Secret of the Two Kings (89 CHAPTERS - ON HOLD)

제 75 부

Jung Ho grabbed Shun's arm like a bull and pulled him out of the palanquin. His dragon claws dug deep into the nangdo's wrist. The poor man's skin was only a pinch away from being ripped off like a chicken meat.

"What in the world is happening? Explain yourself. Everything," Jung Ho held his breath as he placed his hands on his waist. Scratching his head in humiliation, the nangdo bit his lips (and his tongue) as if he promised not to talk about what Sae Joo had started.

In the complete descent of the sun in the western mountains, the darkness of the night slowly taking over, Jung Ho spiced up the cold gust of the wind with his roaring tirade. "What can't you speak! Didn't you hear me? Explain!'"

The Prime Minister got nothing but an utter silence so he changed his method of persuasion. He straightened up and modulated his voice. "I know that you're just covering up your master, and you didn't do this on your own will. But if you won't talk, the Prince, wherever he is right now, might be in danger. What kind of bodyguard would want that to happen? Do you understand my point here, Nangdo Shun?"

"Well..." Shun mumbled. Jung Ho scowled, waiting for a cohesive answer.

The nangdo continued, "I think he's on Myeonsong Valley."

"What? Myeongsong Valley? What is he doing—" Jung Ho was not able to finish his statement as he arrived with a shocking conclusion. He walked closer to the nangdo as if he was targeting a prey. "Have you read the note?"

Shun's eyebrows met, trying to catch up with the Prime Minister's wavelength. "The one with the arrow, Your Excellency?"

"Yes. Prince Sae Joo handed us a note. It says there they should meet here in Ojin Hill, dusk time. What do you know? How did you end up here?"

"Long story, My Lord. I volunteered to be his substitute—that he shouldn't show his face to them because it might be a trap. He agreed. We had this plan—I would ride on his palanquin, meet those people, and attack them. A while ago, we just meet on my way here. He was also in a palanquin, the blue one. He reminded me not to open the windows until I reach the place and finally face with those jerks. I thought I was going to Myeonsong Valley. Little did I know, I was also tricked. I was shocked to hear your voice. I didn't expect that I would be here in Ojin. He didn't tell me that you were personally involved in this mission."

Jung Ho closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, air nipping and pinching his throat. More of being disappointed, frustrations and huge piles of insults smashed on his face. How could he be so thoughtless? Why did he not see it coming? How could a young, juvenile Prince trick him just like that? Jung Ho, the Prime Minister of Silla, was deceived by a seemingly gullible human. A human?

After all, he realized that the Prince was selectively wise. If it did not spark his interest, Sae Joo would be as apathetic as a corrupt politician, ignoring the woes of dying malnourished children. However, he could be the most intelligent person—possibly even the most cunning—when it comes to the things that he truly wanted.

Jung Ho should not have underestimated the will and the drive of an immature kid. Was that term still applicable? Was Sae Joo still immature?

Turning back to the nangdo, Jung Ho commanded, "Since you're his bodyguard, it's your responsibility to keep him safe at all cost. Leave. Find the Prince, and later, we'll have a long, thorough, discussion."

Shun bowed and jetted in an instant. He ran as quick as thunder through the tall grasses, down the hill, hoping to find his beloved master.

~~•~~

Wherever he pleased to go, spirits had always followed Sae Joo—malevolent or benevolent—did not matter. This strong instinct was proven when he went outside the palace to go to his true destination. After meeting with Shun and gave him the final reminders, he went to the woods, just south of Ojin Hill—for him, it was an ordinary spooky forest, but for his father and his uncle, twenty-three years ago, it was a hell of a nightmare (a battleground of devils with contrasting ways to protect the kingdom).