SD pulled up at the parking lot where hundreds of cars were already parked. It was the weekend so many people were visiting the old Palace which stood at the heart of the city. Sunye slowly got out of the car as a strong nostalgia hit her.
In front of her stood the large palace gate and through it was the place where she spent her childhood with Kim San. Memories rushed back into her head and she felt as if she was transported back in time.
"Are you alright?" SD asked. He looked a little worried for her. "Maybe we should go elsewhere," he suggested.
"No," she said, shaking her head. "It's okay. Let's go inside."
But her feet were trembling. She wanted to revisit her childhood but alongside the sweet memories were the hellish nightmares. The screams of the people who died in the coup were echoing in her ears and she could not shut them away.
She felt a warm grip on her palm and was startled to see that SD was holding her hand.
"What-"
"You seem as if you'll fall apart any minute in this place," he noted. "So you can hold on to my hand for support."
Sunye looked down and took a deep breath to push away all the bad memories. She gently squeezed his hand to let him know that she was fine. SD nodded and in a surprisingly gentle gesture, led her towards the palace. He kept a firm grip on her, not letting her go as they entered through the gates.
If Sunye could ever read his mind, she would be shocked to learn that he, too, was going through a similar state as her. SD hid his own pain well but seeing the Palace after so many years was also weakening him. He had left this place as a child, never to look back on the night when he lost it all. And now he was back to his childhood home which held nothing but bitter and dark memories in his mind.
His only light in that dark world was the woman who stood next to him.
The circular courtyard stood before them and they slowly made their way towards the main hall. Sunye looked at the place where she used to play tag with the other maids. Kim San used to join her while he was bunking his tutors. They used to get very angry at him and when caught, San was severely punished but that did not stop him from duping them for her sake. As the daughter of the Palace's Head Chef, she had the privilege of playing with the Crown Prince but they were simply inseparable.
"Remembering something?" SD asked.
"I used to play around here," she reminisced. "See that fountain?"
She pointed at a now defunct fountain which stood in the middle of the courtyard. "The water from it used to spray for over ten feet," she explained with great fondness. "And at night, the lights in the fountain used to light up and the colors of the rainbow were reflected in the water. It was majestic…"
Sunye was smiling upon remembering those moments when she used to sneak out of the palace and walk around the fountain. It was one of her favorite hobbies because seeing the lights used to make her feel at ease. Sometimes, the palace life was too overwhelming for her tender mind so she used to linger outside to clear her head.
SD was also watching the fountain but his expression was impassive. While Sunye recalled the fond memories, he was replaying the blood the fountain carried on the night of the coup…
"SD?"
He broke out of his reverie and looked around to see Sunye's curious gaze. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine," he told her. "Let's go inside and check out your childhood home."
He gripped her hand and they went inside the main building. They followed a series of tourists who were also sightseeing. A long, narrow path led them to a tunnel like entrance snaking towards the hallway.
The once golden walls which shone so brightly were dull and lifeless. The carpet was gone and so were the expensive artefacts which once placed all over the palace. Sunye was afraid that she would spot the bloodstains on the walls but it seemed that the Government had the place cleaned up for good. The long staircase stood at the center of the hall, overlooking the entire area.
Only the paintings of the previous emperors were kept hanging on the walls. In front of the paintings were plaques with their names and achievements.
"That was Emperor Gwangjoo," Sunye said, pointing at a dark haired man with high cheekbones and twinkling eyes. He wore a friendly smile and compared to the other emperors, was the only one wearing an uniform of the Naval forces instead of an Emperor's attire. In his youth, before he was crowned, the Emperor had spent five years with the Navy and had achieved the Commander rank. It was a feat he was very proud of and when he became Emperor, he chose to wear his uniform with his badges of honor instead of the usual Emperor's robe.
"He was a friendly person," Sunye commented. "Never scolded us for bunking classes and was kind to everyone."
She looked at him only to be taken aback. Even though SD was seemingly calm, his eyes had narrowed at the late Emperor's picture. Within those blue eyes was a brewing rage directed at the man in front of him.
Sunye knew that look all too well. Sometimes, when SD was angry, really angry, he would go quiet and simply gaze at his object of hatred with a deadly stare as if wanting to burn that person alive with his gaze. It was the same look he had donned the first time they met when Sunye's date was misbehaving with her.
"SD…"
She gently poked his arm. The look in his eyes vanished in an instant and he disguised it with his usual carefree smile.
"Let's check out the artefacts in the next room," she quickly said.
"Does any of those artefacts include pleasure tools like chains and really heavy whips?" he quipped.
"No, but there was a torture device which would pierce through a person's butt if they didn't fess up their crimes," Sunye stated smugly. "I wonder if it still works…"
But SD, being the shameless person he always was, said, "Kinky. I like that device already. You can use it on me any day."
Why do I even bother? Sunye wondered.
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