Beseeching Love; Chapter 4 - Black Dragon
“Who did it?” she can hear Jaejoong’s quivering voice asking. She turns to him who is hugging his knees tightly while rocking his body back and forth, 2 cells away from her. His shoulder is shaking from crying. She swallow the guilt and stares at the floor. The straws surrounding her are turning red from the blood she got on her wet clothes. Soo Jung’s blood.
“Was it her?” he asks again when she didn’t answer his previous question. She know who he’s referring to, the ‘she’ he’s saying can only be one person, Lady Ara.
Ji Hye’s eyes roamed through the dungeon, watching as the two guards assigned by the commander, walks to and fro in front of her cell. They weren’t there earlier this day. And now here they are, eyeing them like a hawk.
She knows why they’re behaving that way. She knows why they panicked everytime she opened her mouth. The threat she got earlier skimmed through her brain.
“One person knows what happened tonight and you’ll be gone. You and your family will be on the same shoe as this poor girl over here,” the emperor coldly says as he motioned towards Soo Jung’s dead body on the floor.
Her breath hitch on her throat. He’s letting her go? Why? She can see that hint of twisted mischief in his eyes, as though he's doing something really exhilarating for him. Is he toying with her before he kills her? Giving her hopes as if she’d get to live, and kills her the next second she believes him. The same thing he did to Soo Jung.
Turning to Lady Ara, she can see palpable unsatisfactions radiating from her, unsatisfied because Ji Hye gets to survive.
“Hong Chul,” he calls the old man behind him. Scurrying over, the said Hong Chul bows politely, his expression vacant, as if he’s used to this act of cruelty already.
“Send condolences letter to the Minister of Jurisdiction in Jamsil. Tell them that she committed adultery and was therefore executed. And ask our men to send 10 bags of gold to the Minister of Treasury of Jamsil,” he ordered, seating himself in a majestic chair on an elevated platform in the lounge.
Ji Hye’s eyes widen in surprise. Why? Why would he grant her family that? As a bribe to keep her mouth shut? But why? Why would he want her to keep to her silence? He's not afraid of Jamsil, that's crystal clear, so him ordering her to keep her mouth shut about what happened to Soo Jung that night is indeed very mystifying. Well, he didn’t need to do that. She’d keep her mouth shut no matter what! She’d not say anything to anyone. Not even Jaejoong. She just can’t, especially when he involves her family.
“Send her back to the dungeon. Watch her. If she says anything, kill her.” His words sent shivers to anyone hearing them. The commander he ordered bow in respect before he motioned his people to drag her away. Her eyes latches on Soo Jung for the last time before she walks out in a mixture of curiosity and fear.
“Your highness, why are you letting her live? She’s an accomplice, she ought to receive the same fate as that ugly girl!” she can hear Lady Ara complaining.
The last thing she heard was the emperor sneering and saying, “This is going to be fun,” before the door slammed close. Her hair rises.
“Ji Hye-“ Jaejoong called her, sending her back to the present time. His head is facing her though half of his face is still hidden on his knees. His postures reminds Ji Hye of a beautiful child. His eyes are red, his face is red too, his lips swollen from all those constant biting. She know it's wrong to think of this right now, but oh God, he’s so beautiful.
“-she’s going to pay for this. I promise that to you and Soo Jung,” he vowed, his beautiful face tainted with hatred. Ji Hye gulped, knowing very well that Lady Ara is not the one who killed Soojung. Sure, she was the catalyst, but Soo Jung wouldn’t be dead if the emperor hadn’t order his men to do so.
She had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from yelling at Jaejoong, telling him that the murderer isn’t Lady Ara, but the ruler of this empire himself. Even i she tells him that, she didn't know if people would believe her. Why would the emperor indulge himself in something as miniscule as his 2nd class attendants?
“She’s going to feel 10 times the pain she’s putting us through right now. She’ll be in so much pain, that she’ll have to go to her knees, begging us to stop torturing her and just kill her right away. I don’t know how I’ll do that, but I promise in the name of Soo Jung, I’ll do anything in my power to bring her down,” his husky voice echoes in the place, occasionally trembling from the cold and the shock.
Ji Hye remembered when she arrived back to the dungeon, Jaejoong was so surprised to see her. His face brightens and he stopped crying that instant. He smiled so wide, the first she ever saw from him as he tried to look past her, searching for Soo Jung. When the door upstairs closes and there were still no sign of Soo Jung, she saw a frown on his face.
