Archive of Our Own

1972



“So the Gyeongbokgung palace* was built in 1394 by the great King Taejo! He was the founder and first king of the Joseon Dynasty, In China, this was when the Ming dynasty was ruling. America was still undiscovered, England was in the midst of the 100-year war, and the Ottomans were leading an eight-year siege on Constantinople.” Yoongi said as he ran over other facts and information to tell the English speaking tourists.



It was 1972 and Yoongi had left America to see more of the world and go to a university somewhere other than where he had grown up. He had applied all over the world but when he got his acceptance letter from Seoul, Korea Yoongi had packed up and left. The Seoul national university was prestigious but also cheaper than all the other schools in England and America he had gotten accepted into, plus even though Yoongi had only visited Korea once in his life previously, he had grown up in a Korean household to Korean parents. It felt only right to travel back and reconnect when Yoongi didn’t feel like he had a lot left anymore.



Seoul was hard at first. He had to study plus work part-time to make ends meet and on top of that, he was in a land that felt foreign even though everyone looked like him and talked like him, but he still didn’t quite fit in. However, if you lived in a place long enough even that eventually became home. Yoongi had learned that lesson multiple times and it was still true so, despite the minor culture shock and process of assimilation, Yoongi did eventually begin to feel at home.



He was used to hardship anyways. He was born to a taxi driver father and a housekeeper mother in America who had both tragically passed away in a car accident and he had been on his own ever since. He was eighteen by that time so no relatives wanted him and instead, he scraped by on the bare minimum, finished school with an outstanding GPA, and started working. When he finally had enough money he had applied to universities wherever he wanted because he had the grades to back him up and the lack of a home made it hard to be sentimental so he could apply as far as he wanted.

So yes, Yoongi was used to suffering.



This was nothing compared to the hell he had lived through the first year after his parents had died. The nightmare of grief and sadness and anger at the world and a possible god. The anger at being completely alone— but he was determined to come up through the ground and make a better life for himself. His parents had made sure to beat into him the worth of education and hard work and thanks to that his prospects of not ending up as a street corner druggie no matter how much he wanted to give up sometimes fared much better. Currently, he was studying business administration at SNU and he wanted to get into a good company and hopefully work his way up to a cushiony life so he would never have to suffer as he had again.



So Yoongi kept at it. By the end of his first year he had learned how to speak Korean fluently and had mostly rid himself of any lingering Korean American accent and he had made some friends as well. But the real highlight of his year was when he got to quit his job at the food cart he worked at and instead got hired at the palace as a tour guide for American tourists. He got paid better and he didn't have to deal with drunkards shoveling down greasy street food only to puke it up again a few minutes later.



Yoongi continued on with the tour and smiled and answered all the questions sent his way. It was routine now, he didn't have an issue.



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He’s helping close up one day, checking around the palace for any stragglers and helping pick up some litter here or there. He’s passing by the moon pavilion, a small room that was thought to belong to one of the king’s favorite servants, but Yoongi always wondered because the attention to detail and design was too lovely to belong to just anyone.



He had checked all the way to the northernmost walls and he was on his way back, the whole palace was shrouded in darkness with just a few spotlights here or there to lighten it up and Yoongi looked up at the moon pavilion and spotted a person sitting on the window ledge and he stopped.



Damn tourists always trying to live some k-drama fantasy.



“Hey!” he called as he started walking over, and the person turned and looked at him. Yoongi couldn’t really see him that well from here, but as he got closer the person was stunning. A small regal face with smooth skin and rosy cheeks.



“Hey,” He said a little weaker, “You're not supposed to be here. It’s closing time, the palace is closed to tourists.” He was just a few feet away now and the person was wearing a men's hanbok with large billowing sleeves and the entire outfit was of expensive silks from the way it shone and gleamed. The man, at least that's what Yoongi thought he was from his clothes, though his face looked otherwise— had his hair down his back with half of it pulled back with a rope tie.

Damn this guy really went all out. He literally looked like someone slipped out of Korean period drama.



The stranger just tilted his head at Yoongi mischievously with a small smile gracing his lips and then Yoongi blinked and he was gone.

Yoongi stopped.



He immediately felt ice fill his lungs and he froze before he wildly looked around feeling sick.



“What the fuck…” He whispered rubbing his eyes. What the fuck had that been? He felt a chill run up his spine so he hightailed it out of there refusing to even think about what he had just seen.



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Yoongi helps with a few more closings but months go by and he doesn't see anything again. He’s glad because even though he tries to be brave, he is fucking terrified of ghosts. He blames all the lore in Korean legends and his uni classmates who fill his head with it for fun because they like to watch the ‘American kid’ squirm is what they say. But still the fear eventually ebbs away and Yoongi is back to being blissfully unaware and uncaring.



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It’s when he’s taking a group through the imperial gardens that he sees him again. He's wearing the same clothes with the billowing long sleeves and the pastel silks that hang around his body. They are clothes meant for a man but the way they are designed Yoongi knows they aren't exactly convenient. The sleeves are a little too long and made of too thin material and the silks look too luscious and layered for any working man of that era.



The man walks on the other side of the pond, Yoongi sees him for just a second as he walks behind a tree and just never reappears, vanishing into thin air.



Yoongi loses all train of thought. He was just telling the group about the pavilion and now his mind is blank as he waits for whatever it was to come out from behind the tree, but it doesn't because it wasn't human. Yoongi saw how light passed through its body. It had looked straight at him, smiled, and then disappeared.



“Um,” someone says behind him and Yoongi grabs his now shaking hands together and throws the group a huge smile.



“Sorry! Lost my train of thought there! Where was I?”



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He sees him a lot after that. Yoongi isn’t sure what exactly triggered it but maybe this thing, whatever it was, was tired of hiding or maybe not being seen. Yoongi knew how that was. So although he’s terrified he sympathizes.



Usually, he sees it  at the moon pavilion, sometimes it’s walking about the gardens, but never anywhere else. It always looked the same too, and was always staring right at Yoongi. It freaks him out, and the first few months it had happened Yoongi thought he was going insane because no one else had heard of any ghosts especially like the one Yoongi was describing. Instead he thinks he’s possessed or something, like maybe his shitty apartment was just waiting to burst with poltergeist activity, but that thankfully doesn’t happen. Instead, it's as peaceful as it always is, only Yoongi sees a beautiful ghost at work sometimes.



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The first time it speaks to Yoongi he’s helping shut the palace down again, he’s in his third year of college now.



