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a-blue-secret · 4 years

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CHAPTER VII

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Chapter VI | Chapter VII | Chapter VIII

GENRES: royal au; fantasy au; magic au; friends-to-enemies-to-lovers; king!beomgyu, vizier!taehyun

PAIRING: taegyu

WARNINGS: mild swearing

WORD COUNT: 3.9k+

AN: this is much shorter than the last one, thankfully! I think it’s time I explained abilities a little, so this is what this chapter does! I hope it makes sense :)

SUMMARY: Best friends turned enemies, Kang Taehyun has managed to trick Choi Beomgyu into his service, and to rule for a year and a day, until his youngest brother would be old enough to take the throne. Choi Beomgyu has no intention of being obedient however, and tries to thwart Taehyun’s orders at every turn. With a growing amount of distrust and lies within the court, will Taehyun manage to keep the kingdom of Gojongja from falling apart?

“I’m bored,” Beomgyu announced. “Dead bored.”

Taehyun blinked. “You called me here to tell me you’re bored?”

“Yeah.” Beomgyu kicked his legs up onto the armrest of the chair. “Extremely bored.”

Taehyun sighed, and leaned against the doorframe of Beomgyu's chambers. Ideally, he would have scolded Beomgyu for calling him for something as trivial as boredom, but in fact Taehyun was a little bored himself. His amazing planning and astounding work ethic meant that work that normally took a new monarch a year to complete had been done in just under half a year. Not to mention the additional vizier work he had to do as well. So instead of scolding Beomgyu and storming out, Taehyun sighed, lowering himself into a chair opposite Beomgyu. He folded his arms. “So what do you want me to do?”

Beomgyu gave a small smile. “I wanted you to come watch me!” Taehyun tilted his head in confusion. “I’ve been practicing my ability,” Beomgyu explained, grinning. “I wanted to show you!”

“You’re not bored, are you? You just wanted to show me.”

Beomgyu laughed, kicking his feet off the armrest and standing up. “So what? Now come on! Let’s go out into the gardens!”

Taehyun let Beomgyu take him by the wrist and drag him all the way to the Palace Gardens. They weaved in and out through the rows of flower bushes and trees, before ducking behind a large oak. There, hidden by a tall hedge was a door. Taehyun looked at Beomgyu, shocked. “H-how…”

“You showed this to me. Don’t you remember?”

“I… I forgot this existed… How did you still remember it?” Taehyun asked, gazing in amazement. Beomgyu just shrugged, and put his shoulder against the door to push it open.

“Dunno. I just did.”

“Oh wow. It hasn’t changed a bit."

Taehyun gazed around the walled garden, turning around in shock. The ivy still hung thick on the red brick walls, and in the corner, a wooden swing still hung from an elm tree's branch. He walked over to it, slowly, and looked behind the tree. Yes, it was still there– the delicate, crystal flower Taehyun and Beomgyu had made, using their abilities. Taehyun picked up the crystal object, turning to face Beomgyu.

"You didn't destroy it?"

"Why would I?" Beomgyu said, tilting his head to the side. "We spent so long making it. I may hate you, but that doesn't mean I'm going to destroy something which used up a ton of my energy. It would have been a waste to destroy it." He walked around, hands clasped behind his back. "Plus, making water out of air takes a lot of effort. I didn't want such effort to be shattered in a matter of seconds." He looked at Taehyun. "And I remember you telling me how hard it was to make that."

Taehyun gave a small smile, still looking down at the flower. He did remember.

-: ✧ :-　　

"Ya Taehyun, have you ever thought about making a flower before?"

Taehyun looked at Beomgyu. "I make flowers all the time! It isn't hard."

"Okay, but hear me out," Beomgyu said, eyes shining. "Why don't we combine our abilities to make something?"

"Hm? But you can't make a wind flower…"

"With a little work, I could probably make the air turn into water droplets," Beomgyu explained eagerly. "And you can use the water to make crystals, right? And then we can mould the crystal into a flower!"

Taehyun tapped his chin thoughtfully. "It might be possible… but that would be a lot of hard work. I'd have to coat a flower with the water first, then crystallise the water, and then shrivel the flower and make it disappear."

Beomgyu looked a little worried at the complicated-sounding process, but he beamed and looked at Taehyun. "I believe in you! You can do it!"

Taehyun smiled at how excited Beomgyu was. "I might be able to. Plus, I can probably steal a little bit of preserving potion from father's study, so that it can last forever." He looked at Beomgyu. "The process is going to be a long one, though. Do you think you can make enough water droplets to do that?"

"Of course! Come on Taehyun! Let's go to the garden and practice now!" Beomgyu jumped up, and clasped a hand around Taehyun's wrist, both of them laughing as Beomgyu dragged the young prince outside.

-: ✧ :-　　

Taehyun set the flower down behind the tree again. "So anyway," he said. "What did you want to show me?"

Beomgyu grinned. "You know how I can turn air into water, albeit with great difficulty. I've mastered that though, by the way," he added.

Taehyun waved his hand impatiently, sitting down on the swing. "Get to the point."

"I can now turn water into ice." Beomgyu lifted up his hand and concentrated. Very slowly, water droplets began to form along the surface of his fingers. They quivered, before slowly being dragged into the center of his palm as one big droplet. Slowly, very, very slowly, Taehyun watched as the clear liquid turned white with cold and froze over. Beomgyu plucked the ice ball from his palm, lifting it up to proudly show Taehyun. "See! I couldn't complete the final stage the first few times, because the cold ice hurt like hell. But now I can, and I barely feel the cold anymore. And look at this," he said, shaking off the water from his fingers. Once again, he extracted the moisture from the air, and this time created it into a small heart. He grinned, thrusting his palm out for Taehyun to inspect his creation.

Taehyun stood up and curiously examined the ice heart. "That's… impressive," he admitted. "Seriously."

“I’m glad you think so.” Beomgyu watched as the ice began to slowly melt, forming wet puddles on his skin. “I still haven’t figured out a way to make it last, though,” he said, frowning, before looking up at Taehyun and quirking a grin. “But I suppose that’s what you and your ability do, right? Honestly, your ability’s such a broad term. ‘Nature’? You can grow flowers, preserve flowers, kill flowers, turn flowers into beasts… Why is nature such a formidable ability?”

Taehyun raised an eyebrow. “What, do you want me to preserve your ice marble for you?”

“It’s fine now,” Beomgyu replied, annoyed. “Honestly…”

Taehyun rolled his eyes at Beomgyu’s sulky frame. “Whatever. Besides, nature isn’t my true ability anyway."

"Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that," Beomgyu said. "Are you going to sit down?" Without waiting for an answer, Beomgyu pushed past Taehyun and sat down on the swing Taehyun had stood up from. Taehyun glared at him, folding his arms. Beomgyu blinked big eyes up at him, smiling innocently. "Will you push me?"

Taehyun gritted his teeth and walked away, leaning against the ivy-covered wall. Beomgyu shrugged, and began to idly swing back and forth.

"So… what was your ability again? Your true one."

"Foreign exchange," Taehyun muttered. "Must be something like being bilingual."

Beomgyu snickered. "Perks of being from an uncommon clan, right? You get the weird abilities."

"Oh, shut up." Taehyun drew a small knife and half-heartedly chucked it at Beomgyu. In the air, it swerved before it could graze the King's cheek, instead impaling itself on the soft ground. Taehyun raised an eyebrow, impressed. "You've gotten better."

