"S-Soojin-ah.." Yun Ki gulps, nervously, prying the woman who'd enveloped him as a pillow, away.

"It's not what it looks li-like.." He stutters, watching Soojin's furrowed eyebrows and shaky pupils.

Areum detaches herself from the Koala hug she'd engulfed Yun Ki in, turning back to meet eyes with Soojin.

She stands next to Yun Ki, bowing before Soojin.

Soojin's lips are sealed in a tight line.

Yun Ki watches her furrows clear as she looks away from them, breaking eye contact.

She's trying to be nonchalant.

But then, there's a voice coming out from beside him.

One that shouldn't be intervening, in this time and age.

"Jeonha's right, Daebi-Mama..nothing's happening here.." She defends, rubbing her hands in apology.

Yun Ki looks her way in rage.

Soojin scoffs.

The audacity, she thinks.

"I'm well-aware of what is happening. I needn't deserve an explanation from Jeonha.." Soojin speaks, looking straight at him.

"However.."

Soojin breaks the intense eye contact, looking at Areum.

"What are you doing here?" Soojin questions.

Areum looks at Yun Ki, knowing he's frustrated that they got caught.

"I-I just wanted to visit Jeonha.." She mumbles.

Soojin laughs sarcastically.

"Meet Jeonha? Yun Ki-ssi, did you summon her?" She asks, arms folding over her chest.

Yun Ki begins to shake his head no.

"N-No..Bu-" He tries to reason.

She raises a palm.

She's silencing The Crowned Head.

She's calling the shots.

"Then, that settles it..it rattles me to think that a Royal Concubine can come and go to your Chamber, as she pleases. Is this how the reigns work, here?" Soojin questions, taunting Areum's shamelessness.

Areum's not having it, however.

She had been quiet all along, only out of respect towards Min Yun Ki but, being stopped from entering his Chamber without a summon, was something unusual for Areum.

"Forgive me daebi-mama, but this what has been happening for years. N-No one has stopped me, before." Areum complains, watching Yun Ki look at her, disappointed.

It's as though every time she speaks, a deep sigh leaves past his pursed lips.

He interjects, raising his voice.

"Areum-ah!" He thunders.

Soojin walks over to Areum, completely avoiding Yun Ki.

Sizes her up.

She pats a hand over her shoulders, swatting a stray hair lying over it.

She speaks in a tender tone, one that drips in absolute hatred.

"Areum-ah." She coos, placing a hand over her cheeks as Areum's eyes are widened in repulse.

"That happened before. It happened when I hadn't entered The Palace. It happened when Jeonha was a bachelor..You prodding down our shared corridor, planting your body over his own, in an open space... is like an Abuse to me!" Soojin spits, caressing Areum's heated skin with the back of her hand.

She traces her knuckles down the side of her neck, fingers curling into the material of her beige jacket.

"Unless, you're trying to do just that.." She mumbles, eyes trailing Areum's neckline, fingers grasping the collar of her jacket.

"Are you trying to Abuse me, Areum?" She questions, pulling the material to cover the part of her shoulder being exposed, unnecessarily.

She flinches as Soojin pulls the material over her exposed skin.

Areum's eyes flood with water.

She looks over at Yun Ki, hoping he'll hold her hand.

Hoping he'll run out with her and lock themselves in his Chamber, just like old times.

But he stays put, watching His Queen get all up in her face, barking at her like she owns every breath she takes.

Areum flickers her eyes back down, once being met by Yun Ki's emotionless ones.

Coward, she thinks.

A hen-pecked husband, she curses at him.

All she says however, "N-Never daebi-mama.."

With that, Soojin lets go, patting her shoulders.

"Run along now, unless The King has any plans of calling you in tonight.." Soojin tuts, watching Yun Ki pale.

He finally gains courage and speaks.

It's as though he'd gone mute for a while, watching a harem fight over him.

As much as his inflated ego would've enjoyed it in the past, things were different now.

"Areum-ah.." He calls out.

She looks at him with hope in her eyes.

'Yes, Yun Ki..I'll come with you' She chants in her mind over and over again, only to have her hopes crushed.

"Go.." He says, curtly, failing to meet her eyes.

She's disappointed in him.

All these years of friendship, for nothing?

Had she been by his side, wiping his tears, only to be replaced by someone younger and haughtier?

"Jaebal.." He mumbles, as he watches her stand in shock.

The least he could do was let her withstand the after-shocks.

He was acting like a coin.

Changing sides with every flip.

Areum's head felt cluttered as she bowed before the two, who were too high in stature to her, apparently.

Soojin watches her leave, spitefully.

A part of herself was proud of the way in which she's shooed her away but another part of her felt as though she shouldn't have looked so petty before Yun Ki.

He's first to break the silence.

"A-Are you alright? I thought you'd thrown up this evening..Did you eat?" He asks, all in a sentence, as though it was what he was preparing to say to her whilst Soojin and Areum engaged in a show-down.

Soojin breathes out, clasping her hands at his concern.

"Yes, I'm alright, now. Actually..I'm rather sensitive to odours. I wasn't able to stand the fumes that had filled the room, then. It really was too much. Not to mention, very gruesome as well."

Yun Ki nods, passing her a simple smile.