He isn't really surprised when he sees the ghost sitting by the window in the pavilion watching him, he just quickly turns his head away and proceeds to make his rounds till the northern walls and is making his way back to the main gates, resolutely keeping his head forward when he hears it.



“Hello,” an almost musical voice beckons him and Yoongi’s head snaps up and he sees the face of the beautiful ghost looking at him. He thinks he imagines it but it speaks to him again.



“May I ask your name? You are always around here.”



And Yoongi thinks he’s gonna be sick as his heart speeds up a mile a minute. He lets out a gasping breath before he turns on his heel and runs so fast he trips twice in his haste to get away. Nothing follows him home and it's still peaceful but Yoongi feels like he hears the ghosts musical tone everywhere.



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Yoongi heads to the Seoul library for the first time since he’s been to Korea and he runs straight to the section on Gyeongbokgung palace and starts reading about it. Going through everything about its rooms, to the everyday life, to the architecture, anything he can find, especially something on the moon pavilion.



He does find some passages but they all know as much as he does after working at the palace and it's not very much. The moon pavilion was a pavilion built in secret by King Mokjong** and no one knows who it was for, as no one saw anyone in it or occupy it during his lifetime. It remained empty till he died many years later and after that, it was just a slew of princesses or noblewoman who resided there because of the beauty, intricacy, and love put into it. And when it started to deteriorate it was usually given to a high servant of the king, but a man has never been recorded of staying there.



Yoongi goes home tired and confused and even more defeated.



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The second time the ghost talks to him it's in broad daylight as Yoongi is on break. He’s sitting by the northern gardens because there are tourists everywhere else and he just wants some peace and quiet away from the chatter, and the northern parts of the palace are mostly restricted so there are usually very few people around and the ones who are are staff are busy running around doing their own thing.



He’s eating quietly minding his own business when he looks to his left and there is a beautiful face not even a breath away staring at him and to Yoongi’s credit he doesn't scream, but he does let out a loud gasp and jumps about a foot in the air. He moves back a bit as the face keeps looking at him and he expects it to deform and morph into something terrifying like in those creepy Japanese ghost movies, but it stays innocent and lovely and keeps looking at him till Yoongi calms down a bit.



“Wh-what are you?” He asks stupidly and the ghost tilts its head but doesn't answer and it unnerves Yoongi.



“Wh-who are you..?” He asks instead and the ghost eyes widen a bit before he smiles sweetly and answers.



“I am called Seokjin.” He responds in an archaic way of speaking and if Yoongi hadn't spent time watching historical dramas he might not have understood. At least his procrastination was rewarded in some way. However, he realizes the ghost just responded so now it's his turn for his eyes to turn wide.



The ghost just tilts its head again and Yoongi doesn’t know what to say, but the ghost— no Seokjin— breaks the silence.



“What is yours?” He asks sweetly and Yoongi swallows nervously before speaking.



“Um, Yoongi.” He responds and Seokjin eyes crinkle.



“How sweet. Someone who shines, correct?” Seokjin says and then giggles. “Suits you.”



And Yoongi is talking to a ghost but he can't help but blush. But then he’s hearing his name being called— not by the beautiful ghost but by a coworker and he startles. When he turns back Seokjin is gone.



He can’t get the ghost out of his thoughts that night.



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Yoongi continues to see Seokjin after that at various times. Sometimes he talks to Yoongi sometimes he doesn’t, almost always he smiles, but sometimes Yoongi sees him when he's closing up at night at the pavilion window and his gaze is far away and distant and very very sad. When he turns to look at Yoongi it remains a cold mask of pain and Yoongi wants to ask but even ghosts need their privacy.



Most of the time though Seokjin is just flitting about. He sees him often strolling around the gardens just barely dancing out of sight of other tourists but Yoongi always manages to catch him or maybe it's only Yoongi who is meant to see.



Sometimes before he leaves and he's cleaning the northern area up a bit Seokjin will accompany him and ask him things. When he learns that Yoongi is from America he is fascinated and he bothers Yoongi every free second of work for the next two days until his curiosity is satisfied. He also seems enthralled every time Yoongi divulges a bit of his personal history and a bit about his personal life. Like what he was like as a kid, what he enjoyed—basketball, and school, and music, and what his parents were like.



Seokjin, in turn, would share things about his own childhood and Yoongi would laugh along to all the stories. Seokjin seemed so docile at first but the more he got talking the more layers one uncovered of his fiery personality and mischievousness, and it was beyond endearing.



It was weird, Yoongi was talking to a ghost but he seemed so alive, even as sun rays shone through him and Seokjin sat there barely there physically, he was there fully in presence telling him stories and laughing his cute laugh



Yoongi doesn't even know when it happens, but he goes from being afraid of Seokjin, to weary of him, to then becoming friends.



Their friendship grows as months go by and soon Yoongi is a fourth year about to graduate and Seokjin is still an ageless beauty.


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Post-graduation Yoongi’s future is as gloomy as the world's.



The world is in an economic slump including Korea*** which is barely on its hind legs.



He’s been out of school for two months now and he had been trying to apply even before that but not even having graduated near the top ranks of his class could seem to land him a job in the hopeless economic market right now.



Yoongi basically drags himself to work these days.



Seokjin and his presence manage to cheer him up a bit but everything hurts when he has worked so so so hard for so long and there's nothing to show for all the effort. He feels like a fool and he cries and Seokjin tries to hug him but he’s not even real so Yoongi just cries harder and Seokjin sits distressed and pained at his side.



“I'm sorry, I’m sorry I can not be there for you in body Yoongi.” And Yoongi shakes his head and tries to smile for him but he just ends up bursting into a fresh set of tears as he sobs. He chokes on pain and hopelessness and Yoongi rarely cries but being with Seokjin opens up a dam of feelings so he just lets it out.

It feels better to cry with someone by your side than to cry all alone by yourself.



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He feels a lot better after that day, Seokjin still fusses over him and worries but Yoongi works to keep pushing even though he feels kind of hollow inside. He still continues to try his best because It's all he knows how to do honestly and he’s too afraid to give up trying for a better life because he knows if the day came where he truly gave up he wouldn't have anything left to live for anymore.



He doesn't have a family, his friends and him have lost contact after he moved to Korea and the ones he made here were nice but nothing to keep him here, no girlfriends, no nothing. He has Seokjin, though, the only person he can talk to, but Seokjin is already dead. Yoongi has a bottle of pills he has kept with him from those first few months when he was eighteen and on his own as a reminder of where he grew from but he kind of feels like he’s back to where he started. It would be so easy to give up.