"And you've gotten softer," Beomgyu commented. "This tiny needle thing? It would barely scratch my face."

Taehyun rolled his eyes. "Take the compliment nicely, will you? Your ability has definitely developed."

"Yeah, but I still can't do archery," Beomgyu sighed. "It's so embarrassing as well. Ever heard of someone with wind manipulation not able to do archery?"

"Yeah. You."

Beomgyu glared at him. "Not helping."

"Well you weren't helping when you mocked my ability," Taehyun sniffed. "And besides, some uncommon clans have really cool abilities."

"Uh huh? Tell me."

Taehyun rolled his eyes. "I'm not bothered to waste my breath talking about useless things with you."

"Fine, then I won't believe you."

Taehyun glared. "Don't believe me? Fine. People from the Yeoju Gae clan can predict someone's death. People from the Kaesong Tan clan have the ability to fly. Deoksu Hak clan: able to heal quickly. Danyang Ya clan: create harmless illusions. Jinbo Sam clan: able to manipulate their facial features. Hongju Sobong clan–"

"Alright! Alright, I get it," Beomgyu interrupted. "Damn you and your incredible brain."

Taehyun smiled triumphantly. "And some common clans have the most shitty abilities. Remember that one guy from the Hansan Lee clan? Their ability was to have beautiful hands."

Beomgyu snorted at the memory. "He was so proud of it, as well."

Taehyun gave a small smile, before pushing himself away from the wall, arms folded. "Is that all you brought me here for? To watch you form ice crystals?"

"Yep." Beomgyu stopped swinging, sighing annoyedly. "Why am I swinging myself?" He put his feet down, and used the wind to push him instead. Taehyun rolled his eyes.

"Stop showing off how versatile your ability is."

"I'm not showing off," Beomgyu retorted. "Yours is even more powerful anyway. Oh wait, I forgot it's not your real power."

Taehyun ignored the obvious jab. "But what I'm most concerned about is the fact that I have the Kang clan's ability, even though I'm not a full Kang."

Beomgyu sat thoughtfully on the swing. "Maybe because they adopted you? I dunno, maybe there's a ritual in which they managed to infuse their power into you."

"But if I have their ability, then that would technically make me part of the clan."

"Look, it doesn't make sense. And sometimes, we've just gotta deal with it." Beomgyu shrugged. "Life doesn't make sense, anyway."

Taehyun hummed. He lifted a hand to gently touch an ivy vine, feeling its green youth under his fingertips. He reached out with his senses, and slowly let a cherry blossom bloom on the end of the ivy. It gently unfurled its pale pink petals and spread out until it was fully bloomed. But Taehyun didn't stop there. He held it gently by the stem and watched as the petals spread out wide, and then began to turn brown and shrivel, watching as they dropped one by one. Eventually, there was no sign that a blossom had ever existed on the end of the ivy vine. Beomgyu watched as the brown petals lay pitifully on the grassy floor, before disintegrating into the air.

"It's a shame these don't last," Taehyun murmured.

"They'd last longer if you let them live," Beomgyu said. "They've never lasted longer than five seconds in your grasp."

Taehyun looked up at Beomgyu. "That's because it uses up my energy to make a blossom live, dumbass.”

“Don’t call the King a dumbass.”

“Well it’s what you are.” Taehyun dropped the vine, and opened the door of the secret garden. “If that’s all, I’ll be going back to the palace. Goodbye.”

Taehyun stepped out and shut the door firmly, ivy tendrils waving slightly. Beomgyu sighed. Why was Kang always the one to leave first?

Beomgyu let the wind that was pushing him die down, letting the swing gradually lose momentum and come to a stop. He stood up, and walked behind the elm tree to pick up the crystal flower. Gently, he fondled its smooth petals, a small smile playing on his lips. He stayed there in the garden for quite some time, cradling the crystalline object in his hands.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

"Sir, are you asleep?"

Taehyun cursed, tripping over a fold in the carpet as he hurriedly buttoned up his sleeves. The person knocked on the door again, and he hopped over his boots to get to the door. He padded across the room barefoot, and yanked open the door. "No. I was washing. What's going on now?"

A messenger bowed. "His Greatness requests your presence in the ballroom, sire."

"Right." Taehyun noticed that his doorframe was suspiciously devoid of someone. "Hang on, where's Jungwon?"

"One of King Beomgyu's guards has already taken him down, sir. His Greatness said that you were able to defend yourself, so you would be fine without a guard for a few hours. He also said that it may be motivation to get you to come down quicker."

Taehyun clenched his jaw. "Fine. Tell him I'll be there in a few minutes."

The messenger bowed, before hurrying off. Taehyun sighed, before closing his door and walking over to pick up his boots. What was Beomgyu up to now?

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

"No, I said I wanted silver satin! Not silver latin! No one here understands latin so what's the point in writing it on the tablecloth? And how did you manage to engrave it in pure silver?"

Taehyun stared in shock. The ballroom looked completely different. Yesterday, it had looked bare and empty and a little draughty, but now it was a mess of greenery and silver and blue velvet. Various green plants were scattered all over the marble ballroom floor, and the staff kept accidentally bumping into leaves as they hurried about. Lace drapes were placed messily around pillars, and Taehyun could see a servant had accidentally caught their foot in one cream veil. The ballroom was bustling with people and extravagant fabrics. Standing at the heart of the chaos was Beomgyu, arguing with the servants about tablecloths.

"Hm, this sort of texture is good, but it's a little too thick and heavy. Try and see if you can make it lightweight."

"Sire, it's velvet, it is not possible to make it any more lightweight without losing its texture–"

"I said what I said. Did you not hear me? Velvet can become much thinner than this. Ask the seamstress!"

"Beomgyu!"

Beomgyu turned round, annoyed at the informal call, before seeing Taehyun and beaming brightly. "Ah, my dear vizier! Come! What do you think – should I have ivy wreaths or holly wreaths? I'm having a bit of a dilemma. See, ivy wreaths are pretty, but they are such a pain to get rid of after one is done with them. On the other hand, holly wreaths are so prickly but are such a marvelous colour. Oh wait: let's have laurel wreaths! They're so much more attractive than the both of them combined." He clicked a finger, and a servant came rushing over. "Cancel that order for ivy. Replace it with laurel. Laurel wreaths are much prettier."

"Beomgyu," Taehyun said, teeth clenched. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"No cursing, Taehyun dear," Beomgyu said, smelling two bouquets that the maids presented him.

"No, seriously. What are you doing?"

"Hm, the hyacinths smell nicest. Place the roses by the pillars, and we'll have the hyacinths around my throne." Beomgyu sent away the maids, and turned to Taehyun. "Why, I'm planning a revel! What else does it look like?"

"Why are you planning a revel?" Taehyun demanded. "You're meant to leave that to me and the people actually in charge of organising revels."

"This one is a special one!" Beomgyu said brightly. A servant presented him with two different napkins. "Eggshell blue goes better with the decorations," he said to them. Then, he turned back to Taehyun again. "Well, it may have been a couple of weeks since Lord Namjae demanded to see the terms of the contract, but it did have me thinking. I need to find a way to break the news to the public in a cheerful, fun way so we don't have another Namjae encounter. And then I thought, 'Ah! A revel! That would be the best way!' and here we are."

