“Yes, darling.” A cheeky smile tugged at her lips. “As much as I love kissing you, it is not as if I can do it forever.” Jimin leaned down closer to him, her eyes glimmering with something between excitement and nervousness. “Why not? I only hope getting there won’t be as frightening as last time.” She felt her limbs shake, as though she were anticipating having to drop down from the balcony again.
She sat up and got off of him, so that he was free to move. Deciding to somewhat get ready herself, she smoothed the wrinkles in her hanbok and any flyaways in her hair.
Kangdae laughed, remembering last time. He shook his head. "I will do my best to not make it as frightening," He promised. "I am sorry though. You will be fine, my dear."
Slowly, but surely he got out of bed. First, he had to sit up, yet he got on his feet quickly. He put on the robes that he had left in a pile on the floor then he had went over to the tall dresser, picking up lavender robes. It would be easier to walk around dressed as a normal noble.
Thankfully he learned how to put these on himself. While Kangdae did struggle a little, he managed without creating a wrinkle. Opening another drawer, he put on a gat. "Well what do you think, my dear?How do I look, Jimin?"
Jimin raised a brow. “Alright. I’m trusting you, Kangdae.” The glimmer still lingered in her eyes.
After watching him get up from the bed, she followed his example and stood up. Stretching her limbs and twisting her torso, she tried to wake up and reenergize herself. She still couldn’t decide if she was excited or nervous. It felt different this time, probably because there would probably be more people who would see them and more things to do. It had been so many years since she had been in the city, too. How much had changed from what she remembered?
Kangdae was taking a little while, and she wanted to offer to help him with the robes, but after a moment it seemed he got the hang of it. Jimin smiled as he donned the gat. “I think you look lovely, my darling.” She walked up to him. “Very handsome.” Setting her hands on his chest, she smoothed the fabric a little. He did well and had made no wrinkles, though there were a few slight folds here or there. Looking up to his face, she held her smile for a moment, but then pursed her lips. Perhaps she needed something, too.
“Kangdae, could I perhaps borrow an overcoat or something similar?” She asked. “I figure since we are going to the city, I should cover myself.”
Lowering his chin, he looked down at his clothes. Kangdae smiled at Jimin. He craned his neck to kiss the side of her face. "Thank you, my love."
He pulled at the sleeves; they ran a bit short and revealed his wrists. At least it covered his neck properly. "Hmm…" Looking at Jimin, he bit the inside of his cheek. A little confused at first, but the reason had hit him eventually. Maybe it's because he isn't a human anymore, and it's been three years since he was one. He forgets that ladies use chimas to cover themselves. All the lingering in the dark makes him forget.
Returning to the wardrobe, he looked through what was there. Alas there isn't much. Usually his court ladies come with the clothing needed. All that he has in here is from Myung for when he needs to sneak out. He took a light blue one.
Kangdae unfolded the robe then went to drape it over Jimin. "A perfect covering for the perfect woman." He smoothed it out to the best of his abilities. There a few wrinkles, mostly from being folded and hidden for so long. He looked over towards the entrance then behind at the doors leading to the balcony.
"Shall we go now?"
She blushed faintly at the kiss. Looking over him one more time, she nodded and then waited for him to understand, looking at him expectantly. It was understandable that he was confused at first. The last time she remembered covering herself in public was when she went on errands with her uncle as a child. Somehow she never forgot it.
Jimin bowed her head a little when Kangdae came with the robe. It’s not like it was a jangot, but indeed, it was perfect for the occasion. She chuckled. “Thank you, Kangdae.”
She fingered the edges of the covering, and made slight adjustments before pinching the edges beneath her chin. There was a subtle musty scent to it, like it was old or had collected dust. It was strange, but it didn’t bother Jimin too much. She followed her lover’s gaze and nodded excitedly.
“Yes, we shall. But are we going to go the same way as last time?” She asked.
"No my dear, we are not," He replied then added, "I thought I had promised you that we wouldn't be going the same way."
Kangdae walked over to one end of the bed then ever so carefully pushed it closer to the wall. There was a trapdoor underneath with two circular handles. He pulled them both to open the doors, revealing an underground tunnel.
Lifting his head up, he gazed over at Jimin. "It runs through the palace grounds. I'll go first then help you down." Unlike last time, the drop is minimal; the height is roughly around his, so it isn't bad. He just doesn't use is as frequently because it is so much work opening and closing it.
