EXPECTATIONS ARE JUST DAYDREAMS

"How could you not get one job done!!!," Queen Ae Ri throws a fit, anger radiating in those eyes of hers. She stared at the guards before her. The anger in her eyes was so intense that the guards fell on their knees with their heads hanging low. They cried with pained voices.

"Please forgive us, your highness, find in your gracious heart to forgive us for our incompetent," the guards practically begged. They already knew what's in stock for them, once queen Ae Ri flares up. Nothing can be done to appease her without costing a bloodshed. But we are all humans-not actually humans, we are werewolves in this human shell call body.

She descends down from her throne and walked straight to them, the anger still visible in her eyes but it wasn't as intense as it was before, relief washed through the guards. She graced down towards them with her blue embroidered cloak sweeping the floor, she pulled out one of the guards swords and flings it side by side. The guards swallowed hard as they watched her with the horror in their eyes. Queen Ae Ri brings down the blade and gently grazed the tip of the blade with a finger, she smiled- an evil one. She slits one of the guards on the shoulder, the rest panicked with heads hung low. "You all want me to forgive you, don't you?"

The guards nod.

She smiled and circles them, the blade still in her possession. "I gave you an order, a simple one which was to hunt for a sacrifice but you came back empty handed. I want to ask, Is there no humans anymore?"

"Your highness, we….did….find one but she was rescued by another human," one of the guards volunteers to speak up since the rest were fidgeting with fear.

"Worthless, dumb, that's what you all are," she yells at them. "How could six werewolves get overpowered by a human? Are you guys bunch of weaklings or what?"

"That was how Dong Mi-Cha escaped right under your nose, you let her escape, how could she have escaped without anyone seeing her?" Queen Ae Ri stopped in her tracks and puts a finger under her chin, thinking. "No matter how much I try to put all this together, I still can't understand how she escaped."

She turned to face them. "Expect one of you let her loose." She stared at them accusingly. The guards bowed their heads and cried for their lives. "Anyways I will let that slide but for this one, I won't. Tell me how could one human escape from your grip?"

"Your highness, we almost had her but she was saved by another little human," one of the guards replied with fear in his voice.

"A little human?" Her eyes lits up but with anger. "A little human overpowered you guys!!!"

"He may be a little kid but the power he possessed….. were something beyond human capability. It was extraordinary."

"You said a little kid overpowered you and saved the human you were supposed to bring back as a sacrifice to the gods?"

In the Choulon kingdom, a human sacrifice is always made to the gods to continue keeping the land fertile and also to empower queen Ae Ri the more every full moon but sometimes when anyone from the kingdom disobeys her orders, she will sacrifice that person instead. Since she ruled with an iron fist, no one dares to get her angry.

"We're sorry your highness, we know we don't deserve your mercy but please have pity on us, we were terribly wounded by that little human so we couldn't bring back any human but we promise you this time that we won't fail you."

Queen Ae Ri went back to her throne and sat down, she crossed her legs. She looked at the guards for a long time before dismissing them to the surprise of the guards, that was unlike the queen they know. She doesn't let anyone off the hook that easily.

"Thank you your highness," the guards bowed so many times before leaving her presence. Queen Ae Ri puts a finger under her chin in deep thoughts, Dong Mi-Cha escaped from the prison and the guards couldn't bring a human sacrifice because of a little kid saved their prey. Her mind went back the words of the great socerer, the only one who refused to bow down to her, the only one who stand up to her or challenges her.

Kim Soo-Ho, the seer of Choulon kingdom once prophesied that someone will rise against her, someone will stand up to her and also conquer the throne. When he prophesied that, she ordered the guards to behead him for saying such atrocities before the queen.

"How dare you utter those sinful words before the queen!" Queen Ae Ri thundered, murdering Kim Soo-Ho with her eyes. "Aren't you afraid of death? you know I hold the power of life and death in my hands."

Soo-Ho smiled at her comment, in his long looking haggard garment, he stared at the queen. His eyes unwavering. "Your highness, you can never deny fate no matter how much you try." He takes few steps towards her. "And also I'm not afraid of death, I was never afraid of death from the start. Eventually death will come and I'm not bothered on how death is going to visit me."

"From you or by any other means," he added. "Choulon kingdom will smile someday, days of oppression will be over. And when it happens, you won't be able to do anything."

Queen Ae Ri burns with anger, in as much as she refused to accept whatever Soo-Ho said but she can't deny that fact. Soo-Ho is respected by all because all of his prophesies come to pass and as he had said it. She refused to be dethroned by anyone, her father taught that power is like honey. Once you tasted it, you won't want to stop tasting it and she has gone a long way to be in this position and seize every opportunity given.

"One day the dark clouds hovering over Choulon kingdom will disappear and a new regime will began, one which will bring smile on the face of the people." He turns to leave but he saw a blade close to his Adam apple, the afternoon sunlight glinting on it. He lowered his eyes on the shiny blade and back to the queen. She was wearing a malicious smile.