Taehyun clenched and unclenched his fists. "Call off revel preparations right now. This is stupid."

Beomgyu smiled mischievously. "No can do," he said. "Already sent out the town crier to tell the news."

Taehyun let out a breath. "You already sent out the–'' He placed a hand over his eyes and stayed like that for a count of ten. Then he took away his hand and looked at Beomgyu tiredly. "Fine. Fine. You do you. That's just… fine." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can't believe you sent out the town crier already…" he muttered. "But anyway," he said. "Why did you need me?"

Beomgyu beamed. "Scheduling!"

Taehyun blinked. "You- you what?"

"You see," Beomgyu said, slinging an arm over Taehyun's shoulder as the two of them began to walk about, "this is no ordinary revel. This is an important speech disguised as a revel. So therefore, it is important to get the timings right so that things go smoothly."

"Sir Taehyun," a servant said, rushing up to them. "What would be a better wine? Dark silver, or glittering opal?"

"What?"

"To help set the mood sire," the servant explained patiently. "King Beomgyu said that wine, food dishes, and music will be decided by you, since they are the most important when it comes to psychologically convincing our guests that what is happening will be fine."

Taehyun looked helplessly at Beomgyu. He was going to do what now? Beomgyu just smiled encouragingly, gesturing for Taehyun to answer the servant.

"Uh, go with the thick, pearlescent wine," he said finally. "Glitter would look too fake, and dark silver has ominous connotations."

The servant bowed, and rushed off.

Taehyun shook off Beomgyu's arm. "First the alliance, and now the revel? Why do you keep doing things without telling me?"

"First of all, I am not your child. I don't have to tell you everything that I do. Secondly, this is a good idea. You would just prefer it to be a statement read out on a balcony, all cold and harsh and unfeeling. However, a speech given out during a warm, delightful revel, with wonderful music and delicious food… that would almost definitely guarantee that we will not have a repeat of a Namjae incident."

“...Fine. Fine. I can do scheduling in my study, though. Is there a reason I need to be down here?”

“Didn’t you hear the servant?” Beomgyu said, going over to some drapes hung over the pillars. “You need to organise food, drinks and music too. You need to be here for music. Which do you think goes best?” Beomgyu said, holding up two cream veils.

“They look the same to me,” Taehyun said, crossing his arms. Beomgyu dropped his arms, tutting.

“A prince, not knowing his off-white from his pale cream? What did they teach you?”

Taehyun rolled his eyes. “That’s not off-white. It’s ivory. Plus-” Taehyun stepped forward to drape the lace over his arms- “Both don’t look right. You shouldn’t put pale colours on our white pillars. Go with navy, or even silver. Also, cream is too warm compared to the rest of the decorations. Even that eggshell blue would look better than it. Or, even better, ivy tendrils. They would look good.”

Beomgyu raised his eyebrow appraisingly. “Nice taste.”

Taehyun ignored him. “So when is the revel?” When Beomgyu didn’t answer, Taehyun whipped around to look at him, alarmed. “It’s not tomorrow, is it?”

Beomgyu laughed, looking at him after having inspected crystal glasses. “God, no. I’m not dumb. It’s in four days.”

Taehyun rubbed his forehead. “Four days… you didn’t set a dress code did you?”

“No, no. I just said that we were having a revel to celebrate the Flower Moon, seeing as the Flower Moon in four days.”

Taehyun nodded. “That’s fine.”

“I also like the implications of the Flower Moon,” Beomgyu added. “It symbolises new beginnings, since it's when the flowers begin to bloom."

Taehyun looked at Beomgyu. "You really want this alliance, huh?"

Beomgyu nodded, looking closely at a candelabra. "It's just kind of like me thanking Aruyeo, for when they took me in."

"A bit of an extravagant thank you, don't you think?"

Beomgyu shrugged, setting down the silver object. "Maybe, yeah." He pointed a finger at Taehyun. "But don't you dare say that this isn't beneficial to Gojongja, because it is." He made a shooing motion to Taehyun. "Now go. You need to sort out the music and food and all those sorts of things. After, send me the schedule and I'll take care of things from there."

Taehyun raised his eyebrow, but walked away without complaint. Beomgyu wouldn't be able to organise everything without his help. Sooner or later, a whining Beomgyu would come clinging to his arm, demanding that the vizier write his speech for him, or change the timetable because he didn't like it. Taehyun rolled his eyes at the thought. He knew Beomgyu far too well.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

"Taehyunnn," Beomgyu whined. "I don't get this. Why is the dancing period so long?"

Taehyun sighed yet again. "Because it is a revel. You need to have dancing."

"Yes, but for this long?"

"That's how long the dancing period usually is, sir."

Beomgyu groaned, flapping the schedule in the air. "And there's no dining time on here! What am I going to do with the tablecloths???"

"There will be tables dotted around the ballroom which will have food on them," Taehyun said. "And servants will go round with canapes and wine. Don't worry, okay?"

"You invited the common folk, right?" Beomgyu checked.

"Why are you asking me? You're the one who sent out the town crier."

"Right. I did." Beomgyu twirled the quill between his fingers. "I think I did. I hope I did. Anyway," Beomgyu sat up properly, setting the schedule down, "this all looks fine." He glanced up at Taehyun. "Could you write the speech for me?"

Taehyun let out a deep sigh. He pulled out a parchment full with scribbled notes. "I knew you'd ask me that," he said. "Here. Some bullet points to help you start." When Beomgyu tried to protest, Taehyun held up a hand. "No. I'm not writing it for you. You're not a baby." He stood up. "I'll be going now. Good luck with your speech."

Taehyun strode out of the room, shutting the door firmly behind him. Beomgyu grumbled to himself, glaring at the door. "He's my vizier. Shouldn't he be doing this stuff?" Beomgyu sighed annoyedly. "Let's see what notes he's written…"

After closing the door, Taehyun immediately headed down the hallway.

"Sir," Jungwon said, "Lord Yeonjun has asked for you."

Taehyun scowled. "What does he want?"

"The messenger said that he wanted to… bond? with you, sire."

Taehyun rubbed the bridge of his nose, before turning on his heel and walking back in the opposite direction.

"S-sir?"

"I just remembered I need to return some books to the library," Taehyun said over his shoulder without looking back. "Come on."

Jungwon frowned. He decided not to mention that Lord Yeonjun's room was in the opposite direction, since Sir Taehyun probably knew that, which was why he was going somewhere else. Instead, he silently followed after the vizier, and obediently carried some of the books to the Palace Library for him.

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　

In his room, Yeonjun paced up and down. He bit his nail worriedly, before quickly slapping his hand down. The curtain curled around his ankle like a snake, and he quickly shook it off. Yeonjun shook his head, trying to stay calm. He looked at his door again. It was a risk using a messenger to alert Taehyun, but he hoped that the vizier was polite enough to come anyway. He paced around a little more. Sir Taehyun… come on… this is important.

