The King's Man V
Title: The King's Man
Pairing: Chanhee/Byunghun
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU
Previous Chapters: One, Two, Three, Four
Disclaimer: They belong to Andy, not me.
When the servant arrived at the queen's quarters, he was immediately ushered inside. Another servant delivered news of his presence to the queen's matron, and the older woman merely nodded and returned to the queen's side.
Queen Minjung was an intensely vain woman. Her father was one of the king's ministers, and had served the king's father too before his death. She had grown up, the youngest of three children, being given anything she wanted, and taking anything she could. That included her husband, the king.
She was also a cold woman. As a child she had constantly used her family's power to bring misfortune on others. She didn't care for Chanhee in a loving way; she was a shrewd, calculating witch who merely kept up appearances for her own gain. He was at the top of the ladder, where she too wanted to be, and she had merely used him to get there.
The lack of love, however, did not make her any less possessive of him. After all, what good was being queen if the people whispered behind her back that she couldn't even hold the king's attention ?
She was busy examining her face in a looking glass when her matron returned. The woman was a godsend, truly. She had been with Minjung's family since before her birth, and she would do anything for her. She had, after all, practically raised her, and motherly instincts knew no boundaries. She whispered to the queen, informing her of the man's return, and the queen demanded he be brought forth at once. The sweaty man was escorted into her chambers, and the queen dismissed all but her matron from the room.
"My lady," the servant murmured, bowing to her. The queen waved a hand impatiently at him and rolled her eyes.
"Dispense with the formalities. Sit. Speak. What news of the boy?"
The man promptly sank to the floor. "The boy was summoned to the king's chambers last night. Twice now he's gone to the king's bed, and yet... the king has yet to lie with him."
The queen let out a sigh of relief. If her husband had summoned one of his unseemly lovers twice and yet been unable to sleep with him, then surely he didn't care for the boy and he would soon be gone. What use did he have, after all, for a wonchung he could not be with?
"It seems as if the boy is frightened of the king taking him..." the servant cleared his throat and stared very resolutely at the wall behind the queen's head. "His highness seems to have... er..."
The queen felt something squirm in the pit of her stomach. "The king seems to have what?" she asked evenly. "Has he not dismissed the child? There is no use for an incompetent servant."
The man shook his head, hands twisting nervously in his lap. "No, your highness... the king struck a deal with the boy. He will still call upon him, but he will wait for the boy until he believes he is ready..."
"What?"
The queen stiffened, her gaze hardening as she dug her nails into the palms of her hands. Beside her, the matron made a soft sound and looked away. The servant squirmed nervously.
"The king is keeping him until-"
"Leave."
The man looked flustered, but he instantly moved to his feet and backed out of the room as the queen gritted her teeth. Her gaze fixated on the looking glass before her, but her own reflection didn't seem to have any calming effect on her now.
Why? Why did he keep useless whores and men as toys? Minjung was beautiful in her own right. More beautiful than every other woman in Joseon. She was the queen, the mother of all the country, and the woman every other woman in the land wished to be like. Men praised her beauty and intelligence on a daily basis.
So why did her husband insist on keeping such a beautiful boy to call upon, rather than calling on her? One had been tolerable, but this new one, this useless child who wasn't even able to fulfill his obligations... his face flashed through her mind again, and she shook her head angrily. What was Chanhee doing with him, if they did not sleep together? Why was he being kind to this boy? Why?!
She pushed the looking glass away.
~ ~ ~
Chanhee yawned as he sat up and rubbed sleepily at his eyes. It was bright in his room; the window was open, and sunlight streamed in, warming his bared skin. Minsoo was sitting on the floor under the window, his sword in his lap, hair falling in his eyes. He looked as if he was sleeping, and Chanhee tried to be as quiet as possible as he extracted himself from the blankets.
He'd barely taken three steps from his mattress when Minsoo's eyes opened. Chanhee didn't even take notice of it as he dressed himself and washed his face and hands.
He knew, though. He always knew.
"Minsoo. I require your assistance with something." He turned to the guard, whose head was still lowered. "There is something that needs to be looked into."
The tall man smiled softly, lifting his head to look through his loose-falling hair at the king. He already knew what his request was going to be, and he already knew the people he would be going to. He nodded slowly, and Chanhee mirrored the movement.
