Chapter Text
1
His step is clumsy, but he keeps going. His bare feet makes a squeaking noise as they come in contact with the wooden floor of the corridor, but he keeps going. He ducks his head as he walks to reach the Goddess’ Hall, but even doing so doesn’t make him less aware of the attention he is getting. He can hear the apprentices of the Flower Temple whispers among themselves when he passes.
“He must be the youngest acolyte ever, he’s barely 20. Usually the Priest doesn’t take anyone younger than 30.”
“Then why him? Is he any special?”
“He is the longest apprentice in this Temple. He came here when he was ten.”
“Donggun Sunbae has been here for fifteen years and he’s not yet promoted.”
Myungsoo tries to suppress the embarrassment he feels. Being proud over something that the Goddess has given him is vanity and vanity is sin. It’s not that Myungsoo is that much cleverer or more pious than any of them. Myungsoo was as surprised as them when he received the news that they are going to promote him in his youthful age. He asked and asked again, wondering if they are not mistaken and no, they are not. Myungsoo is going to be promoted.
Maybe it is true that the Priest promotes him simply because he has stayed here the longest. Most of the kids start apprenticing at the age of 15, Myungsoo started at 10. However, it’s not like Myungsoo is the only one with that record.
Donggun started his apprentice when he was 20. He is 35 now, and he is not yet promoted into acolyte.
Not that he needs to feel guilty. This promotion is not about competition, it’s about service to the Goddess. If Donggun is better than Myungsoo, he won’t feel any resentment or envy toward him.
With this thought in mind, he tries to walk faster, only to end up hitting somebody in the corner.
“Be careful,” says a calm, serene voice.
Myungsoo looks up and sees none other than Donggun himself. The senior is staring at Myungsoo without any particular expression while holding a heavy load of scrolls. Myungsoo shudders against his own will. Donggun is not a man of many word, and certainly not a man of many expression as well. He is always so serene, so expressionless, so… not human.
It’s part of what makes him receive a lot of respects from the other apprentices. After all, a servant of the Goddess should not show likes or dislikes toward worldly trivial matters. Display of emotion is not encouraged in the Flower Temple.
“I’m sorry,” Myungsoo bows deeply. “I wasn’t looking.”
“It’s quite alright,” Donggun says. “Don’t let them wait for too long.”
With those words, he leaves. Myungsoo stares at his retreating back, wondering once again why they chose him over the perfect apprentice. Myungsoo still has a long way to catch up to Donggun. He could never mask his expression. He doesn’t really cry anymore, but he still smiles sometimes when he sees the flowers in the garden bloom and he still feels like something is pulling at his heartstring on a serene morning when he is looking at sunrise.
Myungsoo shakes his head to get rid of unnecessary thought. It’s not his place to question the Priest or his choice.
The promotion ceremony takes place today, in the Goddess’ Hall where only the highly important ceremonies are held. The Priest and his line of assistants and acolytes are waiting for him there.
When he arrives in front of the hall, he announces his presence. When the Priest commands him to enter, he opens the door and steps inside.
Inside, the Priest stands in front of the Goddess statue at the other end of the hall. A long mat has been spread on the floor, flowers of various kinds are scattered on it, making a path from the door to the place where the Priest is standing. His assistants and the other acolytes are standing neatly on the either side of the mat.
“Come, my son,” the Priest commands and Myungsoo takes a step forward, not too fast, not too slow, until he arrives in front of the highest leader of their Flower Temple.
“Bow your head to the Goddess and tell Her what you are here for.”
Myungsoo kneels, bowing his head to look at the floor.
“I came here to offer my best service to the Goddess of Flower, the Maiden of Beauty, and the Mother of Nature.”
“The Goddess only takes everything, or nothing at all. Will you give everything within yourself, including your heart and your soul, your body and your life, your faith and your trust to Her?”
“All of mine is Hers,” Myungsoo answers.
“Will you do everything She asks you without doubt or insincerity, question or rebellion?”
“All of my action is for Her.”
“Do you submit to and admit Her command, Her power, Her grace?”
“I submit and I admit.”
The Priest calls one of his assistant, who brings with him a glass of red wine. The Priest takes it and tells Myungsoo to stand up and drinks the wine. Myungsoo complies, drinking it in one gulp until the last drop. It tastes bitterer than any medicine and Myungsoo remembers the first day he came here as the apprentice. He drank white wine that time. If later he is promoted to be an assistant, he will drink a black wine. They said it tasted so bitter and strong you may faint immediately after consuming it.