His eyes finally darts from the staircase behind her to her clothes. Her bloody clothes. Then, his eyes travels to her tear-streaked face. As if he had just got splashed with a gallon on cold water, Jaejoong’s face fell. He tried to ask something, she can see him trying, but there was no voice coming from him. She didn’t really need to answer him, the look on her face was enough to tell the story.
And from then on, he cried and cried and cried. The only word he said before she entered her cell was, “I’m glad you survived.”
And now, here they are, sitting the same way they both did just hours earlier. The only difference was the cell in between them is no longer occupied and the clothes she’s wearing now are red in colour instead of pink.
The door of the dungeon suddenly opens again, sending Ji hye panicking. The last time it’s opened, it didn’t end well for them. What will happen now?
She scuttled towards the corner of the cell, trying her best to shield herself from whatever coming for them. She don’t wanna die. To be more precise, she don’t wanna die the way Soo Jung did. It was really brutal, cold, cruel. She was killed like an animal, like a cow. She hadn’t even done anything to deserve that.
As far as Ji Hye can remember, Soo Jung was nothing but sweet. She was kind, helpful and generous. She had helped so many people before, the kind of people Ji Hye would deem disgusting and dirty. Though she was so kind and polite, no one seems to like her. Everyone just pried her away for her looks. And now, she didn’t even do anything, yet they still killed her like they would do to an animal. To her, Soo Jung is the icon of disaster, her life was full of suffering despite the love her parents gave her.
Tracing herself back from her thoughts, she turns to Jaejoong, expecting him to be just as scared as she is. However, he shows no such fear. Instead, he is looking at the door in rage, his face showing just how revengeful he is. Goodness, if it really is Lady Ara, he’d jump to her in no time and kill her in the most inhumane way possible.
The sound of footsteps walking down the staircase causes her to shiver with every thump it made. Holding her breath anticipatingly, she drew her breath in relief, seeing not Lady Ara, but just another one of the guards.
The guard smirked slyly once he laid his eyes on Jaejoong. Walking to the door of his cell, the guard unlocked the door and entered the cell, his eyes never once leaving Jaejoong. Looking back in a rather challenging way, Jaejoong didn’t back out too. Ji Hye and the guards in front of her cell can only watch the two quietly.
“Follow me,” the guard said, only to receive a cold glare from Jaejoong.
“Where are you taking me? To the bitch?” he spat, hoping that the guard will indeed send her to Lady Ara to be killed. The only twist is, he’ll kill her before she gets to kill him.
The guard raises his brow, wondering exactly which bitch he’s referring to. There are too many bitches in the palace, he can’t remember them all. Giving up on thinking, he smirks even wider upon staring at Jaejoong.
“Ooh, feisty. They’re going to enjoy you,” he said before he forces Jaejoong to stand.
One of the guards assigned for Ji Hye decided to intervene. “What are you doing? Let him go,” he demanded.
“Lady Ara ordered us to toss him anywhere we wanted. I found just the perfect place to toss him into,” he sneakily said, his smirk reappearing again. The two guards watches him questioningly. “60-“ he pointed to himself, “20, 20” then he pointed to the two guards, as if communicating in a secret code.
Understanding what he’s doing, the two guards smiled too, before they look at each other and nodded in agreement. Once he got their approval, the guard turns back to Jaejoong. “Follow me,” he repeats.
“Why? Are you taking me to the bitch,” Jaejoong asks again.
Rolling his eyes, the guard non-chalantly answered, “Yeah, yeah. I’m taking you to the bitch. Follow me.”
Believing him, Jaejoong nodded grimly, casting a glance to the scared Ji Hye. “I’ll be going,” he said.
“No, Jaejoong! Don't!” she bellowed.
“Shut up! Do you want us to report you?” her two guards threatened her. Cowering out, Ji Hye shut her mouth and looked at Jaejoong pleadingly. No, she cannot face two deaths on the same day.
“Thank you for standing up for us. And I’m sorry. Sorry that you had to go through this because of us. I promise, I’ll fight for your justice. Your’s and Soo Jung. Take care,” Jaejoong smiled at her, his eyes tender like it always do when he look at Soo Jung.
Then he follow the guard who called for him and walk out of his cell to the stairs. Ji hye crawls to the wooden rail, her hand helplessly clinging into them as she watches Jaejoong disappearing into the ground floor.
As soon as they reach the ground above the dungeon, Jaejoong felt the refreshing sprinkles of shower from the sky against his skin. He hadn’t bath even once after he reached the Forbidden City.
“Come here,” the guard lead him away, his hands clutched tightly on Jaejoong’s wrist.
