"Do you remember the pond?" Chi pointed, excitedly, at an expansive, crystal blue pool, surrounded by soft, willowy trees and reeds.
"Mmm," I gave my noncommittal agreement. In truth, I didn't remember this pond at all, and although it looked nothing like it—it was much prettier—it made for an unpleasant reminder of my grandmother's pond, the one I was supposed to muck out. The one that I was supposed to muck out before I ended up here, that is.
If Chi noticed that I wasn't saying much, he didn't question it. "I remember, once, just after my father died, I was sitting on that rock there. You came from behind me and handed me a flower."
"A flower?" I wrinkled my nose. "That's an—odd—gift. For a man."
Chi laughed. "Perhaps. But it wasn't so much the gift as how you gave it. Flowers were always your favourite thing, so when you gave them as a gift, I could tell it was from your heart." He paused. "You probably don't remember, do you?"
"Well...I mean…" I coughed. "It's just that I was so little…"
Chi shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he said, warmly. "I'm not sure if I expected you to. It's as you said—you were very young then."
"It's a very pretty spot," I volunteered. I didn't want him to think that I—or Ha-Na—didn't care enough to remember anything about him. Especially after the whole fiasco the day before.
"It is." He gazed out, lost in thought. "I came here often after father died. Nobody really ever looked for me here." His gaze shifted towards me. "Except you."
I swallowed and nodded, not knowing what to say.
Chi broke away from the scenery, turning to face me more fully. "Anyways, I promised that I'd tell you on our walk why I asked you to come."
"Yes." Once again, I felt that noncommittal was the way to go.
"You remember the village that you saw when you first arrived?"
"Yes." Geesh, nothing like more reminders of yesterday.
"Well, that's just one of many in our kingdom. They've been more prosperous, lately, than other years."
"Why?"
"Do you know what drives most people?"
I considered the possibilities. Wealth, prestige, power, love. "Love?" I tested, going for the most wholesome of the answers.
Something shifted in Chi's eyes. He seemed to—relax? 'He trusts me,' I thought. 'But that's impossible. He doesn't know you. He doesn't even really know Ha-Na, except from when she was a little girl.'
"That's exactly it," he replied. "People love their families. Parents love their children. They would do anything to ensure that they are healthy and safe. Some may want other things or more things, but that is the basis of human desires."
"So, they feel loved?" I was hit by exactly how stupid it sounded as soon as the words left my mouth, but Chi's lips only curved into a bright grin.
"Exactly. Or, rather they feel they can give their love to their families. Over the last few years, since my uncle died and my cousin, Ju, took over, we've been able to increase the amount of food that we can provide villages local to the palace substantially. When people aren't hungry, they aren't desperate. They can live happy, fulfilled lives."
"So," I mentally tried connecting the dots. "So you guys…I mean, the kingdom is doing better?"
"Yes." Chi emphasized his point with an enthusiastic nod.
"That's great!" I tried to be enthusiastic too—well, as enthusiastic as I could be, given how overwhelmed I still was. "So, how does that involve me?"
Chi burst out laughing, a blissful, sunny sound that almost surprised me. I didn't know why—I'd seen him smile or chuckle before—but somehow, this moment seemed much more unguarded than previous ones. "I'm glad that your directness hasn't changed at all." He cast me a wry smile. "It involves you because you're one of the best plant experts within the kingdom boundaries. You always were. At the same time, your talents haven't been recognized by many yet."
"O-kay? But if you've already, very successfully, been helping your kingdom out, I don't see how I could improve on your good work."
"Why stop at just the villages?"
I blinked at Chi, who smiled in good-natured amusement at my confusion. "So, you mean…"
"As I said, my uncle meant for Goryeo to be a better place to live, for everybody. He may have been king for a long time, but his life wasn't always easy. It often wasn't." He paused, and I could see the sorrow in his eyes. I recognized from my own, and from many of the other grad students and people I worked with. Chi and his family may have been royalty, but something told me nothing about their lives were cushy. "Even when you were little," Chi continued, "you saw that inequality and heartbreak. I remember, you would save half of almost everything you ate to share with village children. My uncle had changed a lot, and Ju as well, but we need to keep that change going. Ju is often busy with larger matters than this, as important as food supply is to him."
"And you think that I…" I really wasn't my most my articulate since coming to Goryeo, but I was starting to fit the pieces together. "…You want me to help you with…plants?"
Chi grinned broadly, and I knew I had guessed exactly right. "Exactly. We spend a lot of time developing our military, and while that is necessary, of course, I feel that if we address people's most basic needs, everyone will be happier and more cooperative. Ju, as I said, is very busy these days, but I serve as one of his primary advisors. Developing this area is my special project. And yours, too, if you'd like it."
"So, we'd be, like, developing drought-resistant plants, or something like that?"
"Yes, if you feel that it's the best solution, but I'd also like to develop medicinal plants to help with treating disease. And also…" he hesitated. "I know that I've brought you here as an expert, but I would appreciate someone who could help us during the harvesting season."
"You want someone to help you harvest?"
"Yes." Chi's tone was still hesitant. "You would be compensated for your time, I promise. And I'll also be working in the fields, right beside you."
He didn't know that he didn't need to be so hesitant—in my heart, I'd already said yes. Even though I'd entered into the botany field because of my love of being outdoors, I'd found that grad school didn't always give me as many opportunities for field work as I'd hoped. I'd spent over two years pretty much sequestered to classrooms, labs, and thesis-writing sessions in my student apartment. I was more than ready to get out in the garden again. "I accept," I said, although the simplicity didn't quite match my level of excitement.
Chi's expression of mild concern immediately evaporated, and, like dawn breaking clouds, he smiled. "Really?"
"Really. Thank you for asking me."
"I should be thanking you." He held his hand out to me. "Partner."
I took his hand. I'd already accepted his offered hand before, when he helped me stand up, and even then, I'd been impressed by it's solidness. But something felt different when I accepted it this time, something like the allure of a promise; the promise of something better. It had been a long time since I'd been promised something better, happier, more fulfilling than what I had. Right away, I knew I'd done the right thing by taking him up on his offer.
With that thought, I returned his smile, pressing my thumb to his. "My pleasure, Partner."