02 Chapter - WORLD'S BEST QUEEN

02 CHAPTER – WORLD’S BEST QUEEN

It was during the Peace Forum in Jeju Island where Princess Lee Jae Shin bared her strength and courage. She may have looked fragile and helpless with her immobile legs and crutches, but she showed a kind of courage fit for a Queen.

Although she was only an interim Queen, she was a queen worthy of praise.

As soon as she finished her speech on stage, Lee Jae Shin was met by a stoic-looking Eun Shi Kyung back stage. And she immediately lit up upon seeing him.

“You came?” She asked, her eyes sparkling pleasantly.

Initially, she felt like a nervous wreck on-stage, standing unprepared and unrehearsed in front of so many international delegates. The only thing that was running inside her mind was to refute whatever negative comments that Kim Bong Gu had said about the two Korea.

As soon as she gained her momentum, the nervousness dissipated and was replaced by courage. After the experience, Lee Jae Shin felt exhilarated and light. She even felt really good about herself.

“You shouldn’t have left with so little security. You should have informed me first-hand.” Eun Shi Kyung reprimanded. And he had right to. He was the head of her security team after all, the captain of the royal guards.

“Aigoo, you really know how to spoil the mood, do you?”

Queen Lee Jae Shin crinkled her face at the stoic royal guard and subsequently motioned her attendants to leave them for a while. It was only then when they were alone that Jae Shin smiled warmly at Eun Shi Kyung despite his stoic demeanor.

“How was it? I was cool, wasn’t I?” She asked playfully.

Eun Shi Kyung sighed and visibly relaxed as he showed her a smile – small and barely visible – but a smile nonetheless.

“You looked very cool.” He conceded. Deep inside, Eun Shi Kyung knew that he was hopelessly done for for this amazing woman in front of him.

“Chincha?” Jae Shin’s eyes lit up happily.

“Neh.”

“So then, if I did something very cool, I deserve a prize, don’t I?” Jae Shin even raised one eyebrow suggestively. She was acting like a spoiled brat again and she knew it.

In contrast, Shi Kyung’s eyebrows slowly scrunched up, puzzled and perplexed by the Princess’ words. “Prize?” He repeated, as if to make sure that he heard her correctly.

“Of course I deserve a prize! I did very well for a princess – ani, a Queen. I did very well as an interim Queen considering the previous wreck that I was on stage.” Jae Shin insisted, looking positively mirthful and excited.

“T-Then… What prize do you want?” Of course, since it was Lee Jae Shin who was asking for a prize, Eun Shi Kyung could never dare refuse.

“Hmmm…” Jae Shin looked like she was in deep thought for a moment but couldn’t think of anything so she gave up. “I can’t think of anything right now. And since it’s a prize for my job well done, don’t you think you should be the one to figure it out?” She beamed at him happily and swerved her electronic wheelchair out before he could even protest.

 Of course, the clueless and completely perplexed Eun Shi Kyung was helplessly left to think of what prize to give to a Queen, especially since it was Lee Jae Shin. Wordlessly and still very much confused, Shi Kyung had to choice but to follow Jae Shin out as he was still her head of security and had a job to uphold.

~ - x o O o x - ~

Two days after the Peace Forum in Jeju, Eun Shi Kyung was very much disturbed and puzzled about what prize to give to Lee Jae Shin. It was quite ironic to see someone so cool and composed to be so disturbed by a mere little thing! Socially awkward as he was, there were so many things that Eun Shi Kyung wanted to express and yet, didn’t know how to do so.

As for Jae Shin’s prize, he had been so disturbed thinking about it to the point that even his subordinates noticed that something was bothering him. And so, without much choice, he contacted the only person he could ever turn to: Lee Jae Ha.

“Yobosaeyo? Oh? What’s up?” Jae Ha spoke as soon as he received Eun Shi Kyung’s call.

Lee Jae Ha and the members of the North and South Korea joint team were currently recovering from the first stage against the US. They were getting ready for the second stage against an opponent yet to be picked.

“U-Um… That…” Shi Kyung sighed. He was nervous as hell and didn’t know what to say. “Your Highness… Erm… H-how are you guys doing?” He asked instead.

“We’re fine. We’re still resting. Stage Two will start in three days. How about you? And Jae Shin? How is she?” Jae Ha asked in rapid succession.

“She’s fine. She’s holding up…” Shi Kyung replied curtly.

