Work Hard Until You Make It
Jeongguk had always been thrilled by the idea of becoming a knight. When he was seven, he would grab his cotton bag and bound straight from school to the small hut where an old knight resided. The old man would welcome the little boy with a fond smile and some candies. He would give the boy a glass of warm honey milk and they would sit together conversing about how it felt to be fighting in wars and emerging victorious. The old man had carved out a wooden sword for Jeongguk when the boy had turned eight, much to his delight. Jeongguk’s visits to the old knight’s hut had become more and more frequent when the man began teaching Jeongguk the basics of swordsmanship.
When he was ten, Jeongguk had received a set of bow and arrows that the old knight had managed to buy off a trader passing by their town. Thus had begun his archery training in the clearing behind the hut where the knight lived. It was a rather cold day and ten-year-old Jeongguk had been sitting inside sipping on some warm soup when curiosity arose in his eyes and he looked up at the old man sitting across him.
“How will you teach me horseriding?” The boy had questioned with genuine interest, staring up at the old man.
The next day Jeongguk was told to get onto the old man’s back as he practiced his swordsmanship. The man had joked saying as long as Jeongguk learned to keep his balance steady while piggybacking, he would be able to ride a horse and use his sword at the same time with ease.
Jeongguk remembered his fourteenth birthday all too well. It was the day after his birthday and he had visited the old knight’s house only to see a horse tied to a low stump on the ground. Jeongguk had gasped and jumped around in excitement when the knight had told him the horse was solely for his training purposes.
The knight had passed away due to an illness when Jeongguk was seventeen. The boy had tended to him and taken care of him throughout his illness and was absolutely heartbroken when he had heard news of his passing. He hadn’t talked much to anyone for a week. But a week later the boy had returned to the now empty hut, continuing to practice. He was extremely skilled; he had taken up every technique with utmost seriousness and had perfected it. When Jeongguk turned nineteen, he had sold the horse for a good amount to support his family financially. His father’s fish selling business had been going down and Jeongguk had noticed the way he struggled day and night. His parents had gone days without food so the three children could eat. So the boy had decided to sell the horse and earn money.
Jeongguk came from a poor family. He lived in one of the smallest towns in the kingdom of Busan. His clothes were dirty and he did not have an armor nor weapons of quality that the other men in his town had. All Jeongguk had was determination and a flicker of hope. The old knight had once told him, that as long as he had those two he would keep going forward. Jeongguk had found it hard to believe the words back then.
The young boy wiped away the thin trail of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as his eyes stared at the King. Jeongguk had no idea how he had come this far. Everything up until now had been a blur for him. The only thing that reminded him that this was real was the burning pain he felt where his lip had split as air hit the fresh wound. His eyes were wide with surprise, hair matted with dirt and mud, clothes stained with blood and sweat. Only two other men stood next to him, determined and strong.
“The last three,” the King had whispered, a growing smile on his face as he had beckoned the three men forward. “Kim Namjoon, you shall serve and protect my eldest son with your life.” Jeongguk watched as the man, Namjoon, stepped forward and bent on one knee with a bow. “Min Yoongi, you shall serve and protect my youngest.” The other man who was considerably shorter than Jeongguk and Namjoon stepped forward and bowed. Finally the King’s gaze turned to Jeongguk and the young boy found his breath getting caught. “Jeon Jeongguk, you shall serve and protect with your life, my second son.”
Jeongguk could hear his mother’s sobs as he went on one knee and ducked his head, bowing respectfully at the King. He could hear his sisters squealing. He could hear his townsfolk muttering excitedly about how Jeongguk had made their town proud by becoming one of the three men in the entire kingdom to be bestowed with knighthood.
“The three of you shall be taken to the palace tonight, wherein you shall be given quarters to stay. You shall officially be proclaimed as knights come the first break of sunrise tomorrow.”
Jeongguk had surely dreamt and imagined about becoming a knight. But he had never thought he would be able to live his dreams. His hands were shaking as he turned to look at his family. Then he was running up to them and burying his face in his father’s shoulder, tears of happiness escaping his eyes.
“I’m so proud of you son,” his father had whispered into his ear as his mother combed his dirty hair with her gentle fingers. Sungi and Jisu kept hitting his chest, murmuring rubbish about how strong and handsome their little brother was and how anyone would be so lucky to catch his attention.
“I- I made it?” Jeongguk laughed as he pulled his sisters into a hug. “I made it noona. I made it.”
Sungi pulled at Jeongguk’s ear as she smiled. “Go out there and be confident and strong. Okay? Take care of yourself. Visit us whenever you can Ggukie.”
Jeongguk let out a small breath as he stared up at the palace on the hill with smiling eyes. He will be up there soon. Jeongguk didn’t really know much about the three princes except that the eldest one was said to be very good looking and strong-willed. The second one was said to be too soft of a person, some people even said he was afraid of weapons and hence why he never trained with his brothers. The youngest prince was said to be a little mischievous but very smart. Jeongguk had only heard the general public’s opinions about the royal family so far. He had no idea what the princes were actually like.
His eyes trailed over to Namjoon and Yoongi, the other two knights who would protect the Princes. They certainly looked older than him but still in their youth. To his surprise Namjoon turned to him and their eyes locked. He smiled at Jeongguk and the young boy blinked at the brightness of that smile.
“They look like they will make good friends,” Jisu slung an arm around Jeongguk, pulling him closer and relishing his body warmth as much as she could before the time came for him to leave. “Introduce yourself when you three are travelling to the palace. Keep them close. I have a feeling you will form unbreakable bonds with them.”
Jeongguk looked at Jisu, her eyes taking in everything happening around them, trailing over Namjoon and Yoongi as if she was scanning them. Jisu’s gut instincts have always been right, ever since their childhood. And so when Jisu was telling Jeongguk to befriend Namjoon and Yoongi and to keep them close, Jeongguk wholeheartedly listened.
“I will noona,” Jeongguk kissed her cheek and smiled warmly. “I’ll miss all of you.”
~
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Meraki | jikook
FanfictionJeon Jeongguk's lifelong dream had been to become a knight. But when he finds himself as one, he struggles to keep his oath to protect Jimin with his life, as well as his promise to Jimin that he would take care of himself in the process of doing so...