hwandal

[hwandal]

warm and mysterious,

@daleunkyo

it began once upon a time and ended not too long after that. short-lived and nonexistent but, nonetheless, a bond that tied them and returned them together, though in the most twisted ways:

both married, to a prince and a princess from the same royal family.

though, their relationship now is probably much better than what their relationship could have been, had lady eunkyo accepted his desperate pleas for her heart. and he’s sure his friend is much happier to be with prince jaehwa (or rather, happier than what their relationship was a few moons ago…hopefully).

yonghwan has not spoken with the lady ever since the tense (an incredible understatement) wedding – quite a long time ago, now that he thinks about it.

he has a tray settled on his palms. he’s held heavier things in his arms before, but he’s shaking and he’s sure he’s been walking down the hall for hours. so he keeps his eyes glued to the floor, making sure his feet do not somehow tangle within themselves and spill the contents of the tray. (he would not want to waste the hard work the servant who worked on the midday tea – she already seemed to be guilt-ridden that he managed to convince her that he would take it in her stead.) he settles the tray on the floor as he kneels and knocks on the wooden door’s frame.

“lady eunkyo?” her name falls from his lips after an elongated pause, wondering if he should change the pitch of his voice to act as a servant. (he decides against it, of course.) “would you care for some tea?”

[hwandal]

( under a cold moon, )

february 6th, 1541 // seollal, very late at night.

yonghwan is blessed with the ability to see dreams — happy and pleasant ones. his unique power has been the source of his family’s teasing, as they always say this power is the cause of his lax personality. whenever he hears such teasing, he is, of course, upset. but it is also a truth he can’t deny.

these days, he no longer sees dreams full of warm scarlet. night after night, he is plagued with nightmares battered with cold, dark crimson. and while he shouldn’t blame others for his nightly unrest, he can’t help but think it’s attributed to the late princess’s — may she rest in peace — wedding. these nightmares did start the night after the frightful event, after all.

it is still very much winter in joseon, but yonghwan decides to leave the warmth of seona’s side to freeze off those horrendous visions. he slides out of his bedding slowly, trying not to disturb his lady; his stillness is enough to shame a mouse. he takes his pipe and a letter his mother gave him as he was leaving their home earlier in the day, and steps out. 

he’s wearing nothing but his sleepwear, but he supposes the smoke will warm him up.

his feet hangs off the edge of the wooden patio and they move with the exhale and inhale of his pipe. however, the movement stops when he looks through the contents of the paper — corners cut and crinkled, a classic style of his father’s. he assumed it would be a list of reading material recommendations (despite being a brute, even he has to admit that his father has impeccable tastes).

unfortunately, everything contained in this letter is distasteful, unsightly and even more horrendous that either the wedding or his nightmares.

absolutely ungodly.

yonghwan sprinkles the used-up remains of the tobacco leaves onto the paper. ashes burn those irritating words, but the paper is strangely more beautiful this way — holes censoring infuriating “advice.”

he had originally planned to stay out until the contents of his pipe emptied but he doesn’t think he can return to his room with indignation flaring out of his nose. so he stays outside, inhaling the written words of a demanding father and the impatient concerns of a mother until it disintegrates into nothing in the bottom of his old pipe.

[hwandal]

i’m not even sure if this can even be worth an announcement since it’s pretty insignificant lmao it’s not even an fc announcement post or anything a;dfljd but tldr ;; this muse’s name is now kang yonghwan. k bye lmao. i’ll be welcoming all the new members now

[hwandal]

( sᴇᴏɴᴀ. )

slowly biting her pale bottom lip, she averted her gaze and said, ‘’i don’t know.’’ i wish you wouldn’t move away. i wish you could like me. but you don’t. i wish you weren’t so repulsed by me. ‘’perhaps you could hol… oh i think i’ve already troubled you enough. you must be tired. i profusely apologize for disturbing your rest.’’

there is something lying beneath her voice that beckons him; challenging him to close the distance that aches his heart, but he fights it off with all his might. a smile tugs at his lips, cheeks rising like the rhythm of his heart. he shakes his head. “do not apologize, prin—” his voice trails, remembering that she would prefer that he call her by her name instead. it was cute, seeing her like that. he corrects his mistake, “ah. i mean, seona.” her name alone — with no honorific attached to it — is still foreign, but it isn’t a bad feeling. he hopes to grow accustom to it quickly. 

his smile, though filled with endearment, grows slightly wicked. “though, i will admit that i woke up from a good dream,” he says teasingly, though he conceals his true intention by feigning reluctance. however, it is unfair, how she had to endure a nightmare while he slept soundly, too busy being occupied by the seona in his dream, who showed him the smile that takes his breath away. 

he looks at her hand, beautiful and elegant but tragically left alone — maybe he should hold it again. he did like how soft and warm she is. in the end, he decides to trace her nails — smooth and beautiful, just like her — with the pads of his thumb. the warm fondness in his heart over comes his playful smile. is that who he is going to be now? a man attracted to specific limbs of a person instead of treasuring her whole being? impossible.

