#lord cho hak ju

[seamayweed]

― Shao Qian, Strong Tea or Father (x)

[ID: 4 gifs of kim hye-jun as queen consort cho & ryu seung-ryong as lord cho hak-ju in the korean horror period drama "kingdom". it’s the scene where she poisons her father paired with text from the poem strong tea or father by shao qian. the slightly desaturated reds and yellows are the only colors in the black & white gifs. the only exception is the cobalt blue painting on the tea cup in the third gif. more detailed descriptions for each gif can be found in the alt text. /end ID]

[birthofvcnus]

KINGDOM (2019—);

—> cho hak-ju

[darlingandmreames]

HELLO FRIENDS I AM BACK ON MY KINGOM BULLSHIT

bonus:

[elderflowergin]

What makes Queen Consort Cho so fascinating?

Oh Anon, please do strap in for a long ride. I'm just going to qualify myself here: I do not have the cultural knowledge or historical context to offer anything about Queen Consort Cho in those respects. That said, I am happy to witter on about QCC in other ways. Trigger warning for blood, body horror and periods:-

I've been taken in by Queen Consort Cho since the beginning, to be honest. Her entrance alone is a layered, incredibly well-choreographed/written scene. It is a power play in which she as the Queen, a senior royal, can deny Chang the opportunity to visit his father. Everything in that scene feels wrong, almost pleasurably cruel (Lee Chang's on his knees, after all) but it follows the rules and strictures of the world they live in. Lee Chang understands that; it's why he bows, kneels and waits for days for his -- stepmother - a girl younger than him -- to grant him permission. I'll come back to that scene at the end.

I like thinking of her in relation to her family, the Haewon Cho clan - one that is powerful enough to occupy an ever-expanding web of choice positions in the government (we're told, anyway) all the way up to the Prime Minister, and cruel enough to be name-checked at the outset of the show, right in the treasonous letter that is found all over the kingdom. The Haewon Cho is bloodthirsty and brutal in general, which we see through Beom-il, the un-named Queen Consort Cho's named brother, and her ruthless father Cho Hak-ju who has no problems feeding unwitting servants to the King in order to keep him technically "alive", or to the death and hunger of peasants and farmers if it fattens up his clan and consolidates his own control over the throne.

(I suppose then, the broad question is whether it's the system here that's at fault, or the Haewon Cho clan in particular, and I think we're meant to see them as the logical end point of an oppressive system. By season 2, everyone with a modicum of power is implicated - even genial, patrician leaders like Lord Ahn, who are usually set up as the heroes in a tale like this. Ashin: Kingdom of the North, goes one step further and decisively denounces the entire system - one that Lee Chang seeks to protect, no less, for reasons borne of a different moral calculus - as corrupt, criminal and cruel. This should make for a juicy season 3, should we ever get there, but that's a whole lot of sidetrack).

Where's Queen Consort Cho in all of this? Take the Haewon Cho family's bloodthirst and turn it inward, and you get Queen Consort Cho - a woman desperate for an heir, for royal blood within her, because she knows her father's expectations and the bet he's hedged on her: to do the thing only a woman can do in this universe, the only thing they're useful for (derogatory), which is also what secures the Haewon Cho clan's future and position, and to be wholeheartedly resented and detested for it anyway.

In a show that's wall-to-wall body horror, Queen Cho might not stand out much. The body assigned female at birth and the myriad horrors associated with it are fairly pedestrian and commonplace, except that in a neat inversion, it's the absence of those things that's the horror. Queen Cho's healthy body and its ordinary functions are a betrayal to her. For a woman who's been heavily pregnant before our eyes, the reveal of her childishly flat stomach feels like a transgression even if we've had our suspicions since the beginning. Menstrual blood is the evidence of the biggest, boldest lie in this kingdom, to be concealed, burnt and buried. And at the apex of it all, Queen Cho's mind: slowly turning, churning with the bad blood, with the weight of her father's contempt (just because she holds the fate of the clan in her womb doesn't mean he has to like it, after all), tied inextricably to a venture bound to end in catastrophe.

That feels like the oldest story in the book when it comes to the female body - its tells, the way it betrays us, the way it fucks up our minds. Zombies are a horror, but Queen Cho lives in a horror story of her own: value tied entirely to an impossible mission, an empty womb, bleeding month after month, a villa full of girls who can get knocked up and disappeared with equal ease.

Sure, Queen Cho's always at the behest of her father, but she's created an entire conspiracy right under his nose, and she will go to any lengths to secure her outcome, even if that means patricide, a crime so unspeakable in this world that Chang grapples with it twice with great grief and despair, even though the King and Lord Ahn were zombies at the material time. And she does it to secure her place in the clan, and in history: as the mother of the next king. I don't know why Cho Hak-ju didn't see that coming; she's principally doing the same thing he taught her to do, which is to do whatever it takes to consolidate your power and position.

And all that talk of power - which is what drove Cho Hak-ju, and her, and eventually the death of Cho Hak-ju by her - is a nice point to bring me back to her opening scene. Throughout this exchange with Chang, she's never expressly cruel or mean - she doesn't have to be. All she has to do is turn her body and display the fact that she's heavily pregnant with a child who will usurp Chang. It's her version of her brother's wanton cruelty, but it never quite veers beyond the polite, the strictures and the rules - and again, it doesn't have to, because the system itself is twisted here, it's the system that permits her this power that is comical, cruel and will have grave consequences (literally). But you can still see the edge of delight in her face, the glee in making him wait; and Kim Hye-jun skirts right to the edge in that scene.

Which brings me to the fact that Queen Cho is played by the ultratalented, aforementioned Miss Kim Hye-jun, an actress who excels at skirting these precise edges - good/bad? Innocent/not? woman/child? with that beautiful, eerily mutable face of hers. (She reminds me of Lee Joon-hyuk in this respect - yet another stunningly beautiful person who is a character actor above all else).

To answer your question, and in conclusion: why do I find Queen Cho fascinating? I think it's hard enough to find well-written women on television (Kdrama has an abundance of them, comparatively speaking) and it's even more challenging to find bad women, bad seeds, with complete arcs that centre them. I enjoy her slow ascent (descent?) into what I can only describe as insanity. I like the way her life reflects the small ways in which we are treated with contempt or sneering hatred and/or are commodified. Do I want to be her? Or think that she's admirable, etc? No, and obviously killing babies and their mothers is a terrible thing, which should go without saying. I appreciate strong heroines as much as everyone else, i.e. those who overcome the Bad Stuff to become Good, like Seo-bi, but I also think it's narratively cool to see women who are Overcome by the Bad Stuff and Become Very Bad. We contain multitudes, after all, and part of wanting well-rounded characters hopefully means we get to see women all across the scales of morality. If they have their much older stepsons on their knees for days, that's just a bonus for me.

Thanks Anon, and I hope that answered the question!

[ficklefackle]

“Why are still so loyal to me? I heard about what happened to your family. Didn’t you start helping me to get your family’s revenge? Both Lord Ahn and Cho Hak Ju have paid for their sins nows. So why are you still helping me?”

[jessa88cafe]

Korean Movie Review: “Kingdom: Ashin of the North”

Ashin witnesses Ai Da Gan and his Pajeowi brethren riding horses in the distance.

(Photo above is one of the official posters released by Netflix)

After more than a year of waiting, finally, Netflix was already released the special episode of Kingdom series, entitled “Kingdom: Ashin of the North” last July 23, 2021. Currently, the said special episode is on top spot trend on Netflix. This special episode had 93 minutes running time which reveal Ashin’s origin story and how resurrection plant has been discovered.

Short summary:

It was started upon introducing the Kingdom of Joseon and the Jurchen people then started to focus on the living of the people in  Northern village of Seongjeoyain (who were also the Jurchens living within the area of the Kingdom of Joseon) where you can see how lowly are their lives. Ashin’s father, Ta Hab, is the head of Seongjeoyain for their settlement in Joseon. The tension between Joseon and Pajeowi tribe were high, the Pajeowi gathered their army in border while Joseon army recruited people from Seongjeoyain to monitor the Pajeowi. Ashin's father was offered for the role due to his loyalty to Joseon. He agreed in the hopes that the king would grant Seongjeoyain governmental representation, improving the lives of its people.

A report came and Joseon army discovered that a group of Pajeowi Jurchen men enter the forbidden area known as Pyesa-gun to illegally gather wild ginseng, they all die unexpectedly. Later, a rumor started to spread that it was all because of a tiger attack but then, it was revealed that  Cho Beom-il, the son of  Lord Cho Hak-ju, is the one who behind the said crimes, claiming that the wild ginseng in Pyesa-gun was owned by Haewon Cho clan.

To avoid such war between Joseon and Pajeowi clan, after their meeting in the borders,  the Deputy Commander of the Chupajin group, Min Chi-rok, told the Pajeowi men that behind the deaths of their fellow tribe is because of the Jurchen people in Seongjeoyain.  At the nighttime, the Pajeowi army suddenly attack the Northern village. Prior to the attack on the village, Ashin finds the resurrection plant in a hidden cave shrine and reads the ancient wall glyphs to understand its properties and effects, to tend to her terminally ill mother. Upon her returning in the village, Ashin finds out their village has already burned and all people were died. 

Being the only one who survived the said attack, Ashin goes to the Deputy Commander and asked the revenge for the deaths of her fellow tribe.  He places her in a military settlement post, where she begins to perform odd jobs while training relentlessly and quietly in the woodlands. Years later, her first mission by the Commander is to spy on the military camp of Pajeowi.

Within her mission on Pajeowi tribe, Ashin found out that her father was still alive and was brand as traitor, begging her to kill him. Soon after her mission, she found out that the war between her tribe and Pajeowi tribe is because of the Joseon army (or specifically because of Deputy Commander). 

(The scene wherein Ashin is about to take revenge in Joseon army)

Later on, she decided to take revenge and killed several Joseon soldiers and uses the resurrection plant to bring them back as zombies.  She uses the last soldier as bait, to gather the zombies together and then lights them all on fire, leaving no survivors, living or undead, in the camp. On later part, it was shown that Ashin leaves to meet  Lee Seung-hui, the Joseon King's physician. She sells to him the resurrection plant. After meeting the physician,  Ashin witnesses Ai Da Gan and his Pajeowi brethren riding horses in the distance and releases an arrow to them.

My feedback on the cast, cinematography and story itself.

For the cast, indeed they portrayed their characters so great. Everyone is convincing on how they act on their roles, especially the young Ashin and Ashin herself, Jun Ji-hyun (though honestly, I was surprised at first that it seems like the young Ashin have more screen time than the old Ashin, but guess what? it was justifiable so its totally find!). I could say that how the story goes within the 90 mins. running time of this special episode surely answered every questions have been left in the last season. Truly indeed, even Jun Ji-hyun barely speaks throughout the scene, she really fits the role, I wonder how far she will do when season 3 comes. Exciting! 

