The fire orange ray of the sun transcended into the dusk skies as the time of the day almost reached its bitter end. The controversial screening of applicants had come into an end, and all of them reunited into the Hwarang Training Ground once again. Gathering at the spacious grounds, the applicants lent their ears to the upcoming announcement.
Sae Joo stood from the dais and unrolled a piece of scroll. "Hwarangs, hear me. I have a result. Written in this paper are the names of the applicants that will be official palace hwarangs. If your name is called, go to your respective hwarangdo on the sides of this training ground. Let us start with the province of Jeonju."
The Crown Prince called the names of those people who made it successfully. Shun did not expect that he would be chosen, given that their team did not finish their tasks on time. However, he was hoping. He crossed the thin barrier between expectations and hope.
After about fifteen minutes, their province was called. He uttered silent prayers while listening attentively to the Prince's announcement.
"... Sangju Province - Jin Gook, Sun Yeol, and last one, Shun. Next province: Myeongju..."
Shun's head floated into the air after hearing his name. Guess his prayers rocketed quickly into the Heavens, and their response bounced back to earth in just a wink of an eye. Quietly, he thanked the deities and vowed that he would do his best for his father and for the kingdom.
After all names were announced, drum rolls echoed across the palace, formally welcoming all the new palace hwarangs. Those people who were not mentioned gathered in one area got down on their knees and waited for the Prince's blessing. Sae Joo descended from the dais, and together with fourteen provincial hwarangdos, carrying provincial flags, he formally honored them as provincial hwarangs.
Sae Joo stretched both of his arms in front of them. "You are now official members of the provincial hwarangs. Even though you did not make it become a palace hwarang, your contribution still matters. Training and personality development will help you become more competent. I am giving you my blessing. May the Heavens guide you on your journey."
The boys answered in unison. "You honor us, Wangja-nim!"
Their respective hwarangdos called, "Formation!" the new provincial hwarangs stood erect and marched out of the training ground to report to their respective provinces—ready to face the new challenges and more intense training.
When the provincial hwarangs had exited, the new palace hwarangs gathered at the center, together with their respective palace hwarangdos. Sae Joo went back to the dais, and together with Dae Wong, they welcomed the new addition to the palace military.
"Now that you belong to the palace, we will arrange you based on clans, not based on your province. So let us start with the Red Dragons," Sae Joo declared.
Another tedious set of organizing began, and in the end, Shun was assigned with the Yellow Tigers—the same hwarang clan where Sae Joo had been doing his training. After all of the new palace hwarangs were arranged, they assembled with their respective hwarangdo clans and got down on their knees. Just like what Sae Joo did with the provincial hwarangs, he gave them his blessings and spoke, "Being a hwarang is not just about your pride in wearing fancy uniforms. Being a palace hwarang does not mean that you are already great. Your name and position come with hard training, full of blood and sweat. At the end of the day, always remember your goal—and that is to serve and protect Silla. May the Heavens bless each and every one of you."
"You honor each and everyone of us, Wangja-nim," the newbie palace hwarangs answered in unison.
All of them stood and cheered, "Hwarang, Mansae! Sae Joo-Wangja, Mansae! Seorabeol, Mansae!" they chanted those words on repeat, their manly voices resonated through every wall of the training ground.
~~•~~
Like a butterfly in a green valley, fluttering its wings up to the sky, the news regarding the new sets of palace hwarangs flew swiftly all over the palace. Only a matter of minutes was needed before Jin Ri knew the failure of her entire dirty plan. In her chambers, she ranted to Jung Min about the risible result. Pacing around her room with steps as heavy as a boulder, her mouth kept on catapulting words of insult towards almost everyone.
"How come did this happen? How in the world did Shun make it?"
Sitting at a center round table, Jung Min sipped his tea, unbothered as he listened to his sister's nonsense rants. "Why is it a big deal to you? Oh, come on, Jin Ri. He is just a nangdo. I cannot comprehend why you are so worked up?"
"Maybe your brain cannot remember what he did to me in that trial!" Jin Ri reminded.
"Oh. About him saying that Sae Joo's disappearance was all staged?" he laughed.
Jin Ri's ears scintillated with crimson fires as she hammered the table. Jung Min's tea spilled into the table, and his robe almost got tainted. Good thing her brother had a quick reflex. "Could you please leave if you are just going to mock me? You have no idea how much humiliation that Shun has given me. I wanted to kill him for disrespecting me at that time!"
The veins in her neck almost ruptured in too much fury. "Why is the Prince so eager to add him into the hwarangs? I got it—that dirty thing saved his life, he must be rewarded. The end! They are treating him as if he is a special person."
