Work Text:
Hak is a relentless storm.
Strong, thundering, and without end.
Soo-won is drawn to him.
He sees everything he lacks in the swing of Hak’s blade and the electric intensity behind his gaze.
But amazingly, Hak gives his whole to those around him. Emperor Il, General Mundok, and Princess Yona depend on him unquestionably. He is as natural to their existences as the rain is during a monsoon.
Does he know this?
I.
I want to get closer to you.
I want to become more like you.
I always think that.
Archery lessons, sword training, horseback riding, and playing with the young Princess Yona – young and careless, there is rarely a moment when Soo-won and Hak are apart. Hak acts without hesitance, and Soo-won breaths him in, keeping his gaze fixed on that wondrous sight.
II.
I want to
always and forever
stay together like this.
Everything changes suddenly, and too cruelly. Fate steals that future Soo-won dreamt of along with the life of Yu-hon, his father. The world he once knew is now a different place, much bigger than three children who rarely thought of what laid beyond that happy palace.
He now had a responsibility given to him with those last words and the warm wetness of Yu-hon’s blood.
Instead of a forever, he now has ten years.
III.
There is something I must do.
Soo-won ventures regularly to the city to prepare himself to be the emperor of this kingdom. On the streets he interacts with the people of Kouka, learning of their suffering and hearing their murmurs of unhappiness with Emperor Il’s reign. But as Soo-won grows to hate his uncle more and more, only he feels the vast distance now between him and Yona and Hak.
Yona is still all sugar and sweetness.
Hak, coolness and strength.
If only they knew.
No.
If only he didn’t.
IV.
It’s frustrating
even though we’re so close.
I don’t feel like I can reach you at all.
As Soo-won grows older, his preparations require a wider scope. He travels to the different tribes of Kouka on month long journeys, and visits the palace less and less. He sees Yona infrequently, and Hak fewer still.
He can’t stop seeing them all together, though that would be easier. That might cause suspicion. For everything to work perfectly, he needs their complete trust.
But when they are together his heart aches.
Soo-won is easily swept away by Hak’s storm – one that has become even fiercer over time. There’s a longing that maybe wasn’t quite there before.
At age 17, Soo-won’s hand itches at the memory of Hak’s strong hand grasping his own, pulling him through the crowd. Calloused hands, broad shoulders, and that electric gaze draw him closer constantly, urging him to forget in his presence.
Forget everything.
Forget what he must do.
His eyes long to focus on him, only him.
Helplessly, he wants to reach out for that hand that seems so far away. He struggles to find an escape from those powerful gusts of the Thunder Beast.
Soo-won yearns for a different reality; one where this love didn’t exist.
V.
When I become King
both Yona and Hak
will not be by my side.
Yona’s sixteenth birthday quickly approaches, along with the culmination of Soo-won’s plan. He has lived the last ten years for this day, he must remind himself. He is uncertain at times.
Maybe, there didn’t have to be betrayal.
Maybe, there could be a way for Hak to remain at his side.
“But I want Hak,” Soo-won pouts after hinting to Hak that he could have a position as his attendant.
If Hak could travel with him for a few months and pledge his loyalty to him before Yona’s birthday – if he could draw him away from Yona – there might be a chance that he could convince him of his path, just like he had done with Joo-doh and Kye-sook.
“Then become the King,” Hak smirks.
“Huh…?” Soo-won dumbly struggles to hide his shock.
Could Hak possibly know? But then why was he acting so coolly about it?
“Marry Princess Yona and then become the King,” Hak clarifies. “You want me, right?”
“That’s what you mean…” Relief sweeps over Soo-won. He hadn’t been found out but–
“Well, either way…” Hak’s eyes sharpen, piercing though Soo-won like lightening, now unable to look away. “I’ll only acknowledge you if you marry Princess Yona and become the next King. At that time, I’ll become your right hand. I will stay beside you two until the very end.”
Soo-won realizes the full implications of Hak’s words.
Until the very end.
They weigh heavily, almost cripplingly so.
It was clear now.
Hak would only be loyal to the Soo-won that was loyal to Yona.
Hak will never leave Yona’s side.
So that was the depth of his love for her.
Soo-won knew Hak had a crush on Yona, but didn’t think… he never wanted to believe he loved her that much. That Hak loved Yona so much, enough to sacrifice his own romantic feelings without even putting up a fight.
Soo-won had so desperately wanted to convince himself of that small chance. The chance that he could be a person who didn’t have to betray the one he loved. But it was impossible when that person loved someone else.
That storm pulls Soo-won forward one last time.
He can’t stop himself from resting his forehead on Hak’s broad shoulder.
“Yes, that’s… a fortunate dream.”
Of course, this is what Soo-won loves about Hak anyway. He relentlessly held onto that same dream and future he has once also shared.
That storm would never give way to him and his calm calculations of a greater good.
All he could do was put his faith in those two: that they might find a way to make it through, that they could run away and survive. It would be best if they could live and forget their past – forget him.
“Hak, please… protect Yona, okay?”
He separates from Hak, eyes burning.
Now, he must truly turn the Soo-won they knew into an illusion, for the sake of a world much greater than feelings of love and longing.
He can’t go back.
There is something he must do.
This is goodbye.