"Discreetly, Minsoo."
"Of course."
Chanhee tossed a damp cloth at Minsoo, amusement evident on his face even as he turned to walk out the door and begin his day.
"Wash your face before you go. You drooled on yourself as you slept."
~ ~ ~
Several quiet days passed without Byunghun or Jonghyun being called upon or disturbed; the queen's man lurked, listening to their harmless conversations, but gleaned little he could pass on.
"Can you shoot a bow, Byunghun?" Jonghyun asked one night, his eyes fixed on the ceiling as he lay with his limbs spread wide in the middle of the floor. Byunghun was moving around the room, rearranging things and straightening up and trying not to step on the outstretched hands and feet.
"Yes." He tossed a pillow at Jonghyun and hummed quietly to himself as he peered in the drawers of the cabinet. "Put that where it belongs."
He heard Jonghyun sit up behind him as he opened a drawer full of hair decorations. "Why are these in here?"
"This building was originally for the king's women," Jonghyun replied, waving the question away. "Who taught you? Are you good at it?"
Byunghun wrinkled his nose and turned to look at Jonghyun. The boy was staring at him from the floor, an expression of rapt attention on his face.
"The king has women, too?"
"He only ever had one other than the queen, but she passed away last year. Who taught you?"
"Oh." So the king had no concubines? That seemed strange. Byunghun licked his lips and went back to checking the drawers before mumbling, "My father."
His tone of voice would have told anyone else that this was not a welcome topic of conversation. But Jonghyun seemed to have fixated, and as much as Byunghun wished the boy would leave it be... he knew he wouldn't. He was all ears and pressing questions. Coupling that with his childlike curiosity meant that his newest friend's entire life would end up being questioned despite the fact that he'd asked the boy to leave his past alone.
"When did you learn? Are you good?"
"When I was a child... I was mediocre, I suppose." He closed the drawer he was in and turned. "It is getting late, Jonghyun. We should rest."
Jonghyun gave him a long hard look before nodding and hugging the pillow in his arms. "I suppose you're right."
It was confusing when he went along so easily with what Byunghun said. He helped him to lay out the bedding without a word, and undressed himself just as quietly before climbing under his blanket. Byunghun wondered to himself if he'd upset the boy.
"The king will be shooting tomorrow, and we've been invited to the range to watch. I'll help you dress in the morning." Byunghun could hear the grin in his voice. "Goodnight."
~ ~ ~
When it came time to leave for the archery range in the morning, Byunghun refused to set his feet beyond the doorway of their pavilion. Jonghyun begged, pleaded, and whined with all his might, but still Byunghun would not go.
"I will not go with this... thing in my hair." Byunghun looked up at the boy, his expression surly. "Help me get it out, now."
Jonghyun had found some sort of gaudy hair pin in one of the drawers this morning, and he had fixed it into Byunghun's hair in such a way that he couldn't figure out how to get it out without pulling his hair and hurting himself. Jonghyun was rather proud of himself for it, but Byunghun felt ridiculous.
"I think it looks pretty," Changhyun said from the doorway, his eyes on the back of Byunghun's head. "You should keep it."
Byunghun grumbled something about not wanting to look 'pretty' and waited for Jonghyun to help him remove it. The boy groaned and stomped his feet; it did look nice, but with the softness of Byunghun's features, it truly didn't help to enhance his masculinity. He still wanted to leave it in.
"You're being a child," he whined, missing the irony of his own words. Byunghun glared at him. "Fiiiiiine."
It took him several minutes to undo his own handiwork, and he muttered through the entire process. They were going to miss the king shooting. Jonghyun was going to miss his favourite thing to watch, and all because of Byunghun. Shame on him.
When he was done, and the pin lay on the floor, Jonghyun stood and immediately scooped Byunghun up and threw him over his shoulder.
"Jonghyun!" Byunghun yelped, grabbing onto him, legs kicking. "Put me down!"
Changhyun stared at them both, eyes wide as Jonghyun hurried past him and toward the range. Byunghun smacked his back and yelled over and over for the boy to put him down, but Jonghyun was having none of it.
"Hurry Changhyunnie!" he called back as he ran, and the small servant stumbled down the steps to follow them.