#court of lies #txt fanfic #txt #beomgyu #txt beomgyu #taehyun #txt fluff #txt taehyun #taegyu #txt taegyu #txt angst #tomorrow x together #tomorrow by together

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diannayi · 5 years

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#HSHQADOPT WANTED CONNECTIONS : THE IMPERIAL PRINCESSES OF SOUTH KOREA

the emperor and empress of south korea were blessed with four beautiful daughters before the birth of their heir and only son, too bad they didn’t think of it that way.

all four princesses were sent to le rosey boarding school in switzerland as they each turned ten, to varying degrees of success. it was obvious to the nation and the court that the emperor and empress did not care much for the development of their daughters’ academic careers, never once visited the girls during their time at school, merely relying on obligatory graduation pictures to show a ‘united front’ as each princess left school. in contrast, the crown prince was educated by an army of tutors within deoksu palace, with the empress hovering over his every move. the princesses had no choice but to find their own way in the world, venturing out to make their thoroughly different marks on the world.

princess jihye, 3rd born daughter of the emperor

JIHYE WAS BORN WITH MUCH LESS FANFARE THAN HER TWO ELDER SISTERS. the public was disenchanted by yet another princess, for the emperor and his second wife already produced the long awaited ‘heir and spare’ — what difference does yet another princess could make? however, where the eldest princess dahye expressed her frustration with anger and the second eldest princess gahye preferred to live quietly; jihye lashed out in a completely different way. she wanted power, lots of it, and if it was impossible for her to become empress of her own country, then she will find power elsewhere.

SHE USED HER TIME IN LE ROSEY WELL, cosying up to children of billionaires and influential families, all the while keeping a gaggle of geniuses with scholarships who would write her papers and feed her exam questions. jihye had a plan, and she needed stellar grades to justify her dreams of oxford; the so-called ‘royal university’. where else was she supposed to find contacts that will promise her a prosperous future? through blackmail, cooperation, or marriage, she isn’t particularly picky.

ALWAYS DETERMINED TO PUT HER BEST FOOT FORWARDS, pristine in every way, the third born grand princess has charm down to a science. jihye will not burn her bridges the way her eldest and youngest sisters did, to behave so scandalously that there was no hope of turning back, despite the numerous times when her frustration almost completely boiled over. her hatred for their parents did not stop at their negligence and ignorance, it was the way they had decided upon gahye instead of her to place in front of the then chinese crown prince. jealousy ran deep, and despite her outward graciousness and affection towards her sister, she will never forgive her for achieving the heights jihye herself wanted. but would she ever voice such a thing? most certainly not! there was no point in disagreeing with the empress of china. she tries her best to keep a decent relationship with her sisters, agreeing with them and outwardly displaying the same disdain they have for their only brother, only to cozy up to him when no one else is around, for she knew where the power will lay in the future.

ENTITLED, INDIGNANT, CHARMING, AND TERRIBLY CUNNING, having jihye on your side meant having an army of possibilities — but will you ever be able to trust her?

statistics

BIRTH NAME : yi jihye / 이지혜

ENGLISH GIVEN NAME : jane

AGE : 26 ( born 1994 )

TITLE : imperial grand princess of south korea

FACECLAIM : lee sunbin, han sunhwa

princess seonhye, 4th born daughter and twin sister to the crown prince

AFTER THREE DAUGHTERS THAT THEY HADN’T WISHED FOR, the emperor and empress of south korea finally breathed a sigh of relief when they found out that the twins in the empress’ belly was a boy as well as a girl. seonhye was only celebrated by virtue of her relationship with san, she was only deemed valuable since she shared a womb with the future emperor of south korea; the long awaited heir, the beloved son of the nation. but she didn’t mind at first, she had all the good parts of having lavish birthdays that were a big deal, while also being left alone when she wished it. there were no expectations of her, and she continued to be special, wanted, and loved because of her proximity to her twin brother.

SO WHEN SHE WAS GIVEN THE CHOICE OF LEAVING FOR BOARDING SCHOOL in switzerland with her sisters or stay in seoul to be educated with san, seonhye did not have to think long before delivering her decision. this choice had cemented her to be firmly on the sisters’ side during the ongoing battle of their childhood — the eldest princess dahye had lead the attack on the emperor and empress for forgetting and pushing away their daughters, and it meant something that even their most celebrated daughter had chosen the side of her sisters. dahye took her youngest sister to heart moreso than gahye and jihye, there was a soft spot in her hardened hard to protect the youngest yi from the cruelty of their parents. this feeling lasted all through adulthood, no matter where in the world they were — seonhye knew that dahye will only be a phone call away.

AFTER GRADUATION, SEONHYE TRIED HER BEST TO DISAPPEAR SOMEWHERE. she had been so corrupted by her sister’s cynicism and chagrin for their parents and their ‘family business’ that she knew she wouldn’t be able to stomach being the emperor’s perfect little doll to parade alongside the crown prince. she isn’t exactly the proper sort, and she valued her freedom far too much to submit fully to the establishment. seonhye travelled far and wide, making friends with the most unlikely people before flitting off to a different continent, as if afraid to truly put down roots somewhere. it was a fine line between enjoying her privilege while refusing any responsibility that goes with it. she knew what happened to her sisters, a punishment for one could be a reward for another, and she would like to spare herself from the commitments that will be forced upon her.

SHE IS ALWAYS HARD TO GET AHOLD OF, and hasn’t lived in the same city as one of her sisters for almost a decade — what brings her to the program? it wasn’t a secret that all the emperor’s daughters — unwanted even as they were — still made ‘successful’ matches. princess dahye was forced to marry the richest duke of their country, princess gahye fell in love and married the emperor of china, princess jihye’s betrothal to a crown heir from an influential family had just been announced; the walls around seonhye are collapsing, slowly but surely. the price of the hand of the crown prince’s twin sister was exorbitantly higher than those of her sisters, and her time of freedom was running out.

SEONHYE COULD BARELY BREATHE WITHOUT THE THREAT of ‘the rest of her life’ looming over her head, what will she do now? will she pull all the stops to ensure some semblance of freedom or finally bow to the pressures of her station?

statistics

BIRTH NAME : yi seonhye / 이선혜

ENGLISH GIVEN NAME : sabrina

AGE : 24 ( born 1996 )

TITLE : imperial grand princess of south korea

FACECLAIM : jung hoyeon, kim doyeon

overall connections

OTHER SIBLINGS : @diannayi ( eldest sister ), @yicamilla ( 2nd eldest sister ), @yisvn ( younger brother )

COUSINS : @aurcls ( paternal cousin, crown prince of germany ), @nadiiine ( paternal cousin, princess of germany ), @areumson ( paternal cousin, duchess of gyeongsang )

IN-LAWS : the duke of gyeonggi ( dianna’s husband ), @jinjivngcc ( gahye’s husband, + the rest of the chinese imperial family )

for @highsocietyhq! please contact @catherinestuart before applying, and read this for more info!

#hshqadopt #royalty rp #political rp #oc rp

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tetelfuentes · 4 years

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My Dream Place: South Korea

South Korea has been one of my dream places that I wanted to travel to. It is the number one place that is on my bucket list. When I hear South Korea the one thing that comes to my mind is KPOP, I’m a die-hard fan of KPOP groups since when I was a child and I really wanted to meet my Idols there and attend their concerts and have a picture of them and it is always one of my dreams to meet them and had a chance to talk with them.

The name Korea is derived from Goguryeo, which was one of the great powers in East Asia during its time, ruling most of the Korean Peninsula, Manchuria, parts of the Russian Far East, and Inner Mongolia, under Gwanggaeto the Great. Its citizens enjoy the world’s fastest Internet connection speeds and the densest high-speed railway network. Since the 21st century, South Korea has been renowned for its globally influential pop culture, particularly in music (K-pop), TV dramas, and cinema, a phenomenon referred to as the Korean Wave and it is an extraordinary country filled with beautiful beaches, thriving cities, ancient temples, remarkable natural scenery and most importantly, friendly people with ancient history.