For the cinematography, what more can I say, it was really high definition, and the shots are perfect. I love how they viewed the scenes in the forest though it actually makes me dizzy for some reasons. LOL!

Clearly in my perspective that Ashin is the one who introduced the resurrection plant and introduced it to Doctor Lee Seung-hi during the time when Joseon is about to having a war against Japanese invaders (or army). But then again, in every season or episode ended, as a viewer, there’s a lot of questions in my mind came:

First, she mentioned that she will join her tribe after her mission, so does it mean there’s a special episode or another season wherein she will take revenge on Pajeowi tribe? Will it be when she meet the Prince Lee Chang or an additional season for this Kingdom series?

Second, what’s her real agenda on giving the resurrection plant to Doctor Lee Seung-hi?

Third, if there’s any chance for her and Deputy Commander Min Chi Rok  to meet again? Will they be still enemies or will be an ally later on?

Lastly, Do Ashin knows what’s exactly is the solution to treat the infected? Does she knows the same as what Seobi knows?

In addition to this and after watching the special episode last Friday, I wonder why suddenly the writer and netflix came up to plan that there will be a special episode about the past and present of Prince Lee Chang, what would be the impact if they gonna make a side story for him? I hope it will lead us to a good ending as well same as how I wish that his side story and the next season will be release at the same year, because in my opinion, it doesn’t makes sense to release the season 3 after 2 yrs. The story of Ashin is justifiable to release for we could have atleast a prequel on how the resurrection plant was discovered (and pretty sure the notes on the wall is from her Ancestors ‘cause it seems like) 

Now, what the remaining questions left on season 2 which I know you might be as well asked to yourselves. What are the reasons why Prince Chang decided to travel the Northern part of Joseon? Ugh, personally I can’t wait for season 3!

[eggsaladstain]

don’t mind me i’m just crying about korean zombies again

spoilers for kingdom season 2 under the cut

i have a lot of thoughts about this show, but let’s start with the central theme of hunger, specifically how it repeats itself across generations.

first, there’s the very literal hunger of the people. a food shortage has left the people starving and while the adults may endure, it’s the children who suffer the most. it’s the hunger of this young generation that drive their parents to action, often with disastrous consequences. a father asks seo-bi for more soup so his wife will be able to breastfeed there child, unaware that the meat is infected. the pregnant women are lured to the queen’s private residence by the promise of ample food to nourish their unborn children. another father’s desire to feed his child results in a fire that destroys the entire citadel’s food supply. in all these cases, it’s the hunger that ultimately dooms them. 

what about the hunger of the undead? by episode 3, we learn the truth - that the first zombies were created in a moment of desperation by cho hak-ju and lord ahn hyun, who hunted down an entire village of sick peasants and turned them into monsters in order to win a war against the japanese. after the invaders are defeated, the undead are disposed of as well - they are consumable, having served their one purpose, and now, the dead stay dead. later, cho hak-ju resurrects the king, sacrificing countless innocent people to satisfy the king’s new hunger for flesh. the bodies are disposed of in the lake, weighed down by heavy stone, and the dead stay dead. but one of victims - dan-i - leaves the palace and returns to jiyulheon, a clinic full of sick villagers. staying at the clinic is yeong-sin, a member of the first village, who seeks revenge for the deaths of his family. he sees the hungry people, sees the dead body, and knows what must be done. the villagers devour the meat, their stomachs full for the first time in a long time, but the clinic soon falls silent. history repeats itself as another group of sick villagers succumb to a very different type of sickness. this time, the dead don’t stay dead - they rise. 

finally, the hunger for power. this is arguably the most dangerous of all because it is a conscious choice, not driven by instinct. cho hak-ju is guilty of this time and time again, but most of all when he resurrects the king in order to secure his family’s position in the palace. but his greed is no match for his daughter’s, who leaves a trail of dead women and infants in her desire to produce an heir to the throne. by the end of the season, her hunger for power has surpassed even her desire to live as she would rather the entire kingdom be consumed than give up her seat on the throne. lee chang, too, spends most of the show trying to gain power and secure his position as the crown prince, and his path is littered with bodies as well, though their lives were willingly given to protect him. by the end of the season, he gives up the title he fought so hard for, intent on allowing the next generation to restore order to the kingdom while he fights the battle on the ground. but when we meet the young prince - a lonely boy who misses the family he believes he has lost, unaware that his birth mother is within the palace walls - it’s hard to see chang’s decision to step back as a good one. he has placed an incredible burden on those young shoulders, and without knowing it, has left the kingdom with yet another infected king on the throne. 

looking back at all this, it’s hard to believe this show has only had 12 episodes. there has been such a deftness of storytelling and pacing with season 1 building the tension by showing us the horrors of the infected, while season 2 gives us the payoff as the plot threads come together and we see the horrors of men. 

easily my favorite scene this season is the beginning of episode 3 where we see the flashback of the first zombie hoard attacking the japanese. it’s so viscerally disturbing because it’s clear that these undead are not soldiers, they’re just ordinary sick people, skinny and small and still covered in bandages before being sent out to fight someone else’s war. when we see an hyun’s men rounding up this group of terrified people, it’s hard to remember that he’s supposed to be one of the good guys. in the next scene, when we see the undead an hyun’s snarling face, it’s still devastating because he was a friend and ally, but it also feels like justice for the part he played in the war. 

this show reminds me another netflix original, the haunting of hill house. both shows have elements of horror - zombies and ghosts respectively - but the true horror is not the supernatural itself, but rather its consequences on humans and the emotional fallout. who could forget the final scene of season 1 when chang slowly realizes they have survived the night only to face the undead during the day, the fear on his face so palpable and arresting. season 2 is still fresh in my mind, but there are so many scenes i know i won’t soon forget - from the visual of a newly resurrected an hyun stumbling into screen, his familiar face contorted in an inhuman growl, to mu-yeong’s tragic death, to the queen’s shocking murder of her father, reminding us that the undead are not the only monsters we have to fear. 

i will probably be in the minority here, but i really liked the relatively open ending and found it so satisfying. considering netflix’s penchant for canceling its shows after 2-3 seasons, it was the smartest way to handle the uncertainty of whether there would be another season because we got the conclusion of the central story about power and hunger along with a nice teaser of the adventures that may still come. 

that said, netflix, please do renew this show for so we can continue to watch lee chang slaying zombies, yeong-sin bodyslamming everything in sight, seo-bi saving the day, and beom-pal just doing his best and tagging along for the ride. 

[korkisobsessions]

The Oath

XV. Hyung (Part 2)

Desperate screams were filling Deok Sung’s ears. He was sick when he laid a foot on the ground in Sumang village. He wanted to run away, but he was soldier. And soldiers follow the orders! But today he felt, this is the day he will loose his soul. He always followed Ahn Hyun, no exception, no question, loyalty. This was the first day he hesitated. He felt tight knot in his stomach that makes him want to vomit.

Dark was merciful, hide most of the brutal assassination of innocent sick people. Old or young. Women or men. It doesn’t matter. They were just instruments. Lord Ahn and Cho Hak Ju need only their bodies to fulfil their plan to save them. To save everyone, except this sick people. Their lives were sacrifice.

‘Their death will be our salvation’ he heard Cho Hak Ju’s poisonous voice. And his commander listened and makes the order.

Poor villagers were running for their lives without hope. Only people, who could save them, came to kill them.

Suddenly he heard cry. It was young boy hidden behind the fence. His face was covered with bloodied bandages. He could be just eight years old.

Deok Sung swallowed lump in his throat and kneel before crying boy. He knew who he was.

“It’s all right, don’t be scared.” He tried to calm him down. Boy was still sniffling, and in his palm he held tight grip on small carved soldier.

“What are you doing?” He sobbed and his eyes were watching slaughtering of his neighbours.

“Hey...look at me. I’m Deok Sung. You have a brother, am I right?” he tried to bring boys attention back to him. “Is he chakho?”

“Yes” boy whispered. “You know Yeong shin? Where is he?” boy stopped crying and came closer.

“Your brother is very brave man. He is fighting against the enemy, right now.” He was speaking with boy with gentle voice to calm him. Mention of his brother helps.

“Will he be all right? I’m scared!” there were tears again. Flames were sparkling in tears of young boy who was worried about his brother, who was probably dead now.

“He will be. You can help him, if you want?”

Boy has suddenly excitement in eyes. He didn’t even notice that one of soldiers killed his neighbour and watch them.

“I want to!”

“You just need to close your eyes boy...” Deok Sung swallowed tears and held tight grip on rope in his hands. “Don’t be scared and close your eyes. You will help him....”

 -In the same time, but different place.-

He always thought that when it comes to hardest part of the war, the weather will be same. That nature will be in same mood. That it will be raining or something.

But it was here and sun was shining, sky was clear. If soldiers didn’t crush them into the ground, flowers will be probably blooming in here.

But soil was wet with so much blood, it became slipping mud. Sun was blinding and air was hot.

Yeong shin was in the middle of nightmare. His breath fast and shallow, like he was drowning. Shouting of man deafening and mass of human flesh was like water and he was drowning. He shoot samurai right in the face and man’s head fell backwards, body following. He patted pouch hanging from his belt and found it empty. No gunpowder, no ammo.

So he grabbed his rifle with both hands and hit another Japanese soldier with handle. Byung Chul then stabs him in the neck with his short sword.

“Nice hit, kid.” His face was covered in blood of enemies. His silver hair almost red. “Watch out!” he shout. Yeong shin turn but it was too late.

Sharp pain exploded in his shoulder. He just saw quick flash of blade sticking out of his skin. He was too shock that he didn’t even start bleeding in that moment. Japanese soldier was screaming like he won, but Byung Chul’s knife hit him in the eye and that was his end.

When the soldier fell, he pulled out his sword from Yeong shins shoulder. Blood suddenly drenched his shirt and stick fabric to his skin.

“It’s all right, kid. Just don’t move.” His master was by his side to catch him. He didn’t even realised he was falling. Byung-Chul pressed piece of cloth to the wound and tied it with his belt. Yeong shin clenched his teeth and let out sharp breath. “You have been through worse.”

“I know, it’s just scratch.” All around them were madness. Soldiers were running around them, fighting and dying, stumbling over corpses of their fellow soldiers.

But for a moment Yeong shin looked into Byung Chul’s eyes...and knew. They were father and son, not by blood, but by fate.

Byung Chul squeezes his hand and helps him to his feet. “Let’s get you to healer and...” he didn’t finish the sentence. In one moment lot of things happened.

Sun fell down and chill bit their bones. He heard shouting and cry of pure terror. He heard a lot of kinds of cry. Painful, sorrowful, angry...but he never heard men scream like this. It was fear in its clearest form. Chill run down his spine

Byung Chul jerked himself wen his torso pierced a blade. His face full of pain. Crimson stain bloom on his shirt. Few drops of blood escape his lips when he coughs and his face grimaced with pain.