It must have looked ridiculous to anyone who saw them hurrying across the grounds; halfway there, Byunghun just gave up fighting and slumped on Jonghyun's shoulder, watching helplessly as Changhyun tried to catch up. He was beginning to wonder how the boy was strong enough to still be carrying him when Jonghyun slowed his steps, eventually stopping and dropping the irritated Byunghun back on his feet.
Byunghun immediately slapped Jonghyun's chest and stepped away from him.
"Why did you do that?" he grumbled, fingers running through his mussed hair, trying to fix it as Jonghyun hadn't given him a chance. "I could have kept up with you."
"We're late..." Jonghyun grabbed Byunghun's other hand and tugged him along with him as they approached the small crowd that had come to watch. He gestured to his left. "There he is, look."
The king was sitting on a platform in a high-backed chair, his bow across his lap, absently checking the string's tensity. His eyes, however, were on the targets, his face a mask of concentration. Minsoo stood several feet behind him.
His eyes were focused on Byunghun and Jonghyun. Byunghun felt his face flood with heat and he looked away, but he could still feel the sharp gaze.
Unbeknownst to both boys, the queen's attention was also focused on the wonchungs.
When Chanhee stood, the small crowd of palace ladies and officials went silent. He stepped forward, thanking Minsoo when the guard handed him a quiver full of arrows, and fit one to the bow with practiced fingers.
He pulled the string back slowly, head tilting a little. Byunghun fixated on him, his gaze as intent as Chanhee's was on the target. He watched the way the king's sleeve slid up his extended arm, saw the tremble when he pulled the string as far as he could. He held it at its tightest point as he adjusted his aim just slightly, and Byunghun felt a shiver run up his spine.
He stood perfect, tense, and ready, and for the first time, Byunghun truly recognised how beautiful his king was.
The arrow flew, and Byunghun heard the thud as it hit the target. The people around him clapped, some murmuring their approval, but Byunghun's attention never left the king and his bow. Through the entire session, while the quiver was slowly emptied of the arrows as Chanhee took shot after shot, his eyes followed not a single one.
Nor did the queen's.
Pairing: Chanhee/Byunghun
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU
Previous Chapters: One, Two, Three, Four
Disclaimer: They belong to Andy, not me.
When the servant arrived at the queen's quarters, he was immediately ushered inside. Another servant delivered news of his presence to the queen's matron, and the older woman merely nodded and returned to the queen's side.
Queen Minjung was an intensely vain woman. Her father was one of the king's ministers, and had served the king's father too before his death. She had grown up, the youngest of three children, being given anything she wanted, and taking anything she could. That included her husband, the king.
She was also a cold woman. As a child she had constantly used her family's power to bring misfortune on others. She didn't care for Chanhee in a loving way; she was a shrewd, calculating witch who merely kept up appearances for her own gain. He was at the top of the ladder, where she too wanted to be, and she had merely used him to get there.
The lack of love, however, did not make her any less possessive of him. After all, what good was being queen if the people whispered behind her back that she couldn't even hold the king's attention ?
She was busy examining her face in a looking glass when her matron returned. The woman was a godsend, truly. She had been with Minjung's family since before her birth, and she would do anything for her. She had, after all, practically raised her, and motherly instincts knew no boundaries. She whispered to the queen, informing her of the man's return, and the queen demanded he be brought forth at once. The sweaty man was escorted into her chambers, and the queen dismissed all but her matron from the room.
"My lady," the servant murmured, bowing to her. The queen waved a hand impatiently at him and rolled her eyes.
"Dispense with the formalities. Sit. Speak. What news of the boy?"
The man promptly sank to the floor. "The boy was summoned to the king's chambers last night. Twice now he's gone to the king's bed, and yet... the king has yet to lie with him."
The queen let out a sigh of relief. If her husband had summoned one of his unseemly lovers twice and yet been unable to sleep with him, then surely he didn't care for the boy and he would soon be gone. What use did he have, after all, for a wonchung he could not be with?
"It seems as if the boy is frightened of the king taking him..." the servant cleared his throat and stared very resolutely at the wall behind the queen's head. "His highness seems to have... er..."