If you wanted to travel to South Korea here are the top 5 various attraction that I have been researched;

1.Big Buddha Monument of Sinheungsa Temple in Seoraksan National Park, it is the Great Unification Buddha in Seoraksan National Park, South Korea. The Buddha is the largest seated bronze Buddha statue in the world, at 14.6m high, excluding the halo, lightning rod, and pedestal.

2.Deoksu Palace, for a modern exploratory opener, begins your tour of Seoul at the central and historical Deoksugung, the Palace of Virtuous Longevity, whose gate faces City Hall Plaza.

3.Gyeongbok Palace, Gyeongbokgung, the Palace of Shining Happiness, was Taejo’s residence and the seat of power. He and his successors used it until 1592 when it was burned during warfare with Japan.

4.Changdeok Palace, between Gyeongbok and Changdeok palaces, is one of the city’s largest surviving areas of traditional Korean housing (hanbok).

5.Traditional markets, any foreign visitor to Seoul should venture into a proper market; if not one of the neighborhood markets, then certainly into one or both of the great central markets downtown.

Culture and Tradition;

South Korean culture and tradition are really interesting to learn, including their language which is hangul. Hangul is the name of the Korean alphabet. Although the spelling, alphabet, and vocabulary differ slightly between the two countries. There are five major dialects in South Korea and one in North Korea. Despite differences in the dialects, speakers from different areas can understand each other. The Korean alphabet is easy to learn and Korea enjoys one of the highest literacy rates in the world.

Despite the political unrest that resulted in the division of the region, these two countries still share the same culture and traditional values. Korea is divided by boundaries but still united by culture. Korea is greatly influenced by Chinese and Japanese cultures. This influence can be seen by Confucianism, which established many traditions that can be seen in modern Korea today. These traditions include the ethical code of conduct in social life and showing respect to the elders and family. Koreans also believe in sincerity and loyalty and follow certain codes of conduct while meeting, eating, praying, and even celebrating. At times when many other cultures would shake hands, Koreans bow. They bow as a sign of gratitude and respect to the person they are meeting.

Confucianism, Buddhism, and Christianity are the main religions. Buddhism is the religion in Korea with the most followers and its teachings have a great impact on Korean lifestyle, culture, and art. Yungdrung is the main symbol of Korean Buddhism and can be found in all temples and religious places in Korea. The division of Korea has also caused a divergence in religious life in the two countries due to the different political structures. South Korea has been characterized by a rise of Christianity and Buddhism, while North Korea is considered a secular state.

Korean cuisine is largely based on rice, noodles, vegetables, and meats. Some of the famous Korean dishes include bibimbap, bulgogi, and dakgalbi. The Korean culture is based on politeness and respect and this is evident in Korean table manners.

These are the Do’s and Dont’s when you travel to South Korea;

Take off your shoes when entering inside- It’s a basic courtesy to take off your shoes when entering someone’s house or even some restaurants. It is in most Asian cultures. You’ll be required to take off your shoes at some of the restaurants or even cafes but it’s completely natural in Korea so embrace it.

Do not sit on the elderly’s seat- A lot of Koreans still have a very Confucian mindset where the elderly should be highly respected. You will hardly ever see a young man or a woman sitting on the elderly’s seat even when the subway is crammed. The seats are called “priority seat” but somehow they are always occupied by old people in Korean subways.

Recycling is not an option- Did you know that South Korea is the world’s second recycling leader by achieving 59% of the recycling rate? Koreans do not toss everything in one bin and if you do, you will be frowned upon by someone right away. Koreans are super strict when it comes to recycling and even the trash bins on the streets are separated; recyclable and regular waste. Help the country keep its reputation as a recycling leader of the world and keep on recycling while traveling in Korea.

Some of the public toilets are unisex- Don’t freak out! Surprisingly enough, unisex toilets are not a rare thing in South Korea. It’s awkward for Koreans, too. It may be far from the unisex toilet you’re picturing right now because they are usually like one bathroom that men and women share at the same time. Coincidentally. There IS a door though, for the ladies toilet and outside there’s a urinal for guys, all inside one bathroom. It still means that someone could walk in while you’re doing your thang though, which would not be the most pleasant experience.

No need to tip your server- You don’t have to tip the server when you dine out at a restaurant. Even at a bar, tipping is not required and young Koreans would not tip the server or the bartender. In some fancy restaurants and bars, you might be expected to, but still not a must. In extreme cases, some servers might feel offended by getting tipped. Tipping can be perceived as pity or an arrogance since there’s absolutely no such culture here, so just don’t bother tipping when dining out.

Speak basic Korean when asking for help- Some people from English speaking countries tend to speak English right in the face of a Korean. Like, I mean, you’re not in your country, you’re in South Korea where 99% of people speak the Korean language! A, not all Koreans are good at English, B, it’s not very polite to ask a local Korean for help as if the Korean should be able to speak the language for you. Most Koreans would still give you a hand but there’s a better, more respectful way. Keep this phrase in mind “Choisonghamnida, young-eo hal jul aseyo?” (죄송합니다, 영어 할 줄 아세요?). It means “I’m sorry, do you speak English?”

Do not write a name in red- It’s a taboo to write someone’s name in red color. The history of the reason is debatable and not clear but still, most Koreans find it offensive and unlucky. Just letting you know, number 4 is considered unlucky, too. Some buildings do not have a button for the 4th floor and just replace the number with the letter “F” which stands for “four”.

Do not blow your nose in public- I know you can’t help it, but Koreans do not blow their nose in the subway, at a restaurant, or in class! I have so much respect for Koreans holding it in so well but anyhow you will see zero Korean blowing their nose in public. Some older people do but not the young Koreans. They would just sniffle until they can go to the bathroom and blow the heck out of it. When having a meal, in particular, don’t even try to blow your nose on the table and just go to the bathroom and take care of the business.

Take advantage of Wi-Fi- South Korea is seriously one of the most technically advanced countries around the world. You will be stunned at how easy and convenient it is to use free Wi-Fi everywhere, including restaurants, malls, subway, bus, and even just on the streets. There is no data limit, time limit, nothing. Take advantage of it as much as you want. Every local does it.