“MASTER!” Yeong shin cried and tried to catch him, but mass of men swallow them and rip their hands apart. Huge samurai came to his way, prepared to kill him, but young chakho felt rage boiling in his veins. He had no gun, just his bare hands. He jumped on the man, knocking him to the ground with such strength that the soldier lost his helmet. Yeong shin forgot his wound, he just saw his enemy and hit him in the face with his fist. Again and again he was bringing his fist down. Men’s teeth and bones scratching his knuckles. He didn’t even know he was screaming like a wild animal beating man’s face to mash. It was another soldier who stumbled over him who woke him up and he realised he beat his enemy to death. Tears were running down his cheeks when he desperately searching Byung Chul’s silver hair.

“Can you help me my friend?” someone grabs his hand. It was man lying on the ground, with pale face. “I tripped and I can’t stand.” man was violently shaking still gripping his hand. “Help me get up, friend?”

Yeong shin wanted to scream when he noticed soldier’s legs chopped of above the knees. Man was still trying to stand up but failing. Blood and limps were everywhere. Night was getting darker but fight didn’t stops. He was desperately looking for his master, calling his name until his throat was sore and he lost his voice. He was tripping and falling over bodies and hallucinating... He must be. He saw man biting another man in the neck, drinking his blood and feasting on his meat.

And then another mass of bodies flew over him. Men fearfully running away hit him like big hammer. He almost fell, and caught closest man. It was Japanese soldier with eyes full of terror. Yeong shin didn’t have a chance to say something, or run. His enemy stab him to his abdomen. He pressed his palms to new wound and found himself falling. There was no Byung Chul to catch him.

Hard ground took his breath away, another bodies falling over him, burying him alive and suffocating last remains of life.

It was over.

War was over.

For him.

 “Yeong shin, please don’t...I’m sorry!” Nilah was desperately crying in front of him. She was kneeling in pouring rain holding his hand. He didn’t know how he gets there. Outside of the house on the river band. “Please, I’m sorry. I will not ask again, just come back to me!” her wet trembling lips woke him up and he held her shoulders to look at her. He was too lost in painful memories he completely lost his head.

“My name....” he whispered with raspy voice.

“I don’t care! It doesn’t matter. I love you. I don’t care what your name is.” She pulls him into her arms and tried to stop sobbing, but failed. His empty eyes and bleeding palm scared her. She stupidly asks what his real name is. His face paled, and cup in his hand cracked, cutting his skin and leaving bloody stains on the table. Without a word he left and disappeared in the dark rainy night. She found him few hours later siting on the bank like frozen statue.

“My real name is...” he tried to swallow hard lump in his throat, but his voice still sounded broken

“My real name is Seo Yeong shin.”

He let out deep breath. Like he got rid of heavy burden.

“But... I don’t understand...” Nilah was confused. Last time she heard that his name Yeong shin was stolen from death man.

And then suddenly she understood...

“You are that dead man.”

 “Hey! Can you help me? There is big pile of bodies.” silenced voices came to him like it was just a dream. He tried to open his eyes, but something was pressed to his face almost suffocating him. And it stinks like...

...like dead man.

Rough fabric of corpse’s uniform was scratching his face, but it was his slightest problem.

Someone pulled dead weight from him and fresh air filled his lungs. He was catching the air, trying to open his eyes but sun was too blinding.

“Oh! Someone is here, alive!” scream someone, poking to his shoulder, he tried to lift his hand and shove him aside but he was too weak to move.

“That’s bullshit. No one survived that massacre! “ shout another voice from distance.

“But he moved and gasped!”

“It’s probably just gas. Take his tag and let’s go.”

Man patted his pockets and takes his identification tag. Yeong shin tried to fight, but his limbs were not listening. He was badly injured and loses a lot of blood. And now they took his name like he was dead. He was desperately trying to move, or make a sound. If they will take his tag, he will be declared as a dead. They will come to Sumang and tell his brother that his older brother died in war. He will though, that he is alone in this world. Sick and lonely boy without family, without someone who will change his bandages. Without money and without home. He can’t let his brother feel like this even for a second. He cannot betray him. He gives him a promise that he will come back.

He already lost Byung Chul. Painful memory of his master’s face clenched ice cold fist around his heart. Crimson blood dripping from his mouth, his hand desperately holding his...

Yeong shin wanted to scream, to cry, to fight, to have control over his body...

He tried to call for help but his throat was too sore from screaming Byung Chul’s name and too dry from thirst.

He remembered the day he became chakho. How he thought he will die in that muddy pit, but he fight and survived. Than that day when tiger ripped his chest and almost killed him. He clenched his fists, rose up and survived.

He growl like animal and made a move. He stands up, holding a hand against his still bleeding abdomen and made a step forward.

When he looked around, all he could see was piles of bodies laid one over another. Japan, or Sangju, it doesn’t matter; they were dead in the same way.

He was making slow steps and sun was blinding. He felt blood dripping between his fingers and for a while he thought, what is he doing? He will come home and die in arms of his little brother.

“I will not die Byung Chul!” he whispered, with taste of blood on his tongue. “I’m chakho and we live against all odds.”

It was like his mantra. He keeps mumbling it making slow steps towards home.

He felt sick when he reaches the border of Sumang.

His village was gone. Hot tears were streaming down his face when he saw that disaster. Houses were destroyed and burned to the ground. Dead bodies everywhere. The place he used to called ‘home’; place where he was born, where he grew up was gone.

“No, no, no...Where is my brother??” he murmured like insane. And he really thought he is loosing his mind. He wanted to shout his name but he was scared he will not answer.

Just for a last moment he wanted to keep hope. He didn’t want to face the silence.

And than he saw him.

Lord Ahn Hyun was standing in the middle of Sumang like from the most terrible nightmare. His clothes were dirty and bloody, he was still bleeding from several wounds. His face was full of deep pain and regrets.

Yeong shin lost his balance and fell to his knees when he recognized that round ‘thing’ in Ahn Hyun’s arms. He recognized that long hair tangled in braid and bloody bandages.

It was head of his little brother. His only family.

“No!” he screams and found last pieces of life. He made quick move to commander. He wanted just one thing. To kill him. It was all Ahn Hyun’s fault. All this madness and destruction was his and Cho Hak Joo’s fault.

All he wanted was pierced his heart with dagger. Scream left his lips but he couldn’t reach him and find his revenge.

Hard blown to back of his head send him to unconsciousness.

Deok Sung was standing above desperate chakho, taking his sword back. Face of young captain was pale and his hands were shaking.

“My lord!” he bow his head in front of Ahn Hyun.

“Take him to healer and leave.”

“Yes my lord.”

“We won captain. That’s all that matters.” But commander’s voice shook when he spoke.

~°~

Yeongshin woke up...

For the truth...he didn’t woke up. He just opens his eyes. That state couldn’t be taken as consciousness.

He never felt like this.

Like nothing.

Like no one.

He had no home. His village was burned to the ground.

He had no friends. His only friend Byung Chul was dead. He didn’t even have a chance to pay him respect and buried him.

And he had no family. His parents were dead and his little brother. Brutally murdered, his body violated. His innocent body used as a lethal hideous weapon.

Yeongshin couldn’t...he just couldn’t keep on living.

“Finally you are awake.” Young man came to him and gives him bowl with soup. “Eat slowly, you barely made it. Your stomach was tear to shreds, but captain bring good physician.”

“Fuck him.” Yeongshin growl and stood up from makeshift bed. He was in some infirmary, wounded and dead soldiers were everywhere.

He was in terrible pain, but he didn’t want to stay in that place anymore.

His steps lead to big board with list of names of dead.

His eyes were searching until he found it.

~Seo Mingu; Sumang – killed in battle~

Tears sting in his eyes when he saw his brother´s name. And then he froze. Right there, just under...

~Seo Yeong shin; Sumang – killed in battle~

“What...no....!” Cold fist of fear griped his spine and shook with him. He quickly limped closer and read it again and again. His name was still there, telling him, he is dead.

He made it quickly to nearest magistrate. Holding tight grip on his stomach that was pulsing with pain. He even tastes blood in his mouth.

Old magistrate was sitting behind table and barely lift his eyes.

“What do you want?” his voice was tired and annoyed.

“My name is on the list of dead. But I’m not.” he touched his chest to felt his beating heart, because he was loosing the fate.

“Do you have identity tag?” old man looked at him with distrust.

“No...Someone took it from me, when I was injured.”

“And what is your name?”

“Seo Yeong shin. From Sumang”

Magistrate’s face twitch. But he opened his book and looked for his name. And there he was. His name with red stamp over it. Dead.

“Yeong shin is dead. Now leave.”

“I’m not dead!” Yeongshin screamed and hit the table with his fists.

“Yeah, I know your tricks. Identity thieves.” Magistrate hissed to his face. “Guards! Get him away!”

“No! Don’t touch me!” he missed the pair of guard, who was trying to catch him. But another took him from behind. “I’m alive! Yeong shin! Seo Yeong shin from Sumang is alive!” He tried to fight, but the pain was unbearable. His insides were ripping apart and he starts coughing blood. “Please...I’m not dead!” guard who caught him, had mercy. He carefully let Yeong shin lean on him and guide him out of the town.

“Listen friend. If you don’t have tag, I know a man who can make you new one.”

But Yeong shin wasn’t listening. He looses the last drop. Except home, friend and family, he lost his name.”

“...I visited that man and he made me new identity tag. But I’m still officially dead.”

Yeongshin finished his story and take a sip of hot tea. He was still shaking, even though Nilah brought him back home, give him dry clothes and blanket over his shoulders.

She was listening, treating his cut palm with strip of bandage and trying not to look to his face. If she would raise her eyes he will see tears and sadness.

“Nilah, it’s...” he gently touches her face and wiped away tear with his thumb.

She burs in tears, hiding her face. It was like waterfall of emotions.

“I can’t stand it. I’m sorry. How could they...?” she was sobbing so hard that Yeongshin must hold her tightly, tears soaking his clean shirt. “I remember nights, when I was looking to the sky, watching stars and making a wish that with some miracle Lord Ahn Hyun will become my father...but he was same monster as my real father is.”

Yeong shin press his lips to Nilah’s hair, her scent was pulling him out of bad memories. It was different life. That man who he was, was long gone. He wasn’t chakho, soldier or brother anymore. Now he was just a man, who belongs to this beautiful woman. And that was all that matter.

“Nilah, please don’t be sad. I wasn’t telling you this story to make you feel sorry for me.”

She wiped away tears and look to his eyes. There was that deep sadness that was usual for Yeong shin that he will probably never get rid of. But those eyes had gentle and caring smile.

“I just want you to know that I never lied to you about anything. You know me whole from the beginning.”

“I love you Seo Yeong shin.” She whispered sealing it with gentle kiss.

He held her closer with hand on the back of her neck savouring her lips. He never gets enough of her taste even if she tastes like tears. It was his Nilah, brave woman, tough fighter, but someone who had the most beautiful heart full of compassion.

