Minsoo carried Hana, her head resting gently against his chest She was asleep.
He pushed the door open with his shoulder, stepping into her room, The faint scent of lavender in the air, he lowered her onto the bed, making sure not to wake her.
Minsoo reached for the blanket and pulled it over her shoulders.
Then he stood, hands in his pockets, staring at her.
He turned, the door closed with a click.
Minsoo walked back to the living room, The couch where they'd been sitting earlier, He dropped onto it, exhaling deeply.
He stared at the ceiling for a long time.
His eyes narrowed.
Minsoo sat up, grabbed his jacket from the chair, and snatched his car keys off the table.
----
[ TWO WEEKS LATER ]
At J-High cafeteria, one of the corner tables sat Daniel, Zack, Mira, Zoe, Mary, Vin, Vasco, Jay and Minsoo.
Zoe was showing pictures on her phone "It was a shame you didn't come to the winter trip, Minsoo It was so fun."
Across the table, Minsoo sat leaning "I don't have interest in those things."
"You've been quieter lately." Mary said.
"Hey, Minsoo, you listening?" Mary's voice broke through his thoughts.
He blinked "Yeah."
Mary tilted her head slightly. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." He gave a smile.
----
[ JEONJU ]
Sitting cross-legged on the floor were two figures Sun-ho and Choyun Both were silent.
Across from them sat a man whose presence seemed Heavy.
He was older, maybe in mid thirties with a lean body, 195Cm, hair Black and his eyes were Brown.
"So," the man said, his voice deep "You've come all the way to Jeonju, to Meet me."
Sun-ho nodded.
Sun-ho looked straight into his eyes "the Former King of Seoul, or Should I say, the First king of Seoul, Minwoo Ye-joon."
The man's eyes widened slightly, he didn't speak.
Choyun was Surprised.
"You… how do you know this?" Minwoo Ye-joon's tone surprised as well.
For the first time since they'd arrived, there was genuine surprise in his tone He hadn't expected anyone in this generation to speak those words.
"From someone I know." Sun-ho said.
Minwoo's eyes narrowed, He studied Sun-ho for a long moment.
He exhaled slowly "So, you've come here because of the past."
"Partly," Sun-ho said "But I'm also here for understanding."
"Understanding?"
"Yes."
"You were the King of Seoul before Jichang Kwak, People Don't know about your era and about you, the order, the balance you built And then, one day, you disappeared."
"I want to know why you left, Why you gave that title away."
Minwoo didn't answer immediately, His gaze drifted to the far wall where a photo hung, In it, a much younger version of him stood with a small boy on his shoulders, both smiling.
"Do you know what it costs, boy?" he asked.
Sun-ho said nothing.
Minwoo looked down at his hand "I thought being the strongest meant being responsible for everything, Every gang, every district and every person who called me their leader, I believed that if I worked hard enough, fought long enough, I could hold it all together."
He gave a laugh "But I forgot about the one thing that mattered most."
"My son," Minwoo said "He was eight, he smiled every day Said he wanted to grow up and be strong like his dad But I was too busy maintaining Seoul too busy keeping power balanced."
He looked at the floor "When I finally had time to go see him…he was already gone."
Silence except for the rain outside.
"I couldn't even hold his hand at the end, Couldn't tell him goodbye."
Choyun glanced at Sun-ho, his expression unreadable.
Minwoo continued "My wife… she couldn't forgive me And I don't blame her, She said my obsession with maintaining the Seoul killed him, She Divorced me and moved away."
He exhaled "After that, I didn't see a point anymore, What was the use of being king when I couldn't protect the one thing that truly mattered? So I gave it up I handed Seoul to the next name that could keep it standing, Jichang Kwak, He was strong and stable."
"A true warrior is one who can protect what's most important without needing a sword and I failed that."
Minwoo lifted his gaze, meeting Sun-ho's eyes again "People think being the king of Seoul means power, prestige and legacy But for me it was a curse, The higher you climb, the further you drift from what makes you human being"
He leaned forward "So, tell me, boy… if you become the king of a region once, what path will you take?"
"Humans are all born equal, we are like seed, some sprout into flowers admired, some grow into tree standing tall." Sun-ho said.
He continued "but some sprouts are given more nutrients, water, and sunlight because their parents were towering trees, is this fair to all the wild grass, who have to fight with each other for the smallest piece of water? when they're running low and fighting for life, the sprouts have grown into saplings, and they bathe in water that could feed hundreds of grass."
"Even weeds can outlast trees depending on their environment, Everyone has advantages and disadvatages, It is what you do with them that determines what kind of person you are."
Minwoo looked at him "The weeds are starving and the green vibrant trees tower above them, uncaring of their life or death, if you were such a starving weed looking up how would you feel? you cannot drink because the water is taken by the roots of the tree around you, you cannot grow because the sun is blocked by the towering leaves, all you can do is stagnate, decay and die."
Sun-ho also looked straight at him "Death isn't a bad thing, the only bad thing I know is that when you exist but lacking purpose, in that way you're already dead while you're still breathing."
"My path will be, a righteous one, surely. " Sun-ho said.