Work Text:
The Murim Times
[KING YOO JOONGHYUK BEHIND THE SCENE - AN UNDISCOVERED SIDE]
Editor: Uriel
Translation and images in courtesy of Associate Professor Kim from the National University.
For more information about the research group and their works, please visit kimhistorygroup.nationaluniversity.murim
King Yoo Joonghyuk, the founder of the Murim Kingdom, has long been known as a strict and cool-headed ruler. Everyone respected him for his contributions to the empire, but his mercilessness made them tremble in fear.
Ever since he ascended the throne, countless corrupted nobles were executed, freeing the suffering commoners from their grip. Tales about his war achievements could be sung from morning to night without interruption, with the ultimate ending being the kingdom finally found its peace after years of suffering.
While the public is familiar with him as a ruler, little has been disclosed about his private life. From historical records, we know that he was married to Queen Kim Dokja and they together had Princess Biyoo and Prince Byeol. After the King finished conquering Star Stream and uniting the continent, he decided to marry the last prince of the fallen kingdom, a move that had always been associated with political reasons.
For a long time, historians believed that their marriage was one without love where King Yoo Joonghyuk barely paid any attention to his partner in life. Queen Kim Dokja was also said to be cold toward his husband as he was rarely seen together with the King in public events, only showing his face when absolutely required. It was understandable considering that the King had annihilated all of the Kim royal family save for the Queen, which may cause him to develop hatred for his husband. With how distant they appeared to be, many considered it a miracle that the King not only stayed faithful to the Queen until his death but the couple also managed to have two children of their own.
However, the recent discovery of the Queen's diary starts to raise questions about the nature of their relationship among scholars and fans who have always been interested in the life of Emperor Yoo Joonghyuk. Apparently, the diary had been in possession of the Shin family - an old noble family from Star Stream that had sworn loyalty to the Queen long before he married the Emperor. The eldest daughter of the family had followed the Queen to the Murim Kingdom and remained his close aide until the end. It is possible that the Queen had entrusted her diary to the lady before passing away, which explained why it was sitting hidden in the Shin family's library.
After its discovery, the diary had been donated to the National University, where a research group led by Associate Professor Kim is working on ways to decipher its content. Associate Professor Kim is a renowned researcher in the field of history, who is mostly recognized for his research into the Yoo royal family in general and King Yoo Joonghyuk in particular.
In an effort to bring light to the married life of the country's most renowned historical figures, we have obtained permission from Associate Professor Kim and the National University to disclose a few snippets of the diary, which have all been translated into modern-day language.
If you are interested in finding out more about the diary or have any feedback concerning the translation, please contact the research group at [email protected]. The Associate Professor is more than willing to answer any of your inquiries.
-
[February 10, Murim Year 1]
Today, I met the King for the first time.
Based on how people described him, I thought he would be scarier, but turned out, he was quite a gentleman. He was gentle to me throughout the whole meeting, even bothering to treat me with respect, which was something I still couldn't get used to. For some reason, the King kept staring at my face as if there was something on it. When I tried to meet his eyes, he would turn away immediately, pretending to look at something that caught his interest. I'd made extra sure to dress my part for the meeting so that I wouldn’t disappoint him with my usual unkempt appearance, but what if the King knew how I truly was underneath all of those clothing and accessories? I truly feel sorry for him for having to marry someone like me.
After the meeting, ss asked me if I resented the King. I wouldn't say I do, but I'm still somewhat afraid of him for what he'd done to my step-siblings and my father. I know they all deserved it, yet the thought of having the same thing happened to me sent a shiver down my body. Up until this day, I still couldn't understand why he spared me alive.
Was it because I'm the ghost of the castle or was it because I appear harmless to him? As someone who has just conquered our kingdom, he surely needs a method to win over the public since my father had done a good job to pretend to be a wise monarch while wasting his days away with women and alcohol. That must be the reason why he decided to keep me alive and marry me so that he could gain support from both the commoners and the old nobles. As a former member of the royal family, my rank still has some value despite me being completely powerless.
Anyway, now that the marriage is set to happen, I have no choice but to accept my fate. I don't wish for love to bloom between us, but I do hope we can at least have some sort of amicable relationship. The last thing I would want is to spend the rest of my life with someone who doesn’t even think of me as human.
(Note: We believe ss to be Shin Yoosung, the Queen's closest maid. The diary was found inside the estate that had been bestowed to her by the Queen, which is still under the Shin family's management up until this day.)
-
[February 27, Murim Year 1]
Today was my 3rd meeting with the King and I discovered something new about him. Apparently, he was quite... shy. I didn't notice this the last time I met him due to me being too nervous, but he wasn't as cold as how people would describe him to be.
