"Why would the magistrate have the Jang house rebuilt? I mean, don't get me wrong, it's so nice of him, I just don't understand why." She asked, curiosity piqued her mind, curious as to who this mystery magistrate could be
Uncle Ra-Im pointed at the sun. "It's still early, and the magistrate is still in the city center. Why don't you introduce yourself, and you can ask why he had the house rebuilt?" he suggested.
"Uhm...okay, I guess it wouldn't hurt to introduce myself to him and let him know I'm here." Jin-Ri gave Uncle Ra-Im another hug before making her way to the magistrate's office.
Jin-Ri saw how busy the soldiers were unloading the carriages, so she decided to venture alone. As she walked the streets of Nyuong gum, every person she met kept bowing to her. Out of respect, she bowed back. So many people bowed to her that her neck started to feel stiff from bowing back.
She paused by the city guard's office to massage her neck. She then heard a familiar voice coming from inside the office. Curiosity compelled her to take a peek from outside the window, and her eyes grew wide when she saw who was inside. She quickly went inside the office. "Captain Gi?" she blurted out
"Lady Jin-Ri!" he said in surprise. he quickly approached his bewildered friend. "So when did you arrive?"
"When did I arrive? When did you get here?" And what are you even doing here? Does Mun-He know you're here?" She kept asking in succession, wanting all of her questions answered
"Of course I know!" Mun-He suddenly answered, Jin-Ri turned to her left and saw her sitting and reading a book.
"You're here too? I thought both of you were going to travel?" She continued to ask
"We're still doing that, I just passed by my new commission, to make sure everything will run smoothly while the two of us are away," Kwan explained
"Oh my gosh! You two will work here at Nyuong gum as well?" She happily assumed, Now she won't be as lonely as she thought she would be. "So, how did you end up with a commission here?"
"Well, the new magistrate asked the King if he could send someone to lead the city guards...and King Seo-Joon sent Kwan," Mun-He explained to Jin-Ri
"Why didn't you tell me?" Jin-Ri suddenly asked, her voice laced with a hint of sulking
"We couldn't dump the news that we will be leaving the capital, since...well, you know, you are in mourning. But since you are here now, the cat is out of the bag! Surprise!" Kwan explained nervously
The friends share a hug to share the moment. Jin-Ri then poses a question that has been bugging her since she got the task: "Who is this magistrate? I mean, he keeps asking His Highness to send him people. I wouldn't be surprised one day if he asks the King to transfer the palace here in Nyuong gum."
"Good question!" Mun-He said, "Why don't you go meet him now?" She then led Jin-Ri out of the office
"Can't you two answer that question?" Jin-Ri inquired about the pair
"We haven't met him yet," Kwan quickly replied. "None of us have, right people?" He turned to his subordinates, who all nodded to him
"Then why don't we all go together to meet him?" Jin-Ri asked with an eyebrow raised, she was visibly suspicious of the people's antics around her, why did they keep on insisting she go meet the new magistrate
"It will take a while for me to finish up here," Kwan then looked at his subordinates. "Right, guys?" Again, everyone just nodded to Kwan
"Why is everyone so insistent that I meet...?" Jin-Ri hesitated for a moment. "Oh no, please don't tell me you're all trying to set me up with the magistrate! Seriously, I'm still in mourning! And just so you know, I've already made it clear to them—I'm embracing a life of celibacy. Yong is the only one I'll ever love!" she proclaimed with unwavering certainty.
Mun-He held her friend by both arms and looked at her with care and sincerity. "It's not like that, we are not setting you up, just go and meet the magistrate," Mun-He urged Jin-Ri
Jin-Ri sighed and stared at Mun-He. "Fine, I'll go meet this magistrate of yours." She headed to the office of the magistrate but stopped and turned around. "But you guys better be here when I come back," she told them
"No need," Kwan replied quickly. "We will follow you after we're done here," Kwan promised Jin-Ri.
Jin-Ri continued her trek alone towards the magistrate's office. As she passed a narrow road, flanked by high walls on either side, she saw a figure in front of her. The person was a man walking some distance in front of her. The man gave her a sense of familiarity, it was someone that she knew, someone that she wanted to see again.
She quickened her pace, wanting so much to catch up with the man, the figure turned to a left corner and Jin-Ri doubled her pace. She saw him enter a small door when she turned at the same corner. The door closed before Jin-Ri could reach it.
Jin-Ri tried to open it, but it was already locked from the inside. She tried to peer over the wall, but it was too high for her to see the other side. The wall, however, was low enough for her to see the top of the man's head as he walked alongside the wall. Jin-Ri matched the man's pace; her heart was beating furiously within her chest, her throat felt dry, and the anticipation of seeing this person was just too much for her to ignore or contain.
When she finally reached the open gates, she quickly entered the compound and found the man talking to her parents, his back turned towards her. When the couple saw their daughter, they hurriedly went to her. "Jin-Ri, you're here," Her mother said, embracing her
"We were waiting for you," Her father said, "We were telling the magistrate so much about you, we were talking you up to him," he excitedly told his daughter
Jin-Ri, however, gazed at the man in front of her. Her mother noticed her looking at the man. "Jin-Ri, this is the..." The man turned around. "The magistrate's assistant," her mother said, introducing the man, who was visibly younger than her.
"You're not him," she whispered, but deep inside, she already knew that this person was not her prince. He did not exude the same confidence as he did, nor did he make her heart flutter by his presence. Then something hit her, something her mother said, snapped her out of her trance. "Wait, he's the assistant? I thought I was the assistant. Why would the magistrate need two assistants?" she wondered
"Is that what they said? You were going to be my assistant?" A familiar voice asked from behind.