Yeong shin’s heart was beating fast when he carefully laid her down on the floor.

She dug her bare hands to his shirt, untying it and revealed his torso. She lifted her head and touch his chest with warm lips, loosing her mind, when he silently moaned when her tongue touch his scar.

His body was above her, pressing her gently to the ground, his knees between her crouched legs.

“Can I-?” he whispered with shaky breath, touching the hem of her shirt. She can’t speak too full of emotions and love, she just nodded.

Yeong shin undress her slowly with steady hands, his lips parted and eyes bright.

Nilah helped him peel of his shirt, pulling it from his arms. She was nervous and calm in the same time when he kicks down his pants. She suddenly saw new scars that she can’t saw before. One nasty devious scar on his hip and that scar that almost cost his life, from samurai’s sword right next to his navel.

“Are you cold? You are shaking.” He whispered when he noticed unrest of her limbs.

“No.”

“Should I stop?” he tried to read her face, looking for any sight of fear.

“No, please, don’t stop.” Nilah held his hand pulling him closer. His lips widened in pleased smile.

Nilah felt like her lungs can’t took more of air, when his warm skin lied flush against hers. And he cradles her head in his hands engulfing her lips with his.

Her fingertips raked up his backs, tracing patterns of his scars while her tights trembled at the sounds he made his voice deep in hollow of his throat strangled and rough, so unlike his touch.

“Nilah, do you want me?” he whispered in her ear his breath hot against her skin.

She again said nothing, deepened the kiss, his tongue warm and tempting. Nilah get her courage and touch him where she thought she will never touch a man.

Yeong shin made a sound that she never heard from him. It was like vulnerable whimper.

“I’m sorry...did...did I hurt you?” She wanted to put her hand away, but Yeong shin’s hand stopped her.

“No, it’s perfect. You are perfect...too perfect for me.” He lean his forehead against hers taking deep breath. “No matter what you say, you are beautiful, gentle noble lady. Like delicate flower.” He kissed her temple his hands caressing her belly and gentle curve of her breasts. “My hands are too rough to your silky skin, Even though I saw you fight, I’m still scared that I broke you if I’m not careful enough.”

“You don’t have to be scared, you will never hurt me. “

She brought her hips up and guides him to her warm centre.

She would lie if she tells she wasn’t scared. That even part of her wasn’t thinking about that day when Sang-Ho violently took her. How it hurts when he pushed himself inside her in one swift move. How she cried and scream. How she bleed after that...

But Yeong shin was something completely different. He was slow and careful when he dipped inside her, controlling her face like he knew all her fears.

He watched her with awe when she gets used to him and her eyes spark like thousands of stars when his hips were tightly pressed against hers.

He starts moving holding her in tight embrace to feel her as close as was possible, sharing every inhale with her, memorizing every inch of her beautiful face, every flicker of eyelashes, every touch of her lips.

If he ever gets lost, surrounded by the horde of undead, this was the things worth of fighting. To see, touch and feel her again.

How long he longed to be with her like this, to feel her trembling underneath him, to love her with his whole body and soul. That road was long and full of obstacles, but the price was worth it. They were together, in their own home, with hopeful future.

She moaned when he touched her down there, like before and her breath shortens. He keeps circling that bundle of joy with his fingertip, pushing into her and his lips touched scar on her collarbone. Her breath hitched when her back arched and she let out cry of pleasure.

It took him just a few more thrust to follow her to beautiful bliss.

“I love you Nilah.” He breathes out against skin of her neck. “You are everything.”

Nilah felt just pure joy. Smiling and holding her lover who lay on her chest catching his wild breath.

“Did you do this before?” she asked. She was curious if he ever cared about some woman before.

Yeong shin cover their naked bodies with blanket and lay back next to her on his back. He held her hand and kissed her knuckles.

“I did. But not like this. Never with someone I love. This was much better.”

[unpeumacabre]

my kingdom for a horse: chapter 1

the year is 1601, a messenger has been sent to dongnae, and he has not returned. lord cho-hak-ju advises the joseon king to send crown prince lee chang to dongnae to investigate, but the plot he unravels there threatens the safety of the entire kingdom, and the stability of the dynasty.

a rewriting of kingdom, and lee chang finds love.

Rating: Mature

Relationships: Lee Chang/Yeong-shin

Read on AO3 (bc tumblr might mess up the formatting)

Count: 7k

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A/N: ummmmm so basically i wanted to rewrite kingdom... with a yeong-shin/lee chang twist... and it turned out as a massive lee chang character study lol. the plot borrows elements from the drama but is quite different - i wanted to bring out certain aspects of the characters and tone down on some of them a little more. the story is mostly complete, i'm just in the midst of editing, so updates will be weekly. enjoy~

Survive.

Lee Chang gathers the reins of his horse in his hands, and looks out towards the horizon. The sun is waning, and Mu-yeong is complaining about the flies, and Lee Chang still feels the heat of anger and injustice scorching his skin.

He had been there when the King had sent the messenger to Dongnae – a routine check it had been, nothing more. Apparently, Cho Hak-ju and his spies had heard murmurs of a rebellion in the South, and he had whispered his foul poison into the King’s ear, convincing him to send a messenger to Dongnae to put the magistrate on his guard.

Lee Chang had also been there when the messenger’s horse had returned, bereft of its rider, and bereft of its message.

“Why not send the Prince to investigate?” had been Cho Hak-ju’s answer. “We must send someone reliable this time, someone who will not shirk his mission. And the Prince must have been so bored of late. There is little to occupy his scholarly mind in recent days, what with everyone being occupied preparing for the new prince’s birth.”

“Why not send Beom-il? Surely your son is more experienced than I am at these matters,” Lee Chang had answered, and he had felt the strain of his smile stretch tight against his cheekbones.

“Of course, but Beom-il is indisposed at the moment. He has been sent to oversee the setting up of the new regiment at Haeju, and will not return for a few days more.”

He was an odious snake, he was, Lee Chang thought bitterly, but still the King had acquiesced.

His only modicum of hope lay in the words the King had said to him that night, as they took their private dinner together – a rarity, now that most of his time was occupied with the queen and her increasingly-rounded belly.

“It pains me to say this, but…” the King had picked at his food. “There is something brewing in the south, although I do not believe it to be the rebellion that Lord Cho is suggesting.”

Lee Chang personally thought there was nothing in it, but then again, he didn’t have the extensive network of spies the King and Cho Hak-ju seemed to have. He could not – and probably never will – understand how one can trust men who live in the shadows and trade secrets – and lives – for their livelihood. Perhaps it would not make him a good king, but Lee Chang wanted to believe that it would make him a better one instead.

“I want you to investigate what the Haewon Cho clan is up to in the south,” the King had then said, and Lee Chang had almost fallen from his seat.

“Father, why?” he had asked, a perfectly reasonable question. He well remembered the times in his youth when Cho Hak-ju had said something insulting to him or done something to side-line him, something so serious that he had felt the need to go to the King for recompense. Every single time, he could recall being brushed off and told “Lord Cho thinks only of the good of the nation” and “you would do well to heed his teachings”. Never had the King shown even a hint of resentment or suspicion of the Haewon Cho clan’s leader, and Lee Chang had always thought his trust in Cho Hak-ju unshakeable.

Not so unshakeable, it seemed. A shadow had crossed the King's face then, and he had turned away as if to hide his face.

“I did not believe it when first the Head of the Royal Commandery brought it to my attention,” the King had said then, “but Cho Beom-il has been implicated in several – well, shall we say, unsavoury deals, and Lord Min’s investigations point to Lord Cho at their head. But he has been very careful to cover his tracks, and the evidence is, while convincing, mostly circumstantial.”

Lee Chang had taken a sip of his wine, his throat suddenly dry. “And of my role in all this?” he had managed. “Why send me? Surely by doing so we are playing precisely into Lord Cho’s hands.”

“I do not yet know what he plans,” the King had replied, shaking his head. “All I have are ominous tidings from my spies in Sangju and Dongnae that there is something nefarious being planned, but Lord Cho – if it is indeed he behind it – is an intelligent man. He has not yet let anything slip. If we must play into his hands, at least for now, just know that you go as my envoy, my emissary, and not the messenger boy of the Haewon Cho clan. I trust only my son to carry this through for me.”

“I wish to see my son, and I miss my wife,” Mu-yeong complains, and it snaps Lee Chang back to reality. He huffs out an exasperated laugh at the familiar refrain.

“At least she will be well-taken care of while you are gone,” he says, letting the amusement thread through his voice. “Where did you say she was staying while you are with me?”

“With her aunt, in Naesonjae. Her brother has found work in the queen’s palace, so they have enough money to put her up at least until I return,” Mu-yeong answers, and punctuates his answer with an enormous, put-upon sigh.

“That is good,” Lee Chang says absently. “At least you need not steal desserts from my table any longer to feed her.”

“Your Highness – you said you wouldn’t - ” splutters Mu-yeong, his face turning beet red, as he spins around in his horse to check on the entourage of three guards following them. Thankfully for him, they are bickering among themselves about something inconsequential, and Lee Chang dismisses them as not having heard anything.

“We must find somewhere to make camp soon,” he decides, looking back towards the horizon, and the sun’s fading rays colouring it red.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Mu-yeong replies, and he slows his horse to tell the guards.

Very quickly, they find a clearing in which to make camp, and Lee Chang grooms his horse while the guards and Mu-yeong start the fire. When the fire is sufficiently large, he sits by it and unwraps the jangguk mandu prepared for him that morning by his chefs. The smell of pork and kimchi wafts like sweet perfume from the wrappings, and he catches the guards looking at him enviously from the corner of their eyes, as they dig into their mieum. The gruel splatters over the grass as they eat.

One of the guards’ voices drifts over to him on the wind. “Royals are lucky,” he says, a thread of envy in his voice. “Jangguk mandu and tteokguk for dinner. What I would do for some meat.”

“Hush,” Mu-yeong says, glancing over at Lee Chang, but he pretends not to hear their conversation, and Mu-yeong returns his attention to the guards, reassured. “You know meat is a luxury us peasants cannot afford, especially in these trying times.”

“Yeah? You’d think the royals and the lords don’t know of the ongoing famine. The other day, I was on guard for Lord Park, and he left a whole dish of goldongban untouched. Untouched!” There is a collective groan from the group.

“What I wouldn’t do for some beef and eggs,” agrees one of the others, fervently.

“My mother died of illness last month. She wasted away,” comes the quiet voice of the last guard. “And when you think of all the food that’s left on the royals’ tables…” He shakes his head, and fumbles in his pockets. “I only have my daughter and my dear wife left, and the little girl’s so much like her grandmother. Worries about me all the time. She made me this talisman to keep me safe.” He displays the charm, and Lee Chang can vaguely see the childish drawings on the blue fabric, accompanied by words he is too far away to read.

He looks down at his mandu. Suddenly, the dumplings no longer seem as inviting.