“Oh boy, you are so beautiful. It’s a pity I’m not the one to be getting you,” he complimented Jaejoong who is now looking ever so gorgeous drenched in the rain. His red face now turns pale from the cold weather outside, contradicting his plump red lips and his raven-coloured hair. His lips shivered as his big doe eyes looked around him warily like a lost child. “What do you mean?” he asks.
“What do you think?” the guard smirked teasingly.
“Tell me,” Jaejoong demanded, finally feeling suspicious. He didn’t seem to be sending him to Lady Ara. Now that his logic is coming back, Jaejoong suddenly realizes that if he were to be sent to Lady Ara, he ought to be escorted by more than the number of men she sent to fetch Soo Jung and Ji Hye. He is after all a man, she needs more guards to keep him under control. There’s just no way she’d send this suspicious looking guard alone to take him.
“Hmm, let’s see. What do you think is lacking for the eunuchs in this palace?” he asked tauntingly, his grip suddenly strengthen its hold on Jaejoong's wrist.
Jaejoong think for a while and he can find none except for their inability in bed. “Yes. They don’t have what we both have. And since they don’t have it, they’re-let’s just say sexually frustrated. In need to have more action, they looked for men who has ‘it’ to penetrate them. You got me, now?” he confessed, the expression on his face dark.
Jaejoong widen his eyes, not believing this. The information he got was just...
“They had been doing it with guards who had financial problems all these while. Since they served the upper ones, they have a lot of money, and some those money will be given to those who would sleep with them,” he continued, grinning in satisfaction.
“Well, except for you of course. One of the eunuchs saw you when you were carried to the dungeon. He fell for you instantly. And since Lady Ara said we can do anything we want with you, I decided to sell you away to him. He was really really happy, I’m telling you. You’ll be by his side for the rest of your life, serving him everytime he needs you, or rather ‘she’.”
“This is so messed up! Let go of me!” Jaejoong requested, anger evident in his voice. Laughing his innocence away, the guards dragged him away despite his resistance. He tried to wiggle his body out of the guard’s hold, but it seems to be futile. “Ughh, stop resisting, just follow me!” the guard demanded ridiculously. No one on their right mind would succumb to such a request, what was the guard thinking?
Apparently, all the emotional shocks he experienced, all the sadness and tears adds up with the fact that he had not eaten anything today, not even the stale bread they were provided with, causes him to lost most of his energy and power, making his escape from the guard rather impossible. Helpless to the point of no return, he turns to the only solution he got at the moment.
Taking the guard’s hand closer to his face, he brought it to his mouth and bite it with all the force he got left. Screaming in horror over his hand, the guard let go immediately, giving Jaejoong a chance to slip away from him.
Running away as fast as he can, Jaejoong ignored the yelling of the guard behind him and disappeared into he thin air of that rainy night.
“Shit! Don’t let me find you! I’ll kill you for sure!” the guard yelled as he too runs around, trying to spot that beauty.
Noting that the threatening calls are becoming farther and farther away from him, Jaejoong heave a sigh of relief. He is so disappointed in himself, angry for being so weak. He’s practically a nobody, a weakling, and yet he still dared to dream to avenge Soo Jung’s death?
How could he? How shameless can he be? He’s such a failure, Soo Jung is the only sister he has, he can’t even protect her. Now that she’s dead, he didn’t even have the chance to see her body. Avenging her death suddenly seems more complex now.
Physically and emotionally drained, Jaejoong crouch on the floor helplessly, letting the droplets of rain reaches his body without any resistance. Looking left and right, he finally notices that he’s no longer in the garden area. Where is he?
Everywhere he looked are great tall walls concealing buildings he can’t even comprehend. The pathway in front of him are not of soil, but are covered with marbles. It was long and straight, ending in a two-way junction.
From the books he read, he’s most probably in the back palace, the residential palaces for the emperors consort. It is forbidden for men that is not eunuchs to be in this place. Knowing very well that he can’t be caught over here, Jaejoong stood up from his previous position, walking straight. Where should he go?
He limply walks, his feet suddenly convulsing. He’s such a hopeless case really.
A sheer thought flashes through his mind. Did his parents knew about Soo Jung already? Did they know she’s dead? How would they react? Will her mother hate him more for not protecting her? Will she hit him again? There’s no more Soo Jung now, will he survive?
Thinking of Soo Jung broke his heart. She was such an angel. How many times had she taken her mother’s blow for him? Though she was younger and was a girl, she had always been the stronger one. Yes, he’s cold, he never shows his emotion blatantly. But when it comes to physical strength, Soo Jung is much much stronger than him. She never cried whenever her mother slap her or hit her for defending Jaejoong. Jaejoong barely cries too, but he’s a man so that didn’t count.
