ONE YEAR LATER
King Seo-Joon sits restlessly upon the Chair meant for the Jang family head, his leg flinching so much that even Queen Ha-Rin can't take it much longer. "Your Highness, if your leg continues to shake, I fear it will be strong enough to cause an earthquake."
Yeng, Mun-He, and Kwan had to stifle their laughter, so as not to embarrass Min-Jae. The King looked down at his leg and, with both hands, grabbed onto it to stop it from moving. "I apologize, my Queen, it's just that it's been quite some time now, and they haven't told us anything yet."
"I agree," Seuk expressed, walking back and forth at a brisk and uniform pace
Dam pulls her husband back to his seat. "Would you sit down, you old coot, you are in the presence of the King and Queen. Have a little decorum!" She added
Eunuch Ahn crept slowly by the King's side and whispered to him, "Your Highness, would you like me to check?"
Min-Jae nodded, "That would be a good idea, all this suspense is making me restless," he said, appreciating the eunuch's gesture.
Eunuch Ahn hurried out of the main house and headed to the infirmary of the Jang House complex. Outside, he saw Princess Young-Ju playing with her court maidens. "Your Majesty," the eunuch bowed to the child. "Do we have any news?"
Young-Ju paused playing and turned to the eunuch, shaking her head. "I don't know what's going on in there. The court maidens pulled me out because they said Aunt Jin-Ri was shouting a lot of colorful words."
Eunuch Ahn gazed at the infirmary, where he could see the commotion. "Ah, so it's not yet done," he expressed with a worried tone.
"But I saw a lot of men and several ladies-in-waiting enter a while ago," Young-Ju told the eunuch what she remembered.
Eunuch's face lit up from excitement. "They did? So that means any time now." He bowed to the child, "Thank you, Your Majesty, I will head there now and see the status of things."
Young-Ju coolly replied, "You're welcome." She watched the Eunuch run over to the area with all the commotion. She then turned to her court maidens, "Okay, who here knows how to play tag?"
As Eunuch Ahn approached, he heard the colorful words Young-Ju was talking about. "YOUNG-SIK, YOU HEARTLESS JERK! YOU DID THIS TO ME!" Jin-Ri yelled from inside the house.
He asked one of the ladies-in-waiting, "How are things going?"
The lady-in-waiting replied, "Things are starting to pick up; it won't be long now." She said, "I think they need help inside. Why don't you go in and see what you can do?" She suggested
Eunuch Ahn did as suggested, but the moment he entered, the chaos of childbirth greeted him. He was shocked to see Jin-Ri grab Young-Sik by the hair and keep banging his head on the side of the bed. "YOUNG-SIK YOU HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE HUSBAND! THIS IS THE LAST TIME, YOU HEAR FROM ME? THIS IS THE LAST TIME!" She screamed
"I can't hear you! You keep on... hitting my head on the... bed frame! Ouch! Ouch!" He screamed every time his head hit the bed frame.
"Yong, I'm scared, please hold my hand," Jin-Ri requested, after releasing Young-Sik's hair
"Of course, my love," Young-Sik quickly held his wife's hand, showing her support.
"Lady Jin-Ri, I can see the child's head at the next contraction, please push as hard as you can," The midwife instructed her
"I know the head is there...I'm the one who feels the child!" Jin-Ri snapped at the midwife. When the next heavy cramping sensation in her lower abdomen began, the pain was so intense that she squeezed hard on Young-Sik's hand.
"Push my lady...just one big push!" The midwife urged Jin-Ri.
Young-Sik felt like his hand was being crushed by a clamp. He tried to pull his hand away, but Jin-Ri's grip was so strong he could not break free. Young-Sik flinched, fidgeted, and squirmed uncontrollably as he helplessly watched his hand become mush. Then he heard it, the cry of his infant child. Suddenly, the pain all faded away.
"Magistrate, the baby is a boy...you have a very healthy son!" The midwife happily informed Young-Sik.
"My love, did you hear...we have a son!" He gently stroked the hair of the visibly exhausted Jin-Ri before planting a kiss on her lips.
Out of nowhere, Jin-Ri clutched the same hand she had previously squeezed, and Young-Sik was instantly reminded of the agony that comes with being crushed by a woman in labor. "Jin-Ri, darling... the baby's here, you can ease up on my hand now!" Young-Sik exclaimed, his face twisting in pain.
She yanked Young-Sik closer, "I know!" she gasped as another contraction hit. "Here comes another!" she yelled right into his ear.
"Another? Another baby?" Young-Sik stammered, bewildered that Jin-Ri is giving birth to a second child.
"Another horse...Of course, it's another baby!" Jin-Ri shot back with a hint of sarcasm; her discomfort was evident.
"Just one more push and your little one will be here," the midwife encouraged Jin-Ri.
"Say 'push' one more time, and I'll push you off Mt. Yangge!" Jin-Ri hollered as she bore down the moment the contraction peaked.
And like when he heard the cry of his first child, the pain all went away when he heard his second child cry. "Magistrate, you have a beautiful daughter, and she is just as healthy as your son."