“but…” but no dream can ever compare to seeing the real you, seona. he snaps out of his reverie and realizes that his hand is now fully enveloped around hers with his lips dangerously close to the ends of her nails. 

he doesn’t know what to do, so he sets her hand down. that was close. dangerously close. he doesn’t want to look away from her, but he also doesn’t want to see the way she looks away from him. she probably didn’t appreciate the way he grabbed her and clinging to her hand like he’s some kind of brute. he brings his hands over his knees, folding them carefully. “but please remember that you are able to use me as you see fit, seona.” 

home for my heart,

[hwandal]

She shines in a world full of ugliness. She matters when everything is meaningless.

Trent Reznor | @wnq-music (via wordsnquotes)

[hwandal]

( ᴊɪɴ. )

Glancing across at one of the young yangban lords during their strategizing, whom a silence had been radiating from, Jin watched him for a moment before abruptly asking, “You. The young lord with such thoughtful eyes. Your gaze suggests you may have some input you wish to voice? I will be open to hear it, as it may increase our chances of emerging with an upperhand.” 

hwan goes in with a clear head and a series light steps. it’s just a simple game, he thinks, to relieve him of the stress that heavily rests on his shoulders. and with that, he thinks: what kind of stress does he actually have? he lives a fairly easygoing life free of dramatics, after all. maybe he misses the thrill of a hunt…? though he quickly let’s go of his initial stance of taking it easy during this game, since none of the heat trapped inside of him will release if he is to walk into the boars’ territory as a fun game than a fight for survival. not to mention that it would seem like taking it easy would be a great disrespect to his other teammates…

the crown prince jin, in particular.

so he spends most of the previous night within the library, reading about how boars are apparently constantly moving during the colder seasons ( of course, that journal he read may have been from the scribbles of a madman, but it was the scribbles of a successful madman. ) and his late night excursion may be the reason why he’s so surprised when the crown prince calls to him. he wonders if the fatigue is making him look like he’s being critical of the crown prince’s plans, because he’s not. 

in fact, crown prince jin’s are well thought out. however, hwan is not foolish enough to deny the crown prince’s wish, and he thinks he’s crammed enough about their behavior to speak his mind. though hwan finally begins after a long and hesitant pause, “it’s merely a suggestion, but i do not think it is necessary to stop scouting to regroup at a camp.”

◘ ― appreciation of might ― ◘

[hwandal]

haedalkrp‌:

                         …      ━━━     A ROYAL WEDDING SENTENCE PROMPTS     ━━━      …

                                 ・    ・                                                             ・    ・ THESE ARE THE INBOX PROMPTS  for our first royal wedding event! remember your rp karma: try to send as many out as you receive. if necessary, make sure to change pronouns to fit the muse in mind.  these can be used as starters, or just as drabbles - it’s up to you! these will be available to reblog until the end of our event on january 15th.  have fun!

“ i wish i knew you earlier.” “ i heard the princess opposed .. the poor groom.” “ i would look a little happier if i were you.” “ i think i’ll need more wine to get through this.” “ love isn’t all too important, not to us.” “ just the two of us at sunset.” “ will she come to love him, do you think?” “ he deserved better than this.” “ i want to choose you.” “ it looks like you’ve had enough to drink.” “ i need to be somewhere else.” “ don’t you believe there’s someone for everyone?” “ that’s not the way a marriage works.” “ i was so enjoying the silence.” “ she doesn’t look ready for the marriage bed.” “ you look beautiful.” “ your smile looks a little forced.” “ they don’t look very good together, do they?” “ i feel like a child in clothes far too big for me.” “ well? how do i look?” “ one of these days, it’ll be your turn.” “ i wish he would ask for my hand already.” “ would you like to sit with me?” “ no .. i don’t need more time.” “ i have something i’d like to get off my chest.”

