*TWO DAYS LATER*
It's the morning of the big day. Everyone at the Palace is working hard to make Changdeok-gung look stunning for Dong Si Cheng.
King Hyuk-Jae gets up early to prepare an animated schedule for his visit, but realizes that his younger brother is still asleep.
- Enuco Jang! Fill a bucket full of water from the small lake, and take it to Commander Kim's room. - Shouts Hyuk-Jae to the servant who is on the other side of the Palace with some ornaments in his arms.
From a distance, the enuco bends over and delivers the objects to one of the other servants who passed by and runs to the lake behind the Palace. Meanwhile, the king was hopping and humming towards his brother's quarters.
At the doors of the young commander's room, Enuco was holding a silver bucket full of water and some seaweed. The king silently dismisses Enuco and immediately opens the bedroom doors. Upon entering the room, the king carefully removes his shoes and places them near a small door. The king then tiptoes towards the young man's bed. Hyuk-Jae stops in front of the body of the youngest who is sleeping soundly, raises the bucket of water and turns it on top of his brother. The young commander, upon feeling the cold water touching his naked body, jumps out of bed and directs a look of indignation and hatred towards the king, who is squirming with laughter in a chair.
- YOU BASTARD! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?! - Tae yells getting up and covering his body with one of the sheets.
- YOU SHOULD LOOK IN THE MIRROR! YOUR FACE IS HILARY! - The eldest responds loudly.
- Go screw yourself, Eunhyuk! What you want? - Tae replies by pulling a garment of clothes and going behind a fabric wall.
- Did you forget that today we have the great visit of the Prince of Qing? We have to prepare everything for your arrival. - The king answers by taking a flower thrown on the table.
- Tae? Did you ... Have you thought about getting married? - The king looks at the petals of the flower while rotating it with his fingers.
- First: Yes. I had forgotten that Xingling would come here. Second: I do want to get married, have children ... But being the wife of a commander is not pleasant, it would only concern her. - Tae responds leaving behind the wall, wearing a blue and white hanbok.
- Don't call him that, Tae. At least not in front of him. - Says the king getting up from the table and fiddling with some small figurines that were on top of a small bamboo bookcase. - And ... You can leave the position of commander and be- I will not become a prince, much less leave the battlefields. - The oldest is interrupted by the youngest, who looked at him seriously.
- I see ... But you can't die alone, Tae. - Says the king placing his hand on the commander's shoulder.
- And you, Hyung ... You can't wait for someone all your life. - Tae responds looking into his brother's eyes.
- Yeah, I know. - Hyuk-Jae looks at the floor and walks towards his shoes. - Hurry, the Chinese can arrive at any time. - He ends up putting on his shoes and leaving the room.
After the king leaves Tae's quarters, the trumpets are blown and the voice of a guard announces the arrival of Prince Dong Si Cheng and his press conference.
Taehyung proceeds to the main hall tying his long black hair, which in the reflection of the sun, took on a bluish tinge.
Tae is announced by the guard and the hall's doors are opened, and inside him are some ministers, the king, the Chinese press conference and Prince Si Cheng. Tae enters without looking at the members present and sits next to his older brother.
- Taehyung, this is the Prince of Qing, Dong Si Cheng. Your Highness, this is my younger brother and army commander, Kim Taehyung. - The king introduces them.
- It is a great pleasure to meet you, Commander. - The young prince raises his drink glass to Tae.
- The pleasure is all- Taehyung stops talking when looking at the prince's smile and feels his heart flutter for a few seconds. - The-pleasure is all mine, Your Highness. - Tae comes back to her and raises her glass to the prince with a small smile.
- Commander Kim, could you take our visitor to see the Palace? - Hyuk-Jae asks looking into Tae's eyes.
- It will be an immense pleasure to accompany you, Commander. If that doesn't bother you, of course. - Says the prince a little excited.
- Eehh ... Imagine, it will be my pleasure to accompany you. Let me know when you want to start the tour. - Tae agrees but his voice shows a certain uncertainty.
- Can we do it now? I was very curious about this palace. Majesty, can we talk about politics tomorrow? - The young prince gets up excited about the idea.
- Ehhh ... Of course! Why not? - The king agrees a little surprised. - We talk tomorrow then.
"Can we go, Commander Kim?" The young prince asks as he opens the door to the hall.
- Yes, Majesty! WAIT FOR ME!! - Tae screams and soon starts to run when he sees that the prince leaves the room and closes the door.
The two young men were very close in the weeks that the prince and his press conference stayed at the Palace, at all times, they were glued, whether at dinner, at Tae's training, in meetings with the king, even in the bath. They were inseparable.
After two weeks of stay, things started to get more intense between the two, a kiss, a romance between the two. Obviously in secret.
