He Walks Alone in the Moonlight [COMPLETED]

IT IS HARD ENOUGH TO GET THREAD THROUGH A NEEDLE

Minjoo marched his way to the Crown Prince's residence, his balled hands gripping the fabric of his skirts. He'd been calm while in Jihyun's presence, stamping down his anger so the younger man would not see it, but he could hold back no longer. Minjoo believed, really and truly, that the crown prince had no ill intentions toward Jihyun. Bringing Jihyun to Mugunghwa Pavilion was evidence of that. Yet once again Doyoon had sent Jihyun into a panic, and Minjoo couldn't sit idly by while the two continued to hurt each other. Minjoo crossed the courtyard hurridly, stomping up the steps, blind to the dark and brooding figure lurking at the prince's doorway.

Jaeon held out an arm, preventing Minjoo from crossing the threshold. The tailor huffed, taking a step backwards and looking up at the older man.

"Move. I need to speak with him, now." Jaeon shook his head solemnly.

"His Highness said he is not accepting visitors. It is best if you go back," Jaeon pressed his forearm lightly against Minjoo's chest, urging him to take a step back.

"It is about Jihyun, tell him that. He'll surely let me in then," Minjoo's brows knit together in a plea, his hands reaching up to grab Jaeon's wrist. Jaeon sighed, pulling his arm away.

"I am also not allowed in. He ordered me to stand guard here. No one can enter."

"Is that so?" Minjoo arched a perfectly tailored eyebrow.  "Well then, it can't be helped," Minjoo said while shrugging, then turned around and began to descend the steps. His sauntering frame suddenly stopped and Jaeon's eyes caught how Minjoo's shoulders expanded with a breath of air. Suddenly, Minjoo turned and dashed back up the steps, shouting as Jaeon wrapped his arms around his abdomen and lifted him off the ground.

"Listen here you royal dickhead! You must know what you did since you're not-" Minjoo's yell ended with a muffled yelp as Jaeon pressed his hand over Minjoo's mouth and dragged him away from the door. Minjoo dug at Jaeon's hand, prying the guard's fingers away from his face. "Put me down!" Minjoo swatted the muscled arm still locked around his torso. Jaeon obliged, setting Minjoo on the ground some distance from the prince's room. The guard's eyes were dark, his face stern.

"I told you, he does not want to be disturbed. Did you think I was telling you a joke? He is not in a good mood right now and nothing constructive will come of you going in there."

"So that's how you're spinning it? You're doing this so I don't get scolded? A supposed concern for me? Are you sure it is not due to your undying loyalty to that- that idiot?" Minjoo pointed a finger in the direction of the prince's abode.

"Minjoo..." Jaeon warned lowly, pulling Minjoo's accusatory arm down. "It is not like that. I'm just following orders-"

"Following orders! That's all you know how to do, isn't it? Are you even human? You went from being the King's dog to being his, huh?" Minjoo jerked his chin angrily, biting his lip. "It is hard enough knowing that you will never choose me over him, but-"

"Do not say that, Minjoo. It is the one thing I asked of you when we started all this. You promised me you would not compete with His Highness. You are different to me."

"Between the two of us, who would it be?" Minjoo knew better than to ask this, but he wanted to be mean. He wanted to throw a fit, he wanted to be awful, and Jaeon was the one who happened to be standing in front of him.

"Do not make me choose, Minjoo."

"Why? Because you know the truth? That'd you'd save the prince and leave me to-"

"It is because I do not know!" Silence swept the courtyard. Minjoo heard a bird take flight in the distance.

"It is because I do not know, and that is why I do not wish to choose. Ten years ago I would have chosen the prince without hesitation. Guaranteeing his safety is my sole purpose, it is what I am alive for and all I have ever known. But now, because of you, that purpose threatens to waver, to become obsolete. Because of you, I may fail my duty. I may choose to be selfish. If the both of you were in danger, I do not know who I would save, and that scares me. Because no matter who I choose, I will live the rest of my life either as a traitor scorned by the nation or a failure full of regret. I cannot win, and you know this." Both men were huffing, their chests heaving as they stared at each other. Minjoo had nothing to say to that. Jaeon groaned, his face twisted in a wince of phantom pain. "If you are going to be cruel to me, do not use your words. Hit me instead. It is the kind of pain I am used to," Jaeon whispered into the air. Still, Minjoo's expression did not change, did not shift an inch. Defeated, the guard turned away, taking a step to return to his post.

"He cries, Jaeon. Everyday. Every night. Just like I did. You all did not have to see it, but I did. In that room at the camp, every night of our travels, I'd watch him shake in his sleep. He is different from the rest of you. He has no say, no power, no one to back him up." The guard stilled, his broad shoulders tense as he listened to Minjoo's words. After some consideration, Jaeon spoke.

"The Crown Prince will support him, in whatever endeavors."

"And what good is that, if there is no one who will go against the prince? Who will stand by his side when it is the prince he must go against? It is no use to have backing from someone you do not wish to support you. You know that." It grew quiet again, as it so often did between them. Minjoo bit his lip, taking a tentative step forward. Slowly, he placed a hand on Jaeon's bicep, pulling gently until the guard faced him. "I did not mean to upset you, and I know that you are trying to protect me, but... let me try. I am willing to face the consequences. Jihyun needs me now as much as I needed you back then." It was not often that one could read the emotions on Jaeon's face, but Minjoo could tell, he was considering it. The internal battle waged while all he could see was the slight tick in Jaeon's jaw, the barely perceptible squinting of his eyes.

"He is not reasonable right now, you cannot say things like what you said to me. That Jihyun is against him."

"Absolutely, I understand. That's a yes, then?" Minjoo smiled, part glee and part cunning, then dashed away before Jaeon could change his mind.

Jaeon stared at Minjoo's retreating form, feet rooted to the ground. Only when the tailor disappeared through the door did Jaeon relax, swallowing thickly to ease the lump in his throat.