When we brushed our hands, he jolted back, his ears suddenly donning a deep shade of red. When I smiled at him, he appeared to be aloof, but I could feel his eyes tracking each and every one of my movements. When my compliments for his appearance slipped out of my mouth, his face was so red that I thought we were in the middle of summer, not winter. Well, he truly looked good in that long black coat of his, so you couldn’t blame me for it. Now I understand why the maids in my palace kept stealing glances at him every time he visited me. Should I remind them that it is blasphemous of them to look at the King without his permission?
Our conversation was quite pleasant as the King listened to me quite attentively. However, it was hard keeping the conversation going with someone who refused to meet your eyes. Was the King not used to making eye contact? I wondered if there would be a day when he looked me in the eyes. His eyes reminded me of the night sky when there were no stars on it. People might dislike it but I love that night sky for being so mysterious and mystifying.
(The rest of the entry was omitted due to physical damages to the diary itself.)
-
[March 15, Murim Year 1]
Today, the King had asked me to call him by his name. As he said so, he looked me in the eyes, which for some reason made my heart skip a beat. I don't understand why my body was behaving like that, but I hope it's nothing serious.
Anyway, we've decided that we would start addressing each other by name. I didn't really expect him to make such a request, but I'm more than happy to comply with his request. After all, it has been a long time since someone last called my name.
When I told him that I wouldn't be able to meet him for the next month in preparation for my moving to the Murim Kingdom, he looked quite... sad? I know this is improper of me to say but it kinda reminds me of bibi when I tell him that I couldn't go out for a walk with him for the day.
The more we spent time together, the more I realized how... cute yh was. It was so fun teasing him that I nearly forgot he was the King of a country. The fact that he reacted to each and every one of my advances doesn't help either. I didn't know that a person could nearly pass out just from holding hands with another person. If I knew that he would make such an interesting expression, I would have tried holding hands with him earlier on.
(Note: We believe bibi to be the name of the Queen's pet. Judging from the way he addressed him, it is quite certain that he is a dog.)
-
[April 30, Murim Year 1]
I finally arrived at the Murim Kingdom. Their Imperial Palace is quite impressive, and I even heard from the servants that their library has the largest number of books on the continent. I would make sure to give it a visit once I had time.
Today, I see yh the first time in a month. The way his eyes lit up made me chuckle unconsciously because how could I not when he was so cute like that? ss told me that he had been waiting outside for the past hour since I was out of the palace to discuss some business with jw.
The moment he saw me, I knew that he was genuinely glad to see me. When we sat down in the garden later on, he didn't say anything, which was characteristic of him, but I could see him fidgeting on the seat. I tried to ask him what was wrong, but he didn't answer me. Instead, he just stared at me without a word before pulling me into an embrace. I was so surprised that I nearly let out a scream!
yh rarely initiated any physical contact. In fact, it was me who did the work all the time. When I wanted us to hold hands, I had to be the one holding his first. It was the same for hugs and kisses too. yh was too embarrassed for his own good to do something intimate. That's the reason why I was so shocked when he hugged me out of nowhere.
I had wanted to tease him for his sudden boldness, but when I saw how red his ears were, the words died down on the tip of my tongue. He must have mustered a lot of courage to do something like this with me so it wouldn't be appropriate of me to tease him for his efforts. After all, I could always save the teasing for a later date.
As an act of courtesy, I kissed him back on the cheek when we parted way later on. We had done this a few times before, but just like the last time, he was so flustered that he ran off before I could give him a proper goodbye. I'm starting to worry about our first night if yh kept being shy like this. Should I do something about it then?
-
[June 25, Murim Year 1]
The wedding finally took place yesterday. It was quite a rush considering the fact that I just arrived at Murim and how long it usually took to prepare for a royal wedding, but we somehow still made it. When I heard the news of how he had been ordering the whole palace to help with the wedding, I jokingly told him that "Are you that eager to marry me?". He didn't say anything, but the shade of red on his ears gave away the answer.
The wedding ceremony went off without a hitch. Just like how I wished, our wedding was modest and only our closet aides were present. At first, yh had intended to do a 7-day grand celebration that involved the whole kingdom, but I had to stop him out of embarrassment. Also, the kingdom is still recovering from war, so it wouldn’t be a good idea to waste the tax money on something as unnecessary as a wedding ceremony. The convincing was easier than I imagined since all I need to do was sit on yh's lap and promised him that I would accompany him to his hunting session later on. I usually hate going outside, but if that meant not having to attend a banquet then it's worth it.
As for the first night... I wouldn't go into much detail but I could say that yh was a completely different person in bed. His cute puppy demeanor was no longer there, but instead, I thought I was devoured by a wolf. Hmph, I shouldn't have judged a book by its cover.
(The rest of the entry was omitted due to explicit content.)
-
[August 3, Murim Year 2]
Today was yh's birthday. I was afraid that my birthday present for him was lacking, but turned out he liked it so much that he even spun me on the air. A few days ago, the doctor informed me that I was pregnant with our child. Since yh's birthday was near, I decided to tell him on the day to make it extra special.