Seokjin appears in front of him more, gives him these looks like he understands it all and that's what gets Yoongi. What had Seokjin been through to warrant a look of complete and utter despair it reminds him of the early days when he had first started seeing Seokjin and he had been sitting in his windowsill and his face would be so empty and haunting, it was the only time he looked like a real ghost, even more so than when he was half transparent still managing to shine brightly under the sunlight.



He wants to ask he really wants to know but will that be crossing some sort of imaginary boundary if he does? However, it turns out he doesn't have to think about it too much. It's closing time one day and Seokjin finds him as soon as he’s off to check the palace grounds.



“Hello, Yoongi. How are you doing?” And Yoongi not even startled by the sudden appearances anymore looks over and smiles.



“Hello to you too Seokjin. I’m alright,” He says a little hesitant and Seokjin catches him immediately because yeah, today isn't a good day for Yoongi.



“Liar.” he frowns and Yoongi sighs.



“I got rejected again.” He says trying to hold back tears but his voice still shakes as he trudges on and does the nightly check. “What am I going to do, Seokjin? I came here and betted everything on working hard and making it. I never had the thought of not succeeding because I was prepared to do everything possible to succeed. And I did! I did do everything! I barely slept, I just studied and worked and studied and worked I even lost the lick of fat I had left. All I see in the mirror at home is skin and bones,” And then he turns to Seokjin looking at him, his face ugly as he openly sobs and tears stream down his face as he hiccups breaths and god—! Yoongi has never cried this much infront of anyone before, he feels so horrible and Seokjin looks surprised which is a funny look on someone who's supposed to be a ghost. “So tell me why I’m still such a loser, Seokjin? I don’t want to do this anymore. I've worked so hard for so many years by myself because I had no one else in this world but I don't want to be alone anymore. I worked hard but I'm still a no one and I'm still alone.” And he was just blubbering at this point so he's opted for loudly sobbing instead and Seokjin fretted around him.



“Yoongi. Yoongi do not say you are alone. I am here and I know that is hardly comforting when I am a ghost but even though my soul is the only thing left I still care and worry for you, Yoongi. I wish I could do more.” And Seokjin looks so upset that he too would cry if he could and Yoongi wonders if ghosts can cry but he doesn't want to test that theory on Seokjin. Sweet, kind, sincere Seokjin. Instead, he breathes deep breathes and scrubs at his face with his shirt sleeve sniffling but calming down and Seokjin looks at him with barely contended relief.



They walk in silence for a while when Seokjin stops him.



“Stay with me in the palace tonight? I want to… share some things,” and Yoongi doesn't really want to be charged with illegal trespassing if he gets caught but he also wants to hear what Seokjin has to say so he agrees.



He finishes up the rest of the check around the area as Seokjin disappears and then reports back to the staff head. She dismisses him for the night and when he runs back to his locker to grab his stuff, he ducks into the garden behind him instead of actually leaving.



It takes an hour for everyone else to report back and slowly leave, chatting as they exit and then for the head staff to also grab her belongings and go.



There are still night duty guards patrolling the premises but they are sparse and usually just stick to one area unless there's a noise that makes them go check so Yoongi is quiet as he starts making his way down to the northern end. Seokjin joins him halfway there and his slightly illuminated silhouette is easy to follow.



When they make it to the moon pavilion Seokjin leads him inside. The inside wasn’t open to the public anymore but the setup was still here. Like a lot of the rooms in the palace, it is also set up in a way to show how it would have been back in the day. There’s blankets and a little desk and boxes that hold little bits and bobs for a noble.



Yoongi cautiously walks around and Seokjin is close behind him. “Sit anywhere,” Seokjin says pointing to the bedding on the floor so Yoongi takes a seat in the middle and crosses his legs and Seokjin sits with his back against the wall close by and has his eyes closed and they both don't say anything for a while.



Finally, Seokjin begins. “I was born in the Joseon dynasty in the year 1734****,” Seokjin says and Yoongi knew Seokjin was old, probably ancient but his heart still leaps when Seokjin tells him and he takes a deep breath but nods so the other can continue.



“I was to a noble family,” and Yoongi can see that, Seokjin has very regal features plus his skin is so pale it looks like he hasn't seen a day of sunlight. “I studied hard and passed the examinations and became one of the advisors to the king though I'm pretty sure half the reason I got in was my birth. Anyways, at first it was fairly uneventful, I joined the ranks of other men and I didn't really partake in the conversations much. I was much younger than the other ministers and I did not have a political agenda I was attempting to push like many others. Instead I just kept quiet and kept my head down, choosing to be ignored rather than trying to fight and compete with old men who more resembled snakes.


However, It was a day where we were discussing foreign policy you see. I was always very intrigued by China and always thought they had much to offer that we could learn from,” Seokjin says looking over and Yoongi nods. “Korea had gone into isolationism after the war with the Manchurians and we hadn't come out of it ever since. I suggested that day if we should perhaps extend a hand to China and there was a great debate over this but it's the day the king finally noticed me.” Seokjin says with a faint sad smile ghosting his lips.



“The king sought me out on his own after the meeting. A servant came to tell me he was asking for me and I of course obliged and went to see him. He never said much that first time except that he was intrigued by my ideas and wanted to hear more. I remember being so excited to be noticed and acknowledged so I went on and on for an hour I think. I don't even remember what I told him, just that I had so many ideas and plans and he just quietly sat there and listened smiling the whole time. After that, he called me to him again the next day— And the day after that, and the day after that, and I thought nothing of it at first, but then I brought up another debate at one of the meetings and I looked to the king to back me up, but he never did.


I didn't understand. I started noticing he would never offer many opinions himself or really contribute much to our talks. But then why would he keep calling me to talk about something when he didn't really care for it? I thought maybe he was trying to hide something from the other ministers but no one really went against the king. They were all very loyal to him. But then why? I was very upset that night and when he called me I went in and I asked him.


That's the first day he let his intentions be known to me. He asked me how I thought about male relationships and I was… I was scared and terrified and I had lived a very sheltered life. I expected to just serve in the king's court, be married, have kids and die a respectable lord. But here the king was showing interest in me and showing me something I had never even considered in my wildest dreams. So obviously I ran out of there and I sent a servant telling the court I was sick the next day. But there was only so long I could hide and I had to be back in court by the start of the next week when my family started questioning me. I remember I tried to race out of there the second the meeting adjourned but the servant got to me quick and the king was looking straight at me as the servant told me he wanted to see me. I, of course, obliged.