“So, why did you call?” Ah, the ever pressing question was finally asked by Lee Jae Ha.

“Um… I-I was wondering…” Shi Kyung sighed helplessly. He just wasn’t really good with these things and he perfectly knew it.

“Well?” Jae Ha prodded.

“Your Majesty, um… Would it be okay if I asked a personal question?”

“Hmmm… Okay, go ahead.” Jae Ha was puzzled by Eun Shi Kyung’s unusual behavior but conceded nonetheless.

“I-I was wondering… When you were courting Kim Hang Ah… H-How did you do it?” Eun Shi Kyung finally blurted out but knew that his real question was a far cry from what he just asked.

All he wanted was to know what to give to Lee Jae Shin as a prize! Why the hell he was asking about how to court a woman was beyond him, but it was the only thing he was able to blurt out in time so it’ll have to do.

“Heokshi… Yah! Eun Shi Kyung, are you perhaps courting a woman right now?!” Jae Ha teased in pleasant surprise. Of course, Lee Jae Ha had no idea that the woman in question was his sister.

“T-That… Aniyo!” His fierce and automatic denial only earned him a loud laugh on the other line. “Just that… I was just curious, that’s all.” He reasoned out but knew that Jae Ha would never believe him.

“Aigoo, our Eun Shi Kyung is all-grown up!” Jae Ha continued to tease as if Eun Shi Kyung was still a child and laughed out loud. “Arasso… I’ll just give you one tip. Listen carefully… Use music. A song. A serenade. Try something like that.”

“H-How about something easier? Like a gift?” Shi Kyung asked.

“Ani… That won’t do. Those absolutely won’t do! Women would appreciate a gift that’s full of effort more than a gift that’s bought. If you really want to impress her, offer a song.” Lee Jae Ha insisted.

Well, if a classical piano piece could work on a woman like Kim Hang Ah, surely it could work on any other woman. After all, when Kim Hang Ah first came to the South, Lee Jae Ha was able to convince her with two songs: the Ave Maria on piano and an old love song on a video presentation.

How hard can it be for Eun Shi Kyung, right?

Wrong.

The very same night after making the call to Lee Jae Ha, he spent the rest of the night researching on the internet for the perfect song to play for Lee Jae Shin. It was especially agonizing due to the fact that Lee Jae Shin was a singer and most probably had more knowledge about music than him. Talk about pressure.

In the end, he came up with nothing.

~ - x o O o x - ~

“So, what’s our schedule for today?” Interim Queen of South Korea Lee Jae Shin asked her personal assistant for the itinerary as she prepared for the day’s undertakings.

“Your Highness, I kept everything a bit short for today seeing as you’ll be having a two-hour therapy in the afternoon. For this morning, you are to visit an orphanage, then you have to go to Sungkyunkwan University for a commencement speech.”

“And in the afternoon, what have I got scheduled?” Jae Shin asked again.

“You have a two-hour therapy at one and the rest of the afternoon is free as per the suggestion of your mother.”

“I see… Okay, then. I guess we’d better get going.” Without much choice, Lee Jae Shin heaved out a deep breath and got out of her room to start her day.

As soon as she was out of her room, she was greeted by the sight of Eun Shi Kyung bowing in greeting before her, looking as stoic and rigid as per usual.

“Good morning, Your Highness.” He curtly greeted.

“Good morning.” Lee Jae Shin returned the greeting without a fuss and walked by him towards the car, but then, she suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned to Eun Shi Kyung. “Ah! So that prize we talked about, do you have it now?”

Instantly, Eun Shi Kyung tensed. “T-That… Um, do I really have to give a prize?”

“Of course! Wae? You refuse to give one…?” Lee Jae Shin countered. “…even to the Queen?” She added for emphasis, intent on having her way.

Since they were surrounded by the royal guards and Jae Shin’s personal maids alike, Eun Shi Kyung couldn’t possibly say anything that could give any indication as to what they were talking about.

Being socially awkward and very private to boot, Eun Shi Kyung didn’t want any weird rumor to start between him and the Queen. It was more for her sake than his, since she was currently interim Queen, she needed to show everyone that she was capable. A weird scandal could easily taint Lee Jae Shin’s leadership.

Hearing no reply from Eun Shi Kyung, Jae Shin pouted like a spoiled brat that she was.