[hwandal]

( ᴍɪsʜɪʟ. )

if she didn’t trust hwan, probably she wouldn’t ask him to lie, but since she wasn’t ready to face her father, she’d rather go to a gisaeng house. however, she was always curious to know how the place worked, and she coudln’t help but seize the opportunity. “do you think they’ll get mad if you take me? I’m interested in knowing how a gisaeng house works, and what they do. there must be something special that makes so many respectable men come here so often.”

the amused smile wipes away almost immediately, like it wasn’t even there in the first place. his face is now devoid of any sort of mischief, or any kind of emotion for that matter; though, worry is evident on his scrunched eyebrows.

honestly, he doesn’t know what to say or do. what he thought she would do is to back away; go back to her home in disgust. but the way she looks at him – like she’s in a hurry – and the way she’s pleading him, makes him want to take her somewhere else. somewhere -- oh he doesn’t know – safer for an unmarried woman ( or rather, just a woman ). possibly to the market, or to his own home?

he stays silent, pondering about his next move. lady mishil genuinely seemed genuinely reluctant to go back to her own home, and she did say that lord han’s servant is chasing her, but he shouldn’t pry too much into her business. though, if he helps her out by taking her to a gisaeng house, isn’t he indirectly sticking his nose into another’s business? he tells himself he needs to let her off gently, but it’s hard to escape her hold. she’s grabbing too tightly. hwan still seems to be weak-willed when it comes to women. 

he opens his mouth to give her an answer, but the breath he takes is inhaled too quickly for his liking ( that and a mixture of lady mishil’s curiosity towards a gisaeng house ) causes him to erupt in a short, but violent fit of coughs. when he settles, he looks at her with wide and unblinking eyes. however, he composes himself just as quickly. “well, then…” he leans down, hand hovering over his mouth to playfully emphasize his point, “this would have to be our little secret.”

he tugs her towards the front gate, but stops just before they could enter. his brows are, once again, furrowed with worry. “lady mishil, are you sure you want to see what’s inside?”

[hwandal]

( ᴋᴀɪᴛᴏ. )

he sees hwan officially pull up to his side and he grins innocently. “well, of course, lord hwan. i would actually be more worried about you. you are getting up there in age, are you not, lord hwan?  but I can handle myself quite well…” he says with a smirk. 

the face of a child and the character of a typhoon – or so they say, but it is clearly evident by how kaito looks at him. it reminds him of his own brother, and he fights off the alarming shudder which threatens to take him. he smiles back, annoyed and amused at the same time.

the character of a typhoon indeed.

hwan tries not to show the affect kaito has on him, especially when he brings up his age. “you have a point, lord kaito,” he says with a sigh. he pats the middle of his back with a fist like he’s giving his aching, aging back a massage, deciding to play along instead. “i am not as youthful as i used to be.”

but he can only play along for so long, so he ends the agreeable act as soon as he starts. “however, as the eldest son of the kang family, i am much more experienced when it comes to combat.” he’s sure he’s come to regret those words later, to revel in shame for picking a fight with someone much younger than him – not to mention bragging about his family to another person. in a mocking tone, he continues, “and i am much more used to hunting due to my old age.”

the usual kang hwan is lost, and seems to have been replaced by a fussy old man. unfortunately, he doesn’t realize this yet. he extends his arm when he gets closer to kaito and taps the top of the young man’s head with the empty barrel of his pipe to snap him back into reality.

“while i admire your confidence, overconfidence will only drown you, young lord.” 

( unpredictable, )

[hwandal]

( ᴅᴏɴɢʜᴏ. )

eyes roamed to the other male for a moment before he glanced back at the boar - always keep your eyes to the prize - and dongho lowered his bow, waiting for the other to make a move first. after all, they were both fighting on the same side. 

( surely, that guy knew that too, right? )

blood rushes quickly. it pumps throughout his limbs and he can feel it running through his veins. he runs towards the wild beast as if his life depends on it. no one would believe hwan’s initial response to the hunt – indifferent and placid -- as genuine.

well, not in this state.

not when he’s kicking at the sides of his horse to go faster, faster, faster until he finally decides to take the matter into his own hands. he drops himself off of his horse as gently as he can manage ( there’s a few crunches and a rustle when he comes down. he’s not a japanese shinobi, so he can’t expect himself to be completely inconspicuous and injure-free. )

his steps are light and quick, frantic to claim the boar for his team. he does not notice the young man on the other side of him, nor does he recognize his face; blood has rushed far too quickly that it blinds him. is he a friend, or a foe? hwan doesn’t know but he does know is that this man has his eyes on what is essentially his and he has drawn his bow.

he scoffs.

he motions he head to the wild boar, the ferocious beast, the prize. “hey,” his voice is unrecognizably guttural, almost like the hwan people have familiarized themselves with has blown away like the howling winds.