He told me how he cared for me that night and that he wouldn't pressure me into anything if I did not want to and that he only wanted his feelings known. However, he did want an answer but he said he would wait for it, and so I left again and I was just so confused, Yoongi. I was so ready to say no and end it all but then it all started coming back to me. How I had never really felt anything for girls, and a future with a wife never filled me with happiness like it did other boys, how the king was so handsome and his care for me had my heart fluttering. I don't know I was just so confused and everything was a whirlwind in my head. I went to court but I couldn't pay attention for a solid week and during my days off when I usually went out with my friends or had fun I just stayed holed up in my room instead, or sat outside thinking. I had never thought of another possibility so it was so confusing when one was given to me because I realized there was so much more to the world then I had assumed. And suddenly the more I thought about it, the more courage I had to go ahead and do it.



I told the king that I didn't know if I loved or even liked him but I would like to try and after that, I met with the king every night. Again, he was very kind and gentle and sweet. Sometimes he would buy me little presents or keep a piece of dessert to share with me when I arrived. I truly began to like him. And it was a year later when he asked me to be his concubine.



He had never publicly acknowledged me or let it be known that we had a relationship. I had been kept in hiding the whole time so I thought he might finally make it public or declare it. The thought of that scared me, however, I thought if it was with him it was worth it, however,  he didn't want that. He said I would have to continue to be kept a secret and I was so— I was so mad! I would have to give up everything to be with him like this, while he got to keep the life he had. But I also knew the courts and I knew the truth in his words. That if he were to announce what we were, that the ministers would never allow it. He would be overthrown or murdered, or there would be a rebellion. So to keep the peace and to keep my love I assented.



A part of me still wanted him to publicly acknowledge me, damn the consequences, but I thought I was being selfish so I relented. I still loved him so I agreed to become his consort in hiding and that's.” Seokjin stops and looks around the room gently touching the walls. “That's when he brought me here. Everyone had known there was construction going on in the northwestern wing of the palace but it was heavily guarded and no one was allowed to know what was going on. Apparently, the king had been building the moon pavilion in hiding for me. I was shocked and touched. It was right by the northern gardens tucked away and it was so lovely and the location so private I adored it.



Eventually, I moved into the pavilion, and to my family and friends told that I was being sent as a secret official to China and it was unknown when I would return again. The court was told something similar of how I was being sent as a foreign minister overseas, but I really stayed in the palace with a secret guard and maids to look after me.



I'm not going to lie it was really fun at first. I got to eat sleep and do whatever I wanted with no responsibilities. I just loved the King day in and day out with all my heart and I was taken care of fully. But I think life has turbulences and heartache for a reason because eventually after the initial excitement and expectations wore off, it started to get a bit too repetitive. I was secluded with no one except my maids and personal guards to talk to. And they were lovely don't get me wrong they cared for me so much and looked after me well. But there just something about the routine with no other options that made me feel trapped. I couldn't imagine the rest of my life continuing like this. I was terrified but I didn't say anything because I had promised the king.

Months and months went by and the repetition and agitation only grew. I could see my servants starting to sense it too. They were with me everyday as well but they got to go home to their families at the end of the day or be amongst their friends. But I was stuck in the Moon Pavilion. I never got to leave.



So I started being a little riskier and sometimes I would sit outside in my window when I knew I shouldn't.” Yoongi thinks about how often times when he saw Seokjin in the beggining it was by the window. He always looked so sad.



“The gardens were much more concealed and I should have gone there but I just felt tired and angry and It was one such day where I was sitting by the window when some ministers saw me. There had been spies sent apparently and rumors circulating in the underground of the King hiding a lover in the northern gardens and the ministers wanted to see for themselves and that's when the truth was leaked.



It didn’t even take a day for the rumors of his leanings to spread like wildfire in the palace and it was horrible. The King was terrified and incorrigible and he tried to deal with it, but the ministers outwardly disrespected him after they found out and my family also disowned me.



He tried to deal with it the best he could but he blamed me and the trust and respect he had were all lost. I guess in a way he assumed if I was gone he would also gain back favor.



One day while he had been drinking and angry he came inside the pavilion and I remember my last moments watching the person I loved take my life away.” he finishes quietly and its deep night now with the moon shining silver and the stars sparkling in the sky.



“I'm sorry.” Yoongi finally says, “I'm sorry you went through that.” and Seokjin shakes his head.



“I was at fault too. I became too greedy and ignored my duties to my nation and family and all the hard work I had done through the years, simply for love while ignoring everything else. Love so selfish like that can never be fulfilled, Yoongi.” Seokjin says back softly almost ghostly.



But Yoongi just feels sorry because Yoongi might give everything up if he was asked to for Seokjin.



He stays the night in the moon pavilion with Seokjin. They don't say anything. Just lay there and look at the moon quietly before it slips away with the night and ushers in the early morning just before dawn. That's when Yoongi finally leaves to head back home and sleep in for the rest of the day.



He sends Seokjin one lingering glance though as he gazes up at the man sitting in the window. He looks just as beautiful as when he first saw him with long billowing sleeves ruffled in the wind and beautiful long hair blowing around him.



Seokjin was beautiful.



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Work continues as usual for Yoongi after that, though his mood is significantly better. He also sees Seokjin a lot more and he's begun to sneak into the pavilion to talk to Seokjin after work hours now too. I


It should be sad that the greatest company Yoongi finds is with a ghost but he can't come to regret the decision because if anyone ever met Seokjin, even as the ghost he is. They would all understand.



So Yoongi considers it a cruel horrible joke when five weeks later he gets a call back from a company. They had only considered him a second choice but when an employee had to resign due to personal matters, promotions were made and soon a trainee spot was left open. Yoongi was ecstatic.



It was true he wouldn't be able to see Seokjin as much. But his dreams had come true and his hard work had paid off. He was going to soon be an employee at a large company in a week.



Yoongi literally ran to work that morning after the call and told all his friends in the crew and his boss was sad to see him go but happy for him and Yoongi said he would work till the end of the week so his boss could spend time trying to find an employee to take his post, or that’s what he told him. However, really, Yoongi just wanted to spend a few days with Seokjin before he had to go.



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He tells Seokjin hesitantly and quietly and he's excited but it's sinking in that he won't be able to Seokjin that much anymore.