“From now on and later,” the Priest continues, waking Myungsoo up from his thought. “You are the acolyte of the Flower Goddess. You will have no desire for yourself, only for your Goddess. You will have no possession, only faith for your Goddess. You will do nothing but for your Goddess. Kim Myungsoo, from now on you I declare you to serve Her as an acolyte.”
Myungsoo bows his body to the Goddess and the Priest, returning the glass on his hand. The Priest takes it and the rest of the assistants and acolytes clap their hand silently to signify the end of the ceremony. The Priest dismisses them and soon there are quiet sounds of people removing themselves from the room.
Only when there are only the two of them left, the Priest tells Myungsoo to sit down.
“Now Myungsoo,” the Priest says. “I’m sure you have some questions for me about this promotion.”
Myungsoo looks at his teacher, not expecting the invitation to ask.
“I do wonder, Teacher,” Myungsoo answers. “But if it is what She wants, then I will voice my wonderment no longer.”
The Priest meets his gaze.
“The reason is because of the village,” the Priest tells him.
The village he is talking about is the Flower Village, where their Temple falls under its jurisdiction. The population is about 800 people and they are governed by Lee clan, which is also the founding clan of the village. Myungsoo goes there sometimes, to collect offerings from the residents and buy supplies for their temple. It is a beautiful and peaceful village, full of flowers, just like its name.
Myungsoo wonders what the village has to do with his appointment as an acolyte.
“Have you ever heard,” the Priest asks him instead, “about the Painflower?”
Myungsoo hesitates a little before nodding. He has heard of it. In fact, he learned it as soon as he stepped his foot inside the village gates. It is a legend that is still alive among the villagers.
Hundreds of years ago, this place was just a small barren land under a barren mount where nothing could grow and live. Nobody could make a living here, until a married couple arrived. The myth said that they were exiled from their family and had no other place to go.
When they arrived at this place, they had no more strength to continue their journey. They had no choice but to settle down, but this place offered nothing but water, so they prayed.
It is said that the Goddess of Flower heard their plea and came down from the heaven to help. She grew trees, flowers and other plants on the barren land, turning it into a beautiful and resourceful settlement. It started attracting people, and the small settlement developed into one rich village under the leadership of the couple.
As an exchange for all of this, the Goddess asked the couple for their firstborn when he reaches the age of 21.
Initially, the couple agreed easily. However, once the village has grown and they were appointed as the leader, they became greedy. They didn’t want to give their firstborn, who would inherit their wealth and their title, to the Goddess.
Instead of sacrificing their firstborn, they sacrificed a calf instead, wrapped under a red fabric, to deceive the Goddess. The Goddess found out their trick and angered, she cursed the village. The trees and the flowers and the plants died. Maladies and sickness came. People were suffering.
The couple begged for forgiveness, and since the Goddess forgives those who seek forgiveness first, she agreed to give them one more chance.
In the couple’s big house, She grew a tree. Once for every generation of the family, they have to sacrifice their firstborn under the tree. His or her blood must be spilled on its roots. If the tree blooms, it means the Goddess accepts their sacrifice and the village will be safe for a generation.
The tree is called the Painflower and it is still standing tall in the garden of the Lee clan, the descendant of the couple in the legend. The sacrifice is known as the Flowering Ritual.
To participate in such a ritual that enables one to serve the Goddess and protect the village is considered an honor for any of the follower of their Flower Temple, who worships the Flower Goddess.
“Well,” the Priest says, looking satisfied with Myungsoo’s nod. “It is time.”
Myungsoo keeps his gaze steady, even if he is shaking inside. Now he knows why he is promoted. The ritual is held with some help from the Temple and the one who should draw the blade and sacrifice the firstborn, Myungsoo has heard, should be the youngest amongst the ranked acolytes of the temple.
“It is an honor for me, Teacher,” Myungsoo answers.
“Very well,” the Priest stands up. “The ritual will be held in three months and I’m sending you to the Lee’s house to prepare their firstborn for the sacrifice. You will go there tomorrow morning, so use the rest of this day to pray for the Goddess and ask Her to help you with the task.”
“I will do that, Teacher.”
“Then I’ll leave you here,” the Priest nods to him and steps quietly outside. Only after Myungsoo hears the door closing he lets himself trembles.