He jumped down, bending his knees and using his hand as support when landing. Looking up, he waited for her to come over.
She smiled sheepishly and raised her hands. “Alright, alright, I was only making sure.”
Intrigued, she watched him move the bed to the wall. Her eyes widened when the trapdoor was revealed. Her hands found and took the edges of the overcoat around her, as though to prepare herself.
“Ahh, I see. This looks much better.” Jimin came closer, and waited until he had gone down first. A small chuckle slipped through when she saw the gat peeking out slightly above the edge. Crouching down, she carefully swung her legs over the edge of the tunnel and held on. She paused and looked down. Seeing him there allowed her to gauge the distance somewhat, so she let go from the edge, thinking that she didn’t really need help. She stumbled and and grunted a bit when she landed, but quickly regained balance.
It isn't bad in the tunnel. While the light may be dim, it is a good way to secretly and safely get outside of palace walls without anyone knowing. If only the tunnel went back into the forest and make his (after) life much easier. Nevertheless, he is grateful for having a way out; perhaps it will come in handy again.
Kangdae took a few steps back and watched Jimin landed. His hands reached out to pick her up. When seeing her regain her balance, he let out a sigh of relief. "See? I have upheld my promise. It wasn't so bad," He smiled. As he made his way over, he reached up for the door handle and pulled it down. He pressed on it just for extra precaution.
He turned to face Jimin. "Are you fine, my dear? I know it was not a great height but still…." Kangdae looked down the tunnel then shrugged. "It will take some time to get to the other side. I hope that is alright."
After letting her eyes adjust to the dimness, she looked back up at Kangdae. “I’m alright, love. It was better than last time.” She chuckled faintly. She followed his gaze. “I don’t mind that. As long as you are with me.”
One hand reached to take her lover’s, while the other moved to feel the wall beside her. “Has this tunnel always been here?”
She had lived here for years, and never encountered anything like this within the palace before. How far did it go? Were there other entrances? Were there more tunnels? A whole system, even, that ran under the palace? The idea of it was rather exciting.
(Things have been pretty busy for me, as you might have guessed ^^;)
Kangdae gently took a hold of Jimin's hand. He had to give it a brief kiss before lowering it. Looking around at the tunnel then up at the trap door, he drew out a long breath. "I believe it has been around since the last dynasty. They must have created this to save themselves when they built the palace. If only they did use this to escape…" His brows rose briefly before he continued explaining, "I had only found it when I knew I needed places to escape to…feast. It was just luck that I found this."
He swung their hands lightly. "We should go. The markets are only open for so long. I think there are street performers and clowns!" Thinking about getting to see a performance made his eyes grow wide with excitement. Sure, they are during the day, but it's impossible to watch them under the sun now. And to go with Jimin at night! He has to keep reminding himself that this is not a dream.
(It's all good! I have classes so I'll start to be busy too)
“I see… that makes sense.” Jimin’s eyes looked around a bit more, trying to peer into the darkness before landing on Kangdae. “You think they would have survived if they had come here?” She tried not to think about the idea of him dragging someone down here to feed.
She smiled as he swung their hands. “Must I remind you that I’m not familiar with these passages? You must lead the way. It is dark, too…” she chuckled. “Performers? I don’t think I’ve had the privilege of seeing something like that before. I didn’t think you had a liking for them, either.”
Though she took a tentative step forward, she was uncertain of doing much more than that. She tightened the coat around herself.
He shrugged. "I believe so. I believe one of them did for their name still lingers within the palace walls." The prince deeply exhaled while shaking his head, but he continued on swinging their hands. It was a small simple yet possibly childish thing to do, yet it brought him joy for some reason. "Dark? It is dark in here?" Their surroundings looked dimly lit to him. If he stared down the path, he could see the end decently.
Kangdae led them down the secret passage. "I do not have a fondness for them, but their performances are amusing to watch. I think you will have fun watching them." Sometimes he likes performers, other times he doesn't, but he rarely has the chance to watch them. Regardless, he is excited. "My love, is there anything you would like to do or see when we arrive?"
“Yes. Very.” She tried looking around again. “Your eyes must be better than mine.” Jimin followed him down the passage.
