TIME HAS COME

Suk-bin dips the brush in the ink and begun to write on the paper which her attendant Lady Baek had laid on the table for her. The first person she writes to is her son. "My son, the time has finally come for us to pay the people who caused us pains in the past with pains. For no reason will I try to hold back or be merciful on them , all I need you to do is always watch your back in everything you do for now. We have to be extra careful, the northern ministers will try their best to get back at us, my regards to Ok Jung." She folds the letter and hands it to her Lady Baek. "Give this to him."

"Yes your majesty." Lady Baek collects the letter with a bow.

"Also, tell him not to skip any meals or not have any adequate sleeps."

"Yes, your majesty."

Suk-bin dips her brush into the ink again and writes on the second paper. "Our time is here, we mustn't let it slip away. We have waited long enough for this golden moment, and here it is. Thus, we have to use this opportunity to achieve all we can. I need you all to ask the king to make my son the crown prince as soon as the queen dowager leaves the palace for the temple. As you all know, if my son becomes crown prince, it is all for our own good and benefits. The southern faction will lead and rule the nation." She folds the second letter and hands it to her attendant. "Deliver this to the ministers."

"Yes, your majesty." Lady Baek collects the letter with a bow.

Suk-bin continues on writing her last letter, which is meant for the lady investigators. "I thank you all for seeking an official audience with the king, it hastened his decision on what to do. But there is something else you will do for me as soon as I am allowed to go out of my chambers, we are going to investigate prince Gwang Jae, and make sure all his terrible acts are exposed to the world. With that, I am sure he will never be able to get close to the crown. Gather all necessary information and instruments then wait for my orders." She folds the letter just as she had done the previous two and hands it to her attendant. "This is for the lady investigators."

"Yes your majesty." Lady Baek collects the letter with a bow still. "When do you want me to deliver the letter?"

"At night, when no eyes are watching us. You have to be extremely careful about it." She whispers.

"I understand your majesty."

***************

Man Ho sits on the wooden chair in his office, expecting someone or something. "We have just three days left, and we are yet to find that anonymous man." He whispers to himself.

Dong Ju walks in at the moment and bows. "My lord."

Man Ho looks at his underling and smiles a little getting distracted from his deep thought. "How are you doing?"

"I am doing fine sir, may I ask you why you seem to be brooding this much?"

"We have just three days left and we are yet to find that man. The prince will not take it easy on us."

Dong Ju sighs heavily. "I have tried my possible best to find that man, but he is no where to be found."

"Did he vanish into the thin air? Or is he not in this country?" Man Ho asks no one in particular.

A guard comes from outside and bows before saying anything. "A man named Baek Dol is here to see you."

"Beak Dol?" Man Ho asks as he is not sure to have heard such name before.

"I do know him sir, he is one of the men that was sent out by me to eliminate the prince two years ago." Dong Ju whispers.

"So, he should have experienced that man's way of fighting."

"Yes." Dong Ju nods.

"Let him in!" Man Ho orders.

"Yes my lord." The guard bows and walks out to carry out the orders.

"I pray something comes out form him." Man Ho hopes.

Beak Dol walks in leaping and bows to the men. "I am Beak Dol."

"Why are you leaping? Has your leg always been like like that?" Man Ho asks.

"No, my lord. My leg became like this after I had the fight with that anonymous man two years ago."

"What?!" Man Ho asks loudly.

"Yes, my lord. At a point, we all thought he wouldn't be able to walk ever again." Dong Ju adds.

Man Ho hisses and bangs the table in anger. "Who is this man? How did he manage to take out so many of them single handedly without a sword?"

"My lord." Baek Dol calls. "We have to find that man, I must do the exact thing he did to me too. Look at me now, I look incomplete and I have become a disabled man too."

"Can you recognize the man when you see him?" Man Ho Asks ignoring his requests.

"Yes, how can I possibly forget the face of such person? After all he did to me ? I remember him clearly." He stops for a while and continues. "But there is something strange about him.

"Something strange?" Man Ho and Dong Ju chorus.

"Yes, he looks too beautiful to be a man and also his voice is too tiny for a man's voice."

"As what do you presume him to be now?" Man Ho asks again.

"After trying my hardest to look for a man that destroyed my leg for the past two years, I thought of it and realized probably I have been searching for the wrong person."

"Searching for the wrong person?" Dong ju asks.

"Yes." Baek Dol nods. "I know it might sound weird, but I think we should try it out first. What if who attacked us two years ago was a woman?"