The queen felt something squirm in the pit of her stomach. "The king seems to have what?" she asked evenly. "Has he not dismissed the child? There is no use for an incompetent servant."
The man shook his head, hands twisting nervously in his lap. "No, your highness... the king struck a deal with the boy. He will still call upon him, but he will wait for the boy until he believes he is ready..."
"What?"
The queen stiffened, her gaze hardening as she dug her nails into the palms of her hands. Beside her, the matron made a soft sound and looked away. The servant squirmed nervously.
"The king is keeping him until-"
"Leave."
The man looked flustered, but he instantly moved to his feet and backed out of the room as the queen gritted her teeth. Her gaze fixated on the looking glass before her, but her own reflection didn't seem to have any calming effect on her now.
Why? Why did he keep useless whores and men as toys? Minjung was beautiful in her own right. More beautiful than every other woman in Joseon. She was the queen, the mother of all the country, and the woman every other woman in the land wished to be like. Men praised her beauty and intelligence on a daily basis.
So why did her husband insist on keeping such a beautiful boy to call upon, rather than calling on her? One had been tolerable, but this new one, this useless child who wasn't even able to fulfill his obligations... his face flashed through her mind again, and she shook her head angrily. What was Chanhee doing with him, if they did not sleep together? Why was he being kind to this boy? Why?!
She pushed the looking glass away.
~ ~ ~
Chanhee yawned as he sat up and rubbed sleepily at his eyes. It was bright in his room; the window was open, and sunlight streamed in, warming his bared skin. Minsoo was sitting on the floor under the window, his sword in his lap, hair falling in his eyes. He looked as if he was sleeping, and Chanhee tried to be as quiet as possible as he extracted himself from the blankets.
He'd barely taken three steps from his mattress when Minsoo's eyes opened. Chanhee didn't even take notice of it as he dressed himself and washed his face and hands.
He knew, though. He always knew.
"Minsoo. I require your assistance with something." He turned to the guard, whose head was still lowered. "There is something that needs to be looked into."
The tall man smiled softly, lifting his head to look through his loose-falling hair at the king. He already knew what his request was going to be, and he already knew the people he would be going to. He nodded slowly, and Chanhee mirrored the movement.
"Discreetly, Minsoo."
"Of course."
Chanhee tossed a damp cloth at Minsoo, amusement evident on his face even as he turned to walk out the door and begin his day.
"Wash your face before you go. You drooled on yourself as you slept."
~ ~ ~
Several quiet days passed without Byunghun or Jonghyun being called upon or disturbed; the queen's man lurked, listening to their harmless conversations, but gleaned little he could pass on.
"Can you shoot a bow, Byunghun?" Jonghyun asked one night, his eyes fixed on the ceiling as he lay with his limbs spread wide in the middle of the floor. Byunghun was moving around the room, rearranging things and straightening up and trying not to step on the outstretched hands and feet.
"Yes." He tossed a pillow at Jonghyun and hummed quietly to himself as he peered in the drawers of the cabinet. "Put that where it belongs."
He heard Jonghyun sit up behind him as he opened a drawer full of hair decorations. "Why are these in here?"
"This building was originally for the king's women," Jonghyun replied, waving the question away. "Who taught you? Are you good at it?"
Byunghun wrinkled his nose and turned to look at Jonghyun. The boy was staring at him from the floor, an expression of rapt attention on his face.
"The king has women, too?"
"He only ever had one other than the queen, but she passed away last year. Who taught you?"
"Oh." So the king had no concubines? That seemed strange. Byunghun licked his lips and went back to checking the drawers before mumbling, "My father."
His tone of voice would have told anyone else that this was not a welcome topic of conversation. But Jonghyun seemed to have fixated, and as much as Byunghun wished the boy would leave it be... he knew he wouldn't. He was all ears and pressing questions. Coupling that with his childlike curiosity meant that his newest friend's entire life would end up being questioned despite the fact that he'd asked the boy to leave his past alone.
"When did you learn? Are you good?"
"When I was a child... I was mediocre, I suppose." He closed the drawer he was in and turned. "It is getting late, Jonghyun. We should rest."
Jonghyun gave him a long hard look before nodding and hugging the pillow in his arms. "I suppose you're right."
