RED STAR IN THE SKY GORYEO (The Scent Of Life 2)
CHAPTER 32 STARS LAST MEMORIES

The sun was stinging, and the hot air felt stuffy. The envoys from Liao pounced on the king and brought with them Byeol who sat in a wooden cage on a wagon. Wang Jung looked at Byeol with a sad look. He was powerless to defend Byeol. She hoped that Wang So would come soon for Byeol so that there would be no regrets for her brother. But what was waiting for did not appear.

Wang Wook also looked at Byeol sadly. Wang Wook could no longer look at Byeol's haggard, tyrannical and moustached face. Wang Wook turned his body around, as the wooden cart that was loading Byeol started moving away. Her tears were in the corner of her eyes.

Wang Wook felt guilty towards Byeol, but he had no other choice. The day after Wang Jung came to inform Byeol of his troubles, he was already suspicious of his own sister, Sunhwa. He went straight to Sunhwa in the girl's room. However, he barreled in when in the room he heard Sunhwa and a eunuch talking to a male pavilion manager on the hill. They talk about money and false testimony. Everything was clearly heard in Wang Wook's ears. Even about the letter sent to Feng Zhu they had already managed to get back and were burned by Sunhwa for the sake of erasing the traces.

Wang Wook went straight into hiding when the eunuch and the pavilion manager came out of Sunhwa's room. Wang Wook went straight in and made Sunhwa surprised by his brother's sudden arrival.

"What plans did you put together to take down Byeol?" wang Wook asked Sunhwa directly.

"What are you talking about?" sunhwa asked as if nothing had happened.

"You don't lie to me Sunhwa. I know you're covering something up" said Wang Wook.

"You know ... what you're doing could cause all of us to be put to death in case something goes wrong just a little bit" Wang Wook continued rather harshly in an angry tone.

"I didn't do anything" said Sunhwa

"I've heard everything from outside the stupid girl!" wang Wook shouted furiously, "Even about Munhye's disappearance I know you bribed her not to perform that night" Wang Wook said loudly.

Sunhwa was shocked to hear all of her brother's words. She did not think her brother knew everything.

Wang Wook conducted a search for Munhye, and found the girl with her son about to board the ship. Wang Wook's men managed to capture and interrogate Munhye. The gisaeng confessed before Wang Wook that he was paid by Sunhwa not to perform at the Goryeo-Liao peace show. Wang Wook finally let the woman go and covered up his sister Sunhwa's mistakes.

"It all happened. You owe me your whole life Sunhwa. You know Byeol is the girl I love. Now I will lose him just because of your stupidity and stubbornness" Wang Wook said staring intently at his sister. Wang Wook left Sunhwa with a sad and frustrated face.

Sunhwa just lowered her head and was silent and could not say anything. All he had in mind was that he wanted to get rid of Byeol, that's all. She knew Wang So only loved Byeol. The existence of Byeol will only be an obstacle for her to become queen later. Sunhwa remembers Byeol's words to Wang So, after Byeol was injured while playing sitar at a party held by Queen Janghwa. Byeol said that Wang So would succeed King Jeongjeong. He was trying to make his dream come true. Wang So became king and became queen.

***

Wang Wook was sitting pondering in his study. He must choose between uncovering his sister's crimes, which leads to all of his family being executed or losing Byeol. He decides to bear to lose Byeol and let the girl be taken to Liao to be put to death. All her memories with Byeol. A decision he made, would make him regret for life. He chose to be a coward.

***

The convoy of Liao's envoys traveled far. For a few days they walked without rest. Seen Byeol asleep in a wooden cage. They spent the night in a meadow and made a bonfire. His face was smeared and his lips were cracked.

In his sleep he dreamed of being taken by a woman to a beautiful meadow. They sit under the tree. Byeol did not know of any woman whose hair was tied to a ponytail and dressed like a man in the future. The girl read him a book, but Byeol could not hear his voice. Byeol just stared at the woman without taking out a word.

"I'm Hye Bin, Jung Hye Bin .." said the woman and that's all Byeol could catch from the words that the woman in his dream said.

Sometimes he saw the woman smiling kindly at him, but for some reason, Byeol felt as if he had known her for a long time. Byeol raised his hand to touch the beautiful woman, but it was as if his hand was catching a shadow again. He saw both hands, and then suddenly Byeol cried because of his helplessness.

A sound of wood being struck violently woke Byeol up. A soldier looked at him, then gave Byeol a piece of beef jerky to eat and a cup of water. Byeol without waiting for long ate the meat greedily.

"You're still lucky. We feed you, even if you're going to die. Well, enjoy your food as long as you can still eat and still be alive" said the soldier.

Byeol could clearly capture the conversation of the Khitans from Liao that tomorrow they had reached the border. Byeol has almost reached the downstream of his life.

***

Wang So looks tirelessly racing his horse along with dozens of soldiers. Wang Jung was seen participating in the group. They intend to free Byeol. A few days before Wang So had arrived at Songak, but too late, Byeol had already been taken by the Liao people. Without waiting for the next day he was with Wang Jung following Liao's entourage. Wang So doesn't want to lose Byeol.

The next day the company of Liao arrived at the border. The sun stings over the crown. They crossed the savanna and were greeted by several border guard soldiers from Liao. Their eyes caught something strange from a distance. A group of cavalrymen moved quickly towards them causing dust to fly into the air.

"There's a Goryeo army coming after us. Quickly form a formation," Tian Zuo's orders.

Wang So's Goryeo army had stopped, and was confronted by Liao's forces. Wang So rode a horse closer towards Tian Zuo. Seen by Byeol who looked at Wang So with worry that something bad would happen. Byeol did not expect that the man would follow him to the border.

