with their swords pointing threateningly towards Wi Hwa, who chuckled deeply.
"A physician with aides, who are in fact well-trained swordsmen. She is not just a physician, is she not?" Wi Hwa asked and looked up at Hae-nim.
Hae-nim narrowed her eyes at him, while Liwen and Lu lifted their swords towards Wi Hwa.
"爱麗文 李卢 停!" Hae-nim ordered.
Liwen and Lu froze while Jinheung's eyes widen in horror as they turned to Hae-nim. Wi Hwa furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"Ai Liwen, Li Lu. Stop!" Hae-nim repeated sternly.
Liwen and Lu glanced at each other before backing away and bowed deeply to Hae-nim.
"Who are you?" Wi Hwa asked in shock.
Hae-nim glanced at Jinheung. "He knows who you are, Jinheung. It is fair that he knows about me too." she told him, calmly.
Jinheung shakes his head and grabbed her hand in protest. "Do not. You must not."
Hae-nim smiled softly at him before looking down at Wi Hwa with her head held up high. "I am Sun Hae-nim. The Hidden Empress of China."
.
.
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"We are more than meets the eye."