Time travel || Wonhyuk

6: Summer

Spring was coming to an end. Back when Wonho first arrived, it was only March. As April went by, days at the palace were great, the changes to his previously repetitive life brought him new sources of happiness that he looked forward to. Things in this era was different. People do not simply ignore each other and focus on their smartphones. It made him realised how much he craved this kind of simple human interaction; making small talk with people or just a plain handshake or eye contact. An additional bliss was the beautiful flowers which injected vibrancy into his otherwise dull outlook. Grey concrete buildings, pavements, roads were a common sight to him. Other than the purple bougainvillea planted by the sidewalks, there was nothing. The connection to nature was strong and he loved it; to enjoy the light breeze which brings in the faint hint of fresh flowers and grass.

Now, time is always a cruel being. How long has it been since he arrived? Wonho had lost count. It was one day when he noticed the stillness of the air and dryness weather that told him about the approaching summer. If he was still back in modern Seoul, oh would he apply a one-week leave that he had been saving up to go to Tikehau Island and enjoy the wonderful beach. What else would you do during summer? Well, this era sure gave him a reason tto yearn for home. Despite the heat, nothing had changed. The people don't even intend to wear lesser clothings. At least those in the palace don't. They carried on with their daily lives in the formal robes, most of which contained at least three layers of fabric. Wonho was surprised these people could actually survive like that in such hot weather.

Thankfully, patrolling guards are not required to wear armor, or else he swear to god, he'll be roasted alive. Setting the last piece of clothing in place, Wonho stepped out into the light of dusk, greeted by the yet to disappear moon that hung lowly in the sky. A bright streak of orange had already appeared in sky, signalling the soon to be awoken city, or rather palace in this case.

"Hey, you're also on duty today?"

Hyunwoo stepped outside behind Wonho, a long sword in hand. Feeling bothered by his bad morning breath, Wonho simply nodded his head. Speaking of which, there was something that bugged Wonho a lot. There wasn't a way for him to brush his teeth. When he had first mentioned toothbrushes and toothpaste to the people, they stared at him as if he was a lunatic. Well, what did he expect? There was no such invention in the olden days. He realised that the people only ever rinse their mouth with water, which didn't help with the bad breath. Hyunwoo patted Wonho's back and moved away, possibly to get the morning rations before getting started with duty. Since Wonho wasn't quite hungry, he decided to just start his shift early, since patrolling can be fun too, as he got to explore the palace.

After reporting to the team captain, he was dispatched to the West Wing alongside four other knights whom he did not know. In fact, none of them seemed to know each other, as they strode about on the still palace ground. Clear chirping of the insects resonated in the early morning. As the bright yellow orb peeked through the gloomy grey clouds, hushed whispers travelled to the guards' ears. Their keen hearing picked up little bits of conversation here and there, about the ups and downs, about fun and boredom. Wonho smiled inwardly, enjoying the stability of life. The West Wing is the residential area for the elite officials, separated from the Veterans and Royals located in the East Wing. For some reason, there was a tinge of loneliness nagging at him.

The darkness of night gave way to the light of day. The morning assembly had just begun, as signified by the sound of gongs. After completing the morning patrol, Wonho was sent to stand guard at the main hall. He never knew knights were this busy; for his entirely life he thought they were simply like soldiers, only utilised when there are wars. I mean, he doesn't really watch much Kdramas so that much was to be expected of his limited knowledge on History based on History classes in high school, which was like 10 years ago.