"Who are you and what do you want?" ask Tian Zuo

"I, Wang So, prince of Goryeo. She is my wife" Wang So said.

"I want you to set him free, because he's innocent. She just wants to defend her honor as a woman" she continued

"Do you think a Liao's life is worthless? Eyes returned, lives avenged. That woman had killed the Liao envoy," martial Tian Zuo

Tian Zuo flinching.

"One ... two ..three," Wang So counted and then he moved to attack Liao's troops quickly.

All of Wang So's troops were trained combat troops. One by one Liao soldiers died slashed by the sword of Goryeo warriors. Wang So continued to march forward towards the wooden cage where Byeol was frightened and confused in the midst of the raging war. Her body feels weak. What he saw in front of the palace gates became a reality. Everything looks like slow motion in Byeol's eyes.

A war against Mongol-like people, and Byeol was in the middle of that war. He saw Wang So as hard as he could to defeat the soldiers who tried to block him. Byeol awakens from his daydream, when Wang So's sword manages to break the chain of the cage padlock.

Wang So opened the cage door and pulled Byeol out. The man immediately hugged Byeol as soon as the woman tracked the ground because Byeol's body was too weak. However, unwittingly from the back of Tian Zuo attacked the careless Wang So. Byeol who knew that Wang So was in danger, then turned his lover's body to avoid the sword.

The craaaakk!

As a result, the sabetan was about Byeol. Blood splashed and soaked the ground. Byeol's necklace was broken because of the sabre. Wang So was still in shock and quickly embraced Byeol as lightning to avoid falling to the ground.

Wang Jung who saw the incident then attacked Tian Zuo. A sabre managed to separate the man's head from his body. The war is finally over. All Liao's men are dead. Wang Jung approached Wang So who sat down hugging Byeol.

Wang So was shocked and cried to see Byeol being injured and his breathing was wheezing.

"Byeol-ah hold on," said Wang So, hugging tightly Byeol.

Byeol smiled at Wang So. Blood dripped through his mouth.

"Your majesty, happy servant can see your majesty. Will be a star of good memories for the servant. Maybe it's time for our star pockets to be full and not fit anymore" said Byeol smiling in the midst of his increasingly crowded breath.

"Byeol-ah, hold on," Wang So's pinta cried sobbing.

"You need to be strong and become stronger after this. You are the next king. Gwangjong ... You are Gwang ... Jong," said Byeol and closed his eyes and drooped.

Wang So's cry grew even more innocent when he realized Byeol had already breathed his last. He screamed loudly because he felt sad and disappointed in the reality of his life. He's gonna have to lose Byeol forever.

Byeol's soul looked at Wang So with tears. Wang So's face was touched, but his hands could no longer caress his lover's face.

"Turn your head and cry. I hate you like this. You finally made me cry too. I miss you so much that I miss you so much that I am tormented. Wishing you would be happy with my love, even though I was gone. I hope you are happy. Turn your head away if you're tired, I'll be there, sorry .. I went to leave you crying alone, when I didn't want to see you alone. After this I will never love you again. May you be happy" Byeol told Wang So, who could not see his whereabouts.

It flashed in Wang So's mind his memories with Byeol, especially when Byeol said that he would become the next king of Goryeo. When Byeol injured his cheek at a banquet held by Queen Janghwa.

"What you heard is not wrong. I have the ability to see the future. Whether this is a blessing or a disaster, I just want to live it like flowing water. When you ask the servant, why the servant became your shield when the birthday festival of the Crown Prince, because the servant knows you are very valuable to the people of Goryeo. You are King Gwangjong, you will be the king who will be written in human history. And the servant is just a tool to make sure everything goes right" Byeol explained in the trajectory of Wang So's memories.

Wang So holds the body of the woman he loves. The lifeless body grew colder and paled. He took a unique necklace in the hands of Byeol who was drenched in blood. He rubbed it with his fingers slowly. All that remains are memories.

***

Man Se seemed to be walking in a long and brightly lit hallway. Faint in his ears came the sound of a heartbeat-detection machine. Then there was the sound of someone at the end of the hall.

"Wake up .. open your eyes. It's Hye Bin your son you left behind. Wake up you selfish girl. I know you must be listening to me. You're a selfish woman. You'd rather end your life without thinking about me. I beg ... wake up Oh Man Se ... Wake up Eomma .. I beg you," said the voice that kept begging Man Se to wake up

Man Se slowly opened his glare eyes due to the morning sunlight that entered through the sidelines of the curtains. He was in a room that was foreign to him. The sound of heart detection is now clear. Then he saw a beautiful woman sleeping near his hand. The woman who was in her dream, then raised her hand to caress the girl. It was seen that the girl opened her eyes slowly and was immediately shocked by what was happening before her. Then with a joyous expression mixed in surprise he then stood up.

"Halme!" shouted the girl named Hye Bin.

Two women ran upstairs. They were shocked by the miracle before them. Man Se looked at them without saying a word, but a sweet smile fell on his face.

He saw Min Ji directly running out calling Kang Min Hyuk and the others. Man Se saw Kang Min Hyuk's figure enter the room and looked at him as if in disbelief. Then the man tightly hugged Man Se. They both cried because they were happy and moved.

"Is your dream beautiful Man Se-ah?" ask Min Hyuk

Man Se smiled while crying. He nodded his head then hugged Min Hyuk again. He's back in the future. Her beautiful long dream left memories lingering within her.

He saw the figure of Kang Min Hyuk the man he loved in the future. The same but different from the figure of Wang So who became part of him in the dreamland that felt real in his mind. Min Hyuk smiled looking at Man Se.

"Byeol, your story is over, and I'm continuing my story in the future. Creating stars is a wonderful memory with him," Man Se said inwardly as he looked at Min Hyuk the man he loved in the future.