Just a Child

"Jin-Ri!" He called out in the dark, he ran after a figure of a woman clad in white, her long black hair trailing after her. He caught up to her and when he was about to touch her, she vanished. He looked around to find her but she was not there. Suddenly from out of nowhere he felt a hand touch him on the shoulder, he turned around to see Jin-Ri smiling at him, and he embraced her passionately "I was following you, but then you vanished, I was so scared I thought, I lost you."

Jin-Ri gently stroked his hair and with a smile said "Then wake up and come back to me"

Young-Sik's eyes opened up, he was trying to sit up, but a constant and painful ringing in his head prevented him from doing so. He grasped his forehead while his face scrunched up from the pain. He laid his head back on the pillow and waited for the ringing and pain to subside.

After a few moments, Young-Sik started to feel better. When the ringing and the pain subsided, he could hear the waves crashing on the coast and the squawking of birds, leading him to conclude that he was along the coastline. He scanned around him and found himself inside an old and reasonably big tent. The tent was filled with household wares, making him, conclude that the owners were an ordinary family.

He then heard a child humming; he followed the hum and saw a little girl whose back was turned toward him while playing with a doll. Young-Sik tried to stand up, but then he felt a pain suddenly surge through his body making him fall from his bed onto the floor.

He heard the little girl yell, "Papa! Papa! The soldier is awake!" along with the sound of receding little footsteps. Young Sik struggled to get up, but his body was in so much pain that he could not even push himself up.

After a while, he felt someone standing over him and heard someone say, "Finally, you're back with us...your Highness!" He turned around to face the person and saw a tall, bearded middle-aged man.

The man helped the prince stand up "You need to use your legs now, you've been asleep for a long time, your body must feel weak" He then handed over a makeshift crutch to Young-Sik

Young-Sik assessed the figure standing in front of him, recognizing that the man was of equal height, likely ten years his senior or more. The texture of his hair mirrored that of his beard and mustache, both coarse and unrefined. Yet, there was an undeniable authority in his demeanor; his posture was impeccably straight, with head, neck, chest, and hips aligned. With his chin elevated and chest protruding, he projected an unmistakable air of confidence and assertiveness. The man's voice reminded him of his father the late King Seo-Jung, it was thundering and authoritative. "He must have been a soldier once" he assumed

"Use the crutch, you won't be able to support your weight for a while" He supported Young-Sik and helped him to walk.

The prince was about to thank the man when he felt a small hand take his, he looked down and saw the little Jasmine girl "I'll help you too" The little girl said as she smiled at the prince

"You're the girl that sells jasmine, what's your name?" Young-Sik asked the girl politely

"Young-Ju" The girl shyly replied

The man chimed in "Young-Ju is my daughter, don't worry she is strong for her age and size, she can help support you"

"I spotted you both in the capital not long ago. What brings you to the coast? How did you manage to get here?" he inquired as the man and the little girl assisted him in stepping out of the tent and onto the sandy shore. Young-Sik closed his eyes as he was momentarily blinded by the rays of the morning sun. When his eyes adapted, he saw the calm waves

Instead of responding directly, the man gazed out at the horizon and gestured toward some mangrove trees off to their left. "My wife discovered you washed ashore in that spot five days back. You were mostly unconscious during that time."

"I remember you two from nearly a year ago when you sought help for your daughter's kidnapping. There's something different about you now. If that situation arose today, I'd wager you wouldn't need assistance to save her." Young-Sik mentioned to the bearded man

Again the man did not answer his question, instead, he turned around and cast his gaze on a grazing horse "The only reason my wife found you was because of that horse, she was with you the whole time, such a loyal animal"

"I noticed that you have been avoiding my questions" Young-Sik interjected, in hopes the man would answer his previous questions.

"What is her name?" The man asked, much to Young-Sik's dismay

With an exasperated sigh, Young-Sik exclaimed, "Freya! She was my oldest brother's horse. I've been stuck with her for fifteen years since he passed away. What more do you need?" He continued, dripping with sarcasm, "Yeah, she was set to retire, but I thought, why not take her out for one last joyride through the bowels of hellish war? Interested in a little ride yourself?" He whistled to call the horse over.

The man's demeanor, changed when the horse approached and the man stepped back as if to keep his distance from the horse. Young-Sik extended his hand to greet the horse but it walked past him and straight to the man, the horse then rested her head over the man's shoulders much to Young-Sik's surprise.

"What... what is happening? That horse only behaves like this with me and..." Young-Sik dashed to the man, ripping his shirt open, and what he discovered made his heart race. "Four arrow wounds and one sword wound!" He then stared at the man, then his eyes widened when he recognized the face before him—someone who had been dead for fifteen long years.

Young-Sik struggled to find his voice, "B-brother? Seo-Joon? You're alive!" He pulled the man into a tight embrace, disbelief flooding his mind. "I can't believe it! You're really here! We must hurry back to the capital... so you can take your rightful place as the King of Chiongsun!"

