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Cheoljong was happy.
He had achieved everything he had long dreamed of. Cheoljong now had full control of the imperial throne, with Prince Youngpyeong and Special Director Hong serving as his aides.
He had permanently removed the Jo and Andong Kim clans from the seats of power, cleaning out the corrupt officials from his court. The assets and gold seized from the officials were used to provide for the citizens.
The country was slowly being rebuilt, looking forward to years of prosperity in the future.
On top of it all, Cheoljong now had his beloved Queen and son by his side.
Lips curving up, he fondly recalled his memories of when his son was born. The whole palace was thrown into chaos. He himself was pacing back and forth anxiously as he waited outside the delivery room.
When he first heard the cries of a newborn, Cheoljong could not control himself and barged into the room. At the sight of his tired but smiling Queen holding their firstborn, Cheoljong burst into tears, repeatedly thanking his Queen for being healthy and safely birthing their child.
The relief, joy, happiness, anxiety, exhilaration and slight disbelief all mixed together as he sat there embracing his precious family in his arms. Now his little son was old enough to crawl around, causing his personal attendants much worry and distress everyday.
Cheoljong was happy.
Yet strangely, he felt as if something was missing.
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It started with the little things.
When his Queen began using formal speech, Cheoljong first thought, what is she planning now? She only does this when she is hiding something, or needs a favor.
His Queen was always full of surprises, and he looked forward to being entertained by them.
However, as weeks passed by, his Queen showed no signs of reverting back to her informal way of speaking. Her arrogance gave way to an elegant yet unyielding demeanor, benefitting her position as the Queen.
The atmosphere around her seemed different.
Once, Cheoljong pointed out that his Queen felt similar to a local gang leader he met in his childhood. The way his Queen walked and spoke reminded him of that leader patrolling his territory, with an air of demanding money and absolute obedience.
True to her character, his Queen had beaten him up and refused to see him for a week when she heard his words.
Nowadays, however, the Queen felt much more calm and dignified. Court Lady Choi often sighed happily, remarking that her hard efforts of nagging the Queen had finally come to fruition.
Prince Youngpyeong and Special Director Hong also agreed, stating that the Queen finally returned to her senses and conducted herself properly. No matter who it was, everyone praised the Queen for her wisdom, patience, and gracefulness as a ruling monarch.
As if this was how things should’ve been.
Cheoljong attributed her changes to their new status as first-time parents. Perhaps his Queen wanted to set a good example for their child. He knew just now much his Queen cared for their child, as evidenced by her loving words in her diary.
Additionally, now that the Grand Queen Dowager and Queen Dowager were banished to the Cold Palace, the Queen also had to bear the responsibility of the sole ruler of the Internal Court.
Hence, Cheoljong thought nothing more of it.
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Until he set his eyes on the Queen’s Dictionary, that is.
Alone in his office, Cheoljong caressed the cover of the book. Leafing through the pages, a smile rose unbidden as his eyes scanned the contents. His Queen had taught him so much, and he was incredibly grateful for her existence.
Recently though, it felt as if the Queen stopped blurting out new and strange words. She also stopped her nightly sessions of storytelling about the progressive Joseon in her dreams. Cheoljong was almost tempted to ask her to teach him more, but for some reason, he refrained.
It didn’t feel right to bring these up to the Queen, who seemed to have changed so much these days. He didn’t necessarily dislike these changes, but he did feel a little lonely when he recalled the wild and arrogant Queen in his memories.
Seemingly lost in his thoughts, his feet subconsciously brought him to a treasured place in his memories. Cheoljong looked up and saw the moonlight reflected off the gentle ripples on the lake.
This was where everything started.
This was where the Queen chose to end her life the night before their marriage, and once again after their marriage. Cheoljong vividly recalled the way his heart pounded in his chest as he anxiously swam and searched for the Queen.
“No, I won’t follow the No-Touch rule!”
“Let’s do it, the No-Touch rule!”
Their intermingling voices echoed in his mind as Cheoljong walked towards the lake. His eyes caught sight of the rock that denoted the name of the lake, as well as some unintelligible scratches below.
He walked closer and knelt down, running his fingers over the rock.
I came here for nothing.
What was his Queen thinking when she etched those words and jumped into the lake? The next line was harder to make out, but it was not impossible. Cheoljong squinted as he tried to read the scratched-out words.
"… Jang… Bong… Hwan?"
Cheoljong couldn’t make sense of the words. He repeated them over and over in his head as he absentmindedly made his way back to his own bed-chamber. Taking up his brush, he once more found a new term to note down in the Queen’s Dictionary.
Jang Bong Hwan.
What did they mean? A nagging suspicion tickled the back of his mind. He felt as if these characters were very important, but he did not know why. Leafing through the worn-out pages, Cheoljong scanned the contents of the book for clues. How did his Queen come up with so many novel ideas and words? “anti-fan”, “voting”, “republic of korea”... all these strange terms only served to reaffirm Cheoljong’s image of the Queen as an otherworldly being.
Thinking of it this way, it wasn’t strange for the Queen to declare that she came from the future. Yes, it wasn’t strange at all…
Wait, came from the future?
Cheoljong inhaled sharply. What if… what if the Queen was telling the truth? It was as if a veil was lifted from his eyes. How could he have been so blind? Heartbeat accelerating, Cheoljong frantically tried to remember other phrases the Queen had said.
“You should have tried to understand this woman when she married you!”
“...everything will return back to its rightful place tomorrow.”
“Kim So-Yong, come out! Don’t make me drag you out from wherever you’re hiding!”
“It’s too late. Your understanding means nothing now.”
“... I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m saying that I’m a man from the future!”
Cheoljong closed his eyes. After a long while, he slowly opened them. Lips parting slowly, he whispered a name out loud.
“Jang Bong-Hwan.”
Wait for me, I’m coming to find you.
My beloved Queen.