Myungsoo spends the entire day praying in the Goddess’ Hall and when he comes back to his room, the rest of the apprentices have already fallen asleep. Quietly, Myungsoo reaches for his rattan bag and starts to pack.
“Myungsoo?” he almost jumps when he hears someone whispering his name.
Myungsoo looks back, trying to find out who is it calling him. Donggun is looking at him, still without expression, from his place.
“The Flowering Ritual is dangerous,” he says. “Evil always surrounds the sacrifice. Be careful.”
Myungsoo doesn’t answer, only nods as he sets his bag aside, already finished packing a little possession he has. He lies down on his bed, trying to get to sleep, but he can’t really quiet the thoughts running in his head.
Myungsoo now is an acolyte, and his first task is to kill a man his own age and offer his blood to his Goddess.
-
Myungsoo wakes up early in the morning when most of the apprentices are still curling up on their bed. He looks at them quietly. The rest of them will continue their peaceful days in this temple, but Myungsoo’s life will be different from now on.
Truthfully, even if he has stayed here for 10 years, he doesn’t feel any regret leaving this place. He has learned to never keep anything in his heart except his faith. So, he quietly gathers his bag and slides out of the room.
The Priest and two of his assistants are already awake and waiting in the front gate of the Temple. From here, they will walk through the forest to the village. Myungsoo knows it will take around one hour of walking and by the time they arrive at the village, the sun will be up.
“Do you know anything about the Lee clan, Myungsoo?” The Priests asks him as they start their journey.
“Only a little, Teacher. I know that they are the founding family of the village. They are ancient and noble household,” Myungsoo answers him. He often hears the villagers speak highly of the Lees when he visits the village.
“Do you know the firstborn they are going to sacrifice?”
This time Myungsoo shakes his head. As much as Myungsoo has heard of them, he actually never sees any member of the Lee family with his own eyes. He figures that noble family doesn’t roam the village road as often as the other villagers.
“The firstborn is a son,” the Priest tells him. “The Lees have three sons.”
Myungsoo nods, storing this information.
“However, the brothers have different mother,” the Priest continues. Myungsoo tilts his head. While in their religion polygamy is not illegal, it is frowned upon, and he doesn’t expect such a high standing family like the Lees to participate in it.
However, it is not his job to judge.
When they arrive at the village, the day has just started. People are pouring out of their house. Some of them heading to the market to sell and buy things, some heading to the field, and some heading to their workplace. They pass them all without talking until they arrive at the Lee residence in the center of the village.
Myungsoo passes this house sometimes when he goes to the village, but the gates are always closed. This time, he’ll get to see what is behind the tall fence as their small group stops in front of the gate. One of the Priest’s assistants knocks the gate and a small window on the gate opens.
“What is your business here?” the guard whose face is peeking from the small opening asks.
“We come from the Flower Temple. We received summon from Lord Lee two days ago.”
The guard nods and tells them to wait. The windows close again and a moment later the gates creak opens to let them inside.
The residence is huge. Their temple has a grand hall where they study, eat and listen to the Priest’s preach; the Goddess’ hall; five smaller prayer’s hall; the Priest’s quarter; the assistants’ quarter; the acolytes’ quarter; the apprentices’ quarter; kitchen; and guesthouse. This place is easily twice as large.
The guard leads them past several small buildings until they arrive at the biggest building in the complex. The guard announces their presence in front of the door and opens it when they are called.
Behind the door is a luxurious room with thick mat and delicately carved mast. On the wall there were expensive draperies showing exquisite painting that Myungsoo sure costs fortunes. Even the furniture in the room – the drawers and cupboards and boxes – are of meticulous handiwork.
Sitting at the end of the room is the head of the Lee household. He is a man of at least fifty, with hard expression and dark eyes that makes Myungsoo shivers. Even without the man opening his mouth, Myungsoo knows that you should never cross him.
A young man is sitting next to him. He is pretty beyond belief that it is hard to imagine that he is the son of the man sitting imposingly at his side. Myungsoo guesses he must be the sacrifice.
“My Lord,” the Priest bows to the family head and Myungsoo follows suit.
Lord Lee bows back, as well as his son. Introductions are made.