It was confusing when he went along so easily with what Byunghun said. He helped him to lay out the bedding without a word, and undressed himself just as quietly before climbing under his blanket. Byunghun wondered to himself if he'd upset the boy.
"The king will be shooting tomorrow, and we've been invited to the range to watch. I'll help you dress in the morning." Byunghun could hear the grin in his voice. "Goodnight."
~ ~ ~
When it came time to leave for the archery range in the morning, Byunghun refused to set his feet beyond the doorway of their pavilion. Jonghyun begged, pleaded, and whined with all his might, but still Byunghun would not go.
"I will not go with this... thing in my hair." Byunghun looked up at the boy, his expression surly. "Help me get it out, now."
Jonghyun had found some sort of gaudy hair pin in one of the drawers this morning, and he had fixed it into Byunghun's hair in such a way that he couldn't figure out how to get it out without pulling his hair and hurting himself. Jonghyun was rather proud of himself for it, but Byunghun felt ridiculous.
"I think it looks pretty," Changhyun said from the doorway, his eyes on the back of Byunghun's head. "You should keep it."
Byunghun grumbled something about not wanting to look 'pretty' and waited for Jonghyun to help him remove it. The boy groaned and stomped his feet; it did look nice, but with the softness of Byunghun's features, it truly didn't help to enhance his masculinity. He still wanted to leave it in.
"You're being a child," he whined, missing the irony of his own words. Byunghun glared at him. "Fiiiiiine."
It took him several minutes to undo his own handiwork, and he muttered through the entire process. They were going to miss the king shooting. Jonghyun was going to miss his favourite thing to watch, and all because of Byunghun. Shame on him.
When he was done, and the pin lay on the floor, Jonghyun stood and immediately scooped Byunghun up and threw him over his shoulder.
"Jonghyun!" Byunghun yelped, grabbing onto him, legs kicking. "Put me down!"
Changhyun stared at them both, eyes wide as Jonghyun hurried past him and toward the range. Byunghun smacked his back and yelled over and over for the boy to put him down, but Jonghyun was having none of it.
"Hurry Changhyunnie!" he called back as he ran, and the small servant stumbled down the steps to follow them.
It must have looked ridiculous to anyone who saw them hurrying across the grounds; halfway there, Byunghun just gave up fighting and slumped on Jonghyun's shoulder, watching helplessly as Changhyun tried to catch up. He was beginning to wonder how the boy was strong enough to still be carrying him when Jonghyun slowed his steps, eventually stopping and dropping the irritated Byunghun back on his feet.
Byunghun immediately slapped Jonghyun's chest and stepped away from him.
"Why did you do that?" he grumbled, fingers running through his mussed hair, trying to fix it as Jonghyun hadn't given him a chance. "I could have kept up with you."
"We're late..." Jonghyun grabbed Byunghun's other hand and tugged him along with him as they approached the small crowd that had come to watch. He gestured to his left. "There he is, look."
The king was sitting on a platform in a high-backed chair, his bow across his lap, absently checking the string's tensity. His eyes, however, were on the targets, his face a mask of concentration. Minsoo stood several feet behind him.
His eyes were focused on Byunghun and Jonghyun. Byunghun felt his face flood with heat and he looked away, but he could still feel the sharp gaze.
Unbeknownst to both boys, the queen's attention was also focused on the wonchungs.
When Chanhee stood, the small crowd of palace ladies and officials went silent. He stepped forward, thanking Minsoo when the guard handed him a quiver full of arrows, and fit one to the bow with practiced fingers.
He pulled the string back slowly, head tilting a little. Byunghun fixated on him, his gaze as intent as Chanhee's was on the target. He watched the way the king's sleeve slid up his extended arm, saw the tremble when he pulled the string as far as he could. He held it at its tightest point as he adjusted his aim just slightly, and Byunghun felt a shiver run up his spine.
He stood perfect, tense, and ready, and for the first time, Byunghun truly recognised how beautiful his king was.
The arrow flew, and Byunghun heard the thud as it hit the target. The people around him clapped, some murmuring their approval, but Byunghun's attention never left the king and his bow. Through the entire session, while the quiver was slowly emptied of the arrows as Chanhee took shot after shot, his eyes followed not a single one.
Nor did the queen's.