Jung Min smirked and talked candidly to his sister, "You know what, you have no one to blame but yourself. If you just planned everything carefully, the Prince would have not met Shun...No humiliations for you, no stress. It is all your fault, Jin Ri."
"Orabeoni, would you stop rubbing it in my face? I already know that!"
Jung Min scoffed, "So, what do you plan to do next?"
The furious lady paused at the table and leaned her hands on top of it, "I will prove to all that I am not a person to be messed with."
"You cannot fight the Prince head to head. I have heard you still act like a tame puppy in front of him. Sae Joo is starting to get less gullible nowadays. He is being dynamic and unpredictable since he returned. You better think of your plan ahead of time, and make sure you will never fail again." Jung Min sipped his leftover tea and stood. "I have to go. Thank you for the tea."
As Jung Ho slid the maroon door and strolled down the corridor, he laughed inside, ready to witness another scene inside the palace. Just entertain me, Jin Ri. Let us just see how long Father's patience for you is. Do you think you two could create a perfect team together? Delirious!
~~•~~
The entire ceremony had ended. The new wave of additional palace hwarangs had paraded out of the training ground and went with their respective hwarangdos. Shun, together with his batch mates, forgathered at their barracks. They saw their senior nangdos flocking in the yard, sitting at a long table with plenty of food and wine glasses. A feast. A little celebration. Welcomes were as warm as the fireplace in a cold, blizzardy night.
Jun Pyeong, the Yellow Tigers hwarangdo, summoned all the seniors to welcome the newbies, "Nangdos, these boys are now joining our clan. Let us welcome all of them!"
All senior nangdos cheered and approached all of the newcomers. The new nangdos sat awkwardly at the table as they were being assisted by their seniors. Shun was a bit tensed and self-conscious, cautious of his actions. Despite the warm welcome, he still felt a bit intimidated. An inevitable phase of being in a new big group.
Few moments before the actual celebration started, two palace guards came and interrupted their banquet. "We need to speak to your hwarangdo."
Jun Pyeong walked towards the guards and entertained them. After a few seconds, he called Shun. "Shun? Who is Shun?"
The boy raised his hand, "That is me, Sir."
"Come with them. The Prince wants to talk to you."
The nangdos cast quick glances with each other, wondering why the Prince wanted to talk to him. Shun stood slowly from his seat, bowed his head, and left the barracks with the guards.
~~•~~
In the palace, the guards led him to the Prince's chambers. The ladies-in-waiting outside bowed before them and announced their arrival. "Wangja-nim, the guards have arrived."
"Let them in!"
The lady-in-waiting slid the door, and the guards signaled Shun to enter the brightly-lit room. Inside, he saw Sae Joo and Dae Wong at a round, yellow table. "Come, Shun. Sit down," invited Sae Joo.
Shun's eyes scanned the elegant paintings by the wall—mostly about nature. The intricate details of the furniture, the ceramics, and the vibrant colors of the fabrics inside. A terrific, colorful experience.
"Shun, are you alright?" asked Dae Wong.
The young boy nodded on repeat as he rubbed his eyes. He trudged closer to the table, bowed his head, and sat slowly.
Sae Joo began, "I will go straight to the point. You must be wondering who the perpetrator was."
Shun looked down as he had a brief flashback of what had happened regarding his confrontation with Mak Dong. Sae Joo then noticed the pale color of his face. "I know it was traumatizing for you. Did you ever think that you will not be qualified?"
Raising his head slowly, Shun nodded, "Yes, Your Highness. I did not expect that I will be qualified as a new palace hwarang."
Dae Wong put in, "It was not your fault, Shun. We have seen not just your physical strength, but also your determination to help a fellow. Being a hwarang is not just about individuality. A hwarang is a huge team. That is why I was really moved when you encouraged a colleague to do his best despite his physical lapses. I commend you for that."
"You honor me, Lord Dae Wong."
"However, there are people who would do anything just to ruin a good person. The way I see it, what had happened was not a mere accident. It was planned. Someone wanted to sabotage you... This is what the Prince and I talked about earlier in the gazebo. We are actually not sure, we are just merely thinking out loud, but we strongly think that it was..."
"It was Lady Jin Ri!" blurted Shun, eyes quivering sideways.
"Shun... Uh, how sure are you?" asked Sae Joo, eyes folding in a frown.
Shun's mouth was suddenly zipped in a thin line. His legs felt numb, and his entire spirit froze. A sudden bolt of minimal regret crawled under his skin for telling what he knew. He started to get worried because it might spark an arc of retaliation between the two opposing forces.
"Shun, fret not. I will protect you," secured Sae Joo. "Just tell us what you know."
