Moon witness ~ Woosan

Chapter 5

San fell to his knees as he came face to face to the guard protecting the entrance of the palace, exhausted from the running he did to reach the place. It was the first time he came this close to the palace. He never had any business to come here, mixed with nobles who only threw him curious or disgusted looks. Fortunately San never cared much about what people may think about him. Even more when these people didn't know a damn thing about him. Up close the palace seemed infinitely higher and bigger than it looked from afar. He wondered how many people lived there. Even though he hated every nobles and royal families, he knew the Idoryn kingdom had what people considered the kindest kings which was the main reason why he and Haneul took refuge here instead of other neighboring kingdoms. Back in Oriseon, words circulated about the royal couple. They were said to represent true love, as every person who met them could feel the deep bond between the two. They were also said to be the best rulers of all kingdoms, always listening to their people, making them one of the proudest nations.

The boy tried to catch his breath before addressing one of the guards. "Hello sir, I came here to see Hongjoong, he said he would receive me if I came. Said he had a job offer for me." San said, not knowing how to address the guard and feeling small in comparison to them and the size of the palace.

"Very well sir, wait here for a few moments." The guard he spoke to turned to one of his comrades, made a sign of the head which the man seemed to understand as he left inside the place. Most probably to ask for Hongjoong.

As San waited, he decided to ask the guard a question he's been curious about since Hongjoong left his house weeks ago.

"If I may ask, what is sir Hongjoong's work here?"

"He is the direct adviser of his highness Jimin and his highness Jungkook." San's mouth went agape. He had saved the life of the king's adviser? Fortunately he had been there to save the man. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have had this opportunity. Now that he thought about the incident, what was the royal adviser doing there? San always thought they had to stay in the castle, close to the kings. Weird, San thought.

He didn't get the chance to think about it more as the guard from earlier came back. He whispered something to the main guard who then moved away and gestured for San to enter.

As he did so, his eyes widened seeing the entrance of the palace. He never went inside a palace so he could only be dumbfounded in wonder at how rich the place screamed. The entrance must have been at least five times the size of the barn he lived in. The only similarity between the two being how empty both places were. Oddly, it was the staircase that drew his attention the most. He thought this was probably the most beautiful and most extra thing he had ever seen. Why a stairway had to be this large, San will probably never know. It was a magnificent double stairway, all in a beautiful light wood adorned with an abundance of gold. The stairs started from both sides of the room, only to meet at the first floor, a large balcony oversiding the entrance.

His gaze finally fell on a man standing at the entrance when the latter cleared his throat to attract San's attention.

"Sir San I suppose?" The man asked while bowing, his voice plain. The man seemed to be close to San's age yet the stranger looked slightly shorter than he was. Still, his face and expression screamed authority and respect.

"H-Hello sir, yes that would be me." San answered, bowing to the man in return, showing his respect.

"Kim Hongjoong at your service." The man, Hongjoong, presented himself to San.

"Huh? You are Hongjoong? I thought Hongjoong was the man I met a few weeks ago." San said, now completely confused. Had the man lied to him?

"I can confirm I am Hongjoong sir, the man you met is waiting for you in the library. This way sir." Hongjoong led the man upstairs with a gesture of his hand in the said direction.