Like the First Snow

The rage Wonbeom feels cannot be easily described: he’s furious and scared, and his blood boils in his veins at the thought of what could happen to Soyong.

The Queen was supposed to be safe in the royal villa, rocking their son in her arms and waiting for him. Why didn’t they consider the possibility of Yul Mu finding out everything sooner? Yul Mu should have been busy having fun at Oktajeong, oblivious to all his plans being ruined in a single night. Soyong’s information about his habits was confirmed with Director Hong’s little investigation at the kisaeng¹Kisaengs were women from outcast or slave families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men of the upper class. house, the investigation he was more than happy to work overtime for.

And now he is here to tell Wonbeom that Soyong is in danger.

“They are at the Park estate,” Du Il reports. “The moment I got free from the storage room at Prince Yeongpyeong’s home, I rushed there immediately. They are all inside the estate. The gates are closed, but I could hear a fuss behind the walls. They must be packing in a hurry.”

“Then why are you here instead of watching over the estate?” Prince Yeongpyeong bursts out. He’s angry as well, but unlike Wonbeom he doesn’t hide his emotions inside.

“I know I deserve it, Gyeong-eung.” Hong doesn’t attempt to argue with his friend. “This is why I will take every insult given to me.” He then continues gallantly: “I ordered the Podocheong²Podocheong is like police in Joseon era, they catch criminals. forces to surround the estate and watch it while I met with you two.”

“Hyeongnim³Hyeongnim – male addressing to the brother., we shouldn’t argue among ourselves.” Wonbeom puts a calming hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Let’s focus on saving our wives. They will try to bargain, but we won’t…”

“That will put Hwa Jin and Her Highness in even more danger!” Yeongpyeong desperately exclaims.

“They know the Queen and Hwa Jin are their only chance to come out of this alive, so they won’t hurt the two of them.” Wonbeom tries to stay calm even though his heart is racing madly out of fear for Soyong’s safety. “Not yet…” Gyeong-eung opens his mouth to argue, but Wonbeom quickly continues: “We will sneak inside and save them.”

“How are we going to do that?” Hong asks.

“Let’s get there first,” Wonbeom says. “I will decide what to do when we hear a report from the Podocheong surrounding the estate.” He then turns around to his remaining men from the night’s earlier mission. “You all fought well tonight and must be tired right now. Although I could give a royal command, instead I will ask for your help once more.”

“Your Majesty doesn’t have to ask.” One of his men steps forward. “We all care about Her Highness and remember the inspiration she gave us the previous time. If our Queen is in danger, it’s our duty to assist Your Majesty.”

Encouraged by the support of his friends, Wonbeom heads to the Park estate. While they walk, Wonbeom shares ideas on how they can sneak inside.

He has only been there once, but he covered a lot of the estate in his search for Soyong and remembers some things. The estate is quite large, but there are relatively few servants. Yul Mee had mentioned that problem, as Gyeong-eung recalls. His brother had been attentively listening to her, while Wonbeom’s thoughts were only about Soyong. The Parks wanted to hire more people to keep the place in good condition, and that was the reason they took Soyong in as a maid so easily.

The large area and small number of people will give Wonbeom and Gyeong-eung a chance to sneak inside to scout. If the hostages are locked somewhere, they may be able to save them discreetly. And if Yul Mu isn’t letting the hostages out of his sight, Wonbeom will at least know the situation inside and where to start the attack.

“Don’t forget those who escaped the camp,” Prince Yeongpyeong reminds him about the additional forces they might face.

The situation is a total disaster on both sides. A desperate cornered man may do anything to survive, and if staying alive isn’t possible, Yul Mu might hurt Soyong out of pure vengeance. Meanwhile, Wonbeom is in no better of a position. As the King, he must punish the conspirators who undermined his authority so others will know who the most powerful person in Joseon is. But as a husband he can’t bear the thought of losing Soyong. Especially not when things have just started getting better between them.

Wonbeom’s heart ached the whole time they were separated in the past. He questioned his feelings for a long time, desperately trying to understand what really happened. But one night put all his doubts to an end: the night she went into labor.

While he was waiting for the birth of their child, listening to Soyong’s muffled screams, he suddenly realized it all doesn’t matter. The past, the possession, none of it matters because he simply cannot lose her. Wonbeom can’t imagine his life without Soyong. No matter what she does and how she acts, whether she is weird or normal, or anything in between, she must be in his life.

When they finally arrive outside the estate, the head of the nearby Podocheong office gives his report:

“My men have had the estate surrounded and we’ve been watching it from afar. No one has come out, but an hour ago, about a dozen men walked inside,” the Podocheong officer explains. “Director Hong told us to not interfere and just observe. Since they went in and no one came out, we let them be.”