Seokjin asks him if he's going and he nods nervously not looking up. He knows Seokjin’s going to be lonely. So will Yoongi. The king left Seokjin like this too he can't stop that comparison from invading his thoughts.



Seokjin is quiet and Yoongi keeps his head down.



“Will you at least visit?” Seokjin asks and Yoongi’s head snaps up. Seokjin looks so sad his eyes look like they are drowning in emotion but his smile is there and it's sincere. He's smiling for Yoongi even though he's sad and Yoongi feels a little sick.



“Of course I will. Of course.”



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Yoongi spends every night with Seokjin after closing that week, he even picks up Saturday’s shift and helps train the new guy.



After work he sends the new kid off and returns to Seokjin at the pavilion who isn't sitting by the windowsill but standing next to it resting his head against the frame, he's smiling as Yoongi approaches but it's dim and nothing like the big ones he usually shows him.



They talk a lot that night, but they never talk about the fact he's never coming back here again. That this will probably be the last time Yoongi ever sets foot in the moon pavilion.



Even when Yoongi leaves that morning, slowly and carelessly not caring that the guards could find him. He walks backwards as Seokjin stands, lonely silhouette framed by the moon pavilion and rising sun.



He's only a couple of steps out when Seokjin disappears and Yoongi startles and almost falls looking around but Seokjin is gone from the windowsill and he is hurt that he would leave like that without them properly being able to say goodbye. But then he turns around and Seokjin is right there in front of him, eyes shiny and face crumpled in emotions.



“Visit me, alright? I will miss you,” he says. And Yoongi feels his heart hurt and he nods reaching over and hugging the translucent body of Seokjin, he can't feel anything but he hopes his feelings get across. Not for the first time, Yoongi wishes Seokjin was alive, but unlike other times, he really really sincerely begs whoever is out there to make that one wish come true.



__________________



Yoongi begins work and it's all very exciting and a lot of well— work. He’s literally swamped for two weeks as he tries to figure everything out and get used to his new position. However, he’s having fun and it's amazing.



Two weeks eventually turn into three and then a month has gone by and Yoongi still hasn't gone back to visit the palace again. Will Seokjin be lonely? Is he missing him? He can't because he’s a ghost right?



Eventually, Yoongi becomes afraid of visiting. Will he be mad I haven't seen him in so long? Will he not even want to see me anymore…? Besides, he had other things to do.



And Yoongi becomes immersed in work again. It's exactly two months later when the company has a huge party at the office to celebrate Christmas and Yoongi talks to all the employees around when a beautiful woman in HR approaches him and starts talking to him and the tone immediately becomes flirty. He knows she's a few years older then him and she's damn sexy so Yoongi follows along easily because even if he isn't super experienced he’s had girlfriends before and he flirts back with her.



However, when she asks him to leave with her Yoongi can’t help but think of Seokjin. He suddenly misses Seokjin and his cute laughs and his pretty eyes and she's nothing like him and he just can't do it. He can't leave with her so she presses her number into his hand just in case, but Yoongi doesn't call her either.



It happens again two weeks later. A small petite girl who's also new to the company and to his department starts talking to Yoongi. She is definitely not as forward in her attempts as the last woman though and she's shy and cute and finds little excuses to walk by him or meet him ‘by chance’. Yoongi thinks she's very sweet and he wouldn't mind starting a relationship with her. Heck, she's the kind of girl he would want to date but he sees Seokjin again. This girl is actually a lot like Seokjin but the small things that aren't like him are what are the most unnerving. How Seokjin sometimes might set the pretense for being quiet but when he's excited he is loud. And if Yoongi makes him mad he pouts versus Sooyoung who is always quiet and keeps things to herself.



The fact Yoongi even keeps comparing anyone to Seokjin is reason enough to have him worry.



__________________




In the third month, Yoongi realizes he can't do this anymore. He needs to see Seokjin, to talk to him, to see him… to apologize for not keeping his promise. He can't keep pretending that Seokjin never happened when Seokjin means so much to him. He probably wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for Seokjin.



He visits Sunday afternoon knowing the fact he has work the next day will make sure he comes home. He visits and walks straight to the northern gardens and sneaks in without even blinking an eye. The moment he has himself concealed behind the trees, Seokjin shows himself. He's crying with pretty glittering tears falling down his pale ghostly cheeks and Yoongi feels his gut twist in guilt and another feeling. Yoongi falls even more in love with Seokjin’s pretty tear track covered cheeks, his wet eyelashes, and his trembling hands. He wants to take his pain away, protect him. But he came here to do something today.



“You said—” Seokjin begins but then stops himself curling inwards and Yoongi wants to draw him out again but that wouldn't help them, “it's been a while” he settles for instead reserved and scared and Yoongi nods.



“Work was busy… and it took a while to adjust. Sorry I couldn't visit sooner.”



Seokjin looks like he has a protest on his tongue, he looks mad like he's heard it all before. To call Yoongi out on his bullshit because they both know it's not what has kept Yoongi away, they know. An awkward silence falls between then as Seokjin chooses to hold his tongue once more and Yoongi let's bitter goodbye settle in his stomach like acid gnawing away at his insides.



“I'm. That wasn't the complete truth. I wanted to stay away too actually. I needed to. I needed to have some distance and sort through my feelings. Seokjin, I'm sorry. I'm. I don't know any other way because I've come to like you Seokjin. You're not even alive.” Yoongi says voice cracking badly at the end as he finally lets months of pent-up feelings out and starts crying. Seokjin who had also started crying again reaches over to worriedly wipe at his tears but his hands sweep right through Yoongi’s skin and he just cries harder.



“I'm sorry,” Yoongi says and Seokjin is crying just as hard furiously shaking his head.



“No Yoongi, no. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.” and they both stand there sobbing their hearts out in the cold winter wind without being able to touch each other and too scared to look at each other. Terrified of the feelings that would probably show in their eyes.



Yoongi doesn't know how long they stand there, his fingertips are freezing and numb and his cheeks ache in the biting cold. Seokjin still looked beautiful though. Seokjin always looked beautiful.



Finally, he speaks up and Yoongi’s heart breaks a little more.



“Go” Seokjin chokes out. “don't stay here Yoongi, it'll only be harder. I’m proud of you. This is the right choice. You can't stay here with me when I'm not even alive. Go find someone else and settle down and have beautiful children and make up for all the heartbreak you were forced to go through Yoongi.”



Yoongi shakes as he tries to control himself, but he nods as tears fall and fall. He can’t respond for a bit but he gathers a bit of courage, in the end, to mutter out the words he needed to get off his chest.