The pretty son’s name is Lee Sungjong, and he is not the sacrifice. He is only 17 and he is the third son. He is calm and speaks only when he is asked by his father. He looks at their group with a solemnity that Myungsoo guesses has something to do with the task they are about to carry to his brother.
The middle son’s name is Lee Howon, 21. He is currently away from home, attending elite government academy Sungkyunkwan. From their short conversation Myungsoo finds out that he is an accomplished scholar and warrior. From the way his father speaks of him, he knows immediately that he is the apple of his father’s eye.
So, Myungsoo thinks, where is the firstborn?
Myungsoo is not sure if he says those words out loud or not, but Lord Lee seems displeased as he calls one of his servants.
“You haven’t found the boy yet?” he asks, tone crude and cold, questioning the whereabouts of what it seems like his firstborn.
“I’m terribly sorry, My Lord. We’re still looking for him.”
“Find him in five minutes or you’ll receive the consequence. How can he embarrass me when we are receiving guest?”
The Priest calms the Lord, telling him that he doesn’t mind to wait, but it seems like it does little to appease the irritation of Lord Lee. Five minutes passes without any appearance from the missing son, and it continues to ten minutes. After fifteen minutes and still there is no sign of the missing sons joining them anytime soon, Lord Lee finally just starts the discussion after apologizing for the behavior of his troublesome son.
Myungsoo is introduced to the family as the acolyte that will guard and prepare the firstborn for the ritual. His task is to ensure the firstborn’s purity for the offering. By purity, they mean everything from glutton to lust. From today onward, the sacrifice is not allowed to drink alcohol and have contact with the outer world, unless with servants and the family within this wall.
“Your name is Myungsoo, huh?” Lord Lee suddenly addresses Myungsoo, making him jumps from his wandering thought.
“Yes, Sir,” Myungsoo answers while ducking his head.
“Are you clever enough?”
“Pardon me?”
“My firstborn is quite problematic,” the father explains, his tone hold no fondness. “We’re guarding him heavily so he won’t be able to go out and get some alcohol or women in his hand. However, like you see, sometimes he is too clever for our own guard and can hide or escape wherever he wants. I want you not only to perform the ritual for him, but also to keep him from butchering the ritual by ruining his purity. Do you understand what I mean?”
“I understand, Sir.”
“You’ll get your room next to Sungyeol. You can meet him later and introduce yourself when we’ve found him. For now, I have another business to attend. Excuse me,” Lord Lee says, standing up without waiting for any of their answer.
Sungjong regards them with a small bitter smile.
“I guess it’s my job to show you your room, then,” he says.
“I can ask the servant, if you’re busy,” Myungsoo tells him.
“It’s fine. I have nothing to do anyway.”
Myungsoo and his group follow Sungjong out of the building, passing through another lawn until they reach a rather secluded house in the back of the complex. Sungjong stops in one of the door and opens it, showing a bare room of medium size.
“This is your room,” he says. “Sungyeol Hyung’s room is in the middle.”
Myungsoo says thank you and Sungjong leaves them. After observing the room, the Priest instructs Myungsoo on his task and leads a prayer for the four of them inside the room. When they finish, Myungsoo sends them back to the Temple, following them as far as the gate.
Only after the gate closes again Myungsoo realizes that there is no way he could reach his room in the back by himself. He can ask the direction from some servant, but he has time to kill and he can explore the complex and familiarize himself with it.
Myungsoo decides to go clockwork from the gate. That way, eventually he will reach the back of the complex and find his room. He walks past several small buildings and empty yards and sees the guard’s quarter, the kitchen, and a well, until he finds a garden in the west part of the house.
The garden is not exactly beautiful. Myungsoo passed another garden earlier when Sungjong led him to his room, and it’s well-cared, full of blooming flowers in the early summer.
This garden is not neglected as well, but it is rather empty. Rather than full of flower bushes, this place is full of greenery instead. The center of the garden is a barren, cherry-blossom like tree that is wilting at the hot and humid weather of early summer. There is a flat stone bench under the tree.
Something about the spot forces Myungsoo to stop. This side of the complex is curiously empty. There is nobody around – not even a servant – and he saw them scattered here and there before. Myungsoo feels the atmosphere getting heavy, his eyes losing focus, and it immediately comes to him that this place must be where they hold the Flowering Ritual.
That’s the tree then. Painflower, they called it. Some called it Bloodflower. It will bloom when the sacrifice’s blood is spilled on its root. They said the flowers looks a lot like cherry-blossom, but instead of pink they are crimson red, like freshly spilled blood.