Lee Chang thinks of offering them his food, then. Thinks of unwrapping the rest of the packages tethered to his horse, and sharing the food among the guards, because, if he’s honest, there was far too much food packed for him alone.

But something holds him back. Pride, perhaps, or irrational fear, that they will hate him even more for what they might construe as his pity.

And now it is too late. Before he could come to a a decision, the guards had finished their food, and now they are standing up, stretching, and sorting out the watch schedule. Mu-yeong comes over to him and notices his untouched meal.

“You must eat, Your Highness,” he urges, his tone teasing.

But when Lee Chang turns his face up to face him, Mu-yeong must see something in his face, for he squats down, his eyes turning liquid and understanding.

“Your Highness is different from the rest of the nobles,” he murmurs, under his breath so the other guards do not hear. “You did not execute my family when you caught me stealing from your table to provide for my wife. You did not execute the maid when she ruined your second-best coat with her shoddy washing skills. You did not execute the chef when he cooked you kongguksu for dinner, forgetting soy beans give you sleepless nights. That mercy is far above what any other noble is capable of – ah, now, don’t blush, Your Highness – you know it to be true! Don’t be embarrassed.”

Lee Chang scoffs and turns away. “Be quiet, or I shall execute your whole family,” he mutters under his breath.

“Isn’t it about time you stopped joking about that?” Mu-yeong cries, aghast. “Such a threat from the Crown Prince holds more weight than you think!”

Lee Chang glares at him out of the corner of his eye, then sighs, and turns his attention away. He begins unpacking the linens with which he is to make his bed, and tries not to smile; but he is sure the way his lips twitch, gives him away.

Satisfied that he has restored his prince’s spirits, Mu-yeong returns to the rest of the guards, who have been watching their exchange with some curiosity. Lee Chang strains to hear their conversation as they welcome his guard back to their side with a comradely clap to the back, but it is late, and the hard riding of the morning has driven all the energy from his bones.

The ground is hard against his back, and it is with the unhappy feeling of rocks digging pinpricks of pain into his skin, that he finally drifts into a restless slumber.

***

He is in the King’s study, staring at the irworobongdo behind the King’s desk and thinking to himself, “I will never be king.”

The King’s great-grandfather, his great-great-grandfather, had had the folding screens installed behind his desk in his room in Gyeongbokgung Palace during his reign, to emulate the irworobongdo behind the royal throne where he held court. Lee Chang had been told by his nurse as a boy that the former King, his great-great-grandfather, had used the paintings to intimidate whoever was unlucky enough to be called to his study for an audience. After the Second War of Jeong-yu, three years ago, Gyeongbokgung had been razed to ashes, they had moved here into Changdeokgung as the main palace, and the current King had decided to adopt the same practice as his great-grandfather.

It makes a majestic sight for sure, the five peaks rising above the head of the King, flanked by the two moons, conifers, and streams running down from the mountains. Lee Chang had often been called here in his youth, and one of his earliest – and most vivid – memories is of standing before the King, only nine years old, on his knees and crying. He remembers having been summoned for some small prank he had played on one of the guards. He remembers the King’s back, tall and stately, looming above him, his arms crossed behind him, and his voice: “You are the Crown Prince, Lee Chang. Such childish frivolities are beneath you. You must always act with the maturity and dignity required of your station.”

Yet he cannot remember the King’s face.

So now, he fixes his gaze blankly on the third and middle peak of the irworobongdo, as the King strides leisurely across the room, watching him.

“Did you hear me, Chang?” he says, and his voice is quiet.

“Yes,” Lee Chang manages. “That is wonderful news. You have informed the ministers, then? That Her Highness is with child?”

“Yes, yes,” the King replies, waving his hand airily. “They have given their best wishes, of course. I am sure he will be a beautiful baby boy.”

Or a girl, Lee Chang’s mind whispers, but somehow he knows in his bones that it will be a boy. Cho Hak-ju is not known for his errors.

The King is still watching him. Lee Chang does not know what he is expecting to see.

Then he turns his head away, sighs, and gestures imperiously towards Lee Chang, beckoning him forward. Lee Chang steps forward and kneels at the King's feet. He feels like that nine-year-old child all over again; but the difference is that, in the years between then and now, he has learned not to cry.

“Chang,” the King says, and Lee Chang feels a hand in his hair, a gentle touch which catches him by surprise. “You have survived, as I commanded you to. And you are all that a father can ever ask for. All that a nation can ask for in its prince. When this child comes, you will no longer be destined to be king. But you will still be a prince, and that is all that matters.”

“Is it?” Lee Chang whispers. “I have been brought up to be a king, with the expectation that one day, it was to be I who would sit on the Phoenix Throne and command the kingdom of Joseon. And now I realise that all that will have been for nothing.”

The King sighs again. “Not for nothing,” he amends. “Your brother will need you as he grows. You are experienced both in scholarship and military command. Do not dismiss yourself so easily.” The hand in his hair disappears, and Lee Chang finds himself strangely bereft.

When next he looks up again, the King is sitting at his desk, reading. The third peak glimmers in the light of his lamp, directly above his head. Lee Chang takes it as a dismissal.

“Chang,” the King says, as Lee Chang turns to leave. He turns back to face him, and the King’s eyes are molten gold.

“Remember,” he says. “Survive.” And he opens his mouth, and emits a piercing scream.

Lee Chang is jolted from his slumber and scrambles for the handle of his sword. He whips around and the blade points directly at Mu-yeong’s throat.

“Your Highness,” Mu-yeong gasps, his hand still on Lee Chang’s shoulder, where he has clearly been trying to rouse Lee Chang from his sleep. “We are under attack!”

Lee Chang’s mind immediately flies to Cho Hak-ju’s miserable face, but he quickly dismisses the notion. There is hardly any legitimate reason Cho can find to hunt him down, after all – Lee Chang’s plans had not been ready to set in motion before he had left the capital.

“By who?” he roars, instead. “Who dares attack – “ He is cut off by another piercing yell, this time of pain, and he turns in time to see one of the guards fall to the ground, a man covered in bloody rags clinging to his throat.

Immediately he leaps forward and buries his blade in the back of the attacker. The blow is harsh, and carves a deep line to the bone. The man jerks and convulses, falling off the guard and rolling onto the ground. Lee Chang is repulsed to see that his face is covered in blood, and that his teeth had been buried in the guard’s throat.

Quickly he bends down and shakes the guard. “Are you alright?” he asks roughly, scanning the wound. It is a bad bite, it is, and the attacker had torn out a good chunk of flesh when he had fallen off the body. It needs bandaging, and so Lee Chang rips off a piece of cloth from the hem of his coat. He pulls the fabric around the guard’s neck, making sure not to pull it too tight and obstruct his breathing, then he ties it off with a quick bow.

It is only Mu-yeong’s reflexes which save him from certain death, in those next few moments.

The man who had been lying on the ground – who had clearly been dead, no one could survive such a blow and live – had sprung up from his supine position and leapt for Lee Chang’s throat. He is too slow to react, and when he turns, the man’s breath is hot on his neck, in the instant before Mu-yeong’s blade whistles past him and separates the attacker’s head from his body.

Lee Chang falls back in disbelief, his bottom hitting the ground, and stares unseeingly at the head on the ground, its teeth bared in a foul approximation of a smile.

“How?” he asks, blankly. “He was dead. I buried my blade in his back myself. I severed his spinal cord. He should be dead.”

Another scream of pain attracts his attention, and he looks away in time to see the other two guards fall, and descended upon by more raggedy attackers. Lee Chang feels his stomach roil as he realises one of the smaller figures among the pack, is that of a child. His hand flies to the handle of his sword, and he is about to rise to his feet and run to the rescue, when he feels the body under his other hand begin to tremble.

“Your Highness,” Mu-yeong says warningly, but Lee Chang hardly needs his words to recognise the mottled colour spreading across the downed guard’s face, and the milky film descending over his eyes. He recognises that face, for he has seen it just moments before – on the head that is now sitting, eyes unseeing, among the blood-stained blades of grass.

Purely on instinct, his body leaps back from the guard, and he watches in horror as the guard begins to writhe and shake, as if caught in a fit. His neck arches backwards, beyond what is humanely possible, and his mouth falls open, froth drooling from his jowls. It is the most terrible thing Lee Chang has ever seen.

“Are you alright?” he calls, urgently. No answer, as the man continues to fit.

Then, suddenly, eerily, he stops moving.

“We must get medical help for him,” Lee Chang says urgently, glancing up at Mu-yeong. “He is on the brink of death!”

But Mu-yeong is not looking at him. Lee Chang follows his gaze, and although his body is screaming at him to run, he finds he cannot move. The sight before him is so horrific, it is beyond anything in his worst nightmares.

The other two guards, with their throats torn out and blood gushing from numerous wounds all over their body, are also convulsing on the ground. One of them – the one who had been, only just last night, bemoaning his lack of meat and the royals’ frivolity – has had his eye torn out. The eyeball dangles, almost comically, from the empty cavity of his eye socket, except that there is nothing laughable about this situation at all. Lee Chang turns his head to the side and retches.

As he wipes at his mouth with the back of his hand, he hears Mu-yeong suck in a sharp breath. “Your Highness,” he says, and his voice is small. “Your Highness!” he repeats, this time louder, and with more urgency. Lee Chang lifts his head, and the group of attackers is looking straight at them.

“They see us,” hisses Mu-yeong frantically. “Your Highness, we must run!”

Lee Chang springs to his feet, but something catches his ankle in a vice-like grip, and he almost falls. He turns, and the body of the third guard – who he had thought stone-cold dead, after his fits! – has roused itself. He is leering up at him, teeth bared grotesquely, and its claws digging into the skin of his ankle.

He is no longer human, some primal instinct of his tells him, and so he does not hesitate.

Again, his blade strikes honest and true, and cuts deep into the body’s abdomen – a blow that would fell any normal man. But the body does not falter, and rears upwards, sword still buried in his stomach, intestines spewing out, his jaws gnashing and aiming straight towards Lee Chang’s face.

Lee Chang yanks the blade from its stomach with a motion that jars his shoulder, for how deep it is buried in the other man’s abdomen. The movement hoists the creature up towards him, and Lee Chang feels its fetid breath against his nose for one terrifying moment – makes contact with its sightless eyes for barely a second – before he swings and takes the body’s head off.

He can’t hear the thud of the head as it hits the ground, and belatedly he realises that the ground is shaking.

“Your Highness, we must flee! Now!” Mu-yeong yells, and grabs his shoulder. Lee Chang springs up and grabs his pack from the ground, where it is lying next to him.

And so they fly, the pursuers hot on their heels. Lee Chang has never run so fast in his life. He feels his heart beating a thousand miles an hour, thrumming through his ears, counting out the beat of his steps as they sprint over the dry grass and across the plain.

