Above all, there was no sinister look in his features. Therefore, Chief Manager Min’s worry was utterly useless.
While lost in thought, a phone ring sounded. Chief Manager Min picked up Yu-shin’s phone and clicked her tongue.
“As befitting a yangban.”
“Who is it?”
“Park Jun-wan.”
His leisurely tilted back shot up. Yu-shin looked at Chief Manager Min with a dumbfounded face.
“A call came?”
Yu-shin quickly reached out his hand. It’s real, it’s really Park Jun-wan!
The name floating on the screen was clear. What business does someone who hasn’t contacted me once have? Even while Yu-shin wondered, the phone rang long.
Eventually the phone stopped ringing. And before long, it rang again.
It became certain it was an important matter. Yu-shin let out a short breath and brought the phone to his ear.
“Yes, hello.”
―Kim Yu-shin, did you see the article?
He brought up the main point right away.
“What? An article?”
―The same-sex marriage special law passed the plenary session. The problem is our story is also in the article.
“What kind…”
Just then, Madam Hong hurriedly entered the room. Holding a large tablet in her hands. The problematic news article was displayed on it.
Yu-shin continued the call while scanning the article his mother showed him. The provocative sentence <Republic of Korea’s First Ever Same-Sex Couple> was seen first.
―It seems who marries first is a bigger concern than the special law being enacted.
“Ah…”
Yu-shin sighed briefly. The article didn’t reveal names completely, but text was written stating that the Minister of Finance and Minister of Culture were becoming in-laws. It was almost the same as revealing real names.
“I didn’t know the article… would come out this way.”
―It’s a press release distributed by the royal family. It was likely used for official announcement purposes.
“Yes.”
Suddenly it felt real. Until now, Yu-shin hadn’t greatly felt the gravity of marriage. But once it became an article and became reality, tension began to seep into his relaxed body.
―Are you busy?
Suddenly Jun-wan’s low voice flowed into his ear. Even though it was a somewhat stiff voice, it was a mysterious voice that was somehow reassuring.
“No, I’m fine.”
―Then let’s meet in an hour.
When he requested a sudden meeting, Yu-shin’s eyes widened. The call had already ended even though he hadn’t answered. Madam Hong spoke to Yu-shin, who was frozen with an absurd face.
“Yu-shin, hurry and prepare to enter the palace. His Majesty the King has summoned you.”
***
The threshold of the palace wasn’t as high as one might think. Hundreds of people came and went every day. However, the number of people who could set foot in Gyeongin Palace, where the King resided, was limited. It was only possible with the King’s summons.
“…Have you ever been to Gyeongin Palace, Park Jun-wan ssi?”
“No.”
“This is my first time too.”
Yu-shin blinked slowly. His whispered voice was slower and lower than usual.
He’d taken a strong sedative at the urging of his mother and Chief Manager Min, and all the strength had drained from his body. He let out a big sigh, vowing not to take it on the wedding day.
Jun-wan was watching Yu-shin from beside him. Kim Yu-shin in a light apricot-tinted linen shirt and beige slacks was impeccably neat. However, his already pale complexion looked particularly wan today. He didn’t seem to be trembling enough to say he was nervous, rather he drooped like a person soaked like a wet blanket.
“…Are you feeling unwell?”
At the question he barely managed to ask, Yu-shin turned his head to the side. His thin cheek with its beauty mark swelled gently.
“No, I’m just nervous.”
“……”
“Still, it’s much better having someone here with me.”
Should I hold his hand? Jun-wan had an uncharacteristic thought. But Kim Yu-shin had his hands clasped together below his lower abdomen. It wasn’t worrying enough to deliberately pull them up. Jun-wan dismissed the trivial thought.
Ahem.
Just then, Chief Eunuch Sang-seon, standing beside them, cleared his throat. Jun-wan also straightened his posture.
“Your Majesty, Jun-wan of the Park family and Yu-shin of the Kim family have entered.”
Chief Eunuch Sang-seon’s voice had a deep resonance. As if he had a microphone attached to his vocal cords. That solemn voice heightened the tension considerably. Before long, a short answer came from inside.
—Enter.
The palace attendants opened the sliding doors from both sides. The latticed wooden frames carved with traditional patterns and covered with fine hanji paper opened in succession.
