Sae Joo froze in his position. His eyes dilated in shock. His ears seemed like fooling him. He hoped they really did. He tried to grasp back to reality, wanting to express his side but his father spoke first.

"Hmm, is that so? That is not a bad idea," Jae Joong nodded.

The Prince blurted in an instant, voice shaking. "Yes, it is. I hate to break it to you, uncle but it is not a good idea." Jung Ho smirked at him, shaking his head in disdain. "Did I hear it just right, Your Highness? You... are telling us that we have a bad idea?"

"It has come from your mouth, firsthand. 'Shun is a competent hwarang'. The palace needs him more than Dokdo. He is staying."

Jae Joong wanted to pacify Sae Joo. He composed words on his head, kind and gentle to calm his kid. The King believed that the Prince was not aware of the whole situation, the bigger problem outside the main island of Silla. The entire council agreed that an indirect war was about to happen now that Tang has claimed one of Dokdo Islands. In an attempt to strengthen the security on what Silla had, Jae Joong agreed with Jung Ho. Their part in Dokdo needed more competent hwarangs. Shun could be one of them.

"Prince, you need to understand that Tang poses a great threat for us, now that we are partly neighbors. That island that used to be Yamato's is now a property of Tang. Knowing their Emperor, he might take interest in claiming our part in that island."

Sae Joo paced down the courtyard, steps quite heavier than usual. He expressed his frustration about what everyone seemed to think about him, even though he had shown quite an improvement. Maybe Jin Ri was right, he was still childish after all, "I understand the problem, Your Majesty. I know the situation. You are worried that Tang might ignite a war against us by stealing our part in the Dokdo Islands. You just want to think one step ahead. Yes, tightening the security should be the primal tactic."

"So what is your problem then, Your Highness?" asked Jung Ho.

"You cannot bring Shun to Dokdo Island. One, because I believe that he is not that good yet. There are a lot of tenured hwarangs out there with more experiences and skills compared to him. You should know, uncle—you are the former Hwarang head. Two, he is palace hwarang. Like his name, he should stay in the palace, serve in the palace. Lastly, the most important reason why he cannot go..." he paused, turning the tables as he sneered back to Jung Ho.

"... I declare him as one of my personal bodyguards."

Shun was surprised with the Prince's sudden move. Deep inside, he appreciated Sae Joo's effort to keep him by his side. Not just because he did not want to be separated from him, but most especially because of his father. If he was sent to Dokdo Island, he would not be able to go home to his father once a month. He could not risk that—not seeing his father in that span of time. He had endured so much: losing their home, worrying about his sick father, thinking about how he could repay Dae Wong and Sae Joo's good deeds for him. But at the same time, fear thunderstruck him on a certain level. He was afraid that Sae Joo would not have the power to consistently defend him. At the end of the day, they were his family. They were his father and his uncle. How about him? He was just a confidant. A friend. A mere, low-life trainee.

Jae Joong frowned, wondering about his son's abrupt decision, "What is this, Sae Joo?"

"You heard me right. I declare him as my personal bodyguard. I am his master now. He is mine."

Jung Ho interrupted, trying to lure the Prince into the other side of the road, "Prince Sae Joo, I understand that Shun is your savior. He has done a thing or two for you, but... you cannot just appoint him as one of your personal bodyguards. You have said it yourself, he has a lot of things to learn. He is a juvenile. He should not be assigned as a bodyguard for a precious person like you."

"The more you should not assign him to Dokdo. Our problem in Dokdo is more serious, is it not?—than worrying about my safety. So you should deploy more competent hwarangs, not a mere nangdo. Besides, I am the new Hwarang leader. In terms of allocating hwarangs, my words matter. Do you seriously think that I do not know that?"

Jae Joong gazed at his son as if he was looking for a lost answer. He was looking through the eyes of a different window, a seemingly unknown person. A fiercer, bolder, stronger young tiger in the woods. He was half-happy. His son already knew how to decide for himself. He seemed to have studied the multi-volumed scriptures of being a Hwarang leader, including its unwritten rules. He hoped for Sae Joo to remain the same. To improve in a way, and not to drag down to the pits of cowardice when a big bomb explodes.

"Well, if that is what you desire, so be it. Shun could be one of your personal bodyguards," approved Jae Joong.

Sae Joo was not entirely satisfied with his father's sudden approval. The abrupt turning of tables to his favor. He was partly insulted, thinking that his father still sees him as a young, innocent yet charming Prince. He tried his best to keep up with the growing unwritten competition in the palace. He trained physically, read tons of books about politics, war, leadership, even it bore him down to the core, even though it made his skin crawl, disgusted by how a true leader should work.

