It Was Romantic
On the morning of Daeboreum, the Great First Full Moon, breakfast began with an ambush.
“Here comes good fortune straight into Bong-bong’s mouth! Say ahh!”
“Aahh—”
A tidy parcel of rice wrapped in wild aster greens popped neatly into my mouth.
For some reason, I felt distinctly like a baby chick being fed in its nest.
“Our little bundle of blessings ate her bokssam, so now she’s a double bundle of blessings!” Mother Bird Seol-hyang declared brightly, feeding me a second greens-wrapped bite.
It wasn’t just the bokssam, eaten to symbolically wrap up good fortune for the coming year. Today’s morning spread was so lavish that the low table legs fairly groaned under the weight. There were crisp cabbage leaves and wild aster for wrapping, fragrant five-grain rice, a colorful array of seasoned herbs, and sweet, rich yakbap set aside for dessert. To top it all off, a wooden bowl brimmed with walnuts and raw chestnuts for the bureom kkaegi ritual. It was a truly magnificent Daeboreum feast.
“Time for Bong-bong to crack a nut, too!”
“No way!”
“Why not?”
“What if it hurts my teefies...?”
Truth be told, I had been obsessing over my dental health lately. Sure, I had a year or two of grace left, but baby teeth were bound to fall out eventually. What if I tried to crack a stubborn shell and knocked my own front teeth clean out?
I refuse to suffer such absolute humiliation...
Just imagining myself grinning like an idiot with half my teeth missing sent a genuine shudder down my spine.
“Still, it’s Daeboreum, so you have to crack at least one nut. Here, try this one. It has a thin shell. Just bite gently.”
Seol-hyang handed me a small, paper-thin chestnut. Cautiously, I clamped down on the shell with my molars. To my vast relief, it yielded with a soft, brittle crunch.
“Good girl! Now that you’ve cracked your nut, your teeth will stay strong and healthy all year long!”
God, I hope so. Protect my precious teeth at all costs!
After filling my belly with five-grain rice, I settled into a rare moment of peace, munching on the walnut pieces Seol-hyang cracked and peeled for me one by one.
In truth, the past two days had been a dizzying blur. My mind had been churning constantly over how to handle Yong-hee. I had held onto a fragile sliver of hope that she might come forward and tell the truth, but the only answer I received was cold, stubborn silence.
Her refusal of my offer meant only one thing: we were now enemies, drawn up on opposite sides of a battlefield. Yong-hee for her own survival, and me for mine. To live, we each had no choice but to notch an arrow and aim it at the other.
Knowing that, I had moved swiftly and decisively over the past forty-eight hours. My very first move had been identifying the senior court lady who had met with Yong-hee in secret.
“Seol-hyang Hamanim.”
“Hmm?”
“By any chance... among the court ladies in the consorts’ palaces, is there someone as big and tall as Sun-rye Hamanim...?”
“That’s Court Lady Chu. Over at Bogyeongdang.”
The answer shot back before I could even finish my question.
“In the entire royal palace, she’s the only court lady who rivals Sister Sun-rye in sheer size. But why do you ask? Did she hit you? Bully you? Curse at you?”
“N-No, not at all!”
...Seol-hyang really did have a habit of flying from zero to sixty in half a second.
“I just caught a glimpse of her passing by and got curious.”
“Nothing good comes from catching that woman’s eye.”
“Why?”
“When I first entered the palace at age six, Court Lady Chu slapped me across the face over something completely trivial. To this day, I still have nightmares about it.”
Yikes.
Disciplinary switchings on the calves were common enough in the palace, but slapping a child across the face? A six-year-old toddler, no less...?
“Even if she outranks me, if she ever lays a finger on you, Bong-bong, I swear on my life I won’t stand for it.” Seol-hyang narrowed her eyes, scanning me with deep suspicion. “Are you absolutely certain nothing happened?”
“Yes. Truly, I just saw her passing by.”
I offered a gentle white lie to calm her simmering fury. It was still too early to detonate that particular bomb. When it blew, it shouldn’t be in front of Seol-hyang; it had to go off on a far grander stage.
Of course, Yong-hee was surely preparing a move of her own. But I held a decisive weapon she could never hope to possess: the unshakable trust of everyone around me—Jang Hui-bin, the Crown Prince, and Seol-hyang. That trust would serve as both my greatest armor and my sharpest spear.
“Bong-bong, shall we go pay our morning respects to Hui-bin-jaga now?”
“Yes, let’s!”
Taking Seol-hyang’s hand, I trotted toward Hui-bin’s bedchamber. When I considered it, my schedule today was packed to the brim. Paying morning respects came first, but immediately after lay an indispensable task.
I have to get Hui-bin-jaga to the Changdeokgung Rear Garden.
I had carefully etched the King’s words into my memory during our last encounter:
‘Your Majesty, what will you be doing on the day of the Great Full Moon?’
‘I shall receive the formal congratulations of my ministers. Afterward, I plan to stroll through the Rear Garden of Changdeokgung. I intend to inspect the vicinity of Ongnyucheon Stream.’
Therefore, my sacred objective today was straightforward: Drag Jang Hui-bin straight to Ongnyucheon Stream!
Lately, I had frequently tagged along on cozy mother-and-son walks between Hui-bin and the Crown Prince. But today...
Forgive me, Your Highness. You absolutely cannot join us today.
The spotlight today belonged to two people and two people alone: the King and Jang Hui-bin.
What did that make me?
Let’s just call me the ultimate wingman. The designated third wheel.