They are running too fast to stop, however, when they reach the cliff. There is barely a split second as they see the water loom before them, Mu-yeong looks at him, and his mouth forms an ‘o’ – Lee Chang would laugh, at the surrealism of the entire situation, if he weren’t working so hard to keep from breaking down. He says some words his wet nurse would have shook him upside down for.

And then they hit the water. The impact is like hitting a wall, and it drives all the air out of his lungs. He feels himself begin to sink, his heavy silk clothes quickly absorbing the water and lending him the weight of a stone, and the water bites cold frost into his skin.

Desperately, he kicks towards the surface, feeling his head throb with the pain of his lack of air. The moonlight is bright above the water’s surface, so near yet so far, as if the moon itself is taunting him. His limbs are a leaden weight, and he barely feels himself move. He cannot breathe.

Then suddenly he breaks the surface of the water with a gasp, and air – blessed air – rushes into his lungs. The cold air stings his reddened cheeks, and he already feels the ache of bruises beginning to form, from his intimate contact with the hard surface of the water.

“Mu-yeong!” he yells hoarsely, when he does not see the guard’s head. Moments later, the man breaks the surface, gasping and flailing, his sodden hair and clothes clinging miserably to his skin. Lee Chang knows he looks no better.

“They are too afraid to jump!” Mu-yeong calls to him, his voice bright with relief, pointing at the cliff’s edge. Indeed, the attackers are gathered above them, staring sombrely down at the two of them paddling in the water. There is one unlucky man who evidently was unable to slow his run, and is now clinging to the cliff face.

As they watch, he slips and plunges into the water. He does not come back up.

“It is a miracle,” Lee Chang says in disbelief. “They are afraid of the water.”

“Probably afraid of freezing to – well, death, if that’s even an appropriate word for them,” Mu-yeong says grimly. “And so will we, if we stay here much longer. The sun is rising, and I can see lights over there – there must be a village, or a camp of some sort. We must make for it before we freeze to death.”

With a nod of assent on Lee Chang’s part, they paddle dolefully to the opposite shore and haul themselves up. The wind is cruel and relentless, and Lee Chang feels his teeth begin to chatter. They lie prone on the ground, chests heaving in tune, arms spread akimbo, and staring unseeingly up at the beautiful night sky.

“C-c-c-curse this autumn wind,” cries Mu-yeong. “I am only thankful that it is not winter. We w-w-would be dead by now, if t-that were the case.”

Lee Chang laughs. But halfway through, it devolves into a sob, and he somehow finds the energy to sit up.

He barely makes it up before he feels his stomach revolt, and he throws up all over the ground. The remnants of meat in his vomit remind him of the chunks of flesh the creatures had torn off the guards’ bodies, and the memory makes him heave again. This time nothing comes up.

He turns, and Mu-yeong is shaking with quiet sobs, his jaw clenched and  his eyes blinking furiously as he tries to hold back tears. It is the first time Lee Chang has ever seen Mu-yeong cry.

“Mu-yeong.” Lee Chang calls his name, and the gentleness of his voice surprises even him. The guard turns to him, eyes glassy with unshed tears, and his fist stuffed in his mouth to block his sobs. Lee Chang tries to find the right things to say.

“They were good, honest men,” he says, at last. “I did not know them very long, but I could tell that they were good men. We will honour their memories and their bravery in the face of unholy evil.”

Mu-yeong chokes out a laugh, and it is an ugly sound. “They were bloody awful at times,” he says, casting his eyes away. “We always quarrelled. They begrudged me my role as your guard, and always teased me for only passing the exam in my forties, when they had done so in their youth.” He pauses to wipe at the sides of his eyes, and when he continues, his voice is quiet.

“But they were good men,” he says, and his voice is full of affection. “You are right, Your Highness. They were honest, and hardworking, and brave. They did not deserve the death they received.”

The sun is rising, and the heat of its rays takes the edge off the cold. Lee Chang tries to ignore the sour stench of his own vomit, and stares off into the horizon. Their attackers are no longer gathered at the cliff’s edge, from what he can make out.

“They were ungodly abominations,” he says lowly, recalling the dark patterns that had been spread across their faces and exposed skin, and the rotting flesh that had been falling off their bodies. “I do not know how it is that they were able to sustain blows that would kill any normal man, nor why they were feeding on human flesh. But they are still on the other side of the river, and I fear for the villages we passed on our way.”

“What will we do, Your Highness?” asks Mu-yeong, and some semblance of normality has been restored to his voice. “Do we still ride – well, walk to Dongnae?”

“Yes,” Lee Chang says decisively. “We must go to Dongnae, and light the signal fires to warn the other cities in the region. We do not know how many of these people are out there, nor what they want. It will be good to prepare everyone for an attack.

“And Mu-yeong?” he says, almost as an afterthought, but as quite an important one. He manages a small smile when the guard turns to face him.

“We will return for your friends’ bodies,” he murmurs softly. “Their bodies will not be left to rot, alone and with only the crows for company. We will return them to Hanyang, for an honourable burial, and for the peace of mind of their family.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Mu-yeong says quietly, and he is about to say something else, when they are interrupted by a loud cacophony of clattering.

“Who are you, and what have you come for?” comes a voice from their right, and when Lee Chang turns, he comes face to face with the barrel of a musket.

It is a rough-looking man, smaller in stature but no less fierce for it. His hair is carelessly tossed into a bun, and sweaty strands of it stick to his tan skin. The bags under his eyes speak of countless sleepless nights, but still the hand that is holding the gun is steady and true. A pile of bamboo poles lies by him, the origin of the clattering sound.

“Put down your weapon!” Mu-yeong cries, and hefts his sword. The man spares him a glance out of the corner of his eyes. “Do you know who you dare lift your weapon against? This is the Crown Prince of the Joseon kingdom!”

The stranger’s brows shoot up, but apart from that, he does not move an inch, and the barrel of the musket is still pointed straight at Lee Chang’s face. Lee Chang feels himself begin to sweat.

“You did not answer the question,” he says quietly. “Why have the Crown Prince and his guard emerged from the banks of the Nakdong River, soaking wet and covered in gore?”

“We were attacked,” Lee Chang finds his voice. “By men who ate human flesh and did not balk at our blades in their back. Three of my other guards were felled by the attackers, and we had to flee into the river, which they dared not enter.”

There is a moment of silence, as the man stares at them, his eyes wide, and Lee Chang thinks he does not believe him. Honestly, were he the opposing party, he does not think he would believe his story either, outlandish as it seems – but every word of it is, unfortunately, the cold, hard truth.

“Then they did survive,” the man says abruptly, and his arm drops back to his side. Mu-yeong’s stance relaxes minutely, his blade still drawn, but the man pays him no mind and turns to the river.

“We must return to the other side,” he says urgently. “You must show me where the monsters descended on you.”

“Monsters?” splutters Mu-yeong. “What the hell – beg pardon, Your Highness – what do you mean by that?”

“Those men were dead,” the stranger says ruthlessly. “They frothed at the mouth and fitted to death, but at night they rise again and crave human flesh. They cannot be killed by normal means – only by fire, deep water, or beheading. And if we do not dispose of their bodies by tonight, they will return to kill once more.” He turns to them again, his eyes ablaze. “You must show me where they found you. They will be hiding from the sun, somewhere nearby, as they fear the daylight. We must burn their bodies as soon as possible.”

“We were on our way to Dongnae – “ starts Mu-yeong mulishly, but then he stops as Lee Chang holds up a hand to stop him. If, indeed, these men will rise again tonight to attack more unsuspecting folk… Lee Chang thinks, again, of the villages they had passed on the way, and the playful cries of children that had arisen from those settlements. He cannot let the innocent people in those villages die, not when he can prevent it.

“We will show you the way. Dongnae can wait.”

“Your Highness – “ Mu-yeong says sharply. “What reason do we have to trust this – this stranger? He could be lying. The story he tells – of the dead rising and killing for human flesh? It is a tale that is nigh on impossible.”

“You saw what we saw last night, Mu-yeong,” Lee Chang says quietly. “I do not believe those men were human. Besides,” he says, with a weak smile, “I did promise you we would return to retrieve your friends’ bodies – although I did not expect that we would do it as soon as we are choosing to now. Dongnae can wait. If we find these bodies and destroy them, it will greatly thin the number of monsters out there.”

“As you wish, Your Highness,” Mu-yeong accedes. Although it is not without a final glare towards the back of the man, who is standing by the riverside a little ways away, glancing restlessly back at them as they make their decision.

He brings them to a bridge further down the road, where they cross to the other side of the river, and they retrace their steps in silence till they reach the remains of the campsite.

The ashes of the fire Mu-yeong had lit are still smoking, and the bodies – even those of the guards – are nowhere to be found.

“They must have carried their bodies off,” Mu-yeong mutters, in disgust. Lee Chang watches as the man squats down and examines the ground.

“Do you see any tracks?” he calls, as the man picks up a piece of dirt off the ground and sniffs at it. He spares Lee Chang a glance, then stands up and brushes his hands off on his trousers.

“They went northward,” he says shortly. “Into the forest. There must be some abandoned homes or buildings among the trees in which they can hide from the sun.”

Lee Chang nods, and gestures forward. “Lead the way then.”

They walk into the woods. The trees have shed their leaves and are bare and stark against the crisp autumn sunlight. Frost crunches under their feet as they walk, and the air is eerily still, undisturbed by the sounds of any animals. Lee Chang gathers his coat tighter around him, and subconsciously tightens his grip on the handle of his sword.

“There,” the man says, stopping suddenly, and he points at a ruined shack that lies a distance from them. They make their way over to it, and Mu-yeong tentatively opens the door. It creaks as it opens, and releases a cloud of dust that makes all of them cough.

Lee Chang steps in first, squinting into the darkness. He draws his sword, and the blade gleams dully. The floorboards groan under his feet as he walks, craning his neck to see further than one chok in front of his face.

There – there is a glimmer of something in the corner of the room, he thinks, and readies his sword for battle – then there is an almighty crash as the complaining floorboards finally give way, and he sinks downwards with a shout of surprise.

The landing is unexpectedly soft, and there is a sinking feeling in his stomach as he turns his head downwards to gaze at what has broken his fall.

Faces upon faces upon faces, bodies upon bodies upon bodies, curled up in grotesque positions under the boards. Their eyes are shut in a gross parody of sleep, but their chests do not move with breath. They are dead.

Mu-yeong hoists him from the ground, and utters a hoarse cry as he sees what Lee Chang has happened upon. The stranger is unfazed, however, and begins pulling up the floorboards.

“We must get all of them out, and make sure their heads are cut off before we bury them, so they do not rise again,” he orders. Lee Chang has a very brief argument with a voice in his head – one that sounds very much like the King’s voice - about the merits of following the orders of someone of a lesser station than himself, before he sternly tells himself off and squats down to help.

They manage to pull out all twenty-one bodies of their attackers, and Lee Chang is horrified to find out that he had been right – one of them had been a child, no older than ten years of age, with the same mottled pattern on his skin, and mouth painted with gore. He almost throws up again, then, but his stomach is protesting the lack of food, and thankfully he manages to push down the urge.