He has his arms pinned to his back, respectfully.

"I-I wanted to speak to you." Soojin says.

"You are.." He responds, curtly.

They laugh, his response sounding funnier as it rolled out of his mouth.

"Would you like to step in?" Soojin asks, voice low as she eyes the guards, who'd been minding their own business.

"Sure." Yun Ki responds, stepping into her Chamber.

He's been inside it last when Soojin had been missing, only to find her sat under the Tree, withstanding the rain.

Soojin walks behind him, to shut the door.

She motions for him to sit down as she takes the support of her bolster.

Yun Ki's eyes lurk to her dressing table.

The Red Sapphire gleaming at him.

He looks away from it, avoiding the reality of life.

"What did you want to speak to me about?" Yun Ki asks, sitting cross legged.

"I wanted to speak to you about her, Areum.." Soojin mutters.

She feels a lot more confident around him, it's as though.

Especially since she'd seen him squirming like an infant, getting his wounds cleaned.

Yun Ki's shoulders tense out.

He takes a long breath, eyes focused as he nods.

"I-I hope you know that she has feelings for you.." She reveals.

"I'm aware of her feelings for me.." Yun Ki responds, fingers dancing over his shin.

Soojin sucks her teeth.

She doesn't know whether it's in her place to ask what she's about to.

"Do you reciprocate her feelings?"

She bites her untamed tongue, word vomit taking over her.

Yun Ki turns red as he looks at her with shock in his eyes.

He scratches his throat, masking his Adam's Apple, bobbing with every nervous gulp he takes.

He wonders if the room is getting hotter.

"O-Of course, not. I like someone else." He beams, holding himself together and tightening his core, in hopes that the sound that leaves his throat is resolute.

Now, Soojin is the one feeling rouge trickle over her throat all the way to her cheeks and nose.

She remembers him pulling her body plush against his own wet one, when he'd confessed to her, in the rain.

"T-Then, why does she still visit?"

Soojin gathers the nerves to ask.

Yun Ki smirks a little, naughtily.

Is his Wife jealous?

He'd never seen that tone falling out of her mouth, towards a woman.

He wasn't going to lie, it was pretty hot.

"Areum is, what do you call it, a dear friend." Yun Ki responds, grabbing the cup to drink water from it.

He really needed to loosen the strings over his collar.

It was getting hot in here.

Soojin looks around, looks everywhere rather but not at him, directly.

"A friend you..kiss?" She asks, picking at the fabric she wore.

Yun Ki spits out the water, in shock.

There's droplets dripping down his face as he's coughing, loudly.

Soojin gets up immediately, patting his back and expressing her own concern.

"Dear Lord, did you choke?!" She asks, grabbing the cup away from his grasp and placing it on the table, caressing his back.

Yun Ki's as red as the tomato that grows in his garden.

He's a dribbling mess, wiping the ends of his moist lips, chin and neck with his sleeve.

"She's my-my Concubine, Soojin.." He responds, calmly, patting over his chest.

Soojin steps away.

"Why must you have a Concubine, now? She makes me feel inferior, Jeonha.." Soojin confesses, kneeling beside him, head bowed.

She did, really.

Made her feel so inadequate.

Yun Ki on the other hand is puzzled.

Where were these revelations coming from?

He gathers his thoughts, getting to the point.

"B-Beacuse, you don't want me, that way.." He voices.

Soojin looks at his eyes, a hint of sorrow in them.

"I-I haven't accepted you as my husband and, I do realise and this wedding hasn't been consummated."

There's silence and regret in both their tones.

"However, I-I feel as though Baekmin needs an heir now, more than anything.." She whispers, almost inaudibly but Yun Ki's red ears rise up at the word 'Heir'.

He's confused.

Does she even know what she's saying?

"S-Soojin..What are you saying?" He gulps.

She breathes out, calming herself.

"What I mean is..we may not see each other as a match however, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't consummate this marriage.." She speaks.

Rather, squeaks.

Yun Ki feels as though if he doesn't speak today, he'll choke himself to sleep.

"Soojin-ah.." He calls out.

"Do you want to sleep with me?" He asks, making her heart skip.

He's said it so boldly, Soojin could suffer from a heart attack.

The image of them getting intimate heats up her skin as it does for him as well.

Soojin nods.

She clenches her fists and feels how sweaty they are.

"I-I feel like it'd bring us, closer..After all, you'd asked me to give us, give this, a chance.." She mumbles, hands pointing between the two of them.

Yun Ki nods, a smile adorning his face.

"Is this out of your jealousy of Areum?" He asks, being direct.

"N-No, never..She's your Concubine b-but, I'm your Queen, aren't I?" She asks, being the one, gulping.

Yun Ki can't believe the words he's hearing.

"Let's try for an Heir, then.." He chimes out, sounding a little too excited.

He needs to calm himself down.

Soojin nods, shyly.

Was she ready to give herself to him?

Hey, she scolds herself mentally.

It's for Baekmin.

She's broken by Yun Ki's words.

"When do you want t-to start?" He questions, being a little to pumped for his own good.

Was the scent of fenugreek working?

Because, it hadn't even been consumed by either of them, yet.

-------Korean Words Used-------

Daebi-Mama = Queen.