To be a good leader, you have to be an excellent cook. You measure, you prepare, you time. You get the freshest ingredients and take away the rotten ones. You mix all flavors (sweet rewards, sour words, spicy punishments, bitter criticisms, and salty rules) to create a satisfying taste for your people—not only delicious but nutritious. You preserve your meat to bring out the best in them. But sometimes, you need to crush, mince, slice, grind your enemies, killing all possible threats. For that last one, Sae Joo was not prepared... yet. He has changed, but he still has a lot to learn.

"My gratitude, Your Majesty for your consideration," he looked at his uncle, "after what has happened to me, I was traumatized... but in a good way," he smiled, a very chagrined sweet smile.

"Now that everything is settled with my bodyguard's issue, would you please excuse us?"

Jung Ho and Jae Joong remained statued on their places, watching the Prince bow his head slowly, walking down away from them, Shun tailing him.

At an ample distance away from the adults, away from their line of sight, Sae Joo paused. He felt nauseated, his blood rushing to his heart. He almost stumbled on the ground. Luckily, Shun was able to hold his arm. "Your Highness, are you alright?"

"Yes... Yes. I was just surprised, I think... with what I have said in front of my father and my uncle," he stood straight and asked, "Was I disrespectful?"

Shun curled his lips, "Uh, let us just say that there is a little respect in that disrespect," he then smiled, "Please cheer up, Your Highness... Ah, before I forget, I just want to thank you for appointing me as your personal bodyguard."

"No worries. I did that because I know you would not want to be too far from your father. Being here in Seorabeol is far enough," he tapped his bodyguard's shoulder and resumed walking back to his chamber.

Strolling down the courtyard, he ran into a dark aura. Another one. A fake, disgusting, frigid young woman. Sae Joo's mood drastically changed. His eyebrows furrowed into a frown, maintaining his royal poise. Jin Ri, together with a handful of bodyguards and servants, covering her with a big red umbrella, bowed before Sae Joo.

"Your Highness, how are you?"

"Pretty fine. Thank you for asking. If you do not mind, I have things to do. Excuse me."

The icy lady grabbed his arm, her fingers gently clamping. She tried to embrace Sae Joo, like her usual tactic: pacifying a child. But as her bosom smacked his chest, arms almost clinging to his neck, Sae Joo pushed her softly, still with respect. He shoved her arms slowly. Then he landed a frozen gaze. Unwelcoming, but not resentful. Angry and disappointed, perhaps, but not remorseful.

Sae Joo moved closer to her ears, head bending down a bit before a steamy breathy set of words traveled down her ears, "Save it, Jin Ri. I do not want to spend more time with you, and it is because of you. You broke my trust, you broke my heart."

Jin Ri was speechless, tongue held up at the roof of her tongue. She could not believe that Sae Joo indeed was not the same cousin she used to play with before. Her best friend, her human diary. But after all, a part of her was relieved. At least, she would not pretend in front of him anymore. Her true colors were exposed, but not her crimes. If Sae Joo wanted to do things that way, she would be more than willing to play. She had a new goal, a new ulterior motive.

~~•~~

The Prime Minister requested for a luncheon meeting at his pavilion terrace. He wanted to make all things clear. He was back at his main goal again. Sae Joo was humbly summoned, together with some Pungwoljus, all palace hwarangdos, and some members of the council. They planned to talk about the new allocation of hwarangs since an additional platoon must be added to strengthen the security of their islet in Dokdo. Like a regular luncheon, extravagant as always, food had been served, paired with some decade-old wines and sweet fragrant flower teas.

Being the host of the luncheon and the one who was responsible for this new project, Jung Ho stated his position, "No time for nice greetings everyone. I summoned you to help me deploy hwarangs in Dokdo Island. If you have any suggestions, please speak up."

Sae Joo took a small sip from his tea and spoke, "I have done my research regarding the current number of our hwarangs. Dokdo only has seventy-five hwarangs. In order to strengthen security, we need to deploy at least three hundred more. To guard the coasts, the mountain, the beaches, the forests. With this project, we should also consider the distance and vulnerability of a certain province. I mean, some provinces have a lot of hwarangs for a reason: they have a pretty high rate of minor crimes. Some provinces, on the other hand, have a high number of hwarangs, but a relatively low crime rate. So here, I have sketched out a map, containing their respective volume of hwarangs and also the possible imminent threats and major, alarming crimes in that province." Sae Joo stood, picked a scroll from his chest, and unrolled it on the table.

Jung Ho arched a brow and rubbed his chin, "Impressive, Prince." Sae Joo threw a quick glance onto him and explained, "Based on this image, I suggest to get hwarangs from the provinces of Yangju, our province, Sangju, Kangju, and Myeongju."