The flat stone is not a bench then. Rather, it’s an altar.
Myungsoo is getting goosebump.
His thought is interrupted by a loud commotion from outside the wall, behind the thick bushes of greenery. He looks up and sees someone climbing up the wall. Alarmed, Myungsoo is about to scream and alert the guard of the intruder, but his voice doesn’t make it past his throat.
The man who climbs the fence hasn’t seen him yet, but Myungsoo does, and he silently observes him. His hair is long and the man makes it into a ponytail, but some strands get loose and the wind blows them prettily. His complexion is rosy from the physical effort to pull the rest of his body past the wall. His eyes are shining brightly and he is smiling in happiness, clearly he was just having a good time.
His liveliness overwhelms Myungsoo, tugging something inside of him that shouldn’t have been there.
It seems like his presence even affect his surroundings. He lifts the heaviness of the atmosphere and breaks the unsettling quietness of the secluded lawn.
The man who is breaking into the Lee residence says something to someone over the wall and waves, before finally manages to pull his body up the wall and lands easily on the ground. From the way he does it, Myungsoo knows this is not the first time he does this. Once landed, the man straightens his clothes and walks away happily, like jumping over the fence is a perfectly acceptable way to get inside someone’s house.
That is, until he sees Myungsoo.
The man stops abruptly, eyes widening in alarm for a moment before it calms down.
“Who are you?” he asks first before Myungsoo can utter any word. “I’ve never seen you before.”
Myungsoo guesses this is Sungyeol, the firstborn, the sacrifice. He observes the man closely, from his disheveled hair to his mud-stained shoes. The man observes him as well, tilting his head in curiosity, before approaching him and start poking him with his fingers.
“Are you a new servant?” the man asks. “But you don’t wear the servant’s clothes. Also, you’re too handsome to be one, I think. Are you Howon’s friend from Sungkyunkwan? He said he’ll bring a friend home this holiday. But he said he’d be here by next week the fastest. Maybe you are Sungjongie’s friend? Ah, but I know he is only friend with pretty woman. So, who are you?”
Myungsoo’s impression of Sungyeol is that this man is too happy to be a sacrifice. Myungsoo imagines someone somber, maybe bitter over his fate or even angry for his fate. Sungjong would fit the image better.
But this boy? This boy is actually giggling as he pokes Myungsoo.
Myungsoo is disturbed. A sacrifice shouldn’t be too attached to this world. He shouldn’t find pleasure in food, people or worldly possession. He should be calm and detached, so it won’t be too hard for him when the day to serve the Goddess comes.
“Hey? Are you deaf? Can’t you speak? Why don’t you answer my question?” Sungyeol is groping his arm now. Myungsoo puts a gentle hand to stop and lower it away from his arm before answering.
“I guess you are Lee Sungyeol. Nice to finally meet you, I’m the acolyte from the Temple, and I will be your companion from today onward until the day of your offering.”
Sungyeol’s eyes widen again when he hears about the offering, but that’s the only reaction Myungsoo gets from him. Myungsoo expects him to be angry or sad, but if he feels any of that, he hides it expertly.
“Companion?” Sungyeol asks, the only emotion Myungsoo can detect is curiosity and interest. “What is a companion? Why do I need a companion?”
"Aren't you familiar with the aspects of the ritual? Haven't you learn about it from your Father?"
If Myungsoo is the one with such a fate, he imagines he would like to know everything about the ritual that he will give his life for, but Sungyeol merely shrughs.
"Sunggyu may or may not have explained it. I don't know, I never really listen."
Once again, Myungsoo is taken aback at how lightly this particular sacrifice treats his own fate.
"Then there is a lot of thing that you should learn with me," he tells Sungyeol. "Maybe it's best to start right away. We don't really have time."
"So, companion is another word for tutor? Gosh! No, thank you. I have enough with Sunggyu, I refuse to waste my time learning something I won't be able to use in the future anyway."
Myungsoo doesn't expect this behavior at all when he imagines how his sacrifice will be. Trying hard to suppress his bewilderement, he walks first to lead the way to the (hopefully right) direction of Sungyeol's quarter.
"You seem like you're as stuck up as Sunggyu," he hears Sungyeol mutters behind him. Myungsoo ignores him.
"But don't be offended, at least you're way cuter compared to him."
