The Hunt ✓

👑58| Resolution

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"Woo Hyun.". His eyes scrutinize the area his companion dwelled in for who knows how long. The floor is awfully dirty and wet with stale water dripping from the interior. But the man's teary eyes are rather focused on the young man before him.

His royal hanbok is a bit faded and smeared with dried blood. His hair still seemingly looks decent even though it screams unkempt.

"I have to get you out of here!"

The king stares at him in awe as his hands drops down in agony. This is what he wanted, to be out of here, but not at the cost of him, the one in front of him, his mother and the townspeople's safety.

"No." Woo Hyun turns around quickly when someone's footsteps ring in his delicate ears. He turns his attention back to the King with a no look.

"He'll kill you....I must get you out of here as soon as possible."

The King lets out a sigh while shaking his head. He struggles to get back on his feet and walks slowly away from Woo Hyun to his shock.

"Pretend you didn't see me here. Please?"

Woo Hyun's face dumbfound with his words. Standing by the man who believed in him to take over the throne, he feels helpless to not have been able to protect him all these years.

At the moment, he is hopeful when he sees that he is alive despite Ji Min's cruelty. This is the opportunity to save him from Ji Min's clutches, but he flatly refuses him and walks away in between his words.

"Your Majesty-" Foot stomping echoes through the inners of each wall accommodating each cell.

"Hurry. Let's check there!" One of the exit guards yells while pointing towards the King's cell.

Woo Hyun watches in horror as the footsteps approach where he stands swiftly. Each passing minute brings the guards closer to them . The king buries his face in his legs and stares right at the floor in silence.

"Your Majesty!" Woo Hyun calls out but he doesn't lift his head to talk to him and keeps sobbing. Woo Hyun steps back hesitating to leave but the guards approach the cell he's in. Looking around desperately, he stands still not knowing what to do.

The cotton in the pillow seems to be squashed ultimately by its owner. A young woman sitting on her bed squeezes the pillow to her chest with a cute smirk on her face. The smirk vanishes when a thought springs through her head.

"He's so handsome! That Minister's daughter is pretty lucky!"

Her statement attracts a lot of affirmative glances.

"Aigoo. I thought they were not on good terms, who would have thought they'd be getting married."

Min Kyung draws the curtains down and walks through the corners of the room. Their growling and scorns reckon the atmosphere, forcing each ear in the room to listen.

"Bad terms? It doesn't seem so to me. The way he looks at her-" One of them pats her shoulder anxiously and stand on her feet as if she has something much better to say.

"-His eyes tell the complete opposite, as if he--wants to say something else." Looking away, a robe in my hand falls on to the bed and calls the attention of the rest.

Oh Jae In, one of the maids who throws the last comment turns her gaze to me with curiosity while a smile appears on her face after a few seconds. The furrow on her eyebrows curve into a line instead.

"Or what do you think Seong Ri? After all you work directly under him?" A dead silence engulfs the eerie room, while I earn their strict gazes.

"Tell us! Do you think he likes her?"