The wait was totally worth it. I have only seen him that happy before once, the first time being when we spent the first night together. He rarely smiled, but today, he gave me a smile that could rival the sun. Despite being married to him for more than a year, I still couldn't get used to that smile. If yh knew how much his smile had effects on me, he would surely use it to pay me back for my teasing.
Now that I'm about to become a parent, I'm feeling quite scared. What if I become someone like my father? What if yh finds the pregnant me annoying? What if something goes wrong during the delivery? I know that it's not easy to successfully give birth to a child, but with yh and his smile by my side, maybe I could get it all through. Maybe.
-
[April 17, Murim Year 3]
A few days ago, I officially became a parent.
Delivery was hard, really hard. Everything that I imagined before didn't come close to it. Thinking about the pain I had to go through still made me shudder, but yh's smile somehow lifted it off my body a little bit. ss told me that when he heard the news of me about to give birth, he rushed straight away to my palace, his clothes, and hair all disheveled from running too fast. Men weren't allowed to go inside, so he waited outside all the time, which was nearly a day in total. The moment they let him inside, he went straight to my side, gingerly holding my hands while fusing over every single detail. From the look of it, you may have thought that he was the one who gave birth, not me. It was so funny that I nearly burst out laughing were it not for the pain from the delivery.
We decided to call our baby "Byeol". The official name would have to wait though, but for the time being, I like the nickname we gave him. Yh was the one who came up with it, because as he reasoned: "He looks like you. Your eyes are like stars. And I like your eyes."
He said all of it with a straight face while I couldn't help but feel flustered by his words. This man, had he gotten bolder ever since we got married? Sometimes, I missed the puppy back in our earlier days.
In my defense, Byeol resembled yh more. I know he's just been born, but the way he scrunched his nose was exactly like yh whenever he found out that I had been neglecting my sleep to read books. It didn't help that his unimpressed look was the same too!
"You are seeing things." I could hear the yh in my head telling me that but I chose to ignore him
(Note: Prince Byeol was born on April 12, Murim Year 3. According to legends, the night he was born, the sky was so clear that every single constellation was visible.
After giving birth to the Prince, the Queen's health started to deteriorate. We know this by going through the records of Apothecary Lee Seolhwa, who was believed to be serving the royal family at that time. The records were also discovered in the Shin family's estate, not so long after the finding of the Queen's diary. It was highly likely that the Queen kept his health condition a secret as no previous historical records were seen talking about it. The fact that he rarely made any public appearances after the Prince's birth also added up to the fact.
However, it was still a puzzle why he decided to give birth to Princess Biyoo despite his deteriorating health. Based on Apothecary Lee Seolhwa's records, she was totally against the pregnancy but the Queen insisted on it. Even the King couldn't convince him either. Princess Biyoo was born on December 24, Murim Year 8. Two months later, the Queen passed away on February 15, Murim Year 9. The following entry is the last in his diary.)
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[February 13, Murim Year 9]
Today, yh visited me again. I told him it was not necessary to stay by my side all the time, but he insisted on it. Knowing how stubborn he was, I decided to let it slide. After all, I also wanted to spend my time together with him.
Yh asked me what I wanted for my upcoming birthday. I thought of going to the south with my family so that we could enjoy the sunny weather there. I thought of walking in the garden with yh and showing him the flowers ss had been taking care of in my place. I thought of reading a book with Byeol because he told me he wanted to do that the other day. I thought of holding Biyoo in my hands, watching her sleep peacefully with yh by my side. I thought of many things, but none of them was plausible. It seems like I'm about to go on a long journey.
"I want to go watch the stars."
I told him instead. Ever since Byeol was born, we had formed the habit of watching the stars together. However, ever since Biyoo was born, I didn't have the luxury to do that. It doesn't help that we are in the middle of a prolonged winter, which is uncharacteristic of Murim's weather. Yh had been busy dealing with the matter, but he still managed to spend time with me every day. If I didn't nag him to get back to work, he probably would stick to my side all the time.
Upon hearing my requests, yh started to talk about where we should go and how we could get there. Apparently, the capital is in no condition to view the star, so we would have to get further south to view it. Yh promised me that he would start the preparation right away, meaning that we could depart on my birthday.
Seeing him talking about the plan so enthusiastically made my heart tighten. I made a promise to him knowing that it would never be fulfilled. The rational side inside me knew that it was impossible for me to even get out of bed, let alone go somewhere far away in this state. Yet from the back of my head, I still wished for a miracle just like in the books, where the female lead recovers from her illness and lives a happy life ever after with the protagonist. If gods do exist, would they hear this desperate wish of mine?