How many times had she thrown herself on top of him just to protect him from her mother's fury? How many times had she talk back to her mother just to protect him? It was always her. His whole world revolves around her. She’s the only one who’d talk to him all day long despite getting no response. She’s the only one who’d tolerate his blank face, his obsession towards books, his sometimes blunt choice of words. And now she’s gone. What would he do without her?
“Soo Jung,” his yearning for her explodes this very moment. Tears escape his eyes again as he forces himself to continue walking. The sadness turned to hatred in a mere millisecond.
Lady Ara. She’s the cause of everything. She’s the one who killed her. She’s the one who took their Soo Jung from them. Jaejoong unconsciously bit his lips in anger. Thinking of that- that vixen is stimulating his tempest. If it weren’t for her, Soo Jung will be alive right now. She’d be in her bed, watching Jaejoong reading on the floor while smiling. Sometimes talking about how she tried to beg the palace guards to help sneak him away and how they scoffed at her and shooed her away. Though it was one of the most fearful moments for them, it was also one of their most intimate together.
And now, thinking of it creeps Jaejoong with nostalgia again. Soo Jung is gone. He’ll never experience such a thing again. No one would be able to tolerate him the way Soo Jung did. He’d be all alone from now on.
Blinded by his tears, he walked straight into the blind corner where the path divides into two at the end of the road.
-Bump-
Jaejoong fell on the ground almost automatically. He looked up and saw many people wearing guards’ clothes looking at him threateningly, including the one he had just bumped into.
“How audacious!” Jaejoong turns to the source of the voice, his face blank. His eyes fell on a middle aged eunuch who is holding an umbrella while glaring sharply at him. Still with his stoic face, Jaejoong’s eyes turns to the palanquin the eunuch is standing next to. It is very very big, covered in black silk of the finest quality. In the entrance of the palanquin, there is a white silk with a black dragon embroided on it.
Dragon? Black dragon? Wasn’t that the current emperor’s chosen emblem? If so, whoever it is inside the palanquin must’ve been one of the royal bloods.
Jaejoong hold his breath, this isn’t going to be good. “Hurry and beg for your life!” the eunuch said as the guards guarding the palanquin circled around him, their spears and swords in hand.
This is really really not good. As if everything that happened to him today is not enough, God decided to send him more tries in a cascading streak. He suddenly feels very very tired. So tired that his eyelids are heavy and his feet feels as though it has been shackled with rocks.
“This is treason! Treason on the highest level! This ground is off limits to the others except for His Royal Highness the emperor and the 13 concubines!” Jaejoong can hear him say, he could not tell if he was yelling or not because his head is too heavy. The voice of the eunuch right now seems to be so distant to him.
He can vaguely see the white silk of the palanquin moving slightly. With his eyes still half lidded, he saw the silk being moved aside and the first thing that greeted him was a pair of dark almond eyes looking straight at him. The owner of that pair of eyes is a man, so intimidating, so possessing, there is this air of arrogance in his face. And he seem to be a little tranced too seeing upon seeing Jaejoong, Jaejoong couldn’t tell why.
The lips of the man in the palanquin moves, but he couldn’t hear anything he said, all he hears is the sound of loud excruciating ringing, which he is sure no one but him can hear.
Apparently the man's words are more than enough to silence the eunuch. Who is he? Why is he looking at him like that?
Jaejoong squinted his eyes, trying to diminish the blurry vision he’s having. But his eyes appears to be fond of optical illusion right now. Right next to the man in the palanquin, Jaejoong can see the silhouette of Soo Jung crying. There is this very big cut on her neck, her clothes are tainted red and she is shaking her head, refraining him from something he didn’t understand. She couldn’t say anything, she can only shake her head while crying. The silhouette of Soo Jung disappeared before he can even decode anything.
The grounds below him suddenly moves, spinning in the greatest centrifuge. He succumb to everything as his world turns black. He didn’t even notice his body being carried up to somewhere he’d call home in the future.
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AN: Okay, first of all, I need to apologize in case if this chappie didn't come to your expectation. I really tried to make it better, but, lol writing is so hard.
I hope this is not confusing. I can only say, Yun Ho has own plan everytime he did something, except towards Jaejoong of course. If you have anything to ask feel free to do so. Please give me comments, here I'll give you my YunJae cookie as a return >.< XDD
This story won't be too long or too short either, it will have like 20-25 chapter, lol, just an early notification XDD
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