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humans-of-seoul · 5 years

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“내가 올해 70인데, 아직도 회사를 다녀. 패션 회산데, 20년을 다녔어. 지금은 자문을 하지. 내가 아직도 능력이 있어서 회사에서도 날 인정해줘. 사장이 나한테 ‘다닐 수 있을 때까지 다니셔야 합니다'라고 말해. 여전히 일하는 게 좋아. 직장에서는 내 마음대로 할 수 있고 또 의미있는 일을 하니까. 동료들도 내 나이를 정확히 모르지. 사장님하고 임원들만 알아. 나는 자식도 잘 키웠고, 손주도 얼마 전에 군대에 잘 보냈어. 이 나이에 이렇게 자신감있게 사는 사람 잘 없을거야. 그런데 오늘은 자꾸 울적해져서 이렇게 나왔네. 목적없이 나오는 것도 참 오랜만이지. 여기 덕수궁은 거의 50년 만에 와보는 것 같아.” “왜 울적하셨어요?” “우리 애아빠 때문에. 남편이 사소한 걸로 고집을 부리니까 집에 붙어있다가는 괜히 싸우게 생긴거야. 그래서 나왔지. 70 먹어도 고민이 겨우 이런 거야.” “I turned seventy this year, and I still work at an office. It’s in the fashion industry, and I’ve worked there for twenty years. I’m an advisor now. I’m still a capable person, so I’m appreciated at the office as well. My boss said to me, “You have to keep working here as long as you are able to.” I still like working. Because I can do as I please and do meaningful work. My coworkers don’t know my exact age. Only my boss and the board members know. I’ve also raised my children well, and my grandson just went into the army. There aren’t many people that live with this much confidence at my age. But today I kept feeling very upset so I came out for a bit. It’s been a while since I did something without a reason. I think it’s been about 50 years since I last came to Deoksu Palace.” “Why were you feeling upset?” “Because of my husband. He’s being stubborn about some little thing so if we hang around each other at home, we’re bound to fight. So I came out. After seventy years of living, it's still little concerns like this that trouble me.”

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chaechae151 · 5 years

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[INTERVIEW] MONSTA X Shownu for Bella

Monsta X leader personal interview!

SHOWNU: “We got first place, thanks to our fans for giving Monsta X support and love.”

A warm hello, broke the image of how hard it was to get close to Korean idols; Shownu, being Korean group Monsta X’s leader, in the (Korean) pop industry which is like a battlefield, his passion towards performing can clearly be seen from his innocent, warm gaze.

Getting along like a family helps a group build up synchronization

In this personal interview, Shownu specially left a whole afternoon for us to record and ask questions, just months before this encounter, Monsta X, who had debuted for a little more than 2 years, received their first win ever on a music show with DRAMARAMA. “We never thought we could get first place, at that time, I involuntarily started crying, thank you to all the fans and other people who gave Monsta X support and love.” Thinking back at the moment before announcing the winner, the seven members changed from their harsh personas, to crying like children, you might think debuting for 2 years is not long, but in Korea’s music industry, you’re faced with new competitors every week; and adding the strict training pre-debut, it won’t be hard to believe how much hard work they put in for the success they have today.

“Because now we’re familiar with each other like family, and we understand each other really well, so the seven of us have really good relationships. We would eat delicious food and talk, and we play games in the dorms, and if we have time we would go to the theaters to watch movies, we basically spend all of our time together, naturally releaving a little of our stress.” From training to debut, all of the members grew up under the same roof, these times have caused us to develop family relationships. To Shownu, the daily bickerings between members is their way of releaving stress.

Looking forward to collabing with Taiwanese artists

Jolin Tsai performed at 2015 MAMA with “PLAY” and it topped charts in Korea, and also in the past years, Korean idols and Taiwanese singers have been interacting a lot lately, Shownu mentioned “If we have a chance to, we would love to work with Taiwanese artists, our members all watch Tainwanese movies, we all like Jay Chou’s “Secret”, if we can collaborate with Jay Chou who is both a director and a main actor, that would be so great! And also Wang Leehom who we have went on a show with in China, he is another star we would like to collaborate with.” Compared to Korea, artists who sing and dance vigorously on stage, Taiwanese artists are much more shy. Wang Leehom and Jay Chou are of a much different style as compared to Monsta X, and makes people wish that the collabs would become real in the future, they would really create Asian music that is one of a kind.

Family Deeply longging see them

Besides from Japan, Korea is becoming the place where Taiwanese people want to visit the most, starting from K-Dramas, to cuisine & fashion, they have all affected Taiwanese people’s past likings. “If you guys come to Korea, I recommend DongDaeMun Market, you can feel two different atmospheres during day and night. And also today’s National Palace Museum tour, especially Seoul Palace, you can different appearances at different seasons, so i highly recommend touring GyeongHui Palace, and GyeongBok Palace, DeokSu Palace, and ChangGyeong Palace are all very entertaining.” Shownu seems to have an old soul living inside him, all the places he recommended are places that will help you understand Korea’s history, as compared to shopping, maybe touring deeply will help you understand what you love better.

Received fans’ love, and also the family like love and support from members, but deep down in Shownu’s heart, he misses his family the most. “If I have a long break, I want to take my parents to Taiwan, to Kenting National Park, we can swim by the beaches, and I want to eat delicious food from the streets of Kenting, hearing my friends recommending Kenting, it seems like it’s a very nice place!” The simplest dream is actually the hardest, at the peak of their career, it is so hard to have a long break.

Affability and Modesty under his cold appearance

After the filming, Shownu gave every single staff a signed album, and also shook everyone’s hand in thanks. Throughout the process, his smile never stopped, the phrase we heard the most from him was “Thank you”. In a music industry with so many outstanding new artists, besides from singing and dancing, modesty is a trait you must have. Shownu’s warmth melted the coldness during the day of filming, and also changed our thoughts of Korean idols.

Source: Bella

translated by fymonsta-x ϟ take out with full credit.

180206

#몬스타엑스 #monsta x #monstax #kpop visual #kpop boys #shownu #monsta x shownu #monstax shownu #셔누 #몬스타엑스 셔누

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habkorea · 4 years

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Deoksu-gung palace in Seoul, Korea available in virtual reality (VR) tour amid Coronavirus

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic which is preventing visits to cultural heritage sites, Deoksu Palace, one of the remaining royal palaces from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), is available for virtual visits.

The Deoksugung Palace Management Office under the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), joined hands with Korea’s largest mobile…

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#Deoksu palace #Deoksugung

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japan-korea · 7 months

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Just read - "Visitors can access Dondoekjeon with an entrance ticket to Deoksugung Palace"

"Dondeokjeon, a French-style building that sat on the grounds inside Deoksu Palace in central Seoul for only about three decades, was reconstructed from the ground up by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) for over four years" - (A building of the time of the short-lived Korean Empire)

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huttson-blog · 5 years

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Reappraising South Korea’s early modern art pioneers — The Korea Times

Read more at The Korea Times

— Rediscovery of Korean Modern Artists 1, When Brushes Are Abandoned, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) at Deoksu Palace, Seoul — May 30 – September 15, 2019

— by Kwon Mee-yoo: Korea’s modern art grew up in a harsh environment as the country went through colonization by Japan in the early 20th century and political upheavals afterwards.…

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#Deoksu Palace #National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA)#The Korea Times

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nananaptime · 5 years

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Trouvaille (Chapter 1)

I wasn’t planning on making this into two parts but that’s what you’re getting xD Enjoy!

Trouvaille: Something lovely discovered by chance

Masterlist rules

Genre: Fluff, Royalty AU

Word count: 2 394

Summary: Being royal doesn’t always give you a big variety of partners to choose from...

Being the next ruler of a country had its pros and cons, especially when the time came for me to choose a partner to rule by my side. My parents had always found it important to have succeeded in love before I tried running my country which I wasn’t that fond of most of the time, having the pressure of time over my head just added to the press normally accompanied by the kind of responsibilities my role included. It’s not like my parents wanted me to fall for someone not of royal status which limited my choices immensely and, quite frankly, caused a lot of irritation to be because of that limitation. How do they expect me to control who I fall for? If I fell for someone from the village down the hill, there’s nothing I or they can do about it. We’ve had multiple arguments over this fact as they’re solution to this apparent problem was to keep me in the castle at all costs, I felt like Rapunzel most of the time, which is why I finally resolved to climb out my bedroom window, an obstacle the king and queen of our country hadn’t considered.