The man pushed Young-Sik away "You have mistaken me for someone else, you look healthy enough now, take your horse and leave" The man said, taking his daughter by the hand and walking away

Young-Sik felt a mixture of sadness and anger at the man that he thought was his brother walking away from him and his duties "You're walking away? Why are you walking away? You can't ignore your duties!" He limped after the man, and once he caught up he grabbed him by the arm and forced him to face him. But the man just shoved the prince to the ground

The man angrily pointed at Young-Sik "Whoever you think I am...I am not that person! I am giving you this one chance to leave unharmed"

"What is going on here?" A woman's voice shouted; Young-Sik lifted his head and saw the voice coming from a woman around the same age as the man. She is smaller than average, with long black hair, a symmetrical round face, and fair skin.

The woman dropped the wood she collected and quickly picked up her daughter "My husband is right, you look well enough to go back, please go and leave us in peace"

Young-Sik stood up and shouted at the man "You can't turn your back on your duties! You can't turn your back on me again! You abandoned me, now look at the monster I have become!"

The prince's words for some reason felt like daggers to the man, he rushed towards Young-Sik and grabbed by his neck "Whatever happened to you is because of your decision! Don't you dare blame me for your mistakes!"

Young-Sik despite being choked by the man, and gasping, grinned at the man's reaction "Gotcha! Brother!"

Seo-Joon knew that his brother had outsmarted him shoved the prince away and turned his back on him "I am no longer the brother that you knew"

"You have to return with me, brother. You are the rightful king, and only you can restore order to this chaos," Young-Sik implored his elder sibling.

"I refuse to put my family in that danger. I've already lost one family, and I won't risk losing this one," Seo-Joon replied, his tone unwavering and resolute.

"You will ascend to the throne; you can safeguard them. She will be queen, and Young-Ju will be a princess. They will enjoy a life of abundance, free from want," Young-Sik argued passionately.

Seo-Joon's firm demeanor shifted to frustration as he responded, "Is that truly your vision? Do you believe a life of luxury awaits them in the capital?" He jabbed a finger into Young-Sik's chest. "Let me enlighten you about what lies ahead at the palace. My wife will face judgment, scorn, and humiliation from those fools due to her humble origins. And my daughter? They will attempt to taint her innocence, corrupting her pure spirit to turn her into their puppet." Seo-Joon paused to calm himself "You might have grown up, but you are still that stupid kid who only believes in relying on others to get by"

"I never knew you could be so selfish, when we thought you died, I stepped up and turned myself into a beast to protect my country and my family. But you...you cower and use your family as an excuse to avoid who you truly are!" Young-Sik yelled at the top of his lungs.

Young-Ju and her mother continued to watch on as Seo-Joon, filled with rage slapped Young-Sik, he was about to hit his younger brother again, but his wife came in between them "That is enough Park Min-Jae, we may not agree with your brother, but there is no need to hurt him. Let's just leave"

Seo-Joon now known as Min-Jae calmed down and gestured for his wife and daughter to back into the tent and with a stern voice warned the prince "Go back to the palace, go back to that luxurious life you are used to, and leave us alone" After saying his piece, he turned his back and walked towards the tent waving at her daughter who was waving back at him

Out of anger and the feeling of being abandoned Young-Sik yelled at his brother "Don't you turn your back on me! You can't abandon me again! Don't you dare abandon me!" Overcome with shock, rage, and sorrow, he charged at his brother with the crutch.

"Father watch out!" Young-Ju screamed, warning Seo-Joon of the attack

Seo-Joon, simply sidestepped to his left to avoid the strike. Young-Sik after missing, swung the crutch to the left but Seo-Joo avoided the attack with no problems

"Don't be an idiot Young-Sik! Do you think you can take me on in this pathetic state? Just stop before you hurt yourself!" Min-Jae shouted, desperate to get through to his brother.

"Like hell, I can't!" Young-Sik screamed, swinging the crutch like a madman. "You left me! Left me all alone!" His anger fueled him, and though he started off limping, he quickly picked up speed. Min-Jae couldn't believe his eyes as Young-Sik transformed from a limp individual to a walking attacker.

"His body is insane! If he weren't such a wreck emotionally, he'd have caught up to me already," Min-Jae thought, panic rising.

"You abandoned me! Why did you leave me to suffer alone? I cry every night; I mourn my family every single day!" Young-Sik yelled, swinging the crutch wildly. "You left me to fend for myself...you left me all alone!"

Young-Sik kept swinging wildly and erratically, and Min-Jae had no problem dodging and avoiding. Gradually the prince's speed wanes, and the injuries of his worn-torn body quickly catch up to him. His movements became rugged and slow and his strikes forced.

Young-Sik hit the ground, completely drained, sobbing, "Why did you leave me behind? I was just a child!" His fingers clawed into the sand, rage bubbling inside him. "I didn't know how to handle it; I was terrified! I never wanted to be a prince; I just wanted to play and eat!" He slammed his fists into the sand repeatedly. "I forced myself to grow up, robbed myself of my childhood to be like you! And now that you're here, I thought I could finally find peace and live my life, but I was wrong—you're just a coward!"