“if you want this, come down and fight for it.”

✦ the showdown ➝

[hwandal]

( ʜʏᴇᴏɴ. )

It seems like he’s getting his head onto his shoulders at the right time because surprisingly enough, even he catches the rustling of leaves and almost freezes as a result, eyes widening. Unlike the other beside him, though, he can’t tell right away where the noise is coming from, but he can tell by the other’s gaze. “Not a terrible lot, I’m afraid,” is the whisper he returns, but his hand is already quietly pulling one of his arrows out of his quiver, gaze focusing on the spot, “but I’ve been wrong before. Can you see anything?”

an eyebrow raises at lord hyeon’s honesty. in turn, hwan shows the young man the softest of smiles; something that does not match the current situation; carefree and gentle, like they are not in the middle of hunting a wild and violent beast.

“nonsense,” he says with a small chuckle. and hwan is sure that lord hyeon will do much better than himself. after all, he isn’t too confident with his archery skills. while he isn’t horrible at handling the bow and arrows, his skills aren’t impeccable either. ( …so then why did he sign he sign up for the hunt in the first place? ) 

“i trust that you will do well.”

he returns his gaze to the source and keeps his eyes focused on that place, and that place alone. the whimsical smile he displayed disappears and is replaced with a concentrated frown, making his expression return to one of gravity.  “well, i hear something in the bushes over there.”

then, a smile – or rather, a smirk -- returns to his face. “what about you, lord hyeon? do you trust me?” his expression is nowhere near the softness it previously contained. “because i’m not entirely sure if it’s a boar.”

( locked on, )

[hwandal]

live lost fantasia poster making

[hwandal]

( unpredictable, )

@dalxkaito

the hunt begins and hwan knows their carefully crafted plan like the back of his hand. he’s ran each plan and strategy a dozen ( and more ) times in his head. ( it might even be to the point where he can follow through with it while half asleep. )

though he is not at all worried, he takes a small detour – just a little bit off of where he’s supposed to go – because he’s not sure if he fully trusts all of his teammates. and by ‘teammates,’ hwan meant yamaguchi kaito, specifically. he’s heard the stories, the rumors, the gossip about this child – how loud and rambunctious he is – and while he shouldn’t be sucked in by what he’s heard being spread around than to make an opinion for himself, ( lord knows he of all people shouldn’t listen to silly rumors. ) hwan just can’t seem to help the cautionary wall that builds whenever he faces the young lord.

he rushes to the boy’s side as soon as he spots him, and a shiver runs through his spine. it’s not at all from the cold or the gush of win that hits his face from the horse’s speed, but from the sheer thought of distress the boy might cause him.

these foliage better prepare themselves, because he predicts that he will sigh a tremendous amount.

he pulls up next to him with a stiff smile on his face. “i hope you will be able to handle yourself, lord kaito.” though hwan keeps his formalities, his voice is laced with the slightest hint of venom.

[hwandal]

( locked on, )

@dalhyeonn

their time together is spent with idle chatter, fit for two men on a leisure stroll than two men on the hunt for beasts. the way feels hwan as he sits back on his horse is a combination of strange and ill-fitting emotions. he leans back as the refreshingly cool woodsy air hits his skin while his shoulders, full of earnest conviction to lead their team to victory, are tensed; it’s actually uncomfortable sitting like this, but he doesn’t shift or change the way he is seated.

and isn’t it better to be ready than to be taken aback by a surprise target?

he closes his eyes to take a deep breath through his nose. the slight sting from the frigid air is enhanced from his closed eyes, but he doesn’t mind it. in fact, it keeps him on his toes ( or rather, keeps him tense; helps him realize that this is no time to be dilly dallying ). and that is exactly what he needed at the moment. as soon as his shoulders slump from the intake of breath, he notices a slight rustling of leaves. hwan’s shoulders straighten.

his eyes roll over to the out-of-place sound before he looks over at the man beside him, and with a hushed voice, hwan calls the man’s name, “lord hyeon,” he leans into him slightly, eyes marked on the source of the noise, “how confident are you with moving targets?”