Myungsoo frowns. Is the sacrifice flirting with him right now?
When they arrive at Sungyeol's quarter, they find someone else waiting in front of the door. His annoyed expression shows that he has been there for quite some time and his already small eyes are narrowing upon seeing them. Sungyeol scrambles to hide behind him.
"Lee Sungyeol!" the man yells, and even Myungsoo has to grimace hearing it. The tone suggests a painful punishment. "Where the hell have you been?"
"I was having a lesson with my companion," says Sungyeol behind his back and Myungsoo raises his eyes for such a brazen lie. Does he expect Myungsoo to just go along with it? In his dream. Myungsoo looks at the man in front of the door, who he guess is Sunggyu, and shakes his head.
A flash of satisfaction appears on Sunggyu's face and he draws a long wooden stick from his sleeve as he runs toward them. Sungyeol yelps and let go of him, running away from his tutor's wrath, screaming.
"It's not fair! I only get the stick if I make three consecutive mistakes! This is only my first! Ouuuch!"
The tutor finally lands a blow on Sungyeol's thighs. "This is only your first, huh? Well, it's worth three mistakes. You skipped your study, sneaked out of the house and lied to me! You are asking for this!"
"Companion, help me!" Sungyeol wails. "Your sacrifice is about to die three months earlier!"
The sight of Sunggyu smacking Sungyeol's thighs repeatedly on the lawn, with the former looks like he is having the time of his life while the latter shows a scandalized expression, is bizarre and completely unexpected, but it is… for a lack of better word... comedic.
Myungsoo is wondering whether they are making fun of him or not.
Sunggyu finally stops smacking and sends Sungyeol to his room and study, because he'll test him an hour later. Grumbling all the way, Sungyeol obeys him, but not before asking if his companion will go with him.
"No," Sunggyu decides it for Myungsoo before Myungsoo can say anything. "I need to talk to him. You just sit down and study and don't you even think of leaving your room, even for bathroom break!"
Sungyeol throws him a nasty expression, before looking at Myungsoo's way and asks. "Good luck talking with him, Companion. Can you annoy him during the conversation for my sake? He hates nonsensical and roundabout answers, and will go extremely red in the face if you're asking him about a certain someone named Nam Woohyun, it's fun. Try not to get intimidated by him! Oh, by the way, what is your name? I can't keep calling you Companion, it's inconvenient!"
He actually says all of that in one breath. Next to him, Sunggyu goes red in an alarming speed.
"My name is Kim Myungsoo," he says before the sacrifice closes the door.
"Kim Myungsoo," Sungyeol repeats, before brilliantly grinning. "Good luck accompanying me!"
When Sungyeol finally closes the door, Sunggyu approaches him and gestures to a stone bench under the shade of a plum tree. Myungsoo sits down, but instead of following him, Sunggyu just stands up and observes him from head to toe.
Not liking the height difference, Myungsoo asks him to sit down.
"What do you think about Sungyeol?" Sunggyu gives him an unexpected question instead of following his request. Myungsoo wonders if there is a trap in this question.
"What I think about him doesn't matter," Myungsoo answers instead. "But I have some questions about him for you."
Sunggyu's eyes is still piercing into his own. "What do you mean it doesn't matter? Aren't you the one who decides whether he is fit for the sacrifice or not?"
"You're mistaken. The one who decides that is the Goddess. I'm only preparing him for Her," Myungsoo says calmly. "For that I have some questions for you."
"You mean," Sunggyu says slowly, "he's going to be sacrificed, fit or not fit?"
"On the day of his 21st birthday, we'll offer him to the Goddess. Whether she accepts him or not, it's not something I can decide. All I can do is to prepare him as best as I could. Now, are you willing to answer some questions for me?"
Reluctantly, Sunggyu nods. Myungsoo's answer earlier doesn't seem to satisfy him.
"Is he still virgin?"
Sunggyu takes a moment to answer.
"He should be. His eunuch checks his bedding and clothes every day and night."
Myungsoo nods. That’s the most important thing in the ritual. The firstborn must be virgin.
"Did he ever committed a sin against other people?"
"He gives me ulcer and periodically shortens my lifespan with his attitude, does it count?"
Myungsoo is sure Sunggyu is being sarcastic, but somehow there is a hopeful undertones in his sentences. Just how much Sungyeol gives this man stress, Myungsoo doesn't want to know.