"My children...where are my children? I want to hold them," Jin-Ri said as tears of happiness flowed from her eyes.
After cutting the umbilical cords and wiping the babies, the midwife swaddled them with a clean cloth before giving them to Jin-Ri. The baby boy was crying loudly, while the baby girl was cutely gurgling.
Eunuch Ahn ran out of the infirmary excited to bear the good news. In his haste, he passed by Princess Young-Ju, and when he realized what had happened, he went back to the little girl. "Your Majesty...your cousins have been born...a boy and a girl!" He happily reported
"Twins? I have two cousins?" Young-Ju's eyes twinkle upon hearing the news, "I want to see them now." She quickly ran to the infirmary, followed by her court maidens.
Eunuch Ahn ran to the main house as fast as he could to deliver the good news to the King and Queen. When he got there, in his excitement, he went straight for the King, who was pacing, and hugged him. "Your Highness, twins," he informed the royal couple.
"Twins?" Queen Ha-Rin asked, wanting to clarify if she had heard correctly
"Yes, your Majesty. You both have a nephew and a niece," he clarified with a big smile.
"Did you hear that, Dam? We are now grandparents to twins," Seuk exclaimed, prancing around the room from all the excitement
"Twins? I didn't even expect Jin-Ri was carrying twins," Yeng said, in her excitement
"Do you think they will make us the children's good parents? I certainly hope so," Mun-He said, expressing her desire to have a child, albeit indirectly.
"Let's all see the children first," Kwan suggested, pushing Mun-he toward the infirmary
"What are their names?" Min-Jae asked, his curiosity bubbling over
"The magistrate has not named them yet," Eunuch Ahn quickly answered
"Can we see them now?" Queen Ha-Rin asked, hoping she could see the babies now, as she could hardly wait to see her niece and nephew.
Eunuch Ahn let go of the King and led them to Young-Sik's and Jin-Ri's family room. "This way, Your Highness, Your Majesty, I know the magistrate is thrilled to have you on such a momentous occasion."
In their room, Young-Sik hovered over his family. "They are beautiful, as beautiful as their mother." He gently kissed his children, then kissed Jin-Ri on the lips
"What should we name them?" She asked her husband while tending to her children
"My strong boy will be Kim Ji-Hoon, and my beautiful girl will be Kim Ji-Soo," he said, then looked at his wife. "Like you, their names begin with 'Ji', so they will have your wisdom," Young-Sik explained to his wife.
Jin-Ri pulled her husband close to her and whispered, "I love you."
Young-Sik replied, "I love you." They beamed over their beautiful children after sharing a sweet and passionate kiss.
That night, as his wife and children slumbered peacefully that night, he stood up from bed and looked at the full moon. He reflected upon all the challenges they had to face, the dark times they had to endure, and all the battles they had to fight just to have a serene and peaceful night like this.
"What are you thinking?" Jin-Ri's voice softly pierced the dimly lit room. Slowly, she approached Young-Sik, who was sitting by the window.
Young-Sik turned to his wife and pulled her onto his lap. The two of them stared at the moon together. "Have we done enough? Have we secured the country for our children's future?"
Jin-Ri looked at her husband, a proud smile on her face. "Look at you, asking such important questions," she said, delighted to see the transformation in him. The once hot-headed prince was now showing the heart of a loving father.
"We can never be completely certain about what the future will bring, no matter how much effort we put into preparing for it. Sometimes it's easier than we think, but often it's much tougher. What we can do is focus on preparing our children, so when it's their time to step up, they will have the knowledge and courage to face life's challenges head-on," she explained to him.
"When I first met you, you were this little stingy boy who wouldn't even share a pastry with a little girl." She took her hands. "But look at you now, always looking after his people, willing to go to life and limb for those you love. I couldn't be prouder of the man I married."
Young-Sik's brow furrowed. "And I can see that you are filled with such insightful wisdom, since becoming a mother."
Jin-Ri pouted at Young-Sik's comments, "What are you talking about? I've always been filled with wisdom."
"I remember a rude and shameless girl who did not know how to follow instructions and had trouble with directions" He pulls her in an embrace "You are the calm that can quell my tempest, you are the only light that I will ever need" Young-Sik locked his arm around Jin-Ri and tickled her with the other. The two giggled so hard that they woke the infants. They quickly picked up their children and gently swayed them to pacify their crying until they fell asleep again.
"You know raising a child is hard, but it is harder if you have twins," Jin-Ri explained to Young-Sik. "But knowing you will be here will make things easier. You will be here to help me raise our children, won't you?"
"Of course, they are my children too. Nothing will make me happier than raising them with you," Young-Sik promised Jin-Ri
The couple smiled at each other, beaming at their children, and they knew that the future held the promise of plenty and joy. But it also carries uncertainty and doubt, something they know should it arrive, they have each other to confront it head-on. Young-Sik and Jin-Ri realize they are strong individually, but together they are a force of nature, and that force only becomes stronger.
THE END