Although I try to act brave in front of yh and the kids, I'm scared deep inside. Just thinking of not being able to see them anymore wretch my heart, even more so when I hear others talking about the possibility of getting yh a new wife. I know I was being selfish, but I couldn't stand seeing yh with someone else that is not me. Maybe that's the reason why I decided to hide my disease from everyone else except for my close aides. Maybe that's the reason why I still wanted to give birth to Biyoo despite lh's objections. I was simply too desperate to prove my capability. That way, they would have no reason to tear me away from yh.
Tomorrow, I should think of ways to say goodbye to yh and the kids. Lh kept telling me that everything is going to be fine, but I'm fully aware that my end is near. Therefore, I want to give my family a proper farewell before it's...
(The remaining entry was illegible with drops of ink staining the page.)
(Note: According to Apothecary Lee Seolhwa's records, the Queen was found unconscious while trying to write something in a notebook. Judging from the state of the diary and how the last entry was, we conclude that it was when he wrote these lines that he fell unconscious. The Queen remained unconscious for 2 more days before passing away on the night of February 15, Murim Year 9. From historical records, we know that the King held a mourning period for three years and he remained single for the rest of his life.)
---
"So, how is the article?"
Uriel asked me as I finished reading the draft. She was an editor from The Murim Times that reached out to me after knowing that I was in charge of deciphering the content of the Queen's diary. At that time, I didn't think much so I just agreed with her request.
It took the woman a month to finish the article and she immediately contacted me once she got the final draft ready. Now, for the past hour, I'd been discussing the article with her and how it could be improved in a café near my university. Since she was an easygoing person, it was actually quite comfortable to work with her, unlike some of my stubborn Ph.D. students.
"It's good. However, I would consider changing the title and adding a conclusion at the end of the article. Like wrapping up how their relationship actually was?"
"Ah, yeah right! I totally forgot about the conclusion haha."
She quickly jotted down my words in her notebook with a squid-shaped pen, which never failed to intrigue me whenever I saw it. Where did she get that?
Then, the woman continued to give me more questions.
"But... I couldn't understand why you wanted me to omit your name in the article. Isn't that a good way to get more exposure? I thought the more well-known you are, the more likely you are to receive funding?"
Well, usually, that's the case. But when it came to my name, it was a totally different matter.
"Is it-"
"Ah, sorry, I have to go now. See you later, Uriel!"
Uriel didn't get to finish her sentence as I quickly got up from my seat with my phone ringing inside my pocket. Ah, it seemed like he arrived earlier than I told him to. Geez, didn't I tell him that I need to attend a meeting today?
"Where are you?"
He spoke the moment I received the call. Judging from his voice, he must have been quite restless.
"I'm outside- Wait I can see you already. Stay there."
I hung up and walked to a black car parking nearby. There's no way I could mistake that car for anything else.
"You're late."
He gave me an unimpressed look as I entered the car. Excuse me? Wasn't he the one who was early? We promised to meet up at 6 p.m and now it was only 5.15 p.m
"No, I'm not. You're early."
"I told you that I would go to your university at 5."
He didn't look like he was lying. Oh- so it was me who got the time wrong.
"Hehe, sorry Joonghyuk-ah."
I placed a small kiss on his lips as a token of apology. Knowing Yoo Joonghyuk, he would no longer be mad at me after I did that.
"Hmph."
Yjh didn't say anything else, but I could see a blush making its way to his cheek despite the lack of light inside the car. We'd been together for 5 years yet he was still easily embarrassed like the first day we met. Well, he definitely wasn't shy in bed though.
"Anyway, where are we heading, Joonghyuk-ah?"
Yoo Joonghyuk gave me another unimpressed look at my question, the blush from before was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey, I know the place but I'm asking just in case!"
Before he could nag me about what staying up late was doing to my brain and how I should follow his inhumane sleeping schedule (FYI, it was waking up at 5 a.m. and going to sleep at 10 p.m.), I quickly defended my case.
"The Star Valley."
The answer popped up in my head at the same time as Yoo Joonghyuk said it. We were going there to celebrate my birthday this year. They said that it was the best place in Murim to view the stars.
"Hey, do you know what was Queen Kim Dokja's last wish to King Yoo Joonghyuk before his death?"
Upon hearing the word "star", I was suddenly reminded of Uriel's article earlier on. Yjh stayed silent as usual, so I decided to carry on the conversation by myself.
"He wanted to see the stars with the King on his birthday."
I looked at Yoo Joonghyuk’s side with a small smile. His eyes were on the road, but I knew he was listening to me attentively.
"For some reason, I couldn’t help but feel like we are fulfilling the dream in their stead."
Was it because we had the same name as them? Was it because the lack of sleep caused the research works to get into my mind? I didn't know the reason why, but from the back of my head, I wished for our love story to be as beautiful as theirs. Well, definitely not with that tragic ending though.