Jin-Ri's eyes grew wide, and her heart jumped, skipped, and did somersaults inside her chest. Her body went stiff, her senses dulled and numb, yet she fought the urge to stand still. Though she turned quickly, it felt like an eternity. She held her breath in anticipation, waiting patiently to see the face that owned the voice.
As she gazed into the eyes of the man whose voice had captivated her heart, all her worries and fears melted away like morning mist. There were no tears to shed, no racing pulse to betray her calm; only an overwhelming sense of joy enveloped her. She wrapped her arms around him, promising at that moment to never let him slip away again. "I vow to cherish you always, to protect you as you have protected me, and to stand by your side for all eternity...Kim Young-Sik"
Young-Sik felt his heart race, a wave of warmth enveloping him, as those long-awaited words finally graced his ears. He pulled her into a fervent embrace, whispering, "Forgive me, forgive me for the burdens you've carried. From this moment on, you shall know no more tears of despair, no more anguish from fear or a shattered heart."
Kwan and Mun-He arrived in time to witness their friends reunite and express their love and devotion to one another. At that moment, their eyes sparkled with the promise of a shared joy that would last a lifetime. As they lean in closer, their lips unite in a kiss that ignites the very essence of their souls.
When they broke away from their tender kiss, Jin-Ri couldn't help but utter, "How? I held you lifeless in my arms, tell me who should I thank for giving you back to me?" she asked in earnest, anxious to learn the tale of how he survived.
Young-Sik held both of her hands and took her back to that fateful day. "It was a miracle! Everything was a blur. I was sad and afraid because I couldn't hear your voice, I could see you crying, but everything was so cold that I couldn't feel your touch or your embrace." He paused for a while to kiss Jin-Ri. "Then my body just lost its strength, and everything went dark. When I opened my eyes, I was all alone in the throne room. I called for you, but you never answered. I went outside to look for you, but I couldn't find you."
"I walked in the palace for what seemed to me to be hours, until I reached the pavilion. There I saw my father and mother," He said with a smile. Jin-Ri listened intently. "I approached them. My father raised a glass to me and said, 'Well done, my son. ' Mother embraced me and expressed how much she missed me. 'My little prince, look at you... growing up to be a magnificent man. How I wished I had been there by your side throughout all those years' Then Father placed his hand on my shoulder and said 'You did so much for you people and your country, but I'm afraid there is still more to be done' and so I asked them what else needs to be done?"
"What did they say?" Jin-Ri asked, in her mind, whatever it may be, she will stand by his side and support him no matter what
"They said it was not yet time for me to be with them because...I need to take care of you. They said it was my turn to be happy," he revealed to her. Jin-Ri planted another kiss on Young-Sik's lips
Young-Sik continued his tale: "The King and the royal physician told me that it was a miracle none of my vital organs were damaged. Some vessels were nicked, but nothing severe. They shifted their gaze to the wounded area. It still hurts at the slightest pressure, even when I walk, so I limp on my left," he explained. "Min-Jae told me the emperor would have hounded me forever if he knew I survived. It was a stroke of luck that the envoy saw my apparent death, and he was no longer there when I opened my eyes."
Jin-Ri nodded, understanding the situation, and gently stroked Young-Sik's face. "I understand why he kept this from us. He wanted the envoy to believe you were gone, so the emperor would no longer have any reason to be hostile towards us," she said, expressing her insight into the matter.
"So, for all intents and purposes, the prince is dead...the person that remains is Magistrate Yong." He embraced Jin-Ri and apologized once more, "I'm sorry that we have to keep you out of the loop, it was important that the envoy believed you were mourning," he explained
Jin-Ri's eyes grew wide when the reality of the situation hit her like a boulder. She gently broke away from their embrace, clicked her tongue, and pursed her lips. "What do you mean by 'we' and 'you'?"
Kwan smacked his forehead. "Oh my, he could have shut up at any point."
"I know! This is not going to end well for him," Mun-he replied, shaking her head and blowing through her teeth.
Little beads of cold sweat began to form on Young-Sik's face, and he realized that he had said too much. "Uhm, did I say just you? I meant all of you," he slowly backed away, as Jin-Ri's brows met dangerously in the middle.
"So, you're telling me...that everyone was in on it except me?" She walked around a frozen Young-Sik with the demeanor of an investigator, interrogating a suspect.
"Uhm...not just you, I mean Young-Ju did not know." He happily told Jin-Ri, thinking it would sway her.
However, at that moment her sarcasm was more dangerous than venom "Oh wow...." She expressed while clasping her hands together, "I should be so thankful because you think I am on the same level as a seven-year-old." She lifted her foot and bent her body a bit so she could reach her shoe
Seuk and Dam looked at each other, shaking their heads. "Ah Yong, she is reaching for her shoe, I would run if I were you," Seuk advised Young-Sik
"Mom, Dad...you stay out of this unless you want me to scold you right now," in a cute but menacing voice.
Yong-Sik started to run around with Jin-Ri giving chase with a shoe in her hand. "Run, your Highness," Kwan urged Young-Sik.
Jin-Ri stopped before Kwan and Mun-He, pointing her shoe at them. "You two! We will talk later!" She said, letting them know that they, too, were not safe from her.
Though Young-Sik was running away from Jin-Ri in an attempt to avoid getting hit by a shoe, everyone who was there saw the joy and happiness not just in their faces but also in their hearts.