The Pheasant, that fell from the Sky || Hwarang

- 20 -

Yeseul sat on the pyeong-sang and folded some fabrics. Her father had given her a big pile of different cloths and told her to fold them, sort them by colour and tie them together to bundles. So that was what she did. She had already tied together two bundles of blue fabrics.

Suddenly she heard footsteps and looked up to see a mere shadow of Yeowool before he already hugged her tightly. She hugged him back and heard him sobbing. Startled she cupped his face and made him look at her. His eyes were red and tears streamed down his cheeks.

»What is wrong?«, she asked concerned and wiped a few tears away with her sleeve.

»Hanseong...«, he said and took a breath, »Hanseong... died.«

»What?!« Yeseul couldn't believe what she just heard. Hanseong? Dead?

»Hanseong is dead«, he repeated sobbing. Tears formed in Yeseul eyes. She couldn't believe that dreamy boy same her age was dead. She started sobbing as well. Why was he dead? How did he pass away? He is so young and didn't even take part in the Baekje Mission that ended a few days ago.

»Why? How?«, she asked desperately.

»He got poisoned... «, Yeowool explained gasping for air between sobs, »It was on the sword ... Dansae wanted to kill Seonu with ... but Hanseong grabbed the blade.«

»He saved ... Seonu from ... Dansae?«

»Yeah ... Seonu brought him into ... the hall. He was already dead ... when I saw him«, Yeowool sobbed and hid his face in her neck. Yeseul caressed his hair and his back while still sobbing herself. Hanseong had grabbed the blade? Like she did that time they were surrounded by the assassins and robbers. Had she influenced him? He had called her amazing. Did he want to be like her? Was it her fault he grabbed that blade? Was it her fault he died? She thought about how they first met in the tent at the festival where he asked her for help. Her thoughts went to their second meeting when he immediately had decided on a new hanbok. She thought about how excited he always was. When they met during the hunt and then when they met at the market. How he immediately asked her to be friends as they found out they were the same age. She thought about how they had played in the reed together, braiding it and making crowns out of it for each other. She remembered that moment of him holding that pheasant feather under his nose and winking at Yeowool cheekily. How they fought along each other to save Yeowool after going to the river and once again at the pub as well as the Inn. She remembered how fondly he had told Yejong their adventure. Lastly, she remembered the last time she had seen him. In that beautiful warm sunset light flattering his features as he had his head laid on his arms on the wall of the Hwarang House smiling at her and Yeowool.

»I was annoyed ... by him the last time ... I saw him«, Yeowool told her, »He was looking for ... Seonu and ignored me ... so I scolded him for ... acting like he didn't see me.«

»It's okay«, Yeseul tried comforting the Hwarang, »You couldn't know.«

»But I...« He didn't end his sentence.

For a long moment they just sat there sobbing and comforting each other. After some time, their bodies went out of tears, but they continued sitting close to each other. It was as if the time went by fast and very slowly at the same time. She had no clue how long they sat on the pyeong-sang but after some time she felt a little better. It was good to let the tears just roll, she knew from the times she had mourned.

Yeowool sat up and looked at her.

»I should get going«, he said composed and stood up, »I think I should head back to the Hwarang House. There will be a funeral ceremony tomorrow.«« Yeseul stood up and hugged him again, caressing his back.

»Thank you«, he said more collected, »See you soon! Write me if you want to see me.«

»I'll come by if you tell me to«, she promised. He nodded with a small smile before he left. His posture wasn't as confident as it was before. She understood how it felt to lose someone close to you and she knew this feeling of heartbreak, loneliness and helplessness. You wish you could do something, change something, prevent it or that it just wasn't true, that it was just a bad dream or something that would end. Eventually this bad dream would not end and it would take a while until you realised that this was reality now. That you could not do something or change something. That you could've not prevented it. And that it was true and not a bad dream.

The sun was already low when Yeseul walked around the market. Her mother had asked her to get new needles, so she was on her way to the only vendor that sold those. She had used this chance to go the Suk residence. She had observed how multiple people had gone in and out of a specific building of the residence with a mournful expression. She suspected the ancestral altar was inside this building. Yeseul went around the outside of the residence trying to get as close to the building as possible. Respectfully she paid tribute to her gone friend by kneeling and bowing into the direction of Hanseong's altar. She wasn't even sure if it was the right direction, but she hoped Hanseong would appreciate her attempt.

»My dear friend, I hope you can enjoy your own little world now«, Yeseul said as she cried quietly. Staying for a while.

Now her eyes were dry from all the crying and probably red. She didn't know as she hadn't looked into a mirror. She just couldn't get into her head that Hanseong really passed away. It was so surreal to her. How could this young, dreamy boy be gone?

Suddenly she spotted Jidwi. He saw her at the same time and they stopped.

»Yeseul, right?«, he asked.

»Yes.« She nodded and bowed lightly. To her surprise he didn't talk about Hanseong.

»You're a seamstress, right?«, he asked instead. Thinking about it, suddenly, she realised that she never saw herself as a seamstress, more like someone who worked at her parent's shop doing all kinds of things which was, among other things, sewing.

»Yes. I sew a lot at my family's shop. I did some of the Hwarang robes«, she told the Hwarang, »My families shop got the assignment by the Royal Palace.«

»You did a good job for the robes«, he complimented.

»Thank you.« Yeseul bowed lightly and smiled proud to receive a compliment for her work.

»Hwan's Clothes, right?«

»Yes. You can come by sometime when you want, I'll get you something that will fit you.« Yeseul used this chance to promote the shop to Yeowool's Hwarang friend. Her mother would be proud seeing her do that.

He nodded. »I'll consider it.« Then he looked down for a second.

»Was Yeowool at yours?«

»Yes.« Yeseul took a deep breath remembering how he had cried.

»Please continue comforting him«, he requested, »He really needs that right now. Hanseong was very close to his heart.«

»I know«, Yeseul assured him and looked sad to the ground, »I will.«

»Anyway. See you«, Jidwi bid goodbye and went his way down the market street.

»Bye«, Yeseul said and bowed lightly.