The window wasn’t high above ground so jumping out was no problem, the difficult part was getting through the gate. It was currently eight in the morning and the guards had switched duty just an hour ago, meaning there’s a possibility of tiredness to cloud their judgement and ability to keep an eye on everything going on. Due to this fact, I normally managed to sneak past behind their backs and tiptoe through the gate, knowing that getting back in would be an even more difficult feat.

I was dressed in a brown cloak, designed specifically for this purpose by a friend in the castle, one who I knew would take my secret to the grave. With the hood drawn over my face, I started my walk down the hill on which the castle stood proud. The view of the village was breath-taking from here and the closer I got the more of my senses caught the elements of the it; the air was warmer down here and the smell of newly baked bread made its way into my nostrils, the sound of laughing and joking villagers was caught by my ears and everything seemed so much more real down here than in the royal palace. Due to me not having been interacting with my people all that much, not many of them knew what I looked like. Knowing this worked in my favour, I found it safe to remove my hood, now that the castle was no longer in sight.

I passed many stands, some filled with beautiful flowers, other with mouth-watering food. I don’t often eat what I like and so all the possibilities of cuisine available in front of me caused my stomach to growl, drawing some stares and giggles from people around me.

“Your Highness! How nice of you to grace our small village with your beautiful presence.” I turned around in alarm just to be met by Lee Minhyuk, the son of our royal chef. Reacting on impulse, I stepped up to him and placed my hand over his mouth, glancing left and right to see if anyone had heard him. To my relief, most people seemed busy with their own activities. Looking back at Minhyuk again, I noticed the playful look in his eyes and scoffed slightly at his behaviour before removing my hand and landing a soft punch to his shoulder.

“Don’t blow my cover, Minhyuk!” We had always been close, but I seemed to have forgotten that Minhyuk normally runs errands for his father, which usually entails going down to the village and buying necessary ingredients. He laughed at me again before removing the plaid covering the basket and offering me an apple.

“Did you skip breakfast again?” I grumbled an answer, letting him know that he was correct while accepting the apple and taking a bite. “So, what brings you here? I’m assuming the king and queen has no idea you’ve escaped their iron grasp.” I glanced at him, noticing his knowing look. His observant personality sometimes shocked me.

“They don’t. Ever since the possibility of a non-royal suitor was brought up, they haven’t let me out of the palace but that’s not going to stop me.” I turned to him again, placing a hand on his chest to stop him in his steps. “You won’t tell, will you?”

“Of course not, you may be the next ruler but you’re still human. You deserve the right to choose the one you’re going to spend the rest of your life with.” I appreciated the acceptance he showcased and in the midst of me turning around to keep walking, I managed to stumble across a crate and tumble to the ground.

“Oh my God! Are you okay?” The question was accompanied by a laugh and before I knew it, someone had grabbed me by the upper arms and heaved me to my feet. A soot-covered face is what I was met with when I looked at my saviour. Clad in tank top and trousers, he managed to look absolutely stunning no matter how casual the attire and once his gaze met mine, my breath hitched in my throat.

“Hey, Hoseok! Maybe time to clean up a bit out here?” Hoseok let go of my arms and bent down to move the crate out of the way which was filled with what seemed to be armour such as ringmail, helmets and swords as well as horseshoes and a variety of tools.

“Yeah, sorry about that, I was just about to go and deliver these.” He looked at me then and smiled. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, sorry, I just wasn’t looking where I was going.” He nodded understandingly as his eyes never left my face.

“I haven’t seen you around much, you’re not from here, are you?” I shook my head and told a lie, saying that I was a traveller exploring the neighbouring countries. He seemed to buy it but the weight of having lied to someone innocent was heavy on my heart. I then asked what he was doing given his appearance.

“Oh, I’m a blacksmith and at the moment I’m about to go deliver last weeks orders.” My curiosity must’ve shown on my face as he laughed at my expression and brought out the crate once again, this time to show me some of the orders he had gotten. “This one is for a knight travelling through, he lost a battle in the woods and lost his sword to his opponent, I’ve been making him a new one while he’s had his wounds taken care of.” The sword in his hands was a beautiful work of art, with vines engraved along the handle and continued shaping the crossguard. The light caught the blade as he put it back in the scabbard before placing it in the basket once again, then he picked up one of the horseshoes covering the bottom of the crate. “One of my neighbour’s horses needed new horseshoes and so I made him a couple new and upgraded ones.” To say that I was thoroughly impressed was an understatement. Hoseok didn’t have the time to show me more before Minhyuk interrupted us with a laugh.

“I see you’ve got someone to show you around Y/N! I’ll be going then. My father won’t be happy if I’m late again.” I laughed at that, the royal chef’s anger had been heard throughout most of the palace the last time Minhyuk was late, most certainly due to him socializing too much during his trip. I waved goodbye to him before turning back to Hoseok, who was now carrying the crate in his glove-clad hands.

“If you want you can come with me on my delivery run and I can show you around while we’re at it.” I nodded, more than happy to see the village through the eyes of someone who lived there. Let’s just say life at the palace can become very boring and sometimes lonely when my friends were away and occupied with their duties. I offered to help him carry the crate which seemed way too big for his arms no matter how many muscles were visible, but he refused, giving me a teasing smile while bragging about his strength. With a playful roll of my eyes, I left it at that.

We passed more stalls and soon enough we stopped outside a small house with nice plants on the outside as well as an area for the horses on the backside. I once again pulled up my hood as Hoseok knocked on the door, feeling the wind pick up as well as trying to hide my features due to a surprising wave of paranoia which washed over me. As the door opened and the customer stood perfectly visible in the doorway, I felt extremely relieved that I had taken precaution because I recognised the man right away, it was our previous horsekeeper who, due to growing too old, had to be let go and replaced. Had he seen my face my cover would definitely have been blown and I would’ve been dragged home by the royal guards like a child.

“Ah, Hoseok, right on time!” He said before accepting the horseshoes Hoseok handed him, inspecting them carefully. Then he chuckled and smiled. “Top quality as always Hoseok, I don’t understand how you’re not the royal blacksmith.” Hoseok shrugged his shoulders.

“They never asked, it’s not like any of them shows their faces around here anyway so how would they know of my skills.” Deoksu, our old horsekeeper, agreed on that, mentioning that more obstacles were lacing the palace than the people were aware of.

Yeah, no kidding, I thought, knowing exactly what kind of obstacles he was talking about.

After some more small talk, Deoksu paid Hoseok in copper and Hoseok turned to me while Deoksu closed the door, leaving us alone in front of the house. Noticing my hood being pulled up, Hoseok walked up to me with a small smile on his face and, after putting the copper coins in a tiny leather pouch, gently pulled the hood down again.

“Your face is too beautiful to be covered up.” It came out as a whisper and his fingers brushed my cheeks, causing them to heat up without my permission. He chuckled at my reaction before picking up the crate again and continuing his delivery run.

