{the legend of the infamous cherry blossom tree where two lovers are buried}
In the countryside of South Korea, sat a monumental cherry blossom tree. In spring, when the flowers were at full bloom and their most vibrant, citizens would visit the tree with their lovers or simply stand under it to wish for a true love to call their own. The tree had stood for hundreds of years, dating all the way back to ancient times. Back then, the tree had stood in the middle of the kingdom and had been King Yoon Jeonghan's favorite place.
The kingdom he ruled over was calm and flourished in arts and culture rather than focusing on war as other kingdoms tended to do. Jeonghan was often to be found under the pink blossoms of the tree in spring, painting the soft pink buds that entranced him so. That was how he met Choi Sungcheol.
Choi Sungcheol was a natural-born fighter. His father before him was a well-respected general, and his grandfather was a skilled swordmaker. Fighting was all Sungcheol knew. He had grown up with a sword in hand, and he relied on it and his keen reflexes while the king relied on his mind and heart. They were two opposites, pulled together by an unseen force.
The day they met, Jeonghan was sitting outside in the garden, calmly painting under his favorite tree. Sungcheol, who was merely a soldier at the time, was training nearby. It was like any other peaceful spring day at the palace until an assassin climbed the palace wall and started to attack. As trained, all of the king's soldiers surrounded him with their swords drawn and ready to fight. What started out as one assassin turned into ten and then twenty. Before they knew, the palace and the king were completely surrounded.
Hearing and seeing the commotion, Sungcheol quickly gathered a group of his fellow training soldiers and ran to the garden to help protect the king. Together, they all managed to defeat the assassins who came from the North with orders to attack and kill. After the chaos was all said and done, Sungcheol went to walk away and resume training, but the king called out to him.
"Wait, Soldier."
Out of respect, Sungcheol stopped in his tracks and turned around to greet the king respectfully.
"How many I continue to serve His Majesty?"
Jeonghan gave him a kind and warm smile. "May I know your name?"
"Choi Sungcheol."
Joenghan's eyes scanned his uniform. "How long have you been serving in my army?"
"I have been training at the palace for two years now."
"You are still in training? I must say that I am surprised. You are a very skilled fighter. I was under the assumption that you were a high-ranking soldier." The king complimented.
Sungcheol bowed awkwardly, feeling strange at being giving such high praise from the king.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, but I am just a mere soldier, hardly worthy of such high praise."
The king frowned. "Nonsense!" He stood, matching Sungcheol in height. "You saved my life. That is honorable in and of itself." He snapped.
He flicked the sleeve of his bright blue hanbok, clearing his throat as he reverted to his usual calm demeanor.
"In fact, I am promoting you to high general." He added.
Sungcheol was stunned as he tried to get the king to change his mind. "Your Majesty, I couldn't possibly-"
Jeonghan cut him off. "You can, and you must. With all of these recent attacks, I am going to need the best protection." He pointed out. He eyed the sputtering Sungcheol. "Are you questioning my judgment?"
Sungcheol's eyes widened. "I would not dare! But-"
"I will have a couple of servants move your stuff into your new room."
His tone had an air of finality, and Sungcheol knew better than to argue. He quietly thanked the king, which was answered with a nod and kind smile. His new room was right next to the king's. Jeonghan explained that the new general needed to be near him in case another attack happened, but as time went on, Jeonghan would often enter Sungcheol's room just to talk and on the rare occasions, drink.
Slowly, the two began to fall in love. Sungcheol loved how the king was strong-willed and smart. Jeonghan loved how the general was always ready to fight and protect him, but was always calm and gentle with him. Soon, they became so close that they were neither king nor general. They were simply two men who loved and understood one another. The beloved cherry blossom tree became their common meeting place instead of the king's hideaway. Often, Sungcheol would sit and watch Jeonghan painting, finding it fascinating that the king could add more beauty to something already so breathtakingly beautiful. Jeonghan felt more secure and safe under the tree, knowing that Sungcheol was by his side.
However, like all good things, their relationship met a dreadful end.
The day had started like any other. Sungcheol woke up in the king's room, and they took a morning stroll in the royal garden, surrounded by all the new flowers that had started to bloom since spring began earlier that week. One second, they were happily chatting, and by the next, they were surrounded and trapped with no escape. True to his instinct and nature, Choi Sungcheol refused to go down without a fight. With his sword drawn, he began to fight them off, Jeonghan by his side, trying his best. While he wasn't a natural-born fighter, he had been trained in basic combat and knew how to use a sword to defend himself. Besides, he would have never let Sungcheol fight alone. He would stick beside him until his last breath.
Though they had fought hard, they were still outnumbered and injured. It was the end, and they both knew it. The king's arm was severely slashed, and Sungcheol had been stabbed in the abdomen. There would be no crawling away this time.
"What should we do with them?" An assassin asked.
"We keep the king as a hostage. We can get some use out of him." Another answered. He eyed Sungcheol, who was glaring up at him from the ground.
"We can kill the general. He won't be of any use. However, slitting his throat would be way too easy." He paused as he thought for a moment. "Beat him to death." He decided.
Jeonghan's eyes grew wide. In a quick decision, he leaned down and hugged Sungcheol's body close and laid on top of him before the assassin could start to beat him. He received the beatings in his place, but he didn't mind. As long as Sungcheol was safe, that was all that mattered to him. Sungcheol, on the other hand, was panicked and tried to push the king off of him. He was supposed to protect the king, not the other way around. He couldn't let Jeonghan die on his behalf. It was no use struggling, he realized. Jeonghan had a death grip on him, making it hard to breathe, let alone move.
There was a lull in the beatings. For a brief moment, Sungcheol got a look at Jeonghan's face. It was scratched and bloody, but he was wearing the same kind smile from the first day they met. Even near death, Yoon Jeonghan was beautiful.
"Now...I can finally repay you for protecting me and loving me after all this time." Jeonghan said softly before the final blow came, killing him.
Sungcheol died shortly after from blood loss and lack of oxygen due to Jeonghan's tight hold. The assassins left, slipping away as if they had never been there. The kingdom mourned the loss of the kind and gentle and his brave lover. In memory, they kept their position and buried the lovers under their favorite cherry blossom tree in hopes that they would find each other again in the afterlife. And every spring, the cherry blossoms bloom an even brighter pink than before for it is said that it remains as a symbol of their grand love.