[hwandal]

( sᴇᴏɴᴀ. )

‘‘they were… they were... they wanted to eat me…. they were mocking me… i could… i could see… their teeth were covered in blood and… and they…’‘  her eyes welled up with tears and she started to cry, letting the salty liquid burn her cheeks. 

‘‘i wanted to…. wanted to escape… but i could not move… and i’m such a coward,’‘ she cried out, her vision getting blurry again. ‘‘what if they’re here again? what if they’re hiding somewhere? oh hwan, you must think i’m insane.’‘ still half dreaming and trapped in her awful nightmare, she squeezed him arm tighter, making sure that he’s real. 

‘is something wrong?!’ oh kang hwan, you absolute fool! of course there’s something wrong — she was clearly struggling while she slept, and her condition after waking up is not much better, either. why would he ask such an idiotic question in the first place?

his clutches on the bedding is released to slowly raise his hand to wipe away the tears rolling down the princess’s cheek. a single, gentle swipe. his hand doesn't drop, but awkwardly hangs midair as he wonders what he should do next. should he hold her tight? rub her back? stroke her hair?

in the end, he decides to push the hair out of her face, his hand moving slowly until he manages to get a clear view of her. he sighs, quiet but full of content, as he sees her face shined by the moonlight. even though she had just woken up crying, princess seona somehow manages to take his breath away. "seona," he calls her name once more; the drop of formality is unfamiliar on his tongue but he hopes this would somehow calm her. his thumb gingerly brushes over the contour of her cheekbone and drops it down, in search of her free hand. when he finds it, he twines his fingers between hers. "i do not think you are insane. i would never think that." his grip tightens, reflecting her tight hold on his arm, to reassure her that she is no longer living in her terrible nightmare.

"you needn't be afraid. i will be by your side." he shuffles closer to her, though it's a struggle -- oh gods. why now? -- as his legs are tangled in a mess of blankets. however, he manages to kick them off as gracefully as he can manage. he presses his forehead onto seona's.

he can feel her eyelashes tickling his skin, which is blazing and flushed due to their close proximity and his embarrassing, one-sided war between his legs and the blanket. his eyes does not seem to want to stay in one place. they dart around, not sure if he should or shouldn’t look at her. he pulls away from her very slowly; he does not want to, but he’s afraid of what would happen if he stays so close to her. despite the distance he creates between them, his eyes fall deeper into hers.

“is there anything i can do to make you feel at ease?”

home for my heart,

[hwandal]

“you wouldn’t dare.”

queen munjeong’s birthday party ; closed.

you mustn’t, the sane voice inside him repeats over and over again. he is in no way allowed to do such a terrible thing to a lady, let alone a princess for goodness sake! but there is always something about princess seora that makes hwan want to listen to the words of his inner mischievous creature -- the same creature that he swore he would never listen to when he pledged his heart to his wife.

that placid expression she displays has always intrigued him: was she born with such an expression, or was she always uninterested and unimpressed?

a smile tickles its way up to his lips. “your wish is my command...” a trail of smoke escapes his mouth when he speaks, but then he calls her name, “...princess seora,” with elongated vowels to direct the smoke right at the point of her nose.

[hwandal]

( ᴍɪsʜɪʟ. )

then, she heard sounds coming from not far away and was attracted to them, discovering that they originated from the house destined to the gisaengs. mishil shouldn’t and couldn’t approach that place, but she was also very curious to know how it was, so she took advantage of a boy, and held his arm. “excuse me, will it be a problem if I come in with you? I- hwan? is that you?”

he takes his last smoke before he heads back to the building. while he is not fond of smoking in the last moments of a december winter, hwan is in no way going disagree with his companions of the gisaeng house. ( arguing with them will only cause a bigger discourse, a type of discourse that hwan has mistakenly been in before and something he will never win. he supposes they deserve some time to ventilate their rooms. )

he taps off the ashes against a wall and places back into his hanbok. he turns, to return to his previous destination. a small and relaxed smile decorates his face until it is wiped off by someone grappling his arm. he shuffles back slightly and, with eyes blown wide, looks down at the perpetrator. the shocked expression does not disappear, only gets more noticeable when he notices the strong grip on his arm belongs to none other than lady han mishil. his surprise finally shifts to a mischievous smile.

he hooks his arm through hers. “my, my,” his tone rocks like a boat, rising and falling and full of playfulness, “lady mishil, you are aggressive today.” his smile grows more and more amused as the time goes on – it might not be the smartest thing to tease her, but he is going to milk it out for all it is worth.

“it is no problem if you join me, but lady mishil, you do know where i’m going right?”