Now, the only question was: what silver-tongued excuse could I cook up to coax Hui-bin all the way out to Ongnyucheon?
“Hui-bin-jaga, there is something I want to ask.”
“Yes, Bong-bong. Speak your mind.”
After offering a deep, formal bow to Hui-bin, I revved my gears. Ever since the day of Suk-jeong’s deranged outburst, Hui-bin’s demeanor toward me had softened even further. She would often stroke my cheek with tender pity, murmuring about how terribly a young child must have been frightened.
“What will you be doing today, Jaga?”
“Well now. The palace maids seem to have prepared all sorts of festivities for Daeboreum, so I thought I might take in the sights and watch the full moon rise later.”
“Ohhh... I see.”
Saying that, I shot an anxious, lingering glance toward the sliding door, making myself look like someone who had pressing business elsewhere.
“Bong-bong, why do you keep glancing outside?”
“The truth is... I really want to go to Ongnyucheon Stream. Would Jaga give me permission to visit?”
“Ongnyucheon? The Ongnyucheon deep in the Rear Garden?”
“Yes.”
“A tiny thing like you wants to go all the way there? The path around Ongnyucheon is steep and craggy. You could never manage it alone on those little legs.”
Naturally. I knew she’d say that. Which was precisely why I had racked my brains to forge an airtight excuse.
“Well... no one has seen Geumdeok lately.”
“Geumdeok?”
Bingo. At the mere mention of the royal cat, a spark flashed in Hui-bin’s eyes.
“Yes. The palace maids said they spotted Geumdeok near Ongnyucheon Stream. That’s why I wanted to go look for her...”
Seeing that the cat’s name had already conjured the image of a certain royal owner in her mind, I locked on target.
Special move, fire!
“His Majesty must be looking for Geumdeok, too...”
“In that case—”
Hui-bin’s reaction was instantaneous.
“I shall accompany you. The mountain path is far too rugged for you to brave alone.”
“Really?”
“Of course. When shall we depart?”
I hurriedly calculated the King’s schedule. He had stated he would walk the garden after receiving the morning greetings of his ministers...
Which means right about now!
“Right now! A maid said she saw Geumdeok in the garden just a moment ago!”
“Very well. Let us go at once.”
Hui-bin rose gracefully from her seat. I took a swift inventory of her appearance. She had already dressed exquisitely to receive the holiday greetings; a delicate sweep of rouge graced her cheeks, lending her an ethereal, ageless beauty that made it impossible to guess her true years.
The preparation was flawless.
“Hurry, Jaga! We can’t let Geumdeok run away!”
Just as I was making a grand fuss, ushering Hui-bin out of the bedchamber—
“Jaga, where on earth are you headed so suddenly?”
Court Lady Han stood in the corridor, staring at us in utter bewilderment.
“I am taking a brief walk to the Rear Garden with Bong-bong.”
“To the Rear Garden? Accompanied only by Bong-bong, without any attendants?”
“Indeed. That is how it shall be.”
“Then allow this servant to attend—”
No! Read the room! Know when to step back!
Right then, Hui-bin spoke up.
“No. That will not be necessary.” Tilting her chin with regal composure, Hui-bin looked down at Court Lady Han. “Today, it shall be only Bong-bong and myself.”
“How can you...”
“No arguments. Come, Bong-bong.”
...Hui-bin had definitely figured it out. She had already calculated the odds of running into the King.
Give her an inch, and she grasps a mile.
A brilliant woman. Truly a woman after my own heart.
It was romantic.
The temperature, the gentle breeze, even the golden sunbeams illuminating Hui-bin’s silhouette.
The Secret Garden, poised on the cusp of spring, was breathtakingly sublime. Three ponds along the winding path to Ongnyucheon welcomed us, each displaying its own distinctive charm.
Buyongji Pond, where the sweet fragrance of plum blossoms drifted on the wind.
Aeryeonji Pond—my personal waters of sacrificial plunge—its surface beginning to dye emerald green with emerging lotus pads.
And Gwallamji Pond, where two elegant pavilions, Jondeokjeong and Pyeom-usa, gazed fondly at one another across the serene water.
It was a landscape so exquisite it looked plucked straight from a silk scroll painting.
It was paradise... or it would have been.
...Is this what people mean when they talk about a disaster of one’s own making?
Amidst such enchanting scenery, my personal state—huffing, puffing, and sweating like a pig while scrambling up the craggy slope toward Ongnyucheon—was utterly pathetic.
“Hui-bin... pant... Jaga... gasp... Aren’t you... wheeze... tired at all...? sob...”
“I am quite fine. Shall we rest a moment?”
Glancing up at Hui-bin, I was struck dumb with sheer awe.
How does she not have a single drop of sweat on her forehead?
It was truly supernatural. How could someone tackle this brutal, rocky incline without even her breathing turning ragged...?
Lady Jang Hui-bin. Just what kind of superhuman life had this woman lived?
“No... pant... We can’t let Geumdeok... slip away...”
Right then, the faint, clear gurgle of flowing water reached my ears from up ahead. It was the long-awaited sound of Ongnyucheon Stream!
Just a little further. Pull yourself together, Hwang Bong-bong!
Squeezing out every ounce of toddler strength left in my trembling legs, I pushed forward.
And the very moment we crested the rise and arrived at Ongnyucheon, my eyes caught sight of it.
What did I see?
Right in the heart of Ongnyucheon, the brilliant scarlet fabric of a royal dragon robe fluttered gracefully in the mountain wind.
It was romantic.
The temperature, the crisp air, even the golden sunlight bathing the King and his consort.