“I love you,” Yoongi whispers brokenly and it feels like the cold wind picks up as it passes right through a hole in his heart as well gliding across Yoongi’s face carrying his words with him



“Me too. I love you too,” Seokjin says back and Yoongi nodded as he numbly walked away and out of the palace.



He’s sure he gets quite a few stares as he makes his way out that day sobbing like everything had ended for him when life had actually never been more perfect. Except for Seokjin, he lost Seokjin.



Yoongi gut wrenches, the pain is similar to when he lost his parents but Seokjin’s been gone since even before that. He was never Yoongi’s to begin with but there's still a loss and Yoongi feels empty.



When he finally steps outside the palace doors Yoongi is so cold and aching and nothing matters, he’s never had anyone, his parents were taken, his friends were too far, and Seokjin— he will never have.



__________________



The days following leaving Seokjin are confusing. Yoongi is confused and tired and frustrated because he thought he was leaving this behind him but he’s always just missing Seokjin. He misses his smile and his laugh and he doesn’t understand how he can miss someone who he hasn’t even ever touched, But there’s an ache and a craving and he thinks it’ll go away but instead it just consumes his thoughts.



He’s haunted honestly by ghostly tears and restrained sobs and he knows Seokjin is haunting him now even if he wasn’t before.



It’s a possession perhaps in how Yoongi can’t let him go even though he’s trying.



He doesn’t eat as much and he can’t sleep. It just hurts all the time, his heart hurts and the guilt eats him alive and his existence feels like it's devoid of any color or joy.


He feels empty and with no love because what he loves he said goodbye to and now he’s left with nothing even though he looks like he has everything. A nice house, a car, people interested in him.



The petite girl in the marketing department tries talking to him again, others do to but even though he’s said his goodbyes he doesn't really believe it.



It's what prompts him to make the decision to go back to Seokjin.



__________________




He’s nervous he avoids going back for two weekends in a row, always convincing himself out of it, instead going out with coworkers and pretending to be normal.



It’s the anxiety that gets the best of him really. He’s always afraid Seokjin will hate him if he goes back. Or he’s afraid this was all in his head and Seokjin was never there from the beginning. So many scenarios run through his head, the fear that now that he’s willing to see Seokjin after keeping him waiting for so long, it will be Yoongi who will be the one left in the dark this time.



It’s scary because he doesn’t know what he’ll do in that case.



Sometimes he really wonders if perhaps he’s not okay or if he’s going crazy.



It’s the third weekend where he finally breaks and his want— no his need to see Seokjin overpowers his fears so he takes the subway ride to the palace.



He’s afraid, nervous, he feels sick but he’s also determined. When he reaches the crosswalk he sees the palace in front of him. It’s just as large and imposing as all the other times.


The last time he was leaving— or what he thought would be the last time— he saw Seokjin standing inside the open palace doors among throngs of people who didn’t see him, but Yoongi did.


This time he’s not there and Yoongi feels sick but maybe Seokjin just hadn't noticed his presence yet. So thinking that he gathers his courage and he begins crossing the street lost in thought.



He doesn't see the car that's barreling down the street past speed limit. He doesn’t even realize when the car makes impact. A second ago he was on his feet and then he’s hitting a windshield with the breath knocked out of him.



It all happens very fast and very slow from there.



It takes a second for the pain to catch up to him and when it does it’s beyond agonizing. He hears screams and there are people running and kneeling next to him or hovering over his face asking if he’s okay and yelling to call an ambulance. There’s a warmth around his head and his back that he belatedly realizes is blood and Yoongi starts feeling very cold.

He’s cold, and the blood loss combined with the pain are making him dizzy and his vision is hazy but he sees a brilliantly glowing figure.

Seokjin.

In the midst of December snow Yoongi sees him. He’s out of the palace it’s the first time and he’s kneeling by Yoongi’s side with tears in his eyes. He’s still so beautiful and sad and Yoongi always feels horrible causing him pain.


“Seokjin,” he calls weakly and it’s weird because even though he usually can’t feel him, he can suddenly feel Seokjin’s hand in his own— that’s how he realizes he’s probably dying.

He’s crying wretchedly by Yoongi’s side.



“You said you wouldn’t come back! You shouldn’t have come back, look at you now!” he says and every second that goes by the hand gets warmer and more solid.



Yoongi just smiles at him because speaking is too much work now.



“Sir you're going to be okay,” someone yells and Yoongi knows they are reassuring words that hold no truth. Its funny how a car crash is what killed his parents and now it is what’s taking him too.



“We just can't win in this lifetime Yoongi.” Seokjin chokes out and Yoongi wants to hold him press him to his heart and tell him he felt full even just knowing Seokjin. That even without being able to touch him and be around his actual body Yoongi still learned to love him so fiercely he knew he wasn't going to be able to ever forget him. That dying was scary until Seokjin was by his side, now he just feels peaceful.



Life leaves him slowly and the crippling pain starts to ebb away. The distant sound of people telling him to hold on around him but Yoongi doesn't want to listen anymore, he's leaving.



Black engulfs him and the feeling of a hand in his own.



__________________




When Seokjin feels Yoongi come near the palace he thinks it’s a lie, but then he sees him just for a fleeting moment before the car hits him.



Seokjin has often thought the sensation of being a ghost is an odd one, but the moment Yoongi is hurt Seokjin has never felt more real. For the longest time Seokjin has been trapped in a bubble of time. While the world changed and grew around him Seokjin stayed trapped in a painful past that he couldn’t leave but when Yoongi is hurt its like all those shackles and fears go with him and his only thought is Yoongi.

For the first time in centuries Seokjin leaves his pavillion, he leaves his garden, this time he even ventures beyond the palace. Seokjin leaves everything behind and he goes to find Yoongi. When he approaches, Yoongi smiles for him but he’s so weak he only has a few minutes left at most and Seokjin can already feel his soul getting stronger and his body getting weaker.



It hurts.



It hurt when Yoongi left those few months ago too and even though Seokjin was hurt he still wished the best for him.



This though, seeing Yoongi in pain is worse. It hurts more. This isn’t what he wanted, he doesn’t understand why Yoongi came back. Seokjin had let him go, he told Yoongi to go and yet here he was.




The moment life leaves Yoongi’s eyes, Seokjin drowns out the yells and sadness around him. Yoongi had no family but the people around him are clearly pained seeing a person so young die. Yoongi was so young.