Over the course of an hour, we had visited many villagers, everyone being extremely nice and polite, sometimes addressing me as well even though they had no idea who I was. Ringmail had been delivered to many aspiring knights in the village and swords for those who wished to be able to protect themselves, should it be necessary. I noticed the lack of love the people had for their king and queen since neither of them took the time to come down here and interact, they mentioned me as well, the future ruler whom they knew nothing about. How were they expected to put their faith in someone who was just a stranger to them? I knew one thing; when I was the one sitting on the throne, regular visits would be made to the village, I would know my people better than any other ruler before me, I would win their faith and their respect, just how they won mine during this day.

Eventually, we were back at Hoseok’s forge, the crate now empty and resting in one of Hoseok’s hands. His other one dangled dangerously close to mine, sometimes brushing knuckles to knuckles, and tempting me to grab it in my own. It took a lot of self-control not to give in to the feelings which were starting to bloom. As Hoseok put the crate down in its original place outside the forge, I took the liberty to glance inside.

What I saw shocked me beyond belief. The walls were covered with swords of all kinds, each having their own unique details and gleaming in the light coming from the open door. Among them were shields, ringmail, gambesons and a wide variety of tools. Taking some more steps into the area, I took a closer look at some of the armour, amazed at the work put into the detail and how well polished all of them were. Seeing his life work caused an idea to spark in my mind.

I think it’s about time to relieve our current royal blacksmith due to him growing close to 80 and replace him with someone younger, someone with newer techniques, someone like Hoseok.

“Do you like it?” I jumped at the voice of Hoseok, not realising he had entered and was now standing beside me, closely watching my expressions as I had inspected his work. I nodded at him, kind of flustered at the proximity in which he was standing.

“It’s amazing, Hoseok. You could be doing so much more with your talent than your current situation.” He smiled at my praise, watching me closely before choosing to answer my compliment.

“The villagers need a blacksmith as well, right? I am the best in the village, I should be happy about that rather than wanting more.” I admired his state of mind, how he so easily settled for the good life he already had, but he could have so much more and after today, I wanted more than anything to give it to him.

“I should keep going,” I said, mumbling slightly as I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his. He nodded ever so slightly, agreeing by saying that he needed to get started on this week’s orders as well. I bid him goodbye, hoping that I would see him again very soon.

“Oh, and Y/N!” I turned around in the doorway, waiting for him to continue his sentence. “I’m glad to see that our future ruler aren’t as traditional as our current.” A shocked expression covered my face and he laughed, waving goodbye before disappearing deeper into the forge to continue his duties, leaving me stuck in my spot before I finally found the ability to move my feet and head on back to the palace.

#monsta x #monsta x scenarios #kpop #kpop scenarios #scenarios #hoseok #shin hoseok #wonho #monbebe #music #nananaptime

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yooahinfeed · 5 years

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Yoo Ah In attends the 50th anniversary of The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Korea

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) was established in 1969 to showcase the artwork of contemporary artists in Korea as well as bring in works of artists abroad. This year marks its 50th anniversary, and to commemorate, the MMCA has been hosting this exhibition across its Deoksu Palace, Gwacheon and Seoul branches from 7 September 2019 until 31 March 2020. On October 16th,…

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traveling-couch-potato · 5 years

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Korea Day 4

I had the morning to myself today so I decided to grab some breakfast at the corner Ministop. Unfortunately the ready to go takeout food in Korea hasn’t been great but it got the job done.

I will always call these rice balls onigiri but in Korea they’re known as Samgak Kimbap. This one was filled with a Cho-Gochujang (vinegar-gochujang) sauce, the type you would put on a bibimbap. The other items were from my friend but gotta keep track of all these snacks somehow.

Since this was my last day in the area, I had to try the shop I’ve been eyeing for days, Bukchon Suje Mojji, a handmade mochi shop. Korean mochi is known as chapssaltteok, it has a slightly salty taste and bouncier texture compared to Japanese mochi.

The inside is filled w/ a slightly salted red bean paste and a chunk of kiwi.

I didn’t have too solid of a plan today but everything worked out great since I got to catch the changing of the guard at Deoksugung Palace.

The act is a reenactment of the traditional ceremony complete with traditional costumes, instruments, and weapons.

The inside of the palace is interesting compared to the others in the area mainly because you have several more traditional buildings contrasted against a Western style garden and buildings.

Junghwajeon (main throne hall of Deoksu Palace)

The Seokjojeon Area consists of neoclassical style buildings designed by JR Harding)

The rear garden of the palace.

I found this to be one of the more interesting palaces to explore but I had to leave the area to meet my friend so I had to go bus-hunting. I took some wrong turns but saw endless rallies and protests against the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. I didn’t quite know what was going on but I got the overview from my friend later. Of course with all the protests there was also a large share of street vendors taking advantage of the crowds so I had to pick up more street food.

Bungeoppang & Gyerranpang from one of the street stands.

I took the city hall bus up toward the Gupabal station where my friend met up with me to take me to her aunt’s place for a nice homemade meal.

She just made what they had in the fridge and it was still quite delicious. She used to make me Korean food in college and I missed her cooking so much!

Once we finished lunch we headed out to our next major destination, my friend’s hometown of Icheon. As we left we caught a view of Bukhansan, a mountain/national park that’s very popular amongst hikers.

Bukhansan in the distance. Glad there’s not too much air pollution today.

Did nothing today but eat so I might as well continue that journey in the car with some Japanese snacks.

An hour and a half later we arrived at my friend’s place out in Incheon. This place is so much quieter. Somewhere between the countryside and a small city. We then dropped by the Lotte Outlets where my friend’s family owns a popular 7-11 stop.

My friend’s apartment complex is quite modern compared to the surrounding area.

We picked up my friend’s students/friends before heading to the Duhejin Showroom and Cafe. This is a showcase area for various sculptures, pots, and more. There’s also a gorgeous cafe inside with some really delicious bread options and even a small garden to walk through.

Absolutely stunning cafe in the most random spot.

Carbs, carbs, and more carbs. I just can’t help myself. The pollock bread was absolutely the best one though! The garlic bread was good too but the sugar glaze around it was too much for me.

We spent some time in the cafe so I could help my friend’s student practice conversational English. It started getting a bit chilly though so we decided to head to dinner at local restaurant called Jangsoon Wha cause I was dying to try cheongguk-jang, a heavily fermented soybean stew.

This is basically all you can eat cause they’ll refill all the dish components.

You make a bibimbap-style bowl and spoon the smelly bean stew on top and mix it all. It’s so so delicious.

To finish the meal there’s a set of Jocheong by the door where you can self serve yourself the various syrups that you can eat with a small spoon or dissolve with some hot water.

We dropped off my stuff at my hotel at Hotel Yam, a new hotel in the area with cheap rates and great amenities, before heading out to the park Sulbong Park which is just a short walk around. There’s a large lake in the center, tons of twinkling lights, and even 2 mini libraries for people to share books.

Cute and fairly cheap room in a very newly renovated hotel. Small area but free drinks, snacks, parking, and other amenities.

The lake at Sulbong Park is gorgeous even at night and the staircase leading to the level below looks practically magical.

Felt like a fairy walking amongst these lights. There’s still some kids running around but that just adds to the atmosphere which is otherwise very peaceful.

I got to meet my friend’s pastor and her family before we dropped everyone off and turned in for the night. Unfortunately the night ended with my friend not being able to sleep due to a severe stomach ache and us ending up in the ER until 5am. No photos of that whole experience but it was quite a memorable way to end the night.

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