The two stepped forward each time a door opened. After passing through a total of four doors, the King’s audience chamber hidden deep inside finally revealed itself.
The overwhelming form of the nine-layered palace wasn’t much different from hundreds of years ago, but the furniture filling it was modern. In fact, Lee Won was sitting on a plush single-seat sofa instead of the throne.
“So we meet like this.”
Lee Won smiled gently upon seeing his visitors. The man wearing a beige turtleneck and black cotton pants didn’t look like His Majesty the King, but rather like any ordinary middle-aged person.
However, the two couldn’t dare look up at him. They lowered their gazes and clasped their hands together neatly to bow.
“We greet Your Majesty.”
The two voices harmonized like a chorus. It was perfect etiquette befitting yangban family sons. Lee Won wore a satisfied smile.
“Sit comfortably.”
Two plush silk cushions were set on the lacquered wooden floor. Jun-wan and Yu-shin knelt on the cushions.
“So, the article came out today, didn’t it?”
Lee Won spoke casually. The smile on his lips deepened as if this was something he’d been eagerly awaiting.
“It will be noisy for a while. This country is still harsh when it comes to homosexuality. Nothing changes even as time passes. Just like your families.”
Only Lee Won’s voice echoed in the quiet audience chamber. Including Chief Eunuch Sang-seon, the palace attendants, the eunuchs, Jun-wan and Yu-shin—though there were many people, only one person was speaking.
“In living one’s life, gender should not be an obstacle. Same-sex marriage is no different. What use is it to apply standards based on gender when becoming a married couple?”
Lee Won rubbed his lips slowly, as if accustomed to talking to himself. He slowly crossed his legs and continued.
“If the Hwaryeong Kim Clan and the Cheongseon Park Clan open this door, the world will accept it too. Moreover, isn’t this a marriage I personally arranged?”
“That is so, Your Majesty.”
Chief Eunuch Sang-seon standing beside him chimed in agreement.
“I hope you two will become an example to the world. From now on, fulfill your duties to each other as a married couple.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Both bowed their heads and answered identically. Though the King’s tone was gentle, the meaning contained within was by no means light. In other words, since he had arranged this marriage, they should maintain their married life well so as not to tarnish the King’s reputation.
Lee Won paused briefly and observed the two sitting side by side. After his steady gaze continued for a while, the corners of the King’s mouth twisted upward.
“You’re both exceptionally good-looking. Sang-seon, isn’t that so?”
“I think so as well, Your Majesty. They’ve raised their children very well.”
Lee Won and Chief Eunuch Sang-seon exchanged jokes. The praise for Yu-shin was particularly extreme. They marveled at how such a beauty could come from the genes of that rough Kim Dae-geon, and praised in unison that while Park Jae-guk was short, Jun-wan was quite tall and striking.
Meanwhile, palace attendants brought in refreshments. The warm chrysanthemum tea had an exquisite fragrance, and the yullan made by mashing boiled chestnuts and mixing them with honey was also a top-quality tribute item, a precious food that couldn’t be tasted anywhere else.
The two with parched mouths barely moistened their lips with the chrysanthemum tea. Very carefully, covering their mouths with their palms. They couldn’t even touch the snacks. There was no way anything would go down their throats in this situation.
In contrast, Lee Won enjoyed the refreshments comfortably. Still exchanging jokes with Sang-seon, his eyes scanned the clearly nervous couple-to-be.
“By the way, I can’t just summon you here and only give lectures.”
When Lee Won gestured lightly, Sang-seon sent a signal with his eyes. Several eunuchs moved quickly, bringing something. They tried to set it down as carefully as possible, but its weight was considerable, and a heavy thud transmitted vibrations all the way under the cushions.
“It’s a wedding gift. I ordered it from a craftsman myself.”
Lee Won spoke in an even more affectionate tone. The faces of the two who had been looking down at the floor the whole time turned simultaneously as if on cue.
Jun-wan’s eyes widened slightly, and Yu-shin opened his mouth completely. The four-door mother-of-pearl cabinet was a rare pink color. It held a splendid hue as if dyed with flower petals, and very pale purple tones and the mother-of-pearl’s characteristic silvery rainbow revealed dense luster. It could be called a treasure in itself.