In the third week, the young prince was no longer there for his country, but for his heart, for Taehyung's love. The young commander living his first romance in life and with another man, but for Tae, that was not a problem. Both could be themselves when they were together, doing and speaking whatever came to mind. Both promised to fight together against those who did not approve or try to separate them.
In the fourth week that the Chinese press conference was still in the Kingdom of Joseon, more Chinese soldiers began to arrive in the Kingdom. But this time they did not come in peace, they came heavily armed, with Western weapons, like cannons and huge catapults. There the Chinese then declared war on the Koreans.
Upon learning of the events, Tae looks for Si Cheng but does not find him. So, Tae puts on his armor and runs to the gate taking hundreds of soldiers with him. Upon reaching the gate, Tae sees the lookouts taking arrows and falling off the wall. Soon after, the gate is knocked down by the thousands of Chinese soldiers, but they do not attack the Korean soldiers. They make way for the general who was dragging an injured, almost dead body.
- CALL THE KING HERE NOW! Shouted the fat man with a huge scar on his face.
- I'M ALREADY HERE. WHAT YOU WANT? - Hyuk-Jae pushes all the soldiers dragging Si Dong by the clothes.
The general looks intently at the prince and sees that he is in perfect condition.
- I COME TO RETURN THE RAT SPY FROM YOU, ITS CHEATERS! Cried the old man, pulling the bag off the man's head.
When removing the bag, Tae holds Hyuk-Jae to see Donghae all hurt and screaming for his name.
- EUNHYUK! EUNHYUK! SAVE ME! - Donghae cried on his knees.
- RELEASE ME TAE! DONGHAE! - The king jumped trying to free himself from Tae's arms.
- Hold him! And the prince too. - Tae shouted to some soldiers.
The general looks at Donghae and sticks his sword in the man's throat. The moment that Donghae's throat is pierced, Hyuk-Jae goes into a state of shock, his voice did not come out of his mouth, his body did not move, the person he loved most, that he needed most, was dead.
The general kicks Donghae's body and wipes his sword on his clothes. After doing so, the General orders his army to go ahead and kill everyone who lived in that city.
There, a long and bloody battle began, with losses on both sides. Tae did not want to kill anyone else, but he could not stand still while his people are slaughtered, so Tae began to strike enemies one by one. After killing some soldiers and being wounded by others, Taehyung comes face to face with the immense general.
The general was so immense that Tae's blows did not cause him profound damage, on the contrary, he motivated him to hit with serious blows with his weapon that on one side was sharp like a sword but on the other side it was heavy like the heaviest mallet. Exhausted, Tae notices a small gap between the joints of the fat man's sturdy armor at the level of his left chest and risks a blow with a spear. Tae takes the spear of an enemy corpse and starts running towards the immense man, who tries to hit him with his weapon but Tae is very agile, and narrowly managed to dodge the attacks, by thrusting the spear into his left chest.
Tae looks back and sees a Chinese soldier trying to kill his brother, who is on the floor, hugging Donghae in tears. Tae pulls the spear from the general and throws it at the soldier who is hit in the middle of the forehead.
On his back, Tae is pushed by the prince. Tae falls to the ground and looks at the beheaded prince by the gigantic man and then immediately gets up and takes his sword. The young commander, who is extremely wounded, runs towards the general but ends up being hit on the right shoulder and thrown towards a stone statue in the corner of one of the rooms.
Tae is lying down and can't get up but still tries. His vision is blurred but he can see an arrow hitting the head of the Chinese general who is shot down but still alive, until other Korean soldiers arrive and stick swords in his head. Upon seeing the death of the enormous general, Tae involuntarily closes his eyes and enters a dark place.
In the dark place, there is a small bird. Tae approaches the bird and touches it, but when it touches it, the bird's neck is twisted. Taehyung throws the bird on the ground and when touching the ground, the bird becomes a pale woman with a crown of human bones. She approaches Tae and sticks her hand in Tae's heart, drawing a cry of pain from him.
- He died for you, so you will live for him. - The woman whispered in the young commander's ear. - This is your last mission, Commander. So pay attention to the following words. You have been privileged to live for eternity, or until you find someone who really loves you, who can find the key to the cage to free the bird that is trapped in your heart. When the bird flies freely, its biological clock will work again.
This is your sentence, Commander Kim, for not protecting the one who loved you, even with his bloody hands. You killed my son, you bastard. Wander this Earth full of injustice, prejudice and futility.
The woman removes her hand from Tae's chest and draws a bird's head on her chest and then immediately pushes Tae, who falls into some kind of lake and suddenly wakes up. But he is not at the same time, he looks to the side and sees a digital clock and his mind already understands the numbers, showing him that it is 5am in the morning, on May 5, 2020.