King Kim :: 왕김

장 14 십사

YEONG

My eyes begin to swell as I hold the King in my arms. His breathing is wavering and shallow as he struggles to speak. I try and quiet him, for I fear getting caught in the cells, but he refuses and speaks.

"Thank you." He gasps.

I shake my head out of disbelief. Everything in this moment felt surreal.

"Thank you for taking care of me all these years since Hye-Rin's death." He coughs, "And especially for the prince. I know it was not easy raising him at times. But, he is everything I would want in a son and our future leader. We did well." He grabs my hand. "You did so well."

Suddenly, I find myself in a puddle of tears, "It was my duty, and I'm glad it served me well today." My voice cracks through my whisper.

It pains me to see him like this. But what can I do? I look down at my dress, slowly becoming stained with his blood.

I hear the metal door clang against the wall, and I look up to see Kang-Yoo and two of his soldiers.

"This isn't the kitchen," Kang-Yoo says.

I nearly scream at him, "He's bleeding out. He needs to be seen in the infirmary." Kang-Yoo stares for a moment, slightly grinning to himself.

Is this comical to him?

"I don't think you understand what I'm trying to do." He says.

"You're trying to kill him." I snap back. Again, he just smiles as I answer correctly.

He pauses for a moment, "Although, I do suppose I need him alive if I want him as leverage for the prince's return." He tries to contemplate. "Okay, bring him up." He signals the soldiers.

As the soldiers pushed me out of the way, King Nam-Gi is dragged to the infirmary by the pits of his arms. I try to follow closely behind. But before I get too close, Kang-Yoo pulls on the back of my dress, stopping me in my tracks. 

I whip my head around and defensively swat at him. He grabs me roughly by the wrist. He whispers in my ear, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." He then holds the small of my back, "You should get ready for dinner here soon, darling."

NAM-JOON

I kicked around the pebbles on the ground as I continued to walk down the street after passing two blocks. My phone finally bings, indicating that I am now home. I look up at the small decaying and the neglect that the building has endured. I sigh to myself.

I am so ready for this day to be over. 

The steps to the second-floor creek are unsteady as I carefully place my entire weight, trying to climb to the front door. At the top near the door, I find a semi-new bike and a small note sticking to its handlebars. I get a closer look.

"Got ya some new wheels. ;)  Your key is under the mat. - Caspian"

I rip off the note and roll my eyes, then peek under the mat to find my key and lazily unlock the door. I push it open to walk into a darkened apartment and shuffle my way to my new room. Another sharp pain runs alongside my head. I touch and try and rub the feeling away.

I don't know what is going on with me. I feel so strange and completely depleted from myself. 

I toss my bag into the corner and land myself on the bed, rolling onto my side facing the window. I take another deep sigh and stare into the sun-setting sky. The colors of soft oranges and pinks are calming to the eye. I close my eyes for a moment, hoping to fall into sleep, but I am quickly disturbed by a glowing blue light once again.