“Fine. Forget it. You really are such a boring person, not even able to give in to such little request.” Leaving those words behind, Jae Shin wheeled herself towards the awaiting car.

A frown easily creased the royal guard’s face as he followed Lee Jae Shin towards the car. How can the demands of one woman bring out the biggest idiot out of him was way beyond his comprehension. However, there was only one thing he was sure of: when it came to Lee Jae Shin, he became a bumbling and clueless moron.

The morning easily came to pass. Queen Lee Jae Shin told a story to the children at an orphanage. She was especially fond of children, so when it was time to go, she had to resist the urge to pout and sulk like a child.

After the orphanage, she had to give a commencement speech at Sungkyunkwan University which was quite short and relatively easy in itself. Although she was still having little bouts of stage fright, she managed to deliver her speech quite well.

After those two events, she was given an opportunity to have lunch in an exclusively high class restaurant.

As she sat alone by her table during lunch, Lee Jae Shin pouted. She didn’t like eating alone. When she was just a princess, she liked having meals with her friends. Now that she was acting as interim Queen, she couldn’t even have a normal meal.

“Eun Shi Kyung…” She called.

At attention, he immediately went to her. “Neh.” He curtly replied.

“I want you to divide your security team into two. Let the first team have lunch first while the second team keeps watch. Then switch.” She ordered.

“Your Highness, I’m afraid we can’t do that… Your safety will be compromised if the security will be reduced.” Eun Shi Kyung replied.

“Aish… This restaurant is secure. We reserved the whole place to ourselves and they have their security personnel as well. Do you think they’d let anything happen to the Queen while she’s eating in their restaurant?” Lee Jae Shin pointed out. “Besides…” She frowned, looked at Eun Shi Kyung and confessed, “I don’t like eating alone…”

Maybe because it was the pout, or the humble admission that she didn’t like eating alone; perhaps, it was even the fact that Eun Shi Kyung could see just how much Lee Jae Shin try her best given her circumstances.

Eun Shi Kyung just had to give in.

While Eun Shi Kyung gave orders to his men, Lee Jae Shin did the same to her palace maids. Since there were five of them with her, she invited them all to eat with her.

And so, along with her palace maids, Lee Jae Shin had lunch. On another table, Eun Shi Kyung ate with half of his men as per the request of the Queen.

If Lee Jae Shin had her way, she’d rather have lunch with Eun Shi Kyung. But she knew that if she asked him to have lunch with her, she’d only get rejected. Given the circumstance, this was the best she could do. At least, Eun Shi Kyung ate lunch on time.

After lunch, Lee Jae Shin had to undergo a two-hour therapy for her legs. Although it was only for two hours, the whole undertaking took most of her energy. The physical exertion coupled with the side-effects of the medicines she took, invariably left her very tired.

When she was done with her therapy, she looked very pale and exhausted. She didn’t even have the energy to pester Eun Shi Kyung after she emerged from the therapy center. Obviously tired and consumed, Lee Jae Shin didn’t even say anything when Eun Shi Kyung voluntarily carried her up from the wheelchair to ease her up inside the back seat of the car.

However, when Eun Shi Kyung was about to withdraw from the back seat, Lee Jae Shin held on to him by his sleeves. “U-Um, can you just sit here beside me?” She asked in a weak voice.

“Neh?” Of course, Eun Shi Kyung was surprised by her request. And he didn’t know what to do.

Lee Jae Shin smiled tiredly and looked away. “Never mind… You’d refuse anyway…”

Much to her surprise, Eun Shi Kyung suddenly sat beside her and closed the door. “Kaja.” Curtly and in true-blue Eun Shi Kyung style, he ordered the driver that it was time to go.

Clearly surprised, Lee Jae Shin couldn’t help but look at Eun Shi Kyung as he sat beside her in the back seat. “W-What are you doing?” She asked, wide-eyed and curious.

“Y-You asked me if I could sit beside you…” Eun Shi Kyung awkwardly looked away from Lee Jae Shin, unable to meet her eyes. “So here I am.” 

That day, on the trip home to the palace, Lee Jae Shin fell asleep leaning on Eun Shi Kyung’s shoulders.

And when she woke up just a little before sunset, she found a quaint little ribbon on her bed side table. It looked like one those ribbons that kids get in school for outstanding behavior.

The ribbon said, “World’s Best Queen” – an award for Lee Jae Shin.

From Eun Shi Kyung.

-To Be Continued…