She let him swing their hands. “It certainly sounds like something we should not miss.” She chuckled. Then a sigh followed the chuckle, and she paused to think. “I… I’m not sure… I think I should like to see my uncle. But he is probably asleep now, and it may not be a good idea.” She hummed. “Perhaps we could go see Bam, if he’s alive… or maybe uncle uses a new horse now…”
"Ahhh, I s-….I understand." In the corner of his eyes, he glimpsed over at hers. He smile before continuing down the passage. "But my love, your eyes are much more mesmerizing than mine. If only I could look into them all day."
Kangdae could tell that they were getting closer to the end. There was a ladder on the wall. When you tilt your head up, there is a trapdoor to push up in order to get outside of palace grounds. Excitment was running through his veins. There is so much to do, so much they can do. Oh, he doesn't even know what they should do first. Watching performances, looking at the street vendors….
He bit the inside of his lip in thought. Humming to himself, he then said, "Why not? Let's go see your uncle and the horse. It would be lovely to see them both, would it not?"
She looked over at him, but could see his expression that well in the dark. She wasn’t sure if he was just being coy or if he genuinely misunderstood, so she decided to explain anyway. “I… I think you have said as much before, darling.” She chuckled, blushing a bit. “What I mean to say is that your eyes are better suited for the dark and perhaps seeing from far away.”
Jimin could not see the ladder at all. To be honest, she expected the tunnel to go on for another long while. So she was just sauntering along with him while they swung their hands, content but a little sleepy.
“Yes… but it has been ten years…” she sighed, trying not to let the worries get to her.
Kangdae was not able to help himself with the compliments. Although, he was not really aware about his vision. For all he knew, he could perfectly see everything. Odd enough the crown prince tends to forget what he truly is, why his eyes are the way they are. He laughed at the realization. "Oooh. I understand, my love," He hummed. "I suppose it makes sense. I see."
Ten years…It was at that moment Kangdae realized that he did not know how Jimin came to the palace as a servant. Clearly she misses her uncle and the horse. On the other hand, he wondered what there was to worry. "Come on, Jimin. Put your concerns away. I will take you, it will be no problem." Perhaps they could go before enjoying the capital or they could afterwards. As long as Jimin wanted to go, that is all he was concerned about.
Jimin took a breath and rubbed at her eyes. It was difficult to forget about anxieties and worries at this time of night. She was at least glad Kangdae was here to lift those worries somewhat.
“Alright. I’m sorry. I’m probably just tired.” She moved closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. “I am excited at the same time, too. To go outside the palace… what a rare opportunity.”
She took a deep breath and tried to steady herself and her mind. At the very least, she would just be happy spending time with him. “How much farther?” She asked.
"You are perfectly fine," He assured her. Quickly, he turned his head to kiss the top of Jimin's head. Kangdae smiled at what she said. The smile was bright and wide at first, but the more he thought about it, the bleaker it grew. Rarely do any of the court ladies ever get to step outside of palace grounds. He promised himself that he would ensure that Jimin would have fun, that she would see her uncle and the horse.
The ladder was not that far. In just a few more moments, they'd both be above ground. "Not much farther, my love." Kangdae stopped. He let go of her hand, gently placing it on the side of the ladder. "Here. All you have to do is climb up, grab the door handle, push up, and then you'll be outside, ready for what fun awaits you."
Jimin relaxed a little as he kissed her head, before raising it. She blinked, then squinted her eyes. “Oh… I see it faintly.” She carefully asserted her grip on the ladder. “Okay. I’ll go.” She climbed up, slightly nervous because she doesn’t climb ladders very often.
Then her head bumped into something. “Ouch— oh.” She reached up and felt around before finding the handle and pushing up. She blinked a few times as soft poured into the tunnel, then climbed out into the world above.
His eyes never left Jimin from the moment she began climbing the ladder to when she was back up in the world. Kangdae would be lying if he said that he was calm the whole time. At one point, he inched forward with his hands up, ready to catch her if necessary. Thankfully he didn't need to.
After waiting, he began to make his way up. Sure it was more feasible for him to just jump down from the balcony, but he knew that wouldn't be as easy (or assuring) for Jimin. Once Kangdae got up, he knelt down to close the trap door then cover it with some leaves. He looked back at Jimin with a smile. "Not so bad as last time, right?" The prince laughed as he stood back up. "Anyways, are you ready to go?" Quickly, he brushed off any dirt or leaves from his clothes then returned to smiling at Jimin.