Dae Wong craned his head into the map and clarified one thing to Sae Joo, "Your Highness, why should we get some hwarangs from Myeongju? As far as I know, the governor has sent a letter regarding the growing number of immigrants from Balhae. These people are becoming bandits, hiding in the heart of Taebaek Mountains."

Sae Joo smiled, but he knew he was a bit cornered by that question. He needed to think of a reasonable answer, to maintain his smart and reliable image, not just a Hwarang leader but as a Prince. "That may be right, Minister Dae Wong. However, the province of Myeongju is big. We could solve the problem through proper hwarang allocation. We get a small portion from their huge number. Besides, these rebellious groups do not actually go far from their hiding places, which is the Taebaek Mountains. We could command the governor to deploy more hwarangs on the affected regions and lessen the hwarangs in their capital. It would not hurt that much, would it?"

Dae Wong nodded, acknowledging the Prince's suggestion. Sae Joo continued, "Right now, our main concern is Dokdo Island. When we have enough number of hwarangs, I will personally go to these provinces, check their status, listen to the people's problems, especially if it is about security... If you have any questions, please raise that now."

Jung Ho spoke, "Your Highness, this plan seems good for me. Now, who are you going to assign to speak with each of the governors?"

The Prince scanned the faces of his subordinates. Some of them had neutral, blank faces, some of them bowed their heads down, avoiding to be called. He shook his head, cleared his throat before he announced, "First rank Pungwolju Park Hyeongsu," he called, and a lean man with a stubbly face and long goatee stood, iron rings from his armor clanked. "Yes, Your Highness."

"You go to Kangju Province. Your estimated time of travel to their capital is a day and a half. Bring this letter to the governor," Sae Joo handed a brown scroll, and the hwarang accepted. "As you command, Your Highness," he bowed his head. "Prepare your troops and leave tomorrow daytime."

"Second rank Pungwolju Park Jong Han."

"Yes, Your Highness," complied by a robust guy, about six feet tall, small eyes, round face, huge hard rock biceps. "You go to Sangju province. Leave when the sun rises, give this letter to the governor."

"Your words are my actions, Your Highness."

Jung Ho sneered at Sae Joo, for acting like a tough, dominant predator in front of obedient cubs. He observed his stance, his voice, his hands. It was shaking but hidden under his periwinkle sleeves. He smirked, but he needed to act rapidly in order to do his plan, seek another opportunity where his actions would not be questioned. He cut in and requested, "Prince, could you please assign me to go to Myeongju province?"

Sae Joo stared at him, while Dae Wong hid his smirk of affirmation. He knew Jung Ho's plan, his style. By that time, he knew that the Prime Minister has received the letter already, informing him that his men were caught. Knowing him, Jung Ho would make ways in order to investigate. His butt was so itchy that if it could fly to Myeongju in an instant, it would.

The Prince raised a brow, bit his lips, and nodded, "Sure, Prime Minister. You could go to Myeongju," he handed the letter, and as Jung Ho accepted it, Sae Joo felt a sting that traveled from Jung Ho's fingertips down to his hands. His heart pounded, wanting to escape badly. An irrational feeling he could not control. Despite his strong action, he was still terrified of his uncle. He refocused, his cover must not be blown. He cleared his throat before he resumed, "I will personally go to the provincial headquarters of Yangju. Are there any concerns?" asked Sae Joo.

Silence. No one raised another question. After some time of wrapping up, clarifying all instructions, the meeting was adjourned. The Pungwoljus and their hwarangdos left to prepare for their journey. Left inside the pavilion terrace were Jung Ho and Sae Joo, who were both fixing their things before leaving. The Prince bowed his head, about to leave, walking a few steps to the door where Shun and his other retinues were waiting outside. However, he paused, shifted his head to the right and asked, "Prime Minister, in your term as a Hwarang leader, Silla had a huge number of hwarangs especially on the provinces... but why does Dokdo have a few? Why do bandits still thrive in those mountainous areas? What do these hwarangs have been doing?"

Jung Ho was left befuddled by the Prince's series of questions. He could not think of an answer straight. What shall he say? That these hwarangs laze around, eat, sleep, and satisfy their carnal cravings when the night falls? That these hwarangs have been incompetent and have undergone a lot of demerits? Or lastly... no, he would not say that. There was no possible way that Sae Joo could discover the last reason.

With a cold stare on Jung Ho's irises, he left Sae Joo hanging, not getting the answers he deserved. He strolled down, open the door and left him inside. He did not pay attention to all the hwarangs and court ladies outside, waiting for the Prince. He continued strolling, eyes in front, staring blankly, thinking about his next move.

Myeongju. He should go to Myeongju. 

__________

NOTES:

Yangju (양주) - a province in Unified Silla, located in Modern day North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The province where Silla's capital Seorabeol was located. 

Kangju (강주) - a province in Unified Silla, located in Modern day Western South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.