Ever since my dealings with both The Third Prince and the father of my now brother-in-law I was entirely burnt out and I just needed a break from everyone for a while. I was really not happy about my sister taking up work so soon, so I followed her around for a little while and she was indeed the best cure for me. She could take care of me better than any woman I was involved with and anyone that I could meet. Before my sisters memory loss, we lived pretty exhausting and miserable lives filled with poverty and I was just starting to find a way out of that life. So in truth, I didn't come for the woman who had been waiting for me for so long and had helped me simply because I was tired and busy to restart anything with her until I got out of my depression and the nightmares that I still had about the wars that I had been dropped in without any warning or preparation at all. I need my sister's food, her attentive care to me and her bright company to keep my dark thoughts which I had never had before not even when we were orphaned at bay. I did occasionally look out for Hui-Jee when I could, but when I learnt that she had taken herself up with my best friend who looked just as lost as I did, I had no more fight in me left to take her back. He was richer than I was with a stable job in the palace as the right-hand man of The Emperor; he was the perfect prospect for any woman in our kingdom. I was hurt and it bother me, but not as much as I thought to be honest. But it still stung me enough to wake me up from my miserable existence and start taking care of myself with this new position that I had by The Third Prince's side. I wasn't going to be his man forever, but now that I was tied to him, I might as well get some use out of him to feed and clothe myself and take back my original societal status that could get myself and my sister out of poverty for good.
So while my sister worked for whatever plan she had in mind but was clearly keeping from me, I looked at small businesses that had potential that I was willing to invest in with my wife's help. But unlike The Prince's other men who leeched off of his name and constantly abused that privilege, I took the time to build up connections and business relationships myself. I had help from my sister's tutor to educate me everything there was to know about business; how to successfully invest and how to eventually build up my own business in the future. I had plans, big plans with my sister and wife to redevelop the village that my father's followers had left in his name and to make it completely different place than any other village in the kingdom with ideals and laws that suited the people regardless of their economical or social background. There was no hierarchy in the village and that how it was going to stay. Every family would have a proper home and equal distributions and provisions, and so much more.
But as my sister started coming out of her shell a lot more, everyone seemed to have an eye on her. And she was constantly pulled in and out of my life to the point where I could barely take it anymore. But at the same time, I was beginning to experience some signs of courtship out of nowhere myself, although I didn't have a clue as to who exactly was leaving me little gifts and notes of encouragement behind. It was a pretty surreal experience for a while and I instantly knew that not even The Mistress Han would put in this much simple effort for me, despite her delusional ravings and rantings. I began getting surprising help behind my career choices although I had no-one to account it to, I had more and more men coming up to me at my disposal out of nowhere and even my reputation had been slightly exaggerated in order to tear myself away from the prince slightly so people were not afraid to approach me and be as sincere with me as I was with them. But it was only when I caught my so-called admirer that my life completely changed.
"When are you going to tear yourself away from The Third Prince's shadow for good?" "Why don't you come up with a way and tell me how I should do that?" "Trust me, I am always thinking for the both of us." "And you haven't come up with a solution yet?" "I am already mentally exhausted whenever I have to think about The Royal Family and always trying to stay a few steps ahead of them. It looks like only your sister is clever enough to come up with an idea." "Leave her alone, she is already having a hard time in the palace." "Yes, I can imagine the amount of eyes that she has on her as she constantly climbs up the ranks with little to no effort." "Are you jealous?" I couldn't help but snicker as I cold hear the bitter resentment in my lover's voice. "I thought we weren't going to talk about work in these situations?" "For us not to talk about work, you have to actually be here by my side. And you aren't, you're on one of your secret missions doing god-knows what for that arrogant pompous…." "Such vile words do not suit you, honey." Seeing the look on Sun-Hee's face was always priceless whenever I talked sweetly to her, it was like she was stuck between forced amusement and wanting to strangle me. "Honey my foot. Where are you going?" "I have my businesses to attend to. I would invite you, but…" "I know, it is best that I do not show my face around you since we are technically enemies in The Emperor's court." "Until our next meeting then." "Is that it? Talk about using and abusing someone without a hint of hospitality at all. I'm hungry you know, after what we just did. And I know that you are as well, you shouldn't go to work on an empty stomach." "What are you, my wife? Or are you trying to be?" I was expecting a sweet reply, but all I got was a pillow thrown at my head which was accompanied by a fake sulk that almost had me in hysterics. That was until Hui-Jee decided to made another sudden and unwanted visit at the time, then all the fun and games were well and truly over for the day.
"Are we going to put up with this forever?" "I don't exactly have a choice either, do I?" "Because you're way too nice for your own good, and that is why you attract psychotic people and you constantly need your sister's help." "Thanks for the advice, i'll try put it to use now? What? Why are you looking at me like that?" "Your so adorable when you're sarcastic. You should do it more often." "Your unbelievable sometimes, you know that right?" "Isn't that what you love about me?" I couldn't roll my eyes bigger enough as Sun-Hee had no choice but to get out of the comfortable position she was in my bed and started getting dressed. "I'm not going to put up with this forever you know. She's knocking on your door like she knows that I am in here with you." "She probably does, you know. Women always find out everything, at least Yeon prepared us for that." "You deal with that whilst I raid your kitchen, or she will rip me apart when she sees me here with you." "You know, for someone who supposed to be rich, you're always hungry, aren't you?" "It isn't my fault that your sister is the better cook. It's her cooking that I am addicted to." "Be sure you don't put on any weight, otherwise our already limited time will not be fun anymore." "You should watch your weight, since you live with the best cook in the village."
Sun-Hee was a lively sort of person that was completely rare in our kingdom, and she knew how to lift my spirits with her witty banter, which was a side to her that only she let me see. She was a complex person with a lot of layers to her, but she was more precious than the woman who kept hunting me down at the most inconvenient times that was really starting to piss me off. Despite the consecutive failure of my life that always pulled me down, I was never a person to let my emotions effect me since had my sister to focus on. But after the war, my anger had started getting the better of me each and every day. I wasn't an unfeeling monster, far from it to be honest and I could understand why Hui-Jee was acting the way she was. But after she got with my best friend and started stalking me with her spies from her brothel, I didn't really owe her anything anymore. I still loved her, but I needed time to actually breathe and try regaining my senses that I had lost since doing what I had to for survival.
I had let Hui-Jee in, and i let her go on her jealous rant about how I had betrayed her and all of her unfair rubbish when I had made it clear that I didn't want to approach her again until I was ready. And after receiving a mouthful of insults in the first minute alone, i decided to zone out and all could focus on was the bedding that we had just randomly made with Sun-Hee's scent all over it, the flowery talk that we liked to mock, and both the peace and chaos that she brought into my life. It wouldn't be unfair to compare her to a minor wound that always self-healed and brought its own cure. I wasn't used to all of the schemes and games, but such was our lives now and I had no choice but to get used to it. One day we were lovers by choice, the next day we were enemies in the palace, then friends again and he next thing we knew, we both always ended up in bed together when we could. I had felt more comfortable than ever, although it was a shame that we could not come out in public together for fear of being recognised. We couldn't eat together, we wouldn't walk together and hold hands, and we couldn't just enjoy each other's company in peace without everyone attacking us. So we were reduced to forever meeting in secret, but I guess it was better than nothing at all, and this was before I married my Hyeon who gave me my precious son's that made me proud every single day.