“This is not good.” Gyeong-eung clenches his fists. “They are already agitated and angry after their defeat at the camp.”

“Let’s not panic. Yul Mu must still be in charge.” Wonbeom tries to calm his brother. They must have cool heads to go through this effectively. They can act on their emotions during the battle later. “We will head towards the walls and find a way in. Wait for our signal before attacking,” he orders his men and the Podocheong officer in charge.

Alongside Gyeong-eung, Wonbeom snakes along the high wall of the estate. As Dul Il described before, there is a lot of noise coming from the servants as they hustle around the estate, so Wonbeom gives a signal to his brother to move ahead to another wall. They are still able to hear movements and voices on the other side, but it’s muffled and distant.

Wonbeom decides this is as good a spot as any to try to sneak inside. Gyeong-eung laces hands together to give Wonbeom a lift up. Without making a sound, Wonbeom easily jumps atop the wall and reaches back down to give a hand to his brother. They jump down onto the other side and hide in the nearest shadows.

The outer yard is almost empty: they see some servants running through, but they seem too busy to notice anything in their surroundings. Wonbeom and his brother move from shadow to shadow further into the estate, listening to snippets of conversations from various passersby, but none of them are of any help in learning Soyong and Hwa Jin’s whereabouts.

Suddenly they see a familiar face: Seo Hwi. He’s not in a hurry like the others; on the contrary, he calmly talks with a man who must have escaped from the camp, as he wears the same clothes as the others Wonbeom had fought. Seo Hwi pats the man’s shoulder and after sharing a short laugh, they go their separate ways. Strangely, the moment Seo Hwi turns his back on the other man, his face becomes serious.

Before Gyeong-eung can stop him, Wonbeom runs out from their hiding spot and bares his sword at Seo Hwi’s throat.

“Do not make any sudden movements,” Wonbeom hisses. “Slowly step back until I say to stop…” Seo Hwi obeys, walking backward until he reaches the hideout where Gyeong-eung is waiting.

“I wondered when you would come,” Seo Hwi whispers. “But I wasn’t expecting Your Majesty to sneak in like a thief.”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” Wonbeom snaps back. “Where are they?”

“I’ll tell you if you answer my question as well…” Seo Hwi tenses when Wonbeom’s sword comes close to drawing blood from his neck. “Don’t overreact, Your Majesty. I just want to know what happened to the men in the camp. Are they all dead? Captured?”

“Why do you care?” Gyeong-eung narrows his eyes in suspicion.

“Not all of those people are bad. Some of them were wronged, and they followed a person who promised justice,” Seo Hwi calmly says. “Pity that we couldn’t escape as planned before Your Majesty discovered the camp…”

“I heard that story before,” Wonbeom says after sneaking a glance at his brother. “Those people are captured until we find a way to confirm their claims.”

“Yul Mu already burned all the evidence against the ministers and the other conspirators,” Seo Hwi shares. “But I know all of them, and with my knowledge, Your Majesty can deliver justice. In return, I would request mercy for some of the men from the camp.”

“The Queen, or the woman you know as Mi-Ah, told me not to judge you too quickly. If you help me save her and do as you said, I will listen to my wife’s wise advice,” Wonbeom promises, lowering his sword and offering his hand. Seo Hwi looks down, takes a deep breath, and shakes Wonbeom’s hand.

“Now tell us where they are!” Gyeong-eung insists.

Seo Hwi leads them through the estate, using his knowledge of the grounds to take them on a safe path, away from any onlookers. Wonbeom and his brother still prefer to move in the shadows, darting from one hiding spot to another. Seo Hwi walks freely and gives them signals as soon as the path is clear.

Soon they approach the storage room where Soyong and Hwa Jin are supposed to be, but strangely, no one is watching over it. Wonbeom frowns; there is no way Yul Mu left his only chance of leaving Joseon alive unguarded.

“The guard from the camp is missing,” Seo Hwi confirms Wonbeom’s thoughts. “Maybe they moved them already…”

“Then why is it still locked?” Gyeong-eung notices that the storage room doors are jammed shut by a broom handle woven through the circular door handles.

Wonbeom slowly inches closer to the doors. It’s too quiet on the other side; why would anyone decide to lock the doors if the room is empty? Gyeong-eung carefully tugs the broom out of the way, and on Wonbeom’s affirming nod, quickly opens the door. They both run inside but only find an unconscious man on the floor.

“What in the world?” Wonbeom exclaims, now worried even more as he wonders if Soyong was hurt trying to get out on her own.

• 1
  Kisaengs were women from outcast or slave families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men of the upper class.
• 2
  Podocheong is like police in Joseon era, they catch criminals.
• 3
  Hyeongnim – male addressing to the brother.