"Does he drink?"
"He is never drunk enough for us to know. We never give him at house, but he hangs out with Nam Woohyun whenever he is sneaking out and I bet my life that there must be alcohol involved somewhere."
Myungsoo thinks about it carefully, eyes observing Sungyeol’s quarter. For someone as carefree as him, Sungyeol actually keeps his behavior if he is still virgin, clean from big sin, and even never been caught drunk. Does that mean the sacrifice actually take the Flowering seriously?
Myungsoo turns his head back to Sunggyu.
"Who is Nam Woohyun?"
Sunggyu goes beet red in a second and Myungsoo is sure it can't be healthy. It is amusing, though. He can't blame Sungyeol for suggesting the trick. Making Sunggyu embarrassed is fun.
"You better not pick up any bad behavior from him. You're supposed make him more agreeable for the Goddess!"
With that, Sunggyu retreats to Sungyeol's quarter to restart his lesson, leaving Myungsoo snickering quietly under the plum tree.
Myungsoo spends the rest of the day in his room, praying to the Goddess while Sungyeol and Sunggyu are studying in the next room.
In the evening, a servant tells him that he is expected to have dinner with the Lees. Myungsoo doesn't expect any invitation.
"I thought I'm supposed to eat dinner with the rest of the staff?" he asks the servant who leads him into the main quarter.
"Yes, but today the Lord want you to dine with him."
Myungsoo tries to pry for the reason, but the servant doesn't know better, so he gives up.
When he arrives at the main quarter, Lord Lee, Sungyeol and Sungjong are already seated in front of their table.
"Myungsoo-shi, it's kind of you to join us. Would you take a seat next to Sungjong?" Lord Lee greets him and shows him the empty cushion next to his youngest son. As soon as he sits down, a servant brings him a table full of dinner.
In the temple he never has such an elaborate menu for dinner. Usually it's only rice and vegetables, followed by fruits if they are in season. Today, on his table he sees a bowl of meaty stew, various wild herbs and vegetables, tofu, nuts and at least five different side dishes.
"I hope you enjoy the food, Myungsoo-shi. Please don't hesitate to ask more for rice if it's not enough. Thanks to Howon who has revolutionized the farming method for our villagers, this year we are blessed with abundance of rice," Lord Lee says, satisfied with himself for boasting his son to another person.
"Thank you very much for your generosity. I will eat what I can take," Myungsoo answers politely before picking up his chopstick and starting to eat. The rice is indeed high quality, Myungsoo can feel the difference in the size and the taste.
"What do you learn in the temple? It’s a shame Howon is not home yet. I think you will find a lot of things in common with him. He also studies religion and philosophy. It's not even his favorite subject but he still excel at it.”
“It seems like Howon is a very accomplished prodigy,” Myungsoo offers politely.
“He is indeed," Lord Lee looks pleased. “Do you know that is a champion at archery and horse riding as well?”
“Hyung is very talented," Sungjong offers.
"You’re talented too, Sungjong,” Sungyeol suddenly interrupts. “You can play music well.”
“You play music?” Myungsoo shifts his attention to Sungjong. “What instrument do you play?”
Sungjong blushes. “I'm not as good as Sungyeol Hyung claims to be. But yes, I play music. I play flute.”
“Bah, music,” says Lord Lee in contempt. “What good does it bring to us aside from breaking my ears? A boy should just study or train, not play useless music nobody listens, though I suppose it’s still better than lurking around doing nothing.”
His eyes are burning into Sungyeol, who seems like he is deliberately avoiding him as he nonchalantly continues eating.
Myungsoo keeps his opinion on himself. This family sure has a lot of problem, but Myungsoo is not going to disturb anything.
“Sungyeol Hyung is studying a lot,” Sungjong says quietly.
“Just stay out of trouble until you can prove yourself to be useful three months later,” Lord Lee says to his oldest son.
Sungyeol continues eating, his eyes dull and his lips thin. He looks a lot like a proper sacrifice this way.
Myungsoo swallows the uneasiness in his throat along with his rice.
-
Sungyeol’s demeanor drastically changes the moment they are out of his father’s presence. His eyes lit up with mischievous glint and his lips are turned upward, like he has a whole night full of fun ahead.
“Sungjong, have you introduced yourself to Myungsoo?” Sungyeol says, trying to make a conversation as they make their way to a large and dark building behind the Main Quarter.