After a hard swallow, entrusting himself with the Prince, Shun finally revealed what he knew. "I accidentally saw Lady Jin Ri walking down the courtyard while I was looking for a pee chamber. Because of my strange instincts, I followed her. To cut the story short, I saw her enter a room. I entered the room beside it and eavesdrop to a possible conversation. I heard that she had an agreement with Mak Dong, my former teammate who got impaled by the glass shard. She even praised her for sabotaging our team, for causing the delay, in order for us not to make it within the time limit."
Sae Joo's leaned forward and clutched his hands tight as his lips trembled in anger. "I did not know that she could be this low. Why is she so eager to kick you out?"
"Well, Mak Dong told me that Lady Jin Ri holds grudges to anyone who does her wrong—whether big or small. She will not stop until she gets even."
Dae Wong rubbed his forehead and butted in, "This is about your statements in the trial, is it not? Now it makes sense. This is clearly an act of revenge. Based on her actions, I think she is indeed guilty of planning your abduction, Your Highness."
Sae Joo exhaled with a huge chunk of frustration as he groaned, "I still cannot believe that she is like that. I mean, growing up, I have never noticed a single hint of her dark personality. I have always thought that she was different from her father."
"That is pretty normal, Your Highness. It is because you loved her... you adored her, trusted her. The King and I did not want to meddle with your relationship with her, thinking that, you kids have nothing to do with the adults' issues. To you, all the things that she has done are good. There was no single moment of doubt because your heart was clouded with love and admiration."
The Crown Prince was hit with a speeding carriage. Dae Wong's words pierced right through his heart. No single line was a lie. Indeed, he did love Jin Ri—the more reason why he was very broken-hearted and disappointed. His sincere love for his cousin was reciprocated with fake affections.
Dae Wong resumed, "Anyways, the Prime Minister's family is not an easy opponent. All these years, I have seen how rotten Jung Ho is, but I have never ever seen a solid proof that will blow him away. He works in a very clean way. Why? Because of his power and the people that support him. I cannot deny the fact that although he is a vile man, he has done a lot of things for this kingdom when it needed help the most. The mere reason why a lot of people support him. His treasures and his supporters are his greatest possessions. He could cover the truth and flip the tables in an instant because of those. I am pretty sure that is the same way how his son and daughter work... We have just proven that with Jin Ri's based on Shun's confession."
"So, what are you telling me, Minister? We should just let this go?" asked Sae Joo.
"That depends on you, Your Highness. Their dirty deeds are like puzzles. Difficult to solve, but are all interrelated. We will find clues regarding their movements. The way I analyze it, that Mak Dong will not speak up no matter how hard we try. Jin Ri will not stop until she gets even with Shun. She will do another dirty trick again, and that is what we have to watch out."
"So, you mean this is like setting a trap?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Right now, I just have to close this incident as an accident since we have no proof. We shall discuss this with all the hwarangs. Shun's statements could be easily manipulated by her. Jin Ri needs to see that we are acting complacent as if we are letting it go. In that way, she will be confident again to do something, and that is the time when we could smack her." beamed Dae Wong.
Amidst the formation of their new plan, Shun raised his hand, uncomfortable of their topic. "Uh, may I say something?"
"Yes, go on, Shun," Sae Joo permitted.
"Your plan seems too complicated for me, so if you will may, I would like to face Lady Jin Ri in my own way."
"What do you mean?"
"My father told me that revenge will just birth another revenge. It would be a fatal never-ending cycle between enemies. In my own way, I think the best way to stop her is to show her that I can live as a hwarang, unbothered, unaffected by her. I will not retaliate, instead, I will just let her plans backfire to her. In that way, my conscience is clear." he bowed his head.
Dae Wong stared at him and smiled, eyes full of admiration. That is right, Sae Yoo. I am right with this decision to add you as a hwarang.
He turned to Sae Joo and sought permission to leave, "By the way, Your Highness, I shall go. It has been a tiring day. We shall plan this tomorrow."
"Sure, Minister Dae Wong. Take your well-deserved rest." he turned to Shun and smiled, "You too, Shun. Go back to your barracks."
Shun and Dae Wong stood and bowed before the Prince. Together, they left the Prince's chambers. As the two ambled down the courtyard, Shun respectfully called the minister's attention to ask a question that had been pestering his mind since he joined the hwarang screening. "Minister Dae Wong, if you do not mind, may I ask a question...again?"
Dae Wong paused from his strolling, "Yes. What is that?"
The boy rubbed his nose and spoke, "Err, the incident that had happened in our house... the unknown men who caused a ruckus in our neighborhood in Myeongju..."
"Oh, that?" Dae Wong looked up to the sky and glanced at the golden gibbous moon gleaming above them. He smirked at the young boy and assured, "Worry not, at this moment, the truth is about to be discovered."
__________
NOTES:
Mansae (만세) - Korean word for, "Hurrah"