788.He had finished this task, but he had not claimed ownership of it.
It was a brief statement. But with those few words, a line was drawn. The Princess of the State of Lu stopped speaking. She did not ask why, nor did she try to persuade further. She already knew. He had finished this task, but he had not claimed ownership of it. He was not standing in the position to hear, nor did he have any reason to know. It was not his place to determine who was at fault, who was light, who would stay, and who would be cast aside. He was not someone who turned his back on the world, but someone who always stood half a step away from it. The Princess of the State of Lu realized then. The reason this man was dangerous was not because of his power. It was because he was not bound by any position. And that was the most frightening power of all.
He had already turned away. To check the fire so that the noodles wouldn't burn, to the small place he had decided to stand. This person did not seek fame. He had already chosen where to stay. The Princess of the State of Lu tasted the noodles she had just boiled. She chewed slowly and nodded.
"I want to try it in the palace too."
"I learned it from the Yuan, but," Park Seongjin said, "I changed it to fit the Korean style, so the taste is slightly different."
When she asked about the recipe, he explained without holding anything back. There was nothing that could be called a secret. The strength of the hand, the breath in the dough, and the temperature of the water. That was all.
The Princess of the State of Lu tried to express her gratitude. However, Park Seongjin shook his head.
"It is enough that you are safe, Your Majesty."
He rejected everything. He had to call the head of the house secretly and hand it over to him. He then returned inside. The place where the rolling pin had been left, the warmth of the dough still lingering. The scent of noodles had blended with the scent of the palace and faded away.
The king's consideration was not something that could be shown openly. He did not call for her nor pressure her. He knew that she wouldn't come even if asked. She wouldn't come. But the king did not forget the favor.
Near Gouwolsan in Hwanghaedo, by the Pyeopsa temple. The mountain was not high, and the water flowed gently around it. It was a warm place, neither too busy nor too remote for a hermit to stay. The king's mind was simple. He didn't want her to leave to a far place, to disappear into eternity. As long as she stayed by his side, if she could just glance back at him once, he believed the country could endure with that strength.
"Just by being there, we can live well," the king's consideration could be summarized in one sentence.
He first called the geomancers. He summoned renowned geomancers one by one to check the mountains and the water. He selected a place where the wind remained, where the energy did not scatter. The mountain should support the back, and the front should be open but not too exposed.
In the end, all the geomancers nodded in agreement without saying anything further. One geomancer knelt and spread out the map. On the thin silk, the mountain ridges and waterways were drawn with ink. The king silently gazed down at it.
"Your Majesty," the geomancer spoke cautiously. "The area near Pyeopsa temple in Gouwolsan is not a place that holds people."
The king's brow moved slightly. The geomancer, noticing that small reaction, continued.
"The mountain is not high, and the energy is not fast. Even if the energy gathers, it doesn't overflow, and even when it flows, it does not scatter. If you stay, it won't be suffocating, and if you leave, it won't chase you."
The king asked, "Are you saying it won't block you if you stay?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"And it won't crumble if you leave?"
The geomancer pointed with his finger to the waterway on the map. "The water is not wide, so it doesn't bring wealth, but it cleanses the heart. The wind is blocked by the valley, and it doesn't rush in. The energy stays for a while and then slowly moves forward."
A moment of silence followed. The king repeated the words quietly, as if pondering them. "So, it's not a place where you can make people stay for long."
The geomancer bowed his head more deeply. "Yes, Your Majesty. This place does not hold people; instead, it is a place where people stay and become whole when they choose to stay."
The king's hand slowly folded. He understood the meaning perfectly. "It would not be a place to hide."
"That's the geography," the geomancer answered without lifting his head. "If you don't look for it, you won't find it. Only those who know the way can reach it. It doesn't block people's steps, but the eyes of the world pass by it."
The king was silent for a long time. His gaze was no longer on the map but already on the person who would be there.
"Build it in moderation," the king finally spoke. "Not too much like the palace, not too little like a hermitage."
"I will do as Your Majesty commands."
The king nodded. His feelings of wanting to keep that person with him, but not wanting to confine them, were contained in that one nod. The place near Pyeopsa temple in Gouwolsan became known as a place that "wouldn't block you if you stayed, and wouldn't scatter if you left."
The geomancer's beautiful speech was not for decoration. It was the king's method of choosing a way to not summon the person, but still not lose them. The mountain wasn't high, so it didn't pressure people. The energy didn't flow quickly, so it didn't rush in. The valley held it for a while, and then let it go. The wind didn't blow directly; it came through slowly. The water wasn't large. Since it wasn't large, it didn't draw in the world. It flowed quietly, helping to cleanse the mind of the one who stayed there. The place didn't hold you, but it didn't let you go either.
The king had the house built there. It was a way to give someone who couldn't stay a place to stay, without commanding them to remain. At the end of that thought, there was a sentence. He believed that just by being there, the country could endure. The king's consideration for Park Seongjin was an effort not to trap him but to not lose him. The king's choice was the stubbornness of trying to maintain the balance between the two.