Mu-yeong finds the bodies of the guards, one headless and two others still intact. He drags the bodies and the head out and lays them sombrely in front of the porch, aside from the other bodies.

“I apologise, my friends,” he says, under his breath, so softly that Lee Chang knows the words are not meant for others to hear. “I would give you now a burial worthy of the most honourable of men, but alas, I cannot do so. I promise, I will retrieve your bodies and bring them back to your honourable families, so they can pay their respects to you as you deserve.”

The man comes up to him and stands by his side, looking at the bodies of the guards. Then, in a stern but kind voice, completely at odds with his manner so far, he says, “We must cut off their heads as well. Any man the monsters bite will turn into one of their kind.”

Mu-yeong looks torn, and splutters. “That is absurd. Whoever heard of such a thing? Your Highness,” he turns to Lee Chang, and while his voice is accusatory, his eyes are soft with anguish. “You do not believe him, do you?”

Lee Chang sighs, and inadvertently locks eyes with the man. His eyes are fierce, and hooded, but Lee Chang thinks they hold no lies – at least, with regards to his matter. He shakes his head in answer to Mu-yeong.

“We saw it for ourselves last night, Mu-yeong,” he says patiently. “One of them returned to life and attacked me, and the only way of ensuring he did not rise again, was by taking off his head. Think of this,” and he manages what he hopes is a comforting smile, “it would be the kindest thing to do, to stop them casting a blemish on their honourable record by killing more innocent people. They would have wanted you to do it.”

In answer, Mu-yeong bows his head, and nods. And later, when they are done beheading the rest of the monsters, he takes the heads off the guards himself.

“We must dig a pit to bury the bodies in,” the man says, coming out of the shack with tools in hand. He passes one shovel to Mu-yeong, then he looks at Lee Chang out of the corner of his eye, a question written clearly in his face. Mu-yeong’s eyes widen and he opens his mouth to interject; but Lee Chang silences him with a look, and takes the shovel from the man.

About an hour passes as they dig into the frozen ground to create a large shallow pit – shallow because they can go no deeper with the rudimentary tools they have, and the hardness of the soil. It is backbreaking work, and even in the cold biting air, Lee Chang feels sweat beading on his brow. The numbness in his fingers and the weariness in his bones does not help.

When they are finished, they haul most of the bodies over to the pit and try, as carefully as possible, to arrange them inside. They were once human, after all, and every human, no matter how small in stature or station, deserved an honourable burial.

When it comes to the three guards, however, the stranger squats down by the bodies and rifles through their clothing. In a swift movement, Lee Chang strides over and has his blade at the man’s throat.

The man pauses in his movements, and looks up at Lee Chang. A swallow bobs his throat, but his eyes hold no fear, and the twist of his mouth belies his impatience.

“How dare you attempt to desecrate these men by looting from them,” Lee Chang whispers. “Is it not enough that their bodies have been so profanely defiled? Do you intend to rob them as well?”

“Your Highness,” the man replies, very calmly – too calmly, for all that he had a blade at his throat – “while you have been sitting in your golden palace, eating the food of the gods, we have been starving.” Very slowly, his hand comes up and grips the pommel of the sword, right next to Lee Chang’s hand. His eyes are dark, and full of resolve.

“The sick at Jiyulheon need food, or they will die by morning,” he says quietly. “Our stocks had already been depleted before the monsters appeared, and now, more than ever, we need food. Will you let the sick and injured at Jiyulheon starve to death, for your honour and morality? This is reality, Your Highness – the reality of us peasants’ lives. This is not the first time I have stolen from a dead body to live, and it will not be the last.”

Mu-yeong is oddly silent, Lee Chang thinks, dazedly. He is able to hold the man’s gaze for a moment – just a moment more - then he can bear it no longer, and has to avert his eyes.

The man coolly levers the sword away from his throat, and returns to searching quickly through the guards’ clothes. He finds a few packets of dried meat and other trail foods, and these he packs them away in his bag.

When he is done, he makes to drag the bodies into the pit, and a small blue square of fabric falls from one of the guards’ pockets. As Mu-yeong and the stranger lug the bodies away, Lee Chang bends over and retrieves the item.

The guard’s daughter has written on it, in shaky writing; Papa, it reads, pleas keep your self safe and pleas bring back some mandu for mommy. We love you! There is a doodle of a girl sitting on what appears to be some vaguely-four-legged animal, brandishing a sword, with her father seated behind her. Lee Chang finds he suddenly has to steady himself against the walls of the shack, as a lump finds its way to his throat.

“Your Highness,” Mu-yeong calls, and Lee Chang looks up with a start to realise that the other two have already hurried some way up the slight incline that had led to the shed, and are now looking back at him – Mu-yeong with puzzlement, the stranger with badly-concealed impatience.

“The sun is setting,” says the man. “I must return to Jiyulheon – they will need help with defence against whatever monsters are left from this pack.”

“We will come with you,” calls Lee Chang, on some impulse, as the man turns to leave. Lee Chang’s words makes him spin round, his faint brows riding high in surprise.

“Why?” he says, and the twist of his mouth reads of his suspicion. “I thought you were on your way to Dongnae?”

“Staying in Jiyulheon cannot be your permanent solution against an attack,” Lee Chang argues, walking quickly up to them; and from the way the man’s eyes darken, Lee Chang knows he has hit his mark. He steps closer to the man, and they lock gazes.

“We can help with your defence through the night, and when morning comes, we will find a way to bring the people of Jiyulheon to safety. I swear this upon my crown,” he says, solemnly, for the look in those burning eyes holds him to nothing but the truth.

“Can a prince run as fast as is needed?” says the man at last, tossing his head scornfully. A sudden flock of crows ascends above their heads, bringing with them a cacophony of cawing, and their shadow runs long. The sun is setting, and night is drawing near.

Lee Chang feels his resolve set. He tucks the talisman into his pocket, and gives the man a firm nod.

[greasyartrat]

random confession but i had to watch kingdom twice for me to remember their names. i used to have a nicknames for each of them.

yeong shin: bamboo guy (s1) and tiger (s2)

seo bi: badass nurse

beom pal: (no nickname, his was easy to remember for sum reason)

cho hak ju: bad guy with ugly beard

queen consort cho (does she have a name?): queen

mu yeong: loyal guard with big cheeks

min chi rok: “detective dude with  big eyes who does good stuff but not the one wearing white”

lord ahn hyeon: annyeong 

lee chang (had to watch it 3x to remember his name):  crown prince

[sqewed0722]

And the trailers are out.

I’m not a fan of zombie flicks in general, but I’m excited about how “Kingdom” will turn out. What’s interesting about it is that it’s more a case of who are behind the creation of these monsters and how much more monstrous they would turn out to be compared to the undead that they’ve created to further their own ambitions. Something about it gives me “Frankenstein” vibes.

The characters are also very compelling, from courageous and upright Crown Prince Lee Chang to ruthless and downright horrifying Minister Cho Hak Ju, to his equally ruthless and potentially more horrifying daughter who’s the current Queen, to the mysterious and seemingly wise Lord Ahn Hyeon, who may or may not be the true villain of the story.

And there’s the recent news of Jun Ji Hyun joining Season 3. 😊

[gwalchca]

yeong-sin just missing cho hak-ju at mungyeong saejae but the blood splatter from the man he did hit being what made zombie!lord ahn target him instead of anyone else who was closer,  and then the wound he got from lord ahn ensuring he was brought back to hanyang where he could be killed by his daughter...poetic cinema

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Hak Ja Han’s Mother was in a sex cult – and she killed a young man

Soon-Ae Hong, the mother of Hak Ja Han, was a follower of Gook-Ju Hwang.

Dr. Chang Shik Yang             December 1998

http://www.unification.net/csyang/yang_chung_pyung_thesis.rtf

[Soon Ae Hong also known as] Dae Mo Nim* was born on February 22, 1914 in Jung Joo to Hong Eu-Il (father) and Cho Won-Mo (mother) who were sincere Christians. … she gave birth to True Mother on January 6, 1943 in An Joo, Southern Pyung An province. Dae Mo Nim was practicing the Christian faith sincerely at the “New Jesus Church” which was led by Reverends Yong-Do Lee and Gook-Joo Hwang.

http://www.tparents.org/library/unification/talks/carlson/HJ-HAN-1.htm

David Carlson (adaptation of a Masters thesis presented at the Unification Theological Seminary):

[Hak Ja Han’s] mother [was Soon-Ae Hong], a devout Christian, was a spiritual searcher and was active with several mainline churches. However, because she was not satisfied with the depth of their Biblical teaching, she searched in various peripheral spiritual groups as well. It is known from studies in the history of Korean religions that some of these groups, such as the “Holy Lord Order” and “Inside Belly Church” were very spiritualistic in nature and taught doctrines based on what they believed was continuing revelation. Some of these doctrines were considered “orthodox” and others were considered “heretical” by the mainline churches.

http://www.tparents.org/library/unification/books/cpp/

The Cheong Pyeong Providence and the Way of Blessed Family  2000

The strict providence of God to raise up a sacred lineage from the Satanic lineage brought about three generations of only daughter until the birth of True Mother, that is, True Mother, Dae Mo Nim, and the grandmother Won Mo Cho were all only daughters. Since the grandmother Cho and Dae Mo Nim were both devoted to Christianity and busy serving the church, it must have been challenging for them to take good care of True Mother. … Until she was nineteen, Dae Mo Nim grew up in Presbyterian faith. Then, in a three-day revival led by the minister Yong-Do Lee, who had been touring the country, spreading great fire of revival, she received incredible fire of the Holy Spirit. Afterwards, when Kuk-Ju Hwang’s great spiritual work fascinated her, she traveled from Anju to Shin Eui Ju. The minister Lee and Kuk-Ju Hwang were being persecuted by the Methodist and Presbyterian Churches at that time.

Soon-Ae Hong said she had a younger brother…

“Three generations of the seven had only one daughter respectively. I had a younger brother. But he was studying in Japan, and it was not certain whether he would ever come back to his house.”

Hak Ja Han has a half brother, Wee-il Han.

Wee-il Han, the half brother of Hak Ja Han, and his wife at an FFFWPU event.

So the Cheongpyeong Providence book is inventing myths.

Who was Gook-joo Hwang?

( Hwang Kuk-ju / Gook-joo / Kook-joo /  黄国朱 / 国柱 / 國周 / 國栓 )

History of Christianity in Korea  (2011) by In-soo Kim, PhD               ISBN 978-89-6562-134-8

pages: 333-335

Finally at the 22nd General Assembly in 1932, the Presbyterian Church named Yong-Do Lee a “heretic” and excommunicated him from the Presbyterian Church. The Presbyterian Church judged … and Gook-Joo Hwang as heretics.