“I have, this morning when you were sneaking out,” Sungjong rolls his eyes.
“And what do you think of him? He is my companion from the Temple. Do you think he is religious enough?”
Myungsoo listens to the two brothers exchanging words like he isn’t walking behind them quietly.
“I don’t know. There’s only one way to check it, right?” Sungjong’s voice suddenly carries the same mischief as Sungyeol’s. Myungsoo deadpans as the two brothers abruptly turn their head toward him with suspicious grin.
“Myungsoo, do you know what building is this?” Sungyeol points to the big dark building they are passing. Myungsoo wonders what this can be. The building is beautiful, but it seems abandoned for quite a long time already.
“This is the Wife’s Quarter, where our stepmother used to live,” Sungjong whispers. “It is abandoned now because there’s no woman left in our household, but because of that as well… this place is haunted.”
“So?” Myungsoo asks as they continue walking under a peach tree. “Even ghosts submit to the Goddess of Flower.”
“Oh, believe me, this one is nasty,” Sungyeol says. “She appears out of nowhere with her disfigured face and smelly hair. Do you know what she smells like? Like a rotten meat! She is still rotting even as a ghost, and sometimes you can even see larva coming out of her sliced skin and –“
And he is interrupted by something that falls from above, right in front of them. That something looks exactly like what Sungyeol had just described: a woman in battered white attire, disheveled long black hair, dirt and dried blood smearing on her skin, and Myungsoo was sure he could see larvae peeking out of her hair. She was slumped on the ground, not a meter from them.
“A REAL GHOOOOOOSTTTTT!”
Unexpectedly Sungjong screams and jumps, then runs like there is no tomorrow, leaving Myungsoo and his brother in front of the building.
Myungsoo lies if he says he isn’t shaken. Even Sungyeol seems trembling, judging from how bad his shoulder is shaking. Myungsoo is reaching out to calm the boy down, when he Sungyeol doubles over in laughter.
“That Sungjong – that brat – hahaha! He actually fell for this! Stupid boy!” Sungyeol continues laughing. “He thinks this is real!”
Sungyeol pulls the – er – woman to him and then Myungsoo sees that’s it’s not a woman at all. It’s just a badly made scarecrow in long white dress.
“Did you pull this on us?” he asks Sungyeol in disbelief.
“Yes!” Sungyeol proudly admits the fact. “Look, doesn’t she look real? I even breed a jar of larva for the final touch. As expected, extra work means extra result.”
At those words some larva simultaneously appears among the scarecrow’s hair, as if reiterating his point. Myungsoo sighs, feeling a headache coming.
“Let’s just go back to our room,” he says.
“Okay,” Sungyeol cheerfully agrees. “Let’s just put this noona casually standing here to surprise some more people.”
They leave the scarecrow standing under the tree, before continuing to walk to their quarter. Behind the Wife’s Quarter is the Wife’s Garden, the exquisite, well-cared garden Myungsoo saw earlier in the day.
Sungyeol hums as they walk, apparently still happy from his earlier success at scaring his younger brother, and Myungsoo suddenly finds himself asking. “Why are you doing this?”
Sungyeol stops humming and looks at him in confusion.
“Humming? Because I’m happy?”
“But why are you happy?” Myungsoo asks. He has thought about it since morning, but he can’t find any reason for a sacrifice, whose birthday is in less than three months, to be happy.
“Am I not allowed to be happy?” Sungyeol asks back.
“It’s not that you’re not allowed, but usually one is not looking forward to his own death,” Myungsoo says. And Sungyeol’s behavior has caused him to develop a nagging suspicion on his mind.
“Could it be that you’re happy because you know you won’t die? You’re planning to run away, aren’t you?” Myungsoo charges ahead.
“Isn’t it the other way around, Myungsoo?” Sungyeol asks back. “I’m happy because it doesn’t matter for me, whether I’ll die or not. I’m happy because I’m not sad leaving the world behind. If you’re worried I’m going to run away and mess up the Flowering, don’t waste your time! I won’t run away. I have nowhere to go anyway.”
Myungsoo blinks his eyes several times, trying to digest Sungyeol’s answer. For some reason, it doesn’t really reassure him.
They continue walking when this time it’s Sungyeol who gives him a question.
“And you, Myungsoo?” he asks. “If you’re not going to die, why don’t you look happy?”
-