00 Prologue - 5 YEARS AFTER

00    PROLOGUE – 5 YEARS AFTER

          It has been said that every person will only have one greatest love in their entire life; a love that would vastly change them and make every other love story pale in comparison.

          And perhaps, for Princess Lee Jae Shin of South Korea, that love would forever be the untold story of her and the captain of the royal guard – the untold story of Princess Lee Jae Shin and Captain Eun Shi Kyung.

          “Jae Shin-ah, you amazing brat!” Lee Jae Ha, South Korea’s reigning king beamed at his younger sister proudly. “I’m kind of amazed of the fact that you were actually able to seduce the prince of Japan!”

          They were inside the receiving area of Lee Jae Shin’s room, talking animatedly like two very ordinary people despite the fact that they were South Korea’s royalty. It was right after dinner when Jae Shin suddenly got a surprise visit from his man-child of an older brother who was actually the reigning King.

          “Mwo?! And what do you mean by that? If you spread that kind of rumor about me, I’m definitely gonna tell Unnie.” Jae Shin threatened and looked offended as she playfully hit her older brother on the shoulder.

          “The King of Japan called me and told me how his younger brother was all praises for you. He thinks his younger brother is seriously smitten.” Lee Jae Ha disclosed with a small smile dangling on his lips.

          “HA? Tss… Don’t even go there. That brat has a lot more to eat before I even agree to date him.” Jae Shin rolled her eyes and crossed her arms on her chest. “Besides, I think he’s too young.”

          “Aigoo… My little sister has an admirer!” Lee Jae Ha teased. “Yah, he’s only five years younger than you. It’s not so bad. Besides, I’m only telling you this because the other party seems to be serious in this matter. What are you going to do if he pursues you then?”

          Jae Shin sighed, and then smiled confidently at her older brother. “Dump him, of course.”

          Jae Ha smiled at his audacious little sister. “And how are you going to do that?” He asked, partly curious and partly concerned.

          “I’m going to tell him straight that I don’t like him. I don’t see myself dating him and that no matter what he does, it’s just not gonna work because I’m not interested.” Jae Shin continued.

          “Why?”

          The question tumbled fast from Jae Ha’s lips as he seriously looked at his younger sister. Truthfully, Jae Shin didn’t know how to respond, especially since it was her older brother who was asking it.

          “Oppa, why are you really here?” Jae Shin countered Jae Ha’s question with another question, choosing directly to drop the pretense of a friendly chat to ask her brother straight about what he really wanted.

          Jae Ha took a deep breath before speaking. “Jae Shin, you’ve reached a marriageable age, you’re not getting any younger and you’ve been deflecting all the potential suitors you have. The only reason you always give them is that you’re not interested.”

          “Because it’s true! Is it my fault that I’m not interested in them?” Jae Shin defensively countered.

          “Disinterest is one thing, but you’ve been deflecting suitors for five years already, Jae Shin-ah. How are you going to get married and settle down then? Surely there must be a greater reason than just disinterest.”

          “I’m not discussing this with you.” Jae Shin closed off and kept her lips pursed in a thin line.

          “And who are you discussing it with? Eomma? You know that when it all comes down to it, Eomma will always bend to your wants.” Jae Ha helplessly sighed and stood up. “Jae Shin-ah, don’t tell me you still haven’t gotten over Eun Shi Kyung?”

          “This is not about him!” At the mention of Eun Shi Kyung’s name, Jae Shin snapped.

          “It’s been five years… Just tell me honestly, d-do you still love him?”

          “And if I still do, what are you going to do? Are you going to bring him back to life?”

          “Ani…” Jae Ha buried both his hands in his pockets as he looked at his sister. “If you still love him, then I’m not going to force you to date anyone. Dating someone else would be futile if another man already has your heart.”

          Silence momentarily hung in the air as Lee Jae Shin didn’t know how to respond to her brother’s words. The truth was, Jae Shin promised herself she’d move on. She promised herself that she’d find a man and be happy, but she couldn’t.

          She perfectly knew that she couldn’t just hold on to the memories of a dead person all her life... But whenever she met with another man, her heart simply sat unmoved.

          Her heart - it’s unable to feel even the slightest bit of attraction for any man she met within these last five years, not even a slight shake or a tremble. It was as if her heart had gone numb, still waiting for that one person to wake it up from slumber.

          “I guess I’ll have to go now. I just came here to know what you think. Good night…” Jae Ha gave Jae Shin a brotherly tap on the shoulder and headed for the door.

          “O-Oppa, mianhae…” Jae Shin before Jae Ha could completely go out of the door. “It’s not that I’m still waiting for Eun Shi Kyung to return because he’s not. He’s dead. I know that. It’s just that all the men I’ve met with within these last five years – to me, they’re all the same, just a mesh of names and face. No one stands out and no one rouses my interest. Do you understand what I mean?” Jae Shin looked at her brother with a pained expression on her face.

          Jae Ha couldn’t help but feel sympathy to her sister’s plight. That pained expression on her face was more than a dead give-away that she had been trying her best to find love, but could not.

          “Oppa, sometimes, I even doubt myself if I could ever find another man to love again.”

          Jae Ha let out another sigh. “It’s fine, Jae Shin-ah, I understand. You don’t have to be so hard on yourself.” He let out a pleasant smile as he reminisced about their older brother Lee Jae Gang, and the conversation they had when Jae Ha had been in the process of choosing a woman to marry.

          “Hyung told me several times that the most important thing to consider when it comes to relationships is how you feel. I didn’t understand it back then when he told me those words. But now, I think I do. So don’t worry, Jae Shin-ah. No matter what happens, just follow your heart. Arasso?”

          That night, Lee Jae Shin lay sleepless on her bed. For the first time in many years, Eun Shi Kyung’s memories all came rushing back to her with such intensity that her tears fell down her cheeks even before she knew.

          Mindlessly, Jae Shin picked up her phone by the side table and scrolled to find Eun Shi Kyung’s cellphone number. No matter how many times she dialed his number and called, the phone would always ring… She knew that no one would ever answer.

          But she called it anyway.

          After Eun Shi Kyung’s death, all his things were given to his father Eun Kyu Tae, except for two items: the video he recorded for Princess Jae Shin and his cellphone.

          Lee Jae Ha had told Jae Shin then that Eun Shi Kyung’s phone was retained for safe-keeping due to the sensitive phone records it held. It would have been easier to have the phone records erased, but Jae Ha didn’t have the heart to do so.

          Call it being sentimental, but as a dear friend, Jae Ha simply couldn’t bear to erase the little things which held Eun Shi Kyung’s memories.

          And so, even if it was already five years since his death, Eun Shi Kyung’s cellphone number was still registered in his name and was never erased.

          One ring…

          Two rings…

          Three…

          “The number you dialed is unavailable at the moment. Please speak after the beep to leave a message.”

          The electronic voice mail always answered Jae Shin’s call, but just as always, Princess Lee Jae Shin would leave a message to Eun Shi Kyung as if he could receive it.

          “E-Eun Shi Kyung-ah, are you watching over me now?” She spoke out loud inside the safe confines of her bedroom with her cellphone on her ear; her voice quivering and unstable. “It’s been five years… Do you see how pitiful you’ve made me become, you boring bastard?”

          Her words were barely more than a whisper as she spoke, but the emotion they held were more than sharp enough to express the grief she held in her heart. That night, Princess Lee Jae Shin cried herself to sleep remembering Eun Shi Kyung and their memories.

-To Be Continued…