In an alternate universe, there's a version of Lee Gon that grew up without the Court Lady Noh and the identification card of a certain Lieutenant from another dimension. His upbringing turned him into a ruthless monarch ruling over his people with...
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Jung Tae-Eul was too familiar with the route she has been taking through the tall bamboo trees every Saturday morning for the past two years. She skipped steps as she neared the part of the forest where she knew her lover would be waiting for her. So certain was the Lieutenant about every step she took, that she could usually find her way through the woods without needing the flashlight on her phone to make it through. The moonlight was enough.
Tonight was one of these nights she needed her flashlight since the sky was starless and dark without the moon, sinking everything around her into the darkness. She looked up at the angry clouds framing the barely visible full moon and wondered if it'd rain again. She had brought an umbrella with her, just in case, but she had a sneaky suspicion the Kingdom of Korea wouldn't have any rainfalls tonight. Well, at least she hoped, she was sick and tired of Seoul's moody weather these past few days and she craved some sunlight. Lee Gon would bet his ass he'd take her somewhere warm and sunny this weekend. She had packed way too nice clothes that she wouldn't let a rainfall ruin.
The early morning fog gathered around her like a thin sheet of a transparent blanket. It was difficult to see where she stepped without the flashlight and even with it she had difficulties remaining on track. The fact that she was still exhausted from work didn't help. This week has been way too long for her liking. There was an important case she had to sort out on her own, and without the help of Kand Shin Jae, she had to practically sleep in the Police Station, if she wanted to get to the bottom of the endless pit that was the latest case assigned to her.
She missed Shin Jae so much. He was an important part of her life, not to mention an irreplaceable member of the team in the station. Her promotion day approached and it only reminded her of him, of the fact that had he been here himself, he'd be the one promoted. She had promised him so much that night and never had the chance to keep that promise. Kang Shin Jae must've known, surely he knew he'd end up never going into her world. Yet he did as she asked, he trusted her with the Manpasikjeok. It felt like she had let him down once again.
The confession he made that night still weighed on her heart at times, so did the guilty feeling for missing the clues that betrayed his true feelings for her. It has been such a weight on her chest, knowing how he felt. Why would he hold on to his feelings for so long? Why wouldn't he tell her sooner? How many times had she hurt him unknowingly? How many times had she shown him she didn't reciprocate what he felt for her? Was it her fault for not noticing how he felt or was he so good at hiding his feelings? What Kind of a friend doesn't notice when her friend is hurting?
She suffered alone now, without anybody knowing. Maybe that was her punishment. Having this feeling of guilt and having to carry it all alone. No one she knows knew or remembered Shin Jae anymore and it wasn't like she could talk to Gon about it. This pain was hers to suffer, her burden to carry. Missing him, loving him, and having lost him, that was her greatest punishment and she deserved it.