Seokjin feels alone again.

Before Seokjin at least knew Yoongi was still out there even if he wasn’t his so it wasn’t that lonely, there was peace in his existence. But now Seokjin feels the silence of being alone in the world again but this time he isn't even chained to a building. This time Seokjin thinks his soul will just fade into oblivion with nothing tethering it to this cruel world anymore.




He sits there he doesn’t know for how long but the area where Yoongi had died is sectioned off and empty when he feels it— it's already dark. He gasps and turns around and Yoongi is there very much a shining soul and he smiles at him.




“Yoongi!” He says getting up and going to him and Yoongi smiles and steps closer and reaches out his hand. Seokjin can actually feel him now, can touch him.




“Hello,” he says smiling gently and Seokjin is so lost but so relieved.



The light behind Yoongi is bright and he smiles and gently walks Seokjin to it.




“Let’s go Seokjin, let’s go.”




Seokjin feels scared suddenly and he backpedals, “I’m scared Yoongi it’s been too long. I won’t be able to, I don’t want to.”



Yoongi looks a little sad but then he smiles softly again, “it’ll be fine. I’m here with you. I want to go together Jin. Let’s go together. We both don’t have to be afraid.”




In the years Seokjin has been here he's never had anyone come for him. He’s seen other deaths or heard of them, seen souls come to collect their loved ones and take them home after they died or they were already waiting as the life left their loved ones eyes.



Seokjin knew no one had really loved him, they thought him disgusting and wrong and the one person he trusted— the king had had been the one to end his life with his own hands and Seokjin was scared. He had been so scared for so many years of so many things.

At first he thought he wouldn’t be allowed up there because he didn’t love the right kind of person, then he had spent time just mourning on earth, eventually such a long time had passed Seokjin didn’t think he was welcome anymore, just doomed to spend eternity on earth— but Yoongi is so beautiful and he smiles for him and is so gentle and encouraging so Seokjin slowly follows him into the light.




“It’s so warm and nice Yoongi.” He says and the peace and the warmth that fills his being after centuries has tears spring to Seokjin’s eyes.



Yoongi’s hand tightens around his own, “it is.”



__________________




When fate asks if they would like to keep the memories of this life to the next as a consolation of sorts for their sorrowful pasts, it's easy for Yoongi and Seokjin to look at each other and shake their heads.



“We don’t need memories to help us find each other or fall in love again. I believe no matter where we are, no matter how far— we’ll meet again, we’ll love again.”




__________________





2007



Yoongi grows up in the small back streets of Daegu to two loving and slightly sarcastic parents, he adores them. He grows up with amazing friends, he loves basketball, and for some reason, he’s deathly afraid of cars. Needless to say, it had been terrible and trying time learning how to drive.



When Yoongi is sixteen he gets a scholarship to a high school of arts in Seoul for his music. His parents never really understood it but they support him and that’s how he finds himself packing his bags and leaving. He doesn't know why exactly, he’s always wanted to go to Seoul but it’s a place he’s been drawn to for a while. It’s the arts and the culture he tells himself, but somewhere deep down it’s like a siren call.



When he arrives, he takes a taxi to the dorms. The taxi driver is also from Daegu and he congratulates him on his accomplishments but mostly just seems happy to talk to someone from home again. As he drives him through Seoul’s busy streets he points out to places Yoongi should visit, mostly just tourist attractions and whatnot. When he points to one of the palaces saying its Gyeongbokgung Palace, Yoongi feels a dull thud in his heart. His chest aches he doesn't know why, but he politely nods and looks away.



__________________




Yoongi thrives in the program. It’s art based and intense but Yoongi is a go-getter and a mainly art curriculum is all he’s ever wanted. He’s focused and set— well, mostly focused.



There was a boy with the softest looking skin a grade above Yoongi. He has black hair and a pretty face that he would sometimes contort into odd expressions. He is tall and broad and long-limbed. He is also kind and quiet but when he is with his friends he was kind of loud and embarrassing. Yoongi finds himself watching this boy a lot. His name was Seokjin and Yoongi really liked him.



But the weirdest thing was that Seokjin felt like home and Yoongi didn’t understand why.



They have a home economics class together and Seokjin is a god at baking while Yoongi is a killer cook and they have a final when Seokjin walks up to him and asks if he wants to team up so Yoongi agrees. Working together with Seokjin is odd, he’s a lot funnier and louder than he lets on and radiates spunk and confidence for miles, he’s addicting and Yoongi wants. They are practicing making their meal for the class final when Seokjin looks over.



“You're pretty,” he says tilting his head and Yoongi had snorted and scoffed but his cheeks heated.



“Look who’s talking,” He said which made Seokjin laugh cutely scrunching up his face and Yoongi looked on, ‘ You’re gorgeous inside and out ’  he had wanted to add on but didn’t when almond eyes turned back to him.



“You’re sweet Yoongi-chii.”



Yoongi really wasn’t, it was just the truth.



__________________




Two years go by too fast.



It’s graduation day and Seokjin is leaving and Yoongi feels dread and longing fill him.



Seokjin's been a great friend for two years and it’s developed into something a little more than Yoongi was planning but now he’s going to be leaving and Yoongi doesn’t know how to say he doesn’t want him to leave, or to lose contact, or that seeing him just a few times a year won’t be enough.



His eyes feel a little watery and he feels like an idiot.



It’s been two years with repressed feelings and a boy who makes Yoongi laugh and smile and who makes the best chocolate chip cookies and who encourages him and laughs with him and cries with him but Yoongi can’t even go out to the after party for him because it just hurts too much.



He sees Seokjin all day he doesn’t think he can handle that not being the case anymore.



He's lost in his thoughts when the door slides open but Yoongi doesn't bother to look. It was probably Hoseok trying to drag him downstairs for the nth time.



“Yoongi,” A familiar soft voice calls and Yoongi’s head snaps to see Seokjin standing there looking a little puzzled and confused still in his graduation robe and also a little frenzied.



“What are you doing here?” Yoongi asks, “your parents are probably waiting for you.”



“I should be asking you that. I asked everyone where you were and looked everywhere for you but I didn’t see you,” and then he frowns “did you even see me graduate?” He asks slightly accusing and Yoongi rolls his eyes.



Of course he did. Yoongi took like a gazillion pictures on his nice camera that’s now on his lap of Seokjin looking dazzling and pretty as he walked the stage among cheers from his peers. Seokjin was popular no matter where he went.