"See, I saw fear in those eyes of yours," she motions to his eyes. "If the seer of the kingdom could be so afraid of a sword, then who would will dare challenge the queen!!!"

Kim Soo-Ho smiles, his eyes radiating. "Then I tell you, you saw wrong." He pressed his face closer to her causing the blade to create a tiny cut on his neck. "I told you before, I'm not afraid of death but death fear me."

He leans close to her, still wearing that smile on his face. "Someone great will come save his people…..not from Choulon kingdom but he will definitely come." Queen Ae Ri stumbled backwards upon hearing that, she saw sureness in his eyes. "And your whole lineage will wiped out, no one will remember your rule."

He turned and left. She almost fell down but the guards held her, with anger and agitation, she ordered the guards to leave her. Up until now, she feared that prophecy. Every night, her dreams were hunted by that prophecy, she wondered who that person is.

And he also said, that person isn't from Choulon kingdom, could she really rely on what Soo-Ho said? She has to act before doom meets her, she can't let her name be wiped off just like that, she has to produce an heir that will carry her name.

_______________

"I guess fate is angry with me for making terrible mistakes in the past," King Kyu-Chul prompts, walking alongside Lee Jaewon. They disguised themselves as they walk around the busy village, everyone going about their business. Children playing around.

"What do you mean your majesty if I may ask?" Jaewon looks at the little kids seated on one corner of the roads, playing a kinda gambling game. He watched one make funny faces at the other for winning the third time. He smiled at that.

"I miss my childhood days," King Kyu-Chul interrupts his thoughts when he followed the direction of his eyes. "I always loose to you."

"Because you always wanted to let me win," Jaewon turns to look at him, a smile on his lips. "I remember the old days when we were little and you're a prince."

"At that time, I felt so small and free, I could do whatever I wanted or I thought I could do whatever I wanted but things took an unexpected turn when I grew..." King Kyu-Chul stares into nothingness as his mind travelled back to the memory he and Jaewon shared.

"You came of age and you needed to take some steps and some decisions."

"Does that include getting married to Ae Ri?" He turns to look at Jaewon. "Sometimes I feel like I'm being punished for my sins."

Lee Jaewon rests a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. He gazed into the king's eyes and they held pain and guilt in them. "You were vulnerable back then and insensitive of what was going on."

"Every day I blame myself for the misfortune of my people, if I were a little be sensitive..."

Jaewon squeezed his shoulder more.

"Cause of me, innocent people died, I couldn't even save the one I love." Even without being told, Jaewon knew he was talking about Dong Mi-Cha. "I regretted what I did to her. I wasn't in my right senses."

"I understand, you couldn't do anything….."

"Ahjussi" ( mister or old man ), king Kyu-Chul and Jaewon lowered their gaze and met a little kid. "Ahjussi, do you have some money?"

King Kyu-Chul nods, wondering what and why a little kid wants money for?

"Can you lend me some?" The little kid stretched forth his hands to him, gazing so expectantly at him. The little kid brought down his hands when he saw the king didn't make an effort to search his pocket to give him some money.

"My father is very sick and I have no money to buy drugs…." He lowered down his eyes to the ground. "I'm sorry to bother you." The little boy turned to leave but the king stopped him with his words.

"Are you hungry?" The little kid turns to him, a smile creeping on his lips. "Do you care for some

tteokbokki?" The smile on the little kid's face widened, showing off his teeth.

"Jinjja?" ( Really ), the kid asked. The king smiled and nods his head.

"And your father needs to eat before taking medicine, that's the only way he will be well." Jaewon smiled at the scenario before him, he was glad to grow along with the king, no matter how bad he is spoken of by his people, that will never stop him from being kind to his people, that's his charm. He knew he meant well for his people but his so called queen...

He wondered what became of Dong Mi-Cha, did she find a place in earth? Did she start a family there? He wondered if she gave birth to that child? He had to cook up some spicy story for queen Ae Ri and it worked, she actually believed him and slaughtered the guard in charge of keeping check on the dungeon for letting Mi-Cha escape right under his nose.

"Ahjussi…..gumaho" ( mister thank you ), the little kid bowed down. The king pats him on the head.

"Let's go," he held the little kid's hand and went off to the market area. Jaewon followed them, the king bought tteokbokki for the child and he eat to his satisfaction. He also bought extra tteokbokkis for the child including his father medicine, the little kid thanked him and zoomed off.

"At this young age, he's already taking responsibilities," King Kyu-Chul stares at the child as he runs off. "Wonder what will become of him when he grows up."

"He will grow up good, he is a sweet child." Jaewon smiled and watched the little kid disappear out of sight, he wondered if the king knew Dong Mi-Cha was pregnant with his child and if she and the child are alive, he would be the same age with that kid that ran off to look after his sick father.

"Sometimes expectations are just daydreams," the king sighed and look at him. Jaewon wondered what he meant by that. But the look in his eyes held so much more and he wondered why he said that.