Gook-joo Hwang and Orgies

Heretics are bound to appear in times of chaos, seducing the people and leading them astray. While the spirit-possessed heretics were polluting the society, yet another group was bringing disorder into the Church and society. A young man named Gook Joo Hwang was one of them. Originally from Jangyeon, Hwanghae Province, he migrated to Jiandao, China, and attended Long Jin Central Church. Being a man of handsome features, his face resembled that of Jesus usually seen in paintings.

For a hundred days of prayer, he let his long hair down and did not shave his mustache. Having achieved Jesus-like appearance, he started making an absurd remark that, while praying, his head was lifted off from his body and then Jesus’ head was attached to his body. He made a blunder stating that “his head was (the head of) Jesus, his blood of the blood of Jesus, and his heart was the heart of Jesus … everything was Jesus.” (Note 402: Kyoung Bae Min, Hanguk Gidokgiohoesa (History of the Christian Church in Korea) (Seoul: Yonsei University Press, 1993), 445.) His outstanding eloquence captivated many people, overpowering them through sermons and prayers. The entire situation was by far beyond any sensible comprehension, taking into account the fact that even his father, Elder Hwang, knelt before his own son, Guk-ju, and called him “Lord.”

Claiming that the Jesus in him was headed to the New Jerusalem, Gook Joo Hwang set out for Seoul. He was accompanied by a large crowd, which included his father, his sisters, and many other women. When the news spread that the New Jesus was passing by, people from all places came to see him and his followers. Dozens of virgin girls, married women and men formed a large crowd while following him. They took on a lifestyle of liberal eating, sleeping and traveling together. It was definitely impossible for this lifestyle to be free of any immorality. In fact, they were full of indecency. Seung Je Kim, the pastor of Samho Church in South Hamgyeong Province, saw the crowd on the journey and wrote the following account:

I had come to the vicinity of Samho Church of South Hamkyung Province in July 1935, when I saw a group of 60-70 mixed men and women lying down under the shadow of trees near the church. Among them ten in a group were here and there spread out … their state of disorder made them look like lawless people. (Note 403: Seung Je Cho, “Naeui Mokhoesaenghwal 40yoneui Baeksuh,” (White Paper on My 40 Years of Pastoral Ministry), Mokhoeyeohwa (Stories of Ministry) (Seoul: Hyangryeonsa, 1965), 109.)

By the time Gook Joo Hwang and the crowd of over sixty married and virgin women arrived in Seoul, churches across the entire nation were in a commotion about them.

Hwang called himself Jesus; he bragged that it was impossible for him to sin because he was a perfect man. He built a prayer camp on Mt. Samgak, taught doctrines on so-called neck separation and blood sharing and engaged in orgies. He called this the exchange of spiritual bodies. When the Anju Presbytery in Pyeongan Province sent investigators and asked for explanation on the orgies, they boasted, “We have crossed the Jordan River and we are no longer bound by the sexual issues between male and female.” (Note 404: The Yeonggye (Spiritual World) (November 1933), 3.) However, Gook Joo Hwang eventually “committed an irreversible act of sin with a kindergarten teacher at Unsan and ran away for good.” (Note 405: Suhn Hwan Kim, “Kuksan Jaerae Eedaneui Hoogeja“ (Successors of Korean Indigenous Heretics), Gyeong Rae Kim, ed., Sahoesakgwa Idanundong (Social Evils and Heretic Movements), 165.)

In 1933, the Anju Presbytery named Gook Joo Hwang, Myung Hwa Yoo and other dangerous figures as heretics and prohibited churches from inviting them for their revival meetings. This was ratified by the General Assembly that met in the autumn that year.

In any turbulent period, there are bound to be acts of chaos that make groups of immoral adulterers who are fooled by the devil to label sexual temptations as “God’s revelations” or “bodily exchange of spirits.” We must take a serious note of this because the same will be witnessed through Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church later in the Korean history.

*Dae Mo Nim is the mother of Hak Ja Han, but Hoon Mo Nim or Hyo Nam Kim is often called Dae Mo Nim because in her body contains the spirit of Soon-ae Hong.

Sam Park (another son of Sun Myung Moon) referred to Hak Ja Han and Soon-ae Hong in his July 2014 video “The only criterion [Sun Myung Moon] gave to finding his new bride was that she be a “nobody” and a girl where parental approval was unnecessary. As a teenager, Hak Ja Han was smart, hard-working and pretty, but unfortunately for her, she had a mother [Soon-ae Hong] who was both ignorant and unkind. In many ways, Hak Ja Han was a victim of circumstance, since she was the illegitimate product of an affair between her single mother and a married man, with whom she attended the same sex cult prior to her joining the UC, where she ended up working in the kitchen as a maid. Since Hak Ja Han’s biological father didn’t claim her as his daughter, parental approval was never an issue.”

Sam Park video – recorded at ICSA in July 2014

Sam Park video transcript (July 2014)

Soon-ae Hong was jailed for manslaughter in 1957. All the early Korean members know that, and so have never really respected her.

“There was even an incident that occurred in 1957. An old woman, Jae-geon Kim, and Soon-ae Hong (the mother of Hak Ja Han who is currently the wife of Sun Myung Moon) were released after a two year sentence in Chuncheon Prison. The two women had been charged with beating a mentally-ill boy to death during an Ansu session. He was about 18 years old. They had guaranteed that they could cure the mental abnormality with their divine powers.”

1957년도에는 이런 일도 있었다. 18세 가량의 정신이상자인 소년 하나를 김재건 노파와 홍순애 (현재 문 선명의 부인인 한 학자의 모친)여인이 자기네들의 신통력으로 정신이상증세를 고칠 수 있다고 장담하면서 지나치게 안수. 안찰을 하다 결국 맞아 죽은 사건이 발생하여 두 여인은 강원도 춘천형무소에서 2년간에

page 336 from the book

The Identity of Sun Myung Moon (1) by Myung-hui Kim published in 1987

FFWPU / Unification Church members all over the world have been bowing to Soon-ae Hong without knowing that she killed a young man.

Was Hak Ja Han illegitimate?

Did Soon-ae Hong really try to kill her daughter, Hak Ja Han?

“Naked dancers” joined the Unification Church in 1955 – Gil Ja Sa Eu (one of the first 3 blessed couples in 1960) explains…

Sun Myung Moon and Young-oon Kim both followed Yong-do Lee

[darlingandmreames]

Kingdom + screenshots of despair

[falseq0d]

kingdom

finally after almost a year, napanood ko na rin yung kingdom. gusto ko kasi yung nasusunod ko yung mga movie/series recommendation sa akin ni bb. kaya kahit na mabagal na ako manood lately, pinapanood ko na talaga. hindi ko expected na magugustuhan ko kingdom tsaka grabe inis ko dito sa series na ‘to HAHAHA :( alam niyo yung parang all throughout the series, medyo kaunti yung winning moment nila prince chang. puro moment ng haewon cho clan yung nagdodominate. supposedly pa nga kamo, dapat tapos na ako dito sa series na ‘to kanina pa. actually dapat kahapon pa. kaso kasi si zyke pumunta dito sa bahay kaya medyo hindi ako maka concentrate sa pinapanood ko kasi nakikilaro ako sakanya ng beyblade. kanina rin medyo distracted din ako kasi nandito siya. tsaka isa pang reason kung bakit di ko pa siya tinatapos, naiinis na talaga ako sa series :( parang wala talaga magandang nangyayari eh HAHAHA :( episode 4 na kasi ako ng season 2. eto yung namatay na si mooyoung, yung assistant ni prince chang. ang hindi ko rin kasi maintindihan kung bakit sinasama pa nila sa journey nila yung pamangkin ni hak-ju eh. yun kasi dahilan bat namatay si mooyoung. although naging mole si mooyoung kay prince chang, hindi rin naman nya magawa magalit kay mooyoung eh. ang dami na kasing malapit sakanya yung nawitness nyang namatay with his own eyes. katulad nung tatay niya, yung hari. siya mismo pumugot sa ulo nun kasi zombie na siya. eh wala pa nga cure doon sa disease. tapos kay lord ahn, yung parang tatay-tatayan niya. nakita nya rin mamatay kasi pagbukas nung door, si lord ahn ang dami na tama sa body. tapos yung mga innocent na tao na namatay nawala naman kinalaman sa war between haewon cho clan and their family. ‘tas ayun malalaman lang nya na pagdating niya dun sa place na pinagtataguan nila mooyoung na patay na pala siya. kabwisit eh. ‘tas naiinis pa ako lalo kasi yung haewon cho clan, lalo yung queen (yung step mom ni prince chang) nangunguha ng mga babies doon sa parang place kung saan nagsstay mga pregnant women. kaya nila ginagawa ‘yun kasi di naman talaga siya buntis eh, kailangan niya ng baby boy. kaya niya ginagawa ‘yon para yung baby na ‘yun yung magmamana dun sa throne. eh supposedly si prince chang naman talaga yung dapat magmana nun kasi siya naman talaga anak. anyway yun na nga, naiinis ako kasi yung asawa ni mooyoung nanganak na. eh lalaki anak. malamang kinuha na nung reyna yung anak. ayan nakakabwisit eh kaya di ko pa ulit tinutuloy yung series HAHAHA. nakakainis pa yung ngiti nung queen, sobrang pang-asar amp. 

timely din tong kingdom sa nangyayari sa country natin. lalo na may pandemic na nangyayari ngayon. sa kingdom kasi, yung haewon cho clan masyadong ganid sa kapangyarihan. ‘tas alam niyo kung ano nakakainis kay hak ju? may scene kasi dun na tinanong ni lord ahn kung sino raw ba ang pinaglilingkuran ni hak ju. ayan kasi yung time na nagsasagutan sila whether ethical daw ba na gamitin yung ressurection plant dun sa mga taong may sakit para gamitin against japanese. natatalo na kasi sila sa war tas ang naisip na plan ni hak ju is gamiting yung plant para maging zombie yung mga tao. tas alam nyo sinagot ni hak ju? di naman daw yung mga low class pinaglilingkuran nya. ang pinaglilingkuran niya yung high class lalo yung mga naglilingkod sa country. wala ang ironic lang kasi very timely talaga lalo sa philippine context specifically sa administration natin. mga ganid sa kapangyarihan ‘tas walang pake sa low class. ang iniintindi lang is mga sarili nila. basura. 

natutuwa talaga ako na pinanood ko tong series na ‘to. natatawa nga ako kasi si prince chang pwede talagang kapatid ni park seo joon sa isa pang kdrama eh. tas ang mas nakakatawa, si lord ahn pwedeng tatay nung dalawa. MAGKAKAHAWIG SILA BROOOOOO HAHAHAHAHA angas ampota 

thank you baby for recommending this to me although matagal mo na sinasabi na i-watch ko ‘to! sorry if now ko lang nawatch hehe you the best hmmwa

[darlingandmreames]

The Mincing Mockingbird's Guide to Kingdom pt.1