He holds up his camera and doesn’t even have to say anything but Seokjin understands, he always does. Instead, he looks puzzled then, “then why did you leave?” He asks and fuck Yoongi couldn’t talk to Seokjin about this anymore without choking up and he fucking hates that.



He’s not sure what to say, that even thinking about Seokjin leaving physically hurt and he didn't know how to explain it. How his feelings for Seokjin seemed to transcend time like nothing he could ever do could make him forget the man before him. How this was all confusing but the simple fact was that he didn’t want to lose Seokjin.”



His face contorts and to his horror, he ends up quietly crying right there in front of Seokjin and this was so humiliating and even more so when Seokjin looks shell shocked.



“Yoongi?” He asks and quickly comes over before gently kneeling in front of Yoongi’s crying form. The name only makes Yoongi cry harder and he really was feeling those emotional teenage hormones today, “Yoongi, talk to me. What’s wrong?”




Yoongi sends a sad mopey glare his way because fuck if he was gonna say some sappy shit like he would miss Seokjin. Seokjin laughs at him though and gently holds his hand. It feels like coming home and it just makes Yoongi break out into a fresh new set of tears.




“A-are you crying cause you’ll miss me?” Seokjin asks gently, and this was so humiliating and embarrassing but at least this way he wouldn’t have to say it himself so he rubs at his eyes and nods stilted and sad and tries to keep the sobs down.



“Oh, my Yoongi-chii,” Seokjin babies and gets up to pull him into a tight hug laughing hopelessly and Yoongi is just so tired of his feelings.

However, he loves Seokjin so much and he can’t help it when his fingers dig into Seokjin’s robe and hold on tight. He also can’t help it when his tongue loose with emotion and fear of losing Seokjin starts speaking in its own.



“I don’t want you to go.”



“I won’t be gone long Yoongi I’m just going home for a few weeks to figure what I’m doing from here and then I’ll be back in Seoul job hunting.”




But that’s not it Yoongi thinks as he nuzzles deeper into Seokjin’s robe wetting it with tears, “but it won’t be the same. You won’t be in school anymore, we won’t be able to see each other all the time anymore… Seokjin,” he says his voice weak and Seokjin looks down at him puzzled and Yoongi can’t meet his eye, “Seokjin... I love you. I’m afraid to lose you.”




Seokjin looks shocked and Yoongi is frozen and they stay like that not saying a word until Yoongi lets his hand slip and makes to run but Seokjin grabs onto him this time, cupping his cheeks and forcing Yoongi to look at him.



“Are you serious?” He asks and his eyes look wide and imploring like he’s holding his breath— Yoongi feels dread and shame swirl in his gut but he doesn’t want to admit it again, he wants to go hide but he had already said it so he accepted his fate instead and just nodded.




However, instead of disgust or awkwardness or even anger, Seokjin looks at him and holds his hand tighter and pulls him closer.




“Oh my god, me too. Ever since I laid eyes on you. Ever since I saw you in class or when you talked with your friends— I wanted to get to know you and then I did and I just fell even more. God, can I kiss you?” he asks breathless and Yoongi is shell shocked, his brain not processing that information but he doesn’t care right now he just wants to kiss Seokjin so he nods desperately and lets himself be pulled close and kissed hard.



Seokjin tastes like sugar and salt and like home and Yoongi leans in deeper and feels like everything in his being made whole like something in Yoongi just clicked together that he never knew was slightly askew. It's perfect and liberating and euphoric.


It’s like all these years this is what Yoongi has been waiting for.



__________________



Seokjin does end up going home for about six weeks. He still visits Yoongi every weekend though because Gwacheon isn't even that far but it's still an adjustment to get used to life without Seokjin but he also gained a boyfriend from this so Yoongi can't find himself being too upset. It also makes the times they do spend together even more special.


When Seokjin comes back he decides he wants to go to culinary school and Yoongi isn't surprised because he’s a fantastic baker and he’ll do well. He recently also found part time work in a bakery and it just felt like everything was slowly falling into place.


The ease with which they fall in love, the love they share its storybook Yoongi thinks.


Its electrifying with sparks but also deep-seated and curling between the both of them. It’s like a feeling that's been dormant finally awoken and Yoongi never knew love could be like this but he never wants to let Seokjin go.


Now in this life or any hereafter.



__________________




A story from long ago





Long ago there was a king who loved a man but he hid him inside four walls of intricately carved wood.



A servant boy looks after this man and at first, he finds the whole thing dirty, but as he gets to know the man he finds him funny and intelligent and so beautiful— he understands the king a little better now.



Soon his aversion turns into fondness and the man or more accurately the nobleman becomes his friend because he has no one else and the servant boy feels pity for him trapped inside four walls. For months now, the most the nobleman has seen are the equally secluded northern gardens and the servant doesn't think the northern gardens are anything short of gorgeous, but he also thinks there's beauty in the dirty marketplace, and the busy streets, and the wild woods on the outskirts of town— all the places the nobleman can't go because he is trapped here.



So instead the servant describes the places to the nobleman and sees him grow more discontent as the days go by and maybe this servant boy was a little selfish. Maybe he wanted the nobleman to leave the king and come with him instead because the servant wouldn't keep the nobleman locked in a room with four walls. The servant wanted to show the nobleman everything.



But selfishness will always lead to loss because the more you try to take what is not yours, the further it will get from you.

It is some months later when everyone discovers what has really been happening and things become a mess. Someone had spotted the nobleman in his window in the pavillion and now they all know the truth. The palace in in chaos for many days and the king’s anger seems directed at the nobleman though it was not his fault. The nobleman hides in his little house afraid and worried when one day the king finally comes.

The servant boy had never seen the King angrier than than that day and his gut was twisting in fear as he watched the livid face— watched as he and everyone were sent out of the room, and watched the doors and windows to the little room be shut in some drawn out horror. The servant is scared but even the nobleman had anticipated yelling or anger or even a beating, but the servant and nobleman probably could never in their wildest dreams have imagined the actual outcome.




When the doors open again the king looks lost.



“Bury him,” he says and the servant doesn't think he’s ever felt his heartbreak and fall quite that way in his life before. He’s the first to run into that room and he’s the first to see the nobleman’s lifeless body with blossoming red marks around his neck turning darker by the second. His eyes are the scariest. They usually looked so bright and starry but they were dead now and he’s not really sure how he helps the other servants who cry and mourn their gentle master around him bury his best friend and love.



He promises himself as he is hung for murder of the king a few days later that in another life he would protect him.